Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Veteran Access To Mental Health Services And How It Contributes To The Rates Of Suicide, Kameron R. Grigsby

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

This essay is an exploration of the access Veterans have to mental health services and how such access or lack thereof contributes to the rates of suicide among the Veteran population. The purpose of this essay is to examine various factors that influence Veteran access to mental health care and how these factors can be improved or eliminated. By analyzing such factors, healthcare professionals may begin to further implement provisions and practices to decrease the rising rate of suicides among Veterans.

Exploring Environmental Racism, Quality Of Life, And Inequalities In Kentucky Counties, Bailey Harder, James Maples

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Environmental racism explores how pollution-producing industries are systematically constructed in and around poor, minority communities. Exposure to pollutants over time negatively impacts resident well being and quality of life while economic trends limit opportunities to relocated. Kentucky provides a valuable opportunity for exploring environmental racism. The state’s long dependency on coal extraction has created environmental opportunities for studying this phenomenon amid deindustrialization throughout the region. This study examines how changes in air pollution (a proxy measure of environmental toxins) correlates to poverty, quality of life, and resident racial demographics. Results indicate that Kentucky counties with higher air pollution had lower …

Libraries As Community: Investigating Social Infrastructure And Community Cohesion, Mora N. Rehm

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Libraries are a form of public infrastructure that guide, protect, and preserve the spirit of community. Established as the guarantor of a peaceful, well-informed society, this research evaluates the library's methods and degree of influence over citizens' feelings of community alongside other social phenomena; looking both within and without existing systems, the researcher posits a model of critical librarianship, acknowledging that current practices reinforce existing structures of inequity and privilege. A methodological investigation is then made into the link between library and community through use of secondary data analysis, concluding that strong library systems positively associate with community cohesion on …

Comparing Substance Use Social Issues In Appalachian And Non-Appalachian Regions In Kentucky, Erica C. Bellamy, James N. Maples

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Substance use and abuse is not a uniquely Appalachian problem, but it remains a prevalent social problem for the geographical region. Kentucky has been one of the central states experiencing generations of substance abuse, ranging from methamphetamines to OxyContin to heroin. Eastern Kentucky, which includes a portion of Central Appalachia, has been a focal point for the proposed war against substance use. What remains undemonstrated in studies is exactly how substance abuse differs between the Central Appalachian counties of Eastern Kentucky and the remainder of the state, if any difference exists at all. In this study, the researchers examine how …

Sociological Explanations Of Coronavirus Incidence Rates In Kentucky Counties, Sarah Cooper, James N. Maples

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

This study explores sociological explanations for Covid-19 incidence rates among Kentucky Counties. The authors examine how incidence rates varied pre/post-Omicron variant based on a county’s educational attainment, poverty rates, political perspective, health status, and place status (Appalachian status, metropolitan status). The authors discovered that none of these variables effectively explained differences in county level Covid-19 rates before Omicron. However, once Omicron became the prevalent variant in Kentucky, metropolitan status, Appalachian status, two measures of poverty rates, political perspective, and three measure of educational attainment all predicted differences in mean Covid-19 incidence rates.

The Importance Of Culture-Fit For Remembering Church Sermons, Emily N. Adkins, Madelyn Mcknight, Jonathan S. Gore

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

This experiment tested the degree to which culture-fit influences memory for the content of a sermon. We hypothesized that people who read a sermon emphasizing the infallibility of Christian scriptures will remember it more accurately if they have collectivistic rather than individualistic values. In contrast, we hypothesized that people who read a sermon emphasizing the subjectivity of Christian scriptures will remember it more accurately if they have individualistic rather than collectivistic values. Participants (n = 270) were randomly assigned to read either an orthodox- or quest-oriented sermon regarding Peter 1:20-21. They then completed a true-false memory test as to …

Decisions Are More Than Skin Deep: Exploring Correlations Between Self-Esteem And The Decision To Have Bariatric Surgery, Penny Fox, James Maples

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Bariatric surgery is now a commonplace approach to addressing obesity. One insightful area of research is examining how bariatric decision relates to self-esteem. Of particular interest is correlations between self-esteem levels and the reason the surgery was selected, the source of the decision to get the surgery, and if the surgery recipient experienced a major life change following the event. In this study, the researchers examine a convenience sample of persons receiving bariatric surgery (n=31) and their motivations for having the surgery along with a pre-post measure of having the surgery. Results show respondents who indicated having the surgery was …

The Economic Impact Of Paradise Cove Aquatic Center In Richmond, Kentucky, Lauren Kilburn, Michael Bradley, James Maples

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

One of the most effective ways for rural communities to improve the local economy is by exploring opportunities related to tourism. When communities focus their resources on expanding and improving the tourism industry, it leads to additional opportunities for these communities to increase their revenue, provide jobs and revitalize the local economy. Like many other agencies, the Richmond Parks and Recreation Department has gradually expanded the tourism industry within the City of Richmond in Madison County, Kentucky. To help continue the expansion of this industry, Paradise Cove Aquatic Center opened in 2008. This decision was made because waterparks were becoming …

Social Or Special Interests: How Unions Influence Spending, Devon Moffett

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Unions are in a decades long decline, heading for the point of non-relevance. To better understand what this change will entail, this paper asks: how does union strength affect state spending? Previous research on unions has exhausted the answers to national and congressional effects, so looking at spending on the state and local level will add more clarity to our understanding of union influence. Independent data will be used to test several areas of spending with multivariate regressions. Additionally, pairwise comparisons will test whether union influence differs across areas. It is found that unions have a positive influence on spending …

Different Hollers, Different Outcomes: Differences In Health Outcomes Among Appalachian And Non-Appalachian Counties In Kentucky, Allexys Krasnopolsky, James N. Maples

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

This study examines difference in health outcomes, health insurance, and doctor access between Kentucky’s Appalachian and non-Appalachian counties. Using 2018 data curated by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, this study analyzes differences in means in overall health outcomes, health insurance, and the number of primary care physicians at the county level for Appalachian and non-Appalachian counties in Kentucky .This study finds that persons living in Appalachian Kentucky counties have statistically-different and worse overall health outcomes, health insurance access, and physician access compared to those living in non-Appalachian Kentucky counties.

Personality Factors That Influence Truthfulness And Deception, Khrista E. Neville, Jonathan S. Gore, Adam Lawson

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Identifying personality traits that coincide with everyday deception is crucial to understanding how individual differences relate to antisocial tendencies. The current study tested the hypothesis that sensation seeking and psychopathy can predict everyday deception. Seventy-nine undergraduate students participated in an online study to assess these personality traits. A linear regression analysis found disinhibition psychopathy to be a strong predictor of everyday deception, with impulsive sensation seeking as the only other significant predictor.

Connection Between Tutoring Format Type And Reading Scores Of Elementary Aged Children, Emma T. Moates, Theresa M. Nowak, Jonathan S. Gore

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Extant research shows that response to intervention (RTI) individual and small group interventions increase children’s reading skills; however, little information is available that investigates whether the type of intervention format makes a difference in learning to read. The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten class (ECLS-K) database was used to identify third-grade children who received individual, small group, or combined individual and small group tutoring, to increase their reading skills. The current study compared reading scores associated with each intervention type to determine which reading intervention format was most beneficial. The results from this study showed that children receiving small group …

Beer Tourism In Kentucky: An Interpretation Of Community Attachment And Locavore Behavior, Callie Mcmullin, Michael J. Bradley, James Maples

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Beer tourism in Kentucky is prevalent to the state’s economy and culture. This study focuses on community attachment as a means to predict locavore tendencies in the community regarding beer tourism in Kentucky. Using a Likert-scale survey, Bradley, Berend, & Maples analyzed the feeling of community attachment, locavore tendencies, and any existing barriers to locavore behavior. This paper uses their results to interpret Kentucky craft beer tourism and its importance to the community in which it exists. The data included the results from 761 resident responses, where there total complete surveys tallied 1071 responses, including those from non-residents; only responses …

The Influence Of Technological Reliability And Supervisor Supportiveness On Work Stress, Justin W. Morgan, Jonathan S. Gore

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Despite the prevalence of workplace stress, little research has identified both the social and technological sources of it. In two studies, we examined the role of supervisor support and reliable technology in the alleviation of stress. In Study 1, working adults in Mechanical Turk (n = 225) completed an online survey asking them about their workplace attitudes and opportunities. Results of a regression analysis showed that supportive supervisors and reliable technology were the only predictors of lowered stress, even while accounting for coworkers, pay, promotion opportunities, and everyday workplace tasks. In Study 2, undergraduate students (n = 186) …

Deaf Culture: Bicultural Identity Integration's Effect On Self-Esteem, Jessica E. Ritzmann, Jonathan S. Gore

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Bicultural Identity Integration (BII) is the result of how much a bicultural individual may feel that their two cultures cohesively work together, such as Chinese and American cultures (Benet-Martínez & Haritatos, 2005). BII’s effect on self-esteem has previously been looked at with immigrant families but has not really been looked at in regard to that of Deaf individuals with Deaf culture and hearing culture. The current study’s goal was to investigate the relationship between BII and a Deaf individuals self-esteem. It was hypothesized that 1) a Deaf individual’s level of BII will be positively correlated with their self-esteem. 2) those …

Healthcare Access And Poverty Among Central Appalachian Residents, Kacey M. Lefevers

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Healthcare access is an important shaping force in the lives of Appalachian people. Appalachians often face both inadequate availability of medical facilities and poverty, which limits access to health insurance and therefore healthcare. This results in reduced life expectancy and health disparity. In this study, the author examines relationships between adequate healthcare and access to healthcare among Appalachian residents. Using a convenience sample of Appalachian residents, the author finds that income, education, and being an Appalachian resident have unique impacts on healthcare access or perceptions of healthcare in general.

Understanding Regenerative Medicine And Its Position In Healthcare, Tyler F. Ward

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Abstract: Regenerative medicine is an emerging field of the healthcare industry that has the potential to treat a myriad of health conditions. Induced pluripotent stem cells, human embryonic stem cells, and tissue engineering are a few of the treatment methods that may be delivered by healthcare professionals in personalized medicine. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval is necessary within the United States before any of these treatment options are available. Specific cellular therapies are currently undergoing clinical trials and it may be years before approval is acquired. The National Institute of Health is proactively working to ensure that healthcare policies, …

Human Papillomavirus: The Influence Of Prevention And Vaccination, Lacey N. Russell

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Human Papillomavirus infections (HPV) are the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the United States. Of cancers in parts of the body where HPV is often discovered about 80% originated from an HPV infection. Despite this knowledge and the effectiveness of the HPV vaccine, vaccination by both genders in Kentucky and on a national scale remains highly underutilized. As a result, preventable incidence and mortality rates from HPV-related illness are elevated. Health care delivery factors such as increased vaccination and preventative care, insurance coverage, and accessible rural health care are necessary for HPV prevention and promotion of holistic health. The …

Evaluating Shame; A Comparative Look At Sexual And Physical Abuse, Kathryn Mckenzie, Theresa Botts

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Shame is a potential adverse effect which can occur following a traumatic experience, such as being a survivor of sexual and physical abuse. Demonstrating the prevalence and levels of shame resulting from sexual and physical abuse can be of interest to those professionals working with survivors of trauma. The purpose of this study was to separately evaluate the prevalence of shame within sexual and physical abuse. This study tested the following hypotheses: hypothesis 1, shame will be more prevalent and demonstrate higher levels in sexual abuse survivors than in physical abuse survivors and hypothesis 2, survivors of both sexual and …

My Religion And My People: Levels Of Ingroup Identification And Christian Religious Orientations, Hayley L. Sparks Ms., Jonathan Gore

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

People adopt a variety of approaches to practice their religion, but to date there has been no examination as to how identification with one’s community, with Americans, and with all humanity may relate to different religious orientations. Two studies tested the hypotheses that 1) intrinsic religious orientation would be associated with all three levels of ingroup identification, 2) extrinsic religious orientation would be associated with community-level identification only, 3) quest religious orientation would be associated with humanity-level identification only, and 4) orthodox religious orientation would be associated with community- and country-level identification only. Study 2 controlled for several individual difference …

Rape Culture, Victim Blaming, And The Role Of Media In The Criminal Justice System, Lily K. Thacker

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Rape culture and the practice of victim blaming are inherently linked phenomena, and both are prevalent in American society. The existence of a rape culture which normalizes sexual violence and blames rape victims for the attacks against them strongly affects the American criminal justice system, influencing both the outcomes of rape trials and the treatment of rape victims. In particular, the media’s methods of discussing and portraying rape are examined as primary sources for the perpetuation of rape culture, and the effects of these media representations of rape on the outcomes of real rape trials are also examined. The problematic …

Slavery, Civil War, And Contemporary Public Opinion In The South, Madison R. Swiney

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

This paper is an empirical extension of Avidit Acharya, Matthew Blackwell, and Maya Sen’s piece (forthcoming), “A Culture of Disenfranchisement: How American Slavery Continues to Affect Voting Behavior.” In their project, Acharya, Blackwell and Sen (forthcoming) show that the counties that had more slaves versus free population in the nineteenth century are more likely to exhibit conservative attitudes in contemporary elections. I am extending this argument by measuring potential influence of Civil War battlegrounds on recent voting patterns and political predispositions. My project finds further support for Acharya, Blackwell and Sen’s study on the predictive power …

Does Social Support Diminish Depression In Students? Evidence From Athletes And Greek Life, Benjamin Chartoff, Myra Beth Bundy

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Depression and stress are extremely prevalent in college students. The goal of the current study was to examine if social support from athletic teams and fraternities or sororities are related to lower levels of depression and stress than that found in students normally. Participants (N=134) were asked to fill out a questionnaire with scales of depression, stress and social support. It was hypothesized that members of Greek life and student-athletes will show higher levels of social support and lower levels of depression compared to a control group of students. The results supported these hypotheses and suggest that joining social groups …

Viability Of Hunting As A Means Of Wild Hog Population Management On Federal Property, James Summers, Michael J. Bradley, Alison Johnson, Ryan L. Sharp

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area allows hunter to purchase permits and hunt wild hogs on property with the intention of curbing increases in wild hog populations. In order to assess outcomes of the wild hog hunting permit program, researchers collaborated with site managers to develop protocol and solicit information from permit holders regarding number of animals seen and harvested, sex of animals harvested, geographic areas hunted, length and number of hunts, and open qualitative feedback regarding the program. All permit holders agreeing to be contacted during permit registration were called with 37.57% (N=65) of permit holder …

Bivalve Stories And Snail Tales: Reconstructing The Late Archaic Environment At The Tomoka Complex, Northeast Florida, Steven R. England

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Mollusks inhabit specific ecological niches and can be used as proxies for past environmental conditions. Changes in the composition of molluscan assemblages register changing ecological conditions and offer an opportunity to examine human responses to environmental change. This paper presents the preliminary analysis molluscan species from the Late Archaic Tomoka Complex in Northeast Florida. Changes in the species composition and frequency of mollusks coupled with the available radiometric assays are used to reconstruct the environmental conditions during the occupation of the Tomoka Complex and, importantly, the environmental conditions attending Late Archaic mortuary mound construction.