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The doctoral dissertation and master's thesis reflects the scholarly research in a graduate program as required for the completion of the degree at the University of Delaware.
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Browsing Graduate College by Author "Abbott, Caroline H."
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Item Finding meaning in loss with a "wise" intervention for bereaved young adults(University of Delaware, 2021) Abbott, Caroline H.The death of a loved one often challenges the way individuals view themselves, their relationships, and their futures. Meaning Making (MM) and Meanings Made (MMd) are two potential mechanisms that lead to resolution following a loss, yet less is known about how interventions can help bereaved individuals cope and even grow. The current dissertation employed a series of brief, online experiments in three longitudinal studies. Participants were young adults aged 18 to 23 who reported having experienced the death of a close other more than 6 months ago. In Study 1 (N = 86), the efficacy of a standard intervention with three writing prompts (retell, ponder, reflect) was compared to a control intervention of three neutral writing prompts. While there were no direct condition effects on positive outcomes, writing about the loss increased mid-study MM, which, in turn, increased reports of gratitude at follow-up. In Study 2 (N = 169), the standard prompts were supplemented with a growth prompt and were compared to the standard prompts supplemented with a neutral prompt. There were no differences between the conditions and no evidence of mediation. In Study 3 (N = 48), the growth condition was compared to the standard prompts supplemented with a setback prompt. Again, there were no differences between the conditions and no evidence of mediation. In all three studies, complicated grief was tested as a moderator but yielded null results. Lastly, a series of mini-meta analyses indicated a consistent trend in which MM and MMd at mid-treatment predicted more increase in positive emotions about the loss. ☐ Keywords: Bereavement, meaning making, WISE intervention, narrativesItem Predicting heterogeneity of treatment response in a clinical sample of suicidal adolescents(University of Delaware, 2018) Abbott, Caroline H.During the past two decades, several treatments specifically targeting youth suicide have been developed. Although most of these treatments have been shown to be more effective than treatment as usual, research has consistently indicated substantial variation in adolescents’ response to these treatments. The current study employed Growth Mixture Modeling (GMM) to categorize trajectories of symptoms over the course of a sixteen-week comparative efficacy trial for suicidal adolescents. One hundred and twenty adolescents (ages 12-18) were randomly assigned to receive either Attachment Based Family Therapy (ABFT) or Family-Enhanced Non-Directive Supportive Therapy (FE-NST). GMM identified three distinct classes of adolescents’ trajectories of depressive and suicidal symptoms: a) Non-Responders (15.8%), b) Good Responders (57.5%), and c) Slow Responders (26.7%). Well-established risk factors for suicide, as well as baseline sociodemographic variables were then tested as predictors of class membership. Results showed that baseline levels of suicide ideation, MDD diagnosis, pessimism, NSSI, and perceived burdensomeness distinguished class membership and predicted poorer response to treatment. These results point to baseline variables that predict lower likelihood of benefitting from treatment (ABFT and FE-NST) and add to the growing literature on individualized treatment planning.