Browsing by Author "Harman, Jennifer J., advisor"
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Item Open Access A concurrent and prospective examination of the incongruous positive relationship between alcohol use and physical activity(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Harkabus, Lindsey C., author; Harman, Jennifer J., advisor; Aloise-Young, Patricia, committee member; Merolla, Andrew, committee member; Dik, Bryan, committee memberResearch has demonstrated an incongruous positive relationship between alcohol consumption and physical activity concurrently among college students (Lisha & Sussman, 2010; Musselman & Rutledge, 2010). A goal of this research was to determine whether this relationship between alcohol use and physical activity exists, and whether different forms of physical activity share this relationship. Another purpose of this dissertation was to examine the potential moderating effects of several individual difference variables. Results revealed a positive association between alcohol use and moderate physical activity, as well as with two other forms of physical activity (leisure and domestic). In the longitudinal analyses, several factors moderated the relationship between moderate physical activity and alcohol use, with the relationship being stronger for male participants and for individuals who possess high levels of social motives. Opposite of my original hypotheses, several forms of physical activity demonstrated significant negative effects on alcohol use, including overall physical activity, vigorous physical activity, sports, and exercise. Overall, the results suggest the relationship between physical activity and alcohol use in college students is dependent on the type of physical activity being studied (e.g., vigorous versus moderate, sport versus leisure). Age moderated the negative effects of vigorous physical activity on alcohol use, with the effects being stronger for individuals older than 19 years. Implications for the prevention of alcohol use and abuse, improvement of physical activity behaviors, and studies of college physical activity interventions and alcohol use are discussed.Item Open Access A diary study of self-esteem, social anxiety, interpersonal interactions and health risk behavior in college students(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Wilson, Kristina, author; Harman, Jennifer J., advisor; Clegg, Benjamin A., committee member; Henry, Kimberly, committee member; Rouner, Donna, committee member; Steger, Michael F., committee memberThis study sought to clarify mixed findings regarding the association between trait self-esteem and social anxiety and engagement in health risk behaviors among college. A daily diary methodology was used to investigate whether trait self-esteem, social anxiety and interpersonal experiences predict health risk behaviors using Sociometer Theory (Leary & Downs, 1995) as a framework for understanding how daily interpersonal experiences may be related to engagement in health risk behaviors. A total of 219 participants completed an online survey that assessed demographic characteristics, trait self-esteem and social anxiety and completed a shorter online survey daily for 28 days. Findings revealed that participants were more likely to engage in a number of health risk behaviors on days that they experienced relatively more negative interpersonal experiences and that positive experiences appeared to protect against engagement in a number of health risk behaviors. In general, trait self-esteem and social anxiety did not moderate the influence of daily negative interpersonal experiences on health risk behaviors; however, the effects of positive interpersonal experiences on engagement in a number of health risk behaviors depended upon levels of trait self-esteem and social anxiety. For example, individuals with high trait self-esteem were more likely to engage in vaginal sex with a new partner on days when they experienced relatively more positive interpersonal experiences. Socially anxious individuals were also more likely to engage in a broad range of health risk behaviors on days when they experienced more positive interpersonal experiences. Overall, this study provides evidence for how people with low versus high trait self-esteem and low versus high social anxiety differ in terms of their reactions to positive interpersonal experiences. In addition, these findings suggest that in the context of daily life, these trait characteristics are more likely to moderate the influence of positive interpersonal experiences, rather than negative interpersonal behaviors, on health risk behavior.Item Open Access Alcohol use and misuse as a self-presentational tactic among college freshmen: an investigation of individual and situational factors(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2009) O'Grady, Megan Alison, author; Harman, Jennifer J., advisorTwo studies investigated underage college freshmen's alcohol use from the perspective of the two-component model of impression management (Leary & Kowalski, 1990). In the first study (n = 232), situational impression motivation (low vs. high) and alcohol-related impression construction (i.e., alcohol norms; norm vs. control) were manipulated and alcohol self-presentation was measured using an Internet profile created by participants. In addition, dispositional measures related to impression motivation (e.g., self-monitoring) and alcohol-related impression construction (e.g., alcohol expectancies) were assessed. Results suggested that alcohol norms affected whether someone presented themselves as an alcohol user. In addition, several dispositional factors moderated the relationship between the situational impression motivation and alcohol use. Overall results suggested that participants in the low impression motivation condition were more likely to present themselves as alcohol users, but high self-monitors and people who drank heavily in social situations were especially more likely to present themselves as alcohol users as compared to those in the high impression motivation condition. The second study utilized a daily process methodology. College freshmen in their first semester on campus (n = 65) completed a daily Internet-based survey in which they answered questions related to their impression motivation, alcohol-related impression construction cues, and alcohol use during face to face social interactions lasting longer than 10 minutes. As in study one, dispositional impression motivation and alcohol construction was assessed. Results confirmed the importance of the situational impression construction factors found in study one in increasing the likelihood of alcohol use. Further, several three-way interactions were found that suggested that for students with high alcohol expectancies, their alcohol use during social interactions increased as alcohol impression construction cues and impression motivation increased. In addition, for heavy social drinkers, alcohol use decreased as alcohol impression construction cues decreased and impression motivation increased. Implications for the two-component model of impression management, prevention of underage alcohol misuse, and studies of college student alcohol use are discussed.Item Open Access Barriers to nutrition management among people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Maertens, Julie A., author; Harman, Jennifer J., advisor; Chen, Peter, committee member; Stallones, Lorann, committee member; Harris, Mary, committee member; Dik, Bryan J. (Bryan Jay), committee memberHuman Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks and impairs the body's natural defense system against disease and infection, in part through depletion of nutrients that are implicated in malnutrition and weight loss. Many nutritional problems among people living with HIV can be managed via nutrition intervention. No wide scale evaluation of HIV patient access or adherence to comprehensive nutrition intervention exists; however, there are potential barriers among patients to following nutrition advice from healthcare providers even when delivered. An online questionnaire among healthcare providers, along with focus groups and semi-structured interviews among patients living with HIV at three healthcare settings in Colorado were utilized in the current study in an effort to identify the barriers to nutrition management among people living with HIV. Healthcare providers reported being limited in the amount of nutrition intervention they could provide based on a lack of time and in-house referral services, and the co-occurrence of multiple illnesses among patients that demanded time and energy during appointments. Patients were limited in their ability to optimally manage their diet based on finances and transportation available for acquiring food, side effects associated with ARV (antiretroviral) medications, and their own cooking and meal planning skills. The nature of the barriers identified in the current study suggested a systems approach to optimizing nutrition management among HIV-positive patients may be an appropriate future direction of action.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 Open Access Developing the LGBT Minority Stress Measure(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Outland, Pearl L., author; Harman, Jennifer J., advisor; Chavez, Ernest, committee member; Fruhauf, Christine, committee memberLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals face significant mental and physical health disparities compared to their heterosexual peers. Such differential outcomes are often attributed to minority stress, chronic stress that is specific to one’s marginalized status and which is distinct from normal every day life stress. Current research, which attempts to assess the relationship between minority stress and health, is stifled by lack of a uniform measurement tool to operationalize the construct. The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive tool that encapsulates all of the major dimensions of minority stress, as defined by Meyer’s (2003) LGB minority stress model. The final LGBT Minority Stress Measure is a 25-item self-report scale, with seven subscales: identity concealment, everyday discrimination/ microaggressions, rejection anticipation, discrimination events, internalized stigma, victimization events, and community connectedness. Results from 640 participants, including 119 of which identified as gender non-conforming, supported the psychometric properties of the scale. Additionally, consistent with existing literature, greater minority stress was associated with increased psychological distress.Item Open Access Engaging key stakeholders in climate change: a community-based project for youth-led participatory climate action(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Trott, Carlie D., author; Harman, Jennifer J., advisor; Henry, Kimberly L., committee member; Chavez, Ernest L., committee member; Peek, Lori, committee memberFew studies have examined how youth think about, and take action on climate change and far fewer have sought to facilitate their engagement using participatory methods. This dissertation evaluated the impacts of Science, Camera, Action! (SCA), a novel after-school program that combined climate change education with participatory action through photovoice. The specific aims of this study were to: (1) Evaluate the impacts of SCA on youth participants' climate change knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors; (2) Examine how SCA participation served to empower youth agency; and (3) Explore SCA's influence on youths' science engagement. Participants were 55 youths (ages 10 to 12) across three Boys and Girls Club sites in Northern Colorado. SCA's Science component used interactive activities to demonstrate the interrelationships between Earth's changing climate, ecosystems, and sustainable actions within communities. Photovoice, SCA's Camera component, was used to explore youths' climate change perspectives and to identify opportunities for their active engagement. Finally, SCA's Action component aimed to cultivate youth potential as agents of change in their families and communities through the development and implementation of youth-led action projects. Action projects included local policy advocacy, a tree-planting campaign, a photo gallery opening, development of a website, and the establishment of a Boys and Girls Club community garden. To evaluate SCA impacts, a combination of survey and focus group methods were used. Following the program, youth demonstrated increased knowledge of the scientific and social dimensions of the causes and consequences of climate change, as well as its solutions through human action. Though participants expressed a mix of positive (e.g., hope) and negative (e.g., sadness) emotions about climate change, they left the program with an increased sense of respect for nature, an enhanced sense of environmental responsibility, and a greater sense of urgency towards the need for climate change action. Further, participants reported increased engagement in personal pro-environmental behaviors, an enhanced sense of agency in the context of climate change, and provided strong evidence of their role as agents of change in family and community contexts. Through SCA, participants gained a deeper appreciation for science (e.g., in school, careers, and society) and reported increased interest, participation, confidence, and performance in school science. Findings contribute to the vast and growing psychology literature on climate change perceptions and action, and from the understudied perspective of youth. Through a combination of innovative methods and interactive projects, the youth in this study gained a number of psychosocial and educational benefits, while tangibly contributing to the sustainable transformation of their families and communities. Findings of this dissertation have implications for educational programs, youth organizing, and interventions aimed to strengthen youths' active engagement with critical social and scientific issues that impact their lives.Item Open Access Training individuals in suicide prevention: individual and organizational characteristics of effective gatekeepers(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Moore, Jeffery Taylor, author; Harman, Jennifer J., advisor; Chen, Peter Y., advisor; Rosecrance, John C., committee member; Clegg, Benjamin A., committee memberSuicide remains a major public health problem in the United States. Training individuals known as gatekeepers to identify the signs and behaviors of suicide risk has been one of the most widely adopted prevention strategies. Due to financial constraints, it is not possible to train all members of a community as gatekeepers. Thus, it is more fiscally responsible to selectively train individuals within a community who possess key characteristics that will make them more effective gatekeepers. In this dissertation, the personality and organizational characteristics of effective gatekeepers were explored. Specifically, personality characteristics: Emotional Intelligence and Altruism, and organizational characteristics: social support, perceived organizational support, and gatekeeper role conflict were investigated as predictors of gatekeeper behavior. Two hundred and eighteen gatekeepers completed surveys immediately prior, immediately after, and six months following training that consisted of self-report measures of personality and organizational characteristics, and gatekeeper behavior. Poisson regression was employed to analyze the data because of the low-base rate occurrence of gatekeeper behavior. Analyses were conducted separately for the two gatekeeper training programs (ASIST & QPR). Mixed results were found in this study. Gatekeepers trained in ASIST were high in Emotional Intelligence and Altruism, resulting in range restriction. Gatekeepers trained in QPR varied more on personality characteristics, and Altruism positively predicted gatekeeper behavior six months following training. In terms of organizational predictors of gatekeeper behavior, supervisor emotional support buffered the relationship between gatekeeper role conflict and gatekeeper behavior for ASIST participants. The findings have direct implications for the training of community members as gatekeepers. Specifically, how selection principles can be applied to gatekeeper training, as well as how social support can be improved in organizations so that gatekeepers can overcome barriers (such as role conflict) in order to increase the effectiveness of trained gatekeepers. Although a number of limitations were present in the current study (i.e., low response rate and inability to generalize the findings), the potential application of these findings presents the opportunity to significantly change who is selected for training as a gatekeeper and how trainings are conducted. Future research directions include the measurement of gatekeeper behavior and effectiveness of gatekeepers.