Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Psychological Effects Of Functional Electrical Stimulation Leg Cycle Ergometry On Persons With Spinal Cord Injury, Renee Christner, Scott Nolte

Masters Theses

Major depressive disorder (MDD) affects many individuals in the general population. Spinal cord injury (SCI) may exacerbate depressive symptoms as individuals must adapt to an altered lifestyle as a result of the injury. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Functional Electrical Stimulation Leg Cycle Ergometry (FES-LCE) on the subjective reports of the incidence and severity of symptoms of depression in individuals with SCI. Survey packets, including a demographic data sheet and the Inventory to Diagnose Depression (IDD), were mailed to 215 individuals participating in FES-LCE programs and 215 persons with SCI not involved in FES-LCE. …

Diversity Management: An Administrative Case Study In A Tax-Exempt Human Service Organization, Jerry L. Johnson

Masters Theses

Diversity management is a business strategy that is intended to create an organizational climate where people from diverse backgrounds can succeed based on their work performance and not their personal similarities or differences with the organization's leadership. Diversity management programs are intended to help business remove barriers resulting from discrimination.; The present study investigated the need for a diversity management program in a tax-exempt human service organization. The perceptions and attitudes of organization employees, measured by survey instruments, in conjunction with an employee compensation study, provided the data for this investigation.; The instrument designed for this study and the random …

What Are The Perceived Needs Of Parents Of Critically Ill Neonates?, Linda B. Corliss

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify needs of parents during the hospitalization of their critically ill neonate. Studies indicate that parents of critically ill neonates are under a certain degree of stress and that sources of stress are identifiable by parents and equated to needs and the importance of those needs.; This study used an exploratory, descriptive design to document the needs of parents while also identifying variables that influenced those needs. Parents of 29 critically ill neonates (n = 53) were interviewed using a revised version of the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI) designed by Molter …

A Descriptive Study Of The Needs Of Family Members Of Trauma Patients, Sally Laur Sutkowi

Masters Theses

This study examined the perceived needs of family members of trauma patients using Molter's (1979) Critical Care Family Needs Inventory. The ranking of needs of major and minor trauma patients family members were analyzed to determine differences between these two groups.; A convenience sample of 41 family members of trauma patients were surveyed. They included family members of 17 minor trauma patients and 24 major trauma patients. Minor trauma patients were those patients with Injury Severity Scores 12 or less. Major trauma patients had ISSs scores of 13 or greater. All 45 needs were considered very important by at least …

African American Nurses' Perceptions Of Social Support Available During Graduate School, Jacquelyn Denese Pettis

Masters Theses

This study examined African American nurses' perceptions of social support available during graduate school that contributed to their completion of graduate studies. A descriptive correlational research design using a mailed questionnaire was employed for the study. The sample consisted of 91 African American nurses who were women and had completed graduate studies within the United States. A modified Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire (Norbeck, Lindsey, & Carrieri, 1981) was used to collect the data.; Data analysis consisted of reporting means, standard deviations, and range of scores for perceived social support available. Pearson's correlations and t-test were used to examine significant differences …

Concerns/Needs Experienced By Low-Income Mothers Following A Postpartum Hospital Stay Of Less Than Forty-Eight Hours, Karen S. Kujala

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to describe the needs and concerns that low income women experience during the first seven days at home following discharge from a postpartum hospital stay of less than forty-eight hours. Dorothea Orem's theory of self-care was the conceptual framework.; The sample (n = 50) consisted of Medicaid eligible postpartum mothers, 18 years of age or older, who were discharged with their infants in less than 48 hours after delivery. The mothers were contacted by telephone seven days after discharge to complete an interview regarding concerns they might have experienced.; Data were analyzed descriptively. The …

Personality Traits And The Extent To Which They Are Valued By Practicing Physical Therapists In The General Hospital Setting, Shiela M. Robison, Rachel K. Seppanen

Masters Theses

This descriptive study seeks to identify the value placed on personality traits by physical therapists and to develop a personality trait profile indicating what is desired of physical therapists in the general hospital setting. Five hundred surveys were sent to the physical therapy (PT) directors of a nationwide sample of randomly selected hospitals accredited by the American Hospital Association with greater than 75, but less than 150 beds. Two hundred and ninety-four surveys (59%) were returned. Survey responses were coded and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The data was analyzed by using the descriptive measures …

Low Income Women's Perception Of Preparedness For Self Care And Infant Care Following Discharge From A Less Than Forty-Eight Hour Hospitalization For Birth, Patricia M. Ritola

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to describe perceptions of preparation for self care and infant care of new mothers of low income following a short hospitalization for childbirth. Orem's nursing model was used as the conceptual framework for the study. A descriptive correlational, cross sectional design was used to examine preparedness for self care and infant care. The sample (N = 50) consisted of women who were served by Michigan Medicaid, 18 years or older and were hospitalized less than 48 hours. A telephone interview was conducted seven days after discharge.; Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings identified …

Caregiver Wellness Following Interventions Based On Interdisciplinary Geriatric Assessment, Julie A. Smith

Masters Theses

The study purpose was to examine the effect on interventions based on interdisciplinary geriatric assessment on family caregiver's wellness. A pretest-posttest research design was used, including a sample of 35 family caregivers of frail older adults. Neuman's Systems Model provided the theoretical framework. Care recipients and caregivers were evaluated by an interdisciplinary geriatric team and interventions for that family were developed and implemented. Paired t-tests and Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test were performed to compare scores of pretest and posttest scores on self-rated health, the Burden Interview and Life Satisfaction, before and after the intervention. Results indicated that there was …

Development And Evaluation Of The Cardiac Exercise Health Belief Scale, Virginia R. Mcginn

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study was to develop and evaluate the Cardiac Exercise Health Belief Scale (CEHBS) which is based on the Health Belief Model. The CEHBS focuses on the concepts of benefits and barriers. Ninety post cardiac event subjects, 69 males and 21 females, were recruited from two Michigan hospitals during their hospital stay. The CEHBS was mailed to subjects six to eight weeks following discharge.; Cronbach alpha for the CEHBS benefits subscale was.90 and for the barriers subscale was.84. Content validity was established by expert review. During factor analysis all items did load on factors related to the …

The Relationship Between The Level Of Codependent Behavior And The Level Of Differentiation Of Self Among Nursing Students, Vicki Lynn Brandes Hillborg

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between the level of codependent behavior and the level of differentiation of self among nursing students. This study employed a descriptive correlational design. The convenience sample of 241 nursing students (221 female, 20 male, ages 18-55) from associate degree, diploma, and baccalaureate degree nursing programs completed, by self-report, the Friel Adult Child/Codependent Assessment Inventory (Friel & Friel, 1988), the Haber Level of Differentiation of Self Scale (Haber, 1990), and an author created respondent characteristics questionnaire. There was a significant moderate negative correlation between the level of codependent behavior and the …

Perceived Needs Of Parents Of Critically Ill Children, Linda D. Scott

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to (a) identify the perceived needs of parents of critically ill hospitalized children, (b) identify parental needs as perceived by critical care nurses, and (c) identify the differences in these perceptions.; A descriptive research design with a non-probability convenience sample was used. The sample consisted of 30 parents or primary caretakers of critically ill children and the responses of 30 pediatric critical care nurses. Data were obtained by a structured interview technique. Data analysis included a comparison of the relationship of parental total scores and the nurses' total scores. No significant differences were found …

The Attributions Of Young Adhd Children, Who Are On Medication, Tonya M. Brinkman

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Representation Of Older Women In Gerontological And Women's Studies Research In Selected Psychological Publications, Anna Jean Mehl

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Explanatory Style And Perception Of Negative And Positive Daily Events, Amy K. Jester

Masters Theses

This study investigated explanatory style and people's perceptions of negative and positive daily events. Explanatory style can be measured by rating causal explanations that people give on three dimensions; internality, stability, and globality. College students wrote stories in response to pictures, using the Thematic Apperceptive Test (TAT), and also completed a 28-day Daily Event Log Questionnaire. It was expected that how people explain good and bad events that happen to them, would be the same whether someone was explaining a personal daily event or explaining a story written in response to a picture. To prove this, it was expected that …

Can We Talk?: Gender And Age Differences In Self-Disclosure Among Close Friends, Nancy Curtin Alwardt

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Prediction Of Wisc-Iii Scores From The Iowa Tests Of Basic Skills And The Cognitive Abilities Test In Order To Predict Premorbid Cognitive Functioning In Children With Traumatic Brain Injury, Kent A. Riley

Masters Theses

The present study examined the relationship of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, Form J (ITBS-J) and the Cognitive Abilities Test, Form 4 (CogAT-4) with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Third Edition (WISC-III) in order to establish a better method for predicting premorbid intellectual functioning in children with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) aged 6 through 11 years. The subjects included 73 children in grades one through six from four elementary schools within a rural city in southeastern Illinois. The results of the study supported all six hypotheses: The CogAT-4 and ITBS-J significantly predicted the variability observed in WISC-III scores; …

Impact Of "Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder" On Educational Placement And Service Delivery, Marsha L. Groves

Masters Theses

Children with "Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder" face many changes within the school environment. Teachers strive to help these students meet those changes by providing for special learning and behavior needs. This study obtained teacher responses to examine demographic data, disability categories, placement, and educational treatment of children clinically diagnosed and/or suspected of having "Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorders". Of the 76 teacher surveys returned, 107 students were reported to have or were suspected of having "Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder". Forty-five were identified as learning disabled, seven were considered behavior disordered, seven were receiving speech services, seven others were health impaired, three …

Gender, Waking Personality, And Sexual Behavior In Dreams, Jeffery W. Willis

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Gratification Changes Among Country Music Radio Listeners, Larry E. Oathout

Masters Theses

Several past studies explore the gratifications received by mass media users. However, no former research focuses on radio as a single medium and investigates how gratifications change over a person's lifespan. This study utilized an altered version of Elliott and Quattlebaum's (1979) ten media gratification list and questioned a 14 to 60 year old sample group about the gratifications they receive from country music radio. The researcher selected country music because it is the most popular radio format today and because it provided the wide age parameters needed for the study. Two hundred and thirty-nine users of an Internet country …

Local Newspaper Agenda-Setting As Reflected In Letters To The Editor, Thomas J. Mcdonnell

Masters Theses

In an effort to test the basic agenda-setting theory, a content analysis of three small to mid-size Illinois newspapers was done to determine what correlation, if any, existed between the content of the front page and the issues addressed in the letters to the editor section. Pearson product moment correlations were calculated for all issues addressed by the papers and the public. No support was found for basic agenda-setting in this study. There was partial support the hypothesis that local newspapers would be more effective setting the local issue agenda.

Graduate Training In Geropsychology Among Licensed Psychologists In Illinois, Steven J. Johnston

Masters Theses

Recently, it has been suggested that several factors will likely lead to an increase in the number of elderly Americans in need of psychological services. In June, 1981, the Older Boulder Conference addressed the need to implement graduate level training of psychologists to serve elderly clients. It was found that after the Conference: 1) more graduate courses on geropsychology were taken by psychologists during their graduate training; 2) most psychologists either had no or 75% or more elderly clients; and 3) psychologists were more likely to have sought out post graduate continuing education in geropsychology yet they were less likely …

The Stabilization And Structural Adjustment Procedures Of The International Monetary Fund And The World Bank, Douglas A. Reznick

Masters Theses

The IMF and the World Bank began to attach structural adjustment restrictions to many of their loans to developing countries in the early 1980s. Some of these restrictions are not based on solid economic ground and are, in many cases not effective in improving the economic standing of the countries that receive loans. In addition, there was also a misdiagnosis of the problems that occurred in the underdeveloped countries of the world. Under the IMF/World Bank paradigm, the difficulties that most underdeveloped countries experienced were due to internal distortions and non-effective development strategies. Evidence to the contrary shows that many …

Effects Of Labeling Bias On Prognostic Outlook For Children With Behavior Problems, Julie D. Fox

Masters Theses

Labeling bias refers to biases that might occur toward a person who has a particular label. This study investigated the effects of labeling bias on prognostic outlook for children as a function of diagnostic labels. School psychologists, regular and special education teachers, and introductory psychology students read a vignette that described a child with behavior problems. The vignette was held constant for all participants, but one of four labels (conduct disordered, socially maladjusted, serious emotionally disturbed, no exceptionality) was varied at the end of the vignette. Respondents then estimated the child's likelihood of future success in interpersonal relationships, the likelihood …

Achievement Assessment Techniques: Their Frequency Of Use, Perceived Importance, And Relation To Job Satisfaction, Robin L. Chesnut

Masters Theses

A random sample of Nationally Certified School psychologists was surveyed to determine the current academic achievement assessment practices of school psychologists. Frequency of administration and importance of standardized achievement tests, interviews, observations and work sample collection was determined. Further, knowledge of, experience with, and future plans to develop skills in alternative achievement assessment areas was examined. Job satisfaction was investigated and its relationship to involvement with alternative assessment measures. Results indicate that assessment activities still consume about half (45%) of school psychologists' time followed by consultation (22%), and treatment (18%). Informal assessment techniques such as child, teacher, and parent interviews; …

Treatment Acceptability By Label And Role, Larry D. Fairbanks

Masters Theses

This study examined differences in ratings of treatment acceptability among groups of individuals who are often involved in the recommendation, selection, implementation, and evaluation of behavioral interventions in the educational setting; teachers, school psychologists, and school social workers. An analogue-type study was conducted, utilizing a written case description of a 3rd grader exhibiting a problem behavior, a written case description of an intervention applied to that problem behavior, and a 15-item instrument utilized in rating treatment acceptability (IRP-15) . Also varied in the study was a label (LD, BD, ADD) placed on the student in the vignette, and intervention type …

A Comparison Of Personality Traits Of Female Athletes With A High Incidence Of Injury To Those With A Low Incidence Of Injury, J'Nise A. Ramsey

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a significant difference in the personality traits of collegiate female athletes with a high incidence of injury when compared to female athletes with a low incidence of injury. Fourteen female intercollegiate athletes completed a personal information questionnaire and Cattell's Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire during a one hour session of testing.

The mean raw scores of the two groups were analyzed to determine if they differed statistically. The mean raw scores were then converted to mean sten scores under the recommendations of Cattell. A visual depiction of the mean sten …

An Evaluation Of Special Education And Remedial Services Within South Wisconsin District - Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Elementary Schools, Jennifer S. Pflueger

Masters Theses

The availability of special education and remedial services within the South Wisconsin District-Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod elementary schools was investigated. A teacher and the principal from fifty-three schools were surveyed. The schools represented urban, suburban, and rural areas. Thirty-eight principals and thirty-seven teachers responded to the questionnaire. The principal questionnaire consisted of fifteen fill-in-the-blank questions and addressed information regarding remedial and exceptional education programs. The teacher questionnaire was a thirteen item rating format addressing the teacher's perceptions of his/her skills in remediation and exceptional education. The results indicated that a higher percentage of students received remedial services than exceptional education services. …

A Preliminary Study In The Design Of A Stress Inventory For Gifted Students: A Factor Analysis Of Potential Items, David Kinkade

Masters Theses

Items were designed for potential utilization in a stress inventory for gifted students. Two types of items were written; the first assessing stressful life events and situations, the second assessing coping ability. Both sets of items were administered to gifted students (N = 162) currently enrolled in the seventh and eighth grades. A principle components factor analysis with a varimax rotation was performed on both sets of items separately. The first set produced a four factor solution. The factors which emerged were identified as self-concept of giftedness, positive gifted programming, negative aspects of the gifted label, and performance pressure. The …

Religiosity, Fears Of Personal Death, And The Acceptability Of Suicide Within Reformed, Conservative, And Orthodox Jews, Lawrence B. Stein

Masters Theses

One hundred and fifty adults completed the Gladding, Lewis, and Adkins Scale of Religiosity (GLASR), Fears of Personal Death Scale (FPDS), and the Suicide Acceptability Scale (SAS) to investigate the relationships between religiosity, fears of personal death, and suicide acceptability within the Reformed, Conservative, and Orthodox Jewish denominations. Differences between the Jewish denominations were detected such that Orthodox Jews were less fearful of transpersonal death than Conservative individuals. However, no differences existed between Jewish denominations for interpersonal or intrapersonal fears of death. Results also indicate that Reformed Jews were less religious and more accepting of suicide than Orthodox individuals with …