Social Assistance – also known as welfare – has been a program of last resort for individuals in poverty across Canada for many years. The use of social assistance in early adulthood is of particular interest, as these individuals have a long life of consequences ahead of them. The social assistance program available in Manitoba, Canada – the setting of this study – is Employment and Income Assistance (EIA). This study examines difference in predictors of early adult (ages 18-25) EIA usage across income quintiles of the neighborhoods individuals lived in as they enter young adulthood (age 18) and the type of EIA (General Assistance, Single Parent or Disability) received.

Den industrialiserade världen har de senaste årtiondena genomgått förändringar vilket har bidragit till att en ny tidsperiod uppkommit. Tidsperioden benämns enligt forskaren Arnett (2007) som Emerging Adulthood och har den svenska översättningen vuxenblivande. Perioden sträcker sig mellan åren 18-25. Stress är en känsla av press som för stunden inte är hanterbar och stressnivån har under de senaste åren ökat markant hos gymnasieelever. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka om vuxenblivande samt stress skiljer hos elever som läser ett yrkesförberedande respektive ett högskoleförberedande program. Studien syftar också till att undersöka om stress är signifikant relaterat till vuxenblivande. I studien deltog 173 gymnasieelever som gick tredje året på gymnasieskolor i Örebro och Västerås. Deltagarna svarade på en enkät om vuxenblivande och upplevd stress. Resultatet i studien visade att de yrkesförberedande eleverna upplevde en högre grad av fokus på andra och att de högskoleförberedande eleverna upplevde en högre nivå av instabilitet och stress. / The industrialized world has changed in recent decades, which have contributed to a new period in life. The time period is, according to researcher Arnett (2007), called Emerging Adulthood. The period is ranging between ages 18-25. Stress is a feeling of pressure that the individual for the moment can’t handle and stress level has in recent years increased among high school students. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether adulthood and stress differ among students who read a vocational or a university-preparing program. The study also aims to investigate whether stress is significantly related to emerging adulthood. The study involved 173 Swedish high school students from Örebro and Västerås. The participants answered a questionnaire about emerging adulthood and perceived stress. The results of the study showed that the vocational students experienced a greater degree of focus on others and that the university-preparing students experienced a greater level of instability and stress.

The present study examined individuation and expectations for autonomous behavior (EAB) with incoming college freshmen and their parents. To test the theory that greater mismatch between young adults and their parents about EAB would be associated with more negative adjustment to college, Collins' (1990) Expectancy-Violation Model was applied. Data were initially collected with online questionnaires from incoming college freshmen and one of their parents before the transition to college. Follow-up data (W2) were collected three months later to assess adjustment to college. Individuation was measured with the Late Adolescence Individuation Questionnaire; EAB and reports of actual autonomous behavior were assessed with a measure based on the Psychological Separation Inventory. College student adjustment was measured with indicators of psychological well-being (i.e., psychosomatic symptoms, depressive symptoms, positive affect) and adaptation to college (i.e., college self-efficacy, satisfaction with college, and anticipated fall college grades). Open-ended data were collected from young adults and their parents describing topics of autonomy behavior where they perceived disagreement. A MANOVA indicated that there were significant differences between the four individuation groups (a) individuated (high connectedness and high separateness), (b) pseudoautonomous (low connectedness and high separateness), (c) dependent (high connectedness and low separateness), and (d) ambiguous (low connectedness and low separateness) on the young adults' adjustment to college. Post-hoc planned comparisons revealed that college students in the "individuated" group were consistently better off than those in the "ambiguous" group. Some support was found for the hypothesis that a higher discrepancy (a) between parent and young adult EAB and (b) between young adults' reports of expected versus actual autonomous behaviors was associated with lower W2 young adult well-being. Quality of parent-young adult communication was found to moderate some of these associations. Qualitative data somewhat supported the quantitative results, as well as illustrated unique areas for disagreement on EAB. Jointly, these quantitative and qualitative findings suggest that young adults' level of individuation from parents and a mismatch between parents' and young adults' perceptions of future autonomous behavior may impact college students' psychological well-being during the transition to college.

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.

No description available.

The focus of this study was to determine if there were patterns or trends in physical activity levels of adults in Indiana for even numbered years between 1986 - 1996. The research was a secondary analysis of data collected by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System over a ten year period for 12,682 respondents. Questions and hypotheses were examined for demographical variables of age, gender, race, marital status, income, and educational level compared to respondents being classified into one of four physical activity classifications: inactive, irregular, regular, or regular and vigorous.The data were analyzed using mean, multiple regression, and chi-square. Overall patterns and trends showed an increase since 1992 in the percentage of adults in Indiana being classified as sedentary and not meeting national guidelines for recommended levels of physical activity. There were significant differences (p=.000) between all of the demographical variables and physical activity classifications. / School of Physical Education

Kinderseksuele misbruik het langtermyneffekte op die persoon wat as kind seksueel misbruik is, en dit kan strek tot in sy of haar jong volwasse jare. Dit is dus belangrik dat daar aandag gegee word aan die nodige ondersteuningsnetwerke/hulpbronne wat beskikbaar is vir jong volwassenes wat slagoffers is van seksuele misbruik tydens hulle kinderjare. Deur te bepaal aan watter persone hierdie slagoffers bereid is om die misbruik te openbaar, kan gebruik gemaak word van eienskappe wat benodig word vir effektiewe openbaarmaking. Met die gemengde kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe navoringsontwerp is daar op die tweede– en derdejaar maatskaplike werkstudente van die Noordwes–Universiteit (Potchefstroomkampus) as respondente van die studie gefokus. Daar is gebruik gemaak van ‘n doelgerigte steekproef om respondente te verkry vir die studie en selfopgestelde, groep–geadministreerde vraelyste is aan hulle uitgedeel. Die verkennende navorsingsontwerp is gebruik om meer inligting oor die navorsingsonderwerp te bekom, aangesien daar beperkte inligting beskikbaar is en min navorsing daaroor onderneem is binne die Suid–Afrikaanse opset. Die doel van die studie is om vas te stel watter hulpbronne beskikbaar gestel moet word aan slagoffers van seksuele misbruik tydens hulle kinderjare, sodat hulle vroeër in hulle lewe die misbruik openbaar en die nodige hulp kan verkry vir die trauma wat hulle ervaar het. Dit is uit die bevindings duidelik dat die noodsaaklikheid bestaan vir die bewusmaking onder die gemeenskap om van die beskikbare hulpbronne vir persone wat slagoffers van kinderseksuele misbruik, gebruik te maak. Aanbevelings rakende die inhoud word in die studie uiteengesit en aanbevelings vir verdere navorsing word ook aan die hand gedoen. Die gebruik van bewusmakingsprogramme is noodsaaklik om die gemeenskap in te lig oor die dinamika van kinderseksuele misbruik. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Kinderseksuele misbruik het langtermyneffekte op die persoon wat as kind seksueel misbruik is, en dit kan strek tot in sy of haar jong volwasse jare. Dit is dus belangrik dat daar aandag gegee word aan die nodige ondersteuningsnetwerke/hulpbronne wat beskikbaar is vir jong volwassenes wat slagoffers is van seksuele misbruik tydens hulle kinderjare. Deur te bepaal aan watter persone hierdie slagoffers bereid is om die misbruik te openbaar, kan gebruik gemaak word van eienskappe wat benodig word vir effektiewe openbaarmaking. Met die gemengde kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe navoringsontwerp is daar op die tweede– en derdejaar maatskaplike werkstudente van die Noordwes–Universiteit (Potchefstroomkampus) as respondente van die studie gefokus. Daar is gebruik gemaak van ‘n doelgerigte steekproef om respondente te verkry vir die studie en selfopgestelde, groep–geadministreerde vraelyste is aan hulle uitgedeel. Die verkennende navorsingsontwerp is gebruik om meer inligting oor die navorsingsonderwerp te bekom, aangesien daar beperkte inligting beskikbaar is en min navorsing daaroor onderneem is binne die Suid–Afrikaanse opset. Die doel van die studie is om vas te stel watter hulpbronne beskikbaar gestel moet word aan slagoffers van seksuele misbruik tydens hulle kinderjare, sodat hulle vroeër in hulle lewe die misbruik openbaar en die nodige hulp kan verkry vir die trauma wat hulle ervaar het. Dit is uit die bevindings duidelik dat die noodsaaklikheid bestaan vir die bewusmaking onder die gemeenskap om van die beskikbare hulpbronne vir persone wat slagoffers van kinderseksuele misbruik, gebruik te maak. Aanbevelings rakende die inhoud word in die studie uiteengesit en aanbevelings vir verdere navorsing word ook aan die hand gedoen. Die gebruik van bewusmakingsprogramme is noodsaaklik om die gemeenskap in te lig oor die dinamika van kinderseksuele misbruik. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The present study evaluated the relations among positive parenting practices, cognitive emotion regulation strategies, and positive and negative psychological adjustment among Chinese and Canadian emerging adults. Emotion regulation was hypothesized to mediate the relations between positive parenting and psychological adjustment. Participants included 75 international Chinese students and 120 Canadian students between the ages of 18 to 25 enrolled at the University of Victoria. Participants completed multiple-choice questionnaires assessing perceptions of their mothers’ and fathers’ positive parenting practices (i.e., warmth, volitional autonomy support and parent as teacher), their use of positive and negative cognitive emotion regulation strategies, and their levels of positive psychological adjustment (i.e., happiness, life satisfaction and academic satisfaction) and negative psychological adjustment (i.e., depression, anxiety and loneliness). Emotion regulation partially mediated the relations between perceptions of fathers’ parenting and positive and negative psychological adjustment for Chinese and Canadian students, and for Canadian students’ perceptions of mothers’ parenting. Few group differences emerged in the relations among parenting, emotion regulation and adjustment; greater positive parenting was associated with students’ use of more positive emotion regulation strategies and fewer negative strategies, and with higher levels of positive adjustment and lower levels of negative adjustment. In contrast to the overall similarity observed in terms of relations among the constructs, an exception to this pattern was the lack of relations between parenting and emotion regulation for Chinese students. Mean differences between Chinese and Canadian students in emotion regulation and psychological adjustment were found. Chinese students used all of the assessed emotion regulation strategies more often than Canadian students, and had higher levels of negative adjustment and lower levels of positive adjustment as compared with Canadian students. Clinical implications in terms of how parents, mental health professionals and post-secondary institutions can help bolster the positive adjustment of emerging adults cross-culturally are discussed, along with the strengths and limitations of the current study and directions for future research. / Graduate / 0622 / 0620

Prevailing theories of emotion regulation (ER) focus on the role of various aspects of cognition for successful regulation of one’s emotions. In particular, research suggests that executive functions (EF) may play an important role in contributing to successful ER. Emerging adulthood can be a time of high levels of perceived stress associated with changing developmental roles, which can be a risk factor for psychopathology (e.g., depression, anxiety). Emerging adulthood is also a time during which EF comes to maturation both behaviorally and biologically. This prolonged period of development associated with EF and ER maturity may represent an increased period of vulnerability in young adults, and deficits in EF may pose a significant risk for emotion dysregulation and future psychopathology. This study aimed to investigate whether EFs played a role in ER for emerging adults. More specifically, this study examined whether EFs (including, working memory, attentional control, and inhibitory control) moderated the indirect effect of ER in the relationship between stress and psychopathology in the context of emerging adulthood. A sample of 75 undergraduate students at the University of Victoria was recruited. Participants self reported perceived levels of stress and psychopathology symptoms. Participants also completed a computerized ER task where they viewed aversive pictures and sentences on a computer screen and explicitly applied an ER strategy to reduce their negative emotions when viewing the stimuli. Tests of EF including the Go/No-Go, Number-Letter and N-Back task were also completed. Results revealed that moderated mediation did not hold for this sample. However, working memory, attentional control, and inhibitory control moderated the relationship between ER and psychopathology. Specifically, low working memory and attentional control, and high inhibitory control moderated the relationship between cognitive reappraisal and psychopathology. For this same relationship of cognitive reappraisal to psychopathology, faster engagement in response inhibition (i.e., faster reaction times) was trending toward significant levels of psychopathology symptoms. For expressive suppression, the relationship to psychopathology was moderated by inhibitory control. ER did not mediate the relationship between stress and psychopathology symptoms across the entire sample. The results illuminate the ways in which EFs contribute to ER in the context of emerging adulthood. Implications for promoting successful ER and informing therapeutic techniques used with this critical population are discussed. / Graduate / 0622 / 0347 / 0317 / mcochran@uvic.ca