Psychology

Author's Declaration of Originality I hereby certify that I am the sole author of this thesis and that no part of this thesis has been published or submitted for publication. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge, my thesis does not infringe upon anyone's copyright nor violate any proprietary rights and that any ideas, techniques, quotations, or any other material from the work of other people included in my thesis, published or otherwise, are fully acknowledged in accordance with the standard referencing practices. Furthermore, to the extent that I have included copyrighted material that surpasses the bounds of fair dealing within the meaning of the Canada Copyright Act, I certify that I have obtained a written permission from the copyright owner(s) to include such material(s) in my thesis and have included copies of such copyright clearances to my appendix. I declare that this is a true copy of my thesis, including any final revisions, as approved by my thesis committee and the Graduate Studies office, and that this thesis has not been submitted for a higher degree to any other University or Institution.

Introduction In order to facilitate our understanding of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients, it is critical to explore their subjective experiences with the disease. Research has suggested that current modes of assessing HRQoL (i.e., generic and disease-specific measures) may not fully represent all dimensions of patients’ HRQoL. The purpose of this study was to examine IBD patients’ subjective experiences of the daily impact of IBD, and categorize dimensions of their HRQoL affected by IBD, as identified by the patients themselves. Methods Two hundred and eighty-two patients with IBD provided answers to the qualitative question “How has IBD affected your daily activities?” A content analysis using NVivo 2.0 was conducted on the participants’ responses to this question to reveal dimensions of their HRQoL. Results The analysis yielded six dimensions and several subdimensions of HRQoL, including physical (systemic functioning, daily functioning, energy/vitality, pain), emotional, social, cognitive (functioning, attending to disease), self-regulation (taking control, loss of control, and neutral), and practical functioning. Discussion These results reflect previous findings, but also reveal several dimensions of HRQoL not included in current measures of HRQoL for IBD patients (i.e., cognitive, self-regulation, and practical). The implications of these findings for future measurement of HRQoL and research with IBD patients are discussed.

This paper is based on qualitative interviews undertaken with immigrant youth of African descent in Windsor, Ontario; it describes their sojourner lives across geographic borders and their final settlement in Windsor. The paper also offers narrations of the activities that enabled them to formulate friendships and the barriers and facilitators to the development of friendships across races. Critical findings reported in this paper reveal the ways that youth use resources in their travels to construct and negotiate their identities and to formulate new friendships. An important resource used by the majority of the youth was that of an imagined homeland, which consequently impacted on how they viewed and acted on the racial boundary critical in the formation of friendships in the Diaspora.

Victim impact statements (VIS) are testimonies that convey the emotional, physical, and financial harm that victims have suffered as the result of a crime. This study sheds light on this victims' experiences with the justice system, and consists of two studies designed to explore the impact of victim impact statements. Study 1 examined 1332 sentencing rulings to discover the relationship between VIS and sentencing. Overall, VIS do not contribute to longer custodial sentences. However, VIS are more likely to be submitted in cases where the crime is more severe. Study 2 of this thesis was a content analysis of 82 Canadian VIS. Overall, victims find the process of writing and submitting VIS to be retraumatizing and difficult. They most commonly discuss the longlasting emotional impacts of crime. These findings have implications for victims, victim service workers, legal professionals, and others in our justice system.

Objective: Victim impact statements (VISs) are testimonies that convey the emotional, physical, and financial harm that victims have suffered as the result of a crime. Although VISs are often presented to the court at sentencing, it is unclear whether they impact judicial decisions regarding sentencing. Hypotheses: We did not have any formal a priori hypothesis but instead examined five research questions. The first two explored whether the relationship between the victim and the offender, as well as the type of crime, was associated with differences in the likelihood of VIS submission. The following two explored whether the presence of a VIS was associated with differences in sentencing outcomes (incarceration, probation, ancillary orders, parole eligibility). The final research question explored whether the number of VISs and the delivery format (oral vs. written) was associated with differences in sentencing outcomes. Method: We coded and analyzed 1,332 sentencing rulings across Canada from 2016 to 2018 that included the phrase "impact statement." We coded for 87 variables, including information about the VIS, the victims and offenders, crime type, and sentencing outcomes. Results: Overall, VISs are more likely to be delivered in cases in which the crime is more severe. Once we controlled for the type of crime, sentencing outcomes were unrelated to the presence of VISs. Sentences were longer when VISs were delivered orally than in written format and when more than one statement was submitted. Conclusions: The relationship between VISs and sentencing outcomes is closely tied to several extralegal factors and should be investigated further. This research offers insight into the mechanics of victim evidence at sentencing. The findings of this study have implications for lawyers, researchers, judges, victims, offenders, and other stakeholders in our legal systems. Public Significance Statement In our study, we found that in cases where a victim impact statement was present, sentences were not always longer. Yet judges tended to impose longer sentences when more than one victim impact statement was submitted or when statements were read aloud in court. These findings might help crime victims decide whether and how to submit a statement.

Accurate measurement of sexual violence (SV) victimization is important for informing research, policy, and service provision. Measures such as the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES) that use behaviorally specific language and a specified reference period (e.g., since age 14, over the past 12 months) are considered best practice and have substantially improved SV estimates given that so few incidents are reported to police. However, to date, we know little about whether estimates are affected by respondents' reporting of incidents that occurred outside of the specified reference period (i.e., reference period errors). The current study explored the extent, nature, and impact on incidence estimates of reference period errors in two large, diverse samples of post-secondary students. Secondary analysis was conducted of data gathered using a follow-up date question after the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization. Between 8% and 68% of rape and attempted rape victims made reference period errors, with the highest proportion of errors occurring in the survey with the shortest reference period (1 month). These errors caused minor to moderate changes in time

Sexually transmitted infections, like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), present a serious health concern among young adults.  Despite the fact that, in the developed world, much of this population has access (online and otherwise) to a variety of sexual education programs designed to encourage safer sexual behaviour, these techniques are still inconsistently implemented in practise.  Reversal theory offers a unique perspective on the role of motivational state in sexual decision making.  The present study investigated the potential link between sexual arousal and paratelic/telic balance in 152 university students.  Telic/paratelic balance was manipulated through the use of sexually arousing stimuli. A strong link was found between paratelic state and sexual arousal such that, as sexual arousal increased, motivation correspondingly shifted toward a more paratelic state.  In concert with results from similar studies (Skakoon-Sparling, Shuper, & Cramer, 2013), these findings suggest that the paratelic state may indeed be associated with greater intentions toward risky sexual behaviour. 

Key Words: reversal theory, paratelic-telic, sexual risk taking, sexual arousal, motivation

Participants who seem familiar tend to be perceived as being low in HIV risk (Swann, Silvera, & Proske, 1995; Williams et al., 1992). However, for the most part, research on partner familiarity has been done using retrospective analyses of participants with existing partners, rather than examining reactions to hypothetical partners in matched familiar vs. unfamiliar hypothetical partner scenarios.

The current analysis sought to examine differences in how familiar vs. unfamiliar hypothetical partners were perceived by male and female participants.

Participants (N = 83, female = 53) were presented with eight scenarios describing romantic encounters with hypothetically familiar (e.g. a friend) or unfamiliar partners (e.g. a blind date). Participants then responded to a variety of items assessing their perceptions of the “riskiness” of the partner in each scenario (e.g. appeal as a sexual partner, trust, likelihood of contracting an STI, etc).

AUTHOR'S DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY I hereby certify that I am the sole author of this thesis and that no part of this thesis has been published or submitted for publication. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge, my thesis does not infringe upon anyone's copyright nor violate any proprietary rights and that any ideas, techniques, quotations, or any other material from the work of other people included in my thesis, published or otherwise, are fully acknowledged in accordance with the standard referencing practices. Furthermore, to the extent that I have included copyrighted material that surpasses the bounds of fair dealing within the meaning of the Canada Copyright Act, I certify that I have obtained a written permission from the copyright owner(s) to include such material(s) in my thesis and have included copies of such copyright clearances to my appendix. I declare that this is a true copy of my thesis, including any final revisions, as approved by my thesis committee and the Graduate Studies office, and that this thesis has not been submitted for a higher degree to any other University or Institution.

Sexually transmitted infections, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), present a serious health concern among young adults. Despite the fact that, in the developed world, much of this population has access (online and otherwise) to a variety of sexual education programs designed to encourage safer sexual behavior, these techniques are still inconsistently implemented in practice. Reversal theory offers a unique perspective on the role of motivational state in sexual decision making. The present study investigated the potential link between sexual arousal and paratelic/telic balance in 152 university students. Telic/paratelic balance was manipulated through the use of sexually arousing stimuli. A strong link was found between paratelic state and sexual arousal such that, as sexual arousal increased, motivation correspondingly shifted toward a more paratelic state. In concert with results from similar studies (Skakoon-Sparling, Shuper, & Cramer, 2013), these findings suggest that the paratelic state may indeed be associated with greater intentions toward risky sexual behavior.

Judgements of attractiveness have been shown to influence the character of social interactions. The present study sought to better understand the relationship between perceived attractiveness, perceived sexual health status and condom use intentions in a heterosexual male population. The study employed an electronic questionnaire to collect all data, during face-to-face sessions. 51 heterosexual, English-speaking men aged between 18 and 69 years. Men were asked to rate the attractiveness of 20 women on the basis of facial photographs, to estimate the likelihood that each woman had a sexually transmitted infection (STI) and to indicate their willingness to have sex with or without a condom with each woman. The more attractive a woman was judged to be on average, the more likely participants would be willing to have sex with her (p<0.0001) and the less likely they were to intend to use a condom during sex (p<0.0001). Multivariate analysis revealed that higher condom use intentio...

Parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder often report higher levels of depression, anxiety, and mental health–related issues. The combination of stressors and family adjustment difficulties can cause distress which may develop into a crisis. Understanding crisis in the family is important to mental health practice since it can serve as a guide in delivering service to at-risk families. This study investigated the subjective experience of crisis in 155 mothers of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Thematic analysis revealed that crisis is characterized by factors influencing four major areas: demands, internal capabilities, external resources, and subjective appraisal. Understanding what crisis means to families of individuals with autism spectrum disorder can help inform effective preventative and crisis services.

Parentification refers to the intergenerational role-reversal within a family wherein a child is assigned the adult caregiving role. Typically-developing siblings of individuals with developmental disabilities often experience increased caregiving responsibilities compared to their peers (Cuskelly & Gunn, 2003) and face unique challenges within their sibling relationship (Petalas et al., 2009), which may place them at a greater risk for parentification. The purpose of the current study was to compare parentification experiences, coping strategies, and social and behavioural adjustment between 30 siblings (age 17 to 25 years) of individuals with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and 179 siblings of individuals without disabilities. Contrary to predictions, no significant differences in parentification were found between the ADHD and control groups. Higher scores on the parentification variables were associated with distress for the control group, whereas only perceived unfairness was associated with higher levels of distress in the ADHD group. Socially supported coping moderated the relationship between parentification and distress, but only for the control group. ! v! ! ! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would not have been possible without the guidance of my committee members, and the support of my friends and family. I would like to express my gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Kim Babb, for her guidance through this process. I would also like to thank my thesis committee members for their discussion, ideas, and feedback. I am very grateful for my all my wonderful friends who helped me in their own, unique way. Special thanks to my friends back home for tirelessly cheering me on since day one, and freeing up your weekends for me. Thanks to Abi, Jason, Jill, and Natalie-I could not have dreamed of a better cohort and team. Thanks to my loving parents for teaching me to dream big, aim high, believe in myself, and never give up. Thanks to my brother, Aldrich, for always reminding me to strive for excellence, while still having fun. Lastly, this would not be possible without the unfailing love, support, and encouragement of my partner and bestfriend, Will.

I hereby certify that I am the sole author of this thesis and that no part of this thesis has been published or submitted for publication. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge, my thesis does not infringe upon anyone's copyright nor violate any proprietary rights and that any ideas, techniques, quotations, or any other material from the work of other people included in my thesis, published or otherwise, are fully acknowledged in accordance with the standard referencing practices. Furthermore, to the extent that I have included copyrighted material that surpasses the bounds of fair dealing within the meaning of the Canada Copyright Act, I certify that I have obtained a written permission from the copyright owner(s) to include such material(s) in my thesis and have included copies of such copyright clearances to my appendix. I declare that this is a true copy of my thesis, including any final revisions, as approved by my thesis committee and the Graduate Studies office, and that this thesis has not been submitted for a higher degree to any other University or Institution.