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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Three Essays On Civil Disturbances, Crime, And Housing Markets, Noel Ritchey
Three Essays On Civil Disturbances, Crime, And Housing Markets, Noel Ritchey
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
In these three essays, I examine the relationship between housing prices and civil disturbances. In the first essay, I examine the Ferguson Unrest in 2014 following the killing of Michael Brown. Using a hedonic model and a repeat sales model using data from ZTRAX, I find a highly significant negative affect around the events temporally and spatially. In the second essay I examine house price indices across the US during the onset of COVID and during the protests following the killing of George Floyd. I use the Zillow Home Value Index and I find cities which experienced protests experienced less …
Digital Disconnect: The Relationship Between In-Game And Real-World Issues In World Of Warcraft, Taylor Devereaux
Digital Disconnect: The Relationship Between In-Game And Real-World Issues In World Of Warcraft, Taylor Devereaux
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
This dissertation explores how players of the Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), World of Warcraft, responded to in-game instances of sexism and racism before and after the Activision Blizzard lawsuit was made public. It also covers the responses of players to the lawsuit itself to see if player responses changed once the lawsuit was made public. These results illustrate if and how player responses may change regarding in-game social issues based on the real-world environment that the game is being created within. To establish what players are seeing in the game, I first analyzed the narratives of four major …
Local-Level Maternal And Infant Health: A Mixed-Methods Analysis Of The Relationship Between Social Determinants Of Health, Maternal And Infant Health Outcomes, And Public Health Programs In Florida, Jacquelyn Reiss
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Current data highlight significant disparities in infant and maternal health (IMH) outcomes both when comparing outcomes to other countries and between groups within the U.S. Previous studies indicate that disparities in health outcomes are caused by health inequities. Health inequities are a result of marginalized groups historically being denied resources and exposed to increased risk directly impacting health. These resources and risks are considered social determinants of health (SDoH), such as income, housing, transportation, and access to care. Although SDoH influence individuals across multiple levels of society, communities are sites where individuals directly access protective resources and are potentially exposed …
Perceived Barriers To And Comfort Levels With Hypothetical Intimate Partner Violence Help-Seeking Among Arab Americans, Jana Mostafa
Perceived Barriers To And Comfort Levels With Hypothetical Intimate Partner Violence Help-Seeking Among Arab Americans, Jana Mostafa
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Members of the Arab American community experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) face unique barriers to help-seeking and have different comfort levels with using formal and informal resources. This thesis surveyed Arab-Americans to identify perceived barriers and comfort levels with IPV help-seeking. A culturally informed and centered approach was taken to examine connections between individual level factors, perceived barriers and comfort levels in using resources. To do so, I gathered data via an online survey with 82 Arab American participants. Findings suggest that participants perceived the greatest barriers to seeking help for IPV are related to how others view and understand …
Christian Nationalism Among Evangelical Christians Through A Critical Race Theory Lens, Marina I. Rivera Ramos
Christian Nationalism Among Evangelical Christians Through A Critical Race Theory Lens, Marina I. Rivera Ramos
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
In this study, I conducted ethnographic participant observations and semi-structured interviews at two evangelical congregations in central Florida, Free Baptist Church (FBC) and Cornerstone Church (CC), to explore how Christian nationalist ideas (CN) are negotiated, embraced, and/or rejected in church messaging and among congregants. I collected notes from eight sermons at each church and interviewed a total of 14 congregants regarding their concerns and lived experiences as Christians in the U.S. and their opinions on racial injustice. Expanding on previous research on CN, I incorporated Critical Race Theory (CRT) as an analytical framework to understand CN as inextricably connected to …
Gendered And Racialized Bodies In Dobbs V. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Saphronia Carson
Gendered And Racialized Bodies In Dobbs V. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Saphronia Carson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
In June 2022 the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abandoning nearly 50 years of precedent, and removing federal protections for abortion access. In doing so, the Court drew on a lineage of explicit and implicit discourses that have constructed abortions, abortion providers, and pregnant and fetal bodies in ways that make overturning Roe seem inevitable. This thesis takes a reproductive justice perspective while conducting a feminist critical discourse analysis of the majority and concurring opinions in Dobbs. Two main findings stand out. First, the decision relies on originalist constructions of abortions, abortion providers, pregnant people, and fetuses to …
Reflections On White-Passing Black Identity, Edi Mucka
Reflections On White-Passing Black Identity, Edi Mucka
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Now, there are more options than ever for racial identity. Identities such as Black, White, Native, Asian, and Latino have put into contention how past racial boundaries and definitions interact with newer racial color lines. Racial passing is one concept that captures both older and newer forms of identity maintenance. Racial passing refers to when a person classified as a member of a racial group is accepted or perceived as a member of another. In this thesis, I review the literature on racial passing to understand its history and theoretical explanations. Based on the review, I examine a convenience sample …
The Perfect Storm: Motherhood, Intimate Partner Violence, And Covid-19, Kelly Blauschild
The Perfect Storm: Motherhood, Intimate Partner Violence, And Covid-19, Kelly Blauschild
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an insidious societal problem with potentially lethal ramifications. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread conditions and virus risk mitigation procedures like social distancing and stay-at-home orders exacerbated factors that contribute to IPV such as poverty and substance use. Though anyone can experience IPV, mothers carried unparalleled burdens in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic such as increasing childcare responsibilities, growing financial difficulties, and worsening mental health, and many of these factors have been linked to experiencing IPV. The growing body of literature indicates a rise in IPV during COVID-19, but little has …
In Plain Sight: Examining The Diffusion Of Black Women's Knowledge In The Era Of Expanding The Sociological Canon, Ashley Stone
In Plain Sight: Examining The Diffusion Of Black Women's Knowledge In The Era Of Expanding The Sociological Canon, Ashley Stone
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Amid the 2020 call to action to expand the sociological canon, sociologists have been encouraged to engage the contributions of diverse theorists in their courses. Extant research on graduate-level classical theory courses has explored the absence of early women theorists from these courses at elite institutions. This dissertation advanced the literature by 1) analyzing the diffusion of classical Black women theorists in graduate-level classical theory syllabi, 2) analyzing the discursive constructions of classical theorists in the syllabi, and 3) investigating the factors that influenced which classical theorists are included in these courses. Data consisted of 50 graduate classical theory syllabi …
"Taken In By The 'Man In A White Van' Story": The Digital Activism Efforts Of One Women's Civic Leadership Organization In Human Trafficking Awareness, Alex Rister
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Feminist activism in the digital age leverages technology to raise awareness of, and to mobilize support for, important issues and causes. Human trafficking is one such cause, and preventing it is included as a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls. This study sought to understand the digital activism strategies of one women's civic leadership organization, the Junior League, for human trafficking awareness. In addition, this project analyzed how those digital activism strategies did or did not align with social justice approaches to human trafficking and how those digital activism strategies did or …
Associations Between Patient-Provider Trust And Hiv Care Continuum Outcomes, James Caldwell
Associations Between Patient-Provider Trust And Hiv Care Continuum Outcomes, James Caldwell
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
The current research examines trust as a component of the Healthcare Relationship Scale (HCR) using data from the Medical Monitoring Project (MMP), a program designed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This dataset focuses on the experiences and needs of people living with HIV (PLWH). We examined how relationships between people living with HIV and their HIV providers may be associated with two distinct variable groups: (1) socio-demographic characteristics, such as age, gender, race, education and poverty status; and (2) patient health as it relates to the continuum of care, such as patient-rated general health, adherence to …
Mediation And Moderation Analyses Investigating Marijuana Use Among Lgb Adults, Traccy Martins
Mediation And Moderation Analyses Investigating Marijuana Use Among Lgb Adults, Traccy Martins
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
With marijuana use being at an all-time high, it is important to further analyze the factors associated with use. Utilizing the 2015-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (N=205,083), the current study assesses marijuana use among LGB adults, as well as possible mediating (health-related measures) and moderating (criminal legal system exposure) factors. Findings using a chi-square analysis showed that overall, bisexual and lesbian/gay adults were more likely to use marijuana, while those who reported "not sure" were less likely to use. For the mediation analysis, when health measures were introduced to the logistic regression model, the outcome remained the …
The Twinning Of Crisis: Intimate Partner Violence, State-Level Policy, And Female-Headed Family Poverty Across The United States, Julio Montanez
The Twinning Of Crisis: Intimate Partner Violence, State-Level Policy, And Female-Headed Family Poverty Across The United States, Julio Montanez
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Intimate partner violence (IPV) and poverty plague populations as twin social crises. Just as IPV has implications in terms of gender, race, magnitude, and deleteriousness—so does poverty. IPV cuts across demography but has concentrated burden for certain groups. In addition to the many dimensions of violence survivors may face, survivors may face economic abuse, as well as difficulty working or attaining an education. Poverty, measured in relative and absolute terms, is stratified by various demographic categories (e.g., disability, ethnicity, gender), with certain groups facing an enhanced prevalence of the issue. With these demographic disparities working in the background of the …
The Impacts Of A Food Pantry On College Students, Courtney Howell
The Impacts Of A Food Pantry On College Students, Courtney Howell
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
The issue of food insecurity on college campuses has been explored in great depth in the last decade; however, there is much less research on the impacts of interventions such as food pantries. Some scholars suggest that food pantries alone are not enough to make an impact on food insecurity, asserting that, "not a single study has examined the effectiveness of food pantries at decreasing food insecurity on postsecondary education institutions" (Bruening, Argo, Payne-Sturges, and Laska 2017: 1788). This study aimed to gain insight into the student experience of using a food pantry and the impact that it has on …
Using Simulation For Law Enforcement De-Escalation Training, Julie Kent
Using Simulation For Law Enforcement De-Escalation Training, Julie Kent
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Law enforcement needs simulation practice tailored to de-escalation skills. Law enforcement officers spend most of their training time practicing how to use force appropriately and very little time practicing how to avoid using force. There is little research into the best ways for law enforcement to reduce their use of force and the best ways to provide training to individuals to coach them to avoid using force. There are many training programs promoting de-escalation techniques, but there is little research into the effectiveness of these programs beyond the ability of individuals to perform the skills that are trained. There is …
Covid, Inequalities And Health: A Sociological Analysis About The Resilience Found In Unique Student Life Experiences, Sarah Da Silva
Covid, Inequalities And Health: A Sociological Analysis About The Resilience Found In Unique Student Life Experiences, Sarah Da Silva
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
This study demonstrates how adversity during the covid pandemic has impacted the lives of diverse college students. Specifically, this study analyzes students' perspectives on how they respond through resilience to daily academic, financial, and social stressors impacting their health during the pandemic. For this study, the research questions are: 1) what themes and forms of coping emerge among marginalized racially, ethnically diverse U.S. college students about their mental health and daily life experiences exacerbated by the covid pandemic? 2) And to what do experiences with stressors in combination with the covid pandemic reveal about the mental health of marginalized groups …
The Sociology Of God: The Case Of Homeless Believers, John L'Hommedieu
The Sociology Of God: The Case Of Homeless Believers, John L'Hommedieu
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
This research began as personal curiosity about the religious beliefs of persons experiencing homelessness, and in particular their beliefs about God. What do they believe about God, and how are their beliefs socially constructed? Social research has generally limited its focus to assessing religion as an asset in ameliorating homelessness as a social problem with little attention to the religious behaviors and thought processes of persons experiencing homelessness themselves. I conducted a classic grounded theory (CGT) analysis based on 14 in-depth interviews with homeless believers (HB's) and three interviews with pastors-service-providers (PSP's) for comparative analysis. The findings include two major …
Deadly Combinations: Factors That Are Associated With Simultaneous And Concurrent Polysubstance Use, Laura Lightfoot
Deadly Combinations: Factors That Are Associated With Simultaneous And Concurrent Polysubstance Use, Laura Lightfoot
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Mortality reports show that most overdose deaths include more than one substance. In addition, there is a gap in the literature that discusses risk factors for polysubstance use. The objective of this study was to explore what factors relate to the likelihood of engaging in polysubstance use, defined as using more than one substance. Specifically, the goal was to evaluate predictors of simultaneous (i.e., the use of alcohol and another substance at the same time in the past six months) polysubstance use and concurrent (i.e., the use of any two substances in the past six months) polysubstance use, vs. no …
A Social Ecological Approach Towards Empowering Foster Youth To Be Safer Online, Karla Badillo-Urquiola
A Social Ecological Approach Towards Empowering Foster Youth To Be Safer Online, Karla Badillo-Urquiola
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Teens in foster care are some of the most vulnerable youth to encounter serious offline risks, such as sex trafficking. Research shows that children who are vulnerable offline are more likely to be vulnerable online. Therefore, it is important to understand how the internet plays a role in how foster youth are exposed to these risks, so that we may develop effective interventions that empower foster youth against becoming victims of these online risks. A comprehensive review of the literature (Chapter 2) emphasized the unique sets of characteristics and challenges of foster youth that create substantial nuance and require a …
Predicting The Likelihood Of Verbal Coercion Across Race And Ethnicity Through Routine Activity Theory, Ketty Fernandez
Predicting The Likelihood Of Verbal Coercion Across Race And Ethnicity Through Routine Activity Theory, Ketty Fernandez
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Sexual coercion is a widespread issue in the United States. It is estimated that one in six women in the U.S. have been sexually coerced in their lifetime. While studies in the area have increased over the years, a major limitation in the current literature is the lack of racial and ethnic representation among victim samples, as the majority of sexual assault research overwhelmingly focuses on White women. Although there are different types of sexual coercion, this study focuses on verbal sexual coercion (VSC), a tactic less studied but used as often as other forms of intimidation. Studies suggest alcohol, …
Evaluating Fatal Overdose Deaths In Orange County Florida From 2019-2021, Brian Hall
Evaluating Fatal Overdose Deaths In Orange County Florida From 2019-2021, Brian Hall
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
This study sought to investigate fatal overdoses in Orange County, Florida during the years of 2019, 2020, and 2021. Data for this project was provided by the Orange County Medical Examiner's office. Each overdose death was coded for age, sex, race, and cause of death. The purpose of the study is to identify trends to inform policy reform. The results reveal that fentanyl overdose deaths are continuing to rise as heroin overdose deaths decrease. Additionally, there is greater upward trends in polysubstance opioid overdose deaths as compared to non-opioid polysubstance overdose deaths. Ultimately, a specific type of overdose death cannot …
Budgetary Unoccupied Aerial Systems For Environmental Surveying: A Social Perspective, Tyler Copeland
Budgetary Unoccupied Aerial Systems For Environmental Surveying: A Social Perspective, Tyler Copeland
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Unoccupied Aerial Systems (UASs) have undergone extensive growth in the past decade. This growth has resulted in the application of these systems from highly niche application to application across many fields including consumer usage. This research explores the implementation of UASs for environmental surveying that has an impact on social groups. While much literature exists using custom UAS systems with large budgets, the use of budgetary consumer available UASs for these purposes is still in its infancy. This research suggests that budgetary and accessible consumer UAS systems can be used to benefit social groups that lack access to high-quality geographic …
Homicide Patterns In Urban Places:A Geospatial Analysis Of Homicide In Baltimore, M.D., Kayla Toohy
Homicide Patterns In Urban Places:A Geospatial Analysis Of Homicide In Baltimore, M.D., Kayla Toohy
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Extant criminological research examining research questions oriented on understanding the spatial distribution of violent crime instances, such as homicide, have often employed the theoretical foundations of both social disorganization theory and routine activities theory. Though there is much research using these theories independently and in conjunction with one another, few studies have integrated the theories in analyses of homicide at multiple levels of aggregation. The current study is conducted to analyze homicide incidents in Baltimore, Maryland from 2014 through 2018. The analysis conducted considers both social disorganization and routine activities theory variables to test the explanatory power of each theory …
History Of The Cuban Diaspora And Responses To July 2021 Protests In Cuba: An In-Depth Examination Of Emerging Social Movement, Carolina Alonso Domech
History Of The Cuban Diaspora And Responses To July 2021 Protests In Cuba: An In-Depth Examination Of Emerging Social Movement, Carolina Alonso Domech
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
In July of 2021, thousands of people took to the streets in different cities of the United States in demand of military intervention by the U.S. government and freedom for the people of Cuba. This study aims to explore the motivation behind the Florida-based Cuban American popula-tion to engage in acts of civic protest. The study explains the unique characteristics of the Cuban American Immigrant group in the United States influencing social movement participation. The study provides an analysis of the background of the S.O.S. Cuba movement. To accomplish this, in-depth focus groups were conducted to explore the opinions, reactions, …
Exploring The Response To Covid-19 In Puerto Rico, Richard Colon
Exploring The Response To Covid-19 In Puerto Rico, Richard Colon
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
In recent years Puerto Rico has faced a series of unfavorable events including financial turmoil, massive population loss, earthquakes, and droughts. These events had significantly impacted its resources and capacity to confront a major public health crisis. As such, Puerto Rico was expected to poorly manage the ongoing pandemic. Despite this, nearly all data surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico has indicated the contrary. The purpose of this study was to explore and understand the COVID-19 response in Puerto Rico. The Conservation of Resources theory guided the analysis of resource consumption and management of the Puerto Rican government and …
Quality Of Life: How Does Race Influence Residential Satisfaction In Cities, Alexis Kelly
Quality Of Life: How Does Race Influence Residential Satisfaction In Cities, Alexis Kelly
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
The main concepts addressed within this study are neighborhood security, culture in cities, immigration, White flight, and gentrification. Although Whites originally settled in cities, an influx of foreigners encouraged racial dispersion and seclusion. Ultimately, Whites fled to suburban and rural areas while racial minorities remained in the city. The historic relocation of Whites led to the neglect of the city and its occupants, Thus, the motivation for this study revolves around the idea that race-related exclusion influences quality of life and residential satisfaction in cities. Data were obtained from the General Social Survey to examine the relationship between quality of …
The Cultural Significance Of Racial Socialization And "The Talk" Within The Black Family, Deborah Griffith
The Cultural Significance Of Racial Socialization And "The Talk" Within The Black Family, Deborah Griffith
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
In the wake of the renewed sense of powerlessness felt in the Black community, "The Talk" (Snell,2016) is primarily considered an essential rite of passage in Black families in preparing Black children how to engage with police when faced with microaggressions of racism. The awareness that the rules are different based on the color of your skin reinforces the narrative that for Blacks, most will face law enforcement that functions to protect and serve Whiteness (Burton, 2015). The purpose of this research was to examine the cultural significance of Racial Socialization and the use of "The Talk" within the Black …
A Critical Intersectional Analysis Of Black Doulas' Experiences In Maternal Healthcare, Emely Matos
A Critical Intersectional Analysis Of Black Doulas' Experiences In Maternal Healthcare, Emely Matos
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), maternal death ratios are severely racially stratified as African American women face the most significant risk. Currently, Black women are four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related death in the United States than white women. Race disparities in maternal health outcomes may be exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic as preliminary research suggests that the pandemic's disproportionate impact on Black communities and existing concerns about Black women's medical treatment may indicate an increase in mortality within the next few years. Racial health disparities reflect the nation's flawed maternal healthcare …
The 'Ideal Victim' Of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women: An Examination Of The Impact Of Victim/Offender Relationship Status, Victim Self-Identity, And Observer Gender On Constructing Victim Status, Kelli Dauphinais
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Guided by Nils Christie's (1986) Ideal Victim framework, the current study examines the effect that victim/offender relationship status (casual vs. serious), victim self-identity (as a "victim" or a "survivor"), and observer gender (woman vs. man) have on victim blame attributions. Data were collected from 329 adult students at a large public university in the Southwest United States using an online, experimental vignette design. Three separate one-way analysis of variances (ANOVAs) were conducted to test the study's three hypotheses. Results suggest that among the study sample, victim/offender relationship status (H1) and victim self-identity (H2) do not significantly affect victim blame attribution …
Easy Money: Examining Social Disorganization, Urbanization, Healthcare Fraud, And Community Health In America., Wilmer Alvarez Irizarry
Easy Money: Examining Social Disorganization, Urbanization, Healthcare Fraud, And Community Health In America., Wilmer Alvarez Irizarry
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
In the past 40 years, the health of citizens in the United States has changed significantly. The population of the United States managed to get sicker and die slower across the prior four decades. Adding to this complexity is the fact that illnesses and health behaviors in the United States are also not equally distributed by race, class, gender, or other social factors. These facts do not only reflect level of the disease and illness in the United States, but also the disparities that exist within them and the sociomedical factors that impact health. Despite costing American taxpayers between $120 …