Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Swimming: A Great Decision And An Even Better Journey, Eva M. Hunnius

Emerging Writers

Swimming is loved, feared, and cherished by so many around the world. People love it because it gives them a sense of freedom and peace, while also receiving a great workout. Some may fear it because they do not know how to swim, or they feel like there are many dangers and risks to swimming. Others cherish it because it is the only sport they have ever known. In my case, swimming is one of the only things that has been with me since I was a little kid. This remains true for many athletes. In this discussion, I hope …

Spatial Associations Of Liver Disease Rates With Socioeconomic And Health Risk Factors In Georgia, Nguyet Le

Symposium of Student Scholars

According to the CDC Cancer Statistics Report in 2020, Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct is the 6th leading cancer in both USA and the State of Georgia ranked by Rates of Cancer Death. Aflatoxin-containing foods, alcohol consumption, smoking, overeating, and other risky behaviors are among the factors linked to liver diseases. They have also been related to the socioeconomic status (SES) of individuals. The behaviors and SES of individuals are affected by the socioeconomic characteristics of the communities where they live. However, the relationships between the rates of liver diseases and community-level socioeconomic factors are not well studied. The objective …

Average Household Income In Relation To Individual Dietary Consumption Of Fruits And Vegetables, Liz Burchfield, Bella Spencer

Symposium of Student Scholars

The purpose of this analysis is to review data from the USDA Economic Research Survey in a data collection regarding FoodAPS National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey. Our data include a sample size of 4,826 participating households with 279 variables describing each household. Several variables were utilized which include average collective income for households, perceptions of fruit and vegetable prices and quality, self-reporting items about perceived fruit and vegetable consumption, and financial survey responses. With these chosen variables we made initial inferences that there would be a relationship between income and fruit consumption. We predict that throughout the duration …

2023 - The Fourth Annual Fall Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Fall 2023 Symposium of Student Scholars, held in November 2023. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

Adoption Of Cybersecurity Policies By Local Governments 2020, Donald F. Norris Phd, Laura K. Mateczun Jd

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

This paper should be of interest to the readers of this journal because it addresses a subject that has received little scholarly attention; namely, local government cybersecurity. The U.S. has over 90,000 units of local government, of which almost 39,000 are “general purpose” units (i.e., municipalities, counties, towns and townships). On average, these governments do not practice cybersecurity effectively (Norris, et al., 2019 and 2020). One possible reason is that they do not adopt and/or implement highly recommended cybersecurity policies. In this paper, we examine local government adoption or lack of adoption of cybersecurity policies using data from three surveys. …

Early Stage Or Curable Cancer Diagnoses In Minorities: A Journey Of Survivors, Lora Asberry

Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses

Patients diagnosed with early-staged or curable forms of cancer experience physical, as well as, mental challenges associated with disease progression and treatment. Previous studies have demonstrated that minorities and underrepresented communities did not receive the same level of care in comparison to their non-minority counterparts. Previous studies have also demonstrated that health disparities among minorities affected their cancer journey. This study addressed: how medical disparities varied between minorities and non-minorities, the overall effects of the cancer diagnoses in minorities compared to non-minorities, whether these perspectives differed in male vs. female participants, and whether there were any possible communication barriers between …

2023- The Twenty-Seventh Annual Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Twenty-seventh Annual Symposium of Student Scholars, held on April 18-21, 2023. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

Understanding The Contributions Of Hormonal Contraceptives And Cortisol Levels To Fear Learning In Women, Sahil Bardai

Symposium of Student Scholars

Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder than men. Eighty-five percent of women in the US will use hormonal contraceptives at some point in their lifetime. Women who use hormonal contraceptives show heightened startle reactivity to a threatening stimulus. Previous results from our lab showed a significant increase in fear-potentiated startle (FPS) in women who were on hormonal contraceptives compared to women who were naturally cycling. These results stayed consistent throughout three acquisition trials. Others have shown that the use of OCPs (oral contraceptive pills) is related to the dysregulation of the HPA-axis and elevated …

2022 - The Third Annual Fall Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Fall 2022 Symposium of Student Scholars, held on November 17, 2022. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

Perceived Stress And Salivary Biomarkers In Educators: Comparison Among Three Stress Reduction Activities, Doreen Wagner, Sharon M. Pearcey

Faculty and Research Publications

Background: The teaching profession is a potentially stressful occupation with up to 30% of all novice teachers leaving the profession and annual teacher turnover is higher when compared with turnover of all other occupations. This study investigated the effects of a one-time stress reduction activity (meditation, yoga, or aerobic exercise) in university and K-12 educators who were part of one-day seminar on Stress Reduction.

Methods: Participants (N = 26) self-selected their stress reduction activity, completed a demographic questionnaire, educator stress self-assessment tool, and visual analogue scales indicating current stress levels. Salivary cortisol and amylase levels were measured before, immediately after, …

2022- The Twenty-Sixth Annual Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Twenty-sixth Annual Symposium of Student Scholars, held on April 19, 2022. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

Nursing Students' Attitude Towards People Living With Dementia During Covid-19 Pandemic., Jakira D. Usry, Janya Wilson

Symposium of Student Scholars

Background: The current global prevalence of dementia is estimated to increase from 55.2 million to 78 million in 2030 and 139 million in 2050. Prelicensure student nurses must be educated to have knowledge and skills in providing dementia care as well as positive attitudes.

Aim: To assess prelicensure nursing students' attitudes towards people living with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This is secondary data analysis of the data collected in an ongoing Mixed-Methods study investigating the impact of clinical experiential learning on prelicensure nursing students' dementia knowledge, attitudes, and skills during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data was collected via …

Substance Use Disorders, Cognitive Dysfunction, And Neurodivergence In Emerging Adulthood, David Posada, Jordyn Hebert

Symposium of Student Scholars

Substance Use Disorders, Cognitive Dysfunction, and Neurodivergence in Emerging Adulthood

Posada, D., Herbert, J., Weingast, L., Holliday, E.

Cognitive functioning in college students with substance use disorders (SUD) has been widely researched, however, discussions have largely concentrated on executive functions (EF) such as working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. Literature on the relationship between cognitive dysfunction and SUD has largely underreported the influence of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders (ADD/ADHD) and other neurodivergent characteristics. The current review explores the state of the literature on the relationship between neurodivergence, cognitive dysfunction, and SUD in emerging adulthood. More specifically, it speculates whether college students …

Geography Of Covid-19 Waves In Georgia, Walker Tompkins

Symposium of Student Scholars

Geography of COVID-19 Waves in Georgia

Over the past 2 years everyone on the globe’s lives have been changed drastically after the COVID-19 virus spread across the world. This united and divided us more than any other event in most of our lifetimes. The pandemic everyone and now that there are two years of data, it is important to examine impacts at various geographic scales. As such, focusing on the state of Georgia, this project explores how the different variants, public policy, and vaccination of our population has changed the trajectory of the virus and how many deaths it has …

Acute Stress Disorder: Incidence Findings And Diagnostic Implications For U.S. Active Duty Service Members, Michael A. Schlenk

Symposium of Student Scholars

Acute stress disorder (ASD) is a psychiatric diagnosis that can occur between three days and one month following traumatic events such as injuries, violence, and/or experienced or threatened harm (5th ed.; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013). ASD has long been utilized as a predictor of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, literature examining ASD elucidates that predication of subsequent PTSD is not as reliable as once thought (Bonnano et al., 2012; Bryant, 2018). Further, there is a dearth of empirical literature examining ASD among active duty service members (SMs). As such, the present study sought to provide epidemiological data by …

Creating A Support System For Online Graduate Students Learning New Software, Marisha C. Kelly

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

This poster outlines strategies for creating a support system for online graduate students learning new software. The Northcentral University (NCU) Library is a 100 percent online library providing services and delivering resources to students in a remote context. According to university facts and figures, approximately 98 percent of students are enrolled in a graduate program and nearly 69 percent of those students are pursuing a doctoral degree. In May 2019, a reference and instruction librarian developed a program to support graduate students learning how to use ProQuest RefWorks, a web-based research management tool. Elements of the program include synchronous options …

Adoption And Diffusion Of At-Home Medical Tests, Savannah Campbell, Mark Mitchell, Jerome Christia, Melissa Clark

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The purpose of this study is to understand the at-home medical test market including the medical and regulatory requirements to create at-home medical tests, as well as the market factors that influence consumer adoption in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. To address testing shortages of COVID-19 tests companies created at-home tests which were rapidly approved by the FDA, bringing at-home testing to the forefront.

History of at-home health testing is reviewed, the medical requirements for creating them, and how the pandemic has affected such testing. Tables are also included to demonstrate currently available tests and potential future tests. The …

2021 - The Second Annual Fall Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Fall 2021 Symposium of Student Scholars, held on November 18, 2021. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

They Are Just Light Bulbs, Right? The Personality Antecedents Of Household Energy-Saving Behavioral Intentions Among Young Millennials And Gen Z, Minhao Dai, Tianen Chen

Faculty and Research Publications

Small individual behaviors such as household energy-saving behaviors may have major environmental impacts. Individuals may combat global warming by replacing traditional light bulbs with more energy-efficient light bulbs such as LED bulbs, which save electricity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Guided by the integrative model of behavioral prediction, the current study explored the effects of five individual personality differences (i.e., consideration of future consequences, environmental value orientation, individualism and collectivism, regulatory focus, and self-monitoring) on young Millennials' and Gen Z's attitudes, perceived norms, perceived control, and intention to switch light bulbs. The results of a survey indicated that environmental value …

The Relationship Between Collective Nursing Knowledge And Nurse Turnover: An Application Of Nursing Intellectual Capital Theory, Pamela Russman-Chambers

Doctorate of Nursing Science Dissertations

The value of a healthcare organization is vested in the expertise, intellect, and wisdom of employees. Nursing knowledge resides both within the individual nurse and the collective knowledge embedded in organizational structures and practice environments. Healthcare organizations rely on their ability to utilize this knowledge to deliver high-quality care to patients. Hospitals wanting to gain a competitive advantage and achieve financial stability must be adept at acquiring, cultivating, and using the nursing knowledge stocks of the organization. When this knowledge can be utilized to mitigate healthcare issues and improve patients' health, this collective knowledge or intellectual capital is often the …

Transforming Pete’S Initial Standards: Ensuring Social Justice For Black Students In Physical Education., Brian Culp

Faculty and Research Publications

Calls to transform the initial Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) standards to reflect social justice have garnered little attention. Recent events have magnified the racial injustices inflicted upon Black people in America and their ability to participate as full equals in a society influenced and characterized by white supremacy. Using critical race theory (CRT) as a framework, the authors examine the racial formulation of the historical and current installations of SHAPE America’s initial PETE Standards to illustrate the influence of white supremacy in PETE programs, the relationship to physical literacy, and the impact on Black students. After analysis, the authors …

Make Your Wishes Known: Understanding The Challenges And Barriers For Providing Effective Ethics Consults To Low-Income African American Men, Ruth Nwefo

Symposium of Student Scholars

The distrust of the U.S. health care system is prevalent, especially within the African American (AA) community. This distrust is largely based on infamous cases such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment and experiments conducted by James Marion Sims on slave women without anesthesia. While these experiments along with many others further advanced medicine, they severed trust between health care institutions and the African American community, bringing upon repercussions still felt today. Although many steps have been taken to rebuild trust in the health care system by establishing effective ethical guidelines, more needs to be done in terms of rebuilding the …

Anti-Vaxxers: Parents Fighting Science, Katie West

Symposium of Student Scholars

Immunizing children helps protect the health of our community, especially those people who cannot be immunized. Yet, since 1996 after a study was released that linked autism to vaccinations, there has been a trend of parents refusing to vaccinate their children. What are the demographics of the parents who believe their children are better off without vaccines? By knowing where these parents live and what decisions they make for their children’s education, counties and medical professionals can provide education and address their concerns.

My research involves data on 116,141 kindergarten classes from 2000-2015 in California. The two vaccine exemption options …

Examining The Relationship Between African-Americans And Their Physicians, Genesis Weever

Symposium of Student Scholars

For years, there has been a bad history amongst the relationship between African-Americans and their fellow medical institutions. Many African-Americans do not believe that medical professionals have their best interest at heart. Oftentimes, their white counterparts may receive better care, even when they have the same condition. Many African-Americans may even face barriers that their white counterparts will not experience, and will be denied access to healthcare. This results in more deaths and critical illnesses of African-Americans. In order to discover the underlying problem and a possible solution, a review of the literature was initiated. Using a literature matrix and …

Racial And Socioeconomic Disparities Influencing Obesity Amongst Middle-Aged Women, Morgan Woods

Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses

Many studies have examined the effects of racial and socioeconomic differences on health-related disparities involving obesity but, few have examined the mental and physical well-being intersection. Obesity is a disease that affects many Americans and has become an epidemic affecting the American population. Obesity, especially morbid obesity, is a risk factor for many other obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and more. Using the 2018 Healthcare Avoidance Study, differences were found between two racial groups, Caucasian and African-American women. Race was found as a significant factor for both level of physical activity and ideal body image perception

Disease, Development, And Disorder: Examining The Effect Of Health On Subnational Development And Conflict In Sub-Saharan Africa, Dlorah C. Jenkins

Doctor of International Conflict Management Dissertations

Progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been uneven across and within countries - particularly in Africa, least developed countries, and low-income countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has threatened to reverse much of the progress made towards achieving the SDGs, especially SDG 3, which aims to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”.

The tendency for disease, underdevelopment, and conflict to occur concomitantly suggests potential causal mechanisms linking them. This study attempts to address two pieces of the puzzle: the causal effect of disease on underdevelopment and the impact of development on conflict risk. Focusing …

Understanding The Impact Of Racism In Healthcare And How It Is Affecting African American Women (Part 2), Magdalene Boadu

Symposium of Student Scholars

Healthcare is the most sacred part of every person’s life and should be accessible. However, the experience for many is that “you either got it or you don’t”. A way to help “get it”[Healthcare] is through workplace insurance, however, this is not accessible to many. This is especially the case for minority communities who cannot afford insurance plans, if and when offered by their employers, or other alternatives for accessing affordable health care. The terms “affordable and health care” are a paradox, for African American women. This is because of a system that was built to benefit one race but …

Understanding How Temperature Influences European Starling’S Reproductive Success, Grace Fatoyinbo, Sarah Guindre-Parker

Symposium of Student Scholars

Many habitats face fluctuating temperatures year round. The animals that live there are typically able to adjust their behaviors to match these conditions. When temperatures become too extreme, however, it could potentially start having a negative effect on the animal’s reproductive success. In birds, for example, severe climate can affect their eggs and nestlings due to nestlings lacking the ability to thermoregulate. The parents then have to bear the responsibility of thermoregulation for their young, through a behavior called incubation or brooding. European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) are a species of birds common across the United States where both …

Reporting Of Eating Disorder Deaths, Katherine Mobley, Amy Hord

Symposium of Student Scholars

Those affected by eating disorders experience disturbances in eating behaviors which are often related to underlying psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (Parekh, 2017, Drieberg et al., 1998 p.53). The duplicitous nature of the disorder makes it difficult to diagnose, and the tole it takes on an individual’s physical health makes its mortality rate the second highest among psychiatric disorders (Guinhut et al., 2021 p.130). Even if the correct education and resources are accessible to certain individuals, negative stigmatization about the disorder can make sufferers unlikely to seek help (Becker et al., 2010). Findings from analysis of …

2021- The Twenty-Fifth Annual Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Twenty-fifth Annual Symposium of Student Scholars, held on April 29, 2021. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.