Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Efficacy Of A Rapid Rehousing Program Serving Adults Experiencing Homelessness In West Central Texas, Unique Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses the dynamics of homelessness and examines one agency (Abilene Hope Haven) that aims to help homeless individuals receive permanent housing. This study explores the characteristics that influence the likelihood of placement in permanent housing within 12 months at Abilene Hope Haven. The different types of supportive housing programs and their roles in helping homeless individuals will be discussed. Secondary data gathered from the Homeless Management Information System were entered into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, and then a logistical regression analysis was created to explain the relationships between the different characteristics and permanency placement. A key …

Exploring Service Provider Perspectives On Facilitators And Barriers To Needle Exchange Program Participation By Females Who Inject Drugs., Tammi Alvey Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the opioid epidemic lingers on across the country, many areas have set up harm reduction strategies such as needle exchange programs (NEPs) to combat the long-term consequences of injection drug use (IDU). Males and females face a plethora of health issues associated with injection drug use such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C. While males comprise the largest portion of the injection drug use population, most research is gender neutral, which makes it difficult to discern issues specifically related to females inhibiting our ability to design interventions and procedures targeted to address their needs. Females require varying …

Evaluation Of Risk And Protective Factors Of Substance Use In The National Association Of Intercollegiate Athletics., Richard D Weaver Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The NCAA and NAIA have conducted prevalence studies of substance use in their organizations but little research into risk and protective factors that influence usage. Substance use is associated with an array of consequences including negative academic impacts, criminal charges, health risks, and mental health. As the most reported substances used by student-athletes the study focused on alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine. This study specifically examined several risk and protective factors impacting substance use. This study utilized a secondary data analysis of information gathered from the NAIA Substance Use and Abuse Study conducted in 2020 with student-athletes (N=2489). Descriptive statistics, parametric …

Exploring The Contextual Factors And Decision-Making Process Of Risky Sexual Behavior Among Homeless Adults In Louisville, Kentucky., Sarah C. Van Heiden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Homelessness is a complex public health issue; individuals who experience homelessness are said to engage in risky sexual behaviors at an increased rate and experience a higher prevalence of sexually transmitted infection (STI). While the sexual behaviors of homeless adolescents are commonly studied, little is known about the sexual behaviors of the growing population of older adults, or how they make decisions to engage in sex. Three aims guided this research: 1) to describe the sexual behaviors and sexual decision-making process of homeless older adults, 2) to examine how homeless older adults evaluate the outcomes associated with engaging in risky …

Git (Gender-Informed Trauma) In Black N Blue Boys / Broken Men: How Concepts Of Gender Restrict The Black Male Actor’S Creative Process And The Methods He Can Use For Creative Freedom., Tyler Tate

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how the black male actor’s creative process can be affected by historical and cultural constructions of masculinity connected to race, sexuality, and physical movement. My research on black men’s experience with gender identity finds that social and cultural forces lead black men to reproduce behaviors that mirror a prescribed masculine ideal through physical movement. This prescribed masculine behavior is typically coded in terms of stiffness or lack of expression. This study explores how self-imposed restrictions reiterated by social standards of masculine behavior limit the creative freedom in the black male actor’s creative process. Specifically, black male actors’ …

Experiences That Support Persistence And Retention Of Latinx First-Generation College Students (Fgcs) At Community Colleges, Veronica Rios

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this instrumental case study was to describe experiences of successful Latinx first-generation college students that support persistence and retention toward graduation for Latinx first-generation college students at California community colleges. The study was framed using Tinto’s retention theory. Successful Latinx first-generation college students were defined as those who have attained graduation from a California community college. This study focused on Latinx first-generation college students not persisting toward graduation at California community colleges, a situation that extends to the national level. This case study included nine Latinx first-generation college students, and the researcher collected data through virtual semistructured …

It’S Not All Aces: The Role Of Negative Parental Influences And Criminal Thinking In Juvenile Offending Behaviors, Branna Humphrey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and criminal thinking in causing criminal behavior has been explored extensively in criminal justice research. Based on the concepts of ACEs and the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Scale, the negative parental influences and criminal thinking styles of 1,354 juvenile offenders were examined to establish that negative parental influences and criminal thinking are separately associated with juvenile problem and offending behavior, and that criminal thinking mediates the relationship between negative parental influences and juvenile problem and offending behavior. Analyses showed support for criminal thinking as a pathway from negative parental influences to juvenile …

Examining The Experiences Of First-Generation College Students Attending A Christian University In The Southwestern United States, Thurmond Derrick Metters

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

First-generation college students (FGCS) face unique challenges that could negatively impact their college success. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of FGCS attending a Christian university in the southwestern United States. A second purpose of this study was to assess whether differences exist between White and non-White FGCS regarding racial and cultural inclusion, academic resources, socioeconomic status, isolation and loneliness, life experiences, sufficient academic resources and financial concerns. An independent sample t-test was conducted to compare the scores of gender and ethnicity of FGCS, and Levene’s test was conducted to assess the equality of variances …

Does Offering Social Work Services Via The Mckinney-Vento Program To Homeless Youth Improve Academic Functioning?, Ari Rayne Gee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the McKinney-Vento Program is to assist homeless and unaccompanied students with enrollment and ensure the protection of their rights. Students who are identified by the McKinney-Vento Program receive services such as transportation, food stamps, clothes, assistance in documentation and case-management. This study examines the effectiveness of the services provided by the McKinney-Vento Program to homeless students through grades and attendance over the time period of the first six weeks and the fourth six weeks in the 2020-2021 school year. McKinney-Vento identified students from two schools, Clack and Craig Middle Schools, within the Abilene Independent School District. These …

An Exploratory Descriptive Study Of The Bridge Scholars Program At A Private, Faith-Based University, Susan Lewis King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An exploratory descriptive study was completed regarding the Bridge Scholars program in a private, faith-based university setting. The program was described as bridge because it was created to be a flexible consideration in the student admissions process, as the required metrics for admittance were modified for students that would not have otherwise been admitted to the university. Admitted provisionally, these students had to earn a 2.5 GPA or above before they were considered fully assimilated students. This admissions exception has been in place since 2016, when the program was initiated.

Three student cohorts were analyzed with particular emphasis on academic …

Exploring The Prevalence Of Social Isolation In Students At A Christian College In West Texas, David Bryan Elliott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The concept known as “social isolation” is a problem that affects many people, but there are certain populations that do not have adequate research performed on them. Specifically, college students face a risk of social isolation that is detrimental to their well-being and academic success, and there is a gap in the literature about this relationship. This study explored the prevalence of social isolation in college students at a Christian college in West Texas and examined various factors to determine whether any protective factors or at-risk factors existed. An online survey was sent out that used 11 demographic factor questions …

A Qualitative Needs Assessment Of African Refugee Families Living In West Texas, Benedict Emmanuel Olohunfemi Richards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Refugees bring with them their customs, religions, and languages, making economic, cultural, and scientific and mathematic contributions to the American society. However, the challenges they face create barriers that could limit how much contribution they make to the American society and how much they can benefit from what America has to offer them. This exploratory descriptive qualitative (EDQ) study attempts to describe, using a sample of 15 parents, the lived experiences of newcomer refugees having children within the Abilene Independent School District (AISD) system, to find answers to the questions: (1) What do refugee families say they need to help …

Conceptualizing The Psychosocial Elements That Should Be Assessed In Candidates For Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: Social Workers' And Psychologists' Perspectives., Jill Randall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: In the United States, approximately 23,000 hematopoietic cell transplantations (HCT), also known as a bone marrow transplant, are performed annually. Patients who undergo HCT are among the most acutely ill and medically vulnerable oncology populations. Given the arduous nature of HCT, patients undergo an extensive pre-transplant evaluation that typically includes psychosocial assessment. The literature lacks a well-defined conceptual framework of the psychosocial elements that should be assessed in HCT candidates. This has led to practice variation, which has in turn inhibited high quality psychosocial research. Method: Social workers and psychologists in HCT were recruited to participate in a concept …

The Lived Experience Of Women With Head & Neck Cancer And The Impact On Close Relationships., Georgia Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Head and neck cancer (HNC) is emotionally and physically burdensome to people who are diagnosed with this disease. In the United States, nearly 30% of people diagnosed with HNC are women. Studies about depression and anxiety in this population have been conducted for decades; however, there are no studies that specifically examine the psychosocial implications of this disease from the perspective of women. Method: Women diagnosed with HNC were recruited from two academic medical centers in the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana tri-state area to explore the lived experience of women with HNC and how this disease impacts their close relationships. Semi-structured interviews …

Resentenced And Released: Re-Entry Needs Following Release From Juvenile Life Without Parole, Daphne M. Brydon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over 2,100 individuals serving juvenile life without paroles (JLWOP) sentences in the U.S. became eligible for resentencing following the 2016 Montgomery v. Louisiana Supreme Court ruling. Michigan housed an estimated 370 juvenile lifers at that time, the second largest JLWOP community in the country and has since resentenced and released approximately 120 juvenile lifers. Folx released from prison encounter many barriers to successful re-entry. Barriers are often amplified for those incarcerated as adolescents. Further, services are de-prioritized for folx serving JLWOP sentences, which can be especially damaging for this community whose life experiences are marked by high rates of trauma, …

Exploring The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Paternal Warmth: Does Racial Identity Moderate This Relationship And Does Depression, Anxiety, And Physical Health Mediate This Relationship?, Stephanie Rachel Speer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Childhood trauma has a direct impact on parenting. Parents with a history of adverse childhood experiences are more likely to struggle with mental illness in adulthood and have children at an augmented risk for behavioral health issues. However, most of this work has focused on mothers, and few studies have explored how adverse childhood experiences influence paternal warmth and father involvement. Research on fathering has identified personal (e.g., age, race, income, parental stress, depression, and anxiety) and social (e.g., residential and relationship status, co-parenting) predictors of paternal warmth and father involvement. While poor physical health may influence parenting behaviors, …

Operationalizing A New Method For Defining And Scaling Social Innovations Using Tiny Home Communities As A Case Study, Jennifer H. Wilson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social innovations are new approaches to addressing unmet need. In an increasingly globalized and interconnected world, social innovations propagate rapidly in response to the dynamic conditions of our modern world. An example of an emergent social innovation, tiny home communities are gaining traction as a more economically, socially, and environmentally favorable response to homelessness and inadequacies in the current shelter and housing system. The use of tiny homes communities (that is, intentional clusters of small-scale structures) as an innovative response to homelessness is relatively new. As such, there is limited empirical evidence on the topic. Lack of research and defined …