Digital Commons Network^™

Non-Ventilated Prone Positioning In The Covid-19 Population, Marie Delouche, Nishant Varghese, Christi Knapp, Jiangzhen Jenny Li, Michael Guffey, Danielle Guffey, Geraldine B. Jones

General Submissions: Clinical Settings Materials

In the population of confirmed COVID-19 positive patients on a telemetry unit, will proning every 2 hours result in a decreased length of stay for the intervention group (patients that prone) as opposed to the control group (patients that receive standard of care) over a period of 9 months (2021-2022)?

Lived Experiences Of Icu Nurses Caring For Critically Ill Patients Infected With Covid-19: A Phenomenological Study In Thailand, Charuedee Putruttanamaneekun, Yaowarat Matchim, Thitiporn Pathomjaruwat, Thanyarat Boontoi, Itsari Srisupha-Olarn, Sukanya Thongbupa, Borwarnluck Thongthawee, Parinya Raetong

Journal of Health Research

Background: COVID-19 is an emerging disease that caused infections and a pandemic worldwide. Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses played an important role in providing care for critically ill patients. Their experiences during the pandemic in Thailand were not well documented. This study explored the lived experiences of ICU nurses caring for critically ill patients infected with COVID-19 in Thailand.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative, phenomenological study guided by Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics. Data were collected between December 2021 and March 2023 among fifteen ICU nurses at a university hospital. The partcipants drew pictures reflecting their experiences; they participated in in-depth interviews …

How Did Women In India Fare During The Covid-19 Pandemic? A Study Of Work-Life Balance, Bigi Thomas

Journal of International Women's Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted women globally, resulting in numerous work-life balance (WLB) challenges. The intersection of paid employment and familial obligations inside the household has compelled Indian women to assume many tasks. Married women encounter heightened stress due to the specific gender roles that society imposes upon them within a patriarchal sociocultural context; these gender roles were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, hindering Indian women in their management of domestic duties and reconciliation of personal and professional disputes. The pandemic’s fusion of professional and familial domains disrupted Indian women’s transition between home and work environments, leading to indistinct …

How Adverse Childhood Trauma Affects Coping Behaviors And Anxiety In College Students During Covid-19: A Neurobiological Perspective, Harshita Yepuri, Amanda Gilmore, Laura Carruth, Ruschelle Leone

Research Day

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has uprooted college students from the traditional college environment and placed additional stressors on them, yet its effects are still emerging. In the present study, 329 college students (Mage=19.74, SDage= 1.96) completed measures of generalized anxiety, behavioral coping, and adverse childhood experiences between July 2020 and March 2021 of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is hypothesized that more adverse childhood experiences would be associated with more maladaptive behavioral coping strategies. In addition, less adaptive coping strategies would be positively associated with more anxiety among college students. Results indicated that negative coping behaviors were associated with more …

Elementary School Counselors Perceived Barriers To Service Delivery Throughout The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kimberly L. Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Elementary school counselors are essential to shaping the foundation of academic, social, and emotional development of children which was negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. ESCs were required to maintain the same level of engagement despite the pressing circumstances. No one has explored the lived experiences of ESCs as they faced extreme barriers and without this study, stakeholders would be ill-equipped to address their needs. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore ESCs perceived barriers to comprehensive service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Husserl’s descriptive phenomenological research approaches were used, including only ESCs who worked throughout the …

Spectrum Of Coronary Artery Involvement With Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome In Children Versus Kawasaki Disease., Simon Lee, Ashraf S. Harahsheh, Geetha Raghuveer, Michael A. Portman, Arash A. Sabati, Michael Khoury, Nagib Dahdah, Marianna Fabi, Supriya S. Jain, Audrey Dionne, Kyle Runeckles, Frederic Dallaire, Nadine F. Choueiter, Tyler H. Harris, Matthew D. Elias, Anji T. Yetman, Balasubramanian Sundaram, Luis M. Garrido-Garcia, Nilanjana Misra, Cedric Manlhiot, Pedrom Farid, Brian W. Mccrindle

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: There is significant overlap in clinical features between multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and Kawasaki disease (KD). We sought to compare the prevalence, severity, and associated factors for coronary artery (CA) involvement.

METHODS AND RESULTS: From January 1, 2020 through January 31, 2023, 1191 patients with MIS-C and 554 patients contemporaneously diagnosed with KD were enrolled into the International Kawasaki Disease Registry. Demographic and clinical features, laboratory values, maximum Z score in any CA branch +2.5 or greater) were determined separately for each diagnosis using multivariable logistic regression analyses. The prevalence of CA aneurysms was lower for MIS-C …

Parental Vaccine Hesitancy And The Decision To Vaccinate Children Against Covid-19, Jessica Mckee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While there is a significant body of literature regarding vaccine hesitancy, there is a gap in the literature on its impact to parents’ decisions to vaccinate their children against a pandemic pathogen. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between parental vaccine hesitancy, measured using the health belief model (HBM) theoretical framework constructs of the Vaccine Hesitancy Scale (VHS; the degree to which an individual trusts in vaccine efficacy, safety, the reliability and trustworthiness of vaccine programs, community impact, perceived risks, and the importance of childhood vaccinations), and parents’ decision to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 with …

Time And Location: Physical Activity Trends In Parents And Children In A Rural Region During Covid-19, Brooke C. Towner, Robert Broce, Rebecca A. Battista

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: COVID-19 restrictions altered the structure of the school and workday for families with children and led to changes in active transportation. Continued restrictions impacted access to many community locations and led to changes in physical activity (PA) behavior.

Purpose: The objectives of the study were to describe the changes in the 1) amount of PA time per day, 2) frequency of PA, and 3) sitting time. Information about how PA changed for parents and children during the COVID-19 pandemic will have potential implications for education, public health, and recreation management.

Methods: This cross-sectional study enlisted participants via an online …

Doctor Of Physical Therapy Student Performance On The National Physical Therapy Examination And Qualitative Feedback Of Dpt Program Administrators About The Covid-19 Pandemic In The Appalachian Region, Timothy Logan Yost

Ed.D. Dissertations

In this qualitative case study, I aimed to discern the presence of a downward trend in the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) during the COVID-19 pandemic and receive valuable qualitative feedback from Doctor of Physical Therapy program administrators concerning the effects of COVID-19. I first reviewed the available literature, followed by an examination of first-time scores via publicly available data from the Federation of State Board of Physical Therapy (FSBPT). This was followed by the development of a qualitative research methodology, which included a targeted qualitative questionnaire with Doctor of Physical Therapy program administrators within the Appalachian region to gain …

Maternal Depression And Covid-19: A Secondary Analysis Comparing Postnatal Depression Rates During And Before The Covid-19 Pandemic, Amanda A. Berney

2025 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

The COVID-19 pandemic created increased psychological vulnerability across the globe through isolation, fear of infection, and misinformation from various sources, including social media. Women giving birth during the pandemic, therefore, may be extremely vulnerable psychologically. Per the World Health Organization, the years 2020 to mid 2021were designated as an intense time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the objective of this secondary analysis was to compare depression scores among women giving birth during these intense years and women giving birth before 2020. However, due to a small window of time and sample size, statistical analysis failed to find a correlation between …

The Value Of Home: The Covid-19 Pandemic’S Influence On Living Space, Mental Well-Being, And Design Adaptability, Grace E. Woodall

2025 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Grace Woodall, Architecture

Title: The Value of Home: The COVID-19 Pandemic’s Influence on Living Spaces, Mental Well-Being, and Design Adaptability

Faculty Mentor: Marisa Gomez Nordyke

The COVID-19 pandemic redefined how people worked, learned, socialized, and lived. This study examines how American young adults’ perceptions of home evolved during and after the isolating lockdowns. This work addressed how the COVID-19 experience altered home’s value in young adults, the spatial, mental, and experiential challenges of confined spaces during the lockdowns, and the architectural elements that responded to these shifts. By analyzing post-pandemic housing trends, a literature review of architecture, psychology, home design, …

Examining The Lasting Impacts Of Covid-19 On College Students And Professors, Honor S. Luna, Alexia Angton

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study analyzes the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health, academic performance, and socialization of college students, as well as college professors’ perceptions of their own mental health, workload, and observed changes in students. University of Arkansas undergraduate students were surveyed online about their pandemic experiences, and faculty members were interviewed on similar topics. Students reported a noticeable decline in mental health, primarily due to isolation, being confined to their homes, and reduced contact with friends. Faculty faced stress from the rapid shift to virtual learning, decreased student engagement, and the challenge of balancing work and family while maintaining …

Student Perceptions Of School Climate And Safety After The Collective Trauma Of Covid-19 And Racial Injustice Syndemic., Amy Catherine Lyons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For people in marginalized communities, particularly the Black and African American community, the combined, disproportionate damage and loss from of the pandemic and a cacophony of racial injustices offer cause for labeling the phenomenon a syndemic. Syndemic is defined as “a conceptual framework for understanding diseases or health conditions that arise in populations and that are exacerbated by the social, economic, environmental, and political milieu in which a population is immersed” (Singer et al., 2017, p. 881). The purpose of this study is to explore, describe, and analyze Kentucky students’ perceptions of school climate and safety by demographic groups, racial …

Mental Health Crisis Of Medical Staffs During The Pandemic – How Has The Covid-19 Impacted Health Care Workers’ Mental Status, Yue Chen

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

The COVID-19 pandemic has waged a relentless battle against humanity, but amidst the physical toll lies a hidden front: the war on the mental health of our healthcare workers (HCWs).

Previous reviews have demonstrated a potential prevalence of mental health problems among HCWs, but these reviews necessitate updating and inclusion of more studies, along with a comparative analysis of pre- and post-pandemic backgrounds. Therefore, the aim of my study is to deliver updated prevalence estimates for mental health concerns among HCWs in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The results show not only a drastic increase in the percentage of …

Is Increased Screen Time Associated With A Higher Prevalence Of Myopia In Elementary-Aged Children Globally?​, Katerina Kasatkin, Sree Gowri Sudharshan, Lakumi Dias, Adira Brenner, Emily Reilly, Maikel Mansour

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background: The onset of myopia in children has emerged as a significant public health concern, especially with increased screen time and reduced outdoor activity following the COVID-19 pandemic. The global prevalence of myopia is expected to rise significantly, with children being particularly vulnerable. Various studies have explored how screen time, near-work activities, and outdoor exposure influence the increasing prevalence of myopia in pediatric populations worldwide.

Hypothesis: This paper aims to evaluate whether increased screen time, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, is associated with a higher prevalence of myopia in young children, providing a more robust understanding of this relationship across …

Assessing The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Health Literacy In Patients Presenting To A Student-Run Free Clinic, Sabah Iqbal, Kirsten Carlberg, Krisha S. Patel, Ashlyn Mcclelland, Sarah Marotta, Rebecca Moore

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background

Health literacy as defined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), refers to an individual’s ability to find, understand, and use health information and services1. This definition has evolved with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing emphasis on preventative healthcare. We aimed to observe the impact of the pandemic on the health literacy of patients in a free community clinic run by medical students.

Hypothesis

This study aims to assess the effect of various demographic and socioeconomic factors and the COVID-19 pandemic on health literacy levels estimated by the NVS assessment in the patient population …

Motivations And Goals For Combatting Covid-19 Misinformation In Clinical Setting: A Case Study Of Nursing Students., Amarachi H. Okoronkwo

All Theses

The misinformation surrounding COVID-19 disrupted public health efforts to mitigate the virus. This study examined the motivations and goals of nursing students to combat COVID-19 misinformation within clinical settings. Medical professionals are best suited to combat health misinformation due to their expertise and lived experience, but they are not mandated but encouraged to address COVID-19 misinformation. Grounded in qualitative research methods and grounded theory, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nursing students who have had clinical practice after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings reveal that the key motivations and goals for addressing misinformation include the need to educate patients, …

Administrative Law And The Pandemic, Gillian E. Metzger

Faculty Scholarship

American administrative law’s relationship to change is, as they say, compli­cated. On the one hand, continual evolution has been an endemic feature of American administrative law. Doctrines such as Chevron deference to agency statutory interpretations were born, grew, and declined in just the period from the 1980s to today. On the other, the United States (US) Supreme Court regularly rejects such common law development in administrative law as illegitimate and insists that federal judges must adhere to the original terms of the 1946 Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and other statutes, unless the Constitution requires otherwise. And to this day scholars …

Working To Death: Labor Law In The 100 Year Life, Kate Andrias

Faculty Scholarship

Without significant changes in labor law, the 100-year life will almost certainly be defined by deep inequities. Working-class people, and workers of color in particular, are least likely to enjoy extended life spans. And if they do live longer, they are unlikely to enjoy a leisurely retirement in which they decide how they spend their extra years. Instead, they will face more toil and precarity. This chapter imagines a different future. It asks: What would the 100-year life look like if working people had a greater hand in shaping it? What would a legal regime look like that gave working …

Assessing The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Mental Health In Patients Presenting To A Student-Run Free Clinic, Sabah Iqbal, Kirsten Carlberg, Emily Reilly, Jessica Ivanov, Victoria Youssef, Lily Roessler, Maikel Monsour, Nils Brolis

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background

Mental health is an important part of patient care, therefore it is imperative to understand how it’s recognized and treated. Socioeconomic status and the COVID19 pandemic contribute to disproportionate incidences of mental illness^{1, 2, 10, 11, 12}. This study uses data from a student-run clinic, the Rowan-Virtua Community Health Center (RVCHC), to examine disparities in mental health needs and screenings among the local population.

Hypothesis

It was hypothesized that underserved populations are at a disadvantage when it comes to both mental health screenings and treatment due to restricted access to healthcare and other unmet needs. Additionally, the …

Cares Act And Income Inequality In The Long Run, Kathleen Washington

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

In this paper, I will be looking at how the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a revolutionary public policy, led to income inequality decreasing during the Covid-19 pandemic in the US. Additionally, from the data available, the CARES Act seems to not have had any long run effects on income inequality in the US. Although, I would recommend more research on the CARES Act’s long-run effects when more data become available as time passes.

Risk Communication And Public Health Emergency Responses During Covid-19 Pandemic In Rural Communities In Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Study, Wilberforce Cholo, Fletcher J. Njororai, Walter Ogutu Amulla, Caleb Kogutu Nyaranga

Population Health Leadership and Analytics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the crucial role of community preventive behaviors in controlling the virus’ spread. Studies show that people’s risk perceptions and awareness significantly contribute to the containment and prevention of infections by motivating adoption of desired actions and behaviors. This study aimed at assessing the role of risk communication and factors that influenced responses during the COVID-19 pandemic in rural communities in Western Kenya. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using a quantitative research approach, collecting data from 806 individuals across Kisumu, Vihiga, and Kakamega counties. Descriptive statistics were used to detail the demographic characteristics of …

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On The Curriculum Orientations Of High School Teachers, Matthew G. Howard

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Teacher beliefs, particularly about the aims of education, impact what they teach, how they teach, and how they assess learning. Understanding how those beliefs were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic offers insights about COVID’s long-term influence on education. This cross-sectional quantitative study utilized Eisner and Vallance’s (1974) curriculum orientations framework to examine the beliefs of high school teachers, as well as their perceived changes in belief after the pandemic. The study utilized the previously validated Survey of Curriculum Orientations (SCO) as an instrument. A total of 305 high school teachers from a large school district in a major metropolitan area …

Emotion Analysis And Topic Modelling Of Supply Chain Discussion During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Suhong Li, Fang Chen, Thomas Ngniatedema

American Business Review

This study aims to investigate the supply chain discussion during the COVID-19 pandemic using the supply chain tweets collected between March 2020 and May 2022 globally. The findings reveal an evolving sentiment trajectory: while the users’ sentiment remained neutral in 2020 and 2021, a negative sentiment surged starting in January 2022. Moreover, an emotion analysis indicates a mix of sadness and optimism among Twitter users, with anger gradually intensifying from June 2021 onward. Furthermore, topic modeling reveals distinct themes discussed each year. In 2020, major topics centered around the government’s response to COVID-19, food and medical supply chain crises. By …

The Switch: Determinants Of Family School Modality Choices During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Steicy Dorfi Lopez

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

The K-12 system in the United States experienced substantial challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to give an overview of public, private, and homeschooling enrollment decisions during the pandemic, the changes families made between types of schooling and identify familial characteristics associated with the probability of switching in and out of public education. Knowing more about the groups exiting and returning to the public school system can help public school districts better tailor policies to attract and retain their students. Socioeconomic factors influencing a change could be signs of increasing segregation. Using a discrete choice duration model, a …

An Exploration Of Substance Abuse By Healthcare Workers During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review, Andrew Hills

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Objective

This scoping review aims to identify available literature and research on substance abuse by healthcare workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic to examine whether the stress of their duties during the pandemic exacerbated existing issues of substance abuse.

Methods

A literature search using PubMed and Google Scholar using Harzing Publish or Perish identified 100 relevant professionally-authored, peer-reviewed, English-language academic articles published between 2015 and 2025 on substance abuse by HCWs. Exclusions were done via a review of the abstract and then from the full text, reducing the number of articles to three from those three articles which generated an …

Challenges The Sporting Industry Faced During Covid-19 On Fan Attendance: The Case Of The National Basketball Association, Marlon Long

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This culminating experience project investigates the challenges the sporting industry faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focused look at the National Basketball Association. The research questions are: (Q1) How did the NBA arena shutdowns impact fan attendance for each team during the COVID-19 pandemic? (Q2) What factors influenced NBA arena attendance before the COVID-19 shutdowns? (Q3) What factors influenced NBA arena attendance after the COVID-19 shutdown? The data collected includes all 30 NBA teams from 2019 through the 2024 seasons. The research questions were analyzed using multilinear regression analysis and comparison of attendance data over 6 seasons including the …

Leadership Post Covid-19: Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Public-School Administrators And Support Through Professional Development, Teresa Marie Burr

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This qualitative study aimed to gather knowledge from the lived experiences of public school administrators before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Questions focused on the support and training received, experiences at school sites and online, and the lessons learned during this time. The literature review focused on issues that school administrators dealt with during this time. Challenges were varied, and solutions and information provided from the review indicated the need for communication, support, and planning. The theoretical framework was Activity Theory and Cultural Historical Activity Theory, which focused on the premise that an activity may be shared and taken …

Demographic Groups’ Use Of Agency Intimate Partner Violence (Ipv) Services: A Quality Improvement Project To Identify And Engage Local Underserved Populations, Mia Parker

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

This quality improvement project intended to identify populations of adult intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors in Spokane County, Washington, by race/ethnicity and sex who are underserved by a local victim service agency and provide action-oriented, evidence-informed recommendations that the agency may utilize to increase engagement with these local underserved populations. Methods used include secondary data analysis, timeline creation, literature review, and interpretation of quantitative and qualitative data analysis. This was a capstone project designed to demonstrate multiple public health competencies.

The Kids Aren’T Alright: Changes In The Mental Health Of Adolescents Post-Covid-19, Tanya Belom

Education (PhD) Dissertations

Mental health is an increasing concern for today’s youth, with one in six U.S. children and adolescents aged 6-17 experiencing a mental health disorder each year, and 50% of all lifetime mental illnesses begin by age 14. The COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in lockdowns, social isolation, school closures, and ultimately a disruption in everyday life, is believed to have adversely impacted the mental health of children and adolescents. There is limited research available on the impacts of the pandemic on adults, and even less research is available on the impact of the pandemic on youth, specifically as we navigate the …