Thesis advisor: Penny Hauser-Cram / This dissertation involves secondary analysis of data from the Early Intervention Collaborative Study (EICS; Hauser-Cram, Warfield, Shonkoff, & Krauss, 2001), a longitudinal investigation of children with developmental disabilities (DD) and their families. The sample includes 93 children with DD and their mothers who participated in the age 10 and age 18 data collection time points of EICS. The following research questions were addressed: What types of friendships and other relationships do adolescents with DD have in their social networks and what individual characteristics predict the presence of reciprocal relationships within these networks? What individual and family-related characteristics predict their loneliness at age 10 and their friendship quality at age 18? Does loneliness at age 10 predict friendship quality at age 18? Do child/adolescent views of the family predict loneliness at age 10 and friendship quality at age 18? Do loneliness at age 10 and friendship quality at age 18 predict adolescent social-emotional well-being? Do child/adolescent views of the family moderate the relationship between loneliness at age 10 and adolescent well-being, or the relationship between friendship quality at age 18 and adolescent well-being? Results revealed the limited nature of adolescents' friendships and peer relationships, particularly in regard to a lack of reciprocal relationships with same-age, non-familial peers. Behavior problems emerged as a significant predictor of loneliness at age 10, while autonomy emerged as a significant predictor of perceived friendship quality in adolescence. Loneliness at age 10 was not found to relate to friendship quality at age 18. Age 10 loneliness and age 18 friendship quality were found to significantly predict adolescent well-being. Adolescent views of the family were found to significantly predict adolescent perceived friendship quality; additionally, adolescent views of the family were found to relate to adolescent well-being outcomes. Overall, the findings support the notion that both family and peer relationships have an impact on social-emotional well-being for children and adolescents with DD. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology.

Thesis advisor: Sara Moorman / This research examines social support transfers, social support networks and psychological well-being among older adults (aged 60+) in five countries in Latin America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay. It is based on the following three research questions: 1) How is network structure associated with the receipt of financial and instrumental support among older adults in Latin America?; 2) What motivates the provision of financial or instrumental support to older adults in Latin America?; and 3) Do support transfers from kin and non-kin differently affect psychological well-being among older adults in Latin America? These questions are answered using data from the Survey on Health, Well-Being, and Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean (SABE), which includes information on over 7,000 older adults living in private homes in Buenos Aires (Argentina), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Santiago (Chile), Mexico City (Mexico) or Montevideo (Uruguay). Additionally, the study examines data on over 50,000 members of older adults' household and family networks. Findings confirm the importance of network structure for the receipt of both financial and instrumental support among older adults in Latin America. They also suggest a dynamic perspective of support provision throughout the region, where members of older adult's networks jointly navigate a mix of motivating factors to provide support to older adults in need. Lastly, results highlight the importance of kin support for the psychological well-being of older adults throughout the region. The findings presented in this dissertation provide an important first step in understanding elder support and psychological well-being in Latin America, and offer a strong foundation for future assessments throughout the region. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology.

Thesis advisor: Janet E. Helms / Multiracial people often experience challenges to developing positive racial identities and psychological well being in the racially stratified U.S. society. Research and theory suggest that contextual variables are important for the facilitation of positive adjustment for Multiracial individuals. However, despite the importance of social context, the majority of research has been limited by the use of small, non-generalizable samples, the lack of quantitative studies, a lack of consistent ways to measure these constructs, and researchers’ tendencies to examine well-being or racial identity in isolation. In addition, Multiracial identity typically has been assessed as a single racial identification categorization, rather than as the fluid racial identity process suggested by Helms’s (1995) People of Color (POC) racial identity theory. The present study proposed and examined a model that incorporated social context, racial identity, and well-being to better understand how Multiracial people develop racially and psychologically in a racially contentious society. Multiracial (Black/White and Asian/White) adults (N = 172) completed a demographic questionnaire, Multiracial Scales (Family Influence, Reflected Appraisals, Acceptance/Exclusion) created for this study, the Multiracial Challenges and Resilience Scale (Salahuddin & O’Brien, 2011), the People of Color Racial Identity Attitudes Scale (Helms, 2005), the Brief Symptom Inventory 18 (Derogatis, 2001), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Emmons, Larson, & Griffin, 1985). Multivariate multiple regression analyses (MMRAs) were conducted to examine relationships among social context (challenging and supportive) and psychological well-being, racial identity and well-being, and social context and racial identity. Results of the MMRAs favored supportive social contexts ( i.e., Acceptance by the White and Multiracial groups) as being related to better psychological well-being and challenging social contexts (i.e., Exclusion from the White racial group) as detracting from well-being. Conversely, challenging social contexts were more predictive of racial identity than supportive social contexts. Racial identity was also significantly related to psychological well-being. Results revealed differences between racial groups in the relationships among racial identity and well-being, such that Asian/White participants experienced greater life satisfaction and Multiracial pride than Black/White participants. Overall, the results of the analyses indicated support for the proposed model’s inclusion of social context, racial identity, and well-being in a single study. As anticipated, social context and racial identity were predictive of psychological well-being, and social context was predictive of racial identity. Results also provided preliminary evidence for the use of Helms’s (1995) POC theory with a Multiracial population. Methodological limitations and implications for future theory, research, and practice are discussed. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

Thesis advisor: David L. Blustein / Globalization has had many implications on the world’s economy, culture, mobility, and experience of work. Of these, global human migration, or international mobility, is often used as the prime indicator of globalization (United Nations Population Fund [UNPFA]; 2013). Evidence suggests that multiple international relocations, with the accompanying loss of familiar spatial environments, social relationships, and social institutions, are deleterious to human well-being. However, literature has yet to elucidate the mechanisms that contribute to the difficulties associated with high rates of international mobility. Using a multinational dataset of responses gathered from 255 internationally mobile employees at 24 worksites in 11 different countries (i.e. Botswana, Japan, Brazil, Spain, China, United Kingdom, India, United States, Mexico, South Africa), this exploratory study tested a structural model delineating the relationships among the rate of international mobility, dispositional optimism, social engagement and well-being, as defined by life satisfaction, job satisfaction, and functional health. Structural equation modeling and follow-up multiple regression analyses found optimism to have the greatest in impact on predicting the levels of job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and functional health, above all other demographic and observed predictors in the study. The rate of international mobility had a significant negative impact on job satisfaction, but not on functional health or life satisfaction. In addition, the frequency of an individual’s in-person interactions with family, friends, and neighbors did not have a significant role in predicting the outcomes. Contrary to the study’s hypotheses, social engagement did not function as a mediator between optimism and well-being. These important findings highlight human resilience in international migration, and offer research, practice, and organizational policy implications for understanding and supporting internationally mobile individuals. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

Thesis advisor: Karen C. Arnold / There is a growing trend of colleges and universities to affiliate with retirement communities, often to enhance revenue sources. Little is known of the effect of this emerging phenomenon on the aging processes of elders living and learning on a college campus. This phenomenological study used focus group methodology to collect in depth interview data from a group of 31 elderly residents of a college-affiliated retirement community. Residents in this setting are required to complete 450 hours of continuing education per year. This continuing education requirement can be met through either age-segregated classes with other residents; or, intergenerational courses at the college with traditional aged students. The specific aims of this study included understanding the potential effects of the retirement community and campus settings on elders' ability to age successfully; and the impact of intergenerational engagement on the aging process. Findings from this study confirm that there are many opportunities which promote successful aging of elders in a higher education affiliated retirement community. Participants reported that successful aging is enhanced by the safety of the setting and access to: physical care; continuing education; dining facilities; socialization; intergenerational engagement; and the general disposition of intellectualism in the setting. In addition, the educational requirement results in self-selection of residents with interest in intellectual matters and continued learning that is then accentuated within the community culture. Conclusions include that more institutions of higher education should consider similar models, with careful attention to issues of enhancing both funding sources and opportunities for diversity within the program. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Administration and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: James Lubben / Thesis advisor: Ce Shen / Historically, recovery from addiction has been synonymous with sobriety and when a person relapsed, all the gains they had made were erased. More recently efforts are underway to redefine recovery as a multidimensional process of change characterized by abstinence, improved health, citizenship, and actions taken by individuals to reach their full potential. This study contributes to the evolution of a more holistic understanding of recovery across the life course by utilizing four waves of data from the Pathways to Long-Term Abstinence Study (N=355) to examine how social recovery capital, stress, and individual contextual factors shape the physical health, mental health, and well-being of individuals recovering from addiction. Results from growth curve analysis indicate that the mental health and well-being of those recovering from addiction improve over time, while their physical health declines. Evidence also confirms that the positive influences of social recovery capital extend beyond sobriety to both directly and indirectly alter global health trajectories. While findings presented here offer hope that life can get better in some areas, they also raise significant concern over a long term pattern of declining physical health and the negative effects of stress that persist during recovery. A person's ability to sustain abstinence contributes to improvements in mental health and well-being, but not to physical health, suggesting that the physical damage done while actively abusing substances is significant and enduring. Finally, women recovering from addiction were confirmed to suffer disproportionate physical and mental health disparities, adding to the already substantial body of literature that suggests gender-specific prevention and treatment interventions across disciplines are needed to keep girls from becoming addicts and to better serve the unique needs of women who do. Given that social recovery capital is able to simultaneously influence multiple domains of recovery, interventions targeting enhancement of social recovery capital may prove particularly valuable in the effort to help people recover from addiction. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Social Work. / Discipline: Social Work.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This study is an investigation into teacher perceptions of the role of a primary school principal in supporting their well-being: learning from a South African public school in challenging conditions. As a grounded theory study using a classical grounded theory approach it proposes a substantiated theory based on the synthesis of findings from a single case study of a school. This grounded theory proposes that teacher well-being is a dynamic, fluctuating and holistic state of LOVING, BEING, HAVING and MEANING1 in a teacher’s personal and professional life, as a result of being part of a school community and broader system, and the SUPPORT2 it provides to enhance the physical, social and cultural environment and working conditions of teachers. In order of significance of responses, teacher well-being is related to: Caring and Supportive Relationships (LOVING) A State of Being (BEING) Environmental and Working Conditions (HAVING) Meaning (MEANING) LOVING and BEING influence the ability of teachers to access a level of HAVING and MEANING. Key factors supporting and constraining the well-being of teachers in a school in challenging conditions are personal, professional, organisational and systemic. Teachers identify organisational and systemic factors as having a greater negative influence on their well-being than personal and inter-personal factors. In this working class school greater job demands and limited job resources negatively influence teacher well-being. The key role of the principal (as defined by the teachers and reported in this study) in supporting the well-being of teachers requires a focus on personal, professional, organisational and systemic strategies to enhance support. These include a wide range of skills, attributes and abilities which include a democratic and contingent leadership style; a respectful, trustworthy and courageous personal 1 As defined in chapter five. 2 As defined and reported on in chapter seven. University of the Western Cape Karen Collett Page iv character; the ability to provide teachers with both personal and professional support; a focus on curricular leadership and strategies that enable teachers to address a range of barriers to learning; building a caring and supportive collegial culture; promoting professional learning communities; paying attention to the functioning of school level structures; addressing discipline and safety; drawing in additional funding and support at a school community and systems level; and having the moral courage and leadership to address issues at both a personal and systemic level. Leadership to support teacher well-being requires a focus by the principal and school management team on both structural and cultural dimensions of support at the school level and in addition requires the school leadership to address structural inequalities at the systemic level. It is hoped that the findings of this study will make an important contribution to understanding the role of leadership in supporting the well-being of teachers. They illuminate the challenges teachers in primary schools in challenging conditions face and provide suggestions to enable enhanced systems of teacher support at a school and systems level. These findings identify a number of personal and systems level indicators of well-being that can be used to evaluate and monitor school level teacher well-being and the bio-psycho-social elements of school health promotion. They provide a conceptual model of school well-being from the perspective of teachers. The study concludes with a number of recommendations to strengthen policy, practice, training and further research.

Bem-Estar Psicológico é um construto multidimensional baseado no funcionamento psicológico positivo. Para mensurar sua teoria, Ryff propôs uma escala de seis dimensões, com versões de 120, 84, 54 e 18 itens. Este trabalho tem como um de seus objetivos revisar sistematicamente estudos de validação das versões da Escala de Bem-Estar Psicológico de Ryff, sumarizando as propriedades psicométricas das mesmas. Foram incluídos estudos quantitativos que utilizaram a escala de Bem-Estar Psicológico, considerando as versões originais de 120, 84, 54 e 18 itens. Foram considerados elegíveis apenas os estudos sobre a validação da escala de Ryff em quaisquer versões e estudos com diferente número de itens oriundos das versões originais citadas anteriormente. Como estratégia de busca incluiu-se às bases de dados indexados Scopus e National Library of Medicine (Pubmed). A primeira estratégia de busca consistiu de palavras e descritores de Bem-Estar Psicológico. A segunda estratégia de busca adicionou palavras para especificar publicações na área de psicometria. Foram encontrados 38 artigos, totalizando 54 estudos, pois alguns artigos possuem mais de um estudo. A versão de 18 itens foi a mais validada, com 16 estudos, o espanhol foi a língua mais utilizada, a maioria dos artigos realizou análise fatorial e grande parte das amostras era composta por adultos com alto nível de escolaridade. O outro objetivo é realizar a análise fatorial exploratória com diferentes versões da Escala de Bem-estar Psicológico de Ryff de 18 itens e realizar a análise fatorial confirmatória com o modelo que apresentou melhor ajuste. Trata-se de um estudo transversal aninhado a uma coorte, cuja amostra foi de 389 idosos. Os dados desse estudo foram obtidos a partir da coorte de Carlos Barbosa que tinha como objetivo avaliar a saúde geral, bucal e psicológica e estado nutricional de idosos vivendo de maneira independente neste município. Foi realizada análise fatorial exploratória para avaliar a estrutura dimensional da escala de 18 itens e análise fatorial confirmatória para o modelo de melhor ajuste. Conclui-se que a escala de Bem-Estar Psicológico não é culturalmente dependente e que há necessidade de modificação de alguns itens para que o construto seja corretamente aplicado e compreendido na amostra estudada. / Psychological Well-Being is a multidimensional construct based on positive psychological functioning. To measure his theory, Ryff proposed a six-dimensional scale, with versions of 120, 84, 54, and 18 items. This work has as one of its objectives to systematically review validation studies of Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scale versions, summarizing their psychometric properties. We included quantitative studies that used the Psychological Well-Being scale, considering the original versions of 120, 84, 54 and 18 items. Only studies on the validation of the Ryff scale in any versions and studies with different numbers of items from the original versions mentioned above were considered eligible. As a search strategy, the indexed databases Scopus and National Library of Medicine (Pubmed) were included. The first search strategy consisted of words and descriptors of Psychological Well-Being. The second search strategy added words to specify publications in the area of psychometrics. We found 38 articles, totaling 54 studies, once some articles have more than one study. The 18-item version was the most validated, with 16 studies, Spanish was the most used language, most of the articles performed factorial analysis and most of the samples were composed of adults with a high level of education. The other objective is to perform the exploratory factorial analysis with different versions of the Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scale of 18 items and perform the confirmatory factorial analysis with the model that presented the best fit. It is a cross-sectional study nested with a cohort, whose sample was 389 elderly. The data from this study were obtained from the Carlos Barbosa cohort whose objective was to evaluate the general, oral and psychological health and nutritional status of elderly people living independently in this municipality. An exploratory factorial analysis was performed to evaluate the dimensional structure of the 18-item scale and confirmatory factorial analysis for the best fit model. It is concluded that the Psychological Well-Being scale is not culturally dependent and that there is a need to modify some items so that the construct is correctly applied and understood in the sample studied.

In recent years there have been efforts to assess associations between personality, longevity and well-being in nonhuman primates. Currently, findings indicate that, as in humans, personality traits such as extraversion are associated with both higher well-being (in monkeys and apes) and longevity (in gorillas). Why certain traits seem to have a protective effect is not yet well understood. One hypothesis is that more extraverted individuals rely on the company of others to alleviate stress, and thus mediate physiological stressors, increasing potential life span. Individual differences in social behaviour are therefore an important consideration for increasing our understanding of the protective effects of personality traits. The role of personality in social interactions and well-being is the main focus of this thesis. In Chapter 2, I assess personality and well-being in two species of New World monkey - common (Saimiri sciureus) and Bolivian squirrel monkeys (Saimiri boliviensis) - for which these associations have not previously been studied. I assess differences in personality trait structure between the two species, and compare them to a close relative, Sapajus apella (brown capuchins). I also correlate personality with well-being. Results show that both squirrel monkey species are similar in personality structure, but Bolivian squirrel monkeys share more similar traits with brown capuchins than common squirrel monkeys do. Well-being is associated with low Neuroticism and high Openness. These comparisons inform our understanding of the phylogeny of personality traits, as well as the ancestral links between personality and well-being. In Chapter 3 I focus on examining individual differences in chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) traits, through the use of previously collected personality data, which may reflect something akin to autism in nonhuman primates. In Chapter 4 I examine behavioural correlates of these traits, and assess personality in relation to behaviour. Results indicate that personality is a stronger predictor of individual differences in social behaviour than the scale measuring autism-like traits. Continuing with a focus in chimpanzees, in Chapter 5 I examine whether personality predicts how individual chimpanzees perceive emotion in conspecifics, using both behavioural and experimental data. Findings show that individuals differ in their attention and arousal in response to emotions in others, and that personality plays a role in these responses. I also report different ‘levels’ of response indicative of separate arousal and attention based processes. This is an understudied but important area of research that might help to elucidate differences in coping with stressful situations in a group environment. In Chapter 6 I shift from a focus of personality as a predictor of response, to potential signals of personality, by examining personality correlates of facial morphology in brown capuchins, Sapajus apella. Results indicate that face width is associated with higher Assertiveness, whilst lower face height is associated with higher Neuroticism/lower Attentiveness. To assess the theory that these associations may act as social cues, such as signals of status or mate quality, in Chapter 7 I assess whether capuchins perceive differences in face width of conspecifics by measuring response to facial images. Results suggest that capuchins do not differ between wide and narrow faces. I discuss the possibility that perception of these associations may be dependent on other variables such as age or knowledge of the signal receiver. Overall, this thesis takes a broad approach to understanding personality, by examining its role in social interactions, perception of others and well-being. These findings are discussed in light of both evolutionary theory and potential benefits to welfare.

Background: Previous research has reported positive correlations between perfectionism, anxiety and depression within community adolescent samples. Psychological distress has the potential to develop into adulthood; therefore consideration is required about potential mechanisms that could positively impact on this trajectory. Self-compassion has been shown to be negatively associated with psychopathology and positively related to psychological well-being. It has also been found to be inversely related to maladaptive perfectionism (negative aspects of perfectionism) in adult populations. No previous studies have examined both constructs of perfectionism and self-compassion in an adolescent population and what impact they may have on psychological distress and well-being. Aims: This research had two aims: 1. Conduct a systematic literature review exploring the relationship between perfectionism and anxiety/stress in young people; 2. Establish empirically whether perfectionism and self-compassion have a role in the prediction of psychological distress and psychological well-being in an adolescent population. Method: For the first aim a systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify studies that explored the relationships between perfectionism and anxiety/stress in young people. Fourteen papers were identified which were subsequently subjected to methodological appraisal using quality criteria. To address the second aim an empirical study was conducted. It was a cross-sectional, quantitative design using self-report surveys, in an adolescent population (n=128; 64.1% female, mean age 16.24 years) across schools in Edinburgh. Results: The results of the systematic review suggested that there is a significant relationship between perfectionism and anxiety and/or stress in young people; however, some inconsistent results were found between the perfectionism subtypes and their impact on anxiety. Methodologically, the studies held good internal validity, but external validity was poor meaning that the ability to generalise findings beyond the remit of the studies was questionable. The results of the empirical study demonstrated a significant relationship between perfectionism and self-compassion and a subsequent relationship with psychological distress and psychological well-being in the adolescent population. An interaction effect between perfectionism and self-compassion was also established for some of the variables, with self-compassion playing a particularly significant role in this relationship. Conclusions: Overall, there is evidence to suggest a link between perfectionism and psychopathology in adolescents. The factors of perfectionism and self-compassion demonstrated a significant relationship, with both constructs having an impact on psychological well-being in particular. Self-compassion demonstrated a strong predictive relationship to both psychological distress and psychological well-being. The significant findings regarding self-compassion in particular suggest that it may be a potential strategy for working with young people (either clinically or in academic settings) who experience psychological distress related to perfectionistic tendencies. Further research exploring perfectionism and self-compassion and the link with psychopathology in adolescents is much needed. In particular, studies are required which attempt to focus on this area with alternative designs (non cross-sectional), different methodologies and various clinical and non-clinical adolescent populations.