Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring The Effects Of Masks On Student Engagement In Ece And Ese: A Literature Review Of Related Research, Anna M. Frahm

Honors Undergraduate Theses

During the advancement of COVID-19, safety protocols (including facial masks) were incorporated into public settings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), due to safety regulations, recommend wearing face masks when in close contact with other people in public environments, such as in a classroom, where social distancing is difficult. Understanding these CDC recommendations is still critical when looking for effective and safe alternative forms of masking for particular industries. Many industries smoothly transitioned to daily use of traditional cloth masks, but other industries (such as education) serving clients with high communicational needs and communication-centered services sought masking alternatives. …

Covid-19: A Review Of Random Testing As An Augmentation Of A Close-Contact Testing Regime In Response To The Covid-19 Pandemic, John Mcdonnell

Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented the world with a huge challenge to balance the health of the population with the scale of stringent response measures. Policy makers need evidence based recommendations to inform their response to the pandemic and the ever changing landscape it creates. Testing and isolation of infected individuals plays a critical role in containing the spread of the disease, but is aimed primarily at detecting symptomatic individuals. However, asymptomatic individuals are much more difficult to detect. This study presents the augmentation of a close contact testing regime with random testing to examine the elect on the number …

Covid-19: Views On Seriousness, Handling/Response, And Behaviors Of Undergraduate Students At The University Of Central Florida, Shemuwel H.I Russ

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Objective – Views surrounding COVID-19 are divided. The objective of this thesis is to investigate if views surrounding COVID-19 can be inferred based on college-level demographics. I explore the views of undergraduate students at the University of Central Florida.

Methods – A link to the questionnaire created through Qualtrics was sent out to university leaders asking them to distribute it accordingly among their respective undergraduate populations. Students (N=149) responded to questions about issues related to COVID-19, college-level demographics, and political attitudes. The data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential analysis.

Results – Students still viewed COVID-19 as a serious …

To Mask Or Not To Mask: Debunking The Myths Of Mask-Wearing During Covid-19 Across Cultures, Rong Chen, Bih-Jen Fwu, Tong-Rong Yang, Quang-Anh Ngo Tran

Psychology | Faculty Scholarship

Mask-wearing is the simplest yet most effective preventive behavior during COVID-19. However, it has sparked great controversy, particularly in America. Little is known about what psychosocial factors predict people’s decision to mask. This research challenges three myths about mask-wearing. First, does mask-wearing provide a false sense of security? Second, is knowledge of COVID-19 a more robust predictor than political ideology of mask-wearing behavior? Third, does resistance to masks reflect anti-authoritarianism or a lack of trust in government? With nationally representative samples across two cultures (N = 1,121), findings reveal a significant positive correlation between mask-wearing and other preventive behaviors. …

The Prevalence Of And Factors Associated With Anxiety And Depression Among Working-Age Adults In Mainland China At The Early Remission Stage Of The Coronavirus 2019 Pandemic, Haixia Xie, Xiaowei Huang, Qi Zhang, Yan Wei, Xuheng Zeng, Fengshui Chang, Shuyin Wu

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has led to a considerable proportion of adverse psychological symptoms in different subpopulations. This study aimed to investigate the status of anxiety and depression and their associated factors in the adult, working-age population in Mainland China at the early remission stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: An online study was conducted among 1,863 participants in 29 provinces in Mainland China from March 23 to 31, 2020. Their mental health was evaluated by the generalized anxiety disorder scale (GAD-7) and the patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9). Descriptive analysis, Chi-square, and multiple logistic regressions were applied.

Results: …

Mental Health Providers’ Responses To The Covid-19 Pandemic, Aubrey Faber

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in closures, increased stressors, and a high need for mental health services. To provide continuity of care and meet the rising need for therapy, mental health providers rapidly transitioned to telehealth. This transition occurred with the support of policy changes and leniency in telehealth guidelines. A survey including participant and client demographic variables, readiness for telehealth, transition time, methods for telehealth practice, and therapist efficacy in-person and via telehealth was created in Qualtrics. It was completed by 79 mental health providers to provide insight into this transition and inform future practice. This study hypothesized that (1) …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Healthcare Professionals' Occupational Lives, Javed A. Mohammed, Ronald Kevin Dela Cruz

OCCUPATION: A Medium of Inquiry about Health through Occupation

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a period of instability for billions of people around the world. Healthcare systems have been severely strained by the influx of infected patients, placing much of that hardship on healthcare professionals (HCPs). Occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other essential personnel—individuals who will be inclusive of the term “HCPs”—continue to struggle with frequent occupational disruption. This paper examines the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the occupational lives of HCPs at the national and international levels. The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically increased work-related stress leading to anxiety, depression, burnout, and …

Access, Socioeconomic Environment, And Death From Covid-19 In Nebraska, He Bai, Michelle M. Schwedhelm, John-Martin Lowe, Rachel Lookadoo, Daniel R. Anderson, Abigail Lowe, James V. Lawler, M. Jana Broadhurst, David Brett-Major

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

Our study assesses whether factors related to healthcare access in the first year of the pandemic affect mortality and length of stay (LOS). Our cohort study examined hospitalized patients at Nebraska Medicine between April and October 2020 who were tested for SARS-CoV-2 and had a charted sepsis related diagnostic code. Multivariate logistic was used to analyze the odds of mortality and linear regression was used to calculate the parameter estimates of LOS associated with COVID-19 status, age, gender, race/ethnicity, median household income, admission month, and residential distance from definitive care. Among 475 admissions, the odds of mortality is greater among …

Determination Of Key Inflection Points For Maladaptive Responses In Us Nurses During The Pandemic: A Network Analysis, Fan Li, Umit Tokac, Kimberly Werner, Anne F. Fish, Qingqing Lou

Nursing Faculty Works

Introduction: During the pandemic, the nursing workforce is experiencing overwhelming workloads that carry a heavy psychological burden. A wide variety of psychological responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have been studied in nurses globally, but many are not studied or understudied in US nurses. Theoretical underpinnings of the current study are based on the disaster component of the Middle-Range Theory of Nurses' Psychological Trauma. Objective: To explore the associations of psychological responses (life satisfaction, perceived stress, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD] symptomatology, attitude toward life, and compassion satisfaction), years of experience, and general health in US nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic using …

From A Distance: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Of Sixth To Twelfth Grade Stem Teachers’ Perceptions Toward Teaching English Learners Remotely During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Michelle Angela Figueiredo

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic that emerged in China and spread globally in early 2020 caused schools to shut down and forced educators to adapt their curricula to an online format. For many students, especially English language learners (ELs), this disruption exposed vast disparities to access and equitable instruction. For science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) educators, this presented several challenges and barriers in adapting science content that required hands on experiential learning to a virtual, two-dimensional format. For English learners (ELs) in STEM classes, it has been particularly challenging learning in this new remote modality. The study used Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis …

Occupational Health And Safety For Commercial Pilots During The Coronavirus Pandemic, Autumn M. Dawley

OT Student Capstones

BACKGROUND

The aviation industry has been growing with the number of aircraft pilots jumping from 590,038 in 2015 to 664,563 in 2019. With an increasing demand for distribution of cargo, a review of the effects of work-related stressors during the coronavirus pandemic and, further, a solution to increase the health and well-being of individuals in the industry is essential. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) addresses fatigue and routinely revises regulations which alleviate job stress; however, the coronavirus pandemic has added new stressors to the aviation industry.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the pandemic …

Impacts Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Elementary School Teachers’ Practices And Perceptions Across The Spring And Fall 2020 Semesters, J. Marc Goodrich, Michael Hebert, Jessica M. Namkung

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Following the closure of schools in the spring 2020 semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed two surveys to understand how the pandemic affected elementary education in the U.S. First, we distributed a survey at the end of the spring 2020 semester to understand how school closures impacted delivery of instruction. Second, we conducted a follow up survey in November 2020 to determine the nature of instruction provided to students when schools did or did not re-open in Fall 2020 and understand teachers’ perceptions of student learning and achievement during the pandemic. Each survey was sent to a sample …

Understanding The Mental And Emotional Impacts Of Being A Caregiver Of Socially Isolated Residents During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Chloe Kerrick

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The mental health and emotional wellbeing of individuals has declined in many ways over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some groups have seen more drastic changes in their mental health and emotional wellbeing, especially those working in healthcare. While nearly all healthcare facility workers have experienced an increased burden brought about by the pandemic, long-term care facility workers have been tasked with caring for clients that, for periods of time, experienced complete social isolation. This project will attempt to answer the question of how caring for a group of socially isolated residents over an extended period has affected the …

Examining Gender Differences In Academia Within A Pandemic: Exploring The Relationship Among Social Comparisons, Emotional Demands, And Not Saying No, Mia Kendrick

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an evident impact on the workforce. Pandemicrelated job demands have been linked with an increase of emotional exhaustion (Barello et al., 2020) and burnout in healthcare workers (Cotel et al., 2021). Research suggests emotional demands and social comparison are associated with emotional exhaustion (Geisler et al., 2019; Tuxford & Bradley, 2015; Fischer, 2009; Buunk, et al., 2001). Furthermore, emotional exhaustion may be facilitated by not saying no to extra work demands. The relationship between social comparison behaviors, emotional demands, and not saying no may be different for male and female employees. Integrating the job demands-resources …

Understanding The Role Of Sleep And Personality On Emerging Adult Mental Health In The Covid-19 Pandemic, Dywayne Johnson

Undergraduate Research Posters 2022

Emerging adulthood is a critical developmental period that affords many new opportunities for adolescents as they transition to adulthood; however, studies reported that the pandemic caused significant disruptions in terms of development for young adults. As such, it is critical that researchers work to further our understanding of the impacts of COVID-19 on core areas of young adult functioning. Sleep plays an integral role in understanding the effects of mental health, but the impact of the pandemic on sleep in young adults is one area that has been understudied. The main focus of the present study is to highlight the …

Numeracy And Covid-19: Examining Interrelationships Between Numeracy, Health Numeracy And Behaviour, Nathan T.T. Lau, Eric D. Wilkey, Mojtaba Soltanlou, Rebekka Lagacé Cusiac, Lien Peters, Paul Tremblay, Celia Goffin, Isabella Starling Alves, Andrew David Ribner, Clarissa Thompson, Jo Van Hoof, Julia Bahnmueller, Aymee Alvarez, Elien Bellon, Ilse Coolen, Fanny Ollivier, Daniel Ansari

Paediatrics Publications

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people across the globe have been exposed to large amounts of statistical data. Previous studies have shown that individuals mathematical understanding of health-related information affects their attitudes and behaviours. Here, we investigate the relation between (i) basic numeracy, (ii) COVID-19 health numeracy, and (iii) COVID-19 health-related attitudes and behaviours. An online survey measuring these three variables was distributed in Canada, the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) (n = 2032). In line with predictions, basic numeracy was positively related to COVID-19 health numeracy. However, predictions, neither basic numeracy nor COVID-19 health numeracy was related …

Well-Being Of Canadian Armed Forces Veterans And Spouses Of Veterans During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Protocol For A Prospective Longitudinal Survey, Callista A. Forchuk, Anthony Nazarov, Rachel A. Plouffe, Jenny J.W. Liu, Erisa Deda, Tri Le, Dominic Gargala, Vanessa Soares, Jesse Bourret-Gheysen, Kate St Cyr, Maede S. Nouri, Fardous Hosseiny, Patrick Smith, Gabrielle Dupuis, Maya Roth, Michelle Marlborough, Rakesh Jetly, Alexandra Heber, Ruth Lanius, J. Don Richardson

Neuroscience Institute Publications

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant changes to everyday life, including social distancing mandates, changes to health care, and a heightened risk of infection. Previous research has shown that Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) veterans are at higher risk of developing mental and physical health conditions. Veterans and their families may face unique social challenges that can compound with pandemic-related disruptions to negatively impact well-being. Objective: This study aims to longitudinally characterize the mental health of CAF veterans and spouses of CAF veterans throughout the pandemic and to understand the dynamic influences of pandemic-related stressors on psychological health over …

The Blind Spots Of Sociotechnical Imaginaries: Covid-19 Scepticism In Brazil, The United Kingdom And The United States, Renan Gonçalves Leonel Da Silva, Larry Au

Publications and Research

During the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, experts and policymakers mobilised various slogans to compel the public to help defeat COVID-19. By comparing Brazil, the United Kingdom and the United States, this study shows how dominant sociotechnical imaginaries tied to the slogans were mobilised. We argue that the blind spots of these dominant sociotechnical imaginaries contributed to subversive sociotechnical imaginaries and made room for COVID-19 scepticism. In Brazil, calls to ‘take care of yourself’ contributed to a sceptical stance that individualised responsibility. In the United Kingdom, calls to ‘protect the NHS’ contributed to sceptical accusations of whataboutism …

The Efficacy And Acceptability Of A Virtual Versus Hybrid Wellness Program On Health Outcomes Among Faculty And Staff At A Northeastern University During Covid-19, Elizabeth Tenison

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

According to American Psychological Association Work and Well-being Survey of 1,501 U.S. adult workers, 79% of employees reported negative impacts of work-related stress, including lack of interest (26%) and effort (19%) at work. Workplace wellness programs offer a means to alleviate stress among employees. The research explored the perceived acceptability and efficacy of a virtual versus hybrid wellness program and some specific health outcomes, total cholesterol, BP, and BMI, perceived well-being and stress among faculty and staff at a northeastern university. Participants (n=61) included women (77%), 30-50 years of age (67.7%), and staff (30%) vs. faculty (70%) enrolled in the …

The Financial Effect Of Covid-19 On Children's Hospitals Without Pediatric Psychiatric Units, Patricia Tran

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Introduction: Boarding of pediatric psychiatric patients in emergency departments and inpatient medical units while awaiting placement in psychiatric facilities was common before the COVID-19 pandemic and was associated with significant hospital cost. The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a mental health crisis in the pediatric population. This study looked at the how the COVID-19 pandemic affected pediatric psychiatric boarding and the effects of pediatric psychiatric boarding on hospital finances.

Methodology: The methodology of this study utilized a literature review with semi-structured interviews of local subject matter experts. The literature review analyzed the effects of the COVID-19 precipitated pediatric mental health …

Covid-19 And Consumer Eating Patterns: Analysis Of The Impact On The Meal Kit Industry In The United States, Dorian Bizeau

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze consumer eating patterns through the emergence of COVID-19, and explain the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Meal Kit industry. Through the utilization of qualitative and quantitative analysis, the paper will apply source material to the research question. The research question for this study is: “How did COVID-19's emergence impact the Meal Kit industry?” An overarching theme is social behaviors adaptation. Adaptations occurred as a result of COVID-19's emergence. The qualitative data suggests the behaviors correlated with the strengths and weaknesses of the Meal Kit industry. A key finding revealed in …

The Influence Of Human Facial Obstruction On Canine (Canis Familiaris) Begging Preferences, Natalie George

Honors Program Theses

Research on the ability of dogs (Canis familiaris) to recognize human attentional states has shown that dogs are inconsistent in successfully begging to humans who can see them. The current study expanded on this research in relation to the ongoing pandemic and analyzed whether dogs preferred begging to masked, unmasked, or blindfolded individuals. We recruited dog owners from a small liberal arts college and the surrounding area. Dogs chose to beg for a treat from a researcher in one of three separate testing conditions: no facial occlusion versus blindfolded, masked versus blindfolded, or no facial occlusion versus masked. The study …

Art As Politics? How Fox News Manufactures Its Hosts’ Performances To Acquire Cable Prestige, Matthew Mcguirk

The Graduate Review

Fox News is the most popular cable news network in the United States, drawing millions of conservative viewers who trust it more than any other outlet. Although many of the network’s claims are subject to controversy or rooted in falsities, these viewers continue watching, offering a never-before-seen devotion to the network. Using Fox’s coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as insight from Karl Marx and Walter Benjamin, this paper demonstrates how Fox manufactures its hosts’ performances to advance its fetishizing of the commodity of cable prestige.

Investigating The Relationship Between Mental Health And Co- Morbidity Management During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Literature Review, Alejandra Soto

Theses and Graduate Projects

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused many disruptions to millions of lives, especially with the enforcement of government shutdowns, isolations, and social distancing. These measures lead to increased anxiety and depression in the general population. With many high- risk patient populations having chronic comorbidities, accessing routine medical care and supplies became difficult during the pandemic.

Purpose: How has mental health affected the management of pre-existing comorbidities during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted using the research engine PubMed using the search terms: “pandemic”, “COVID-19”, “comorbidities”, “mental health”, “morbidity”, and “mortality”. Inclusion criteria were studies …

Evaluation Of Interactions Of Covid Nonstructural Proteins 3, 5, And 6 With Human Proteins And Potentially Therapeutic Molecules, Jessica Huitsing

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2, has been ongoing for over two years. The virus spreads easily and is more unpredictable than well-known viruses like the flu, making it important to have reliable combative measures before we fully drop non-vaccine preventive actions, like mask-wearing.Therefore, we used computational protein modeling to investigate the interactions of three nonstructural proteins (abbreviated Nsp) encoded in the viral RNA genome– Nsp3, Nsp5, and Nsp6 – which are involved in the viral life cycle, with human P-type polyamine transporting ATPases ATP13A2 and ATP13A3, whose disease symptoms when mutated mimic …

“Stay Home, Save Lives": A Study On Covid-19 And Intimate Partner Violence, Grace E. Messina

Honors Undergraduate Theses

With the introduction of COVID-19, preliminary data suggests that the forms and frequency of abuse relating to intimate partner violence (IPV) have changed. Most of society was unaware of the arising silent pandemic which was happening to the individuals in abusive relationships who were being quarantined with their abuser. The IPV resources were extremely aware of this silent pandemic due to large numbers of individuals seeking emergency shelter. However, there was only a priority for public safety due to COVID-19 when in hindsight, there needed to be a balance of public safety as well as increased aid for the individuals …

Flashbulb Memories Among College Students During Covid-19, Sabah Qureshi

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Flashbulb memories are formed through widely shared events that have affected the culture and community. The “flash” in flashbulb memories refers to the specific details that individuals have developed in their memories. The presented research focuses on the specific event of college students at the University of Central Florida (UCF) hearing about university closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This research study sought to identify the variables that have affected the accuracy of flashbulb memories formation regarding the event of college students hearing about university closure because of the pandemic. The variables of the students’ relevance to the university, location, …

Linking Online Business Education And Academic Excellence: Outbreak Of Covid-19 Pandemic, Muhammad Rafiq, Shumaila Naz, Saif Maqbool

Business Review

The outburst of COVID-19 epidemic has enforced the higher education sector to revamp customary mode of teaching and assessing students learning. This study is a portrayal of online education and intended to critically examine how online education during COVID-19 fostered a combination of favorable and unfavorable outcomes which might disrupt and redesign academic routine process. Data were collected from professors, associate professors and rectors affiliated with higher education system through focused group discussions and semi-structured interviews. The interpretivism paradigm analysis was performed to examine the data using qualitative methodology. This study delivers a comprehensive review of enduring online education mode …

Impact Of Covid-19 On Sectoral Stock Prices: An Event Study Based On Us Stock Market, Nasir Nadeem, Ghulam Mujtaba Kayani, Imran Abbas Jadoon

Business Review

The impact of COVID-19 on stock prices of different United States economic sectors is examined using event study methodology. Results revealed that the first confirmed case in US on January 21, 2020 was underestimated by investors and did not disturb stock prices significantly. However, the first local transmission case on February 26, 2020 hit the stock market in the post event window. Due to this event, the stock prices of industries in energy, financials, industrials, real estate and utilities sectors declined but observed price increases in health care, information technology and telecom services industries. First “stay at home” order issued …

Locked Up And Locked Down In The Land Of Free: A Look At The United States' Prisons And Covid-19'S Disproportionate Effect On Black Americans' Right To Health, Zachary Parrish

American University International Law Review

The United States is infamous for having a large percentage of its population in prison. Each year since 2002, the United States has reported a higher incarceration rate than any other country in the world. Another unfortunate but widely prevalent issue that the United States has is systemic racism. The combination of the United States’ struggles with systemic racism and mass incarceration makes for a disproportionately devastating impact on Black Americans. As a result, Black Americans make up a disproportionate amount of the prisoners that fill American prisons.