Browsing by Author "Graham, Daniel, committee member"
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Item Embargo Age group differences in responses to laboratory stressors: task appraisals and affect reactivity(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Miller, James Walter, author; Luong, Gloria, advisor; Aichele, Stephen, committee member; Graham, Daniel, committee memberSeveral theories of lifespan socioemotional development posit that adults become more adept at regulating their emotions during stressful situations as they age. However, mixed findings in the literature do not yet provide clear support for this assumption. Cognitive appraisals have been found to influence affective reactivity to stressors, but few studies have directly examined their role in explaining age-group differences in affective reactivity. Additionally, there is limited information available for how trajectories of adaptation in affective reactivity and cognitive appraisals in response to equivalent stressor exposures may vary across adult age-groups. To address these gaps in the literature, the current study used a structural equation modeling framework to examine younger (n = 138) and older adults' (n = 106) trajectories of affective reactivity and cognitive appraisals in response to three exposures to the Trier Social Stress Test. We then investigated the extent to which, over time, changes in cognitive appraisals accounted for age-group differences in changes of affective reactivity. Older adults reported attenuated reductions in negative affective reactivity, smaller decreases in appraisals of task-difficulty, and reduced improvements in appraisals of task-performance, relative to younger adults. Additionally, older adults' appraisals of the task as relatively more difficult over time accounted for their comparatively elevated levels of negative affective reactivity across assessments. Together, these findings suggest that older adults, compared to younger adults, may show attenuated trajectories of adaptation to repeated stressor exposures when the stressor is novel, uncontrollable, or especially threatening to older adults.Item Open Access Communication patterns and conflict: effects of forgiveness on rumination, sleep, and relationship evaluations(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Prosser, Julie Lanette, author; Harman, Jennifer J., advisor; Faw, Meara, committee member; Crain, Tori, committee member; Graham, Daniel, committee memberA research method commonly used in relationship science involves asking participants to engage in a conversation with their partner regarding an area of conflict within their relationship. It was predicted that for participants who engage in conflictual or withdrawal communication patterns, asking couples to further explore their conflict in a laboratory could lead to short-term increases in stress. It was further predicted that engaging in a forgiveness writing intervention may circumvent additional negative short-term outcomes compared to those in a control writing condition. Results showed that while controlling for baseline levels of serial conflict, short-term stress, and initial baseline levels of stress, men's conflict communication patterns, as opposed to withdrawal communication patterns, predicted increased stress for women. The forgiveness intervention mitigated some of the effects of withdrawal communication patterns as opposed to conflict communication patterns on several outcomes. Specifically, men's withdrawal scores predicted decreased stress and negative mood for themselves and increased perceived support from their partner after engaging in the forgiveness writing condition. Unexpected patterns emerged for the moderated effect of condition and withdrawal on sleep, as women slept less, and men had decreased sleep quality after having been in the forgiveness condition and experienced withdrawal patterns from their partner. The significance of the study and future directions are discussed.Item Embargo Development and evaluation of physical and mental readiness training programs for Army Reserve officer training cadets(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Newman, Alissa A., author; Nelson, Tracy, advisor; Braun, Barry, advisor; Graham, Daniel, committee member; Cooper, K. Bradford, committee memberMilitary personnel face myriad stressors in both the combat and training environments, including the singular and combined effects of physical exertion, cognitive overload, sleep restriction, energy insufficiency, ambiguous operational environments, as well as emotional and psychological stress. Though the demands of modern military operations continue to shift with technological advances, humans remain the central element and to be successful in the volatile and uncertain modern operating environments, high levels of both physical and psychological readiness and resilience are required. As failure to meet these demands can have catastrophic consequences, the military has placed a high emphasis on the development of physical and mental fitness, with each branch developing their own programs and initiatives. In 2019, the Army introduced its Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) system, with the aim of improving individual warfighter health and wellbeing as well as overall operational readiness. While H2F is a step in the right direction for the Army as a whole, non-Active-Duty components may have difficulty implementing the system. Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs often have limited access to the space, time, equipment, and expertise needed to optimally promote physical and mental readiness. ROTC cadets will commission as officers upon their graduation, will serve in leadership roles, and will be expected to perform at a high level both physically and mentally. Importantly, ROTC programs produce approximately 70% of the officers entering the Army each year and their preparedness, or lack thereof, has substantial impact on those they lead. The feasibility of delivering physical and mental readiness training programs in real-time within the Army ROTC environment and under the time and resource constraints is unclear. One possible mechanism for implementing readiness training in ROTC programs is through collaboration with university partners. By developing cross-campus collaborations, ROTC programs can access necessary resources, especially fitness programing, supervision, and support, to bolster readiness and prepare cadets for success as future Officers. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the development and implementation of physical and mental readiness training programs in an Army ROTC program, specifically through a collaborative effort between Colorado State University's Health and Exercise Science Department and Army ROTC programs. Study 1 evaluated two training programs designed to improve ACFT performance. The first was an adaptation of programs from Army Training Publication 7-22: Holistic Health and Fitness (ATP 7-22) and the other was designed by HES staff. HES staff, including a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach and undergraduate practicum students, supervised all physical training sessions alongside Army ROTC cadre. While we saw no significant differences between groups, we found a statistically significant improvement in ACFT scores in our collective study cohort. We faced several challenges over the course of the study period, including a global pandemic and severe weather that impacted and cancelled training sessions. Despite this, we showed that it is feasible to provide effective, multidimensional physical training with limited time and equipment, even in the face of unforeseen challenges. In Study 2, we delivered an 8-week mental skills training (MST) program to first- and second-year Army ROTC cadets. Our qualitative findings suggest that the intervention was impactful and that the participants were able to learn and apply the skills taught during the intervention in physical training and academic settings, as well as during their ROTC training. While we did not find any statistically significant performance outcomes, the results of this study demonstrate a positive impact of MST in this population and provide support for the integration of increased MST into the ROTC curriculum. Collectively, these studies show the impact of both physical and mental readiness training interventions in ROTC cadets. Perhaps more importantly, these studies demonstrate the feasibility of conducting such programs in real time, even with limited time and resources, as well as the capacity for a partnership between ROTC and other university academic departments. We believe that this collaboration is a successful model for the integration of H2F into ROTC programs and could be an effective solution to the challenges faced in delivering comprehensive readiness programming to ROTC cadets.Item Open Access Effectiveness of a low dose behavior change intervention on physical activity maintenance following an exercise trial in pre-type II diabetics(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Sanders, Ashley B., author; Leach, Heather, advisor; Nelson, Tracy, advisor; Graham, Daniel, committee memberPre-type II diabetes (PT2D) is emerging as one of the fastest growing chronic diseases among adults. Increasing physical activity (PA) levels is often a first line of defense for managing PT2D; however, PA levels in this population are below the national average. PA behavior change (PABC) interventions can be useful in assisting with the adoption and maintenance of regular PA, yet the feasibility and effectiveness of embedding a low dose PABC within an exercise efficacy trial for PT2D has not been examined. The main purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of one PABC counseling session on PA maintenance following a 12-week exercise efficacy trial. This study also aims to examine changes in self-efficacy following the PABC counseling session. Finally, this study aims to explore both social support and perceptions of neighborhood walkability as determinants of PA following an exercise trial. Participants were randomized to receive a one-hour PABC counseling session, or not (CON), held after completion of the 12-week exercise trial. The session was based on social-cognitive theory, and the primary goal was to increase post-intervention PA maintenance through discussion of PA benefits, PA goal setting, and identifying and overcoming PA barriers. Self-reported PA was measured using the International PA Questionnaire (IPAQ), pre, post and three-months after the exercise trial. Participants also completed questionnaires assessing self-efficacy, social support and neighborhood walkability. Baseline, post-intervention questionnaires, and the PABC counseling session were done while participants were in the laboratory doing their oral glucose tolerance test, and the follow-up questionnaire was completed by mail or online. Participants (N=21, M Age = 62±5.8), were mostly female (86%), Caucasian (88%), and high socioeconomic status (70.6% completed at least 4 years of college, and 76.5% had an annual household income ≥ $50,000). Paired t-tests detected a significant difference in total PA between post-intervention to follow-up, t(15) = 3.33, p = .005, with total PA decreasing from post to follow-up for the entire sample. No significant within group changes (N=16; PABC N=8, CON N=8) were found between post and follow-up. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) did not detect statistical significance between groups in total PA change from post-intervention to three-month follow-up, F(1, 14) = 2.93, p = .109. Barriers self-efficacy significantly improved from before to after the PABC, t(12) = -2.63, p = .022. Social support, neighborhood crime and neighborhood aesthetics were significantly associated with PA measures at three-month follow-up. Incorporating a single session PA behavior change intervention as part of an exercise efficacy trial is feasible. While the PABC counseling session did not result in a lower rate of total PA decline from post to follow-up, those who received the PABC did report higher levels of PA at follow-up. Self-efficacy, social support and perceptions of neighborhood walkability are important determinants of PA maintenance in adults at risk of developing type-II diabetes. Future studies should explore the dose response of PABC counseling sessions in this population to determine the lowest dose needed to enhance PA maintenance following an exercise trial.Item Embargo Examining knowledge transfer between design research and healthcare design practices: an interpretive comparative case study(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Iedema, Alyssa, author; Malinin, Laura, advisor; Kwon, Jain, advisor; Graham, Daniel, committee memberThe utilization of research to inform design decisions has been a rising topic of discussion. There is a gap between design research, how it is communicated and its accessibility, and the design industry, the ones responsible for designing and building the environments people inhabit (Huber, 2017). There have been few studies investigating how interior design practitioners are acquiring and applying research to inform their design decisions (e.g., Dickson and White, 1993; Huber, 2016b; 2017). Architecture and design firms have started to invest in developing in-house research labs in attempt to bridge the gap (Donofrio, 2013; Huber, 2016a). The purpose of this comparative case study is to explore how architecture and design firms in the United States are engaging with design research throughout the design process, including if and how engagement differs between firms with in-house research labs and those without. A total of 8 firms were studied (4 of these had in-house research labs). A content analysis of each firm's website was conducted to understand how they are describing their engagement with research to find essential themes across cases. Ten individuals, consisting of interior design practitioners and design researchers, were then interviewed to gain an understanding of research utilization from their perspective. Findings suggest that eight themes in which research is involved in the design process: 1) motivation for research 2) definition of research 3) organization of research 4) identifying knowledge 5) selecting knowledge 6) adapting knowledge 7) implementing knowledge 8) disseminating knowledge. Findings also suggest that there is an inconsistent communication and expectation of research across all firms.Item Embargo Examining science/knowledge gaps within occupational health psychology, organizational training, and performance feedback(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Kunz, James, author; Fisher, Gwenith, advisor; Graham, Daniel, committee member; Dik, Bryan, committee member; Brazile, William, committee memberIdentifying and minimizing knowledge gaps between science and practice within Industrial-Organizational (I-O) is essential to improve workers' health and wellbeing as well as their broader experiences at work by ensuring that organizations use empirically supported practices. Though the science/practice gap has been recognized and studied in some areas of I-O psychology, such as selection, the purpose of this study was to investigate the science/knowledge gap in new subfields such as occupational health psychology (OHP) and performance feedback. The current study also attempted to assess the science/knowledge gap in organizational training, which has been examined in previous research. However, our study not only examined the science/knowledge gap among practitioners, as previous research has, but also among academics for all three subtopics of OHP, performance feedback, and organizational training. This cross-sectional study examined the relationships between 218 participants' demographic variables (e.g., occupation, self-perceived expertise) and their knowledge of I-O psychology research measured by true/false items summarizing published findings. Results indicated academics answered more true/false items correctly compared to practitioners. However, findings regarding relationships between correct responding and participants' coursework on relevant topics were mixed. Implications from these findings are discussed in light of empirical and applied contributions to the literature.Item Open Access Examining the associations among perfectionism, obsessive-compulsiveness, body dissatisfaction, exercise dependence and disordered eating in college women(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Pivarunas, Bernadette, author; Canetto, Silvia Sara, advisor; Graham, Daniel, committee member; Shomaker, Lauren B., committee memberMany U.S. women engage in some form of weight or shape management behaviors (WSMB) - including disordered eating or excessive exercise - in their lifetime. Disordered eating includes fasting, skipping meals, binge eating, purging/self-induced vomiting, and laxative or diuretic use (Neumark-Sztainer, Wall, Larson, Eisenberg, & Loth, 2011; Striegel-Moore, Silberstein, Frensch, & Rodin, 1989). Excessive exercise is defined as exercise characterized by greater amounts of time spent exercising and a sense of obligation to exercise. Exercise dependence occurs when the individual experiences psychological and/or physiological craving for physical activity (Hausenblas, & Symons Downs, 2002). Emerging adulthood, the period between 18 and 25 years of age, is a critical time for the onset or exacerbation of disordered eating and exercise dependence among women, especially women attending college (Compas, Wagner, Slavin, & Vannatta, 1986; Vohs, Heatherton, & Herrin, 2001). Many factors likely contribute to WSMB in young women, including sociocultural, family, peer and psychological factors. A major limitation of the literature on psychological factors associated with WSMB is that it has focused nearly exclusively on women of European-descent. Yet there are indications that WSMB may be a significant problem among women of Latina-descent. Building on past studies and considering the gaps in empirical knowledge, this study examined two psychological constructs potentially associated with WSMB in European- and Latina-descent college women. Specifically this study examined the associations between perfectionism and obsessive-compulsiveness and the WSMB of disordered eating and exercise dependence accounting for body dissatisfaction as a potential confounder of these associations. Five hundred two college women (87.5% European-descent, 12.5% Latina-descent) participated in the study. Multiple-group structural equation modeling examined whether the relations among latent constructs in the hypothesized model differed across ethnic groups. An unconstrained model, in which the paths were not constrained to be equal for the two ethnic groups, was a significantly better fit for the data. Perfectionism and obsessive-compulsiveness were positively associated with body dissatisfaction for European-descent women. However, only perfectionism was positively associated with body dissatisfaction for women of Latina-descent. Body dissatisfaction was not significantly associated, either positively or negatively, with disordered eating or exercise dependence for either ethnic group. For women of European-descent, perfectionism and obsessive-compulsiveness were positively associated with both disordered eating and exercise dependence. For Latina-descent women, obsessive-compulsiveness was positively associated with disordered eating and exercise dependence. The association between obsessive-compulsiveness and exercise dependence was moderated by ethnicity such that the association was more pronounced for Latina-descent women than for European-descent women. I conclude that while college women of European- and Latina-descent engage in similar rates of WSMB, the degree to which perfectionism and obsessive-compulsiveness may be associated with these behaviors may differ for the two groups. Longitudinal research is necessary to further investigate the issues raised in the present study.Item Open Access Feasibility of a mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention on health care safety(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Valley, Morgan Anne, author; Stallones, Lorann, advisor; Graham, Daniel, committee member; Fisher, Gwenith, committee member; Zimmerman, Toni, committee memberOccupational injuries represent a significant and costly social and public health problem, especially among health care workers, whose well-being impacts patient safety and quality of care. Mindfulness training, which teaches individuals to bring awareness and acceptance to the present moment, could decrease occupational injury rates while improving worker well-being. Mindfulness training has been proven effective in improving the health and well-being of clinical and healthy populations, but it has not yet been tested as an intervention to improve worker safety. Using a randomized waitlist controlled trial design with a mixed methods approach, the current study sought to: 1) conceptualize hospital health care workers’ experiences in adopting mindfulness practices within the context of an established health behavior theory; and 2) assess the impact of mindfulness training on safety outcomes among hospital health care workers. Hospital health care workers involved in direct patient care at two hospitals in Colorado were recruited to participate in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to a group that participated in an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course first or to a waitlist control group, which completed the MBSR training after the first group completed the course. The MBSR intervention included eight 2.5-hour group sessions of meditation, yoga, and group discussion and one 7-hour silent session to train participants to incorporate the skills in their daily lives. All participants completed questionnaires measuring covariates and safety outcomes at baseline, post-intervention, and six months after they completed the training. Participants also answered open-ended questions about their experiences when adopting mindfulness practices taught in the course. In the qualitative portion of the study, a theory-driven thematic analysis approach was used to analyze the qualitative data with the key constructs of the Health Belief Model acting as the framework for the analysis. In the quantitative portion of the study, mean scores were calculated for each participant on the study variables at each time point. Univariate repeated measures analyses of variance (RM ANOVA) time X group interaction effects with alpha level .05 were used to compare the baseline and post-intervention scores on the outcome variables between groups. Paired-samples t-tests were used to examine the stability of the intervention effects from both groups’ post-intervention time point to the 6-month follow-up data collection on the significant outcomes for all participants. Hospital health care workers from a university hospital system in Colorado volunteered to participate and were randomized to the immediate MBSR intervention (n=11) or waitlist control group (n=12). The majority of participants were female and nurses. Qualitative results highlighted the benefits of mindfulness practice among health care workers, which included enhanced awareness and improvements in social relationships and interactions with patients and colleagues. Participants described the lack of healthcare-specific recommendations for incorporating mindfulness practices at work and minimal discussion of evidence supporting mindfulness training as barriers to adopting and adhering to mindfulness practices. Viewed within the context of the Health Belief Model, these qualitative findings may help practitioners design and tailor workplace mindfulness programs to fit the needs of health care workers. Quantitative results of the study indicated that mindfulness training can decrease workplace cognitive failures and increase safety compliance behaviors among hospital health care workers. The qualitative and quantitative results contribute to the novel understanding of the role mindfulness practice plays in health care worker occupational safety and health and can support future larger-scale studies testing the longer-term impacts of mindfulness on health care safety.Item Open Access Letter matching in word familiarity: comparing slot specific, relative position, and overlap coding approaches(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Huebert, Andrew M., author; Cleary, Anne M., advisor; Seger, Carol A., committee member; Graham, Daniel, committee member; Marques, Luciana, committee memberFamiliarity detection is the sense that something has been encountered before, without being able to recall specifics of the encounter. Viewed as a separable process from recalling specifics, a growing body of research suggests that familiarity detection is an important cognitive process for a variety of reasons. Familiarity detection is thought to be driven by an overlap in features between stimuli stored in memory and a current stimulus. Research on familiarity detection suggests that letters are one significant contributing feature to word familiarity. An unexamined question is the extent to which letter overlap needs to occur in the same positions between existing memory representations and the current stimulus. Research on reading suggests that letters do not need to be in the exact correct location for lexical access to occur, with different theories specifying different constraints. One theory is that letter position is coded in terms of relativity; another is that letter position is coded in terms of general location with flexibility. For this dissertation, I conducted two experiments investigating how letter position processing might operate in word recognition without identification, which is thought to be a metric of familiarity detection. The results were consistent with letters being matched in terms of general location. Letters that were out of position that also did not maintain relativity still contributed to word recognition without identification to the same extent as letters in position. Implications for the mechanism behind feature matching are discussed.Item Open Access Mastery quizzing: assessing a novel testing technique in the classroom and the laboratory(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) Bates, Lauren Elizabeth, author; DeLosh, Edward, advisor; Rhodes, Matthew, committee member; Graham, Daniel, committee member; Folkestad, James, committee memberResearch promotes the use of frequent quizzing, as well as the use of feedback to promote long-lasting learning. In this dissertation, I propose a method for promoting long-lasting learning using mastery quizzing. Participants read an expository text and then answered questions about that text. Some participants were required to take quizzes until they achieve a perfect score, which I refer to as mastery quizzing, whereas other participants were forced to take quizzes a certain number of times. I explored how mastery quizzing can contribute to students' classroom learning and whether this method is more effective than traditional quizzing. In Experiment 1 I first looked at whether the benefits of mastery quizzing may emerge due to the benefits associated with frequent testing and feedback. Next, In Experiment 2 I explored the role that feedback may play in the mastery model, exploring students' use of feedback and how that may impact final test scores. Experiment 3 explored whether attending to and processing feedback led to increased performance on a final test. My results supported an overall benefit of mastery quizzing relative to standard quizzing techniques, even when controlling for number of quiz attempts, the presence of feedback, and conditions meant to simulate a need to use the feedback to improve performance. These results imply that the mastery technique may be a more effective method to improve student learning than standard quizzing techniques.Item Open Access Motivational profiles as a predictor for physical activity during early months of the COVID-19 global pandemic(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Moore, Kristen, author; Li, Kaigang, advisor; Graham, Daniel, committee member; Dunton, Genevieve, committee memberThe COVID-19 Global pandemic resulted in United States officials mandating stay-at-home, shelter in place, and quarantine ordinances starting in March 2020, limiting opportunities for physical activity (PA) during this period. Motivational profiles use controlled and autonomous attributes of motivation to predict PA maintenance; however, the effect of motivational profiles on PA during the COVID-19 pandemic is unknown. Therefore, the current study used Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) to examine the relationship between motivational profiles and daily PA during the COVID-19 pandemic. A convenience sample of 481 U.S. adults (Mage=34.9 years, 78.1% female) participated in a 28-day smartphone-based EMA study during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic (April – June 2020). EMA surveys assessed number of PA bouts (> 10 mins), length of PA bout, and types of PA completed during the day, which was used to calculate daily PA mins and daily PA metabolic equivalent (METs) mins. A baseline online survey assessed motivation for PA, using the Behavioral Regulation for Exercise 3 (BREQ-3) questionnaire, and demographic information. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) of the BREQ-3 identified motivational profiles for PA. Separate multi-level linear regression models examined motivational profiles as predictors of average daily PA mins and daily PA MET mins as well as interactions of motivational profile x time (i.e., days in the study). Models controlled for age, sex, ethnicity, income, employment status, body mass index, study site, and start date LPA revealed four distinct motivational profiles for PA including: Class 1) High amotivation (n=102, 21.5%), Class 2) Low controlled motivation (n=55, 11.6%), Class 3) High external regulation (n=47, 9.9%), and Class 4) Moderate autonomous motivation (n=271 57.1%). There were significant negative main effects of motivational profile and time on daily PA mins and daily PA MET mins (b= -0.32, p<.001, b= -1.4, p<.001, respectively). Significant interaction effects of class and time were also detected. Class 2 showed greater decreases in daily PA mins (b=-0.31, p<.01) over time than Class 1. Class 2 and Class 4 also showed significantly greater decreases in daily PA MET mins (b=-1.81, p<.05, and b =-1.49, p<.01, respectively) than Class 3. Motivational profiles for PA predicted mean PA engagement and PA engagement over time during early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Contrary to previous research, more autonomous/less controlled motivational profiles showed the steepest declines in PA over time; whereas, more amotivated/externally regulated motivational profiles reported lesser declines over time. These findings suggest that COVID-19 restrictions for PA participation may have mitigated the influence of autonomous/less controlled motivation on maintaining PA over time among this sample.Item Open Access Parenting style as a moderator of child internalization of parental values(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Ullrich, Emily R. H., author; Lucas-Thompson, Rachel G., advisor; MacPhee, David, committee member; Graham, Daniel, committee memberDespite the extensive literature examining the general child outcomes and values related to different parenting styles, little research has focused on parenting style as a moderator of the intergenerational transmission of values. Previous research and theory has pointed to authoritative parenting as the most effective parenting style in regards to parents encouraging their children to internalize their values. Based on Baumrind's (1968, 1991) parenting theory and social learning theory (Bandura, 1977), this study examined authoritative parenting style as a moderator of intergenerational transmission of nutrition values from parent to child. Two hypotheses were tested related to parenting style, nutritional values, and child healthy food choices. The research used parent self-report measures of parenting style and nutritional values, as well as observational data on parenting style and food strictness. Child outcomes were measured using a food-choice task completed by the children. Results suggested that parents who value nutrition have children who make healthy choices more frequently in a behavioral task. Additionally, limited support was found for authoritative parenting dimensions as a moderator of the intergenerational value transmission process. The findings of this research suggest a possible protective mechanism of warmth against children's poor food choices. Based on the results, however, more research is needed on the intergenerational transmission of values.Item Embargo Perceptions of supportive organizational practices and well-being among LGBQ+ employees(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Perpich, Rachel A., author; Fisher, Gwenith, advisor; Gardner, Danielle, committee member; Graham, Daniel, committee member; Chen, Adela, committee memberThe increasing number of workers who identify with the LGBTQ+ community illuminates a pressing question regarding how organizations are navigating and implementing DEI initiatives to support minority identities. As organizational efforts to support and retain the rising population of sexual minority workers continue, it is additionally necessary to understand how these employees perceive such practices. The purpose of the current study is to examine the relationships between perceptions of supportive organizational practices, perceived organizational support, and worker well-being among LGBQ+ employees. Participants included 352 LGBQ+ individuals recruited via Prolific who completed online surveys at two time points. I hypothesized that LGBQ+ employees who reported their organization having supportive organizational practices would perceive more support from their organization, and thus have more favorable reports of well-being. Additionally, I expected sexual orientation identity centrality to moderate the relationship between perceptions of LGBQ+ supportive practices and general perceptions of organizational support. Results show support for all hypothesized relationships besides those including anxiety symptoms. Specifically, LGBQ+ employees who reported more favorable (i.e., higher) perceptions of LGBQ+ supportive practices also perceived more general support from their organization, which ultimately served as a mechanism for higher reports of job satisfaction and work-life balance and lower reports of depressive symptoms. Additionally, the relationship between perceptions of LGBQ+ supportive organizational practices and perceptions of general organizational support was stronger for employees who identified their sexual orientation as more central to their identity. The present study contributes to a growing body of literature on sexual orientation and work by providing empirical support for the relationship between LGBQ+ employees' perceptions of workplace practices, overall perceptions of support, and important indicators of worker well-being, including job satisfaction, mental health, and work-life balance. Theoretical and practical implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.Item Open Access The coevolution of adolescent friendship networks and school outcomes(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Dieterich, Sara E., author; Henry, Kimberly, advisor; Swaim, Randall, committee member; Graham, Daniel, committee member; Youngblade, Lise M., committee memberAdolescent underachievement and school disengagement are major problems with far-reaching consequences for both students and society. Approximately 25% of students in the U.S. do not graduate from high school (Education Week, 2013), and new and innovative interventions are of critical importance to raise the graduation rate to an acceptable level. The promotion of positive friendships may be one avenue for achieving this goal (Kindermann, 2007; Ryan, 2001). However, a better understanding of the relationship between friendships and school engagement is needed before we can determine if the promotion of positive friendships is likely to lead to academic engagement and effective interventions can be developed. Specifically, one key issue that is not fully understood is the interplay between influence and selection processes. Thus, the present study examined the extent to which adolescents become increasingly similar to their friends over time on school outcomes (i.e., influence processes) and the extent to which adolescents seek out other students to befriend over time that are already similar on these outcomes (i.e., selection processes) using a new modeling strategy, stochastic actor-based modeling, among 6th and 7th grade students. A significant selection effect was found for GPA; however, no other significant selection or influence effects were found for school bonding, values of education and achievement, or attendance. The results also show that gender did not moderate the effect of selection or influence for any of the school outcomes. Implications for prevention are discussed.Item Open Access The relationship between sleep impairment and interpersonal organizational outcomes(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Kunz, James, author; Fisher, Gwen, advisor; Gibbons, Alyssa, committee member; Graham, Daniel, committee member; Dik, Bryan, committee member; Ganster, Daniel, committee memberSleep is essential for individuals, organizations, and societies. For instance, reduced sleep is a significant predictor of poor mood and mortality. Impaired sleep can also affect workers and organizations such as by increasing absenteeism and presenteeism, reducing productivity, and increasing accidents on the job. Although previous research on sleep in organizational contexts has examined the relationship between sleep and social support variables such as perceived supervisor support and perceived social support more broadly, it has not examined the association between worker's sleep and perceived social support in a multilevel model. Additionally, prior research has not examined the relationship between sleep and perceived organizational support. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between 2213 workers' self-reported sleep (e.g., sleep quantity and sleep sufficiency) and three social support variables: perceived social, organizational, and supervisor support at both the individual and organizational level. Results indicated that sleep sufficiency was related to the three social support variables at both the individual and organizational levels in the model. However, sleep quantity was unrelated to the three social support variables at either level of the model. Implications from these findings are discussed in light of theoretical and applied contributions to the literature.Item Open Access The relative persuasiveness of health infographics(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) Downing Bice, Channing Faith, author; Sivakumar, Gaya, advisor; Castillo, Daniela, committee member; Graham, Daniel, committee member; Long, Marilee, committee memberThis study explores the persuasiveness of infographics, as a quantitative communication strategy to support medical decision making and health risk appraisal. compared to its equivalent text-based condition, within in the context of promoting STD and STI prevention and screening among young adults. This work uses the ELM as the guiding theoretical framework in a web-based experiment which utilizes a 2 x 1 posttest only experimental design investigates the influence manipulated visual content and message formats have on health-related persuasive message processing among young adults within in the context of promoting STD and STI prevention and screening among young adults. Predictions based on previous literature and empirical testing suggest that enhancing the vividness of the appearance of a health-related message in an infographic format will enhance elaborative processing, resulting in desired health behavior outcomes. To make these predictions, the study poses research questions that explore the cognitive processing and the number of positive thoughts generated by recipients randomly assigned to the infographic condition. In addition to these research questions, this study poses hypotheses that predict elaborative processing, knowledge, and attitude will be greater in the infographic condition, rather than its text-based equivalent, consistent with previous empirical findings. The results of this study can inform further investigations between these pathways and applications to future health communication strategies.Item Open Access The role of developmental trauma in disordered eating and excess body weight in adolescence(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Pivarunas, Bernadette, author; Shomaker, Lauren, advisor; Riggs, Nathaniel, committee member; Frank, Guido, committee member; Graham, Daniel, committee memberPsychological trauma and the human response to trauma have been characterized as one of the most important threats to public health. Developmental trauma, referring to traumatic events experienced during childhood and/or adolescence, is of particular concern given the potential biological, neurological, psychological, and relational impact of trauma on the developing child, with possible consequences lasting a lifetime. Youth may deal with developmental trauma by utilizing disordered eating behaviors like loss of control eating in efforts to cope with distress; loss of control eating can, in turn, cause excess weight gain. Adolescence is a particularly salient time for the initiation and maintenance of disordered eating, but it is unclear to what extent developmental trauma is associated with loss of control eating and excess weight in adolescence. Further, it is unknown what role developmental trauma has on affect and attachment, two developmental domains presumed to be affected by trauma, and how affect and attachment are associated with loss of control eating and excess weight gain in adolescence. This dissertation project utilized secondary data from a sample of adolescents at risk for excess weight gain, by having above-average body mass index (BMI >70 percentile for age and sex) or having a family history of overweight or obesity, to evaluate two aims. The first aim investigated associations between developmental trauma and disordered eating and developmental trauma and excess body weight, measured as BMI standard score, in adolescence. The second aim explored negative affect, measured as symptoms of depression and symptoms of anxiety, and attachment, measured as emotional support, as mediators of the associations of developmental trauma with disordered eating and BMI standard score. Approximately 58% of the sample endorsed at least one traumatic event. Developmental trauma count was associated with greater depressive and anxiety symptoms and lower BMI standard score, but it was not significantly associated with global disordered eating or loss of control eating. An indirect effect of developmental trauma on global disordered eating via depressive symptoms was observed. Symptoms of anxiety and emotional support did not mediate the associations of developmental trauma with disordered eating or BMI standard score. Results highlight the unique role of depressive symptoms in the relationship of developmental trauma to disordered eating. If replicated, particularly with a longitudinal design, findings have the potential to inform prevention and intervention efforts for a particularly vulnerable population: youth who have experienced trauma and may be at risk for or are experiencing disordered eating and excess body weight.Item Open Access The student affairs burnout epidemic: relationships among LMX, racial identity, and burnout(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Lynner, Brittany, author; Prasad, Joshua, advisor; Fisher, Gwenith, advisor; Shore, Lynn, committee member; Graham, Daniel, committee memberAccording to the Job Demands-Resources Theory (JD-R Theory; Bakker & Demerouti, 2017; Demerouti et al., 2001), job demands predict burnout whereas job resources buffer the impact of job demands on burnout. Campus student affairs professionals are prone to burnout given their unique job demands, of which telepressure (i.e., preoccupations with and urges for responding quickly to workplace communication; Barber & Santuzzi, 2015) and workload are of particular concern. In alignment with Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory (Grain et al., 1982a), student affairs professionals' expression of burnout may differ depending on their relationship with their supervisor (i.e., a potential job resource). Specifically, a subordinate's perception of supervisor-subordinate relationship quality, or LMX relationship quality, may influence their engagement in self-interested voice (i.e., speaking up on issues relevant to one's own interest; Duan et al., 2020) and surface acting (i.e., engaging in emotional displays that are inconsistent with one's felt emotions; Grandey, 2000). Moreover, pursuant to Social Information Processing Theory (Salancik & Pfeffer, 1978), racial identity may also play a role in student affairs professionals' experiences of job demands and burnout, and their engagement in self-interested voice and surface acting. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between the aforementioned variables – job demands, LMX relationship quality, racial identity, surface acting, self-interested voice, and burnout – via the administration of online self-report surveys. Student affairs professionals were primarily recruited through student affairs professional associations and student affairs-related Facebook pages. Using structural equation modeling to test hypotheses (SEM), results demonstrated that subordinate LMX positively related to self-interested voice and negatively related to both surface acting and work-related burnout. Additionally, surface acting positively related to burnout (i.e., personal, work-related, student-related burnout), whereas self-interested voice was positively correlated with student-related burnout. Furthermore, the relationship between job demands and burnout was not moderated by racial identity nor subordinate LMX, and there was no significant difference in surface acting nor self-interested voice between student affairs professionals of color and their White colleagues. Findings suggest the central importance of cultivating high-quality LMX relationships and optimizing job resources to mitigate personal burnout, work-related burnout, and student-related burnout.