Digital Commons Network^™

Sexual Orientation, Age, And Race: An Intersectional Approach To Health Disparities, Laura E. Bernstein

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Sexual orientation, age, and race are all identity-based variables that can contribute to health disparities (Dannefer, 2020; Meyer, 2003; Forde et al., 2019). The minority diminished returns (MDR) theory states that marginalized identities (i.e. race and sexual orientation) dampen the positive impact education has on physical and mental health (Assari, 2018). Some evidence suggests that health disparities narrow in older sexual minority adults (Nelson & Andel, 2020a) but this question has not been asked with nationally representative data, and research with older sexual minorities is limited. The present study explored whether 1) age dampens or exacerbates disparities in self-rated health …

You've Got A Friend: Social Factors And Depressive Symptoms In Older Adults, Erika A. Fenstermacher

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Depression in late life has been associated with disability, lower quality of life, increased mortality, and increased risk of suicide (Fiske et al., 2009; Rodda et al., 2011). Research suggests that functional disability, which is often brought about by a medical condition, may precede depressive symptoms and may be a major factor for older adults developing depression (Ormel et al., 2002). Social support can be beneficial for both emotional and physical health (Fiori & Jager, 2021). Numerous studies found evidence that social networks, perceived and subjective social support, and satisfaction with support received moderated the relation between health problems and …

Confluence: Evaluating The Individual Learning Outcomes Of A Combined Citizen Science And Environmental Education Project, Evan A. Harms

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Citizen Science has moved beyond a methodological tool for ecologists to crowdsource data to a novel platform for environmental and informal science education. However, few studies document the individual learning outcomes of citizen science as an educational tool, particularly in youth or extension education. This quantitative study focused on evaluating the individual learning outcomes of an environmental education and citizen science non-formal learning experience about water quality.

In this study, an existing lesson plan using four sequenced activities was adapted for use with West Virginia 4-H summer camps in 2022. Potential outcome areas were first identified from foundational environmental education …

On The Role Of Task Preference And Work Removal For Identifying Escape Functions, Brian Patrick Long

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Abstract

On the Role of Task Preference and Work Removal for Identifying Escape Functions

Brian P. Long

Students within the public school system may exhibit severe challenging behavior to escape from academic demands. Procedures to identify the reinforcers that maintain challenging behavior, such as functional analysis, may improve the probability of treatment success. Functional analysis involves manipulating contingencies to determine if positive (e.g., attention following challenging behavior) or negative (e.g., escape from aversive events such as task demands) reinforcers may maintain challenging behavior (Iwata et al., 1982). The absence of evocative tasks could produce inaccurate results when testing for effects …

Relational Turbulence And Identity Gaps Amongst Committed Consensually Non-Monogamous Partners, R. E. Purtell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate relational turbulence processes and test Relational Turbulence Theory’s (RTT) first five propositions in a sample of 528 committed consensually non-monogamous (CNM) partners as they are experiencing the transition of their committed partner adding a new sexual or romantic partner other than themselves. CNM relationships are those in which at least one partner has multiple sexual and/or romantic relationships with the consent of all parties involved. Generally, the first five propositions of RTT were supported. Specifically, self uncertainty and partner uncertainty positively predicted relationship uncertainty, which in turn predicted biased cognitive appraisals, and …

Effects Of Aripiprazole Alone And In Combination With D-Amphetamine On Probability Discounting In Sprague-Dawley Rats, Paige Currie

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Pharmaceuticals are helpful tools in aiding individuals with psychiatric diagnoses. Sometimes, the drug’s side effects can be more severe than the initial problem. Maladaptive behaviors, like pathological gambling, overeating, and substance abuse, are important to consider during the prescription of different pharmaceuticals, particularly those used to treat Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Individuals with these diagnoses are often prescribed: stimulants, like d-amphetamine (d-AMP; for symptoms associated with ADHD), and antipsychotics, like aripiprazole (ARI; for symptoms associated with ASD). These drugs in combination could influence maladaptive behavior, including risky choice (probability discounting). The present study …

Queer Ways Of Seeing Queer Ways Of Depicting: Ellsworth Kelly’S Afterlives And The Liberatory Burden Of Modernist Formalism, J. Zach Hunley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ellsworth Kelly (1923-2015) was a prolific artist whose career spanned six decades. During that time, Kelly forged new ground stylistically through his unwavering devotion to formalism. Derived from his keen eye for observing his quotidian surroundings, the masking of readymade sources via abstraction has become the understanding central to scholarship on the artist. Kelly’s practice of veiling the subject also reveals a vast, complex matrix of sociohistorical forces related to and stemming from his positionality as a gay man—the significance of which has been generally discounted or omitted from understandings of Kelly within the art historical canon.

This thesis probes …

The Effect Of Face Interpretation Training On Social Anxiety Symptoms, Grace L. Wheeler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

According to cognitive models of social anxiety disorder (SAD), individuals place excessive importance on gauging others’ reactions (e.g., facial expressions) to their social performance. Facial interpretation bias modification (FIBM) was developed to shift interpretations of ambiguous faces. The current study uses FIBM to test whether face interpretation is causally related to SAD symptoms in an unselected adult sample. Participants (N=139) were randomized to 1 of 3 conditions (positive, negative, accurate) in a single-session, online study. Pre- and post- intervention measures of face interpretation and SAD were completed. In line with hypotheses, individuals in the positive condition interpreted faces more positively …

Effects Of Development On Hpa Function Following Pubertal Stress, Brittany D. Elliott

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

For women, two of the greatest risk factors for affective disorders are adversity experienced during puberty and later becoming pregnant. We have created a translationally relevant mouse model where we address these complex risk factors. Previously, we discovered that pregnant mice (dams) that experienced chronic variable stress (CVS) during puberty display a blunted hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) response when exposed to an acute stressor. Interestingly, this alteration only first becomes apparent during pregnancy, which is a sensitive period for these effects due to normative neuroendocrine changes. Further investigation of the mechanisms underlying this dysfunction revealed altered gene expression in the paraventricular nucleus …

Evaluation Of Renewal During Differential Reinforcement With Asymmetrical Choices And A Context Fading Mitigation Technique, Kacey R. Finch

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Successful clinical behavior analytic treatment often results in decreases in challenging behavior and increases in appropriate behavior. These reductions in challenging behavior are often achieved by implementing differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA; Petscher et al., 2009). One variation of DRA to decrease challenging behavior is differential reinforcement with asymmetrical choices, which are two or more concurrently available response options associated with differential outcomes (Fisher & Mazur, 1997; Kestner et al., 2023). However, responding that was previously reduced sometimes reemerges. Specifically, renewal is the reemergence of a previously reduced response following a context change. The first two experiments evaluated renewal …

The Truth-Default, Diagnostic Utility, And The Value Of Contextual Knowledge In Deceptive Interactions, Heath A. Howard

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation describes and reports an experimental study examining the predictions of truth-default theory (TDT). TDT is an expansive, modular theory of deception detection which explains the processes by which people abandon the truth-default state and navigate judgments of message veracity in conversations. The first goal of this study was to test TDT’s seventh proposition, which explains how communicators abandon the truth-default state through trigger events (i.e., actions which prompt communicators to be uncertain about the accuracy of the message) such as decreased sender believability and message coherence. The second goal of this study was to test the predictions of …

Epistemological Insecurity In The Anthropocene, Dustin Purvis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation analyzes how increased mainstream awareness of climate change and other complex environmental phenomena transforms some of the basic tools we use to understand the world, including notions of agency, evidence, and causality. More specifically, this project highlights numerous contemporary literary and cultural narratives that formally and thematically depict impromptu systems of action and comprehension developed by humans confronting the unique forms of information overload that result from damaged and rapidly changing environments. Following critics like Ulrich Beck, Rob Nixon, and Stacy Alaimo, I suggest our current era of ecological instability and destructive environmental practices dictate what I refer …

Experiences Of Transgender Adults Living In West Virginia, Kerry M. Drabish

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: Transgender adults experience disrespect, rejection, and discrimination. This is further complicated by the incongruence and internal conflict stemming from pressure to conform to a binary system of gender. Studies describing the experiences of transgender adults are limited. Therefore, the concept coexisting between the assigned and identified self was developed to better understand how transgender adults acknowledge turmoil and marginalization in coming to embrace identity.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) describe the experiences of transgender adults living in WV, and (2) gather empirical evidence about the concept coexisting between the assigned and identified self. The …

Rebuilding The Appalachian Economy From The Ground Up: Towards A Holistic Organizational Framework For Community And Economic Development In Rural Extractive Areas, Brandon M. Dennison

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Central Appalachia specifically and rural extractive areas more generally face some of the most challenging socio-economic realities in North America. Community-based organizations (CBOs) are an important tool for addressing these challenges. As governments intensify efforts to mitigate climate change, and as fossil-fuel industries contract, extracted communities are experiencing economic, cultural, and environmental upheaval. Many leaders call for a “just transition” away from fossil-fuels, which would make local extraction communities whole. However, achieving a truly just transition away from fossil fuels is extraordinarily challenging, and many extracted communities were never whole to begin with. I argue CBOs are the crucial vehicle …

The Effect Of Pubertal Stress On Prefrontal Cortex Related Behavior In Adult And Adolescent Mice, Bryan Rodriguez

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is an area of associated with cognitive flexibility, decision making, and value processing. The most common neuropsychiatric disorders globally, including generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, and substance abuse disorders, have been associated with dysfunction in the PFC. One of the environmental factors that may lead to increased risk for developing these disorders is exposure to stressful or traumatic situations during key developmental periods, such as adolescence. Human studies found that individuals who were faced with early adverse events but had some form of social interaction or support during that time, had a lower risk …

Effects Of Oxycodone And Methylphenidate On Self-Control With Aversive Outcomes, Jeremy Saul Langford

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the context of choice, one is said to show self-control under numerous conditions in which consideration is given to the delayed outcomes of each option. This can be difficult: both reinforcing and aversive outcomes become less effective as they are increasingly delayed. Several socially significant issues arise from a failure of delayed, aversive outcomes to impact choice, especially when immediate, reinforcing outcomes are available. Identifying the conditions under which choice is sensitive to delayed outcomes is critical to shifting choices toward alternatives in which contact with delayed, aversive outcomes is minimized. Two experiments were conducted with the aim of …

Dispositional Optimism And Autonomic Reactivity During Passive-Coping And Active-Coping Stress Tasks, Emma R. Pino

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Optimism is a positive psychological factor that has been associated with improved mental and physical health outcomes. To better understand the mechanism through which optimism results in improved health, researchers have examined whether autonomic reactivity to stress moderates this relation. While many studies have examined the relation between optimism and autonomic reactivity to stress, findings are mixed. Although some studies have found optimism to be associated with reductions in heart rate and blood pressure responses to acute stress presentations, many studies exploring this relation have found optimism to be associated with greater blood pressure responses to stress. However, most of …

Relationships Among Racism, Dental Care-Related Fear/Anxiety And Dental Care Utilization Among Black And African American Women In Appalachia, Kalo Sokoto

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation is a study of the implications of racism in oral health care settings for dental care-related fear/anxiety, and dental care utilization. One in five adults in the US have experienced discrimination while receiving health care. Even though racism is the most reported type of discrimination in health care, little is known about its impact on dental outcomes. There is a paucity of prior studies measuring experiences of racism in dental settings. The current study proposed the application of Krieger’s Ecosocial Theory of Health Equity to explore relationships among racism in oral health care settings, dental care-related fear/anxiety, and …

Cue Reactivity In Non-Smoking Electronic Cigarette Users, Ashley E. Douglas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) are among the most popular nicotine products in the United States, particularly among youth and young adults. Many individuals who use ECIGs report an interest in quitting or unsuccessful quit attempts. In addition to nicotine dependence, one factor that may contribute to continued ECIG use is an individual’s response to ECIG-related environmental stimuli, or cues. Existing research demonstrates that exposure to ECIG cues increases craving for ECIGs among cigarette smokers, including those without previous ECIG experience. The purpose of this study was to examine effects of ECIG cue exposure in experienced ECIG users with minimal smoking history, …

Retention And Persistence Of Low-Income, First-Generation Rural College Students From West Virginia, Rachel D. Nieman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A considerable body of research demonstrates that first-generation college students face greater obstacles to college retention, persistence and completion compared to their non-first-generation counterparts. However, the extant literature rarely explores rurality as a salient factor to understand these challenges. Even less visible in the literature are the experiences and voices of West Virginians. West Virginia is a predominantly rural state and ranks 49^th in the nation in terms of educational attainment, with only 19.6% of residents over the age of 25 having earned at least a bachelor’s degree. While rural areas may experience multifaceted struggles, the educational attainment of …

Governance From Below: Decentralization, Innovation, And Disaster Management In East Asia, Fatemah Muneer Nawabdin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Research on decentralization has emphasized that the distribution of power between the national and local levels has different effects on various outcomes. This dissertation aims to contribute to this discussion by shedding light on the three types of decentralization (political, fiscal, and administrative) and their effect on two main outcomes: the production of technological and intellectual innovation and COVID-19 management. I argue that decentralization – including its three types – works differently under different conditions, resulting in different outcomes. That is, fiscal and administrative decentralization empower local decision-makers to make autonomous decisions, which can be beneficial for promoting innovation, but …

Driving After Marijuana Use Among Us College Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Yuni Tang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction: Adolescents and college-aged adults account for a large proportion of the United States population and are susceptible to drugs, including marijuana. Since the late 1960s in the United States, numerous states have legalized marijuana for medical and recreational purposes. These recent policy changes may alter people’s attitudes and behaviors about marijuana use, particularly young adults. The expansion of state-level marijuana legalization may also increase accessibility in younger populations and increase reckless driving behavior associated with marijuana use, including driving after marijuana use. During the COVID-19 pandemic, adolescents and young adults experienced heightened stress and anxiety, which have significantly contributed …

Organizing (Eternal) Identity And Identification: An Upward Glance Into Religious Institutions, Casey M. Stratton

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation disrupts at least two religious spaces: First, scholars religiously adhering to (social) scientific norms, and second, people identifying with religious organizations (i.e., churches). First, we begin constructing a theoretical lens using poststructural ideas offered by Foucault, Derrida, and Bakhtin to read and disrupt (religious) discourse. Second, we complicate organizational identification as a concept, deeming it fixed and fluid—a paradox within religious discourses that endorse Truth and Perfection. Here, we draw from the communication constitutes organization (CCO) approach. Third, we further curate the lens by applying poststructuralism, identification, and CCO in a specific context: The Church of Jesus Christ …

The Enigmatic Nature Of Toxic Masculinity: Utilizing Quasi-Photovoice Methodology To Make Distinctions Between Hegemonic And Toxic Masculinity, Taylor Elizabeth Remsburg

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Studies of masculinity are fraught by inconsistent and unclear definitions. A comparison of literature which uses either hegemonic or toxic masculinity as a framework reveals that toxic masculinity can be virtually indistinguishable from hegemonic masculinity. I posit that toxic masculinity is and should be distinct from hegemonic masculinity. Failure to distinguish toxic masculinity from hegemonic masculinity makes toxicity difficult, if not impossible, to operationalize. I designed a vignette survey to clarify the conceptualization and operationalization of toxic masculinity. My vignette survey, which asks participants to respond to prompts regarding both toxic masculinity and masculinity, uses quasi-photovoice methodology to allow participants …

Nature Based Interventions For Human Health And Wellbeing, Samantha I. Moyers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background. Nature exposure is beneficial to human health and wellbeing, but the evidence base for nature-based interventions (NBI) is still developing. Heterogeneous naming conventions, study designs, and intervention contexts create difficulty in accessing and assessing the evidence for such programming. While NBI have been utilized in a wide array of human populations, no interventions have been reported among clinical health professions students. Aims. The objectives of this dissertation project were to review the existing body of NBI literature exploring health and wellbeing outcomes, and to conduct a feasibility trial of forest bathing, a type of NBI, among clinical students. Specifically, …

Personality And Academic Performance In College, Jacob E. Alderson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Despite mounting evidence for the role of personality in predicting college level academic performance, there are aspects of this association that are still unexplained. With a sample of U.S. undergraduates at a large Appalachian university, this study sought to further establish what is already known about the association between personality and grade point average, credits earned, and retention rates by testing for both linear and quadratic effects. Results showed linear positive effects of conscientiousness, negative linear effects of openness and nonlinear effects of neuroticism for GPA. However, personality traits were not associated with either retention or credits earned. These findings …

Utility Of An Emotion Coding System For Parent-Child Interaction Therapy With Toddlers, Christopher Kyle Owen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Numerous efficacious early interventions target and alter caregiver-child interactions to promote optimal social-emotional outcomes for young children (Bagner et al., 2014). However, research has primarily relied on the use of caregiver report to assess caregiver-child emotion-focused practices, revealing the need for a behavioral observation assessment (Zinsser et al., 2021). Preliminary evidence suggests that Parent-Child Interaction Therapy with Toddlers (PCIT-T) is a well-received and efficacious intervention for reducing disruptive behaviors, improving child internalizing and externalizing behavior, reducing parental stress, and increasing parental sensitivity (Kohlhoff et al., 2021; Kohlhoff, Cibralic, & Morgan, 2020). PCIT-T strives to train caregivers to interact with their …

Understanding And Evaluating Stereotypes Towards Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Symptom Subtypes, Gabriella T. Ponzini

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Public stigma has detrimental impacts on those with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Yet, stereotypes associated with OCD are poorly understood. Given the heterogeneity of OCD symptom presentations, a conceptualization of stereotypes associated with symptom subtypes is warranted to inform stigma reduction efforts.

In Study 1 (N = 60), participants read one of five vignettes on OCD subtypes (Symmetry/Just Right, Contamination, Sexual, Harm/Aggression, or Scrupulous) prior to responding to Internet-delivered open-ended questions. Study 1 methods followed the qualitative description framework, such that data were derived from participant responses and findings were presented using participant language. Prior to final coding and …

First Year Teacher In Appalachia: Place, Identity, Tensions, Michael Renee Lane

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study centers on one first-year Social Studies teacher who is beginning her teaching career in a rural middle school in central Appalachia. Grounded in sociocultural theory, this qualitative study focuses understanding how the focal teacher discursively constructs her teaching identity including how she makes use of sociocultural resources, social practices, and the discourses she draws from as she describes her experiences. Data is drawn from a five-month interpretive qualitative case study that included semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and the focal teacher’s personal journals. Data analysis indicated that place is crucial in shaping teachers’ beliefs and practices—including their conceptions of …

Evaluation Of Emerging Screening Technologies For The On-Site Detection And Identification Of Methamphetamine And Its Precursors In Simulated Clandestine Lab Operations, Alexis Nicole Wilcox

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Stimulant drugs comprise one of the top drug categories abused in the United States. Due to its accessibility, low price, and manufacturing simplicity, methamphetamine is frequently placed within the top 10 seized drugs in the country. As of March 2023, methamphetamine is the most seized controlled substance in the United States, with 34,291 kg. In 2022, the United States seized over 79,000 kg of methamphetamine. One reason for the proliferation of methamphetamine is related to the production itself, which does not require large warehouses but can be manufactured in houses using relatively accessible materials and small containers. When a clandestine …