Browsing by Subject "Sense of coherence"
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Item Examining the development of sense of coherence in LGB college students population and its relationship with protecting against distress and suicidality(2014-12) Spear, Benjamin Ivan; Drum, David J.In 1946 the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that in order to promote overall health in a given population, it is necessary to identify factors that contribute to health and well-being, and not to solely focus on methods to reduce vulnerability to distress. Over 50 years later the WHO (2006) identified the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) community as a specific sub-population that requires particular investment in finding ways to reduce their observed higher rates of distress and suicidality. During this same half-century, U.S. colleges and universities transitioned from being fundamentally mono-cultural student bodies to becoming more multicultural in nature. In essence, each college’s student body is now a population of populations. One prominent population among the larger student body is the LGBTQ college student community. Furthermore, the LGB portion of this college sub-population has been identified as an under-researched subset of the larger LGBTQ population (Russell et al., 2011). This is because past research has been limited by drawing primarily upon non-college adolescent LGBTQ samples and has over generalized its findings by the inclusion of the Transgender and Questioning populations, which have been observed to report even higher rates of distress and suicidality than the LGB community (Clements-Nolle et al. 2006; Goldblum et al. 2012). This study is designed to refine our understanding of the LGB college sub-population by first examining if trends of increased acquired vulnerability for distress and suicidality found in studies of the adolescent LGBTQ population (Garofalo, Wolf, Kessel, Palfrey, & DuRant, 1998; Russell & Toomey, 2010; Haas et al., 2011; King et al., 2008) also exist in the LGB college sub-population. Second, in line with the World Health Organization’s goal of identifying protective qualities capable of enhancing and preserving one’s state of well-being and resilience, this study will be the first to examine if Sense of Coherence (SOC) serves as a moderating factor on LGB college students’ vulnerability to distress and suicidality, and thereby, contributes to overall well-being and health. Through this study, we hope to achieve a better understanding of LGB students’ vulnerability to distress and suicidality during the college years, as well as to examine the applicability of the SOC construct for health promoting interventions in the college population.Item Examining the development of sense of coherence in the LGB college student population and its relationship with protecting against distress and suicidality(2017-09-14) Spear, Benjamin Ivan; Ainslie, Ricardo C.; Drum, David; McCarthy, Chris; De Luca, Susan; Brownson, ChrisPast research has shown LGBTQ adolescents are at higher risk to experience distress and suicidal ideation, compared to their heterosexual peers (Haas et al., 2011, Marshal et al., 2011). However little research has specifically examined how the cisgender LGB college population experiences suicidality, or how this populations ‘sense of self’ may be related to experiences of suicidality while in the college environment. Using a national sampling of college students, this study found that members of the cisgender LGB college population experience increased risk for distress and suicidalty compared to their cisgender heterosexual peers. This study also found that the protective sense of self factor Sense of Coherence, was lower among the cisgender LGB college population, and that the cisgender LGB population was entering the college environment having experienced a higher rate of negative early life experiences which were correlated with an increased risk for developing future distress and suicidality, compared to their cisgender heterosexual peers. These results add to our understanding of the rates of suicidal distress and suicidaltity in the cisgender LGB college population, as well as help identity possible new area for future clinical intervention.Item Towards a better understanding of the protective nature of sense of coherence : the relationship between sense of coherence, shame, and suicidality(2016-05) Boynton, Ashley Ellen; Drum, David J.; Rochlen, AaronThe proposed study examines the relationship between sense of coherence (SOC), internalized shame, and distress and suicidality in college students. The proposed study consists of an online survey, which will be distributed to 200 undergraduate students at the University of Texas at Austin. The proposed survey will measure students’ SOC, internalized shame, and distress and suicidality scores in response to a prompt that asks students to recall an experience in which they fell short of an important standard. It is hypothesized that a negative relationship between SOC and suicidality will be observed, and that internalized shame will mediate the relationship between SOC and suicidality. Potential implications for further research, implications for interventions on college campuses, and limitations of the proposed study are discussed.Item Using sense of coherence to understand suicidality among American Indian and Alaska Native college students(2019-07-05) Christman, Sarah Kathleen; Sanchez, Delida; Drum, David J.; Brownson, Christopher; Ainslie, Ricardo; Bost, JaneThe American Indian (AI) and Alaska Native (AN) young adult population consistently experiences the highest suicide rate of all ethnic groups in the United States. Unlike other groups, whose suicide rates peak in middle age, suicide among AI/ANs is most common among college-aged individuals. Previous research focusing on suicide among AI/AN populations is limited in its scope and has focused almost exclusively on reservation-based individuals, despite that the vast majority of AI/ANs now live in urban areas. Examining the experience of suicidality among urban AI/AN young people may contribute to a developed understanding of how to prevent suicide among this unique and unstudied population. As such, this dissertation sought to address the gaps in current knowledge of factors that influence suicidality among urban AI/AN college students. Using multiple linear regression analyses, the current study explored the prevalence of distress and suicidality among this group, as well as the prevalence and importance of common suicide risk factors. Additionally, the protective nature of certain malleable psychological factors, including sense of coherence and mental health, was examined. Results indicated that AI/AN participants had significantly higher rates of distress and suicidality as compared to participants of other races. Additionally, it was found that childhood exposure to familial stressors and abuse were important predictors of distress and suicidality and that similar racial disparities in such exposure exist among urban AI/ANs as is true for reservation-based populations. Sense of coherence and mental health were also strong predictors of distress and suicidality but were unable to buffer against the risk that one acquires through increased exposure to adversity. The current study provides important directions for future research as well as implications for suicide prevention among urban AI/ANs that capitalize on the strength and resilience of this population.