Campus Location
Abilene Campus (Residential)
Date of Award
Spring 5-2017
Document Type
Thesis
Department
Psychology
Degree Name
Master of Science
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
Richard Beck
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Stephen Allison
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Scott Perkins
Abstract
Ruminative exploration is considered a maladaptive dimension of identity development that appears to be at its highest during emerging adulthood (Luyckx, Klimstra, Duriez, Petergem, & Beyers, 2013a). Previous studies have assessed the relationship between ruminative exploration and well-being in populations in Dutch speaking populations of university students in Belgium (Luyckx, Gossens, & Soenens, 2006a; Luyckx, Gossens, Soenens, & Beyers, 2006b; Luyckx et al., 2007a; Luyckx et al., 2008; Luyckx et al., 2013a). Following the Dutch research, it was predicted that ruminative exploration will be positively correlated with symptoms of depression and low self-esteem among US college students. Beyond replicating the associations between ruminative exploration and well-being, the study seeks to examine potential familial correlates of ruminative exploration by assessing the relationship between ruminative exploration and parental support. Previous studies have shown autonomy supportive parenting encourages better overall well-being and identity development (Soenens et al., 2007). This leads to the second hypothesis that ruminative exploration will be negatively related to parental autonomy support. Participants were 268 students at Abilene Christian University who completed demographic questions and four measures to assess ruminative exploration, depression, self-esteem, and parental autonomy support. The measures were distributed via an online survey system. Results of correlational analyses showed that ruminative exploration was associated with higher depression and lower self-esteem, which is consistent with the first hypothesis. Correlational analyses also demonstrated that only autonomy support from the mother showed a relationship with ruminative exploration. Maternal and paternal autonomy support were correlated to decreased symptoms of depression and increased self-esteem.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Redmayne, Kelsey A., "Ruminative Exploration in Late Adolescence and its Relationship to Depression, Self-Esteem, and Parental Autonomy Support" (2017). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 48.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/48
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