Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Discipline
- Keyword
-
- Attitudes (3)
- Mindfulness (3)
- Obesity (3)
- Acculturation (2)
- Aggression (2)
-
- Binge eating (2)
- Caregivers (2)
- Cognition (2)
- Condom use (2)
- Culture (2)
- Depression (2)
- Drug Discrimination (2)
- Grounded theory (2)
- Motivation (2)
- PTSD (2)
- Persuasion (2)
- Religion (2)
- Stress (2)
- Terrorist (2)
- Turkey (2)
- Urban Planning (2)
- 129S2 (1)
- Adolescence (1)
- Adolescent (1)
- Adolescent obesity (1)
- Adolescents (1)
- Affect (1)
- African American Churches (1)
- African American Women (1)
- African American girls (1)
Articles 31 - 60 of 63
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Efficacy Of Reach Forgiveness For Foreign And Virginia Students, Yin Lin
Efficacy Of Reach Forgiveness For Foreign And Virginia Students, Yin Lin
Theses and Dissertations
People agree that forgiveness is a virtue in essentially all countries. However, different cultures have different ideas about how willing one should forgive and under what circumstances. Although the study occurred in the USA, I recruited both foreign-extraction and Virginia born-and-raised female college students (N=102) to participate a six-hour REACH forgiveness intervention, promoting their forgiveness through psychoeducational groups. In my thesis, I investigated whether students of foreign extraction and Virginia-born students would respond similarly to the intervention. I operationalized culture in two ways—by country and by individual self-reported self-construal. I measured forgiveness using two measures—decisional forgiveness and emotional forgiveness. I …
Evaluation Of Psychological Services Provied In A University-Based Primary Care Clinic, Elizabeth Sadock
Evaluation Of Psychological Services Provied In A University-Based Primary Care Clinic, Elizabeth Sadock
Theses and Dissertations
Primary care clinics are increasingly integrating psychological services into their service programs; however few studies have provided quantitative data to support these services. This study served as a program evaluation of the psychological services provided at the Ambulatory Care Clinic at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia. It includes: 1) a description of the program, including types of patients served, their presenting problems, and treatments administered and 2) evidence of the impact of mental health services on primary care patients’ emotional adjustment and progress on behavioral goals. Data on exposure to stressful life events and intake and …
Unavailable And Inaccessible: An Analysis Of Urban Food Insecurity, Stephen Brown
Unavailable And Inaccessible: An Analysis Of Urban Food Insecurity, Stephen Brown
Theses and Dissertations
This study explored food insecurity by examining the ways in which residents of low-income, urban communities access food. The primary elements of this thesis are an analysis of the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the populations surrounding food retailers, and a survey of the availability, cost, and quality of fresh fruits and vegetables in food stores commonly found in the urban environment. Overall, this study found that low-income, minority communities are largely served by independent supermarkets, small grocers and convenience stores that charge higher prices for staple foods. Conversely, it was found that wealthy areas enjoy easy access to corporate …
Blurring The Lines Of Traditional Gender Roles: Beliefs Of African American Women, Jasmine Abrams
Blurring The Lines Of Traditional Gender Roles: Beliefs Of African American Women, Jasmine Abrams
Theses and Dissertations
Gender role beliefs of African American women in the United States should be investigated in a manner that considers their unique experiences and the distinct background of her cultural sharing group. In this study, gender role beliefs of African American women were examined by addressing the research question: What are the gender role beliefs of African American women for African American men and women? Eight focus groups comprising 44 African American women were conducted. Women were diverse in terms of age, religion, and socio-economic status. An ethnographic phenomenological approach was used to explore views related to gender roles among African …
Mapping Women's Movement In Medieval England, Claire Clement
Mapping Women's Movement In Medieval England, Claire Clement
Theses and Dissertations
This thesis investigates women’s geographical movement in medieval England from the perspective of mobility and freedom. It uses pilgrimage accounts from medieval miracle story collections and to gather information about individual travel patterns. The study uses GIS to analyze gendered mobility patterns, and to investigate whether there were noticeable differences in the distance which men and women traveled and the geographical area of the country they originated. It also analyzes the nearness of men’s and women’s respective origin towns to alternative pilgrimage locations, as a means of examining the factors determining gendered travel mobility. The study finds that women’s travel …
Opportunities And Challenges Of Citywide Main Street Programs: Examining The Urban Environment, Coordinating Structures And Political Realities In The Application Of The Four Point Approach, Ryan Rinn
Theses and Dissertations
The Main Street Four Point Approach to commercial revitalization has been applied successfully in thousands of communities across the U.S. Starting in 1995, citywide coordinated programs began applying the balanced points of organization, design, economic restructuring and promotion to urban environments. This thesis focuses on the opportunities and challenges present in five citywide Main Street programs in Boston, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Orlando and Portland through quantitative inquiry and interviews with program administrators. This thesis discusses density, capacity, volunteerism, vernacular culture, and politics as emergent themes of the urban application of the Main Street Approach and recommends expanding the breadth of …
The Reciprocal Relation Between Maternal Depressive Symptomatology And Adolescents’ Aggression: The Role Of Parenting Practices And Family Functioning, Kelly Pugh
Theses and Dissertations
Research on family influences on adolescents’ aggression has revealed a relation between maternal depressive symptoms and adolescents’ frequency of aggression. A recent cross-sectional study of these relations (Pugh & Farrell, 2011) indicated that maternal depressive symptoms had a significant relation with teachers,’ students,’ and mothers’ reports of adolescents’ aggression. This effect was mediated by parenting practices and family functioning. The cross-sectional designs used in previous studies examining relations between maternal depressive symptoms and adolescents’ aggression make it difficult to draw clear inferences regarding the causal nature of this association. The present study used longitudinal data across five waves of data …
The Co-Operative Spirit: Bridging Social Capital In Mixed-Income Housing Developments Through Resident Empowerment, Involvement And Cooperation, Alecia Houston
The Co-Operative Spirit: Bridging Social Capital In Mixed-Income Housing Developments Through Resident Empowerment, Involvement And Cooperation, Alecia Houston
Theses and Dissertations
The goal of this thesis is to identify strategies that promote resident empowerment, involvement and cooperation in housing co-operatives that can be applied to mixed-income developments in order to bridge social capital. Numerous American policy makers, housing professionals and planners support the development of mixed-income housing to address the social and economic isolation of low-income, urban citizens living in public housing. Social capital, or social relationships developed from social networks, is an anticipated result of physically integrating individuals of varying income levels in the same housing environment. Despite efforts for integration, numerous studies have found that limited interaction occurs across …
Law Enforcement Intelligence Recruiting Confidential Informants Within “Religion-Abusing Terrorist Networks”, Hursit Ucak
Law Enforcement Intelligence Recruiting Confidential Informants Within “Religion-Abusing Terrorist Networks”, Hursit Ucak
Theses and Dissertations
This study examines the motivation factors that make some individuals (terrorists) confidential informants. The study is based on the assumptions of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theories. Accordingly, main assumption of the present study is that some individuals with unsatisfied needs in religion-abusing terrorist (RAT) networks choose to become confidential informants to satisfy their predominant needs. The main hypothesis for the purpose of this study is “The individuals’ decision-making processes to cooperate with law enforcement intelligence (LEI) as a confidential informant is affected by some motivation factors during recruitment process.” The present study tests 27 hypotheses in order …
Improving Nutrition In Toddlers And Preschool Children With Cystic Fibrosis: Behavioral Parent Training Intervention, Shannon Estelle Hourigan
Improving Nutrition In Toddlers And Preschool Children With Cystic Fibrosis: Behavioral Parent Training Intervention, Shannon Estelle Hourigan
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this single-case study was to pilot a developmentally sensitive adaptation of an evidence-based intervention aimed at improving nutrition in children with cystic fibrosis (CF). Children with CF must adhere to a high-calorie diet to prevent malnutrition and maintain health. Toddler and preschool age children present a unique feeding challenge to parents as they begin to exert independence and exhibit a variety of challenging behaviors. Parents trying to adhere to CF nutrition guidelines often use ineffective strategies that inadvertently encourage children not to eat. This six-week group parent-training intervention combined nutrition and behavior elements to provide parents with …
Socio Demographic And Motivational Differences Between Active Participants And Supporters In Pkk Terrorist Organization, Gokhan Koca
Theses and Dissertations
Especially for last three decades many of the scholars have tried to provide general terrorist profile, which is commonly usable for all terrorists. They were seeking to identify the process of becoming terrorist (Sageman, 2004; Russel&Miller, 1977; Strentz, 1988; Hassan, 2001). The main problem on those studies is that, without looking at degree of involvement of terrorist they just focus on “who becomes a terrorist and why” and they prefer to ignore different type of characteristics about terrorist. Yilmaz (2009) tried to underline and answer this subject by studying on arrest results about DHKP/C and Hizbullah terrorist organizations in Turkey. …
Associations Between Binge Eating And Executive Functioning Among Young Women, Nichole Kelly
Associations Between Binge Eating And Executive Functioning Among Young Women, Nichole Kelly
Theses and Dissertations
Binge eating is a pervasive disordered eating behavior associated with numerous psychological and physical comorbidities. Preliminary research indicates that emotion regulation difficulties, behavioral impulsivity, and executive dysfunction may contribute to the onset and/or maintenance of these behaviors. However, few studies have utilized neuropsychological measures to examine this link, and the assessment of behavioral and cognitive emotion regulation strategies are limited in scope. The purpose of the current study was to gain a deeper understanding of the emotional, behavioral and cognitive processes associated with binge eating behavior. Greater clarity regarding how these factors relate to binge eating is critical to the …
The Current Status Of Social Media Use Among Nonprofit Human Service Organizations: An Exploratory Study, James Young
The Current Status Of Social Media Use Among Nonprofit Human Service Organizations: An Exploratory Study, James Young
Theses and Dissertations
Social media has proliferated throughout the nonprofit sector over the last five years and organizations use these new tools in a variety of ways. Little research is available on the use of social media within nonprofit human service organizations (HSO) specifically. This study is one of the first of its kind to explore how and why human service organizations are using social media. The aim of this study is to understand the current status of social media use among nonprofit human service organizations by exploring and describing the social media platforms in use, associated practices with social media, the frequency …
The Social Work Perspective On English Language Learners Entering Special Education, Kerry Fay Vandergrift
The Social Work Perspective On English Language Learners Entering Special Education, Kerry Fay Vandergrift
Theses and Dissertations
Grounded theory was used to examine the social work perspective on English language learners (ELLs) entering special education. Fourteen interviews were conducted with 11 current school social workers from seven counties and cities in Virginia. The resulting theory is that the core variable, supporting ELLs, is the best attempt to resolve the main concern, the disconnect between the needs of ELLs and the resources available to them. This grounded theory suggests social workers and other school personnel can support ELLs and avoid an inappropriate referral to special education through: (1) culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment outside of the special education …
Dispositional Mindfulness And Cardiovascular Functioning Under Stress: Predictions Of Social Evaluative Stress Reactivity And Recovery, Melissa P. Holt
Dispositional Mindfulness And Cardiovascular Functioning Under Stress: Predictions Of Social Evaluative Stress Reactivity And Recovery, Melissa P. Holt
Theses and Dissertations
Mindfulness – a receptive attentiveness to present experience – has been shown to promote more adaptive emotion regulation (Brown et al. 2008). Additionally, dispositional mindfulness has been shown to predict reduced cortisol response to social stressors (Brown et al, in press) and mindfulness training has been shown to promote more adaptive cardiac functioning at rest (Ditto et al., 2006; Tang et al., 2009; Telles et al., 2005; Zeidan et al., 2010) and in response to social stressors (Kemeny et al., 2012). To better understand the regulatory potential of a mindful disposition on cardiovascular functioning in healthy adult participants (N = …
Evaluating The Acute Effects Of Caffeinated Waterpipe Tobacco In Waterpipe Users, Caroline Cobb
Evaluating The Acute Effects Of Caffeinated Waterpipe Tobacco In Waterpipe Users, Caroline Cobb
Theses and Dissertations
Caffeine and nicotine are the two most commonly consumed licit psychoactive drugs in the world. In addition, they are frequently co-administered with over 86% of cigarette smokers reporting caffeine use versus 77% of non-smokers. Research suggests the combination of nicotine and caffeine produces effects that are more rewarding or pleasurable than either drug alone, and this potential reward enhancement may influence patterns of tobacco use initiation and maintenance. Waterpipe tobacco smoking is an alternative tobacco use method that is increasing in prevalence in the U.S. and offers a novel opportunity for nicotine and caffeine co-administration via a caffeinated tobacco product …
A Brief Problem-Solving Intervention For Caregivers Of Children With Cancer, Jennifer Lamanna
A Brief Problem-Solving Intervention For Caregivers Of Children With Cancer, Jennifer Lamanna
Theses and Dissertations
OBJECTIVE: Pediatric cancer treatment is stressful for caregivers. Research has indicated that problem-solving coping reduces stress related to caregiving. The current study examines the effects of a problem-solving intervention (Parent Empowerment Program), based on Problem-Solving Therapy, for caregivers of children on active cancer treatment. It was hypothesized that participants who received the intervention would show decreases in caregiving stress and posttraumatic stress symptoms, and increases in problem-solving ability between baseline and post-test assessments compared to those who received an attention control. METHOD: Thirty-nine caregivers (all parents; 48% participation rate) participated. The majority were mothers (90%), married or partnered (59%) and …
Attitudinal Responses To Mixed Evidence: The Role Of Attitude Extremity And Political Ideology In Effecting Change Versus Resistance, Jessica Barber
Attitudinal Responses To Mixed Evidence: The Role Of Attitude Extremity And Political Ideology In Effecting Change Versus Resistance, Jessica Barber
Theses and Dissertations
Four studies investigated the effects of attitude extremity and political ideology on the degree and direction of changes in issue attitudes following the presentation of mixed evidence. Based upon previous work, it was predicted that those holding relatively more extreme attitudes would resist changing those views when presented with a mixture of supporting and opposing statements and would potentially adopt more extreme evaluative positions – a phenomenon known as attitude polarization (Lord, Ross, & Lepper, 1979). Evaluative entrenchment or intensification was also expected among more politically conservative participants, based upon prior work describing cognitive rigidity and resistance to change as …
Parent And Professional Perspectives About Autism Spectrum Disorders In South India: Beliefs, Practices, And Parent-Professional Relationships., Neeraja Ravindran
Parent And Professional Perspectives About Autism Spectrum Disorders In South India: Beliefs, Practices, And Parent-Professional Relationships., Neeraja Ravindran
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experience of parents and professionals living in a large metropolitan city in South India who were raising and/or working with a child with an autism spectrum disorder. The study explored the unique perspectives of parents and professionals regarding their beliefs and practices about autism, as well as the nature of the parent-professional relationship. Nineteen parents (all mothers) and 21 professionals were interviewed in person at four schools, an early intervention program, a hospital clinic, and a physician’s office. Themes were developed using qualitative software, and reliability was established through multiple …
An Analysis Of Virginia Transfer Policy And Articulation Agreements: A Comparative Study Of Community College Transfer And Native Students--Enrollments And Outcomes In A Teacher Preparation Program, Michael C. Huffman
Theses and Dissertations
Transfer articulation is an important policy issue in Virginia. With increasing economic strains on federal and state budgets, pressure on key actors in higher education, and critical teacher shortages, an opportunity presented itself to investigate state transfer policy and articulation agreements designed to facilitate student transfer. Articulation agreements are policy instruments designed to facilitate a seamless transfer of both students and credits from the community college system into senior institutions. Over the last decade increased articulation activity has taken place in the Commonwealth of Virginia driven by higher education costs and articulation specific to teacher preparation due to teacher shortages. …
Choosing Surgical Birth: Personal Choice And Medical Jurisdiction, Alexandria Vasquez
Choosing Surgical Birth: Personal Choice And Medical Jurisdiction, Alexandria Vasquez
Theses and Dissertations
This is an exploratory study of women’s childbearing decisions and outcomes in non-medically indicated cesarean section childbirths (CS). Focusing on the structure-agency dichotomy, the research is guided by Anthony Giddens’ theory of structuration used in the context of the medicalization framework in order to analyze elements of personal choice and medical jurisdiction in childbearing methods. Quantitative analysis of secondary data and a thematic content analysis of Internet forums are conducted in order to analyze women’s perceptions of autonomy and constraint in their childbearing decisions and outcomes. The findings suggest that the polarization between second- and third wave feminist critiques on …
Unaccompanied Refugee Minors And Their Strategies To Navigate A New World: A Grounded Theory, Justin Scott Lee
Unaccompanied Refugee Minors And Their Strategies To Navigate A New World: A Grounded Theory, Justin Scott Lee
Theses and Dissertations
ABSTRACT UNACCOMPANIED REFUGEE MINORS AND THEIR STRATEGIES TO NAVIGATE A NEW WORLD: A GROUNDED THEORY By Justin Scott Lee A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2012 Chair: Pamela J. Kovacs, Ph.D. Associate Professor This study explored how unaccompanied refugee minors (URMs) define success. The population of URMs consists of individuals who, through forced migration from their country of origin, were resettled in the United States through the URM program. Little is known about the ways in which refugee adolescents view the resettlement process …
Poppies And Ptsd: Opioid Influence On A Preclincal Model Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder., Sarah Vunck
Poppies And Ptsd: Opioid Influence On A Preclincal Model Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder., Sarah Vunck
Theses and Dissertations
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that affects over 7.7 million adults and carries an estimated societal cost of $3.1 billion every year. People develop PTSD after exposure to a traumatic event. Alone or combined, approved pharmacotherapies or psychotherapy are somewhat effective, but symptoms for many remain refractory. Emerging evidence suggests that opiate systems may modulate the development and expression of PTSD, and their role can be investigated preclinically. Pavlovian fear conditioning is a preclinical model which elicits behaviors mirroring those that occur in humans during and after exposure to trauma. This presents an experimental tool that can …
Responding To The Child Welfare Workforce Crisis Here And Now: A Constructivist Approach To Understanding Supervision, Abigail K. Wyche
Responding To The Child Welfare Workforce Crisis Here And Now: A Constructivist Approach To Understanding Supervision, Abigail K. Wyche
Theses and Dissertations
In this dissertation, the author argues that there is strong evidence that the child welfare workforce continues to be in crisis. While a great deal of research has indicated that supervision is closely linked to the crisis, extremely high rates of turnover have not been notably reduced through the efforts of administrators or academics to change supervisory practices. Therefore, the author makes the case that it is time to employ an alternative methodology—constructivist inquiry. Constructivist inquiry is based on paradigmatic assumptions that make it distinct from the functionalist approach that researchers most commonly use to understand the child welfare workforce …
Reducing Recidivism In Returning Offenders With Alcohol And Drug Related Offenses: Contracts For The Delivery Of Authentic Peer Based Recovery Support Services, Sarah Scarbrough
Reducing Recidivism In Returning Offenders With Alcohol And Drug Related Offenses: Contracts For The Delivery Of Authentic Peer Based Recovery Support Services, Sarah Scarbrough
Theses and Dissertations
In collaboration with Sheriff C. T. Woody, the Deputies and other jail personnel, Kingdom Life Ministries (KLM) operates in the City of Richmond Jail. Aimed at serving individuals who suffer from alcoholism and other drug addictions, KLM’s programs offer peer-to-peer recovery support services; meaning people who are successful in their recovery deliver the recovery message. On any given day, rehabilitation and recovery services are provided to 120 men in what used to be the worst tier of the Richmond City Jail. A large portion of these men battle substance abuse disorders and have exhibited habitual criminal behavior over an extended …
Assessing Deployment Risk And Resiliency Factors And The Adjustment Outcomes Of Police Officers Serving In Operation Iraqi Freedom And Operation Enduring Freedom, Paula Barrows
Theses and Dissertations
ASSESSING DEPLOYMENT RISK AND RESILIENCY FACTORS AND THE ADJUSTMENT OUTCOMES OF POLICE OFFICERS SERVING IN OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM AND OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM By Paula Barrows Davenport, MS A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2012 Director: Dr. Janet R. Hutchinson Professor and Chair of the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies The goal of this exploratory study was to evaluate risk and resiliency factors from the Deployment Risk and Resiliency Inventory (DRRI) in predicting post-deployment adjustment outcomes among police officers who served in …
The Correlation Between Land-Use Mixture And Home-Based Trips (The Case Of The City Of Richmond), Yin-Shan Ma
The Correlation Between Land-Use Mixture And Home-Based Trips (The Case Of The City Of Richmond), Yin-Shan Ma
Theses and Dissertations
The city of Richmond has practiced mixed land-use policies to encourage non-private-vehicle commuting for decades based on the successful examples or the empirical evidence of other cities. However, the idea violates one of common logical fallacy—“all things are equal.” Using the indices of land-use diversity, this study explores the correlation between land-use mixture and home-based trip for the city of Richmond. This paper calculates two common indices of land-use mixture—entropy, and dissimilarity. The results indicate that although Richmond’s land-use mixture and home-based trip do have a correlation, the correlation is weak. One possible reason is that socioeconomic actors have a …
Adolescent Girls' Experience Of Binge And Loss Of Control Eating, Allison Palmberg
Adolescent Girls' Experience Of Binge And Loss Of Control Eating, Allison Palmberg
Theses and Dissertations
The current investigation used qualitative methodology to examine adolescent girls’ perceptions of control over their eating, as well as triggers, and consequences of binge and related eating behaviors. Focus groups were completed with 19 adolescent girls (aged 13-17, 58% African American, 41% White) who endorsed the behaviors. Responses to focus group questions were qualitatively analyzed using a grounded theory approach and constant comparison coding. Results reflected a fundamental lack of awareness of the loss of control (LOC) eating behaviors. Yet, the data did reflect a central theme of the need to affirm independence and autonomy through eating behaviors via three …
Blood Glucose Monitoring And Metabolic Control In Youth With Type 1 Diabetes: Relation To Disease Care, Adrienne Borschuk
Blood Glucose Monitoring And Metabolic Control In Youth With Type 1 Diabetes: Relation To Disease Care, Adrienne Borschuk
Theses and Dissertations
Better disease care behaviors in youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are strongly related to better metabolic control (HbA1c). However, HbA1c results are only available, on average, every three months, and may not accurately capture intricacies of blood glucose fluctuations. Youth then must rely on blood glucose levels obtained throughout the day to determine which disease care behaviors to perform to maintain optimal metabolic control. Youth may have difficulty performing these disease care behaviors properly or consistently, which makes parental monitoring a crucial aspect of the diabetes regimen. Additionally, youth who experience frequent or severe hypoglycemia may develop a fear …
The Role Of Positive Emotions In Health-Related Outcomes For Caregivers Of Veterans With Traumatic Brain Injury, Suzzette Chopin
The Role Of Positive Emotions In Health-Related Outcomes For Caregivers Of Veterans With Traumatic Brain Injury, Suzzette Chopin
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between both self-efficacy for caregiving and personal gain and several variables related to well-being in caregivers (N = 70) of veterans who sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Specifically, the relationship between self-efficacy for caregiving and perceived physical health and the relationship between personal gain related to caregiving and depression and anxiety was examined. The relationship between caregiver personal gain and perceived care recipient behavior was also examined. Exploratory analyses considered kinship and racial/ethnic differences. This was a secondary analysis of pilot data collected at four Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers (PRC) …