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The Racial Position Model As A Framework To Understand Friendship Formation Between Latinx Americans And Other Racial Minorities, Darren Agboh

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Three experiments utilized the Racial Position Model (RPM, Zou & Cheryan, 2017) in intraminority relations context to examine how Latinx Americans form friendships with a Black or Asian American interaction partner based on their shared or separate axes of subordination on the RPM. Latinx Americans may have contrasting interaction expectations with Black Americans and Asian Americans, as they share inferiority with Black Americans and foreignness with Asian Americans but are inferior compared to Asian Americans and foreign compared to Black Americans (Zou & Cheryan, 2017). Results showed that Latinx Americans feel more similar in terms of inferiority to Black Americans …

Caregivers’ Expectations, Reflected Appraisals, And Arrests Among Adolescents Who Experienced Parental Incarceration, Cynthia J. Najdowski, Melissa Noel

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

This research sought to identify a potential process by which intergenerational crime occurs, focusing on the effect of parental incarceration on adolescents’ subsequent arrests. We drew from Matsueda’s work on reflected appraisals as an explanatory mechanism for this effect. Thus, the present research examined whether caregivers’ and adolescents’ expectations for adolescents’ future incarceration sequentially mediated the effect of parental incarceration on adolescents’ actual arrest outcomes. Propensity score matching was used to examine this effect in a sample of 1,735 15- to 16-year-olds using NLSY97 data. Parental incarceration was positively related to caregivers’ expectations of adolescents’ future arrest. Moreover, caregivers’ expectations …

Occupational Therapy’S Role In Assisting With Community Reintegration For Survivors Of Human Trafficking, Jane Jany Huynh

Student Capstone Papers

Victims of human trafficking are exposed to traumatic experiences that affect their physical, psychological, cognitive, and social health. As survivors enter the healing stage and progressed in their journey to community reintegration, the complex traumatic experiences may affect their independence with occupational tasks.

This capstone explored the areas where occupational therapy can assist with community reintegration for survivors of human trafficking. Interviews were conducted through casual conversation using the modified Canadian Occupational Therapy Measure, (COPM) as guidance, and the Quality of Life Scale (QOLS) was used to gather baseline data.

Survivors identified priorities of their everyday living and the barriers …

The Mnemonic Consequences Of Posting “Self” And “Other” Photos On Social Media, Chloe L. Cardinale

Student Theses

The use of the internet and social media is ubiquitous. Research has shown that 90% of young Americans are active social media users, as well as 35% of American adults over the age of 65 (Perrin, 2015). When individuals use social media, they may selectively remember the information they post while simultaneously forgetting the information they did not post, but is related to the posted information (Anderson et al., 1994). The present study is an adaption of Anderson and colleagues’ retrieval-induced forgetting paradigm (RIF), consisting of personal and non-personal information. This study will specifically focus on the relationship between posting …

A Mega-Analysis Of Personality Prediction: Robustness And Boundary Conditions, Emorie Danielle Beck

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Decades of research suggest that personality is an important and robust predictor of life outcomes. However, previous investigations of personality-outcome associations have not adequately accounted for reverse causality and selection bias nor have they examined the boundary conditions of the effects, which has left the robustness conditions of personality-outcome associations unknown. The present study examines the robustness and boundary conditions of personality prediction using 14 personality characteristics to predict 14 health, social, education/work, and societal life outcomes across eight different person- and study-level moderators in 10 longitudinal panel studies in a mega-analytic framework coupled with propensity score matching to control …

A Qualitative Evaluation Of The Phoenix Project: A Strengths-Based, Trauma-Informed Care Intervention For African American, Transitional Age, Young Adults Living In San Francisco’S Public Housing Community, Lena Miller

Doctoral Dissertations

A QUALITATIVE EVALUATION OF THE PHOENIX PROJECT: A STRENGTHS-BASED, TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE INTERVENTION FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN, TRANSITIONAL AGE, YOUNG ADULTS LIVING IN SAN FRANCISCO’S PUBLIC HOUSING COMMUNITY

Abstract

Persistent community violence has had a profound and destructive impact on many urban communities throughout the country. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) resulting from community violence is becoming an increasingly frequent diagnosis of African American youth and young adults residing in San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Point (BVHP) community (San Francisco Department of Public Health, 2012). The Phoenix Project was designed to specifically address and heal symptoms of trauma and facilitate resilience among youth and young …

School Racial Climate And Discipline Practices: A Systematic Review, Sarah Lanyi

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

The disproportionate use of exclusionary discipline with African American students in American schools is systemic and well documented in the literature. School climate has been found to be related to suspension rates and as the literature has begun to demonstrate the differences in how African American students experience their school’s climate when compared to White students, an area of intervention has revealed itself. As school psychologists begin work improving school climates with the intentional goal of reducing the racial discipline gap, they may find success by improving school climate, and more specifically, the school’s racial climate. The current systematic review …

When Should Law Forgive?, Jerry Kendall

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Peer Verbal Sexual Harassment In Early Adolescence: A Feminist And Sexual Scripts Theoretical Approach., Shawn M. Rolfe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Until recently, sexual harassment research has focused primarily on adults and college and high school students with little attention given to younger students. While recent research has noted sexual harassment occurs among younger students, the literature addressing sexual harassment among middle school students is still sparse. Additionally, most studies of sexual harassment have focused on sexual harassment generally, with no distinction made between verbal and sexual harassment. In fact, only limited research has been exclusively conducted on verbal sexual harassment. Using self-report data, the current study adds to the literature by examining the nature of verbal sexual harassment as well …

Cross-Sectional Analysis Of The Relationship Between Violent Crime And Mental Health Disorders In A Sample Of Homeless Adults Recently Released From Jail, Addison Ransom

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Adverse mental health conditions among incarcerated populations are high, and treatment for these conditions is particularly low. Additionally, there is a culture of stigma in the United States towards those with mental health conditions and violent criminal history, contributing to mass incarceration. The present cross-sectional study sought to assess the association between violent criminal history and mental health symptoms among recently incarcerated homeless adults in Dallas, Texas. This study included 230 participants, taking place at The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center, evaluating non-violent versus violent criminal history. Outcome measures of positive screens for post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and depression …

A Qualitative Inquiry Exploring Help-Seeking Behaviors And Resilience Strategies Women With Disabilities Utilize When Experiencing Gender-Based Violence In Rural Communities, Kimberly Ann Aguillard

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Women with disabilities (WWD) are at pronounced risk of experiencing multiple forms of severe and prolonged violence, and they face barriers to accessing help. A multitude of factors associated with disability and rurality may compound the experience of violence, including geographic and social isolation, forcing WWD in rural settings to navigate extremely dangerous situations with limited avenues for accessing help and securing safety. This research explored how women with disabilities experiencing violence while living in rural communities navigate programs and policies, make decisions about seeking and securing help, and build resilience despite experiencing violence. The current study methodology empowers this …

The 23: Racial And Other Demographic Differences In The Assignment Of Risk Factors For Individuals Found Not Guilty By Reason Of Insanity In Virginia, Dominique Raquel Blanchette

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) acquittees uniquely walk the line of involvement in both the criminal justice and mental health systems, both of which have literature indicating the presence of underlying racial biases related to practices and outcomes. The current study examined 366 forensic charts from an inpatient psychiatric hospital in Virginia to examine potential differences in the number of risk factors assigned for NGRI acquittees based on a variety of demographic variables. Information about demographic characteristics, psychiatric history, and criminal history was recorded and analyzed. It was hypothesized that younger age, male gender, a psychotic diagnosis, violent …

Hostile Attributions To Ambiguous Situations: A Vignette Study Of The Mediating Role Of Hostile Attributions In The Relationship Between Community Violence Exposure And Youths’ Aggressive Behaviors, Hyun Kim

Student Theses

The effect of exposure to community violence has received increasing attention in recent years, given its prevalence and negative psychological and behavioral consequences on adolescents, including aggression (Lambert et al., 2018). The existing literature links violence exposure to hostile interpretation of situations (Dodge et al., 1990; Huesmann, 1988), and hostile interpretations to aggressive responses (Bradshaw et al., 2009; Crick & Dodge, 1994; Dodge et al., 1990). However, most studies have focused on parenting practices and within home violence. Few studies have examined the possible mediating role of hostile attribution bias in the relationship between community violence exposure and youth aggression, …

College Prescription Opioid Misuse: An Exploration Of Social Learning, Social Control, And Strain Theories, Julie Murray

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Prescription opioids, when used as medically intended, can be effective in pain management. However, the consequences and costs of widespread misuse of prescription opioids in the United States are cause for concern. Prescription opioids are related to increased risk of death and injury. Young adults, between the ages of 18 and 25, have the highest rates of misuse nationally and within this age group, college students may be particularly at risk. In order to effectively curb the growing misuse of prescription opioids within college populations, we must have a better understanding of the factors that potentially lead to misuse.

This …

Children’S Perceptions Of Ambiguous Interracial Interactions : Behavior And Size Judgments, Julia Wefferling

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Classic work in social psychology found that children’s perceptions of ambiguously aggressive events are biased by race (Sagar and Schofield, 1980). The present research is an attempt to extend upon that work by including an examination of perceptions of the physical size of vignette actors, based on more recent work by Wilson et al. (2017). In this study, 41 children aged 9-13 were recruited to watch cartoon clips of vignettes of Black and White characters in ambiguously aggressive interactions. Participant watched one clip of each target-actor race combination and rated many characteristics (e.g. mean, friendly) of the targets and actors. …

On Exiting From Commercial Sexual Exploitation: Insights From Sex Trade Experienced Persons, Andrea Heinz

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

As a woman who exited after seven years in licensed commercial sexual exploitation in Canada, I share my reflections on my experience, which led to the development of the Insights from Sex Trade Experienced Persons (InSTEP) Model. The model was constructed based on interviews with “service providers” in the sex trade. Twelve exited women share their experiences inclusively. InSTEP is geared toward a population of quasi-autonomous providers who have alternate economic options. Three levels are introduced in the InSTEP model to describe the continuum of agency among service providers; Level 1: trafficked/controlled; Level 2: quasi-autonomous; Level 3: autonomous. The InSTEP …

Group Treatment Effectiveness For Substance Use Disorders: Abstinence Vs. Harm Reduction, Jill D. Parramore

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare group treatment effectiveness for substance use disorders within the U.S. across treatment philosophies as it relates to the primary research question, Is there a significant difference of group treatment effectiveness between Abstinence and Harm Reduction treatment philosophies? It was hypothesized that group treatment will remain an effective intervention to treat substance use disorders between treatment philosophies and that no significant differences exist between-group comparisons. The aim of this study is to provide evidence of treatment effectiveness that will ultimately improve treatment outcomes for substance use disorders, provide guidance for …

Eyewitness Recall And Identification Accuracy: Effects Of Stress In An Extreme Haunt And A Haunted House, William Blake Ridgway

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The impact of stress on eyewitness recall and identification accuracy has been studied extensively but with somewhat inconsistent results. Understanding the effects of stress are important if they are to be generalized to victims or witnesses of real crimes. This study consisted of two experiments that used an extreme haunt and a haunted house to examine attendees’ ability to recall details of and identify actors encountered, as a function of state anxiety and in the context of Deffenbacher’s (1994) catastrophe model of memory performance under anxiety. The results showed that physiological (i.e., heart rate) and psychological (i.e., State Anxiety Inventory) …

Resilience And The Mental Health Of Bullying Victims: The Role Of Peer Relationships On The Relation Between Bullying Victimization And Social Anxiety, Michelle Catherine Zochowski

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Bullying is a pervasive issue in today’s schools that has a significant impact on the mental health of students. Resilience has a positive impact on the outcomes related to facing adversity including bullying. The following dissertation study asks whether the relation between bullying victimization and social anxiety differs as a function of resilience and gender. It was hypothesized that bullying victims with increased resilience would show lower levels of social anxiety, as would students that report their gender as female. Chapter one discusses the significance of the problem, defines relevant constructs, and introduces the problem statement. Chapter two outlines the …

Belief In Pure Evil As A Trait Predictor Of Harsh Judgments Of Perpetrator Attributes, Victoria Charlotte Mary-Rose Pocknell

Theses and Dissertations

Humans look for a quick and comforting explanation for why bad things happen. One popular explanation is to believe good and evil are active forces affecting people and events. Past research suggests belief in evil is associated with harsher judgments and less prosocial behavior. However, little research has explored what factors influence the development of a belief in evil or its effects in an experimental setting. Using a national sample of Amazon MTurk respondents (N = 511), participants completed a series of potential developmental antecedent measures (e.g. personality domains, religiosity, etc.) and viewed a video vignette of a crime with …

Does Race Matter? An Examination Of Defendant Race On Legal Decision Making In The Context Of Actuarial Risk Assessments, Riley Davis

Master's Theses

Numerous examples show how consideration of extra-legal factors, like defendant race, in legal decision-making are contributing to the overrepresentation of minorities in the legal system. Because triers of fact may be less familiar with risk assessment results presented by expert witnesses, there is a need to examine how legal decision-making is being affected by race in this context. This study aimed to examine whether individuals are in fact relying on race as a factor above empirically supported expert opinions of actual violence risk predictions. The sample consisted of 280 participants recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. To test the primary hypothesis …

Fifth Year Persisters: High School, College, And Early Career Outcomes For Persisting Non-Graduates, Mathew C. Uretsky, Angela K. Henneberger

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

There is limited extant knowledge regarding academic and workforce experiences of students who remain engaged in high school, but do not graduate in the traditional four years. The current study used Multilevel modeling and descriptive statistics with statewide linked longitudinal administrative data (N = 2917) to (1) examine the student- and school-level factors related to earning a diploma during the fifth year of high school and (2) describe proximate academic and career outcomes for non-graduates and fifth year graduates. Multiple student-level factors were associated with increased likelihood of earning a diploma in the fifth year (e.g. special education eligibility, passing …

Promote Healing And Restore Lives: Clinicians’ Reflections On Their Experiences In Working With Survivors Of Trafficking, Brittany Burch

McNair Scholars Research

Humans are shaped by their personal beliefs, values, and individual philosophies of life. Personal ideologies of humanitarian aid can root a deep desire to provide help and assistance to the vulnerable within our community. This desire often manifests itself specifically in clinicians seeking to provide healing, hope, and restoration in the lives of women and men. (Thullesen, 2019). Human trafficking is a prominent human rights and social justice issue that is embedded within our society. This study focused on clinicians’ experiences and perspectives in working with victims of human trafficking.

The data was collected through interviews of clinicians working directly …

Online Civic Engagements Among College Students: Exploring Well-Being, Tanupreet Suri

Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

Ways in which college students use social media for civic engagements and how that usage interplays with their identity development and general well-being have been explored in this study. Civic engagement among college students is imperative to their growth and development. Additionally, social networking sites (SNS) have a great potential for fostering a sense of community and enhancing wellbeing. Thus, how college students’ online civic engagement and general wellbeing interplay was examined. This study employed an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) alongside photo elicitation to explore the experiences of college students. Key findings suggest online civic engagements interplays with college students’ …

Perceptions Of Police Use Of Force At The Intersection Of Race And Pregnancy, Emma Elizabeth Lee Money

Dissertations and Theses

Attention surrounding forceful policing largely focuses on men's experiences, but Black women, even when pregnant, are also harmed by police use of force. Previous research demonstrating anti-Black biases in perceptions of police use of force toward men cannot be directly applied towards women, due to unique stereotypes of Black women and mothers. How do race and pregnancy influence perceptions of police use of force against women? It was expected that pregnancy would elicit more positive responses in the current study, but only when pregnant women were also White. Benevolent sexism (BS) and social dominance orientation (SDO) were tested as moderators …

Is There A Relationship Between The Number Of Female Students Who Were Cyberbullied And The Number Of Female Students Who Seriously Considered Attempting Suicide?, Wayne L. Davis

Lincoln Memorial University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

In the United States, cyberbullying has become a major public health concern. Indeed, many people who are victims of cyberbullying consider harming themselves. Because criminal justice practitioners are concerned with public safety, this is an area worthy of study. The general purpose of this study is to investigate whether there is a correlation between the percentage of female students who were electronically bullied and the percentage of female students who seriously considered suicide. Data were collected in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017 using a three-stage cluster sample design, which produced a nationally representative sample of students in grades 9–12 who …

The Relationship Between Organizational Trauma-Informed Care And Secondary Trauma Symptoms In Staff Members Of Kentucky Domestic Violence Programs, Mary Ellen Foley

Dissertations

This study evaluated secondary traumatic stress (STS) levels in 89 employees from Kentucky’s 15 regional domestic crisis programs to determine whether certain demographic variables predicted STS levels (as measured by the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale©) and whether employee perception of organizational trauma-informed care practices (as measured by the Ticometer©) reduced levels of STS. Results of a multiple regression analysis indicated that personal trauma history severity did significantly impact STS levels. In this way, the current study rejected the null hypothesis. Results also indicated that the more the employee perceived the organization to adopt and execute trauma-informed care practices, the lower …

Organizational Dissent: The Implications Of Race And Dissent Outcomes, Siera N. Bramschreiber

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Dissent, the public expression of a minority perspective, is valuable to organizations due to its connections with improving decision-making processes within teams. The current study sought to integrate what is known about diversity in thought and diversity in people and how this influences the dissent process. Specifically, I examined if positive perceptions of dissenters (i.e., worthy of respect or courageous) differ based on the race of the dissenter. Second, I examined if stories of successful articulated dissent influence subsequent willingness to dissent. In developing a scenario to manipulate dissent outcomes ranging from negative outcomes (i.e., hostility) to positive outcomes (i.e., …

College Supports For Asd: Autistic Perspectives Across Educational Career, Rachel Stanley

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Higher education has become a viable pursuit for many autistic individuals, but those who seek a college degree graduate at rates significantly lower than their peers. Social skills, mental health, executive functioning, independent living, and sensory processing are highlighted as areas of difficulty for autistic college students. However, research seeking the perspectives and experiences of autistic individuals has been limited, and proposed solutions are not based on input from the population they seek to serve. Further, research has been largely limited to current college students, and may miss potentially useful perspectives on transition from individuals pre- and post-college. This study …

Juveniles Tried As Adults:The Impact Of Youth Demographic Factors On Juror Perceptions, Denieka Ellis

Student Theses

Abstract: This study explored the impact of defendant age, race and stereotypic crime on verdicts and recommended sentencing of juveniles tried as adults. Previous research shows that jurors enter trial with negative preconceptions and biases of juveniles because they are being tried within an adult venue. These negative preconceptions have led jurors to recommend harsher sentencing for juveniles rather than adults with the same defendant characteristics and criminal history. Crime type and crime severity have also been shown to impact perceptions of juvenile defendants in adult court. However, research has not yet explored the potential impact that stereotypic crime—a crime …