The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in measures of creativity and psychosocial development in college Honors and Non-Honors students and also to determine interaction effects of demographic and academic background data. Additionally, another purpose was to establish any relationship between measures of creativity and psychosocial development. Of the 284 college students participating, 120 were honors students and 164 were non-honors students. Participants were administered the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) Verbal Form B, Activities 4 and 5 and the Student Development Task and Lifestyle Assessment (SDTLA). The TTCT included scales of fluency, flexibility, originality, and average standard creativity score. The SDTLA includes the measurement of three developmental tasks, ten subtasks, and two scales. The participants were volunteers and were tested in four regularly scheduled classes during the 2006 spring and summer semesters. Two-tailed independent t-tests performed on the dependent variables of the TTCT indicated that the Non-Honors student’s scores were statistically significantly higher on fluency, originality, and the average standard creativity measures. On the average standard score, which is considered the best overall gauge of creative power, neither Non-Honors nor Honors student groups TTCT scores were considered higher than weak (0-16%) (Torrance, 1990). The results of the two-tailed independent t-tests performed on the dependent variables of the SDTLA resulted in the statistically significant higher development outcome scores in the Honors students. The mean SDTLA scores of both the Honors and Non-Honors scores were not outside of norm group average scores. The MANOVA data produced moderately statistically significant interaction effects between classification level and fluency. However, the post hoc tests did not confirm the difference in classification and fluency. Additional MANOVA data indicated a significant interaction effect between ethnicity and Lifestyle Planning (LP), and post hoc analysis confirmed the interaction with significant differences in Caucasian and “Other” students. Classification level significantly interacted with eight of the fourteen development outcomes, nevertheless the post hoc tests showed inconsistent differences between classification groups within the developmental outcomes. Correlations between the TTCT and SDTLA did not yield statistically significant relationships between the creativity and psychosocial development variables.

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This study modeled trajectories of four psychosocial competencies (autonomy, industry, identity, and intimacy) across four years of university and year-to-year covariation of these competencies with typical student experiences (living away from parents, academic performance, dating, and alcohol use) in 195 Canadian students. Analyses revealed that, on average, autonomy and identity did not change over time. Accounting for gender differences, however, revealed some linear changes across time for these competencies. Industry and intimacy showed curvilinear trajectories of change. Year-to-year, students reported higher autonomy and identity when living away from their parents and when getting higher grades. They also reported higher industry when getting higher grades. When students dated they reported higher identity and intimacy; dating women also reported higher autonomy than dating men. When dating students reported higher intimacy they reported higher perceived affection within their romantic relationships. Possible mechanisms for the observed patterns and their implications are discussed.

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / Divorce is a world-wide phenomenon. Divorce means the ending of a marriage after a period of unity and bonding; and thus it can take a long time to recover emotionally, particularly for children. Concerningly, half of marriages ends in divorce. Studies found that divorce has an effect on the well-being, behaviour and actions of both adults and children. Children’s lives change irrevocably and it can be contributed to the parents’ separation or divorce. The manner in which children respond emotionally and psychologically to divorce is dependent on their age, and this event could be both confusing and traumatising. The adolescent stage is viewed as the most vulnerable stage of development, where identity is the primary focus; and thus these children are most severely impacted by their parents’ divorce. There was a dearth of studies on the effects of divorce on adolescents after the divorce finalisation, known as post-divorce phase, and thus no clear interventions.

Aims: To explore the auxiliary psychosocial effects of a monetary reinforcement intervention targeting self-monitoring of blood glucose among young people with Type 1 diabetes. Methods: Sixty young people with Type 1 diabetes, HbA1c concentrations between 58 and 119 mmol/mol (7.5–13.0%), and average self-monitoring of blood glucose <4 times per day were randomized to either enhanced usual care or a 24-week intervention of monetary rewards for self-monitoring of blood glucose and associated behaviours (e.g. uploading glucose meters). Data were collected from the young people and their parents at baseline, during the intervention (6, 12 and 24 weeks) and after the intervention (36 weeks). Results: Linear mixed models were used to evaluate the intervention effects on psychosocial outcomes, adjusting for corresponding baseline levels and potential moderation by baseline level. The intervention reduced diabetes distress at week 6 among young people who had average and high baseline distress. It also reduced diabetes distress at weeks 12 and 24 among those with low baseline distress. The intervention also reduced young person-reported diabetes-related family conflict and diabetes-related interference among those with high baseline scores in these areas; however, the intervention worsened young person-reported diabetes interference among those with low baseline interference. Effects were medium-sized and time-limited. Conclusions: Findings indicate predominantly positive impacts of monetary reinforcement interventions on psychosocial outcomes, although effects varied by outcome and time point. Whereas early improvements in diabetes distress were observed for all who received the intervention, improvements in other areas varied according to the level of psychosocial challenge at baseline. Incorporating psychosocial interventions may bolster and maintain effects over time.

Estudou-se uma amostra representativa de crianças da 1ª série de um Grupo Escolar Ginásio da rede Estadual, da cidade de São Paulo. Com o objetivo de compreender a dinâmica emocional dessas crianças utilizou-se o teste de apercepção temática infantil (The Children\'s apperception test (CAT) de Bellak & Bellak). Os alunos foram estratificados em fracos e não fracos quanto à aprendizagem e o disciplinamento. Os resultados demonstraram que 43,0por cento das crianças não estão emocionalmente ajustadas para enfrentar o ambiente escolar onde a figura do adulto (professor) é visualizada como agressiva e os castigos são vistos pelas crianças, como ameaçadores. Os alunos fracos demonstraram maior atraso no desenvolvimento psico-social em relação aos não fracos o que, possivelmente, esclarece a dificuldade de adaptação dessas crianças, à situação escolar. / A representative sample of first grade students from a primary school of the State of São Paulo school network, was studied. The school under study was located in the city of são Paulo. The Children\'s apperception test (CAT) de Bellak & Bellak was used to determine the emocional dynamics of the children. The children were divided into two groups - weak and no-weak - regarding learning and discipline. Results showed that 43 per cent of children are not emotionally fit to face school, where the figure of the adult (school teacher) is seen as agressive and punischement is considered as threaten by them. The children considered weak showed a lag in psyco-social developmert in relation to the not weak group. This fact possibly explains the dificulty in adaptation of such children to the school situation.

Estudou-se uma amostra representativa de crianças da 1ª série de um Grupo Escolar Ginásio da rede Estadual, da cidade de São Paulo. Com o objetivo de compreender a dinâmica emocional dessas crianças utilizou-se o teste de apercepção temática infantil (The Children\'s apperception test (CAT) de Bellak & Bellak). Os alunos foram estratificados em fracos e não fracos quanto à aprendizagem e o disciplinamento. Os resultados demonstraram que 43,0por cento das crianças não estão emocionalmente ajustadas para enfrentar o ambiente escolar onde a figura do adulto (professor) é visualizada como agressiva e os castigos são vistos pelas crianças, como ameaçadores. Os alunos fracos demonstraram maior atraso no desenvolvimento psico-social em relação aos não fracos o que, possivelmente, esclarece a dificuldade de adaptação dessas crianças, à situação escolar. / A representative sample of first grade students from a primary school of the State of São Paulo school network, was studied. The school under study was located in the city of são Paulo. The Children\'s apperception test (CAT) de Bellak & Bellak was used to determine the emocional dynamics of the children. The children were divided into two groups - weak and no-weak - regarding learning and discipline. Results showed that 43 per cent of children are not emotionally fit to face school, where the figure of the adult (school teacher) is seen as agressive and punischement is considered as threaten by them. The children considered weak showed a lag in psyco-social developmert in relation to the not weak group. This fact possibly explains the dificulty in adaptation of such children to the school situation.

Despite the number of teen pregnancy studies in the past, there is a dearth of empirical data relevant to the issue of psychosocial and/or developmental changes in adolescent mothers. Most previous studies have addressed the negative and devastating impact of teen pregnancy on adolescent development. The premise of these early studies was that adolescents have pathological reasons for becoming pregnant. Contrary to these studies, an underlying assumption of this study was that teen pregnancy as a life crisis could entail the same facilitating and inhibiting factors that emerge with other adolescent life crises. Based on Erikson's theoretical framework, this study investigated the impacts of adolescent pregnancy and childbearing experiences on adolescent identity formation and on psychosocial stage development. Data were collected from 64 (34 childbearing, 30 nonpregnant) high school adolescent girls before and after childbirth. The EOM-EIS (Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status) and EPSI (Erikson Psychosocial Stage Inventory) were used in this study. Analyses of pretest data showed that there were no differences between pregnant and nonpregnant adolescents. Results indicated that there were no differences on psychosocial variables between pregnant adolescents and nonpregnant adolescents with similar demographic backgrounds. The childbearing adolescents demonstrated decreases in foreclosure scores on identity status and increases in trust, industry, and intimacy scores on psychosocial stages. The results indicate that childbearing experiences may have enhanced the adolescents' ability to resolve their earlier developmental stage crises and conflicts.

Literature suggests that consumers perceive collective symbolic meaning in a set of products and brands and they associate this meaning with social roles or lifestyles that form consumption constellations. Such constellations exist as cognitive associative frameworks in consumers’ minds, which possess varying levels of accessibility. This thesis uses a multi-method approach to investigate how consumer perception and accessibility of consumption constellations is shaped by the psychosocial development that occurs during the transitional period of emerging adulthood. More specifically, two studies examine the role of the key drivers of psychosocial development at this stage: ego identity exploration and commitment. Study 1 employs a long interview methodology to provide insight into the dynamic nature of identity development during the period of emerging adulthood and its influence on perceptions of social roles and associated products and brands that comprise consumption constellations. Study 2 uses a response latency methodology to examine how emerging adults’ accessibility of consumption constellations is impacted by identity exploration and commitment, with hypotheses being partially supported. For aspirational constellations, high identity commitment participants displayed greater accessibility, with no significant differences based upon identity exploration as hypothesized.

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