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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, and queer (LGBTQIQ) adults are more likely to report experiences of complex trauma, and have detrimental mental health effects as a result, when compared to cisgender, heterosexual adults. However, LGBTQIQ adults have excellent capacity for resilience. In this phenomenological investigation, I explored the lived experiences of resilient LGBTQIQ emerging adults (N = 11) who have histories of complex trauma. Five themes emerged as a result of this study, including (a) abuse and neglect, (b) emotional experiences during and after trauma, (c) connections are essential, (d) getting through hard times, and (e) struggles in the counseling process. The results indicated implications for counselors and counselor educators to better address the experiences of complex trauma and identify resilience in LGBTQIQ emerging adults. Recommendations are provided to counselors and counselor educators for integrating knowledge and actions into their counseling, teaching, and supervision practices, as well as for parents and caregivers, teachers and school personnel, and policymakers.

The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of determining acculturation in a Deaf Navajo Indian through an assessment of art work, accompanying narratives, and interview data. It was concluded that the cultural characteristics of the subject examined in this case study were reflected in his art work and stories, with his Navajo identity revealed as the primary cultural affiliation. Interview data indicated the presence of a significant, albeit less predominant, Deafness cultural affiliation that was not notably reflected in the art pieces or accompanying narratives. Art therapy alone was not established as a reliable medium through which to assess acculturation. However, used in concert with the interview and the subject's own narratives, art therapy proved to be of value in the assessment of acculturation patterns in a Deaf Navajo Indian.

This study examines the relationship of sexual abuse and eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa) in a non-clinical population. Questionnaires were completed by 553 women belonging to 13 sororities at a large southwestern state university and were evaluated with respect to the prevalence of eating disorders and their relationship to sexual abuse. The Bulimia Test (BULIT), Eating Disorders Inventory-2 (EDI-2), and questions from the Women's Life Experiences Longitudinal Interview were used. Women who report severe abuse were found to score significantly higher on the BULIT than those not reporting such abuse. X²(1) = 5.54, p =.019. Women reporting severe abuse also scored higher on the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) and questions related to alcohol consumption.

This study explored the most critical problems encountered by Mexican-American women in professional careers. These women were employed in art, science, engineering, education, medicine, law, writing, and administrative and managerial specialties. Both single (N = 38) and married (N = 33) women participated in this study. There were no restrictions on age, number of years on the job, or educational level. A questionnaire designed by the researcher was used to gather information on the subjects. The questionnaire was divided into three parts: Part 1 solicited demographic information, Part 2 addressed issues encountered in the workplace, and Part 3 examined issues encountered at home. Findings from the study indicated that the most critical problems encountered by Mexican-American women in the workplace included the "Superwoman complex," being the "only," and establishing legitimacy. At home, crucial issues consisted of the Superwoman complex, self-imposed guilt/torment, and family pressure. Additional questions revealed critical problems encountered by these women.

Childhood poverty is a prevalent concern in the United States and is associated with poor psychological and academic outcomes. Psychosocial stressors associated with life in poverty may interrupt the development of a positive self-concept, ultimately hampering the academic achievement of children in poverty. As the therapeutic objectives of child-centered play therapy (CCPT) support the development of an increasingly positive self-concept, I explored the impact of CCPT on the academic achievement of children in poverty. Participants were composed of 55 students between the ages of 4-7 years old from seven Title 1 elementary schools in the southern United States. Of the 55 study participants, 12 (22%) were female and 43 (78%) were male. Regarding participant ethnicity, 7 (13%) were African American, 1 (2%) was Asian American, 5 (9%) were multi-racial, 35 (64%) were Latino, 6 (11%) were Caucasian, and 1 (2%) did not report ethnicity. Participants were randomly assigned to either a 16 session CCPT treatment group (n = 25) or a waitlist control group (n = 30). A mixed between-within ANOVA was conducted to evaluate improvement in academic achievement scores between treatment and control groups across time. Results indicated a statistically significant interaction effect on the Early Achievement Composite Score of the Young Children's Achievement Test (p = .042). The standardized difference between groups was Cohen's d = .53 indicating a medium effect size. Overall, findings from this study support CCPT as an effective intervention to promote improvements in the academic achievement of children in poverty.

This study explored the stress, coping strategies and importance of mothering and working roles in eight postpartum women. The objective was to identify any relationships that existed between the variables of interest by analyzing quantitative and qualitative data. The participants were volunteers who were contacted through their obstetrical office and through a women's resource center at a local hospital. One finding was that it was difficult to get postpartum women to participate in this study. The cause of this difficulty remained unknown at the conclusion of the study. / Some significant relationships were identified in the quantitative data. Subsequent analysis of the qualitative data called for three alternate hypotheses to be considered. Hypothesis one called for the acceptance of a consistent linear relationship between certain coping and adjustment variables. Hypothesis two suggested that some threshold might exist which influenced the two least adjusted participants (Cases 7 and 8) to choose different types of stressors (from Cases 1-6) to address on one of the free response instruments. The final hypothesis was one that suggested that no consistent relationship existed. This final hypothesis could be substantiated by analyzing scatterplots that suggested Cases 7 and 8 were outliers and artificially inflated the correlation coefficient. The final decision was to retain the three alternate hypotheses. / Potential relationships found in the qualitative data suggested that future research should initially address the process of selection of stressors, rather than the process of reaction to stressors. This type of analysis could ultimately lead to further theory development and insight into the phenomenon of postpartum adjustment. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-03, Section: A, page: 0473. / Major Professor: Gary W. Peterson. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

Maturana's (1988) theory of constituted reality is used to explain the relationships among language, cognitive domain and emotion. His theory is applied to explain distressed couples' conversations about their own marital problems. The sample was composed of 30 married couples who had requested marital therapy at the Florida State University Marriage and Family Therapy Center. The researcher used 7 measurement instruments: (1) self report measure of marital distress (Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Spanier, 1976); (2) Brief Structured Interview; (3) self-report Affect Checklist; (4) self report Objectivity Checklist; (5) self-report Representative Simulation Questionnaire; (6) Demographic Questionnaire; (7) Interpersonal Influence Strategies Coding System (Newton & Burgoon, 1990). Couples completed Affect Checklists and Objectivity Checklists at predetermined intervals during their conversations. Conversations were videotaped then coded by trained raters. Results indicate that specific emotions of anger, sadness, frustration, hatefulness, hopelessness, and hurt are correlated with marital distress. Accusatory statements were correlated with high marital distress and supportive statements were correlated with low marital distress. Direct correlations between marital distress and cognitive domain were not evident. Results suggest correlations among verbal strategies, cognitive domain and specific emotions. Although no clear pattern of correlation was evident from turn to turn, findings lend support to Maturana' s theory. Methodological issues concerning operational definitions of cognitive domain, inter-rater reliability, and the verbal strategy coding system are addressed. Discussion of implications for marital therapy includes the importance of clinical evaluation that emphasizes clients' desires to maintain their marriages. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-07, Section: B, page: 3758. / Major Professor: Thomas E. Smith. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.

Research that examines the effects of noncognitive variables in the area of academic performance for Black American students is receiving increasing attention. There is growing awareness that academic performance is more than just a function of academic ability. Noncognitive variables have been found to relate to the academic performance of Black American students and are equally as important as the traditional cognitive variables of SAT scores and high school GPA. / The subjects for this research were comprised of one hundred and fifty-nine Black American students in a model teacher education preparation program, Teacher Education for America's Minorities. T.E.A.M. is a consortium of seven southeastern colleges and universities, funded by the Ford Foundation to increase the number of minority graduates out of teacher preparation programs and to institute curricular changes at the institutional level. Thirty-nine and eight tenths percent of the T.E.A.M. population are from historically black institutions and the other 60.2% are from predominantly white institutions representing 5 public universities and 2 private colleges. / Data collection included an SAT total score or a converted ACT composite score as the control variable and five of the eight noncognitive variables identified by Sedlacek & Brooks in 1976 in reviewing the noncognitive predictor studies for minorities. The five predictor variables were: positive self concept, realistic self appraisal, availability of a strong support person, understanding and dealing with racism, and knowledge acquired in a field. Cumulative grade point average, obtained from the last transcript available at the end of the study was used as the criterion variable. / A stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to test the first hypothesis of this study. A two group t-test with a Bonferroni adjustment for a possible family-wise error rate was used to test the second hypothesis. Both hypotheses were found to be significant for positive self concept. The results of this research were consistent with previous findings using the Noncognitive Questionnaire. This research found evidence to support the existing research on noncognitive variables and academic performance for Black American students. The relationship between the five selected noncognitive variables and academic performance was found to be statistically significant and a prediction equation was developed. These findings lend themselves to several future research implications using subsets of the original eight noncognitive factors identified by Sedlacek et al., (1976) for prediction and to explain how academic performance behavior is defined for Black American students. These findings may also be useful in advising for academic support services. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-12, Section: A, page: 3814. / Major Professor: James P. Sampson, Jr. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

Ethical codes and laws provide counselors with guidance for how to approach confidentiality, but there is a gap in the literature surrounding counselors' process of decision-making when managing confidentiality with adolescent clients. This study explored the decision-making process of master therapists concerning adolescent clients. I conducted semi-structured interviews with peer identified master therapist (N=10), all of whom were licensed professional counselors with 15 or more years of counseling experience and whose case load contained 25% or more adolescent clients. Participants included seven females and three males; nine participants identified as Caucasian, and one participant identified as Hispanic. Participants ages ranged from 39-61. I analyzed the data, along with two research partner, according to Grounded Theory (GT) methodology. Through constant comparative analysis, a grounded theory emerged from the data in which participants converged understanding of client safety, relationships, clinical intuition in a process of integrated experience and consultation. With the exception of mandated reported and mortal danger, ethical guidelines and laws did not seem to factor into participants' decision making. Implications for counseling practice, preparation, and research are provided.