Emerging adulthood is a term coined to recognize 18 to 25 year-olds who engage in self-exploration while not yet fully identifying as adults. Many emerging adult college students experience stress, anxiety, and depression. Although many colleges provide affordable and available mental health resources for students, many students who need help appear to not utilize these services. Gaining greater understanding of underlying processes that influence psychological treatment-seeking behavior is imperative. The current study sought to explore the role experiential avoidance (EA) plays as a treatment-seeking barrier in the context of emerging adulthood. Undergraduate students completed online measures of emerging adulthood dimensions, psychological symptoms, EA, self-stigma of, perceived public stigma of, intentions to, and attitudes and beliefs towards seeking treatment, treatment seeking behavior, and a demographics questionnaire. Binomial hierarchical logistic regressions and correlational analyses examined the relationship of EA and treatment-seeking behaviors, accounting for known barriers and emerging adult characteristics. After controlling for demographic variables, results indicated that EA was significantly positively correlated with self-stigma (r = .187), p < .001), perceived public stigma (r = .178, p < .001), intentions (r - .207, p < .001), psychological symptoms (r = .713, p < .001), and attitudes and beliefs (r = .009, p = .003). These and other findings are discussed further, along with the study limitations and implications, as well as possible future directions for work in this area.

Introduction: Lower limbs are ones of the most strained body parts to which people do not pay much attention. Conscientious care is absolutely vital for their right functioning. Main aims of the thesis: This thesis is focused on gathering the knowledge and skills in care of lower limbs with people at their adult and old age; and on describing how the care is being performed with the target group of people. The next aim is to describe the health care from the podiatry nurse´s point of view. Methodology: A qualitative research by means of half-structured interviews was chosen as the main method of the survey. People at their adult and old age from České Budějovice were interviewed, as well as a nurse working in the centre of podiatry. Results of the thesis: The research proves some level of knowledge in the field of care of lower limbs both with the adult and elderly citizens. Both these groups of people take care of their lower limbs. The results show conscientiousness with washing their feet and drying them especially in the spaces between their toes. On the one hand, the interviewed people take care of their feet by means of using lotions and by means of pedicure. However, they do not go to see specialists in pedicure. On the other hand, the results show that this kind of skin care is not very regular. The care devoted to nails seems to be problematic, it is necessary to add some information about a more appropriate way of cutting them. The results of choosing shoes; when the choice is based mainly on a fashionable look of shoes; show a bigger need of repeated and more accurate education in this field. The impacts of improperly chosen shoes, irregular care of the lower limbs and also underestimating of prophylactic medical checks were all evident on our informants´ feet. The outputs gained in practice: The intermediate results of this thesis were presented at the Students Scientific Conference. The results of the research were used as the basis for a workshop intended for people at the adult and old age. A suggested educational mental map can be used as a practical tool.

Uppsatsen syftade till att förstå hur unga vuxna som tidigare varit samhällsplacerade retrospektivt beskriver sin skolgång. Fem unga vuxna i åldrarna 21-26 år intervjuades i en kvalitativ studie. Teorin KASAM hjälpte oss att identifiera de resurser och faktorer som bidrog till graden av informanternas känsla av sammanhang. Resultatet visade att samtliga intervjupersoner blev placerade i olika åldrar och hade skilda erfarenheter av sin skolgång under placeringstiden. Samtliga intervjupersoner fick stöd från vuxna med sina studier vilket hade en positiv inverkan på deras skolgång. Resultatet visade även att vissa informanter hade en negativ erfarenhet av skolgången under placeringstiden på grund av mobbning, psykisk ohälsa och ett flertal omplaceringar. Då vi endast intervjuade fem personer gick det inte att generalisera resultatet till en större kontext i förhållande till tidigare forskning. Gemensamt för samtliga informanter var att de hade läst på högskolenivå eller hade planer på att göra det. / The aim of this study was to understand how young adults whom previously had been in out-of-home care retrospectively described their schooling. Five young adults between the ages of 21-26 were interviewed in a qualitative study. The theory KASAM helped identify the resources and factors that influenced the informants’ sense of coherence. The results showed that the informants were put in out-of-home care at different ages and had different experiences with their studies while in care. They received help from adults in regards to their studies, which had a positive impact on their schooling. Some informants had negative experiences from their schooling while in care caused by bullying, mental health issues and having to move multiple times. Because of our small sample we could not generalize the results. What the informants had in common was the fact that they had college-level education or were planning to receive it.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:37:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Clarissa Magalhaes Rodrigues.pdf: 814372 bytes, checksum: 4308b0d8156490ec5a850f7a42ae41ef (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-11-08 / This qualitative research had the purpose to understand, from the Systemic Psychology standpoint, the way parents whose children are in transition into adult life perceive and deal with the changes revealed by their offsprings. It has aimed to be an intergenerational understanding of adulthood building processes, considering the contextual transformations which draw a new scenario, more complex and unstable, for the constitution of the adult identity in the contemporary world. Through semistructured interviews, seven paulista families were surveyed. They were represented by four couples and three single mothers. Results indicated that changes related to the conception of marriage, financial independence, and the leaving of parents home as traditional landmarks for the transition into maturity favor the re-signification of being an adult, which turns out to be considered the result of a process conducted by the moral value of responsibility. The idea of adulthood as a process based on the differentiation of individuals in relation to their families of origin surfaces, and this makes it possible for parents to recognize their children as adults, even in spite of their not having crossed the traditional landmarks of transition. On the other hand, despite this general movement of parents who, more flexible on their conceptions, seem to follow the contemporary changes in a more positive basis, some patterns of family dynamics remain unchanged, thus reflecting on the ambivalent visions of some of the interviewees on the adult condition of their children. This lights up the fact that the building of adult life implies, at last, a transition between distinct phases of the family life cycle, demanding the re-signification of parenting itself / Este trabalho é resultado de uma pesquisa qualitativa que teve por objetivo compreender, sob o referencial da Psicologia Sistêmica, o modo como pais e mães cujos filhos se encontram em transição para a vida adulta percebem e lidam com as mudanças reveladas por seus descendentes. Trata-se de uma compreensão intergeracional dos processos de construção da adultez, tendo em vista as transformações contextuais que hoje desenham um novo cenário, mais complexo e instável, para a constituição da identidade adulta. Por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas, foram pesquisadas sete famílias paulistas, representadas por quatro casais e três mães solteiras. Os resultados indicaram que mudanças relativas à concepção do casamento, da independência financeira e da saída da casa dos pais como tradicionais marcos de transição para a maturidade favorecem a ressignificação do ser adulto , que passa a ser compreendido como resultado de um processo alinhavado pelo valor moral da responsabilidade. A ideia da transição para a adultez como um movimento fundamentado na diferenciação do indivíduo em relação à família de origem ganha espaço, possibilitando aos pais reconhecerem os filhos como adultos, mesmo a despeito de não haverem estes transposto os tradicionais marcos de transição. Por outro lado, apesar desse movimento geral dos pais que, mais flexíveis em suas concepções, revelam melhor acompanhar as mudanças contextuais contemporâneas, alguns modelos de dinâmica familiar permanecem inalterados, o que se reflete nas visões ambivalentes de alguns dos entrevistados acerca da condição adulta de seus filhos. Isto lança luz sobre o fato de a construção da vida adulta preconizar, em última instância, uma transição entre fases distintas do ciclo vital familiar, exigindo a ressignificação da própria parentalidade

Successful negotiation of emerging adult transitions predicts positive developmental outcomes across the lifespan. Emerging adults who have experienced childhood trauma are at increased risk for maladaptive development. The purpose of this dissertation study was to (a) provide descriptive demographic and health information about emerging adult survivors of childhood trauma seeking support from a university counseling center and (b) investigate the impact that different types of childhood trauma had on psychological symptoms and aspects of distress experienced by that population during college. It was hypothesized that there would be no significant differences in student distress based on single-type abuse, but that there would be significant differences based on the experience of polyvictimization, with multi-type abuse related to increased distress. Extant client data collected by the University of Oregon Counseling and Testing Center (UO-UCTC) were used to meet study objectives. Participants were college students, age 18-25 years, who voluntarily sought mental health services from UO-UCTC and who endorsed childhood trauma experiences on their intake paperwork. Results from descriptive, finite mixture modeling, logistic regression, chi-square, and multiple regression analyses revealed that (a) there were unique relationships between trauma type and a variety of demographic variables; (b) help-seeking emerging adults reported experiencing childhood emotional single-type abuse most frequently, with childhood emotional-physical abuse being the most commonly reported form of multi-type abuse; (c) the sample endorsed higher than typical psychological symptoms and aspects of distress both in terms of quantity and severity, with particularly elevated depression, family distress, and generalized anxiety scores; (d) a five-component solution emerged, classifying participants into five clusters of symptom reporting; however, no relationship was found between symptom cluster and childhood trauma type; (e) the probability of experiencing generalized anxiety and/or family distress was related to the type of childhood trauma experienced; and (f) the severity of generalized anxiety and/or family distress that participants reported was significantly related to the type of childhood trauma they experienced. Findings highlight the importance of contextualizing current abuse typologies and assessing multi-type abuse. Recommendations for expanding definitions of trauma and providing care to emerging adult survivors of childhood trauma on college campuses are discussed.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2016-11-22T16:25:41Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Clarissa Magalhães Rodrigues Sampaio.pdf: 19749701 bytes, checksum: cfa86ddcedd0ec499e1d8c4a0f3afaf7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-11-22T16:25:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Clarissa Magalhães Rodrigues Sampaio.pdf: 19749701 bytes, checksum: cfa86ddcedd0ec499e1d8c4a0f3afaf7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-09-28 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / This research introduces a proposal of understanding the construction of the adult identity in the contemporary world, in a context of multiple social and cultural transformations marked, above all, by the technology development and the democratization of intimate relationships. Within the Systemic Psychology framework, the study followed a mixed method, quanti-qualitative, therefore divided into two distinct phases. The first one, quantitative, had the participation of 64 individuals from 25 to 34 years old, from both genders, with an online questionnaire taken as a data collect procedure. The second one, qualitative, was headed with the use of semi-structured interviews with six collaborators from the previous phase, chosen according to their “self-concept”. The results indicated that this dynamic and fluid character that surrounds the experiences of becoming and being an adult, along with the individualization of the projects of life, puts into question some traditional criteria of adulthood legitimation, such as marriage, parenting, and the leaving of parents’ house, giving space to experiences of adult identity construction based on the development of psychosocial abilities, mainly the ethic responsibility and the autonomy. In a society governed by the combination of productivity and consumption, being financially independent remains as an important source of validation of the adult condition, yet in a “re-signified” way, in which the self-sufficiency gives way to intergenerational relations of support and partnership. Formerly a phenomenon legitimated by concrete experiences designed in order to meet preestablished social expectations, such as getting married and having children, the construction of identity in adulthood turns out to be a continuously revised and updated process, emerged from reflections and self-organizations, with the autonomous responsibility taken as the keyelement for the social recognition of this construction / Este trabalho apresenta uma proposta de compreensão da construção da identidade adulta na contemporaneidade, em um contexto de intensas transformações sociais e culturais marcadas, sobretudo, pelo desenvolvimento tecnológico e pela democratização nas relações de intimidade. Com aporte teórico na Psicologia Sistêmica, a pesquisa foi delineada com base em um método misto, quanti-qualitativo, sendo, portanto, realizada em duas fases. A primeira, quantitativa, contou com a participação de 64 indivíduos entre 25 e 34 anos, de ambos os sexos, tendo-se como procedimento de coleta de dados um questionário disponibilizado online. A segunda, qualitativa, realizou-se por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas com seis colaboradores da fase anterior, escolhidos em função de seu autoconceito. Os resultados indicaram que a dinamicidade e a fluidez inscritas neste novo cenário que ambienta experiências de tornar-se e ser adulto, conjugadas à individualização dos projetos de vida, põem em questão critérios tradicionais de legitimação da adultez, como o casamento, a parentalidade e a saída da casa dos pais, dando lugar a experiências de construção da identidade adulta pautadas no desenvolvimento de habilidade psicossociais, especialmente a responsabilidade ética e a autonomia. Em uma sociedade regida pelo duo produção-consumo, a independência financeira mantem-se como importante fonte de validação da condição adulta, porém de forma ressignificada, na qual a autossuficiência cede lugar a relações intergeracionais de apoio e parceria. Antes um fenômeno cuja legitimação se traduzia em experiências concretas que atendiam a expectativas sociais prescritivas, como casar-se e ter filhos, a construção da identidade na adultez passa a configurar-se como um processo continuamente revisado e atualizado, emergente de reflexões e auto-organizações, sendo a responsabilidade autônoma o elemento-chave para o reconhecimento social dessa construção

Malgré la souffrance et les conséquences induites par le TDA/H, ce trouble reste encore largement sous-évalué en population adulte. Le TDA/H représente pourtant un facteur de risque dans le développement et le maintien des pathologies addictives. Cette étude vise à favoriser un meilleur repérage du TDA/H en service d’addictologie et une meilleure compréhension des caractéristiques associées à ce double diagnostic. Ces éléments pourront permettre un ajustement des prises en charge proposées. L’étude se déroule en deux parties :Phase I - Dépistage du TDA/H : Le TDA/H apparaît surreprésenté parmi les personnes consultant en addictologie avec une prévalence à 15,1% (N=119). On note chez ces sujets davantage de troubles psychiatriques comorbides, un début plus précoce d’alcool et de cocaïne, une prévalence plus importante d’addictions comportementales, ainsi qu’une situation professionnelle plus précaire. L’impulsivité, le névrosisme et l’extraversion apparaissent plus marquées que pour les autres usagers alors que l’agréabilité et la conscience se situent à un degré inférieur.Phase II - Mise en place et étude de faisabilité d’un groupe de TCC centré sur cette association comorbide : Les 4 participants du groupe pilote ont fini le programme et rapportent un bon degré de satisfaction. Par rapport au pré-test, des améliorations légères sont observées au niveau des symptômes du TDA/H, des symptômes anxio-dépressifs, du niveau d’impulsivité, de l’estime de soi, de la satisfaction de vie et de la flexibilité psychologique. Le blâme de soi diminue alors que les stratégies de coping actif, de planification, d’humour, de réinterprétation positive et de soutien instrumental augmentent. Le maintien des améliorations à 6 mois est partiel. / ADD/ADHD is still undervalued among adult population despite negative consequences and great suffering. This disorder is however a well known risk factor in the development and maintenance of addiction. The main goal of this study is to promote better identification of ADD/ADHD in addiction treatment units. A better visibility of the prevalence of addict patients with ADD/ADHD, severity of this comorbid association and consequences could lead to some adjustments of programs available in these units. This study is divided into two parts: Phase I - Screening of ADD/ADHD : this disorder appeared to be over-represented among addict patients with a prevalence as high as 15.1%. These patients had more comorbid psychiatric disorders, first use of alcohol or cocaine at an earlier age, higher prevalence of behavioral addictions, and a more precarious professional situation. They also showed a higher level of impulsivity, neuroticism and extraversion, a lower level of agreeableness and consciousness than other users.Phase II - Implementation and feasibility study of CBT group focusing on this comorbid association. A pilot group of 4 participants completing the program reported a high degree of satisfaction. In comparison with pre-test, evaluation showed slight improvements in levels of symptoms of ADD/ADHD, anxiety and depression, impulsivity, self-esteem, life satisfaction and psychological flexibility. Self-blame decreased as coping strategies showed an improvement (planning, humor, positive reinterpretation and instrumental support). Improvements remain partially after 6 months.

No description available.

Children learn words astonishingly skilfully. Even infants can reliably “fast map” novel category labels to their referents without feedback or supervision (Carey & Bartlett, 1978; Houston-Price, Plunkett, & Harris, 2005). Using both empirical and neural network modelling methods this thesis presents an examination of both the fast and slow mapping phases of children's early word learning in the context of object and action categorisation. A series of empirical experiments investigates the relationship between within-category perceptual variability on two-year-old children's ability to learn labels for novel categories of objects and actions. Results demonstrate that variability profoundly affects both noun and verb learning. A review paper situates empirical word learning research in the context of recent advances in the application of computational models to developmental research. Data from the noun experiments are then simulated using a Dynamic Neural Field (DNF) model (see Spencer & Schöner, 2009), suggesting that children's early object categories can emerge dynamically from simple label-referent associations strengthened over time. Novel predictions generated by the model are replicated empirically, providing proofof- concept for the use of DNF models in simulations of word learning, as well emphasising the strong featural basis of early categorisation. The noun data are further explored using a connectionist architecture (Morse, de Greef, Belpaeme & Cangelosi, 2010) in a robotic system, providing the groundwork for future research in cognitive robotics. The implications of these different approaches to cognitive modelling are discussed, situating the current work firmly in the dynamic systems tradition whilst emphasising the value of interdisciplinary research in motivating novel research paradigms.

Posttraumatic growth describes positive changes following challenging events. Although such changes are well documented there remain a number of important areas for further research, some of which are addressed in this thesis. In particular, this thesis aimed to clarify the relationship between growth and adjustment following health events, explore growth in different cultures (UK and Africa), and examine growth following childbirth using a prospective design. First, two systematic reviews were carried out to examine (i) growth following health events and (ii) maternal wellbeing in African women. The first meta-analytic review found that growth following cancer and HIV/AIDS was associated with higher levels of positive mental health, higher subjective physical health, and lower levels of negative mental health. Moderating variables were time since the event, age, ethnicity, and type of negative mental health outcome. The second review found that maternal psychological problems in African women have a similar or slightly higher prevalence than reported in developed countries. Risk factors were broadly comparable although some culture-specific factors were also found. Three research studies were conducted. The first study qualitatively explored 55 Gambian women's experiences of pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period. Thematic analysis identified five themes: (1) transition to adulthood, (2) physical difficulties, (3) value of children in relation to others, (4) children as a strain, and (5) going through it alone. Prospective studies of growth following childbirth were then carried out in the UK (N=125) and The Gambia (N=101). Women completed questionnaires during their third trimester of pregnancy and up to 12 weeks after birth. A proportion of women in both countries reported growth following childbirth. In the UK, higher levels of growth were associated with caesarean sections and prenatal posttraumatic stress symptoms. In The Gambia, higher growth was associated with lower income, lower education, and higher postnatal social support.