Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Effect Of Community Health Linkages On Suicide Rates In Veterans, Erica Anderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Suicide risk is a public health issue. It is a complex and poorly understood mental health and societal threat. This study examined veteran suicide rates and their relationship to family and social support, as measured by the social association rate, mental health funding per capita, and the lethality of the method rate. The interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide and the social-ecological model are the theoretical frameworks that guided the study. Both theories emphasize the complexity surrounding suicide at the state level as it is related to the individual, social, environmental, and political landscape related to veteran suicide. The quantitative bivariate correlation …

Association Of Social Support And Patient-Provider Communication And Medication Adherence, Laquasha Arenese Gaddis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The prevalence of hypertension in African Americans is the highest of any population in the United States, and this population also demonstrates lower rates of adherence to mediation. Social support and patient-provider communication have been considered as reinforcing factors to help hypertensive patients achieve optimal blood pressure control. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of social support and patient-provider communication and medication adherence for hypertensive African American men and women. The study was guided by the theory of reasoned action. This study was conducted to determine whether social support and patient-provider communication was associated with medication …

The Experiences Of African American Women Participating In Church-Based Weight Loss Programs, Mangle L. Shanks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While obesity is a nationwide phenomenon, African Americans - especially women - continue to be more severely affected than any other ethnic group. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 20% of African American women are obese compared to 15.6% of Caucasian women. The church is an important community center for many African Americans, and is often a site for health promotion programs, though little is known of the effectiveness of these programs. The purpose of this qualitative study was to study the experiences and attitudes of African American women who have gone through a church-based weight-loss …

Social Support And Intimate Partnerships In African American Women With Breast Cancer, Tess Thompson

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods study investigated social support in African American breast cancer patients in one Midwestern metropolitan area. The study includes a quantitative analysis of social support in 227 African American breast cancer patients participating in a quality of life study, as well as a qualitative component involving a subsample of 15 married participants. In the larger sample, growth curve models were used to assess factors contributing to initial levels of perceived social support and change in social support over time. Interviews with women in the qualitative study allowed an in-depth exploration of how breast cancer affected womens relationships with …

Social Support In An Internet-Based Weight Loss Intervention Among College Students, Yijia Zhang

Masters Theses

Objective: To assess college students’ perceptions regarding online social support in an 8-week Internet-based weight loss intervention.

Participants: Participants were those randomized to the intervention group of an online weight loss intervention targeting overweight and obese college students.

Methods: Members of the intervention group had access to a private discussion forum and weekly live chat sessions, allowing for anonymous interactions. Following the 8-week intervention, intervention group members were invited to complete an online focus group, discussing these tools. The transcripts were directly copied from the live chat conversation history. Using thematic analysis, perceptions regarding online social support were identified, coded …

Individual Resilience, Social Support, And Health Risk Behaviors In Adolescents And Young Adults: Study On Cross-Sectional And Longitudinal Samples, Chuong Hong Nguyen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Resilience is considered the ability that a person gains positive achievements despite exposure to significantly adverse life conditions. However, a majority of previous research has focused on human developmental tasks or academic achievements. Evidence of resilience on health risk behaviors has not been comprehensively established yet. The purposes of this dissertation were to extend the existing literature about the stability of resilience through time, to examine how the resilience scale concurrently and prospectively predict resilience statuses, and to explore effects of Social support over a long period of lifetime. The dissertation used a secondary database from the public-use version of …