Senior Honors Theses
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This collection gathers theses produced by students in the UH Honors College
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Browsing Senior Honors Theses by Subject "Adolescents"
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Item Antisocial Traits and Risky Sexual Behavior In Inpatient Adolescents(2021-04) Pearson, CarolineIntroduction: Risky sexual behavior (RSB) during adolescence increases risk for sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDs, and teenage pregnancy. Youth with externalizing disorders are more likely to engage in RSB, and antisocial traits in adolescence may be particularly relevant to RSB. It is still not clear which specific antisocial traits are most relevant to RSB and RSB attitudes, or how gender influences RSB and RSB attitudes in adolescence. The present study examined RSB and RSB attitudes, and their relationship with gender among inpatient adolescents with antisocial traits. Methods: 128 female and 52 male (N=180) inpatient adolescents ranging from 12 to 17 years of age (M = 5.28, SD = 1.41) completed self-report measures of antisocial features, RSB, and RSB attitudes. Pearson’s correlations, followed up with multiple linear regressions, were used to examine relations between antisocial features, adolescent age, RSB and RSB attitudes. Results: Results indicated no gender differences in RSB; however, significant gender differences in RSB attitudes were found. All antisocial facets, with the exception of stimulus seeking, were not related to RSB. Most antisocial facets were found to be related to RSB attitudes, most significantly antisocial behavior. Age at admission was the variable most significantly related to RSB and RSB attitudes. Conclusions: Results suggest that for inpatient adolescents, antisocial features may not be related to engagement in RSB; however, the presence of riskier attitudes may affect future engagement in RSB among adolescent males with antisocial traits later in life and therefore present important preventative targets.Item Dating Violence and Peer Conflict In Adolescents With and Without Borderline Personality Disorder(2020-10) Asim, NabeehaBackground: A hallmark feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is unstable interpersonal relationships. Adolescents with BPD may be more likely to experience teen dating violence (TDV) and peer conflict. Yet, there is little research studying TDV and peer conflict in the context of BPD. The overall aim of this study was to examine whether adolescents with BPD or BPD features report higher levels of TDV and peer conflict. Method: The sample included 235 inpatient adolescents with BPD, 417 non-BPD psychiatric inpatient adolescents, and 441 healthy adolescents. Self-report measures of BPD features, TDV, and peer conflict were completed by the three groups of adolescents. A semi-structured BPD interview was conducted across the two inpatient groups. Results: While controlling for relevant demographic variables, results revealed that TDV victimization, perpetration and all forms and functions of peer conflict had a significant association with borderline features. Furthermore, the BPD group had higher levels of TDV victimization and reactive overt aggression than the psychiatric controls and healthy controls, even after controlling for relevant demographic variables. There were no significant differences between BPD and control groups in TDV perpetration and other forms and functions of peer conflict. Conclusions: Findings suggest that TDV and peer conflict are important correlates for BPD pathology. TDV and peer conflict ought to be considered for early prevention and treatment of BPD.Item Distress Tolerance, PTSD symptoms, and Suicidal Ideation among Trauma-Exposed Inpatient Adolescents(2019-05) Barger, KatyObjective: The present investigation examined the moderating role of behaviorally-indexed distress tolerance (DT; operationalized herein as persistence in a cognitively demanding serial addition task) in the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity and suicidal ideation in a sample of trauma-exposed inpatient adolescents. It was hypothesized that the relation between PTSD symptoms and suicide ideation would be positive among those with high (vs. low) behaviorally-indexed DT. Method: The sample included 50 adolescents ages 12-17 years (52.0% female; Mage = 15.1 years, SD = 0.51, range = 12 - 17 years) with exposure to at least one traumatic event. Participants completed measures of PTSD symptom severity, health-risk behaviors, DT, and depressive symptomatology. Results: Adolescents who endorsed a history of suicidal ideation reported significantly greater PTSD symptoms (M = 19.76, SD = 12.47) compared to adolescents who denied suicidal ideation (M = 9.24, SD = 9.16), t = -3.44, p = .001. Although moderation analyses yielded a nonsignificant interaction, visual inspection and statistical analyses of the simple slopes revealed a trending conditional effect of DT on the relationship between PTSD and suicidal ideation, such that the relation was positive at high and moderate levels of DT (ps = .06). Conclusions: Findings revealed a positive relationship between PTSD and suicidal ideation at moderate and high levels of DT; however, statistical significance was not achieved. Replication with a larger sample is needed. The findings emphasize the need for early intervention focused on use of appropriate ways to regulate distress, especially among adolescents with high DT.Item Identifying Factors Associated With Physical Activity In Middle School Minority Girls(2020-12) Torres, JenniferThe obesity epidemic in the United States is an increasing public health concern that is affecting more children every day. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 23.5 million children and adolescents (aged 2-19) are categorized as overweight or obese. Engaging in regular physical activity is critical at a young age to decrease the risk of developing a chronic disease in adulthood. Minority children are disproportionately affected by the obesity epidemic due to behavioral and social factors. However, Hispanic girls have the second highest rate of obesity prevalence among minority girls. During adolescence Hispanic girls experience a decline in physical activity for reasons that have not been fully investigated. In this study, we investigated the differences in weight loss between Hispanic boys (n=36) and Hispanic girls (n=49) in a school-based obesity prevention intervention at YES Prep Charter School. In a randomized control trial, students that identified as Hispanic with a BMI ≥ 95th percentile, were placed in an escalated treatment program (Take CHARGE!). Treatment duration was 3 months and occurred during the participants’ PE class, five days a week for 45 minutes each day. We compared group differences on baseline using T-tests and chi-square. No differences were found between genders with respect to baseline demographic or anthropometric variables. The Hispanic boys demonstrated a significantly greater reduction in their zBMI when compared to girls (F = 6.72, p < .05), although post hoc analyses revealed that both boys and girls significantly reduced their zBMI at 6 months compared to baseline (t = 4.34, p = .001; t = 2.45, p = .032, respectively). This study demonstrates that Hispanic girls experience sex-specific barriers that impedes them from engaging in physical activity. There is a need for health promotion that isn’t only tailored to culture and age, but to gender as well in order to tackle the obesity epidemic.Item Specifcity of Insecure Attachment in Adolescents with BPD: Using a Group Comparison with Psychiatric and Healthy Controls(2021-05) Obi-Obasi, Onyinyechi I.BPD has been conceptualized by previous research as a disorder of insecure attachment. However, whether BPD features demonstrate a higher magnitude of insecure attachment over and above other psychiatric disorders has been largely uninvestigated. The present study used a three-group comparison (Inpatient with BPD, Inpatient without BPD, and Healthy control) to investigate the specificity of insecure attachment in BPD adolescents. Methods: Inpatient sample (n=521) & healthy control sample (n=294) ages 12-17 years completed measures of attachment security. Pearson’s correlations, independent t-test was carried out to determine variable relationships. Finally, hierarchical regression analyses were carried out to examine the incremental contribution of BPD symptoms, over and above internalizing and externalizing symptoms, in predicting attachment security Results: Results suggested that among adolescents ages 12-17 years old, BPD patients demonstrate significantly lower (less secure) scores on a measure of attachment security. BPD features show predictive power in relation to attachment security, over and above internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Conclusions: In summary, our results suggest that among adolescents ages 12-17 years old, BPD patients demonstrate significantly lower (less secure) scores on a measure of attachment security, and BPD features show predictive power in relation to attachment security, over and above internalizing and externalizing symptoms.Item The Relationship Between Anxiety Sensitivity and PTSD Symptom Severity Among Trauma-Exposed Inpatient Adolescents(2021-05) Amarneh, DaniaIntroduction: The present study examined the role of anxiety sensitivity in adolescent posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, above and beyond the effects of three well-established correlates for PTSD symptomatology in this population, specifically: anxiety, depression, and emotion dysregulation. The facets of anxiety sensitivity (i.e., disease concerns, unsteady concerns, mental incapacitation concerns, and social concerns) as contributors to PTSD symptom severity were also assessed. It was hypothesized that anxiety sensitivity would significantly explain variance in PTSD symptom severity above and beyond the effects of anxiety, depression, and emotion dysregulation. The disease concerns, mental incapacitation concerns, and unsteady concerns facets were expected to be the strongest predictors in this model. Methods: Adolescents recruited from a psychiatric inpatient hospital with a history of exposure to a potentially traumatic event (N = 50; 52% female; Mage = 15.06 years, SD = 1.41, range = 12 - 17; 44.0% White) completed a battery of self-report measures assessing anxiety and depressive symptoms, emotion dysregulation, anxiety sensitivity, and PTSD symptom severity. Results: The total anxiety sensitivity score did not account for a statistically significant amount of variance in PTSD symptoms above and beyond the effects of anxiety, depression, and emotion dysregulation. However, the facets of anxiety sensitivity had a statistically significant effect and accounted for an additional 10.8% of unique variance in PTSD symptoms (p = .015); the mental incapacitation concerns subscale was the only facet that emerged as a significant predictor of PTSD symptoms (b = 3.71, 95% CI [1.66, 5.77], sr2 = .10). Conclusion: The mental incapacitation concerns facet of anxiety sensitivity predicted PTSD symptom severity above and beyond other well-established risk factors among a sample of trauma-exposed psychiatric youth. These findings suggest that adolescent psychiatric inpatients may benefit from treatments targeting this cognitive risk factor.