Sociology Commons^™

Staff Perceptions Of Quality Interactions In Dementia Care, Rebecka A. Schultz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The national aging trend suggests that population of those aged 65 and older will reach 83.7 million by the year 2050. With increasing age comes the growing possibility of one getting some form of dementia. The Alzheimer’s Association expects the number of American’s with dementia to triple from the reported 5 million cases in 2014 by 2050. With a rise in this cognitively impaired population there is reason to look closely at the needs of persons with dementia living in residential facilities and whether or not they are being met. The main focus of residential facilities is to provide aid …

Coaching Parents To Use Positive Behavior Support: Function-Based Interventions For Preschool Children With Challenging Behavior, Lauren E. Pace

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Parents who have children with challenging behavior may feel stressed, overwhelmed and at a loss for solutions. Challenging behavior can cause problems with children’s relationships with others and their school success. There are many resources for schools and children with special needs; however, resources for parents for young children (ages 3 to 5) with challenging behavior are limited. This study examined the impact of a 6-week intervention to coach parents to use strategies that encouraged children to develop skills that helped them to express frustration and solve problems in positive ways. Parents were better able to understand what the children …

Rural Aging: The Geographic Reach Of Service Access In Utah, Identifying Barriers And Solutions, Alexandra T. Schiwal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation includes two studies of rural age-related services in the state of Utah. The first study combines geospatial, demographic data (number of people over 55) and age-related services (hospitals, hospice providers, nursing homes, senior centers, and Areas Agencies on Aging) at the county level and census-tract level to determine localized differences in proportional access to age-related services. Higher and lower proportions are then predicted by contextual factors including rural/urban gradient, economic industry, and broadband access. Results demonstrate that broadband access was significantly associated with higher access to age-related services, but being a retirement destination (increase in people over 65 …

The Role Of Social Support In Dementia Care Facilities: Staff Member Perspectives, Malinda K. Dokos

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In this study, certified nursing assistants (CNAs) who work regularly with long-term care residents with dementia were interviewed to investigate whether they considered providing social and emotional support to people with dementia an important part of their jobs. They were given an online survey, then each participated in an in-person interview that was recorded and later transcribed and analyzed for common themes. Through data analysis, I found that the participating CNAs unanimously considered social support to be an important aspect of caring for someone with dementia, and several personal values were associated with this perspective. They also reported the trainings …

Gender And Social Acceptance Of Immigrants In A New Destination Site, Emma Meade Earl

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In this article, I draw on secondary interview data with LatinX immigrants in Cache Valley, Utah, an emerging new destination site in the Inter-Mountain West. While immigrants are drawn to new destinations by employment opportunities, quality of life, or low cost of living, they face many challenges in integrating socially into fairly homogenous communities, which can be particularly challenging for immigrant women. This thesis analyzes the ways in which gender affects social integration in the specific cultural and demographic context of Cache Valley. Using interviews with 16 men and women, I examine gender differences in perceptions of the community, experiences …

Newspaper Representations Of Homelessness: A Temporal Comparative Analysis, Sarah Werman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research focuses on the ways in which homelessness is discussed in two newspapers in a major city in the intermountain United States. I analyzed newspaper articles with the goal of understanding public discourse in two ideologically distinct newspaper venues. I examined the news media portrayal of the homeless in 752 articles in these two newspapers during two distinct six­-month time periods, one during which the city was nationally recognized as a major advocate for “Housing First,” or “solving homelessness,” and a more recent period during which urban gentrification has challenged the location of homeless services. Specifically, I addressed the …

Women In Agriculture: Living In A "Man's World", Ennea A. Fairchild

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Despite women’s involvement in agriculture, their contributions have been overlooked in society. Women make up at least a third of those involved in agriculture as farmers, landowners, and in agricultural faculty positions. These numbers do not appear to be decreasing. Although there are several agricultural roles, this study focuses primarily on those women who own agricultural land, but do not farm the land themselves. Rather, these women rent it out to a farmer who operates the land for them (women nonoperating landowners or WNOLs, in short). Previous research suggests these women may be facing considerable barriers as an agricultural landowner …

Health Care Provider Recruitment And Retention In Millard County, Utah, Ronald T. Draper

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Millard County, Utah, rural and sparsely populated, continues to experience challenges in recruiting and retaining primary health care providers. My study addressed the lack of a rigorous and systemic analysis of this problem by collecting and analyzing data from a series of semi-structured interviews conducted between January and March 2019. These interviews were with nineteen of the twenty-four known health care providers who began practice in the county from the mid1980s to 2018, as well as with four administrators.

The study, taking advantage of this comprehensive analysis, provided a more extensive understanding of the root causes underlying the recruitment and …

The Impact Of Collaborative Behavioral Health On Treatment Outcomes Of Diabetes, Adam M. Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A current body of research is finding significant connection between biological, psychological, social, and spiritual factors in health and wellbeing. Some studies have found significant improvements in treatment outcomes for patients who received medical treatment in collaboration with psychosocial therapeutic treatment. In this study, I sought to observe the impact collaborative treatment had on patients with diabetes who were treated at a community health center. I compared the treatment outcomes of a group of patients who received a collaborative treatment, looking to see if their overall health (measured by A1c, a diabetes severity marker) and medical utilization (or their number …

The Rise And Run Of Women Corporate Leaders, Alicia R. Ingersoll

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research was to understand the contexts that support the barriers to women’s advancement and to identify the conditions under which women leaders overcome the barriers to attain top corporate leadership positions. I have identified and discussed three distinct approaches for understanding how we can increase women’s representation and influence in the executive and director ranks within top U.S. corporations. The first approach investigates the complexities of leveraging the social and cultural capital attained through post-secondary education in order gain entry into the corporate elite. The second approach examines gendered stereotypes of risk-taking versus the organizational risk-taking …

Do Booster Emails Improve Learning Transfer Among Parenting Professionals?, Benjamin C. Stout

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Parenting professionals play a key role in helping parents have a positive influence on their children, which is why it is important to ensure that professionals have and use research-based information and materials. Using data from 96 parenting professionals from Utah and Missouri, who completed a 4-hour Strong Parents, Stable Children training, we examined the effects (at 2-months post training) of reflective reminder emails on parenting professionals’ utilization and learning transfer of training materials. Results from independent samples t tests show that participants who received “booster” emails at 1-week and 1-month post training shared some information and some materials with …

Maternal Depression In The United States: A Geographic Comparison Between Geographic Regions And Rurality, Samantha J. Patterson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Health disparities exist between rural and urban areas but geographic comparisons of mental health are less studied and conclusive. Maternal depression has not been examined by region or rurality in the United States but might be influenced by geographic locations due to the variance of social support and healthcare available in some locations compared to others. The research focuses on (1) whether rurality increases a mother’s risk of experiencing depression and (2) if region impacts a mother’s risk of depression. I used the NESARC-III data that included three general depressive disorders: major depressive episode, major depressive disorder, and dysthymia. Regions …

A Sociological Evaluation Of A Large Team Science Project: The Iutah Experience, K. Taylor Dean

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many contemporary scientific research projects are composed of large numbers of researchers working together to provide solutions to social issues that affect our society. In an attempt to understand and address these issues, projects have been implemented where researchers from a wide variety of disciplines come together and collaborate. As this research includes a variety researchers, it requires a unique approach. Questions such as how to make these projects as effective as possible, how to properly evaluate these projects, and how to gauge the quality and success of these projects need to be answered.

These are directly addressed in this …

Justice And The River: Community Connections To An Impaired Urban River In Salt Lake City, Taya L. Carothers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Local communities have the right to participate in decision-making about environmental resources near where they live. Local governments have tried to gather feedback from communities to help improve the decisions they make, but have not always done a good job getting feedback from minority or urban communities. This dissertation provides one step toward obtaining this kind of public input in a majority minority community surrounding the Jordan River in Salt Lake City. Children and adults participated in this research. I present findings from two surveys, from work with children, and from adult interviews to understand how this community relates to …

Understanding A Therapist's Way Of Being: A Modified Delphi Study, Kaity Pearl Young

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research has indicated that there are certain ingredients that make therapy successful. One of these ingredients may be the actual therapist providing the therapy. The concept of a person’s way of being appears in some literature, but the concept of therapist way of being has not been well developed and explored. The purpose of this study was to form a definition of therapist way of being, to gain an understanding of how way of being influences a client’s change in therapy, and to describe and ways of being that are beneficial and detrimental to a client’s journey of change.

Data …

Nonstandard Employment And The Risk Of Divorce In South Korea, Donghyun Kim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Despite a persistent increase in South Korea’s divorce rate, our understanding of the economic determinants of divorce in South Korea is very limited. In particular, the relationship between nonstandard employment and divorce has received little attention, even though the number of nonstandard employees has rapidly increased in recent years. This paper examines the extent to which one’s employment type is associated with marital dissolution in South Korea, using nationally representative longitudinal data (the Korea Welfare Panel Study from 2007 to 2013). Results from discrete-time hazard models show that for men, the odds of divorce of nonstandard workers are estimated to …

Culture Matters: Career And Life Expectations And Outcomes Among Business School Alumni, Ace Beorchia

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Women have made great strides in narrowing the gender gap in professional fields. However, women are still significantly underrepresented and face substantial challenges in reaching top professional positions in business. Recently, in its Life and Leadership After HBS study, the Harvard Business School surveyed its graduate school alumni to better understand “gendered dimensions of life and career that [are] crucial to advancing women leaders” (Harvard Business School 2013). This groundbreaking study found that both men and women have similar career aspirations and expectations upon graduating from HBS, yet men are more likely than women to achieve their career goals.

My …

A Modern Plague: U.S. Racial And Ethnic Vaccination Disparities During The 2009 H1n1 Influenza Pandemic, Andrew E. Burger

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

On June 11, 2009 the World Health Organization announced that a novel strain of H1N1 influenza was being classified a Phase 6 pandemic, the highest level of alarm indicating that the disease was present worldwide and its spread was inevitable. While seasonal influenza epidemics occur annually, the 2009 H1N1 strain was the first novel pandemic influenza since the 1968 Hong Kong flu. The 2009 H1N1 pandemic provides a case study of how the U.S. population responded to an emergent and potentially lethal infectious disease. The richness and variety of public health data presents an opportunity to examine predictors of vaccination …

Chronic Migraines And Couples: A Grounded Theory Of Adaptation To Chronic Migraines For Patients And Their Partners, Douglas P. Mcphee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was completed to better understand and treat couples wherein one partner suffers from chronic migraines. I interviewed eight couples about their experiences in dealing with migraines as a patient, as a partner, and together. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed by a team of seven researchers. We developed a theory that can be used to understand how patients and their partners adapt to chronic migraines. The theory was grounded in the experiences of the patients and partners who were interviewed. We found that patients and partners alike dealt with burdens and costs associated with chronic migraines. Coping, healthcare, …

Socioeconomic Status Influence On Mothers’ Interactions With Infants: Contributions To Early Infant Development, Krista L. Gurko

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Children from different socioeconomic backgrounds often have different long-term outcomes in terms of school, language, and emotional wellbeing. At this time, no reasons for these differences have been agreed upon by experts across disciplines. Parents with different personal characteristics and life situations use different types and amounts of interactions with their infants. The social interactions infants experience during their first year of life provide the start of their developmental path in the areas of language and executive control while also guiding their expectations for interactions with people around them.

This study used previously unpublished data from a sample of 79 …

Why Do They Do That? Understanding Factors Influencing Visitor Spatial Behavior In Parks And Protected Areas, Abigail M. Sisneros-Kidd

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Visitors to parks and protected areas within the United States and worldwide often visit these areas with a particular destination in mind, such as seeing Old Faithful erupt in Yellowstone National Park or standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon in Grand Canyon National Park. These visitor use destinations, and the pathways leading to them, such as trails and roadways, see high levels of use, and as a result, impacts to soil, vegetation, air, water, soundscapes, and night skies that result from this use. The field of recreation ecology studies these impacts to park and protected area resources resulting …

Homeless Social Service Workers As Street-Level Bureaucrats, Curtis Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Social service outreach workers serving homeless populations exemplify what Michael Lipsky calls street-level bureaucrats (SLBs) who exercise discretionary power in the performance of their professional roles. This dissertation draws on over 200 hours of ethnographic fieldwork in an urban center in the Mountain West to examine the challenges faced by homeless outreach workers and case managers in serving the needs of homeless clients and the practices they use to manage those challenges. Using a grounded theory analysis of participant observation and interview data, this dissertation focuses on what is termed “aggressive advocacy” in which social service SLBs creatively and actively …

Advancement To The Highest Faculty Ranks In Academic Stem: Explaining The Gender Gap At Usu, Helga Van Miegroet

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Science and technology (S&T) disciplines at universities are still largely dominated by men, and few women are found in the highest employment ranks. Using the faculty data from Utah State University, this thesis explores the factors that help explain the difference in career trajectory between men and women in the S&T colleges. While there were few women in S&T colleges prior to the 1990s, more women have been hired since then, and the lower ranks of the faculty corps are starting to reflect the gender composition of the doctoral degree holders in the different fields. This is not the case …

Professional Development Needs Of Utah State University Extension Professionals, Callahan K. Ward

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many Utah State University (USU) Extension personnel are nearing retirement age. The purpose of this study was to identify professional development needs of Extension professionals and assess USU Extension by evaluating competencies essential to be a successful Extension professional. USU Extension can conduct more beneficial professional development training by using identified high priority competencies and improve the on boarding process for new Extension professionals. With improvements as suggested, the effectiveness of professional development could be enhanced and produce Extension professionals who work more efficiently and are committed to the success of USU Extension.

Does Neighborhood Context Matter? A Multilevel Analysis Of Neighborhood Disadvantage And Sleep Health, Carlyn E. Graham

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Childhood is one of the most important stages for physical and cognitive growth during the life course. For young children, sleep is one of the major contributors to healthy development; poor sleep quality and short sleep duration can detrimentally affect developmental progress. In addition to physiological contributors to poor sleep, social factors may affect young children’s sleep. Prior findings suggest that demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, such as race and parent’s educational attainment, may contribute to sleep health for children. Furthermore, limited prior research suggests that neighborhood attributes may affect sleep for both children and adults alike. To my knowledge, no …

Rancher Perceptions Of Ecosystem Services From Rangelands Of The Intermountain West, Elisabeth C. York

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Rangelands within the Great Basin are responsible for the provision of multiple resources that humans depend on for a variety of reasons. Ranchers in this region are dependent on public lands to remain economically viable in their cattle operations. As a majority of land in this region is publically owned, there are varying interests at play in what should and could be the focus of management. Ranchers are charged with implementing strategies aimed at conserving these landscapes and their motivations for what to manage may significantly influence resource provision from Intermountain West ecosystem.

In this study, I sought to understand …

Assessment Of The Impact Of The Premarital Interpersonal Choices And Knowledge (Pick) Program On Adolescents, Raquel R. Boehme

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was conducted to determine if the information from the Premarital Interpersonal Choices and Knowledge (PICK) program How to Avoid Falling for a Jerk/ette helped positively change adolescents’ attitudes about relationships. The program was taught to 9,130 high school students (ages 14 -18) from 35 different high schools in a Western state.

Surveys were given at the beginning of the first class (pretest) and at the end of the final class (posttest). In addition to demographic information, students rated (1) their attitudes about what it takes to get to know a potential partner, (2) their belief that love alone …

Adolescent Relationship Concerns And Perceived Gains From A Relationship Education Course, Jenny Harris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was conducted with survey data drawn from a relationship education initiative in the state of Utah. Teenagers participated in the Premarital Interpersonal Choices and Knowledge (PICK) program (also known as How to Avoid Falling for a Jerk or Jerk-ette), a program designed for single individuals. They answered questions before and after the course, and I used their responses to answer two questions: (1) What concerns do middle-adolescents (ages 15-17) have about romantic relationships? (2) What do middle-adolescents gain from participation in PICK?

Data from 605 participants were combined and analyzed for themes. Teenage participants expressed concerns about …

Public Opinion On Renewable Energy: The Nexus Of Climate, Politics, And Economy, Shawn K. Olson-Hazboun

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation research examines the factors underlying public opinion toward renewable energy in the United States. U.S. citizens in general support the continued development of renewable energy, yet opposition has been widely observed toward a variety of renewable energy facilities at the local level. Previous research on public responses to renewable energy has focused on one or a small number of communities experiencing renewable energy development. In this research I examine public views more broadly, in communities with and without renewable energy development, and also using nationally representative opinion data. I ask the following questions:

What local experiences influence how …

The Inevitable Fusion: A Mixed-Methods Sociological Approach To Comprehensive Kodiak Bear Viewing Management, Jacqueline M. Keating

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge is home to one of the highest concentrations of brown bears in Alaska. As the public demand for bear viewing opportunities continues to increase, managers are faced with the challenge of accommodating this new kind of visitor use on a refuge that was traditionally managed for the sustainable hunting of bears. To inform the public use management planning process, the Kodiak Refuge allocated funding to support social science research that objectively assessed the current nature of bear viewing opportunities and the factors that influence the quality of those opportunities. Ecologist Aldo Leopold claimed that the …