The Understanding and Promotion of Resilience in College Students

101 Pages·2017·0.85 MB·English

Antioch University
AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive
Student & Alumni Scholarship, including
Dissertations & Theses
Dissertations & Theses
2015
The Understanding and Promotion of Resilience in
College Students
Jorie Pollak Himmel
Antioch University - New England
Follow this and additional works at:http://aura.antioch.edu/etds
Part of theClinical Psychology Commons,Developmental Psychology Commons, and the
Higher Education Commons
Recommended Citation
Himmel, Jorie Pollak, "The Understanding and Promotion of Resilience in College Students" (2015).Dissertations & Theses. 254.
http://aura.antioch.edu/etds/254
This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student & Alumni Scholarship, including Dissertations & Theses at AURA - Antioch
University Repository and Archive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations & Theses by an authorized administrator of AURA - Antioch
University Repository and Archive. For more information, please [email protected], [email protected].
Running head: RESILIENCE IN COLLEGE STUDENTS

The Understanding and Promotion of Resilience in College Students

by
Jorie Pollak Himmel

BA, Skidmore College, 2004
MS, Antioch University New England, 2012

DISSERTATION

Submitted in partial fulfillment for the degree of
Doctor of Psychology in the Department of Clinical Psychology
at Antioch University New England, 2015

Keene, New Hampshire
RESILIENCE IN COLLEGE STUDENTS ii

Department of Clinical Psychology
Keene, New Hampshire

DISSERTATION COMMITTEE PAGE

The undersigned have examined the dissertation entitled:

THE UNDERSTANDING AND PROMOTION OF RESILIENCE
IN COLLEGE STUDENTS

presented on July 2, 2015

by

Jorie Pollak Himmel
Candidate for the degree of Doctor of Psychology
and hereby certify that it is accepted*.

Dissertation Committee Chairperson:
Roger L. Peterson, PhD, ABPP

Dissertation Committee members:
Lorraine Mangione, PhD
Joy von Steiger, PhD

Accepted by the

Department of Clinical Psychology Chairperson

George Tremblay, PhD

on 7/2/15

* Signatures are on file with the Registrar’s Office at Antioch University New England.
RESILIENCE IN COLLEGE STUDENTS iii
Dedication

For Hal
Without you I’m not sure how I could possibly have made it through graduate school. You’re my
best friend and generally my favorite human. The ways you have supported
me—not the least of which was moving back east to embark on this endeavor—are vast and
numerous, and I am forever grateful. Throughout this process your unwavering love and support
was a beacon of light in times of confusion, frustration, and exhaustion. Not only did you
consistently remind me that there was a finish line to be reached, but you helped me get there
and held my hand all the while.
I love you.
RESILIENCE IN COLLEGE STUDENTS iv

Acknowledgements
This process would not have been possible if not for the love and support of my family,
friends, graduate school and training buddies, professors and mentors. You all have listened to
me when I needed an ear and challenged me when I needed a push.
To my committee, Roger, Lorraine, and Joy, thank you so much for being part of this
process. Roger, we navigated an often-bumpy road together and finally found our destination.
Lorraine, you taught me to always be thinking about the meta- and group processes at work. It is
that force that helped me to consider how resilience can be a community-supported effort. Joy,
thank goodness for your mentorship! I feel like I grew more while under your supervision than
during any other time in my training. My sense of myself in this work is stronger because of our
work together.
Mom and Dad—I’m a doctor! What?!? Thank you both so much for your support and
encouragement! I think—I know—that you two knew I had it in me way before I did. So for 33
years-worth of telling me I could be and do anything I want … you can now call me Dr. Büdnitz!
My family! Aaron, Diana, Larry, Tara, Greg, Alex, Ariana, Abbey, Hannah, and Jane:
you all are fantastic, loving, and supportive people. I can’t imagine my life without you, much
less completing this daunting dissertation task. Thanks to each of you for being my people.
My graduate school and training buddies, Jamie, Marielena, Sam, Keri, Lindsay, Jody,
Jess, and Nick—each of you has been there for me in times of need (often more than once!) and
has offered words of wisdom and support regarding this process. Thank you, each, so, so much
for listening to me and lifting me up.
RESILIENCE IN COLLEGE STUDENTS v
Vince Pignatiello, thank you for your statistical wizardry! When it was feeling like I was
wading in mire, you helped me to swim. Thank you to Milton Kornfeld, whose support and
direction helped to propel and guide me, and whose experience in the realm of dissertation
advising was invaluable. I’d like to thank Brandeis University, Michael LaFarr and Dean Adams.
Thank you also to Jim Donovan, Dan Gallery, Zorangeli Ramos and the folks at Harvard
Vanguard Medical Associates. Finally, I’d like to acknowledge my undergraduate roots in
biology at Skidmore College with Corey Freeman-Gallant and Karen Kellogg.
RESILIENCE IN COLLEGE STUDENTS vi

Table of Contents

Dedication .................................................................................................................................. iii
Acknowledgments...................................................................................................................... iv
List of Tables ............................................................................................................................. viii
List of Figures ............................................................................................................................ ix
Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... 1
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 3
Statement of the Problem ...................................................................................................... 4
Purpose of the study .............................................................................................................. 5
Summary ............................................................................................................................... 6
Literature Review....................................................................................................................... 8
Definitions of Resilience....................................................................................................... 8
History of Resilience Research ............................................................................................. 9
Stress, appraisal, and coping ...................................................................................... 12
Positive psychology and resilience ............................................................................ 13
The role of positive emotions ......................................................................... 14
Developmental Perspectives ................................................................................................. 15
Emerging adulthood ................................................................................................... 16
Chickering’s theory of identity development ............................................................ 17
College Students: Psychological Services and Resilience .................................................... 18
Summary ............................................................................................................................... 20
Method ....................................................................................................................................... 22
Participants ............................................................................................................................ 22
Research Design.................................................................................................................... 23
Data collection and storage ....................................................................................... 24
Measures ............................................................................................................................... 24
Demographics ............................................................................................................ 25
Instrumentation .......................................................................................................... 25
Hypotheses ............................................................................................................................ 34
Data Analysis ........................................................................................................................ 35
RESILIENCE IN COLLEGE STUDENTS vii
Results ........................................................................................................................................ 36
Demographic Findings ......................................................................................................... 36
Conceptual Understanding of Resilience ............................................................................. 47
Resilience Rates…………………………………………………………………………….49
Hypothesis Testing............................................................................................................... 51
Predictors of Resilience ............................................................................................. 51
The impact of conceptual understanding of resilience on depression, anxiety, and
stress .......................................................................................................................... 61
Group differences between demographic items and conceptual understanding of
resilience .................................................................................................................... 61
Qualitative Responses .......................................................................................................... 63
Discussion .................................................................................................................................. 66
Summary of Results ........................................................................................................... 66
Relationship of demographic data on CURS ............................................................ 66
The impact of conceptual understanding on resilience ............................................. 67
Increasing use and development of resilient coping strategies ................................. 68
Comparison to Prior Research ........................................................................................... 70
Measure of resilience ................................................................................................. 70
Resilience sub-constructs .......................................................................................... 70
Implications of Findings ................................................................................................... 71
Limitations of Study ......................................................................................................... 76
Closing Remarks ............................................................................................................... 77
References .................................................................................................................................. 78
Appendix A: Informed Consent Form ....................................................................................... 91
Appendix B: Demographic Questions ....................................................................................... 92
Appendix C: Promotion of Resilience ....................................................................................... 94
Appendix D: Table 1: Hypotheses, Variables, and Analyses .................................................... 95
RESILIENCE IN COLLEGE STUDENTS viii
List of Tables
Table 1. Conceptual Understanding of Resilience Scale…...……………………………………26
Table 2. Demographic Characteristics………………………………...…………………………37
Table 3. September or Mid-year Start……………………………………………………………45
Table 4. Descriptive Statistics……………………………………………………………………52
Table 5. Scale Correlations………………………………………………………………………53
Table 6. ANOVAa…….……………….…………………………………………………………55
Table 7. Model Summary…..……………………………………………………………………56
Table 8. Coefficientsa………………….…………………………………………………………58
Table 9. CURS ANOVA.…….…………………………..…………………………………..…..60
Table 10. Demographic Correlations…………………………………………………………….62
Table 11. Qualitative Themes to “Increase Use of Resilient Coping Strategies”……….……….64
Table 12. Qualitative Themes for “How School Could Help You Become More Resilient”…...65
RESILIENCE IN COLLEGE STUDENTS ix
List of Figures
Figure 1. Age Distribution of Participants……………………………………………………….41
Figure 2. Grade Point Average of Participants…………………………………………………..43
Figure 3. CURS Score Distribution……………………………………………………………...48
Figure 4. Resilience Score Distribution………………………………………………………….50