The relationship between identity formation and religious/spiritual commitment has been connected theoretically since Erikson's work in the mid-20th century. Specific relationships within the constructs, such as spiritual maturity through identity exploration, have not been researched thoroughly. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between identity and faith formation processes in college students (N = 285) from a large public university in the southeast. Participants were self-identified Christians within the approximate age group known as emerging adulthood (i.e., 18-25), and completed questionnaire packets with measures of identity style, religious ego-identity status, faith maturity- commitment/integration, faith maturity-exploration, and strength of faith. Mature identity formation processes were highly associated with faith maturity-commitment/integration, moderately associated with questioning beliefs within faith maturity-exploration. Informational identity style exhibited predictive value for both outcome measures of faith maturity. Those practicing and representing mature identity processes are more likely to integrate their faith into their relationships. Construct validity concerns regarding the measure of faith maturity-exploration (i.e., Quest Scale) are discussed. Significant relationships concerning outside crisis, sex, and denomination affiliation with faith maturity measures emerged. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Spring, 2012. / March 20, 2012. / Christian, development, faith, identity, maturity, spiritual / Includes bibliographical references. / Ronald L. Mullis, Professor Directing Thesis; Ming Cui, Committee Member; Roy Baumeister, Committee Member.

A two-group randomized experimental study was used to evaluate the impact of sexual negotiation training as compared to standard health education on improving sexual risk outcomes (i.e., condom use, knowledge about a partner's sexual history, and condom use self-efficacy) among college students (n = 183). A repeated measure ANOVA revealed that, compared to those in the comparison group, participants who received sexual negotiation training were significantly more likely to report greater condom use at post-test. Secondly, intentions did not mediate the link between condition and post-test sexual risk outcomes (i.e., condom use and knowledge about a partner's sexual history). Finally, regression analyses examined whether relationship factors (i.e., relationships satisfaction, trust, commitment, communication) predicted sexual risk outcomes among participants in exclusive dating relationships (n = 108). Relationship satisfaction was significantly associated with condom use at post-test among those in exclusive relationships. Overall, the public health implications of these findings warrant attention. Findings from this study illustrate the benefits of sexual negotiation education at improving condom use and call for the development and implementation of sexual negotiation training among college students, an underserved population. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2012. / May 29, 2012. / college students, condom use, efficacy, sexual history, sexual negotiation / Includes bibliographical references. / Frank Fincham, Professor Directing Dissertation; Mary Gerend, University Representative; Lenore McWey, Committee Member; Ming Cui, Committee Member.

The purpose of this study was to examine the trajectory of marriages following reported experiences with infidelity. General Stress Theory was used to conceptualize the effect of infidelity on subsequent marital stress. Using longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Marital Instability Over the Life Course, I explored the effects of infidelity on short-term and long-term consequences for individuals (depression and personal satisfaction) and their relationships (marital distress, domestic violence, marital instability, and divorce). I used t-tests, logistic regression, and hierarchical regression to test my hypotheses. Examination of the results suggests that infidelity is significantly associated higher levels of short-term depression, lower levels of personal satisfaction, and higher levels of marital distress, domestic violence, and marital instability. These findings remain true for marital distress, domestic violence, and marital instability over a longer period, but not for depression or personal satisfaction. Infidelity was not significantly related to short-term divorce, but did significantly impact whether the individual reported being ever divorced. When only a respondent's spouse committed infidelity, respondents were not more likely to report feelings of depression than respondents who had committed infidelity themselves. Reports of domestic violence were not significantly affected by the wife committing infidelity compared to instances in which only the husband committed infidelity. Unexpectedly, a wife's infidelity significantly reduced the probability of subsequent divorce. Limitations, implications for practitioners, and suggestions for future research are discussed. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2012. / August 7, 2012. / affairs, cheating, extradyadic, extramarital, infidelity / Includes bibliographical references. / B. Kay Pasley, Professor Directing Dissertation; Betsy J. Becker, University Representative; Ming Cui, Committee Member; Robert E. Lee, Committee Member.

This longitudinal study includes 397 parents from the National Survey of Families and Households and examines whether the effects of corporal punishment on future disobedience, when controlling for previous disobedience, differ depending on parental involvement, race, gender, or age. Hypotheses were tested using factorial ANCOVA, ordinary least squares regression, and a series of one-way ANOVAs. Results indicate that corporal punishment was not helpful in reducing disobedience for any involvement and demographic subgroups, and it seemed to be more harmful when used on older children and when used by less involved fathers on their sons. These findings are interpreted from the perspective of social bonding theory. Recommendations for researchers, policymakers, and professionals are discussed. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2012. / October 23, 2012. / Includes bibliographical references. / Lenore McWey, Professor Directing Dissertation; Carter Hay, University Representative; Ann Mullis, Committee Member; Ron Mullis, Committee Member.

Researchers have demonstrated that several risk factors are linked to adolescent delinquency, but less is known about how these factors are specifically linked to female adolescent delinquency. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which a history of maltreatment and perceived family support were associated with serious offending for female adolescents (after controlling for family structure, age of first offense, race, and socio-economic status) using secondary data from the Juvenile Justice Information System (JJIS) of Florida. Hirschi's (1969) social control theory was used to help illuminate the underlying pattern of family processes associated with female adolescent delinquency. The sample consisted of 1,160 adolescent females who were aged 14-17 years old, who had a referral to the Department of Juvenile Justice between July 1, 2009 and February 1, 2012, and had completed the Positive Achievement Change Tool (PACT) Full Assessment. Logistic regression was used to better understand which family processes were associated with serious delinquency after controlling for family structure, age of first offense, race/ethnicity, and socio-economic status. Results indicated no forms of maltreatment were significantly associated with serious delinquency. In fact, the only significant association was an inverse relationship between self-perceived support of extended family and serious delinquency. Future research could help illuminate trends related to serious delinquency by consistently utilizing more specific and consistent definitions of the variables included in this study. Clinical implications of these findings include promoting and strengthening family support among at-risk youth using a variety of evidence-based therapeutic interventions. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2012. / October 4, 2012. / delinquency, family support, logistic regression, maltreatment / Includes bibliographical references. / Lenore McWey, Professor Directing Dissertation; Carter Hay, University Representative; Ann Mullis, Committee Member; Wayne Denton, Committee Member.

Transgender parents and their children are virtually invisible in the current literature. Little is known about child outcomes for children of transgender parents or about how transgender families negotiate the transition and subsequent stressors. The current study addressed this gap in the literature by using an adapted version of the ABC-X model and Family Stress Theory to determine if there were differences between transgender parents and their adult children in stressor pileup (A) (impact of disclosure, experience of stigma, and boundary ambiguity), resources (B) (social support and coping), perceptions of the event (C) (perceptions of PGT and sense of coherence), and overall family functioning (X). The present study also drew on past research with transgender individuals, lesbian and gay parents, and research on ambiguous loss to create a model of adaptation to parental gender transition. In addition to examining differences between transgender parents and their adult children on the variables of interest, this study had two main purposes: first, to examine how transgender parents who transitioned after they had children adapted to the stresses associated with PGT based on resources available to them and the perceptions of their transition and second, to investigate how adults who were children when their parents transitioned adapted to the stresses associated with PGT based on the resources available to them and their perceptions of PGT. Specifically, the level of stressor pileup, social support, coping, perception of PGT, and individual sense of coherence on family functioning were examined for each group. The sample was comprised of two groups of participants--transgender parents and adult children with transgender parents. There were 73 parents and 15 adult children from the United States, Canada, the UK, and Australia. The sample was recruited through the use of a purposive sampling strategy designed to reach the target population through LGBT community centers, transgender listservs, LGBT listservs, transgender support groups, transgender organizations, other researchers and professionals working with the target population, and personal contacts. The author sent a recruitment letter and a link to the online survey to potential research participants and those who could send the information along to other potential participants through snowball sampling methods. The recruitment letter provided an explanation of the study, complete contact information for the researcher and the major professor, and a link to the website to complete the survey. Participants received a link that directed them to the appropriate survey (i.e. parent or child). Participants then read the online IRB approved consent form and indicated consent by moving forward with the survey. The survey consisted of demographic questions items that were taken from eight instruments used to measure the variables of interest in the study and the social desirability measure. The survey also included one open-ended question at the end to provide additional qualitative insights. The variables of interest in this study were measured with the following instruments. The Impact of Events Scale was used to assess the impact of disclosure. Stigma was measured using an adapted version of The Stigma Scale. An adapted version of the Boundary Ambiguity for Widows Scale was used to measure boundary ambiguity. Social support was measured using the MOS Social Support Survey. The Cybernetic Coping Scale was used to assess coping strategies. Perception of transition was measured using a scale created for this study. Sense of coherence was measured using the comprehensibility and manageability subscales Sense of Coherence Scale. Finally, family functioning was assessed the Family Adaptation Scale. Independent samples t-test were conducted to determine if differences existed between transgender parents and their adult children on levels of stressor pileup--indicated by the impact of disclosure (A1), stigma (A2), and boundary ambiguity (A3)--social support (B1), coping (B2), perceptions of PGT (C1), sense of coherence (C2), or family functioning (X). Results indicated that adult children had significantly more negative perceptions of PGT than did their parents. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to answer the question, can stressor pileup (A)--indicated by the impact of disclosure (A1), stigma (A2), and boundary ambiguity (A3)--social support (B1), coping (B2), perception of PGT (C1), and sense of coherence (C2) be integrated to predict family functioning (X) for transgender parents? The findings showed that stigma and boundary ambiguity were significant predictors of family functioning, but that the relationship between stigma and family functioning became non-significant with the addition of perception and sense of coherence in the model. Further, when accounting for all variables in the model, only boundary ambiguity and sense of coherence were significant predictors of family functioning. Results of this study suggested that perception is unique to each family member based on their own experiences and developmental context. Further, findings indicated that transgender parents may view transition as something they chose that is within their control; whereas children may view transition as something that they did not choose and that it was outside of their control, leading to more negative perceptions of transition for children. Additionally, results of this study supported the idea that internal stressors are more difficult to cope with than those coming from outside the family system, as evidenced by the ameliorating effect of sense of coherence on the relationship between stigma and family functioning, but not between boundary ambiguity and family functioning. Several implications for theory, research, and practice have been noted. The results of this study underscored the value of examining the extent to which resources were available versus accessed and the impact of perceptions on the accessing of resources. Issues of sampling and measurement were critical. While the sample size was smaller than desired, it is larger than any of the other three studies done on this topic. It is also important to attend to other noteworthy factors, such as divorce and ambivalence, not measured in the current study. With regard to practice, the importance of understanding varying perceptions of parents and children, combating boundary ambiguity, and improving sense of coherence were highlighted. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2012. / June 22, 2012. / family functioning, resilience, stress, transgender / Includes bibliographical references. / Carol A. Darling, Professor Directing Dissertation; Anne Barrett, University Representative; Marsha Rehm, Committee Member; Ron Mullis, Committee Member.

Family and romantic relationships have been linked to both mental and physical health outcomes. Previous research has lacked attention on precise pathways by which these associations occur and continue to use predominately White, middle-class, nuclear families as the basis of study. The Biobehavioral Family Model (BBFM) is a biopsychosocial approach to health that integrates family emotional climate, biobehavioral reactivity (emotion dysregulation), and physical health outcomes into a comprehensive model. The present study was conducted to examine the ability of the BBFM to explain connections between family processes and health for primarily uninsured, low-income adult primary care patients. Patient participants (ages 18-65 years) self-reported their family functioning, romantic relationship satisfaction, anxiety, depression, alcohol use, illness symptoms, and physical well-being (n = 125). Data were also collected from patient medical charts. Separate models using family functioning (Model 1) and romantic relationship satisfaction (Model 2) as measures of family emotional climate were tested using path analyses and bootstrapping. Results demonstrated support for the BBFM in explaining health quality for this sample. Applying the BBFM to diverse primary care patients demonstrates pathways by which family processes affect the mental and physical health of these individuals. Recommendations for future research and clinical implications are discussed. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2012. / March 28, 2012. / Depression, Family functioning, Physical health, Primary Care, Underserved Patients / Includes bibliographical references. / Wayne Denton, Professor Directing Dissertation; Robert Glueckauf, University Representative; Lenore McWey, Committee Member; Ann Mullis, Committee Member.

While marriage may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), marital stress has been shown to evoke greater cardiovascular reactivity (CVR), increasing the risk of CVD. One possible context for experiencing marital stress is discussion of conflict within the relationship. The present study sought to attenuate the CVR experienced during marital conflict discussion through partner-focused prayer prior to discussion. Praying for one's partner has been linked to increased relationship satisfaction, more tendency to forgive, greater gratitude, and less likelihood of infidelity. It has also been reported to have a softening effect on conflict. To examine the attenuation effects of partner-focused prayer on CVR in martial stress, 90 married couples completed both a conflict discussion and control discussion (typical daily routines). Females were randomly assigned to either partner-focused prayer, thinking about God or religion, or mental activity intervention conditions. While overall means indicated greater CVR during the conflict discussion and less recovery afterward compared to the control discussion for systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), these differences were not significant. Similarly, mean differences between intervention groups for SBP and DBP during conflict discussion and for SBP, DBP, nLF, nHF, and LFSBP after conflict discussion trend toward an attenuation effect of partner-focused prayer, compared to a mental thinking task control, when controlling for relationship satisfaction, regularly praying for one's partner, and religiosity; however, these results are also not statistically significant. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2013. / June 20, 2013. / Cardiovascular Reactivity, Marital Conflict, Prayer / Includes bibliographical references. / Frank D. Fincham, Professor Directing Dissertation; Carter Hay, University Representative; Ming Cui, Committee Member; Wayne Denton, Committee Member.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between delinquency and the three primary relationships of adolescents in the foster care system, biological parent-child relationship, foster parent-child relationship, and the co-parenting relationship between these two parents, using ecological theory as a basis. Self-esteem was included as a meditating variable. The sample included 188 adolescents in long-term foster care and was drawn from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) data. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the direct and indirect relationships in the proposed model. It was found that self-esteem was a significant mediator between the relationship with foster parent and delinquency. Implications for researchers and clinicians were discussed. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2013. / March 1, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references. / Lenore McWey, Professor Directing Dissertation; Karen Randolph, University Representative; Ann Mullis, Committee Member; Kendal Holtrop, Committee Member.

There is inconsistency in the current literature regarding the association between parenting behaviors and educational attainment for adolescents. Further, current studies are limited in that they do not address macro-level community influences on educational attainment. Such studies are also less inclined to extend such associations into young adulthood. In this study, I examined the effect of four parenting behaviors - parental involvement, parental warmth, parental expectations, and parental monitoring - on educational attainment in adolescence and in young adulthood. Further, the effects of community poverty on adolescents' educational attainment were explored. Findings were also extended to young adulthood. Using a large, nationally representative, and longitudinal sample, results from regression analyses suggested that all four parenting behaviors had a significant effect on adolescents' and young adults' educational attainment. There were also several other individual level factors that influenced these associations. Further, results from hierarchical linear modeling analyses suggested a significant association between community poverty and educational attainment among adolescents and young adults. Finally, several interactions between individual-level factors and community poverty were found. Implications of the findings are discussed. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2013. / March 6, 2013. / Adolescent development, Community poverty, Parental Influences, Young Adulthood / Includes bibliographical references. / Ming Cui, Professor Directing Dissertation; Eric Stewart, University Representative; B. Kay Pasley, Committee Member; Marsha Rehm, Committee Member.