Skip to Main Content
Frequently Asked Questions
Submit an ETD
Global Search Box
Need Help?
Keyword Search
Participating Institutions
Advanced Search
School Logo
Files
File List
Ya-Fen Wang Dissertation FPB School of Nursing.pdf (4 MB)
ETD Abstract Container
Abstract Header
Resourcefulness, Academic Stress, Dispositional Optimism, and Eating Styles among Fifth and Sixth Graders
Author Info
Wang, Ya-Fen
Permalink:
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1365168852
Abstract Details
Year and Degree
2013, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Nursing.
Abstract
Background/Significance: Childhood obesity is a critical health issue worldwide because of its association with adverse health conditions and potentially harmful health consequences in later adulthood. Eating styles that may involve emotional, external, or restrained eating behaviors have been shown to be associated with overweight and obesity and can be influenced by stress, resulting in the use of unhealthy eating styles as a coping strategy. Research in adults has shown that cognitive-behavioral skills constituting resourcefulness are effective for coping with stress and performing health behaviors. However, few studies have examined whether resourcefulness skills are important in children. Purpose: This study examined the associations among academic stress, dispositional optimism, and resourcefulness in relation to eating styles in fifth and sixth graders in Taiwan. Theoretical framework: Rosenbaum’s theory of learned resourcefulness and Zauszniewski’s middle-range theory of resourcefulness and quality of life provided the context for examining the relationships among the study variables. Method: A descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional approach was used with a convenience sample of 368 dyads of fifth- and sixth-grade children and their caregivers. Findings: 26.24% of the children were overweight or obese. Children with a higher tendency toward emotional eating had greater academic stress and lower resourcefulness. Children with a higher tendency toward external eating had greater academic stress, lower dispositional optimism, and lower resourcefulness. Children’s restrained eating was associated with greater academic stress and higher dispositional optimism. Additionally, academic stress mediated the relationship between children’s satiety responsiveness and resourcefulness. Children’s resourcefulness mediated the relationships between academic stress and emotional or external eating. Conclusion: Findings generated from this study not only contribute to an understanding of the interrelationships among academic stress, dispositional optimism, resourcefulness, and eating styles of fifth and sixth graders in Taiwan but also provide rich and valuable information for the advancement of the nursing discipline, including clinical practice, health policy, theory development, and nursing education, which will enhance a healthy lifestyle in children and their families. Further research, including the examination of relationships between eating styles and resourcefulness over time, is recommended in larger, more diverse samples.
Committee
Jaclene A. Zauszniewski (Advisor)
Christopher J. Burant (Committee Member)
Marilyn Lotas (Committee Member)
Carolyn E. Ievers-Landis (Committee Member)
Pages
436 p.
Subject Headings
Nursing
Keywords
Resourcefulness
;
Eating Styles
;
Stress
;
Dispositional Optimism
;
Children
Recommended Citations
Refworks
EndNote
RIS
Mendeley
Citations
Wang, Y.-F. (2013).
Resourcefulness, Academic Stress, Dispositional Optimism, and Eating Styles among Fifth and Sixth Graders
[Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1365168852
APA Style (7th edition)
Wang, Ya-Fen.
Resourcefulness, Academic Stress, Dispositional Optimism, and Eating Styles among Fifth and Sixth Graders.
2013. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation.
OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center
, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1365168852.
MLA Style (8th edition)
Wang, Ya-Fen. "Resourcefulness, Academic Stress, Dispositional Optimism, and Eating Styles among Fifth and Sixth Graders." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1365168852
Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)
Abstract Footer
Document number:
case1365168852
Download Count:
1,837
Copyright Info
© 2013, some rights reserved.
Resourcefulness, Academic Stress, Dispositional Optimism, and Eating Styles among Fifth and Sixth Graders by Ya-Fen Wang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.