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The Diffusion And Performance Of The Accountable Care Organization Model, Yi-Ling Lin
The Diffusion And Performance Of The Accountable Care Organization Model, Yi-Ling Lin
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Background: Unity in pursuit of the Triple Aim: better health, better care, and lower per capita cost, can be achieved through a well-designed health care delivery system. The accountable care organizations (ACOs) model is considered a key component of health care delivery system improvement because the model fosters better coordination of care through clinical integration and financial accountability. Within the six Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) ACO programs, the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) ACO has the largest size with a total of 432 ACOs formed; the service subjects of the MSSP ACO are the fee-for-service beneficiaries. Recently, …
Variations In Health Services Utilization By Patients With Prostate Cancer, Roberta Mckee
Variations In Health Services Utilization By Patients With Prostate Cancer, Roberta Mckee
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Among men living in the United States, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death, and, excluding skin cancers, it is the cancer diagnosed most frequently. While incidence and mortality rates have been declining, the American Cancer Society estimated that there were 220,800 men diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 27,500 prostate cancer deaths in 2015. Various patient-level and community-level factors have been shown to influence the differential patterns of diagnosis, care, and outcomes for men with prostate cancer. Detailed information regarding the utilization of health services by prostate cancer patients, particularly those with higher propensity for …
An Ethnographic Study Of The Culture Of Twelfth Grade Upward Bound Students In The Midwest, Neffisatu Dambo
An Ethnographic Study Of The Culture Of Twelfth Grade Upward Bound Students In The Midwest, Neffisatu Dambo
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to better understand the culture of an Upward Bound College Preparatory Program in the Midwest and how it interacted with the culture of 12th-grade UB participants. In particular, the study examined how UB and the cultures that 12th graders belonged influenced students' decisions, progression, and adult transitions. UB serves at-promise high school students who are highly susceptible to academic, career, financial, and psychological challenges during their 12th-grade progression and transition. Therefore, the researcher conducted an ethnographic study that included observations, documents, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups with (N = 70) participants in the Midwest. …
The Relationship Among Post-Traumatic Growth, Religious Commitment, And Optimism In Adult Liberian Former Refugees And Internally Displaced Persons Traumatized By War-Related Events, Hannah Acquaye
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
One of the myriad consequences of war is displacement and refugee-ism. People become refugees when they no longer feel safe in their country of origin. Before, during, and after the journey towards safety, refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) endure several challenging circumstances which stretch their normal abilities to cope. In their efforts to cope, these people report several mental health challenges like sleeplessness, hypervigilance, anxiety, and depression. The reported mental health challenges are normal in this population; however, when they persist, they result in posttraumatic stress disorder. Surprisingly, some also report obtaining psychological growth due to their challenging circumstances. …
Women With Influence: Creating A Powerful Woman Leader Identity Through Impression Management, Alex Rister
Women With Influence: Creating A Powerful Woman Leader Identity Through Impression Management, Alex Rister
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Women hold few leadership roles in the workplace, and even though research indicates the positive benefits of more women in top positions, leadership has a longstanding association with masculine qualities. If a woman seeks a position of power, she may find herself negotiating between a conflicting "woman" identity and "leader" role performance. Previous literature on the subject offers two opposing perspectives. While the first school of thought emphasizes the importance of a woman assuming masculine characteristics to successfully assume leadership positions, a second body of research points to gender equality in leadership by driving industries and organizations to change. The …
Teach Them To Eat: Complexities Of Community Based Organization And Nutrition Education Initiatives In The Prevention Of Chronic Disease, Allison Matos
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This thesis examines how participants of an eight-week nutrition education class utilize disseminated information to manage chronic disease, as well as explores the challenges a community based nutrition education resource center faces in the arena of chronic disease prevention. Per the World Health Organization's Global Report on Diabetes, 422 million adults currently live with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, a four-fold increase since the 1980s. Within the U.S., approximately nine percent of the adult population suffers from diabetes, and obesity, a major contributor to the disease, afflicts nearly thirty-five percent. While medical professionals frame the controlling of chronic disease …
Cognitive Flexibility: Using Mental Simulation To Improve Script Adaptation, Javier Rivera
Cognitive Flexibility: Using Mental Simulation To Improve Script Adaptation, Javier Rivera
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Human behavior and decision-making depend largely on past experiences that generate specific action patterns (i.e., scripts, Gioia & Manz, 1985) for specific situations. In an ideal world, in which changes in the environment do not conflict with these action patterns, humans would be able to operate consistently, efficiently, and automatically. However, real-world environments are dynamic and fluid, thus altering behavior and forcing changes in scripts. Research suggests that to implement alternate solutions to changing situations, humans select from a "library" of learned scripts. Since humans tend to implement scripts to the degree that these are successful over a period of …
The Effects Of Tactile Displays On The Perception Of Target Distance, Timothy White
The Effects Of Tactile Displays On The Perception Of Target Distance, Timothy White
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Because vital information can be missed by Soldiers in combat environments that tax the eyes and the ears, it is imperative that alternative techniques be investigated to determine their potential in relaying this information in an effective way. This research investigated the use of a tactile display for providing distance and azimuth information about enemy targets. In a series of three experiments, participants were asked to engage enemy targets while utilizing cues that provided location information. In Experiment 1, two tactile cueing techniques (i.e., varying intensity and varying pulse rate) and three auditory cueing techniques (i.e., non-spatial speech, varying frequency …
Visual Scanpath Training For Facial Affect Recognition In A Psychiatric Sample, Chi Chan
Visual Scanpath Training For Facial Affect Recognition In A Psychiatric Sample, Chi Chan
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Social cognition is essential for functional outcome and quality of life in psychiatric patients. Facial affect recognition (FAR), a domain of social cognition, is impaired in many patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. There is evidence that abnormal visual scanpath patterns may underlie FAR deficits, and metacognitive factors may impact task performance. The present study aimed to develop a brief, individually-administered, computerized training program to normalize scanpath patterns in order to improve FAR in patient with a psychosis history or bipolar I disorder. The program was developed using scanpath data from 19 nonpsychiatric controls (NC) while they completed a FAR …
Role Of Sleep In Exposure Therapy For Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In Oif/Oef Combat Veterans, Franklin Mesa
Role Of Sleep In Exposure Therapy For Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In Oif/Oef Combat Veterans, Franklin Mesa
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Exposure therapy is theorized to reduce posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology by promoting habituation/extinction of fear responses to trauma-related cues. Empirical evidence indicates that emotional memory, including habituation/extinction learning, is enhanced by sleep. However, service members with combat-related PTSD often report disturbed sleep. In this study, quality of sleep and indicators of extinction learning were examined in veterans of recent wars who had completed an exposure-based PTSD intervention. Fifty-five participants were categorized into two groups based on self-reported quality of sleep: low sleep disruption severity (LSDS; N = 29) and high sleep disruption severity (HSDS; N = 26). Participants in …
Optimizing Strategies For In Vivo Exposure In The Traditional Clinical Setting, Maryann Owens
Optimizing Strategies For In Vivo Exposure In The Traditional Clinical Setting, Maryann Owens
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This study examined the ability of a pre-recorded videoconferencing (VC) audience to elicit the physiological and subjective arousal associated with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) when giving a formal presentation. This study had three objectives: (a) to determine whether speaking to the VC audience elicited significant increases in physiological response (e.g., heart rate and electrodermal activity) and subjective distress over baseline resting conditions (b) to determine whether the VC task more closely replicates the physiological and subjective experience of giving a speech to a comparable real-life audience than levels elicited by a Virtual Reality (VR) environment and (c) to determine whether …
Developing Methods For The Estimation Of Stature And Their Use As A Proxy For Health Among The Ancient Chachapoya Of Peru, Armando Anzellini
Developing Methods For The Estimation Of Stature And Their Use As A Proxy For Health Among The Ancient Chachapoya Of Peru, Armando Anzellini
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Population mean stature and patterns of health are often linked in anthropological studies, yet few studies control for the multifactorial nature of achieving adult standing height. This thesis explores the intersection of health and stature by analyzing the skeletal remains of 161 adult individuals from the archaeological site of Kuelap, in the eastern slopes of the northern Peruvian Andes, and also tests current biometric methods for estimating stature from skeletal remains. This Chachapoya site dates to the Late Intermediate Period (AD 900 – 1470) and Late Horizon (AD 1470 – 1536) and resides in the high altitude sub-tropical forests of …
Devising Strategies, Managing Needs: A Multi-Level Study Of Homelessness In Central Florida, Rebecca Young
Devising Strategies, Managing Needs: A Multi-Level Study Of Homelessness In Central Florida, Rebecca Young
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The homeless are a marginalized population vulnerable to structural forces and policy decisions, including lack of affordable housing, systemic inequalities, and lack of adequate social safety net. Homelessness is commonly medicalized (linked to individual deviancy and mental illness) by service administrators and policymakers, causing structural causes to be overlooked. A "vertical slice" approach is particularly useful to show perspectives and strategies that affect homelessness from multiple levels. Using ethnographic research methods, this project explores homelessness in Central Florida from three distinct but interrelated angles: (1) the perspective of homeless persons, (2) the perspective of staff members at Hope Helps, a …
Tobacco Prevention And Cessation Policies And Youth Tobacco Use In Florida Public Schools, Amanda Terry
Tobacco Prevention And Cessation Policies And Youth Tobacco Use In Florida Public Schools, Amanda Terry
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease and premature death in the United States. In 2014, an estimated 16.8% of adults were current cigarette smokers, and 9.2% of high school students smoked cigarettes. Nearly 90% of smokers developed their habit as teenagers, and students' tobacco use in high school influences their behaviors later in adulthood. Smoking behaviors appear to be inseparable from the social environment, physical environment, small social groups, and cognitive and affective processes. Preventive strategies, such as advertising bans, clean indoor air laws, education programs, increased taxes, labeling limitations, mass-media campaigns, and youth access regulations, have …
Reading Comprehension Deficits In Children With Adhd: The Mediating Roles Of Working Memory And Orthographic Conversion, Lauren Friedman
Reading Comprehension Deficits In Children With Adhd: The Mediating Roles Of Working Memory And Orthographic Conversion, Lauren Friedman
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Reading comprehension deficits in children with ADHD are well-established; however, limited information exists concerning the cognitive mechanisms that contribute to these deficits and the extent to which they interact with one another. The current study examines two broad cognitive processes known to be involved in children's reading comprehension abilities—(a) working memory (i.e., central executive processes [CE], phonological short-term memory [PH STM], and visuospatial short-term memory [VS STM]) and (b) orthographic conversion—to elucidate their unique and interactive contribution to ADHD-related reading comprehension deficits. Thirty-one children with ADHD and 30 typically developing (TD) children aged 8 to 12 years (M = 9.64, …
Childhood Trauma, Reflective Functioning And Attributions, Self-Efficacy, And Perceived Parenting Competence: What Happens When The Traumatized Child Grows Up And Becomes A Mother?, Annelise Cunningham
Childhood Trauma, Reflective Functioning And Attributions, Self-Efficacy, And Perceived Parenting Competence: What Happens When The Traumatized Child Grows Up And Becomes A Mother?, Annelise Cunningham
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Previous research documented the relationship between self-efficacy and perceived parenting competence. Further, previous evidence supported the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral consequences of early exposure to trauma. To build on these previously noted relationships, the present study examined the relationships among reflective functioning and attributions, self-efficacy, and perceived parenting competence, with self-efficacy serving as a mediating variable. Specifically, this study sought to focus on the cognitive variables associated with mothers' perceived self-efficacy and parenting competence and how those variables interact differently when early exposure to trauma is present. As part of this study, a national community sample of 126 culturally diverse …
An Examination Of Serial Arguing And Marital Satisfaction In Premarital Cohabiters And Direct Marriers, Rachel Reymann
An Examination Of Serial Arguing And Marital Satisfaction In Premarital Cohabiters And Direct Marriers, Rachel Reymann
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Negative communication behaviors that occur prior to marriage often continue into marriage without proper intervention (i.e. marriage counseling). One such communication behavior is the serial argument (i.e. an argument that occurs and reoccurs over time). The topics that married couples argue about offer a unique insight to the health of one's relationship. The present study examined differences between 124 individuals, 93 who cohabited with their spouse prior to marriage and 31 who did not, in both the topics and frequency of serial arguments and overall martial satisfaction. The results indicated that there was no difference in frequency (number of topics, …
Mutable Means: An Exploration Of Communication And Identity Through Visual And Verbal Deconstruction, Reina Castellanos
Mutable Means: An Exploration Of Communication And Identity Through Visual And Verbal Deconstruction, Reina Castellanos
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Increasingly defined by my status as a Nonimmigrant Alien, I have lived longer in the United States than in my native Venezuela. Knowing my stay in this country will be temporary, I examine feelings of uncertainty about my future by deconstructing communication—both visual and verbal. Through ambiguity I express anxieties on my personal circumstances and retain objectivity in regard to my process through intellectual inquiry. I layer words, images, and sound to mirror my frustrations, and project the conflict of my internal dialogue.
Supporting Situation Awareness Through Robot-To-Human Information Exchanges Under Conditions Of Visuospatial Perspective Taking, Elizabeth Phillips
Supporting Situation Awareness Through Robot-To-Human Information Exchanges Under Conditions Of Visuospatial Perspective Taking, Elizabeth Phillips
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The future vision of military Soldier—robot teams is one in which Soldiers and robots work together to complete separate, but interdependent tasks that advance the goals of the mission. However, in the near term, robots will be limited in their ability to successfully perform tasks without, at least, occasional assistance from their human teammates. A need exists to design, in robots, mechanisms that can support human situation awareness (SA) regarding the operations of the robot, which humans can use to provide interventions in robot tasks. The purpose of the current study was to test the effects of information exchanges provided …
The Impact Of A Strengths-Based Group Counseling Intervention On Lgbtq+ Young Adult's Coping, Social Support, And Coming Out Growth, Shainna Ali
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals, and those who otherwise identify as a minority in terms of affectional orientation and gender expression identity (LGBTQ+) have a higher rate of mental health concerns than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts (Meyer, 2003). Young adulthood is a difficult time for individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ as internal identity development processes coincide with stressors from the outside world. The conflict between intrapersonal and interpersonal pressures may evoke a multitude of negative emotions such as anxiety, loneliness, isolation, fear, anger, resentment, shame, guilt, and fear. One difficult task that triggers these depreciating sentiments is …
Psychometric Properties Of A Social Skills Assessment Using Virtual Environment, Thien-An Le
Psychometric Properties Of A Social Skills Assessment Using Virtual Environment, Thien-An Le
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Background: Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a marked and persistent fear of social and/or performance situations in which embarrassment or scrutiny from others may occur. In children, this marked and persistent fear must be present in peer settings and is not exclusive to interactions with adults (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013). Behaviorally, children with SAD may avoid eye contact and exhibit other behavioral symptoms such as stooped shoulders, nail biting, trembling voice, avoidance of social and performance situations, muffled voice, longer speech latency, inappropriate tone or low voice volume, and lack of spontaneous speech (Beidel & Turner, 2007; Ollendick, Benoit, …
Chasing "Plan A": Identity Development Of First-Generation College Student-Athletes, Alexandra Warner
Chasing "Plan A": Identity Development Of First-Generation College Student-Athletes, Alexandra Warner
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Student-athletes competing at the university level face a unique set of stressors, pressures, and experiences. While all students will inevitably face difficulties transitioning from high school to post-secondary education, collegiate athletes bear the burden of balancing at least two demanding public roles, student and athlete, along with other interpersonal relationships, such as friendships, familial ties, and connections with teammates and coaches. The current study examines the identity development of college student-athletes and the challenges they face as they transition into and through their involvement in higher education and intercollegiate sports. This project in particular focuses on how the gendered experiences …
Rethinking Drinking: A Paradigm Shift For Estimating Social And Behavioral Harm, Thomas Hall
Rethinking Drinking: A Paradigm Shift For Estimating Social And Behavioral Harm, Thomas Hall
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This study challenges old saws about negative consequences attributed to alcohol use. Previous research findings associate negative social and behavioral consequences with alcohol consumption, as if college students only do regrettable things when they are drunk. Typical research related to negative consequences and alcohol use relies on retrospective self-reporting. Investigators often frame negative consequences as outcomes of problematic drinking or, as more commonly labeled, "binge drinking." In the nomenclature of prevention, binge drinking is not a direct measure of alcohol use resulting in intoxication; it is a hypothetical tipping point, predicting an increased likelihood of the incidence of negative consequences …
No Ground To Stand Upon?: Exploring The Legal, Gender, And Racial Implications Of Stand Your Ground Laws In Cases Of Intimate Partner Violence., Denise Crisafi
No Ground To Stand Upon?: Exploring The Legal, Gender, And Racial Implications Of Stand Your Ground Laws In Cases Of Intimate Partner Violence., Denise Crisafi
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Within the past decade, the use of self-defense as defined under Stand Your Ground laws has been the subject of political and legal scrutiny. According to the American Bar Association (2015), twenty-three states have passed Stand Your Ground laws that eliminate the duty to retreat prior to using force in any place that an individual has the right to be. In addition, ten states allow individuals to use or threaten to use force in public or private spaces where they have a right to be under case law (not formal statute) but maintain stricter requirements for how self-defense must be …
The Impact Of Board Capital And Servant Leadership On Board Effectiveness: A Study Of Florida Community Foundations, Lauren Obyrne
The Impact Of Board Capital And Servant Leadership On Board Effectiveness: A Study Of Florida Community Foundations, Lauren Obyrne
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Community foundations have considerable potential for positive social change in the communities they serve yet are understudied in nonprofit management and leadership literature. Recently, community foundations have become one of the largest avenues of organized philanthropy. The boards of community foundations frequently consist of a different composition of members than other nonprofit organizations, making a focus on individual characteristics of board members a worthwhile area of study. This exploratory study considers board capital through human capital, structural capital, and social capital and the impact this has on board effectiveness. In addition, it considers the impact of servant leadership on board …
Patient Violence And Aggression In Non-Institutional Health Care Settings: Predictors Of Reporting By Healthcare Providers, Colleen Campbell
Patient Violence And Aggression In Non-Institutional Health Care Settings: Predictors Of Reporting By Healthcare Providers, Colleen Campbell
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This dissertation is conducted to examine the factors which contribute to the reporting of incidents of violence or aggression perpetrated by patients against health care providers in non-institutional health care settings. With a theoretical foundation grounded in community science, applying stress theory, broken windows theory and the theory of reasoned action, the following cross sectional study examines the contribution of characteristics of the healthcare provider, characteristics of the patient perpetrator and the form of violence to the providers' reporting or failing to report incidents. A self-administered survey was disseminated to a sample of non-institutional healthcare providers to test the research …
Attitudes Toward Cohabitation: A Cross Sectional Study, Kensington Shields-Dutton
Attitudes Toward Cohabitation: A Cross Sectional Study, Kensington Shields-Dutton
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Cohabitation and attitudes toward cohabitation have been of interest to social scientists since the 1970s. Early research on cohabitation concentrated on college aged students enrolled at institutions of higher learning. This trend was due to convenience sampling (Trost, 1978). Later research demonstrated the college population represented less than half of the total number of cohabitating persons. With the growth in numbers of persons who are choosing to cohabitate versus marrying, this study examines current attitudes towards cohabitation. This research augments the existing literature on attitudes toward cohabitation in the following ways: (1) it updates the current research on the attitudes …
Patterns In Dental Health: Investigating Dental Disease At The Archaeological Site Of Kuelap In Chachapoyas, Peru, Vu Tran
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Social organization influences individual well-being and overall community health, which may lead to health disparities that manifest in teeth. The research in this thesis explores social variability by analyzing patterns in dental disease at the archaeological site of Kuelap in Chachapoyas, Peru. The ancient Chachapoya (AD 900-1535) were a complex society but the nature of that complexity is not well understood based on traditional archaeological correlates. Since burials at Kuelap lack grave goods that are often used to discriminate variation in social status or identity, bioarchaeological dental proxies were tested. The dental remains of 106 individuals (7 subadults, 54 adult …
Social Disorganization And Florida Public High School Academic Performance, David Kanaan
Social Disorganization And Florida Public High School Academic Performance, David Kanaan
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Failing public high schools are a perpetual limitation to community sustainability. Conversely, economically disadvantaged communities more often produce schools with reduced academic performance. Unfortunately, comprehensive community-based remedies are generally outside the scope of a school district's control. Social disorganization theory attributes variations in crime and delinquency to a breakdown in communal structure and relationships. Applied in a similar manner, social disorganization has also been associated with lower student achievement. This research examined how social disorganization is associated with Florida public high school academic performance in a two phase analysis at the community and school district levels. In addition, the research …
The Missing Middle: Understanding The Effects Of Social Enterprise On Nonprofit Performance, Angela White-Jones
The Missing Middle: Understanding The Effects Of Social Enterprise On Nonprofit Performance, Angela White-Jones
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The 2008 financial recession has seen increased poverty, job loss, and homelessness as well as decreased spending in health care, education, sanitation, and housing. These factors can lead to tensions across a number of sectors and underscore the need for innovation in for-profit, nonprofit and government organizations. One area of innovation in the nonprofit sector to supplement revenues is by adding social enterprise activity. Social enterprise is the pursuit of earned income activities for an organization that is driven by a community mission or value. Because financial and social problems are becoming increasingly intertwined, this study seeks to understand the …