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A Legacy Of Feminism And Advocacy: An Interview With Dr. Lenore Walker, Brandi Diaz

Trauma Counseling and Resilience

Dr. Lenore Walker is a pioneer in feminism and trauma counseling. Her contribution to these fields is vast, including topics of gender violence, battered woman syndrome, child abuse and trauma, false confessions of battered women, sex and human trafficking, and psychology and the law. Her theories and conceptualizations have shaped how providers approach trauma-informed care and the assessment of trauma survivors. Moreover, her work has spanned a variety of functions such as a clinician, researcher, educator, advocate, leader, consultant, and mentor. For the purposes of this article, Dr. Walker engaged in an interview to discuss her career, contributions, legacy, and …

The Unequal Distribution Of Social Risk For Black Men Across The Life-Span. A Novel Framework., Waleed Y. Sami

Adultspan Journal

This conceptual overview offers a comprehensive overview of systemic pathways that negatively impact the mental health of Black Men throughout their lives. Our argument highlights the importance for counselors and mental health professionals to utilize a thorough social risk assessment that considers these pathways in order to effectively address the mental health needs of Black Men while fostering positive working relationships. This overview strongly advocates for the use of context and structural determinants when evaluating mental health symptoms. Without an appropriate understanding of social risk and determinants, counselors may inadvertently perpetuate disparities by decontextualizing symptomology, and reproducing racist discourse.

Longitudinal Stress-Buffering Effects Of Social Integration For Late-Life Functional Health, Masa Toyama, Heather R. Fuller

Psychology Faculty Research

Stress can negatively affect multiple aspects of health, including functional health, among older adults, who are likely to face unique, age-related stressful experiences. Previous research has addressed the protective effects of social relations (i.e., social ties, social participation, and social integration) for physical and mental health outcomes, yet few studies have examined functional health. This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal stress-buffering effects of social integration on late-life functional health. Using three-wave data from 399 older adults (aged older than 60 years), two-level hierarchical linear modeling analysis was conducted and the results indicated that in addition to its main effect …

Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports In A West Virginia Juvenile Justice School: A Case Study, Johnathan Matthew Baldwin

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study investigated the differences in student behavior, participation, and achievement after the implementation of a PBIS at one juvenile justice facility in West Virginia. Teacher and correctional officer perceptions of PBIS were also examined. Data were collected from student refusal reports, report cards, incident reports, and teacher and correctional officer interviews. Student achievement in math and English language arts, following the implementation of PBIS, improved as the percentage of D and F grades decreased while the numbers of A and B grades increased between 2016-17 and 2018-19. One-sample t-Test results for first semester and second semester math and ELA …

An Assessment Of The Perceptions Of School Professionals Regarding Prenatal Substance Exposure, Aliyah Vicia Mickey

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Children who have been prenatally exposed to drugs are at higher risk of experiencing academic and behavioral difficulties as they become students. Current research is limited on the specific long-term social-emotional, behavioral, and cognitive effects for school-aged children. As these children advance into the schools, they need knowledgeable school professionals and evidence-based interventions that will support their academic and behavioral well-being. The purpose of the current investigation served to gather information regarding school professionals’ experiences, knowledge, and self-efficacy related to prenatal substance exposure of students. The results from the survey indicated school professionals are reporting having general knowledge of facets …

Correlates Of Exhibition-Like Experiences And The Development Of Exhibitionism In Females, Sarah Fouch

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine possible events or risk factors that occur during the critical period of learning, before age 18, that influence an individual to engage in exhibitionism or have urges to expose themselves. Anonymous data from 2,201 female participants were obtained using a computer-assisted self-administered questionnaire. Early experiences were examined to determine risk factors for ever having exposed themselves in a public place or ever having had urges to expose themselves in public places using logistic regression analysis. Many of the events that were identified as significant predictors for exhibitionism, such as seeing the mother …

Nuclear Family Dynamics: Predictors Of Childhood Crushes And Adult Sexual Orientation, Natalie M. Campbell

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study investigated the effects of nuclear family dynamics on childhood crushes and adult sexual orientation. Retrospective data was gathered via an anonymous survey administered using a computer-assisted self-interview program. Data was collected from 1,242 non-transsexual males (age range 18-86) and 2,201 non-transsexual females (age range 18-78). Management of parental disagreements, maternal attitude about sex, parental composition of the nuclear family, maternal affection, and parental demonstration of affection predicted the sex of childhood crushes in males and/or females. Management of parental disagreement, parental attitude about sex, nudity practices within the home, parental demonstration of affection, and parental composition of the …

Trends In Intellectual Disability Identification In West Virginia, Margaret M. Stephens

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of Intellectual Disability (ID) in each of West Virginia’s Local Educational Agencies (LEAs). Publicly available enrollment and disability counts were aggregated and used to calculate an administrative prevalence rate for each LEA annually, from 2004 to 2013. Prevalence was examined within and between LEAs, as well as between regions. The results indicate a decrease in the administrative prevalence of ID in 50 of 55 LEAs over the 10 years examined. Rates within LEAs varied between years. Additionally, school-based prevalence varied between RESAs, with RESA I and RESA VIII exhibiting the …

Critical Period Conditioning By Orgasm During Heterosexual Oral Sex, Kristy N. Woods

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Data were obtained retrospectively and anonymously using a computerized survey instrument from 450 female and 489 male participants who had experienced orgasm during oral sex before age 18, as well as 352 female and 151 male participants who had not experienced an orgasm while receiving oral sex before age 18. Female participants who experienced an orgasm during oral sex prior to age 18 were significantly more likely to experience an orgasm during oral sex after age 18. For male participants, although the difference was in the hypothesized direction, it did not reach significance. Female participants who experienced an orgasm during …

Every Breath You Take: An Examination Of The Natural Phenomenon Of Stalking, Gordon A. Crews, Sara K. Green, Paige A. Heinrich

Criminal Justice Faculty Research

Everyone is a potential stalker, given the right set of circumstances. There are a vast number of tools readily available—from social media networking to easily accessible websites that provide background checks for a minimal fee—that allow individuals to observe the life (or lives) of whomever they so desire. But what are the innate, essential traits and characteristics of an individual that extends beyond the more normative expression of romantic interest and the general curiosity that is a natural and accepted occurrence for anyone who has ever been infatuated with another? This paper will consider the intentionality and motivation behind stalking, …

Development Of Moral Didacticism In Children: A Cross-Cultural Study, Sixtus Obinna Iwuji

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The use of folktales and fables in explaining the physical and spiritual worlds to children is cross-cultural, and precedes recorded history. Prior studies indicate a developmental process in children’s understanding of fables and folktales (Jose, D’Anna, & Krieg, 2005; Narvaez, Gleason, Mitchell, & Bentley, 1999). However, no known study has examined whether this developmental process is cross-cultural or culture specific. No known study also, has examined whether children as young as 6 years of age are aware that fables and folktales are non-historical. The present study fills these observed gaps by examining moral didacticism in children aged 6-11 years. The …

Training Law Enforcement In Mental Health: A Broad-Based Model, Rachael Elaine Hatfield

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Police officers respond to many calls involving people suffering from a mental illness; yet many law enforcement training programs and workshops do not include mental health training. A literature review was conducted to explore the problems resulting from the lack of mental health training available for law enforcement officers and identify specialized training programs currently being implemented to address those problems. The review identified several program models being implemented throughout the United States including: Joint Police/Mental Health Team Model, Mobile Crisis Unit Model, Crisis Intervention Team Model, and the Broad-Based Training Model. These models include empirically supported components used to …

Father-Daughter Incest: Data From An Anonymous Computerized Survey, Sandra S. Stroebel, Stephen L. O’Keefe

Psychology Faculty Research

Retrospective data were entered anonymously by 1,521 adult women using computer-assisted self-interview. Nineteen were classified as victims of father–daughter incest, and 241 were classified as victims of sexual abuse by an adult other than their father before reaching 18 years of age. The remaining 1,261 served as controls. Incest victims were more likely than controls to endorse feeling damaged, psychologically injured, estranged from one or both parents, and shamed by others when they tried to open up about their experience. They had been eroticized early on by the incest experience, and it interfered with their adult sexuality. Incest victims experienced …

Attendance Rates Of Special Populations In One Rural County, Julie Bright

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this current study is to determine if a difference exists in the attendance rates for special education students and low socioeconomic status students when compared to their peers who do not have these designations. The attendance data from one rural county school district for the years of 2007-2011 were examined to determine if a difference in the attendance rates did exist. Results from this research revealed that students receiving special education services were absent significantly more than their general education peers. However, students of low socioeconomic status were not absent any more than their peers who were …

Gendered Perceptions Of Batterer Intervention Co-Facilitation, Dorothy Lynne Boston

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the experience of co-facilitating male batterer intervention groups as reported by male and female facilitators and to identify how that experience differs along gender lines, given that dual-gender facilitation is an expectation of licensing standards that has not been researched. The following research questions were asked: 1) are there notable differences in how co-facilitation of male batterer intervention groups is experienced by males and females, 2) are females more sensitive to and affected by issues of power and control within the facilitation process than their male peers, and 3) is it more …

Exploring Unmet Needs And Barriers To Phychological And Behavioral Health Services In Rural Appalachia, Sarah Rachel Jarvis

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Residents living in rural communities face many challenges, one of which is the need for adequate mental health services. Various factors including accessibility, quality, and social stigma often impact an individual’s decision to seek services, especially when they are related to psychological distress. This project highlights the characteristics of several rural communities within Appalachia to determine if there is an unmet need for psychological services and what barriers may be keeping potential patients from seeking psychological services. Both archival and survey data will be analyzed to determine the perceived need for psychological services and what barriers community leaders feel are …

Juvenile Delinquency And Violence: Examining International Police And Societal Response, Gordon A. Crews, Angela West Crews

Criminal Justice Faculty Research

This presentation comparatively examines relationships in the United States, Eastern and Central Europe, Scandinavia, and parts of the Middle East among juvenile violence, "heavy metal" music, substance abuse, and participation in occult and "alternative" youth groups (e.g., Wicca, Satanism, vampirism, Goth). We trace the movement of certain groups, behaviors, and preferences and make a correlation between some of these movements and an increase in youth violence and substance abuse. The authors use results from surveys and participant observations in the U.S., Copenhagen, Germany, the Netherlands, & the Middle East (Egypt & Turkey) that indicate, however, that mere participation in these …

What Law Enforcement In West Virginia Know About Stalking Crimes, Sandra Kiser-Griffith

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Emerging research is beginning to reveal how prevalent, and dangerous, stalking can be, especially in situations that involve domestic or former domestic partners. As front line responders to stalking-related crimes, it would seem imperative that law enforcement personnel have extensive training and be knowledgeable about a broad range of stalking-related issues. A victim’s well-being can be directly impacted by the actions and interventions of the officers handling his or her case. Unfortunately, however, many states, including West Virginia, still do not require that officers receive stalking training. In an attempt to establish how well informed law enforcement officers in West …

The Effect Of Marshall University's Summer Enrichment Program On Reading Gains Program Evaluation, Ii, Kelli A. Potoczny

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the Marshall University Summer Enrichment Program on students’ reading success in grades Kindergarten through eighth. From June 26, 2006 through July 27, 2006, a 5 week chronological period, 105 students attended the summer program and were evaluated for reading achievement. The study measured students' reading performance during the 5 consecutive weeks. Students were divided into three groups, primary, intermediate and middle school to evaluate the different age groups for changes in reading ability. This study compared student's pre and post running records to determine any gains in reading skills. …

Intimate Partner Violence And Rural Women, Amanda S. Adams

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Over the past twenty years, awareness of the significant issue of intimate partner violence (IPV) has steadily increased. The deleterious consequences of IPV on physical and psychological health are well documented. However, much of our understanding of IPV is based on urban models, while little is known about the phenomena of IPV among rural women. In an attempt to address this deficiency within the literature, the present study explored the impact of IPV on rural women. Fifty-six women, between the ages of 18 to 69 comprised three distinct groups: the rural IPV victims recruited from the community (R-IPV group, n=13), …

Intimacy, Orgasm Likelihood Of Both Partners, Conflict, And Partner Response Predict Sexual Satisfaction In Heterosexual Male And Female Respondents, R. Vernon Haning

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Anonymous data provided by 417 female and 179 male sexually active heterosexual respondents showed that in long term sexual relationships sexual satisfaction was positively correlated with two different intimacy variables, the respondent’s orgasm likelihood, and the partner’s orgasm likelihood and negatively correlated with conflict in the relationship. All were significant predictors together in a multiple linear regression model. Empathic sexuality was defined as sexual response modulated by the sexual arousal or lack of arousal of the partner. Of 696 respondents, 90.3% reported empathic turn-on, 68% reported empathic turn-off, and 63.4% reported both empathic turn-on and turn-off, findings significantly different from …

Parents’ Perception Of The Mugc Graduate School Psychologist’S Ability To Be A Productive Member Of The Eligibility Committee And To Effectively Interpret A Psychoeducational Evaluation Report, Debra S. Henderson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The perception that Marshall University Graduate College produces students of school psychology that are well trained in the ability to develop a positive relationship with the parent during an eligibility committee meeting as well as in the interpretation of a psychoeducational report to parents was investigated. This study investigated the expectation levels and perceptions of parents when taking part in an eligibility committee meeting and when being explained a psychoeducational report by a school psychologist. The method of data collection included a survey developed in part from a survey used by permission that was originally created by Mac I. Barnett …

The Relationship Between Juvenile Delinquency And Family Unit Structure, Angela D. Mullens

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between parental absence and juvenile delinquency and to determine if a link exists between the two variables. Data was collected from male juveniles who were alleged to have committed status or delinquent offenses between 1996 and 2004. Each offense was categorized according to the family unit (e.g., intact, father only, mother only, etc.), offense type (e.g., underage consumption, petit larceny, breaking and entering, etc.), offense level (e.g., status misdemeanor, and felony), the victim (e.g., crimes against the person, crimes against property, etc.) and the juvenile’s age at the time the …

Do You Recall Where You Where When...?: Support For Automatic Encoding Of One's Location, Kristen Lea Neal

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The present experiment tested whether one's personal location is automatically encoded into memory. Twenty-one groups of students were given a tour of the Marshall University campus. At each of 10 locations on the tour, participants were told an interesting fact about the University. Participants were informed of a test following the tour assessing their recall of the facts. In addition, half of the participants were also told their recall of the location at which each fact was presented would be tested. Immediately following and two weeks after the tour, participants completed a memory test which assessed their (a) recognition of …

Identifying At Risk Youth For Delinquency In Southern West Virginia, Roderick Q. Neal

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Juvenile delinquency has been an important area of study. Academics, practitioners, politicians, and legal scholars have devoted their attention to basic questions about the nature of youth crime. This report was designed to identify which psychological and social variables are statistically reliable predictors of significant juvenile delinquency in southern West Virginia. In an effort to identify at risk youth, 200 subjects were administered a 16-question survey. This survey had a mixture of continuous and categorical psychological and social variables and the data was analyzed using Logistic Regression strategies. One hundred of the subjects had been referred to a juvenile probation …

An Analysis Of The Relationships Between The Perceived Organizational Climate And Professional Burnout In Libraries And Computing Centers In West Virginia Public Higher Education Institutions, Arnold R. Miller

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between the perceived organizational climate and professional burnout in libraries and computing services units in West Virginia higher education. Research questions were defined to investigate the differences between libraries and computing services units in the perceived organizational climate, professional burnout, organizational climate vs. burnout, demographics vs. organizational climate, demographics vs. burnout, and the combined effects of demographics and organizational climate upon burnout. The Work Environment Scale (WES) Form R, third edition, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) HSS, third edition, and a demographic questionnaire measured the organizational climate, burnout, and demographics. …

Analysis Of Impulsive Behaviors Among Prison Inmates Convicted Of Violent Crimes, Inmates Convicted Of Non-Violent Crimes And Undergraduate College Students, Lonnie Kishpaugh Sr.

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Sudden explosive episodes of rage and human aggression by individuals occur daily in our society. While impulsive aggressive behavior is included in several established psychological disorders, the etiology of such behavior has been widely debated.

This study tested the hypotheses that prison inmates who have committed violent crimes were no more likely to exhibit impulsive behavior, than like numbers of prison inmates who had committed non-violent crimes, or college students who have no criminal record. Groups of 20 each of the respective populations were randomly administered the Kipnis Impulsiveness Scale in accordance with instructions from the manual.

With an alpha …

The Relationship Between Education And Police Stress : Associate Degree Versus Bachelor Degree, Jamie M. Case

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Research was conducted to further investigate whether police officers with Bachelor degrees experience less stress than officers with Associate degrees. Sixty police officers from the Charleston Police Department were the respondents in the study. The officers were measured regarding levels of stress experienced from inter-departmental issues, rule, and regulations. The respondents were also evaluated using the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale, Job Satisfaction Index, and Stress Quiz. While there were no significant differences between the two groups, police officers with Bachelor degrees reported less stress than officers with Associate degrees.

The Relationship Between Education And Police Stress: Bachelor's Degree Versus High School, Cathy S. Gatson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Sixty law enforcement officers from the largest municipality in the state of West Virginia were evaluated concerning levels of stress or anxiety experienced from organizational issues and interdepartmental rules and regulations. These findings were subsequently compared with the officers level of educational attainment, specifically Bachelor’s degree versus high school education. Specifically, comparisons were made regarding officers with a Bachelor’s degree and those with high school education and scores from the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale, the Job Satisfaction Index, and the Stress Quiz. Additionally, comparisons of the scores were made between officers with a Bachelor’s degree and officers with a …

Relation Of Age Beginning Delinquency, Chemical Dependency, Family History Of Substance Use And The Likelihood To Display Elevated 49/94 Two-Point Codetype On The Mmpi-A With Juvenile Delinquents, Jay Cunningham

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A data search of male juvenile delinquents (N=40) who had taken the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory for Adolescents (MMPI-A) was undertaken from archival data at the Industrial Home for Youth Division of Juvenile Services at Salem, West Virginia. The Industrial Home for Youth is a 120 bed maximum security correctional facility for males age 10 through 20 and females age 12 through 20. Subjects’ files were placed into two groups, 20 in each group. The study group is males whose MMPI-A profile had a two-point codetype of elevated 49/94, T-score being 65 or above. The comparison group did not have …