Digital Commons Network^™

Willingness To Attend Sex Venues In The Context Of The Covid-19 Pandemic In New York City: Results From An Online Survey With Sexual And Gender Minority Individuals, Étienne Meunier, Anne E. Sundelson, Stephen Tellone, Daniel Alohan, Celia B. Fisher, Christian Grov

Covid-19 Digital Research

Collective sex venues (places where people have sex in groups or in the presence of others, such as bathhouses or sex clubs) are locations where SARS-CoV-2 transmission is likely to occur. We conducted an online survey to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic among 342 sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals who had attended collective sex venues (CSV) in New York City (NYC) in the prior year. Almost 1 in 10 (9.9%) participants reported having received a positive test for SARS-CoV-2 infection or antibodies. Although a minority (27.5%) of participants reported being comfortable attending a CSV during the COVID-19 …

Facing A New Normal: Uncovering The Psychological Effects Of Loneliness On Student Mental Health, Courtney Thoreson

Counselor Education Capstones

In anticipation of the burden loneliness will have in combination with distressing psychological and emotional burdens carried over from the COVID-19 prevention strategies i.e., social distancing, quarantine measures, and lockdowns, colleges and universities are facing a broad spectrum of challenges as they shift to adapt to a new normal. Besides the physical health impact of COVID-19, this global pandemic has unleashed a psychological toll on society that has yet to be fully realized for its potential long-lasting effects. As campuses navigate the broader impacts of COVID-19, understanding the psychological effects of loneliness will be a primary focus in understanding it’s …

Why Do Some Americans Resist Covid-19 Prevention Behavior? An Analysis Of Issue Importance, Message Fatigue, And Reactance Regarding Covid-19 Messaging, Hannah Ball, Tayah Renea Wozniak

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Despite the rapid transmission of and death toll claimed by COVID-19, there is evidence of resistance toward behaviors shown to effectively prevent and slow the spread of the disease, such as mask wearing and social distancing. This study applies psychological reactance theory to examine COVID-19 message factors (i.e., message fatigue, issue importance) that may be linked to nonadherence to CDC recommendations via the experience of reactance. Participants (N = 268) were current U.S. residents over the age of 18 who completed an online survey about their perceptions of COVID-19 messaging in general as well as toward a specific COVID-19 …

Pandemic And Õen Consumption In Japan: Deliberate Buying To Aid The Seller, Kosuke Mizukoshi, Yuichiro Hidaka

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

This dialogue contribution discusses whether it is possible to create favorable new social assistance under the market principles, based on the Ouen or Õen (aid) consumption in Japan. The meaning of consumption has changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Japan, aid consumption is increasing. This means helping local restaurants and producers by willfully and proactively buying and consuming their services and products. This is a favorable form of new social assistance and the result of strong marketing and market functions. The penetration of market forces may surpass pure altruistic behavior such as donations and gifts, by creating new market-linked …

Can A Self-Compassion Writing Intervention Impact Feelings Of Loneliness?, Brooke R. Offenhauser

Psychology Honors Projects

Loneliness is an increasingly widespread concern for many individuals, especially college students and young adults, and has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Loneliness can negatively impact health and well-being; however, many interventions are not successful in reducing loneliness. One possible intervention may be a resilience practice. Namely, self-compassion may reduce feelings of loneliness because it provides a way to connect with oneself and support well-being. This study aimed to examine the impact of a self-compassion intervention on feelings of loneliness and well-being in college students. It utilized a self-compassion writing intervention compared to a control self-affirmation writing intervention and …

Ua45/6 Commencement Program, Wku Registrar

WKU Administration Documents

Commencement program for both Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 graduation. The Fall 2020 ceremony was postponed due to COVID-19 gathering restrictions.

School Choice And University-Model Schools: A Phenomenological Study, Kelly Sakzenian Cagle

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

This qualitative phenomenological study fills a void in the existing research on school choice by including the University-Model® school to the literature. Through purposeful sampling, seven parents of students enrolled in grades 3rd-6th at a University-Model® school in the North Texas area were selected. The study is guided by Simon’s (1955) satisficing theory to explore parents’ decision-making process in choosing a school for their child and their level of satisfaction with the UM school experience. Additionally, through the study’s findings, the researcher put forward that parents’ decisions are determined by observing children’s development of self-regulatory skills as proposed by Zimmerman’s …

“We’Re Sinking And We’Re Sinking Quick”: Family And Feeding Work During The Covid-19 Pandemic For Single, White, Middle-Class Mothers, Debora Garrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the work of single, white, middle-class women feeding and caring for their families during the COVID-19 pandemic in the year 2020. The study draws from qualitative analyses of one-on-one interviews conducted with seven single mothers. After situating single mothers and family food provision in the academic literature, as well as and current knowledge about the pandemic in the U.S., the author explores ways that the pandemic disrupted family life. Findings indicated that the single mothers were keenly impacted by being cut off from child care, schools, and other social connections they needed to maintain employment. Further, their …

A Deeper Look: The Impacts Of Covid-19 Among Latinos In Omaha, Diana Molina

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

The COVID-19 pandemic has manifested worldwide distress, affecting the lives of all population groups. Racial disparities are evident as minority populations are being disproportionately affected by the impacts of COVID-19. Data indicate that the Latino population may experience more severe cases of COVID-19 and have a higher mortality rate. However, little is known about the effects that the pandemic is having on day-to-day life. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate COVID-19's impact on life aspects including employment situation, finances, mental health, and experiences of discrimination among the Omaha Latino community. A survey collected data from 311 participants …

How Covid19 Has Impacted Students Nutrition And Eating Habits With The Abrupt Closure Of Restaurants And Campuses, Chloe Sermet

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic causing college campuses, restaurants, and businesses to shut down, many college students found themselves having to return home or find alternative food resources. Due to these factors, it was imperative to examine how college student’s eating habits have changed throughout the pandemic, dealing with lots of stressors, and whether having prior education on nutrition influenced those eating habits. To examine those effects, 17 nutrition minors and 126 non-nutrition minors participated in the current study in which they took the College Students Eating Habit survey and the Perception of Peer Pressure Scale. The outcome of the …

Symptoms Of Trauma Related To The Covid-19 Pandemic In Educators And Students, Leanne S. Parker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

In the United States, a nationwide shutdown began in mid-March of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the shutdown began, many people faced financial insecurity, health insecurity, and food insecurity. When the shutdown began, most schools broke for spring break and did not reconvene for the remainder of the school year. This created huge gaps in necessary services and resources for students and families including academics, mental health services, social supports, food resources, and connection to the community. This study explores trauma and stress symptoms educators and students have experienced in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study …

The Effect Of Companion Animals On The Mental Health Of College Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sarah E. Cooper

Global Public Health | Senior Theses

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the burden of mental illness in the United States, especially among young adults (Czeisler et. al., 2020).

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine whether pet ownership has an effect on the mental health, specifically depression and anxiety, of students at Dominican University of California during COVID-19.

Methods: This study was a cross-sectional quantitative survey that included demographic questions as well as questions developed from modified questions from validated survey items. Data was collected on whether participants owned or lived with any pets. Participants who answered “yes” were asked whether the companion …

Masked Emotions: Studying The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On The Emotional Regulation In College Students And Beyond, Sara Katherine Taft

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Studies regarding the socioemotional selectivity theory have found that upcoming endings lead to a positivity bias in individuals’ executive functioning. The current study seeks to expand upon this theory by studying the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on college students and graduates. It was predicted that a) current students would demonstrate more negative emotionality than pre-COVID students, b) that current students would demonstrate a greater positivity bias than pre-COVID students, and c) that this bias would be more pronounced in current seniors and weaker in current freshmen and college graduates. Participants responded to several scales regarding personality (neuroticism, shyness) and …

Two Pandemics - Making Meaning Of Illness Through The Works Of Thomas Mann And Thomas Glavinic, Samuel Stucky

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

By March 2020, most of the world had gone into varying levels of lockdown to try to prevent further spread of what was proving to be a deceptively deadly disease: COVID-19, commonly referred to as “the Coronavirus.” One way to gauge the effect that a massive, traumatic event such as a global pandemic has on individuals is to analyze how those people write about their experiences. In this study, I examine what the German body of discourse contained and what it can teach regarding two major pandemics that fell one hundred years apart via Thomas Mann’s novella Der Tod in …

Navigating Racial Discrimination As Transnational Actors : Racial Experiences Of Asian International Students In The U.S. Under The Covid-19 Pandemic, Chen Chen

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been intensified anti-Asian sentiment andincreased incidents of anti-Asian discrimination. Whereas a large amount of research has focused on Asian American experiences, this project specifically centers on the experiences of Asian international students as transnational actors and non-citizens of the U.S. under the COVID-19 pandemic. What this project attempts to capture are a) situated in the racial landscape in America, how Asian international students experience racial discrimination differently as transnational actors, and b) how Asian international students interpret and navigate racial discrimination as transnational actors. In-depth interviews are conducted with 20 Asian international graduate students …

The Effects Of Covid-19 On Healthcare Workers: An Exploration Of Burnout, Cherise Fernandez

Nursing | Senior Theses

The healthcare workplace has been challenged with the SARS-CoV-2 corona virus (COVID-19) for majority of the year 2020 and it has posed a number of challenges for healthcare workers (HCWs). Due to the increased workload and demanding work hours, the prevalence of physician burnout has increased amongst this population. The escalation of burnout may lead to negative effects on physical and mental health. This poses a health concern amongst patients because the increase of burnout affects patient care, safety, and quality of care. Various surveys have been sent out to HCWs in order to determine if burnout has increased within …

Covid-19’S Psychological Influences: How Have University Students Been Affected?, Julaby Dalman

Nursing | Senior Theses

Undergraduate students are well-known as a vulnerable population prone to stress, anxiety, depression and various other psychological problems during their academic time at university or college. With the introduction and sudden integration of the COVID-19 pandemic into the daily lives of these high-risk students, globally, many people are concerned with how the mental health of this population will be affected, given the presence of the pandemic in addition to the multiple safety measures put in place in an attempt to contain the virus. This includes students having been subjected to prolonged implementation of shelter-in-place mandates and requirements of social-distancing across …

Leadership, Job Stress And Uncertainty Among Nurses During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Impacts And Implications In Lieu Of Pertinent Theoretical Constructs, Davis Woodson

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on practicing nurses in the United States. The study considered the effect of communication, self-efficacy, intolerance to uncertainty, and life satisfaction on nurses’ job satisfaction; additionally, this study considered the extent to which nurses perceived organizational response efficacy was predicted by their perceptions of communication and perceived threat susceptibility. A total of 191 nurses participated in the online survey. The study revealed that life satisfaction was positively predicted by communication, self-efficacy, and life satisfaction in multiple regression analyses. Perceived communication positively predicted perceived organizational response efficacy …

Perceived Support And Connectedness In Greek-Letter Organizations During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Julia Bishop

Honors Theses

The goal of this project is to assess whether or not students involved in the fraternity and sorority life community at The University of Southern Mississippi feel supported and connected in their respective chapters. To understand students’ perspectives in this area, a survey was developed. The survey included questions pertaining to the experiences of Greek-letter organization members with the chapter environment, efforts of chapter leadership, and personal feelings of connectedness during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was sent out to all 26 fraternity and sorority chapter presidents at The University of Southern Mississippi, including the College Panhellenic Council, National Pan-Hellenic …

Roboethics In Covid-19: A Case Study In Dentistry, Wendy C. Birmingham, Yaser Maddahi, Maryam Kalvandi, Sofya Langman, Nicole Capicotto, Kourosh Zareinia

Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused dramatic effects on the healthcare system, businesses, and education. In many countries, businesses were shut down, universities and schools had to cancel in-person classes, and many workers had to work remotely and socially distance in order to prevent the spread of the virus. These measures opened the door for technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence to play an important role in minimizing the negative effects of such closures. There have been many efforts in the design and development of robotic systems for applications such as disinfection and eldercare. Healthcare education has seen a lot …

Covid-19 And The Emergence Of A New Illness Narrative, Thomas M. Allison

All Theses

Arranging the experiences of our lives in some kind of order gives us a way to make sense of ourselves, others, and the things that happen to us. The singular chaos of being in a body, being of a body, becomes a little easier to articulate when channeled through a narrative form. Perhaps this is why scholars of literature and medicine have become increasingly interested in diaristic, autobiographical accounts of illness, or illness narratives. Texts of this variety, emerging in print around the mid-twentieth century and proliferating online through the present, contain the experience of illness in a manageable framework. …

Protecting Our Healthcare Heroes: Using Latent Jd-R Profiles To Predict Burnout In Emergency Medicine Clinicians During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jordan Gail Smith

All Theses

Burnout—a phenomenon characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and negative self-evaluations—is a very concerning and prevalent issue among clinicians, especially those in emergency medicine. Preliminary research conducted at the start of COVID-19 has noted that frontline clinicians are experiencing elevated rates of depression, anxiety, and fatigue, making them susceptible to burnout. In an effort to understand more about clinician burnout during COVID-19, the present study used Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) to examine what profiles containing combinations of job demands and job resources exist within emergency medicine clinicians and which profiles—if any—are predictive of emergency medicine clinician burnout during COVID-19. An employee …

Justifying Violence: Discourses About Homelessness In San Antonio During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Gabriella Garriga

Sociology and Anthropology Honors Theses

In my analysis, I show that social power (proximity to policy change) is the most important determinant of how those involved in this research thought about homelessness and the resources needed to address the unhoused community’s experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic. Those closest to high levels of social power demonstrate discourses of hierarchy of trauma and control most often to justify their actions. Those with low levels of social power invoked the superhero discourse. Most notably both groups exhibit benign neglect to explain the response (or lack of response) in aiding unhoused people during the pandemic. Though the discourses are …

Effects Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On The Health Of American Indians, Heather Bates

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

COVID-19 has been most devastating to the elderly and those living in dense communities, which disproportionately affects American Indians as they are medically underserved. American Indians tend to live in multigenerational housing which puts them at higher risk for transmission of COVID-19. To determine other risk factors and the long-term physical and mental health impacts of COVID-19 on American Indians, a literature review was completed using metaanalyses and case studies. The results of this study confirm that age is the most substantial risk factor for severe COVID-19 illness, complication, and mortality, regardless of race or ethnicity. However, American Indians are …

Social Worker’S Adjustment And Perception When Dealing With Double-Exposure During A Natural Disaster, Magaly Santos

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Limited research captures the perceptions and adjustments of social workers living and providing treatment in the same communities during a disaster. Few studies have captured the stressors and responsibilities put on social workers during an ongoing disaster. This paper reports the findings of the double-exposure captured using a qualitative approach in collecting interviews from nine mental health professionals who continued working during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. A constructivist paradigm was used to capture each participant’s reality. Participants described the sudden change to remote work as difficult when having to find the balance between work and life demands, providing …

How The Covid-19 Pandemic Has Affected Physical Activity, Sleep And Mental Health In University Students, Faculty And Staff And To Examine The Relationship Between These Variables, Zachary Parisi

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: Increased physical activity has been shown to be beneficial in decreasing stress. This project will expand on this knowledge while also studying college students, a demographic that has been less studied. This study will also examine the impact of COVID-19 on these variables. COVID-19 changed many peoples’ activities of daily life, and possibly physically activity levels, due to public health measures such as lockdowns and remote learning. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected physical activity, sleep, and mental health in university students, faculty and staff and to examine the relationship …

Covid-19’S Impact Of Social Isolation On Seniors In An Assisted Living Facility, Mary Mclaughlin

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This study explores the impact of social distancing precautions in response to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic by resident seniors in an assisted living facility. Previous studies describe how social distancing regulations can amplify feelings of loneliness in all age groups. However, pandemic-related lockdowns and social distancing measures disproportionately affect vulnerable older populations. Resident seniors in an assisted living facility in Omaha, NE participated in a semi-structured interview focused on the perceived impact of COVID-19 safety precautions. Participants reported a temporal dimension of impact, specifically, an increased level of loneliness in the evening, but also discussed the importance of encouragement …

Effect Of The Sars-Cov-2 Pandemic On Assistive And Interactive Technology Use: In- Person Versus Distanced Communication, Alexandra Swanson

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

COVID-19 risk-reduction efforts have protected high-risk individuals but have significantly altered life; persons now face reduced socialization. Advancing technologies (e.g., video-chat) may be useful in alleviating consequences of these efforts, potentially mitigating loneliness, and isolation by improving access to alternative communication. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between communicative technology use and individual characteristics, as technology use may contribute to well-being among adults during COVID-19 and future isolating events. This is especially relevant to older populations. Participants (N=645) aged 19+ completed a questionnaire via Amazon Mechanical Turk; demographic, socialization, and technology-use data were collected. Data were …

Genetic Counselors’ Attitudes Towards Telegenetics: The Good, The Bad, The In-Between, Madison Badje

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Given that the global coronavirus pandemic has necessitated a quick and vast transition to telehealth, the purpose of this study is to explore these changes in the field of genetic counseling. To examine the perceived effectiveness of telegenetics from the perspective of genetic counselors, I conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with two genetic counselors in which each participant was asked six questions. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and then analyzed using standard thematic analysis techniques for qualitative data analysis. The analysis revealed two main themes: benefits and drawbacks of telegenetics, with two sub-themes under each. The major benefits are increased patient …

Psychological Distress And Susceptibility To Disease In The Infant And Early Childhood Mental Health (Iecmh) Workforce In The Time Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Ashley Sexton

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Chronic stress, anxiety, and depression can have many adverse effects on physical health, including immunosuppression and increased susceptibility to disease. For the last year, the world has endured sustained stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic which has had its own impact on mental health. Stress from COVID-19 will likely have an even greater impact on the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) workforce due to the stressful nature of their work. Self-care has been shown to improve overall wellbeing and act as a buffer for stress. Therefore, the current study aims to investigate if IECMH workers with clinically significant …