Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Role Of Engagement Across Conceptually Distinct Treatment Elements For Social Anxiety Disorder, Timothy M. Emge

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

There are currently several efficacious treatments for social anxiety disorder (e.g. exposure therapy and cognitive therapy). Each of these treatments is thought to reduce symptoms of social anxiety by disrupting maintenance mechanisms of the disorder, yet mechanism of change research has not supported this view. The current study compared components from each therapy modality in order to better understand why symptoms reduce similarly between conceptually distinct treatments. Participants with high social anxiety were randomly assigned to give a speech with cognitive restructuring and engagement-enhancing procedures, cognitive preparation and video feedback, or a speech alone. Self-ratings of speech performance, confidence in …

Dimensions Of Individuals' Judgements About Sexual Attraction, Romantic Attachment, And Sexual Orientation, Luis F. Morales Knight

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Despite 150 years of scientific interest in sexual orientation, contemporary investigators grapple with a number of serious difficulties. A precise, unified definition of sexual orientation appropriate for scientific use continues to elude researchers, most likely because there is still no single coherent theory of sexual orientation. This lack impedes research into the measurement of sexual orientation. Existing measurements of sexual orientation rely on partial or incompletely empirical research. The present study identified promising avenues for development of credible definitions, theories, and measurements of sexual orientation: (a) mate-selection tasks; (b) the idea that bisexually-identified individuals place a lower priority on partner …

Global Health Justice: A Perspective From The Global South On A Framework Convention On Global Health, Lawrence O. Gostin, Ames Dhai

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

A global coalition of civil society and academics recently launched the Joint Action and Learning Initiative on National and Global Responsibilities for Health (JALI), which is developing a post-Millennium Development Goal (MDG) framework for global health. JALI’s mission is the achievement of a global health treaty based on the right to health—a Framework Convention on Global Health (FCGH). The FCGH proposes establishing fair terms of international co-operation, with agreed-upon mutually binding obligations to create enduring health system capacities, meet basic survival needs, and reduce unconscionable inequalities in global health. States that bear a disproportionate burden of disease have the least …

Lesbian/Queer/Same-Gender-Loving Women Graduate Students In Mental Health Related Fields: A Grounded Theory Of Attitudes Toward Transgender Individuals, Bonnie M. Benson

Dissertations

Transgender (trans) issues are an emerging area of research within counseling psychology. As such, little is known about how individuals form their attitudes toward trans people. Despite evidence that lesbian women are one group that has held biased views of the trans population, the literature has not addressed the perceptions that lesbian women have of trans individuals. Furthermore, the campus climate literature has attended to how LGBT students experience campus discrimination, but this literature has not addressed within-group differences, that is, attitudes and interactions among LGBT members of a university community, such as those between lesbians and trans people. The …

The Association Of Diet With Affect, Patricia Ann Ford

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids have been associated with mental health yet few studies have examined whether foods protective or deleterious for cardiovascular disease affect mood. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between consumption of foods typical of Mediterranean and Western diets and fatty acids with positive and negative affect.

Adventist church attendees residing in North America completed a validated food frequency questionnaire in 2002-6 as part of the Adventist Health Study-2. A subset of these participants ^=9,121) completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) in the Biopsychosocial Religion and Health Study conducted in 2006-7. …

Second Generation Korean-American Parents: Social Context Influence On Parenting, Lana H. Kim

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Korean-American families are an underrepresented group within the family therapy literature. In particular, the realities and lived experiences of American born second generation Korean-American parenting couples is limited. Therefore, this qualitative grounded theory dissertation used a social constructionist lens to understand how American born second generation Korean-Americans, raised amidst contrasting Korean and western cultural ideologies, conceptualize parenting and position themselves in relation to their children within parent-child relationships. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 parenting couples of children between 0-10 years of age to illuminate ways in which multiple cultural discourses, bicultural socialization, and racialized experiences influence the parenting process. …

Pillars For Progress On The Right To Health: Harnessing The Potential Of Human Rights Through A Framework Convention On Global Health, Eric A. Friedman, Lawrence O. Gostin

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Ever more constitutions incorporate the right to health, courts continue to expand their right to health jurisprudence, and communities and civil society increasingly turn to the right to health in their advocacy. Yet the right remains far from being realized. Even with steady progress on numerous fronts of global health, vast inequities at the global and national levels persist, and are responsible for millions of deaths annually. We propose a four-part approach to accelerating progress towards fulfilling the right to health: 1) national legal and policy reform, incorporating right to health obligations and principles including equity, participation, and accountability in …

Clean Needles And Bad Blood: Needle Exchange As Morality Policy, Elizabeth A. Bowen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The morality policy framework is a lens for understanding the unique characteristics of policies that attempt to regulate personal morals and behaviors. Needle exchange, a controversial intervention for reducing the transmission of HIV in injection drug users, shares many of the hallmark characteristics of morality policies. Analyzing needle exchange from a morality policy perspective, focusing on the 21-year ban on federal funding for needle exchange, reveals how value-based arguments have been used in the needle exchange debate and explains why the issue is likely to remain controversial in the United States. This analysis adds to the understanding of moral and …

Exploring Barriers To Inclusion Of Widowed And Abandoned Women Through Microcredit Self-Help Groups: The Case Of Rural South India, Margaret Lombe, Chrisann Newransky, Karen Kayser, Paul Mike Raj

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Microcredit programs have been applauded as the magic bullet for the poor, especially women with limited financial resources. Building on previous research, this study examines effects of a microcredit self-help group (SHG) program on perceptions of social exclusion among widowed and abandoned women who participated in groups established after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in Tamil Nadu, India (N=109). Data were collected on key aspects of the program such as loan amount and investment patterns, group experience, demographics, and perceived barriers to inclusion. Results indicate that investment patterns and group experience impacted the women's perception of barriers to social inclusion. …

Research Brief: "Employment Outcomes And Ptsd Symptom Severity", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This study investigates how the severity of PTSD symptoms relates to employment and earnings. It found that veterans with more severe symptoms of PTSD were more likely to work part-time or not at all rather than have full-time work. In practice, treating PTSD, even if some symptoms remain, could result in better employment outcomes for veterans. In policy, policymakers should consider providing previously successful programs focused on veterans with PTSD for individuals with other mental health conditions. Suggestions for future research include a large, controlled, longitudinal survey that would allow researchers to investigate more thoroughly how PTSD symptoms relate to …

Influences Of Health Insurance And Primary Care On Breast And Cervical Cancer Screening Among Black Women In Boston, Gail Barlow Gall

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Healthy People 2010 promoted breast and cervical cancer screening to reduce cancer among all women and reduce disparities in cancer deaths between Black and White women. The REACH 2010 program targeted improving screening rates among Black women and funded a demonstration project to provide outreach, screening, patient navigation and case management for Black women in Boston. The purpose of this study was to describe associations between health insurance and primary care (having a primary care provider [PCP], quality of communications and relationship with PCP) on differences in breast and cervical cancer screening reported by Black women born in the United …

Research Brief: An Examination Of The Social And Clinical Influences In Prostate Cancer Treatment In African American And White Men, Keith Elder, Bettina F. Drake, Sara Wagner, James Hebert

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

BACKGROUND: The death rate for prostate cancer (PrCA), the most commonly diagnosed cancer in African-American (AA) men, is twice the rate of European-American (EA) men. AA men in South Carolina have the highest age-adjusted death rate in the nation. Studies have shown that treatment offered to AA men with PrCA is systematically different from that offered to EA men. METHODS: Surveys were mailed to 1,866 men in South Carolina with a diagnosis of PrCA. South Carolina men diagnosed with PrCA between 1996 and 2002 were eligible to participate. We performed a descriptive assessment of the factors that influenced …

Surveillance Of Infectious Diseases Among American Indians And Alaska Natives, Jeanne Bertolli, Amy Roussel, Jennie Harris, Dan Lentine, Julia Gable, Ron Fichtner, Joann Kauffman, Michael Landen, Ralph T. Bryan

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

We assessed participation in public health surveillance networks among Indian Health Service, tribal, and urban (I/T/U) Indian health facilities for a group of infectious diseases, and barriers to participation. We conducted surveys of I/T/U facilities and key informant interviews with representatives of tribal, urban, and national American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) agencies. For the surveys, frequencies and percentages of responses in each response category were calculated. Qualitative methods were used to analyze interview content. The proportion of facilities participating in case reporting is suboptimal across facility types and diseases. Even when reporting is occurring, there is little feedback to tribal agencies. …

Gay And Lesbian Health Disparities: Evidence And Recommendations For Elimination, M. R. Barker

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Research suggests that significant health disparities exist among the gay and lesbian population in the United States. These disparities impact both the short- and long-term health outcomes of this population. This study first provides a current literature review of available research on gay and lesbian health disparities and organizes these findings according to health topic. The paper then investigates recommendations for the elimination of racial and ethnic health disparities and examines their applicability in eliminating sexual minority disparities. While many recommendations are valid, this paper analyzes the six thought to have the greatest potential in eliminating gay and lesbian health …

Physicians’ Experiences And Opinions Regarding Strategies To Improve Care For Minority Patients, Jared W. Klein, Lindsay O. Schubiner, Margaret Gadon, Matthew K. Wynia

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Objective: To assess the views and experiences of a select group of physicians interested in minority health issues regarding promising strategies to improve minority care. Methods: Physicians were asked to respond to a 17-item survey assessing the level of agreement, frequency of implementation of and interest in learning more about 7 promising strategies for alleviating disparities. Results: Most physicians (75-95%) agreed that the 7 proposed strategies could be useful to improve the quality of care provided to minority patients, but only 40-66% of physicians had implemented the strategies sometimes or often in their practices. Between 22 and …

Cancer-Related Disparities Among Residents Of Appalachia Ohio, James L. Fisher, Holly L. Engelhardt, Julie A. Stephens, Bette R. Smith, Georgette G. Haydu, Robert W. Indian, Electra D. Paskett

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The authors sought to identify cancer-related disparities in Appalachia Ohio and better understand reasons for the disparities. Data from the Ohio Cancer Incidence Surveillance System, among other sources, were used to examine potential cancer disparities among residents of Appalachia Ohio. Using Ohio census data, the authors examined contributions of household income, educational attainment and population density to disparities in cancer incidence. Results suggest the following disparities in Appalachia Ohio (compared to non-Appalachia Ohio): greater cancer incidence and mortality rates for cancers of the cervix, colon and rectum, lung and bronchus and melanoma of the skin; a later stage at diagnosis …

A Geospatial Analysis Of Cdc-Funded Hiv Prevention Programs For African Americans In The United States, G. A. Gilliam, Carol L. Hanchette, Kieran J. Fogarty, Deborah A. Gibbs

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Given the increase in HIV/AIDS infection rates among racial and ethnic minorities, particularly African Americans, this study was undertaken as part of a larger research effort to examine the distribution of HIV prevention services focusing on African American populations within the United States. Data were gathered via a national survey of community-based organizations (CBOs) funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A geocoded national database was constructed to identify, locate, and map these HIV prevention programs. A total of 1,020 CBOs responded to the survey, yielding a response rate of 70.3%. These CBOs administered a total of …

Family Breast Cancer Education: A Model For African American Women, Frankie D. Powell, Edwin D. Bell, Jamilla Shepperson, Thomas Coaxum

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The purpose of this study, funded by the American Cancer Society, was to increase knowledge and understanding, i.e., the willingness and ability to discuss, of breast cancer in southern minority women and their families. A family model of health education guided the research questions. (a) To what extent will an action research intervention increase knowledge about the causes and treatment of breast cancer in minority women? (b) To what extent will an action research intervention increase willingness to talk with family members? The t-test analysis of a 67-item, self- administered survey indicated significant increases in knowledge of cancer and in …

Educating And Empowering Elders: Improving The Health Of Senior Latino Diabetics Through Community Collaboration, G. D. Cleghorn, Jean Lussier, Martha Velez, Marianna Canovitch, Marilyn Licciardello, Sarah Stanlick

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death among Americans.1 As of 2005, estimates indicate 20.8 million people – 7 percent of the population – afflicted by diabetes, 6.2 million of which are undiagnosed. 1 While diabetes is a growing problem for the United States as a whole, older, poverty-stricken Latinos and other minority groups have felt the encumbrance of this trend most intensely.2 In Massachusetts, the burden of diabetes among Caribbean Latinos is 11.8 percent, which is 2.5 times greater than the prevalence for the majority of the population in the state …

Evaluation Of Lift Up Your Voice! Advocacy Training For Older Adults And Their Caregivers: Executive Summary, Alison Gottlieb, Nina M. Silverstein, Kelli Barton

Gerontology Institute Publications

The Lift Up Your Voice! (LUYV) training, a component of Community Catalyst’s effort to support the Campaign for Better Care (CBC), is designed to mobilize grassroots advocacy structures of vulnerable older adults by directly engaging and empowering older adults and their caregivers. The goal of the evaluation is to assess the effectiveness LUYV in recruiting potential advocates, educating them about the health care reform, empowering them via advocacy skills training, and engaging them in state-based CBC activities.

Research Brief: "Women Veterans’ Reproductive Health Preferences And Experiences: A Focus Group Analysis", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about the experiences and preferences for reproductive health care services among female veterans. In policy and practice, the VA should expand communication efforts to ensure that female veterans know the reproductive health services that are available to them, include more advanced fertility care, and widen the range of healthcare choices available to veteran women; the VA should look into covering healthcare for newborns and expanding access to infertility services. Suggestions for future research include using a random, nationally representative sample of female veterans, and looking at gender discrimination's potential impact on their quality of care.

Under The Gun: Ongoing Assaults On Bahrain’S Health System, Richard Sollom, Holly G. Atkinson

Publications and Research

In February 2011, the Government of Bahrain began targeting health professionals who treated protesters. In April 2012, PHR's Richard Sollom, Deputy Director, and Holly Atkinson, MD, FACP, past President of PHR's Board and volunteer expert, authored a report showing the devastation on Bahrain's health system that have resulted from the Government of Bahrain’s continued assault on doctors, patients, and the healthcare system.

Ranking Library Tasks For Redesigning A Medical Academic Health Center And University Mobile Web Site, Daniel G. Kipnis, Msi, Gary Kaplan, Mslis, Ann Koopman, Am, Brian Kysela, Joseph Zavorski

Academic Commons and Scott Memorial Library Staff Papers and Presentations

Objectives:

(1) To determine what library-related tasks users most want to be able to perform on their mobile devices (smartphones, iPads,etc.), using a modified Likert scale, freetext and multiple choice questions to rank the most common tasks.

(2) To redesign our existing Library mobile site.

The Closure Of New Orleans' Charity Hospital After Hurricane Katrina: A Case Of Disaster Capitalism, Kenneth Brad Ott

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Amidst the worst disaster to impact a major U.S. city in one hundred years, New Orleans’ main trauma and safety net medical center, the Reverend Avery C. Alexander Charity Hospital, was permanently closed. Charity’s administrative operator, Louisiana State University (LSU), ordered an end to its attempted reopening by its workers and U.S. military personnel in the weeks following the August 29, 2005 storm. Drawing upon rigorous review of literature and an exhaustive analysis of primary and secondary data, this case study found that Charity Hospital was closed as a result of disaster capitalism. LSU, backed by Louisiana state officials, …

A Framework Convention On Global Health: Health For All, Justice For All, Lawrence O. Gostin

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Health inequalities represent perhaps the most consequential global health challenge and yet they persist despite increased funding and innovative programs. The United Nations is revising the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that will shape the world for many years to come. What would a transformative post-MDG framework for global health justice look like? A global coalition of civil society and academics—the Joint Action and Learning Initiative on National and Global Responsibilities for Health (JALI)—has formed an international campaign to advocate for a Framework Convention on Global Health (FCGH). Recently endorsed by the UN Secretary-General, the FCGH would reimagine global governance for …

The Science Of Public Health Practice: Using Pbrns For Delivery System Research In Public Health Settings, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

PBRN research tests strategies for improving the delivery of services that promote health and prevent disease and injury on a population-wide basis.

Posttraumatic Stress And Myocardial Infarction Risk Perceptions In Hospitalized Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients, Donald Edmondson, Jonathan A. Shaffer, Ellen-Ge Denton, Daichi Shimbo, Lynn Clemow

Publications and Research

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is related to acute coronary syndrome (ACS; i.e., myocardial infarction or unstable angina) recurrence and poor post-ACS adherence to medical advice. Since risk perceptions are a primary motivator of adherence behaviors, we assessed the relationship of probable PTSD to ACS risk perceptions in hospitalized ACS patients (n = 420). Participants completed a brief PTSD screen 3-7 days post-ACS, and rated their 1-year ACS recurrence risk relative to other men or women their age. Most participants exhibited optimistic bias (mean recurrence risk estimate between "average" and "below average"). Further, participants who screened positive for current PTSD (n …

Get Your Butt Off The Ground!: Consequences Of Cigarette Waste And Litter-Reducing Methods, Joyce Lee

Pomona Senior Theses

Cigarette butts are rapidly accumulating on our planet; trillions of them are discarded every year. In this paper, I examine why cigarette litter is a problem. I first discuss the biodegradability of filters and its scientific basis, including ways to enhance degradation rates by chemically manipulating filters. I also talk about the persistence of cigarette chemicals and their potential toxic effects on children and animals. I consider other social, economic, and environmental consequences of cigarette filters and chemicals. Furthermore, I discuss various solutions smokers and non-smokers alike have created to address the problem of cigarette litter; these methods come from …

Linguistic Devices, Emotionality, And Memorability Of Computer Mediated Communication, Angela M. Mion

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

I examined whether college students use shortcuts, pragmatics, and errors in text messages differently depending on their gender and the emotionality of the message. Results indicate that the prevalence of particular shortcuts differed across happy, sad, and angry messages, but gender did not influence use of linguistic devices. In a second study, I examined the emotionality and memorability of text messages versus voicemails. Results indicate that texts may be remembered better than voicemails, and happy, sad, and angry messages may be remembered differently by men and women.

Expressed Emotion And Attitudes Toward Body Image And Food, Toni Marie Maraldo

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

In numerous studies over the years, body image and dysfunctional attitudes toward food have shown to be related to the genesis of eating disorders. Recent research has particularly focused on the influence that families have on both the development of eating disorders as well as their impact on their child's body image and eating attitudes. In general, higher levels of expressed emotion are often found in families with children who have either anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. However, there is a lack of research on sub-clinical populations. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the influence that expressed …