Digital Commons Network^™

Screening For Cognitive Impairment In Primary Brain Tumor Patients: A Preliminary Investigation With The Mmse And Rbans, Farah Aslanzadeh, M.S., Sarah Braun, M.S, Julia Brechbiel, M.S., Kelcie Willis, M.S., Kyra Parker, Autumn Lanoye, Phd, Ashlee Loughan, Phd

Graduate Research Posters

Introduction: The prevalence of mild cognition impairment (MCI) among older adults (≥65) is estimated to range between 10-20% (Langa & Levine, 2014). Integrated primary care allows opportunities for interdisciplinary consultation, screening, and intervention. The aim of this study is to explore the percentage of older adults reporting cognitive concerns during their first primary care psychology visits. It is hypothesized that these rates will mirror prevalence rates in other older adult community dwelling samples in primary care settings.

Methods: A patient sample of older adults (≥60) was introduced to services following a referral from their primary care physician. Clinicians then identified …

Contextual Emotion Expression: Profiles Of African American Report In The Family And On Campus, Deon Brown, Fantasy Lozada, Zewelanji Serpell, Vivian Dzokoto

Graduate Research Posters

Background: African American culture has long been known for its emphasis on emotion expression (Boykin, 1986). However, African Americans have learned to restrict emotion publicly due to pervasive stereotypes (Consedine & Magai, 2002). It’s likely that such behavior is learned in the family, in which parents alert children to racial discrimination that is typically associated with context (Dunbar et al., 2017). Thus, African Americans are likely to vary emotion expression according to context. The current study explored emotion expression in the family and public context.

Methods: 188 African American/Black college students from 3 different types of college campuses. The sample …

Expressed Emotion, Mental Health, And Functioning In Families Of Children With And Without Asthma, Katherine W. Dempster, Julia Scheidemantel, Jessica Greenlee, Marcia A. Winter, Ph.D, Robin S. Everhart, Ph.D

Graduate Research Posters

Introduction: Expressed emotion (EE), the affective attitudes and behaviors of one toward another, can affect caregivers’ behaviors toward their child. Research examining associations between EE and child/family outcomes is mixed; these associations may be affected by other influences such as the presence of a chronic disease or parent mental health. In this study of families living in an urban area, we examined associations between EE and child outcomes (anxiety/depressive symptoms) and family functioning, with parent anxiety as a covariate. We evaluated child asthma status as a moderator in these associations as the presence of a chronic illness may strengthen the …

Evidence Based Practice Question Development & Search Checklist, Roy E. Brown

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

The Evidence Based Practice Question Development and Search Checklist is a tool that is used in instructional sessions with nurses in reference to evidence-based practice and literature searching. It is intended as a reference handout.

It is under a creative commons license. If you would like a version that can be rebranded for your organization to use, please contact the author for an editable version.

Supporting Student Mental Health During And After Covid-19, David Bryant Naff, Shenita Williams, Jenna Furman, Melissa Lee

MERC Publications

This report by the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) in the VCU School of Education offers a rapid review of research about supporting student mental health as they return to school during COVID-19. It pulls from literature on natural disasters like hurricane Katrina, the psychological impacts of quarantine, and emergent research on the mental health impacts of the Coronavirus. The report is structured to answer three overarching questions: 1) Why is it important to address the mental health needs of students in schools? 2) How can we expect COVID-19 to impact the mental health of students? 3) What are some …

Fishbowl Discussions: Promoting Collaboration Between Mathematics And Partner Disciplines, Stella K. Hofrenning, Rosalyn Hobson Hargraves, Tao Chen, Afroditi Vennie Filippas, Rhonda Fitzgerald, John Hearn, Lori J. Kayes, Joan Kunz, Rebecca Segal

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

A National Consortium for Synergistic Undergraduate Mathematics via Multi-institutional Interdisciplinary Teaching Partnerships project (SUMMIT-P) is a collaboration of institutions focused on revising first- and second-year mathematics courses with the help of partner disciplines with prerequisite mathematics courses. This paper describes the fishbowl discussion technique used by the consortium members to encourage interdisciplinary conversation. Vignettes describing the results of conversations that occurred at several consortium member institutions are provided by the co-authors.

Designing A Student Exchange Program: Facilitating Interdisciplinary, Mathematics-Focused Collaboration Among College Students, Bryan D. Poole, Linden Turner, Caroline Maher-Boulis

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Interdisciplinary collaboration is necessary for students’ professional preparation (Laird et al., 2014; Repko, 2014) and may promote effective learning transfer of course content. Such collaborations have resulted in enhanced problem-solving skills and conceptual understanding of statistics content (Dierker et al., 2012; Everett, 2016; Hammersley et al., 2019; Woodzicka et al., 2015). As a result of ongoing collaborations between faculty members in different disciplines and at different universities, we created a “Student Exchange Program” to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration between undergraduate students in mathematics and social sciences. In the current paper, we describe past research that informed the design of this program, …

Caffeine Use And Associations With Sleep In Adolescents With And Without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd), Caroline N. Cusick

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to compare caffeine consumption in the morning, afternoon, and evening in adolescents with and without Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and examine associations with sleep functioning. Participants were 302 adolescents (ages 12-14) with (n=140) and without (n=162) ADHD. Adolescents wore actigraph watches to assess total sleep time and wake after sleep onset and reported on their sleep-wake problems and the number of caffeinated beverages consumed per day in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Parents reported on adolescents’ difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep. Chi-square analyses, odds ratios, and path analyses were conducted. Analyses controlled for sex, …

Cyberbullying: School Administrators' Perceptions Of Law And Prevalence, And Their Roles In Prevention, Intervention And Discipline, Suzan Gragg Denby

Theses and Dissertations

This study was aimed at investigating secondary school administrators’ experiences with and their perceptions of cyberbullying, as well as their intervention and prevention procedures. As technology has become ubiquitous in our society, students’ use has increased and impacted the school environment. Given the potential for cyberbullying and the negative effects of such, schools harbor the responsibility to prevent and intervene in such occurrences. This can be a tricky process.

This study included 12 administrators of secondary schools across eight school divisions in Virginia. Through an interview process, administrators spoke of their experiences with technology and cyberbullying incidents, and how they …

The Effects Of Ingroup Threat On The Anchoring And Adjustment Heuristic, Mattie V. Hedgebeth

Theses and Dissertations

Since its introduction in 1974, the anchoring and adjustment heuristic has been a topic of interest within the field of decision making. Although much work has examined factors that affect the process of the anchoring and adjustment heuristic, very little has been studied about the self-processes that may influence how individuals anchor. More specifically, self and ingroup motivations have yet to be explored. This research sought to identify whether an individual’s magnitude of adjustment from an anchor can be affected by either an enhancement or threat of the individual’s ingroup. I hypothesized that ingroup enhancing information would induce a smaller …

Analysis Of Teaching Styles, Adult Learning Theories, And Factors Influencing Teaching Style Preferences In Adult Education Instructors: Implication For Practice, Beatrice Chemaiyo Lele

Theses and Dissertations

The teacher is the most influential and important variable in the classroom for student achievement. Therefore, the need for teachers to identify and utilize best teaching practices is fundamental to a progressing society. Despite the literature advocating and proposing the student-centered approach as the preferred method of teaching in adult education, most empirical studies indicate that teachers employed the traditional teacher-centered approach. The purpose of this study was to examine the teaching style preferences of adult education instructors and the influence of gender, age, participation in professional development in adult education, years of teaching experience, teaching subject, and levels of …

Negative Urgency As A Risk Factor For Intimate Partner Aggression: The Untold Story Of Maladaptive Interpersonal Emotion Regulation, Alexandra M. Martelli

Theses and Dissertations

Interpersonal conflict frequently occurs in daily life, especially within intimate relationship contexts. The strategies people use to respond to conflict can either bring couples together or push them further apart. Furthermore, impulsive traits, such as negative urgency, leave individuals vulnerable to conflict. Individuals high in negative urgency have difficulty regulating their emotional reactions to negative experiences, often failing to employ adaptive interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) strategies. No research to date has examined the link between negative urgency and the use of negative IER. Fifty-four couples completed self-report measures of negative urgency, effective interpersonal regulation of negative affect, and intimate partner …

The Immediate And Persistent Effects Of Binge Ethanol Exposure On Myelin Protein Expression In Dba/2j Mice, Aminatta Z. Tejan-Kamara

Theses and Dissertations

Binge drinking is the most lethal of drinking patterns, responsible for 77% of all U.S. alcohol misuse costs. Adolescents have increased sensitivity to ethanol’s rewarding properties and decreased sensitivity to ethanol’s aversive effects likely allowing for their increased binge drinking, as compared to adults. Ethanol consumption during adolescent neurodevelopment can lead to immediate and lasting neurobiological-consequences. We have previously shown that adolescent intermittent binge ethanol exposure decreases myelin-related gene expression in DBA/2J mice. Here, we hypothesize intermittent binge ethanol exposure in adolescent DBA/2J mice will decrease myelin protein expression in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) immediately following binge ethanol and this …

Teachers' Attitudes Toward The Inclusion Of Students With Disabilities In The General Education Classroom In A Rural School District, Robin M. Pelt

Theses and Dissertations

According to the research, inclusion in the general education setting is valuable to the academic and social development of students with disabilities. Teachers play a significant role in the success of students with disabilities in this setting (Coombs-Richardson & Mead, 2001; Fuchs, 2010; Test et al., 2009). Research shows that teachers display positive and negative attitudes toward inclusion based on the severity of the disability category (Cook, 2001; Ernest & Rogers, 2009). The purpose of this study was to examine teachers’ attitudes toward the inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education classroom in a rural school district. An …

The Intersection Of Social Stress, Mental Well-Being, And Sexual Health Among Black Women In Emerging Adulthood, Brandi Galloway

Theses and Dissertations

With an estimated 37,000 new HIV infections each year, HIV continues to be a major public health concern. HIV affects some populations more than others. Young Black women, in particular, are disproportionately affected by HIV. While being a woman does not typically increase a person’s HIV risk, being Black and being a woman does.

Data indicate that individual-level factors do not fully address the differences in HIV and STIs between Black emerging adult women and their White counterparts. Thus, it is critical to better understand contextual factors such as social stress and mental-wellbeing which might better account for these disparities. …

Biopsychosocial Variables Associated With The Development Of Chronic Low Back Pain In Healthcare Workers, Jena Pauli

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Worldwide the incidence and prevalence of acute low back injury with pain (ALBIP) is increasing in healthcare workers (HCW). Approximately 27% of ALBIP result in chronic low back pain (CLBP). The primary aim of this study was to identify biopsychosocial factors that contribute to the development of CLBP. A secondary aim was to examine the predictive value of reliable and valid screening instruments to identify individuals at highest risk for CLBP.

Significance: Low back pain is the second most commonly reported pain condition in the United States, one of the leading causes of sick leave and …

“It’S Supposed To Be Super Easy And It’S Not”: Black And Latinx Student Experiences In The Doctor Of Physical Therapy Admissions Process, Melissa Yeung

Theses and Dissertations

Data provided by the Physical Therapy Central Application System (PTCAS) suggests that despite the large numbers of applicants to Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs on an annual basis, a gap remains between the number of White and Black and Latinx applicants who are offered admission to DPT programs. Efforts made by DPT programs to increase the diversity of their incoming cohorts include the use of holistic review processes and enrichment programs to recruit more diverse classes. However, research suggests that the undergraduate experiences of students of color have an impact on their aspirations to graduate and professional schools, and …

Predicting Black Male Undergraduate Degree Completion At A Pwi Examining Single Indicators Of Religiosity, Anxiety, And Depression., Nickolas Spears Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Religiosity is a well-known protective factor for mental health as a coping and resilience source, which positively affects Black male college students' academic success. However, less is known about whether religiosity predicts degree completion and buffers Black males' mental health from a quantitative research approach. Black males have one of the lowest degree completion rates at four-year institutions. Students who experience poor mental health outcomes have lower degree completion. This study utilized logistic regression to investigate whether religiosity: (1) predicted degree completion among Black male undergraduate students and (2) moderated anxiety and depression. The results suggest Black males identify high …

Changing Landscapes: Perspectives Of Young African American Women Of Population-Wide Testing For Hereditary Breast Cancer Mutations, Alesha Henderson

Theses and Dissertations

Young African American women continue to die from breast cancer at higher rates than White women. In an effort to promote breast cancer prevention, population-wide testing (PWT) for all women in the U.S. starting at age 30 is a potential future initiative that is garnering a lot of attention. However, African American women currently utilize genetic testing for hereditary breast cancer at lower rates than White women. Therefore, if young African American women are not prioritized in a future roll out of PWT, then existing breast cancer and genetic testing disparities will likely continue to widen. The purpose of this …

Swipe Right For Condoms And Testing: Differences In High-Risk Sexual Behavior And Sexual Health Beliefs Among Dating App Users Compared To Non-App Users, Shelby A. Smout

Theses and Dissertations

Millions of Americans are currently using smartphone dating applications (apps) to socialize and meet with others. In some cases, app-based conversations lead to sexual interactions. Previous research examining the relationship between the use of dating apps and sexual behaviors has found that individuals who use dating apps and meet with partners from the app are more likely to engage in high-risk sexual behaviors such as having multiple partners and inconsistent condom use. Individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 are the group most likely to be using dating apps compared to other age groups and are a high-risk group …

Credit The Parents? The Impact Of Racial Socialization On African American Students’ Stress-Related Coping And College Adjustment, Briana Bouldin

Theses and Dissertations

Many new stressors emerge in college and have a significant impact on college adjustment. However, little is known about common stressors, their causes, and impact on college adjustment for students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). This project investigated the extent to which different college stressors impact sleep-related college adjustment, and whether racial socialization and emotion regulation strategies serve as coping strategies that moderate this relationship for HBCU students. The theoretical framework for the study was an adapted version of the Integrative Conceptual Model of Adaptive Socialization (ICMAS; Dunbar et al., 2017). Data were collected via an online survey …

Children’S Participation Rights In Child Welfare Systems: Identifying Opportunities For Implementation, Anna M. Cody

Theses and Dissertations

Children’s participation rights are critically important for supporting children’s well-being. Studies across the world consistently demonstrate that children and youth feel uninvolved, silenced and marginalized within the child welfare context which has a direct impact on their physical safety as well as their subjective well-being. There has been a shift in US policy and practice towards recognizing the value and importance of engaging youth, older youth in particular, in being involved with planning for their care and for their future. However, definitions of what meaningful “youth engagement” might look like within the child welfare context generally lack clarity. In addition, …

A Phenomenological Study Of Nonbinary Resilience And Mental Health, Calvin J. Hall Iii

Theses and Dissertations

Nonbinary individuals, or those who do not exclusively identify with a male or female gender, have gained increasing recognition and representation within the past ten years. Despite these steps forward, nonbinary individuals still experience higher rates of sexual assault, police brutality/harassment, job-related discrimination, and erasure when compared to binary transgender individuals, or gender-diverse individuals who exclusively identify as male or female. These disparities in violence, discriminatory practices, and erasure have been linked to exceptionally high rates of depression and anxiety in nonbinary people within the U.S. Thus, efforts to improve nonbinary mental health are critically needed. Previous research finds that …

Self-Efficacy Of Endorsed And Nonendorsed Elementary Teachers Of Gifted Students In Stem Education, Lianna L. Moss-Everhart

Theses and Dissertations

This study compared elementary endorsed and nonendorsed teachers of gifted students in science, mathematics, and STEM self-efficacy as well as self-reported use of STEM instructional strategies in central Virginia. The survey, adapted from the T-STEM survey by the Friday Institute at NC State University, focused on self-efficacy and use of STEM instructional strategies. ANOVAs, univariate linear analyses, were conducted on 39 responses to compare teachers’ self-efficacy and use of STEM instructional strategies. ANCOVA and moderated regressions were used to compare the groups of teachers while controlling for the variables of grade level, years of experience, and recent STEM training. Multiple …

Transcriptomic Profiling Of Postmortem Prefrontal Cortex And Nucleus Accumbens From Chronic Alcohol Abusers., Eric S. Vornholt

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a debilitating psychiatric illness that develops from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. While it is well documented that AUD is heritable, the shift from recreational alcohol use to abuse/dependence is poorly understood. In this dissertation, using postmortem brain tissue from individuals with alcohol dependence (AD), we profiled the genome-wide expression of circular RNA (circRNA), microRNA (miRNA), and messenger RNA (mRNA) to better understand the impact of gene expression on the development of AUD. To achieve this, we performed two independent studies that explore transcriptome differences between AD cases and controls. The first of …

Culturally-Relevant Factors That Influence Healthy Eating Among African American College Students, Danyel Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Obesity is a national epidemic in the US, disproportionately affecting African Americans, such that the obesity prevalence in African Americans (49.6%) surpassed the national prevalence (42.4%) in 2018. Those same disparities exist at the collegiate level, such that 27.4% of a sample of African Americans college students had obesity, surpassing the national prevalence of obesity (12.1%) in 2018. Diet, an important driver of obesity, is influenced by several psychological, social, and environmental factors. However, cultural factors influencing diet are understudied among African American college students. The overarching goal of the current study was to identify culturally-relevant factors that promote healthy …

Impact Of A Culturally-Relevant Support Program And Latinx Adolescents' Help Seeking Services: An Academic-Latinx Community Service Partnership To Enhance Culturally Responsive Services For Latinx Immigrant Youth., Lisa S. Fuentes

Theses and Dissertations

Latinxs, in general, report logistical barriers that contribute to utilizing fewer healthcare services and/or not knowing how to navigate the healthcare system. In addition to underutilizing healthcare services, Latinx immigrant youth also report higher levels of negative attitudes towards mental health. However, little is still known regarding factors that impact these attitudes with Latinx immigrant youth, as well as the community support efforts that are available to this specific group. Using a semi-structured interview on 12 Latinx immigrant youth, this master’s thesis explored: (1) the attitudes towards mental health, (2) attitudes towards mental health services, (3) and the experiences of …

Profiles Of Adjustment Among Children In Institutional Care In Ghana: Predictors Of Positive Functioning, Anna W. Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Worldwide, approximately 2-8 million children reside in institutional care, which can lead to developmental setbacks. Given the need for institutional care persists, it is important to continue investigating which improvements can be made to provide optimal care. The current mixed-methods study included participants from Accra, Ghana. Study 1 involved cluster analyses to determine patterns of adjustment for 100 children in institutional care (CIC) (M age = 13.31 years, SD = 3.14; 40% female) and 100 children in families (CIF) (M age = 13.37 years, SD = 3.08; 40% female) across several domains. ANOVA was used to evaluate whether …

Mother Is How I Got Down Pat, Kyrae Dawaun

Theses and Dissertations

This essay gathers concepts of matriarchal studies, theatre and hospitality in thinking beyond the contemporary venue of painting. Recognizing the limits of fine arts, as it is today, a product of a patriarchal, capitalistic societal structure, in its service to an inclusive, public sphere, my work is insistent on the value of installation. Accessibility to space (the art space), language, and the right to politics are goals inspiring the evolved features in my studio practice. The use of word is central in my study of our human behaviors as they can be best modeled according to the appreciation of mother(ing). …

Exploring The Creation Of Immersive And Responsive Spaces For Interrelationship Through The Concept Of Playfulness, Yonghun Jung

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic that began in early 2020 is causing serious damage to many countries. As of May, the number of confirmed patients worldwide is at 3.35 million and the death toll stands at 239,000 people. As a way to prevent the pandemic, most countries encourage people to keep social or physical distance and self-quarantine. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they recommend that people stay at least six feet away from each other and the South Korean government also recommend keeping their distance from each other at least two meters.

Because of the current situation, …