Digital Commons Network^™

Parenting Stress And Social Support Among Married And Divorced At-Risk Mothers, Sondra Moe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The stress parents feel affects how they fulfill their roles as parents and their own psychological well-being. Social support has been shown to help parents deal with the demands of their parenting roles while maintaining psychological health. Compared to married parents, divorced mothers are most at risk for parenting stress and negative feelings of well-being. Low-income can add further to the levels of stress in parenting and increase the need for sources of social support.

This study compared low-income divorced mothers to low-income married mothers. It explored mothers' perceptions of the stresses of parenting and feelings of wellbeing in relation …

Student Stress: An Analysis Of Stress Levels Associated With Higher Education In The Social Sciences, Darcy A. Keady

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A university sample of 238 undergraduate and graduate students between the ages of 19 and 58 completed the Student Stress Measure. Specifically, upper-division undergraduate students and clinical/nonclinical graduate students in social science programs (FHD, Social Work, Sociology, Psychology) were measured for stress level differences due to their particular academic requirements.

Results indicate that, overall, graduate students are more stressed than undergraduate students. Of the graduate students, Sociology students were most stressed in terms of Lifestyle stress scores. The comparison of clinical and non-clinical graduate students shows that there is no difference in stress levels. The Psychology and MFT graduate student …

4-H Contest Winners In Utah: Risk And Protective Factors, Ann E. Henderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study describes levels of asset development and involvement in at-risk behaviors among 4-H youth. To collect the data, 202 4-H teens participating in the 1996 Utah State 4-H Contests completed surveys. Results reveal numerous differences between males and females. Females scored significantly higher on 18 of 29 assets. Males reported significantly higher levels of involvement on 8 of 10 at-risk behaviors. Significant differences existed between types of 4-H clubs on 4 of 29 assets and 1 of 10 at-risk behaviors. No significant differences were found based on grade in school, years in 4-H, number of 4-H project areas, and …

Adolescent Protective Factor Attainment: An Exploratory Study Of Two Select Populations, Victor W. Harris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Eighty-four adolescents responded to the survey administered for this study. Thirty-eight members were from the nonadjudicated community sample (e.g., from a semirural Utah community); 46 members of a juvenile court adjudicated group (e.g., juveniles from Cache County, Utah, who were currently on probation) also responded to a paper-pencil survey asking about protective/deficit factors and involvement in problematic behaviors.

Results illustrate the differences in levels of protective/deficit factors and problem behaviors attained between these two convenience samples for a number of variables. The findings showed that the nonadjudicated group consistently reported higher levels of protective factors and lower levels of problem …

Using Maslow's Needs Model To Assess Individuals' Attitudes Toward Money, Mark D. Oleson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Few things occupy as central a place in our lives as money. Although the study of money has a long history in the behavioral sciences, others have only recently begun examining this important topic. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between basic human need levels and money attitudes in a university-age cohort utilizing a theory of hierarchical needs. Needs theory, introduced by Abraham Maslow, suggests that as we interact with the environment we accumulate specific needs that motivate us to respond to life experiences.

Three hundred thirty-eight college students attending Utah State University satellite campuses responded …

Dimensions Of Parent-Child Affinity In The Nation Of Thailand, Kristine R. Thorson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In this study, 96 children from Thailand were interviewed using the 30-item Parent-Affinity Perception Scale. Children from four age groups (preschool, first graders, third graders, and sixth graders) were asked to choose either "Mother" or " Father" as a response for this questionnaire.

Children's perceptions of affinity in relationship with their parents and their parental preference were studied. The children were to select which parent they would prefer in three categories: (1) as a companion in activities that were physical or social, (2) who they would go to for help in personal or moral needs, and (3) for various activity …

Prediction Of Suburban Encroachment On The Ethan Allen Firing Range And Camp Johnson, Chittenden County, Vermont, John D. Calandrelli

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Suburban encroachment is a growing concern for many National Guard training installations. The Ethan Allen. Firing Range and Camp Johnson, Vermont, are either experiencing or are completely enclosed by urban encroachment. The objective of this study was to analyze the trends of suburban growth within Chittenden County, Vermont, to evaluate growth and explore future training site viability of the Ethan Allen Firing Range and Camp Johnson.

This study focused on historical data, recent real estate transactions, population projections, and county plans for growth. Using historical and contemporary data, I developed a predictive model of suburban encroachment on Camp Johnson and …

The Impact Of The Ideal Thin Body Image On Women, Nicole Hawkins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Researchers and clinicians have postulated that the thin-ideal image portrayed in the media leads to body dissatisfaction and negative self-appraisals among women; however, there is little research that has directly examined the effects of these images on women. The purpose of this research investigation was to experimentally examine the effects of exposure to the thin-ideal on women's affect, self-esteem, body satisfaction, and level of internalization of the thin body image. This study also assessed how the thin-ideal image differentially impacted women with a diagnosed eating disorder. College women (N = 145) were randomly exposed to photographs from popular magazines …

A Model Of Freshman Use Of Microcomputers Related To Intellectual And Social Development, Daniel R. Judd

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between freshmen's use of microcomputers and their social and intellectual development in a university environment. A review of related literature describes the theoretical foundation of this research and identifies questionnaire items for measuring the critical variables of microcomputer use and student development. To conduct the study, data obtained from 400 freshman students prior to entering Utah State University (USU) in the fall of 1996 were compared to data collected from the same students during Spring Quarter of 1997. Correlational analysis was used to study changes in freshman students' use of …

Navajo Adolescent Pregnancy: Identifying Ecocultural Factors Among Adolescent Mothers And Their Infants, Jessiline Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Understanding the adaptational responses and ecocultural niche of the Navajo adolescent mother from her perspective provides a richness of information about a little-studied population. The overall purpose of this study was to explore the ecocultural factors determined to be significant in the decision of a Navajo adolescent mother to remain in high school or drop out of high school. Thirty Navajo adolescent mothers recruited from two small reservation towns in eastern Arizona participated in the study. Navajo adolescent mothers in the study participated in a one and one half hour semistructured accommodations interview, and completed a Family Resource Scale and …

Interpersonal Aspects Of Attribution And Emotion, Chris L. Treadwell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In Weiner's attributional perspective on emotion, recipients appraise outcomes in terms of three attributional dimensions--locus, controllability, and stability. The specific pattern of inferred attributions determines the nature of the resulting emotional experience. Weiner further claims that a sender's own emotion may serve as a precipitating event for a receiver's resulting attributions and emotions. Parkinson critiques the notion that there are inflexible or unique links among senders' emotions, the attributions conveyed by senders' emotions, and the resulting attributions or emotions aroused in recipients. Parkinson implies instead that the nature of the interpersonal relationship between senders and receivers, independent of attributional inferences, …

A Social Analysis Of Grazing Management On National Forest Lands: A Case Study In Catron County, New Mexico, Alexis S. Watts

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The rural west in this country faces increased national pressure concerning the management of natural resources on public lands. Issues regarding natural resource management are becoming more important as they continue to affect rural communities and capture the attention of a variety of interest groups. Natural resource managers are increasingly required to consider social dimensions of resource use and management. Lack of consideration in these areas can lead to dissatisfied, and even hostile, local residents and interest groups. Often land managers face criticism from many groups at once as a result of management decisions.

This study analyzed a particular resource …

The Influence Of Video And Peer Tutoring On Attitudes Of High School Students Towards Peers With Disabilities, Marilyn Hammond

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study measured the effectiveness of watching a motivational videotape and completing one semester of peer tutoring on changing high school students' attitudes towards their peers with disabilities. Attitudes were measured with the Scale of Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons (SADP), administered to classrooms in two randomly selected high schools before and after viewing the video. The SADP was administered to a different sample of students before and after completing one semester of tutoring peers with disabilities. Peer tutors also completed one-page weekly journals. Responses from all participating students were compared between the pre- and postassessments using paired t tests.

Seven …

Preparation For Caregiving By Parents Of Children With Disabilities: An Exploratory Study, Mcarthur Hafen Jr.

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Older adults who provide care for an adult child with a disability have rarely been considered in the planning and preparation literature. As they grow older, these adults face the challenge of arranging care for their dependent children and for themselves. This study investigated influences on planning for one's own future care.

Results indicated that parents who prepared for their adult child's future care were more likely to prepare for their own care. When compared to adults without a dependent child, parents caring for an adult child with a disability were equally likely to plan for their own future care.

Factors Predictive Of Commitment To Invest In Marriage, Randy A. Gilchrist

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research for this thesis investigated factors predictive of how committed married couples are to make positive efforts for their marriage. Respondents consisted of 72 husbands and wives from a semi-urban area. For each gender, correlations were conducted between marital commitment to invest and egalitarian ism, decision-making power, and conflict communication style. Finally, regress ions were conducted with these measures and nine demographic variables.

As projected, commitment to invest in marriage correlated negatively with husband demand-withdrawal communication and positively with husband and wife mutually constructive communication. The stepwise regression predicting husband commitment to invest included demand-withdrawal communication and total months knowing …

The Relationship Between Mandatory Divorce Education In Utah And The Level Of Postdivorce Parental Conflict, Monte N. Criddle

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was an association between current level of conflict between divorced parents and their attendance or nonattendance at the divorce education pilot program. A telephone interview was used to examine current level of postdivorce conflict. The first portion of the telephone interview used questions that were taken from the Family of Origin Scale (FOS). Questions were selected as they related to various stages of divorce. The second portion of the questionnaire obtained sociodemographic data. as well as information regarding relitigation. The telephone interview was administered to 160 individuals who participated in …

Alas, Poor Ghost!, Gillian Bennett

All USU Press Publications

In the rational modern world, belief in the supernatural seemingly has been consigned to the worlds of entertainment and fantasy. Yet belief in other worldly phenomena, from poltergeists to telepathy, remains strong, as Gillian Bennett's research shows. Especially common is belief in continuing contact with, or the continuing presence of, dead family members. Bennett interviewed women in Manchester, England, asking them questions about ghosts and other aspects of the supernatural. (Her discussion of how her research methods and interview techniques evolved is in itself valuable.) She first published the results of the study in the well-received Traditions of Belief: Women …

Children's Folklore, Brian Sutton-Smith, Jay Mechling, Thomas W. Johnson, Felicia R. Mcmahon

All USU Press Publications

A collection of original essays by scholars from a variety of fields—including American studies, folklore, anthropology, psychology, sociology, and education—Children's Folklore: A Source Book moves beyond traditional social-science views of child development. It reveals the complexity and artistry of interactions among children, challenging stereotypes of simple childhood innocence and conventional explanations of development that privilege sober and sensible adult outcomes. Instead, the play and lore of children is shown to be often disruptive, wayward, and irrational. The contributors variably con-sider and demonstrate "contextual" and "textual" ways of studying the folklore of children. Avoiding a narrow definition of the subject, they …

The Self In ‘Fieldwork’: A Methodological Concern, Christie L. Fox, Beverly Stoeltje, Stephen Olbrys

English Faculty Publications

As concepts of reflexivity and postcolonial perspectives have advanced our understandings of the way we represent those we study, they have also introduced a consciousness of the role of the self in research. This article reviews the history of the field of folklore with regard to the method of obtaining data or texts and demonstrates that collecting material contrasts with the practice of conducting research in the field. Pointing to a moment of transition, it shows that theories of folklore had to undergo significant change before methods of research would acknowledge the identity of the fieldworker and its significance.

Perceptions And Use: A Survey Of Visitors In The Lakes Management Area, Kamas Ranger District, Wasatch-Cache National Forest, Utah, Ronald E. Vance

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

New planning and management paradigms for the USDA Forest Service suggest that future Forest Plans incorporate the best available science and the public's values into Forest Plan revisions. Revised plans should focus on the ecological capabilities of the land and how to sustain them. The means to manage the land for these outcomes should be developed with considerable and ongoing public involvement. One outcome of this public involvement can be the development of a "desired future condition" for the area being managed and the needed regulations to maintain and monitor the desired conditions.

In order to provide preliminary information on …

Solution-Focused Couples' Group Therapy, Lafray Kelley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Solution-focused therapy is one of the models of brief family therapy that has come into prominence during the 1980s and 90s. Whereas earlier forms of family therapy concentrated on problems and the behaviors that maintained them, solution-focused therapy places its emphasis on "exceptions" to the problem--times when it is not happening--and seeks to elaborate on and amplify these exceptions.

A solution-focused therapy model has been used with individuals, couples, and groups of individuals, but a search of the relevant literature revealed no information on its use with couples' groups. The purpose of this study was to develop a solution-focused treatment …

Parental And Teacher Priorities For Children's Requisite Kindergarten Entry Skills, Kelly J. O'Claire-Esparza

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined mothers', fathers ', preschool teachers', and kindergarten teachers' opinions regarding children's requisite kindergarten entry skills. Participants were 101 preschool teachers from eight counties in northern Utah, as well as 113 kindergarten teachers and 286 parents of kindergartners from five school districts in northern Utah. Questionnaires were administered to assess opinions regarding (a) the preschool teachers' role in preparing children for kindergarten, (b) the parental role in preparing children for kindergarten, (c) priorities for requisite kindergarten entry skills, (d) the importance of specific skills emphasized in preschool, and (e) the importance of specific skills emphasized in kindergarten.

Findings …

Predicting Family Strength In Families Caring For Children With Disabilities, Katrina J. F. Ericson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research sought to identify factors that might be useful in helping to predict family strengths in families caring for a child with a disability. Based on the ABCX model designed for families in crisis, this research examined severity of child's disability (A); the family's existing resources of household income, education of the mother, and mother's marital status (B); the family's perception of family resources, family support, and parenting stress (C); and how these influence family strength (X) over time. In relation to the ABCX model, it was hypothesized that the aforementioned constructs would be associated with each other, and …

Familial And Extrafamilial Correlates Of Children's Child-Care Perceptions, Michael K. Godfrey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to identify the individual, familial, and child-care characteristics related to children's perceptions of their nonparental child-care environments. One-hundred seventy-five children, their families, and child-care providers participated in this study. Children attended one of three forms of child care: large center-based child-care settings, home-based child-care settings, and a preschool. Correlates of children's perceptions of their child-care experiences came from variables classified into six categories: individual child characteristics, family structure, family processes, previous child-care experiences, child-care structure, and child-care processes.

Children's perceptions were elicited through the Child Care Game Assessment (CCGA), a role-playing game-like experience for …

Risk Factors In Adolescent Problem Behaviors Among Native And Nonnative Americans, Roger B. Christensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The high incidence of adolescent problem behaviors in the United States raises major concerns. These problem behaviors include: sexually transmitted diseases, unintended pregnancies, suicide, depression, substance abuse, crime against persons and property, and delinquency. Consequently, there continues to be a high level of concern and interest in different ethnic populations of adolescents and their level of risk.

This study evaluated the following problem behaviors: substance abuse, suicide, delinquency, and sexual intercourse; and the risk factors that increase the probability of these problem behaviors occurring. Specifically, the study identified the profiles of the population in relationship to the problem behaviors comparing …

An Exploratory Study Of The Termination Process In Marriage And Family Therapy, Jennifer H. Childers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to explore and better understand termination in the field of marriage and family therapy, as well as to generate a working model of termination. Data were obtained from a total of 40 marriage and family therapists (MFTs) licensed in the state of Utah. Two research questions were posed about termination and how client type and treatment progress may influence the termination process: (1) Given that MFTs see individuals, couples, and families, are there differences and similarities across client types in regard to how therapy is terminated?; and (2) Does termination differ in regard to …

Recidivism Rates Of Level Six Residential Programs For Youthful Male Sexual Offenders: 1995-1996, Kevin N. Barlow

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The phenomenon of youthful sexual offending has received increased attention in recent years in the state of Utah. As a result. programs have been developed to treat the sexual offender within residential treatment centers. However. the efficacy of these programs had not been examined prior to the initiation of this project. The success of the programs has been assessed by examining recidivistic activity as measured by post-treatment criminal histories. The results of this study indicate that the sample of clients departing from treatment in Utah in the year 1995 has a recidivism rate of93.2% for sexual criminal behavior, as of …

Financial Management And Financial Problems As They Relate To Marital Satisfaction In Early Marriage, Barbara C. Kerkmann

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The financial management habits and perceptions of young married couples were examined, as well as their financial problems and perceptions of their problems' magnitude in an attempt to assess the relationship of these financial factors to marital satisfaction. A survey was delivered to 604 residents of family student housing at Utah State University. The spouse who predominantly handled family finances was asked to complete the survey. By using an incentive for completing the survey, a response of 51.32% was obtained. It was hypothesized that both financial management practices and problems would be related to a couple's reported satisfaction with their …

Attitudes And Roles Of Women And Minorities In Community And Urban Forestry Professions, Hope A. Bragg

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Community and urban forestry is a multifaceted field ranging from tree planting to removal, hazard assessment, and public relations. However, the racial and gender diversity of the community forestry workforce is remarkably low. To gain a better understanding of this lack of diversity, I surveyed professionals in two major community/urban forestry organizations. Age, income, and years in the profession were considered, along with education level, to determine if there is some underlying reason for low representation of women and minorities in the community/urban forestry field. I found that while white males dominated all work sectors (especially private organizations), women were …

A Single Good Mind: Collaboration, Cooperation, And The Writing Self, Michael Spooner, Kathleen Blake Yancey

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

Preparing to sign off on the term paper that’s almost overdue, I assemble the onion-sheets, clean, almost papyrus in their texture, collectively re/producing Professor Johnson’s paper: a critical review of David Copperfield. Don’t talk about what you liked, don’t talk about how you felt reading it, don’t talk about how it’s like other novels you’ve read. Just don’t talk: the honor code prohibits that. All of which means: figure out what my Ichabod Crane wants, read the text his way, write his paper, type it, submit.