acase@tulane.edu / Alcohol and drug use to cope is a common phenomenon that is found in those who are of college age. Drinking and drug use to cope has negative short- and long-term outcomes including chronic disease and possibly death. Alcohol and drug use to cope may be more common when individuals are not able allocate other resources in order to cope with their strong uncomfortable feelings (specifically depression, anger, and anxiety) and stress. Women and people of color may be particularly vulnerable to these patterns of maladaptive coping. I hypothesize that increased negative affect, stress, and avoidant coping will be associated with more alcohol and drug use. I also predict that there will be increased alcohol and drug use behavior for women and people of color in the context of negative affect, stress, and avoidant coping. The AUDIT, Brief COPE, DASS, PROMIS Anger, PSS, Race-Related Stress Item, and AAQ-II were used in data collected cross-sectionally from 360 participants. Pearson’s correlations and multiple regressions were used to analyze the data. Men and women did not differ in their alcohol and drug use, though people of color did consume less alcohol then their white counterparts. Alcohol and drug use was highly correlated with negative affect and general stress. It also was found that men displayed more substance use behavior when faced with race-stress/perceived discrimination. Predicted relationships between race-related stress and alcohol and drug use and between avoidant coping and alcohol and drug use were not supported. In addition, none of the other hypothesized interactions were statistically significant predictors of alcohol and drug use. Implications for supporting college aged individuals are discussed. / 1 / Chinwendu Duru

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological inquiry was to explore college-aged women's experiences of body positivity and self-acceptance. I applied a conceptual framework that blended feminist identity development model (FIDM) and relational cultural theory (RCT) to answer the following questions: (a) what are the lived experiences of college-aged women who identify as having a positive and accepting body image? and (b) how do college-aged women's intersecting identities contribute to the development of positive and accepting body image? Ten college-age women participated in the current study. The participants provided detailed accounts of their experiences of body image throughout their life. Five overarching themes were identified through data analysis of the interview transcripts: (a) advocating for self and others, (b) beauty expectations and societal definitions, (c) intersecting identities, (d) journey of acceptance, and (e) relationships and community. Participants offered insight into the development of their current position of body positivity and self-acceptance that serve as implications for other relevant contexts. Implications and recommendations drawn from the participants' experiences can inform preventative and treatment care in educational settings, family environments, clinical practice, and integrated care.

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The purpose of the investigation was to determine the interrelationships of strength, speed, power and anthropometric measures in women. Sixty females ranging in ages from 18 to 25 volunteered as subjects. Subjects were measured for strength on the bench press, leg extension and leg curl, power vertical jump, speed--a 40 yard dash, body weight (BW) and fat weight (FW) using a scale and skinfold tests. The correlations for strength and power (.35 to .53), strength and speed (-.37 to -.56) and speed and power (-.45) were significant (p < .01). Partial correlations with (BW) and (FW) held constant were also significant, but were not significantly greater than their zero-order correlations.

Thesis advisor: Maureen E. Kenny / The relationship between race-related stress (RRS) and negative mental health outcomes has been well documented in research (Carter, 2007; Pinterse, Carter, Evans, & Walter, 2010). Emerging adulthood is a pivotal and challenging time when college students of color enrolled in predominantly White institutions (PWI) encounter RRS in college settings that are microcosms of the larger social environment. Despite the risks associated with RRS, students of color demonstrate a multitude of psychological strengths and well-being. The current study applies developmental contextual and strength-based frameworks to better understand the factors that contribute to positive psychological outcomes despite the presence of RRS. More specifically, this study examined the contributions of social support, sense of purpose, and critical consciousness to well-being and the role of these factors in moderating the relationship between race-related stress (RRS) and well-being. A sample of 196 undergraduate students of color attending a PWI in the Northeast participated. Students completed an on-line survey assessing their subjective experiences of RRS, social support, sense of purpose, critical consciousness, depressive symptoms and self-esteem. Hierarchical multiple regressions revealed that social support moderated the relationship between RRS and psychological well-being, decreasing the strength of the relationship. Lower depression and higher self-esteem were associated with sense of purpose and critical consciousness. The current study confirms the relationship between RRS and negative psychological well-being and identifies individual strengths (e.g., sense of purpose and critical consciousness) that explain well-being beyond the negative effects of RRS. This study adds to existing research with students of color in higher education by utilizing a strengths-based perspective and highlighting the strengths of students of color. Implications for theory, research, and practice in the college setting are explored. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

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The purpose of this study was to use the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to predict university students’ intention to use emergency contraception (EC). The study explored the utility of the TPB model constructs (attitude [A], subjective norm [SN], perceived behavioral control [PBC]) as well as recent past behavior (RPB) to predict students’ intention to utilize EC. The study also investigated the significance of demographic and personal characteristics—age and gender in particular—as they relate to the TPB components and RPB. A web-based survey, developed from three structured focus groups, was pretested and emailed to 2,000 university students. An overall usable response rate of 21.0 percent was obtained. In general, university students intended to use EC should the need occur, held favorable attitudes toward the use of EC, were somewhat influenced by social norms regarding EC use, and perceived themselves to have some control over EC utilization. For direct measures (TPB), A, SN, and PBC were significant predictors of intention to use EC. The direct model explained 49.2 percent of the variance in intention. Using indirect measures, A and SN were significant predictors of intention, but PBC was not; the indirect model accounted for 41.3 percent of the variance in intention to take EC. Attitude was the strongest TPB predictor for both models, followed by SN and PBC. The RPB variable did not significantly improve the TPB model. While hypothesized age differences were not significant, gender differences showed female students having a more favorable A and SN as well as a stronger PBC (direct measures) toward the use of EC. In addition, several statistically significant relationships occurred between demographic/personal characteristics and the TPB constructs. In summary, this study identified several key factors that partially explain why university students either intend or do not intend to use EC if needed. The TPB has utility in predicting utilization of EC in university students. Focusing particular attention on A, as well as SN and PBC, will allow researchers, educators, healthcare professionals, and legislators to develop strategies and educational programs to enable men and women to use EC responsibly. / text

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of counselor profanity on subjects' perceptions of counselor credibility and client satisfaction.

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Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) including experiences of neglect and abuse have been shown to negatively impact the victims’ health outcomes. While the ACE score methodology has been widely accepted as the method for measuring childhood trauma, the severity of the abuse has not been accounted for through research. The aim of this research was to assess the duration and frequency of childhood emotional and physical abuse in addition to prevalence among college aged adults, to bridge this gap in the literature. A modified ACE and health behavior questionnaire was administered online at one university beginning July through December of 2014. A sample of 965 participants aged ≥ 18 were included in this study. Two ACE questions, “did a parent or other adult in the household often or very often swear at you, insult you, put you down, or humiliate you? Or, act in any way that made you afraid that you might be physically hurt?” and “did a parent or other adult in the household often or very often push, grab, slap, or throw something at you? Or ever hit you so hard that you had marks or were injured?” were asked to measure the prevalence of emotional and physical abuse, respectively. Descriptive statistics were completed in SAS for age, race, gender, emotional abuse and physical abuse. Frequencies, proportions and corresponding p-values were reported. The sample distribution included: female (69%), age average 20 years (M = 20.21, SD = 4.07), and white (84.9%). In total 29.01% of the sample reported exposure to childhood emotional or physical abuse and 37.5% reported both experiences. Females reported a higher proportion of emotional abuse and less proportion of physical abuse (27.59% and 12.29%) compared to males (24.50% and 15.44%). However, gender differences were not significant, X2 = 1.01, p>0.05 and X2 = 1.77, p>0.05. Of those reporting abuse, about two thirds of emotional abuse and one third of physical abuse occurred frequently defined as occurring either ‘daily’, ‘at least once a week’ or ‘at least once a month’. Modal frequency was ‘at least once a week’ for both female (30.74%) and male (20.31%). More than half of the abusive experiences (60.3% emotional and 53.9% physical) happened for more than two years. Experiences of childhood emotional and physical abuse are common among this sample of college age adults and the occurrence of one type of abuse is most often accompanied by the occurrence of another. This result is consistent with national research that has been done on adult populations. In cases where abuse occurred for this sample, the experiences were frequent and for an extended period of time. An understanding of the prevalence of childhood physical and emotional abuse among college aged adults and the discussion of its implications should be included in college health and counseling programs. Knowledge of the frequency and duration of abuse is critical in identifying the high risk population and developing personalized and targeted programs addressing their specific needs.