Digital Commons Network^™

The Parental Well-Being Gap Before And After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Morgan Renee Koziol

Theses and Dissertations

Prior research has examined the emotional costs and benefits associated with parenting. In general, this body of literature finds that parents experience lower levels of subjective well-being compared to non-parents—a phenomenon referred to as the parental well-being gap. There is evidence that this parental well-being gap has narrowed or disappeared altogether in more recent years. However, the COVID-19 pandemic presented unprecedented challenges to parents that may have resulted in a widening or reopening of this gap once again. This project aims to test this possibility by drawing on data from The General Social Survey that capture the survey year prior …

Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy And Vaccination Rate Among The Latino Population In South Carolina, Brynn E. Lynagh

Senior Theses

It is common knowledge that COVID-19 disproportionately impacts racial and ethnic minorities in the United States. Furthermore, these sects of the population exhibit increased vaccine hesitancy and lower vaccination rates as compared to the aggregated population of the United States, furthering the risk posed by COVID-19 to these communities. In particular, this study focuses on the Latino population in South Carolina, the vaccination rate among this community, and the perspectives which contributed to their vaccination decision. Two hundred Spanish and Portuguese speaking residents of South Carolina were interviewed using a paper survey conducted by pre-trained interviewers. The survey gathered data …

The Virtual Classroom: What Can Be Learned From The Covid-19 Lockdown, James L. Nations

Senior Theses

This paper seeks to examine the teaching practices utilized during the initial COVID-19 lockdown in higher education. This forced switch to the virtual classroom forced many professors to make innovative changes to adapt to this change in teaching modality. These changes can now be examined and evaluated for potential future application. By reviewing the current literature, performing an analysis of grades from Fall 2017 through Summer 2022, and interviewing select professors at the University of South Carolina, this paper seeks to illuminate some of the potential issues that arise when adapting in-person curriculums to the virtual classroom as well as …

“It Looks Like The Future But Feels Like The Past”: Oral (Hi)Stories Of Appalachia As Covid-19 News Stories, Ashley Reid Mcgraw

Theses and Dissertations

Oral historians have often felt obligated to collect stories during disasters and crises, to preserve recollections of experiences and trauma of those affected. During the onset of COVID-19 in the United States, this surge was certainly present. Appalachia, although its boundaries are contested, has a strong association with oral histories, and thus was the focus of one project in particular: a collaboration with the Blue Ridge Public Radio and the Foxfire Appalachian Heritage Museum to collect, curate, publish, and broadcast oral histories of "local" individuals. But what does it mean to be local, in a region as broad as Appalachia? …

An Intersectional Lens To Covid-19: Promoting Youth Well-Being In The Midst Of Social-Political Stressors, Magdalena S. Moskal

Theses and Dissertations

Guided by interpretative phenomenological methodology and intersectionality theory, this thesis aims to uncover the mental health experiences of youth surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also seeks to situate these experiences with the subsequent stressors that young people face in the current social-political context (e.g., witnessing trauma in the media, uprisings to address racism and the resulting backlash, rhetoric of the 2020 presidential election). Furthermore, this thesis aims to give insight and voice how intersectionality shapes the COVID-19-related experiences of youth in South Carolina. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 23 participants aged 16-21 years old in South Carolina. …

Belonging In Context: An Exploration Of Sense Of Belonging Among College Students, Ladonna L. Gleason

Theses and Dissertations

Feeling a sense of belonging is essential to human health and functioning and has been well documented in the literature. However, questions of context remain. Research in belonging has focused on social aspects of belonging, leaving broader contextual frames unexplored. There has been little work in identifying and differentiating the contexts in which belonging is experienced or in developing an understanding of how the experience of belonging differs across contexts. Current belonging theory lacks this important contextual perspective that could inform the ways in which belonging is constructed and reconstructed through disruption. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, new …

The Impact Of Strength Training On Mental Health In Nursing Students During And Following The Covid-19 Pandemic, Emma Epperly

Senior Theses

Stress, anxiety, and depression are noticeably prevalent in the nursing student population. There is a great deal of pressure placed on nursing students for high academic achievement and performance in the clinical settings. For many nursing students, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic exacerbated existing or created new mental health struggles. Despite the severity of this problem, there is a great hesitancy for students to seek treatment because of the stigma around mental health diagnoses. With this in mind, strength training is an effective mode of exercise for improving symptoms of anxiety and depression, indicating that it would be a …

Spatial And Age Disparities In Covid-19 Outcomes, Qian Huang

Theses and Dissertations

COVID-19 has caused significant social, economic, environmental, and political impacts globally and affected communities unequally in the U.S. The pandemic has also sparked interest in age-specific manifestations of infection, for example, studies confirmed the risk of increasing age with COVID-19 severity. However, the nonstationarity effects of health determinants among age groups have not been well examined. This study aims to explore the nonstationarity effects of social, behavioral, environmental, health care access, and political contexts on COVID-19 outcomes. This study poses three broad questions: 1) how did COVID-19 vaccinations align with COVID-19 daily cases and deaths in the United States; 2) …

“Even The Little Things Matter:” A Phenomenological Study On Factors Impacting Student Motivation During And After Covid-Related Disruptions In Education, Jennifer Ferris-Crisafulli

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about unprecedented disruptions in education, as schools were forced to make a rapid transition to virtual learning in March 2020. Students’ motivation seemed to decline significantly during and after this virtual learning period, which ranged from months to over a year in various areas of the United States. This study seeks to understand the factors impacting student motivation during and after this virtual learning period.

This action research study was conducted using a qualitative, phenomenological approach. Data was collected from open-ended surveys and semi-structured interviews during Spring 2021 and Spring 2022. Data was analyzed through the …

Covid-19 And The College Student Experience, Benjamin Cochran

Senior Theses

In March of 2020, COVID-19 consumed the globe, affecting individuals’ physical and mental health. Physical health disparities among states of different political affiliations became clearer as the pandemic continued unrelentingly, but mental health disparities were not. This thesis attempted to note any mental health disparities among college students in states of both political affiliations across the country through an online survey. The 23-question survey was completed by 97 undergraduates at six universities - three in liberal states and three in conservative states. Respondents at universities in the liberal states rated their university and the state in which it is located …

Cognitive Consequences Of Covid-19 Infection And Quarantine-Induced Social Isolation: Hope For The Young And Mildly Infected, Kristin Nickole Kirchner

Theses and Dissertations

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has infected over 539 million individuals worldwide, and initial research supports the possibility that COVID-19 may damage the central nervous system either directly or indirectly. Neurological signs and noted cognitive deficits observed in even mildly infected patients are a cause for concern for those infected by COVID-19; the effect of social isolation on the central nervous system is also of interest. The present study sought to determine the extent of these potential cognitive deficits in a young and mildly infected sample of college students. Participants completed an extensive survey assessing their experience with COVID-19 and any …

Life In The Time Of Covid-19: The Everyday Impacts Of The Pandemic In Amman, Jordan, Patrick Mckenzie

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic and the responses taken to combat it caused enormous changes to the everyday lives of people around the world. Jordan, in its early success against the virus and with its large refugee population, represents a unique country in which to study these everyday impacts. From May to August of 2021, I conducted ethnographic fieldwork in the Jordanian capital city of Amman while working with the refugee nongovernmental organization the Collateral Repair Project. In this thesis, I explore the COVID-19 Spectacle, examining the ways in which policies and discourses at the national and international scales bled into the …

Wastewater Surveillance Of Sars-Cov-2 On American University Campuses: A Comparison Of Responses To The Covid-19 Pandemic, Emily Gosnell

Senior Theses

Wastewater surveillance has been used for a variety of purposes but, in recent years, has most notably been utilized during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many universities in the United States used it as a means of monitoring levels of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on their campuses. The University of South Carolina, University of Arizona, and University of North Carolina- Charlotte were three such schools. An analysis of data published by these three schools has been used to synthesize a proposed list of best methods to be used by other universities during the reemergence of SARS-CoV-2 or during the outbreak of a new …

Covid-19 & Mental Health: The Impact On The Future Of Younger Generations, Greyson A. Fox Tran

Senior Theses

The aim of this research is to identify any existing correlations between the COVID-19 pandemic and negative mental health outcomes in younger populations. This paper examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of those younger than 25 years of age, specifically focusing on students. It will investigate how various factors of the pandemic have affected people and how they have coped with psychological distress induced by the pandemic. Through a review of scientific data and scholarly literature, the impacts of the pandemic on mental health will be assessed. Coping mechanisms and the effects of physical activity …

The Current State Of Health Care Facility Preparedness, Health Care Utilization, And Covid-19 Knowledge Amidst The Covid-19 Pandemic In The Malaria-Endemic Setting Of Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe, Julia Grace Scott

Theses and Dissertations

The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been felt worldwide, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). With fractured health systems, disrupted supply chains, limited resources, and continued fighting of endemic diseases such as malaria, SSA is at risk for greater impact. Manicaland Province has the highest incidence rate of malaria in Zimbabwe, and a higher malaria mortality rate than the national average. Manicaland also has the third highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Zimbabwe. In this study, health care facilities and households throughout Makoni, Mutare, and Buhera districts in Manicaland Province were administered cross-sectional surveys. We …

How Can I Help? Investigating The Role Of Social Supports In Academic Resilience For Undergraduate Students, Grace M. Lady

Senior Theses

Academic resilience refers to a student’s ability to emotionally and cognitively adapt to academic adversity, including transitions to new experiences like college. This ability to bounce back is an important characteristic for academic success (Robbins et al., 2018; Hodge et al., 2017). Within the literature, there is a need to understand more interpersonal influences, such as social support, on resilience. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate what social support students rely on and how students use social support through times of academic difficulty, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition to college. Undergraduate students (N = 189) completed a …

The Effect Of Covid-19 On The Mental Health Of College Athletes, Molly Mcardle

Senior Theses

This research aimed to explore how the mental status of student athletes at the University of South Carolina has been affected by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 61 student athletes between the ages of 17 and 24 participated in the study and completed a series of questions including the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21) and the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ). Independent samples t-tests and descriptive analyses were used for comparisons between gender and age. The results showed that female athletes reported statistically significantly higher levels of anxiety and stress than male athletes (p = 0.049 and p = …

Business Responses To A Pandemic In A Global Economy: Case Studies Detailing The Impact Of Covid-19 On Medical Supply Chains, Lowell Hundley Coleman

Senior Theses

This paper details the best practices of three multinational medical supply companies in their efforts to overcome supply chain disruptions stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Through a series of case studies on the supply chain responses of 3M, Becton Dickinson, and Honeywell between January and December of 2020, this paper highlights the strengths and weaknesses of their respective supply chains, company cultures, and mitigation strategies and provides useful insight into what actions medical supply companies will need to make going forward to prevent and reduce supply chain disruptions amidst future global pandemics.

The Utilization And Effectiveness Of Telemedicine In The Wake Of Covid-19, Maxwell Sharawy

Senior Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic devastated the world, in every industry. Almost none were hit as hard as the healthcare system. Through the use of telemedicine, healthcare providers were able to care for their patients without rise of infection. Through a review of published literature and interviews conducted with three practicing physicians of various specialties, a diagnosis was developed to determine if the care provided through telemedicine was as effective as in-person care. It was hypothesized that when used properly, telemedicine can be used as an effective replacement for in-person care across a wide range of specialties. After review of the literature …

Essays In The Economics Of Tournaments, Eren Bilen

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three essays that focus on tournaments, incentives, and performance. The first essay presents evidence of cheating that took place in online examinations during COVID-19 lockdowns and proposes two solutions with and without a camera for the cheating problem based on the experience accumulated by online chess communities over the past two decades. The best implementable solution is a uniform online exam policy where a camera capturing each students computer screen and room is a requirement.

The second essay investigates the "superstar effect" using observations from chess tournaments. Superstars exist in many places. In competition, they might …

When The Learning Environment Becomes E-Learning: A Narrative Inquiry Into High School Honors Students’ Motivation, Tyesha L. Deas

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 forever changed the landscape of the world, especially education. Due to the guidelines the pandemic caused, education abruptly moved the e-learning setting in the Spring of 2020, when students and teachers had to quickly adjust to new methods of teaching and learning. As a result, students were bearing the responsibility for their own motivation for learning as they took on the of learning from home (Rake & Dunn, 2010, p. 79). Therefore, this study seeks to better understand four high school honors students changes in motivation as the school environment changed to e-learning, determine what …

Predictors Of Perceived Social Support During The Covid-19 Pandemic Among College Students At The University Of South Carolina, Erin Godfrey

Senior Theses

Introduction: The emergence of COVID-19 has rapidly transformed the framework of our world in immeasurable ways. Social distancing and online learning have seemingly had a negative effect on students’ mental health amidst the rising stress of life during a global pandemic. Higher levels of perceived social support have been shown to have a buffering impact on the negative effects of stress. Therefore, the present study seeks to investigate how these effects differ among college students during their return to school in the Fall of 2020.

Method: A convenience sample of 257 students from the University of South Carolina …

A Scenario-Based Analysis On The Impact Of Covid-19 On The Public Sector, Private Sector, And International Business, Charles Nastopoulos

Senior Theses

Drawing on four years of academic education received from the #1 International Business Program at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina Honors College, this is a comprehensive and forward-thinking strategic thought piece addressing the international business world and its potential post-pandemic reality. This thesis will answer the overarching question: What are the short- and long-term impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on international business?