Browsing by Subject "self-esteem"
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Item Examining the relationship between perfectionism, self-esteem, body satisfaction, and bulimic behavior(Texas A&M University, 2004-09-30) Pearson, Crystal AnneA variety of risk factors for bulimia nervosa have been proposed including both environmental factors (e.g., family environment) and personal characteristics (e.g., body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, and perfectionism). The main goal of this study was to further examine the relationship between body satisfaction, self-esteem, and perfectionism in the development of bulimic symptoms. A confirmatory factor analysis on the construct of perfectionism was conducted to determine if it was best explained as a unidimensional or a multidimensional construct. Perfectionism was best explained as a construct consisting of three factors--normal perfectionism, neurotic perfectionism, and orderliness. The relationship between body satisfaction, self-esteem, and perfectionism in the development of bulimic behaviors was also examined using structural equation modeling. We did not find support for a hypothesized three-way interaction among body satisfaction, self-esteem, and neurotic perfectionism in the development of bulimic behavior. We did find support for a pair of two-way interactions predicting bulimic behaviors. Interactions between body satisfaction and self-esteem and body satisfaction and neurotic perfectionism were predicitve of bulimic symptom development.Item Intergenerational parallelism of self-efficacy: moderating variables, mediating variables, and common antecedents(Texas A&M University, 2004-11-15) Lin, Cheng-HsienA number of theories and studies in sociology and psychology have asserted that self-efficacy is both the consequence and cause of our everyday life experiences. However, there is little empirical evidence to support the existence of intergenerational parallelism of self-efficacy between generations. And if it exists, then the processes by which self-efficacy is transmitted from parents to children is rarely documented in the literature. In addition, it is noteworthy to examine whether such intergenerational transmission of self-efficacy exists among different types of families, genders, or racial groups. In my dissertation, I intend to answer these inquiries by utilizing a longitudinal data set that incorporates information of three generations (grandparents, parents, and grandchildren) reporting their individual age, educational attainment, self-esteem, and self-efficacy, with both parent generation's self-efficacy and child generation's self-efficacy having been collected in the same developmental stage (early adolescence). In addition, parents also reported several aspects of their adulthood conditions and behaviors, including their occupation, substance use, parenting behaviors, educational expectation upon their children, and their self-efficacy in adulthood, which I introduce as mediating mechanisms of the intergenerational transmission of self-efficacy. Finally, I analyzed this model separately in terms of family structure (dual- or single-parent families), child's gender, parent-child gender dyads, and race/ethnicity. The results suggest that there exists intergenerational parallelism of self-efficacy, and parent generation's self-efficacy (in adolescence) is associated with parents' choices of conventional pathways towards adulthood. These conventional pathways that self-efficacious parents choose in turn exhibit a strong influence on the development of the child's self-efficacy. These findings are independent of other influences, e.g. the family's social economic status, race/ethnicity, ages of both generations, and family structure. The implications and contributions of this research are discussed in the last chapter.Item Secure attachment, self-esteem, and optimism as predictors of positive body mage in women(2009-05-15) Sandoval, Erin LeverenzThis correlational cross-sectional study investigated body image from a positive psychology viewpoint by examining variables that were predicted to contribute to positive body image in women and testing a model describing the relationships among the variables. Negative body image has been correlated with many psychological problems in the literature, but less research has examined positive body image. Some questions addressed include: Is there a relationship between secure attachment and positive body image? Do self-esteem and optimism act as intervening variables in the predicted relationship between secure attachment and positive body image? To address these questions, data from 97 women were used in a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis. Some of the hypotheses were supported, although the overall model was not. Secure attachment was found to be positively correlated with and predictive of self-esteem and optimism as hypothesized and in line with previous findings. Also as hypothesized, self-esteem and optimism were found to be moderately correlated. Self-esteem and optimism were not significantly related to body image in the SEM analysis and therefore the overall proposed model was not supported. In this sample, secure attachment was found to be the greatest predictor of positive body image. Attachment accounted for 40% of the variance in body image, 44% of the variance in optimism, and 25% of the variance in self-esteem.Item The Effects of Single Gender Schools on Boys' Self-esteem and Academic Confidence(2012-04-19) Morgan, Nicholas; Liberman, Dov; MacNeil, Angus; Busch, Steve; Taylor, NancyMorgan, Nicholas G. “The Effects of Single Gender Schools on Boys’ Self-Esteem and Academic Confidence” Unpublished Doctor of Education Doctoral Thesis, University of Houston, May, 2011. ABSTRACT Boys are falling behind academically in many schools in the United States. Over that past thirty years, girls have surpassed males in academic achievement in all subject areas, including those traditionally thought of as easier for boys (mathematics and science). This achievement shift has been linked to teaching styles and practices in schools today, which often favor rely more heavily on female learning styles (Meyer, 2008). However, single gender schools are combating this sudden lack of academic achievement by teaching boys with techniques and practices thought to be more appropriate for boys learning styles and development. These schools are succeeding with boys on academic scales, but little research has been done on these boys’ self-esteem and academic confidence. Boys in mixed gender schools experiencing constant failure will continue a downward spiral of self-esteem and academic performance. Self-esteem has been widely accepted to be connected with academic success and they have a reciprocal relationship (Hamachek, 1995; Pajares & Schunk, 2001). This study contends that boys in a single gender campus, which focuses on appropriate teaching strategies and practices, will develop higher self-esteem in boys and thus find higher academic achievement. This study included 58 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade boys from two different Catholic parochial schools. The first school is an all-boy single gender campus, in which 39 students participated. The second school is a mixed gender campus with 19 participants. The participants’ self-esteem will be measured with the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, which breaks self-esteem into four subgroups. These subgroups include attitude towards self in social, academic, family, and personal areas of experience. Results of this study do not support the hypotheses that single gender schools would facilitate higher self-esteem in boys. No significant statistical differences were found within the four subscales or overall results. Furthermore, in this study, neither the single gender school nor the mixed gender school showed distinct advantages over the other regarding developing self-esteem. Limitations of this study include the relatively small sample size, the number of years that participants attended the school, only one gender being studied, and the additional family connections within parochial schools.Item The Relationship of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and the Self-Esteem of College Women(2010-07-14) Joseph, ReniThe symptoms of females with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) have been underreported, possibly due to the fact that their symptoms of inattention are often overlooked. Research has revealed that individuals report low selfesteem as a result of undiagnosed AD/HD. Thus, if these individuals are not diagnosed and exposed to the proper treatment for their AD/HD symptoms, they may continue to endure progressive psychological impairments in the years to come. The current study is an attempt to contribute to the literature concerning the presentation and outcome of AD/HD in women. This study aims to determine the relationship of self esteem and AD/HD in college women. A sample of 74 women participated in this study. A total of 24 students diagnosed with AD/HD and 50 students without AD/HD comprised the sample. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and an AD/HD and Self-Esteem inventory. Results of this study indicated that women who were diagnosed with AD/HD scored higher than the comparison sample on all scales measuring AD/HD symptoms. As predicted, AD/HD symptoms were found to be negatively related to self-esteem. On the other hand, no significant correlations were found between the age of women when they were first diagnosed with AD/HD and their current level of self-esteem. It was also determined that family support was related self-esteem. Thus, family support was examined as a moderator of the relation between self-esteem and AD/HD. Unfortunately, family support does not appear to moderate the relation between AD/HD and self-esteem. Limitations of this study included a small sample size, the use of self-reports, not examining subtypes of AD/HD individually, and not requiring a medication abstinence period. Despite limitations, this study provides some insight on the outcomes of women with AD/HD. It also provides evidence for the need of additional research in the area of women with AD/HD; their life-span experience with AD/HD and the effects of a late diagnosis. Further studies in this area of interest that include larger sample sizes from multiple postsecondary institutions will be necessary to determine that the results in this study are in fact generalizable to other college women diagnosed with AD/HD.Item Therapeutic horsemanship and children adopted from foster care : a case study analysis using mixed methods(2007-08) Cody, Patricia Anne; Franklin, CynthiaThe purpose of this study was to explore the potential benefits of a therapeutic horsemanship program for children adopted from foster care and their adoptive mothers. Standardized measures, open-ended interviews and surveys were administered to determine effects on external child behavior, child self-esteem and parenting stress. The Child Behavior Checklist was administered to measure behavioral challenges in the children in this sample. There were no statistically significant changes on any of the CBCL scales. Qualitative data from the mothers, Instructors and researcher observations show some affect on behavior. The Culture Free Self-Esteem Inventory-3 was administered to measure self-esteem of the nine children in the sample. The decrease on the Global Self-Esteem Quotient of the CFSEI-3 was statistically significant using. Of the nine children, only three of them scored in the clinical range at pre-test. Of these three, two moved into the normal range and the third improved her score to be very close to the normal range. Qualitative data from the mothers, Instructors and researcher observations support this finding. The Total Stress score of the Parenting Stress Index -- Short Form for the mothers in the sample did not show a statistically significant decrease. Six of the nine mothers' pre-test and post-test scores were in the clinical range and only three had decreased post-test scores. The Qualitative data obtained through interviews, surveys and observations did not support a direct impact of the program on stress levels but rather an impact on level of support. Many mothers reported that they liked spending time with the other mothers to share resources and discuss their children. The data collected in this study does not provide sufficient evidence to make any causal statements about therapeutic horsemanship programs and children adopted from foster care. It does, however, provide support for the need for future research. The findings from this study have implications for meeting the needs of a variety of children adopted from foster and their adoptive parents.Item Unintended consequences of negative messages: why some health interventions miss the mark(Texas A&M University, 2007-09-17) Burpo, Jill ElizabethThe debate about how to frame health messages to maximize their effectiveness is ongoing. Research supports the use of both positive and negative frames under different conditions. This project was developed to further clarify the circumstances under which a negative frame may be harmful, or even backfire. In Study 1 it was proposed that past drinking behavior would moderate the relationship between message frame and behavioral intention to drink alcohol in the future such that people with a heavy drinking past would react to a negatively framed message by increasing their intention to consume alcohol. A total of 212 students participated in the study where they completed a questionnaire to provide information on some of the key variables, such as drinking history, and then were asked to read mock health materials with either a positive or negative frame. They concluded the study by responding to a final questionnaire where they provided feedback on the health materials and indicated their intentions to drink in the future. Results of this study supported the hypothesis. The goals of Study 2 were to replicate the findings of Study 1 and to test the hypothesis that self-esteem would be a second-order moderator of this effect such that people with a heavy drinking past and high self-esteem would be most likely to respond to a negatively framed message by increasing their intention to drink alcohol in the future. A total of 490 students participated in the study, which followed the same procedure as the first study. Results of Study 2 failed to replicate the findings from Study 1, and indicated that self-esteem did influence the relationship between past behavior, message frame and behavioral intention but not in the proposed direction. The marginally-significant effect found in Study 2 suggested that heavy drinkers with high self-esteem were actually more likely to decrease their intentions to drink alcohol after reading a negatively framed message. Because of the inconsistency in the results of the two studies presented, proposed directions for future research are discussed.