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Factors Associated With Hiv Among Heterosexual African American Adults Aged 50 Years And Older In Ten Zip Codes Of Atlanta, Georgia, 2005-2011, Grace Marriott

Public Health Theses

INTRODUCTION: The fastest growing segment of the U.S. population is among individuals aged 50 and older. However, advanced age is not protective against HIV.

AIM: The purpose of this study is to examine individual characteristics (gender, age, education) as well as environmental and behavioral factors (doctor visits and IDU) that may be linked with HIV status among older heterosexual African American adults. The factors associated with HIV status that were examined include education level, IDU within the last six months, non-injected drugs that were used within the last six months and the length of time since the last doctor visit. …

Preventing Post - Treatment Relapse Among African American Adolescents And Young Adult Marijuana Users Through Effective Treatment Interventions: A Proposed Intervention For Metro-Atlanta, Charlotte E. Robinson Ms

Public Health Theses

INTRODUCTION: Marijuana use, although illegal in the majority of states, is increasingly becoming acceptable for use in the United States. There are dangerous public health consequences associated with marijuana use—including: impaired driving, loss of productivity in workplaces and school settings, as well as mental health impacts. In Atlanta, the majority of residents (54.0%) are African American. Emergency room use is double for African American Fulton County residents compared to their Caucasian counterparts and approximately 1/5 of the total population receiving public health treatment identify marijuana as the primary drug of use, with 57% of those being African Americans. Despite these …

Folk Medicine Use Among The Gullah: Bridging The Gap Between Folk Medicine And Westernized Medicine, Tiara S. Banks

Africana Studies Theses

This study examined the practice of folk medicine among a group of African Americans living on the coast of the Sea Islands, the Gullah/Geechee. The Gullah/Geechee are descendants of enslaved Africans, transported from Western and West-Central Africa, who have preserved their African influenced culture consisting of language, food ways, rituals, and folk beliefs. Twenty members of the Gullah/Geechee community, including three nurses, participated in this study consisting of semi-structured interviews relating to the use of folk medicine. The findings revealed folk medicine use was linked to family influence and traditions, spirituality, mistrust of the medical community, dual health care, lack …

The Role Of Empowerment In The Job Search Process Of Re-Entering African American Men, Chloe Jackson

Africana Studies Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether Black men experienced empowerment throughout the process of employment preparation. This study also sought to give voice to this population regarding their experience in this process. A definition of empowerment, posed by Barbara Solomon of “empowerment theory”, was used to understand the process of empowerment the study participants may have experienced. Nine African American male former offenders who had participated in a job readiness program, and are 18 and older, were interviewed about the preparation they received, and how they perceived this training effected their pursuit of agency, employment, and recidivism.

The Mediating Role Of Coping On The Relationship Between Attachment Style And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Suicidal African American Women, Wendy Heath-Gainer

Counseling and Psychological Services Dissertations

The literature on clinical interventions for suicide prevention indicates that low-income, suicidal African American females are an historically underserved population. Contributing to this lack of service are the intersecting influences of race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and related oppressions (APA, 2007). In suicidal African American females, a higher level of reported symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder has been found in suicide attempters as compared to nonattempters (Kaslow et al., 2000), and PTSD has been shown to be associated with heightened risk of an ensuing suicide attempt (Wilcox, Storr, & Breslau, 2009). One factor affecting manifestation of PTSD …

Low Fitness Phenotype And Cardiovascular Disease Risks In African American Women, Jurine H. Owen Mrs

Kinesiology Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine if African American Women (AAW) with low fitness levels have low fitness related to a lifestyle choice of decreased physical activity (PA) or the cardiovascular disadvantage of greater proportion of Type II (FT) muscle fibers.

Forty-eight apparently healthy AAW participated in the study. The women had no known risk factors for CVD; were sedentary (no structured fitness training program within last six months) or minimally fit (PA ≤ 3 x week for 20 minutes); and were not taking any prescription medications for blood pressure, diabetes, or lipid control. On the first visit …

Glory Be Revival Of Neighborly Love, Calvin Burgamy

Art and Design Theses

This project is a video installation that includes filming the worship services of three small African American churches that exist within an area of rapid gentrification. Perhaps because of their tiny congregations, or racial makeup, these particular little churches seem hidden by a cloak of invisibility.

Silence Is Not Golden: Attitudes Towards Suicide In The African American Community, Latrice Wright

Africana Studies Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the opinions of African American college students as they relate to suicide. A questionnaire was distributed to 92 individuals in a computer classroom setting. Their responses were then analyzed to investigate whether ethnic identity salience influenced the students’ perspectives of suicide. Regression analysis revealed that ethnic identity salience did not influence acceptability and normality of suicide in the African American students. Analysis also demonstrated that ethnic identity salience did not effect whether the African American students viewed suicide as being related to mental or moral illness. Seventeen of those who took the …

Changes In Sexual Risk Perception And Risk Taking Among Urban African American Adolescents, Rosa M. Steen

Public Health Theses

Background: Adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 24 acquire nearly half of all new STDs in the United States, yet they represent only 25% of the sexually active population. Young men and women in this age group have the highest rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, especially in the African American population. Adolescent risk factors include having a history of pregnancy or STDs, being arrested or incarcerated, substance abuse, early sexual debut and having 4 or more lifetime sexual partners. Protective behaviors such as parental involvement, school enrollment, and consistent condom use have been associated with decreased incidence …

Bioarchaeological Investigations Of Community And Identity At The Avondale Burial Place (Mcarthur Cemetery), Bibb County, Georgia, Emily Vanderpool

Anthropology Theses

This study conducts a multi-isotopic bioarchaeological analysis of the Avondale Burial Place (McArthur Cemetery), a recently discovered Emancipation-era African American cemetery near Macon, GA. Stable isotopic analyses were performed on available dental remains in order to reconstruct the diet and demography of the individuals buried at McArthur Cemetery. Specifically, δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C were characterized in tooth enamel and examined in tandem with collaborative osteological and mortuary analyses to reconstruct early-life diet and residential origin. The results suggest that members of the Avondale community buried in McArthur did not experience significant mobility, but rather resided in the …

The Moderating Influence Of Strength On Depression And Suicide In African American Women, Brandeis H. Green

Psychology Dissertations

Strength for African American women and its psychological ramifications are being newly conceptualized and explored empirically in psychological research. The Strong Black Woman Attitudes Scale, (Thompson, 2003) was created to empirically test a three factor theoretical model: self reliance, affect regulation, and caretaking as a reliable culturally relevant coping mechanism for African American women. The primary aim of this study is to explore if cultural coping (SBW) moderates the relationship between depression and suicide in African American women. Other aims include, replicating the factor structure of the SBWAS with a community sample, and examining relationships between the SBW, racial identity, …

A Long Road To Travel: Narratives Of African American Male Preservice Educators' Journeys Through A Graduate Teacher Eduaction Program, Shawn Jones

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The ongoing research concerning African American males enrolled in teacher education

programs is essential for a number of reasons. Research specifically addressing preservice

teaching, teacher education, and the African American male student is needed to promote the

well-being of any school of education. According to McCray, Sindelar, Kilgore, and Neal

(2002), colleges of education have addressed the issue of underrepresentation and under

population of African American teachers through policy reform and financial support.

The narratives of African American male preservice teachers and their perspectives on

teacher education may provide a context for other researchers seeking to understand how and

why …

The Experiences Of Obese African American Women And Their Utilization Of Preventive Healthcare Services, Winsome Beverly Stephenson

Nursing Dissertations (PhD)

Obesity is associated with higher death rates from breast and gynecological cancers. African American women(AAW) are more likely to be diagnosed with these cancers at later stages and have lower survival rates than Caucasian women. African American women are also disproportionately affected by obesity. Studies suggest that the healthcare experiences of obese women (primarily stigmatization), may contribute to their decisions to utilize healthcare services. However, these studies have largely comprised Caucasian women; there remains a paucity of studies addressing this issue in AAW. The purpose of this study was to explore the healthcare experiences of obese AAW and their utilization …

African American Mothers' And Professionals' Perceptions Of Transition To Special Needs Preschool, Jana R. Ladner

Counseling and Psychological Services Dissertations

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) mandates services from birth through age 21 for children with disabilities and their families (U.S. Department of Education, 2004). Children experience significant transitions between formal parts of special education, including the transition from birth-to-age-three services, to age-three-to-five services (Fowler, Donegan, Lueke, Hadden, & Phillips, 2000). Barriers, problems, and positive factors in these transitions (Christenson, 2004; Feinberg, Beyer, & Moses, 2002; Mitchell & Sloper, 2002; Valle & Aponte, 2002) include stress, satisfaction/dissatisfaction in professional-parent interactions, resistance of professionals to working with parents, and agreement/disagreement over service provision (Christenson, 2004; Ladwig, 2003; Minke & …

An Exploratory Study: Perceptions Of Power Dynamics And Sexual Decision-Making Among College-Age African American Women, Latisha Oliver

Africana Studies Theses

This qualitative grounded study explores power dynamics and its influence on sexual decision-making amongst college-age African American women. The film All of Us was shown to eighteen African American women to understand how they perceive power dynamics and sexual decision-making. Taking place at Georgia State University‟s main campus in Atlanta, focus groups and one on one interviews were implemented. Much of the research being conducted theorize that the risk factors regarding HIV infection are related to risky sexual decision-making and lack of consistent condom use; however this study concluded that there is a relationship between sexual decision-making and gendered power …

Socioeconomic And Cultural Aspects Of Overweight And Obesity In Georgia's African American Community, Alicia C. Simpson

Anthropology Honors Theses

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), individuals who identified themselves as African-American or Black have the highest rate of obesity in the United States. The higher prevalence of overweight and obesity among the African-American population correlates to an increased risk for a number of diseases (including heart disease, diabetes, and several cancers) and an increased mortality rate for the African American population. Through focus groups and interviews, the research I will present focuses on perceptions of overweight and obesity among African-Americans, including any cultural beliefs …

Effects Of Sexual Abuse And Cultural Coping On African American Parent-Child Relationships: Implications For Intervention, Alana K. Miller-Clayton

Psychology Dissertations

Few studies have been conducted to determine relationships between maternal childhood sexual abuse (CSA) history and parenting practices. Furthermore, no studies have attempted to understand how cultural coping methods dynamically impact the relationship between maternal CSA history and parenting outcomes. The purpose of this study is to understand if maternal coping mediates the relation between maternal CSA history and mother-daughter relational outcomes in a sample of African American mothers. The Strong Black Woman (SBW) Cultural Coping Scale, which consists of caretaking, affect regulation, and self-reliance factors, was used to represent maternal coping, and the Parent-Child Relationship Questionnaire (PCRQ) was used …

The Audacity Of Faith: A Study Of Barack Obama's Religious Views And How They Could Shape His United States Presidency, Zachary Ross

Religious Studies Theses

During the 2008 Presidential election, questions concerning Barack Obama’s religious views arose. Specifically, the controversy surrounding Obama’s former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, caused some people to wonder how Wright’s theology may have influenced Obama. This project investigates Obama’s religious views and examines several forces, including Wright, which influenced his theological perspective. Wright bases his theological perspective on the works of James Cone, a significant figure in Black Liberation Theology and a mentor to Wright. This thesis compares and contrasts Obama’s religious perspective with that of James Cone.

Exploring The Relationship Between Racial Factors And Critical Social Analysis Among A Group Of African American Youth, Brandeis H. Green

Psychology Theses

The aim of this study was to investigate the contributions of racial identity and racial socialization beyond peer and parental influence, to the development of critical social analysis in African American youth. Young people perceive injustice and inequality in their world in varying ways. The recognition of societal inequalities, or the development of critical social analysis may be a contributing factor to activism for youth. Factors such as sense of agency, parental and peer influence and intellectual curiosity have previously been explored as contributors to activism for African American youth (Watts, 1999). Study results indicated support for the link between …

African American School Psychology Program Leavers, Sherrie L. Proctor

Counseling and Psychological Services Dissertations

This phenomenology used 21 in-depth interviews to explore seven African Americans’ experiences at the school psychology programs they left. The purpose was to investigate what experiences contributed to participants’ decisions to leave programs; if programs used retention strategies and if so, participants’ view of the strategies; and what participants believe might have encouraged their retention. Findings indicate that misalignment between participants’ career aims and their perceptions of school psychology practice as well as poor relationships with faculty and peers contributed to decisions to leave programs. Five participants reported that programs did not utilize retention strategies. Two reported that a sole …

The Relationship Between Intrinsic Motivation, Motivational Interviewing And Physical Activity In An African American Church Population, Simone S. Rahotep

Counseling and Psychological Services Dissertations

African Americans carry a disproportionate amount of the health burden for chronic disease in the United States (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007). Diabetes, heart disease and cancer, to name a few, are diseases which prematurely capture the lives of African Americans. While chronic, these diseases are preventable with the advent of behavioral change. Physical activity is a primary contributor to longer life expectancy and fewer health concerns (United States Department of Health and Human Services, 1996). While American society, as a whole, struggles to incorporate more physical activity in their lifestyles, African Americans exhibit higher levels of physical …

Childhood Maltreatment And Adult Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptomotology In Abused, Suicidal, Low-Income, African American Women: A Moderated Mediational Model, Sarah E. Dunn

Psychology Dissertations

There are elevated rates of childhood maltreatment and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology in low-income, abused, suicidal African American women. This investigation aimed to: (1) identify the components of childhood maltreatment in this sample; (2) ascertain whether or not the constructs of childhood maltreatment and PTSD symptomatology were associated in this sample; and (3) examine if maladaptive coping mediated the childhood maltreatment-PTSD symptomatology link and if the magnitude of the mediated relationship was influenced by level of social support (i.e., moderated mediation). Specific types of childhood maltreatment generally loaded onto three components according to a principal components analysis (PCA) of …

Athens Of The South: College Life In Nashville, A New South City, 1897-1917, Mary Ellen Pethel

History Dissertations

The Progressive Era affected the South in different ways from other regions of the United States. Because Southern society was more entrenched in patriarchy and traditional social strictures, Nashville provides an excellent lens in which to assess the vision of a New South city. Known as “Athens of the South,” Nashville legitimized this title with the emergence of several colleges and universities of regional and national prominence in the 1880s and 1890s. In the first two decades of the twentieth century, Nashville’s universities solidified their status as reputable institutions, with Vanderbilt and Fisk Universities garnering national prominence. Within Nashville, local …

African Centered Curriculum And Teacher Efficacy: Contributors To African American Student Achievement, Efua Akoma

Communication Sciences and Disorders Theses

Recognizing African American students still perform academically at lower levels than their White counterparts, they maintain lower grades in school, and perform lower on standardized tests; educators and policy makers continue attempts at addressing these disparities. One remedy is implementing culturally specific material into curriculum to be reflective of the cultural diversity of students in the classroom. Although research indicates the use of material related to the student’s cultural origin can create a learning environment conducive to greater academic achievement particularly with minority children, few studies investigate the inclusion of culturally specific material in the classroom in relation to its …

Developing A Substantive Theory Of African Americans' Justice Perceptions, Felicia L. Berry

Counseling and Psychological Services Dissertations

ABSTRACT DEVELOPING A SUBSTANTIVE THEORY OF AFRICAN AMERICANS’ JUSTICE PERCEPTIONS by Felicia L. Berry, M.S. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how African Americans define justice and injustice. This study examined the justice perceptions of 12 (8 females, 4 males) African American undergraduate students and consisted of two phases: (1) Completion of the cognitive appraisal instrument (Roseman, Spindel, & Jose, 1990) which predicts the relationship between specific types of events and perceptional/emotional reactions to that event, and a semi-structured interview; and (2) Completion of focus groups one (FG1) and focus group two (FG2). Grounded theory (GT) (Glaser …

Neuroimmunoendocrine Pathology And Cognitive Function In Type 2 Diabetes, Krista Wild

Psychology Dissertations

Cognitive impairment among older adults with type 2 diabetes may worsen health outcomes via negative impact on compliance with medical self-care recommendations. Results of several previous studies indicate that cognitive deficits are present in older European American adults with type 2 diabetes under some conditions, particularly related to glucose dysregulation (as evidenced by high glycated hemoglobin, i.e., HbA1c). Despite the fact African Americans are disproportionately affected by diabetes and suffer significantly greater numbers of complications and more severe complications relative to European Americans, no published studies have examined cognitive functioning among older African American adults with type 2 diabetes. Further, …

Examination Of Gender Differences In Baseline Characteristics And 12 Month Death And Rehospitalization Of African American Patients Admitted For Acute Myocardial Infarction, Saadia Khizer

Public Health Theses

Coronary heart disease, including acute myocardial infarction (AMI), is the nation's leading cause of death. This study examined the characteristics and outcomes of 397 African American (AA) patients within one year of hospitalization due to AMI at Grady Memorial Hospital (GMH) in Atlanta. The PREMIER study, a nationwide registry, maintained by John Spertus MD, included data from patient interviews, medical records, and clinical characteristics like diabetes, hypertension, smoking, angina frequency and quality of life was used. Patient characteristics, associated with a major adverse event (MAE) within one-year post AMI were evaluated using SAS. Results showed a trend of higher odds …

Effects Of Stigma, Sense Of Community, And Self-Esteem On The Hiv Sexual Risk Behaviors Of African American And Latino Men Who Have Sex With Men, Teresa Jacobs Finlayson

Psychology Dissertations

African-American and Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) bear a disproportionately large burden of the Human Immunodefiency Virus (HIV) epidemic in the United States. To further enhance HIV prevention efforts among men of color, a survey was conducted within New York City’s house ball community; a community largely comprised of racial and ethnic minority persons. Time-space sampling was adapted to recruit participants for the survey from venues frequented by members of the house ball community. Using logistic regression analysis, this study examined the effects of perceived stigma, enacted stigma, sense of community and self-esteem on unprotected anal intercourse …

African Descent Women's Conceptualization Of Ethnic/Racial And Gender Identities, Wendi Saree Williams

Counseling and Psychological Services Dissertations

This qualitative study explored racial/ethnic and gender identities of African descent women. Specifically, 13 African descent women were interviewed about influences on their racial/ethnic and gender identities, the process by such identities developed in order to assess the applicability of current theories, and whether they perceive an interaction between their racial/ethnic and gender identities. Phase One, an initial focus group informed Phase Two of the study; individual interviews. Phase Three, a member-checking focus group, validated themes generated from data analysis. All focus groups and interview sessions followed a semi-structured format. Family, educational experiences, physical features, oppressive experiences, political movements, and …

Risky Sexual Behavior Among African-American Men Who Have Sex With Men: The Effects Of Peer Norms For Condom Use On Risky Sexual Behavior As Moderated By Socio-Demographic, Socio-Contextual, And Health-Related Variables, Christopher Scott Holliday

Psychology Theses

This study examined contextual influences on the relationship between peer norms for condom use and risky sexual behavior among African-American men who have sex with men. Analyses assessed the moderating effects of socio-demographic, socio-contextual, and health-related variables. One thousand forty African-American men, who have sex with men, ages 17 to 25 years, were surveyed as part of the Community Intervention Trial for Youth (CITY) from 1999 to 2002 in Atlanta, Georgia. Findings supported the hypothesis that participants who engaged in unprotected insertive anal intercourse, socio-contextual variables moderated the relationship between peer norms and risky sexual behavior. Findings also supported the …