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Communication And Culture: Implications For Hispanic Mothers With Deaf Children, Alliete Rodriguez Alfano

Open Access Dissertations

The majority of deaf children are born to hearing parents. The fact that many of these children use sign language as their primary form of communication poses a unique language barrier between them and their hearing families. In addition, for children who are born into Hispanic families, these children have limited access to Hispanic and Deaf cultures unless their families actively pursue involvement with those communities. Data were collected through ethnographic interviews and limited participant observation and analyzed by means of grounded theory methodology. The study investigated how Hispanic mothers communicate with their deaf children who use ASL as their …

Relationship Between Key Variables In Penile Plethysmograph And Viewing Time Measures Of Sexual Arousal In Sex Offending Adult Males, Lisa Loewinger Cloyd

Open Access Dissertations

Penile plethysmography is amongst the best measures for prediction of sexual recidivism and has been extensively researched. However, there are a variety of criticisms regarding use of penile plethysmography (PPG), including financial investment, significant training needs, lack of standardization, intrusive nature of the measure, extensive time for testing, and inability to use PPG with all groups of sexual offenders (e.g., women and adolescents). Viewing time has been studied, though not as extensively as PPG, regarding detection of sexual interest. This study examined the relationship between Monarch 21 PPG and Affinity viewing time variables, including responses to individual stimuli, a sex …

Marijuana Use Among Clinic-Referred Hispanic American Adolescents With Substance Use Disorders: Gender Differences In Predictors Of Growth Trajectory Parameters, Karen Jill Kaczynski

Open Access Dissertations

This study was undertaken to evaluate gender differences in predictors of substance use in clinic-referred, Hispanic American adolescents with substance use disorders. Individual (disruptive behavior disorders, depression) and family variables (family conflict, parental monitoring) were evaluated as predictors of the initial level and change over time in marijuana use, and gender was evaluated as a moderator of the associations. The study involved an analysis of an existing dataset of 113 Hispanic American adolescents (93 boys; age 12 to 17) referred for outpatient treatment for substance abuse and their parental guardian. Participants and parental guardians completed questionnaires and a structured interview …

Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Descriptive Study Of The Experience, Nancy Diane Blasdell

Open Access Dissertations

The life threatening nature of an acute myocardial infarction has been well established and well known among health professionals and the general public for at least 40 years. In 2007, it is estimated that 700,000 Americans will suffer an acute myocardial infarction (2007 American Heart Association Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update). Although there is a considerable amount of literature on the acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the primary focus has been on the medical treatment and nursing care and a far less extent on the patient experience as seen from the perspective of the patient. Recently, there has been an …

An Examination Of Familial Alcoholism And Attitudes Toward Alcohol Interventions Among College Students, Christy Capone

Open Access Dissertations

This study examined the prevalence of family history of alcoholism (FHA) and its effects on alcohol use and problems in a sample (N = 408) of college students. In addition, students' goals regarding their drinking and attitudes toward various intervention approaches, including pharmacotherapy, were investigated. Using a multilevel FHA measure, an overall prevalence rate of 65.9% and a rate of 29.1% for FHA in both first and second-degree relatives were observed. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to investigate relations between gender, FHA and alcohol use and problems. Results indicated a significant positive association between FHA and alcohol-related problems and …

Roles And Strategies Of Nurses Facilitating Diabetes Support Groups: An Exploratory Study, Joanne Fawcett Costello

Open Access Dissertations

Diabetes is a pervasive health problem with potentially devastating but preventable consequences. Although technological advances and new treatments have resulted in great optimism for controlling the disease, research indicates that the challenges of diabetes self-management are overwhelming for many. One creative intervention which has beginning empirical support and which seems to be helping many living with diabetes to sustain management of the disease and quality of life is diabetes support groups. Nurse diabetes educators have been frequent facilitators in these groups, yet little is known about how these nurses perceive their role and the strategies they use as well as …

Psychologists' Approaches To Evaluating Client Progress In Psychotherapy Practice, Nancy Hancock Brand

Open Access Dissertations

Evidence-based mental health practice has emerged as a major priority in the search for cost-effective mental health treatments. The evaluation of client outcomes in psychotherapy practice represents an important but understudied component of evidenced-based mental health practice. Despite the growing research demonstrating that client outcomes tend to be enhanced when clinicians receive feedback on outcome measures, the utilization rates of empirically-derived outcome assessment methods among master and doctoral level clinicians remain quite low. While the literature shows that social workers evaluate client outcomes using subjective/intuitive approaches to a much greater extent than quantitative methods, less is known about the approaches …

Representational Status Of Minority Students In Special Education In The State Of Rhode Island, Megan O'Reilly Foran

Open Access Dissertations

The issue of overrepresentation of certain ethnic groups in special education has been a documented problem for decades. Several variables are hypothesized to be related to the overrepresentation of minority groups in special education including economic, demographic, and academic variables, as well as biases in the special education referral and placement process. The purpose of this investigation was to analyze characteristics of minority and non-minority children in special education in the state of Rhode Island to determine if there was a disproportionality problem in special education. Specifically, the study examined if there was a disproportionate representation of students of specific …

Living With Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury, Susan M. Hunter

Open Access Dissertations

The lengthening life span of individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI) underscores the importance for expanding the focus of care to include living with a SCI in the community. In the literature, life for this individual has been characterized as an enduring process, including changes in views of self, disability, and life values. A major component of successful living has been seen as achieving a positive feeling of subjective well-being. However, the majority of research to date has been from only the perspective of the health care professional. The aim of this study was to better understand this experience …

Longitudinal Methods For Randomized Clinical Trials In Health Behavior Change Research, Bettina B. Hoeppner

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation compares different methods for the analysis of longitudinal data obtained from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in a series of three papers that share the characteristic of combining applied analyses based on empirical examples of health behavior change interventions with a simulation study. In study 1, traditionally used methods for the analysis of RCT data are compared to modern computer intensive methods in respect to a standard 2x3 (group*time) design. Empirical analyses of two independent samples of three health behaviors (smoking cessation, dietary intake, and sun protection) showed that the commonly assumed compound symmetrical (CS) pattern provided inadequate fit. …

Examining The Effectiveness Of A School-Based Mental Health Center's Services, Sally A. Mitchell

Open Access Dissertations

Untreated mental health problems among our youth result in outcomes, including suicide, homicide, substance abuse, low grades, poor attendance, and dropping out of school (Pfeiffer & Reddy, 1998; Pumariega & Vance, 1999). SBMHC's, a Systems of Care framework, can address the limited accessibility and availability to proper mental health care for children (U.S. DHHS, 1999; Gruttadaro, 2002; Flaherty & Weist, 1999). The ecological model acknowledges the interactions between the person and systems. It is sensitive to how multiple influences (environmental, biological, psychological, social) may impact youth. Despite their increase, the research on the effectiveness of SBMHC's is limited. This study …

Modernism's Nervous Genre: The Diaries Of Woolf, James, And Sassoon, Kimberly A. Sims

Open Access Dissertations

"Modernism's Nervous Genre: The Diaries of Woolf, James, and Sassoon" works to establish the modernist diary-as-genre within the ever-elusive concept of "nerves," which exceeded various interpretations and translations in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The body was conceived in modernist medical and social discourses as "machine," as "motor," as the site of energy and fatigue, and as apt to break down. This juncture of breaking down serves as the critical and theoretical link between the diaries of Virginia Woolf, Alice James, and Siegfried Sassoon. All three diarists suffered from nervous disorders, and each worked to self-fashion in their …

Using Spelling Performance To Study Literacy Acquisition In English For Spanish-Speaking Students In The Seventh Grade, Ivy E. Rollins

Open Access Dissertations

The U.S. educational system is undergoing dramatic increases in the rates of English Language Learners (ELLS), particularly those who speak Spanish as their first language (Kindler, 2002). The rising enrollment of ELL children highlights the importance of determining how to best meet the instructional needs of these students. One of the central issues pertains to whether literacy instruction should occur in Spanish or English. The prevailing recommendation is that Spanish-speaking ELL students first should learn to read in Spanish and subsequently learn to read in English. The purpose of the current study was to examine spelling development when this approach …

Personal Energy Management Styles And Their Influence On Work Performance, Catherine L. Pastille

Open Access Dissertations

Expectations for work performance have extended beyond the traditional confines of the work place and beyond a forty-hour work week as communication technologies have made work possible any time and anywhere. At the same time as expectations for work performance are increasing, the energy workers need to perform their work is remaining relatively fixed in the short-term. This study explored the question of how workers manage their personal energy. It was proposed that employees stay energized for their work by developing energy management styles (EMS) which are relatively stable patterns of behavior through which they manage their personal energy relative …

Frequent Use Of Psychiatric Emergency Services: A Multilevel Approach, Andrew William White

Open Access Dissertations

There is limited information available regarding individuals who make frequent use of psychiatric emergency services. In particular, there is little agreement in the research literature around individual predictors of frequent use, and no existing literature on neighborhood level characteristics that influences frequent use. The current study combines individual level data from an urban psychiatric emergency room with census tract data to examine group and individual predictors of frequent use. Results suggest the presence of several individual level risk factors, such as the existence of a psychotic disorder, presence of dual diagnosis, and lack of health insurance. Tract level predictors are …

Exploration Of Nurse Practitioner Practice With Clients Who Are Grieving, Patricia A. White

Open Access Dissertations

It is estimated that, in this country, over 2.5 million people die each year with an average of five individuals who are left grieving. Nurse practitioners (NPs) have provided care to clients in primary care settings for over forty years. Although NP practice standards have identified grief as a health concern that needs to be addressed, little is known about the practice of nurse practitioners with this population. The aim of this study was to better understand how nurse practitioners assessed, developed a plan of care, and evaluated health care outcomes of their clients who were grieving. An inductive, descriptive, …

Examining The Psychological Correlates Of Binge Eating Disorder Symptomatology In A Morbidly Obese Presurgical Sample, Caren Leigh Francione

Open Access Dissertations

Bariatric surgery is considered the most effective weight loss intervention for morbidly obese individuals. A successful outcome is largely dependent on a patient's ability to make and maintain the necessary postoperative lifestyle adjustments. Early studies have suggested that the presence of certain psychiatric disorders have the potential to interfere with patients' ability to make these adjustments. To date, little is known about the actual prevalence of psychiatric disorders and their associated features in bariatric presurgical patients. The current study has four main aims. Aim 1 examined the lifetime and current prevalence of Axis I and II psychiatric disorders with an …

An Examination Of Risk And Resiliency Factors In Predicting Recidivism Rates Among Incarcerated Women, Dawn M. Salgado

Open Access Dissertations

Despite evidence suggesting that the numbers of women in correctional institutions is increasing (U.S. Department of Justice, 1999) and that over 2/3 of women released from prison will return (U.S. Department of Justice, 2002), few studies have examined the influence of various risk and resiliency factors in predicting recidivism rates among incarcerated women. Data for the current study were collected from 234 incarcerated women serving in a northeastern state correctional facility between 1997 and 1999 as part of a larger project examining the discharge planning process (see Quina, 2001). Descriptive statistics derived from the initial item analysis and scale development, …

Disordered Eating Behaviors Among Collegiate Athletes, Stephanie Milbradt Marchand

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the rates of disordered eating behaviors among collegiate athletes at a Division I university and to evaluate environmental factors that influence these behaviors. The study also examined whether athletes with more disordered eating behaviors assess and respond to environmental factors differently than athletes with fewer disordered eating behaviors. The student-athletes completed an Athlete's Questionnaire; the Body Dissatisfaction, Drive for Thinness, and Bulimia subscales of the Eating Disorder Inventory-2; and the Eating Attitude Test-26. Coaches and athletic trainers completed either a Coach's or Athletic Trainer's Questionnaire. Focus groups with athletes, coaches, and athletic …

Stability, Structure, And Effects Of Perinatal Morbidity On Temperament From Infancy To Adolescence, Robin June Miller

Open Access Dissertations

There is a considerable amount of theoretical and empirical research on child temperament; yet there is little consensus on the theoretical perspective, definition, or measurement. In addition, the empirical research has been limited by a small age span and a focus on one temperament dimension. The theoretical framework of this study was the transactional model which views the development of a child as a product of the complex interplay between the continuous, dynamic influences of the child's biological heritage and his/her life experience provided by family and social contexts. This longitudinal, descriptive, correlational research study examined the stability, structure, and …

Computerized, Tailored, Theory-Based Interventions For Health Behavior Change: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis, Paul M. Krebs

Open Access Dissertations

Personal behavior accounts for much of the risk associated with chronic disease, thereby providing incentive for development of interventions that offer effective prevention on a large scale. Computer tailored interventions have become increasingly common for facilitating behavior change for a number of health concerns associated with chronic disease. Systematic reviews of tailoring have been completed but a sufficient number of outcomes are now available to facilitate the quantitative analysis of overall effect sizes for this type of intervention. The present study employs meta-analytic techniques to assess the mean effect for tailored interventions focusing on four health behaviors: smoking cessation, increase …

Developmental And Neuropsychological Perspectives On The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test In Normal Children, I. Simona Bujoreanu

Open Access Dissertations

Contemporary efforts in neuropsychological assessment of children are directed towards the use of developmentally sensitive instruments especially when targeting cognitive abilities, such as executive function, which are known to have a protracted period of development. The purpose of the present study was to advance the understanding of the WCST as a measure of executive function in six-year-old children. The test requires subjects to sort cards by three criteria: color, shape, and number of objects on the card. This study investigated the level of difficulty for young children required to use number as a sorting criterion. Based on developmental research on …

Religiosity, Health, And Well-Being Among Middle Eastern/ Arab Muslims And Christians In The Usa: A Study Of Positive Emotion As A Mediator, Lotus Makram Meshreki

Open Access Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between different dimensions of religiosity and mental health and well-being, and the mediating role of positive emotion in a sample of 181 Middle Eastern/ Arab Christians and Muslims in the U.S. Results showed a positive relationship between intrinsic religiosity and positive mental health and well-being that was mediated by positive emotion. Intrinsic religiosity had a stronger relationship to positive emotion than did extrinsic religiosity. Positive emotion in tum was related to better mental health and well-being.

Public Writing Inside And Outside The Classroom: A Comparative Analysis Of Activist Rhetorics, Eileen Medeiros

Open Access Dissertations

Public writing, or writing in the public sphere, is being heralded as the next step in composition studies. Embedded in public writing is the assumption that it fosters civic engagement and effects social change, the same assumptions that were made about service-learning in the 1990's--assumptions that have turned out to be incorrect, actually. This study is an investigation of those assumptions. Using a comparative methodology, this study examines the types of writing that students are producing in five different public writing classes located around the country and juxtaposes that writing with the writing produced by members of five national activist …

Speech And Power Negotiations In Industrial Novels From 1849 To 1866, John Condon Murray

Open Access Dissertations

This study employs Charlotte Brontë's Shirley (1849), Charles Dickens's Hard Times (1854), and George Eliot's Felix Holt (1866) to evidence how the growth of capitalist production and the development of new technologies of industry within the early- to mid-Victorian periods inspired the prioritization of the printed word over oratory and speech as a means for fulfilling the linguistic power exchanges found common in spoken discourse. Inventions such as Friedrich Gottlob Koenig and Andreas Friedrich Bauer's high-speed printing press enabled mass production and low-cost readership among the working class, who experienced literacy on multiple levels: to educate themselves, to experience leisure …

Marijuana Abuse In Incarcerated Adolescents: Reasons For Use And Implications For Treatment, Rebecca Lebeau

Open Access Dissertations

Research is needed to better understand marijuana use and effective treatment among the incarcerated adolescent population. Preliminary pilot work in detention indicates that a substantial number (83%) of adolescents are reporting daily marijuana use (Stein et al., 2006). This research attempted to gain a better understanding of the reasons for marijuana use among incarcerated adolescents. The design and intent of this study was to extend basic knowledge of the reasons for marijuana use, establish factors related to marijuana use, and examine if relaxation therapy reduces marijuana use in those who use marijuana as a way to regulate emotions.

Participants were …

Effectiveness Of Social Competence Promotion On Disruptive Behavior:A Quantitative Review, Diane L. Whipple

Open Access Dissertations

A meta-analysis was conducted that examined the effects of both incorporating parents as treatment agents and involving a varying number of treatment agents in social-skills programs with 2,693 children displaying disruptive behavior. Children participated in social-skills training that included different combinations of treatment agents including clinicians, teachers, parents, and peers. Results indicated that programs incorporating a parent component and those not including parents as treatment agents both increased participants' social competence post-treatment. No evidence was found, however, that incorporating a parent component in programs increased treatment benefits. Social-skills training incorporating various combinations of one, two, three, and four treatment agents …

Romantic Couples And Partner Use Of Sexually Explicit Material: The Mediating Role Of Cognitions For Dyadic And Sexual Satisfaction, Ana J. Bridges

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation examined the relationship between use of sexually explicit material (SEM) and sexual and relationship satisfaction. Three hypotheses were examined: (1) negative interpretations of a partner's SEM use would be related to lower dyadic satisfaction; (2) interactive SEM use would result in more negative partner interpretations of that use; and (3) distressed couples would be less reliable reporters of each other's SEM use. The study also explored how feminist values, depression, and sexual functioning correlated with interpretations of a partner's SEM use. Participants were 217 couples in exclusive heterosexual relationships solicited through Internet sites devoted to psychological studies. Couples …

Incremental Validity: Impact On Decision Making In Schools, Daniel Kretchman

Open Access Dissertations

Although psychologists often believe that all assessment information collected on a client should be integrated to reach a conclusion, statistical analyses and empirical evidence show that this may not be the optimal procedure for ensuring diagnostic decision-making accuracy. As a result, we are left with the question: How should psychologists determine the optimal combination of variables, or the single variable, to use in diagnosis or prediction? Proper assessment of incremental validity addresses these issues by allowing one to identify the most valid combination of assessment information beyond which either additional variables do not add information in a clinically significant way, …

Self-Disclosure And Self-Management In Young Adults With Early-Onset Adult Type 2 Diabetes, Geraldine M. Chalykoff

Open Access Dissertations

Early-onset adult type 2 diabetes, which strikes young adults aged 18-44 years, poses a significant health threat. Adequate self-management requires that young adults perform medical tasks and practice healthy lifestyle behaviors in social situations of everyday life. Few researchers have examined whether these young adults disclose their illness to others and if self-disclosure is linked to diabetes self-management. A descriptive and exploratory study was designed to answer the following research questions: (1) To what extent do young adults with early onset type 2 diabetes identify instances of illness related self-disclosure during the course of their disease? (2) What is the …