Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Psychosocial Effects Of Beryllium Sensitization And Chronic Beryllium Disease, Jeffrey Robert Miller

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a theoretical model that explains the psychosocial effects of beryllium sensitization (BeS) and chronic beryllium disease (CBD). Sequential, mixed research methods were used. The study population was current and former workers from Department of Energy laboratories and manufacturing facilities who have either BeS or CBD. A theoretical model based on uncertainty in illness and psychosocial adjustment to illness theories was developed. It was hypothesized that uncertainty had a negative effect on health quality of life unless mediated by the ability to make psychosocial adjustments to illness. Qualitative study results supported …

Influenza Immunization Status Among African Americans: Factors Influencing Vaccine Decisions, Chandra Russell Story

Doctoral Dissertations

A disproportionate number of African American adults are susceptible to influenza- related morbidity due to chronic health conditions. The purpose of this study was to examine factors influencing influenza vaccination decisions among African American adults ages 18 and older in Blount County, Tennessee. Factors included constructs of social influence, access, vaccine safety, doctor recommendations, and sources of knowledge regarding the flu vaccine. Research questions were formulated to specifically address factors influencing one’s decision to be immunized for influenza. The theory of planned behavior served as the framework for developing the study.

A survey based on national phone surveys was modified …

Safety Climate Perceptions Of Contingent And Permanent Employees Associated With The Manufacturing Of Office Products, Anthony Jeffery Depietro

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate if there were differences in the perceived safety climate experienced by contingent employees as compared to the perceptions of permanent workers’ safety climate. Knowledge of these differences will help safety professionals provide better safety training and working conditions for contingent workers. Safety climate is defined as employees’ perceptions of safety polices, procedures, and practices (Kath, Marks, & Ranney, 2010). The population for the study included employees who work for a manufacturer of office products located in Tennessee. A total of 813 employees participated in the study with a response rate of 87% …

A Consideration Of The Potential Side Effects Of Health Insurance Coverage, Melanie Jane Cozad

Doctoral Dissertations

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is federal health care reform legislation that represents the most significant health insurance expansion since Medicare and Medicaid were created in 1965. In this dissertation, I focus on how health insurance expansion affects the supply side of health care markets as well as health expenditures. While health insurance expansion potentially increases the demand for care, it also creates uncertainty, thereby impacting health care utilization, delivery, and input decisions. In my first chapter, I examine whether changes in health insurance coverage rates impact state-level health care delivery efficiency. Health care providers may vary …

A Factor Analysis Of The Health, Safety, And Welfare In The Built Environment Toward Interior Design As Perceived By Building Industry Professionals, Dana Marie Moody

Doctoral Dissertations

This research study created, piloted, and field tested a new instrument designed to collect perceptions toward an interior designer’s impact on the health, safety, and welfare of the public. It also established an initial profile of perceptions within building industry professionals, identified the salient factors within those perceptions, and determined the level of these factors through a factor analysis. The Health, Safety, & Welfare in the Built Environment instrument was developed using a Table of Specifications based on the subject content that interior designers must be familiar with in regards to protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the public …

Linking Authentic Leadership To Positive Employee Health, Behavioral Engagement, And Job Performance, Yan Liu

Doctoral Dissertations

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the emerging field of positive organizational behavior. The field of Positive Organizational Behavior (POB) has its roots in the concept of "positive psychology" (Bakker & Schaufeli, 2008) but is more narrowly defined as "the study and application of positively oriented human resources strengths and psychological capacities that can be measured, developed, and effectively managed for performance improvement in today's workplace" (Luthans, 2002, p.698). More and more researchers have begun to emphasize what is right with people rather than focusing on what is wrong with people.

Given this opportunity, this dissertation explicitly …