Prior research has suggested that children are at a greater risk of maladjustment in cases where a parent has experienced childhood maltreatment. The purpose of this study is to explore the role of parent's childhood maltreatment in its effects on parenting behavior, parent characteristics, and child adjustment. The multiple pathways through which parent's childhood maltreatment can be both directly and indirectly linked to child maladjustment were explored. Further, risk and protective factors, such as early age of becoming a parent or high parent education, which may play a role were examined as both potential moderators and mediators of the relation between parent's childhood maltreatment and children's maladjustment. Overall, several of the hypothesized pathways were supported. In particular, parent depression and parent's socio-demographic factors were found to act as mediators and moderators of the relations between parent's childhood maltreatment and child maladjustment. There was lesser evidence of child maltreatment behaviors and parenting behaviors mediating or moderating the relations between parent's childhood maltreatment and child maladjustment. Recommendations for future research directions as well as directions for intervention and prevention efforts for at-risk families and children will be suggested. / Ph. D.

xiv, 144 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / This dissertation examined what may account for materialism's relations with psychosocial maladjustment (PM). Materialism is a multi-faceted construct that may differentially involve behavioral tendencies or beliefs and values. Facets of materialism involving beliefs/values are embedded in Unmitigated Self-Interest (USI), a multi-faceted worldview orientation broader than materialism. Study 1 explored whether facets of materialism had distinct patterns of correlations with different aspects of PM and whether relations between facets of materialism and aspects of PM are restricted to facets of materialism alone or are due to broader effects of USI. Study 2 examined whether facet(s) of USI beyond materialist beliefs/values were also associated with PM. Study 3 used longitudinal analyses to examine temporal relations among materialism, USI, and various aspects of PM, examining whether facets of materialism or/and USI were antecedents and/or consequents of PM. In Study 1, undergraduate participants ( n = 839) completed measures of USI, PM indicators, and seven facets of materialism. Multiple regressions indicated that each facet of materialism demonstrated a distinct pattern of correlations with aspects of PM, suggesting that it is useful to treat each facet as a separate construct. Hierarchical regressions indicated that beyond materialist beliefs/values, USI uniquely contributed to PM. In Study 2, members of a community sample ( n =610) completed a 13-facet USI scale and various PM indicators. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that beyond materialist beliefs/values, Machiavellianism and hedonism were likely to be associated with PM. In Study 3, members of a community sample ( n =610) completed measures of facets of materialism, USI, and PM indicators at two time points. Results indicated that relations between materialism and PM are generally bi-directional. However, somewhat more support existed for materialism as antecedent to rather than consequent of PM. Moreover, relations between materialist values/beliefs as the antecedent and PM as the consequent appeared to be partially accounted for by USI. which contributed additional predictiveness of PM. Furthermore, relations between USI and PM appeared to be unidirectional: USI was found to be the antecedent rather than the consequent of PM. Implications for future research are discussed. / Committee in charge: Gerard Saucier, Chairperson, Psychology; Holly Arrow, Member, Psychology; Warren Holmes, Member, Psychology; Lynn Kahle, Outside Member, Marketing

According to Alfred Adler, founder of Individual Psychology, a feeling of inferiority is in some degree common to all people. People who are unable to overcome these inferiority feelings by striving for cooperation may become discouraged. Although there are three scales to measure social interest, no scales measuring discouragement for adults was found. Additionally, Adler held basic assumptions regarding homosexuality, and the findings suggest that the assumptions should be reexamined. The purpose of this study was twofold. First, three University of North Texas candidates developed a discouragement scale for adults 18 years of age and older, known as the Discouragement Scale for Adults (DSA). Discouragement was examined relative to the five life tasks. Second, this candidate normed the instrument for the scores of gay male subjects and compared it to the scores of the other subject groups. Since the emphasis was on developing the instrument and norming it for various subject groups, no hypothesis was developed. Data was collected on three subject groups, known as the general norm subjects, the discouraged subjects, and the gay male subjects. Analyses were performed on the scores. Among the analyses, it was found that gay male subjects were slightly more discouraged than the general norm subjects, and the discouraged subjects were far greater discouraged than the other two subject groups. Initial reliability and validity was found to be high, offering support that the DSA is a reliable and valid instrument. The recommendations for further research include cultural and gender studies, predicting behavior, counseling intervention, and exploring the relationship between discouragement and stressors, such as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

In this study of preschool children and parents (N=64), we examined relations between two facets of parents' emotion socialization: direct and indirect socialization; three facets of children's emotional competence: emotion expression, regulation, and understanding; and their relations with children's social and emotional adjustment. Few associations were observed between indicators of parents' emotion socialization and among indicators of children's emotional competence, suggesting that these constructs are better understood as multi-faceted, rather than unitary processes. Additionally, aspects of children's emotional competence linked--both directly and indirectly--parents' emotion socialization behaviors and children's social and emotional adjustment. Results are discussed with regard to the role of parents' emotion socialization and children's emotional competence, especially emotion regulation, in children's adjustment during preschool.

The English original form of a standardized social interview was presented by Clare and Cairns (1978). The German version is described with regard to concept, structure, and methodology. The interview is designed to assess social maladjustment by measuring three conceptual categories (“Objective Material Conditions,” “Social Management,” and “Satisfaction”) in eight role areas. The instrument is especially suited for outcome assessment in various clinical and non-clinical populations and takes an average of about 30–45 min to complete. The 39 items are rated on 4-point scales either by the interviewer with the help of an extensive rating manual, or by the subject himself (all “Satisfaction” items). The results of a reliability study are presented using both the test-retest and the interrater method. In general, the results show that the instrument is satisfactorily reliable, but some possible weaknesses are discussed. Finally, the structure of the instrument is examined by an analysis of interrelationships between the items in a normal population sample. The results are discussed with regard to questions of score construction.

The current study examined the relation between parental empathy, parenting aggression and child maladjustment in a group of parents who perpetrated child abuse and neglect. Twenty parents who were court mandated to receive a parenting intervention program at the Nest Center for Women, Children, and Families participated in this research study. Information about parental dispositional empathy, parent-child specific empathy, parenting aggression and child internalizing and externalizing symptoms were collected through an interview with the parents. Parents in this study reported high levels of dispositional empathy, but exhibited low to moderate levels of empathy in a parent-child relationship rated by coders. Parents also reported low levels of parenting aggression across psychological aggression, corporal punishment and psychological control. Examining the relation between parental empathy and aggressive parenting revealed that parent-child specific empathy, but not dispositional empathy, was negatively associated with parental psychological control. In a subsample of older children in middle childhood and adolescence, parental affective dispositional empathy was negatively associated with child externalizing symptoms. The current study links parental empathy to parental psychological control and emphasizes the importance of examining empathy in a specific relationship in addition to dispositional empathy.

This study was made in an effort to find out some of the causes of maladjustment and to determine what effect the maladjustments play in general achievement of school work in a third grade.

It is apparent to college workers that inadequate adjustment to college loses many potential scholars to the world. It is further apparent that many students fall short of realizing their full capabilities because of lack of adjustment. To meet this condition, more and more colleges and universities are instituting and developing counseling services. Because of the increases cost of such service and the extended time involved, it has become apparent that any device which improves the efficiency of counseling is highly desirable. As this counseling service has grown and expanded, college advisors have realized the service that could be performed if it were possible to anticipate abnormal reactions before they occur. In the past, this has been difficult because of the lack of properly validated predictive devices. Of course, hasty conclusions can be drawn from impressions, but they are as often faulty as valid. Since the signs of latent personality disturbances and, in many cases, even existing maladjustment, are often not revealed in overt behavior, devices which would aid counselors in selecting from a large population the individuals having or who are likely to develop problems of a personal and social adjustment would be very helpful. In this investigation, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, a device which has been found valid in other situations, will be evaluated with the intent of discovering how valid this test is in determining maladjustment in college life. Specifically, it will be determined to what extent scores on this inventory earned by students when they enter college will be predictive of maladjustment which may develop later in several aspects of college life.

Social withdrawal is often associated with a number of indices of adjustment and maladjustment, but little research exists that attempts to uncover potential protective factors. This study longitudinally examined the moderating role of parent extraversion and parent warmth on the association between two types of social withdrawal (shyness and unsociability) and later indices of adjustment and maladjustment. Participants were 463 families from the flourishing families project. Results showed no longitudinal associations between social withdrawal and later indices of adjustment or maladjustment. However, when parent extraversion was added as a moderator, shyness was positively associated with prosocial behavior for those with introverted parents, and positively associated with shame for those with highly extraverted parents. Implications are discussed.

Life course theory suggests that an individual’s development is influenced by many factors such as one’s past choices and environment. The twenties are a period of great autonomy for many young people with opportunities to engage in choices with lasting consequences, both positive (e.g., furthering education, volunteering) and negative (e.g., crime, risky sexual behavior, heavy video game use). The current study explored the relationship between behaviors during one’s twenties and indices of adjustment (i.e., life satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and hope) and maladjustment (i.e., poor emotional health and regret) in one’s thirties. Additionally, as factors such as income and biological sex may limit or impact the choices one has available to them or chooses to engage in during this time period, income and biological sex were both tested as moderators. Participants included 4,969 (59% female, 41% male) individuals between the ages of 30 and 35. Employing structural equation modeling, results revealed that choices from emerging adulthood were associated with outcomes during one’s thirties. Specifically, education and volunteering were associated with positive outcomes (i.e., higher life satisfaction, better emotional health, and lower levels of regret); volunteering was also significantly associated with hope and relationship satisfaction. Criminal activity, on the other hand, was associated with negative outcomes (i.e., lower life satisfaction and higher levels of regret). Number of non-committed sexual partners was significantly associated with lower relationship satisfaction and emotional health. This study contributes significantly to the literature on emerging and early adulthood by suggesting that choices made during emerging adulthood impact adjustment or maladjustment during early adulthood.