Digital Commons Network^™

“A Second Chance Citizen Reintegration Program Through The Lenses Of Black And Brown Participants And Case Managers.”, Bobbie Straughter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recidivism has been linked to a lack of education opportunities, heightened surveillance, a lack of housing stability, and limited access to resources for assistance. Because Black and Brown communities are facing mass incarceration, there is a growing concern about recidivism, as they are affected by several factors that may make them more likely to re-offend upon release. These include a lack of mental health outreach, their socioeconomic status, environmental influences, and the challenges they face regarding their masculinity and role in fatherhood. To both reduce recidivism and provide a solution to the obstacles presented above, the literature suggests providing re-entry …

The Role Of Mating Effort And Co-Residence History In Step-Grandparental Investment, Jenni E. Pettay, David A. Coall, Mirkka Danielsbacka, Antti O. Tanskanen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The prevalence of divorce in both parental and grandparental generations has led to a rise in the number of children who now have families that include both biological and step-grandparents. Despite the thorough examination of biological grandparents' contributions in the recent literature, there remains a scarcity of studies focusing on the investment of step-grandparents. Using population-based data from a sample of 2494 parents in Germany, we assessed grandparental investment through financial support and assistance with childcare of grandparents (N = 4238) and step-grandparents (N = 486). The study revealed that step-grandparents provided lower levels of investment in their grandchildren compared …

Challenging Norms, Creating Art: An Anti-Ableist Lens On Visual Arts Education, Alexis Lino

Education | Master's Theses

This research explored the active role of disabled artists in their own descriptions of meaning making through their artistic process, utilizing phenomenological research to examine the lived experiences of intellectually or developmentally disabled and neurodiverse adult artists in the Bay Area. The literary study element of the research strove to understand and employ anti-ableism and constructivism as framing lenses, while also reviewing literature on issues such as access barriers, traditional quality standards in arts education, and the de-emphasis of art within curriculum funding priorities, indicating a need for continued reform toward promoting inclusive and process-oriented art education. With a focus …

Pediatric Caregiver Perspectives On Immigration Status In The Healthcare Setting, Anik Patel, Kimberly Randell, Jennifer Watts, John Cowden, Frances Turcotte Benedict, Juan Farias Torres, Ana Contreras, Ali Fowler, Estefania Bazan, Claudia Zepeda

Research Days

A qualitative study to explore pediatric parent/caregiver knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding impacts of immigrant status on healthcare and describe health and social needs of families for whom one or more caregivers has undocumented immigration status as well as preferred methods for resource connections among undocumented caregivers.

"Because They Recognized Us": Triangulated Perspectives Of Syrian Mothers' Resettlement Experiences In The Eastern United States., Kayte Thomas

Journal of Applied Disciplines

Research indicates that post-resettlement experiences can be particularly challenging for people with refugee status. Despite finding safety in and adjusting to their new home, former refugees have indicated that this time can be stressful and even traumatic. The current Syrian crisis has created the largest wave of refugees ever known, and Syrian women are amongst the most vulnerable. However, women’s needs and preferences are often not taken into consideration during the resettlement journey and when they are, there is no distinction between mothers and their childless counterparts. As social workers strive to empower the individual person within their environment, it …

Intervening For A Better Social Life? A Comparative Analysis Of Psychological Egoism And Aristotle As Alternate Foundations For Applied Social Psychology's Aims, Samuel D. Major

Theses and Dissertations

The scientific aim which distinguishes applied social psychological research from basic social psychological research is that of using social psychological theory to develop interventions meant to rectify social and practical problems in hopes of fostering a flourishing or thriving social sphere. In developing their interventions, however, many applied social psychologists have failed to consider their pre-investigatory philosophical commitments, commitments which imply the kind of flourishing social life that may come as a result of interventions rooted in them. The aim of this dissertation is to invite applied social psychologists to consider if their frequently noted, yet often unexamined, commitment to …

Perceptions Of Developmental Disability Service Providers, On How The Judicial System Responses To Persons With Developmental Disabilities., Donna Whilby

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The situation or issue that prompted me to search the literature was observing the persons with developmental disabilities circling the judicial system due to multiple encounters with law enforcement. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how the Northeast Florida judicial system could improve the outcomes of persons with developmental disabilities by reducing and preventing multiple encounters. The empowerment theory was the most appropriate theory for my study. Empowerment theory indicates that it is imperative to encourage people, especially those who have a psychological deficit, to lean into their resources to gain and utilize their power in society. …

Rawls, Game Theory, And The Multiple Meanings Of Equality, David Crump

St. Mary's Law Journal

No abstract provided.

States’ Covid-19 Restrictions Were Associated With Increases In Drug Overdose Deaths In 2020, Douglas A. Wolf, Shannon M. Monnat, Jennifer Karas Montez, Emily E. Wiemers, Elyse Grossman

Center for Policy Research

Drug overdoses surged in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health experts raised concerns in the pandemic’s early months about how the pandemic and the policies enacted to stem it might increase overdose risk. This brief summarizes the findings of a paper that used national data to identify how states’ COVID-19 policies affected drug overdose rates among U.S. adults ages 25-64 during the first year of the pandemic. Results show that counties located in states that adopted more aggressive in-person activity restrictions experienced larger increases in 2020 than counties located in states with fewer limitations. State economic support policies …

Alma Mater: Implications Of Student Mothers Not Receiving "Nourishment" From Their University, Haylie M. June

Theses and Dissertations

Student mothers, comprising over one-fifth of college students, face unique challenges balancing academic pursuits with parental responsibilities. They seek higher education to improve financial prospects and set examples for their children. However, financial burdens, including childcare costs and debt, hinder their progress. Moreover, they face role conflict and societal judgment, feeling undervalued and alienated within the university community. Despite their resourcefulness, challenges persist, emphasizing the need for institutional support. Research explores how student mothers utilize social, cultural, and financial capital to manage their roles. Interviews with thirty-nine student mothers reveal heavy reliance on individual resources but underscore the need for …

An Evaluation Of Capacity For Cooperative Extension To Implement Evidence-Based Programming In Two Rural Communities, Karen A. Vines, Laura A. Nelson, Sophie Wenzel

Journal of Extension

The implementation process of an evidence-based program related to substance prevention was evaluated in two rural communities. Data included interviews with Extension agents and surveys of community leaders partnering on the program. Challenges to program fidelity were primarily associated with limited human resources in the small, rural communities. Community context must be considered when developing similar programs to determine opportunities for adjustment that will not undermine the success of the program.

Health Disparities In Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis (Scfe) Presentation, Rithika Ginjupalli, George Thomas, Rohit Siddabattula, Richard M. Schwend, Caleb Grote

Research Days

This study identifies various health disparities in SCFE presentations using neighborhood-level determinants COI and ICE in addition to sociodemographic determinants such as race and gender.

No. 21: Refugee Migration And Urban Food Security: Somali Migrants In Nairobi, Kenya, Zack Ahmed, Jonathan Crush, Samuel Owuor, Elizabeth Onyango

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This paper investigates the relationship between refugee migration and urban food security, focusing on Somali migrants in Nairobi, Kenya. Despite the abundance of literature on urban refugees and their economic integration, scant research has addressed their food security challenges. Utilizing a household survey conducted in Nairobi’s Eastleigh neighborhood, the paper explores the levels, determinants, and spatial variations of food security among Somali refugees. Findings reveal that while migration to Nairobi generally improves food security compared to conditions in Somalia, substantial disparities exist within the refugee population, with a significant portion still facing severe food insecurity. Factors such as household type, …

No. 22: Migrant Remittances, Food Security And Multi-Local Households: Ghanaian Labour Migration To Qatar, Bernard Owusu, Jonathan Crush

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This paper investigates the impact of migrant remittances on food security among multi-local households within Ghana and Qatar, focusing on the experiences of Ghanaian labour migrants. Through a mixed-methods approach comprising household surveys in Ghana and in-depth interviews with migrants in Qatar conducted from March to June 2023, the paper explores how remittances influence the food security status of recipient households and the socioeconomic conditions of migrants. The findings suggest that remittances play a critical role in enhancing household food security in Ghana by enabling better access to food and improving dietary diversity. Migrants prioritize sending money for basic needs, …

Memoryscapes: A Study Of Memory And Experience In Architecture, Jacob Granger

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

Thesis statement

Architecture and urban spaces are fundamental in shaping both personal and collective memories, serving as the physical manifestations of narratives that define and inform community identity and individual experiences. This thesis asserts that urban design and architectural features extend beyond their utilitarian functions to actively craft and influence these memories. By intertwining intentional design with memory, architecture not only reflects but also molds our understanding of communal identity and historical narratives. This perspective offers a unique exploration of the interplay between tangible structures and the intangible experiences they foster, illustrating how architecture does not merely mirror reality but …

Watering A Dying Canopy: How Peter Berger Can Help Us Understand Communication In A Modern Age, Julia M. Richardson

Student Scholarship

In many instances of conflict and confusion, effective communication can be a useful tool in solving problems. When individuals experience a breakdown in communication, it can be frustrating as well as harmful for everyone involved. This autoethnography seeks to explain and remedy issues of communication breakdown through the lens of religious theory, primarily with regard to Peter Berger’s ideas of world construction and maintenance. When once taken-for-granted “worlds” that provide stability become threatened, one way communities respond is by isolating themselves from ideas which pose a threat to their way of life. In a new age of pluralism, this isolation …

Chronic Inequities: Environmental & Structural Racism During Covid-19 And Hurricane Laura Disaster Recovery, Tomeka M. Robinson, Sabrina Singh

Critical Disaster Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the realities of systemic health inequities within the United States. While the virus has severely impacted the entire country, people of color bear the brunt of this pandemic, from surges of COVID-19 cases in their communities to spikes in unemployment rates. Simultaneously, citizens are dealing with the impacts of natural disasters such as hurricanes along the Gulf Coast. The common denominator concerning these two stressors is that they can be exacerbated by institutional racism. This can be seen in the case of a small city in Southwest Louisiana, namely, Lake Charles, which has become a …

Book Review: The Shaming State: How The U.S. Treats Citizens In Need, Steve Matthewman

Critical Disaster Studies

Salman’s book centers two different constituencies, in two different locations, in the 2010s, who have been impacted by two different disasters. The first group are Iraqi refugees who have been resettled in Wayne County, Michigan. Trying to start again over half a world away, they are trapped in the transit lounge of life, never able to move on, never able to properly belong. They found a state in recession, the automobile industry collapsing, the city of Detroit bankrupt. Their particular county had higher unemployment than the state’s average and a poor median income as well. Economically speaking, ‘Michigan fared worse …

Strongly Stated And Loosely Held: Examining Stewart Brand's Role In The Ecomodernist Project, Liam J. Baker

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

With the ecomodernist environmental perspective emerging in the wake of the 2015 publication of An Ecomodernist Manifesto, many researchers have sought to critique the ecomodernists and their theories of separating humanity from nature, intensifying agriculture, expanding energy production, and relying on technology to resolve the environmental challenges of the 21st century. In this paper, I add to these critiques by examining the history of Stewart Brand, one of the coauthors of An Ecomodernist Manifesto, to highlight connections between his personal environmental perspective, his material impacts, and the ecomodernist project as a whole. By analyzing the discourse produced by and about …

Public Lands And Capitalism: The Case Of The Adirondack Park, Weston (Trent) Fenner

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation examines the tensions that surround land management in the Adirondack Park of New York State (NYS), while paying special attention to how the market intrudes into these conflicts. To look at these tensions, this project explores contests over the regulation of public and private land, conflicts over how wilderness is imagined and managed, and the controversies that flow from efforts to alleviate high-use problems in the Adirondack Park. These contests are the basis of the following research questions which reveal the impact of land management conflict in the Adirondack Park, and expose how the market influences park management …

Cuban Migration To Syracuse, Ny: "Los Comunicados" And The Evolution Of Social Networks And Cuban Identities, Erika Carter Grosso

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation investigates the phenomenon of Cuban migration and highlights the critical role that social networks play in facilitating the process of emigration, settlement, and the formation of new identities for Cuban migrants in Syracuse. With a focus on the most recent waves of Cuban migrants, the study explores how social networks have become integral in shaping the migration experiences of these new Cubans, enabling them to navigate the challenges and opportunities associated with emigrating and settling in Syracuse, NY, a non-gateway city. This research employs a qualitative approach, drawing on in-depth interviews of twenty-five participants, participant observations, and analysis …

Explaining Geographic Disparities In Cardiovascular Disease Mortality: The Roles Of Physical Environment, Industry Structures, And State Policies, Yue Sun

Dissertations - ALL

Geographic disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in the United States are significant and have grown over time. The overarching objective of this dissertation is to explain geographic disparities in CVD mortality from air pollution, counties’ industry structures, and states’ environmental policies. Understanding the associations between these physical environments and CVD mortality is important because it can help to inform strategies for reducing geographic disparities in CVD mortality and promoting population health. In the first empirical chapter, I examine the associations between air pollution and county-level CVD mortality for the years 2016 to 2018 and how these associations vary across …

A Mixed Methods Study Of Chinese And Korean International Student Satisfaction And Experience In American Higher Education, Sujung Lee

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation is a mixed methods study examining Chinese and Korean international undergraduate student satisfaction and their experiences in American higher education. Through survey methodology, I conceptualize the analytical model into “individual factors,” “institutional factors,” and “ethnic-community factors” and find out how these factors contribute to student satisfaction. Furthermore, I look at how national differences manifest into unique ways international students navigate new educational, cultural, and social settings. With in-depth interviews, I focus on understanding international student agentic experiences situated in power dynamics by looking at tensions between “deficit narrative” portraying Asian students as “inassimilable others” and student agency challenging …

Researching Emotional Experiences As Discursive Elements – A Suggested Qualitative Method, Magnus Danielson

The Qualitative Report

As scholars in the fields of political science, media research, and social psychology endeavor to understand crucial aspects of emotionality in the media, there is a growing need to methodologically address the communicative and discursive aspects of affective constructions in media texts. This article argues that by breaking down mediated emotional experiences represented through language in a set of identifiable elements, such as subject, emotion type, valence, intensity, proposed action, and object, those experiences could be used as workable and potent units of analysis when studying discursive and ideological media constructs of emotionality. By connecting insights from emotion science, the …

Queering The Nation Or Nationalizing Queerness?: How Lgb-Identified Soldiers Experience Belonging And Service Post-Dadt, Aaron Blasyak

Dissertations - ALL

At the core of this dissertation project lies the question: What forms of belonging and inclusions are made possible through liberal shifts in the laws governing the institutional contexts of sexual minorities? To answer this question, I draw upon 22 in-depth interviews with gay, lesbian, and bisexual (LGB) soldiers about their experiences of serving after the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT). More specifically, this dissertation focuses on three broad research questions to address these issues. First, I ask: What are the experiences of inclusion and acceptance of LGB-identified soldiers within the context of military service? How might these …

No. 20: Informal Cross-Border Traders And Food Trade During The Pandemic In Zimbabwe, Abel Chikanda

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The collapse of Zimbabwe’s economy in the 2000s resulted in the country relying largely on food imports from other countries, especially from South Africa. Informal cross-border traders have become crucial players in the country’s food economy, playing an important role in the importation of food as well as its retail across the country. Cross-border trading also provides employment opportunities to a large number of people in the country, especially women in an environment of depressed economic opportunities. The paper first uses data from a survey conducted by the Southern African Migration Program (SAMP) in 1997, 2007 and 2014 to document …

No. 19: Covid-19, Food Insecurity And South Sudanese Urban Refugees In Nairobi And Nakuru, Kenya, Cherie Enns, Samuel Owuor, Abbey Lin, Natasha Knebelow, Jacqueline Fanta, Cobby Achieng, William Kolong, Kristin Swardh

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The challenges and struggles of refugees are well documented, mainly within refugee camps. However, more needs to be documented and understood about the exertions and hardships of urban refugees, including the experiences of young South Sudanese urban refugees living in Kenya. Although Kenya is one of the major countries that hosts refugees from South Sudan, it has adopted disparate policies for refugees in camp settings and those outside the camps. This divergent approach placed urban South Sudanese refugee youth in highly precarious circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rampant food insecurity for refugee youth was one of the key negative consequences. …

Queerform/Ing, Matthew Solon-Lee Weimer

Art Theses and Dissertations

My artwork is situated within and around vessels and the Queer Homoerotic World and explores sexuality as a Demisexual within them. This is accomplished through the two processes of my creation, Minivague and Queerform/ing: balancing sexual tension and explicit expression, while subverting traditional norms and stereotypes with queerness to distance oneself from stereotypical Gay Art. Altering/emphasizing makes the artwork more romantic, lighter, whimsical, softer, and tender than the figure/s and the situations actually are. The process is also emphasizing what one sees or wants to be seen. The Pink Boy becomes a celebration of intimacy of any form. I discuss …

Welfare As We Know It Now: Examination Of State-Level Effects Of Welfare Expenditure And Policy Restrictiveness On Crime And Group-Specific Arrests Over Twenty-Four Years Following Reform, Elizabeth Ann Sabbath

Sociology ETDs

The current project investigates how two different ways of operationalizing welfare—as an expenditure or as a policy of restrictive regulations—could shape the distribution of crime rates within a place and over time. In addressing the significance of its measures, the project also explores how welfare interacts with the broader economic forces of a place to influence crime rates over time. Finally, the project explores how welfare measures can predict arrest rates disaggregated by different gender and race groups. Panel fixed effects measure whether within-state changes in crime and group-specific arrests are explained by expenditure and restrictiveness observed repeatedly from the …

Liquid Light: Ayahuasca Spirituality And The Santo Daime Tradition, Bonnie Glass-Coffin

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Liquid Light is an important addition to the growing number of published accounts that discuss the use of ayahuasca (known by the name, Daime), and its role within Santo Daime, a fundamentally Christian though highly syncretic new religious movement founded in 1930 in the Amazonian state of Acre by an Afro-Brazilian rubber tapper known to followers as Mestre Irineu. The text is a richly descriptive account of Barnard’s own evolution as a fardado (Santo Daime initiate) and includes first-hand accounts of his participation in many kinds and types of Santo Daime worship services in both the United States …