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Item Childhood trauma exposure, age and self-compassion as predictors of later-life symptoms of depression and anxiety in an American Indian sample(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2023) Larsen, Jade Michael; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Neha John-HendersonPast research has established a relationship between childhood trauma and later-life anxiety and depression symptoms in American Indian samples. However, less is known about protective factors that may reduce the strength of this relationship. The purpose of the present study was to assess self-compassion as a protective factor with an emphasis on age as additional potential moderator. Seven hundred and twenty-nine self-identifying American Indian participants completed self-report measures pertaining to this question online via Qualtrics. The hypotheses were such that self-compassion would be protective against later-life anxiety and depression symptoms at all age points (Hypothesis 1), that the interaction between self-compassion and childhood trauma exposure would be statistically significant for those higher in trauma but not lower (Hypothesis 2) and that there would be a three-way interaction among self-compassion, age and childhood trauma exposure, such that age would moderate the interaction between childhood trauma exposure and self-compassion in predicting symptoms of anxiety and depression (Hypothesis 3). Regression analyses found support for Hypothesis 1, indicating that self-compassion is protective against anxiety and depression symptoms in this sample. Support for Hypothesis 2 was not found, as the interaction between self-compassion and childhood trauma exposure did not significantly predict anxiety or depression symptoms. Hypothesis 3 was supported in that the three-way interaction significantly predicted both later-life anxiety and depression symptoms, such that older participants who reported high levels of self-compassion tended to have the lowest symptoms. These findings indicate that self-compassion may have age dependent effects in moderating the relationship between childhood trauma exposure and later-life symptoms of anxiety and depression in American Indian samples.Item The influence of anxiety, age, and retrieval demands on memory(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2021) Whillock, Summer Rain; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Michelle L. MeadeThe present dissertation sought to determine if anxiety and hypervigilance can be activated outside the confines of specifically threatening stimuli by examining different situational pressures such as age and retrieval demands. In both experiments, participants studied categorized word lists and were randomly assigned to complete an initial recall test under free, forced, or warning (Exp. 2) recall instructions, followed by a second test under free recall instructions, and a final recognition test. For older adults, forced recall influenced the relationship between trait anxiety and memory such that heightened levels of trait anxiety were associated with greater correct recall and lower false recognition. In contrast, for younger adults, free recall influenced the relationship between memory-specific anxiety, hypervigilance, and memory such that heightened levels of memory-specific anxiety and hypervigilance were associated with lower levels of correct recognition. Further, warning recall influenced the relationship between memory-specific anxiety and memory in young adults, such that heightened levels of memory-specific anxiety were related to greater correct recall at test 1. Across two experiments, results show that it is possible for situational pressures to influence the relationship between anxiety and memory in the absence of specifically threatening stimuli. Additionally, the relationship between anxiety and memory depends on age, the type of anxiety being measured, and the retrieval demands of the task.