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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Effects Of Premarital Education Promotion Policies On U.S. Divorce Rates, Tiffany L. Clyde, Jocelyn S. Wikle, Alan J. Hawkins, Spencer L. James Dec 2019

The Effects Of Premarital Education Promotion Policies On U.S. Divorce Rates, Tiffany L. Clyde, Jocelyn S. Wikle, Alan J. Hawkins, Spencer L. James

Faculty Publications

Currently, 10 states have enacted policies to promote premarital education and counseling. However, no research has documented whether these policies have actually decreased divorce rates in implementing states. The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of premarital education promotion policies on divorce rates. First, we conducted an implementation study to understand how well each state implemented the policy. A combination of methods was used, including reviewing the legislative documents and archival records, as well as interviewing academics and key persons knowledgeable of the legislation. Following the implementation study, we conducted an evaluation study to analyze the effects …


Homelessness In The United States, Cassie Hall Sep 2019

Homelessness In The United States, Cassie Hall

Ballard Brief

Homelessness is an issue for individuals all across the country who lack stable housing and the finances for other necessities like water. food and safety. Homelessness occurs for several reasons. including poverty, mental illness. and substance abuse. Many negative outcomes have been reported as a result of homelessness. including negative impacts on physical health, worsening of mental illness. worsening of substance abuse. and negative outcomes for children and youth. Several practices have been implemented to avoid such outcomes including emergency shelters. food kitchens. transitional housing, and Housing First approaches. Practices in Housing First have the greatest impact to report.


Usage Of Electronic Cigarettes Among Youth In The United States, Cade Hyde Sep 2019

Usage Of Electronic Cigarettes Among Youth In The United States, Cade Hyde

Ballard Brief

Electronic cigarette usage among youth in the United States has been rising at an increasingly large rate in recent years. Usage rates of electronic cigarettes (hereafter referred to as e-cigarettes) doubled among high school students in a 4 year span from 2013 to 2017. The year following, the percentage of high school students using e-cigarettes doubled again: in 2018, 20.8% of high school students reported using e-cigarettes. as compared to 11.7% in 2017. As reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), currently 1 in 5 high school students consistently use e-cigarettes. making them the most-used type of …


Deforestation In The Amazon Rainforest, Brandon Wegrowski Sep 2019

Deforestation In The Amazon Rainforest, Brandon Wegrowski

Ballard Brief

Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest represents a critical issue in our modern world, as it is the root cause of many other problems that affect the entire planet. The Amazon's deforestation is particularly relevant because it has been a chronic issue that has plagued the region for decades. Some of the key contributing factors include cattle ranching, infrastructure development such as roads, the building of many large dams, and small-scale subsistence farming. Consequences of deforestation in the Amazon include a significant loss of species and their habitats, a disturbance of indigenous peoples and their health, an increase in CO2 emissions, …


Substance Abuse Among College Students In The United States, Sam Lofgran Sep 2019

Substance Abuse Among College Students In The United States, Sam Lofgran

Ballard Brief

College students are one of the largest groups of substance abusers in the United States. Many turn to substances to deal with mental illness and academic stress, particularly using study drugs to help with their academics. Students are exposed to drugs because of party culture and Greek life, where substance abuse is much more common. Substance abuse impacts many of these students' education, leading them to get lower grades and struggle academically. It also results in more emergency room visits due to substance abuse and addictions. Long-term drug abuse often leads to long-term health problems as well. Universities and outside …


The Effects Of Premarital Education Promotion Policies On U.S. Divorce Rates, Tiffany Lura Clyde Jul 2019

The Effects Of Premarital Education Promotion Policies On U.S. Divorce Rates, Tiffany Lura Clyde

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has documented the effects of divorce on children, families, communities, taxpayers, and society. Accordingly, local, state, and national governments have enacted policies aimed at strengthening marriages and reducing divorce. Currently, ten states have enacted some form of premarital education promotion policy. However, no research has documented whether the implementation of premarital education promotion policies has actually decreased the divorce rate in implementing states. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to investigate empirically the effectiveness of premarital education policy implementation on reducing early divorce rates. Prior to running any empirical analyses, an implementation study was conducted to understand …


Living Conditions In U.S. Immigration Detention Centers, Brianne Hansen May 2019

Living Conditions In U.S. Immigration Detention Centers, Brianne Hansen

Ballard Brief

Immigrant detention centers are used to hold potential immigration law violators while their case is being processed. but within these facilities many individuals experience poor living conditions. These conditions range from inadequate health care to abuse. This treatment can lead to poor physical and mental health outcomes for detainees as well as negative social and economic effects for their families. Public perspective, legislation. and economic incentives all encourage this poor treatment. while detention policies enable them. Nonprofits work to solve this issue through visitation programs. political advocacy. and community-based alternatives to detention. The Federal Government has addressed this issue most …


Troubles In Northern Ireland, Harper Forsgren May 2019

Troubles In Northern Ireland, Harper Forsgren

Ballard Brief

The Troubles in Northern Ireland were a 30-year dispute steeped in both religious conflict between the Catholics and the Protestants and geopolitical conflict between the British and the Irish. These tensions. which date back hundreds of years. came to a head in Northern Ireland between 1969 and 1998 when the opposing sides of the conflict used guerilla warfare tactics to inflict damage on rival paramilitary organizations and civilians alike. Though the Troubles officially ended in 1998. the repercussions of the turmoil are still seen today through persisting segregation, continued paramilitary aggression, mental health struggles. and political turmoil throughout the country. …


Mass Incarceration In The United States, Alex Resney Jan 2019

Mass Incarceration In The United States, Alex Resney

Ballard Brief

In both per capita and absolute terms, the United States criminal justice system is the largest in the world, housing almost 2.3 million people. Some of the challenges facing this system are policies regarding drug offenses that date back to the war on Drugs, a lack of rehabilitation of convicts, and the ·tough on crime· narrative that dominates American media. This mass incarceration impacts society at all levels, from the community to the individual. It places an economic burden on the American public, affects the health and wellbeing of the families of incarcerated individuals, leaves those in the criminal justice …