Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Determining The Differences Of Racial Microaggressions Faced By Multiracial Versus Monoracial Minority Patients Within Healthcare Settings, Elizabeth S. Ommi

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study examines the disadvantages that multiracial patients face when seeking healthcare in the United States in comparison to the disadvantages encountered by monoracial minority patients. Specifically, this study mainly focuses on the impacts of racial microaggressions within such medical settings. This was explored using a critical discourse analysis, analyzing discourse presented from past research published from 2014 to 2023. Discourse was collected based on its relevancy to the given topic and was analyzed to identify general disadvantages presented for each subpopulation. It was found that multiracial patients face different disadvantages when receiving medical care in comparison to monoracial minority …

The Effect Of Video Game Participation On Ophthalmoscopy Simulation Performance, Abdullah M. Rashid

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study investigates how video gaming experience influences performance in simulation tasks on an ophthalmoscope simulator among premedical and medical students. Participants were categorized based on their gaming habits, and completion times for simulation tasks were recorded. Results indicate that individuals with greater gaming experience, both casual and hardcore gamers, demonstrated quicker and more accurate performance compared to non-gamers across all skill levels assessed. However, no significant difference was found between casual and hardcore gamers. These findings suggest that moderate engagement in video gaming may enhance visuospatial skills and hand-eye coordination relevant to simulation-based training, with potential implications for medical …

Investigating The Relationship Between Loneliness And Stress In College Students, Daniel A. Serpas-Medina

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Loneliness in college students has been identified as a contributing factor to worsened mental health leading to greater rates of symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and others. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the severity of loneliness due to social isolation, however the relationship between loneliness and stress may have changed now in a post-COVID-19 world. This study hypothesized that loneliness does contribute to greater rates of stress in college students and that demographic factors such as gender, race/ethnicity, and first-generation student status influence that interaction. A survey was conducted at the University of Central Florida and acquired 47 total complete responses. …

The Prevalence And Determinants Of Substance Use Disorders Among Sexual Minority Adults In The United States, Katheryn Olmos

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Substance Use Disorders (SUD) continue to be a significant public health concern as drug use reaches a worldwide high. Research has consistently shown that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals are at a heightened risk of having an SUD than their heterosexual counterparts. While notable work has been done to understand the factors contributing to SUD among LGB populations, there is a substantial gap in research regarding the intersection of race/ethnicity and sexual identity. This study aims to address this gap by investigating the disparities in SUD among sexual minorities across different racial/ethnic and sex groups and the determinants that …

Curanderismo And Healing: Insights From Hispanic Young Adults, Allisa Castro

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Curanderismo is a holistic form of traditional medicine primarily used by Latin American populations and Hispanic communities in the United States. This type of care focuses on several aspects of health including physical, emotional and spiritual (supernatural). Hispanics are the largest ethnic minority population in the United States and yet healthcare access to this population remains limited by various barriers including lack of insurance, legal status, language, poverty, and other structural factors. Within this context, exploring the perceptions and role of traditional medicine, like curanderismo, as a form of healthcare becomes crucial in understanding and addressing the unique healthcare needs …

Assessing Preventive Care Utilization For Cardiovascular Disease Among U.S. Latinos, Melanie Helena Paredes

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Accounting for nearly 19% of the United States population in 2020, Latinos and Hispanics represent the second largest racial/ethnic group in the United States, totaling roughly 62.1 million people. Given the growing population size and longer life expectancy estimates amongst the U.S. Latino/Hispanic community, healthcare practitioners and public health officials are increasingly emphasizing the healthcare needs and outcomes of this population. Alarmingly, current literature has highlighted significant disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and risk factors among U.S. Latinos/Hispanics. As CVD continues to be one of the leading causes of death amongst all racial/ethnic groups across the United States, risk …

Exploring The Link Between Neurocognitive Function And Long Covid: A Comprehensive Review, Dinamaris Aguilar

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to provide an in-depth overview of the neurological manifestations associated with long COVID. The review aimed to assess the cognitive functioning symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 post-infection (PASC), investigate the potential mechanisms by which SARS-CoV-2 affects the nervous system, contributing to cognitive fatigue, brain fog, and cognitive dysfunction, and explore the parallels between SARS-CoV-2 and Alzheimer’s Disease. Neuroinflammation emerges as a shared element among these mechanisms, significantly impacting cognitive function. The parallels between COVID-19 and Alzheimer's Disease offer insights into how Alzheimer's affects cognition, aiding in understanding COVID-19's impact. The review underscores a notable gender …

The Battle Over Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion And Critical Race Theory In Florida: A Case Study On The Stop W.O.K.E. Act, Grace Anne Castelin

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Accelerating from 2022 and continuing through 2024, the state of Florida has experienced significant policy changes, particularly within the realm of higher education and affairs of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Many progressive officials, experts, and activists assert arguments that the state is on the verge of evolving into an authoritarian regime while many illiberal policies are being produced through the Florida legislature and current executive leadership—social and economic sectors are consequently threatened in order to maintain political oppression. The Stop W.O.K.E. Act has served as a catalyst for shifting the state's political stance on DEI, culminating in a chain …

Experiences Of Healing With Ayahuasca In The United States, Rebecca Galinanes

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Ayahuasca is a psychedelic brew originating from the Amazon in South America. Commonly associated with religious use among indigenous and mestizo populations, ayahuasca has made its way to the United States, where it is currently criminalized as a Schedule I drug. Nevertheless, a church in the United States provides ayahuasca to its members as both a sacrament and tool for healing through spiritual retreat weekends. Based on participant observation and semi-structured interviews with church members, volunteers, and staff in 2023, this thesis examines how members perceived the healing they experienced during multiple ayahuasca ceremonies and interactions with church volunteers and …

Identifying The Use Of Turtles And Tortoises At The Prehistoric Penny Site At Cape Canaveral, Alexandria Griffin

Honors Undergraduate Theses

As people live in an area, they leave behind an assortment of cultural items they once utilized. Some of these items may include pottery or bones from animals they used as food. Analysis of these bones can give a glimpse into how they managed their resources in the environment around them, including which ecosystems they chose to exploit, and which taxa they prioritized for consumption or cultural purposes. The Indian River Lagoon in Florida is a diverse costal lagoon with many various overlapping ecosystems and ecotones available for prehistoric peoples to utilize. Comparing the frequency of taxa representing different local …

Motivations For Retaliatory Aggression On Social Media Among Borderline Personality Endorsers, Hannah Grimes

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Social media has become a popular way of connecting with people, but it has also led to an increase in cyber aggression. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a condition that is characterized by retaliatory aggression, difficulty in interpersonal relationships, and high impulsivity. Those who endorse BPD symptoms experience unstable interpersonal relationships and struggle to maintain connections with others which can lead to problematic behaviors on social media like retaliatory aggression. Understanding the motivations behind those behaviors can help inform the experiences of the diagnosed population, mitigate problematic behaviors, and facilitate healthy social relationships. This study aims to explore the motivations …

Masculinity And Political Discourse: A Critical Analysis Of European Leaders, Taylor R. Haycock

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This project examines how European leaders of autocratic and democratic nations engage with masculinity discourses in their public speeches. Do authoritarian leaders use masculinity in a different way than democratic leaders? I answer this question by completing a critical discourse analysis of speeches from Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Boris Johnson, and Emmanuel Macron, the leaders of Russia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and France, respectively. The speeches were publicized from July 2019 to September 2022, when all four leaders were simultaneously in office. I found that a similar rhetorical strategy focusing on dominance and strength was used across regime types …

Shades Of Justice: Exploring Colorism In The Hispanic Community And Its Legal Battle For Equity, Christel A. Infante

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis focuses on the racial disparity within the Hispanic and Latinx communities as injustices exist within the community and the workplace. Racial disparities in the United States have been a persistent and deeply rooted issue that has plagued the nation for centuries. Despite significant progress in civil rights and anti-discrimination legislation, disparities in areas such as education, employment, and criminal justice persist. Understanding the factors contributing to these disparities is essential for addressing systemic inequalities and fostering a more just society. The analysis of this thesis primarily focuses on the cases and ramifications of Hispanic persons within the workplace, …

Caring For The Caregiver: A Study On The Quality Of Life Of Informal Caregivers Of Aging And Elderly Adults With Down Syndrome, Isabel E. Latorre-Lagos

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This research studied the quality of life of informal caregivers of aging and elderly adults with Down syndrome. Prior research indicates some degree of deteriorating Quality of Life (QoL) for caregivers, however, there is no empirical research isolating the aspect QoL affected. This study seeks to research the following two questions: 1) What are the trends in the four domains that influence Quality of Life, both positively and negatively, of informal caregivers of aging and elderly adults with Down syndrome? and 2)What supports do caregivers of aging and elderly adults with Down syndrome want to improve their own Quality of …

Childhood Trauma, Stress, Gender, And Depression's Impact On Suicidal Behavior, Emily H. Mezni

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in young adults. Continuous prevention and intervention efforts throughout the world have been made to reduce suicide risk in this population. Two of the biggest known risk factors for suicide is childhood trauma, a traumatic event or events that occur during youth, and depression. Researching the impact childhood trauma and depression make in conjunction with other factors will help to increase knowledge of suicidal behavior. In this study, recent stress and gender will be factored with childhood trauma and depression severity to predict suicidal ideation and attempt. Recent stress is useful …

Investigating The Role Of Glycemic Control In Cognitive Impairement Risk Among Elderly Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes: A Scoping Review, Julia Pessaia

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), presents a significant health burden globally, affecting millions of individuals, especially in the elderly population. While its association with cardiovascular diseases and cognitive impairments is well-documented, further research on the precise influence of glucose control on cognitive outcomes in elderly T2DM patients is necessary. This scoping review aims to address this gap by investigating the impact of HbA1c levels representing glycemic control on the risk of developing cognitive impairments in elderly patients with T2DM. A literature search was conducted on MEDLINE and eligible studies involved T2DM patients aged 60 or older, with documented cognitive function …

Mapping Accessibility To Emergency Care Using Public Transportation, Bach Tran

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Intro: Public transit offers various advantages for both communities and individuals in terms of mobility and has the potential to serve as a practical alternative to private motorized transportation. Timely and convenient public transit becomes a lifeline for people who cannot access other types of transportation, especially when it comes to emergency care. Method: We built a private network analysis within ArcGIS Pro using coordinate data from hospitals and stand-alone emergency rooms as designated by the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) and public transit data from Orlando, FL. Establishing the accessible time as 30 minutes, we computed and visualized …

The Influence Of Intersectionality On Identity And Resilience, Stephanie Washburn

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Co-occurring multiple minority group membership (e.g., ethnic/racial minority and sexual/gender minority) has come to be referred as intersectionality. The purpose of this study was to explore if intersectionality is related to identity and resilience in undergraduate adults. The participant pool consisted of college students from a large metropolitan university in the Southeastern United States, (N = 340), who took an anonymous online self-report survey battery in exchange for course credit. Higher levels of resilience were associated with lower levels of identity distress. Further, identity commitment, but not identity exploration, predicted resiliency. Sexual/Gender Minority (SGM) individuals had lower resiliency than …

Understanding Guardian Perceptions Of Whole-Foods Plant-Based Diets As Interventions In Pediatric Medicine, Vijay R. Luthra

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The obesity epidemic is widespread in American society, often affecting children who bear its consequences innocently. Due to a lack of nutrition knowledge, children rely on caregivers to meet their nutritional needs and instill healthy habits. This study examines parents' attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors, as well as perceived barriers to adopting a whole-foods plant-based diet (WFPD) for their children. Using a modified survey instrument by Morton et al., this study focused on parents and children regarding dietary choices. Participants were recruited from the waiting area of a pediatric clinic at the Medical College of Georgia between April and May 2023. …

The Effects Of Bilingualism And Trust On Digital Scam Susceptibility, Grace M. Casanova

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Trust is an essential component of social relationships and is connected to how we make informed decisions. Humans tend to use mental shortcuts to arrive to decisions, a strategy which may be exploited by scammers. As online scams have become more common, it is critical to understand factors that can influence appraisal of potentially untrustworthy sources. The present study focused on language, in the form of self-reported bilingualism, and its relation to scam susceptibility. Language is a factor that contributes to alterations in brain structure, cognitive performance, and cognitive control systems. Bilinguals show advantages in the form of increased synaptic …

Religious Trauma And Identity, Kylie N. Angiel

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Religious trauma is most often the result of prolonged emotional and mental trauma, rather than a one-time occurring physical experience, which can thereby lead to complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). This prolonged form of trauma can have negative impacts on one’s psychological well-being and possibly one’s sense of identity. The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of how religious trauma may be related to identity development. College students (N = 223) completed an anonymous online survey battery for course credit. Scores on a measure of religious and spiritual struggles was positively correlated with identity distress and …

Historical Legacies & Contemporary Anti-Americanism In Latin America, Ana Bello Marín

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Latin America is often cited as a prime example of historically rooted and deeply embedded opposition to the United States. There exists a prevalent assumption in the literature that suggests a legacy of foreign intervention can breed anti-Americanism. From this theoretical point of departure, we would expect individuals who lived through periods of intervention to express more negative opinions of the U.S. This thesis aims to explore whether historical legacies continue to live on and impact individual-level evaluations of the United States. By exploiting cross-country variation in the years and types of intervention, this study tests the empirical significance of …

Analysis Of The Mortuary Patterns At The Burns Site (8br85) At Cape Canaveral Space Force Station And The State Of Florida, Melanie M. Langgle

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The Burns Site, located in Cape Canaveral, Florida, is an ancient burial mound that presents a unique archaeological puzzle characterized by its distinctive mortuary practice known as 'radial burials.' This paper explores the origins and significance of radial burials within the broader framework of indigenous mortuary practices in Florida, from the Late Archaic through the Malabar II period (750 – 1565 AD). The research investigates and cross-references previous studies on ancient burial mounds in the Southeastern United States using quantitative and qualitative analysis. The study aims to gain insights into the cultural, social, and historical contexts that shaped the Burns …

How Super Pacs Supercharge Fundraising And Spending For Candidates In Presidential Primaries, Domenic Maglio

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The explosion of super PAC activity in presidential primaries since the 2012 election cycle prompts an examination of these organizations’ behavior and its effects on other types of committees. Specifically, this study investigates how fundraising and spending efforts by candidate-specific super PACs, or single-candidate super PACs, benefit their supported candidate’s principal campaign committee. Integrating data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and various qualitative sources, this study explores how candidate-specific super PACs are progressively exploiting their unique legal structure to fundraise for themselves and their candidate’s authorized committee. The probing reveals that candidate-specific super PACs steer …

Breakfast Skipping In College Students And Its Association With Eating Behaviors, Rebekah E. May

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: Breakfast is important in maintaining optimal diet quality and decreasing preventable diet-related disease later in life. Breakfast skipping is highly prevalent in the college population, potentially decreasing self-regulation and diet quality and increasing habits of overeating. However, specific eating styles and diet quality have yet to be studied in breakfast skippers.

Objective: To explore and compare the characteristics of eating style, self-regulation, and diet quality among college students between a day when breakfast is skipped and a day when breakfast is consumed.

Methodology: Undergraduate students (n=103) participating in this observational crossover study completed demographics, the Self-regulation of Eating Behavior …

Deceptive Realities: Exploring The Nexus Of Fake News, Artificial Intelligence, And Public Perception, Victor E. Milanes

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Our research delves into two critical areas: fake news and artificial intelligence (AI). Historically, fake news predates the printing press, but its resurgence after the 2016 US Presidential Election garnered mass attention. Studies indicate its potency, with one fake article found to be as influential as a campaign ad (Allcott & Gentzkow, 2017). However, partisan media likely skews its impact on public perception.

Conversely, AI's integration has surged in recent years, sparking both excitement and concern among the public (Pew Research Center, 2022). Its ability to generate hyper-specific images, demonstrated by DALL·E 2 and Midjourney, poses challenges in distinguishing real …

The Relationship Between Creative Activity And Physiological Symptoms Of Anxiety, Amanda G. Solivan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The goal of this study was to determine the relationship between creative activity and physiological symptoms of anxiety. It was hypothesized that an increase in participation in creative activity would be related to a decrease in physiological symptoms. For this study, 250 participants were recruited through social media and SONA, and were prompted to complete surveys reporting how frequently they engaged in creative activities and the degree to which they experienced physiological symptoms. Results found that there was a significant relationship between two of the variables of interest (arts and crafts and sports) and somatic symptoms. Participants who reported higher …

Examining The Relationship Between Physical Health Behaviors And Mental Health Outcomes In Female Hispanic College Students, Alexandra St. Laurent

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The current state of mental health in college students is a universal concern. Female college students are reporting more depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms than ever before. Physical activity and diet quality can positively influence mental health symptoms. Current research provides scarce evidence that examines the relationship of these health behaviors and outcomes in the Hispanic female population. The primary aim of this study is to examine the relationship between physical health behaviors and mental health outcomes in Hispanic female college students. This is a cross-sectional study using a self-report survey to collect data from approximately 109 Hispanic female college …

Misrepresentation Of The Archaeological Record And Identity In Italy, Julienne Zambri

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis examines the practice of the misrepresentation and manipulation of the archaeological record in Italy as it relates to identity formation through three main case studies. Moving chronologically, it begins by analyzing the Palermo National Exposition and the Mostra Etnografica Siciliana of Giuseppe Pitrè using Edward Said’s Orientalism to reveal the othering of Sicilians at this exposition. The second case study looks at the Mostra Augustea della Romanità of the Fascist era, building on the extensive scholarly discussion regarding Mussolini’s misrepresentation of ancient Roman archaeology to construct a fascist identity around the concept of romanità. Moving into the contemporary …

A Stabilizing “Anchor” Or A Restrictive “Ball And Chain": Perspectives Of Medically Assisted Treatment For Opioid Use Disorder, Alexander J. Gaudelli

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study examines participant perspectives of medically assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) in relation to critical factors such as overdose risk, stigma, housing, access, mental health, and criminal behavior. Nineteen participants were recruited from a residential treatment center for SUDs (substance use disorders) and asked about how MAT impacts these factors and their recovery. Findings indicate that MAT has positive impacts on perceptions of the ability to recover, overdose risk, mental health, and criminal behavior. However, there are significant flaws in the current system, including barriers to access and housing opportunities. These issues illustrate the need for …