Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Vocational Implications Of Cult Involvement, Melissa Dawn Jones Wilkins

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Currently, the majority of studies published on cult membership have been quantitative and have focused primarily on theories and trends about cult membership. These studies have been insufficient in shedding light on the individual’s experience. Qualitative studies are necessary to explore the individual’s accounts of their experiences with past cult involvement and the impact these experiences have on employment. Because of the potential vocational impacts of cult involvement, it is valuable to explore the psychoSocial aspects of work. A qualitative methodology informed by phenomenology was utilized to investigate the unique experience of individuals obtaining employment after leaving a cult. Seven …

Understanding The Experiences Of African-American Relatives Who Serve As Care Providers To Custodial Children In Arkansas: An Intersectional Case Study, Carmen Johnson-Hardin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An increase in the provision of long-term care by relative caregivers to custodial children has brought attention to the physical, emotional, and Social challenges of this complex caregiving experience. Prior studies have examined separate structural identities that focus on comparing the quality of life, educational status, Social status, and income of grandparent custodial caregivers. To extend this research, it is important to explore the gaps in service provisions to relative caregivers; comparative viewpoints of relative caregivers and service providers regarding policies and practices; and heterogeneity among Black relative caregivers utilizing an intersectional framework. Face-to-face or telephone interviews were conducted with …

The Aspirations Of Youth In Arkansas: A Comparison Of Rural Locales, Hanna Elizabeth Kildow Estes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rural youth are leaving their home communities in search of economic opportunity. Students’ residential, occupational, and educational aspirations are effective predictors of life choices, such as future residence. This study’s purpose was to determine the aspirations of rural students in Arkansas overall, and by locale. This study used descriptive survey methodology and a stratified random sample of 15 rural schools to determine the respondents’ (n = 133) aspirations, expectations for the future, and perception(s) of their home community.

Overall, a majority of respondents indicated they want to leave their home communities and obtain at least a bachelor’s degree. Nearly half …

An Exploratory Study Of Spending Patterns, Obstacles And Traditions Among Same-Sex Marriage Vs Heterosexual Marriage: Who's The Bigger Spender?, Lydia Perritt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated if there was a significant difference in the amount of money spent on same-sex weddings versus heterosexual weddings. The results of this study would assist both the wedding and hospitality industry by providing much needed financial and planning information.

A descriptive, four-section survey was distributed online via Qualtrics utilizing snowball sampling. A total of 152 respondents participated in the study; 84 heterosexual and 68 LGBTQ. The respondents completed the questionnaire that measured wedding traditions, wedding spending, obstacles and challenges faced during their wedding and wedding planning, and demographic information.

The results of this study indicated that same-sex …

Attachment Representations And Mother-Child Dialogue, Baiba Barene

Open Access Theses

With the emerging linguistic competencies of the child, dialogue becomes a regular part of mother-child everyday interactions, and may serve as one of the mechanisms of transmission of attachment in early and middle childhood. The goal of this study was to investigate the hypothesis about the co-constructive nature of children's knowledge of secure base script. Formation of the secure base script is a result of child-caregiver interactions that have been consolidated into a unit of knowledge available for use in attachment related situations. Individual attachment narratives and mother-child co-constructed narratives were collected from 86 mother-child dyads when children were 3.7 …

Coping With Emotions During Reintegration: An Evaluation Of Service Members' Psychological Health, Christina Marie Marini

Open Access Theses

Upon returning home from deployment, service members are likely coping with strong emotions related to deployment stressors. In addition, service members and their intimate partners may be tasked with emotionally reconnecting with one another after an extended period of separation. Reintegration is therefore a critical, transitory time to evaluate associations between emotional coping strategies utilized by service members and their partners as predictors of service members' well-being. Previous research has indicated that service members' expression of emotions is positively related to their well-being post-deployment, whereas their avoidance is negatively related. These relationships were reevaluated in the current study. The current …

The Role Of Traditionalism In Patterns Of Support From Adult Children To Fathers In The Later Years, Michael William Steinhour

Open Access Dissertations

This study explores the effects of fathers' gender role attitudes on the receipt of instrumental and expressive support from their adult children. Using data on 1159 fathers aged 50-94 from the National Survey of Families and Households (W-1), I sought to determine if fathers' traditional gender role attitudes would predict receipt of support in two domains: help with instrumental tasks (e.g., help around the house and help with repairs), and expressive support (e.g., expressive support, encouragement, moral or emotional support). : My research question was: what are the effects of fathers' traditional gender role attitudes on receipt of support from …

Patient Perceptions Of Physicians And Medication Adherence Among Medicare Part D Beneficiaries, Lori Marquinne Ward

Open Access Dissertations

Ward, Lori Marquinne. Ph.D., Purdue University, December, 2013. Patient Perceptions of Physicians and Medication Adherence Among Medicare Part D Beneficiaries. Major Professor: Joseph Thomas III.

An observational database analysis using Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data was conducted to examine patient perceptions of physicians and associations with adherence to antihypertensive medication among Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Part D. The study sample included beneficiaries if they were 65 years or older, dwelling in the community, had a diagnosis of hypertension in 2007, were enrolled in Medicare Part D all 12 months in 2008, and had Medicare Part D claims for antihypertensive …

Maternal Sensitivity, Maternal Mind-Mindedness, And Infant Socioemotional Functioning: An Examination Of Concurrent Associations, Nancy Ignacia Longoria

Open Access Dissertations

Associations between maternal sensitivity, maternal mind-mindedness, and infant socioemotional (SE) functioning were examined in a sample of 40 mother-infant dyads. Semi-structured home observations were conducted to assess maternal sensitivity and collect maternal ratings of maternal depression and infant SE functioning. Mind-mindedness was assessed during free play and teaching interactions during the home visit. Sensitivity at home was positively associated with mind-mindedness during a free play interaction, but not during a teaching interaction. Neither sensitivity nor mind-mindedness was significantly associated with total infant SE scores, or scores on 3 SE subscales (adaptive functioning, self-regulation, and interaction with people). A trend between …

The Impact Of Parent Education On Parental Feeding Practices, Larra Kolby Brawley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research looked at the potential impact that parent education may have on the feeding practices of parents of young children. Since eating behaviors are a national concern for both children and adults, it's important to examine how we can create not just healthier children but, as a result, healthier adults. This study utilized an intervention that was an adapted version of a healthy eating curriculum created by Sesame Workshop and the California WIC association with the intention of improving parental feeding practices through a behavior-based approach. Previous research with this curriculum has addressed only low-income populations, with a relatively …

Resources And Relationships: Food Insecurity And Social Capital Among Middle School Students, Don Edward Willis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between food insecurity and Social capital among 5th-7th graders attending an intermediate school in Northwest Arkansas where nearly 70 percent of students participate in the free or reduced lunch program. The central research questions are: Does Social capital have a direct impact on children's food insecurity? And, does Social capital mediate the influence of negative circumstances on children's food insecurity? This study finds that Social capital does have a significant association with food insecurity, even when controlling for multiple demographic and circumstantial factors. However, there appears to be no mediation of circumstance by Social capital. …

The Contradictory Nature Of Natural Mothering: A Discursive Analysis, Britni Lee Ayers

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In our contemporary sociopolitical rhetoric breastfeeding is something that is natural and something women ought to do because breast is best. The problem with this contemporary discourse of breastfeeding and motherhood is that the dominant medical, political, technological, and patriarchal discourses surrounding breastfeeding have merged to create an highly unattainable definition of what it means to be a "good mother" (Blum 1993). Moreover, upon a close examination, the most pressing political and Social debates of today surrounding the welfare reform, women's employment, reproductive technologies, and abortion, among many others, construct distinctions between "good mothers" and "bad mothers." However, there has …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of Intermarriages Between Men Of European/U.S./Australian Heritage And Batswana Women Of African Heritage, Nomagugu Sethlhare-Oagile

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Does Culture Matter? : Exploring The Relationships Among Parenting A Child With Disabilities, Cultural Identification, And Stress In A Group Of European American And Immigrant Latino Families, Ximena P. Suarez-Sousa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this correlational exploratory study was to delve into the experience of raising a child with disabilities by investigating the parents' level of stress and the role played by culture, acculturation, and various demographic variables suggested by the literature to influence stress were included. A purposive sample composed of 38 primarily undocumented immigrant Latino parents and 32 European American parents of children with disabilities was recruited from community agencies in a Midwest state. The most frequent disabilities were orthopedic impairments, pervasive developmental disorders, and mental retardation.

Data were collected with the Parent Survey, comprised of the Questionnaire on …

The Relationship Between Parental Involvement And Religion Academic Achievement Of Students In The Catholic Elementary Schools In The Diocese Of Fall River, George A. Milot

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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The Role Of Differentiation Of Self And Death Anxiety In Predicting Martial Adjustment Following The Death Of An Adult, Married Child's Biological Parent, Francis S. Gaal

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Relationship Dynamics In Latino-White Intercultural Marriages: A Three Group Comparison, Raquel D. Muller

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Families And Learning In Classified And Non-Classified First Graders, Howard Baigas

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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A Study Of African American Fathers' Involvement With Their Preschool Children, Susan Rich

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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The Beavers Systems Model And The Relationship Between Family Competence And Team Effectiveness In Self-Managed Family Work Teams, Richard Orlando

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Codependency: Its Relationship To Alcohol And Family-Of-Origin Dynamics, Barbara Yearing

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Adult Attachment Styles And Their Relationship To Marital Satisfaction In Couples In First Marriages Of Seven (7) Years Or Longer, Melanie Whiteway

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Family Factors And Self-Esteem In Gifted Versus Nongifted Children, Kevin Enright

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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The Relationship Between The Family Of Origin Processes And Attitudes Towards Marriage And The Likelihood To Divorce Among College Students, Alison Valerian

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Rural Nonfarm Scott County, Tennessee Women And Their Pathways To Baccalaureate Degrees, Jo A. Lobertini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand why women from Scott County, Tennessee, left home to attain the baccalaureate degree and returned home to live and/or work. More specifically, understanding (1) the educational aspirations, motivations, and discouragements prior to attending college; (2) the educational persistence, motivations, and discouragements while attending college; (3) and the reasons for returning to Scott County after attaining the baccalaureate degree. The population of this study included all females over the age of 25 who had a bachelor's degree, attended grades 1–12 in Scott County, Tennessee, and returned there to live. The primary form …

Criteria Formulating School Choice Decisions For A Middle School Parent Population, Suzanne W. Dunshee

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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An Examination Of Educational, Occupational, And Religious Characteristics Associated With Decisions Of Suburban Catholic Parents About The Elementary School Education Of Their Children, Paul Edward Ward

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Emotional Dysregulation In Children With Aids-Diagnosed Mothers: A Comparative Study, Kathleen O'Brien-Sheber

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Acculturation And Marital Stability Among Nigerian Immigrant Couples In The United States, Anselm I. Nwaorgu

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Factors Which Cause Families To Home School Their Children In Northeast Tennessee, Tony G. England

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem which this researcher investigated centered around the motivational factors which caused parents to educate their children at home. The purpose of this study was to assess the factors as perceived to cause families to home school their children. This study of home school education offered the opportunity to examine the dynamics within home schooling families as they conducted a non-traditional educational alternative. The study may provide information and insight to assist public school policy makers in considering inclusion of program components presently perceived as missing. Two home school associations in upper East Tennessee responded to a home school …