Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Federal Government Must Revise Public Housing Policies To Protect Vulnerable Populations From Evictions, Caroline Grabowski

Population Health Research Brief Series

Over 100,000 Americans are now dying from drug overdoses annually, signifying that the goal of the 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act (ADAA) to end illicit drug use has not been achieved. What’s more, numerous statutes within the ADAA have created or worsened housing instability among people who use drugs and their families. This is because the ADAA allows public housing officials to use their own discretion when determining evictions and lease refusals and has disproportionately harmed individuals in public housing who did not participate in the drug-related activities that led to their eviction. This brief describes how the ADAA negatively affects …

Research In A Closed Political Context, Covid, And Across Languages: Methodological Lessons, Messages, And Ideas, Darzhan Kazbekova, Rebecca Schewe, Davor Mondom

Center for Policy Design and Governance

The brief provides a summary of "Research in a Closed Political Context, COVID, and Across Languages: Methodological Lessons, Messages, and Ideas," co-authored by Darzhan Kazbekova and Rebecca Schewe and published in the International Journal of Qualitative Methods.

Bridging The Gap: Reducing Disparities In Reproductive Healthcare For Black And White Women, Emma Weiden

Population Health Research Brief Series

A woman’s reproductive healthcare experience in the United States can vary dramatically depending on her race. In 2020, the pregnancy-related mortality rate in the U.S. was 40.8 deaths per 100,000 live births for Black women, which is more than three times the rate among White women (12.7 per 100,000). This brief summarizes disparities in reproductive healthcare outcomes for Black women compared to White women in the U.S., advocates for policy changes, and provides recommendations for addressing racial disparities to create more equitable reproductive healthcare.

Stronger Regulations On Air Pollution Could Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Rates, Yue Sun

Center for Policy Research

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States, but there are large disparities in CVD death rates across the country. Air pollution also plays an important role in shaping geographic disparities in CVD mortality, as air pollutants can become absorbed in human circulation systems, and cause inflammation, damage nervous systems, and trigger poor CVD outcomes. This brief reports the results of a study that used data on air pollution and from death certificates to estimate the association between fine particulate matter and cardiovascular disease mortality rates in the U.S. in 2016-2018. Results show that cutting …

Stronger Regulations On Air Pollution Could Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Rates, Yue Sun

Population Health Research Brief Series

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States, but there are large disparities in CVD death rates across the country. Air pollution also plays an important role in shaping geographic disparities in CVD mortality, as air pollutants can become absorbed in human circulation systems, and cause inflammation, damage nervous systems, and trigger poor CVD outcomes. This brief reports the results of a study that used data on air pollution and from death certificates to estimate the association between fine particulate matter and cardiovascular disease mortality rates in the U.S. in 2016-2018. Results show that cutting …

Exploring The Advocacy Experiences Of The Military Families With Children Who Have Disabilities, Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This research review examines the experiences of 11 parents of children with disabilities, recruited through military and disability agencies using snowball sampling. The study reveals varying experiences within the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), highlighting military families' resilience and reliance on peer support, and the military mothers' pivotal role in advocacy, often requiring their spouse's presence at IEP meetings for effectiveness. This IVMF review also provides implications for practitioners, policy, and future research surrounding military families of children with disabilities.

Behavioral Science Interventions Could Increase Snap Comprehension And Awareness Among Military Families, Colleen Heflin, Hannah Patnaik, Leonard M. Lopoo, Siobhan O'Keefe

Population Health Research Brief Series

Food insecurity is more common among military families than the general population, and the transition from active service to civilian life is a time of heightened risk. The Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) is designed to support food security among low-income families. Many eligible military and veteran families do not enroll in SNAP due to a lack of information, stigma, and administrative barriers. This brief highlights findings from a survey experiment conducted in 2022 and 2023 to assess how small changes to SNAP informational flyers, such as simplifying information provided about SNAP, highlighting that other veterans use SNAP, and emphasizing …

Serving Those Who Served: Renegotiating Support And Benefits For U.S. Military Veterans With Less Than Honorable Discharges, Mariah Brennan, Emily Graham

Population Health Research Brief Series

Approximately 1 in 7 veterans are discharged from the military under less than “Honorable” conditions. Veterans with less than “Honorable” discharges experience bias and stigma related to their discharge, which can lead to elevated risk for behavioral and mental health challenges and homelessness. This brief summarizes the different military discharge types, explains how less than “Honorable” discharges can affect veteran health, identifies groups of veterans who are at risk of receiving a less than “Honorable” discharge, and makes policy recommendations for the Department of Defense (DoD), civilian employers, and community healthcare providers.

Sexual Minorities Are More Depressed And Anxious Than Heterosexuals In The U.S., Especially Among Women, Joshua Grove

Population Health Research Brief Series

Depression and anxiety are harmful to health. People who suffer from depression or anxiety are more likely to engage in risky health behaviors and have higher risk of various chronic diseases and premature death. This data slice uses data from the 2022 National Wellbeing Survey to explore the prevalence of depression and anxiety among U.S. adults ages 18-64. The results show that sexual minority adults are significantly more likely than those who identify as heterosexual to suffer from depression and anxiety, and differences in prevalence rates between sexual minority and heterosexual women are larger than the differences between men.

Employment Situation Of Veterans: October 2023, Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

Veteran employment trends and statistics among various demographics during October 2023.

Research Review: "National Study Of Sleep Health For Student Servicemembers/Veterans", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This IVMF research review examined sleep health in student servicemember/veterans (SSM/Vs) using National College Health Assessment data with 88,178 participants in 2018 and 67,972 in 2019. Through propensity score matching and multivariate analysis, SSM/Vs (n = 2984) reported higher levels of specific sleep issues than peers but fewer days feeling sleepy, suggesting that higher education institutions should train staff to recognize and support SSM/Vs with poor sleep health. Implications for practice, policy, and future research are also addressed in this IVMF research review.

Behavioral Science Interventions Could Increase Snap Comprehension And Awareness Among Military Families, Colleen Heflin, Hannah Patnaik, Leonard M. Lopoo, Siobhan O'Keefe

Center for Policy Research

Food insecurity is more common among military families than the general population, and the transition from active service to civilian life is a time of heightened risk. The Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) is designed to support food security among low-income families. Many eligible military and veteran families do not enroll in SNAP due to a lack of information, stigma, and administrative barriers. This brief highlights findings from a survey experiment conducted in 2022 and 2023 to assess how small changes to SNAP informational flyers, such as simplifying information provided about SNAP, highlighting that other veterans use SNAP, and emphasizing …

Lantern Slides For Engineering Instruction In The Early 20th Century, Jill H. Powell

Upstate New York Science Librarians Conference

Cornell's Engineering Library received a donation of some 360 lantern slides from the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, which were used as visual aids in industrial engineering classes in the 1920s-1930s. They include pictures of machines, people operating machines, organized recreation in factories, automobile assembly, and sample hiring practices, many of which were discriminatory. We would like to get the slides digitized, and will discuss the experience of applying for a grant.

Beam Me Up Some Sci-Fi: Building And Promoting Popular Science & Climate Fiction Book Collections In Academic Libraries, Jennifer Embree

Upstate New York Science Librarians Conference

Academic libraries often focus most, if not all, of their collection development efforts on supporting resources that directly support their campus research or course curricula (with good reason!). However, there is a growing call in the library literature that highlights the benefits of recreational reading collections in academic library settings. These collections, also frequently referred to as pleasure reading, leisure reading, or popular reading collections, are sometimes dismissed as frivolous and out of scope in academic libraries, with some attitudes seemingly even going so far as to disparage their need or existence in these more “serious” settings (Brookbank et al. …

Beyond Chatgpt: Using Its Stem To Support Librarians, Juan Denzer

Upstate New York Science Librarians Conference

Librarians have long utilized technology to enhance productivity and information sharing. However, the pace of adopting new technologies in libraries has been limited by factors such as funding constraints, privacy concerns, and a non-profit focus. This proposal aims to explore the transformative potential of advanced AI tools, specifically large language models (LLMs), in the field of librarianship. While natural language tools like ChatGPT and Google's Bard have garnered attention, misconceptions and fears surrounding academic integrity and negative media coverage have hindered the broader acceptance of these AI advancements. Paradoxically, many existing tools in libraries, such as translation services and customer …

Labarchives, Electronic Lab Notebook For Modern Scientists, Susan K. Cardinal, Heather Owen

Upstate New York Science Librarians Conference

During the summer of 2023, librarians at the University of Rochester encouraged use of the LabArchives for Education module by introducing it to librarians and faculty. We did an environmental scan of the literature and the vendor website to glean benefits and challenges of using this tool. All liaison librarians were encouraged to get accounts and play with the tool. We started hosting vendor provided webinars and inviting discussion. I'll share the process and results of our efforts.

Starting Stem On The Right Foot: Developing A Student Success Oer For First-Year Stem Students, Samantha Dannick, Elizabeth Matson

Upstate New York Science Librarians Conference

This presentation will introduce a collaborative project between library and STEM faculty. The goal of the project is the creation of an open educational resource (OER) for first-year college students entering STEM fields. The final product may be an adaptation of an existing college success OER or supplemental resources. A driving force of the project is the recognition that success in STEM fields in college and beyond requires knowledge and skills distinct from and in addition to general college success skills.

Early stages of the project are data gathering from first-year STEM students and STEM faculty to identify and prioritize …

Open V Closed: The Scelc Story, Robert Boissy

Upstate New York Science Librarians Conference

Sixty-eight institutions in the SCELC Consortium signed a Springer Nature Open Access or "transformative agreement" starting in 2023. This presentation will take a look at the SCELC publishing data leading up to the agreement from 2018 to 2022, and also a look at the publishing data for 2023ytd, in order to study the effects of such an agreement. The 2023 data carries an explicit comparison of downloads of the open access papers published with SCELC authors to the closed access papers published by non-SCELC authors in the same journals for the same period of time. The purpose of the presentation …

Research Review: "Post-9/11 Deployment History And The Incidence Of Breast Cancer Among Women Veterans", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This research review focuses on women veterans who deployed in support of Operations Enduring Freedom/Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) to show if they had a greater likelihood of breast cancer (BC) than other women veterans who did not deploy during that service era. This research review highlights the lower BC risk associated with deployment as well as implications for practice from this study to include recognizing the “healthy soldier/warrior effect” as a potential factor. This IVMF review also provides implications for policy and future research on the topic of women veterans and breast cancer, particularly those who deploy.

Navigating Duality In Black & African Americans’ Military Journey, Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

In commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of Executive Order 9981, which formally desegregated the military in 1948, this brief presents data on some of the contemporary “dualities” in the experience of Black veterans. It highlights both positive and negative aspects of Black and African American service members and veterans who have made significant contributions to the U.S. military throughout history, despite the challenges of segregation, discrimination, and unequal treatment.

Dawn’S First Light: A New Flag Rises Over Syracuse, Ny, Winn W. Wasson, Andrew Frasier

Libraries' and Librarians' Publications

The City of Syracuse, New York, joins hundreds of other municipalities around the country who have improved their flag. After being featured in the 2015 Roman Mars Ted Talk, Syracusans sought ways to redesign their SOB flag – the seal on a bedsheet. After 18 months of community engagement led by local non-profit Adapt CNY, the Syracuse Common Council (the city’s legislative body) adopted the new flag on June 20, 2023. This paper delivers an overview of the process and serves as a roadmap for other communities also looking to improve their city’s flag.

Policy Brief: Mitigating Underemployment Among Transitioning Post-9/11 Veterans, Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University, Penn State Clearinghouse For Military Family Readiness

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This policy brief discusses underemployment among post-9/11-veterans, risk-factors for underemployment, and key components of employment programming that appear to mitigate the impacts of underemployment through higher starting salaries and connection to full-time employment. The brief provides policy recommendations to address veteran underemployment.

The Employment Situation Of Veterans: September 2023, Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

Veteran employment trends and statistics among various demographics during September 2023.

Research Review: "Veteran Cultural Competence Training: Initial Effectiveness And National-Level Implementation", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

The authors aimed to address the issue of service professionals lacking cultural competence when working with veterans, which often leads veterans to feel misunderstood. They developed and assessed a program called Veteran Cultural Competence Training (VCCT). This training combined education and practical experience to enhance professionals' awareness, knowledge, and skills for better interaction with veterans.

Research Review: "Exploring Research Engagement And Priorities Of Transgender And Gender Diverse Veterans", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

In recent years, the U.S. Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has observed a growing number of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) veterans seeking healthcare services. In 2018, approximately 139 per 100,000 VHA users had a documented gender identity disorder diagnosis, a significant increase from 32.9 per 100,000 in 2013. Despite this increase, TGD veterans often encounter distrust and face unique barriers when accessing various aspects of VHA care, including health services research.

Beyond Misinformation: The Misrepresentation And Misappropriation Of Research, Winn W. Wasson

Libraries' and Librarians' Publications

The contemporary information landscape has produced numerous incidents of researchers having their research misunderstood, misrepresented, or misappropriated—or worse, being subjected to intimidation and harassment—by individuals or groups who seek to cherry-pick evidence in support of ideological agendas or who wish to suppress evidence that counters those same agendas. While the covid-19 pandemic elevated these tactics in their frequency, visibility, and intensity, this phenomenon did not start or end with the pandemic. To help prepare current and future researchers for the possibility that their research might be misrepresented, misappropriated, or politicized in other ways by ideologically motivated individuals or groups, Syracuse …

The Mundlak Spatial Estimator, Badi H. Baltagi

Center for Policy Research

The spatial Mundlak model first considered by Debarsy (2012) is an alternative to fixed effects and random effects estimation for spatial panel data models. Mundlak modelled the correlated random individual effects as a linear combination of the averaged regressors over time plus a random time-invariant error. This paper shows that if spatial correlation is present whether spatial lag or spatial error or both, the standard Mundlak result in panel data does not hold and random effects does not reduce to its fixed effects counterpart. However, using maximum likelihood one can still estimate these spatial Mundlak models and test the correlated …

Treatment For Mental Health And Substance Use: Spillovers To Police Safety, Monica Deza

Center for Policy Research

We study the effect of community access to mental health and substance use treatment on police officer safety, which we proxy with on-duty assaults on officers. Police officers often serve as first-responders to people experiencing mental health and substance use crises, which can place police officers at risk. Combining agency-level data on police officer on-duty assaults and county-level data on the number of treatment centers that offer mental health and substance use care, we estimate two-way fixed-effects regressions and find that an additional four centers per county (the average annual increase observed in our data) leads to a 1.3% reduction …

Covid-19 Has Strengthened The Relationship Between Alcohol Consumption And Domestic Violence, Monica Deza, Aaron Chalfin, Shooshan Danagoulian

Center for Policy Research

A large body of evidence documents a link between alcohol consumption and violence involving intimate partners and close family members. Recent scholarship suggests that since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent stay-at-home orders, there has been a marked increase in domestic violence. This research considers an important mechanism behind the increase in domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic: an increase in the riskiness of alcohol consumption. We combine 911 call data with newly available high-resolution microdata on visits to bars and liquor stores in Detroit, MI and find that the strength of the relationship between visits to alcohol …

Unemployment, Alcohol, And Tobacco Use: Separating State Dependence From Unobserved Heterogeneity, Monica Deza

Center for Policy Research

Previous literature presents mixed evidence on the effect of alcohol consumption on labor market outcomes. On one hand, heavy alcohol consumption has been shown to have detrimental effects on labor market outcomes. On the other hand, moderate consumption is positively associated with wages and employment. Despite substantial reduced form evidence, previous literature has not been able to separately identify the causal pathways linking moderate versus heavy alcohol use to labor market performance due to the lack of natural experiments that only target moderate versus heavy drinking, as well as limitations of available structural methods that model state dependence and unobserved …