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Life After Emancipation: A Phenomenological Study Of Emancipated Foster Youth And Their Lived Experiences, Felecia Gray

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of the current phenomenological study was to identify and describe the perceptions of emancipated foster youth (EFY) regarding the factors that have impacted their successful transition into adulthood. The secondary purpose of this study was to describe the measures EFY considers essential for a successful transition from foster care to independent living.

Methodology: This qualitative study identified and described the lived experiences of 12 emancipated foster youth from Los Angeles County, California. Respondents were purposively chosen based on specific criteria. Data were collected, and themes were formed with regard to five characteristics of the emerging adulthood theoretical …

Utilizing New Technologies To Measure Therapy Effectiveness For Mental And Physical Health, Jonathan Ossie

Dissertations

Mental health is quickly becoming a major policy concern, with recent data reporting increasing and disproportionately worse mental health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, increased substance abuse, and elevated suicidal ideation. One specific population that is especially high risk for these issues is the military community because military conflict, deployment stressors, and combat exposure contribute to the risk of mental health problems.

Although several pharmacological approaches have been employed to combat this epidemic, their efficacy is mixed at best, which has led to novel nonpharmacological approaches. One such approach is Operation Surf, a nonprofit that provides nature-based programs advocating the restorative …

Ecological Systems In The Contexts Of Foster Care And Parental Incarceration, Lauren A. Hindt

Dissertations

This bundled dissertation sought to advance research about children in the contexts of foster care and/or parental incarceration. The first study, “Developmental Differences in Children's Visits with Their Parents in Jail,” expanded upon previous research of young children's experiences visiting jail by including a sample of 3-17-year-olds. The study described children's visitation through quantitative (measured by the Jail-Prison Observation Checklist) and qualitative (themes gleaned from observations of children's visits with parents in jail) analyses with an ecological systems framework. The second longitudinal study, “Visits with Fathers Involved in the Criminal Justice System and Behavioral Outcomes among Children in Foster Care,” …

Restoring Trust: A Grounded Theory Study Of Cyberbullying Among Young Women, Nancy H. Camp

Dissertations

Cyberbullying is a global and national public health issue with the potential to affect the healthy social and emotional development of adolescents and young adults. There has been an 80% increase in social media use in 18-29 year olds between 2004 and 2014 (Gahagen, Vaterlaus, & Frost, 2016). In a study of 14-24 year olds (MTV/AP, 2011), 76% identified cyberbullying as a serious problem, with more than 56% reporting they have experienced cyberbullying. Cyberbullying research has been conducted predominantly with adolescents (ages 11-18 years), however scant research has been conducted with older adolescents and young adults (ages 18-30 years). This …

Negotiating The Boundaries Of Mental Health And Illness: A Study Of Recovery In Permanent Supportive Housing, Dennis P. Watson

Dissertations

Current sociological understandings of the effect that mental health services on consumers' daily lives are still heavily informed by research conducted during the era of institutional treatment. This is problematic considering that changes to mental health care have shifted the locus of treatment to community settings for the majority of those living with serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI). With this shift there has been a greater focus on consumer-centered recovery in mental health care. The current study addresses this gap in the research by studying the recovery process for formerly chronically homeless individuals with dually diagnosed serious and persistent …

Factors Influencing The Decision Of High School Graduating Seniors In Corozal, Puerto Rico, To Pursue University Studies, Aned Yarelis Muñiz Gracia Edd

Dissertations

A university education has become a ticket out of poverty for persons living in highly competitive labor markets. Consequently, access to higher education and the factors that motivate university enrollment have long been studied. However, prior to this study, no noteworthy studies with a focus on high school students and their perceptions about higher education had been conducted in Puerto Rico. This lack of research is surprising because Puerto Rico has one of the world's most competitive job markets where a university degree can mean the difference between dependence on welfare and governmental assistance and a life of self-sufficiency and …