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Date Available

4-13-2026

Year of Publication

2026

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Family Sciences (MSFS)

College

Agriculture

Department/School/Program

Family Sciences

Faculty

D. Bruce Ross

Faculty

Alexander Vazsonyi

Abstract

The present study examined the direct and indirect associations between learned helplessness and future outlook among emerging adults, with parental support, engagement, and closeness as potential mediating factors. Using data from 375 participants drawn from G3, Wave 4 of the Youth Development Study, two path analytic models were tested: one including a composite measure of learned helplessness and one examining its components (contingency, cognition, and behavior) individually. Results indicated that higher levels of learned helplessness were associated with a less positive future outlook. When separated, the cognition and behavior components were negatively associated with future outlook, whereas contingency was not associated. Among parental factors, male parent closeness was the only variable consistently associated with future outlook and partially mediated the association between composite learned helplessness and future outlook. Findings highlight the importance of cognitive self-evaluations and the father–child subsystem within a family systems framework. Implications for understanding developmental processes during emerging adulthood and for clinical interventions targeting cognitive appraisals and relational dynamics are discussed.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2026.31

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