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Disaster Risk Management During Climate Emergencies In The Dominican Republic And Puerto Rico, Rosleny Ubinas

Dissertations and Theses

This paper analyzes the DRM approach as an effective framework in addressing climate emergencies across the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. These two Caribbean regions, with high hurricane exposure and differing response structures, are deeply shaped by their governments and affiliated international organizations. Disaster Risk Management is the systematic process of using laws, plans, institutions, and community networks to reduce vulnerability to hazards and coordinate effective response when disasters occur. It covers the full cycle, from prevention to reconstruction and rebuilding more resiliently. The Dominican Republic’s law-based intervention led to greater local-level community participation during disasters with its embedded volunteer …

Comparison Of Mental Illness Comorbidity Pre-Pandemic Vs. Pandemic-Era And Associations With Clinical And Demographic Characteristics For Virginia Public Hospital Inpatient Discharges With A Substance Use Disorder, Marilyn Bartholmae, Tharidu Gunawardena

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

The rise in mental illnesses after the COVID-19 pandemic is well documented. However, it is not known whether the rates of mental illness comorbidity increased. The objectives of this study were to compare mental illness comorbidity rates before and after the pandemic among inpatients with SUD and to test associations between mental illness comorbidity, physical illness, and demographics. We used a retrospective cross-sectional design in a sample of inpatient discharges (N = 233,017) at Virginia public hospitals from January 2018 to December 2022. We used Z tests to compare rates of mental illness comorbidity pre- and post-pandemic and Chi-square tests …

Widowed And Wounded? Exploring The Health Impacts Of Adverse Childhood Experiences In Later Life Widowhood, Sierra Wickline

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Losing a spouse is considered one of the most stressful life events that disproportionately affect older individuals. Exposure to traumatic events at an early age can change the body’s response to subsequent stressors across the lifespan. These physical changes often impact people’s health. Utilizing data from the Health and Retirement Study, the current study aimed to investigate the link between: adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and three indicators of health: inflammation (i.e., c-reactive protein [CRP], reflecting immune functioning), as well as self-reported depressive symptoms and physical health, among people who have lost a spouse. Participants included 97 widowed individuals aged 68 …

The Relationship Between Interoceptive Awareness And Eating Disorder Symptomatology, Madelyn G. Johnson

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Interoceptive awareness (IA; e.g., the ability to perceive and interpret internal bodily sensations) is increasingly recognized as central to eating disorder (ED) psychopathology, yet findings remain mixed regarding whether heightened IA is protective or maladaptive. Across two studies using a sample of 654 college students (Mage = 18.74, SD = 1.56; 46% White; 58% female) from a large northeastern U.S. university, we examined (1) how specific IA facets relate to ED symptom severity, and (2) whether anxiety sensitivity (AS) helps explain these associations. In Study 1, linear regressions predicting Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire–7 (EDE-Q7) scores showed that nearly all MAIA-2 …

Weighing The Costs: Understanding How Eating Disorder History And Motivation For Use Impacts Experience On A Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist And Interest In Future Use, Kimberly M. Gauert

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) medications have become popular tools due to their effectiveness regarding weight loss and chronic disease management. The drastic increase in demand for these medications has led to widespread availability and an increase in “off-label” use for cosmetic purposes. Although GLP-1 RA medications have the potential to positively impact overall health and wellbeing, there is also concern regarding potential misuse of these medications by those with a history of eating disorder behaviors. However, few studies to date have examined the relationship between a history of eating disorder pathology, reason for GLP-1 RA use, and current …

A Proposed Conceptual Framework For Assessing Quality Of Life In The United Arab Emirates: Application To Ras Al Khaimah Emirate, Aaesha Saif Al Shehhi

Dissertations

Quality of Life (QoL) has become a central concern in urban planning and sustainable development, particularly in rapidly transforming contexts such as the United Arab Emirates. This dissertation proposes and empirically validates a comprehensive framework for assessing urban QoL, with a focused application to the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. A mixed-methods approach integrates objective indicators and residents' subjective perceptions, aligned with national strategies including UAE Vision 2030, the National Strategy for Wellbeing 2031, and UAE Centennial 2071.

The methodology combines Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and statistical analyses to evaluate seven key sectors: environment, infrastructure …

Assessing Fisheries Dependence Of Coastal Communities In Managed Mangrove Forests In Latin America, Ariel Alexander Quintanilla Magana

Open Access Dissertations

Fisheries dependency refers to the action of a person, community, or society linking their social, cultural, and economic actions to different ecosystem services (ES) for covering their food system with essential marine species, developing a governance system to conserve these fishing areas, their local ecological knowledge, and guaranteeing food security in the coastal areas. In Latin America, most fishing activities are practiced within three nautical miles of the shoreline, estuaries, lagoons, and mangrove forest channels, using small vessels and traditional gear such as hooks, trammel nets, and gill nets. Some coastal communities have developed their subsistence and livelihood activities in …

Behind The Curtain: A Literature Review Of Personal And Ecological Risk Factors And Current Multi-Level Interventions For Performing Artists, Christopher A. Robles

Social Work Theses

Performing artists experience psychological distress, including anxiety, depression, burnout, and substance use disorders, at rates significantly exceeding those of the general population. Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (EST) and the Person-in-Environment (PIE) perspective, this structured literature review synthesizes research published between 2010 and 2026 to examine individual personality traits, environmental stressors across meso- and macro-systems, and existing multi-level mental health interventions for performing artists. Findings reveal that while traits such as high openness to experience, sensory processing sensitivity, and perfectionism foster artistic expression, they also heighten vulnerability to occupational stressors, financial precarity, social isolation, and venue-based substance exposure. Current …

Impact Of Family And Social Determinants Of Health On Behavioral And Bmi Outcomes In Adolescents With And Without Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities: An Ecological System Perspective, Pingnan Li

Social Work Theses

Adolescence is a critical developmental period during which behavioral and physical health outcomes are shaped by social and family determinants of health; yet limited research has examined how these determinants operate among adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) within a multilevel ecological framework. To address this gap, this thesis used data from Years 9 and 15 of the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), with a final analytic sample of 3,176 adolescents at Year 15, including 150 with IDD. Descriptive analyses first examined the differences in demographic characteristics, behavioral outcomes (externalizing and internalizing behaviors), and physical outcomes …

The Gender Binary And Its Effects On Athletes And Society At Large As Described In Newspaper Accounts Of Competitors In The Summer 2024 Olympics, Neo Zheng

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this paper is to look at the impact of gendered language and gender rhetoric on the continued social maintenance of gender, especially as it relates to athletes. This project focuses on the patterns that arise in language of news articles on two female athletes participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics who are accused of being transgender or male, shedding light on how media outlets talk about the topic of gender in athletes specifically, and society itself more generally.

24-H Circadian Rest-Activity Rhythms And Physical Frailty In Older Adults: A Biopsychosocial Perspective On Sex Differences And Social Capital, Jisu Kim

Theses and Dissertations

Physical frailty is a prevalent geriatric syndrome characterized by age-related decline across multiple physiological systems. Physical frailty is associated with an elevated risk of adverse health outcomes, including chronic disease progression and all-cause mortality, representing a significant and growing public health concern. Disrupted circadian rest-activity rhythms (RARs) are increasingly recognized as clinically meaningful markers of physical frailty in older adults. However, the extent to which biological sex and social determinants of health (SDoH), particularly social capital, contribute to or modify the associations between RARs and physical frailty remains underexplored.

Therefore, this dissertation summarizes the existing literature on age-related changes in …

Identifying Maltreatment Classes And Their Associated Psychological Outcomes From Childhood To Adolescence, Colleen Bartlett

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Previous research has consistently shown that experiencing maltreatment has significant, negative effects on youth’s psychological health; however, research on the psychological impact of maltreatment is often limited by challenges in accurately capturing children’s maltreatment experiences, as most children who are exposed to maltreatment experience multiple types of maltreatment. The present study utilized latent class analyses (LCAs), a person-centered, data-driven approach to empirically identify patterns in children’s maltreatment experiences at ages 3, 5, and 9. Maltreatment class indicators included frequency of behaviorally approximated emotional abuse, physical abuse, and neglect. Following the LCAs, associations between maltreatment class membership and youth internalizing and …

Fifty Years Of Research In The Commonwealth Of The Bahamas: A Quantitative Thematic Analysis Of Scholarly Output, Amina Moss, Krista D. Sherman, Williamson Gustave, Kathleen Sullivan Sealey, Charlotte Dunn, Nicola Simone Smith, Lindy Knowles, Christy Gibson

Gulf and Caribbean Research

This study presents the first longitudinal bibliometric mapping of peer—reviewed research on The Bahamas, analyzing 12,113 Web of Science records (1975–2025) using CiteSpace v.6.4.R2. We identified 36 co—citation clusters (modularity Q = 0.7967; silhouette = 0.9231) and 28 keyword clusters (Q = 0.7523; silhouette = 0.8695), revealing 8 thematic trajectories over 5 decades. Early research (prior to 1990) focused on carbonate geology and sea—level dynamics across the northwestern Bahama Platform and Blake—Bahama Basin (Cluster#0, silhouette = 0.939). From the 1990s–mid—2000s, attention shifted to marine fisheries, Aliger gigas, coral reefs, and ecological resilience (Cluster #1, n = 203). In the …

Growing Agroecology: Two Case Studies From The U.S. Student Farm Movement, Amelia B. Armstrong

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Scholars and activists identify agroecology as a crucial science, practice, and movement to move towards more just, equitable, and sustainable agriculture and food systems. Yet, the exploitative industrial food system, that deepens inequalities like food insecurity (Clapp et al., 2025), reduces farmer autonomy (Rotz, 2015), and contributes to increased carbon emissions (Lin et al., 2011) and biodiversity decline (Rotz, 2015), still dominates. Understanding and mobilizing the different spaces that teach agroecology, then, is a crucial step in challenging the dominant industrial food system. Agroecology education in university settings is an important domain to investigate as potential contributors to this movement, …

Resilience By Design: Evidence From The Richmond Resilience Initiative, Research Institute For Social Equity Rise, Morgan Woodle Phd, Albert Okwei, Yali Pang, Nakeina E. Douglas-Glenn

Research Institute for Social Equity

This report presents a programmatic evaluation of the Richmond Resilience Initiative (RRI), a guaranteed income program designed to support economic stability among Richmond Residents experiencing financial hardship. The evaluation focuses on participants in Cohort Two and Cohort Three, examining program impacts over the two-year periods during which participants received cash transfers. Guaranteed income (GI), the provision of recurring, unconditional cash transfers, has grown in popularity as a significant policy innovation for addressing economic insecurity and inequality in the United States.

Fabrication Of Urea With Amorphous Silica To Increase Rice Growth In Saline Soils, Thi Ha Chi Nguyen, Thi Hang Thuc Ha, Minh Phuong Nguyen, Ngoc Chuc Pham, Quang Bac Nguyen, Nguyen Huy Tuan Do, Ngoc Nhiem Dao, Trung Kien Nguyen

Applied Environmental Research

In recent decades, the decrease in rice cultivation areas in Vietnam, particularly in the Mekong River Delta, caused by climate change and soil salinization, has posed serious challenges for sustainable development. In addition to irrigation and agronomic practices, fertilizers that sustain rice growth under saline conditions play a crucial role in improving crop productivity. Amorphous silica has been reported to increase plant tolerance to drought, salinity, and heavy metal stress. In this study, nanosilica-coated urea (UCS) fertilizers were synthesized by coating urea granules with 1–5 wt% amorphous silica. The products were characterized by SEM, XRD, FTIR, TG‒DSC, and EDX to …

After The Aid Boom: Government Responses To The Global Health Agenda And Political Commitment In Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Sana Abdelkarim

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

How do governments respond to the global health agenda? Does external health assistance translate to sustained domestic political commitment in low- and middle-income countries? Over the past three decades, development assistance for health has expanded, accompanied by international agreements emphasizing country ownership, alignment, and domestic resource mobilization. Yet domestic fiscal commitment to health remains uneven across countries. These questions have become more pressing as the global aid landscape enters a period of contraction, with a significant decline in development assistance, including health financing, raising concerns about the sustainability of health systems that have become reliant on external support.  This raises …

Parental Distress, Coercive Control With Food, And Child Self-Regulation, Kattie Nguyen

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Self-regulation is the management of one's emotions, thoughts, and behaviors to adapt to a situation (Smith-Donald et al., 2007). During infancy and toddlerhood, parents foster self-regulation through co-regulation (e.g., sensitivity, responsiveness), helping children manage their emotions, behaviors, and thoughts (Butler & Randall, 2013). Parents who experience distress (e.g., depression, stress, anxiety) are more likely to use less responsive and harsher, controlling practices like coercive control. Coercive control with food is a practice where parents use food as threats or bribes to control their child’s emotions and behaviors (Vaughn et al., 2016). The present study examined the associations between parental distress, …

Puff, Puff, Pass? Examining Cannabis Use Among Black American Adults, Christopher B. Walker

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

In the United States, cannabis has become one of the most widely used controlled substances due to its increase in social acceptance, the growing number of states legalizing it for medical and non-medical purposes, and the expansion of consumption methods.  However, little is known about the modes of cannabis use chosen by Black American adults.  This population is of importance due to existing research suggesting their increased risk of developing cannabis use disorder compared to their White counterparts and their underrepresentation in existing literature.  The goal of this study is to examine cannabis use among Black adults in the U.S., …

Seasonal Variations In Co2 Emission From Poultry Manure-Amended Soils In Two Contrasting Tropical Agroecosystems, Gladys M. Akande, Adebayo J. Adeyemo, Chidozie J. Oraegbunam, Iduh J.J. Otene, Ezekiel C. Are, Babatunde S. Ewulo, Chioma M. Ahukaemere, Samuel O. Kolawole, Sunday E. Obalum

Applied Environmental Research

The soil remains the largest carbon sink, the capacity of which varies spatiotemporally and with anthropogenic activities, with implications for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and associated global warming. Despite the increasing popularity of organic amendments in the ecologically and anthropoculturally diverse farming systems of tropical Africa, manure-induced CO2 emissions in this region with high soil-carbon-sequestration potential are poorly documented. This study assessed seasonal CO2 emissions from poultry manure-amended sandy-clay-loam and sandy-loam soils in the Rainforest-Savannah and Southern Guinea Savannah zones, respectively, of Nigeria. Following manure application at 3 rates (0, 10, and 15 t ha-1), soil samples were collected during …

The Transforming Image | Wintersession 2026 Syllabus, Hunter Whitaker-Morrow, Movement Lab

Course Materials

This studio course engages the contemporary digital moving (and sounding) image as a medium undergoing rapid development. Advancing the exploratory ethos of early video art, participants will probe new possibilities for experimentation against the contemporary backdrop of ubiquitous access to smartphones and production capabilities as well as the proliferation of tools for digital signal manipulation, media recycling, and image sequencing.

Coursework will center on a variety of hands-on creative exercises that challenge predominant conceptions of the moving image and engage with medium-specific approaches including video installation, desktop performance, generative cinematics, recycling media, realtime audio-visual performance, and notions of digital materiality. …

Examining The Factor Structure And Subgroup Invariance Of The Deliberate Denial Of Disordered Eating Behaviors Scale, Lindsay Howard, Sage Hawn, Kayla D. Pitchford, Riley Mcgrath, Aubri Farniok, Arturo Sesma, Kristin E. Heron

Psychology Faculty Publications

The denial, concealment, or omission of disordered eating behaviors has received limited attention in the eating disorder literature, partly due to the lack of reliable and valid measures. This study re-examined the factor structure of the Denial of Disordered Eating Behaviors Scale (DDEBS-12) and tested measurement invariance across gender identity, racial identity, and levels of disordered eating in a non-clinical undergraduate sample (N = 3285). Confirmatory factor analyses did not support the original unidimensional structure. Instead, a seven-item model assessing denial of dietary restriction demonstrated the best fit and was renamed the DDEBS-restriction. The revised scale showed good internal consistency …

Best Practices For Using Biological Data In Psychological Research, Sage E. Hawn, Sinead M. Sinnott, Alicia K. Smith, Kyle Bourassa, Leslie Brick, Sian Hemmings, Soraya Seedat, Arash Javanbakht, Lauren Smith, Antonia V. Seligowski, Nathan A. Kimbrel, Divya Mehta, Hossein Abbasi, Erika Wolf

Psychology Faculty Publications

Advances in statistical techniques for analyzing biological data have driven the need for larger sample sizes, which are ultimately made possible through team science efforts. Findings from these efforts have led to a significant shift in approaches to biological data collection over the past decade, from traditional approaches relying on single measures or assays collected by individual investigators in small lab-based studies to high-dimensional methodologies embedded within large cohorts or multi-site studies. These recent large scale consortium efforts necessitate careful consideration across the full data pipeline, from pre-data generation and sample collection to processing and statistical analysis, while addressing challenges …

Daily Rhythms In Psychosocial Stress, Sleep, And Mood: A Multimethod Approach To Transdiagnostic Psychopathology Risk And Intervention, Gabriel Gilmore

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Rhythms are central to nearly every core physiological and psychological process and have profound influences on overall health and well-being, particularly in the context of mood disorders. This dissertation emphasizes a rhythm-centered framework for understanding transdiagnostic psychopathology, proposing that the temporal organization of psychosocial stress, sleep, and mood provides crucial information for the development and treatment of mood disorder symptomology. Current literature relies primarily on mean symptom levels, overlooking day-to-day patterns in psychosocial experiences. To address this key methodological gap, three studies are examined. Study 1 develops and validates the Psychosocial Stress Regularity Measure (PSRM), a brief single-item measure of …

Relative Utility Governs Working Memory For Drug-Associated Stimuli In A Novel Translational Paradigm, Maxwell E. Boileau

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Substance use disorder (SUD) remains a prevalent health concern, partially characterized by continued drug use despite aversive consequences. Contrary to accounts emphasizing cognitive deficits, drug versus non-drug choice data reflect sensitivity to reinforcement dimensions, with preference shifting systematically as a function of magnitude and probability. The present study tested whether another cognitive system, working memory, is similarly affected by relative utility. Preclinical studies have demonstrated sensitivity of working memory to reinforcement dimensions, but these are often attributed to the differential outcomes effect. Generalized matching models were fit to allomorphic choice data, allowing estimation of exchange rate parameters. A concurrent solid- …

A Mixed Method Investigation On The Effects Of Information And Motivation On Self-Regulation Skills And Fruit And Vegetable Consumption, Kristen Buford

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Introduction: The purpose of this research study is to understand the interplay between health information and health motivation on eating behaviors in African American emerging adults. Greater knowledge of nutrition is linked to healthier eating outcomes, but the motivations that individuals possess about their ability to improve their health also play a pivotal role. However, the joint effect of such constructs (i.e., information and motivation) on eating behaviors is unknown. Emerging adults are still developing their capacities to exercise their health autonomy, and this developmental period represents an opportunity to intervene before the onset of age-related chronic diseases in middle …

Decentralization's Effects On Food-Insecure Households In Drought-Prone Woredas In Ethiopia, Vân Lê

Research Honors

In Ethiopia, more than 16 million people face hunger and malnutrition due to conflict, poverty, or extreme weather conditions caused by climate change. In 2005, the government launched its flagship social protection strategy, the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), to meet the food security needs of the rural population by providing humanitarian food access and boosting productive capacity to reduce vulnerability. This work-for-food/cash transfers program allows beneficiaries to buy food while working on public infrastructure. The transfers can then be used to help participants build livelihood assets and become more resilient to shocks. Although the PSNP has substantially improved food …

Dampak Peraturan Daerah Terkait Kesehatan Terhadap Prevalensi Stunting Tingkat Kabupaten/Kota Di Indonesia, Cakra Yudi Putra, Teguh Dartanto

Jurnal Ekonomi dan Pembangunan Indonesia

Stunting remains a major public health challenge in Indonesia with long-term impacts on health, cognition, and productivity. This study examines whether health-related regional regulations (Peraturan Daerah or Perda) reduce stunting prevalence across 338 districts/municipalities in 2007 and 2013. Using Difference-in-Differences (DiD) and DiD with Propensity Score Matching (DiD-PSM) on secondary data from Riskesdas, Statistics Indonesia (BPS), and the Legal Documentation and Information Network (JDIH), we find no statistically significant causal effect of cumulative health Perda on stunting reduction, although OLS shows a negative association. Sanitation significantly reduces stunting in eastern Indonesia. Findings highlight the need for evidence-based, multisectoral, measurable, implementable, …

The Impact Of Remittances On Food Security In Times Of Crisis—Evidence From Covid-19 In Latin America And The Caribbean, Colin Cannonier

Funded Scholarship

This study examines the association between workers’ remittances and food insecurity in Latin America and the Caribbean using data from a Coronavirus survey covering over 100,000 individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results indicate that receipt of remittances is associated with an 8.8% decrease (2.5% points) in overall food insecurity. Heterogeneous effects are observed among females, individuals in Latin America, and households with children. Remittances from the USA exhibit a stronger influence on reducing food insecurity. The findings underscore the potential importance of remittances in improving food security at both extensive and intensive margins. Policy issues are also discussed.

Skeletal Markers: Interpreting Trauma, Healing, And Survival Through Osteological Remains From Medieval Pomerania, Michael Mulliner-Szyndler

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Traditionally, studies in bioarcheology have cited the presence of individuals with evidence of healed traumatic injuries and certain pathologies as an indication of social care either at the time of the trauma or throughout the individual’s lifetime. Here, I present three case studies of individuals who present with signs of having survived traumatic injuries and related pathologies. These individuals are from a late medieval cemetery in Żelewo, in the historical region of Pomerania in present-day northwestern Poland. The site is associated with the nearby town of Kołbacz, which is home to the oldest Cistercian monastery in Pomerania. This study aims …