Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Literature Review: Improving End-Of-Life Care And Creating A Good Death, Erna Smlatic

Honors Program Theses

The need for quality end-of-life care has increased drastically around the world in the last few centuries due to a surge in life expectancy. As people are living much longer, they are developing and succumbing to chronic progressive diseases which can significantly decrease quality of life. But what exactly does it mean to care for the aging population who are nearing death? Defining quality care at the end-of-life is important but also differs for individuals based on a variety of factors including age, culture, and life experiences. End-of-life care does not come as “one size fits all” and it challenges …

Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Asian American Transracial Adoptees In College, Frances Elizabeth Mcdermott

Honors Program Theses

Asian American transracial adoptees are an underserved and underrepresented population in America, specifically on college campuses. The purpose of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of experiences lived by individuals in this group, focusing on their time in college. Through qualitative interviews, this research captured the feelings, opinions, and experiences of select individuals within this group. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted with six separate participants via video chat. All participants attend(ed) the University of Northern Iowa, were 18 years of age or older, and were adopted from an Asian country into a White, American family. Results showed that …

Exploring Voting Habits And Attitudes Of Lgbtq+ College Students In The United States, Jordan Weber

Honors Program Theses

Citizens of the United States are regularly reminded of the importance of voting in elections. However, data shows the youngest voters turnout at the polls in far fewer numbers than older generations. The same cannot be said for marginalized and minority groups, such as members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) community. Past studies have shown that these individuals are more likely to vote than their peers who are not members of this community. While there is information about voting habits of both the youngest voters and LGBTQ citizens, there has been little research done about the …

"It All Just Ends": Death Attitudes Across Age, Gender, And Religion, Bekah Bass

Honors Program Theses

Death is a social and biological reality that affects everyone.However,the effects of death are not uniform. Data for this study were collected from a convenience sample (N=322) through an online survey distributed through social media and email (January and February 2021). The survey utilizes the Death Attitudes Profile –Revised by Wong, Reker, and Gesser (1994) to investigate differences in death attitudes across different demographics including age, gender, and religion. Results show correlations between positive, neutral, and negative death attitudes and the age of respondents, suggesting that negative death attitudes decrease as one ages, and certain types of positive attitudes increase. …

Examining Individual Differences In Attitudes Toward The Insanity Defense, Dominique M. Kornely

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of the present study was to examine how individual differences in stigma against people who are mentally ill, free will beliefs, just world beliefs, and sentencing goals are associated with attitudes toward the insanity defense. Because there are many misconceptions about what the insanity defense is, and how it is actually used as a sentence, the Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) plea may be underutilized due to public opinions reflecting misunderstanding and/or possible biases (Perlin, 2017). Understanding the relation between individual beliefs and attitudes about the insanity defense would help to better understand potential biases present …

Agrochemicals And Rural Women's Health In The Volta Region Of Ghana, Sedomda Kpikpitse

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Steered by the demand to improve and increase farm production, agrochemicals are regularly used by many farmers globally. However, agrochemical usage has contributed to many chronic illnesses experienced by users such as reproductive disorders, different kinds of cancers, and some chronic respiratory diseases. There are several regional and global coalitions to regulate the prevalence of agrochemicals to ensure their safe usage. Even though people can have access to some approved chemicals, the proper handling of these chemicals is not guaranteed. Many qualities of the person handling the chemical could increase or reduce the risk associated with agrochemicals. The behavior of …

Examining African American Male Mentors Relationships With African American Boys: Benefits, Barriers, Recruitment, And Retention, Quenton Angelo Richardson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Currently there is a shortage of African American male mentors available to build meaningful relationships with young African American boys and young men. Approximately 200,000 youth mentors are working in community agencies in any given year, yet only 6% of these mentors are African American men. Research supports that youth can benefit from a homogeneous mentoring relationship. Very limited research has been conducted that explores the benefits, barriers, recruitment, and retention of African American male mentors from an African American perspective. Therefore, this research gathers information and explores the benefits and barriers of African American adult males who mentor young …

Perceptions Of Dementia In Faith-Based Organizations, Megan Elizabeth Kooker

Honors Program Theses

Dementia is a public health concern. The number of people who will have some form of dementia is expected to rise in the coming years (Brookmeyer, 2011). Around 50 million people have dementia worldwide. Every year, this number increases by about 10 million (World Health Organization, 2019). Because this is such a prevalent issue, each part of the community should be educated about dementia as well as how to best interact with people living with dementia (PLWD). In order to educate these individual community sectors, it is important to first research the existing perceptions about dementia among the community. Faith …

Role Of Guns In Child Mortality, Alexandria Bibbs

Honors Program Theses

Gun ownership is a topic which sparks controversy, regardless of what side a person is on. It is something that tends to elicit strong emotion from the public and is a prominent part of American society. But, with freedoms come responsibilities and that leaves room for risk. High levels of gun access and availability have resulted in a high level of gun-related incidents in the United States above other countries around the globe. Unfortunately, young children are a population included in the victims of gun mortality. This thesis analyzes all recorded gun-related deaths of children ages 0 -11 years old …

Pluralistic Ignorance Of Campus Norms, Evan Stilgenbauer

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Changes on college campuses and movements such as #MeToo have highlighted problem behaviors such as sexual assault. Many problems and behaviors related to and including sexual assault can be attributed to misperceptions of norms and peer beliefs, which can lead individuals to act in ways they would not normally condone. It is unclear whether #MeToo or other changes over time may have affected perceptions of norms and their relation to problematic behaviors that perpetuate sexual assault.

There were three goals for the current study. My first goal was to assess the difference among perceived norms and actual norms in a …

Bleeding Cuts, Magical Spells, Sealed Hymens: A Study Of The Rite Of Tasfih In Algeria, Ahlam Laouar

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The Algerian society attributes great importance to female virginity and, as such, people go to great lengths in order to protect it. One of the methods used to protect female virginity is the practice of Tasfih. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the rite of Tasfih as practiced by Algerian women. This study includes discussions of how this practice came into existence and the ways in which it is done. It also examines the relationship between female sexuality and family honor.

Before interviewing women about the ritual, I explore the current literature on Tasfih, female sexuality, and family …

Challenging Social Systems Under The Threat Of Pollution: Replication And Extension Of Eadeh And Chang (2019), Dylan J. Pieper

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

I replicated and extended Eadeh and Chang (2019; Study 2) who found that reading a story about pollution harming a child increased self-reported liberalism and increased support for environmental regulation policies through greater negative affect (i.e., anger and disgust) (Hypothesis 1). Eadeh and Chang’s (2019) threat-affordance model posits that perceived threat can increase greater support for liberalism or greater support for conservatism, depending on the type of threat. In contrast, Jost and colleagues’ (2003) system justification theory posits that perceived threat asymmetrically predicts greater support for conservatism and greater systemsupporting collective action. This article advances a synthesis of these two …

The Determination Of Gender Roles And Power Dynamics Within Female Same-Sex Couples, Sydney Faith Atwood

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this project was to explore the power dynamics between monogamous female same-sex couples, where traditional gender roles in relationships were not in play. In this study, I conducted a focus group of women who had been in lesbian relationships in the past or at the time of the study, and gathered insight into the dynamics of their relationships. I determined that same-sex couples do experience intimate partner violence, or IPV, but that their levels of masculinity and femininity were unrelated to the extent of power that they had. With this project, I hope to fill in some …

Case Study In The Emotional And Social Benefits Of Joining A Women's Organization In Cedar Falls, Iowa, Hailey Lorenzen

Honors Program Theses

This research seeks to explore the main factors women in Cedar Falls become members of the Cedar Fall Woman’s Club and what benefits they have gained in respect to their social and emotional health through this organization. The Cedar Falls Woman’s Club has had an important presence in the community for over a hundred years and has been an active partner of both Sartori Hospital and the University of Northern Iowa. However, in recent years it has seen a decline in new members and a lack of participation from the current members. With other philanthropic organizations shutting down their chapters …

Motivation To Call Police: The Exploration Of Racial And Risk Averse Motivation, Alivia Lauren Zubrod

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

When calls are made to the police, the magnitude of their impact is often overlooked. When calls are made to the police and there is no crime, police resources, time, and energy could be wasted (Sampson, 2002); however, when no call is made to the police and there is a crime, human lives could be put in danger (e.g., Felson, Messner, Hoskin, & Deane, 2002). Based on highly publicized news reports, it appears that being a racial minority is enough motivation to call the police in some situations (e.g., napping or humanitarian work; Griggs, 2018; Williams, 2018b). Aversive racism theory …

The Impact Of Sexual Assault On Sexual Risk-Taking, Melanie Alison Reyes

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Sexual assault survivors experience a variety of adverse psychological and behavioral outcomes after their assault, such as engagement in sexual risk behavior (Testa, Hoffman, & Livingston, 2010). Previous research has reported risk factors among sexual assault survivors, such as survivors’ self-reported insecure attachment (Oshri, Sutton, Clay-Warner, & Miller, 2015), difficulties with emotion regulation (Walsh, DiLillo, & Messman-Moore, 2012), and substance use coping (Ullman, Relyea, PeterHagene, & Vasquez, 2013). Given that sexual risk behavior is also associated with these variables (e.g., Hotton, Garofalo, Kuhns, & Johnson, 2013), the current study examined whether these variables may mediate the association between sexual assault …

Live Thy Neighbor, Milica Njezic

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This project explored the concept of neighboring from the cultural perspectives of the Bosnian refugees and the researcher who is Bosnian herself. The goals were to answer several research questions: (1) what kinds of tensions do we battle in liminal spaces and how do they, grounded in culture, shape the way we communicate our roles as neighbors, (2) how do Bosnian immigrants perform neighboring, (3) what constitutes a good neighbor, and (4) what are the researcher’s personal stories and are those experiences shared with others? The author argues that neighboring is something we perform, that Bosnian co-participants show unconditional hospitality …

Student Engagement In Higher Education: Measuring The Differences In Community Engagement, Stanley S. Ebede

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In U.S. education system, the growing gap in the engagement of various groups and types of students is wider than ever (Darling-Hammond, 2015). Therefore, there is a need to bridge the gap in engagement by ensuring that either personal or social circumstances such as gender, student status, ethnic groups etc. are not obstacles to achieving educational potential in higher education (Williams & Whiting, 2016; Greene, Marti, & McClenney, 2008; McClenney & Marti, 2006). Using both longitudinal and cross-sectional perspectives advocated by Fuller, Wilson and Tobin (2011); Gordon, Ludlum, and Hoey (2008); and Astin and Lee (2003), this study examined students’ …

Disparities In Infant Mortality: Are Sociocultural Risk Factors Shaped By Institutionalized Racism?, Madison Grimm

Honors Program Theses

The infant mortality rate (IMR) is an incredibly important indicator of the overall health of a nation. Because the IMR is so closely related with factors such as quality and accessibility of healthcare and socioeconomic conditions, it is helpful in evaluating a nation’s success. The United States (US) has one of the highest infant mortality rates among countries with a similar degree of economic development (those belonging to the OECD). In 2013, the IMR was 5.96 deaths per 1,000 live births, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC (Mathews, MacDorman, & Thoma, 2015). Furthermore, this rate …

Education: An Unexplored Variable On Millennial Volunteer Attitudes, Darian N. Everding

Honors Program Theses

For the 1.9 million nonprofit organizations in the United States, engaging potential volunteers in an efficient way is critical to their success. As Baby Boomers retire, the Millennial generation is expected to populate an ever-growing percentage of the volunteer workforce. The Millennial population totals nearly 80 million in the United States alone. The current body of research has been focused primarily on general attitudes of Millennials in regards to volunteering, philanthropy, and corporate social responsibility. There has been very little analysis on the attitudes of Millennials based on their demographic information, especially their education level. Less than a third of …

The Effects Of Control Threat On Women's Acceptance Of Benevolent Sexism And Traditional Gender Roles, Zheng Li

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

System Justification Theory (SJT; Jost & Banaji, 1994) predicts that people tend to accept and endorse the current socioeconomic and political arrangement when they feel threatened. Based on SJT, women should support traditional gender roles and benevolent sexism when they feel threatened because these system-justifying beliefs can mitigate anxiety and distress elicited by existential threats. In the current study, female participants’ responses to a control threat were measured by an author-generated scale on attitudes toward traditional gender roles for women and Benevolent Sexism Scale (Glick & Fiske, 1996). In a community sample (but not in a student sample), participants whose …

Spaces Of Disadvantage, Places Of Hope : Women Empowerment, Economic Emancipation And Ngos In Bogotá Slums, Ekaterina Korzh

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This research is devoted to the gender issue in Colombian Slums with the specific focus on the social and economic place of women, challenges that women are facing within this extremely impoverished and criminalized areas and avenues to improve women empowerment and emancipation in the slums of Bogotá.

The goal of this research is to improve understanding of social and economic roles of women in the slums and identify NGO-supported coping strategies that allow improving women empowerment and emancipation in the slums of Bogotá. The first objective is to define “slums” and determine their extent, morphology and population characteristics using …

Perceived Effects Of Family Status Changes On Male Collegiate Outdoor Recreation Coordinators, Andrew K. Martin

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

A career as a collegiate outdoor recreation professional is both a challenging and rewarding occupation. It is a position that consists of inconsistent hours as well as extended periods away from home. This qualitative study identified how changes in family status affect an individual’s perception of the position as a collegiate outdoor recreation coordinator. More specifically, the perceived benefits or challenges that occur throughout the family status changes, and what effect, if any, these perceptions had on the individual’s work performance, job satisfaction and career longevity.

Using a phenomenological approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight individuals who were employed …

Caged Manhood : Office Culture And How Walter Camp's Daily Dozen Revitalized The Workforce, 1903-1940, Nick Sly

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This thesis is examines how culture became a means to deal with the problems of over-civilization in the early twentieth century. The realities of a salaried position and corporate work spaces had dramatically changed how the middle class felt about work. Looking at the writings of Walter Camp, the human relations movement, and the exercise culture of the period one can see how the office space was not simply a place of work but a new context for constructing masculinity and a sense of worth.

An American's Paris: Tourism And The American Consumer, 1947-1961, Margaret Nervig

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In 1947, a group of twenty-two Iowa farmers traveled to Europe for a month-long trip around the continent’s top destinations. Their primary mission, as outlined in Life Magazine, was to investigate European farming practices, particularly agricultural methods and food needs in the postwar period. The article included photos of the Iowans visiting French farms and speaking with farmers, but it also included a full-page photo of the group at a Parisian nightclub, complete with scantily clad women. Despite their agriculturally-based intentions, these Midwestern farmers could not resist a taste of Parisian culture.

This type of imagery is only one example …

The Impact Of Student Organizations On The Development Of Core Competencies, Stanley Somtochukwu Ebede

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Higher education has a significant impact on the development of critical skills that improve students’ academic outcomes. However, academic institutions have not adequately focused more on the role of student organizations in supporting and improving student outcomes. The primary purpose of this study is to investigate students’ perception of the development of core competencies during their experiences at a comprehensive Midwestern university, specifically examining the differences of those involved in student organizations to those not involved.

The impact of student organizations on the development of core competencies was assessed using a survey that was designed around the core competencies outlined …

The Feeling That You Are Where You Belong: A Qualitative Analysis Of College Music Groups And Student Success, Susan Elizabeth Johnson

Honors Program Theses

“We believe in the power of music to uplift, to inspire, and to help make the world a better place.” These words, from the mission statement of an all-men’s choir at a mid-sized Midwestern university, accurately reflect the attitude that many people have toward music. Music ensembles, both vocal and instrumental, often have a very profound impact on their members, emotionally, socially, and even academically. For college students in particular, these organizations can provide a social structure and support group that helps with the transition from high school to college and helps students deal with homesickness and the unfamiliarity of …

The Impact Of Self-Objectification On Political Efficacy: Does Self-Image Affect Feelings Of Political Adequacy, Victoria M. Hurst

Honors Program Theses

The phenomenon of self-objectification develops from the internalization of the objectification of the human body by the individual, occurring most prevalently among women, and results in a host of negative psychological effects (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997). Among these effects are increased body surveillance, disrupting one’s ability to achieve peak states of motivation, and body shame. It is possible, then, that feelings of inadequacy, as a result, affect other realms of life, including an individual’s orientation toward the political world. To test this proposition, I conducted an original online survey (N=948) to determine if higher rates of selfobjectification, utilizing measures for …

Activism And Offense : A Philosophical Analysis, Stef Mcgraw

Honors Program Theses

In the realm of interpersonal interactions, there are many pieces of conventional wisdom that dictate how most Americans ought to behave. One such example of this is that Americans ought to “do good” in the world. This could mean simply acting kindly to others, but more often it is meant as taking explicit action to promote positive change in the world. Another social norm is that Americans, particularly Iowans and other Midwesterners1 , ought to “avoid causing offense.” It is not difficult to see how these two norms sometimes collide, since positive change often entails the transformation of social norms …

Is Higher Education The Key To Unlock The Door Of Fortune? A Study Of Students' Occupational Aspirations, Daiyue Sun

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study focuses on the relationship between students' social backgrounds and their occupational aspirations (in terms of becoming an authority, financial success and recognition in the workplace). By applying the status attainment theory and segmented assimilation theory, this study examines the significance of parental socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and social capital in predicting college freshmen's occupational aspirations using multivariate analysis. Interaction effects between the main predictors as well as control variables such as immigrant status, gender, school performance, motivations and skills are tested in the analysis. Results suggest that socioeconomic status is not statistical significance in predicting individuals' occupational aspirations in …