Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Survey Of Fear For Others, Fear For Self, And Pandemic Anxiety Predicting Intention To Take The First Booster Vaccine To Combat Covid-19, Joseph N. Scudder, Dennis P. Debeck

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

This study examined the impact of fear and anxiety on the intent to take the first COVID-19 booster vaccine. The objective of this study is to provide guidance for messaging campaigns of public health practitioners. A survey approach provided insights about individuals’ emotions of fear and anxiety related to adopting the first booster vaccine for the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: Three independent variables were considered in their ability to predict the intent to take the first COVID-19 booster vaccine (BINT): Fear for Others (FOTH), Fear for SELF (FSELF), and COVID-19 Anxiety (CANX). Results: The confirmatory factor analysis supported an …

Parents' Stigmatizing Beliefs About The Hpv Vaccine And Their Association With Information Seeking Behavior And Vaccination Communication Behaviors, Ashley Hedrick Mckenzie, Ross Shegog, Lara S Savas, C Mary Healy, L Aubree Shay, Sharice Preston, Sharon Coan, Travis Teague, Erica Frost, Stanley W Spinner, Sally W Vernon

Journal Articles

Parents' stigmatizing beliefs about the HPV vaccine, such as beliefs that it promotes adolescent sexual activity, constitute a notable barrier to vaccine uptake. The purpose of this study is to describe the associations between parents' stigmatizing beliefs about the HPV vaccine, psychosocial antecedents to vaccination, and parents' intentions to vaccinate their children. Parents of vaccine-eligible children (

Puppy Love And [Information] Play: An Intersection Of Theatre, Queer Kink, And Consent, Emily Kitchens

Faculty and Research Publications

This note from the field centers on a nexus of queer kink subcultures and consent-based intimacy work in theatre. I report, investigate and wrangle with the process of incorporating queer kink aesthetics into the production of Love and Information by Caryl Churchill I directed at KSU February 2023. What I have learned and hope to demonstrate throughout the paper, is that queer kink subcultures are often paradigmatic examples of communities built on consent, and we as performing arts practitioners can more visibly expand the margins of our cultural competency dialogues to not only include them but look to them as …

Tidying Up Attitudes, Queer Eye Style: Parasocial Contact With Asian Women And Gay Men, Shay Xuejing Yao, Morgan Ellithorpe, Liam Cuddy, Aysha Siddika, Hira Nadeem, Mackenzie Myer

Communication Faculty Publications

The Parasocial Contact Hypotheses (PCH) posits that mediated contact with social outgroups can result in more positive attitudes. The present study includes Asian women as a specific identity group that has yet to be studied in the context of PCH. It also includes gay men as a comparison group for the same processes. Participants (n=241) were exposed in a two-condition experiment to either Queer Eye (2018 version; gay men as target group) or Tidying Up with Marie Kondo (Asian women as target group). Only social attraction significantly mediated the relationship between exposure to Queer Eye and attitudes toward gay men. …

Prsa District Leadership Shows Strong Ohio Connection, Mark D. Weinstein

News Releases

When the Public Relations Society of America East Central District begins its 20^th year on January 1, 2024 its board of directors will have a distinct connection with the Buckeye State.

Importance Of Employee Motivation Across Different Organizational Landscapes, Lorena Monserrat Tenorio

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

No abstract provided.

Lindenwood Digest, December 20, 2023, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

The Lindenwood Digest has been a digital employee newsletter since 2009.

Former Cedarville Professor Directs Nursing School In Togo, Mark D. Weinstein

News Releases

Dr. Sharon Rahilly, former professor of nursing at Cedarville University, never wanted to teach. And yet she spent five years teaching at Cedarville University, and now she directs a nursing school in Togo.

A Qualitative Study Of Media Dependency Theory On Tiktok Citizen Journalists, Jaron David Paschke

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the problem with depending on citizen journalism for news updates on TikTok during Hurricane Ian. To accomplish that, three types of qualitative content analysis were deployed to answer three separate but related research questions. First, a conventional content analysis was used to determine if the communicative roles of citizen journalists differed from their mainstream media counterparts during a crisis. Second, a summative content analysis was used to determine how effective crisis communications from citizen journalists were when compared to those produced by the mainstream media. Lastly, a directed content analysis was used …

A New Mother’S Cry: Analyzing Traditional Social Support Versus Online Social Support In Relation To The Postpartum Crisis, Emily Hughes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The present study examines the gap that remains involving the transition from traditional to online social support that many mothers have participated in and how this change in communication methods during postpartum recovery may contribute to mental health disorders. This qualitative study aims to examine the differences in lived experiences among mothers regarding in-person and online forms of social support and how these experiences may impact a new mother’s mental well-being. Based on previous research, the present study hypothesizes that a more significant amount of online social support compared to in-person support will result in a detriment to a new …

Romanian Immigrant Daughter Passionate About American Freedoms, Mark D. Weinstein

News Releases

Ruthy Gherasim, the daughter of two first-generation Romanian immigrants, cherishes her freedom to pursue her passion for a political career in Washington, D.C.

How Giving Tuesday Will Impact Cedarville University Students, Mark D. Weinstein

News Releases

While Cedarville University is currently in the midst of a comprehensive $175 million fundraising campaign, it recently celebrated raising $594,654 from its annual Giving Tuesday initiative that took place on Tuesday, Nov. 28.

Terriers Unleashed, Allison C. Douglass

Student Scholarship

This zine was created in Fall 2023 by the students in English 346: American Political Rhetoric with Dr. Douglass, and it captures their engagement with important issues at Wofford. Often, when we think of “politics,” we are thinking about party politics surrounding systems of state governance. However, this class was interested in politics as a broader category of activities that influence decision-making within communities. Our class asked: What does the Wofford we want to attend look like, and what changes could we advocate for in order to move toward that Wofford? Each student crafted a message intended to influence our …

Queer Theory In The Metal Music Scene: How These Cultures Influence Each Other, Dalton A. Dalton

Faculty Curated Undergraduate Works

Queer theory has existed in the metal music scene since its beginning. In this paper, many aspects of both topics are dissected. Focusing on metal fashion and its crossover into queer armor, Queer coding, and its translation to metal archetypes on television. And the analysis of queer comfortability in metal music spaces by using queer theory as it applies to mass cultures and subculture

Row, Row, Row Your Boat Across The Atlantic Ocean, Mark D. Weinstein

News Releases

Imagine getting in a rowboat and paddling down a lazy river on a warm afternoon. It sounds like a relaxing way to enjoy the outdoors without a care in the world.

How about rowing a boat 3,000 miles in the Atlantic Ocean from the tip of Africa to Antigua?

That’s the adventure of the “Foar Brothers,” a team that consists of three of the Hamilton brothers—Timothy, Thomas, and Trent, and their nephew, Ben Clark. The oldest brother, Troy, was scheduled to be part of the team but a back injury sidelined him, so Clark took his place.

Lindenwood Digest, December 13, 2023, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

The Lindenwood Digest has been a digital employee newsletter since 2009.

Making A Difference Is Focus Of New Police Officer, Mark D. Weinstein

News Releases

Kaley Aurand, a 2023 criminal justice graduate of Cedarville University, was sponsored by the Xenia Police Department (XPD) in the completion of her training at the police academy. Today, Aurand, who graduated from the five-month Ohio Peace Officer Basic Training Academy at Sinclair Community College in November, is now a full-time police officer for the Xenia Police Department. She was sworn in on Monday, Nov. 27.

Feeling Inspired And Nostalgic: Associations Between Media Context-Induced Positive Emotions And Behavioral Change Among Vaccine-Hesitant Individuals In The Late Stages Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Hue Trong Duong, Mor Yachin, Zachary Massey

Communication Faculty Publications

Campaigns to promote the COVID-19 vaccination messages to vaccine-hesitant consumers in the late stages of the pandemic are often met with resistance. This study explores a way to leverage positive emotions induced from entertainment media consumption to promote vaccination messages to this audience group. An online experiment was conducted with vaccine-hesitant consumers (N = 409). Participants viewed personally relevant entertainment music videos or mundane videos and vaccinated messages embedded in user-generated comments. Data revealed that feelings of inspiration and nostalgia induced from entertainment media consumption increased vaccination intentions via increased risk perceptions and reduced anti-vaccination attitudes. Social marketers should consider …

Samaritan's Purse Internship Strengthens Missions-Minded Student, Mark D. Weinstein

News Releases

As a young girl going on missions trips with her parents, Brianna Pacecca, senior civil engineering student from Largo, Florida, knew she wanted to be involved in missions. Seeing firsthand the need for the gospel worldwide has motivated Pacecca in her pursuit of this high calling.

Pepperoni Roll Studios: A Handbook & Policy Guide For A Podcast And Audio Production Student Organization, Nicholas Kirk Kratsas

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

For Students

Welcome to Pepperoni Roll Studios, WVU’s new and exciting experiential podcast and audio production organization! You’ve made a great decision to join one of the best communities on campus.

This handbook will guide and facilitate our new student-run organization. Within its pages, you’ll find out who we are, what we do and how we do it to fill you in on everything you need to know. Let’s roll!

For Advisors and Staff

WVU Student Media is excited to launch our new podcast and audio production organization, Pepperoni Roll Studio! This venture grew out of a demand for more …

Public Relations Original Case Study: Shein Brand Trip Backlash, Isabel Hodell, Lauren Letts

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

This case examines Shein's controversial brand trip, which offers a complex narrative involving the intersection of public relations tactics, influencer marketing, and corporate ethics. Shein's reputation has been harmed by allegations of labor violations and unethical practices. In an attempt to improve their image, Shein created a brand trip for American fashion influencers to tour its Chinese factories. However, the influencers' glowing reviews sparked backlash as they failed to address Shein's history of exploitation and were claimed to be full of propaganda. This paper examines the aftermath of the brand trip, examining Shein's response as well as the backlash’s impact …

Radicalisation And Extremism On Social Media: What Steps Can Be Taken?, Emeka Williams Etumnu, Oluchi I. Williams-Etumnu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Unarguably, the social media has brought the world together in an online space and as a result of this, extremist groups utilise the social media to radicalise people especially the youths who are vulnerable and fancy their ideology towards their cause. The paper was underpinned on public sphere theory and the desk research method was employed in the course of the study. It was revealed that social media plays a tremendous role towards radicalisation and extremism. The need for digital literacy, where rules can be made to assist individuals of all ages in developing critical thinking skills and building resilience …

Paid In Full: Pharmacy Student’S Path From Egypt To Cedarville University, Mark D. Weinstein

News Releases

Caroline Abdelmassih experienced a life-changing moment when she learned her college tuition to Cedarville University in Ohio was paid in full by a stranger. Growing up in Egypt, Abdelmassih knew it would be almost impossible to attend Cedarville’s School of Pharmacy.

Georgia Hickingbotham Remembered For Generous Investment In Ouachita Students, Felley Lawson, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Having a residential campus helps give Ouachita Baptist University its uniqueness. And Georgia Hickingbotham was a friend of Ouachita who helped give residence living its heart.

Hickingbotham, who died Dec. 7 at 89, is well known for her successful business career. She was one of the first women in Arkansas elected to serve as an officer in a bank and was a co-founder of TCBY, which became the largest frozen yogurt chain in the world.

At Ouachita, “Mrs. Georgia” is also remembered for her generous personal investment in women students that began in 2013 when her husband of nearly 50 …

Dr. Lei Cai Inducted Into The Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall Of Fame, Addie Woods, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Dr. Lei Cai, professor of piano in the Division of Music in Ouachita Baptist University’s School of Performing Arts, has been inducted into the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame. He was recognized during a ceremony held at the historic Steinway piano factory in New York City in October.

“We were absolutely thrilled, but not the least bit surprised, to hear that Dr. Cai was selected for this incredible honor,” said Dr. Caroline Taylor, professor and dean of the School of Performing Arts. “To have a pianist of his caliber on our faculty is truly a blessing.”

Cai was …

The Cowl - V. 88 N. 25 - December 7, 2023

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Vol. 88 No. 25 - December 7, 2023. 24 pages.

How Victoria Secret Marketing Affects Women’S Self Esteem And Body Image, Marianne Kamhazi

Global Strategic Communications Student Work

With society and media beauty standards, the ‘thin model ideal’ can have a detrimental effect on women’s self esteem and body image. Through extensive literature reviews, it can be seen how the media portrays body image of models which, in turn, causes women to be self conscious about their bodies and portrays unrealistic beauty standards. The research questions ask the impact of Victoria’s Secret marketing on body and self esteem issues and how do women feel when they see these models on their social media. The methods used were both a focus group and survey. Results support the research questions. …

A Content Analysis Of Non-Profit Organizations Social Media: Through The Lens Of Compliance-Gaining & Persuasion, Meredith Diene Kiljan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Non-profit organizations utilize social media platforms like Instagram to reach the community, fundraise, convey their mission and vision, establish themselves, and educate others. This study examined whether the communication artifacts of selected nonprofit organizations employed Cialdini's (2021) compliance-gaining strategies through an eight-week qualitative digital content analysis on Instagram to address the problem of understanding how non-profit organizations use Instagram tools to influence and persuade their audience. Compassion International (@compassion), CARE (@careorg), and Direct Relief (@directrelief), the three non-profit organizations chosen in this study, demonstrated the usage of Cialdini’s (2021) compliance-gaining strategies within their digital media communication strategy. Non-profit organizations operate …

The Power Of The “Like”: A Quantitative Study On The Facebook Emoji As Social Support, Lina Rawlings

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study aimed to evaluate how receiving a Facebook “like” correlates to the perception of social support and how much this correlation is moderated by the age and gender of the users. The social information processing theory guided the study, providing a framework to explain how communicators adapt to the restriction of nonverbal cues by creating surrogates to maintain interpersonal relationships in computer-mediated communication circumstances. For the central research question, findings revealed that receiving a Facebook “like” positively correlates with perceptions of social support from Facebook friends and family. While no significant correlation was found between the gender of …

Lindenwood Digest, December 6, 2023, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

The Lindenwood Digest has been a digital employee newsletter since 2009.