Digital Commons Network^™

Cooperative Extension’S Role In Addressing The Opioid Overdose Crisis: Best Practices From The Heart Initiative Model, Hailey Judd, Alise Williams Condie, Ashley C. Yaugher, Mateja R. Savoie-Roskos, Gabriela Murza, Timothy Keady, Sadie Wilde, Rachel Myrer, Maren Wright Voss

Journal of Extension

Cooperative Extension is in a unique position to address health and wellness concerns across the country, particularly in rural areas with local Extension services. One innovative model, the Health Extension: Advocacy, Research, and Teaching (HEART) Initiative, unites Extension, community organizations, and community members in collaborative activities to address the complex, multifaceted components of substance use disorder. The model utilized a multidisciplinary team and community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach with evidence-based practices to increase Extension’s abilities to guide and tailor programming to local needs and to create significant impacts. Cooperative Extension’s long history of engagement in the community, with state and …

An Exploration Of China’S Low Fertility From A Feminist Lens: Chinese Women’S Feminist Identity Development, Perceived Gender Inequality, And Attitudes Toward Marriage, Yuan Hao

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Inspired by China’s current low fertility rate issues, this dissertation explored how Chinese women’s perceptions on gender inequality might shape their attitudes towards marriage and intent to marry, through the influences of different dimensions of feminist identity development. Through an online survey, 251 Chinese women who met the inclusion criteria were participants in this study. Hypotheses were tested through mediation analysis using the PROCESS Macro Model 4.

The following hypotheses were supported: 1) Chinese women’s perception of gender inequality is associated with their attitudes toward marriage. The greater they perceive gender inequality, the more negative their attitudes toward marriage will …

Gps Accuracy Of Smartphones For Crowdsourcing Research, Derron L. Dike

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

ABSTRACT GPS Accuracy of Smartphones for Crowdsourcing Research Derron Dike Utilizing crowdsourcing with smartphones as a method for field data collection can contribute an array of data for scientific studies and land management applications. This study used crowdsourcing to examine smartphone built-in GPS performance for providing location-specific information with potential forestry applications. The usability of smartphones for GPS data collection in forestry studies or other practical applications is dependent on the level of accuracy required for those applications. A Smartphone Accuracy Trial was designed to test the GPS accuracy performance of current smartphones. Participants used the ArcGIS Field Maps application …

Research Report: Well-Being, Heather Akin, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Mary Emery, Katelyn Larson, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy, Rebecca J. Vogt

Nebraska Rural Poll

This year, rural Nebraskans are more pessimistic about their current situation than they’ve been since this study began. The proportion believing they are worse off than they were five years ago was 33 percent, up from 27 percent last year and 21 percent in 2022. This is the highest level across all years of the study. This increase in pessimism was matched with a sharp decrease in optimism. This year, just over one-third (36%) of rural Nebraskans believe they are better off compared to five years ago, down from 45 percent last year.

This trend continued when looking to the …

No. 25: Responses To Covid-19 By Internal Migrants In South African Cities, Jonathan Crush, Godfrey Tawodzera, Maria Salamone, Zack Ahmed

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This paper explores the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on internal migrants in the urban centres of Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa. Focusing on the socio-economic and livelihood challenges faced by this population, the research utilizes a survey conducted in 2023 to investigate how the pandemic exacerbated existing vulnerabilities. Results highlight significant disruptions in employment, increased economic hardship, and heightened health risks among migrants, particularly those living in low-income neighbourhoods. Despite the hardships, very few migrants intended to permanently return to their rural origins, indicating a complex interplay between economic necessity and pandemic-induced constraints. The findings underscore the unique challenges …

No. 24: Food And Health Security Among Burmese Migrant Domestic Workers In Singapore Amid Myanmar’S ‘Triple Crisis’, Brenda Yeoh, Franchesca Morais, Theodora Lam, Kristel Acedera, Bittiandra Chand Somaiah

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

Migrating overseas to work as domestic workers is an increasingly important livelihood strategy for capital-poor women in Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar. However, the recent COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest in Myanmar has highlighted the entrenched precarities and uncertainties attached to this migration strategy. The health crisis has further heightened the importance of remittances and food security for migrants and their sending households. Food production, food systems and access to food supplies in the country have been especially hit by political instability, the energy crisis and inflation. This paper explores issues concerning the food and health security of female …

A Flood Of Consequences In Louisville, Kentucky: Using Hgis To Track Refugees Impacted By The 1937 Ohio River Flood, Trevor Harry

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The Ohio River flood of 1937 was the most devastating flood in the recorded history of the Ohio River Valley and is commonly referred to as the “Great Flood of 1937”. In January 1937, after nearly two months of continuous precipitation, over 60% of the city of Louisville, Kentucky, was flooded and at least 23,000 residents were displaced. The purpose of this research was to document, map, and compare the pre-flood residential locations, evacuation destinations, and post-flood residential locations of African American and White Louisville refugees from the 1937 Ohio River flood. Socioeconomic information from the manuscript versions of the …

The Perceived Community And Environmental Impacts Of Development Around Bear Lake, Alexander Theophilus, Jessica D. Ulrich-Schad

Publications

Bear Lake is a popular recreation and tourist destination split between the borders of northeastern Utah and southeastern Idaho. Bear Lake’s beaches, watersports, and other outdoor recreation opportunities have attracted tourists for decades. Communities around Bear Lake include Garden City and Laketown, Utah, as well as Paris, Montpelier, Fish Haven, St. Charles, and Bennington, Idaho. Additionally, Bear Lake lies in close proximity to larger metropolitan areas along the Wasatch Front of Utah, such as Salt Lake City and Logan.

Bear Lake Project Overview, Charlotte Williams, Alexander Theophilus

Publications

Bear Lake is a popular recreation and tourist destination split between the borders of northeastern Utah and southeastern Idaho. Bear Lake's beaches, watersports, and other outdoor recreation opportunities have attracted tourists for decades. Communities around Bear Lake include Garden City and Laketown, Utah, as well as Paris, Montpelier, Fish Haven, St. Charles, and Bennington, Idaho. Additionally, Bear Lake lies in close proximity to larger metropolitan areas along the Wasatch Front of Utah, such as Salt Lake City and Logan.

No. 26: Pandemic Precarities And Remittance Narratives In The Global South, Jonathan Crush, Sujata Ramachandran

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The COVID-19 pandemic has been referred to as a great disruptor of global migration leading to a crisis of immobility caused by public health lockdowns, closed borders, and the suspension of visa processing. Layoffs and retrenchments of migrant workers led to widespread hardship and an intensification of pre-pandemic precarity, as well as disrupted remittance channels and flows. Against this backdrop, the paper provides an overview of current debates about the relationship between COVID-19 and international migration in the context of South-South migration. We assess how pre-pandemic South-South migration flows were disrupted by the pandemic and the evidence for a crisis …

Unveiling Emergency Psychiatric Healthcare Disparities: An Analysis Of U.S. Emergency Department Encounters., Anna Elizabeth Kelecy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to uncover emergency psychiatric healthcare disparities by examining data of emergency departments from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys, years 2020 and 2021. The two outcome variables are the length of stay in the emergency department and the urgency with which a patient should be seen. There are multiple independent variables that are analyzed, including age, residence, sex, race/ethnicity, pay type, region, and metropolitan statistical area status. The results indicate that there are disparities, especially in terms of race/ethnicity, region, and metropolitan statistical area status for each dependent variable. These findings indicate that there may be …

Housing Policy And Eviction: An Iterative Process., Oleksandra Maksymivna Belinova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previously, eviction has been perceived as a legal problem rather than a social issue. Previous literature examines eviction as a social problem and the role of program administrators in policy implementation. Through a mixed-methods study of in-depth semi structured interviews and secondary descriptive analysis of eviction data, this study serves explores program administrators’ perspectives on housing policy and eviction practices and the impact these perspectives have on policy implementation and eviction prevention. The results indicate that program administrators view eviction as a legal phenomenon influenced by housing market dynamics with eviction prevention efforts limited by data collection and the lack …

Aging In Hopkinton: A Community Needs Assessment, Sue Berger, Caitlin E. Coyle

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

This report describes research undertaken by the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging (CSDRA) within the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, on behalf of the Town of Hopkinton. The goals of this project were to investigate the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of Hopkinton residents age 55 or older by engaging the community regarding their experiences and needs relevant to Senior Services objective to identify and serve the needs of Hopkinton’s older residents. The contents of this report are meant to inform the Town of Hopkinton, Hopkinton Senior Services, and organizations that work with and …

Aging In Newton: A Community Needs Assessment, Claire Wickersham, Katherine Burnes, Shu Xu, Caitlin E. Coyle

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

This report presents the results of a comprehensive examination of issues relating to aging in Newton. A needs assessment was undertaken to support planning on the part of the City of Newton and the Department of Older Adult Services. Results presented here focus on the characteristics and needs of Newton residents who are aged 60 and older. Data was collected via key informant interviews, focus groups with residents and stakeholders and a mailed survey of residents aged 60 and older. Respondents to the community survey included 2,869 Newton residents, which resulted in a response rate of more than 50%. As …

Everything And Nothing: Exploring The Connection Between Gender Microaggressions In The Family Of Origin And Intimate Adult Relationships, Stephanie Dizenzo-Priestley

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Experiences with gender microaggressions have been shown to negatively impact mental health and self-esteem in women. Cisgender women are faced with pervasive gender microaggressions throughout life, including within their homes and families. This study sought to explore cisgender women’s experiences with gender microaggressions within two critical family systems, the family of origin and intimate adult relationships. Utilizing Postmodern Feminist Theory and Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, three overarching themes were identified related to how cisgender women experience and make meaning of gender microaggressions: 1) Rigid Roles and Expectations for Women; 2) Impact of Power Dynamics; and 3) Identifying Pathways to Lasting Change. …

Development Of A Thwarted Belonging Measure In Older Adults: An Application To Neighborhood Context And The Moderating Role Of Neuroticism, Jaclyn Elisa Keenoy

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This research focuses on thwarted belonging (TB), its associations with the neighborhood contextual factors of social cohesion and physical disorder in older adults, and the moderating role of neuroticism. TB is a key component of the Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS) that has serious implications for health and well-being (Van Orden et al., 2012). Despite these implications, TB is less frequently investigated outside of the suicide literature. Thus, the first aim of this research was to create a valid measure of TB in a sample of 5,001 older adults using data from the Health and Retirement Study using a …

Understanding The Livelihood Diversification Of Arkansas Women Involved In Agricultural Production, Oluwatoyin Elizabeth Abati

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Agriculture as a livelihood activity entails significant risks and uncertainties, which expose agricultural households to a low standard of living, poverty, and a lowering of their food security status. Women's responsibilities in agriculture are expanding and becoming more critical, and farm women are now broadening their duties to include roles off-farm. More research is needed in Arkansas about agricultural women's roles, challenges, and essential job characteristics. Using a quantitative survey, this research aimed to provide a resource on how women involved in agricultural production diversify their livelihoods. Participants were asked to describe their livelihood diversification by identifying their activities on …

Assessing, Restoring, And Centering Social–Ecological Relationships For Advancing Social–Ecological Resilience In The Northern Great Plains Grasslands, Katia Pilar Carranza Bernal

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Northern Great Plains grasslands are social-ecological systems that were shaped by evolutionary and Indigenous social-ecological relationships. European colonization disrupted many of these interactions, including the coupling of fire and grazing, and degraded social-ecological resilience, shifting these grasslands to a new state. For those reasons, my research focused on assessing, restoring, and centering evolutionary and Indigenous social-ecological relationships for advancing social-ecological resilience in the Northern Great Plains grasslands. I first performed a study in the Nebraska Sandhillls assessing the potential of patch-burn grazing to support grassland resilience by comparing its effects to those of rotational grazing. Through vegetation and bird …

Higher Education On The Texas Blackland Prairie: Trinity University's Civil War Era, Sarah Beth Kaufman

Sociology & Anthropology Faculty Research

The article provides a model for other southern colleges and universities founded during the Civil War era to clarify how they, too, benefited from the slave economy. It describes how Trinity University's founders were able to accomplish their institution's unlikely survival and enrich their own positions by creating a valuable new educational commodity. It also explores the historiography of nineteenth-century higher education.

Retirement And Life Satisfaction Among Middle-Aged And Older Adults: A Piecewise Growth Mixture Analysis, Jonathan L. Chia, Andree Hartanto, William Tov

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Retirement represents a significant life transition typically occurring in later adulthood, often accompanied by substantial lifestyle changes. Several theoretical frameworks suggest that these changes present both opportunities and challenges for well-being, and the extent to which individuals experience positive versus negative well-being outcomes may be influenced by various factors. To study such heterogeneity in retirement experiences, researchers have embraced person-centered methodologies. Yet, some previous studies have not robustly delineated retirement- from age-related changes in well-being, accounted for statistical uncertainties, or examined these diverse experiences outside of a Western context. These limitations preclude conclusions about the diverse experience of retirement. Using …

Political Constructions Of People Who Use Drugs In The Philippines: A Qualitative Content Analysis, Gideon Lasco

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Background

This paper examines the political constructions of people who use drugs in the Philippines throughout the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte (2016–2022), during which the government engaged in a ‘war on drugs’ and promoted a punitive drug regime.

Methods

Building on and drawing inspiration from the global drug policy scholarship that has looked at the ways in which drugs are framed and problematised in various domains, this study used qualitative content analysis to review 96 documents from national government agencies - including strategic action plans, directives, memorandums, guidelines, annual reports, and legislative measures.

Results

Foremost, the study finds that various …

Leveling The Playing Field: An Ethnographic Study Of Latinx Youth Soccer Leagues In Las Vegas, Jeannette Hernández

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examines how youth sports privatization, family dynamics, coaching, and team organization affect Latinx youth’s opportunities and interests in playing competitive soccer. It also examines the role that soccer plays in identity-making for Latinx people in Las Vegas, if and how they use these soccer spaces to develop kinship ties and build community, and it documents how these soccer spaces are developed as counter-spaces. I employ Critical Ethnography paired with 36 interviews with youth and adults. I observed two club soccer teams and one soccer league in Las Vegas (the league was a public community league that primarily caters …

Online Multiplayer Video Game Play And College Adjustment, Salina M. Ochoa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

There are an increasing number of individuals who participate in multiplayer video games and an increase in screen time overall. Due to the increase in online video game play, this study aimed to find possible positive impacts that online multiplayer video games had on freshmen who are adjusting to college, as this is a pivotal point in life. The data were collected at the beginning of the second semester and 99 freshman, 18 years or older, who regularly engaged in online multiplayer video games participated in the study. The study showed four important findings: First, students who receive support from …

From Surface To Subtext: Portrayals Of Success In Superfund Remediation., Haley Metcalf-Wade

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Superfund sites represent some of the most contaminated and environmentally sensitive areas in the United States. How these sites are portrayed can significantly influence public perception of environmental risks, the effectiveness of remediation efforts, and the overall state of environmental health. Regulatory agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are entrusted with safeguarding public health and the environment. How they communicate about their actions, successes, and challenges directly impacts public trust and perceptions of their accountability. This dissertation examines the manifest and latent metrics used by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to determine success in Superfund remediation by focusing on …

Burma Refugees’ Migratory And Resettlement Experiences And Health Practices, Eunice E. Kim

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Many refugees from Burma (renamed Myanmar) resettled in the U.S. in recent years; however, they are largely unknown to the American public care system. This dissertation aimed to increase understanding of their unique existence and life trajectory and provide a groundwork to identify an effective way to assist their quest to secure health and well-being in their host communities. Guided by Max Weber's Interpretive Sociology and Ideal Type construct principles, this study investigated the Burma refugee’s particular sociodemographic characteristics, narratives of enduring refugee debilitating conditions across multiple contexts, and life adaptations. The sampled Burma refugees comprised 36 former and current …

The Adaptation Wedge: Capacity-Building Scenarios For India’S Cities, Jagan Shah

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

The increasing frequency and severity of floods, heat waves, and storm surges impacting global cities, combined with the growing morbidity in public health, necessitates prompt and effective climate action. Adaptation and mitigation require adequate and appropriate institutional, technical, and societal capacities—all of which are in short supply in most low- and middle-income country cities that are experiencing growth while suffering vulnerabilities. Although national governments are alerted to climate risk and the imperatives of planning, financing, and managing climate transitions, their responses to capacity constraints and approaches to capacity building display neither urgency nor scale. We use a scenario-building methodology to …

The Decline Of Republican Democracy And Rise Of The Techno-Authoritarian State: Reading Dystopian Novels In Hindi Literature, Manindra Nath Thakur

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

In the past few decades, the nature of capitalism has changed fast as it has lost its philosophical justification based on the principle of the common good. There have been many avatars of the idea of the “common good”: “white man’s burden to civilize the world,” “welfarism,” and “neoliberal concept of freedom of choice.” Capitalism now seems to have moved in a new direction, however, and it has failed to produce any further philosophical justification for its existence as a mode of production despite generating unprecedented economic inequality. Consequently, there is a rising tension between capitalism and democracy in societies …

Economic Development In Legacy Cities: Current And Emerging Challenges And Opportunities, Neil Reid, Sujata Shetty, Jane Adade

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

As manufacturing employment has declined in the traditional manufacturing regions over the past decades, many communities have experienced population loss and overall economic decline. Local economic development professionals have had to grapple with long-term structural changes in the economy as well as short-term jolts. To gain insights into the changing landscape of economic development, we interviewed economic development practitioners in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The interviews focused on their perception of current and emerging challenges and opportunities with respect to economic development in their respective communities. Having identified the major challenges and opportunities, we asked them to articulate the …

Displacement, Social Justice, And The Right To The City: A Review And Critical Reflections In The 21st Century, Tara Fitzgerald, Brij Maharaj

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

This paper aims to review the literature and themes relating to displacement, social justice, and the right to the city in the 21st century. Displacement, in its various forms, is central to understanding the human rights abuses and livelihood implications when urban rights are revoked, forcing inhabitants to the periphery, and is the focus of this paper. Whereas the city’s services, resources, and opportunities should be a collective right advanced by local authorities for all who occupy urban space, displacements lead to resettlement and impoverishment, especially as livelihoods are disrupted. Urban renewal, through mega-projects, clean-up campaigns, and speculative gentrification processes, …

Institution-Wide Retreats Foster Organizational Learning And Action At A Comprehensive Cancer Center, Benjamin R Schrank, John A Fuller, Colleen M Gallagher, Van K Morris, Emma B Holliday, Kelly Merriman, Lynne Nguyen, Lou Weaver, Kelly Nelson, Elizabeth Chiao, Albert C Koong, Ernest Hawk, Shine Chang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Providing safe and informed healthcare for sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals with cancer is stymied by the lack of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data reliably available in health records and by insufficient training for staff. Approaches that support institutional learning, especially around sensitive topics, are essential for hospitals seeking to improve practices impacting patient safety and research. We engineered annual institutional retreats to identify and unify stakeholders, promote awareness of gaps and needs, identify initiatives, minimize redundant projects, and coordinate efforts that promote improvements in SGM cancer care, education, and research. The 2022 and 2023 retreats employed …