Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Chasing "Plan A": Identity Development Of First-Generation College Student-Athletes, Alexandra Warner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Student-athletes competing at the university level face a unique set of stressors, pressures, and experiences. While all students will inevitably face difficulties transitioning from high school to post-secondary education, collegiate athletes bear the burden of balancing at least two demanding public roles, student and athlete, along with other interpersonal relationships, such as friendships, familial ties, and connections with teammates and coaches. The current study examines the identity development of college student-athletes and the challenges they face as they transition into and through their involvement in higher education and intercollegiate sports. This project in particular focuses on how the gendered experiences …

Rethinking Drinking: A Paradigm Shift For Estimating Social And Behavioral Harm, Thomas Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study challenges old saws about negative consequences attributed to alcohol use. Previous research findings associate negative social and behavioral consequences with alcohol consumption, as if college students only do regrettable things when they are drunk. Typical research related to negative consequences and alcohol use relies on retrospective self-reporting. Investigators often frame negative consequences as outcomes of problematic drinking or, as more commonly labeled, "binge drinking." In the nomenclature of prevention, binge drinking is not a direct measure of alcohol use resulting in intoxication; it is a hypothetical tipping point, predicting an increased likelihood of the incidence of negative consequences …

No Ground To Stand Upon?: Exploring The Legal, Gender, And Racial Implications Of Stand Your Ground Laws In Cases Of Intimate Partner Violence., Denise Crisafi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Within the past decade, the use of self-defense as defined under Stand Your Ground laws has been the subject of political and legal scrutiny. According to the American Bar Association (2015), twenty-three states have passed Stand Your Ground laws that eliminate the duty to retreat prior to using force in any place that an individual has the right to be. In addition, ten states allow individuals to use or threaten to use force in public or private spaces where they have a right to be under case law (not formal statute) but maintain stricter requirements for how self-defense must be …

Attitudes Toward Cohabitation: A Cross Sectional Study, Kensington Shields-Dutton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cohabitation and attitudes toward cohabitation have been of interest to social scientists since the 1970s. Early research on cohabitation concentrated on college aged students enrolled at institutions of higher learning. This trend was due to convenience sampling (Trost, 1978). Later research demonstrated the college population represented less than half of the total number of cohabitating persons. With the growth in numbers of persons who are choosing to cohabitate versus marrying, this study examines current attitudes towards cohabitation. This research augments the existing literature on attitudes toward cohabitation in the following ways: (1) it updates the current research on the attitudes …

The Religious Beliefs And Behaviors Of Baby Boomers, Generation X, And The Millennials: Are There Still Gender Differences?, Jessica Chase

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The literature describes how changing demographics and cultural factors in recent generations may be contributing to gender differences regarding religion. The present exploratory study uses cross-sectional survey data from the 2012 and 2014 General Social Survey to examine the gender differences in religiosity for Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers. The findings show significant gender and demographic results for attendance at religious services, frequency of prayer, belief in the Bible as the word of God, and belief in life after death for all three generations. Baby Boomer and Millennial women attend religious services more than men, but there is no …

Development Of A Definition And Measure For The Study Of Violent Mass Victimization, Mindy Weller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For decades there has been a growing body of literature and research on the topic of mass murder with no attention paid to incidents of mass violence whose death toll falls just short of the minimum three body requirement. The purpose of this study is to address this gap and develop a valid and reliable definitional measure for the future study of violent mass victimization events. A mixed methods approach was employed and consisted of assessing 1,118 news articles collected from 42 U.S. states for the years of 2009 through 2012. These articles were collapsed into a sample size of …

The Female Human Trafficker In The Criminal Justice System: A Test Of The Chivalry Hypothesis, Brielle Francis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The involvement of women in human trafficking within the United States has received limited research attention. Human trafficking encompasses labor, sex, and organ trafficking (Roberts, 2012). In 2009 the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported that women play a significant role in human trafficking. Nagel and Johnson (1994) conclude that, historically, female offenders have stayed at the edge of the criminal justice system. Generally, theories about prosecution and conviction outcomes derive from the study of male offenders. Women can be involved in all aspects of the human trafficking organizations, from the recruitment, to the supervision of prostitutes …

Superwholock: An Analysis Of Subculture In A Microblogging Setting, Dean Short

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While subcultural research has always been a common focus of sociological research, most such studies focus on deviant subcultures. This has led to a glut of information on countercultures and criminal subcultures, but relatively little study of less visible subcultures. While there is a great deal of research on the sociology of sport, including sport fandom, there is very little on other fandom subcultures. While this makes sense, as they are niche subcultures, the popularity of formerly niche entertainment is expanding rapidly. Much of this fandom renaissance owes its existence to the Internet, and its ability to bring geographically separate …

Keeping Quiet: Investigating The Maintenance And Policing Of Male-Dominated Gaming Space, Christopher Charles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite the near parity between the number of female and male gamers (Entertainment Software Association, 2014), studies on gender in videogames illustrate a culture that typically reflects hegemonic masculinity and excludes women on a multitude of levels. Because these interactions occur within real and virtual space (both online and within games), a holistic approach is warranted to analyze these mechanisms of oppression. This paper seeks to uncover the ways by which gaming culture is maintained and policed as a male-dominated space, through qualitative data collection. By using ethnographic, participant observation at a large, multi-genre convention the experiences of both male …

Making The Invisible Visible: Exploring The Experiences Of Black Male Professionals In Postsecondary Education, Claudine Mclaren Turner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

College student development literature discusses the challenges faced by historically under-represented groups in college and the role that university personnel play in retaining students from these groups (Brown 2009; Hairston 2013; Kuh et al 2005). Research reveals that Black male students are retained in greater numbers when connected with Black male professionals who: 1) hold them accountable for their choices; and 2) discuss and demonstrate effective coping techniques to deal with race-based challenges that seem to convey colleges and universities are not the appropriate space for young Black men (Bonner and Bailey 2006; Harper 2012; Wynn 2007; Cuyjet 2006). Research …

The Ontological Sociology Of Cryptocurrency: A Theoretical Exploration Of Bitcoin, Omar Eliud Villarreal Robledo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For millennia, money has been a basal element of everyday life reality in market-organized societies. Albeit money has changed extrinsically (e.g., form, use, utility) countless of times, some intrinsic characteristics remain the same, i.e., money is reified value. But why? What gives money value? Even more crucial, what is money in the first place? This exploratory study delves into the intricacies of money, in particular the revolutionary 21st century pecuniary techno-phenomenon, a cryptocurrency called Bitcoin. Though cryptocurrencies have been the topic of several financial and legal scholarly publications for a few years, we rather focus our analysis on Bitcoin's ontological …

From The Yellow Peril To The Model Minority: An Experimental Survey Examining Racial Attitudes Towards Asian Americans, Jenny Nguyen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Attitudinal research continues to show a more liberal trend in racial attitudes of Whites towards Blacks across a spectrum of issues (i.e. interracial marriage, residential integration, etc.) leading some to believe that we are moving into a post-racial society. However, a growing body of research has brought into question this utopian post-racial assertion. While Whites express support for racial equality in principle, they vehemently oppose race-targeted policies aimed to address racial inequality. This principle-policy gap has been consistently associated with persistent racial resentment; thus, contradicting the notion that of a post-racial era. Existing attitudinal research is often limited to the …

Juvenile-Perpetrated Homicide And Family Disorganization, Brittany Murray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Juvenile-perpetrated homicide is a complicated and sensitive topic in the literature. Uncovering the potential influences on a juvenile is arguably important for recognizing the trends in juvenile behavior and the devastating consequences of some of this behavior. Family disorganization, a component to social disorganization as proposed by Elliott and Merrill (1934), explained that families with higher levels of social disorganization (as measured by factors such as poverty, welfare, and residential mobility) are expected to have higher numbers of juvenile delinquents. Using this theoretical frame, data from 1984-2006 on juvenile-perpetrated homicide in 91 of the largest cities in the United States …

"I Kid You Not, I Am Asked A Question About Children At Least Once A Week": Exploring Differences In Childbearing Habitus In Pronatalist Fields, Alyssa Mullins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, childbearing remains part of the typical life course. However, evidence suggests that men and women, on average, are having fewer children and having them later in life. Additionally, public and academic outlets are increasingly acknowledging some adults' decisions to intentionally forego childbearing completely, with an emphasis on the reasons why individuals choose to abstain from childbearing. However, further research is needed to identify the ways in which voluntarily childless adults actively negotiate the social world among structural influences that simultaneously values parenthood and place complex burdens on parents. Utilizing the Bourdieuian concepts of habitus, capital, and …

Battle On The Homefront: An Auto-Ethnographic Perspective On Domestic Violence Post-Deployment, Michelle Craske

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Domestic and sexual trauma that occurs during the time a soldier is actively serving in the military are difficult for researchers to measure in large part because the Department of Defense does not report these offenses to the public. Recent combat missions to the Middle East have increased mental health issues among soldiers, but it is unclear whether these issues are related to domestic violence and sexual trauma soldiers may have endured. The purpose of this study is to investigate how combat operations may have increased domestic violence and sexual trauma among soldiers. An auto ethnographic method is used to …

An Examination Of Domestic Violence Perpetration: A Further Look Into The Gender Symmetry Debate., Michelle Parra

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The influences of certain social changes and social movements, such as the feminist movement, in society introduced a violence gendered stereotype model that promoted the social idea that males are more violent than females. From the limited research, it appears that domestic violence perpetration among women differs from male domestic violence perpetration; however, research has not clarified the extent of female domestic violence perpetration and the severity of their abusive behaviors. The current research examines gender-specific intimate partner violence perpetration to determine whether attitudes toward social gender role expectations, income contribution and production, and division of labor in the household …

Zooming In On The Money Shot: An Exploratory Quantitative Analysis Of Pornographic Film Actors, Erin O'Neal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sex work is one of the rare elements of our society that is both accepted and stigmatized. Ironically enough, it is stigmatized without being studied in depth. The truth is we know very little about sex work and even less about pornography—the most legal of genres. While researchers have spent a great deal of time determining the effects that pornography has on viewers, particularly juvenile viewers, little research has been done on the men and women who make pornography. A 43 question survey was created and disseminated to those in the pornographic film industry, both amateur and professional, resulting in …

Emotional Labor And Identity Management Among Hiv Counselors, James Dillon Caldwell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Emotional labor, an idea first developed by Arlie Hochschild, became a main component of work developing the field of sociology of emotions. Emotion labor provides a conceptual framework for understanding the outward and inward emotional experiences that are deemed either appropriate or inappropriate during interactions with others, specifically in the workplace. A product and derivation of this emotional labor is carefully outlined display rules. These rules vary from position to position, but are often part and parcel of work in the human services sector. This labor can be understood as resulting from the employee's adherence to display rules, which may …

Keeping Their Distance: A Comparison Of 2009 And 2013 Domestic Violence Cases In Seminole County That Utilized Gps Technology To Determine Effectiveness Of Program, Rachel Rados

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the implementation and effectiveness of the Seminole County Sheriff's Office Global Positioning System (GPS) when ordered by the court for "no contact" in Domestic Violence cases, specifically Intimate Partner Violence. The research evaluates violations, which occurred while arrestees were assigned to GPS in 2009 and 2013; the programs first year and the most recent with complete data available. The results found limited factors that could be identified as predicting violations for those who violated the GPS, but the qualitative interviews shed much more light on the value of the program. The qualitative interviews were conducted with various …

A Comparative Study: Women's Rights In Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, And Tajikistan, Megan A. Ginn

Honors Undergraduate Theses

After 1991 five countries emerged out of the fall of the Soviet Union to create a new region: Central Asia. No longer dominated by Soviet rule these countries fought to overcome barriers to independence and struggled to be seen by the international community as developed countries. However, these countries were far from developed and had to pay the high cost of human rights to get what they desired. This study researches and analyzes how Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan have traded the rights of women to achieve a placebo of development. Two of the largest violations of women’s rights that have …

Vitamin D Clinical Relevance In The Recovery From Traumatic Brain Injury Among The Military Population, Yuisa M. Colón

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) still remains a difficult disorder to treat. TBI has been associated to chronic neuroinflammation and a high risk for neurodegenerative disorders. Since 2001 between ten to twenty percent of all deployed military members have suffered a combat-related TBI. Nearly twenty to thirty percent of those will experience chronic cognitive, behavioral and somatic symptoms after suffering a TBI.
Methods: The objective of this review is to evaluate current literature examining vitamin D as a neurosteroid with protective properties and its clinical relevance after traumatic brain injury. Vitamin D is known to participate in neurobiological …

The Politics Of Mental Health: A Comparative Study Of Policy Adoption And Implementation In Germany And Japan, Luis Diego Campos

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In the aftermath of World War II, the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan followed Germany’s blueprint in fashioning a universal health coverage system. Comparisons to Germany’s welfare state during this same time period reveal markedly different social and mental health policy practices, as Germany’s Christian Democratic Union and Social Democratic Party cooperated toward progressive policies while the Liberal Democratic Party largely neglected social welfare expansion. The effect of these practices is reflected in budgetary provisions, institutionalization practices, and mental health epidemiology. This research finds that a favorable economic climate allowed the Liberal Democratic Party to politically isolate the Social Democratic …

Food Insecurity, Social Inequality, And Social Policy, Sara Strickhouser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research shows that food insecurity rates and experiences vary by subpopulation. This dissertation examines the rates and experience of food insecurity rates across subpopulations using a wide variety of sociodemographic factors expanding the current research on de terminants of food insecurity. Subtopics surrounding the current food insecurity research are explored. These topics include determinants of food deserts, SNAP (or food stamps) utilization, and household adaptation strategies. This research shows that current measurements of food insecurity lack the detail needed to understand why households are food insecure besides lacking income. Using Bourdieu's four forms of capital, this study considers factors beyond …

The Gold Wrapper Standard: An Investigation Into The Preference For Larger Sized Condoms, Diego Plaza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research looking into the relationship between masculinity and condoms has typically centered on how masculinity ideology acts as a deterrent toward condom use. The current study focuses on the social pairing between larger sized condoms and masculinity by examining the factors that predict the preference for larger sized condoms. Specifically, the current analysis uses survey data collected from a sample of 398 University of Central Florida students to examine the predictive role of gender, race/ethnicity, gendered-identification, relationship status, perceived penis size, condom malfunction experience, the opinion that men would be less reluctant to use condoms if offered a larger option, …

Extracurricular Activities And Substance Use Among Adolescents: A Test Of Social Control And Social Learning Theory, Lynnette Coto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current research examines correlates of adolescent substance use with a focus on extracurricular activities. Given that marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug, and binge drinking can have an early onset the examinations of these two substances were important. Many studies have researched the correlation between substance use and sports, but have not included other extracurricular activities such as academic and fine art clubs. The current research fills this gap in the literature by using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) and by testing Hirschi's (1969) Social Control Theory and Aker's (1985) Social Learning Theory. …

Women's Professional Sports: A Case Study On Practices That Could Increase Their Profitability, Danielle H. Mcardle

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Women’s professional sports leagues have often been considered a risky business endeavor. Critics cite low attendance, lack of sponsorships, lack of media rights deals, and numerous other reasons for why women’s professional sports leagues are not profitable. In analyzing the current landscape of women’s professional sport leagues, this paper uses a case study approach to develop a strategy that will highlight lessons learned from past women’s professional sports leagues, current professional sports leagues, sponsorship agreements, fans, social, digital, and mobile marketing strategies, and management practices to show how the business of women’s sports could be made into a more profitable …

Public Perceptions Of Birthmothers Of Adopted Children, Bethany I. Wedlund

Honors Undergraduate Theses

A woman who has experienced an unintended pregnancy and chooses to place the child for adoption is known as a birthmother. When faced with an unintended pregnancy, women typically have three courses of action. They may choose to parent the child, terminate the pregnancy, or place the child for adoption. There is limited research on birthmothers themselves or societal perceptions of them.

When it comes to societal perceptions of abortion, religiosity is a significant factor. Contrary to popular belief, many of the women who choose to abort do so in order to preserve the lives of their families. Single mothers …