Browsing by Subject "distress"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The Development and Refinement of Web-based Interventions to Reduce Distress among Survivors of Interpersonal Violence
    (2016-10) Nguyen-Feng, Viann
    Many college students have a history of interpersonal violence (IPV) and are thus at risk of greater mental health problems and dropout. The present two studies evaluated the efficacy of web-based stress management programs targeting present control in promoting well-being among students with and without a history of IPV. In the first study, a previously-developed Present Control Intervention (Hintz, Frazier, & Meredith, 2015) was evaluated. Psychology students from a large Midwestern university were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to the web-based stress management intervention (n = 329) or the waitlist comparison group (n = 171). In the second study, the efficacy of two new versions of the intervention was evaluated relative to the original intervention. Students (N = 314) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: the original Present Control Intervention, an Enhanced Present Control Intervention based on Solie (2013), or a Present Control and Mindfulness Intervention. In both studies, IPV history was assessed preintervention, and self-report measures of four outcomes (perceived stress; symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress) were completed online pre and postintervention. Worry was also examined as an outcome in the second study. The first study assessed two proposed mediators of intervention efficacy (present control and rumination), which were measured online pre and postintervention. In the first study, the intervention group reported less distress than the comparison group at posttest but effects were larger in the IPV group (mean d = .44) than in the No IPV group (mean d = .10). Increases in present control mediated intervention effects in both the IPV and No IPV groups; decreases in rumination mediated intervention effects in the IPV group only. In the second study, analyses of covariance assessed whether there were differences in efficacy across the three conditions or interactions between intervention condition and IPV status suggesting that the IPV and No IPV groups responded differently to the three interventions. There were significant Condition by IPV interactions for distress symptoms and worry. Paired t-tests suggested that the two new versions of the intervention were more effective than the original intervention and that the Enhanced Present Control Intervention decreased symptoms the most among students with an IPV history (mean within-group d = -.48). These studies provide evidence that web-based universal prevention stress management programs may be a cost-effective way to teach skills to students with an IPV history
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Examining Mediators of the Association Between Child Maltreatment and Sleep Disturbance in College Students
    (2022-09) Kaubrys, McKenzie
    A significant portion of students entering college have a history of childhood maltreatment, which has been associated with greater risk for negative mental and physical health outcomes across the lifespan, including disrupted sleep. The present study aimed to assess four mediators of the association between child maltreatment and sleep in a sample of college students. Informed by the hyperarousal model of insomnia, we hypothesized that greater daily rumination, lower perceptions of perceived present control over daily stressors, poorer sleep hygiene, and greater psychological distress would mediate the relation between maltreatment and sleep. The hypothesized model was compared to an alternate path reversal model. Participants (N = 227) electronically completed a self-report measure of childhood maltreatment (baseline) and daily diary surveys assessing rumination, present control, sleep hygiene, and distress for 14 days. Daily measures were aggregated across the 14 days of assessment. Structural equation models were used to test hypotheses. Child maltreatment was significantly associated with greater sleep disturbance. Sleep hygiene partially mediated the association between maltreatment and sleep, whereas the indirect effects of maltreatment on sleep through rumination, present control, and distress were nonsignificant. Results from the alternate path reversal model demonstrated that sleep disturbance mediated the relation between child maltreatment and sleep hygiene and present control, respectively, and sleep disturbance partially mediated the relation between maltreatment and distress and rumination. Results are discussed in the context of previous research and future implications, including informing interventions on university campuses.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Self-Determination Theory as a Framework for an Early Model of Internalized Weight Bias
    (2022-08) Leget, Dakota L
    Devaluing oneself based on weight-based stereotypes is known as internalized weight bias (Durso & Latner, 2008) and is associated with adverse health outcomes, like depression, anxiety, and disordered eating behaviors (Pearl & Puhl, 2018). This study examined self-determination theory (SDT) constructs as mechanisms explaining differential vulnerability to internalizing weight stigma. Women ages 18-40 years (N = 480) completed a survey measuring enacted weight stigma, psychological need satisfaction, need frustration, autonomous weight regulation, controlled weight regulation, internalized weight bias, body dissatisfaction, psychological distress, and dysfunctional eating. An exploratory approach to structural equation modeling yielded a model with an acceptable, moderate fit for the data (χ2 = 2520.71, df = 720, p < .001, CMIN/DF = 3.50, RMSEA = .07, SRMR = .10, CFI = .87) and supported the impact of enacted weight stigma on psychological need levels. Enacted weight stigma related to greater need frustration, which then, related to more controlled reasons for engaging in weight-related behaviors. Controlled weight motivation was strongly related to internalized weight bias rather than body satisfaction. The findings supported that distress and dysfunctional eating behavior directly related to internalized weight bias, unlike body satisfaction. Future research should confirm the structural model as SDT constructs may be impactful as targets of prevention and treatment strategies to reduce internalized weight bias and its negative health correlates.