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Assessing The Relationship Between Geophytes And The Archaeological Presence Of Maize In North America, Paige Dorsey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis investigates the possible relationship between the archaeological presence of maize, in the United States, and historical environmental variables, rainfall and temperature, in addition to the number of underground plants that store energy and nutrients, in a given area. The thought behind this is that where the abundance of these underground plant species is highest, the lower the number of archaeological sites containing maize because such resources were a more attractive alternative food than maize. Conversely, where geophytes are less abundant, archaeological instances of maize should be more abundant because maize is a better option in such environments for …

Substance Use Initiation Among Mexican Children: An Examination Of Individual And Ecological Factors, Alejandro L. Vázquez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mexico is experiencing increased rates of substance use among children and adolescents. This is concerning as early substance use is associated with an increased risk for developing mental and physical health problems during adulthood. These outcomes may be prevented through early identification and intervention before individuals encounter the negative consequences of substance use/abuse. The current dissertation sought to improve our knowledge regarding factors associated with substance use and intention for first time use among Mexican children. Three manuscripts examined child individual characteristics and aspects of their environment. The first manuscript examined demographic characteristics to determine whether particular groups of children …

Balance Control And Exercise-Based Interventions In Older Adults, Youngwook Kim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Loss of balance and consequential falling, caused by natural degenerations in the sensory and motor systems with aging, are critical issues that require constant research exploration to ultimately improve the quality of life in older populations. Balance can be simply classified into static and dynamic balance, and the latter is more associated with common causes of falling in older adults. There are numerous ways to improve dynamic balance, and exercise training has been considered the most beneficial intervention for that purpose. Specifically, aquatic exercises have been suggested as a promising modality because several properties of water, including buoyance and hydrostatic …

Candidate Ideology And Small Donor Contributions, Ryan Kobe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

While individual citizens are the biggest source of campaign fundraising in Senate and House elections, previous research has focused on individuals donating over the reporting limit of $200. The Federal Elections Committee now makes available data on individuals who donate less than $200, and as these donors take on a bigger role in congressional fundraising, a new analysis of donor motivations is needed. This thesis investigates if and how candidate ideology is related to amount contributed. Specifically, I ask whether the dollar amount of contributions changes depending on how conservative or liberal a candidate is. These results have important implications …

Development And Validation Of A Basic Ground Skills Assessment For Equine-Assisted Services, Sarah J. Andersen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The equine-assisted services program at Utah State University produced and validated an assessment process used to test equines for suitability for equine-assisted services. Equine-assisted services incorporate the interaction of humans who face mental, physical, emotional, and/or social challenges and equines for therapeutic purposes. Recreational, physical, mental, social, and/or emotional goals are met through various equine-assisted services such as therapies, equine-assisted learning, and horsemanship.

Due to the potential for human injury while interacting with equines, it is important to ensure equines are assessed for safe behavior prior to participation in equine-assisted services. This is why our group developed and tested the …

Ataturk Vs. Soleimani: Political Philosophy & Contemporary Archetypes, Rachel R. Tolhurst

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis is an examination of the lives of Qassem Soleimani and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk through the lens of the political philosophies of Plato and Niccolò Machiavelli. Qassem Soleimani and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk were noted for their militant lives and share certain qualities of character in their pre-political careers that provide a unique opportunity for a direct comparison and the formulation of a normative claim assessing their relative successes and/or failures despite their many similarities. Through the course of this research the conclusion asserts that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was a more capable man than Soleimani to ascend to a position …

Educational Barriers Childhood Cancer Patients And Survivors Experience: Cancer Care Team Perspectives, Karely Mann

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

After a child is diagnosed with cancer their life changes dramatically, including their school attendance and education goals. This study was done to find out common schooling and education problems young cancer patients and survivors face and how cancer care team members try to help.

This study focused on the point of view of the cancer care team members. Cancer care team members include nurses, social workers, oncologists, and many other professionals. All cancer care team members who participated in the study took a survey and many of them also agreed to participate in a short interview.

We found that …

Determinants Of The Student Loan Decision And Financial Well-Being: The Role Of Financial Education, Financial Literacy, And Student Loan Characteristics, Emily Shaffer Hales

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The student loan crisis has been an important area of personal, political, and research discussion. Many individuals must make the decision to attend college with the help of student loans and millions are currently in repayment on their student loan. However, it can be difficult to understand what factors may play a role the decision to take out a student loan and how managing one’s student loan could affect their personal financial well-being. Thus, this study examined factors that could be related to how an individual may decide to take out a student loan, such as if they participated in …

Examining Segregation Between Chinese And Euroamerican Residences Using Suitability Modeling Within The Built Environment At Terrace, Utah: A Case Study, Kelly N. Jimenez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Suitability modeling is a useful approach for exploring human interactions with their environments. Within a geographic information system (GIS) environment, locations are weighted relative to each other, resulting in a landscape hierarchy that displays regions from least to most suitable. Suitability modeling is used in various disciplines, from urban planning to natural resources, but a gap exists in research concerning social human behavior. This method can especially contribute to the investigation of social inequality at archaeological sites by considering multiple attributes within a site. In this thesis, I use method to determine social inequality between cultural groups at the historic …

The Transition To Parenthood: Exploration Of Systemic Changes And Implications For Future Treatment, David B. Jenks

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The transition to parenthood is change that alters the very structure of the family system. Families who engage in this transition are often in need of assistance as they navigate and attempt to manage the changes and challenges that arise. The biopsychosocial-spiritual model is a modality that helps providers more holistically examine the biological, psychological, social and spiritual realms of life’s experiences. This model provides a valuable way to look at the transition to parenthood and understand some of the interactions taking place that may contribute to the development of challenges such as mental health concerns. The present dissertation was …

A Qualitative Review Of A Culturally Responsive Education Program For Native American Youth, Tamara Ellington

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research uses a qualitative case study approach and a culturally based framework to examine an educational program’s community for Native American youth. The purpose is to develop an in-depth understanding of an effective educational intervention’s community that increases graduation rates of Native American youth and how they incorporate culture. I use Tribal Critical Race Theory to describe the continuation of colonization and assimilation efforts Native youth face in education systems and to portray the indigenized efforts the Konaway program implements in educating from an Indigenous lens. The framework was constructed from the nine tenets of Tribal Critical Race Theory …

Gender And Political Incentives: Examining The Applicant Pool Under Merit Selection, Logan M. Loftis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Merit selection is a judicial selection system for when a state’s constitution or statute directs an independent nominating commission to evaluate applicants as a precursor to gubernatorial appointment. The initial process to fill a judicial vacancy under merit selection has three steps: application, nomination, and appointment. Proponents of the selection system insist that by de-emphasizing politics and highlighting qualifications, judicial diversification will be more likely to increase under merit selection. Yet, there is not a clear consensus as to whether merit selection systematically engenders a more diverse bench.

In this thesis, I explore whether women are less likely to apply …

The Effects Of An Active Learning Intervention On Increasing Parental Efficacy Regarding Sexual Communication With Toddlers And Young Children, Melissa M. Ferguson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the United States, it is estimated that 1 in 5 children will experience sexual abuse before the age of 18. To reduce child sexual abuse more effectively and to increase positive sex attitudes and behaviors, a change is needed in how individuals and society view and discuss sexual health and sex education. Parents are in a powerful and readily available role to teach sexual topics in a positive way, but many are lacking sexual knowledge and confidence in their ability to address sexual topics with their children. This study looked at how personal and contextual factors relate to confidence …

Alienation, Modernization, And Animal Welfare: Human-Animal Relationships At The Farm, State, And Country Levels, Michael D. Briscoe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Our relationships with animals are important for us as humans, for the environment, and for the animals themselves. In this dissertation I look at the relationships between humans and animals at three scales: farm, U.S. state, and country. Specifically, I address how factors like economic growth, technological innovation, and globalization affect human relationships with animals. Understanding how these factors influence human-animal relationships is important for improving these relationships and deciding which directions will most contribute to sustainable outcomes. I address the social factors that influence human-animal relationships in three studies.

In the first study I surveyed and interviewed dairy farmers …

Essays On The Economics Of Regional Development And Public Policy, Wai Yan Siu

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

My dissertation integrating theory and practice into fostering sustainable, ecofriendly, and equitable public policy that promote the well-being of generations to come. My main research questions are: how can we transform the complex socioeconomic systems to build future resilience? In the first chapter, I identify and quantify the effect of the presence of tight oil and gas extraction on the agricultural productivity. This study informs evidence-based policymaking on pressing environmental issues. In the next chapter, I studied the effectiveness of existing policy of urban growth control from an evolutionary landscape and found that the decades-old regulation does not fulfill its …

Risk Factors For Early And Late Onset Depression And Subsequent Risk For Alzheimer's Disease And Related Dementias In An Older Adult Population, Jordan Kugler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Cache County Study on Memory in Aging (CCSMA) was a research study that followed 5092 participants aged 65 or older over the course of 12 years, examining risk and protective factors for dementia. One of these factors was depression history, which has evidence for a connection with dementia, such that those with a history of depression are more likely to develop dementia later in life. However, the existing literature has yet to examine sex differences, genetic and psychosocial factors that contribute to earlier or later onset of depression and how these factors in turn might later increase risk for …

The Role Of Social Movements In Female Candidacy Decisions, Meg Elizabeth Rasmussen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The study of the impact of the 2017 Women’s March and women’s feelings towards President Donald Trump on female candidacy in the 2018 midterm elections was conducted to observe the emergence of new pathways to candidacy and further understanding political ambition in women. This closely follows social movement literature on political opportunities and changes in mobilizing structures as well as literature on nascent political ambition. Understanding the things that encourage more women to run for office can help increase descriptive representation in the United States and create a more representative democracy.

The methods of observing the phenomenon of the 2018 …

Accessing Healthcare In The Intermountain West During The Age Of Precarious Labor, Jordan Hammon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research aims to improve our understanding about the association between precarious employment and healthcare access. Using the framework of neoliberalism and the history of welfare reform in the United States, this thesis investigates the relationship between precarious labor and two outcomes associated with health insurance access, namely Medicaid utilization, and being uninsured. I also examine one potential consequence of Medicaid utilization and lack of insurance, having a usual place of health care in the context of the Intermountain West region of the United States.

Using new survey data and quantitative methodologies, this research shows how economic changes, particularly related …

Relationship Pacing In Adolescents Before And After A Relationship Education Course: Considering The Influence Of Demographics, Relationship History And Well-Being, Sarah Hodgskiss

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Adolescence is a time when many individuals begin to participate in dating. Adolescent romantic relationships can have benefits for youth but can also be harmful if they do not have the information and skills needed to form and maintain healthy relationships. This study analyzed survey data from a youth relationship education program entitled the Premarital and Interpersonal Choices and Knowledge (PICK) program from a group of 14,468 adolescents. This study examined how different demographics were associated with decision making in relationships, referred to as relationship pacing in this study, before participating in the course. Demographic factors that were included were …

School-Based Acceptance And Commitment Therapy For Adolescents With Anxiety, Julie M. Petersen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mental health problems, particularly anxiety, are a growing problem in adolescents. Some treatments (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy) have been shown effective for youth anxiety, but do not help all adolescents. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), a treatment supported for anxiety in adults, has yet to be fully researched in adolescents. ACT is a flexible therapy that is understood to be appropriate, if not ideal, for younger populations and schools. The present study compares a school-based, group ACT for adolescents with anxiety to a waitlist.

Adolescents (N = 26) with anxiety were randomized to a 12 week waitlist or to participate …

Effects Of Military And Economic Aid On Terrorism: A Long- And Short-Term Analysis, Haley Parker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This paper asks whether U.S. aid reduces terrorism. Foreign assistance may be of two types: socio-economic aid (aims to address the root causes of terrorism by improving health care, education, justice systems, infrastructure, etc. in the recipient country) and military aid (designed to fight terrorism with force and manifests as military operations in a recipient country). Most countries receive both military aid and socio-economic US aid for long spells of time. This is why this research asks: 1) how economic and military types of aid influence terrorism over time, and 2) whether and how economic aid and military types of …

The Rhetoric Of The Double-Voiced: Strategic Ambiguity In The Silent Protest Parade, Shelby R. Crow

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Examinations of historical social movements offer great insight into contemporary social justice activism. In this thesis, I analyzed the Silent Protest Parade of 1917. The Silent Protest Parade consisted of approximately 10,000 African American men, women, and children who marched in complete silence to illuminate racial violence and the lynchings of African Americans. I argued that through the concept of strategic ambiguity, protesters were able to communicate between African American and powerful White audiences, many of whom held racist beliefs and attitudes.

Understanding Community Resilience Resources And Experiences Of Inequity Within The Lgbtq+ Community: Implications For Identity And Mental Health Disparities, Joshua G. Parmenter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Being a part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer plus (LGBTQ+) community has been linked with positive well-being. Research has established that the LGBTQ+ community has community-level resources (e.g., connection, belonging, shared hardships) that sexual and gender diverse people can utilize to cope in the face of discrimination (i.e., community resilience). However, due to various forms of discrimination and oppression, those with marginalized identities within the LGBTQ+ community (i.e., LGBTQ+ people of color, plurisexual, gender diverse) may not have equal access to LGBTQ+ community resilience resources.

This dissertation is composed of three separate studies aimed at understanding sexual …

Religious Sexual Minorities And Suicide Risk: The Moderating Role Of Lgbq And Religious Belongingness, Samuel Skidmore

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study aimed to provide insights into the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer/questioning (LGBQ) people within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (CJCLDS), and to explore how aspects of sexuality and religiousness relate to suicidal ideation. Through survey data from 910 participants across two separate studies, several conclusions were drawn. Feelings of belongingness in the CJCLDS may predict decreased suicidal ideation. LGBQ belongingness led CJCLDS service attendance to be more strongly predictive of suicidal ideation, whereas it decreased the negative effects of feeling negatively toward one’s sexual identity. More generally, concealing one’s sexual identity, feeling negatively …

Community And Cultural Reentry: Exploring Reverse Culture Shock Among Returning Missionaries Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Sydney Pond

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Considerable research asserts that individuals who have immersive experiences in foreign cultures may experience mental and emotional challenges upon returning home, a phenomenon known as reverse culture shock. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints annually sends tens of thousands of proselytizing missionaries to various locations around the globe, and the nature of their missionary service places them at risk of experiencing problems during reentry. Despite this risk, reverse culture shock among returning Latter-day Saint missionaries remains relatively unexplored. The aim of this study was to examine how former Latter-day Saint missionaries made sense of their experiences returning to …

Comparing Theoretical Explanations Regarding United States Decision-Making On Regime Change In Peru And In Chile From 1968 To 1973, Lauren Roberts

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis examined the common idea that the CIA is a regime change advocate by testing the merits of two competing political science theories, one focused on internal (endogenous) influences within CIA and one focused on external (exogenous) pressures on CIA emanating from the American public and elected officials. This was accomplished through two case studies – one where the CIA conducted covert regime change operations and one where it did not. Of the two hypotheses, public choice theory, which focused on the external pressure on the CIA, offers the most potential as an explanatory tool for CIA involvement in …

Neurotrophic Factor Genetics Of Cognitive Progression And Neuropsychiatric Symptom Presentation In Alzheimer's Disease And Related Disorders, Joshua Matthew Matyi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Cache County Study on Memory in Aging (CCSMA) and subsequent Dementia Progression Study (DPS) were two research studies that took place in Cache County, Utah. These studies followed 5092 participants aged 65 or older for approximately 12 years and looked at risk and protective factors for dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. One of the factors investigated was genes that are known to influence brain health, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein found in the brain that helps with the survival of brain cells.

BDNF genes have been shown to be associated with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) …

Deaths Of Despair In The United States, Amin Etemadifar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Life expectancy is one of the most important indicators of public health and is an indication of overall health status in a population. Thanks to public health and medical advancements over recent decades, the life expectancy of all nations has significantly increased, and that is more true for developed nations like the United States. However, the most recent data shows the longevity of Americans has become stagnant since 2010. So the first question that comes to mind is why that is happening, and the main goal of this dissertation is to answer that question.

In order to address that question, …

Assessing The Contribution Of Different Causes Of Death To Life Expectancy Disparities In The United States, Max Tyler Roberts

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Life expectancy is not the same for all people in the United States. While some enjoy life expectancies of more than 80 years, others are at risk of dying much sooner. The following studies investigate how different causes of death such as homicide, diabetes, heart disease, and drug poisoning contribute across the life span to: 1) life expectancy gaps across different sex, racial, ethnic, and education groups, and 2) life expectancy change over time for different sex, racial, ethnic, and education groups. Each study focuses on a different area of the U.S., with Chapter 2 focusing on the national-level, Chapter …

Testing An Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Website For Hoarding: A Randomized Waitlist-Controlled Trial, Jennifer Krafft

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Hoarding disorder is relatively common and seriously affects those who experience it. However, it is difficult to access hoarding treatment, due to barriers such as availability and stigma. Moreover, only one treatment is well-established for hoarding (CBT), and it does not directly address important processes such as mindfulness and acceptance. Therefore, in order to make treatment more useful and easy to access, this study tested a self-help program that focused on teaching mindfulness and acceptance as related to hoarding. The self-help program was compared to a waitlist condition; participants were randomly assigned to use the website or wait 12 weeks. …