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Browsing by Author "Ortega, Lilyana, committee member"

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    A comparison of suicide loss and non-suicide loss: the impact on family communication and affect
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Belzil, Eva, author; Quirk, Kelley, advisor; Ortega, Lilyana, committee member; Willis, Danielle, committee member
    Suicide loss and non-suicide loss impact thousands of people globally each year. Literature to date has identified ways suicide-loss can impact individuals and families in unique ways but has not indicated what specific aspects of family function are impacted for suicide-bereaved family members. Further, it is unclear whether family members can turn to each other to provide and receive support after their loss. The purpose of this study was to understand how suicide loss of a family member impacts individuals when compared to suicide loss of a non-family member. Additionally, this study aimed to understand how suicide loss of a family member impacts family dynamics on specific levels of communication, affect expression, affect connection, and general family functioning when compared to non-suicide family member loss. Perceived familial support was predicted to moderate the relationship between type of loss and these family function variables. Participants (N = 174) filled out 4 self-report measures that assessed family function prior to their loss, grief experiences, family communication, affect expression, affect connection, and family function after their loss. An independent samples t-test and a hierarchical multiple regression with a moderation analysis were run to examine the relationships between the predictor and outcome variables described above. When compared to individuals who experienced a non-family member suicide loss, individuals who experienced family member suicide loss reported more intense grief experiences (p = .03) but did not report significantly different family function. When compared to non-suicide family member loss, individuals who lost a family member to suicide reported lower family affect connection (p < .05) and lower family affect connection (p < .05), but did not report significantly different family function or family communication. Perceived familial support did not moderate these main effects.
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    Exploratory effects of a mindfulness+lifestyle program for type 2 diabetes prevention on parental psychosocial adjustment in families of Latino adolescents
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Daniels, Raquel, author; Shomaker, Lauren, advisor; Bellows, Laura, committee member; Ortega, Lilyana, committee member
    Latino adolescents have a particularly high risk of developing youth-onset type 2 diabetes (T2D) compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Latino families frequently experience high levels of stress due to a variety of social/environmental factors including stigma, discrimination, immigration, and acculturation. Culturally adapted, family-based intervention programs designed specifically for Latino adolescents to increase healthy eating and physical activity show strong potential to reduce adolescents' risk of T2D. Yet, existing programs rarely address the heightened psychological stress faced by Latino families, which is likely to interfere with making lifestyle changes. It is possible that the integration of mindfulness-based training into a culturally-adapted, family-based lifestyle program will result in more favorable family functioning and parental psychosocial adjustment than a lifestyle program alone. The current thesis project was a secondary data analysis of a randomized controlled trial designed to pilot a 6-week/12-session culturally-adapted, family-based lifestyle intervention, with and without a mindfulness-based training component, in N = 18 Latino families with adolescents at risk for T2D. The aims were to explore the comparative effectiveness of the mindfulness+lifestyle intervention, versus lifestyle only, on parent psychosocial adjustment and to characterize to what extent changes in parent psychosocial adjustment corresponded to changes in adolescents' own psychosocial adjustment and degree of risk for T2D. At baseline, immediate post-intervention, and six-months follow-up, parents completed validated survey measures of parent perceived stress and parent depression symptoms. Family functioning also was assessed at baseline. At all intervals, adolescents self-reported their levels of perceived stress and depression symptoms, and adolescent risk for T2D was determined from body mass index (BMI) metrics, insulin resistance, and fasting glucose. The analytic plan included analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) as well as a reliable change index. Correlations were used to describe simple correspondence between parent and adolescent characteristics. ANCOVA results indicated that changes in parent depression/stress at post-intervention and six-month follow-up not differ by intervention. Reliable change analyses revealed that one parent from each condition experienced a reliable change decrease in perceived stress and one parent from the lifestyle only condition experienced a reliable change decrease in depressive symptoms. In correlation analyses, greater decreases in parent depression symptoms were correlated with greater decreases in adolescent perceived stress at post-intervention, and this association was apparent in the mindfulness+lifestyle condition as opposed to lifestyle only. Also in mindfulness+lifestyle only, higher baseline family chaos and baseline parental depressive symptoms were correlated with greater decreases in adolescents' insulin resistance. These highly exploratory findings require follow-up in a larger, adequately powered trial, but suggest the possibility that family and parental psychosocial characteristics relate to health outcomes in adolescents at-risk for T2D among Latino families taking part in mindfulness+lifestyle programming. Consistent with a selective or indicated prevention framework, families with more psychosocial difficulties may stand to benefit the most from integrative health interventions.
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    Implications of late autism spectrum disorder diagnosis for females
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Tomasula Martin, Lily, author; Hepburn, Susan, advisor; Ortega, Lilyana, committee member; Harman, Jennifer, committee member
    The purpose of this qualitative case study is to examine the implications of the timing of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis for females, specifically its impact on psychological well-being. While it is well-known that females are less likely to be identified at young ages than their male counterparts, we know relatively little about the experiences or service needs of women with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who are identified later in life. Five women, ages 22 to 46 years who received a formal diagnosis after the age of 12 years, participated in an in-depth interview with a clinician focused on the impacts of a late Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis and the participants' overall well-being. Participants also completed a standardized self-report measure of psychological well-being. Participants then partook in a semi-structured interview to share their experiences of being a female with ASD. Responses from the questionnaires were summarized to provide a baseline understanding of participants' well-being while the semi-structured interview was analyzed to find themes in participant experiences. This qualitative case study includes a small number of participants, but we learned about the potential impacts of late diagnosis for females and their self-report of overall well-being. Both of which has implications for both research and practice.