Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Suicide Prevention Strategies In Tennessee Community Colleges: A Case Study, Sandra Perley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students; annually approximately 1,100 students in institutions of higher education die by suicide. However, most research related to college student suicide was conducted using the sample of 4-year institutions. Community colleges have seldom been included in the sample of suicide research studies. This qualitative case study research explored the student suicide prevention strategies in the 13 community colleges in the Tennessee Board of Regents higher education system. Data were collected from surveys, institutional web sites, and interviews with institutional personnel.

Approximately half of the institutions offer suicide prevention information to …

Interdisciplinary Palliative Care Teams : Insights And Experiences Of Chaplain Interns And Social Work Interns., Ann Hayes Ronald

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2030, the population of those 65 years and older is projected to be 72 million, which will represent 20% of adults in the United States. This large group will have affected many aspects of our society, including families and healthcare providers. Decisions about medical care, caregiving, financial concerns, and new circumstances in living arrangements will be made. Perhaps no aspect of life will be as important as how one spends the end-of-life. Importantly, the care that individuals receive is likely an important aspect of this end-of-life experience. Interdisciplinary palliative care teams provide effective and comprehensive end-of-life care for patients …

Cancer Caregiving : An Exploration Of Values, Burden, Repetitive Thinking, And Depression., Amanda M. Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individuals who provide emotional, social, and physical care to a care recipient with cancer, without receiving financial compensation, are considered informal cancer caregivers. Research has identified that depression is a significant concern for cancer caregivers and likely impacts the care recipient’s health as well. However, limited literature has evaluated constructs that may affect depression in cancer caregivers. The current study explored how intrinsic and extrinsic cultural motivations, caregiver burden, and repetitive thinking relate to depression in a sample of 46 current cancer caregivers. Results revealed that while cancer caregivers did endorse both intrinsic and extrinsic cultural motivations for providing care …

Parental Influence On Romantic Attraction With Simulated Online Dating Profiles., Johanna Strokoff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Romantic attraction is commonly studied in the scientific literature, with countless theories providing hypotheses for why we find particular characteristics attractive. This study focused on psychodynamic theories to investigate the attraction process, particularly regarding the influence of parental figures on romantic attraction through the psychoanalytic theory of partner selection (i.e., template matching hypothesis used interchangeably), attachment theory, and Core Conflictual Relational Themes theory. With previous research often relying solely on self-report measures of parental figures and romantic partners, this study contributed to the field through capturing the attraction phenomenon through the ratings and selection of simulated online dating profiles. Participants …

I Had To Learn That On My Own : Successful First-Generation, Low-Income College Students From Rural Areas At An Urban Institution., Aaron Phillips

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

First-generation and low-income college students have been at a greater risk of attrition and have graduated at lower rates compared to other students for some time. Despite this, however, there are first-generation and low-income students who have been successful and have graduated. Unfortunately, there has been a lack of research focused on successful students, particularly those who are also from a rural background. The purpose of this study is to reveal what strategies, practices, actions, and behaviors low income, first-generation students from a rural background employ and engage in to persist and be academically successful. A qualitative methodology was chosen …

Examining The Perceptions Of First-Year Stem Students On Retention Factors At The University Of The West Indies., Joy A. Harewood Cox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study explored the relationships between student attributes and institutional experiences associated with re-enrollment status in first-year Caribbean students enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The research was conducted during student’s first semester at two campuses of the premier Caribbean university. The nature of academic advising and student’s satisfaction with the advising process, a program perceived in the literature as contributing to student’s persistence and retention, was also explored. This study tested the relevance of Tinto’s (1993) Longitudinal Model of Institutional Departure to the Caribbean tertiary level education system. The study adopted a survey research design and …

Client Outcome: An Exploratory Investigation Of Multicultural Competence And The Working Alliance, Jessica Gonzalez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Early termination and low retention of clients is a common problem in counseling, with between 65%-80% of clients terminating treatment before the 10th session (Garfield, 1994; Lambert, 2013). Researchers (Lampropoulous, Schneider, & Spengler, 2009; Owen, Smith, & Rodolfa, 2009) have found that predictors of early termination include client age, race, socioeconomic status, and level of perceived distress. Furthermore, racial and ethnic minorities underutilize mental health services and have low retention when engaged in services, highlighting the need for counseling professionals to empirically explore factors that may be contributing to client engagement of the counseling process. Exploration of multicultural competence and …

Comparing Short-Term Outcomes Of Three Problem Gambling Treatments: A Multi-Group Propensity Score Analysis, Adam David Soberay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study applied a multi-group form of propensity score analysis to the study of outcomes related to problem gambling treatment. Across various treatment settings, it is often unfeasible or unethical to randomly assign participants to different treatment conditions, particularly when one of the conditions involves not receiving treatment. Additionally, evaluative practices often involve assessing outcomes from a primarily treatment focused setting, in which case clients are likely not randomly assigned to treatment. Consequently, where randomization does not exist, methods such as propensity score matching need to be implemented to separate what part of the observed outcomes is attributable to treatment …

The Helping Professional Wellness Discrepancy Scale (Hpwds): Development And Validation, Ashley Blount

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wellness is an integral component of the helping professions (Myers & Sweeney, 2005; Witmer, 1985). Specifically, wellness is included in ethical codes, suggestions for practice, and codes of conduct throughout counseling, psychology, and social work fields (see American Counseling Association Code of Ethics, 2014; American Psychological Association Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, 2010; National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics, 1996). Even so, wellness in helping professionals is a difficult construct to measure. Thus, the purpose of the research investigation was to develop the Helping Professional Wellness Discrepancy Scale (HPWDS) and examine the psychometric features of …

The Effect Of Virtual Simulation On The Development Of Basic Counseling Skills, Self-Reported Immersion Experience, Self-Reported Counselor Self-Efficacy, And Self-Reported Anxiety Of Counselors-In-Training, Olivia Uwamahoro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a high need for competent professional counselors because of the increasing number of children and adults presenting mental health concerns each year in the United States (National Institute of Mental Health, 2012). Counselor educators are tasked with the duty of preparing counselors-in-training (CITs) to be competent clinicians. In order for counseling professionals to be considered competent clinicians, they must demonstrate competence in three domains: (a) knowledge, (b) skills, and (c) behavior (ACA, 2014; CACREP, 2009). The goal of this study was to contribute to further understanding the most effective instructional approach to facilitating role play while instructing pre-practicum …

The Influence Of Stigma On Quality Of Life And Relationship Satisfaction For Prostate Cancer Survivors And Their Partners, Andrew Wood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between stigma, quality of life (QoL), and relationships satisfaction for prostate cancer (PCa) survivors and their intimate and/or romantic partners. The investigator tested a theoretical model that stigma (as measured by the Social Impact Scale [SIS; Fife & Wright, 2000]) influenced QoL (as measured by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy – Prostate [FACT-P; Esper et al., 1997] and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy – General Population [FACT-GP; Cella et al., 1993]) and relationship satisfaction (as measured by the Couples Satisfaction Index [CSI; Funk & Rogge, 2007]) for both …