Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Utilizing Resilience And Persistence Strategies To Reduce African American Doctoral Attrition, Dudley Davis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to explore the attrition rate of African American doctoral students and how to improve their retention and graduation using resilience and persistence. Across all disciplines, 40–60% of students who began doctoral programs did not persist to graduation (Falconer & Djokic, 2019; Mirick & Wladkowski, 2020). A semi-structured interview format was used to collect the data from 27 African American participants, 20 females and 7 males, who had already obtained their doctoral degrees. The study sought to explain the phenomenon of African American doctoral students who persevered to finish their degree, in spite …

Addressing Culturally Congruent Care Amongst African Americans In Skilled Nursing Facility: A Systematic Review, Adekemi T. Adedipe

DNP Qualifying Manuscripts

Introduction: Healthcare disparities and mistrust of the healthcare system discourage African Americans from seeking mental health services. Healthcare providers face challenges delivering culturally appropriate care. Examining current cultural practices can inform the education needed for healthcare providers to understand cultural care and awareness. This review aimed to identify evidence available to understand the impact of a cultural training on healthcare providers in skilled nursing facilities.

Methods: APA PsycINFO, CINAHL, and PubMed, were searched for English-language studies published between January 2016 and January 2022. Healthcare cultural competency training

in any aspect of cultural care was considered. Outcomes of interest included changes …

Evaluating The Stigma Toward Counseling In The African American Community, Jamaica Chapman

Doctoral Projects

Self-stigma is an important factor that hinders help seeking through the use of mental health services. “Self-stigma is the reduction of an individual’s self-esteem or self-worth caused by the individual self-labeling herself or himself as someone who is socially unacceptable” (Vogel et al., 2006, p. 325). Attitudes have suggested both men and women struggle with depression in this population, and that they are reluctant to addressing psychological problems. Most are overly concerned about the stigma associated with mental illness. Though some are open to seeking treatment through mental health services, religious coping in this community is the most preferred method …

Exploring African American Girlhood Perceptions And Experiences Of Self Esteem, Monica Wade

Theses and Dissertations

Furthering the cultural competence of counselors around emotional wellness for minority groups, this research explored the intersectionality of race and gender through counter storytelling of experiences of Black girlhood that are often not told. To fill the existing gap in literature describing perceptions of emotional wellness, I explored African American adolescent girls perceptions and experiences of self esteem for girls who participated in an empowerment organization called Dream Girls. This qualitative study used a phenomenological analysis to gain understanding of the influences that impact the way these adolescents understand themselves.

Designing A Community Engaged Training Program For African American And Latinx Communities On Covid-19 In South Mississippi: Results From Qualitative Focus Groups Exploring Community Member Perceptions, Susan Mayfield-Johnson Phd, Mches, Tanya Funchess, Charkarra Anderson-Lewis, Erica Thompson, Sandra Melvin, Mireya Alexander, Kierra Melvin, Samaria Lowe

Journal of Public Health in the Deep South

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore attitudes and perceptions on COVID awareness and education among African American and Latinx community members and stakeholders in South Mississippi through qualitative methods. Design: Virtual focus groups were conducted in Forrest, Hancock, Harrison, Hinds, and Jackson Counties through Zoom meetings. Community residents and stakeholders (N=56 total) participated. Zoom meetings were audio and video recorded, transcribed, and analyzed utilizing thematic analysis. A demographic survey was also administered. Results: Knowledge about COVID 19, vaccines, attitudes towards and beliefs about preventing COVID-19, intentions to prevent COVID-19, information seeking on COVID-19 preventative behaviors, and impact …

Clinicians' Perspectives On The Effectiveness Of Trauma - Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy With African American Children: A Qualitative Study, Jada Carter

Doctoral Dissertations

Literature exploring clinicians' perspectives on the effectiveness of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy with African American children who suffer from trauma-related disorders is very limited. The current study examined clinicians' perspectives on the TF-CBT model when utilized with this population, including their experiences working with African American children and families with observable types of trauma-related disorders. This research study also explored the various facets of trauma that African Americans encounter in childhood and the barriers that prevent them from receiving adequate mental health care. Thematic analysis was utilized to explore themes that emerged when treating African American children with TF-CBT. Five …

Challenging Wrongful Convictions And The Death Penalty In Three State-Level Cases, Theresa Debrah

Honors Program Theses and Projects

This paper aims to examine current high-profile state-level cases of those who have been put on death row and shed light on those individuals that may possibly be wrongfully convicted, either factually or procedurally. Previous studies have documented wrongful convictions within death row sentences, which is significant given the permanence of this penalty. This penalty is also disproportionately used against African American defendants. This study addresses three cases that expose similar factors and patterns that further our understanding of how race, victim-offender pairings, and legal irregularities affect death penalty cases. For this study, we used qualitative data to gather the …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of The Lived Experiences Of Second-Year African American Male Students On Predominantly White Campuses Through Critical Race Theory, Craig S. Pickett Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations

Title: A Phenomenological Exploration of the Lived Experiences of Second-Year African American Male Students on Predominantly White Campuses through the Lens of Critical Race Theory

Abstract:

The critical nature of the first year has pushed thousands of colleges and universities across the United States to create intentional programs specifically for first-year students. Less understood are the experiences of students during their second year – a different and, at times, even more challenging period. Second-year students face a myriad of issues, including achieving competence, desiring autonomy, establishing identity, and developing purpose, with many experiencing a phenomenon called the sophomore slump. …

Resiliency: Experiences Of African American/Black Sign Language Interpreters., Jordan Satchell, Campbell Mcdermid, Lindsey Totten, Anna Yarborough

Journal of Interpretation

There is a growing body of literature on the experiences of African American/Black sign language interpreters (Carpenter, 2017; West Oyedele, 2015), but still many challenges faced by this community in the field. For example, many experience isolation in their interpreter education programs and later in the field, and they described the programs they attended as White-centric and oppressive (Carpenter, 2017; Cokey & Schafer, 2016; West Oyedele, 2015). To understand their experiences better, a qualitative study was conducted which involved interviewing ten African American/Black interpreters. The findings indicated many barriers in the field, including racism and discrimination in systems of networking. …

Black (Muslim) Lives Matter: African American Muslim Social Activism, Jacob C. Riccioni

The Hilltop Review

Over the past eight years, the Black Lives Matter movement has advocated for marginalized communities within the African American population and called for police brutality and anti-black racism to be abolished. With the rise of Black Lives Matter in contemporary society, I am left wondering, do African American Muslims support the Black Lives Matter movement? There is no simple answer for African American Muslim leaders and laypeople because the Black Lives Matter movement supports LGBTQ+ rights, which some Muslims do not condone, and some rallies have broken out into riots. Religious leaders and scholars are split between supporting Black Lives …

The Influence Of Reparations, Internalized Oppression, And Racial Centrality Across Systemic And Psychological Factors Concerning The African American Community, Aimee L. Ford

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

The purpose of this paper was to utilize the literature to better understand how reparations have a causal effect on, (a) internalized oppression; (b) racial centrality; (c) systemic inequity; and (d) mental health outcomes within the African American community. Reparations are examined through both monetary gains and the significance of societal recognition of the history of African chattel slavery. In addition, the White versus African American wealth gap is utilized to display the relationship between unpaid reparations and contemporary economic oppression. The findings illustrate the causal effects of unpaid reparations that were demonstrated throughout the literature to have negative consequences …

Recruitment, Retention, And Future Direction For A Heart Health Education And Risk Reduction Intervention Led By Community Health Workers In An African American Majority City, Julie Gleason-Comstock, Cindy Bolden Calhoun, Ghadir Mozeb, Cardell Louis, Alex B. Hill, Barbara J. Locke, Victor Harrell, Sadia Yasmin, Liying Zhang, John M. Flack, Nancy T. Artinian, Jinping Xu

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Research Publications

Heart disease is a leading cause of death for African Americans. A community-academic partnership cross-trained community health workers to engage African American adults in a 6-month heart health education and risk reduction intervention. We conducted a one-group feasibility study using a one group (pre-posttest) design. A total of 100 adults were recruited from 27 zip codes in an African American majority city through community-based organizations (46%), churches (36%), and home visits (12%). Ninety-six percent were African American; 55% were female, 39% were male, and 6% were transgender. Their mean age was 44.6 years (SD=15.9). Ninety-two percent had health insurance. Seventy-six …

“In The Skin I’M In…I Represent A Different Version Of What Help Looks Like:” Black Women Sport Psychology Professional’S Experiences In Applied Sport Psychology, Sharon R. Couch

Doctoral Dissertations

Black Feminist Applied Sport Psychology (BFASP) is a culturally inclusive theoretical framework for centering Black women’s experiences in applied sport psychology (Carter et al., 2020; Couch et al., 2022). For the past two decades, (White) Feminist applied sport psychology professionals (FASPPs) described the experiences of Black women as unique but were overlooked in research and participant pools due to the prioritization of White women's and Black male sport experiences. (Carter & Davila, 2017; Carter & Prewitt-White, 2014; Gill, 2020; Hyman et al., 2021). The purpose of this study was to explore the life and work experiences of BASPPs (i.e., faculty, …

Caregiver-Child Conversations About Sex In African American Women, Hannah King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using grounded theory methods, this study examines the experience of African American women during their caregiver-child conversations about sex and the impacts of the conversations on their sexual attitudes. The process of these conversations begins with an unplanned topic and progresses further to identify six essential themes of these conversations: gender differences, race and religion, protective/emphasis on protection, lack of knowledge, withholding knowledge, and sex negativity/shame. African American women’s description of the process included feelings of shame and negativity towards their sexuality. Caregivers promoted positive messages about sex by having open conversations that advocated for equality between the genders, empower …

Media Erasure: A 1904 Lynching In St. Charles, Arkansas, Mary Hennigan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As Americans grew increasingly interested in historic racial violence following the Black Lives Matter movement in 2021, select news publications chose to publish apologetic editorials and articles that addressed their failure of inclusive reporting for the last century (Lancaster, 2021; Fannin, 2020). In the theme of acknowledging past mistakes, the Printing Hate project emerged to investigate the power white-owned papers had in influencing lynching incidents in the county (Capital News Service, 2021). The present study examines one Arkansas lynching in 1904 St. Charles. The incident includes the death of 13 Black men. Findings from a content analysis of 70 original …

Learning The Language Of America: A Descriptive Phenomenolgical Study Of Black American Racial Conscientization., Kyee A Young

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This transcendental phenomenological dissertation is an examination of the lived experience of Black American Racial Conscientization (RCZ). Worded differently, this descriptive phenomenological study investigated how Black Americans learn to perceive racial oppression and the various means by which they resist it. Fourteen in-depth interviews from within the epoché were conducted. The sample was heterogeneous with respect to age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, educational attainment, career path, martial and parental status, sex, home and current state, and religious affiliation. The sample was homogeneous regarding citizenship status and gender identity. Data explication manifested 97 different codes that were then grouped into five situated …

Putting Colorism On Trial Intraracial Colorism And Its Impact On Crime Trajectory Among African Americans., Shaderica Ta'shawn Sibley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the impact of experiences of colorism on the crime trajectory of African Americans. It is qualitative in nature and utilizes semi-structured interviews with incarcerated African American people. As previous research has shown the painful impact of colorism on its victims, this study ultimately seeks to unearth if that pain translates into crime commission and trajectory. The primary purpose of this research is to contribute to the existing body of research that seeks to support “colorism healing” in the African American community. If this indicates that colorism contributes to crime trajectory, such an outcome would have practical implications: …

Female African American Deans’ Rise To Success: Navigating And Conquering Self-Sabotaging Behaviors By Taking Back Their Power, Davina Bailey

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this explanatory mixed-method study was to identify and describe self-sabotaging behaviors experienced by female African American Deans in higher education and to explore the impact these behaviors had on their career development. A secondary purpose of this study was to identify strategies employed by female African American Deans in higher education to overcome self-sabotaging behaviors.

Methodology: This sequential explanatory mixed-method study explored the lived experiences of nine female African American deans who acknowledged they had experienced self-sabotaging behaviors throughout their careers. The researcher distributed an electronic Likert scale survey to the participants to identify the most …

Uplifting Voices: Implementing A Heritage-Based Civil Rights Program In The United States Forest Service, Amanda Jo Campbell Crawford

Masters Theses

The United States Forest Service holds in public trust hundreds upon thousands of historically significant sites. For decades, the management of these special places has focused on basic site identification and protection to meet legal compliance measures for Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Standard practices within the agency led to cultural sites being identified on the ground in a cursory fashion, but with little research or follow up into the history of the site of the people that had created and occupied it. Sites reflecting the identity, history, or material culture of People of Color were especially …

Moderating Effects Of Parental Feeding Practices And Emotional Eating On Dietary Intake Among Overweight African American Adolescents, Mary Quattlebaum

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of parental feeding practices and adolescent emotional eating (EE) on dietary outcomes among overweight African American adolescents. Based on Family Systems Theory, it was hypothesized that parental feeding practices, such as parental monitoring and responsibility, would buffer the effects of EE on poor dietary quality, whereas practices such as concern about a child’s weight, restriction, and pressure-to-eat would exacerbate this relationship. Adolescents (N = 127; Mage = 12.83 ۫.74; MBMI % = 96.61 ± 4.14) provided baseline data from the Families Improving Together (FIT) for a Weight Loss trial and an ancillary study. Dietary outcomes …

African-American Lay Pastoral Care Facilitators’ Perspectives On Dementia Caregiver Education And Training, Nik M. Lampe, Nidhi Desai, Tomeka Norton-Brown, Alexandra C. H. Nowakowski, Robert L. Glueckauf

The Qualitative Report

The African-American Alzheimer’s Caregiver Training and Support Project 2 (ACTS 2) is a faith-integrated, skills-training and support program for distressed African American family caregivers of persons living with dementia across Florida. Caregivers participate in a 12-week, telephone-based, skills-building and support program led by faith community workers (i.e., lay pastoral care facilitators) who provide volunteer services to their denominations. In this case study, we examined facilitators’ perspectives and recommendations for supplementary audiovisual and written training materials to optimize group process and goal-setting skills. Utilizing a qualitative approach, we explored facilitators’ needs, experiences in using current training materials, and recommendations for supplementary …

The African American Nuclear Family: Investigating The Healthy Habits Of Successful Long-Term Marriages In The African American Community, Derrick L. Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study sought to understand what contributed to the success of long-term marriages in the African American community. Long-term marriage was defined as those lasting 20 years or more. The family systems theory developed by Dr. Murray Bowen guided this study. The study employed a phenomenological approach to qualitative inquiry. Due to the national health crisis, all interviews were conducted through a Zoom conferencing platform. Nine married couples who have been married for at least 20 years or more participated in the study. The following criteria had to be met to participate in the study: race, length of the …

Coping Matters: An Examination Of Coping Among Black Americans During Covid-19, Caitlin M. Mercier, Dena M. Abbott, Michael S. Ternes

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Using a critical race theory framework and a convergent mixed-method design, this study examined the relationship between coping with stress and psychological distress among Black U.S. Americans (N = 155) during the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of race-based stressors (e.g., anti-Black racism). Path analysis revealed mixed support for hypotheses; avoidant coping was positively related to all measured facets of psychological distress, whereas socially supported coping was associated with none. Self-sufficient coping was negatively associated with only depressive symptoms. Qualitative analysis revealed four salient themes: (a) Race and the COVID-19 Pandemic, (b) Complex Pandemic Related Changes to Life, (c) …

Professor Philip W. Carter, Jr., Kelli Johnson

Publications

Professor Philip W. Carter, Jr., MSW, is a professor of Social Work and an academic activist with over 40 years at Marshall University and a total of 50 years of teaching, administering, and training in higher education. Professor Carter has taught and developed coursework in the areas of Appalachian social welfare, and legislation and has a 60-year legacy of social justice work. This advocacy began as a basketball player at Marshall where he was simultaneously a spokesperson for the student-led Civic Interest Progressives (CIP). The CIP was responsible for desegregation in public accommodation, the establishment of human rights commissions, and …

Disparities In The Sentencing Of African American Men In Wayne County, Michigan, Brian Banks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe ability of judges in the U.S. criminal justice system to administer penalties based on a defendant’s socioeconomic status has resulted in a disproportionate number of African Americans receiving harsher penalties than those of other racial groups and socioeconomic statuses. Currently, there is little evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of harsher sentencing of defendants with lower socioeconomic statuses in preventing crime or lowering recidivism, but more work is needed to clarify what sentencing factors judges use. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the factors that Wayne County, Michigan, judges used during the sentencing process of criminal defendants, along …

Factors Influencing Burnout Among African American Clergy, Antoinette Moyer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Human service professionals such as clergy have taken part in the connection of community to public policy awareness through their leadership and advocacy especially in the Black community. Research has identified burnout in clergy; however, there is minimal research to offer insight on factors of burnout for African American clergy through exploring whether a relationship existed between burnout and transformational leadership. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to analyze the influencing factors of burnout among African American clergy. Effort–reward imbalance and person–environment fit theories were used as theoretical foundation to support the findings. An electronic survey was distributed …

Exploration Of The Cultural Perspectives Of Caregivers Of African American And African Children With Delayed Diagnosis Of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Deirdre Marie Johnson-Taylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThrough the lens of Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory, the purpose of the study was to explore African American and African caregivers’ perceptions of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), child development knowledge, religious/traditional beliefs, and fear of stigma within the context of their culture. African and African American children with ASD are identified at later ages than Caucasian children by 1 1/2 to 2 years. Disparities in educational and social outcomes of African and African American children with ASD may be related to this identification delay. Current literature regarding African and African American caregivers’ perceptions of children with ASD is sparse. An ethnographic …

Transitional Experiences Of Young African American Women In Foster Care, Tiarra Michelle Myers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Emancipated foster youth continue to experience fewer positive outcomes after foster care despite the changes in legislation and the implementation of additional transitional living programs and supports such independent living programs. This quantitative research study followed a non-experimental, secondary data analysis to examine how independent living programs impact the outcomes for African American young women who have transitioned out of the foster care system compared to their Caucasian young women peers at age 17 and age 21. The exploratory study used data from the Children’s Bureau National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) Cohort 2. A cross-section comparison analysis was conducted …

Relationship Changes Of African Americans With Nontraditional Spiritual Practices, Della Sanders

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have explored the subject of belongingness for decades. However, there is limited research on how belongingness may change for African Americans who transitioned from traditional Christianity to other spiritual practices. In this study, the relationship changes (in terms of family, friends, significant others, and former church relationships) of African Americans who identify as spiritual but not religious (SBNR) after leaving traditional Christianity were explored. The theoretical framework of the social connectedness theory was used to explore the need for belongingness to avoid social isolation and loneliness within a social network. Six African American Generation Xers, four women and two …

Left Behind: Intersectional Stigma Experiences Of African American College Women With Adhd, Angela Lynnette Anderson-Elahi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American college women with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can experience intersectional stigmas based on race, gender, and learning disability. Intersectional stigmas affect African American college women in self-esteem, social acceptance, and academic progress. The scholarly community has not published literature regarding intersectional stigma experienced by African American college women with ADHD. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of African American college women who had encountered intersectional stigma based on race, gender, and ADHD. Goffman’s social stigma theory and Crenshaw’s intersectional stigma theory served as the theoretical and conceptual frameworks to explore how African …