Digital Commons Network^™

A Multi-Method Evaluation Of Parent And Child Factors Associated With Child Abuse Potential, Lindsay R. Druskin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Child abuse is a pervasive, global problem impacting millions of children (Stoltenborgh et al., 2015). Researchers have largely relied on the use of parent-report questionnaires to examine a variety of risk factors for child abuse (see Azar, 2002; Stith et al., 2009), leaving a gap in the research regarding the link between observed parent and child behaviors and child abuse potential. Utilizing a sample of families clinically referred for child behavioral problems, the proposed study pursued a multi-method approach to explore relations between parent factors (parent attachment, emotion regulation, harsh behaviors, and stress), child factors (child disruptive behaviors), and the …

Narrative Transportation In Documentary Film: How Immersion Into The Documentary Film Hillbilly Affects Viewers' Attitudes, Alayna G. Fuller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

For decades, film has relied on stereotypical misconceptions to depict Appalachian people on screen. Research has demonstrated that visual narratives and the experience of narrative transportation has the power to change individuals’ perceptions about information conveyed implicitly or explicitly within a story. Presently, no empirical research has examined how viewer attitudes form based on their level of immersion into an Appalachian documentary film. To fill this gap, this study offers a quantitative approach to examine if the documentary Hillbilly narratively transports the viewer into the world of Appalachia and shifts audience perceptions of the stereotypical Appalachian persona or “hillbilly.” The …

Age As A Moderator Of Health Outcomes And Trust In Physicians And The Healthcare System, Emma Katz M.S.

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Trust is an integral part of the healthcare experience. Patient trust is associated with treatment adherence, patient satisfaction, patients engaging in follow-up care, shared decision-making, and positive health-related outcomes (e.g., Gupta et al., 2014; Mohseni & Lindstrom, 2007; Musa et al., 2009; Tam, 2012; Thom, et al., 2004; Trachtenberg et al., 2005). There are several levels of trust discussed in the literature, including interpersonal trust and institutional trust. The current study examined two levels of trust: interpersonal trust in the form of trust in the physician and institutional trust in the form of trust in the healthcare system. The study …

Identifying Factors That Increase Sustainability Of Swpbis In Us Middle Schools, Heather L. Hoffert

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

School-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) is a multi-tiered framework with decades of documented success in reducing problem behavior, increasing academic achievement, and promoting positive school climates. Approximately 20% of schools nationwide (n=26,000) implement SWPBIS (Kittleman et al., 2020). However, many schools that adopt SWPBIS abandon the program after only a few years of implementation. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate factors that promote sustainability of SWPBIS. By identifying factors that increase schools’ likelihood to sustain practices, we can target our implementation efforts both effectively and efficiently thereby improving student outcomes. The Benchmarks of Quality (BoQ) is used annually …

The Most Common Vocal Fault In The Baritone Voice, Matthew Derek Cyphert

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this research project is to create an approachable guide to avoiding the most common vocal fault found in the baritone singing voice. The specific fault being discussed has been coined the “baritone swallow.” This document will explore the history of the baritone singing voice along with information regarding vocal fach identification, an in-depth study of this common vocal fault frequently experienced by baritone singers, and a fault-specific guide to identifying and addressing the “baritone swallow.”

Eco-Material Rifts In South Asian Anglophone Fiction, Muhammad Manzur Alam

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

I examine how South Asian Anglophone fiction represents the evolution and derangement of postcolonial ecologies, especially how unrelenting colonial and capitalist interventions affect the symbiotic relationship between subaltern people and nonhuman entities. The conceptual methodology develops from Karl Marx’s theory of “metabolic rift,” which illustrates how capitalist exportation of crops causes loss of important soil nutrients because the nutrients are consumed in distant locations and not returned to the original soil. My concept of “eco-material rifts” extends Marx’s idea to contend that the “rifts” have grown into more complicated and difficult to remediate modes of material rifts today. I scrutinize …

Barriers And Opportunities To Exiting Prostitution: An Analysis Of Prostitution Diversion Programs, Marina Binti Mohd Hamdan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Problem-solving courts incorporate therapeutic and punitive measures in the court process in the criminal justice system. Prostitution Diversion Programs (PDP) are recognition of women in prostitution's inherent systemic struggles to desist and recover. Specialized Prostitution Diversion in Baltimore City and Project Dawn Court in Philadelphia are two PDPs analyzed through a longitudinal study on participants throughout their involvement as well as after they graduate from the program. By addressing the barriers to exiting prostitution through women’s turning points and providing opportunities to overcome hardships, women are more likely to successfully exit prostitution and maintain their sobriety in the long-term. Findings …

Adherence To Dietary Recommendations For Adolescents With Cystic Fibrosis, Kristine M. Durkin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: Adhering to dietary recommendations and nutritional supplements to ensure adequate absorption of nutrients and malnutrition plays an important role in the health of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Non-adherence to the CF care regimen, including nutritional recommendations, is high in adolescents. Therefore, the overall goal of this study was to identify factors related to adherence to nutritional recommendations in adolescents with CF.

Method: A total of 42 adolescents (ages 12-18) were recruited from 5 CF centers across the US. Adolescents completed surveys measuring body image/satisfaction, health literacy, perceived barriers to enzyme use, and self-efficacy, as well as the quality …

Association Of Early Life Stressors With Deficits In Child And Adolescent Cognitive Functioning, Emily M. Deming

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the ACEs questionnaire could be a viable screener tool for identifying children in need of neuropsychological testing. This study consisted of a sample of child participants aged 8-17 years (N=53) who were divided into a no ACEs group or the ACEs group (1 or more ACEs) depending on parental responses to the ACEs questionnaire. Participants completed a series of virtual neuropsychological tests that assessed overall neurocognitive functioning, memory, and attention. No significant differences between the no ACEs group and the ACEs group in performance of the overall Neurocognitive Index, …

Undergraduate Academic Advising Experiences With Confirmation And Supportive And Connected Communication Climate, Sara Pitts

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examined undergraduate student perceptions of academic advisors use of communication confirmation and supportive and connected communication climate. Additionally, this dissertation investigated if academic advisors use of confirmation behaviors had an effect on student learning, specifically, cognitive learning outcomes, affective learning outcomes, and satisfaction. Focus groups were conducted with 33 current undergraduate students. First and second cycle coding of the data revealed four academic advisor confirming behaviors: (a) recognize students’ experiences outside the classroom, (b) collaborate on educational/career goals, (c) recall prior interactions with the student, and (d) offer praise and positive feedback. Additionally, students identified three disconfirming behaviors …

The Exposome, Metabolic Dysfunction And Silicosis: A Pulmonary And Pathophysiology Study, Janet A. Thompson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The exposome encompasses the concept that an individual’s health is a combination of genetic, environmental, and occupational exposures. A worker’s exposomal profile could potentially influence their susceptibility to hazardous occupational exposures. Over 35% of adults in the United States have metabolic dysfunction (MetDys), yet interactions between MetDys and hazardous occupational exposures are generally unknown. MetDys is associated with HFWD-consumption and obesity and induces a chronic low grade systemic inflammation and alters serum adipokine profiles. Silicosis, a progressive inflammatory lung disease, results from occupational inhalation exposure to respirable crystalline silica particles. This research tests the hypothesis “Inflammation resulting from HFWD-induced …

Preconception Substance Use And Risk Of Unintended Pregnancy, Saima Shafique

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: In the United States, unintended pregnancy is a serious public health issue due to its persistent high prevalence. In the series of three studies, our first two investigations examined the risk and potential determinants of unintended pregnancy among substance and polysubstance using women of childbearing age. In the third study, we conducted a systematic review (SR) with meta-analysis (MA) to assess the association of illicit and recreational drugs to the risk of unintended pregnancy.

Methods: We performed a secondary data analysis on a subset of Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) 2016-17 phase 8 data (n=75,543). The outcome variable …

An Exploration Of The Effects Of Mindfulness On Pain: The Role Of Pain Catastrophizing, Ilana Haliwa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Chronic pain is a complex global public health concern associated with a host of negative outcomes, including loss of productivity, decreased quality of life, and greater likelihood of developing a mental health disorder. Initial evidence indicates that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) improve pain symptomatology. However, most MBIs are time and resource intensive, and it is unclear how mindfulness may improve the pain experience. The purpose of the present set of studies was to test the effects of a brief, app-based MBI on pain experience, and to examine whether pain catastrophizing was a statistical mediator of any effect. Two studies were conducted …

Experience Of Parents Caring For A Child With An Acquired Disability, Brad E. Phillips

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: Parents caring for a child with an acquired disability often report a negative impact on physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual health associated with caregiver burden related to their child’s complex health needs. This is further complicated by additional challenges related to the loss of a previously healthy child. Traditional patterns of loss follow linear, time-bound stages that have been observed to be unrelated to the experiences of these specific parents and their families. Therefore, the concept transforming loss has been developed to better understand how these parents navigate loss and find meaning in spite of their suffering.

Purpose: The …

Gender Leadership Imbalance In Sport Organizations In Latin America, Monica Yamile Gonzalez-Cuevas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of the study was to examine gender imbalance at the leadership level of sport administration at National Olympic Committees (NOC), National Paralympic Committees (NPC), and National Sport Organizations (NSF) of countries members of the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO). Specifically, this study examined how social and human capital, socio-cultural aspects of each country, and power-based discourses affect the advancement of women’s careers at the micro, meso, and macro levels of analysis.

A total of 12 participants were selected to participate in this study. Participants were all female sport administrators holding the position of president, vice-president, or secretary-general of …

Relation Of Child Feeding Behaviors & Caregiver Qualities To Adherence To Nutritional Therapy In Type 1 Diabetes Management, Corrine N. Ahrabi-Nejad

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic illness, typically diagnosed within childhood, that affects the ability of the pancreas to produce insulin. Significant daily self-management behaviors are required to maintain metabolic control for patients with T1D. Nutritional therapy, including adequate intake of macronutrients, is one self-management behavior necessary to optimize health. Adherence to such nutritional guidelines is associated with improved glycemic control, decreased instances of acute health complications (e.g., hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia), and can also prevent insulin resistance. Despite the critical importance of nutritional therapy, adherence to these guidelines remains low within pediatric populations. Therefore, it is important and necessary to …

Playing-Related Medical Injuries And Health Conditions In Collegiate Saxophonists: A Survey Of Saxophonists In North American Universities, Michael Anne Tolan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

When compared to other areas of musical performance, medical research on the performing arts is limited when it comes to studies on woodwind players, particularly saxophonists. The gap in research may be attributed to the circumstances surrounding selection processes and identifying subjects for study. For example, saxophonists are not salaried professionals in orchestras, which are commonly pooled for medical research. Establishing contact with saxophonists to conduct studies can prove difficult due to the wide range of genres that utilize the saxophone. Some issues may also be attributed to research methodology. To find the onset of injuries, researchers in previous studies …

Assessment Of Quechers Extraction Protocol For The Lc-Ms/Ms Detection Of Emerging Fentanyl Analogs In Biological Specimens For Clinical And Forensic Purposes, Kylea M. Morris

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Drug abuse within the United States is a dynamic and pervasive issue that affects the quality and life expectancy of our society. One of the major drug classes that are constantly utilized is opioids. Opioids are prescribed for pain management in patients suffering from cancer and other medical illnesses. Long-term use of opioids could lead to tolerance in humans, which poses a risk of reaching fatal overdose levels. Unfortunately, opioids are abused recreationally, and in some instances, individuals are unaware of the presence of dangerous synthetic drugs like fentanyl, hidden in materials such as heroin, cocaine, oxycodone, and methamphetamine. Recent …

An Examination Of Career Orientation Courses And College Students' Career Decision Self-Efficacy, Logan R. Mayhew

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Career development is an ongoing concern for college administrators as the modern knowledge era generates new and fluctuating jobs. College students are more anxious than in previous decades about starting their careers and making vocational decisions. Building career decision self-efficacy in students results in greater feelings of confidence and increases demonstration of career-related behaviors. Students in three online career courses at West Virginia University were assessed for gains in career decision self-efficacy in comparison with a control group after participation in the courses and compared on the basis of gender. Results of a mixed ANOVA indicated a significant increase in …

Top-Down & Bottom-Up Approaches To Robot Design, Dylan Michael Covell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis presents a study of different engineering design methodologies and demonstrates their effectiveness and limitations in actual robot designs. Some of these methods were blended together with focus on providing an easily interpreted project design flow while implementing more bottom-up, or feedback, elements into the design methodology. Typically design methods are learned through experience, and design taught in academia aims to shape and formalize previous experience. Usually, inexperienced engineers are taught approaches resembling the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (VDI) 2221 process. This method presented by the Association of German Engineers in 2006 is regarded as the general system design process. …

Navigating Abrupt Shifts In Contextual Discourses During A Pandemic And Lack Of Mentorship: A Preservice Teacher’S Journey Developing Critical Pedagogical Discourses, Casey L. King

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study is centered on one English language arts (ELA) preservice teacher’s development of her critical pedagogical discourses (CPD) with the contextual discourses of a school placement for preservice teaching and later shift to a full-time teacher before the placement was complete during a pandemic and in the midst of implementing online learning. Data is drawn from a 4-month interpretive qualitative case study that included classroom observations and semi-structured interviews. The objective for this study included how a preservice teacher uses their beliefs and identity about instruction amid changing contextual discourses in a pandemic and with a lack of mentorship. …

Choosing Not To Participate: Cyber Truancy And Special Education, Elizabeth A. Popielarcheck

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This qualitative study investigated facilitators and barriers to participation in online instruction for students in grades 9-12 with a high incidence disability from the perspective of the student and adult in the home (AIH). Three AIH-student dyads participated in questionnaires and an online interview. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and then analyzed using the six phases described by Braun and Clarke (2006). Eight categories that aligned with barriers and facilitators to participation were identified: communication, instruction in the home, role of the AIH, attendance, grading, teacher provided student support, overall quality of online learning experience, and suggestions. Categories were …

Associations Between Self-Reported Awe And Heart Rate, Laura E. Bernstein

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fredrickson’s (1998, 2013) broaden and build theory states that positive emotions can expand our social and cognitive awareness and provide health benefits. Some positive emotions, such as awe, may operate differently. We sought to understand how subjective reports of awe, induced through videos, correlate with HR. We know that HR tends to decrease with age (Umetani et al., 1998), individuals have less physiological reactivity as they age (Blanchard-Fields, 2007), and older adults report more positive emotions than negative emotions (Mroczek & Kolarz, 1998). Given these findings, we were interested in understanding whether there were age differences in self-reported awe and …

Discussing Changes In Historical Human–Environmental Dynamics Through Ecosystem Services Interactions And Future Scenarios In A Rural-Mining Region Of Central Appalachians, Vincenzo Cribari

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The aim of this dissertation was to investigate how recent processes of land-change induced by humans contributed to the shaping and alteration of the current landscape in a headwater system of Central Appalachians in West Virginia (US), to understand the interactions and tradeoffs among ecosystems services and address potential solutions for targeting more sustainable human-environment interactions in a region that is deeply grounded on extractive economies. The multitiered objective was addressed through different research phases in order to unfold and disentangle a series of complex problems that the study area presents. Three main phases were used; they corresponded to distinct …

Examining The Relationship Among Perceived Academic Climate, Belongingness, And Engineering Identity, Sumaia Ali Raisa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

An attempt to cultivate an inclusive learning environment in engineering is trending as a response to women's underrepresentation and a lower retention rate than men undergraduates. This study was situated in such an undergraduate engineering program where interventions were embedded in the course curriculum focusing on cultivating an inclusive engineering identity. Following a sociocultural perspective, the present study aimed to examine the relation of engineering identity with perceived academic climate, sense of belonging, and gender among two engineering cohorts (before covid and during covid context). A total of 482 first-year engineering undergraduates' survey responses were analyzed in this study using …

Development Of A Transition Program For Young Adults With Type 1 Diabetes Progressing From Pediatric To Adult Care – A Feasibility Study, Elizabeth Ann Minchau

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

ABSTRACT

Development of a Transition Program for Young Adults with Type 1 Diabetes Progressing from Pediatric to Adult Care – A Feasibility Study

Elizabeth A. Minchau

Background: Emerging adulthood requires a delicate balance of the competing social, educational, occupational, and financial demands typical of this developmental stage. This time period presents special challenges for adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D), who must also prioritize consistent medical follow-up and ongoing intensive self-care. Emerging adults with T1D struggle with glycemic control that is further exacerbated by an often-times disorganized transfer of care between pediatric and adult endocrinology practices. Substantial gaps in care …

Repercussions: The Pressure To Be Thin, Shuhan Liu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

My MFA thesis and supporting exhibition will highlight ceramics work I have created with the intention of dissecting the relationship between a soul and reality to convey the story of tension and anxiety and show it in a way that would let viewers identify with my discomfort and anxiety. The inspiration for my work came from the severe body anxiety that I faced that broke out during the three years of psychological stress caused by the pandemic. Using personal narratives as a starting point, I created object-based artwork that addresses the external pressures I feel to be skinny. As an …

Assessment Of User Environmental Perceptions Associated With Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary, Marieke Johanna Lemmen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Resource management in marine protected areas is confronted with the challenging conflict of use and conservation of resources. Increased visitation in marine environments has led to the need of management due to negative ecological and social impacts. Understanding environmental values, attitudes, and perceptions is important to the success of environmental protection. Using online surveys sent via Qualtrics asking questions regarding the users’ knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of ocean resources, goods and services, this research is focusing on identifying user profiles and understanding their environmental perception associated with Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary, an offshore marine protected area, and surrounding coastal …

Face Representation Learning And Its Applications: From Image Editing To 3d Avatar Animation, Xudong Liu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Face representation learning is one of the most popular research topics in the computer vision community, as it is the foundation of face recognition and face image generation. Numerous representation learning frameworks have been integrated into applications in daily life, such as face recognition, image editing, and face tracking. Researchers have developed advanced algorithms for face recognition with successful commercial productions, for example, FaceID on the smartphone. The performance record on face recognition is constantly updated and becoming saturated with the help of large-scale datasets and advanced computational resources. Thanks to the robust representation in face recognition, in this dissertation, …

Assessment Of Electronic Cigarette User Terminology And Knowledge Using Mixed Methods, Margaret G. Childers-Kakos

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) have evolved rapidly over the past several years, and it is unclear if terminology used when assessing ECIG knowledge and use behavior has objective and well-understood definitions between consumers, as well as between consumers and the research community. The purpose of this study was to use semi-structured interviews to obtain a better understanding of ECIGs from the perspective of regular ECIG users. One-hour interviews consisted of both open- and closed-ended questions. Questions probed the terminology used by participants to describe both individual and combination device features, as well as ECIG use behaviors. Qualitative data was used to …