Digital Commons Network^™

A Correlational Analysis Of Secondary Data For Factors Influencing Graduation From Adult Drug Court, David N. Masri

Theses and Dissertations

The proliferation of drug courts throughout the world over the last two decades presents an opportunity and a challenge. The drug court approach involves a combination of treatment and judicial supervision which is a diversion from incarceration and/or ‘traditional’ criminal justice supervision. Despite widespread study of drug courts, there is much that researchers still do not know and there is still controversy as to how and why drug courts work. This research study is an examination of secondary data from an urban, mid-Atlantic drug court to attempt to correlate factors that contribute to success (as defined by graduation) in drug …

Considerations In The Provision Of Mental Health Services Toward Arabs, Dalia Khoury

Theses and Dissertations

Existing evidence suggests that disparities exist in the use of mental health services by Arabs in the U.S. While there are likely many factors that contribute, lack of cultural competence of mental health providers is one potentially important barrier for mental health service use among racial/ethnic minorities, including Arabs. The primary purpose of this study was to identify and examine factors related to the development and existence of cultural competence toward Arabs. Variables measuring demographics, professional characteristics, familiarity with Arabs, prior experience and knowledge of Arabs, and readiness for change were tested with a randomly selected sample of mental health …

Implementation Of Self-Directed Supports For Individuals With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities: A Political Economy Analysis, Matthew P. Decarlo

Theses and Dissertations

Self-directed supports, as a method of service delivery, have grown from small pilot programs in a handful of states to at least one program in every state. For individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), self-direction presents unique opportunities to engage in self-determined behavior and shape the services upon which they rely. Although the evidence base for self-direction is relatively robust, there is a significant lack of information on how implementation of self-direction is faring on the national level. The purpose of this study is to understand how the political and economic factors within and across states have impacted the …

Perceptions Of The Homeless Toward Nonprofit Human Service Provider, Lequan M. Hylton

Theses and Dissertations

As the debate intensifies regarding developing remedies to meet the needs of America’s homeless, one solution is for governmental agencies to collaborate with and employ organizations from the nonprofit sector to assist with the needs of the homeless population. Included in the nonprofit sector, faith-based organizations (FBOs) have historically been a source of debate and contention in terms of collaborations with the government. However, Presidents Reagan, George H. Bush, Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama have embraced the idea of including FBOs in the pool of service providers offering human services. In the Richmond, Virginia region, FBOs and nonreligious nonprofit …

Exploring The Outcomes Of Rehabilitative Care For Veterans And Service Members Treated For A Disorder Of Consciousness In The Vha Emerging Conciousness Program, Janette A. Hamilton

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past several years, there has been an influx in patients being treated for polytraumatic injuries within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), largely due to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but also due to advances in life sustaining medical interventions. The polytrauma population includes veterans who have sustained a severe traumatic or non-traumatic brain injury, and a significant loss in cognitive and physical functioning, referred to as a disorder of consciousness. The purpose of the current study was to explore factors related to successful emergence from a disorder of consciousness, using a sample of veterans who were treated …

Black Feminist Discourse Analysis Of Portrayals Of Gender Violence Against Black Women: A Social Work Dissertation, Avina Ross

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored media discourse of gender violence against Black women in Black contemporary films. Four Tyler Perry films were examined using a novel, qualitative and analytical framework: Black Feminist Discourse Analysis. Discourses that were studied include, but were not limited to: portrayals of gender violence and victims, character dispositions and interactions, stereotypes, relationship dynamics as well as portrayals of race, gender, sexuality and religion. The use of new and existing controlling images based on systems of race, gender, sexuality and religion were revealed in a transitional and systemic model. Common themes across the films are provided. This research closes …

The Relationship Between Program Quality Indicators And Student Achievement In A Braided Prekindergarten Program, Susan L. Flemmons

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between prekindergarten classroom quality indicators and student achievement at the prekindergarten level. Pre-existing data on prekindergarten classroom quality measures and student achievement was utilized. Quality indicators were assessed using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) (Pianta, La Paro, & Hamre, 2008) and student achievement was measured by the end of year results on the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) (Invernizzi, Meier, Swank, & Juel, 2004) and the Bracken School Readiness Assessment end of year results (Bracken, 2007).

A quantitative ex post facto correlational research design was employed to identify relationships …

Longitudinal Relations Between Parental Messages Supporting Fighting And Aggressive Behavior In Early Adolescence: The Moderating Role Of Positive Parenting Practices, Megan M. Carlson

Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of physical aggression increases during adolescence and is associated with negative health outcomes. It is important to identify risk and protective processes for adolescent aggression in the context of the parent-adolescent relationship. The current study examined the potential moderating role of positive parenting at Wave 1 on relations between perceived parental messages supporting fighting at Wave 1 and adolescent aggression based on parent- and student-report at Wave 2. Participants included a sample of 537 adolescents and their primary caregivers, recruited from four sites in the U.S. No significant moderating effects were found. However, parental messages supporting fighting were …

Adjustment Profiles Among Youth In Diverse Cultural Contexts: Individual, Family, And Contextual Influences, Alicia Borre

Theses and Dissertations

Recent literature has noted that not all youth who experience adverse circumstances (e.g. poverty, exposure to violence, maltreatment) end up displaying expected unfavorable outcomes (e.g. academic failure, depression, drug dependence); in fact, some youth display “resilience,” broadly understood as adaptive functioning in the face of adversity (Luthar, Cicchetti, & Becker, 2000). Overall, research on resilience has offered a new approach to the study of at-risk populations, emphasizing the study of strengths, processes, and mechanisms among individuals and communities that may favor positive adaptation, rather than emphasizing deficits among those experiencing adversity (Schoon, 2012). Although resilience research has come a long …

Wreading, Performing, And Reflecting: The Application Of Narrative Hypertext And Virtual World Experiences To Social Work Education, Linda Ayscue Gupta Phd

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation I propose the use of a new media composition of narrative hypertext, performances in a virtual world, and a dialogic process of writing to provide a continuum of learning opportunities in social work education. I suggest that the structure of the hypertext narrative, embedded with hypermedia, mirrors the dissociative aspects of traumatic memory. I argue that work with the multivocality and multisequentiality of narrative hypertext emulates the process of discovery in the clinical interview. The immersive component of work in a virtual world deepens the realism and affective impact of simulations and creates opportunities to practice and …

Oral Manifestations Of Menopause: An Interprofessional Intervention For Dental Hygiene And Physician Assistant Students, Windy L. Rothmund

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"Purpose: Interprofessional education (IPE) is a means of fostering integration and collaboration between health care professions. This study evaluated the effect of an IPE educational module on the oral manifestations of menopause. Methods: This mixed-method study used a convenience sample of dental hygiene (DH) and physician assistants (PA) students. Pre- and posttests collected quantitative data using a modified Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Survey (RIPLS), and a PI-designed knowledge of menopause test to determine students attitudes and learning. Students participated in a one-time workshop that included an educational lecture and a case study exercise using a pseudo-standardized patient. Students worked in …

The Affordable Care Act And Addiction Treatment: Preparing The Undergraduate Human Services Professional, Chaniece Winfield, Rebekah Cole, Laurie Craigen

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

The steady growth of the substance abuse and addiction field in addition to the passing of the Affordable Care Act (ACT) increases the need for competent and credentialed substance abuse professionals. As generalists in the helping field, human services professionals would benefit from education and sufficient credentialing in substance abuse and addiction treatment. The authors of this article suggest that substance abuse and addiction education be considered for inclusion at the accreditation level for human services programs. Furthermore, a discussion of the Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) international credential and its benefits and implications for human services professionals will be …

Advocating School-University Partnership For Responsive Teacher Education And Classroom-Based Curricula: Evidence From Teachers’ Cognitions About Principles Of Curriculum Design And Their Own Roles, Muhammad Rahimi, Lawrence Jun Zhang, Nasim Nasr Esfahani

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study investigated the differences between novice and experienced non-native English-speaking English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) teachers’ cognitions about EFL curriculum design principles and their own roles in designing an EFL curriculum. The challenge these teachers faced in their roles and the support system they needed were also explored. Data were collected from 40 non-natives English-speaking EFL teachers using a questionnaire and open-ended questions. The results show that the observed differences between the two groups’ cognitions about EFL curriculum design principles were not statistically significant. Results also reveal that both groups believed they lacked the required theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and time and …

School Experiences Of Middle School Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Shannon D. Grave

Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study examined the school experiences of adolescents with high functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in sixth through eighth grade. Two research questions guided this study: what were the participants’ day to day experiences and what were their perceptions of those experiences? The results of the study yielded three conclusions. First, school can be a confusing and unpredictable source of stress. This stress can be ameliorated through increased predictability in the classroom and through adaptations to materials based on individualized needs and preferences. Specific classroom based strategies were identified and discussed, with clear shared preferences emergent. Participants indicated preferences …

Gvsu Undergraduate And Graduate Catalog, 2016-2017, Grand Valley State University

Course Catalogs, 1963 - Current

Grand Valley State University 2016-2017 undergraduate and/or graduate course catalog published annually to provide students with information and guidance for enrollment.

Until The Client Speaks: Reviving The Legal-Interest Model For Preverbal Children, Lisa Kelly, Alicia Levezu

Articles

This article seeks to revive and develop further the concept of legalinterest advocacy, which was first introduced by the American Bar Association in 1996. This overlooked model offers a workable alternative to both the best-interest and substituted-judgment representation models for preverbal clients. Through legal-interest advocacy, attorneys for preverbal children are charged with ensuring that the many rights given to infants are enforced, while withdrawing from attorneys the ability to impose their values on the child client. This article outlines how legal-interest advocacy representation can ensure that a child's legal rights are protected and preserved until the child client can speak …

Richmond Law Magazine: Winter 2016

Richmond Law Magazine

Features:

A Place of One's Own

Rodriguez More Than 40 Years Later

Talk To Me

Examination Of Adherence, The Quality Of The Physician/Patient Relationship, And Illness-Related Beliefs Among Adults With Long Qt Syndrome, Maggie Monk

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Long QT Syndrome (LQTS) is a cardiac arrhythmia disorder that affects 1 in 2,000 individuals and is a precursor to various cardiac events, including sudden cardiac arrest (Schwartz et al., 2016). As a precaution, individuals with all types of LQTS have been advised to modify their lifestyles to avoid triggers, including limiting physical activity (PA). Nonadherence to treatment recommendations could result in devastating outcomes. The purpose of the study was to explore characteristics pertaining to adherence and nonadherence to PA recommendations, including the quality of the physician/patient relationship and illness beliefs among adults with LQTS. An Internet survey was completed …

Unf Journal Winter 2016, University Of North Florida

UNF Journal

A university periodical for alumni and friends of the University of North Florida

Vicarious Battering: The Experience Of Intervening At A Domestic Violence-Focused Supervised Visitation Center, Tracee Parker

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This descriptive phenomenological research illustrated the experience of women who worked in a supervised visitation program (SVP) specifically developed to address safety concerns related to allegations of domestic violence. The SVP policies and procedures were designed not only to prevent physical assault and abduction but also to intervene in vicarious battering—a term introduced to describe the attempts by men who battered to exert control over, undermine, and/or intimidate the mothers of their children via interactions with their children and the visitation staff. The results of this research demonstrated the challenges of intervening in the context of court-ordered supervised visitation. Data …

A Phenomenological Study: Foster Care Youth Aging Out Of The System, Guy Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this applied dissertation was to explore the lived experiences of teens aging out of foster care, in an effort to better understand their needs. While the child welfare system is geared towards family preservation, reunification, and adoption, most young adults transitioning from the foster care system are not reunited with family members or are only reunited as a last resort. Unfortunately, every year, thousands are leaving the support of the foster care system, unprepared. Youth departing the child welfare system are not gradually transitioned into becoming self-sufficient. They do not have an effective support system available if …

Menjadi "Positive Deviant" Di Antara Yang Positif (Kajian Deskriptif Tentang Anak Dengan Hiv/Aids), Johanna Debora Imelda, Annisah -

Antropologi Indonesia

In Indonesia, since 1987, cases of children with HIV/AIDS (CLWHA) have increased. Several studies reveal that CLHWA cannot live up to the age of 5 years without ARV treatment. However, data from Ministry of Health and NGO’s documentation show a different fact. Some CLWHA can live longer than the others although they have not started the antiretroviral treatment yet. In social science, there is an approach called “Positive Deviance”. This study examines how CLWHA live as Positive Deviant and how families and social systems support them through their lives.This study used a qualitative approach using FGD and in-depth interviews for …

Restorasi Tingkat Mikro Dalam Sistem Sosial Budaya Indonesia Untuk Mencegah Kematian Ibu, Sari Viciawati Machdum, Sofyan Cholid, Annisah -, Johanna Debora Imelda

Antropologi Indonesia

The complexity of culture and territory in Indonesia make social protection implementation challenging. Mothers have internal factors that forbid them to know and intend to use social health protection program so that the maternal mortality rate (MMR) in 2015 did not decrease. This study found that there were particular internal factor problems of the teenage mother. Besides being hampered by the administration because of their age, young mothers became vulnerable because of their immature psychological and emotional aspects. In the midst of unsupportive social and cultural conditions, teenage mothers altered to the weaker position. Whereas the growth and development of …

Acceptability Of Aggression Among Children Who Reside With Substance-Abusing Parents: The Influence Of Behavioral Dysregulation, Exposure To Neighborhood Violence, And Interparental Violence, Michelle L. Kelley, Abby L. Braitman, Robert J. Milletich, Brittany F. Hollis, Rachel E. Parsons, Tyler D. White, Cassie Patterson, Brianna Haislip, J. Matthew Henson

Psychology Faculty Publications

The present study examined how interparental violence, neighborhood violence, behavioral regulation during parental conflict, and age predicted beliefs about the acceptability of aggression and the acceptance of retaliation against an aggressive peer among youths. Participants were 110 families (mothers, fathers, and children) in which one or both parents met criteria for substance use disorder. Results of a bootstrapped multivariate regression model revealed higher exposure to neighborhood violence predicted greater acceptability of general aggression, whereas higher father-to-mother violence perpetration predicted lower acceptability of general aggression. Higher exposure to neighborhood violence, behavioral dysregulation during parental conflict, and older child age predicted greater …

Behavioral Couples Treatment For Substance Use Disorder: Secondary Effects On The Reduction Of Risk For Child Abuse, Michelle L. Kelley, Adrian J. Bravo, Abby L. Braitman, Adrienne K. Lawless, Hannah R. Lawrence

Psychology Faculty Publications

Risk for child abuse was examined prior to and after behavioral couples treatment (BCT) among 61 couples in which one or both parents were diagnosed with substance use disorder (SUD). All couples were residing with one or more school-age children. Mothers and fathers completed pretreatment, post-intervention, and 6 month post-intervention follow-up assessments. Results of piecewise latent growth models tested whether the number of BCT sessions attended and number of days abstinent from drugs and alcohol influenced relationship satisfaction and its growth over time, and in turn if relationship satisfaction and change in relationship satisfaction influenced risk for child abuse. For …

“Mr. Bad Example”: Why Lawyers Need To Embrace Therapeutic Jurisprudence To Root Out Sanism In The Representation Of Persons With Mental Disabilities, Michael L. Perlin, Alison J. Lynch

Wyoming Law Review

No abstract provided.

Building & Measuring Psychological Capacity For Biodiversity Conservation, Kayla A. Cranston

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Capacity building has become the centerpiece of recent attempts to strengthen regional biodiversity conservation. Many conservation organizations aim to increase this capacity by training local conservation professionals. While many practitioners will agree that these trainings presumably have a psychological effect on their participants that may benefit long-term local action toward conservation goals, there also seems to be a resignation that these effects are difficult if not impossible to measure and target, especially within diverse cultures. The common result is a perfunctory evaluation of observable behaviors or basic knowledge, which may be easy to count but undoubtedly fails to represent the …

Distress Among Psychologists: Prevalence, Barriers, And Remedies For Accessing Mental Health Care, Kimberly Patterson-Hyatt

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study completed a critical review of psychologists’ mental health by developing a conceptual analysis based on the current empirical literature of the mental health needs of clinical psychologists. Distress among psychologists was explored by examining the following domains: (a) examining the prevalence of mental illness and psychological distress that exist among them, (b) examining the barriers they encounter to seeking treatment when experiencing this distress, and (c) reviewing current interventions and integrating remedies for access to mental health care that best meets psychologists’ needs. Results included several themes within each domain shaping a contextual picture of some of the …

The Remembered Experience Of Adoption: Factors Supporting Healthy Adjustment, Crystal R. Gonsalves

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This qualitative research study is designed to explore ideas, customs, and practices related to adoption from the perspective of adult adoptees. While many studies seek to explain the negative impact of adoption, minimal literature exists with regard to a phenomenological exploration of adoption practices that successfully promote healthy adjustment and a sense of resilience and well-being in adopted children. Existing research on adoption has largely been conducted quantitatively, which can fail to capture the personal, lived experience of a positive adoption experience that leads to healthy adjustment. Specifically, little is known about which factors of the adoption experience adoptees perceive …

Investigating The Use Of Creative Mask-Making As A Means To Explore Professional Identity Of Doctoral Psychology Students, Laura Louise Bentley

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The goal of this qualitative study is two-fold: to explore doctoral psychology students' current sense of self-identity as clinicians (nearing graduation) and their future sense of who they hope to become as practicing clinical psychologists using a creative arts methodology and to illustrate how the use of creative arts processes have clinical relevance for not only mental health clinicians and psychologists but also educators. Seven doctoral psychology students nearing graduation participated (individually) in a guided imagery and mask-making experience and in a phenomenological, semi-structured, in-depth interview following the art making. Through the use of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), an integrative, …