Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Service Learning To Benefit Graduate Students And Meet Community Needs, Brittany Sullivan, Hannah Canady

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

This poster session will share with faculty members, graduate students, and practicing school psychologists what service learning partnerships are, highlight potential benefits that could come from service learning, and indicate how service learning partnerships can be developed.

Sustainable Small House Project, Mollie Jo George

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The Sustainable Small House Project was developed in cooperation with UNO/UNL Engineering, UNO Gerontology, and Metro Community College. This project merges both sustainable living with the small house movement to promote aging-in-place for older adults. This presentation describes the journey of Dr. Bing Chen as he envisioned the Sustainable Small House Project to its development and finally to implementation at its current location--west of Baxter Arena or adjacent to the UNO ballfield.

From a gerontological lens, the project focuses on principles of universal design which allows for aging-in-place, fall-detection and prevention using smart technologies such as Nobi, and voice-activated technologies …

Racial Equality And Social Equity In International Settings: The Anti-Discriminatory Perspective In Mexico, Felipe Blanco

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Among the many elements that make social equity a pillar of public administration in the US, racial equity and equality have had a prominent role. The literature around the topic recognizes that race and ethnicity are socially constructed categories shaped by specific socio-historical contexts and that race, as a nervous area of government is a global phenomenon. However, understanding of the social construction of race and social equity in other national settings remains fairly limited. This research contributes to closing this gap by studying the case of the National Commission to Prevent and Eradicate Discrimination (CONAPRED), a Mexican federal organization …

Examining Assistive And Interactive Technology Needs Of Older Adults, Joshua Idachaba, Julie Blaskewicz Boron, Sarah Hubner, Marcia Shade, Natalie Manley, Meaghan Walls, Ann Fruhling

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Most older adults have expressed a desire to age in place. Advances in medicine and technology have helped improve the feasibility to fulfill this desire. Assistive and interactive technologies (AITs), which assist with at least one activity of daily living (ADL) or instrumental activity of daily living (IADL), may be key in supporting independent living, improving the user’s quality of life, and reducing caregiver burden. This study aimed to investigate the technology needs and preferences of older adults and how demographics, IADL/ADL function, and quality of life relate to these needs and preferences.

Older adults, mostly in Nebraska, were recruited …

Adolescent Adjustment: How Social Withdrawal And Number Of Friends Affect Peer Victimization, Afrah F. Rasheed

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

This presentation will discuss a study examining the relationship between social withdrawal and total number of friends on peer victimization, which is when a child or adolescent is outcast, harassed, or bullied by peers. This study took place in Barranquilla, Colombia and Montréal, Canada. 1375 children ranging from 6-15 years of age participated in this study. Social withdrawal, number of friends, and peer victimization was measured through peer nominations. A multiple regression analysis was performed and found that social withdrawal was a positive predictor of peer victimization, β=.41,t(1193)=15.69,p<.05, while a greater number of friends was a negative predictor for peer victimization, β=-.15,t(1193)=-5.78,p<.05. The findings indicate that positive social interaction and a network of friends lessened the likelihood of being victimized by peers. Future directions could look at parent/guardian relationships on peer victimization and effective intervention strategies to reduce victimization.

Effects Of Social Networks And Caregiver Characteristics On Loneliness In Caregivers To Older Adults With Chronic Conditions, Hayley A. Fouche, Janelle N. Beadle Dr.

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Caregivers to older adults with chronic conditions may experience physical and mental health issues, such as depression and loneliness, due to the stressful nature of providing daily care. Loneliness levels also may be affected by caregiving characteristics (e.g., time spent on caregiving per week), as well as differing levels of social support. Yet, few studies have specifically examined the relationship between loneliness, caregiving characteristics and social support in caregivers to older adults with chronic conditions. Understanding the risk factors for loneliness among caregivers may provide insights into ways to improve caregiver well-being. This study aims to investigate differences in loneliness …

Assistive And Interactive Technology Use, Comfort, And Interest In Caregiver And Older Adult Populations, Sarah Hubner, Akankshya Chataut, Marcia Shade, Ann Fruhling, Natalie Manley, Meaghan Walls, Julie Blaskewicz Boron

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Remaining community-dwelling is a goal for most aging adults; however, this may necessitate assistance from caregivers. To reduce burden and improve adult autonomy, recent technological advancements have provided various supports. These advancements may improve quality of life (QOL) while also enhancing psychological/physical well-being for adults and caregivers. To investigate relationships between technology, QOL, and caregiver burden, needs assessments with focus groups were utilized. Four older adult and two caregiver focus groups were conducted. Within older adult groups, participants were aged 64-83 years (M=73.1,SD=5.3); the sample was 50% female and 90% white. For caregiver groups, participants were aged 31-73 years (M=57.8,SD=13.2); …

A Melting Pot Of Medications: Issues Regarding Over-Prescribing In Dementia Populations, Angela Gifford

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Over-prescribing is an issue faced by many in the older population, but dementia patients statistically experience higher prescribing rates of potentially inappropriate medications compared to their peers. There are currently no FDA approved medications available for the direct treatment of dementia, but drug classes like anticholinergics and psychotropics are used for the management of behavioral symptoms associated with the disease. These drugs can cause negative side-effects in the dementia populations including gastrointestinal issues, neurological issues, increased hospitalizations, and increased mortality rates within this group. Most troubling, the benefits that are supposed to occur from taking these drugs have been show …

Sometimes A Joke Is Not Just A Joke: Examining The Role Of Humor On Police Officers’ Workplace Experiences, Rachael Rief

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Masculinity is pervasive in the field of policing, present in both the culture and organizational structure. As women continue to represent a low number of all sworn law enforcement officers, research has begun considering how culture and structural conditions interact with gender to affect women’s experiences in policing. This research suggests that many informal and formal practices in police culture, including the use of gendered jokes or sexist humor, work to exclude women and highlight the importance of gendered aspects of the job. However, little research has explored the extent to which humor and joking behavior explicitly interacts with women’s …

Comparing Individual Perceptions Of Food Desert With Quantitative Measures In Omaha, Nebraska., Hector N. Samani, Bradley Bereitschaft

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Food deserts have been linked to an increase in chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes, due to lower access to affordable and healthy foods. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) outlines various methods and variables for defining food deserts, in attempts to standardize what constitutes a food desert or their characteristics. The USDA identifies the state of Nebraska as having both rural and urban food deserts, with an increase of food insecurity from 1.1% – 3.0% between 2007 and 2012 and warns of further increase of food deserts and its impact if measures are not taken. However, there …

Depressive Symptoms, Social Activity, And Physical Activity In Older Adults, Hyeon Jung (Judith) Kim

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Depressive symptoms are negatively related to mental health and quality of life. Social and physical activities have been used as indicators of depressive symptoms in older populations. Participation in high levels of social and physical activities has been associated with decreased depressive symptoms. This pilot study explored the relationship between the levels of social and physical activities and depressive symptoms among older adults living in an independent living facility. Twenty-two participants (Age M=87.50; SD=7.50; 82% women) were recruited and completed The Geriatric Depression Scale short form, the Revised Change in Activity and Interest Index (assessed social activity level), and Godin …

Examining Sexual Victimization Among Male And Female Inmates, Sara Toto

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Sexual victimization can be damaging to victims, regardless of where it occurs. Yet, it is especially detrimental when such abuse occurs in the context of incarceration. The consequences of sexual violence occurring in prison are both immediate (i.e., physical pain and increased risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases) and long-term (i.e., mental health problems and reduced likelihood of successful reentry into society). Studies regarding the prevalence and predictors of such events in prisons are few. This research uses data collected on a sample of male and female prisoners to understand how often sexual perpetration and victimization occurs within prison.

Screen Culture: A Closer Look At The Impact Of Screen Use On Developmental Outcomes, Dylan Leslie, Joseph Schwartz Phd

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Excessive screen time among adolescents has long been considered a potential risk factor for a host of negative physical, mental and behavioral outcomes. There are important questions surrounding this association that remain unanswered. The temporal order of the association remains unestablished, as it is fully possible that preexisting physical, mental, and behavioral issues are causing excessive screen use. Similarly, selection bias remains possible, as influences that promote excessive screen use may also, simultaneously, impact negative physical health, mental health, and behavior. Finally, the developmental impact of increased screen time remains relatively unknown, as the majority of existing studies are exclusively …

Cloud Control And Monitoring: Personal Food Computer Version 2.0, Deepika Angelene Jantz

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Trends in Agricultural development and growth rates in crop yields have slowed down due to harsh weather conditions. Also, use of pesticides, fertilizers and genetically modified organisms in food(GM0) has caused attenuation of nutrition, thus giving rise to Food Crisis. To address this concern, Caleb Harper, Principal Research Scientist at MIT shares his vision of “Food Computer” through an initiative called OpenAg, that dwells upon the concept of Controlled Environment for the growth of the plant. The objective of this research is to bring awareness in the young minds – the kids at K12 level to get familiar with current …

Public Perceptions Of The Police: The Role Of Social Media, Ebonie Epinger

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Policing in the US has come under fire over the past few years due to highly publicized shootings of unarmed black citizens. These events have monopolized the media, which can potentially undermine their legitimacy in the public eye. Extant research has explored the traditional media- such as television news, crime dramas, and crime reality shows- on citizens’ attitudes toward the police, with decidedly mixed results. Given the rise of social media and concern of the potentially biased portrayal of police by such media sources, research is needed which can assess what, if any, effect social media has on individuals’ attitudes …

Electronically Monitored Youth: Perceptions Of Stigma, Marijana Kotlaja

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

This study examines the stigmatizing effects of electronic monitors (EM) among youth currently enrolled in an EM program. EM is viewed as a sanction that is less punitive than incarceration, more cost-effective and provides advantages over other alternatives. A total of 140 participants were randomly assigned to conditions (stigma salient vs. stigma non-salient) for an experiment in which they will be told the purpose of the study is to learn more about their thoughts and behaviors related to wearing an EM. This study can be deemed one of the first assessments to assess stigma consciousness and self-fulfilling prophecy (SFP) as …

Community Partnership Initiative (Cpi), Deepika Angelene Jantz, Joseph Nabiry, Doris Uwaezuoke

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

UNO is committed to community involvement. The Community Partnership Initiative (CPI) was created with the goal of combining community partners with campus groups in order to work together to serve communities nationwide. The CPI application was designed to give partners and users a way to create and manage their projects online. Additionally, the tool was designed as a way for the CPI office to highlight the ways they are working to benefit the community and create a more dynamic way to analyze, track, and display the projects, partners, and communities they are working in. The CPI application is currently being …

Pilot Study Of Empathy In Adults, Libby Moberg

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Empathy is of critical public health importance due to its association with relationship satisfaction and well-being (Davis & Oathout, 1987; Davis, 1983). There is growing evidence that bilingual individuals may have higher levels of empathy (Javor, 2016). One potential mechanism for this relationship is that bilingual individuals tend to have higher levels of executive functioning (Costa et al, 2008), which is linked to higher empathy because individuals are able to more easily adopt others’ perspectives. Previous studies examining this question have largely relied on self-report questionnaires assessing empathy as a general tendency (i.e., trait). No studies have examined differences in …

Up In Flames: Criminal Expertise And Far-Left Extremism, Michael K. Logan

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

This paper examines the decision-making processes of far-left extremists involved in arson and incendiary violence. The paper pays specific attention to the manner in which offenders draw upon prior knowledge and ‘expertise’ in planning and/or execution the attack. Drawing upon a sample of 195 self-reported communiques, the results suggest offenders rely on two types of criminal expertise to inform their decision to become involved in a violent act. First, perceptual expertise describes differential thinking patterns related to the crime setting. Second, procedural expertise involves the knowledge and skills aimed at enacting the offense itself. Overall, findings from this study suggest …

An Examination Of Within And Between Family Influences On The Intergenerational Transmission Of Violence And Maltreatment, Bradon A. Valgardson

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant problem that results in long-term mental and physical health issues. Previous research has identified a wide range of factors that potentially contribute to IPV perpetration, with childhood and adolescent maltreatment being some of the more commonly examined sources of influence. Despite these contributions, maltreatment has not been adequately distinguished from additional sources of influence that tend to cluster within families, such as other adverse family experiences and genetic influences. The current study attempts to better isolate the influence of maltreatment on IPV perpetration through the use of a sibling sample from the National …