Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Enhancing Hardiness In Urban Adolescent Males: A Hardiness Curriculum, Lea Beth Lockwood

Open Access Dissertations

This exploratory study examined the impact of a school-based psycho-educational group intervention for 9^th grade urban adolescent males. The group intervention was created to enhance measured levels of hardiness attitudes, self-esteem, and perceived social support in a sample (N = 51) of high-risk adolescent males attending an alternative high school in Providence, RI. Approximately half of the sample (n = 22) attended the eight-week intervention. Participants were given the Personal Views Survey – Third Edition, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, and the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale as both pre- and posttests. Although no impact on …

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 …

Community-Based And Collaborative Management Of Coral Reefs And Coastal Resources In Palau, Elizabeth Matthews

Open Access Dissertations

This study examines community-based and collaborative management of coral reefs in Palau through three manuscripts, each examining particular coastal resource management activities at a different scale of partnership and interaction: local protected area management at the state level, ecosystem management at the inter-state level, and migratory species (marine turtles) management at the state/national government level. In each instance, the social context of resource management was described using factors drawn from Richard Pollnac's Rapid Assessment of Management Parameters (RAMP) for coral reefs, among others. Ethnographic methods, especially key informant interviews and targeted questionnaires, were used in this study. A comparative analysis …

Vocal Health Of Middle School And High School Choral Directors, Sandra M. Schwartz

Open Access Dissertations

Teachers are considered professional voice users because they depend on the regular and uninterrupted use of the voice. The nature of teaching requires more extensive use of the voice than other professions. Therefore, teachers are faced with a greater risk of developing voice problems. In addition to using the voice to present content to students, teachers must also manage the classroom and student behavior. All of these activities have potential to compromise vocal integrity. The purpose of this study was to examine the vocal health of selected middle school and high school choral directors. Specifically, it explored relationships between vocal …

The Effects Of Participation In Literature Circles On Reading Comprehension, Jodi Crum Marshall

Open Access Dissertations

Research supports that comprehension is a vital component of reading and life-long literacy, and there are many instructional approaches for teaching reading comprehension. Literature circles are a popular approach which are widely used but have not yet been studied empirically. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of participation in literature circles on the reading comprehension of middle school students. More specifically, the study examined whether there was a difference in the reading comprehension scores of students after participating in literature circles versus after participating in directed reading activity, and whether there were interactions of type of …

Information Processing In Consumer Relationships: The Effect Of Emotional Commitment, Christy Ashley

Open Access Dissertations

Consumer researchers have a vested interest understanding what drives profitable consumer relationships with brands. In the past, researchers have uncovered that emotional bonds with brands are a key drivers of consumer behaviors which impact profitability, including switching, price sensitivity, and referrals. Researchers have also uncovered that commitment based on emotions, also known as emotional commitment, leads to more sustainable relationships than commitment to brands based on cognition. In a related area of interest, researchers have explored how consumers process information when they are committed to brands. Researchers are interested in how a consumer's motivation to process brand information helps to …

The Relationship Between Tactical Knowledge And Tactical Performance For Varying Levels Of Expertise, Robin Kirkwood Auld

Open Access Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between off-the-ball tactical knowledge and off-the-ball tactical performance of college-age female participants' (n = 34) with varying levels of expertise in territorial games. Tactical knowledge was measured using the Tactical Knowledge Instrument (TKI), which assessed participant responses when solving a "maintaining possession" tactical problem on a game board. The Game Performance Assessment Instrument (GPAI) measured participants' tactical performance while they played a directional keep-away game in the gymnasium. Analysis of variance tests revealed a significant difference between the tactical knowledge scores between Expert and Novice participants F(2,31) = 6.09, p = .0059. As the expertise …

Exercise Behavior Among Women Post-Myocardial Infarction: Applying The Transtheoretical Model Of Behavior Change, Janet K. Dombroski

Open Access Dissertations

Exercise adherence among women post-myocardial infarction (MI) is a major health issue. The lack of exercise adherence prevents women from attaining the multiple benefits of exercise and exacerbates cardiovascular disease. Factors identified as determining adherence to therapeutic regimen for women post-MI include personal factors, interpersonal factors, and environmental factors. A descriptive survey design utilizing the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change (TTM) (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1982) was used to investigate the relationships among stage of change for exercise behavior, processes of change, decisional balance (pros and cons), and self-efficacy for exercise in women post-MI. The following research questions were addressed: (a) …

Assessment Of The Impacts Of Tourism Development In Coastal Communities In Belize, Amy Diedrich

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to assess the environmental, socio-cultural, and economic impacts of tourism in coastal communities in Belize. In particular, the objective is to improve our understanding of how to promote tourism that provides maximum benefits to local people and the marine environment, while having minimal negative impacts upon them. A multi-method ethnographic approach was used to gather extensive qualitative and quantitative data from six coastal communities in Belize during the period of March--November 2005. The majority of the data were collected using survey instruments for local people and tourists. These data were analyzed statistically and substantiated …

The Horror Of Looking: Lynching And The Empathetic Eye, Greta Methot

Open Access Dissertations

During the summer of 2000, the New York Historical Society enjoyed its "biggest continuing attendance of any exhibition in years," with a collection of photographs entitled, Without Sanctuary: Photographs and Postcards of Lynching in America (Valdez 88). The more than seventy images featured, all taken between 1880 and 1961, illustrate in gruesome detail, a vicious chapter in American history. This exhibit, which is still making the rounds at U.S. art museums and was reproduced on the Internet and in a $60 coffee-table book, offers tremendous opportunity for critical thinking about the intersections of race, spectatorship, and violence in America. My …

Sexual Identity Construction Among Lesbian, Bisexual And Unlabeled Women, Kelly Brooks

Open Access Dissertations

Current research and theory regarding women's experience of sexuality depict more flexibility and variability in sexual identity development and self-labeling than generally accounted for in traditional sexual identity models. The present study examined lesbian and bisexual women's use of sexual identity labels, attitudes about sexual fluidity and self-labeling, and patterns associated with sexual identity processes. Two hundred nineteen women with same-sex attractions or experiences participated in the study, completing an anonymous online survey. The majority of participants (85.4%) identified as White, with ages ranging from 18 to 69. One hundred eighteen women identified as lesbian, 59 as bisexual, 5 as …

Exploring The Experiences Of Gay, Lesbian, And Bisexual Adolescents In School: Lessons For School Psychologists, Marjorie Cooper-Nicols

Open Access Dissertations

This study utilized modified grounded theory methodology with gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) adolescents to explore three research questions: (1) How have schools responded to GLB youth? (2) What are some of the factors that help or hinder development of a healthy sexual identity for GLB adolescents? and (3) How does being involved in a community GLB youth organization impact GLB youth? Prior research has demonstrated that schools are often hostile environments for GLB youth. With little recognition and support, GLB adolescents are a group at risk for depression, suicide, substance abuse, violence, and school failure. Participants in this study …

Youth At Risk For Alcohol Use And Smoking: A Longitudinal Examination Of Profiles Of Prevention, Andrea Eastwood Paiva

Open Access Dissertations

The current study was designed to examine the Profiles of Prevention among non-drinking and non-smoking adolescents. Research across age groups (elementary, middle and high school), populations (U.S., U.K., and Israel), and substances (tobacco, alcohol and other drugs) has consistently identified four profiles of non-users who vary in their risks for substance use: (1) Most Protected from substance use; (2) Most Tempted to use substances; (3) Most Negative about staying substance free; and (4) Least Positive about being substance free. These profiles have demonstrated both internal and external validity in cross-sectional data. This longitudinal research focuses on students who remain substance …

"Defining A New Normal": An Exploration Of Psychosocial Adjustment In Young Adult Survivors Of Adolescent Cancer, Kristen J. Quinlan

Open Access Dissertations

Psycho-oncology has been limited by inconsistent definitions of adjustment, leading to inconsistent information about the correlates of adjustment among adult survivors of pediatric cancer. Further, adolescent survivors are seldom broken out for special analysis, even though there are vast medical and developmental differences between those diagnosed during adolescence and those diagnosed at a younger age. The current study utilized a mixed method approach examine adjustment with 7 female and 5 male survivors of cancer who were diagnosed during adolescence. Thematic analysis revealed that adjustment is the process of changing one's perspective or redefining oneself as one works to determine a …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Perceived Parental Involvement And Adolescent Eating And Exercise Habits, Pamela Lea Steadman

Open Access Dissertations

Pediatric obesity is a major public health concern with alarming increases in prevalence rates over the past three decades, despite improvements in treatment and prevention efforts. Much of the focus on pediatric obesity prevention has revolved around children; however, little attention has been targeted toward adolescents. The current study is the first to examine the contribution of parental and adolescent perceptions of parental involvement in adolescent eating and exercise habits. Forty-six adolescent-parent dyads completed measures of perceived parental concern, responsibility, control and pressure exerted over adolescent health behaviors (AHB). Adolescents completed measures of current physical activity, eating habits, weight control …

Objectification Or Liberation? Bisexual And Lesbian Women's Experiences With Physical Appearance, Amy Black

Open Access Dissertations

Using a multi-method qualitative design and analytic approaches derived from grounded theory, the current study examined the appearance standards within lesbian and bisexual communities and how these norms relate to lesbian and bisexual women's psychological experiences with physical appearance. The study investigated how the women's diverse social identities relate to these experiences. Participants consisted of a relatively diverse sample of 24 bisexual (n = 10) and lesbian (n = 14) women who took part in 1 of 4 focus groups. From this sample, 4 bisexual women and 6 lesbians were recruited to participate in in-depth interviews. Participants represented a broad …

Social Capital And The Intent To Graduate Among Black And Hispanic High School Students, Erica E. Conners

Open Access Dissertations

Blacks and Hispanics have the highest high school drop out rates in the United States. The purpose of this study was to explore variables derived from "social capital" theory for their potential impact on Black and Hispanic students' intention to graduate high school. This study hypothesized that, beyond academic ability alone, Black and Hispanic adolescents respond to the level of "social capital" they perceive and experience from their families and school environments. Three "social capital" variables, parental educational encouragement, school responsiveness and extracurricular engagement, were examined for their contribution to intention to graduate among these populations. The participants were 181 …

High School Teachers' Attitudes Toward Inclusion Of Students With Special Needs, Catherine Ernst

Open Access Dissertations

The movement to include students with disabilities in general education classrooms has experienced a shift toward thinking about restructuring of schools (Lipsky & Gartner, 1996; Stainback & Stainback, 1996). This shift is reflected in the growing body of literature about general educators' perspectives regarding inclusion (Avramidis & Norwich, 2002; Balboni & Pedrabissi, 2000; Van Reusen, Shoho & Barker, 2001; Wilczenski, 1992). Teacher attitudes are of particular importance because they will be implementing inclusion on a daily basis in the classroom (Hasazi, Johnston, Liggett & Schattman, 1994). The purpose of the present study was twofold. The first involved the development of …

The Rhetorical War: Class, Race And Redemption In Spanish-American War Fiction. Stephen Crane, Frank Norris, Richard Harding Davis And Sutton Griggs, David Scott Kramer

Open Access Dissertations

One of the primary purposes and contributions of this study is to recover and discover a place in literary history for an under-examined genre: fiction of the Spanish-American War of 1898. While scholars have extensively described the general contours of Spanish-American War rhetoric, its literary representations have been largely overlooked. I argue that a close analysis of the fictions of Stephen Crane (1871-1900), Richard Harding Davis (1864-1916), Frank Norris (1870-1902) and Sutton Griggs (1872-1933) complicates our understanding of the Spanish-American War and the rhetoric it generated. Compared to the bloody wars immediately preceding and following it, the short, decisive and …

Self, Other And The Sociopolitical In Politically Active Women Survivors Of Domestic Violence, Molly Ann Hedrick

Open Access Dissertations

This research examined experiences with interpersonal, intrapersonal, and structural violence in politically active women survivors of domestic violence. This study also explored how (if at all) these women described processes which Freire (2003) called critical consciousness and liberating action, and what these women can tell us about the processes of change. Participants were 16 survivors of domestic violence recruited from Sisters Overcoming Abusive Relationships (SOAR) in Rhode Island. SOAR is an organization run entirely by survivors of domestic violence and provides political activism with the goal of ending domestic violence. I utilized a mixed-methods, transformative and social constructivist concurrent design. …

"Man With Box", David D. Malley

Open Access Dissertations

Dating back to Edgar Allen Poe, short story criticism has pointed to the genre's ultimate and crucial goal of achieving an effect upon the reader. Indeed, a short story's effect upon the reader is integral to an explication of the story's themes. Further, the short story in its purest form visits upon the reader the effect of experiencing a perception of reality which lacks those psychic defense mechanisms that dominate our perceptions in everyday life. One can achieve the effect spoken of above in a number of ways. However, given my chosen themes in this collection of stories, the majority …

Evaluating A Parent Training Program: Scale Analysis And The Effects Of Systematic Training For Effective Parenting (Step) On Child And Parent Behavior, Anne E. Damrad

Open Access Dissertations

Two studies examined archival pretest and posttest data collected from 490 parents who participated in a 7-week Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP; Dinkmeyer & McKay, 1976) program in a large, suburban, public school district in Rhode Island between 1994 and 1999. The first study cross-validated the underlying structure of selected subscales from the Behavior Rating Profile, Second Edition (BRP-2; Brown & Hammill, 1990) and STEP Parenting Assessment Technique (SPAT; Dinkmeyer, 1981). Principal components analyses revealed two components (Externalizing Behavior and Internalizing Behavior) with good to very good coefficient alphas on a revised version of the BRP Parent Rating Scale, …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of An Anger Management Program In A Detention Facility, Heather M. Frank

Open Access Dissertations

Offenders struggle with anger management not only before prison, but also while incarcerated (e.g., difficulty with prison adjustment, institutional behavioral problems). For these reasons, a number of correctional institutions offer anger management programming. However, the literature of these outcome studies within corrections is limited (Dowden, Blanchette, & Serin, 1999). This study is a program evaluation of psycho-educational anger management/substance abuse groups provided to male federal detainees at a privately owned detention facility in the northeastern United States. Objectives of the study were to: understand the demographics of this offender population, assess the effectiveness of the program, and explore participants' group …

What's Wrong And Who Cares? Reader Reaction To Error, Susan Rashid Horn

Open Access Dissertations

As much as readers profess to be bothered by its presence, little is known about error except that it is irksome. This study demonstrates that error has practical consequences. While error may not significantly affect reading comprehension, it does affect reading time and reading patterns, and its presence correlates with a negative construction of the writer. Prior studies about error have been conducted in formats where errors are highlighted and readers are queried about the degree of "bothersomeness." But Williams has demonstrated there is a difference between reading for error and reading for content. So in this study, errors were …

Youth Self-Report: Profile Patterns Of Adjudicated Adolescents And Diagnostic Efficiency Of Clinical Scales, Anabela Da Silva Smith

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the profile patterns of court-adjudicated males on the Youth Self Report (YSR) Syndrome scales and assess the predictive utility of the DSM-oriented scales in making diagnostic decisions. Participants were 162 adjudicated males, aged 12 to 18 years, that attended or who were attending an alternative school at the time of data collection. YSR data, along with individual and family characteristics, were collected from student files. Participants were separated into one of two groups based on whether the crimes committed were aggressive or nonaggressive in nature (overt versus covert offenders). Results showed …