Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Counselor Education and Supervision

Advisor

Ariel Harrison

Abstract

The doctoral counselor education and supervision (CES) program has three stages (entry, integration, or candidacy), each involving specific challenges resulting in varying time requirements, workloads, and stress levels. Personal struggles may have consequences that influence the completion of students’ doctoral program and the outcomes of students’ research. Interdependence theory is the theoretical framework for this study. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine CES doctoral students’ intimate romantic relationship investment as measured by the Investment Model Scale (IMS) and to investigate the relationship between CES doctoral students’ stage in the program and students’ intimate romantic relationship investment. The study answered the question of how CES students’ stage in their program predict their score on each of the constructs (commitment, satisfaction, quality of alternatives, and size of investment) of the IMS. This research study involved a quantitative, comparative design and used nonprobability sampling using convenience and snowball sampling practices to access the target population of (n=169) CES doctoral students who were currently involved in an intimate romantic relationship for at least one year. Using a MANOVA, findings indicated CES students’ stage of program does not make any difference in their score on each of the constructs of the IMS. The findings from this study could lead to positive social change in creating knowledge that professors, counselors, and doctoral students can use in addressing the challenges and tasks of each of the doctoral stages.

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