Digital Commons Network^™

The Impacts Of Covid-19 Restrictions On Care-Givers Of People With Cognitive Impairment And Their Support Needs: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review, Loretta Baldassar, Thi N. M. Nguyen, Bronte Jones, Catriona Stevens, Lukasz Krzyzowski, Silvia Lozeva, Simone Marino, Maria G. C. Du Plooy, Johanne Eldridge, Osvaldo P. Almeida, Manonita Ghosh

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing restrictions/lockdowns have caused significant physical and psychological consequences for people with cognitive impairment who are heavily dependent on their care-givers. However, little is known about the impact on care-givers, the factors that exacerbate their situation and what supports they need. The aims of this paper are threefold: (a) to examine the impact of COVID-19 physical restrictions on both formal and informal care-givers of people with cognitive impairment; (b) to identify attributing factors influencing this impact; and (c) to recognise their support needs. Further, this paper informs future research, policy and practice. Guided by the Joanna …

Assessing The Effect Of Awareness Of International Oxygen Therapy Guidelines On Oxygen Administration Practices Among Nurses During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Survey Of Nurses Working In The Pediatric And Medical Departments Of A National Teaching And Referral Hospital In Low-Resource Settings, Joseph Odhiambo, Lucy W Kivuti-Bitok, Solomon Omare, Irene Ngune

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Awareness of International Oxygen Therapy Guidelines (IOTG) may have impacted oxygen therapy experience during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This study explored if nurses at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) were aware of IOTG and if this awareness influenced their practice of oxygen administration during Covid-19 era. A survey of 80 nurses, from both pediatric and medical departments was carried out. Data collection was done through a self-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the association between variables with Chi-square and t-test at p < 0.05. The mean age of the respondents was 39.82 ± 9.32, and 66.3 % were females. Respondents had an average of 2.47 years (±2.35) since the last oxygen therapy refresher training. Over 60 % of participants had been administered oxygen less than a month preceding the survey. Lack of awareness of IOTG (X2 = 7.113 (df = 1, n = 80), p = 0.008) and experience administering oxygen to a covid-19 patient (X2 = 6.851 (df = 1, n = 80), p = 0.018), were associated with low awareness of Covid-19 ventilation and oxygenation guidelines. Experience of having administered Oxygen to a Covid-19 patient (X2 = 6.851 (df = 1, n = 80), p = 0.018) and having reviewed or used any guidelines on oxygen therapy (X2 = 7.113 (df = 1, n = 80), p = 0.008) were significantly associated with awareness of covid 19 ventilation and oxygenation guidelines. Further regular training in oxygen therapy is needed to ensure good clinical practice.

The Autonomy Paradox, Working From Home And Psychosocial Hazards, Alexis Vassiley, Azadeh Shafaei, Mehran Nejati, Leigh Ann Onnis, Tim Bentley

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This article investigates the experience of knowledge workers in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, who worked from home during the COVID-19 pandemic to understand their exposure to psychosocial hazards, specifically: workload and work pace; the work-home interface and social isolation. We explored how the increased autonomy afforded by working from home fitted with workers’ actual experience during the pandemic. Drawing on interviews with 33 NSW remote workers and 19 line-managers conducted in early 2021, this article argues that the increased autonomy afforded to employees by remote work is paradoxical. Many interviewees worked longer hours and experienced work intensification, as well …

Dysphagia In Becker Muscular Dystrophy: A Case Report And Literature Review, Chien-Ping Chen, Hung-Jui Chuang, Yi-Chi Li, Ming-Yen Hsiao, Tyng-Guey Wang

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Dysphagia is a recognized complication in patients with muscular dystrophies, but its characteristics in Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) remain underexplored. This case report describes a man with BMD who developed dysphagia, initially presenting with mild symptoms but later experiencing aspiration pneumonia with respiratory failure. He regained safe oral intake after swallowing training. Three years later, he suffered worsening dysphagia following a severe coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection, ultimately losing the ability to resume oral feeding despite months of rehabilitation. Literature on swallowing disorder in BMD reported poor mastication, reduced laryngeal elevation, and increased pharyngeal residue; however, silent aspiration, as observed in …

Sex Work And Covid-19: An Intersectional Discussion Of U.S.-Based Sex Worker Experiences During The Pandemic, Sabrina M. Grandia

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted all forms of industry, including that of sex work. Between October 2020 until November 2022, I did field research and interviews with nine U.S.-based sex workers throughout those months of the pandemic. Using a grounded theory approach, I asked open-ended questions about their entrance into the industry, business practices, and personal experiences before and during the pandemic. Their stories allow us to gain insight into the impact the pandemic had on them as individuals and their broader communities. My analysis highlights a prominent influence of anti-trafficking policy, politicization of the virus, and the impact of Black …

Pandemics And Partisanship: The Impact Of Political Identity On Public Health Responses, Andy Tuholski

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

This literature review examines the intersection of political partisanship and public health responses during pandemics, with a focus on the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Historically, pandemics such as the Venetian plague (1575-1577) and the Great Plague of London (1665-1666) have elicited responses driven by socioeconomic and health factors. In contrast, the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. was distinctly shaped by pre-existing political affiliations, particularly between conservative and liberal factions. Applying Social Identity Theory (SIT), this review explores how group identity and partisanship influenced pandemic-related behaviors and attitudes. Empirical evidence indicates that Republican-leaning states experienced higher COVID-19 mortality rates, …

Local Governments, Pandemic Aid, And Community Violence Intervention, Amanda Kass, Philip Rocco

Political Science Faculty Research and Publications

Expenditures on police departments account for significant portions of local government budgets in the United States. Yet activism on police reform and changing views on the causes of violence have called into question law enforcement’s role in public safety. While intergovernmental transfers have historically supported traditional policing, the American Rescue Plan Act’s Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (CSLFRF) affords cities the opportunity to disrupt the status quo by providing them with the federal funds and flexibility to reshape their public safety policies around Community Violence Interventions (CVIs). This article examines how 13 cities that participated in a White …

Exploring The Determinants Of Life Expectancy At Birth: Predicting And Forecasting Global Health Trends Using Statistical, Machine Learning, And Deep Learning Models., Emma Rath

ICT

Accurate life expectancy forecasting is essential for health policy planning, yet research comparing statistical, machine learning, and deep learning approaches under real-world constraints remains limited. This study evaluates ARIMA/ARIMAX, tree-based, and neural network models using Irish and global datasets, considering small samples, missing data, and COVID-19 shocks. ARIMAX with lagged socioeconomic variables outperformed LSTM and other ML/DL methods. Income-based stratification improved predictive accuracy and interpretability, with SHAP analysis highlighting GDP per capita for developed countries and school enrolment and trade indicators for developing contexts. Results provide practical guidance for policymakers and establish limits for model complexity under constrained health data.

Cause Of Death? -- It's Probably Not What's Reported On The Death Certificate, Lauren R. Roth

Lewis & Clark Law Review

In the age of big data, this country has a data problem—inaccurate and incomplete information in death certificates. The problem has long been hidden by the numbers reported—as have the people whose deaths go uncounted, but the COVID-19 pandemic unveiled the scope of the issue. Since the beginning of the pandemic, “excess deaths” (i.e., any deaths above the number predicted by existing mortality models) have increased significantly. Most of these excess deaths are likely attributable to COVID-19 because the decedent was never tested for COVID-19 or it was one of multiple factors contributing to their death. Other deaths are uncounted …

Identification Of Host-Pathogen Protein Interactions: Yeast Two-Hybrid Analysis Of Sars-Cov-2 Nsp10 And Human Cellular Proteins, Antonios Argyriou

Selected Full-Text Master Theses 2021-

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has resulted in over 774 million cases and 7 million deaths worldwide, establishing it as one of the most devastating pandemics in recorded history. While current therapeutic approaches primarily target viral entry mechanisms and specific enzymes, the limited understanding of non-structural protein functions hinders the development of comprehensive antiviral strategies. This research focuses on Nsp10 (non-structural protein 10), a highly conserved 139-amino acid protein essential for viral mRNA capping and replication. Nsp10 serves as a critical cofactor in the formation of methyltransferase complexes with Nsp14 and Nsp16, playing a vital role in viral …

Association Between Lifetime Interpersonal Violence And Post– Covid-19 Condition Among Women In Kentucky, 2020-2022, Ayşe Güler, Heather M. Bush, Katie Schill, Nurlan Kussainov, Ann L. Coker

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic increased the risk of interpersonal violence. We investigated the association between lifetime interpersonal violence experience and risk of post–COVID-19 condition (the persistence of symptoms of COVID-19 and severity of health problems associated with COVID-19 that last a few weeks, months, or years) among women with lifetime interpersonal violence experience.   Methods: Women participants aged ≥18 years in Kentucky’s Wellness, Health & You—COVID-19 study completed online quantitative surveys about the impacts of the pandemic, developing COVID-19, and symptoms of post–COVID-19 condition. We conducted cross-sectional analyses estimating rate ratios of developing COVID-19 and symptoms of post–COVID-19 condition during the …

Exploring The Link Between Covid-19 And Transverse Myelitis: A Case Report, Sara Sanghera, Trivianne Franklin, Veeranna Vibhuti, Danielle Ford

North Texas Research Forum 2025

Transverse myelitis (TM) is a rare inflammatory syndrome of the spinal cord that is often attributed to immune-mediated responses which lead to demyelination and the resultant varying degrees of motor, sensory, and autonomic dysfunction. While COVID-19 virus itself is known to present with anosmia, ageusia and Guillian Barre syndrome, a few rare cases of COVID-virus related TM have been reported. This case presents a 61-year-old female experiencing bilateral lower extremity weakness with brisk to absent reflexes. Onset of the symptoms was of 3 days origin, and she was tested positive for COVID-19. Patient did not have upper extremity symptoms but …

An Evaluation Of The Decline In Primary Care Physician Visits, 2010 To 2021, Anuradha Jetty, Marie Ezran, Alison Huffstetler, Yalda Jabbarpour

Department of Family & Community Medicine Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Primary care is the backbone of the United States healthcare system, yet it continues to be underfunded and inaccessible to many. Previous studies explored primary care visit patterns until 2016, leaving gaps in our understanding of how recent factors like state Medicaid expansions, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and population growth have influenced these patterns. Hence, the objective of the current study was to analyze the trends in primary care visits provided by outpatient clinicians over time and by visit type and contextualize study findings within the changing healthcare landscape.

METHODS: The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data (2010-2021) …

Essays On Public And Nonprofit Financial Management In Times Of Crisis, Junoh Jeon

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

This dissertation comprises three essays that examine critical aspects of public and nonprofit financial management, focusing on interorganizational relationships, local government influence, and financial reserve management in times of crisis.

The first essay examines how interorganizational relationships, specifically nonprofit organizations’ board interlocks, relate to their financial distress, depending on the temporal and spatial contexts. Organization-level fixed-effects regression analysis with Kentucky nonprofits from 2018 to 2022 shows that nonprofits with board interlocks in urban areas were less likely to experience financial distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. I suggest that board interlock acts as an adaptive buffering tool that helps manage resource …

Global Impacts Of Video Gaming Behavior On Young Adults’ Mental Health During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Literature Review, Chulwoo Park, Patricia Angelica, Airi Irene Trisnadi

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of young adults, and video gaming has emerged as a popular coping mechanism. However, excessive gaming could have negative consequences. The purpose of the study was to understand the relationship between video gaming and the mental health of young adults, globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a systematic literature review to investigate the relationship between video gaming and the mental health of young adults during the pandemic. The study followed PRISMA 2020 and conducted a comprehensive literature search in multiple databases: PubMed Central (PMC), Web of Science, …

Resilience Practices In Health Science And Medical Libraries During The Early Stages Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Justin F. Gaynor

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This paper uses the concept of resilience engineering as an organizing principle to discuss best practices that evolved within health science/medical libraries in the United States during COVID-19 crisis, focusing on the period March–August 2020. Protection of library staff, assistance to medical staff, reducing the circulation of misinformation and public health consumerism all required substantial changes to standard processes. These process changes had to arise in the context of both physical isolation and information overload. Some practices became widespread due to their utility, and these are the focus of this report.

Resilience And Resourcefulness: How Crisis Centers In Louisiana Adapted Services During Covid-19, Fanny Ramirez, Ashlyn Barclay, Rockia Harris

Faculty Publications

Purpose: This article examines how crisis centers in Louisiana, USA, adapted their direct care services during COVID-19 to continue helping survivors affected by violence. Organizational resilience theory serves as the project’s main theoretical framework. As such, we report on how community- and university-based crisis centers drew on principles of resilience and resourcefulness to adapt their direct care services (e.g., crafting normalcy, putting alternative logics to work) during this difficult time. Method: We draw on 21 in-depth interviews with upper-level administrators from organizations working in violence against women conducted during the summer of 2020. The interview transcripts yielded 184 single-spaced pages …

A Comparison Of Involved And Uninvolved College Students' Stress And Coping During Covid-19, Abbie Alsene

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, I compare the stress and coping of involved students and uninvolved students at liberal arts colleges during COVID-19. The study seeks to understand if there are differences between the two student populations. Three research questions guide the study. First, how has COVID-19 affected the stress levels of involved students compared to uninvolved students at liberal arts colleges? Second, how do involved students cope with their stress related to COVID-19 compared to uninvolved students at liberal arts colleges? And lastly, what is the relationship between how involved college students view COVID-19 and their levels of stress in comparison …

Scrolling For Two: An Exploration Of Pregnant Women's Social Support And Information Seeking Behaviors Using Technology During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sarah Knowlton

Theses and Dissertations

Pregnant women faced additional challenges in accessing reliable support and pregnancy- related information, leading to increased distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Quarantine measures limited doctor’s appointments and isolated pregnant women from their families, which meant that meaningful connections and convenient information was important.

The purpose of this study is to explore the implications of COVID-19 social distancing on pregnant women, with a focus on three questions: 1) what digital technologies did pregnant women use for support and information seeking purposes during the pandemic? 2) how did pregnant women use technology to seek social support during the pandemic? 3) how did …

From Orders To Opinions: What Consumer Reviews Reveal About Their Online Grocery Shopping Experience During The Pandemic, Roshani Bharati, Chelsey Hill, Jorge Fresneda

Department of Information Management and Business Analytics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a sudden shift in consumer habits resulting from mobility restrictions and fear of contracting the virus. Consequently, the online grocery shopping (OGS) industry experienced a surge in sales, which parallels the growth that non-grocery e-commerce sales experienced after the pandemic outbreak. Interestingly, as the pandemic progressed, U.S. OGS sales decreased significantly while non-grocery e-commerce sales continued growing at a very substantial pace. This study tries to shed light on potential reasons for this trend difference by analyzing consumer experiences reflected in OGS online reviews, covering three time periods: pre-pandemic (1 January 2019 through 21 December 2019), …

Enhancing Operational Efficiency Of Paratransit Services Using Predictive Models, Troyee Saha

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Paratransit services play a vital role in supporting the mobility of older adults and individuals with disabilities, yet they experienced major disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to face ongoing operational issues such as trip cancellations. This dissertation explores these challenges through three distinct analyses using data from Arlington, TX. The first chapter investigates how COVID-19-related factors (policies, cases, and vaccination) and socio-demographics influenced paratransit usage from 2019 to 2021. Applying SARIMAX and Poisson regression models, the study finds a substantial drop in ridership—41% in 2020—and a shift toward essential medical travel. It also reveals that restrictive policies, such …

"The Perfect Storm": Weathering Black Racial Trauma Across The Lifespan And The Impact Of Covid-19, Taryne M. Mingo, Kiauhna Haynes

Adultspan Journal

Descendants of Africans Enslaved in the United States (DAEUS), who lived in the South prior to 1965 and experienced decades of legalized discrimination, were found to have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Arline Geronimus (1992) coined the term “weathering” to acknowledge the accumulation of racial trauma stored within the body over extended periods of time. The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study, aligned by the tenets of Critical Race Theory, explores how continuous racial trauma impacted DAEUS citizens’ well-being and trust in the COVID-19 vaccine. Three Group Experiential Themes emerged during this study, all connected with the experiences …

An Examination Of Post-Pandemic Enrollment Declines In California’S Public Education System, Ryan J. Cummins

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The persistent decline in enrollment in California public schools presents complex and far-reaching challenges, impacting budgets, staffing, and student outcomes. These challenges have been further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted K-12 education nationwide. As students were sent home and families navigated prolonged school closures, the federal government responded with unprecedented funding to public schools, aimed at reengaging students safely, addressing academic losses, and mitigating socio-emotional impacts. While this temporary relief funding provided much-needed resources, it also allowed states and school districts broad discretion in spending, with little consistency or oversight. Investments in infrastructure, staffing, and programs varied significantly …

Resilience And Its Effects On Psychological Well Being During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Taylor Reinsel

Honors Theses

Stressors and trauma in life are unavoidable. However, the way we respond and adapt to them can be within our control. This response differs from person to person, but there are factors that can influence the likelihood of an individual rebounding from a crisis, as well as factors that can put them at a higher risk of developing mental illness. One of the main factors that influences Psychological Well Being is the presence of Resilience.

The main goal of this study was to examine how factors of Resilience relate to Psychological Well Being and COVID-19 Well Being during the COVID-19 …

An Analysis Of Elementary Teacher Working Conditions And Retention In North Carolina During The Initial Years Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Tieshia S. Pickett

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The study aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on elementary teachers' perceptions of their working conditions and immediate professional plans in North Carolina. It compared 2018, 2020, and 2024 data to identify differences in perceptions of the pandemic. Using a nonexperimental quantitative design, the study analyzed archived data from the North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Survey (NCTWCS) obtained from the North Carolina Education Research Data Center (NCERDC). The survey data covered pre-COVID-19 (2018), during COVID-19 (2020), and post-COVID-19 (2024) periods. The analysis focused on eight constructs: time, community support and involvement, facilities and resources, managing student conduct, …

The Development Of A One Pot, Two Reaction Synthetic Preparation Of 1,2,4-Oxadiazole, And Synthesis Of Ataluren, A Novel Drug In The Fight Against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Efforts Towards The Synthesis Of A Potential Protease Inhibitor Against The Main Protease (3clpro) Of Covid-19, Austin J. Carter

Theses and Dissertations

1,2,4-Oxadiazoles are five-membered heterocyclic structures first synthesized by Tiemann and Krüger in 1884. Recent discoveries suggest an array of useful biological properties.In preparation of 1,2,4-oxadiazoles, the most prevalent precursors are amidoximes, which can be created via the reaction of nitriles with hydroxylamine hydrochloride and a base. The amidoximes are reacted with an activated carboxylic acid to yield an acylated intermediate. This intermediate can be exposed to a base to cyclize into the 1,2,4-oxadiazole. This thesis describes the efforts in combining these three steps into a unified one-pot synthesis.

Currently, there are a significant number of commercially available FDA approved and …

The Effect Of Alternative Work Regimes On Recruiter Productivity, Keith Sean Cogdell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examines the impact of different work regimes, onsite, remote, and hybrid, on recruiter productivity within the staffing industry. As workforce models evolve, organizations encounter challenges in determining how these structural changes influence employee performance. Existing studies are often cross-sectional and rely heavily on self-reported data, limiting their capacity to capture long-term trends and contextual factors. To address this issue, the present research utilizes a longitudinal design with five years of recruiter-level performance data from a national staffing firm, which includes over 27,000 observations. Using Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as a framework, the study investigates how intrinsic motivation mediated by …

Outcomes Of Covid-19: Posttraumatic Growth And Emotion-Focused Coping Among U.S. Veterans, Jessica Paige Wilding-Belalcazar

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Female veterans are currently the fastest growing population of veterans in the United States (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2022) and have a higher prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than male veterans (Na et al., 2021), yet there has been limited research done on this population. Females have also been found to experience more posttraumatic growth (PTG) than males (Kalaitzaki, 2021; Prieto-Ursa & Jordar, 2020; Yildiz, 2021). Furthermore, women’s use of emotion-focused coping strategies has been shown to play a role in increasing experiences of PTG during the COVID-19 pandemic (Chu-Si & Yunhwan, 2022). Yet, while research has examined …

Understanding The Impact Of The Care Connect Washington Program, Hannah Cohen-Cline, Dan Fish, Taylor Doren, Abby Bush

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Predictors Of Mental Health Services Use In Integrated Primary Care During Covid-19, Joseph D. Harrison

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the predisposing, need, and enabling factors that predict mental health services use before and during COVID-19 in an integrated primary care network in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. This retrospective observational study examined a sample of primary care patients from January 2018 to February 2020 (i.e., pre-COVID-19) and March 2020 to December 2022 (i.e., peri- COVID-19) using electronic health record data. Mental health services use was defined as the number of appointments attended by patients. A hierarchical regression was conducted to identify predictors of mental health services use by sequentially adding sociodemographic predisposing …