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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

A Multi-Disciplinary Approach To Childhood Obesity, Erinn J. Wright Jan 2012

A Multi-Disciplinary Approach To Childhood Obesity, Erinn J. Wright

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In the past two decades, the prevalence of childhood obesity has risen throughout the world. Factors that put children at risk for childhood obesity include genetics, parental weight and lifestyle, gender, age, and socioeconomic status. Various disciplines address treatment of childhood obesity differently. For example, the medical community focuses on potential consequences of childhood obesity; the mental health field conceptualizes the issue behaviorally, and social work research highlights the sociopolitical factors of the issue. Results of a needs assessment performed in the Dayton, Ohio and Montgomery County region from 2009-2010 revealed a lack of collaboration between various disciplines involved in …


In Or Out? Ambiguous Loss And Boundary Ambiguity In Families During The Coming Out Process, Tarryn R. Moor Jan 2012

In Or Out? Ambiguous Loss And Boundary Ambiguity In Families During The Coming Out Process, Tarryn R. Moor

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This study investigated the family dynamics that occur following a child's disclosure of his/her same-sex sexual orientation. In particular, this study aimed to gain information regarding the possible presence of boundary ambiguity and subsequent ambiguous loss within families after their child/children comes out. Participants included individuals who identified as caregivers (i.e. parents, guardians) of a gay, lesbian, or bisexual child. Participants were given a survey in which many items were adapted from previous boundary ambiguity scales, in addition to qualitative items to fully capture the participants' experiences. Findings suggested that a majority of participants did not experience ambiguous loss or …


Camp For Childhood Cancer Survivors And Their Families: A Program Conceptualization, Caprice S. Parkinson Jan 2012

Camp For Childhood Cancer Survivors And Their Families: A Program Conceptualization, Caprice S. Parkinson

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The intent of this program conceptualization is to create a theory-driven residential camp program for child cancer survivors and their families. Although the majority of families appear to adjust to the stressors of the cancer experience, it has been identified that there is a significant portion of the cancer population and their families that are experiencing psychosocial issues and are in need of support (Kazak, Boeving, Alderfer, Hwang, & Reilly, 2005; Levin Newby, Brown, Pawletko, Gold, & Whitt, 2000; Zeltzer et al., 2009). Some typical symptoms noted in this group of pediatric cancer patients and families are depression/anxiety; decreased sense …


Examining The Social Distance Between Africans And African Americans: The Role Of Internalized Racism, Adaobi C. Iheduru Jan 2012

Examining The Social Distance Between Africans And African Americans: The Role Of Internalized Racism, Adaobi C. Iheduru

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African immigrants are continuously migrating to the United States and comprise a major part of the immigrant population. In a recent U.S. Bureau of Census report on foreign-born residents in the United States, African immigrants numbered 364,000 out of 1.6 million foreign-born people of African origin living in the United States (Rong & Brown, 2002). Much of the psychological literature about immigration is framed in terms of issues of adjustment. (Ward & Kennedy, 2001). Despite the growing number of African immigrants and the awareness of incidents of acculturative stress and adjustment difficulties among various immigrant groups, there are limited studies …


Suicide As An Escape From Pain: An Analysis Of Suicide Notes And Case Files, Dustin R. Hamilton Jan 2012

Suicide As An Escape From Pain: An Analysis Of Suicide Notes And Case Files, Dustin R. Hamilton

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Schneidman (1957) wrote that acts of suicide were attempts to escape from unbearable and intense psychological pain, or "psychache." In this study, we analyzed suicides wherein we determined that the primary motivation for the suicidal act was escape from physical or psychological pain. The analysis incorporated information regarding the content of suicide notes, investigators' reports, and databases from an urban Midwestern metropolitan area coroner's office. The analysis contained demographics, expressed life problems of the decedents, characteristics of the suicide, suicide note contents and suicide note themes. We found that the samples in which escape was determined as the primary motivation …


Therapist Dialogue Wiith Female Clients About Financial Literacy And Self-Efficacy, Michelle M. Estes Jan 2012

Therapist Dialogue Wiith Female Clients About Financial Literacy And Self-Efficacy, Michelle M. Estes

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This dissertation will explore the connection between emotional well-being, financial literacy and self-efficacy. Specifically, it will delve into a gendered exploration of money, using Bandura's concept of self-efficacy as applied to financial matters. The connection between a client's financial situation and his or her clinical issues will be discussed, as will current practices related to discussing financial matters in clinical practice. Additionally, this dissertation will explore how psychologists frequently do not address the connection between a client's financial well-being and his or her clinical issues. Best practice guidelines will be offered to fill this gap. Finally, suggestions for future research …


Barriers To Group Psychotherapy For African-American College Students, Angela L. Harris Jan 2012

Barriers To Group Psychotherapy For African-American College Students, Angela L. Harris

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There is limited research on African-American college students and their participation in group psychotherapy in a university counseling center setting. This study examined the barriers to group psychotherapy for African-American college students. A 61 item survey was designed to obtain African-American college students' views on their willingness to participate in group therapy, expectations of group psychotherapy, expectations of group members, expectations of group leaders, coping skills when in distress, and multicultural considerations relating to group psychotherapy. Data collected from a sample (N = 108)was analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analyses. Results of the this study found that coping strategies …


Minority Bias In Supervisor Ratings: Comparing Subjective Ratings And Objective Measures Of Job Performance, William Hernandez Jan 2012

Minority Bias In Supervisor Ratings: Comparing Subjective Ratings And Objective Measures Of Job Performance, William Hernandez

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Supervisor ratings of job performance and objective sales performance were examined to better understand the causes of observed differences in performance ratings between Men and Women and Caucasians and African-Americans. Sex and race did not significantly predict subjective ratings of job performance. Ratee sex and race accounted for less than 2% of the variance in subjective ratings of ratee job performance. However, it was found that Women performed significantly lower than Men, but the difference disappeared when women comprised greater than 30% of the workforce, suggesting a real difference in performance. No tokenism effect was found for Women or racial …


When "Boys Will Not Be Boys": Variations Of Wartime Sexual Violence By Armed Opposition Groups In Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone, And Nepal, Matthew Bolyn Conaway Jan 2012

When "Boys Will Not Be Boys": Variations Of Wartime Sexual Violence By Armed Opposition Groups In Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone, And Nepal, Matthew Bolyn Conaway

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Wartime sexual violence is often assumed to be inevitable during conflict yet empirical evidence indicates that sexual violence varies in type and frequency within and across conflicts as well as among armed groups. A solid understanding of what variable(s) and causal pathway(s) permit the variation of systematic sexual violence in intrastate conflict situations by specific groups has yet to be developed. What factors explain the variation of sexual violence by certain armed opposition groups during conflict situations? This comparative study employs process-tracing and the congruence method to consider the utility of hypotheses drawn from the work of Elisabeth J. Wood …