Browsing by Subject "social support"
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Item Are There Age-Related Differences in Couples’ Support Exchanges?(2023-12) Floyd, CorinneSocial support is a necessary component of living a fulfilling life, and we often rely on our romantic partners as a primary source of support. However, a number of factors can hinder the provider’s ability to deliver support in a way that conveys caring and understanding to the recipient. Drawing from theories of aging, which suggest that older adults are more skilled than younger adults in using cognitive and behavioral strategies that promote positive interpersonal interactions, the current study aims to examine whether the emotional wisdom associated with aging may be linked to the quality of couples’ support exchanges. Married and newly dating couples (N = 282 couples) of varying ages engaged in two videotaped support discussions and completed post-discussion questionnaires. When examining partners’ observed support provision behaviors, no significant age effects emerged. Likewise, age was not a robust predictor of partners’ appraisals of their support interactions. However, relationship satisfaction was generally associated with more positive behaviors and appraisals across all ages. These findings suggest that older may not necessarily be wiser within romantic relationships. Rather, the quality of the relationship itself may be a more important context for understanding support behaviors and appraisals.Item Co(O)Ping: Mental Health In Cooperative Living Communities(2019-05-01) Ilski, Aleksaundra; Carlson, CarynThe import role of human interaction and social support on well-being and mental health has been researched extensively. There are numerous recorded health benefits to social support and social networks as well as negative health effects for socially isolated individuals. Unfortunately, studies have found increased levels of social isolation over the last few decades. One potential solution to this problem may be found in the cooperative housing movement. In cooperative housing, members share common spaces and responsibilities to provide meals for each other. In order to explore this idea on a more individualized level, a documentary was made to tell the stories of co-op members. The documentary was supplemented with quantitative data in the form of a psychology research study. This study seeks to explore the relationship between cooperative living and mental health, and whether there are any factors that might predict better success for an individual in the cooperative setting. Co-op members were recruited to participate in recorded interviews and asked to complete a short survey. Results showed that people who used the co-op as a form of social support felt the co-op had a positive effect on their mental health.Item Effects of Patient-Physician Relationships on Breast Cancer Survivorship(2024-05-01) Reichstein, MarisaBreast cancer refers to a group of diseases that affect breast tissue, typically resulting from an uncontrolled growth of breast cells. Though men and women can get breast cancer, it continues to be the second leading cause of death for women. The diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer pose threats to psychosocial issues that impact the quality-of-life responses of women. Prior research indicates that effective patient-physician relationships can improve patient healthrelated quality of life, decision-making, treatment adherence, and survivorship outcomes. Furthermore, understanding barriers to physician trust in non-culturally congruent patients can reveal potential interventions to improve health equity and survivorship outcomes across all demographics. These barriers can include access to treatment, loss of patient autonomy, and communication and language differences. Implementing effective health communication and multidisciplinary care, including social workers, primary physicians, and psychologists (in addition to primary oncologists), can pose a solution to combat patient struggles. This thesis analyzes several frameworks for improving health communication and patient-physician relationships in breast cancer oncology, as well as real-world examples of said practices as presented by a panel of physician-interviewees from the field.Item Examining Associations between Parental and Peer Social Support and Positive Health Behaviors in Adolescents(2018-05-15) Haidar, Amier; Hoelscher, DeannaParental and peer support has been shown to have an influence on adolescent dietary and physical activity behaviors. However, these associations have not been fully elucidated in multi-ethnic populations in early and late adolescence, and few studies have examined parental/peer support in school-based interventions that include a parental component in adolescent populations. The objective of this article is to present the results of two studies that examine the relationships between parental and peer support and adolescent diet and physical activity behaviors. The aim of the first study was to investigate associations between parental/peer social support, and adolescent’s physical activity and dietary behaviors, utilizing the School Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) survey data, collected from 8th and 11th graders in 2009-2011. The SPAN survey is a cross-sectional statewide probability-based survey, used to assess obesity-related behaviors. Results from this study revealed that parental and peer support is associated with healthier dietary and physical activity behaviors in adolescents. The objective of the second study was to understand the dietary, physical activity, and weight-related effects of a school-based intervention with a parental support component on adolescents using the CATCH Middle School Project. The CATCH Middle School Project is a school-based health program to promote obesity prevention and related behaviors (diet, physical activity) among middle school 8th grade students living in central Texas. A group-randomized serial cross-sectional design was used to evaluate the effect of three program conditions. Adolescents in the intervention condition with a parental support component experienced the greatest significant increases in fruit, vegetable, and water consumption, as well as reporting an increase in overall support from parents. Data from these studies show: (1) parental/peer support is associated with healthier obesity-related behaviors, and (2) including parents in a school-based intervention program was shown to increase the healthfulness of adolescents’ diets. Future research should focus on strategies to increase parental/peer support for healthy eating and physical activity behaviors that could potentially be integrated into school health programs for adolescents.Item The Theory Behind Camp Kesem: An In-Depth Look at How Summer Camp Programming Has Lasting Impacts on Children Affected by a Parent's Cancer(2020-05) Iverson, JulianaCamp Kesem is a national nonprofit dedicated to helping children through and beyond a parent's cancer. Children who have a parent with cancer face a multitude of difficulties and risks for adverse mental health affects. Four mediators were identified through previous research that are likely to help reduce the risks children with a parent with cancer face. Increases in self-esteem, coping skills, social support, and sense of community have all been linked to an increased likelihood of improving the mental health of individuals in stressful circumstances. There are established and researched intervention programs that are likely to increase these four mediators. The similarities of these researched intervention programs and Camp Kesem camp programming are explored to describe why Camp Kesem theoretically should increase these mediators in the children it serves. A survey for the counselors of Camp Kesem UT Austin was created to quanitatively and qualitatively assess if Camp Kesem does increase the four mediators of interest. Due to study limitations caused by COVID-19, the only mediator that could be unequivically show as probable as increasing was sense of community. Future research should be conducted in regard to the other three mediators and in the populations of the parents and campers that Camp Kesem serves.