Via Sapientiae: The Institutional Repository at DePaul University
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Empowerment as a Predictor of System Justification Moderated by Race
Get PDFThe attitudes people hold about the social structure around them have varying explanations in the field of psychology. System justification represents the idea that people will accept and enforce the social structures that exist because of the underlying need for consistency (Jost et al., 2004). Also central to this theory is the idea that people will legitimize structures because of a desire for the status quo to remain (Jost, 2001). These ideas seek to explain the problematic ideologies that maintain unfair social structures and why people allow them to remain. Studies have found individuals will support unjust systems because either it benefits them or seems too daunting to change. However, there are factors that may make system justification of unfair systems less likely (Jost, 2001). The purpose of this study is to look at the impact that empowerment and race have on system justifying beliefs. The study examines 604 participants (ages 18-65+) who completed self-report questionnaires on empowerment, system justification, and demographic information. Findings from this study will further our understanding of how someone\u27s psychological empowerment and their race can affect the strength of their system justifying beliefs
Explaining the Paradox of High Self-Esteem in Black Youth Exposed to Stress: The Protective Role of Kinship and Spirituality
Get PDFAdolescents are exposed to many stressful life experiences, such as major illnesses, the death of a family member, school stressors, peer pressures, conflict with parents, and more. Minoritized youth are exposed to even greater numbers of stressors, including those connected to racism, segregation, and poverty. This study aims to examine the relationship between stressful life experiences and self-esteem and explore protective factors that may protect minoritized individuals from the negative effects of stress on self-esteem. This study also builds upon literature that shows that Black youth report higher self-esteem than White youth, even while being exposed to higher levels of stress. A representative sample of adolescents from Chicago, Illinois was selected to take part in an extensive study exploring the effects of stress. They completed questionnaires about stress (Urban Adolescent Life Experiences Scale), self-esteem (Negative Self-Esteem Subscale of the Child Depression Inventory), spirituality (items from the Response to Stress Questionnaire, and Post-Traumatic Growth and Places I Spend Time surveys), and kinship (Family Relationships Survey), along with demographic questions that included questions about race. Black youth reported higher self-esteem and greater spirituality at Time 1. Stress was positively correlated with negative self-esteem and negatively correlated with kinship. Kinship and spirituality were negatively correlated with negative self-esteem. Kinship and spirituality were positively correlated with each other. Longitudinal analyses revealed associations between Time 1 negative self-esteem and Time 2 negative self-esteem, but there were no significant associations between stress and negative self-esteem or between any of the protective factors and negative self-esteem over time. Given significant attrition between Time 1 and Time 2 and the significant associations among variables consistent with hypotheses, analyses were re-tested with cross-sectional data. Results revealed that both kinship and spirituality attenuate the relationship between stress and negative self-esteem. These findings may help explain why Black youth report higher self-esteem than White youth despite greater stress exposure. Directions for future research and implications for practice are provided
Overcoming the War Within: Exploring the Relationship Between Exposure to Complex Trauma and Post Traumatic Growth
Get PDFExposure to complex trauma can be understood as exposure to multiple and varied types of traumatic events, often chronic in nature. Exposure to complex trauma is prevalent among youth in the United States, especially youth living in urban environments and marginalized populations. Black youth who live in urban environments are of particular concern due to their increases susceptibility of exposure to community violence, entrenched poverty, and other sources of trauma at multiple levels, making them an appropriate population in which to examine PTG. the effect that these exposures have on these youth should be acknowledged, it is necessary to also identify the potential for post traumatic growth (PTG) following exposure to complex trauma. PTG can be best conceptualized as the positive psychological change that occurs during the struggle to handle highly stressful life circumstances. This growth can occur in five main areas: 1. Appreciation of Life, 2. Relating to Others, 3. Personal Strength, 4. New Possibilities, and 5. Spiritual Change. PTG has been found consistently for youth exposed to acute trauma, however there is much to learn about the extent to which youth who have been exposed to complex trauma can experience PTG. In order to gain a better understanding of the process of growth among urban Black youth exposed to complex trauma, factors related to growth outcomes were the primary focus of the present study. Social support, active coping, and rumination were hypothesized to generate PTG outcomes in youth, interacting with exposure to complex trauma to predict PTG. Given that research has largely focused on the adverse effects of exposure to complex trauma, this study’s researcher sought to understand the positive growth process that occurs following exposure to complex trauma in an urban adolescent population.
This study is part of a larger study that included 400 adolescents (47% female and 53% male), grades six through 12, recruited from three urban schools. Data collection took place at two time points, six months apart, and included the Post Traumatic Growth measure, the Major Events measure, the System Levels Stressor measure, the Places I Spend Time measure, and the Responses to Stress Questionnaire. In the study, the researcher applied a moderated Participants in the current proposed study must identify as Black or African American. Based on this criterion, the sample for the current study included 140 Black or African American adolescents. In the study the researcher applied a moderated regression analysis to investigate the moderating effects of exposure to complex trauma, social support, and coping style on PTG outcomes both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Cross-sectional results did not indicate a statistically significant relationship between exposure to complex trauma and PTG for Black adolescents nor youth of all races and ethnicities more broadly, revealing no support for the hypothesized moderators to this relationship. Longitudinal analyses did not indicate a statistically significant relationship between exposure to complex trauma and PTG among Black adolescents nor all races and ethnicities broadly but did reveal support for active coping as a moderator to this relationship among Black adolescents
The Role of Team Sports, Coping, and Friendship in Reducing Depressive Symptoms in Youth
Get PDFAbstract
The prevalence of depression in adolescents has increased in the last decade. Minority and low-income youth face additional barriers to accessing mental health services leading to a significant proportion of adolescents going undiagnosed and untreated. Participation in multiple team sports may offer an additive protective effect for youth mental health, yet how and for whom this relation occurs is unclear. The current study aimed to examine how coping strategies and friendships interact with team sports participation to reduce depressive symptoms in youth. Self-report data was collected from 196 urban youth across two time points. Moderated moderation analyses were conducted to assess the interactive effects of friendships and coping strategies on the relation between team sports participation and depressive symptoms. The results showed that at low levels of friendship, those who play multiple sports and endorse high levels of secondary (b = -2.90, p = .02) or disengagement coping (b = -3.00, p = .019), experience fewer depressive symptoms at Time 2. The findings further showed that at high levels of friendships, those who play multiple team sports and endorse high levels of secondary coping, experience more depressive symptoms at Time 2 (b = 5.03, p \u3c .001). The results suggest friendships influence the functionality of coping strategies in reducing depressive symptoms in youth team sports players. The results further suggest that secondary and disengagement coping strategies function similarly in the presence of low levels of friendships to reduce depressive symptoms. The current study may inform future screening for depressive symptoms in young team sports players and support for team sports in urban areas
A Longitudinal Study Assessing the Influence of Salivary Cortisol, Alpha Amylase, and Interleukin-1β Levels on Sleep and Physical Activity Among Emerging Adults
Get PDFEmerging adulthood can be marked by psychological disorders and distress. Stress exposure activates several bodily responses involving the hypothalamic pituitary axis (HPA) and autonomic nervous system (ANS). Research into these systems involves the examination of several biomarkers including cortisol and alpha amylase. Basal values of these biomarkers have been linked to well-being and health outcomes. Also, stress biomarkers have been shown to influence physical activity (PA) which is salient because it is linked to chronic illness and disease (e.g., obesity, cancer, depression, diabetes). The present study aimed to explore the bidirectional relationships between basal stress biomarkers and daily PA in a diverse sample of emerging adults (45.6% non-White). Multilevel models were estimated with biomarkers and PA counts (level 1) nested within individuals (level 2). All models were estimated using the Restricted Maximum Likelihood method with a random intercept only. There were no bidirectional relationships between same- or previous-day PA and alpha amylase or cortisol production. Daily hassles predicted average cortisol production and cortisol awakening response (CAR). Future research should focus on increasing observations and/or duration of data collection to better assess the relationship between daily PA and basal biomarkers. Also, researchers should assess intensity of physical activity on biomarkers over longer durations. Overall, emerging adulthood continues to be marked by high levels of uncertainty and stress; therefore, identifying and providing tools to manage stress within this earlier stage of life is still warranted for its potential to produce adaptable, and healthier, individuals and communities as these individuals age into adulthood and beyond
Address the Mess: the Role of Fear of COVID-19, Indecision, and Reactance in Decluttering Projects
Get PDFAt the start of the pandemic in the United States, government-imposed behavioral restrictions were enacted to reduce transmission of COVID-19. Mandated time at home motivated many to engage in organizing or decluttering projects. For some, restrictions may have increased the experience of psychological reactance, a negative motivational state evoked by a perceived threat to freedom. The proposed research studied decluttering behavior in a community-based sample, yielding insights on what influences disposal decisions in individuals who have clutter but do not consider themselves as having a hoarding problem. Three previously unexplored variables, fear of COVID-19, reactance, and family composition are considered in the unique context of a pandemic as they relate to decluttering. It is hypothesized that in the context of the pandemic, fear of COVID-19 and psychological reactance may further hinder decluttering projects. Surveying a sample of 227 U.S. adults, we found that fear of COVID-19 and reactance were related to clutter impact
Applications of Microlearning Tools and Platforms
Get PDFMicrolearning has emerged as a solution, offering a flexible and individualized learning structure. This study assessed microlearning authoring tools and delivery technologies to evaluate their suitability for higher education. The analysis identified Vimeo as a leading choice for video and audio content, Vista Create and Adobe Express for visual content, ChatGPT for text-based content, and Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft Office for comprehensive use. 7Taps emerged as a top microlearning platform due to its robust features and AI assistance.
Microlearning’s flexibility and adaptability make it valuable for industries like hospitality, which require dynamic training solutions. By selecting the right tools, both hospitality managers and educators can create effective, engaging training and learning experiences tailored to their specific needs
Exploring how uncertain labels from non-consensus panels affect machine learning
No full textA dataset becomes meaningful for analysis when it contains more representative features. Machine and deep learning models rely on annotated instances for training. The annotation process is usually done either by humans (experts or crowdsourcing) or by models. In many cases, the variability between humans (the inter-observer variability) in evaluation leads to uncertainty in the learning process. Due to the lack of reliable labels in large datasets, the inter-observer variability can be quantified with different methods to estimate the ground truth label (i.e., referenced standard label) for model learning.
In health care, with the rise of artificial intelligence in clinical decision support systems, it is critical to pay attention to the assigned labels that come from non-consensus panels during diagnosis. When the panel reaches an agreement on the diagnosis, this will benefit patients, so they have a better chance of pursuing a treatment. On the other hand, the lack of agreement on the diagnosis will lead to further evaluations and tests. Noting that complete agreement does not necessarily indicate correctness. Consequently, the referenced standard labels for model learning would not be the optimal solution to achieve the desired patient outcome.
The insight of the proposed work is to explore the relationship between the uncertainty in human annotations and uncertainty in models’ learning and predictions. Particularly, the focus is on how uncertain labels that come from non-consensus panels affect the learning in the machine and deep learning models — providing the limits of learning images and recommendations for achieving optimal outputs. The study was conducted using two datasets, the medical dataset, the Lung Image Database Consortium (LIDC), and the Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology (MNIST) designed for the generalizability of its findings. Different investigations were conducted on the LIDC to quantify how much of the observer agreement is related to image content. Besides, multiple models were used to generate variations in models’ predictions for comparison with human assigned labels such as Monte Carlo dropout, and different train, validation, and test splits in addition to the baseline model. The results demonstrate that label uncertainty in datasets leads to models’ uncertainty
Exploration of Centralized and Decentralized Education Systems Around the World
Get PDFThrough the use of the Program for International Student Assessment’s (PISA) Global Competence results, the Economic Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Democracy Index ratings, and centralization-decentralization spectrum rubrics, this dissertation shows the association between level of democracy and education system, and the association of these variables with the global competence of a country. This study aims to answer two research questions: (1) To what extent is there an association between the level of democracy (full democracy, flawed democracy, hybrid regime, authoritarian regime) and the implementation of a centralized or decentralized education system? (2) To what extent does this association determine Global Competence scores? Global competence is determined through student-completed questionnaires and assessments that surround the concepts of knowledge, values, attitudes, and skills. Data were available for twenty-six countries for all three variables: Albania, Canada, Chile, Taiwan, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Greece, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Morocco, Panama, Philippines, Russia, Scotland (UK), Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, and Thailand. Secondary data analysis of two datasets (Global Competence results and Democracy Index ratings) were used in addition to research of public information of a country’s education system traits to complete the centralization-decentralization spectrum rubric. The Eta Coefficient shows a strong association between the governing person or people and the impact that has on the decision to implement a centralized or decentralized education system. A multiple regression analysis indicates that the Democracy Index and centralization-decentralization spectrum are associated with a country’s Global Competence results
The Power of Spiritual Leadership in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
Get PDFExecutive Summary Faith and spirituality are becoming increasingly sought-after anchors in mounting challenges in the contemporary world. The need for effective leadership, spiritual guidance, and mentorship have become more pivotal. Evidence also suggests that spiritual leadership values and practices are related to leadership effectiveness and encompass the behaviors needed to motivate oneself, satisfy spiritual well-being, and positively influence others within that organization. However, more research has yet to explore how spirituality affects leadership behavior and action in faith-based programs such as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). This study explored the lived experiences of RCIA leaders and participants to understand better the essence of leadership styles within the RCIA process. A narrative research method was implemented, which involved interviews, observations, and field notes. Interviews provided the primary source of data, and four major themes emerged from the analysis of data: (a) spirituality, (b) spiritual wellness (c) transformational and personal development, and (d) shared commitment. The key findings of this study reinforced the evidence-based correlation between the RCIA process and spiritual leadership. Ultimately, by shedding light on the importance of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults in fostering spiritual leadership, this research not only aimed to enhance the understanding of the RCIA process and its impacts on individual spiritual journeys but also underscored the relevance of spiritual leaders in navigating the challenges of modern life