Digital Commons Network^™

Trans-European Division Report: Global Church Member Survey 2017-2018, Petr A. Činčala, Shannon M. Trecartin, Audrey Andersson

Faculty Publications

This report is the first examination of the Trans-European Division (TED) 2017-2018 Global Church Member Survey (GCMS) data. The research team worked closely with the metaanalysis team to ensure consistent implementation of the research protocol and consistent use of the questionnaire. A total of 1331 surveys were used from all TED Unions. The findings of this document are an initial analysis of the data using the latest version of SPSS. The purpose of the Executive Summary is to highlight key findings from the study, which includes: 1. Summarizing the demographic findings in order to describe the characteristics of church members …

North American Division: Report Global Church Member Survey 2017-2018, Petr A. Činčala

Faculty Publications

This report is the first examination of the North American Division 2017-2018 Global Church Member Survey (GCMS) data. The research team worked closely with the metaanalysis team to ensure consistent implementation of the research protocol and consistent use of the questionnaire. A total of 1,923 surveys were used from all NAD unions. The findings of this document are an initial analysis of the data using the latest version of SPSS. The purpose of the Executive Summary is to highlight key findings from the study, which includes: • Summarizing the demographic findings in order to describe the characteristics of church members …

Northern-Asian Pacific Division Report: Global Church Member Survey 2017-2018, Petr A. Činčala, Shannon M. Trecartin, Gustavo Emanoel, Christie Chui-Shan Chow

Faculty Publications

This report is the first examination of the Northern-Asian Pacific Division 2017-2018 Global Church Member Survey (GCMS) data. The research team worked closely with the metaanalysis team to ensure consistent implementation of the research protocol and consistent use of the questionnaire. A total of 3064 surveys were used from all NSD Unions. The findings of this document are an initial analysis of the data using the latest version of SPSS. The purpose of the Executive Summary is to highlight key findings from the study, which includes: 1. Summarizing the demographic findings in order to describe the characteristics of church members …

Southern Asia Division Report: Global Church Member Survey 2017-2018, Petr A. Činčala, Shannon M. Trecartin, Vara Deepati

Faculty Publications

This report is the first examination of the Southern Asia Division 2017-2018 Global Church Member Survey (GCMS) data. The research team worked closely with the meta-analysis team to ensure consistent implementation of the research protocol and consistent use of the questionnaire. A total of 2981 surveys were used from all SUD Unions. The findings of this document are an initial analysis of the data using the latest version of SPSS. The purpose of the Executive Summary is to highlight key findings from the study, which includes: 1. Summarizing the demographic findings in order to describe the characteristics of church members …

Veteran Suicide Risk Factors: A National Sample Of Nonveteran And Veteran Men Who Died By Suicide, David S. Wood, Bethany M. Wood, Aislinn Watson, Devan Sheffield, Helena Hauter

Faculty Publications

Veteran suicide is a serious public health problem. Some data suggest that veteran suicide risk profiles differ from those of nonveterans. Records for veteran (n = 21,692) and nonveteran (n = 83,430) men who died by suicide were examined from 17 U.S. states using the National Violent Death Reporting System data. Seventeen precipitating factors were examined and combined through meta-analysis of proportions. Many precipitating factors were found to be less frequent for veterans. A smaller number of factors were found to be higher in the veteran population, including physical health problems. A sizable cumulative effect size (1.02) was observed, suggesting …

It's Complicated: The Impact Of Marriage Legalization Among Sexual Minority Women And Gender Diverse Individuals In The United States, Laurie Drabble, Angie Wootton, Cindy Veldhuis, Ellen Perry, Ellen Riggle, Karen Trocki, Tonda Hughes

Faculty Publications

This mixed-methods study explored perceptions of the impact of marriage legalization in all U.S.states among sexual minority women and gender diverse individuals. Survey data were collectedfrom a nonprobability sample of individuals 18 years or older who identified as lesbian, bisexual,queer, same-sex attracted or something other than exclusively heterosexual—as well asindividuals who identified as transgender or gender nonbinary (for example, genderqueer, transwoman, trans man, nonbinary, or gender non-conforming). The analytic sample included 418participants in an online survey who responded to open-ended questions about the perceivedimpact of marriage legalization. Qualitative analyses revealed perceptions of marriagelegalization that situated individual meanings in the context …

Review Of Serving The Amish: A Cultural Guide For Professionals By James A. Cates, Carol A. Leibiger

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Framework For A Community Health Observing System For The Gulf Of Mexico Region: Preparing For Future Disasters, P Sandifer, L Knapp, M Lichtveld, R Manley, P Sandifer, R Caffey, D Cochran, T Collier, K Ebi, L Engel, J Farrington, M Finucane, C Hale, D Halpern, E Harville, L Hart, Y Hswen, B Kirkpatrick, B Mcewen, G Morris, R Orbach, L Palinkas, M Partyka, D Porter, G Prather, T Rowles, G Scott, T Seeman, H Solo-Gabriele, E Svendsen, T Tincher, J Trtanj, A H. Walker, R Yehuda

Faculty Publications

The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) region is prone to disasters, including recurrent oil spills, hurricanes, floods, industrial accidents, harmful algal blooms, and the current COVID-19 pandemic. The GoM and other regions of the U.S. lack sufficient baseline health information to identify, attribute, mitigate, and facilitate prevention of major health effects of disasters. Developing capacity to assess adverse human health consequences of future disasters requires establishment of a comprehensive, sustained community health observing system, similar to the extensive and well-established environmental observing systems. We propose a system that combines six levels of health data domains, beginning with three existing, national surveys …

Enabling The Best Interests Factors, Adrián E. Alvarez

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

For over a century, state courts and other child welfare agencies in the United States have been applying the “best interests of the child standard” to all decision-making concerning children. The standard is also enshrined within the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)—a treaty that every nation in the world has ratified except the United States. Notwithstanding its widespread adoption in family law, the standard is, with only a few exceptions, noticeably missing from American laws and policies pertaining to children in the immigration system.

There is a rich literature arguing that children should enjoy special …

Developing Implementation Research Capacity: Longitudinal Evaluation Of The King’S College London Implementation Science Masterclass, 2014-2019, Rachel Davis, Brian Mittman, Madelene Boyton, Aoife Keohane, Lucy Goulding, Jane Sandall, Graham Thornicroft, Nick Sevdalis

Faculty Publications

Background: Despite an increasing number of training opportunities in implementation science becoming available, the demand for training amongst researchers and practitioners is unmet. To address this training shortfall, we developed the King's College London 'Implementation Science Masterclass' (ISM), an innovative 2-day programme (and currently the largest of its kind in Europe), developed and delivered by an international faculty of implementation experts. Methods: This paper describes the ISM and provides delegates' quantitative and qualitative evaluations (gathered through a survey at the end of the ISM) and faculty reflections over the period it has been running (2014-2019). Results: Across the 6-year evaluation, …

Going In Thinking Process, Coming Out Transformed: Reflections And Recommendations From A Qualitative Research Course, Donald Mitchell Jr., Elizabeth Byron, Jeffrey Cross, Oj Oleka, Stephanie Van Eps, Phyllis Clark, Natalie Sajko

Faculty Publications

This article presents reflections and suggestions of an instructor and students from a doctoral-level qualitative research course. Given qualitative research courses often lack guidance for best practices and the well-being of doctoral students learning qualitative research is often overlooked, the purpose of this article is threefold: 1) to provide an introductory skeleton for designing a qualitative research course that is structured for classmates to interview each other throughout the semester, what the authors call a student-as-researcher-and-participant design; 2) to provide student reflections from the course; and finally, 3) to offer recommendations for using a student-as-researcher-and participant design for a qualitative …

“In The Beginning, It Was Little Whispers...Now, We’Re Almost A Roar”: Conceptualizing A Model For Community And Self In Lgbtq+ Health Information Practices, Vanessa Kitzie, Travis L. Wagner, Alexander N. Vera

Faculty Publications

Although LGBTQ+ populations experience significant health challenges, little research exists that investigates their health from an informational perspective. Our study addresses this gap by exploring the health information practices of LGBTQ+ communities in South Carolina, focusing on how sociocultural context shapes these practices. Thirty semi-structured interviews with South Carolina LGBTQ+ community leaders analyzed using open qualitative coding informed the development of a conceptual framework describing their information practices. Findings show that participants engaged in two broad types of practices – protective and defensive – as responses to risks and barriers experienced, which are in turn produced by social and structural …

Religion As A Source Of Tolerance And Intolerance: Exploring The Dichotomy, Quinn Galbraith, Alexandra Carlisle, Ben White

Faculty Publications

Previous research on tolerance and intolerance in religion has focused on individuals’ internal religious commitment and their relationship within religious groups. In exploring religion’s ability to generate both tolerance and intolerance, this qualitative study draws on data from interviews with 220 highly religious individuals living in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2016 in order to suggest how religious individuals see themselves interacting with tolerance and intolerance in their daily lives. Many of our subjects identified themselves as tolerant people while viewing others as intolerant of their religious beliefs. An analysis of our findings and prior research suggests that religious …

Parental Financial Education During Childhood And Financial Behaviors Of Emerging Adults, Ashley B. Lebaron, Erin K. Holmes, Bryce L. Jorgensen, Roy A. Bean

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this article was to determine whether overt financial education from parents during childhood (retrospective measure collected in the same survey wave) is associated with a greater frequency of healthy financial management behaviors in emerging adulthood, and whether this relationship is dependent on gender. Using a sample of emerging adults from the Flourishing Families dataset (N = 437), we ran two multivariate linear regressions—one with and one without the interaction variable. Results suggest that financial education from parents during childhood is linked with a greater frequency of healthy financial behaviors in emerging adulthood but was not dependent on …

Creating A Trauma Informed College Campus, Rodney A. Palmer

Faculty Publications

Trauma has no limits and does not discriminate based on one’s gender, ethnicity, social standing, educational background or religious affiliation. Those affected by trauma are not only present in our neighborhoods, homes and congregations, but also in every academic institution. This pervasive issue demands a seamless and intentional multilevel-organizational approach which encompasses the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of academic preparation. Consequently, higher education institutions in providing optimal service to their constituents, should seek to create a campus culture that places high premium on the best-practices of a trauma-informed approach. This paper will discuss the key concepts associated with trauma …

Predicting Louisiana Public High School Dropout Through Imbalanced Learning Techniques, Marmar Orooji, Jianhua Chen

Faculty Publications

This study is motivated by the magnitude of the problem of Louisiana high school dropout and its negative impacts on individual and public well-being. Our goal is to predict students who are at risk of high school dropout, by examining Louisiana administrative dataset. Due to the imbalanced nature of the dataset, imbalanced learning techniques including resampling, case weighting, and cost-sensitive learning have been applied to enhance the prediction performance on the rare class. Performance metrics used in this study are F-measure, recall and precision of the rare class. We compare the performance of several machine learning algorithms such as neural …

Mapping The Landscape Of Support And Safety Among Sexual Minority Women And Gender Non-Conforming Individuals: Perceptions After The 2016 Us Presidential Election, Laurie Drabble, Cindy Veldhuis, Angie Wootton, Ellen Riggle, Tonda Hughes

Faculty Publications

As part of a larger online survey, we conducted an Internet-based study that included both qualitative and quantitative data from a national non-probability sample to examine how sexual minority women and gender non-conforming individuals described their experiences and concerns after the 2016 election. The current study explores responses in relation to local social and political climates. Quantitative analysis of survey responses (N = 969) examined changes in participant concerns relative to state policy context (number of positive policies offering equal rights and protections for LGBTQ communities) and size of community (e.g., urban and rural). Analysis of narrative responses to open-ended …

The Rule Of Law Collaborative: A Center For Practical, Interdisciplinary Research, And Engagement On Pressing Rule Of Law Issues Around The World, Joel H. Samuels

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Development And Psychometric Properties Of A Prostate Cancer Knowledge Scale For African American Men, Otis L. Owens, Abbas Tavakoli Drph, Theda Rose, Nikki R. Wooten

Faculty Publications

African American men have the highest prostate cancer-related mortality nationally. In response to this disparity, targeted interventions are emerging to enhance African American men's prostate cancer (PrCA) knowledge to ensure they are equipped to make informed decisions about PrCA screening with health-care providers. African American men's PrCA knowledge has been measured inconsistently over time with limited psychometric evidence. The factor structure of this construct in African American men is relatively unknown. This study describes the development and psychometric evaluation of an 18-item Prostate Cancer Knowledge Scale among 352 African American men. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted using weighted least …

Considering "Atmosphere" When Facilitating Information Seeking By People With Invisible Disabilities In Public Libraries, Rebecca Muir, Kim M. Thompson, Asim Qayyum

Faculty Publications

Twenty percent of Australians reported having a disability in 2015. Disability may occur at any time during the lifespan, however most disabilities are invisible. When a disability is invisible, or not immediately apparent to an outsider, individuals may need to self-identify to access inclusive services, or accommodation may never be offered at all.

When the perceived number of information seekers with a disability is low, information organisations may deem services unnecessary. Considering information access is a human right, information service providers and researchers need to seek low cost and low effort ways to facilitate information access and information seeking behaviors. …

First The Blade, David Sedlacek

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Determinants Of Hiv-Risk Sexual Behaviors Among Zambian Adolescents: The Role Of Gendered Power, Sherinah K. Saasa, Orion Mowbray

Faculty Publications

Sub-Saharan African adolescents account for a disproportionate share of the global HIV infection rates with adolescent females carrying the heavy burden. Vulnerability to negative sexual health outcomes have been attributed to varying life contexts and power differentials influencing adolescent sexual behaviors. Using social dominance theory and the four bases of gendered power, this study examines the relationship between gender based power and adolescent HIV-risk sexual behavior. Data was derived from the 2013‐14 Zambia Demographic Health Survey (ZDHS). We utilize gender stratified multivariate logistic regression to determine whether the four bases of gendered power are predictive of condom use and multiple …

The Value Of Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare For Adolescent Substance Users With Comorbid Conditions, Michael A. Gass, Thomas Wilson, Brett Talbot, Anita Reithoffer Tucker, Melissa Ugianskis, Nicholas Brennan

Faculty Publications

The damage inflicted on our society by mental health and substance use issues is reaching epidemic proportions with few signs of abating. One new and innovative strategy for addressing these comorbid issues has been the development of outdoor behavioral healthcare (OBH). This study compared the effectiveness of three post-acute adolescent substance use situations: OBH, treatment as usual (TAU), and no structured treatment (NST). The simulated target population was 13-17 years old with comorbid substance use and mental health issues. When costs were adjusted for actual completion rates of 94% in OBH, 37% in TAU, and $0 for NST, the actual …

A Multi-Ancestry Genome-Wide Study Incorporating Gene-Smoking Interactions Identifies Multiple New Loci For Pulse Pressure And Mean Arterial Pressure, Yun Ju Sung, Lisa De Las Fuentes, Thomas W. Winkler, Daniel I. Chasman, Amy R. Bentley, Aldi T. Kraja, Ioanna Ntalla, Helen R. Warren, Xiuqing Guo, Karen Schwander, Alisa K. Manning, Michael R. Brown, Hugues Aschard, Mary F. Feitosa, Nora Franceschini, Yingchang Lu, Ching Yu Cheng, Xueling Sim, Dina Vojinovic, Jonathan Marten, Solomon K. Musani, Tuomas O. Kilpeläinen, Melissa A. Richard, Stella Aslibekyan, Traci M. Bartz, Rajkumar Dorajoo, Changwei Li, Yongmei Liu, Tuomo Rankinen, Albert Vernon Smith, Salman M. Tajuddin, Bamidele O. Tayo, Wei Zhao

Faculty Publications

Elevated blood pressure (BP), a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, is influenced by both genetic and lifestyle factors. Cigarette smoking is one such lifestyle factor. Across five ancestries, we performed a genome-wide gene-smoking interaction study of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and pulse pressure (PP) in 129 913 individuals in stage 1 and follow-up analysis in 480 178 additional individuals in stage 2. We report here 136 loci significantly associated with MAP and/or PP. Of these, 61 were previously published through main-effect analysis of BP traits, 37 were recently reported by us for systolic BP and/or diastolic BP through …

Proving Their Love: Violence And Gender Norms In Descriptions Of Relationships Among Rural Mexican Adolescents, Heidi Adams Rueda, Steven Hoffman, Kaitlin Grytza

Faculty Publications

Mexican youth from impoverished areas are at increased risk for experiencing relationship violence. Research in the United States has suggested that perpetration may be contextualized by culturally-influenced gender values, specifically performance of negative aspects of male masculinity (i.e., machismo) and its female counterpart (i.e., marianismo). This study utilized focus group methods to explore how middle school adolescents (N = 98) from a rural area of Central Mexico differentiate between healthy and unhealthy dating relationships.

We evoked a feminist developmental lens to interpret themes which centralized males as physical and sexual aggressors and to offer culturally-relevant program and practice recommendations.

Development And Initial Psychometric Evaluation Of The Computer-Based Prostate Cancer Screening Decision Aid Acceptance Scale For African-American Men, Otis L. Owens, Nikki R. Wooten, Abbas S. Tavakoli

Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND:

To reliably evaluate the acceptance and use of computer-based prostate cancer decision aids (CBDAs) for African-American men, culturally relevant measures are needed. This study describes the development and initial psychometric evaluation of the 24-item Computer-Based Prostate Cancer Screening Decision Aid Acceptance Scale among 357 African-American men.

METHODS:

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with maximum likelihood estimation and polychoric correlations followed by Promax and Varimax rotations. RESULTS: EFA yielded three factors: Technology Use Expectancy and Intention (16 items), Technology Use Anxiety (5 items), and Technology Use Self-Efficacy (3 items) with good to excellent internal consistency reliability at .95, .90, and .85, …

Academic-Community Partnerships: Effectiveness Evaluated Beyond The Ivory Walls, Rosemary M. Caron, Jessica D. Ulrich-Schad, Catherine Lafferty

Faculty Publications

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has furthered our understanding of the working principles required for academic-community partnerships to address persistent public health problems. However, little is known about how effective these partnerships have been in eliminating or reducing community-based public health issues. To contribute to the literature in this area, the authors conducted a survey of U.S. schools and programs in public health and community groups working with these academic partners to: (1) identify the most common local public health issues addressed; (2) examine the characteristics of the partnership and the actual or perceived benefits and challenges for each partner; (3) …

Social Support Networks And Symptom Severity Among Patients With Co-Occurring Mental Health And Substance Use Disorders, Marie Haverfield, Mark Ilgen, Eric Schmidt, Alexandra Shelley, Christine Timko

Faculty Publications

Patients entering an inpatient psychiatry program (N = 406) with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders reported on their social support networks (source, type) at treatment intake, and completed symptom measures at baseline and 3-, 9-, and 15-month follow-ups (77%). Longitudinal growth models found aspects of participants’ support networks were associated with specific symptoms over time. Less family support (i.e., more conflict) was the most consistent predictor of mental health and substance use outcomes and was associated with greater psychiatric, depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and drug use severity. More peer support (via mutual-help involvement) was associated with …

Psychometric Evaluation Of The Bilingual English-Spanish Assessment Sentence Repetition Task For Clinical Decision-Making, Lisa A. Fitton Ph.D., Rachel Hoge, Yaacov Petscher, Carla Wood

Faculty Publications

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was a) to examine the underlying components or factor structure of the Bilingual English-Spanish Assessment (Peña et al., 2014) sentence repetition task and b) to examine the relationship between Spanish-English speaking children's sentence repetition and vocabulary performance. Method: Participants were 291 Spanish-English speaking children in kindergarten and first grade. Item analyses were used to evaluate the underlying factor structure for each language version of the sentence repetition tasks of the BESA. The tasks were then examined in relation to a measure of English receptive vocabulary. Results: Bifactor models, which include a single underlying …

Parenting Styles Are Associated With Overall Child Dietary Quality Within Low-Income And Food-Insecure Households, Michael P. Burke, Sonya J. Jones, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., Christine E. Blake, Maryah S. Fram

Faculty Publications

Objective: To examine the association between parenting styles and overall child dietary quality within households that are low-income and food-insecure.

Design: Child dietary intake was measured via a 24 h dietary recall. Dietary quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index-2005 (HEI-2005). Parenting styles were measured and scored using the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire. Linear regressions were used to test main and interaction associations between HEI-2005 scores and parenting styles.

Setting: Non-probability sample of low-income and food-insecure households in South Carolina, USA.

Participants: Parent–child dyads (n 171). Parents were ≥18 years old and children were …