Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Experience Of Counseling The Terminally Ill And The Best Counseling Practices, Helen Jackson Bleicher

Student Work

As people approach the end of their lives, many experience anxiety throughout the dying experience. This research investigated the death experience of terminally ill patients and the best counseling practices among licensed mental health practitioners. The questions developed by the researcher served as the measure, which was developed specifically for this research. The questions were given to a small purposive sample of counselors (N=10) who work in hospice settings, private practice, and oncology clinics. This research found that counselors focus on the psychosocial and spiritual aspects of dying, and observe patients having less death anxiety when they are comfortable with …

A Causal-Comparative Study To Determine Differences In Levels Of Awareness Of Racism Among Graduate Counseling Students, Sarah C. Wiegman

Student Work

The present study examined the differences in levels of awareness of racism among graduate counseling students. The researcher examined the hypotheses that there would be a significant difference in levels of awareness of racism between those who completed the Counseling Multicultural and Diverse Populations class and those who did not, as well as, there would be a significant relationship between levels of awareness of racism and number of credit hours completed in the counseling education program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. One hundred and six participants (91 female and 15 male) ranging in age between 22 and 57 …

The Effects Of Self-Efficacy And Locus Of Control On The Sexual Behaviors Of College Females, Michelle Noah

Student Work

This research examined the relationship between self-efficacy, locus of control, and sexual behaviors among college females. The research null hypotheses suggest that; 1) There is no correlation between self-efficacy and responsible sexual behaviors, and 2) There is no correlation between locus of control and responsible sexual behaviors. Questionnaire data were collected from 109 undergraduate females at a Midwestern University. The sample was primarily Caucasian (89%), heterosexual (96.3%), and single (73.4%) with a mean age of 23 years. An investigator designed questionnaire, adapted in part, from the Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control Scale (RIELC), The General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE), and a …

The Relationship Between Stress And Humor With Asian College Students, Michelle Kristine Jordan

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to examine the interaction of humor and stress in the Asian students in the University o f Nebraska’s International Language Learning Program (ILUNO). Intensive language students completed self-report questionnaires measuring stress and humor. The Spearman correlation revealed that humor has no significant impact on stress experienced by the Asian students. When the level of humor was high, stress symptoms were high.

Adjustment Personality Trait And The Process Of Grieving Among Parents Who Have Had Children Die Of Sids, Agnes Melissa Ibanez

Student Work

The research examines emotional adjustment personality trait as related to intensity of grief experienced by parents who have had a child die of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). The NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) neuroticism scale measured emotional adjustment trait, and Perinatal Grief Scale (PGS) measured grief intensity. Thirty-three participants from 18 states were recruited via SIDS Alliance and SIDS Network websites. Results supported the hypothesis that there is a direct significant correlation between emotional adjustment and grief experiences. Other results showed that grief intensity was inversely correlated with years since child’s death, conscientiousness, and extraversion. Conscientiousness was found to directly …

Correlational Study Of Attachment And Self-Reported Levels Of Urges To Self-Harm And Frequency Of Self-Harming Behaviors In Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Clients, Nealy Anne Vicker

Student Work

This research examined the relationships between attachment style and frequency o f suicidal ideation, urges to self-harm, and action to self-harm in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy patients. The Attachment Style Questionnaire served as the attachment measure. The Diary Cards, used in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, served as the measure for suicide ideation, urges to self-harm and action to self-harm averages. Twenty women from the Omaha YWCA and Therapy Resource Associates participated in the study. Results o f the study suggest that there was no relationship between a high score on Avoidant and Anxious/Ambivalent attachment styles and frequency of suicide ideation, urges to …

Traits Of Instrumentality And Self-Concept As Related To Mathematical Ability In Pre-Adolescent Girls, Bridget Lee Toon

Student Work

This study examined whether the androgynous trait of instrumentality, (otherwise known as having an androgynous gender-type), and having a positive self-concept is related to higher mathematical ability in pre-adolescent girls in the seventh and eighth grades. Since participants were in both honors and average math classes, the additional variable of being in honors math versus regular math was also analyzed. There were 39 participants that were selected from Norris Middle School, which is in the Omaha Public School System. From these 39 participants, 18 were in honors math classes, while 21 were in regular math classes. The Piers-Harris Self-Concept scale …

Senior Outlook On Death And Dying: A Comparative Study Of Older Volunteers Serving Older Clients Versus Older Volunteers Serving Younger Clients, Charles O. Udstuen

Student Work

This thesis examines the attitudes toward death and dying held by volunteers in the Senior Companion Program as compared with those in the Foster Grandparent Program. These programs represent two distinct environments, since volunteers in the former program interact only with other senior citizens while those in the latter program interact with children. In recent years volunteerism has been studied extensively relative to the positive effects that volunteer activities have on those performing them. However, there is a lack of research on the effects of the particular surroundings in which the volunteers operate. The comparison of two groups of volunteers …

A Study To Determine The Perception Of Racial Attitudes Of Graduate Counseling Students, Christa F. Brown

Student Work

This study measured the perceptions of racial attitudes in graduate level counseling students. The participants were 138 graduate counseling students from the counselor education program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha enrolled in the fall semester of 1995. The racial attitudes were measured using the revised Social Scale (SS) questionnaire. The outcome showed a relationship between the number of hours taken in the graduate level counseling class as offered at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and positive racial attitudes. However, the null hypothesis was accepted when measuring a) the racial attitudes of participants in different counseling programs, b) …

A Comparative Study Of Counseling Theories & Techniques Used By Practicum Students And Former Graduates, Pamela Jo Thompson

Student Work

This study investigated the theories and techniques used by the practicum students and former graduates of the master’s level agency counseling program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), which is certified and approved by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Also studied were the theories and techniques learned at UNO and elsewhere.

Two-hundred and forty questionnaires were mailed to former graduates of which thirty-seven percent were returned. Twenty-four practicum students were administered the questionnaire in person.

Descriptive analysis of the data demonstrated diversity between the theories and techniques used by practicum students, recent …

A Comparison Of The Extroversion-Introversion Scale Of The Mvers-Briggs Type Indicator To The Handwriting Traits Which Indicate Extroversion Or Introversion: A Graphology Validity Study, Steven G. Bode

Student Work

The primary purpose of this validation study was to determine whether there was a significant relationship between the extroversion-introversion scores on the Myers- Briggs inventory and the following graphometric characteristics: handwriting slant, midzone size, space between lines of writing, the space between words in writing, width of left margin, and width of right margin.

Subjects for the study were drawn from a course offered by the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) counseling service. This course was designed for students who were uncommitted to a major. Most students were freshman. A total of 49 subjects were studied. Data were collected …

The Effects Of Facial Attractiveness On Judicial Recommendations Made By Middle-Aged Mid-Western Females, Angela Boyd

Student Work

Upon first meeting someone, we are most likely to notice their physical appearance before anything else. "We have a strong tendency to be favorably impressed by attractive people and to be less favorably impressed with those who are not so attractive" ( Janda, & Klenke-Hamel, 1982, p. 422). There are a number of studies that have dealt with characteristics of an individual as related to his or her physical attractiveness. Past studies (Asch, 1946, Landy & Aronson, 1969) have also looked at attractive and unattractive individuals and the effects this has on one's expectations of these individuals.

The Use Of Goal Setting By A Mentally Retarded Woman To Increase Productivity And Reduce Errors In A Competitive Job Training Site, Rita J. Yasson

Student Work

What students who have mental retardation do upon graduation has become a major concern of the 80?s. Over fifteen years ago parents of moderately retarded adults expressed concerns about the quality of life their children experienced after graduation (Stanfield, 1973). Data from 120 parent interviews showed that 40% of their children worked in a sheltered work setting, 2% worked for a family business, 11% attended an activity center and a large portion of them, 44% were not employed or were in a habitation program. Over ten years later, another follow-up study indicated unemployment at a rate of 67% in the …