Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2010. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 38 p. : col. ill., maps (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 36-37).

Thesis (M.A.) -- Central Connecticut State University, 2006. / Thesis advisor: Joanne DiPlacido. "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 58-61). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2006. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 42 p. : ill. (some col.), map (part col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 40-41).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2004. / Supervisors: Carlos Torres-Verdín and Kamy Sepehrnoori. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Also available from UMI.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 103-109).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Texas, May, 2007. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2007. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains x, 65 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 58-60).

This thesis investigates the relationship between ecosystem services and human well-being through a case study in Cornwall, UK. The study examines how aspects of the economic and socio-cultural environment interact and influence participants’ constructs of well-being, as well as mediate, through mechanisms of access, their ability to benefit from ecosystem services. The research design is informed by Sen’s capability approach as well as insights from literatures on access theory, human well-being, and ecosystem services. While Sen’s approach potentially offers a novel means to explore the ecosystem services and well-being relationship, it is currently underutilised in this research context. Adopting an in-depth qualitative research approach, data collection took place over 21 months with the same cohort of participants, who face various types of socio-economic disadvantage. Focus groups, life history interviews, photo elicitation, and semi-structured interviews were used to (a) elicit local constructs of well-being, (b) explore the role of ecosystem services for well-being, and (c) identify mechanisms of access that mediate participants’ ability to benefit from valued ecosystem services. The analysis shows that capabilities are interlinked and multidimensional. Therefore, existing socio-economic constraints have important implications for capability formation, and also lead to a series of trade-offs in converting capabilities into well-being. The findings deliver new insights into existing conceptualizations of the ecosystem services and well-being relationship, highlighting the role of cultural practices as sources of well-being, and identifying cultural ecosystem services as an overarching theme rather than a discrete service type. Four types of access mechanisms emerge from the data, including psychological mechanisms, demonstrating that physical distance is an insufficient indicator of exposure to ecosystem services. The thesis concludes by suggesting that developing a capability theory for ecosystem services could aid disaggregated analyses and deliver more nuanced insights into the complex links between ecosystem services and well-being, by shifting the focus from outcomes to opportunities and the processes that contribute to particular outcomes.

Narrative frameworks provide a unique method for understanding how important events and relationships become central to individual identity. Informed by these frameworks, the Centrality of Event Scale (CES; Berntsen & Rubin, 2006) serves as a means to quantify the extent to which a specific event has become central to personal identity. Utilizing the CES, Berntsen and Rubin and colleagues demonstrate the strong link between central traumatic events and psychopathology. Despite this work, however, far less literature explicates the factors that lead to growth and adaptive functioning. In order to address this limitation across the literature, a modified version of Berntsen and Rubin's CES was created in order to assess the importance of close positive social relationships to identity. Data were collected from 255 individuals from undergraduate psychology courses at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Specifically, it was hypothesized that the component structure of the Centrality of Event Scale modified for social relationships (CESpr) would be commensurate with Berntsen and Rubin's original scale, and it would predict several measures of adaptive functioning. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that positive relational centrality would predict these measures of adaptive functioning, even after controlling for positive event centrality and social support. Congruent with Berntsen and Rubin's original CES, the CESpr yielded a one-component solution, and correlated with several measures of adaptive functioning. Furthermore, after controlling for positive event centrality and social support, positive relational centrality significantly predicted positive affect, resilience, gratitude, and post-traumatic growth. Results of the current study suggest increased personal meaning and relevance attributed to close positive social relationships is indicative of increased adaptive functioning. These findings are consistent with narrative conceptualizations of the self, which suggest that central events and relationships affect the functioning of the individual. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Child maltreatment is a costly social problem that carries with it significant risk of poor outcomes across the lifespan. There is a large body of research on risk and protective factors associated with child maltreatment. However, there is a significant gap in the literature on family functioning after children are reunified with their families. The current study proposed a conceptual model of family functioning based on a socioecological perspective. Hypotheses related to the effects of parenting on well-being were tested using a series of structural equation models. Results indicated modest support for the directional effects of improved parenting on parental well-being and the importance of social support for these families. Overall, this study points to the necessity of continued interaction with families after reunification and the importance of a multi-dimensional perspective. Many mothers continued to struggle with substance use months after reunification, indicating the need for long-term interventions and continued assessment of family well-being. The current study provides data to support changes in public policy and practice which would emphasize continuing long-term service provision. In particular, these families are likely to benefit most from empirically-supported parent training and the development of social support skill-building.