Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Impact Of Hiv-Related Stigma On The Racial/Ethnic Disparities Across The Hiv Care Continuum Among Adults Living With Hiv In Florida, Derrick James Forney

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Florida currently has one of the highest rates of new HIV infections in the U.S. As of 2019, Black and Hispanic HIV-positive individuals in Florida were significantly less likely to receive HIV care, remain in care, and achieve viral suppression than white HIV-positive individuals. Several studies have linked HIV-related stigma to poor outcomes among people living with HIV (PLWH). This study examined the impact of distinct HIV-related stigma subtypes on linkage to care, retention in care, and viral suppression among PLWH in Florida and if these associations differed across race/ethnicity.

Methods: Data from the 2015-2017 Florida Medical Monitoring Project …

Food Insecurity Is Associated With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Cognitive Impairment, And Immune Activation In People Living With Hiv, Javier A. Tamargo

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Food insecurity (FI) is a socioeconomic condition characterized by inadequate access to enough food and nutrition to sustain health and wellbeing. Food insecurity is a risk factor for chronic and age-related conditions, raising concerns for the aging population of people living with HIV (PLWH), in whom food insecurity is disproportionately prevalent. PLWH are at increased risk of nutrition-related complications and chronic co-morbidities, thus food insecurity may exacerbate adverse health outcomes in this population. This study investigated whether food insecurity was associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cognitive impairment, and immune activation among socioeconomically disadvantaged adults living with and without …

Examining Emotion-Related Processes In Selective Mutism; Autonomic, Behavioral And Parental Factors, Rachel B. Tenenbaum

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Selective mutism (SM) is associated with considerable individual and family burdens, significant long-term functional impairment, and risk for later psychopathology. However, literature examining the phenomenology of SM has been scant, and it remains unclear which mechanisms are related to the development or maintenance of SM. Multiple theoretical perspectives have been proposed, and it appears that several pathways may be involved and interact to lead to the development of SM. Emotionrelated processes, such as negative emotion reactivity, disruptions in emotion regulation, and parental behavior and emotionality have been proposed to be involved in the etiology and/or maintenance of SM. The present …

Identifying And Intervening On Neural Markers Of Attention To Threat In Children With Anxiety Disorders, Michele Bechor

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective: Attention Bias Modification Training (ABMT) for anxiety aims to train attention away from threatening stimuli and toward neutral stimuli. Although ABMT shows promising anxiety reduction effects in children and adolescents, no study has examined its influence on neural indicators of attention measured using event-related potentials (ERPs) in children or adolescents (i.e., youths). The present study examined the influence of ABMT on the P1, N170, P2 and P3 ERP components during completion of the emotional faces dot probe task in youths with anxiety disorders who failed to respond to cognitive behavioral therapy. Method: Thirty youths (M age = 11.97, …

The Effects Of Children's Spiritual Coping After Parent, Grandparent Or Sibling Death On Children's Grief, Personal Growth, And Mental Health, Ivette M. Hidalgo

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parental death can have a negative impact on children’s lives with changes in economic resources, and lead to change in residence, loss of contact with friends and neighbors, change in caretakers, and loss of time with the surviving parent. Research on the effects of a grandparent’s death on children is limited. Death of a sibling signifies the loss of a role model, friend, confidante, and playmate. The purpose of this correlational study was to identify: 1) differences in the spiritual coping strategies used by children across age groups, gender, race/ethnicity, participation in religious rituals and practices, and the relationship of …

Risky Sexual Behavior And The Role Of Decision-Making, Jessica M. Ross

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Risky sexual behavior (RSB) is the number one transmission method of HIV among adolescents. Reducing the rates of HIV among adolescents is of dire importance considering the rises in rates during the last several years. Minority adolescents are disproportionately affected by HIV, and a majority of the individuals living in Miami-Dade County (location of the proposed project) are minorities. RSB, externalizing disorders and cannabis use commonly occur together, such that both greater externalizing disorder symptoms and greater amounts of cannabis use have predicted engagement in more RSB. In addition, decision-making (a neurocognitive function) has found to be associated with cannabis …

Characterizing Community-Based Usual Mental Health Care For Infants, Gabriela Marie Hungerford Ms

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Infants who experience multiple risk factors, such as preterm birth, developmental delay, and low socioeconomic status, are at greater risk for mental health problems. Mental health interventions for infants typically target infants from high-risk groups, and there is strong evidence that some intervention programs for infants can prevent long-term negative outcomes and promote long-term positive outcomes. Despite emerging research and federal initiatives promoting early intervention, minimal research has examined community-based mental health services during infancy. Improving the effectiveness and efficiency of routine care requires close examination of current practices. The current study characterized current usual care practices in infant mental …

Evoking Non-Repertory Verbal Behavior Across Operant Classes : The Effects Of Motor Echoic Sign Language Training Within The Context Of A Motivating Operation, Karelix Alicea

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The individual effects that echoic, mand, and sign language training procedures have on the acquisition of verbal behavior have been widely demonstrated, but more efficient strategies are still needed. This study combined all three treatment strategies into one treatment intervention in order to investigate the joint effects they may have on verbal behavior. Six participants took part in the study. Intervention totaled 1 hour/day for 5 days/week until mastery criterion for motor echoic behavior was achieved. Although motor echoic behavior were solely targeted for acquisition, significant increases in spontaneous motor mands were noted in all treatment participants. Additionally, 4 treatment …

Children's Learning Of Anxiety Sensitivity : A Preliminary Study Using A Sample Of Youths Referred For Anxiety Disorders, Claudia I. Alvarez De Lugo

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to examine the origins of anxiety sensitivity (AS) by assessing youths' learning experiences in relation to their AS symptoms and anxiety symptoms. Participants were 33 youths between 7 to 13 years old (M = 9.39 years, SD = 2.01). Youths were assessed using a structured interview and self-report measures. Chi-square analyses revealed no statistically significant differences in the proportions of boys vs. girls, Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic, and married vs. non-married. Pearson correlation analyses revealed that youths' AS learning experiences were significantly related to youths' AS and to youths' anxiety symptoms scores. Partial correlations …

Acculturation And Hispanic Identity/Ethnicity As A Predictor Of Change On The Brief Situational Confidence Questionnaire, Simy Benchimol

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether level of acculturation among Hispanic adolescent males (n = 174) influenced treatment outcome in a substance abuse program, specifically on the Brief Situational Confidence Questionnaire (BSCQ) which measures relapse confidence. It was hypothesized that lower levels of acculturation were likely to be predictive of positive change, whereas higher levels of acculturation were likely to be predictive of no change or negative change. It was found that adolescents changed over time in BSCQ scores regardless of which acculturation variable was measured. Contrary to expectations, for those adolescents placed in family treatment, place …

Personality, Motivation, And Training Performance Of Firefighter Candidates, Gregory David Anderson

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate the validity of personality for predicting training and job performance in a sample of firefighters, and to determine if motivation could act as a moderator in the personality-performance relationship. Personality and motivation inventories were administered to 109 firefighter candidates from three academy classes. At the termination of each academy, all candidates were assessed on their overall performance.

Correlation coefficients were used to measure the relationship between personality inventory scales, motivation inventory scales, and the overall training performance measures. A multiple regression procedure was used to investigate the relationship between personality, motivation, and …

The Relationship Between Cognitive Ability, The Big Five, Task And Contextual Performance: A Meta-Analysis, Alexander Alonso

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For years, researchers and human resources specialists have been searching for predictors of performance as well as for relevant performance dimensions (Barrick & Mount, 1991; Borman & Motowidlo, 1993; Campbell, 1990; Viswesvaran et al., 1996). In 1993, Borman and Motowidlo provided a framework by which traditional predictors such as cognitive ability and the Big Five personality factors predicted two different facets of performance: 1) task performance and 2) contextual performance. A meta-analysis was conducted to assess the validity of this model as well as that of other modified models. The relationships between predictors such as cognitive ability and personality variables …

Perceptions Of Job Worth, Trinidad Argüelles

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study was conducted to evaluate perceptions of the importance of various factors that may determine the wage or salary level in jobs. Items describing various job characteristics reflecting the factors of Skill, Effort, Responsibility, Working Conditions, and Organizational characteristics were rated by 510 subjects from a variety of organizations. Results indicated that the items did not cluster into the five categories noted above. Instead, three factors were identified and labeled Job Complexity, Accountability, and Work Context. There were few gender or occupational differences in the ratings of the items. The implications of the results for the development of …

Attitudinal Predictors In A Negligence Case, Therese Ann Astolfo

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses the use of attitude and personality variables as predictors of compensation and award in a personal injury suit. Safety seeking behavior and attitudes toward tort reform are introduced as case-specific factors that may predict this verdict decision. Two hundred registered voters were surveyed on scales measuring attitudes toward safety, tort reform, and psychiatrists. Subjects also indicated their demographic characteristics and the degree of compensation and amount of award they would render the plaintiff in a civil suit. Results indicated attitudinal variables were more predictive of compensation and award than were demographic variables. The implications of these findings …

Computer Interaction : Its Effect On Attitude And Performance In Older Adults, Jane Ansley

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the interaction of age, attitude, and performance within the context of an interactive computer testing experience. Subjects were 13 males and 47 females between the ages of 55 and 82, with a minimum of a high school education.

Initial attitudes toward computers, as measured by the Cybernetics Attitude Scale (CAS), demonstrated overall equivalence between these older subjects and previously tested younger subjects. Post-intervention scores on the CAS indicated that attitudes toward computers were unaffected by either a "fun" or a "challenging" computer interaction experience.

The differential effects of a computerized vs. a paperand- pencil presentation format of …