Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Ethnicity And Poetry: A Systems Theory Approach To Contemporary African American And Mexican American Poetry, Antonio Paniagua Guzman

Theses and Dissertations

Given the ongoing ethnic transformation of the current society of the United States, contemporary sociologists have extensively studied ethnic relations from diverse theoretical and methodological approaches. Despite the vast sociological research recently developed, the literary-based methodological approach remains partially uncultivated. This study explores motivations and patterns of minority groups’ ethnic performance in contemporary poetry by analyzing inter and intra-group similarities and differences of diverse linguistic and cultural traits. From secondary data analysis, this study examines four hundred poems authored by forty contemporary African American and Mexican American writers experientially connected to the state of Texas. Grounded in systems theory, this …

Institutional Racism Through The Eyes Of African American Male Faculty At Community Colleges In The Pacific Northwest, Kimberly Harden

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the lived experiences of African American male faculty at community colleges in the Pacific Northwest. Regional data mirrors national statistics denoting the low number of faculty of color working at state-funded community colleges. The literature reviewed for this study suggests that African American male faculty experience racism and gender bias during their academic career journeys. This study sought insight from five African American male faculty to answer the overarching research question: What are the possible perceived institutional barriers that contribute to the underrepresentation of African American male faculty? These individuals were …

An Integrated Model Of Safer Sex Practices Among African-American Gay And Bisexual Men, Brian D. Zamboni, Isiaah Crawford, Fred B. Bryant

Psychology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Models of safer sex enable researchers to identify specific constructs that can be used to promote health behavior and are more effective than interventions without a theoretical base. This study tested basic and modified forms of the Theory of Reasoned Action and Information Motivation Behavioral Skills models among 151 African American gay/bisexual men. Gay socialization was added to an integrated model to see if this minority-specific contextual variable would improve the model. Self-efficacy was tested as an independent variable and a mediating variable. The results suggest that an integrated model of safer sex practices should include benefits/barriers to condom use, …

Alleged Insanity: Frank Johnson Sr., Racial Injustice, And The Failure Of The Mental Health Care System In South Carolina, Jonathon P. Johnson

Senior Theses

This thesis is about Frank Johnson Sr. and the circumstances that led to his downfall as a farmer and father of six, to his tragic death in the isolation of a racially segregated mental institution 18 miles away from his home. Using his life and incarceration at the South Carolina State Park mental health facility, I argue that racial injustice contributed to his tragic death and the woefully inadequate treatment thousands of African Americans in South Carolina received during Jim Crow. Additionally, I argue that the tragic circumstances around my great grandfather’s institutionalization and death were part of an enduring …

Living And Loving: A Qualitative Exploration Of The Dating And Sexual Relationships Of Hiv-Positive Young Black Gay, Bisexual, And Other Men Who Have Sex With Men, Darnell N. Motley

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Infection with HIV is a global pandemic that continues to have particular impacts on Black men who have sex with men. Accordingly, researchers have examined risk behaviors in order to inform interventions that seek to decrease transmission. However, there has been relatively little research that has examined the dating and sexual experiences of Black GBMSM living with HIV absent a particular focus on sexual risk and potential transmission. The present study seeks to better understand the dating and sexual experiences of a sample of young Black GBMSM living with HIV. Twenty young Black GBMSM living with HIV were interviewed using …

Black Faces In White Spaces: The Influence Of Predominately White Congregations On Black Congregants’ Sense Of Community And Racial Identity, Eunice O. Makinde

MA Community Psychology Theses

The purpose of this research is to explore the sense of community Blacks feel within predominately White congregations, and the ways those feelings may be tied to Black congregants’ racial identities. Research has primarily focused on predominately Black churches and the way these institutions affect Black congregants’ sense of community and racial identity. In this paper, the role the church has played in Black lives will be explained and sense of community and racial identity will be defined and discussed. The historical context of the Black church will be used in the evaluation of predominately White churches in order to …

Life After An Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis: A Comparison Of Stress And Coping Profiles Of African American And Caucasian Caregivers, Takeshia Williams

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Though the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder continues to rise, limited research to date has studied the impact of culture on stress and coping for families after they are diagnosed. This study explored the relationship between caregiver’s ethnic culture and caregiver reports of stress and coping behaviors when caring for a child with autism. Specifically, this study used discriminate function analysis to contrast the stress and coping profiles of Caucasian caregivers to African American caregivers that are more acculturated with the majority culture and African American caregivers that ascribe to more traditional values. A sample of 103 participants was recruited, …

Evasions In Interactions: Examples From The Transcultural Nursing Research Field, Janice D. Crist Phd, Rn, Fngna, Faan, Heather Coats Ms, Aprn-Bc, Phd, Kay Lehman Rn, Msn, Cwocn, Isela Luna Rn, Phd, Ccm

The Qualitative Report

Transcultural qualitative research is known for its utility in eliciting in-depth narratives, resulting in increased understanding about cultural phenomena. However, sometimes specific phenomena in the researcher’s inquiry are ignored, evaded, or denied; or a seemingly crucial experience demonstrating society’s unfairness, which the researcher had been expecting, does not emerge. In this paper, the issue of evasions in narratives is addressed, with two examples in which participants evaded the issue about which they were asked: perceptions of discrimination for aging adults of Mexican descent, and perceptions of living with life-limiting illnesses for aging African American adults. The Ethno-Cultural Gerontological Nursing Model …

Racial Disparities In Student Debt: Evidence From The Refund To Savings Initiative, Samuel H. Taylor, Dana C. Perantie, Nava Kantor, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Shenyang Guo, Ramesh Raghavan

Center for Social Development Research

This brief provides evidence that low- and moderate-income (LMI) Black households accumulate significantly more debt in pursuit of a higher education than do LMI White students, even after using rigorous methods to account for race- and debt-related confounders. Using data from the Refund to Savings experiment, the authors find that LMI Black households accrued $7,721 more in student loan debt than their White counterparts did. This finding is crucial in light of the financial vulnerability of this population both before and after college. That vulnerability potentially contributes to diminished returns and exacerbates racial disparities in educational outcomes and wealth accumulation. …

Analysis Of African American And White American Cognitive Profiles For Language And Cultural Influences, Nicole Jones

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Abstract

One of the most concerning aspects of special education is the overrepresentation of African American minority youth receiving special education services. Samuel Ortiz and colleagues considered the issue of the representation of the Latino, English Language Learner (ELL) population in special education services based on cognitive performance in relation to the mainstream population. To target this concern they determined an estimated level of expected cognitive performance of ELL’s and impact of language and cultural differences to help eligibility teams more appropriately interpret and place students with the aid of the Culture-Language Interpretive Matrix (C-LIM) model they developed. The current …

Exploring The Effects Of Positive Behavioral Supports On Disciplinary Practices In Schools And It's Potential To Mitigate Disproportionality In Disciplinary Outcomes For African American Students, E'Lexus Emily King

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Disproportionality in special education and school discipline in the U.S. Education system has been a crucial and complex issue. Research has shown that evidence-based interventions that lie within the positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) framework has been effective in improving educational outcomes for all students. In this study, the author investigated the impact of the School-Wide Benchmarks of Quality, a PBIS fidelity measure, on student disciplinary outcomes. 380 schools presented four years of disciplinary outcome data. Results showed that the PBIS fidelity measure had a modest effect on the overall student disciplinary outcomes but did not address the disproportionate …

Ethnic Differences In Self-Efficacy At Southern Adventist University, Seth L. Daly Stennis

Journal of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research

Concern has been expressed about the poor academic performance of African American students, in comparison to their other ethnic counterparts. Many individuals have attempted to explain this anomaly. A large portion of studies show how socioeconomic standing and parental involvement play a role in the academic achievement gap. A more modest amount used psychological factors to explain the deplorable academic achievement in African Americans. One such psychological factor, self-efficacy, was not well represented in the literature; few papers discussed the association of self-efficacy and African American academic success. The purpose of this study was to compare self-efficacy levels of individuals …

Predictors Of Quality Of Life For African American Women Who Assist Persons Who Receive Dialysis, Shaquita A. Starks

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The purpose of this predictive correlational study was to describe predictors of quality of life (QoL) for African American women who were caregivers of persons with end stage renal disease (ESRD). Five purposes, derived from a review of literature and conceptual model, guided this study. First, the study described the association between demographic factors (i.e., education, employment, age, marital status), and QoL. Second, the study explored the relationship between stress and QoL. Third, the study described the association between depressive symptoms and QoL. Fourth, the study described the association between family health/happiness and QoL. Fifth, the study described the extent …

Pulling The Trigger: Dehumanization Of African Americans And Police Violence, Themal I. Ellawala

Scholarly Undergraduate Research Journal at Clark (SURJ)

Police shootings and killing of African American targets has reached epidemic proportions and has captured the attention of the entire country. Research in social psychology has studied many dimensions of this layered issue, and has generated disparate findings regarding the role of racial bias in police violence. The process of implicit dehumanization of African Americans, especially youth, has been proposed as particularly salient in making shoot/don’t shoot decisions. This paper suggests that the paradigm of dehumanization could complete the understanding of racialized police violence and reconcile contradictory research findings, while highlighting areas for future research.

Do All Blacks & African Americans Have The Same Outcome?, Amelia F. Belchior

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Do blacks and African Americans have the same outcome in terms of self-esteem, GPA, and SEC? Those who are aware of black history and understand the civil rights movement have higher self-esteem. Those blacks who accept their skin color and apply the self-fulling prophesy of what black is know to be, they have higher self-esteem as well. Black immigrants are more likely to accept their skin color and not associate blackness with living in the ghetto, being good at playing sports and dancing; they are more likely to have have self-esteem than native born African-Americans.

The Construct And Predictive Validity Of Psychosocial Correlates Of Television Viewing, Raheem Paxton, Pascal Jean-Pierre, Saehwan Park, Yong Gao Dr., Stephen Herrmann, G J. Norman

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background: Many studies have examined the consequences of prolonged television viewing, but few studies have examined the psychological states that contribute to this behavior. In this study, we evaluated the construct and predictive validity of psychosocial correlates of television viewing in a population of African American (AA) breast cancer survivors (BCS).

Methods: AA BCS (N = 342, Mean age = 54 years) completed measures of decisional balance, self-efficacy, family support, and time spent watching television online. Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) was used to examine the construct and predictive validity as well as the differential item functioning of the instruments …

Development And Implementation Of A Culturally Tailored, Community-Based Intervention To Raise Awareness Of Brain Health Among African Americans, Mary Ann K. Hall, Ashani Johnson-Turbes, Felicia T. Fuller, Petra Niles, Shileah Cantey-Mcdonald

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

African Americans bear a disproportionate burden of age-related cognitive impairment in the United States compared to Whites or Hispanics. African Americans experience greater prevalence, higher risk, and lower rates of treatment and diagnosis for dementia. In response to these health disparities the Alzheimer’s Association developed and implemented the Healthy Brain Initiative (HBI) demonstration project, the first community-level intervention to help reduce health disparities related to cognitive impairment among African Americans. The HBI promotes awareness of brain health, understanding of the heart-brain connection, and seeks to increase African American baby boomers engagement in health-protective behaviors to promote brain and overall health. …

Strong African American Families Programming: From Development To Dissemination, Megan C. Sperr, Tracy N. Anderson

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Interventionists from CFR will present on the research and proven outcomes of the SAAF Programs that help African American youth avoid risky behaviors associated with drugs, alcohol and sexual involvement. The interactive presentation is relevant to professionals working with this population and will include information from development to dissemination of the SAAF Programs and the core values that guide them.

African American Young People's Views Of Youth Participation And Its Implications For Addressing Community Problems, Isabelle M. Elisha

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Youth participation has been brought to the forefront of scholarly concerns by a growing interest in the positive effects of youth participation on developmental outcomes. However, few studies have investigated within group variations in African American young people’s views of civic participation. The present study examined African American early adolescents’ perceptions of youth participation in resolving community problems. Using a written protocol instrument with open-ended questions, the present study elicited diverse narratives from thirty-one 11-14 year old African American adolescents in order to address within-group variations in their experiences with youth participation and their understanding of racial discrimination. Participants described …

Haitian Representation In The Media: A Comparative Analysis Between An African American Owned Newspaper And A Mainstream Newspaper, Stephanie Jean-Baptiste

Master's Theses

Are the portrayals of Haitian immigrants in an African-American owned newspaper, different from their portrayal in a white owned newspaper? In this paper I examine newspaper articles covering Haitian immigrants and refugees. The articles selected were published in 2004 and sampled from the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Defender. Although the journals have distinctive goals and market reach, there were similarities in their portrayal of Haitian immigrants. Both journals referred to Haitian immigrants as victims of Haiti’s failed democracy. However, each journal advertised the reception of this migrant group differently. The African American owned newspaper advertised inclusion, while the white-owned …

Teen Dating Violence: Co-Occurrence With Bullying Among African American Teens In South Florida, Rosemarie Hemmings

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teen dating violence and bullying are major public health concerns but are preventable. Both dating violence and bullying occur within similar social context and the prevalence of teen dating violence was highest for African American teens as reported on the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). Social learning theory provides a foundation for understanding and changing behavior related to dating violence victimization and bully victimization. The research questions focused on relationships between bully and teen dating violence victimization when controlling for race/ethnicity, gender, substance abuse, age, and age of first sexual intercourse. Additionally, the potential mediating variable of spending time …

"Gone But Not Forgotten" - African American Cemeteries On The United States Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina, Chester B. Depratter, James B. Legg, Stanley South

Research Manuscript Series

No abstract provided.

Urban African American Youths' Academic Performance As Related To Fathers' Involvement During Development, Travis A. Goldwire

Wayne State University Dissertations

Father involvement in the context of urban African American youth was examined using a subsample (n = 556) of a large cohort of participants followed longitudinally through development. Data was collected at regular intervals (e.g., Age 7, 14, 19 and young adult). Young adults (n = 93) were surveyed for retrospective accounts of their fathers’ involvement in their lives before age 18. In the young adult data collection phase (the main subject of this project), most participants reported varying levels and frequency of involvement from their fathers while growing up, including helping at school, providing social support, and encouraging academic …

Minority Librarians In Higher Education: A Critical Race Theory Analysis, Kelli Johnson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The library profession as a whole is predominantly white with a large discrepancy between the percentage of minorities in the United States in general and the percentage of professional librarians who are minorities. Despite past recruitment efforts, there remains a dearth of minority librarians in higher education and the reasons for this remain unclear. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate minority librarian experiences in higher education and their perceptions of supports and barriers encountered in becoming and being professional librarians. Five themes emerged from the data. The first theme pertained to the spirit of service and activism …

Examining Ptsd Symptoms And The Effectiveness Of Group Therapy Among African American And Caucasian Veterans, Jennifer A. Coleman

Theses and Dissertations

Millions of Americans have served in the military, and improved survival rates in wars have increased the percentage of those who return home. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most prevalent mental health diagnoses for veterans. Although few studies have examined the link, previous research as well as the minority stress model and transgenerational trauma theories, suggest that race may be associated with PTSD, particularly in military samples. The current study examined whether there were differences in PTSD symptomology (global and symptom cluster-specific) based on veterans’ race and whether group therapy effectively reduced symptoms of PTSD. Data were …

The Experience Of Being Unsheltered In Atlanta, Ikeranda Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, it is estimated that millions of adults are homeless. Some individuals choose not to use homeless shelters or are ineligible for their use. Researchers have indicated that many unsheltered homeless are men over the age of 45 years. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the experiences with social services providers among unsheltered men. Understanding the social networks of unsheltered homeless and the use of spirituality or faith as a resource for coping was also examined, as a significant gap exists in the research on unsheltered homeless. Face-to-face, in-depth interviews were conducted with 8 …

Exploration Of Perceptions Of Marriage Dissatisfaction Among African American Couples, Terrence Schofield

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Perceptions of Marital Dissatisfaction Among African American Couples

by

Terrence Schofield

MS, Walden University, 2012

BS, Knoxville College, 1994

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

Clinical Psychology

Walden University

August 2016

From Spitting Rhymes To Inspiring Minds : The Role Of Hip Hop Therapy In Treatment Engagement Amongst Latinx And Black Youth : A Project Based Upon An Investigation At Beats. Rhymes And Life, Tatiana R. Padilla

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore the implications of utilizing an innovative cultural framework to engage at-promise youth in clinical group work. This researcher collaborated with Beats, Rhymes and Life, an Oakland based organization that has effectively engaged youth at-promise through Therapeutic Activity Groups (TAGs). Treatment effectiveness is evident in the continued requests from mental health providers in community mental health clinics to partner with BRL’s TAG program, youth self-referrals, and youth requests to repeat the program. Based on this, the current study aims to understand what aspects of the TAGs promote treatment engagement- indicated by re-enrollment- for …

Ann Arbor And The Ann Arbor Public Schools: A Cultural Geography, Lisa R. Anglin

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the persisting disparity in academic achievement between Caucasian and African American students within the Ann Arbor Public School District. This research analyzed the historical and geographical evolution of the city of Ann Arbor, specific to the organization of its public schools. This study sought to define the dominant cultural groups of Ann Arbor, how they evolved, as well as how they migrated to the region. In addition, a critical component of this study was to explain the relationship between the cultural geography of Ann Arbor and structure of the school organization, which …

Maintaining Community Roots : Understanding Gentrification Through The Eyes Of Long-Standing African American Residents In West Oakland, Karessa Irvin

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The study was undertaken to understand how long-standing African Americans residents of West Oakland believe they can maintain community roots during processes of gentrification. A second major question was: What are the implications for community based social workers.

Snowball sampling and convenience sampling were the methods used to recruit participants for the study. Thirteen in-person interviews were conducted, regarding study contributors’ perceptions of the West Oakland neighborhood, neighborhood changes, and understanding of community roots and how to maintain them.

The major findings of the study were congruent with some previous research of gentrification as participants defined gentrification in terms of …