published_or_final_version / Clinical Psychology / Doctoral / Doctor of Psychology

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

While the general link between adolescent maltreatment and adolescent substance abuse is well established, questions remain regarding factors that may explain variability in the strength of this link. This study examines whether the link between maltreatment and substance abuse varies across three categories of maltreatment: physical, sexual and emotional. It also examines gender differences and timing of abuse (past or current). This study also examines the level of parental monitoring and what effect parental monitoring has on maltreated adolescents and their use of substances. Survey data were collected from six public schools in a rural Southwestern Oregon County on experience of maltreatment (emotional, physical and sexual) and use of substances (tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs), gender differences and level of parental monitoring. Data were analyzed using t-tests and regression models. Results indicated that youth who currently experienced emotional, physical or sexual abuse were significantly more likely to use tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs than were youth who had experienced abuse in the past. They also indicated a significant interaction between gender and physical abuse, sexual abuse and emotional abuse (past and present combined) in predicting illicit drug use with males using illicit drugs at a significantly higher rate than females. As predicted, a significant interaction was found between parental monitoring and maltreatment/no maltreatment in predicting drug use. Maltreated youth with low levels of parental monitoring were significantly more likely to have high levels of substance use than were maltreated youth with high levels of parental monitoring. These results give rise to the need for further research into this subject to aid counselors in helping youth, especially male youth, in substance abuse treatment. Results of this study suggest a need for substance abuse treatment counselors to educate the parents of the treatment clients to closely monitor their adolescent as a possible means of reducing substance abuse. / Graduation date: 2002

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 156-166).

Thesis (Ph.D.(Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thousands of adolescents in South Africa are victims of long-term sexual abuse and violence. Their life narratives are saturated with oppression and suffering, and their therapeutic needs differ from those who experience single-event traumas (Brown, Scheflin & Hammond, 1998; Draucker & Stern, 2000). Little has been documented about the unique outcomes they have experienced throughout their lifetimes, perhaps because, as Narrative therapists suggest, these experiences often remain unstoried. This study therefore focuses on an exploration of unique outcomes (stories of strength, autonomy and emotional vitality) in the life narratives of two black adolescent girls who have suffered long-term violence and sexual abuse. Contributing to a better understanding of the nature and the type of unique outcomes they experience in the face of trauma may ultimately assist Narrative therapists who highlight such stories for therapeutic use. This research is theoretically situated in a social constructionist framework. The research was conducted in a qualitative research paradigm and a narrative research approach was employed. A multiple case study research design was used, guided by the storying metaphor according to which participants tell their stories during unstructured narrative conversations or Narrative therapy. In addition to collection through unstructured conversations, data was also collected through active observation and field notes by the researcher. Two black adolescent girls aged eighteen years were purposefully selected as participants in order to increase the likelihood that rich data relevant to the research question would be obtained. Narrative categorical content analysis was used as method of data analysis to answer the research questions. It was found that unique outcomes were present in the participants’ life stories and six unique outcome categories were identified. These categories include rebellion stories, breaking-free stories, retreat stories, a spiritual revival story, self-worth stories and a support story. There was also some correspondence between the unique outcome categories of the two participants. Finally, recommendations to other therapists concerning the utilization of unique outcomes in Narrative therapy were made based on die identified unique outcome categories. / Prof. J. Byrne

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2009. / Title from title screen (site viewed January 5, 2010). PDF text: v, 187 p. : ill. ; 807 K. UMI publication number: AAT 3360289. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

The maltreatment of children is unarguably an important social concern, the negative effects of which have been well-documented in the literature over the past two decades. Research on the etiology of maltreatment, however, has yielded few strong conclusions regarding the characteristics of abusive parents. There is much disagreement with respect to the personality or psychological attributes of those parents who maltreat their children (Belsky, 1993), and the question of how those characteristics are differentially associated with the subtypes of abuse has not been adequately addressed. Furthermore, although the extant literature has consistently agreed that maltreatment contributes to poor psychological outcomes for adolescents it is less clear how these outcomes differ depending upon the type and severity of maltreatment (Trickett & McBride-Chang, 1995). The current study sought to identify those personality attributes that are both predictors and effects of abuse. Scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory- 2nd edition (MMPI-2) were examined to determine personality variables associated with perpetration of each of four major classifications of abuse. Further, scales from the MMPI-Adolescent version (MMPI-A) were utilized to determine those personality variables in adolescents that may be affected by each of those four categories. This study hypothesized that clear patterns would emerge in which certain personality variables are predictive of the type of abuse that parents engage in, and each type of abuse is predictive of the manifestation of certain personality characteristics in adolescents. The effects of gender were also analyzed. Structural Equation Modeling was used to analyze the MMPI-2 and MMPI-A data and abuse histories of 100 pairs of offending parents and maltreated adolescents. Results indicated significant direct effects of parent personality on abuse subtype, abuse subtype on adolescent personality, parent personality on adolescent personality, and one significant mediation effect of parent personality on adolescent personality through abuse subtype. Additionally, gender was found to significantly affect the engagement in and experience of abuse, and one significant interaction of gender and abuse subtype on adolescent personality was discovered. Results are of practical importance in designing abuse intervention and prevention programs and inform the current understanding of the intergenerational transmission of abuse. / text