Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

6489

Date

2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Psychology

Committee Chair

Kathryn H. Howell

Committee Member

Randy G. Floyd

Committee Member

Rachel Wamser-Nanney

Abstract

Ample evidence supports the relationship between trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), with less research on factors that may influence the expression of PTSS following adversity and even fewer studies focused on racial minority samples. Utilizing the Person-Environment Interaction Model (Slaug, Iwarsson, & Björk, 2018), the current study examined the role of individual (e.g., ethnic identity), relational (e.g., social support), and environmental (e.g., community cohesion and community disorder) factors potentially associated with PTSS following lifetime trauma exposure among emerging adults of racial minority status (N = 203). Participants were 18 to 25 (Mage = 20.27, SD = 1.95), were predominantly women (84%), and largely self-identified as Black or African American (60%). A hierarchical multiple regression indicated that greater social support was related to lower PTSS. Results highlight the importance of racial minority-focused research and the need for social support to be integrated into treatment protocols following exposure to adversity.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

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