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Unconventional Mental Health Treatment: Reexamining The Racial Disparity In Treatment Seeking Behavior, Meghan L. Mills

Master's Theses and Capstones

Using 2005-2007 pooled data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), this thesis examines how race affects the type of mental health treatment ught by adults. This research examines whether a more inclusive definition of mental health treatment that incorporates unconventional mental health treatment may partially account for this disparity in treatment seeking behavior. Specifically, by including and differentiating between "formal" and "informal" complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as types of unconventional mental health treatment, it was hypothesized that the greater use of "informal" CAM (i.e. seeking help from a religious or spiritual advisor or friend or …

Does Democracy Impact The Lives Of The Poor In Nicaragua?, Tanisha Shandie Brown Mitchel

Master's Theses and Capstones

Does democracy help the poor? Nicaragua, the emphasis of this study, will be used to analyze the impact democracy might be having on improving the lives of the poor. The World Development Indicators (World Bank) and the Human Development Index (United Nations) from 1992--2006 will be used in this study to measure economic growth in Nicaragua. The Latin America Public Opinion Project data on Latin America measures Nicaragua public opinion regarding democracy and economic growth in the country.

The graphs from the World Bank illustrate that the standard of living for the poor in Nicaragua is improving and that democracy …

Race And Poverty: Does Geographical Location Matter?, Skye Mackay

Master's Theses and Capstones

This study utilizes the 2005 to 2007 American Community Survey data to examine two research questions: (1) Does knowledge of geographical location increase the prediction of poverty over individual/household characteristics and; (2) Does the effect of race on poverty vary by geographical location? This research supplements the existing literature by comparing across multiple categories of race (non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, non-Hispanic other, Hispanic) and geographical location (region of the country and metropolitan status). Poverty is found to vary by individual characteristics and by region and location. However, multiple regression analyses demonstrates that when individual characteristics (race, sex, age, educational attainment, …

Capital Punishment And Specific Offense Deterrence, Brian Giardina

Master's Theses and Capstones

Deterrence has historically been a justification for capital punishment. Recent studies have found deterrent effects as strong as eighteen murders prevented per execution (Dezhbakhsh, Rubin and Shepherd, 2003). Most prior studies have tested for deterrent effects on homicide rates generally. The current study looks for a deterrent effect on a specific type of capital crime; the felonious killing of law enforcement officers. Two separate hypotheses were tested. First, the presence of a capital punishment statute will deter this specific type of homicide in a given year. Second, executions for any reason will reduce the likelihood of this specific type of …

Essays On Environmental Regulations And Performance Of Firms, Shrawantee Saha

Doctoral Dissertations

There has been a surge in the development of new, non-traditional and innovative approaches to address environmental problems in the last three decades of U.S. environmental policies. These new approaches affect polluting behavior via instruments other than taxes, permits or direct imperatives. They rely heavily on active engagement, collaboration and information sharing among firms and industry peers. This dissertation adds to our current understanding of these newer approaches by studying how external pressures and internal awareness affect a firm's polluting behavior. Two essays focus solely on the role of the print media, an external pressure to firms, under the U.S. …

Competencies And Problems Of Poor And Non-Poor American Emerging Adults, Jean Dawson

Doctoral Dissertations

Developmental perspectives emphasize understanding the etiology of offending across the life course and in relation to other analogous behaviors (i.e. mental illness, substance use, academic failure, social problems). Two prominent DLC theories---Moffitt's (1993) Developmental Taxonomy and Sampson and Laub's (1993) Age Graded Theory (AGT) of Informal Social Control---offer differing perspectives on the etiology of offending. Moffitt (1993) contends that four types of offenders can be identified in the general population based on various individual deficits, family problems and analogous behaviors. Sampson and Laub (1993) argue offending is a consequence of opportunities to offend and the inability of society to exert …

Adolescent Sexual Orientation And Parent-Child Relationship Quality, Rose Anne Medeiros

Doctoral Dissertations

The literature on gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) young people commonly assumes that GLB adolescents have difficult relationships with their parents, due to their parents' difficulty accepting their sexual orientation. However, research tends to show that the family experiences of GLB individuals are diverse. The current research compared the family experiences of GLB and non-GLB college students, specifically, levels of conflict with parents during the respondent's last year of high school, parent-child relationship quality, and physical and psychological assaults by parents during the same time frame, as well as perceived social support from parents at the time of the survey. …

The Long Journey To Become 'The River Of National Unity': The Sao Francisco River Basin From 1940s To 2008 And The Interactions Of Environment, Government And Local Citizens, Lucigleide Nery Nascimento

Doctoral Dissertations

In its 2,700 kilometers north and then eastern journey to the Atlantic Ocean, the Sao Francisco River of Brazil drains eight percent of the nation's territory. The watershed is three and a half times the size of New England. This research investigates the impacts of the federal water resource management, or lack of it, on the riverine environment and on the life of the people who locally have depended on the ecosystem's services of the river during the 1940s--2008 timeframe. A new legal instrument, the 1997 Water Policy, introduced a novel form of management regarding public participation, policy goals and …

Community Change In The Northern Forest, Chris R. Colocousis

Doctoral Dissertations

In 2006, the pulp mill in Berlin, NH was closed and dismantled, marking an end to more than a century of dependence on the pulp and paper industry. The city's location in a high-amenity and recreation-dependent region suggests that the rebirth of the local economy would follow a general transition from a production orientation to consumption. Using in-depth interviews and other qualitative methods, survey work, and secondary quantitative data I chronicle a century change, focusing on how the industry has shaped the community and its present ability to reinvent itself. I analyze the ways in which patterns of change and …

An Initial Evaluation Of Market-Based Land Reform In Brazil: Can It Create Sustainable Communities?, Arthur Powers

Doctoral Dissertations

Land reform is a burning issue in Brazil. Redistribution of land through government expropriation has proven to be difficult and expensive as unwilling landowners can hold up the process for years, or defeat it, in the courts. In 1997, the World Bank, at the request of the Brazilian Government, approved Land Reform and Poverty Alleviation Pilot Project 4147-BR -- known in Brazil as the Cedula da Terra. This program instituted a market based approach to land reform through which eligible agricultural workers could form associations and obtain subsidized financing to purchase land from willing sellers. As there was no previous …

Gender Bias In The Legal Field: Experiences Of Female Attorneys And Law Students, Jessie L. French

Master's Theses and Capstones

This study examines the experiences of female attorneys and law students with respect to gender bias. Contemporary evaluations indicate that while women comprise approximately 50% of the job force, they are significantly underrepresented in management positions and continue to be paid less than men; this is especially true in the legal field. Thirty-five in-depth interviews were conducted, 25 with women who had obtained a juris doctorate and 10 with female law students. Women discussed their experiences in the legal field relative to law school, expectations for their careers, media influences, gender discrimination and harassment. Qualitative analysis revealed that pregnancy was …

Psychiatric Status, Self Control And Violence: Application Of The General Theory Of Crime, Feodor A. Gostjev

Master's Theses and Capstones

Previous studies have suggested that psychiatric patients are more likely to be violent then the individuals in the general population. This thesis uses data collected in MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Study to compare violent behaviors perpetrated by psychiatric patients in 10 weeks after their release from a psychiatric hospital and by subjects living in a similar community setting. Furthermore, Gottfredson and Hirschis's (1990) self control theory is applied to examine etiological causes of violence. The outcomes suggest that psychiatric patients were more likely to be violent during the study period than the community control subjects. The difference in violence rates …

Asset Forfeiture: State Restrictions And Equitable Sharing, Charles Kucher

Master's Theses and Capstones

Civil asset forfeiture is criticized for its lack of procedural protections for property owners and for skewing the priorities of law enforcement. Federal civil forfeiture law allows federal agencies to prosecute civil forfeiture cases for state and local law enforcement agencies, a practice that is criticized for allowing the circumvention of state laws. This thesis looks at three factors governing forfeiture at the state level (standard of proof, conviction requirement and financial incentive) and examines their effect on federal equitable sharing payments. The results indicate that both conviction requirement and standard of proof affect equitable sharing payments and suggests that …

The Association Between Parenting Style And Life Satisfaction In Adulthood, Stephanie Caras

Master's Theses and Capstones

This research examined the association between parenting style and life satisfaction in adulthood (N=112). Participants responded to an online survey, called the Parenting Style and Life Satisfaction Survey, which included questions pertaining to parenting style experienced in childhood, parenting style used in adulthood, and levels of life satisfaction. A chi-square test was conducted to determine if there was a relationship between parenting style experienced in childhood and the adult's own parenting style. Analysis of variance tests were conducted to determine how parenting style experienced in childhood was connected to life satisfaction in adulthood and how the adult's parenting style was …

What Is The Glue That Holds Work And Family Life Together? Perceptions Of Work And Family Balance Among Working New Hampshire Parents, Sabrina C. Harris

Master's Theses and Capstones

Using a mixed methods research approach, the current study used data gathered from the Survey of New Hampshire Working Families to assess participants' perceptions of work and family balance. As part of the survey, parents were asked to report the one thing, the glue, that holds work and family life together. Participant responses were analyzed qualitatively using content analysis. As a result, seven glue themes emerged: 1) partner support, 2) work flexibility, 3) support of family, 4) personal strengths, 5) children, 6) income, and 7) religion. Additional research questions were created with the hope of revealing demographic trends among specific …