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The Intersection Of Mental Illness And Queerness: A Quantitative Study, Jennie E. Benjamin

Sociology Dissertations

My dissertation addresses the intersection of queerness and mental illness utilizing Meyer’s minority stress theory, which argues that for sexual minorities, discrimination, stress, and internalized homophobia lead to worse mental health. Specifically, in my dissertation, I extend the minority stress theory by examining a population with two stigmatized identities, sexual minority status and diagnosed mental illness, and by testing if “coming out” or disclosure of stigmatized statuses mediates the modified minority stress theory indicators on two measures of well-being. I developed a broad-topic survey to collect the data. A majority of my sample (N=98) are white women who are bisexual …

Sexuality And Dementia: Assisted Living Staff Negotiate The Autonomy Of Residents’ Sexual Needs, Josephine Misaro

Sociology Dissertations

Assisted Living (AL) communities are residential care settings designed to offer support and assistance to adults aged 65 or older who demonstrate a physical or mental impairment that makes it difficult for them to care for themselves. These communities provide support with activities of daily living (ADL) without the level of medical care typically found in nursing homes. By offering housing, personal care services, and social engagement opportunities tailored specifically to older adults' needs, ALs aim to promote independence while improving quality of life. Apart from care, ALs provide an environment where social relationships, intimacy, and sexuality for residents are …

Mixed Race Masculinity In 2020 And Beyond, Christina M. Wan

Sociology Dissertations

Studies that center mixed-race identity and the experiences of mixed-race people do not often focus exclusively on mixed-race men. Simply put, more scholarship examines mixed race femininity than mixed race masculinity (strmic-pawl 2023). This project highlights the experiences of 17 mixed-race men, focusing on answers to the research question: “How are mixed-race men navigating multiple racial identities?” This qualitative dissertation is a journey into the lived experiences of mixed-race men at the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, culture, and more. Drawing on Gloria Anzaldúa’s ([1987]2012) conceptualization of the borderlands, this project tells the stories of those who are situated at …

Liberatory Consciousness In Contested Space: How Nonprofit Leaders Of Color Decolonize Their Minds And Change Everything, Zuri Tau

Sociology Dissertations

Women of color leaders in the United States have a unique experience of being the "outsider-within" in their nonprofit organizations. Regardless of years of experience or education, leaders experience barriers to their thriving that have nothing to do with their ability to do the job. This qualitative dissertation argues that nonprofits are contested spaces where Black and brown women innovate to resist the institutional manifestations of the matrix of oppression. The research methodology included in-depth interviews of nine women of color who were deeply committed to social justice work and community impact. Seven of the nine women interviewed were or …

Dumb Hillbillies? Media Portrayal In The Age Of Trump A Critical Discourse Analysis, Alana M. Anton

Sociology Dissertations

Appalachia is a place of mystery rarely examined with a systematic methodological lens (Van Leeuwen; 2008; Carbó et al. 2016). The term “Appalachian” has remained a synonym for “backward” or “ignorant” or “hillbillies” for much of modern history. Do media outlet framings of Appalachians, who primarily supported Donald Trump over two U.S. election periods (2015-2021) reinforce the national understanding of Appalachians as uneducated whites? To answer the question, I used Critical Discourse Analysis to interpret 51 news articles from The New York Times, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Charleston Gazette-Mail, The Daily Yonder, and The Roanoke Times from the announcement of …

The Influence Of Social Capital On College Persistence And Completion For African American Males, Jacquelyn Carlotta Strickland

Sociology Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Alarming national statistics reveal the scope and trajectory of inequality that exists for African American men completing bachelor’s degrees. Public institutions confer bachelor’s degrees to Black males at a rate of just under 35% within the six-year benchmark, the lowest completion rate among all racial groups and for male and female students. Of interest to this work is whether social capital – in the form of informal faculty mentoring and peer network support – has a significant impact on college persistence for African American men who successfully attain bachelor’s degrees. The study investigates the influence of social class, pre-college …

Femcels: Where Are The Women In The Incelosphere? An Exploratory Content Analysis Of Femcel Forums, Madeline Bobo

Sociology Dissertations

Previous research on the online community known as involuntary celibates (henceforth, incels) has primarily focused on the men that belong to this group. However, past research indicates the women do have a history of involuntary celibacy. Where did these women go? This research draws on previous incel research, as well as theoretical perspectives such as hegemonic masculinity and identity construction. In this grounded theory informed exploratory qualitative content analysis of online femcel forums, the data reveals that these women have found their own corner of the Internet to foster their community. Femcels share many experiences, but they remain a diverse …

What Makes Trans Lives More Livable?: An Intersectional Content Analysis Of #Wehappytrans* And #Thegendertag, Jordan F. Miller

Sociology Dissertations

Building on previous trans YouTube scholarship, this dissertation is based on a content analysis of two digital activism projects: 1) #WeHappyTrans*, a compilation of 59 YouTube video responses posted between 2012 and 2018, and 2) #TheGenderTag, a compilation of 704 YouTube video responses posted between 2016 and 2019. By analyzing the audio and visuals of a subsample (N=80) of these two archives using theoretical and emerging codes, I identified key themes as relevant to digital activism effectiveness and well-being. I discuss implications for policy, public health, healthcare, and community organizing in the conclusion. Contrasting prior medical sociology literature that is …

Keeping The Spelman Sisterhood And Becoming Morehouse Men: An Intersectional Critical Discourse Analysis On Gendered Policies At Hbcus, Tiara Giddings

Sociology Dissertations

Since their inception, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have provided safe spaces for Black students who have been institutionally excluded from predominantly white academic spaces and denied access to an education based on their racial status. While HBCUs are credited for their Black-centered curriculums and campus cultures that allow for student development without fear of racial violence, HBCUs established to serve a primarily female or male student body must consider how their founding principles and institutionalized practices address the needs of students of diverse gender identities and gender expressions. Using an intersectional critical discourse analysis of campus policies and …

Set Trippin': An Intersectional Examination Of Gang Members, Lea Marzo

Sociology Dissertations

Typically, when most people hear the word “gangs,” the usual connotation is that of boys and men. However, recent studies show that women and girls make up about 30% of the gang population and that most gangs are mixed-gender (Curry 1998, Miller and Brunson 2000, Sutton 2017). The experiences of gang-affiliated women remain under-theorized and understudied. Moreover, studies in criminology often dehumanize gang members and advance archaic ideas of inherent criminality. By utilizing a critical race theory (CRT) framework, I analyze how gang membership results from the intersection of racist practices and U.S. laws (Bell 1995, Crenshaw 1995, Ladson-Billings and …

Thinking Cis: Racialized Cissexism, Cis-Heterosexual Men, And Cis-Lbq Women, Alithia Zamantakis

Sociology Dissertations

While Trans Studies analyzes, critiques, and rethinks the epistemological, ontological, and material mechanisms through gender shapes and is shaped by the social world, few studies in the Sociology of Trans Studies have thoroughly theorized and analyzed what exactly constitutes cis-ness. As such, I ask what constitutes cis-ness vis-à-vis sexuality, and how do the desirability discourse of cisgender-heterosexual men and cisgender-lesbian/bi/queer women enact necropolitical boundaries around Black trans women and trans women of color’s subjectivity? Utilizing semi-structured, in-depth interviews with a sample of 32 predominantly Black, cisgender-heterosexual men and cisgender-lesbian/bi/queer women, in addition to a focus group with four white/white-passing participants, …

Doing Pregnancy Without Doing "Womanly" : Non-Conventionally-Feminine Gender Expression And The Provision Of Pregnancy-Related Medical & Midwifery Services, Zoe Rf Freggens

Sociology Dissertations

There is a long and pervasive history of conflating “womanhood” and “motherhood” in the United States (U.S.). Expectations (and privileging) of particular gender identities and expressions and “what it means to be a woman” leads to a narrow depiction of how pregnancy (and those who do and don’t go through it) should look. What happens when those identities and expressions diverge from the generally expected standards? Anecdotal evidence and prior research on pregnant lesbians suggest the potential for backlash and poor medical experiences. There has been little attention to pregnant sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) and their medical and/or midwifery …

But Where Are You Really From?: Black And Asian American Women's Experiences Of Gendered Racialized Microaggressions, Dresden Lackey

Sociology Dissertations

Though microaggression research has grown across disciplines in recent years, existing work often centralizes intergroup experiences, disregarding the ways intragroup spaces perpetuate dominant white racial framing. Utilizing thirty-five in-depth, semi-structured interviews, this dissertation addresses that gap, revealing that Black and Asian American women experience gendered racialized microaggressions within co-ethnic spaces, enacted by family and peers who may share a dual identity as both targets and maintainers of a white supremacist patriarchal system. Gendered racialized microaggressions within intraracial spaces centralize specific themes I identify as: Whiteness is the Ultimate Goal, Not Asian/Black Enough, Body Talk, and Racialized Sexualization, each defined within …

Black And Foreign: Haitian Immigrant Identities And Well-Being In America, Mollie Innocent-Cupid

Sociology Dissertations

Black Immigrants who come from Black majority nations must face a unique assimilation to the United States’ racial hierarchy, which places them at the bottom as a racial minority. While theoretical models address the double-consciousness of being a Black American, racial identity models fail to address the identity negotiations of this “invisible immigrant” (Bryce-Laborte 1972) minority group. Black Immigrants experience a deterioration in mental health as they increase their exposure to American society. This trend continues with each subsequent generation, causing second and third generations to display significantly poorer health than Non-Black immigrants.

Haitian Immigrants, who are considered one of …

Where Is Hope In Old Age? A Study Of Chinese Migrant Workers' Migration Experience And Well-Being, Jing Liu

Sociology Dissertations

China has been undergoing massive rural-to-urban migration in the past four decades. As of 2019, there are approximately 300 million migrant workers in China’s labor force, which accounts for approximately 20% of its entire population. However, policy makers and society as a whole have paid insufficient attention to migrant workers’ well-being. This dissertation examines the relationship between Chinese migrant workers’ migration experiences and their well-being into aging and retirement. Using a sample of 1,083 migrant workers from three Chinese emigration provinces (Anhui, Sichuan, and Henan) in a quantitative dataset and 30 follow-up interviews, this dissertation examines: (1) factors of migration …

Minority Stress In The Context Of The Disablement Process Model, Jeffrey Lentz

Sociology Dissertations

The changing demographics and growing diversity in the United States pose significant challenges for researchers, particularly scholarship involving sexual minority adults’ health and aging processes. Not much is known about how all minority stressors could lead to a disability. Sexual minority adults are at a greater risk of developing a disability later in life than their heterosexual counterparts (Fredriksen-Goldsen, Kim, and Barkan 2012). Drawing from critical components of the disablement process model (Verbrugge and Jette 1994), this dissertation sought to understand the relationship between minority stress and disability status among sexual minority adults 50 years and older. Minority stress in …

Birth Lost In Translation: Obstetric Violence And The Plight To Humanize Institutional Birth, Claudia Tillman

Sociology Dissertations

My study investigates the contemporary global concept of obstetric violence. This concept originated in Venezuela in conjunction with the movement to humanize birth. At the same time, global public health initiatives to combat maternal mortality increased the number of facility-based births internationally with unintended consequences. I use content analysis of popular and peer-reviewed texts, podcasts, and in-depth interviews with birthing people and birth service providers to explore the ways various groups define, understand, and are using this term. I also investigate the ways autonomy and medical authority interact during institutional birth. My methods include illuminating cultural influences and focusing on …

I Didn't Know It Was Harassment: Pervasive & Unrecognized Discrimination On The College Campus, Tiffany A. Parsons

Sociology Dissertations

This exploratory study investigates college men’s opinions about as well as their engagement in and knowledge of other men’s participation in behaviors college women define as sexual harassment. There is a dearth of knowledge about male students’ perceptions of sexual harassment, how those perceptions influence their sexually harassing behaviors, and how students’ perceptions and behaviors align (or not) with academic and legal constructs of sexual harassment. This study, conducted at a midsized state university in the U.S. suburban south, aims to add to the current knowledge by revealing men’s self-reported perceptions and behaviors regarding sexual harassment and locating those perceptions …

Older Adults' Intimacy Process In The Realm Of Long-Term Care, Andrea F. Fitzroy

Sociology Dissertations

Research confirms the importance of social relationships to mental and physical health across the lifespan. Intimacy, a component of social relationships, continues to be essential in later life, including for older adults in long-term care such as assisted living (AL). Existing research provides insight into older adults' social relationships, sexual behavior, and potential lack of intimacy. No previous study has conceptualized how individuals experience intimacy holistically and within the context of later life, health decline, and long-term care. The purpose of this dissertation was to provide an in-depth understanding of intimacy in the lives of older adults residing in AL. …

Is Power Enough? Understanding The Impact Of Gender Identity, Gender Make-Up, And The Role Of Sexual Power In The Performance Of Sexual Pleasure, Penny Harvey

Sociology Dissertations

Though scholars have determined that there are apparent gender differences in who is more likely to experience sexual pleasure and thus who is likely to perform it, we have not determined why. Previous research has entirely focused on cis individuals and the category of gender identity alone. Therefore, I seek to understand how the performed pleasure experiences of trans and gender non-conforming folx compares to that of cis men and cis women. I also examine occurrences of sexual pleasure performance for folx gender-make up, addressing the influence of masculinities and femininities in the performance of sexual pleasure. In doing this, …

Relationships To Alcohol Among Black Queer Women And Non-Binary People, Brittany Jean Taylor

Sociology Dissertations

Black queer experiences with alcohol use are largely still underrepresented in the sociological study of substance use. Available research indicates Black/African-American queer women are drinking at higher prevalence rates than white queer women. However, little is known about the relationships Black/African-American queer women (and non-binary AFAB people) form and maintain with alcohol. Even less is known about how relationships are formed and maintained over time. This dissertation attempts to center the relationships that Black/African-American queer women and non-binary people have with alcohol through a conceptual model that bridges anti-racist, queer, and medical sociology theoretical frameworks. Eighteen semi-structured, in-depth interviews were …

Revolutionary Departures: Reimagining The World Of Black Fatherhood, Clinton Boyd Jr.

Sociology Dissertations

The term “Deadbeat Dad” is often associated with Black fathers, suggesting they have relinquished their parental responsibilities. While research has emerged in recent years examining the social institution of Black fatherhood, many of these studies have yet to interpret their findings through an analytical lens that prioritizes race, gender, and social class status. To fill this gap, I utilize the theories of systemic racism and controlling images to explore how race, gender, and class-based oppression affects the fatherhood experiences of low-income, Black men. Further, I draw on these theories to explore how low-income, Black fathers challenge the credibility of the …

What’S Behind School Choice? Middle-Class Parents In France, Race, And Decisions Over Public Middle Schools, Anthony E. Healy

Sociology Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the role of race in school choice among French middle-class parents. It finds that institutional policies and individual practices combine to foster school segregation, which among immigrants may only be seen as racism. This qualitative study involves semi-structured interviews of 29 parents at three typical schools in the Parisian suburbs where a confluence of geographic and policy factors grants school choice impetus despite official restrictions. In building on a model from Ball (2003), the parents fall into four qualitative types in actions on school choice. Conducted amid a period of terrorist, political, and economic incidents in 2016 …

Propagating Privilege: An Analysis Of The Marketing And Consumption Of Donor Sperm, Megan Tesene

Sociology Dissertations

As medicine, technology, science, and industry coalesce into a hybridized biomedical market, individuals are increasing treated as customers who must pursue health by consuming products and services. It is within this context that clients of donor sperm make their donor selections. Although they make their selections as individual consumers, they are subject to powerful marketing and corporate-sponsored knowledges that promote very specific notions of health, family planning, and the ideal child. Clients of donor sperm, like most aspiring parents, want their children to be happy, healthy, and successful. Given the unique options that are available via the sperm donor market, …

Community Supervision And Mental Health: The Psychological Well-Being And Expectations Of Officers Supervising People With Serious Mental Illness, Nicholas Powell

Sociology Dissertations

People with serious mental illness (SMI) are significantly overrepresented in the criminal justice system and often experience worse outcomes in the form of being rearrested for new offenses and probation/parole violations. Addressing the needs of supervisees with SMI can create unique challenges for probation and parole officers (PPOs), which in turn, may increase job related stress and impact PPOs’ mental health. However, few studies examine the stress and mental health consequences of supervising people with SMI, and how these consequences influence officers’ attitudes toward clients. Using survey and administrative data from 793 PPOs, this study assesses whether the number of …

Mental Health Stigma And Indigent Defense, Ruth Richardson

Sociology Dissertations

This study aimed to facilitate a greater understanding of the attitudes, and experiences of stigma among indigent clients of two urban Atlanta public defender offices. In order to gain insight into the experiences of this hard to reach population and the factors associated with mental health self-reporting. By examining the general views of self stigma, public stigma and structural repercussions this study will contribute to the understanding regarding stigma concerns, experiences and coping strategies. Findings can inform efforts to effectively increase understanding of how indigent clients viewed themselves and others identified formally or informally as mentally ill

Black On Both Sides: An Examination Of Race And Class In The Ghetto Mecca, Jonathan P. Grant

Sociology Dissertations

ABSTRACT

From Spike Lee’s School Daze to The Real Housewives of Atlanta, mainstream entertainment has portrayed Atlanta as a “black mecca,” largely due to its consortium of black colleges, expansion of minority-owned businesses and growing black middle class. This title is called into question with research showing that Atlanta maintains high levels of poverty and income inequality. While a disproportionate number of blacks in Atlanta and the United States live below the poverty line, 75 percent of blacks in the U.S. report income above the poverty line. However, most research on African Americans emphasizes disadvantaged communities and many stories …

Navigating Food Deserts: A Geo-Ethnography Of Atlanta Residents' Experiences, Routines, And Perceptions, Lakeisha Tate

Sociology Dissertations

Food deserts and food access have increasingly become topics of concern in many urban and rural areas. Food deserts are areas in which there is relatively poor access to healthy and affordable food and/or areas where such available establishments are separated by great distance making them difficult to access. Lower income, racially segregated neighborhoods have fewer healthy food choices and higher rates of disease related to diet. Much of the research has focused on the health disparities and how there is an increased risk of unhealthy lifestyles among people who do not have access to healthy foods. The focus has …

Everybody Has It But No One Knows Much About It: How Patient-Provider Communication & Hpv Knowledge Impact The Lived Experience Of Having Hpv, Kelsey Schwarz

Sociology Dissertations

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Many individuals, however, are misinformed about key aspects of the STI, negatively view the disease and those infected with it, and do not use preventive methods to protect themselves and others from transmission. For this study, I used in-person, semi-structured interviews to examine HPV knowledge among those with HPV and how this knowledge impacted individuals’ emotional state upon diagnosis. I also analyzed feelings of stigma among individuals with HPV and how these feelings and HPV knowledge impacted individuals’ motivations to disclose their status to others. I …

"Big Black Beasts": Race And Masculinity In Gay Pornography, Desmond Goss

Sociology Dissertations

Although there is a good foundation of feminist research at the intersection of performative labor, pornography, and sexuality, there are few (if any) published studies that examine race in porn content intended for gay men’s consumption. What’s more, existing research samples solely from corporatized porn, which is expressly produced, scripted, and directed. Bound by the conventions of the market, however, corporate pornography must abide by a consumer demand that reflects white machinations of black sexuality rather than the self-proclaimed sexual identity of African American men. Instead, I employ an exploratory content analysis of pornographic videos categorized as “ebony” on a …