Mountain Scholar :: Browsing by Author "Rickard, Kathryn, committee member"

Browsing by Author "Rickard, Kathryn, committee member"

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Open Access
A qualitative analysis of the experience of being LGBTQ in graduate school
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Sokolowski, Elizabeth, author; Chavez, Ernest, advisor; Rickard, Kathryn, committee member; Carlson, Laurie, committee member; Davalos, Deana, committee member
The current study sought to understand LGBTQ campus climate for LGBTQ doctoral students. Narrative analysis was used during this exploratory study to identify "when" the three LGBTQ doctoral student participants had experiences related to their LGBTQ identities, including "what" was happening during those events and "how" it was happening. These experiences occurred during six events (i.e., applying to graduate programs, receiving letter of acceptance from graduate program, visiting weekend after receiving acceptance letter, choosing advisor or research lab, working as a graduate teaching assistance, and preparing for PhD candidacy exams) and four time periods (i.e., early general experiences in the graduate program, general graduate school experiences, general research lab experiences, and general social experiences during graduate school). This study also identified how these experiences supported or hindered LGBTQ doctoral student success. Overall, the results suggested that LGBTQ doctoral students expended substantial effort to manage the harmful components of campus climate, which were present across locations, times, and roles as a doctoral student. Finally, participants shared their own proposed changes to improve campus climate, and the primary researcher provided an overarching list of recommendations to improve LGBTQ campus climate for LGBTQ doctoral students.
Open Access
Appraising organizational politics and support: challenging employees to engage
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Manning, Steven G., author; Byrne, Zinta, advisor; Fisher, Gwen, committee member; Rickard, Kathryn, committee member; Ganster, Dan, committee member
Organizational politics are an inevitable part of organizational life (Hochwarter, Ferris, Laird, Treadway, & Gallagher, 2010) and yet research has largely demonstrated that perceptions of politics are typically negative and, consequently, have a negative influence on employees (Bedi & Schat, 2013; Rosen & Hochwarter, 2014). Because politics are so prevalent – and indeed necessary – in organizations (e.g., Pfeffer, 1992), researchers have recently called for a broader perspective that considers the positive aspects of politics. Although some have forged new roads to examine the positive side of politics (Albrecht & Landells, 2012; Hochwarter, 2012), the journey has only just begun. Therefore, contributing to this line of research, the current study flips the focus on politics research from negative outcomes to positive by exploring when and how a negative perception of politics can lead to positive outcomes for employees and the organization. By experimentally manipulating participants' perceptions of politics and organizational support, I hypothesized that some work environments lead employees to perceive politics as a challenge stressor (Byrne, Manning, Weston, & Hochwarter, 2017; Cavanaugh, Boswell, Roehling, & Boudreau, 2000) encouraging them to act (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) and increase engagement at work. Results of analyses using 258 participants demonstrates experimentally that organizational politics and organizational support impact participants' appraisals of the environment as challenging or hindering. Additionally, political environments are negatively associated with persisting on a frustrating task. This experimental study provides a nuanced and novel view of political environments without re-conceptualizing what organizational politics are, and helps to explain how employees perceive positive outcomes at work even though organizational politics are so prevalent and most often considered a negative influence at work.
Open Access
Assessing employee engagement: a comparison of the Job Engagement Scale and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Drake, Travis J., author; Byrne, Zinta, advisor; Gibbons, Alyssa, committee member; Albert, Lumina, committee member; Rickard, Kathryn, committee member
Two employee engagement measures were compared and contrasted to determine if one is better than the other, or if both are required to adequately assess the construct domain. The first measure is Rich, LePine, and Crawford's (2010) Job Engagement Scale based on Kahn's (1990) conceptualization of engagement. The second measure is Schaufeli, Salanova, Gonzalez-Romá, and Bakker's (2002) Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, based on Maslach and Leiter's (1997) conceptualization of engagement. The measures were compared by examining their convergent and discriminant construct validity, examining the factor structure of each measure, and examining the criterion-related validity of each through dominance analysis. Using responses from 470 working adults, results showed significant differences between the UWES and JES in terms of construct and criterion-related validity evidence.
Open Access
Examining mindfulness-based training effects upon uncertainty reduction in initial interaction between strangers
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Whitt, Joseph M., author; Crowley, John, advisor; Aoki, Eric, committee member; Rickard, Kathryn, committee member
This research project is meant to supplement the extant literature on initial interaction between strangers. The central inquiries of this study examine whether individuals can reduce relational automaticity found in initial interactions and, in turn, embody more openness toward strangers. The study investigates the growing field of mindfulness practice, known for reducing behavioral automaticity and boosting pro-social effects, and determines how it impacts the relational outcomes in initial interaction. To accomplish this, it compares the performance of two experimental groups in initial interaction, one group that is exposed to a mindfulness treatment and one control. By analyzing the participants' uncertainty reduction strategies, this research aims to determine whether mindfulness plays a moderating role for uncertainty reduction in initial interaction.
Open Access
Exercise goal acknowledgment and its effects on short-term exercise
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Heidrick, Charles, author; Graham, Daniel, advisor; Butki, Brian, committee member; Rickard, Kathryn, committee member
Regular physical activity has been shown to have substantial physical and mental benefits, ranging from protection against obesity to greater quality of life (Harvard School of Public Health, 2014; Faulkner & Taylor, 2005). Yet, a low percentage of people in the United States meet recommended levels of physical activity (Troiano et al., 2008). Goal setting has been shown to be an effective way to improve behavior (Locke & Latham, 1990; Latham & Budworth, 2006), but may be impacted by underexplored social factors. This study examined the role that another person, apart from the goal-setting exerciser, can have on physical activity goal pursuit. College students (n = 143) participated in a controlled experiment. A researcher demonstrated four exercises (push-ups, planks, jumping jacks, and single-leg balancing), after which participants set personal goals regarding their own imminent performance of these exercises. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: 1) private goals: participants set goals and did not share them with experimenter; 2) acknowledged goals: participants' goals were positively acknowledged by experimenter; 3) unacknowledged goals: participants gave their goals to an experimenter who did not provide acknowledgment. A significant effect of condition on performance and goal attainment was seen for planks and a significant effect of condition on goal attainment was seen for pushups. No significant effects were seen for jumping jacks or balancing. Results indicate positive effects of goal acknowledgment on subsequent goal attainment and exercise performance and also suggest negative effects of having goals that could be acknowledged go unacknowledged.
Open Access
Heart rate variability as a biomarker of self-control and its relationship with depression
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Darwin, Marielle L., author; Davalos, Deana, advisor; Thomas, Michael, committee member; Rickard, Kathryn, committee member; Tracy, Brian, committee member
Human behavior is guided by a desire to attain certain goals. Individuals must manipulate the pursuit of multiple goals simultaneously and decide how to navigate their environments to support the desires they most value. Failures of self-control are common and present as psychopathologies characterized by emotional and cognitive dysregulation, namely depression. The relationship between poor self-control and the manifestation of depression is critical to target in order to better predict, understand, diagnose, and treat symptomologies, yet the precise nature of the relationship between self-control and depression is insufficiently understood. The current study employed a novel approach to investigate the relationship between self-control and depression and whether our understanding of that relationship could be improved with the incorporation of heart rate variability (HRV), a robust neurocardiac biomarker of self-control-related abilities. Findings supported the merit of HRV as a biomarker of self-control and revealed that self-control fully mediated the relationship between HRV and depression, although effect sizes indicate that the relationships were weak. It was expected that age played a role in this relationship due to the changing lifespan trajectories of neurocardiac networks interconnected with self-control and depression, although this premise was found to be unsupported. These discoveries deepen our understanding of the neurocognitive and autonomic dynamics of depression and supplicate clinical researchers aiming to decrease dysfunction to entertain approaches supported by a biopsychological perspective.
Open Access
Hospice care: nurses' experience and perception of older adult patients' experiences
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Aeling, Jennifer, author; Chavez, Ernest, advisor; Fruhauf, Christine, committee member; Rickard, Kathryn, committee member; Richards, Tracy, committee member
The current study sought to understand the experience of hospice nursing staff with hospice and the differences they perceived in caring for older adult patients who utilize hospice for longer and shorter periods. This study also sought to understand older adult patients' experience of hospice services and if length of hospice stays had an effect on the patients' end-of-life experience, as perceived by hospice nursing staff. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to extract themes and subthemes from 10 interviews conducted with hospice nursing staff. Major themes include nursing staff reporting a positive view of hospice, but also being aware of a perceived stigma against hospice among both older adults and their family members. Another major theme identified was how older adults' perception of hospice changes based on length of use, with longer use leading to more positive views of hospice. Participants discussed aspects that affect length of stay and how longer hospice stays are more positive than shorter. The last two major themes were participants believing more education about hospice is needed and a frustration with the Medicare reimbursement process of hospice. Content analysis was also utilized to extract two noteworthy concepts that did not fit within the guidelines of IPA. These noteworthy concepts were extracted from a comparison of two older adult deaths, one that used hospice for a short period (less than two weeks) and another for a long period (more than four weeks). When comparing these stories, it became evident that longer hospice stays had more aspects of a 'good' death and tended to utilize more services provided by hospice. These themes and noteworthy concepts suggest hospice nursing staff believe longer hospice stays are more positive, hospice nursing staff view hospice more positively than older adult patients, and more education may lead to longer hospice stays.
Open Access
Knowledge of and attitudes towards eating disorders of undergraduate nutrition majors at three Colorado universities
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Winer, Marcia H., author; Auld, Garry, advisor; Wdowik, Melissa, advisor; Rickard, Kathryn, committee member
Eating disorders are potentially deadly conditions. RDs who are knowledgeable about eating disorders can have a positive impact in eating disorder treatment. They can also contribute by recognizing symptoms of eating disordered behavior in clients and bringing awareness of the issue to the public through education on the differences between healthy and disordered eating. The question addressed in this research is: Are the Didactic Programs in Dietetics at three Colorado universities adequately preparing students, intent on becoming RDs, for encounters with patients with eating disorders? In this study, participants were asked to complete a survey on their knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes towards eating disorders. Participation was completely optional and anonymous. Topics included etiology of eating disorders, knowledge of the physical effects of eating disorders, attitudes towards treating patients with eating disorders, and knowledge of treatment options and procedures for eating disorders. There was no difference between schools in students' knowledge and attitudes except for the belief in the likelihood of anorexia nervosa to be fatal and the number of practitioners to which students would refer a client with an eating disorder. Significant differences were found between students who suspected and/or had been diagnosed with an eating disorder compared to those who had not. Those who had been diagnosed with or suspected they had an eating disorder were more knowledgeable about anorexia and bulimia nervosa, felt eating disorders were harder to treat, and felt that individuals who develop eating disorders were less in control of the disease. While undergraduate Didactic Programs in Dietetics (DPD) students in Colorado appear somewhat knowledgeable about anorexia and bulimia nervosa, they know less about binge eating disorder. It is recommended that DPD programs make time for at least a brief overview of EDs in appropriate classes, such as medical nutrition therapy or lifecycle nutrition, to better prepare students for encountering patients with EDs during their careers. This instruction should not only cover the physical signs, symptoms, and treatment options for EDs but also the psychological aspects of the disorders.
Open Access
Long-term care residents: the relationship between perceived justice and quality of life, satisfaction with staff, and psychological sense of community
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Brescian, Natalie E., author; Vacha-Haase, Tammi, advisor; Rickard, Kathryn, committee member; Swaim, Randall, committee member; McGrew, John, committee member
The present study explored the relationship among justice perceptions and mental health-related quality of life (QOL), satisfaction with long-term care (LTC) facility staff, and psychological sense of community (PSOC) in LTC residents. The study was exploratory in nature because it examined the experience of living in LTC based on a new framework. One-hundred and seven participants completed a survey containing items measuring justice, PSOC, satisfaction with staff and QOL. Data was analyzed using correlational and hierarchical regression analyses. Results indicated that the three types of justice (interactional, procedural, and distributive) demonstrated positive correlations with mental-health related QOL, satisfaction with staff, and PSOC. Additionally, two separate hierarchical regression analyses revealed that the relationship between justice and satisfaction with staff, and PSOC were significant after controlling for functional status and physical health-related QOL. Physical health-related QOL emerged as the only predictor of mental health-related QOL. Implications for LTC residents and directions for future research are discussed.
Open Access
Moderators of efficacy for a computer-assisted career guidance system (CACGS) intervention
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) McLaren, Molly Rae, author; Dik, Bryan, advisor; Kraiger, Kurt, committee member; Feller, Richard, committee member; Rickard, Kathryn, committee member
Research investigating career intervention efficacy has inadequately investigated the identification of important client factors which might moderate the effects of various career interventions. The current study had two aims. First it examined the efficacy of a newly developed Computer-Assisted Career Guidance System (CACGS) used alone, and the same CACGS used in conjunction with a structured workshop intervention, as compared to a business-as-usual control group. Secondly, this study also investigated moderators for the efficacy of these career interventions (i.e., gender, minority status, SES, cognitive/emotional disability status, career locus of control, career decision-making readiness, and career needs). Using a sample of 609 students from community colleges and a four-year university, main effects indicated that the CACGS plus workshop condition was effective in improving career decision-making self-efficacy, and outcome expectations strivings, as well as reducing career decision-making difficulties. Results from moderator analyses suggest that SES significantly moderated the relationship between treatment condition and career decision-making self-efficacy such that participants reporting lower levels of SES benefited more from the CACGS plus workshop condition. Career needs were also found to be a significant moderator for the relationship between treatment condition and the following outcomes: career decision-making difficulties and academic major satisfaction. The interaction was such that participants reporting career needs congruent with the aims of the intervention had reduced decision-making difficulties and increased academic major satisfaction as compared with participants reporting incongruent career needs. No other significant moderator effects were found. Consistent with past research, results of this study suggest that CACGS interventions may be more effective when paired with a face-to-face intervention component. The results also suggest that the efficacy of career interventions may not vary meaningfully across a range of different populations. Socioeconomic status and types of career needs may tend to be a significant client factors to consider in terms of career intervention efficacy. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are offered.
Open Access
Posttraumatic growth and suicide risk in college students according to trauma type: a failure to replicate
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Sheline, Kelly T., author; Rosén, Lee A., advisor; Swaim, Randall C., committee member; Rickard, Kathryn, committee member; Biringen, Zeynep, committee member
While numerous studies have demonstrated that different types of traumatic life events predict differences in PTSD symptoms, there is a lack of research examining if posttraumatic growth also varies based on trauma type. This study investigated both positive posttrauma changes as measured by the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI; Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996) and negative changes as measured by suicide risk and suicidal ideation and behavior in 335 college student survivors of three distinct traumatic event types: bereavement, chronic or acute illness, and accidental injury. The results showed that there was not a statistically significant difference in the total PTGI score or the PTGI subscale scores for the three trauma groups. There was not a significant difference between traumatic events on suicide risk and suicidal ideation and behavior. Posttraumatic growth did not moderate the relationship between type of trauma and suicide risk. Several plausible explanations for these results are explored in the discussion, including the role of event centrality and homogeneity of the sample.
Open Access
Prediction of exercise adherence with goal orientations and motivational climate
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Ricciardi, Antonio Adrian, author; Butki, Brian, advisor; Lipsey, Tiffany, committee member; Rickard, Kathryn, committee member
Decreasing physical activity levels across the nation have aided in the rise of obesity. One reason for this decline in activity is the lack of adherence to exercise programs. Psychological factors such as goal orientations and motivational climates may provide insight into the adherence of exercise. The collegiate population (18-25 years old) at the campus of Colorado State University was sampled in the present study. Individual goal orientations of the subjects were measured using the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (TEOSQ). Participants were categorized by their individual goal orientations, high task/high ego, high task/low ego, or low task/high ego. Subjects were randomly placed into two groups where they underwent a six-week exercise program with varying motivational climates. The number of attended sessions was greater in the Task/Mastery (T/M) climate compared to the Ego/Performance (E/P) climate (8.84 ± 2.48 to 6.16 ± 2.52, respectively), while the number of missed sessions following exposure to the environment was lesser in the T/M climate, comparatively (3.00 ± 2.43 to 5.53 ± 2.44). Further, task orientation scores were positively correlated with attendance and negatively correlated with missed sessions. Ego orientation scores were in direct contrast revealing negative correlation with attendance and positive correlation with missed sessions. Additionally, individuals with high task/low ego orientation had better adherence outcomes and were the most motivationally adapted group. Lastly, ego scores increased in the E/P climate (3.29 ± 0.92 to 3.7 ± 1.1), while they decreased in the T/M climate (3.33 ± 0.76 to 2.97 ± 0.82). These data provide a greater understanding of the relationship between not only motivational climates and exercise adherence, but also between goal orientations and motivational climates. Task-oriented individuals inherently adhere to exercise programs more easily regardless of the motivational climate compared to ego-oriented individuals. Also, it has become clear that a T/M climate improves exercise adherence outcomes regardless of individual goal orientation based on the finding that dispositional orientations might be altered by the climate provided.
Open Access
Psychologist trainee clinical judgments of older adult clients
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Graham, Kirsten L., author; Vacha-Haase, Tammi, advisor; Rickard, Kathryn, committee member; Byrne, Zinta, committee member; Fruhauf, Christine, committee member
With the steady growth of the population of older adults in the U.S., there is an ever-growing need to prepare more mental healthcare providers to work with older adult clients. However, decades of research indicate that clinicians may hold clinical biases toward older adults. The present study sought to explore current doctoral trainee clinical judgments of older adult clients. Results indicated that trainees rated themselves as less competent working with older clients than compared to younger clients. A positive relationship was also found between attitudes and trainees' perception of an older adult client's ability to form a therapeutic relationship. Additionally, increased training in aging-related topics was correlated with more positive attitudes toward older adult clients. Trainees' reports indicate a need for training programs and agencies to develop an emphasis on working with older adult clients in order to meet the mental health needs of this growing population.
Open Access
Randomized trial of a narrative career intervention on college student calling and career development
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Dale, Kaitlyn A., author; Dik, Bryan J., advisor; Prince, Mark, committee member; Davalos, Deana, committee member; Rickard, Kathryn, committee member; Pela-Shuster, Jackie, committee member
"Who am I?" and "What is my purpose?" are questions salient of emerging adulthood; a stage characterized by active self-exploration and reflection (Arnett, 2016). Autobiographical narrative reflection is a mechanism by which individuals develop greater continuity and clarity of self (Habermas & Bluck, 2000; McAdams, 2001). Recent career development theories apply this lens, emphasizing the importance of developing and maintaining a sense of vocational identity useful in navigating career transitions (Savickas, 2005). Consistent with these models, the concept of calling (i.e., a transcendent summons toward purposeful work that serves the greater good) offers a pathway through which individuals can connect their career lives with their deepest values and goals (Dik & Duffy, 2009). Although numerous studies have linked calling to positive career and wellbeing outcomes, research on calling interventions is sparse. The present study aims to address this gap in the research literature by experimentally testing a calling-infused narrative career intervention with the intention of boosting participant's career calling and career development. This study also introduces a new mechanism for engaging in narrative meaning-making processes: peer-to-peer storytelling. Using a randomized control trial (RCT) design, this study compared the effectiveness of a writing intervention to a peer-sharing intervention with the intention of increasing participants' career exploration, career adaptability, search and presence of calling, and search and presence of meaning. Potential moderators of these effects including participant gender and perceived authenticity were examined. While many results were non-significant due to insufficient statistical power, several small to medium effect sizes were identified. Compared to the control condition, presence of calling increased in both experimental conditions. When search for calling was examined as an outcome variable, a significant interaction occurred; participants in the writing condition reported decreased search for calling and participants in the peer sharing condition reported increased search for calling. Results provide initial support that engaging in narrative reflection to foster a sense of calling is useful for promoting college student career development. Limitations and future directions are discussed.
Open Access
Resource utilization of an LGBT university resource center and prospective barriers
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Sokolowski, Elizabeth, author; Chavez, Ernest, advisor; Rickard, Kathryn, committee member; Carlson, Laurie, committee member
The microclimate of an LGBT resource center was examined for its overall use of services and potential barriers to use. The responses of 38 LGBT students in 2011 and 30 LGBT students in 2015, all from one university, were examined to determine if the overall use of services provided by the LGBT resource center changed across time and whether overall awareness of services, the microclimate atmosphere at the resource center, and the name of the resource center acted as barriers to use. Overall use of services significantly decreased from 2011 to 2015, and awareness was the only significant barrier related to overall use of services. An analysis of the relationship of identities (e.g., sex, gender, sexual orientation, and ethnicity) to overall use and the barriers to use found that sex and sexual orientation were significantly related to perception of microclimate atmosphere within the resource center.
Open Access
Risk and resilience: the role of physical activity and related factors in adult psychological functioning after exposure to childhood maltreatment
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Nolen, Julian P., author; Rosén, Lee A., advisor; Butki, Brian, committee member; Davalos, Deana, committee member; Rickard, Kathryn, committee member
Across decades of research, exposure to severe childhood maltreatment has repeatedly been identified as one of the most potentially-damaging life events suffered by a considerable number of children worldwide. Yet while many of those exposed to such events experience chronic and debilitating symptoms of their early traumas, others actually demonstrate notable resilience to these experiences – often transitioning into adulthood with remarkably few scars to mark their early trials. As a result of this phenomenon, recent research has increasingly focused on identifying the traits facilitating such resilience amongst those who have it, as well as those factors contributing to increased risk amongst those who do not. In the present study, participant gender, engagement in physical activity, and the intensity of such activity were evaluated as potential factors influencing adult psychological functioning in college students exposed to childhood abuse and neglect. In particular, the focus of this investigation was on how these factors might interact in moderating the relationship between childhood maltreatment and later psychological health. Among a sample of 584 undergraduate college students, the results of these multiple regression analyses indicated that engagement in hard (e.g., aerobic) physical activity uniquely moderated the relationship between childhood abuse and psychological functioning among both male and female participants. Among women, increases in physical activity were associated with greater sensitivity to the negative influence of childhood abuse. In contrast, male participants actually demonstrated greater resilience to such abuse at higher levels of activity.
Open Access
Surfaces of growth and decay, beauty and repulsion: addressing the abject and the sublime through drawings of the natural world
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Scheck, Naomi, author; Kokoska, Mary-Ann, advisor; Lehene, Marius, committee member; Ryan, Ajean, committee member; Moseman, Eleanor, committee member; Harrow, Del, committee member; Rickard, Kathryn, committee member
My artwork has largely been influenced by my understanding of the natural world as being in constant flux. Through my drawings I explore natural life processes that are both beautiful and destructive, addressing growth and decay. I seek to present a visual and sensory experience that generates emotions of awe and imagination, but also challenges and confronts idealized views about life and natural processes. My intentions are similar with those of abjection, which occurs when that which is normally ignored, unacknowledged, or uncomfortable is exposed. I work with tensions between beauty and ugliness in my artworks in order to address these ideas. My drawings work on a microscopic and macroscopic scale, which addresses relationships between intimacy and distance. I work with fine detail on large pieces of paper, so the drawings are viewed both from up close and from afar. At a distance the drawings look like organic formations or topographies, but up close, the detail and volume of marks become prominent. Obsessive accumulation is also important; the multitude of various marks cannot be counted or comprehended, which references the notion of the sublime. The various elements of the drawings work together to create the feeling of an amorphous entity in the midst of uncertainty and change.
Open Access
The development and validation of a measure of disengagement
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Manning, Steven G., author; Byrne, Zinta, advisor; Fisher, Gwenith, committee member; Ganster, Dan, committee member; Rickard, Kathryn, committee member
Even though no measure of disengagement exists, researchers and practitioners have claimed to identify employees who are disengaged using measures that assess satisfaction, engagement, or burnout. This study outlines the development and initial validation of a theoretically-based measure of employee disengagement. Consistent with theory, the measure is composed of affective, physical, and cognitive factors. Data from 709 participants collected through Amazon‟s crowdsourcing tool, Mechanical Turk (MTurk), show that disengagement is distinct from, but moderately related to engagement, burnout, and withdrawal. Consistent with theory, low levels of the psychological conditions of psychological meaningfulness, safety, and availability predicted higher level of disengagement. Additionally, high levels of psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability predicted high levels of engagement. The new measure of disengagement developed in this study may help researchers develop a more accurate understanding of disengaged employees.
Open Access
The experience of career change driven by a sense of calling: an interpretive phenomenological analysis approach
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Ahn, Jina, author; Dik, Bryan J., advisor; Rickard, Kathryn, committee member; Fisher, Gwen, committee member; Eakman, Aaron M., committee member
The present study used a qualitative methodology to examine how a sense of calling is related to the career change process. Interviews were conducted with eight career changers who perceived their career transition as a way to fulfill a calling. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), eight categories were elicited: prior to career change, pre-transition period, process of discerning a calling, definition of calling, challenges of pursuing a calling-infused career, ways of dealing with challenges, impact of a calling-infused career change, and unique aspects of a calling-infused career change. Generally, interviewees were satisfied with their calling-infused career transitions and reported greater levels of well-being in the area of work and personal life. In-depth self-exploration and making meaning from challenging experiences were addressed as a way to discern a calling. Interviewees defined calling as a source of fulfillment, a way to serve the greater good at work, a spiritual conviction that one is doing what one is meant to do, and a part of one’s identity. As unique characteristics of calling-infused career change, interviewees indicated that their career changes happened with altruistic motives and in the pursuit of intrinsic rewards. Interviewees also reported feeling blessed to be able to live out their calling and viewed pursuing a calling as an ongoing process.
Open Access
The role of physical activity in resilience to psychological trauma
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Nolen, Julian P., author; Rosén, Lee A., advisor; Butki, Brian, committee member; Davalos, Deana, committee member; Rickard, Kathryn, committee member
Existing research indicates that exposure to psychological trauma can negatively impact individual mental health among a broad variety of domains. Additionally, although many victims are resilient to the psychological consequences of such trauma, those who do suffer from trauma-related pathology are often resistant to benefits associated with existing treatment. Because of its well-established associations with general mental health and positive impacts on many of the domains damaged by psychological trauma, exercise was examined as a possible moderator of the relationship between trauma exposure and adult mental health. Among a sample of 587 undergraduate college students, the results of multiple regression analysis indicated that psychological flourishing was moderated by the interaction between physical exercise and number of traumatic events, as well as by physical exercise and childhood maltreatment. In both models, the overall positive association between exercise and flourishing was gradually attenuated at higher levels of trauma. In the traumatic events model, greater trauma exposure predicted higher flourishing scores at low levels of exercise, but lower flourishing scores at high levels of exercise. In contrast, childhood maltreatment was consistently associated with lower flourishing scores, regardless of exercise participation. These results have a number of implications for future research and intervention, which are explored in the discussion section.