Browsing by Subject "Resilience"
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Item Adaptive capacity & resilience to natural disasters in Latin America : a case study on the 2007 Ica, Peru earthquake(2011-05) Zegarra-Coronado, Aurea Gabriela; Dietz, Henry A.; Wilson, Patricia AnnThe purpose of this study is to explore, compare, and analyze the process of learning and the importance of adaptation and resilience in a continuously evolving environment amidst natural disasters as seen in two earthquake-prone communities located in southern Peru. The framework of complex adaptive systems offers insight into understanding human limitations to control an environment that is constantly far from equilibrium. Complexity science theory supports the study and the self-organization of communities in the process of coping with a disaster. Reports generated from informal interviews and participatory techniques further support all evidential findings. The co-evolution process given by the participation of diverse agents may include the collaboration and involvement of victims as well as local, state, and national organizations. Results from the co-evolution process may derive from previous experiences, preparedness, education, the development of previous relationships, and the capacity of improvisation. Furthermore, solidarity, self-organization and adaptation of agents in a community may further influence the ability to deal effectively with unexpected adversity.Item African American Urban Female Students' Perceptions of Social Factors Impacting Their Academic Achievement in One Public School District(2011-08-08) Shelby-King, Rhonda EvetteThe purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of social factors affecting the academic achievement of secondary African American urban (AAU) female students in an urban school district. This study determined whether the AAU females in this study perceived the social factors in the literature review to impact their academic achievement, the relationship between those social factors and academic achievement, and the differences in academic achievement by socioeconomic status. One hundred fifty-eight (158) AAU female students from three high schools in one urban district located in southeast Texas participated in this study. A self-generated 51-item questionnaire (Students' Perceptions of Social Factors Affecting Academic Achievement in Urban Schools) was used to collect data for this study. There were three major results in the study. First, there were not any significant factors impacting the academic achievement of AAU females; secondly, AAU females did not perceive any social factors as significantly affecting their academic achievement; and finally, there were not any statistical differences between socioeconomic status and academic achievement. Specifically, the results did not reveal a difference between AAU 12th grade female students on free and reduced lunch and those not on free and reduced lunch in terms of academic performance.Item And the ocean came up on land : perceptions of adaptive capacity of cattle ranching in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana(2013-05) Adams, Danica Claire; Dooling, Sarah; Moore, Steven A., 1945-Cattle ranching in Vermilion Parish is a social-techno-ecological system (STES) that is currently vulnerable due to changing social, technological and ecological conditions. In addressing ways to increase the adaptive capacity of cattle ranching in Vermilion Parish, I used a multiple, mixed method approach grounded in a critical constructivist framework. Constructivism is the idea that our relationship to facts is constructed by our social context. It is these perceptions that shape people’s actions. By looking at these perceptions through an emancipatory frame I was able to understand multiple interpretations of meaning, consciously address them, consider how they may have shaped our actions, and then alter those meanings and power relationships. In an effort to increase the adaptive capacity of cattle ranching in Vermilion Parish, my research focused on actions, why people perform those actions, and how to change them. This research connected the physical landscape of the marshes, the individual landscape of perception, and the conceptual landscape of resilience. If resilience is the ability of a system (cattle ranching in vermilion parish) to recover after a disturbance, adaptive capacity is when the actors within the system can influence that system’s resilience. I explored the history of cattle ranching in Vermilion Parish from three different, but overlapping perspectives – environmental, social, and technological. These perspectives compliment the information from interviews and 3CM sessions. These 15 interviews revealed the perception of 11 types of threats facing cattle ranching in Vermilion Parish. The body of literature surrounding resilience theory identifies traits of highly adaptive systems. The recommendations and suggestions outlined in Chapter 6 exist at the intersection of the actors’ perception of specific threats and the decidedly generalized traits of highly adaptive systems. These suggestions were geared towards increasing the adaptive capacity of cattle ranching in Vermilion Parish. Given these layered landscapes and their complexity, my recommendations were subject to feedback loops and long periods of integration. These recommendations contribute to the theoretical foundation detailed in Chapter 3 by identifying specific ways that the actors of this particular system may be able increase their own adaptive capacity.Item Between suicidality and self : effects of mindfulness on college students' entrance into and progression along the continuum of suicidality(2013-08) Hess, Elaine Allison; Drum, David J.Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, making it a prime target for prevention initiatives on college campuses. Efforts to manage the problem of suicidality on campus frequently involve shepherding students at elevated risk into treatment services through the college counseling center. Several scholars have called for suicide prevention efforts to take a public health approach, seeking to intervene more broadly by improving the mental health of the general population that is currently at little to no risk of developing an imminent suicidal crisis. One manner of expanding these prevention efforts is to investigate those factors that preserve the emotional and mental resilience of college students facing similar life stressors and distress levels. As such, scholars of suicidality have called for closer examination of those protective factors that prevent some students--experiencing comparable levels of stress as compared to their suicidal peers--from ever entering into or progressing along the suicidality continuum. Mindfulness is a construct that has shown promise in the intervention literature for its ameliorative affect on a range of disorders and problematic coping behaviors. The possible protective benefit of dispositional levels of mindfulness at varying points along the suicidal continuum is not well understood, and the present study seeks to remedy this gap in the literature in a large sample of college students. Using archival data from a national survey of college student coping collected in 2011 by The National Research Consortium of Counseling Centers in Higher Education, this study explored the effect of trait mindfulness levels on entry into and progression along the continuum of suicidality. Multilevel modeling was used to explore associations between historical and demographic predictors of suicidality, dispositional mindfulness levels, self-reported distress levels during a recent stressful period, strength of intent during a recent suicidal crisis, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors along a continuum of suicidality. Results indicated that mindfulness conveys protection at the threshold of developing suicidal thoughts during a recent stressor, but is not associated with the shift from suicidal thoughts to the development of suicidal behaviors. Implications are discussed with respect to the role mindfulness can play in the development of comprehensive, population-based suicide prevention programming and mental health promotion initiatives on college campuses.Item Changes in health resulting from the "Internship Process" in a cohort of professional psychology doctoral student applicants(2017-06-02) Manning, John Merrill; Henderson, Craig E.Graduate students enrolled in clinical, counseling, and school psychology doctoral programs are required to complete a one-year internship prior to graduating and earning their degree. Recently, an imbalance has grown between the number of internship positions and the number of applicants, with more applicants than available internship positions. This creates a period of intense stress and demand on prospective interns as they apply for, interview for, and receive word of pairing results to internship sites. This stress may negatively impact interns’ health and wellness over the application/interview period. To date, this remains an area that has not previously been studied. The current study utilizes a hierarchical, latent variable model of global health, with a global health factor comprised of five first-order factors: Physical health, mental health, spiritual health, social health, and stress (IS-Wel model; Hattie, Myers, & Sweeney, 2004). Using a time-interrupted series design, participants wore a physical activity monitor, completed semi-weekly surveys, and logged food intake via an online application across three phases lasting three, four, and three weeks, respectively. Using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), the model was analyzed for fit and predictive validity. Subsequently, means structures were assessed for significant changes across phases, as well as accounting for the influence of resilience as a covariate, within SPSS using a MANCOVA analysis. Paired-sample t-tests were further used to analyze specific areas and direction of change. Results indicated non-significant changes in health across phases, as well as a non-significant interaction between resilience and health by phase. These results indicate that prospective interns are able to effectively cope with the multiple stressors unique to this period of training.Item Children's resilience in the presence of mothers' depressive symptoms : examining proximal regulatory processes related to active agency(2014-05) Yan, Ni, active 21st century; Dix, Theodore H.Using a large sample from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care, the current study examined the processes through which children's agentic processes promoted their resilience in the face of mothers' depressive symptoms at first grade. Children's resilience in the presence of mothers' depressive symptoms was demonstrated to be homogeneous across domains of academic performance, social competence, internalizing behavior, and externalizing behavior. Children's effortful control, self-assertion, and mastery motivation predicted their resilience in these domains to a varying degree. The agentic processes mediated the relation of different patterns of individual (i.e., child intelligence, temperament), relational (i.e., attachment security), and environmental (i.e., maternal sensitivity, childcare quality) factors to children's resilience across domains. Interrelations among child individual, relational, and environmental characteristics were also observed. Moreover, findings from two analytic approaches converged in terms of underscoring the importance of the agentic system in promoting child resilience in the face of mothers' depressive symptoms. Children's agentic processes promoted their resilience via additive main effects rather than interactive effects.Item Determining the relationships between resilience, spirituality, life events, disruptions, demographic characteristics, personal history, and mental health symptoms in active duty soldiers with a recent deployment history(2012-12) Simmons, Angela Marie; Yoder, Linda H.; Carter, Patricia A; Jones, Terry L; Kenny, Deborah J; Nayback-Beebe, Ann MOf the approximately 1 million Army Soldiers who deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan at least one time between 2001 and 2007, 18.5% screened positive for posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms post-deployment (Tanielian et al., 2008). Deployed Soldiers are at a high risk for unsuccessful reintegration as evidenced by the presence of mental health symptoms. Because of the lack of evidence demonstrating the relationships between resilience and other factors that may contribute to mental health outcomes in active duty Soldiers, the purpose of this study was to determine if relationships existed among these variables in Soldiers with a recent deployment history. An adaptation of Richardson’s Metatheory of resilience guided this study. A convenience sample of 350 active duty army junior enlisted and Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) who were within 6 - 12 months from returning from deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan and stationed at Fort Campbell were recruited to participate in this cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational study. Seven self-report instruments were used to collect data: (1) Demographic Survey, (2) Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, (3) Deployment Risk and Resiliency Inventory (DRRI), (4) Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale, (5) Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, (6) Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and (7) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Military Version. Data were entered into SPSS 18 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlations, and hierarchical linear regression. Results revealed many statistically significant correlations. Ten predictors resulted from this analysis and were placed into separate regression analyses with the three mental health outcomes. Each of the mental health outcome variables (anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms) accounted for a significant amount of variance in the other. In addition to PTSD and depression, post-deployment life events, deployment environment, and resilience accounted for the most significant amount of variance in anxiety symptoms. In addition to anxiety and PTSD symptoms, post-deployment life events accounted for the most significant amount of variance in depression symptoms. Deployment environment, post-deployment life events, and post-deployment support accounted for the most significant amount of variance in PTSD symptoms, in addition to anxiety and depression. The implications of the findings and recommendations for future nursing practice, education, and research opportunities are abundant.Item Examining psychosociocultural influences, student-professor interactions, racial identity and resilience as predictors of academic self-concept and academic achivement of Black collegians(2015-08) Beasley, Samuel T.; Cokley, Kevin O. (Kevin O'Neal), 1969-; Awad, Germine; Gilbert, Dorie; Suizzo, Marie; Drum, DavidThis study explores how perceptions of the university environment, cultural congruity, student-faculty interactions, racial identity and resilience affect academic outcomes among Black collegians attending historically White postsecondary institutions. Prior scholarship has traditionally focused on standardized measures when assessing academic outcomes among Black college students. In contrast, contextual variables have been given minimal scholarly attention. Using Pearson’s correlations and hierarchical multiple regression, this study examines how perceptions of the university environment, cultural congruity, student-faculty interactions, racial identity and resilience influence academic achievement and academic self-concept among Black college students. The sample consisted of 253 Black college students (88 men, 165 women) recruited from historically White postsecondary institutions. Results revealed academic self-concept, resilience (via academic engagement) and racial centrality were significantly correlated with cumulative GPA. Using hierarchical multiple regression, academic engagement and racial centrality predicted a small but significant increase in variance of cumulative GPA above and beyond academic self-concept. Additionally, correlational analyses revealed psychosociocultural influences, student-faculty interactions, and resilience were significantly correlated with academic self-concept. Hierarchical multiple regression found that racial identity, psychosociocultural influences, student-faculty interactions and resilience each accounted for significant variance in explaining academic self-concept. These findings suggest the need to begin developing a more integrated model that incorporates how race (racial centrality), space (perceptions of the university environment, student-faculty interactions), place (cultural congruity) and pace (resilience via academic and social engagement) influence the outcomes of Black collegians attending historically White educational institutions. Implications of these findings for university faculty, student affairs professionals and mental health professionals are identified.Item Experiences of resilience and adversity in rowing : a grounded theory(2015-05) Brown, Taylor Richard; Todd, Jan; Bowers, MatthewObjective: Psychological resilience has been studied in the context of childhood and adolescent athletes and in elite athletes. Therefore a gap has formed in the part of the athlete population referred to as non-elite athletes. The objective of the present study was to explore the experiences of resilience and adversity in this non-elite athlete population and compare the findings to existing literature on elite-athletes to determine similarities and differences. Design and Method: Twelve non-elite rowers (8 women, 4 men) were interviewed regarding their experiences with resilience and adversity in rowing. A semi- structured interview guide was used to direct the interviews. Transcripts were coded and analyzed in accordance with a grounded theory methodology, and a substantive theory was formed through an iterative process of memoing, constant comparison, and theoretical sampling. Results and Conclusions: The findings suggested that there were a number of similarities in underlying processes of resilience in non-elite and elite athletes. The differences that were identified arose in the degree to which the athletes practiced resilient mechanisms.Item Exploring the Role of Positive Psychology Constructs as Protective Factors Against the Impact of Negative Environmental Variables on the Subjective Well-being of Older Adults(2011-08-08) Pezent, Ginger DianeThe present study explored how older adults adapt to the negative changes that often occur as people age. This study sought to provide a comprehensive investigation of how the positive psychology variables of hope, optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy might work together to serve as protective factors against the potentially deleterious impact of negative environmental variables on the subjective well-being of older adults. The negative environmental variables examined in this study included declining health status, lower social support, and negative life events (e.g., loss of spouse, reduced income, etc.). In this study, the subjective well-being in older adults is defined as an overall sense of satisfaction with life, high positive affect, and low negative affect. This study examined three primary hypothesized models, each investigating how positive internal dispositional factors (as measured by taking the composite of hope, optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy), work together to mediate the relationship between the components of subjective well-being and a different environmental variable for each model. Several alternative path analyses models were also run based on modifications to the model that achieved good fit, with the goal of evaluating whether the individual positive psychology constructs either fully or partially mediated between certain environmental variables and each of the components of subjective well-being. Although no adequate fits were attained for the models evaluating social support and negative life events, results of this study showed an adequate fit for the model evaluating the positive psychology cluster as a mediator between health status and the subjective well-being components; more specifically, the positive psychology cluster was shown to mediate the relationship between perceived health and two of the three components of subjective well-being (life satisfaction and positive affect). In addition, correlation analyses revealed that the positive psychology variables were all significantly correlated with each other, as well as with the participant reports of life satisfaction, positive affect, and perceived health. These findings suggest that participants who reported higher levels of the positive psychology constructs experienced higher satisfaction with life and positive affect, and perceived themselves as having a lower occurrence of health problems. Overall, these results provide additional evidence for the protective role that hope, optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy may play in maintaining the well-being of older adults.Item Forging a path to success : the persistence and resilience of low-income college students(2011-08) Alsandor, Danielle Juanice; Kameen, Marilyn C.; Reddick, Richard J.; Holme, Jennifer; Gilbert, Dorie J.; Vincent, GregoryThe rate of persistence among low-income college students continues to lag far behind that of high-income college students (Engle & Tinto, 2008; Mortenson, 2007). Research cites academic and social integration along with economic, social, and cultural capital affect college students’ ability to persist (Bourdieu, 1986; Tinto, 1993). Low-income college students possess lower levels of capital and are six times less likely to persist than their high-income peers (Mortenson, 2007). This qualitative study explored the experiences of low-income college students who have forged a path to success through their persistence. The role of resilience was explored as resilience aids individuals in overcoming adversity. Through an interpretivist lens and a conceptual framework based on social, cultural, and economic capital, this study used phenomenology to add to the literature on student persistence by researching low-income college students and the role of resilience in their lives.Item From being considered at-risk to becoming resilient: an autoethnography of abuse and poverty(2009-05-15) Mercado-Garza, RosalindaThis qualitative autoethnographic study was the process by which I, a young Latina, was able to evocatively and therapeutically write about the incestual abuse and poverty experienced from age six until the age of 17. It was also the method by which I decided to disclose how I moved from being considered at-risk and became resilient. This study demonstrated the basic tenets of autoethnography and how by overcoming poverty and ending a cycle of abuse, I was able to embrace the spirit of forgiveness. Insight into the discourse of a dysfunctional family is shared, allowing me to offer a message of hope, and shatter stereotypes. The study concludes that autoethnography as a process permits me to tap into new-found autonomy. Autoethnographically, this study represents my life journey, but it can represent the life of many readers who have lived in the United States in impoverished conditions and/or have lived through physical, emotional, verbal and sexual abuse by family members or intimate others. This study legitimized and validated my story as a survivor. Consequently, the plot of the story focuses on the violent acts and conditions, not the people. Focusing on the acts and conditions, while incorporating dialogue permitted me to involve the reader more closely in the story. I leaned on my doctoral studies to expand my understanding of the abuse and poverty I experienced (Holt, 2003). I found that resiliency was central to my life story. Embracing resiliency empowered me to discover new ways of thinking about my life experiences, which included using a salutogenic approach, or a positive model that offered ?alternatives to the deficits-based explanatory models of environmental determinants of health that have dominated the literature? to accept the raw and cruel encounters I was exposed to and turn my thoughts into a healthier way of thinking (Stewart & McWhirter, 2007, p. 490). Tugade and Fredrickson (2004, p. 320) would say that I obtained a psychological resilience to effectively cope and adapt, even though I faced ?loss, hardship, or adversity.? Ultimately, I discovered that resilience is a ?state, a condition and a practice? (Knight, 2007, p. 544).Item Grief and resilience: implications for bereaved college students(2009-05) Willeford, Lindsay Catherine; Sherry, Alissa Rene; Drum, David J.The current paper reviews the recent literature on grief and resilience. Specific limitations are noted, namely the lack of attention in the grief literature given to traditional-age college students. The personality characteristics and coping strategies associated with resilient grievers are discussed, followed by a review of the issues and barriers specific to grieving college students. Finally, this paper provides suggestions for how universities and college counselors can promote resilience in grieving students in order to allow for better adjustment during bereavement.Item Homeless young adults : an exploratory study examining resiliency and coping(2012-05) Lippman, Angela Del Prado; Thompson, Sanna J.; Springer, David W.This dissertation study sought to explore the hidden resilience among a homeless young adult population (ages 18-24). The majority of research conducted on homeless young adults remains limited to examining their multiple challenges and risk factors. While the high rates of substance use issues, mental health problems and trauma implicit in their lives warrant attention, research on the unconventional resilience of this group may enable service providers to better understand their unique needs. Recently researchers have begun to address the strengths and unique personal capabilities of this population. This dissertation follows this trend and utilizes the social estrangement model as a conceptual framework to examine predictors of resilience. Variables were examined within the context of four domains implicit in the social estrangement model that represent the amount of estrangement that exists in the lives of homeless young adults. The four domains explored within this conceptual framework included, institutional disaffiliation, psychological functioning, human capital and identification with the homeless culture. Findings from this study revealed that homeless young adults' self-esteem and optimistic perspectives of the future predicted higher resiliency, while drug dependency predicted lower resiliency. Additionally, homeless young adults' coping served as a mediating variable between their levels of self-esteem and optimistic perspectives of the future with resiliency. Implications for professionals working with a homeless young adult population include developing and strengthening substance preventions programs tailored to uniquely address their resiliency needs. Additionally, social workers and other direct service providers may incorporate intervention strategies that focus on improving self-esteem and increasing young adults' optimistic perspectives of the future. Homeless young adults will benefit from working with professionals who have a better understanding of their lives on streets and the unique coping strategies and survival skills that enable them to persist in a dangerous environment. Recognizing the strengths and resilience that homeless young adults are capable of, and incorporating strength-based perspectives in work with this group may empower these young adults to make positive choices and increase the likelihood of transitioning out of homelessness.Item Improving the Education of Hispanic English Language Learners: Examining Educational Resilience and Effective Instructional Practices(2010-07-14) Valle, MelisaThis dissertation includes empirical studies of educational achievement and resilience of Hispanic ELL. The dataset used is the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort and Birth Cohort. In the first study, we investigated whether there were differences of instructional practices between ELLs and non-ELLs and the type of classrooms they attended. A 2-way ANOVA indicated ELLs were being exposed more often to teacher-directed, whole-classroom instruction than non-ELLs. In respect to classroom types, the results from this study suggest that student-selected activities and amount of workbook and media instruction differed significantly. The multiple regression results indicated that teacher-directed, small-group instruction, use of workbooks, and 3rd-grade reading achievement significantly (p < .05) influence the ELLs 5th-grade achievement. The second study focused on the 5th-grade mathematics achievement of Hispanic ELLs, Hispanic non-ELLs, and White non-ELLs. The findings of this study indicate that 5th -grade students are receiving more teacher-directed, whole-class instruction and using more mathematics worksheets. Student-selected activities and the use of computers are being used the least. The results also indicate that the use of textbooks or worksheets and computers for solving mathematics problems significantly (p less than .05) influence ELLs' mathematic achievement. Our study also revealed that third-grade mathematics achievement directly impacts the student's fifth-grade achievement. Furthermore, Hispanic ELLs learned more when exposed to blackboards and overheads for solving problems. The final study analyzed the resilience and academic achievement of preschool Hispanic students. The MANOVA results indicated the resilient group had a more active home learning environment, greater socioeconomic status, higher cognitive scores, and higher parental expectations. These studies emphasize the need of future research to include longitudinal studies of Hispanic, ELLs from Preschool through upper-level grades to investigate (a) resilience development, patterns, and changes, (b) consistency and variance of effective instructional practices in different types of classroom, and (c) development of achievement in mathematics and reading. Hispanic ELLs face many educational challenges, but the three studies reported here suggest that promoting resilience and implementing effective instructional practices may increase Hispanic ELLs academic achievement as well as positively enhance their home and school environment. The educational and policy implications of our studies suggest more student-centered instruction is needed in the classrooms because not enough effective instruction is being implemented in diverse classrooms. Our findings also suggest that classrooms and policies should focus on early intervention and prevention fostering resilient characteristics, as well as consistent and effective instructional practices.Item Increasing resilience of urban development on Texas barrier islandsTaylor, Eleonor BarrazaItem Interpersonal resilience in romantic relationships(2010-12) Beck, Gary Alan; Vangelisti, Anita L.; Dailey, Rene; Daly, John; McGlone, Matthew; Surra, CathyThe purpose of this research was to examine the characteristics of interaction in romantic relationships that enable partners to effectively deal with significant stressors to their relationship. These characteristics were identified through the development of a measure of interpersonal resilience in romantic relationships. The dissertation consisted of three phases: Phase one solicited from communication experts their perceptions of the communication characteristics that encourage resilient patterns of stress management in romantic relationships. This feedback was evaluated and organized into categories. Phase two sought to identify underlying dimensions of the categories, and to statistically validate the most important characteristics of communication contributing to resilient outcomes. Communication experts were asked to rate forty items addressing the various categories of communication characteristics generated in part one. Their data were factor analyzed, and reduced to a list of twenty-eight items that made up the initial Interpersonal Resilience in Romantic Relationships (IR3) measure. The final part of the this research, phase three, validated the role that IR3 dimensions play mediating the effects of a significant stressor, in this case job loss, on relationship outcomes of quality, satisfaction, and commitment.Item Loss of the Dream: Stories of Mid-Life Divorce(2011-02-22) Leighman, Marilyn RustThe divorce experiences of seven mid-life women were investigated using Bohannan's (1970) and Hagemeyer's (1986) divorce theories as a framework to guide the research. In-depth interviews and visual interpretation were used: (a) to determine the greatest challenges and losses experienced by mid-life women after divorce; (b) to identify factors which contribute to resilience and determine coping mechanisms used by mid-life women following divorce; and (c) to assess long-term effects of divorce on midlife women several years after the event. The results of this study included the following findings: The women in the study had been divorced from 7 to 18 years and all agreed that losing the dream of the "happily ever after marriage" and the loss of the family unit were the most difficult losses they experienced. Other losses included the loss of identity as a married person, loss of home and assets, loss of income, and loss of relationship with children. Factors affecting resilience and coping mechanisms included working at a job or profession, support of family and friends, faith and spirituality and social activities and dating. These were unanimous choices among the participants. Long-term effects were both positive and negative. Negative effects included continued feelings of loss concerning the family unit, lingering anger, and lack of forgiveness toward the former spouse. Positive aspects included increased resilience, autonomy, personal achievement, and spiritual growth.Item The multidimensional influences of positive emotions on stress, coping, resilience, wellness, and work engagement(2013-05) Gloria, Christian Tolentino, 1981-; Steinhardt, MaryAccording to Fredrickson's broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, positive emotions -- such as joy, contentment, and love -- help individuals cope with stress, maintain well-being, and flourish in life. Guided by this theory, this dissertation project conducted three studies which explored the multidimensional influences of positive emotions on stress, coping strategies, resilience, trait anxiety, depressive symptoms, and work engagement. Study 1 examined the mediating role of coping strategies on the link between positive emotions and resilience; in addition, the moderating effect of resilience on the influence of stress toward trait anxiety and depressive symptoms was tested. Study 2 investigated if one's positivity would distinguish differences in their levels of stress, trait anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Finally, Study 3 examined whether stress and positive emotions would account for the variance in work engagement, over and above what has been explained by known predictors -- specifically, work meaningfulness and supervisor support. Path analysis, interaction analysis, multivariate analysis of variance, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis were used to test the different models within these studies. A sample of 200 postdoctoral fellows completed the survey (38% response rate). Results showed that a) coping strategies partially mediated the link between positive emotions and resilience; b) resilience moderated the effect of stress on trait anxiety and depressive symptoms; c) the different categories of positivity distinguished differences in experienced stress, trait anxiety, and depressive symptoms; d) stress and positive emotions accounted for additional variance in work engagement, above what is already explained by work meaningfulness and supervisor support; and e) positive emotions completely mediated the relationship between supervisor support and work engagement. Findings support the broaden-and-build theory's hypotheses that positive emotions enhance adaptive coping strategies and fuel resilience. The data also demonstrated that resilience protected postdocs from experiencing heightened levels of trait anxiety and depressive symptoms by diminishing their relationships with stress. One strategy to optimize health would be to increase opportunities for postdocs to experience positive emotions, which would subsequently spark the upward spiral toward improved coping, greater resilience, and reduced stress, anxiety, and depression. To promote work engagement, it is important for supervisors to not only be mindful of assigning meaningful work to their employees (or help employees find meaning in their work), but supervisors should also be a supportive leader within a positive workplace environment.Item Relationships between job strain, body mass index, background information variables, and resilience as predictors of job satisfaction among hospital staff nurses(2009-05) Earvolino Ramirez, Marie Louise; Timmerman, Gayle M.Estimates indicate that by 2010 RN demand will exceed supply by over 400,000 full-time equivalents and by 2020 the RN shortage will increase to over 1 million. Turnover is a major contributor to the nursing shortage and job dissatisfaction is a well-established cause of nursing turnover. Understanding RN job satisfaction is an objective that is critical to keeping experienced nurses working in nursing and minimizing RN turnover. Many facets of RN job satisfaction have been examined in previous studies; however, much of the variance in job satisfaction remains unexplained. The purpose of this study was to explore job strain, body mass index, and background information variables (age, education, ethnicity, number of years in nursing, and perceived general health) as possible predictors of job satisfaction among hospital staff nurses. Resilience was examined for its mediating and moderating effects on the relationships between job strain and job satisfaction and body mass index and job satisfaction. The research design was cross-sectional and correlational. Surveys were mailed to RNs across the state of Texas. Reliable instruments were used to measure hospital staff RN job satisfaction, job strain, and resilience. Body mass index was calculated based on self-reported height and weight. From a sampling frame of full-time, hospital staff RNs purchased from the Texas Board of Nursing, a random sample of 556 RNs was obtained. The response rate was 27.6% (n = 147). Results showed that 25.2% of the RNs sampled reported high job strain. Job strain was significantly related to body mass index, and high job strain was significantly negatively related to job satisfaction. High job strain explained 24.7% of the variance in job satisfaction. None of the background information variables were significantly related to job satisfaction. Resilience had a moderating effect on the relationship between job strain and job satisfaction. Resilience did not mediate or moderate the relationship between body mass index and job satisfaction. Future research should focus on creating a nurse-specific instrument that measures job strain in hospital staff RNs. Intervention studies that investigate the effects of resilience training on the job satisfaction of hospital staff RNs should also be conducted.