Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Sleep And Young Children's Development Of Self-Regulation And Academic Skills, Emily Michelle Weiss

Dissertations and Theses

School readiness incorporates children's academic abilities and their ability to self-regulate in the classroom. Prior research shows that sleep is related to children's development of these skills, although the mechanisms through which sleep affects school readiness are not well understood. Research also indicates that economically disadvantaged children and children of color may have poorer academic and regulatory skills at school entry and may sleep less and sleep less well on a regular basis.

The current study explores the role of sleep quantity and quality in young children's development of two skills critical for school success: self-regulation and academic abilities. This …

Intimate Partner Violence Impact Panels For Batterer Intervention: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation Of A Restorative Justice Process, Kate Louise Sackett

Dissertations and Theses

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an extremely prevalent and concerning social issue, with limited current intervention and prevention strategies. Batterer intervention programs (BIPs) have demonstrated some small effects of programs in reducing offender recidivism, however there is a growing understanding that not all offenders respond similarly to batterer intervention and the problem of IPV persists. Restorative justice programs including impact panels may be an important addition to BIPs, but research is extremely limited on impact panel effectiveness and whether panels are appropriate for IPV or pose additional safety risks to survivors. The current study consists of a naturalistic mixed-methods evaluation …

Examining The Structure Of The Modus Operandi Questionnaire For Adult & Juvenile Sex Offenders, Judith Gayle Zatkin

Dissertations and Theses

Child sexual abuse is a pervasive crime that has numerous negative short and long-term impacts on its victims, as well as negative impacts for society. Modus Operandi (MO) is defined as a pattern of perpetration utilized by those who commit CSA to successfully abuse a child without detection. Understanding how CSA is perpetrated through MO is essential, as this construct influences both prevention of CSA, and treatment for victims and perpetrators. The Modus Operandi Questionnaire (Kaufman, 1991; MOQ) is the first and most comprehensive measurement tool for CSA MO, and is utilized by both researchers and clinicians. This study provides …

Supervisor Mindfulness And Its Association With Leader-Member Exchange, Dana Anuhea Auten

Dissertations and Theses

Mindfulness has recently gained attention within work contexts. Mindfulness training interventions (e.g., mindfulness-based stress reduction; MBSR) are commonly implemented for employees within organizations. Mindfulness has been associated with multiple employee performance, relational, and well-being outcomes. Although mindfulness has become a popular practice within organizations, empirical research falls behind and has not explored many potential research avenues. As leaders play influential roles within organizations, mindfulness may influence leader behaviors, to an extent that leader mindfulness affects employees. This study examined the relationship between supervisor mindfulness and leader-member exchange (LMX), which entails quality of mutual support, trust, and respect within supervisor-subordinate relationships. …

Intraminority Support For And Participation In Race-Based Collective Action Movements: An Intersectional Perspective, Jaboa Shawntaé Lake

Dissertations and Theses

Due to high profile police shootings, collective action movements addressing racial bias in policing, such as the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, have come to the forefront of societal concern. Though these movements and actions directly address police use of force against Black people, a number of non-Black racial minority individuals and organizations have declared solidarity and joined in protests with BLM. This study takes an intersectional approach to examine racial intraminority attitudes (i.e., racial minorities' attitudes toward other racial minority outgroups) toward support for and participation in protests against police excessive use of force and the BLM movement, through …

Combat Experiences, Iso-Strain, And Sleep Quality Affect Symptoms Of Posttraumatic Stress Among Working Post-9/11 Veterans, Gilbert Patrick Brady Jr.

Dissertations and Theses

Despite the growing need, prior research on how the civilian work domain may affect posttraumatic stress is scarce. Moreover, few if any studies have investigated how perceptions of one's job and insomnia may shape traumatic stress symptoms, post-combat. Presently, about 4 million Americans have served in the "Global War on Terrorism," including nearly 1 million reservists. By contrast, 8.7 million Americans served in the Vietnam War: over twice the number of U.S. military personnel who have fought since 9/11. Surprisingly, combat experiences alone do not explain the majority of posttraumatic stress disorder cases, even after multiple deployments, suggesting the presence …

When You Aren't Who Your Friends Are: The Moderating Influence Of Racial Similarity On The Association Between Friendships And Mental Well-Being, Philip Tostado

Dissertations and Theses

Friendships are a mental health resource for adolescents. Their availability and strength have been shown to predict lower levels of depression, higher self-esteem, and higher life satisfaction. They can also alleviate the stress that often leads to negative mental health outcomes. However, studies examining the stress process rarely consider the fact that social networks like friendship groups are not a static resource that effects all people the same way. Rather, demographic characteristics of both the individual and their friends could change the role of friendship networks within the stress process.

In this thesis, I investigate the importance of one such …

Patients And Nurses And Doctors Oh My!: Nurse Retention From A Multi-Foci Aggression Perspective, Kevin Oliver Novak

Dissertations and Theses

Attrition is a serious issue in the nursing industry. One factor influencing rates of attrition in nursing is aggression victimization at work (Estryn-Behar et al., 2010). However, there is little research in the aggression literature that examines how aggression from different sources affects attrition (both job and career turnover) differently. This study attempts to better understand the linkages between aggression victimization and nursing attrition; specifically how aggression from different sources (i.e. patients/patients’ families, coworkers, and licensed independent practitioners) differentially affects retention factors (i.e. job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and career commitment). This study also attempts to understand the role that prosocial …

Capturing Peers', Teachers', And Parents' Joint Contributions To Students' Engagement: An Exploration Of Models, Justin William Vollet

Dissertations and Theses

Building on research that has focused on understanding how peers contribute to students' engagement, this dissertation explores the extent to which peer group influences on students' engagement may add to and be contextualized by qualities of the relationships they maintain with their teachers and their parents. To focus on how each of these adult contexts work in concert with peer groups to jointly contribute to changes in students' engagement, the two studies used data on 366 sixth graders which were collected at two time points during their first year of middle school: Peer groups were identified using socio-cognitive mapping; students …

Profiles Of School Readiness And Implications For Children's Development Of Academic, Social, And Engagement Skills, Elizabeth Jane Tremaine

Dissertations and Theses

Academic achievement gaps across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups are apparent as soon as children enter kindergarten: racial minorities, Hispanics, and poor children begin school at a distinct disadvantage compared to their White peers from middle- and high-income families (Chatterji, 2005; Fryer, Jr. & Levitt, 2004; Magnuson, Meyers, Ruhm, & Waldfogel, 2004; Magnuson & Waldfogel, 2005; Reardon, 2011). To understand these gaps at kindergarten entry, it is essential that researchers understand the skills with which children enter kindergarten.

Previous research on school readiness has been limited by variable-centered methods that separate components of school readiness (e.g., early academic skills, social …

The Force Of Manhood: The Consequences Of Masculinity Threat On Police Officer Use Of Force, Aurelia Terese Alston

Dissertations and Theses

Positive community-police relations, which are based on mutual trust, are key to equitable and just policing. Use of force that is perceived as unfair and biased can quickly undermine relations between the police and the public. In an attempt to understand what psychological factors contribute to police use of force decisions and potentially racially biased use of force application, this study proposed masculinity threat as an important psychological factor that influences police behavior. Masculinity threat occurs when a man's status as a man is threatened, and threats to masculinity are often associated with increased aggression and dominance as a way …

A Study Of Shame-Proneness, Drinking Behaviors, And Workplace Role Ambiguity Among A Sample Of Student Workers, Sarah Nielsen Haverly

Dissertations and Theses

As many as 50% of full time students are employed for pay while enrolled in secondary education (Condition of Education; Planty et al., 2009). It is well documented that college is a vulnerable time for heavy drinking, and similarly, increased consumption among the workforce continues to rise. Student workers, who occupy both roles, therefore may be particularly at risk. The present research explored potential factors related to this stressful dual role experience, which was hypothesized to be related to increased alcohol consumption. One such factor proposed was the self-conscious emotion of shame. According to Hull's (1981) Self Awareness Model, individuals …

Investigating The Relationship Between Supervisor Status And The Modus Operandi Of Juvenile Sexual Offenders: A Routine Activity Theory Perspective, Kelly E. Stewart

Dissertations and Theses

A significant proportion of child sexual abuse perpetration is committed by juvenile sexual offenders (JSOs), a subgroup of offenders whose patterns of offending, or "modus operandi," have been found to be markedly different compared to their adult counterparts (Kaufman et al., 1996; Kaufman et al., 1998). Many of these JSOs commit sexual abuse perpetration while acting as a babysitter, or a temporary supervisor to their victim. The present study investigates the routine activities of JSOs and their victims’ caregivers that are associated with the JSO being placed into a supervisory role. The study also investigates subgroup differences in the use …