The purpose of this study was to examine longitudinally how father involvement mediates the relationship between a variety of factors thought to influence the father-child relationship and later child cognitive development. The Responsible Fathering Framework was used as a conceptual model to test items collected in a large national data set (Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort Study [ECLS-B]). Latent variables were constructed from the ECLS-B when the child was 9-months, 2-years, and 4-years among a sub sample of married resident biological fathers using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses at multiple time points. Specifically, this study tested a model of hypothesized relationships between early father factors (role identification, commitment, education), child factors (difficult temperament, disability status, cognitive ability), mother factors (education, employment), contextual factors (religious service attendance, social engagement, urbanicity, crime rate, child poverty), marital relationship factors (relationship happiness, couple conflict) when the child was 9-months and later children's language, literacy, and math development at 4-years of age, mediated by father involvement (cognitive and caregiving engagement, accessibility, and responsibility) when the child was 2-years old. A full measurement model was tested including both latent and observed variables, was assessed first, followed by testing of the structural model to arrive at the most parsimonious model before applying the sample weights. Results of the weighted structural equation model suggest that father involvement served as a poor mediating variable. Although a positive relationship was found between several of the factors at 9-months and later father involvement, the only relationship that was fully mediated by father involvement was the effects of mother employment on later cognitive development. Examination of the path coefficients suggest that fathers' responsibility was negatively related to children's later language development and that fathers' caregiving engagement was also negatively related to children's later literacy development. As expected, cognitive involvement was positively related to literacy development. Implications for future research and practitioners, particularly marriage and family therapists who work with families, are discussed. / A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2010. / April 29, 2010. / Father Involvement, Responsible Fathering, Fathering / Includes bibliographical references. / B. Kay Pasley, Professor Directing Dissertation; Karin L. Brewster, University Representative; Robert E. Lee, Committee Member; Thomas A. Cornille, Committee Member.

This study examined the relationships between child temperament, gender, teacher-child relationships, and teacher-child interactions. Children's temperament and teacher-child relationships were assessed by teacher ratings. Teacher-child interactions were assessed through natural observations during free play/centers time. The sample consisted of 61 (29 boys and 32 girls) 4- to 5-year-old children who attended one of the four classrooms which participated in the study. The preliminary analyses revealed classroom differences in child temperament, teacher-child relationships, and teacher-child interactions. The results indicated that the temperament factor, Task Orientation was related to closeness of teacher-child relationship. Children with high task orientation had closer relationships with their teachers, while children with low task orientation, who are more active, distractible and less persistent, had less close relationships with their teachers. Reactivity was the most important temperament factor affecting conflictual relationships. The findings also revealed gender differences in teacher-child relationships. One of the teachers reported greater closeness in her relationships with girls than boys. Two of the teachers reported more conflict in their relationships with boys than with girls. Furthermore, boys were observed to receive more behavior management interactions from their teachers than girls. Behavior management was the only teacher-child interaction category which was related to temperament in all of the classrooms. Task orientation was the most important temperament factor affecting behavior management. Other categories of teacher-child interactions' relationships with temperament characteristics indicated classroom differences. The first teacher elaborated children with positive temperament characteristics more frequently than children with negative temperament characteristics. The second and third teachers initiated interactions more frequently with more reactive children. Reactivity was positively related with child initiated interactions and total interactions, elaborations, and praise in the fourth classroom. Therefore, there might be other factors affecting the relationship between temperament and teacher-child interactions; such as, teacher temperament, classroom structure, and curriculum. This study confirms that differences in temperamental characteristics of preschool children are recognized by teachers and that temperamental characteristics are related to teachers' relationships and interactions with children. Therefore, temperament, particularly task orientation factor, may be an important individual difference in preschool children's experiences in a preschool classroom. / A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of the Childhood Education, Reading and Disability Services in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2006. / June 29, 2006. / Preschool, Gender Differences in Teacher-Child Relationships, Early Childhood Education, Teacher Talk, Individual Differences / Includes bibliographical references. / Ithel Jones, Professor Directing Dissertation; Sande Milton, Outside Committee Member; Charles Wolfgang, Committee Member; Vickie Lake, Committee Member.

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of emerging adults who have experienced parental divorce and those who have not with regard to parent-child relationships and romantic relationships. Of the sixty three participants, 45 were women and 18 were men. Twenty two of the students were from divorced homes and forty one of the students were from intact homes. Participants completed three measures including the Personal Information Questionnaire, the Parent-Child Relations Scale, and the Fear of Intimacy Scale. The young adults who had experienced their parents' divorce reported having more negative relationships with their parents as compared to young adults who had not experienced their parents' divorce. There were no significant differences between students who had experienced divorce and those who had not on the Fear of Intimacy Scale. In addition, there were no differences between men and women participants and between those experiencing divorce before the age of six and those experiencing divorce after the age of six on dependent measures. Implications of these findings are discussed for future research and practice. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Spring Semester, 2008. / April 9, 2008. / Parent-Child Relationships, Divorce, Young Adults, Romantic Relationships, Intimacy / Includes bibliographical references. / Ronald L. Mullis, Professor Directing Dissertation; Lenore McWey, Committee Member; Doris A. Abood, Committee Member.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between child sexual abuse and high-risk maternal parenting indicators and the extent to which maternal depression and self-perceived parenting competence influence that relationship. Symbolic interactionism was the theoretical framework guiding this study from the Parenting Among Women Sexually Abused in Childhood dataset (1998). Path Analysis using AMOS (Arbukle, 1997) software was used to examine the hypotheses. Results indicate no direct relationship between CSA and parenting outcomes, parenting stress, or maltreatment behavior. Yet, the mediation variables, maternal depression and parenting sense of competence, were significantly associated with both CSA and the outcome variables. Post hoc analysis indicated that CSA was significantly associated with decreased parenting sense of competence, controlling for level of depression. These results highlight that the pathways for increased risk in parenting outcomes for CSA survivors are indirect and associated with beliefs of survivors' sense of competence and beliefs associated with depression, as opposed to any direct association with the sexual abuse itself. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2010. / May 10, 2010. / Child Sexual Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Parenting, Maltreatment / Includes bibliographical references. / Lenore McWey, Professor Directing Dissertation; Joyce Carbonell, University Representative; Tom Cornille, Committee Member; Ann Mullis, Committee Member.

Stress predicts alcohol use but less is known about the role of racial discrimination, a chronic and ubiquitous stressor, as a risk factor for underage drinking among Black youth. While most studies examine race/ethnic differences when exploring underage drinking outcomes, there is a need to understand within-group differences on the stress-alcohol use link in order to focus alcohol prevention and intervention efforts. Thus, this study sought to identify homogeneous subgroups of Black youth based on their experiences of racial discrimination by their teachers and peers in middle and high-school and assess whether these subgroups differed on alcohol-related outcomes in emerging adulthood. Latent transition analyses (LTA) was performed on racial discrimination indicators derived while youth were in the 8th and 11th grade. Findings demonstrated 3 distinct subgroups of youth. Youth in the Teacher-Peer Perceived Racial Discrimination (PRD) group were characterized as having high probabilities of experiencing racial discrimination from both teachers and peers. Those in the Teacher PRD group had high probabilities of experiencing racial discrimination from teachers and a low probability of experiencing racial discrimination from their peers. Finally, youth in the No PRD group had low probabilities across all racial discrimination indicators. Males were more likely to be in the Teacher-Peer and Teacher PRD groups compared to females. Youth in the Teacher-Peer PRD group consumed significantly more alcohol than the other groups, whereas, the Teacher PRD group experienced significantly more alcohol-related consequences. Parents' strategies on how to deal with racial discrimination were not significant protective factors for youth within any group. Implications of the study suggest the need to reduce race-based stress within the school context as a form of intervention and prevention of underage drinking among Blacks. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2014. / June 20, 2014. / African American/Black, Alcohol, Latent Transition Analyses, Racial Discrimination / Includes bibliographical references. / Frank Fincham, Professor Directing Dissertation; John Taylor, University Representative; Kendal Holtrop, Committee Member; Ming Cui, Committee Member.

Thesis_Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2003. / Advisor: Dr. Carl Aaron McNeece, Florida State University, School of Social Work. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Oct. 29,2003). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Divinity School, June 2002. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

This study compared the effectiveness of a multi-family treatment program on court-mandated families and voluntary families. The participants (n=109) included 36 voluntary families and 38 mandated families. Demographically, the families in each group were similar in age and education level but were somewhat dissimilar in their ethnicity and presenting issues. Participants completed a pre and posttest questionnaire, the Family Assessment Measurement III, which revealed that both groups improved on overall family functioning and had high attendance and graduation rates. The implications of these findings for practitioners are presented. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2007. / April 16, 2007. / Court-ordered Therapy, Multifamily Therapeutic Groups, Court-mandated Therapy, Psycho-educational Groups, Multifamily Groups / Includes bibliographical references. / Ann K. Mullis, Professor Directing Dissertation; Nicholas F. Mazza, Outside Committee Member; Mary W. Hicks, Committee Member; Ronald L. Mullis, Committee Member.

The primary purpose of this study was to examine a married person's distal religious (private religious practices, organizational religiousness, and religious intensity) and proximal spiritual variable (daily spiritual experiences, positive religious/spiritual coping, and forgiveness) associations to self-reported marital happiness. A secondary purpose was to examine these variable associations by gender. Three hundred forty-five married persons participated in the study. The findings showed that a married person's race and only organizational religiousness were significantly associated with self-reported marital happiness before considering proximal spiritual variables. After considering the latter, daily spiritual experiences, forgiveness, religious intensity, and race were significantly associated with marital happiness. Socio-cultural, distal and proximal variable associations to marital happiness differed in significance by gender. Symbolic interaction theory offered a conceptual foundation for interpretation. Implications for research and practice were discussed. / A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2009. / April 27, 2009. / Marital Happiness, Spirituality, Religiousness / Includes bibliographical references. / Robert E. Lee, Professor Directing Dissertation; Gary Peterson, Outside Committee Member; Kay Pasley, Committee Member; Ann Mullis, Committee Member.