Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 169-185). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2002. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 180-197). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2002. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 180-197). Also available on the Internet.

Not available / text

Not available / text

In this study, results from Epstein's (1983) study were replicated and parental acceptance was found to be significantly correlated with measures of global self-esteem and lovability. This study extends his work to examine the unique effect of parental nonconcordance (i.e., one parent experienced as accepting and the other parent experienced as rejecting). Undergraduate students (N = 259) completed the Mother-Father-Peer Scale and the Multidimensional Self-Esteem Inventory. Results of the hierarchical multiple regression analysis supported the hypotheses that mother acceptance is a better predictor of global self-esteem and lovability than father acceptance in cases of parental nonconcordance. The results are discussed in lights of Bowlby's (1969/1982. 1973, & 1980) attachment theory, the construct of internal working models of attachment and the hierarchical nature of these models. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Although growing evidence suggests that relational victimization is harmful to children as it occurs and shortly after, less is known about the potential long-term effects. The present study develops and validates a retrospective measure of childhood relational victimization experiences. A model is tested of the relations between childhood relational victimization experiences and early parental attachment quality on early adult psychological and social adjustment factors such as peer attachment quality, loneliness, and social anxiety, as mediated by rejection sensitivity. It has been proposed that early parental attachment quality, mediated by rejection sensitivity, may largely impact adult functioning (Downey, Khouri, & Feldman, 1997), but childhood relational victimization may also affect this psychosocial functioning. The Retrospective Relational Victimization Questionnaire (RRVQ) was developed and validated for this study to measure past relational victimization experiences. The primary study used structural equation modeling to assess a primary model of how both childhood parental attachment quality and relational victimization contribute to the experience of rejection sensitivity and in turn affects early adult functioning. A comparison is made with an alternative model which included only early parental attachment as a predictor of early adult adjustment. The RRVQ was found to be a reliable and valid measure of college students’ retrospectively recalled childhood relational victimization experiences. Neither the primary nor the alternative model was found to be well-fitting; however, additional exploratory results suggest that both early parental attachment and relational victimization experiences are significantly associated with current rejection sensitivity, while early relational victimization is somewhat more associated with current adult peer attachment, loneliness, and social anxiety than is early parental attachment. Educational, clinical, and research implications are discussed. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Thesis (MPsychology(Clinical))--University of South Australia, 2001.

[Truncated abstract]The overall aim of the research reported in this thesis was to develop and validate an instrument that would identify children among the general population at risk of self-harm. To achieve this, four separate yet interrelated studies were conducted. Study One, which sought to explore the risk factors of self-harm in children comprised a series of focus interviews with three paediatricians and 24 mothers of children who had self-harmed or who had verbalized self-harm ideation. The findings revealed that prior to the onset of self-harming or self-harm ideation these children reportedly manifested other problem behaviours that prompted their mothers to seek specialist advice from a paediatrician. The majority of these problem behaviours were characteristic of externalizing problems, either in the form of conduct problems, aggressive behaviours or impulsiveness. Conversely, some problem behaviours were characteristic of internalizing problems such as anxiety and depression. These findings provided valuable information which in addition to the current literature created the conceptual framework for the subsequent studies. Study Two incorporated the information obtained from Study One, along with that obtained from a review of existing instruments that measure self-harm or suicide, to develop a new instrument specifically designed to assess the risk of children in the general population developing self-harming behaviours. Initially, 159 items were generated and using the extant knowledge regarding the risk factors of self-harm as a guide, the items were categorized into risk factors of anxiety, depression, low self- ii worth, social difficulty, social withdrawal, helplessness, hopelessness, atypical cognition, emotional lability, impulsivity, self-harming ideation and self-harm. ... Study Four comprised four interrelated investigations, the purposes of which were to (i) examine the prevalence rates of self-harming ideation and self-harm among young school aged children in the general population; (ii) investigate differences of risk of self-harm between the referred group and community comparison group; (iii) examine the relationship between impulsivity and risk of self-harm in these children and, (iv) examine the relationship between executive function and risk of self-harm among these children. The results from these investigations revealed that approximately 3.5% of children aged between 6 to12 years in the general population manifest self-harming ideations and approximately 2.5% actually self-harm. No significant age or gender differences were found. Children that presented with a higher level of risk of self-harm also presented with a complex array of internalizing and externalizing problem behaviours. Furthermore, children who displayed significantly higher levels of hyperactive-impulsive symptomatology scored higher on the SHRAC instrument, as did the children who had higher levels of executive functioning impairment. The findings are discussed and interpreted in line with the current research literature and are used to make suggestions for future research.