Browsing by Author "Richardson, Angela Lynn"
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Item Self-Esteem Versus Mastery: Unique Effects on Psychological and Social Well-Being and Depression in a Sexually Diverse Sample(2020-05) Richardson, Angela Lynn; Gallagher, Matthew W.; Zvolensky, Michael J.; Smith, Nathan GrantSexual minorities are often impacted by sources of stress not experienced by individuals in a majority group. Thus, sexual minorities are likely to experience higher levels of depressive symptoms than their heterosexual counterparts. Mastery and self-esteem are two psychological resources related to one’s self-perception and are associated with greater well-being and lower levels of psychopathology. The current study used data from the Stress, Identity, and Mental Health Study to explore 1) differences in levels of mastery, self-esteem, psychological and social well-being, and depression in homosexual, bisexual, queer, other non-heterosexual and heterosexual individuals, 2) the magnitude of the separate effects of mastery and self-esteem on psychological well-being, social well-being, and depression in a sexual minority sample, and 3) the magnitude of the unique effects of mastery and self-esteem on psychological well-being, social well-being, and depression when analyzed simultaneously in a sexual minority sample. Levels of depression and self-esteem did not differ among sexual orientation groups (confidence intervals included zero). Levels of social well-being (d = 0.50) and mastery (d=0.31) were higher in heterosexual individuals compared to bisexual individuals. Self-esteem and mastery predicted well-being and depression both when examined separately and together in the same model, but self-esteem was consistently a stronger predictor of outcomes. Self-esteem appears to be more useful in protecting against mental illness and maintaining well-being in sexual minority individuals.Item The Longitudinal Impact of Gratitude and Hope on PTSD and Well-Being in U.S. Armed Forces Veterans(2023-12) Richardson, Angela Lynn; Gallagher, Matthew W.; Zvolensky, Michael J.; Ng, Vincent L.; Bistricky, Steven L.United States (U.S.) Armed Forces veterans face stressors that are unique to their military experience. Combat and military sexual trauma are two common stressors that can lead to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although base rates of PTSD diagnoses in veterans are higher compared to other populations, most veterans who report experiencing military-related stressors do not develop PTSD. The absence of PTSD is indicative of underlying factors that protect veterans’ overall state of mental health. Two factors shown to promote well-being and predict lower levels of PTSD are gratitude and hope. There has yet to be an exploration of both related, yet distinct sources of resilience in veterans. The present study is a longitudinal examination of the unique effects of hope and gratitude on well-being and PTSD in veterans. Data were collected from a longitudinal study targeting U.S. veterans (n=218) across three waves using the crowdsourcing website Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). The current study used six latent cross-lagged panel models to examine separate relationships between one source of resilience (hope or gratitude) and one mental health outcome (well-being or PTSD) as well as the unique effects of hope and gratitude and each mental health outcome. Results demonstrated a bidirectional relationship between gratitude and PTSD during the first two waves. Small cross-lagged associations between hope and PTSD were also found. Both hope and gratitude at wave 2 were positively predicted by well-being and in turn, promoted even greater levels of well-being at wave 3. When placed in the same model, hope at wave 1 predicted greater PTSD at wave 2 whereas initial gratitude predicted lower PTSD at wave 2, which appeared to promote reduction in gratitude at the last wave. Findings suggest that PTSD and gratitude influence each other over time and hope and gratitude appear to broaden and build upon well-being. This study provides support for the separate and unique roles that gratitude and hope may have in reducing PTSD symptoms and increasing overall well-being in a military-connected population.