Browsing by Subject "social support"
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Item Acculturative Stress, Social Support, and Physical Activity among International Students in the United States(2010-07-14) Kim, Bo SooThe purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which acculturative stress is associated with physical activity levels of international students, the influence of types and sources of social support on their physical activity levels, and the degree to which social support affects the relationship between their physical activity levels and acculturative stress. 215 Korean international students from Bryan-College Station, Texas, were recruited for this study. The results revealed that only the stressor of English language difficulty, one of acculturative stress, negatively influenced physical activity levels. Social support was positively associated with physical activity levels. Finally, in the role of social support between acculturative stress and physical activity levels, the support of Korean friends and American friends positively affected vigorous physical activity level. These results suggest that social support for international students is likely to be one of most important factors for their physical activity levels. Since the convenient sample of Korean international students may not be representative of international students in the United States, further study needs representative samples in order to establish the generality of international students studying in the United States. Moreover, future research is necessary to examine various sources and types of social support which influence physical activity of international students.Item Changes in Marital Satisfaction Across the Transition to Parenthood: The Role of Adult Attachment Orientations(2012-07-16) Rentfro, Jamie LeighFor parents, the birth of their first child sparks rapid change for each partner and for their romantic relationship. With the stress of the transition to parenthood, many couples experience declining marital satisfaction. However, previous studies have reported wide variation in the magnitude and time course of this decline. The present study sought to determine the trajectory of marital satisfaction across the first 2 years of parenthood. The study also examined the role of anxious and avoidant attachment, as well as relationship dynamics that prevent or augment declines in satisfaction for anxious and avoidant individuals. Data were collected from couples in five assessment waves: 6 weeks before the birth of the first child, and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months postbirth. Both partners completed self-report measures of attachment orientations and relevant situational stressors. It was hypothesized that, for insecurely attached partners, declines in marital satisfaction would be associated with the inability to pursue attachment-related goals. Thus, satisfaction should decline when: 1) anxious individuals are unable to increase proximity to their partners; and 2) avoidant individuals are unable to increase distance from their partners. Growth curve models examined changes in satisfaction over time, moderated by gender, attachment orientation (anxiety or avoidance), and situational stressors. Results yielded three key findings, which largely supported the hypotheses. First, for highly anxious individuals, satisfaction was lower or declined when they perceived their partners as less supportive and more negative toward them, and when they felt their babies interfered more in their romantic relationship. Second, for highly avoidant individuals, satisfaction was lower or declined when they felt their babies interfered more in leisure activities, and when they perceived more work-family conflict and more demands from their families. Third, an interesting pattern of gender differences emerged, such that satisfaction often declined more steeply in insecure men than women. Exploratory analyses revealed additional moderators of the attachment-satisfaction relationship. These are discussed as they relate to the goals of insecurely attached individuals. Findings suggest that attachment insecurities predict dissatisfaction in new parents primarily when situational stressors block the pursuit of secondary attachment goals.Item The effects of social networks and social support on the relationship between race/ ethnicity and disability in older adults(2010-09-20) Jacqueline M Hirth; M. Kristen Peek; Rebeca Wong; Mukaila Raji; Kyriakos Markides; Jacqueline AngelObjectives: Researchers have begun to focus on social resources, including social\r\nsupport and social networks, as being important to health. Especially in the case of race\r\nand ethnic differences in disability among older adults, social resources are important to\r\nconsider because they may be able to help explain some of the gap in disability that exists\r\nbetween groups. This study describes the effects of social support and social networks on\r\ndisability in older whites, blacks and Mexican Americans. Methods: In this study, two\r\nsets of longitudinal data were used to conduct the analyses, including the Hispanic\r\nEPESE (1993-2007) which represents older Mexican Americans 65 years and older\r\n(N=3,050), and the Duke EPESE (1986-1992), that consists of older blacks and whites 65\r\nyears and older (N=4,316). Generalized linear mixed models were used to analyze the\r\nchange in disability across time, and discrete-time hazard analysis estimated with logistic\r\nregression was used to analyze the risk of developing disability and recovery between\r\nVII\r\nintervals of data collection. Results: Social support was associated with decreased\r\ndisability among blacks and whites; however, contrary to hypotheses, social support was\r\nassociated with increased disability across time among Mexican Americans (with the\r\ninclusion of depressive symptoms in the models). In addition, social support partially\r\nmediated the association between race and disability. Focusing on social networks, the\r\nresults showed that social network size is associated with decreased disability across time\r\nin all groups and with greater recovery among blacks and whites. A higher proportion of\r\nfriends was associated with less disability across time among Mexican Americans and a\r\ndecreased risk of developing disability among blacks and whites. Conclusions: This\r\nstudy illustrates the complex nature of social support and social networks and how each\r\naffects disability in diverse populations. Depression plays an important role in the\r\nassociation between social support and disability among Mexican Americans, and health\r\nis also important in the association between social support, social networks, and disability\r\nin all three groups. In the future, researchers should consider the sociocultural context of\r\nsocial support and social networks in investigating health disparities in disability.Item NCAA Division I Student-Athlete and Athletic Administrator Perceptions of Social Support in the Athletic Department at One University in the Northwestern United States(2011-08-08) Rothberg, Ami LynnStudent-athletes' and athletic administrators' perceptions of available and accessible social support in the athletic department are explored. Interviews were conducted with three athletic administrators whose job responsibilities are most focused on student-athlete welfare and 13 student-athletes from a NCAA Division I University from the Pacific Ten Conference in the Northwestern United States chosen from a purposive sample based on demographic characteristics and nominations. Interviews were conducted with participants until informational redundancy was achieved. The university was chosen based on diversity of student-athletes, proximity to researcher, and access granted to student-athletes for interviews. Interview questions were based on the psychosocial model of development. Data from interviews were analyzed thematically using five dimensions of social support to examine the differences and similarities between the types of support identified as available and accessible by student-athletes and athletic administrators. From the 13 student-athletes and three athletic administrators that were interviewed, 38 categories were identified in the themes of emotional support, instrumental support, informational support, appraisal support, and lack of support. Student-athletes identified 29 categories in the five themes and athletic administrators identified 19 categories in the five themes. Similarities between student-athletes and athletic administrators were found in 14 categories. Student-athletes identified 13 categories that athletic administrators did not and athletic administrators identified six categories that student-athletes did not. Implications of the results for student-athletes and athletic administrators are discussed.Item Relationship among religious coping, psychosocial factors, and quality of life in individuals with type 2 diabetes(2009-06-02) Lager, Julia M.The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among religious coping, acceptance of diabetes, social support, diabetes management, and quality of life among individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Religious coping, acceptance of diabetes, and social support were hypothesized to encourage adherence to self - management behaviors thus enhancing quality of life. A convenience sample of 247 T2DM patients was recruited from local churches, clinics, a diabetes support group, and a diabetes education class. Participants completed a 10-page survey comprising the following reliable and valid scales: Religious Problem Solving Scale-Short Form, Ideas About Diabetes-Revised Scale (IAD-R), the PRQ2000, the Religious Support Scale, Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities-Revised, and the Diabetes Quality of Life Measure. The mean age of the respondents was 54 years, with the majority being female (68%), Caucasian (53%), and of Protestant religious affiliation (58%). Gender and ethnic differences were found for religious coping, acceptance of diabetes, and selfmanagement behaviors. African Americans and women were more religious and used more religious coping. African Americans also felt more inhibited by diabetes and women were more likely to regularly examine their feet. Gender, general social support, and feeling less inhibited by diabetes (subscale of acceptance) were significant predictors of quality of life in the multivariate (regression) analysis (F (19, 219) = 7.777, p < .001; adjusted R2 = .351). Results of this study support past research indicating the influence of gender, social support, and feeling inhibited by diabetes on respondents' quality of life. Attention to patients' level of social support and diabetes education that teaches patients how to integrate the disease into their life may be critical to improving quality of life.Item The impact of identity and power on marital social support behavior(Texas A&M University, 2005-11-01) Hunter-Holmes, PamIdentity and power are important components of any relationship, especially one as intimate as the connection between marital partners. Social support is expected and elicited within these relationships, however most social support researchers have not incorporated sociological theoretical orientations that would provide insight into the structural components of the relationship and their impact. Using ideas derived from Identity Control Theory and Power Dependence Theory this research investigates the impact of these powerful social factors. Specifically, I hypothesize that marital partners who are similar in their identities will be better able to offer social support in conversations in which those identities are salient. I also hypothesize that partners who are similar in structural power will offer more support than those who are dissimilar.