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Publication Family Character Strengths Curriculum: A Positive Psychology Intervention To Set Well-Being Habits In(2024-08-09) Kezya Castellano; Gillham, JanePositive psychology's foundation goal was to teach well-being skills to young people so they could enjoy a flourishing life. Successful advances have been made to reach children in academic settings but have neglected the natural teaching role of families. This paper emphasizes the importance of practicing and nurturing well-being through the practice of character strengths, rather than simply seeking or achieving it. It emphasizes the importance of increasing diverse opportunities to practice character strengths and set tendencies and habits early on in life. This paper proposes a practical and simplified solution for families: creating a curriculum rich in evidence-inspired strengths-based positive psychology interventions for every member to perform individually and collectively throughout the child’s development.Publication Flourishing Online: Social Media for Well-Being(2024) Joshua W. Howard; Ungar, LyleFrom works like Jonathan Haidt's (2024) The Anxious Generation to anecdotal (and often unsolicited) commentary, the discourse around social media is predominantly negative. While we cannot ignore the significant research correlating aspects of social media over-usage with adverse mental health outcomes, examining the positive implications social media can offer is equally imperative. Consider your positive experiences online, such as reconnecting with a childhood friend or learning a new hobby. Social media platforms, from Quora to TikTok, have had a positive impact on all of us. As it continues to become the primary way the world connects, it behooves us to examine how we can maximize its potential for greater well-being. This paper and teaching tool employ Seligman's (2011) PERMA model as an applicable framework to explore how individuals can leverage social media to foster well-being online. Furthermore, it will investigate how the PERMA elements of positive emotions and engagement result from the actions of positive relationships, meaning, and accomplishment, which will inevitably lead to social media well-being (SMWB). By examining the positive potential of social media through the lens of PERMA, this paper and four-part curriculum seek to shift the narrative surrounding social media's impact on well-being. Keywords: positive psychology, social media, PERMA, well-being, social media well-beingPublication Positive Dance Workshop: Enhancing Emotional Well-being for Midlifers Through Contemporary Dance(2024-05-19) Praveen Powun Anbazhagan; Taylor, LauraThis paper explores the potential of a contemporary dance-based workshop to enhance midlifers' emotional well-being. It challenges the traditional view of midlife as a time of crisis, and instead, highlights it as a period of potential growth and development. The paper introduces essential concepts from positive psychology and somaesthetics, emphasizing the mind-body connection and the role of self-awareness in emotional regulation and resilience. Furthermore, emotional well-being is defined and discussed, emphasizing the importance of authentic self-expression. The paper also presents contemporary dance as a promising medium for enhancing emotional well-being. It concludes by proposing a twelve-week workshop design customized to tackle the specific challenges and enhance the opportunities of midlife. While acknowledging limitations and the need for further research, this paper argues that contemporary dance offers a unique, holistic, embodied approach to enhancing emotional well-being in midlife and calls for empirical testing of the proposed workshop model, along with further exploration of the intersection between dance, positive psychology, and emotional well-being.Publication Friendship in Transition: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Role of Peer Support on Student Service Members and Veterans(2025-05-19) Moore, Dylan Anthony; Marfilius, KennethFriendship serves as a vital pillar of academic success, providing crucial support and fostering resilience among college students. For student service members and veterans (SSM/V), the transition to college life presents unique challenges that can hinder their ability to form these vital connections. While the importance of friendship is well-documented for traditional college students, there is limited research on how SSM/V experience friendship during their academic transition. This qualitative investigation aims to explore the role of friendship in SSM/V journey from military service to college life through semi-structured interviews with 10 participants. An interpretative phenomenological analysis, informed by the theoretical framework of Self-Psychology and Veteran Critical Theory, was conducted to interpret these narratives. The findings reveal four key themes: a) friendships as a valuable support system in the transition to college life, b) friendship dynamics and experiences within the college environment, c) navigating unique considerations when establishing friendships, and d) barriers to friendship-building. The study highlights how friendships contribute to SSM/V adaptation to college life and academic success. Recommendations include fostering collaboration among faculty, staff, administrators, and veteran resource centers to develop targeted programs that facilitate friendship-building, such as social events and peer mentoring initiatives. Additionally, universities should prioritize creating inclusive environments that encourage interaction between SSM/V and their civilian peers. This research also calls for further studies on the unique experience of SSM/V in building and maintaining meaningful relationships.Publication Psychosocial Predictors of Disordered Eating in Adolescents with Celiac Disease: Body Image Dissatisfaction, Anxiety, Depression, and Family Eating Environment(2025-05-19) Rowen, Kaitlin; Solomon, PhyllisPurpose/Objective: Research suggests a high prevalence of disordered eating in adolescents with celiac disease, however research on vulnerability factors is limited. To address this gap, this study tested the hypothesis that a higher level of body image dissatisfaction, greater severity of anxiety symptoms, greater severity of depression symptoms, and poorer quality of family eating environment predicts greater disordered eating behaviors, attitudes, and feelings in U.S. adolescents with celiac disease. Methods: A correlational design with a nonprobability convenience sample of N = 187 was used. Participants were U.S. adolescents, 13 to 18 years old, with celiac disease. Data was collected via a one-time, online survey. Measures included Celiac Dietary Adherence Test, Eating Attitudes Test-26, Appearance and Weight subscales of the Body Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults, Depression and Anxiety subscales of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale-25, and Family Eating Habits survey. Multiple and logistic regression analyses were used to test hypotheses. Results: Findings partially supported the hypothesis, indicating a higher level of body image dissatisfaction (measured as weight dissatisfaction), greater severity of depression symptoms, and poorer quality of the family eating environment (measured as atmosphere) predicted greater disordered eating behaviors, attitudes, and feelings when measured as 1. dieting; 2. bulimia and food preoccupation; and 3. composite of behaviors, attitudes, and feelings about dieting, bulimia and food preoccupation, and oral control. No differences in disordered eating were found among groups defined by race, body mass index, or co-occurring diet and health related conditions. Post-hoc analysis indicated that transgender males scored significantly higher than cisgender males on disordered eating behaviors, attitudes, and feelings regarding dieting. However, no other gender group differences were significant under Bonferroni cutoff. Conclusions: Filling a research critical gap, results enhanced understanding of potential psychosocial vulnerabilities for disordered eating in adolescents with celiac disease. Clinical recommendations are made for targeted assessments and individual and family-based interventions that allow for early detection, treatment, and prevention of disordered eating in this high-risk population.