Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Assessing Mental Health Of Native American Children: Relationship Of Acculturation With Social, Emotional, And Behavioral Functioning, Christopher H. Morris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The literature indicates that, in comparison to children of other ethnic minority groups, Native American children may be at greater risk for a variety of emotional and behavioral Ill disorders and negative psychosocial conditions. Many may also struggle to resolve issues related to cultural identity. Understanding how Native American children and families relate to the cultures within which they live is a critical aspect of preventing and treating childhood mental disorders. Although Native children and families face persistent social pressure to adapt to a multicultural world, no systematic research exists examining the relationship between families' experience of acculturation and their …

Physically And Sexually Violent Juvenile Offenders: A Comparative Study Of Victimization History Variables, Monique R. Frazier

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The primary purpose of this study was to examine and compare physically and sexually violent juvenile offenders (PVJOs and SVJOs) to determine whether specific factors in their abuse histories, if present, tend to be associated with-the type of violent offense pattern they exhibit. The Youth Experiences and Behaviors Structured Interview (YEBSI)--an instrument which assesses for primary (victimization), secondary (witnessing), and perpetrated abuse of an emotional, physical, and sexual nature, by and/or toward family members, acquaintances, strangers, and animals--was developed by the primary researcher for use in this study. Thirty-six PVJOs and 30 SVJOs were interviewed. Results indicated that the YEBSI …

The Economic Impact Of Federal Land On County Governments In Utah, Daniel C. Hope

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

County governments cannot assess property taxes on federal land, yet local governments are required to provide similar services as they do on all other areas of the county. Federal government payment programs have been implemented to compensate county governments for the expenditures incurred due to federal land.

In the mid-1960s, the Public Land Law Review Commission implemented and completed a study which analyzed whether selected individual states and counties were being compensated for the expenditures incurred on federal land. It also estimated tax revenues local governments would receive if federally owned acreage was privately owned. The study then compared these …

Essays On The Impact Of Foreign Aid On Economic Growth And Development: The Case Of Jordan, Jamal G. Husein

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation examines the role of foreign aid in economic growth and development of Jordan. The flow of foreign capital takes two main forms: private foreign investment, mostly foreign direct investment by large multinational corporations, and public development assistance (foreign aid) from both individual national governments and multinational donor agencies. The distinguishing characteristic of foreign aid is the concessional element. In this dissertation, recent techniques and advances in time-series analysis are used in the empirical section of Chapters 2 and 3, i.e., vector autoregression (VAR), impulse response functions, and variance decompositions. In the fourth chapter, we use a nonlinear three-stage …

Essays On The Determination Of Equilibrium Real Exchange Rate For Taiwan, 1981-1993, Mei-Ling Chen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Taiwan is one of the four smaller Asian economies. Before 1960, Taiwan pursued industrialization policies by limiting imports of manufactured goods, gradually adopting an open and outward-oriented economic policy, believing it would expend exports and yield gained ground.

With this increasingly open and outward-oriented economic policy as the background, we will study the real exchange rate (RER) misalignment in Taiwan over the period 1981-93. The RER plays a critical role in maintaining external competitiveness. Hence, from the policy point of view, this rate should not be allowed to deviate much from its equilibrium level. Since the equilibrium real exchange rate …

Essays On Scale Economies And Efficiency In Public Education, Kalyan Chakraborty

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Efficiency in public education is a significant issue in the United States. Nationwide, real expenditure per student increased 8% per year between 1960 and 1993, but output as measured by standardized test scores has not increased and in some cases (i.e., the verbal SAT [Scholastic Achievement Test] score) has declined. One explanation is that resources are not being utilized efficiently either in the technical or allocative sense. Also, the issue is important because substantial savings are possible by consolidation of schools and/or districts.

This dissertation explores efficiency by measuring technical efficiency at the school district level from four perspectives. The …

The Impacts Of Privatization And Government Intervention In The Economy: An Empirical Analysis (Two Essays), Tayseer Al-Sumadi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In this dissertation, we provide empirical assessment of government involvement in economic activities. This assessment is done within the framework of a two-part strategy. In the first part, we evaluate the effects of the government size on the overall rate of economic growth of a group of 30 developing countries. This approach can be regarded as macroeconomic in the sense that the economywide growth is the subject of investigation. In the second part, we conducted a comparative study of technical efficiency between privately owned and publicly owned companies in the international oil industry. We refer to this approach as microeconomic …

Therapy Videotape Presentation For Eating Disorder Clients: Development And Evaluation, Benita J. Quakenbush

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Eating disorder clients show low motivation, poor follow-through, and inordinate premature dropout rates in treatment. Earlier studies support the use of pretherapy training to help clients understand the tasks and challenges of therapy. However, a pretherapy intervention, such as showing prospective clients a video that outlines recovery issues and themes, had not yet been developed specifically for the prevalent, recalcitrant problem of eating disorders. Thus, of particular interest to clinicians who treat eating disorders may be the development of a theoretically sound, pretherapy videotape that outlines recovery issues.

One of the purposes of this study was to review prior investigations …

The Relationship Between Collateral Therapy And The Adult Pedophile's Ability To Advance Through Levels Of Treatment, Julie G. Bennion

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between collateral therapy and the adult male pedophile's ability to advance through levels of treatment. Data from a convenience sample of 27 adult male pedophiles attending therapy at Intermountain Specialized Abuse Treatment Centers were collected for this study. Data were collected from participants' files on 22 independent variables, including the primary independent variable, collateral sessions. The dependent variable was the time it took participants to advance through levels of treatment.

A comparison of measures of central tendency for participants who had and those who had not participated in collateral therapy …

The Association Between Marital Therapy Enactments And Couple Communication, Paul Floyd Kindall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This exploratory study focused on the use of positive, negative, and neutral enactments in couple therapy and the effectiveness of each type of enactment in immediate changes in specific communication behaviors. The sample consisted of 37 videotaped segments of the 10 minutes before and the lO minutes after an enactment. Communication behaviors were coded using the Marital Interaction Coding System-Global (MICS-G). Paired! tests were used to test the differences between pre- and post-enactment scores. Positive enactments (n = 20) were not related to positive nor negative communication behaviors. There were not enough negative enactments (n = 2) to …

Financial Management And Financial Problems As They Relate To Marital Satisfaction In Early Marriage, Barbara C. Kerkmann

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The financial management habits and perceptions of young married couples were examined, as well as their financial problems and perceptions of their problems' magnitude in an attempt to assess the relationship of these financial factors to marital satisfaction. A survey was delivered to 604 residents of family student housing at Utah State University. The spouse who predominantly handled family finances was asked to complete the survey. By using an incentive for completing the survey, a response of 51.32% was obtained. It was hypothesized that both financial management practices and problems would be related to a couple's reported satisfaction with their …

Predicting Family Strength In Families Caring For Children With Disabilities, Katrina J. F. Ericson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research sought to identify factors that might be useful in helping to predict family strengths in families caring for a child with a disability. Based on the ABCX model designed for families in crisis, this research examined severity of child's disability (A); the family's existing resources of household income, education of the mother, and mother's marital status (B); the family's perception of family resources, family support, and parenting stress (C); and how these influence family strength (X) over time. In relation to the ABCX model, it was hypothesized that the aforementioned constructs would be associated with each other, and …

Parental And Teacher Priorities For Children's Requisite Kindergarten Entry Skills, Kelly J. O'Claire-Esparza

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined mothers', fathers ', preschool teachers', and kindergarten teachers' opinions regarding children's requisite kindergarten entry skills. Participants were 101 preschool teachers from eight counties in northern Utah, as well as 113 kindergarten teachers and 286 parents of kindergartners from five school districts in northern Utah. Questionnaires were administered to assess opinions regarding (a) the preschool teachers' role in preparing children for kindergarten, (b) the parental role in preparing children for kindergarten, (c) priorities for requisite kindergarten entry skills, (d) the importance of specific skills emphasized in preschool, and (e) the importance of specific skills emphasized in kindergarten.

Findings …

The Effect Of The Estimate Of Resting Metabolic Rate On The Correlation Between Energy Expenditure As Estimated Using Self-Reports Of Physical Activity And Food Intake Records In Older Adults, Judy Hurd

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study measured total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) in adults at least 50 years of age. The goal was to determine the effect of the estimate of resting metabolic rate (RMR) on the relationship between energy expenditure estimates made using (a) self-reports of physical activity and (b) food intake records. The objectives were to determine if (a) RMR estimates based on body composition, body weight, and the metabolic cart were strongly related to each other, and (b) TDEE estimates based on a 7-day physical activity diary and a 7-day food intake record were more strongly related to each other when …

Pretherapy Videotape Presentation For Eating Disorder Clients: Development And Evaluation, Benita J. Quakenbush

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Eating disorder clients show low motivation, poor follow-through, and inordinate premature dropout rates in treatment. Earlier studies support the use of pretherapy training to help clients understand the tasks and challenges of therapy. However, a pretherapy intervention, such as showing prospective clients a video that outlines recovery issues and themes, had not yet been developed specifically for the prevalent, recalcitrant problem of eating disorders. Thus, of particular interest to clinicians who treat eating disorders may be the development of a theoretically sound, pretherapy videotape that outlines recovery issues.

One of the purposes of this study was to review prior investigations …

The Effect Of Biofeedback Training On Marital Communication And Physiological Arousal, Kent E. Nabers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

It is well documented that the communication patterns of distressed couples are characterized by more negative and fewer positive behaviors. It has also been postulated that there is an association between physiological arousal and negative behaviors. According to this theory, as individuals become increasingly aroused, the number of negative behaviors also increases. This study explored the relationship between physiological arousal and marital communication. The three couples participating in the study received intensive biofeedback training with the hypothesis that an ability to control physiological arousal would result in improved marital communications. The Rapid Couples Interaction Scoring System was employed as a …

Predicting Lumbar Fusion Surgery Outcomes From Presurgical Patient Variables: The Utah Lumbar Fusion Outcome Study, M. Scott Deberard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Lumbar fusion surgery is a commonly used procedure to treat severe spinal pathology and associated chronic disabling low back and leg pain. Despite the common incidence of spinal fusion surgery, few studies have examined patient outcomes or predictive correlates of this procedure. The objectives of this study were to characterize Utah workers who received lumbar fusion surgery in terms of relevant presurgical and outcome variables and to identify presurgical correlates of patient outcomes. An archival prospective research design was utilized consisting of a retrospective medical chart review and a postsurgical telephone outcome survey.

Subjects were 203 workers' compensation patients from …

Criterion-Related Validity Of The Borg Ratings Of Perceived Exertion (Rpe) Scale : A Meta-Analysis, Michael J. Chen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Borg Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Scale has proven to be a highly popular instrument in measuring the subjective responses of individuals to a given work or exercise task. Historically, the instrument was designed to correlate highly with the heart rates in young-to-middle-aged men performing various tasks. The body of literature, however, has revealed inconsistencies in the extent of just how strong the relationship is between ratings of perceived exertion and various physiological criterion variables, most notably, heart rate. In addition, most studies have invoked the question of whether the criterion-related validity coefficients derived from the relationship between ratings …

A Preliminary Evaluation Of The Students' Realizing Educational Potential Program, Frances Y. Tous

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Students' Realizing Educational Potential Program (REP) was implemented in the 1993-94 academic year to reduce dropout rates for ethnic minority students at Utah State University. This program is currently funded by a 5-year grant, pending renewal upon demonstration of its effectiveness. A formative evaluation was conducted to determine whether the REP program has accomplished its goals thus far, using 157 minority students. Two levels of analysis were conducted. In the first level, admission index scores, college grade point averages, and the average number of quarters enrolled were compared among three REP and non-REP cohorts. The REP program did not …

Analogical Problem Solving: The Differential Impact Of Type Of Training, Amount Of Practice, And Type Of Analogy On Spontaneous Transfer, Dune E. Ives

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research on analogical problem solving has delineated several factors that impact one's ability to spontaneously generate a correct solution strategy to a target problem. These factors include, but are not limited to, type of analogy provided to subjects (i.e., partial versus complete), the level of analogical problem-solving expertise, and the absence of or type of analogical problem-solving training (i.e., teacher-generated or learner-generated) provided to learners.

Recently, researchers have begun to focus on providing solvers with multiple practice opportunities and extending these opportunities over a systematically distributed period of time. When combined with analogical problem-solving training, these factors will augment the …

Traditional And Contemporary Lakota Death, Dying, Grief, And Bereavement Beliefs And Practices: A Qualitative Study, Joseph B. Stone

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bereavement beliefs and practices in the modern, American culture have been well documented. However, virtually no research has been conducted on traditional and contemporary death, dying, grief, and bereavement beliefs and practices among native tribes, such as the Lakota.

The present study was conducted with the Lakota, and fulfilled two goals. iii First, the contemporary and traditional death, dying, grief, and bereavement beliefs and practices of the Lakota were documented and summarized. Such documentation may help bereaved Lakota tribal members who are experiencing problems with death and bereavement, and may help preserve traditional knowledge, beliefs, and practices. Second, the consensus …

An Assessment Of The Concurrent Validity Of The Family Profile Ii, Denim L. Slade

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was designed to assess the concurrent validity of the Family Profile II (FPII). The FPII is an instrument designed to measure 13 areas of family functioning. Matches for II of the 13 subscales of the FPII were identified from the literature. These comparison subscales were used to confirm the concurrent validity of the FPII. The sample consisted of 229 undergraduate students enrolled in summer classes at Utah State University. The factor structure of the FPII was also assessed. Four of the 13 subscales factored exactly as previously reported. Five factored with only minimal differences. The remaining four subscales …

Effects Of Infant Massage On Aspects Of The Parent-Child Relationship: An Experimental Manipulation, Vonda K. Jump

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Benefits of attachment security have been demonstrated in the realm of socioemotional development. Studies have investigated some of the antecedents associated with the development of secure attachments. This study looked uniquely at the impact of touch, and more specifically, infant massage, on the development of attachment security in infants.

Fifty-seven mother-infant dyads were randomly assigned to either a treatment or control group. Infants were less than 8 months of age at the time of recruitment. The treatment group received training in infant massage as well as education about infant development. The control group received similar education about infant development. Mothers …

Familial And Extrafamilial Correlates Of Children's Child-Care Perceptions, Michael K. Godfrey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to identify the individual, familial, and child-care characteristics related to children's perceptions of their nonparental child-care environments. One-hundred seventy-five children, their families, and child-care providers participated in this study. Children attended one of three forms of child care: large center-based child-care settings, home-based child-care settings, and a preschool. Correlates of children's perceptions of their child-care experiences came from variables classified into six categories: individual child characteristics, family structure, family processes, previous child-care experiences, child-care structure, and child-care processes.

Children's perceptions were elicited through the Child Care Game Assessment (CCGA), a role-playing game-like experience for …

An Exploratory Study Of The Termination Process In Marriage And Family Therapy, Jennifer H. Childers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to explore and better understand termination in the field of marriage and family therapy, as well as to generate a working model of termination. Data were obtained from a total of 40 marriage and family therapists (MFTs) licensed in the state of Utah. Two research questions were posed about termination and how client type and treatment progress may influence the termination process: (1) Given that MFTs see individuals, couples, and families, are there differences and similarities across client types in regard to how therapy is terminated?; and (2) Does termination differ in regard to …

Risk Factors In Adolescent Problem Behaviors Among Native And Nonnative Americans, Roger B. Christensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The high incidence of adolescent problem behaviors in the United States raises major concerns. These problem behaviors include: sexually transmitted diseases, unintended pregnancies, suicide, depression, substance abuse, crime against persons and property, and delinquency. Consequently, there continues to be a high level of concern and interest in different ethnic populations of adolescents and their level of risk.

This study evaluated the following problem behaviors: substance abuse, suicide, delinquency, and sexual intercourse; and the risk factors that increase the probability of these problem behaviors occurring. Specifically, the study identified the profiles of the population in relationship to the problem behaviors comparing …

The Nonuse Of Figurative Language In Conduct Disordered Adolescents, Mike Berger

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The relationship between the literal language and conduct problems among conduct disordered adolescents was examined in 109 subjects. The inability to use figurative language was found to be positively related to ratings of conduct problems. Both the parents' discipline style and nonuse of figurative language were related to conduct problems in conduct disordered adolescents. The possible role of other variables, for example, age, sex, and IQ, was examined. Possible mechanisms that could relate the lack of figurative competence and conduct problems were explored.

An Evaluation Study Of Site-Based Managed Behaviors In A Rural Utah School, Barbara R. S. Soriano

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Site-based management (SBM) in schools can trace its roots back to two phenomena, citizen's movements in large cities such as New York in the late 1960s and decentralization efforts of business in the 1970s. Both were done in the belief that achieving a better result can be done 11 through decisions made by the people closest to the process. Site-based management programs are diverse. Some stress one aspect, the restructuring of the school administration and program to affect achievement. Other schools stress a second aspect, the empowerment of teachers and stakeholders to make administrative decisions.

Whichever emphasis chosen, several changes …

A Descriptive Study Of The Relation Between Domestic Violence And Pet Abuse, Claudia V. Weber

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This was a descriptive study that examined the relation between domestic violence and pct abuse. Participants were questioned about their styles of conflict resolution with partners and how pets were treated in the home. Information was gathered using the Conflict Tactics Scale, and three surveys were developed for this study: the Battered Partner Shelter Survey, Families and Pets Survey, and the Child 's Observations and Experience with Pets. Four groups were recruited: (a) women in crisis shelters who chose to include one of their children in the study (n = 39), (b) women in crisis shelters who did not …

Characteristics Of Internalizing Social-Emotional Behaviors Of Southwestern Native American Children, Carolyn Thomas Morris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The knowledge base targeting internalizing symptomatology in Native American children is surprisingly limited. As yet, it is not clear if the process and symptoms of internalizing disorders are the same across cultures. The need for further investigation is heightened by the fact that, compared to the majority population, Native Americans are believed to be at greater risk for psychological problems because of impoverished conditions, high unemployment, and high numbers of traumatic events on the reservations. Additionally, the losses of traditional culture and language are considered risk factors for greater psychopathology. The negative ramifications of internalizing disorders (e.g., depression and anxiety) …