Over the past three decades, childhood bullying research has developed. Although bullying was first understood as an individual problem, researchers now understand that bullying is a relationship problem. Children come to a social exchange with their own cognitions and coping strategies, but are also impacted by their peers. Developmental contextualism forms the macro level framework of these studies and states that change occurs reciprocally and across many levels including the individual, interpersonal, community, and society. Social cognitive theory (and social information processing, in particular) helps at the individual and interpersonal levels in understanding the role cognitions play in affecting children’s responses in social exchanges. The series of papers in this dissertation focus on: (1) How attributions and coping styles interact within victimized children and how that affects victimization; (2) How attributions and coping styles are associated in children who bully others and how that interaction affects bullying behaviour; and (3) How children’s friendships protect or put them at risk for victimization. Overall, results suggest that children’s attributions and coping are directly associated with victimization and bullying, but do not work together in a mediational relationship. Rather specific types of attributions and coping strategies are related to involvement in bullying and victimization both within and across time and differences exist between boys and girls. With regards to friendships, the identity and communication skills of one’s friends appear to be important. Findings suggest the need for interventions that teach victimized children and their friends how to cope effectively with victimization and communicate with each other about their needs. / Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2009-12-29 15:17:14.814

According to the cognitive model, Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is maintained by various belief factors such as an inflated sense of responsibility, perfectionism and an overestimation about the importance of thoughts. Despite much support for this hypothesis, there is a lack of understanding about the role of self-concept in the maintenance or treatment of OCD. Guidano and Liotti (1983) suggest that individuals who are ambivalent about their self-worth, personal morality and lovability use perfectionistic and obsessive compulsive behaviours to continuously restore self-esteem. This thesis develops a model of OCD that integrates self-ambivalence in the cognitive model of OCD. (For complete abstract open document)

The current study examined the psychometric properties of the Pathways to Inflated Responsibility Beliefs Scale (PIRBS; Coles & Schofield, 2008), a measure designed to assess the theoretical pathways posited to contribute to responsibility beliefs in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD; Salkovskis et al., 1999). The primary aim of this study was to examine the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the measure in a diverse sample as well as to compare the properties of the scale across ethnic groups. The current sample consisted of 442 university students who completed questionnaire packets or an online survey. The results of an exploratory factor analysis suggested that a four-factor model with three items removed from the original PIRBS scale best fit the data. Confirmatory factor analyses in groups of African American and Caucasian participants indicated that neither the original PIRBS model nor the EFA-derived model adequately fit the data, but the latter model demonstrated comparable indicators of validity as well as an improvement in the internal consistency of the PIRBS Overprotection subscale. Evidence of the convergent and discriminant validity of the PIRBS was obtained through its associations with OCD-relevant constructs, including OC beliefs domains and symptoms, trait anxiety and worry, depression, parenting styles, a measure of childhood responsibility, and religiosity. Some differential associations were observed in these relationships across ethnic groups. Suggestions for future research and the clinical implications of research in this area are discussed.

abstract: Segregation into own-gender peer groups, a common developmental pattern, has many potentially negative short- and long-term consequences. Understanding the social cognitive processes underlying intergroup processes may lead to a better understanding of, and a chance to improve, intergroup relations between boys and girls; however, until recently gender-typed cognitions have not received a lot of attention. Therefore, in two complementary studies, this dissertation examines developmental patterns and predictors of a particular type of social cognition, gender-based relationship efficacy (GBRE). The first study examines mean-level and interindividual stability patterns of GBRE longitudinally in two developmental periods: childhood and pre-adolescence. Specifically, the first study examined children’s and pre-adolescents’ GBRE toward own- (GBRE-Own) and other-gender (GBRE-Other) peers over a one-year period. Using a four factor repeated measures analysis of variance, the results indicated that GBRE-Own is significantly higher than GBRE-Other across both cohorts. GBRE-Other, however, increased from childhood to pre-adolescence. Stability and cross-lag effects were examined using a multi-group panel analysis and revealed that GBRE-Own and GBRE-Other were stable. Additionally, high levels of GBRE-Own led to lower levels of GBRE-Other one year later, but high levels of GBRE-Other led to higher levels of GBRE-Own. Implications for understanding segregation processes and suggestions for future research are discussed. The second study examined potential affective/cognitive, behavioral, and contextual predictors of GBRE-Other in pre-adolescence. Several hypotheses were tested using panel models and regression analyses, but there was limited support. Results indicated that GBRE-Other predicted more positive attitudes toward other-gender peers and higher preferences for other-gender peer interaction and that, for boys, anxious attitudes toward other-gender peers negatively predicted GBRE-Other and, for girls, parental attitudes toward their children’s other-gender friendships negatively predicted GBRE-Other. The lack of significant findings in the second study should be interpreted cautiously. In general, GBRE is an important construct and more research is needed to fully understand the developmental progression and implications. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Family and Human Development 2017

Case conceptualizations from 120 counselors-in-training and post-master's-level counselors were examined for inclusion of positive and negative client characteristics. Conceptualizations of clients with whom counselors felt effective were more positive than negative, whereas conceptualizations of clients with whom counselors felt less effective were more negative than positive. Differences across counseling specialization, duration of counseling experience, and counselor cognitive complexity were explored.

Case conceptualizations from 120 counselors-in-training and post-master's-level counselors were examined for inclusion of positive and negative client characteristics. Conceptualizations of clients with whom counselors felt effective were more positive than negative, whereas conceptualizations of clients with whom counselors felt less effective were more negative than positive. Differences across counseling specialization, duration of counseling experience, and counselor cognitive complexity were explored.

Remarriages have been increasing over the last several decades, yet little has been done in establishing theories and interventions specific to remarried couples and stepfamilies. Fine and Kurdek proposed a model specific to individuals in a remarriage situation. In an effort to validate their model, this study tested a key tenet, the tenet of consistency in cognitions, across spouses. Data were analyzed from the "Relationship Quality and Stability in Utah Newlywed Remarriages" study. With a sample of 449 couples, a series of correlations and backward regressions were completed. The results indicate that individual perceptions are more predictive of remarital quality than is consistency of cognitions. A critique of the Multidimensional Cognitive-Developmental Model is discussed. Limitations are addressed and recommendations for future research are given.

Research to date indicates that parental and cognitive variables play a role in stress responses and health outcomes. Although researchers are beginning to focus on developmental processes in stress/health outcomes, there is little research examining which parental behaviors are most predictive of stress/health and whether cognitive variables mediate this relationship. As a result, the current study examines the self-reports of 160 late adolescents regarding parental behaviors, cognitive variables, and stress/health outcomes. In addition, blood pressure reactivity to a stressful situation was collected as a physiological measure of stress. The results suggest that, among the parental behaviors that are examined, parental overprotection and poor monitoring are the most predictive variables of adolescents' stress/health. The results indicate that adolescents' cognitions also are significant predictors of their self-reported stress/health. Further, adolescents' cognitions fully mediate the relationship between paternal behaviors and stress/health outcomes and partially mediate the relationship between maternal behaviors and stress/health outcomes. Finally, measures of blood pressure reactivity are not significantly related to study variables or were related in unpredicted directions. Possible explanations for these results are discussed. Overall, future research should examine parental overprotection and poor monitoring as important distal variables in adolescents' stress/health but should examine adolescents' cognitions as a more salient and immediate predictor of adolescents' stress/health.

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