Digital Commons Network^™

Project Rafiki: Consumer And Provider Perspectives On Food Assistance And Its Impact On Quality Of Life For Individuals Living With Hiv/Aids, Emily C. Holderfield-Gaither, Saundra Starks, William Mkanta

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Project Rafiki was designed to provide nonperishable food assistance to individuals living with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania, East Africa. The research study was developed to examine the extent to which the Project Rafiki food assistance program had impacted its participants over the course of one year. The aim of this research can be divided into five smaller objectives: 1) to gage the effectiveness of the food assistance program; 2) to assist in the expansion of inter-professional knowledge of resource-development regarding health and nutrition for vulnerable communities or rural areas; 3) to involve and immerse students in learning on a global level; …

Using Person-Centered Scheduling With Geriatric Patients To Reduce Anxiety With Telepsychiatry, Jody G. Long, Patricia A. Wilkerson, Evi Taylor, John H. Hall, Christopher Peters

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

ABSTRACT

Objective: This study explored using person-centered scheduling with telepsychiatry for rural community geriatric patients. Quantitative research approaches were used to determine the level of satisfaction participants experienced with person-centered scheduling and geriatric telepsychiatry. Method: Quantitative data were collected by using the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) before scheduling the first appointment and to assess the intervention’s effectiveness after the telepsychiatry session. Results: Person-centered telepsychiatry scheduling decreased geriatric patients’ anxiety as evidenced by Zung SAS scores. Conclusion: Older adult patients saw telepsychiatry as a viable means of treatment. Future research with geriatrics from different regions is needed.

Implications and future …

The Sleep Gap: Advancing Healthy Sleep Among Youth In Rural Communities, Vanessa N. Jones, Justin Bucchio

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Sleep is essential to survival yet remains a public health concern affecting rural youth and adults (Chang et al., 2012; Kakkar, Bohra, Trivedi, Gupta, & Saini, 2016). Besides emotional and social problems, regular short sleep among youth contributes to neurodevelopmental and mental health concerns. Youth that reside in rural communities experience higher rates of short sleep (Daly et al., 2015); therefore, understanding and recognizing specific health risks and protective factors among this population is important to addressing sleep disparity. Future research should explore translating sleep knowledge into practical strategies to help reverse sleep insufficiency among rural youth. This practice note …

Behavioral Health In Rural America: Understanding Citizen Perceptions And Willingness To Respond To Community Needs, John M. Keesler, Helen Johnston, Jonah Simon, Taegan Anthony, Meagan Barnhart, Madison Bartlett, Janet Delong, Sharon Galloway, Melissa Kilpatrick, Jonathan Laucella, Hope Moreland, Gaby Ryan, Valerie Shannon

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Amid nationwide efforts to address behavioral health needs, rural communities often face unique challenges and a lack of resources. This study presents a bottom-up approach used by one rural community in the Midwest to respond to their needs regarding mental health and substance use. A survey instrument was developed from interviews with community stakeholders and disseminated in both online and paper formats. The survey sought to understand citizen perspectives regarding quality of life, barriers to treatment, and willingness to engage in efforts to address the community’s needs. Data from 1,303 respondents (71.5% women, 54.7% income <$42,000) were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square analyses. Results indicate that cost of treatment, shame, and lack of privacy were a barrier for most citizens’ treatment-seeking behavior. In addition, many citizens were willing to engage in strategies to address the community’s needs, including increased county spending, forming a neighborhood watch, and donating money. Differences associated with gender and income emerged across perceptions and willingness to support efforts. Implications for community efforts are discussed.

Self-Care Among Social Workers Employed In Rural Settings: A Cross-Sectional Investigation, Diane N. Loeffler, J. Jay Miller, Theresia M. Pachner

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Despite growing recognition about the importance of self-care for social work professionals, research related to the topic has not kept pace with the changing landscape of the profession. Particularly, self-care practices among rural social work professionals have been overlooked in the research. Rural social work practice is, in many ways, decidedly different from practice in more urban areas. Thus, the primary aim of this exploratory study was to investigate the personal and professional self-care practices of rural social workers. Specifically, the study sough to better understand how often social workers engage in self-care and whether or not there are associations …

Learning Outside The Box: How To Incorporate An Experiential Service-Learning Project Encompassing Implicit And Explicit Curriculum In Rural Areas, Kimberly M. Wickersham

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

The theoretical basis of this teaching pedagogy combines infusion methodology with experiential learning. The infusion method addresses two areas which faculty specifically wanted to include: critical thinking and problem-solving skills. A comparable project by Young, Lee and Kovacs (2016) also used experiential learning and stated, “university student engagement in service-learning type activities has been shown to have an impact on students’ beliefs, attitudes, and values, particularly related to working with older adults”. (p. 2) As a measurement of explicit curricula and core competencies, the students developed a portfolio with content prescribed to meet CSWE EPAS 1-9. The portfolio may also …

Teaching Msw Students Suicide Assessment, Intervention, And Postvention In Rural Areas, Aisling Del Quest, Randall Nedegaard

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This teaching note argues the need for enhanced suicide assessment and intervention training for MSW students preparing for rural social work practice. A detailed outline of a suicide elective course is presented, addressing rural specific challenges. After course completion, students (N = 49) reported feeling better prepared to work with suicidal clients and better able to conduct an accurate assessment and suggest appropriate interventions.

Meetings Of The Jackson Purchase Historical Society, 2017-2018 & Editor’S Remarks

Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal Archive

Meetings of the Jackson Purchase Historical Society, 2017-2018

President's Remarks

Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal Archive

President’s Remarks

William H. Mulligan, Jr

How Household Healthcare Expenditures Redistribute Disposable Income? An Analysis Using Bangladesh Household Income And Expenditure Survey, 2010., Azahar Molla Md, Phd, Mph, Msc, Chunhuei Chi Mph, Sc.D.

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

Essential healthcare is a civil right. Payments toward healthcare is a moral compulsion, and no less strong than legal compulsion like income tax. Healthcare payments can redistribute disposable income. Redistribution may be vertical (from rich to poor or opposite) and horizontal (from men to women or from households without children to households with children). Health planners are interested in degrees to which redistribution occurs. In this paper, we aim to analyze how well different forms of healthcare payments in Bangladesh redistribute disposable income. Our data comes from Bangladesh Household Income and Expenditure Survey, 2010. Using the methods developed by Aronson …

The Jackson Purchase: A Dramatic Chapter In Southern Indian Policy And Relations

Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal Archive

The Jackson Purchase: A Dramatic Chapter in Southern Indian Policy and Relations

Thomas D. Clark

Captain Thomas Jones Gregory, Guerrilla Hunter

Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal Archive

Captain Thomas Jones Gregory, Guerrilla Hunter

Berry Craig and Dieter Ullrich

Influence Of Soil And Plant-Plant Interactions On Growth And Flowering Of Two Potentially Dominant Bunchgrasses In The Longleaf Pine Ecosystem, James C. Groover

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Neighborhood interactions and edaphic conditions can help predict the distribution of species and the composition and structure of plant communities. The longleaf pine ecosystem of the southeastern U.S. provides an ideal setting in which to study interactions among dominant members of the understory community. Bunchgrasses provide the structure and fuel that enable frequent fires to mediate succession and maintain the extremely diverse understory community characteristic of the imperiled longleaf pine ecosystem. I investigated responses to bunchgrass neighborhood composition by wiregrass (Aristida stricta Michx.) and little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium [Michx.] Nash), two competing and potentially dominant C …

Day By Day, Casey Springer

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

My thesis titled Day By Day, is a collection of stories of the family unit being forced into turmoil and illness.

Horse Use And Care In Therapeutic Horseback Riding Programs, Emily Watson

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.) is an organization that offers therapeutic horseback riding (THR) and other equine-assisted activities and therapies in the United States. Research on how horses are used and cared for in PATH Intl.-affiliated THR programs is limited. Therefore, the objective of this study was to gather data regarding horse use and care to form a baseline. A survey developed via SurveyMonkey® and distributed through Google Mail Merge to 659 PATH Intl.-affiliated programs in September 2017. A total of 270 responses were received; 264 were eligible for data analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to …

Effects Of Various Anthelmintic Treatments On Fecal Egg Counts, Performance Variables, Blood Parameters, And Lactate Dehydrogenase Activity In Stocker Calves, Cheyenne Auburn Hooks

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Anthelmintic treatment is known to improve cattle performance; however, effects of long-acting eprinomectin (LAE) and co-treatment (Co-Trt) use has not been widely evaluated. Lactate dehydrogenase is an important cytoplasmic enzyme which can serve as an indicator of cellular damage but little information is available regarding differences in activity of calves receiving various anthelmintics. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of various anthelmintic treatments on fecal egg counts (FEC), performance, blood parameters, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity of newly received stocker calves. This study consisted of 125 Angus based cross bred steers grazed during summer months …

Perception Of Supervisory Styles And Satisfaction, Stephanie M. Schaaf

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Supervision is a dynamic and challenging leadership process that remains an essential element within the field of speech-language pathology. This study utilized a descriptive research design in attempt to amass quantifiable information that can be used to statistically analyze elements within the supervisor-supervisee relationship. Agreement of perceived supervisory styles and satisfaction between supervisor-supervisee dyads (n=74) were examined. External and personal characteristics including age, clinical setting, experience, and previous training were also examined in relation to supervisee satisfaction and agreement of supervisory styles within dyads. Data was collected through completion of a demographic questionnaire as well as the Supervisory Style Inventory …

Effects Of Roundup On Behavior, Growth, And Mortality Of Larval Blue Dashers, Pachydiplax Longipennis, Kayleen K. Parker, Claire A. Fuller

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to determine if Roundup (active ingredient: Glyphosate) causes negative effects on behavior, growth, and mortality of larval Pachydiplax longipennis. Larvae were captured from rainwater-filled mesocosms at Hancock Biological Station in Murray, KY. Larvae were exposed to one of four concentrations of Roundup (0mg/L, 2.5mg/L, 5mg/L, or 10mg/L). Daphnia consumption, seek refuge, and anti-predator trials were conducted at 7 and 14 days post-exposure. Growth and survival trials were carried out for eight weeks using different larvae. There were no significant differences among treatments for whether or not larvae ate offered Daphnia for Day 7 …

The Effectiveness Of The Co-Requisite Model In Preparing College Students For Math Courses, Shauna Mullins

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Some form of academic support for underprepared students at the post-secondary level has been around since the 17^th century. This academic support has had several names such as tutoring, remediation and developmental education. With the growing need for academic support at the post-secondary level, universities are developing various ways to provide support to their students.

The focus of this study was the Co-requisite Model, particularly within Murray State University’s mathematics courses. Following IRB approval, archival data from undergraduate students were collected over three semesters in College Algebra and one semester in Mathematical Concepts courses. The pass rates of students …

The Importance Of Recruiting And Retaining International Students, Bill Mckibben

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

A steady decline in enrollment among postsecondary institutions and cuts in educational funding, both at the state and federal level, have caused these institutions to look for alternative sources of revenue. With postsecondary institutions struggling to financially survive, international enrollment has become the focus of higher education. The purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding on the importance of recruiting and retaining international students. This study used a phenomenological approach and epistemology was used to provide the conceptual framework of the study. Qualitative methods were used to conduct this study. A series of semi-structured interviews provided the …

Creativity, Psychopathology, And Psychological Flexibility, Lee Carpenter

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between creativity and impairment in quality of life due to psychological disorder has an unclear relationship. Some studies indicate creativity and psychopathology have a significant relationship (Andreasen, 1987) while other studies indicate the two having no connection at all (Karlsson, 1970). The current study examined (1) what direct correlations exist between creative achievement and quality of life impairment, psychological inflexibility and quality of life impairment, and symptoms of psychoticism and quality of life impairment, and (2) how the indirect relationship between creative achievement and quality of life impairment in the context of symptoms of psychoticism changes at varying …

The Relationship Between Social Anxiety And Conforming Behavior In A Computerized Task, Jeremy Vargas

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This study assessed the relationship between social anxiety symptoms and conforming behavior in both ambiguous and unambiguous computerized context. The majority of the participants for the sample consisted of Caucasian (78%) females (71%) who completed the task entirely (N = 94). Measures of the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) were used to assess social anxiety, while a computer mediated problem-solving task was used to assess conforming behavior. It was hypothesized that conforming behavior would be greater in the ambiguous context compared to the unambiguous context; and that social anxiety scores would be correlated with higher conforming behavior. While a Wilcoxon …

The Influence Of Race And Gender On The Choice Of A Mental Health Provider, Meghan Rackers

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Although the current mental health treatment model provides little opportunity for consumers of services to exert control of their mental health experiences (specifically when choosing a provider), the ability to select a service provider may aid in the formation of the therapeutic alliance. The abundance of research regarding the topic of racial and gender matching of clinicians and clients has focused on treatment outcomes and client retention, and less on client preference and how it relates to likelihood that they will seek out services. Previous studies have used face-valid surveys asking whether clients would prefer a clinician who is a …

The Concurrent Validity Of The Learning Component Of The Missouri Ability Scale, Nicholas Johnson

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The present study was designed to determine the concurrent validity of the Missouri Ability Scale (MAS), a new measure of independent functioning and learning currently in development. The MAS consists of 10 subtests and is designed to be administered to the examinee and an informant. Fifty individuals (M = 13.1 years; SD = 5.8 years) were administered the MAS and a cognitive abilities test (i.e. WISC-V, KABC-II, WJ-IV). Overall, the Spearman correlations between the MAS learning component and the measures of intellectual ability were moderate-to-strong, indicating good validity. Consistent with the hypotheses, the MAS learning component and the Cattel-Horn-Carroll …

Adolescent Perceptions Of Behavioral Functioning: Measuring Perceptions Of One's Own Behavior, Aaron Hale

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

As bullying type behaviors have increased in recent years, many school districts have responded by implementing rigid zero-tolerance policies that punish students with no regard toward situational or social contexts. These policies have been shown to have many negative social, psychological, and academic consequences. Numerous social and developmental factors involved in bullying-type situations make it necessary to gather information on both the frequency and the social contexts in which they occur: exhibiting these behaviors toward close friends versus exhibiting these behaviors toward individuals who are not close friends. Of particular interest is if students exhibit bullying-type behaviors more often in …

A Comparison Of The Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test And The Wechsler Scales, Samantha Denhart

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The present study was designed to determine the correlation between a commonly used cognitive ability test (i.e., Wechsler) and a verbal memory test (i.e., Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test) by analyzing archival data from a clinical sample of adults. Many researchers have continued to establish the relationship between cognitive ability, or IQ, and learning and memory skills; however, there is little research regarding when differences between IQ and memory scores are statistically significant. Results of this study indicated 17 of 20 IQ index/memory correlations were statistically significant and a series of simple regressions generated standardized residuals. These residuals generated confidence bands …

The Effect Of Three Different Mulches On Weed Presence, Soil Characteristics, And Zinnia Growth, Anmar Muttaleb

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Organic and inorganic mulching helps to control weeds. Mulching helps cultivated plants to grow by inhibiting the growth of weeds, retaining soil moisture, and regulating the temperature of soil. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of different organic mulches on weed presence, soil characteristics, and growth of Zinnia elegans. The mulches used in studying Zinnia elegans were wheat straw, non-shredded Miscanthus (M. × giganteus), and shredded Miscanthus (M. × giganteus) mulch. A Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) was used in the study, with different quantitative methods were used to …

Rape-Related Beliefs And Social Reactions, Tara Pursley

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Many agree that sexual violence is a pervasive problem, but there is less disagreement regarding how to define or label it. Recent research has determined that rape-related beliefs are the strongest predictors for how both victims and non-victims conceptualize and label unwanted sexual experiences. What is less understood is the way that this conceptualization influences how non-victims respond to a disclosure. The current study sought to fill this gap by examining how rape-related beliefs affect the definitional and labeling process and how this process affects responses to a disclosure of sexual violence in a sample of non-victims. Participants included 119 …

Public Stigma Towards The Presentation Of Self-Diagnosed Mental Illness, Asheley Marie Roberts

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Negative attitudes toward people with mental illnesses leads these individuals to utilize non-traditional avenues of support-seeking, including online venues. Within these venues, particularly the website Tumblr, the practice of self-diagnosing is common. At present, self-diagnosing is understudied, making it difficult to determine if self-diagnosed individuals face public stigma. Thus, one question about this phenomenon is as follows: are people who present themselves online as self-diagnosed stigmatized compared to those who present themselves as professionally diagnosed? The proposed thesis will address this question. Participants will view one of three Tumblr blogs (professionally diagnosed, self-diagnosed, and no diagnosis). It is hypothesized that …

Effects Of Essential Oils And Amino Acid Profile On The Growth And Health Of Receiving Cattle, Kelsey Machens

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this trial was to evaluate the effects of amino acid profile and essential oil products on receiving calf growth and feed efficiency, as well as evaluate the effects of amino acid profile and essential oil products on fecal and blood Immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentrations as a marker for systemic and gastrointestinal tract immune status of receiving calves. One hundred-thirty crossbred calves (500-600 lbs) were transported to the ADM Animal Nutrition Research Facility in Mendon, IL. On d -1, cattle were weighed, dewormed, implanted, vaccinated, and a rectal temperature was recorded. An at-risk group of cattle was targeted …