Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Perioperative Protocol To Prevent Emergence Delirium In Patients With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Audrianna Bustos, Roxanne Sambuca

DNP Scholarly Projects

Introduction: Ten percent of adults will experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at some point during their lifetime, 50% of which remain untreated and undiagnosed. Perioperative management of the patient with PTSD may create significant challenges for the anesthesia provider. Patients with PTSD are more likely to experience emergence delirium (ED), which poses a significant safety threat to patients and staff. Screening for PTSD is routine in the veteran population but has not yet translated into common practice. To our knowledge, no protocol currently exists for anesthetic management of patients with PTSD. Routine screening for PTSD in the preoperative period and …

Friend Matters: Sex Differences In Social Language During Autism Diagnostic Interviews, Meredith Cola, Lisa D. Yahkowitz, Kimberly Tena, Alison Russell, Leila Bateman, Azia Knox, Samantha Plate, Laura S. Cubit, Casey J. Zampella, Juhi Pandey, Robert T. Schultz, Julia Parish-Morris

Psychology Faculty Work

Background: Autistic individuals frequently experience social communication challenges. Girls are diagnosed with autism less often than boys even when their symptoms are equally severe, which may be due to insufficient understanding of the way autism manifests in girls. Differences in the behavioral presentation of autism, including how people talk about social topics, could contribute to these persistent problems with identification. Despite a growing body of research suggesting that autistic girls and boys present distinct symptom profiles in a variety of domains, including social attention, friendships, social motivation, and language, differences in the way that autistic boys and girls communicate …

Fast Fashion From A Buddhist Perspective, Elizabeth Mclaughlin

HON499 projects

The connection between Buddhism and fast fashion is not immediately apparent, nor is it a particularly well-researched area. However, the topic of consumption underlies both topics, relating to each in markedly different ways. Buddhist precepts outline practices of mindful and sustainable consumption within limited means; fast fashion fosters consumption on a massive, global scale. The work of Ernst Friedrich Schumacher, a man with a career in economics that was aided by great concern for the survival and success of humankind, offers clarity to the conversation about Buddhism and fast fashion. He pioneered the field of Buddhist economics, which seeks to …

Barite Co-Precipitation Of Arsenic And Chromium Anions For The Treatment Of Fracking Wastewater, Kendra C. Schlitzer, Amber L. O'Connor, Florence T. Ling

HON499 projects

Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, produces wastewater that contains hazardous ions such as arsenic, strontium, and chromium. In order to remove these toxic contaminants, Na₂SO₄ can be added to fracking wastewater to form Barite (BaSO₄). During this process, ions such as Arsenic and Chromium will incorporate into the solid phase. In this work, we examined the coprecipitation of Arsenic and Chromium anions into Barite. We have created simulations of this precipitate formation in fracking wastewater treatments and have used this for Arsenic, Chromium, and Barium. A 1:1 ratio of BaCl₂ to Na_{2 …}

Teaching Note—Adopting, Adapting, And Creating Open Textbooks: A Brief Guide For Faculty, Matthew P. Decarlo

Social Work Faculty Work

Across North America, the open education movement has blossomed in the past 10 years, with a majority of institutions of higher education employing open textbooks in at least one course. Unfortunately, social work lags behind other disciplines in the adoption, adaptation, and creation of open educational resources. This teaching note offers practical advice for faculty exploring open education based on the lessons learned from the author’s two open textbook projects for undergraduate and graduate social work research methods. As universities, states, and international bodies increase funding for open education projects, the field of social work should demonstrate its commitment to …

Dismantling White Supremacy In Social Work Education: We Build The Road By Walking, Charla Yearwood, Rosemary Barbera, Amy K. Fisher, Carol Hostetter

Social Work Faculty Work

We are excited to share this special edition of Advances in Social Work with you. When we distributed a call for abstracts, we were inundated – in a good way – with proposals. The need for social workers to discuss the role that white supremacy occupies within our history, education, and practice was obvious. Because of the number of abstracts received, we made the decision to publish a double edition so that the important information contained in these articles can be widely shared. The submissions fell into three general themes--historical, instructional, and institutional examinations. Each set of articles offers much …

The Future Of Forensic Psychology, William J. Lasala

Undergraduate Research

Throughout my years at La Salle University as a dual Psychology and Criminal Justice major, I have had the opportunity to study and learn about a variety of different topics regarding these two fields. The specific field that I was drawn towards the most was the field of forensic psychology, which is why it is the topic of my research project. My project’s main goal is to ensure that forensic psychology, with some new improvements, continue to be a leading force in both the field of criminal justice and psychology. Specifically, my project focuses on the future of forensic psychology …

The Management Of The Eurozone In Crisis Times: Actors, Institutions And The Case Of Bailout Packages, Michel Goyer, Miguel Glatzer, Rocio Valdivielso Del Real

Political Science Faculty Work

The adjustment to the financial crisis was particularly brutal for Eurozone countries targeted by private bondholders. Financial assistance through the newly created Eurozone governance system was conditional on the implementation of austerity measures and the introduction of structural reforms in industrial relations (decentralization of collective bargaining and liberalization of employment protection). Our analysis focuses on the formation process and the structural features of Eurozone supranational institutions. Building from the insights of actor-centred institutionalism, we illustrate the importance of coalitions among some, but not all, important actors based on the overlapping of their non-monolithic preferences in the process of institutional innovation. …

Is Social Media Worth It? Investigating The Relationship Between Social Media Use And Exposure And Eating Attitudes And Behaviors., Gabriella R. Marrero, Beth Bradford

Undergraduate Research

The aim of this study was to investigate whether exposure and usage of social media sites (Instagram and Pinterest) were related to eating disorder behaviors and attitudes. A sample of female undergraduate students at La Salle University completed an online survey which measured social media exposure, media manipulation, and thoughts and behaviors related to eating disorders.

Social Justice Education & Implementation Of First-Year Seminar Course: "Social Issues - Think Global, Act Local", Alexa L. Bannon

HON499 projects

La Salle University is an institution that prides itself on its commitment to service, justice, and the common good. This project provides a literature review of social justice education, and a possible way to implement additional social justice education into the Lasallian curriculum through a new First-Year Seminar Course. Throughout this project, I have developed a comprehensive syllabus and pedagogical teaching guide to provide a valuable addition to the First-Year Seminar courses currently offered. The main purpose of this project and this new First-Year Seminar course, titled “Social Issues: Think Global, Act Local,” is to expose students to social justice …

American As Apple Pie: Cultural Significance Of American Baked Goods, Madeline Jupina

HON499 projects

This research examines four American baked goods: apple pie, Yum-Yum Cake (better known as Depression Cake), beignets, and bagels. Individual cultural and culinary elements of each dish were examined, focusing on elements of the immigration and economic situation in America at the time. The baked goods are also placed in the larger picture of American culture. The analysis of each one shows that they are interrelated on deeper cultural, economic, and social levels. The study of these four baked goods is only a glimpse into the many cultural traditions that make up American society, but the paper creates a framework …

Urbanicity And Female Jail Incarceration Rates In 1970 And 2018: The Rise Of Rural Female Jail Incarceration, Samantha M. Caimi

HON499 projects

This paper examines the role of county urbanicity as it relates to mean female jail incarceration rates in both the United States and Pennsylvania in the years 1970 and 2018. There are three research questions to be answered in this study. The first is whether mean female jail incarceration rates vary significantly by urbanicity (rural, small/mid, suburban, urban). The second is whether the relationship between female jail incarceration rates and urbanicity changed from 1970 to 2018. The third research question is whether the findings for questions 1 and 2 will be the same for both Pennsylvania and the United States. …

Texting To Maintain Relationships During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Madeline Jupina

Undergraduate Research

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many college students saw shifts in their relationships. As a result, many turned to texting to maintain these relationships even in a stressful time. Sixty-nine participants responded to a survey about texting family members, friends, and romantic partners during the coronavirus pandemic. They responded to survey items based on the five relational maintenance strategies created by Stafford & Canary (1991). College students used texting somewhat more than before the pandemic to maintain relationships across every relationship type. Depending on the type of relationship, different relational maintenance strategies were emphasized. Although this study examines texted relational …

Longitudinal Impact Of Parental Catastrophizing On Child Functional Disability In Pediatric Amplified Pain, Bernadette L. Dougherty, Nataliya Zelikovsky, Kimberly S. Miller, Daniel Rodriguez, Sharon Lee Armstrong, David D. Sherry

Psychology Faculty Work

OBJECTIVE: Children with amplified musculoskeletal pain (AMPS) experience significant functional disability, with impairment in their ability to participate in age-appropriate activities of daily living. Parental factors play an important role in a child's pain symptoms and treatment outcomes, with parental pain catastrophizing and protective behaviors linked to several maladaptive outcomes for children. Aims of the current study were to examine how parental pain catastrophizing, child pain catastrophizing, and parental protective behaviors longitudinally impacted functional disability for children with AMPS.

METHODS: Archival data were examined from parent-child dyads presenting to a tertiary pain clinic for treatment of AMPS. Over …

How Effective Are African Health Systems? An Analysis Of Guinea, Liberia And Sierra Leone, Kale A. Adote

HON499 projects

While developed countries in the rest of the world have found themselves overwhelmed by the Covid-19 pandemic, in comparison, Africa has been minimally affected given that it has reported lower case counts since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. However, given the destructive potential of this pandemic, this raises the question: how prepared are health systems in Africa to face major outbreaks? To answer this question, this article explored the state of health systems and epidemic preparedness in African countries using Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone as case studies. Given that these three countries were epicentre countries during …

Covid-19 And Stay-At-Home Orders: An Application Of Routine Activity Theory In Philadelphia, Jessica M. Brain

Undergraduate Research

The coronavirus pandemic changed the routines of people all over the world. Because of the implementation of government stay-at-home orders, people started doing more of their daily activities from home. This explores the impact coronavirus had on burglary counts in Philadelphia. Data were used from OpenDataPhilly to compare both non-residential and residential burglary counts from April through June 2019 and April through June 2020, a latter time frame, a period when routine activities were likely significantly altered as many more people stayed at home. It was anticipated that as more people stay at home and Philadelphia would experience fewer residential …

What The Public Needs To See And Say: An Easier Guide To Early Detection Of Armed Assailants, Mark A. Thomas

Political Science Faculty Work

In the wake of active shooting, the commonly cited “See Something, Say Something” campaign is, by and large, ineffective, not because it lacks good intent. Rather, it fails insofar as it does not give the public clear criteria of what to see, what to say, to whom to say it and when. Terrorists and other types of armed assailants wishing to use violence, wreaking out death and destruction for political or personal ends, do not suddenly launch an attack. Prior to each attack, the could-be armed assailant does extensive research, And, even prior to deciding on becoming an armed assailant, …

The Relationship Between Emotion Regulation And Video Games, Charlotte J. Splendido

Undergraduate Research

64% of homes have at least one person who plays video games regularly (The ESA, 2018). With the continuously growing popularity of video games comes debate about the potential detriments that gaming may have on people’s health, particularly children. On the news, video games are often painted as unhealthy, claiming that gaming is addicting and leads people to become antisocial. The media also quickly points to the violent content of some video games as the cause for violent acts. Studies have been conducted to analyze negative effects of video games, such as violence or addiction, but fewer studies have researched …

An Examination Into The Factors Of Stigma Toward Help Seeking Attitudes In College Student Athletes, Amanda Chapin, Kelly Mcclure Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research

Meeting the demands of a rigorous schedule for a student athlete can be challenging. The appearance of perceived public stigma and self-stigma may interfere with the student athlete’s attitudes toward help seeking, creating a negative relationship between attitudes toward seeking help and the action of seeking help. This study examined college student athlete attitudes toward seeking mental health help in association to perceived public stigma, self-stigma and athletic identity. The sample consisted of 39 college student athletes who participate in a team sport within the Atlantic 10 conference in Division 1 of the NCAA. The cross sectional approach used the …

Academic Partnerships And Evaluations In Problem-Solving Courts: A Practitioner Resource Guide, Caitlin J. Taylor

Sociology and Criminal Justice Faculty work

This resource guide is intended to assist criminal justice system practitioners who may be interested in measuring the effectiveness of their programs. While the guide is developed specifically in the context of problem-solving courts, much of the resources included are applicable to a wide range of criminal justice and social service programs.

Chapter 1 outlines how practitioners can work with either an academic evaluator or partner to conduct an independent, objective evaluation of their programming. Chapter 2 explains the differences between two types of evaluations: process and outcome evaluations. Chapter 3 covers logic models, which are a critical task prior …

Mentee And Mentor Perceptions Of A Mentoring Court For High-Risk Probationers, Caitlin J. Taylor

Sociology and Criminal Justice Faculty work

As part of an evaluation of the only known mentoring problem-solving court for adult moderate- and high-risk probationers in the United States, the current study investigated mentors and mentees’ perceptions of the programme. Data sources included surveys of and focus groups with mentees as well as online monthly reports from mentors. Qualitative analysis revealed that both mentors and mentees reported positive mentoring relationships, while mentees were concerned about issues of relatability and enabling. Mentees also perceived the programme to be a sanctuary from their chaotic everyday lives and a very new experience within the justice system.

Mentor Program Evaluation Report, Caitlin J. Taylor

Sociology and Criminal Justice Faculty work

This report details a three year evaluation of the MENTOR (Mentors Empowering to Overcome Recidivism) Program in the Philadelphia court system. MENTOR program participants who are serving county probation sentences are matched with a volunteer mentor from the community, receive case management from MENTOR staff, and attend a monthly status hearing with one of the MENTOR judges. The program evaluation relied on several data sources to assess program effectiveness, including surveys and focus groups with mentees, online monthly reports from mentors, internally collected program data on service referrals, interviews with stakeholders, and official records from Adult Probation and Parole Department …

Variations In Parent And Teacher Ratings Of Internalizing, Externalizing, Adaptive Skills, And Behavioral Symptoms In Children With Selective Mutism, Evelyn R. Klein, Cesar E. Ruiz, Kylee Morales, Paige Stanley

Psychology Faculty Work

Selective mutism (SM) is an anxiety disorder that impacts communication. Children with SM present concerns to parents and teachers as they consistently do not speak in situations where there is an expectation to speak, such as at school, but speak in other settings where they feel more comfortable, such as at home. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of children with SM on behavioral rating scales and language measures. Forty-two children (22 boys and 20 girls, ranging from 2.4 to 13.8 years, with a mean age of 7.1 years) took part …

Variations In Parent And Teacher Ratings Of Internalizing, Externalizing, Adaptive Skills, And Behavioral Symptoms In Children With Selective Mutism, Evelyn R. Klein, Cesar E. Ruiz, Kylee Morales, Paige Stanley

Communication and Speech Disorders Faculty work

Selective mutism (SM) is an anxiety disorder that impacts communication. Children with SM present concerns to parents and teachers as they consistently do not speak in situations where there is an expectation to speak, such as at school, but speak in other settings where they feel more comfortable, such as at home. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of children with SM on behavioral rating scales and language measures. Forty-two children (22 boys and 20 girls, ranging from 2.4 to 13.8 years, with a mean age of 7.1 years) took part …

Women And Crime, Samantha M. Caimi

Undergraduate Research

This paper examines the role of gender in three high profile criminal cases involving women. Each case highlights different circumstances of women involved in crime and the consequences of a justice system that does not acknowledge and address the role of gender in women’s criminal involvement. First, Cyntoia Brown’s case demonstrates the challenges specific to poor girls of color. Second, the case of Yeardley Love delineates the danger women face in their relationships with male intimate partners. Finally, the highly controversial case of Casey Anthony illustrates the societal pressure on women as mothers and the need to address potential biases …

Interview Of Fred J. Foley, Jr., Ph.D., Fred J. Foley Ph.D., Jeanmarie Turner

All Oral Histories

Dr. Fred Foley, Jr. was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in December of 1946. His parents were Fred Joseph Foley and Doris Nelson Foley. He moved to the Philadelphia area with his family when he was four years old. He is married, has three children and four grandchildren. He lived in Delaware County growing up. Dr. Foley attended St. Andrew's Grade School and Monsignor Bonner High School for Boys. He attended St. Joseph’s College as an undergrad majoring in Politics. He graduated with a B.A. in Politics in 1968. He attended Princeton University for his Master’s and Ph.D. programs. He graduated …

Interview Of Rosanna Mastrangelo, Rosanna Mastrangelo, Juliana Mastrangelo

All Oral Histories

The Interviewee:

Rosanna Mastrangelo was born in February 1964, in South Philadelphia. Her parents, along with the rest of her family, were Italian immigrants who had come to America after the end of World War II in hopes of rebuilding a better life for themselves. Raised in a tight-knit Italian neighborhood and surrounded by Old World traditions, Rosanna quickly realized the importance of remaining close to one’s roots, especially in forming her unique sense of identity. But as she went to school and became acquainted with people of other backgrounds and experiences, it became ever more clear that her sense …

Interview Of William E. Watson Iv, Ph.D, William E. Watson Iv Ph.D., Richard K. Girkin

All Oral Histories

Dr. William E. Watson was born in 1962 in New York City. The son of musicians, he moved to Lower Merion Township in Pennsylvania with his mother and twin brother in the mid-1970s. Graduating from Lower Merion High School, Dr. Watson attended Eastern College for his Undergraduate degree in History. He continued his education at the University of Pennsylvania for his Masters and completed his Doctorate in Medieval Studies., with minor concentrations in Russian History and Islamic History. Dr. Watson taught at both Drexel University and La Salle University as an adjunct professor before going full-time at Immaculata University in …

Interview Of Richard Kestler, F.S.C., M.A., Richard Kestler Fsc, Alexandria Moraschi

All Oral Histories

Brother Richard Kestler, FSC. was born John Kestler on January 8, 1942 to John and Alice Kestler. He grew up in the Oxford Circle section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Brother Richard attended elementary school at his parish of St. Martin of Tours and went on to La Salle College High School, graduating in 1960. By this time, he made the decision to join the Christian Brothers and began this process for about a year before attending La Salle College. He graduated in 1965 with a Bachelor’s in Mathematics and gained a Master’s in Theology soon after. Brother Richard also has Master’s …

Program Evaluation Of The Federal Reentry Court In The Eastern District Of Pennsylvania: Report On Program Effectiveness For The First 265 Reentry Court Participants, Caitlin J. Taylor

Sociology and Criminal Justice Faculty work

This report describes the latest evaluation of the Supervision to Aid Reentry (STAR) program (hereafter referred to as Reentry Court). The success of the Reentry Court is assessed by comparing the first 265 Reentry Court participants to a group of similarly situated individuals under supervised release. Results indicate that while Reentry Court participation does not appear to influence the likelihood of new arrests, participation is associated with a significant reduction in the likelihood of probation revocations and an increase in the likelihood of employment.