Digital Commons Network^™

Examining Predictors Of U.S. Student Intent To Study Abroad From A Communication Perspective, Jasmine R. Phillips

Open Access Dissertations

This study of American undergraduate students explored the communication factors that contribute to their decisions regarding participation in study abroad programs. The theoretical framework proposed that several communication constructs were related to intent to study abroad. Specifically, intercultural communication competence (ICC), and social influence via face-to-face and computer-mediated communication, were proposed to affect intent to study abroad. Hypotheses generated in this research were grounded in literature on the above constructs and guided by the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA; Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980). Previous literature found that intercultural attitudes such as openness to other cultures and diversity, ethnocentrism, and intercultural …

Substance-Free Reward Among College Nonmedical Prescription Opioid Users, Lidia Z. Meshesha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nonmedical use of prescription opioids among college students is an underinvestigated phenomenon. Few studies have examined the etiology or factors associated with nascent prescription opioid misuse. The current investigation assessed substance-free activity reinforcement, activitiy engagement, and anhedonia in a sample of 54 college students who reported nonmedical use of prescription opioids compared to demographically similar controls. Self-reported substance-free sexual reinforcement measures indicated that opioid use was associated with greater substance-free sexual reinforcement. Behavioral choice measures indicated that opioid users chose to view drug-related images at a higher rate than drug-free images. Although there were no group differences on self-reported anhedonia …

Emerging Adults' Friends With Benefits Relationships, Emily Child Aguilar, Taelor Trimble

Psychology and Child Development

Friends with benefits is a relationship where friends are sexually, but not romantically, involved (Lehmiller, VanderDrtift, & Kelly, 2011). It is a type of relationship that is growing in popularity for young adults, frequently replacing traditional dating (Bradshaw, Kahn, & Salville, 2010). The goal of friends with benefits relationships is to maintain a friendship while engaging in physical intimacy without romantic emotional attachment (Gusarova, Fraser & Alderson, 2012). Although this type of relationship aims for equality, friends with benefits relationships are controversial due to the presence of a sexual double standard in which men are permitted to have more sexual …

Social Support In An Internet-Based Weight Loss Intervention Among College Students, Yijia Zhang

Masters Theses

Objective: To assess college students’ perceptions regarding online social support in an 8-week Internet-based weight loss intervention.

Participants: Participants were those randomized to the intervention group of an online weight loss intervention targeting overweight and obese college students.

Methods: Members of the intervention group had access to a private discussion forum and weekly live chat sessions, allowing for anonymous interactions. Following the 8-week intervention, intervention group members were invited to complete an online focus group, discussing these tools. The transcripts were directly copied from the live chat conversation history. Using thematic analysis, perceptions regarding online social support were identified, coded …

Alcohol And Drug Use Amongst College Students In Relation To Sexual Abuse, Christyn Hollingsworth

Honors College Theses

The impact of child sexual abuse (CSA) and traumatic sexual experiences has been the subject of multiple studies in which harm was found. Among these harms are emotional distress, psychological issues, and substance abuse. This research analyzed and compared the responses to questions pertaining to substance use and attitudes regarding sexual interactions between college aged students with and without a history of sexual abuse. The participant’s answers were run through an ANOVA to determine statistical variance. Based on prior research, it was expected that victims consume alcohol and use drugs more frequently than non-victims in significant amounts. The findings in …

Physical Fitness And Body Mass Index As Predictors Of Academic Achievement, Kristin V. Sumrall

Honors Theses

In the United States, a significant portion of the population is overweight or obese. In addition to this, there are very low levels of physical fitness amongst the general population. However, in numerous studies healthy body weight and moderate to high levels of physical fitness have been linked with many benefits, including improved academic performance. This study focused on the relationship between physical fitness, body mass index, and academic achievement in college students at the University of Southern Mississippi. The aim of this study was to conduct a quantitative correlational analysis of these three factors in order to determine if …

Evaluating The Student Health Needs At Dalton State College, Cheryl W. Owens

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Translational and Clinical Research Projects

The incidence of chronic diseases in college students mirrors that of older adults. Yet despite the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), college student continue to have difficulty accessing medical care. Many have no insurance, limited transportation and inadequate finances during college to obtain medical care. While college health centers may improve access to care, smaller colleges often do not have the financial and personnel resources to provide student health services. Even in colleges that provide student health services, the focuses are primarily on sexual health, mental health, violence, and substance abuse. Prevention and treatment of chronic diseases services …

Normative Beliefs About Drinking And Alcohol Use Among Native American And Non-Hispanic White College Students, Kylee Hagler

Psychology ETDs

Excessive alcohol consumption among college students has been linked to many negative consequences (e.g. Chou et al., 2006). Normative beliefs about alcohol use have been associated with college alcohol use such that students who estimate higher drinking among peers and students who perceive higher approval for drinking from peers tend to drink more (e.g. Neighbors, Lee, Lewis, Fossos, & Larimer, 2007). However, many studies examining normative beliefs have been conducted with only non-Hispanic White (NHW) college students. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between normative beliefs about drinking and four alcohol variables in a sample …

Fostering Transformative Points Of Connection: An Examination Of The Role Of Personal Storytelling In Two Undergraduate Social Diversity Courses, Molly Keehn

Doctoral Dissertations

People in the United States are becoming increasingly isolated and separated, and this disconnection has been amplified by the use of new technologies in which face-to-face interactions and connection are becoming an anomaly (Putnam, 2000; Turkle, 2011). These changes are paralleled by marked racial and ethnic demographic shifts and increasing racial and economic re-segregation nationwide (Passel & Cohn, 2008). A critical challenge facing higher education is fostering educational opportunities for college students to interact, connect with, and learn from diverse peers about issues of social identity, difference, and inequality, while imagining possibilities for socially-just action (Gurin, 1999; Tatum, 2007). This …

“Give Light And People Will Find A Way”: Black Women College Student Leadership Experiences With Oppression At Predominantly White Institutions, Andrea D. Domingue

Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT “Give Light and People Will Find a Way”: Black Women College Student Leadership Experiences with Oppression at Predominantly White Institutions MAY 2014 ANDREA D. DOMINGUE, B.A., THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN M. A., NEW YORK UNIVERSITY Ed.D., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Emerita Maurianne Adams Black women college students have a collective history of marginalization and discrimination within systems of higher education (Brazzell, 1996; Turner, 2008). Unlike their White women and Black men counterparts, these women have unique social location in their racial and gender identity where they experience multiple types of oppression from dominant groups …

The Development, Implementation, And Testing Of An Interactive Sexual Health Web-Based Application Intervention To Reduce Sexual Risk Behaviors Among College Students, Dawnyéa Dominique Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

College life is often regarded as a time for exploration and growth. One major area of exploration and growth for college students is sex and sexuality. Growth and exploration involves not only learning how to master these life situations, but also experiencing some negative consequences. Negative consequences for college students engaging in sexual risk-taking behaviors often lead to a high prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), unintended pregnancies, emotional distress, and large healthcare costs. Given the high prevalence of risky sexual behavior among young adults and the highly negative consequences of risky sexual behavior for this population, it is critical …

The Temporal Association Between Alcohol, Negative Affect, And Dating Violence, Ryan Christopher Shorey

Doctoral Dissertations

Dating violence is a serious problem, with psychological aggression being the most common topography of aggression. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of research on temporal risk factors for psychological aggression perpetration and victimization. Thus, the proposed study examined whether alcohol and negative affect increased the odds of psychological aggression perpetration and victimization, and whether these two risk factors interacted to temporally predict aggression. That is, consistent with the Attention-Allocation Model (AAM), it was hypothesized that at high levels of negative affect, acute alcohol consumption would increase the odds of aggression. However, at low levels of negative affect, acute alcohol consumption …

Five Dimensions Of Emerging Adulthood: A Comparison Between Students, Nonstudents, And College Graduates, Jennifer Renée Zorotovich

Doctoral Dissertations

U.S. census data suggests that young people today are entering marriage (U. S. Census Bureau, 2011) and parenthood (U. S. Census Bureau, 2012) later than young people in previous decades. Delayed trajectories have led researchers to reconsider the nature of development from adolescence to adulthood and has given way to the construct of emerging adulthood (Arnett, 2000a). Although this construct has been largely embraced by contemporary scholars, questions remain about the universality of emerging adulthood and whether or not it accurately captures the experiences of young people who do not pursue postsecondary education as well as those who have transitioned …

An Inventory Of Student Recollections Of Their Past Misconceptions As A Tool For Improved Classroom Astronomy Instruction, Andrej Favia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My Ph.D. research is about examining the persistence of 215 common misconceptions in astronomy. Each misconception is based on an often commonlyheld incorrect belief by college students taking introductory astronomy. At the University of Maine, the course is taught in alternating semesters by Prof. Neil F. Comins and Prof. David J. Batuski.

In this dissertation, I examine the persistence of common astronomy misconceptions by the administration of a retrospective survey. The survey is a new instrument in that it permits the student to indicate either endorsement or rejection of each misconception at various stages in the student’s life. I analyze …

A Comparison Of Descriptive And Injunctive Norms Brief Interventions For College Drinkers, Mark A. Prince

Dissertations - ALL

College drinking remains a major public health concern. One contributing factor is the overestimation by college students of their peers' alcohol use (DN: descriptive norm) and their peers' acceptability of excessive drinking (IN: injunctive norm). Normative re-education interventions have traditionally focused on changing descriptive norms even though the Theory of Normative Conduct identifies both DN and IN as beliefs that motivate behavior. The current study developed a brief, manualized, personalized, IN intervention, delivered face-to-face, in a Motivational Interviewing style that can be used as a stand alone treatment or added to existing descriptive norms interventions. This randomized controlled trial compared …

Within-Day Energy Balance, Body Mass Index, And Body Composition In College Students, Rebecca Leet

Nutrition Theses

Background: The customary mechanism for assessing weight change involves an assessment of the imbalance in the energy consumed vs. the energy expended. This energy balance ratio is commonly assessed in 24-hour periods, but this strategy fails to account for the timing of macronutrient intake and within-day fluctuations in energy balance, which have an influence on body composition and, ultimately, weight. Hourly fluctuations in energy balance provides information on the time spent in a catabolic state and time spent in an anabolic state, which is not possible with a 24-hour energy balance assessment. Measuring hourly energy balance to optimize absorption and …

College Students’ Attitudes Towards Adults With Developmental Disabilities: Does Direct Contact Make A Difference?, Caroline E. Greene

Honors College Theses

Data were collected from thirty college students who participated in an alternative break trip and approximately seventy college students who did not attend the trip. Study subjects served as counselors at a camp for adults with developmental disabilities. Data were collected using five measures: a) before the week started, students filled out a survey which questioned their comfort level and attitude when interacting with this population; b) this same survey was administered to a random sample of college students who did not attend the break trip c) at camp, students kept a journal throughout the week documenting their experiences; d) …

Sexual Assault Risk During Study Abroad, Brittany Elaine Kurtz

Master’s Theses

The purpose of the study was to examine the risk of sexual assault for female undergraduates who chose to study abroad compared to their risk for staying on campus. This context has not been sufficiently examined for risk of sexual assault, which would seem useful given the high numbers associated with campus sexual assault (one in four, Koss et al., 1987; one in five, Fisher, Daigle, & Cullen, 2010). An on campus sample (n=324) of females responded to behaviorally specific questions concerning unwanted, nonconsensual sexual experiences during a single academic year. Their results were compared to an off campus sample …

Factors Affecting Attitudes Towards Individuals With Schizophrenia: Perceptions Of Mexican American College Students, Valerie Paredes

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study is designed to examine the effects of acculturation and level of familiarity on stigma of Mexican American college students towards individuals with schizophrenia along the border of Texas and Mexico (N = 223). The area has a history of high levels of disparity in regards to the utilization of mental health services. Data was collected by surveying Mexican American college students through a convenience sample at two separate post-secondary southwestern Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) along a border community. The instrumentation for the study was composed of a demographic questionnaire, The Acculturation Scale for Mexican-Americans-II (Cuéllar, Arnold, & Maldonado, 1995), …

Impact Of Healthy Lifestyle Choices On Smoking Behavior Among College Students Who Smoke Cigarettes, Mitchell Jenkins

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the impact certain healthy lifestyle choices had on smoking behavior among college students who smoke cigarettes. Even with continued reduction in prevalence, cigarette smoking is still the leading cause of preventable death in America. With that in mind, it is important to continue to identify factors that relate to decreased tobacco usage. Secondary data from the American College Health Association's bi-yearly National College Health Assessment was used for this study. This assessment/survey encompasses college students' habits, behaviors, and perceptions regarding prevalent health topics. The sample for this study consisted of 14,515 college students who identified themselves as …

A Cultural Examination Of Hardiness: Associations With Self-Esteem, Wisdom, Hope, And Coping-Efficacy, Asea L. Gilmore

Honors College Theses

It is imperative that college students cultivate and exhibit traits associated with resilience to successfully complete their course of study and to protect themselves against the onset of mental health issues. This study aimed to examine positive psychology variables in relation to resilience in order to find variables that promote resilience in college students. Wisdom, hope, and coping self-efficacy were examined amongst 436 undergraduate students. Ethnicity amongst the sample consisted with 136 self-reporting as African American (31.9%), 264 self-reporting as European American (60.6%), 3 self-reporting as Asian (0.7%), 2 self-reporting as Native American (0.5%), and 28 self-reporting as biracial (6.4%). …

College Students' Lingering Negative Emotional Reponses To Movies Viewed During College, Brianna M. Kuck

Selected Honors Theses

Although much research has been conducted on children’s negative emotional responses to movies, and even negative emotional responses to the media in general, limited research has been conducted on college students’ lingering negative emotional responses to movies they have viewed during their college years. Through a qualitative analysis using a focus group at a Florida Christian college, this thesis will examine what kinds of disturbing movie content and elements cause these lingering negative emotional responses in college students. The lingering negative emotional responses these students have will also be discussed in detail, as well as what triggers the reemergence of …

"That Doesn't Sound Like Me:" Student Perceptions Of Semiotic Resources In Written-Aural Remediation Practices, Jennifer Johnson Buckner

English Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines students' composing practices when working with unfamiliar modalities, attending to students' messy material and cognitive negotiations prior to their production of a polished multimodal project. Working from a conceptual vocabulary from composition studies and semiotics, I frame composing as an act of semiotic remediation, attending to students' repurposing and understanding of written and aural materials in composition and their impact on their learning. Specifically, this research uses a grounded theory methodology to examine the attitudes, experiences, and composing practices of first-year writing students enrolled in a composition II course at a private, liberal arts institution in the …

Evaluation Of A Digitally-Automated Alcohol Curriculum Designed To Alter Expectancies And Alcohol Use In First Year College Students, Amy Schreiner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

High-risk alcohol consumption remains a primary public health concern for students on college campuses. In response to this concern the National Advisory Council of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism created a task force to identify and recommend strategies to aid college administrators in implementing effective alcohol programming at their institutions. While most administrators report being aware of these recommendations, many have not successfully implemented empirically supported interventions on their campuses. One significant barrier is the cost and difficulty of training and hiring skilled staff to implement these interventions. Of the strategies identified as effective, challenging alcohol expectancies …

Evaluation Of A Conceptual Model Of Student Retention At A Public Urban Commuter University, Hoa Khuong

Dissertations

A new conceptual model of student retention was developed and evaluated for first-year retention and for second-year retention of students at an urban, mid-western commuter university. The model captured the joint effects of academic engagement and environmental factors on academic performance and persistence of commuter students in their first two years of college attendance. The academic engagement and environmental factors incorporated into the model included: pre-college academic achievement, Deep Learning, Study Time per Week, College Math Readiness, Major Selection, Hours of Employment, receiving (or not receiving) a Pell Grant Award and Financial Concerns. Structural equation modeling techniques were utilized to …

Identifying And Understanding Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Among College Students, Angela S. Fedewa

Wayne State University Dissertations

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) behavior in college students

at an urban university was studied. Relations between NSSI

and poor quality relationships with their parents and peers, as

well as deficient coping and help-seeking behavior were examined

from an attachment perspective. Undergraduates were recruited

via an online psychology subject pool and completed an online survey.

T-tests were conducted to identify what variables differed between

students who engaged in NSSI in contrast to students that did not.

In addition, a discriminant function analysis was conducted. It was

found that intrapersonal and interpersonal variables predicted group

membership (i.e. social desirability, body protection, positive affect, …

Lineamientos Conceptuales Para Un Modelo De Apoyo Estudiantil Basado En Un Principio De Solidaridad En La Universidad De La Salle. Una Propuesta Colaborativa Entre El Programa De Trabajo Social Y La Vicerrectoría De Promoción Y Desarrollo Humano, Cindy Viviana Melo Mendoza, Paula Andrea Merchán Arévalo, Mónica Lizeth Peñuela Hernández

Trabajo Social

La Universidad de La Salle en su proyecto educativo plantea la importancia de la democratización del conocimiento, en este sentido, la Universidad ha propuesto estrategias que permitan dar auxilio o apoyo a los estudiantes que no cuentan con la suficiencia económica para culminar sus estudios, sin embargo, estas estrategias no han cumplido con su política institucional, provocando en cambio efectos negativos en los estudiantes por que han sido de corte asistencialista y han generado alto grado dependencia. Por esta razón, la VPDH en sus reflexiones constantes identifica estas falencias e incita a esta investigación a plantear nuevos lineamientos que rijan …

Supplementing Society: A Sociocultural Analysis Of Recreational Drug Use And Supplement Consumption Within The American Collegiate Environment, Kelli M. Bradley

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In the United States, reports within the last decade indicate college students are using dietary supplements at rates well above those reported for adult populations. Despite this prevalence, however, there continues to be a dearth of information examining behaviors related to this health phenomenon. This is problematic for many reasons, but especially because some research has found associations between use of these products and use of recreational drugs among this population.

Employing an integrated theoretical approach utilizing concepts from critical-interpretive medical anthropology (CIMA) and emerging adulthood, this research examined the ways in which supplement use related to sociocultural factors present …

Cultural Factors In Mental Health Referral Among Asian Americans, Ishani Deo

Scripps Senior Theses

Epidemiological studies have shown that disparities in mental health service utilization still exist among ethnic minority groups in the United States. This study looks specifically at the lay referral system and what factors influence the likelihood of an individual referring a friend to mental health services. Since college student populations have fewer barriers than most to seeking treatment, 60 Asian American and 49 White American college students were sampled for the purposes of this study. They evaluated one of four vignettes in which cultural competency of the potential therapist and type of symptoms being presented were manipulated. Though there was …

A Pilot Study Examining The Impact Of A Brief Health Education Intervention On Food Choices And Exercise In A Hispanic College Student Sample, Julie Ann Blow

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

It has been suggested that intervention efforts should focus on prevention of weight gain and the adoption of healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. There is a dearth of literature as to what theoretically-based interventions would be most amenable and efficacious in a Hispanic college student sample. This study assessed the impact of a pilot intervention based on components derived from Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) that focused on increasing healthy eating and physical activity in Hispanic college students. Measures in the study included demographics, theoretical constructs from SDT and the TTM, eating behavior, and a food …