Digital Commons Network^™

Racism-Related State Policies And The Psychological And Physiological Wellbeing Of Black And White Adults, Calley Elizabeth Fisk

Theses and Dissertations

Recent research on how state-policy affects population health outcomes suggests that state contexts are important sites for producing health disparities. In the United States different domains of state policy are historically linked to the livelihood of Black Americans and enacted within a racist system designed to maintain white supremacy. Despite this history and evidence of racial inequities in health outcomes linked to institutional discrimination for Black and white adults, scholars have yet to examine whether racism-related state policies affect the wellbeing of Black and white Americans. Combining a dataset of racism-related state policies with a nationally representative data of older …

Social-Emotional Beliefs And Competencies Of High School Teachers In A High Need District: Relationship With Teacher Self-Efficacy, Deborah Ann Goodman

Theses and Dissertations

Social-emotional learning (SEL) research has focused more on SEL programming and outcomes in students, and little is known about SEL in teachers especially among high school teachers. This cross-sectional quantitative research study was undertaken to gather baseline information about SEL among 240 high school teachers from a high need district with the following hypotheses: 1) teachers’ SEL beliefs and competencies significantly vary by years of teaching, educational attainment, and professional development, 2) teachers’ SEL beliefs and competencies of school significantly vary by classroom setting, school type, and grade level teaching. and school type, and 3) teachers’ SEL beliefs and competencies …

I'M Not A Virus: Asian Hate In Donald Trump's Rhetoric, Jennifer Zheng

Theses and Dissertations

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, expressions of anti-Asian sentiments have been on the rise. From March 2020 to June 2021, there were a total of 9,081 self-reported incidents of hate across the United States (Stop AAPI Hate, 2021). As the coronavirus spread into the United States, President Donald Trump immediately blamed China. He did so by referring to the virus as the “Chinese Virus” and used the hashtag #chinesevirus on Twitter (Weise, 2021). Anti-Asian sentiments expressed on Twitter grew after Trump’s tweet about the “Chinese virus” and the number of Chinese and other Asian hate crimes grew exponentially. …

#Mmiw: Framing The Online Presence Of The Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women Social Movement, Natalie Michelle Snow

Theses and Dissertations

Indigenous women experience violence at a disproportionate rate compared to non- Indigenous women. The disproportionate violence has created a crisis commonly referred to as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement. Over the last 15 years, activists, organizations, and families have responded to the lack of political motivation to address the violence by raising awareness on social media. While people communicate via multiple social networks, Twitter is the leading forum for information about the movement and accompanying events such as vigils, walks, and memorials. For this reason, this dissertation explored the Twitter presence of the MMIW social movement. Analysis …

The Effects Of Victimization And Trauma On Well-Being, Physical Health Nutritional Habits, And Resting Heart Rate (Rhr) Based On Gender And Sexual Orientation, Mary Hannah Hughes

Theses and Dissertations

There is a well-established and growing body of research dedicated to understanding the influence of past victimization on physical health outcomes. Consequently, knowledge on identifying how past victimization types influence each domain of physical health and if these outcomes differ by gender and sexual orientation remains largely absent within literature. Therefore, the purpose of the following study is to expound upon victimization literature by examining the physical health outcomes associated with different victimization types and to examine how these factors differ by both gender and sexual orientation with regard to victimization type (personal, property, and stalking). Guided by both life-course …

Make America Kill Again: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Donald Trump’S Necropolitical Representations Through Conjunctural Use Of Twitter During His Presidency, Zach Thornhill

Theses and Dissertations

The presidency of Donald Trump set the stage for new forms of rhetoric that shaped national perceptions of different groups. Operating in different conjunctural moments, Trump used his Twitter account as a weapon to repetitively vilify different racial identities. Through negative representations of Black Lives Matter protestors and immigrants, Trump created a culture of incivility and hatred. Using these negative representations, Trump created necropolitical conditions that justified violence in the United States. This thesis will be a critical discourse analysis that examines how Trump was able to create the culture of incivility during his presidency.KEYWORDS: conjuncture, necropolitics, representations, rhetoric, nationalism

Understanding Female Millennial Administrators And Their Perceptions And Experiences Of Leadership In The Community College, Kerri Langdon

Theses and Dissertations

The perceptions and experiences of female community college administrators, particularly those that are part of the Millennial generation, have often been neglected in current research. This study examines community college leadership in a new context, by exploring the lived experiences of female identifying Millennials. More specifically, this study was developed to better understand how gender may impact Millennial women’s perceptions of leadership overall, as well as their perceived ability to move into senior-level leadership roles within the community college. Utilizing a qualitative methodology, this study included the use of semi-structured interviews to obtain data from twenty female Millennial community college …

Effects Of Cumulative Trauma, Discrimination, And Racial Trauma Among African Americans, Brittany Renee Clayton

Theses and Dissertations

In the current study, we examined the impact of cumulative trauma, racial trauma, and everyday discrimination experiences within the African American community on psychological outcomes. One hundred and nineteen participants completed a series of self-report measures that analyzed their experiences of lifetime stressors, racial trauma, frequency of everyday discrimination, current posttraumatic stress disorder, depressive symptoms, and experiential avoidance levels. It was hypothesized that increased exposure to lifetime stressors, racial trauma events or experiences, and everyday discrimination would be associated with increased psychological distress. Correlations were conducted to identify and examine these relationships. This hypothesis was supported for lifetime stressor exposure …

The Judicialization Of Mega-Politics In Egypt’S Administrative Courts: Insight Into The Rulings Of The Egyptian State Council (2000-2020), Ahmed Kamal Bastawisy

Theses and Dissertations

The interrelationship between law, courts and politics has always been complex and multidimensional. The role and political significance of courts are prominent dimensions of this interrelationship. Over the past decades, there has been global expansion of judicial power, in parallel with the proliferation of modern constitutionalism principles. One of the fundamental manifestations of this trend is the judicialization of politics- the reliance on courts for addressing pivotal social, economic, moral and political controversies and public policy questions. This phenomenon manifests profound transfer of power from representative institutions, mainly legislatures and executives, to judiciaries. Political importance of courts expanded, in scope, …

Omar Effendi Vs. Union Fenosa: Corruption As A Transnational Public Policy Consideration, Ahmed Badr Eldin

Theses and Dissertations

At the beginning of 2011, Egypt witnessed radical political developments that led to the emergence of a pressing tendency to adjudicate the collapsed regime’s policies and practices. Shortly thereafter, the Egyptian State Council issued a number of judicial decisions that confirmed that the sale of the privatized governmental enterprises had been tainted by corruption. Crucially, the Court maintained that flagrant breach of law, regulations, and administrative orders that encompassed these transactions created serious suspicions about corruption committed by public officials and investors. It concluded that the existence of corruption, as a transnational public policy consideration, had deprived foreign investors of …

Women During The Governorship Of Dale Bumpers, Amanda Whitley

Theses and Dissertations

Among the most important issues women have experienced is the lack of equality between the genders. In the 1970s women were close to achieving the equal opportunity they had been fighting for. The creation of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was one of the most contentious issues of the time. This was no different in Arkansas as evidenced by the local opinions expressed in the many letters received by Governor Dale Bumpers. The opinions were overwhelmingly opposed to the ratification of the ERA. In the end the voices of its citizens were heard. Arkansas would not ratify this ERA.

Bystander Or Ally? : Predictors Of Adolescent Behavior In Response To Microaggressions On Social Media, Keeley Hynes

Theses and Dissertations

Microaggressions are a form of racism that Solórzano and Huber (2020) argue are understood and evaluated using the basic tenets of Critical Race Theory. Research suggests that high school students experience race- and sexuality-based microaggressions, although little is known about how microaggressive encounters that occur online impact adolescents. Research also suggests that college-age individuals are unlikely to intervene in response to microaggressive situations, but there do not exist any studies that highlight high schoolers’ responses to these transgressions. Although, there is evidence that adolescents experience online victimization based on their race (Tynes et al., 2008). Feelings of school connectedness, offensiveness …

The Impact Of Participation In Co-Curricular Activities On Academic Performance And Retention Utilizing Data Collected For The Co-Curricular Transcript, Harry Mars

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact that participation in co-curricular activities has on the academic performance and retention of students at an urban community college. This study utilized archived data to make quantitative analyses of the impact of participation in co-curricular activities on GPA scores and one-semester retention. The study included all of the students at Metro Community College who participated in one of the following activities during the 2018-2019 academic year: club member, club leader, leadership training, and mentee by a peer. Multiple regression was run to test the impact of participation in these activities …

Media Exposure And Effects On Social Cognitions, Adenique Lisse

Theses and Dissertations

The media, which is comprised of mass media and social media (Bennett, 1982; Carr & Hayes, 2015), is a powerful tool that reflects as well as change’s public opinion and social cognitions (Fan & Pedrycz, 2017; Bandura, 2002). Research posits that Black and Latino individuals are more likely to be portrayed negatively in the media (Dixon, Weeks & Smith, 2019; Dixon et al., 2003; Dixon & Linz, 2000; Dixon, 2017). Thus, media exposures can cultivate real-world stereotypical views of individuals within these ethnic/racial groups (Haft & Zhou, 2021; Han & Budarick, 2018) and shapes individual’s self-view (Tsfati, 2007). White individuals, …

Effective Organizational Structure And Leadership Theory For Homeland Security Organizations, Lowell Dimoff

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Homeland (DHS) was borne of the fires of 9/11 and assigned the mission to protect America from terrorism, and what has subsequently grown into a broad range of threats. As evidenced by reports produced by governmental watchdog agencies and academic literature, DHS has been widely criticized for its response to a number of emergencies, and the morale of its workforce remains at or near the bottom of all federal government agencies. Using existing literature and theory as a baseline, this dissertation will examine organizational structure and leadership theory as applied to homeland security organizations through a comparative …

A Narrative Study Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Formerly Incarcerated Youth And Their Motivation For Re-Entering The Public Education System, Dominique Ramos

Theses and Dissertations

Nearly 34% of students who drop out of high school do so due to being incarcerated. Research has shown that students of color and those receiving special education services are at an increased risk of transitioning from the public education system to the criminal justice system in what is referred to as the School-to-Prison-Pipeline (Annamma, 2015; Barnes & Motz, 2018; Hart & Mueller, 2012; Pyle, Flower, Fall, & Williams, 2016). A bigger issue than the graduation rate is understanding what motivates students to return to public education, post-incarceration, to complete their high school requirements as told by the students. For …

The Impact Of Insight, Psychological Functioning, And Treatment Resistance On Completion Of Diversion Programs, Seniz L. Warner

Theses and Dissertations

Offenders are three to five times more likely to struggle with mental health challenges compared to that of the general population. As such, mental health is a major concern for individuals within the criminal justice system (Bronson & Berzofsky, 2017; Desmond & Lenz, 2010; Fazel & Seewald, 2012; Gonzalez & Connell, 2014; Hall et al., 2019; Linhorst & Dirks-Linhorst, 2015). Despite the significant number of offenders who are reportedly struggling with mental health, there is difficulty providing inmates with mental health treatment in general. Within correctional facilities, various treatment programs are available for inmates; however, there is limited access due …

Racial Bias In The Association Of Externalizing Symptoms With Black And White Children: The Development And Application Of An Implicit Association Test, Maura Francis

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that school and mental health professionals more strongly associate externalizing behaviors with Black children compared to White children. To test this hypothesis, we developed an implicit association test to determine if there was a difference in the reaction times in classifying symptoms as externalizing when the symptoms were paired with the word “Black Child” as opposed to paired with the word “White Child”. In a sample of 54 school and mental health professionals, we found clear evidence in support of our hypothesis. The existence of this implicit bias may explain …

Anger And Intimate Partner Violence In Young Adults: The Role Of Impulsivity, Olga Gulyayeva Fuller

Theses and Dissertations

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread concern that has been associated with a number of negative outcomes, including mental health problems, and is especially prevalent among young adults (Black, 2011; Miller & McCaw, 2019). Anger has been identified as a risk factor for IPV perpetration, however not all instances of anger within a relationship result in the perpetration of IPV (Birkley & Eckhardt, 2015, Baumeister & Boden, 1998). Impulsivity has been proposed as a possible explanation for why some but not all instances of anger lead to aggression (Baumeister & Boden, 1998). Furthermore, some literature has suggested an interaction …

Racism Experiences And Mental Health: An Examination Of Direct, Vicarious, And Appropriated Racism Experiences On Mental Health Symptom Expression, Christina Barnett

Theses and Dissertations

The current study aimed to corroborate existing models of racism-related experiences by creating an explanatory model that operationalized direct, vicarious, and appropriated racism experiences. This study explored whether the factors of direct and vicarious racism experiences influenced mental health outcomes via appropriated racism experiences in a sample of Black women. This association was not present. However, results showed a positive association between vicarious and direct racism experiences, as well as predictive relations between direct and vicarious racism experiences and depression and trauma symptoms. Results, limitations, implications, and recommendations for future research are included.

Keywords: vicarious racism, appropriated racism, direct racism, …

Using Difference-In-Difference To Assess The Impact Of Medicaid Policy On The Addiction Treatment Provider Workforce And Prescribing Behavior In Virginia, Erin Britton

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is unified by both policy opportunity and estimation method, examining the impact of Medicaid behavioral health policy in Virginia using a difference-in-differences framework. Medicaid-covered substance use disorder (SUD) treatment benefits in Virginia were significantly enhanced through a Section 1115 SUD waiver, which are required to be budget neutral. Therefore, it is critical to understand whether the objectives of the waiver are met using reliable, unbiased estimation methods. This dissertation includes two empirical research projects evaluating the impact of Medicaid policy on removing barriers in access to care and one methodological project comparing the performance of alternate approaches to …

Development Of Novel, Miniaturized Sperm Cell Isolation Techniques For Sexual Assault Samples, Brittany Celeste Hudson

Theses and Dissertations

The ever-increasing sexual assault evidence collection kit backlog within the United States has prompted the search (and desperate need) for a more efficient, cost-effective, and rapid processing technique that can separate male and female contributions from evidentiary samples. Although backlogs have largely been tackled across the United States and many technological advancements have made the forensic DNA analysis workflow quicker, techniques for handling sexual assault samples remain time-consuming, tedious, and inefficient at separating cellular fractions from the victim and perpetrator. Thus, this research sought to identify a reproducible sperm isolation method using antibodies and/or alternative differential cell lysis techniques as …

Developmental Validation Of A Bacterial Signature-Based Identification Method Of Forensically Relevant Human Biological Samples, Denise M. Wohlfahrt

Theses and Dissertations

The confirmatory identification of body fluids is one of the most critical steps in criminal investigations, as it provides not only information on the source of the DNA, but it can corroborate evidence, aid in the reconstruction of a crime, and associate evidence with a person of interest. Current serological methods utilize biochemistry and immunology to identify biological evidence; however, these serological tests are mostly presumptive while only testing for one fluid at a time, potentially wasting precious evidence. More recently, forensic investigators have suggested the use of molecular methods such as mRNA, miRNA, or DNA methylation. While each of …

Impact Of Eyewitness Gender On Juror Perceptions Of Credibility, Shannon Hardy

Theses and Dissertations

While the influence of expert witness gender on juror perceptions of credibility has been widely researched, the effect of eyewitness gender has only begun to be investigated. Expert witness gender has been shown to have an impact on the perception of the credibility of testimony given, such that male expert witnesses are typically seen as more credible than female eyewitness. However, in some situations, such as a case that is considered feminine domain like child welfare, women may be seen as more credible. The purpose of the current study is to expand upon the existing literature on the impact of …

The Morning After The Rockefeller Drug Laws: Carey And Cuomo Implement Mass Incarceration In New York, Lebwah-Taliah Sykes

Theses and Dissertations

After Rockefeller Drug Laws passed in New York in 1973, the proportion of drug-related incarcerations remained steady for the following decade, despite overall incarceration numbers doubling. Fiscal constraints prevented Governor Hugh Carey from fully implementing drug laws, but he reallocated resources, increased the pool of people who were subject to longer sentences, made policy changes and contributed to a climate that laid the groundwork for prison expansions under Mario Cuomo. When fiscal constraints in New York State changed, Mario Cuomo’s criminal justice policy focused on implementing Rockefeller Drug Laws, resulting in mass incarceration in New York.

Impacting Black Youths’ Unemployment Through Online Social Networking And Online Social Capital, Adolphus Emmanuel Archie Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Blacks have the highest unemployment rate when compared to other subsets of the United States population. Black youths have the highest unemployment rates when compared to other racial subsets in the United States. These facts have been constant since the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) began reporting this statistic in the early 1970s. In order to close the gap between the rate of unemployment of Black youths when to compared to other racial groups, many types of civic programs have been implemented from all levels of governments. None of these programs or efforts have reduced Black youths’ unemployment nor closed …

Beyond The Binary Male: A Systematic Review Of Gender-Responsive Modifications To Risk Assessment Tools, Devin Randle

Theses and Dissertations

The American Psychological Association’s (APA) ethical guidelines identify that psychological tests should only be utilized on populations for which reliability and validity have been established. Likewise, the APA specifies gender to be nonbinary, encouraging clinicians to utilize inclusive and accurate measures. Following such guidelines when conducting violence risk assessments with women and individuals who identify as non-binary is currently challenging because a majority of violence risk assessment tools utilize a male normative sample. Applying such tools to populations beyond a cisgender male can result in misclassifications of individual risk. When risk is misclassified, improper interventions are utilized, which leads to …

Academic Health Science Centers And Health Disparities: A Qualitative Review Of The Intervening Role Of The Electronic Health Record And Social Determinants Of Health, Wies Rafi

Theses and Dissertations

Literature on the magnitude of negative health outcomes from health disparities is voluminous. Defined as the health effects of racism, environmental injustice, forms of discrimination, biases in science, and sociological or socioeconomic predictors across populations, health disparities are part of an ongoing and complicated national problem that health equity programs are specifically designed to address. Academic Health Science Centers (AHC) institutions are a complex and unique educational-healthcare ecosystem that often serves as a safety net for patients in vulnerable and lower-income communities. These institutions are often viewed as one of the most uniquely positioned entities in the U.S. with an …

Supported Employment Services And Employment Outcomes For Low-Income Youth With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities: A Case Control Study, Hannah Seward Phd

Theses and Dissertations

Transition-age youth, ages 14-24 years old, with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face unique barriers to entering the labor force when exiting high school. These barriers can be even more severe if the youth is from a low-income background. Supported employment (SE) services may help this population overcome these barriers and be employed in competitive integrated employment (CIE) settings. SE provides an employment specialist to guide them through obtaining and retaining a job (McDonough & Whittenburg, 2020; Wehman et al., 2007). However, limited research has been done on the SE experiences and outcomes of transition-age youth with IDD (Wehman et …

Characterizing The Patterns, Predictors, And Processes Involved In Recovery From Substance Use Disorders, Rebecca L. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol and drug use disorders are associated with significant cost to individuals, families, and society.Approximately 40-75% of affected individuals remit from alcohol use disorders (AUD). Although the development of AUD is well studied, recovery from AUD and factors that contribute to recovery are not as well characterized. With the definition of recovery evolving towards a process rather than an outcome, there is a need to better understand psychosocial functioning and quality of life among individuals at different points in their recovery journeys. Concurrently, additional research is needed to understand the interplay between sources of recovery capital, individual differences in risk …