Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Impact Of The Resident Mentor Role On Student Worker Mental Health, Lauren Cartwright

Senior Theses

What do stress and burnout look like for RMs at a flagship university in the southeast during the early Covid-19 epidemic? How would the average student worker rate the RM role in terms of satisfaction, recommending the role to others, and weekly workload?

To answer these questions, I surveyed 51 Resident Mentors (RM) at the University of South Carolina (UofSC) in Spring, 2021 to gather information on their general backgrounds, workload, and overall satisfaction with the RM role. Results generally showed high workloads and stress levels. I argue that these findings may be reflective of role ambiguity and changes in …

The Aftereffects Of Corporal Punishment On Adults: Association Of Childhood Spanking With Adult Stress Levels, Marie Sanyang

Senior Theses

Spanking has been an acceptable form of punishment for centuries. Previously thought as effective, studies have now shown the detriments of spanking, including increased aggression, drug abuse, and stress levels. This exploratory study sought to observe the stress levels of adults who experienced childhood spankings. It was hypothesized that those who experienced frequent spankings would report increased anxiety, reduced socialization, and decreased emotional regulation in times of stress. It was also hypothesized that those who reported being spanked would report lower emotional and physical health regulation and higher mental health diagnosis. Fifty-four participants were composed of undergraduate and graduate students …

Covid-19 & Mental Health: The Impact On The Future Of Younger Generations, Greyson A. Fox Tran

Senior Theses

The aim of this research is to identify any existing correlations between the COVID-19 pandemic and negative mental health outcomes in younger populations. This paper examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of those younger than 25 years of age, specifically focusing on students. It will investigate how various factors of the pandemic have affected people and how they have coped with psychological distress induced by the pandemic. Through a review of scientific data and scholarly literature, the impacts of the pandemic on mental health will be assessed. Coping mechanisms and the effects of physical activity …

An Investigation Into The Relationship Between Academic Pressure And Non-Medical Prescription Stimulant Use Among University Of South Carolina Undergraduate Students, Arslan Valimohamed

Senior Theses

One hundred and six undergraduate students of the University of South Carolina were surveyed to understand misuse of prescription stimulants and how perceived academic pressure may play a role in this behavior. Overall, the survey revealed that 33.0% of participants reported illicit use of prescription stimulants in the last 30 days, and 52.8% reported illicitly using prescription stimulants at least once during their time in college. Data from the survey responses indicated that students perceiving academic pressure were more likely to have misused prescription stimulants at least once during their time in college, but only if these students also reported …

Effects Of Early-Adolescent, Mid-Adolescent, Or Adult Stress On Morphine Conditioned Place Preference, Chloe Shields

Senior Theses

In light of previous work demonstrating that stress can increase subjective drug reward in adult rats, the present study investigated the influence of stress on morphine conditioned place preference (CPP) in early-adolescent, mid-adolescent, and adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Subjects in each age group were assigned to either a no stress condition or a stress condition in which they were exposed to an unpredictable eight-day schedule of elevated platform and synthetic fox odor stressors. Place conditioning then evaluated subjective morphine reward in all animals. Using a biased procedure, subjects were assigned to receive morphine on the initially non-preferred side of the …