Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Social Influences On Racial Identity, Perceived Social Support, And Mental Health Among Black College Students, Sultan A. Hubbard

Theses and Dissertations

The first goal for the study was to estimate trait effects and social influences for racial centrality, racial private regard, and racial public regard. The second was to estimate correlational relationships between racial identity, depression, and anxiety symptoms. The study used 110 Black university students (M_age=19.5,SD=4.13) from a southeastern American university. Restricted maximum likelihood estimation was conducted to estimate variance components for all constructs. Racial centrality, racial private regard, and racial public regard consisted of mostly trait effects, although reflecting substantial social influences. Correlational findings indicated that providers who evoked high racial centrality also evoked …

Exploring The Impact Of Diversity Training On The Development And Application Of Cultural Competence Skills In Higher Education Professionals, Kendra Cabler

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years the terms diversity and inclusion have become major buzzwords across industries and fields of study. Within the field of education broadly, and higher education in particular, a shifting student demographic can be seen across the country. Issues of equity and inclusion have become central complexities for present day educational strategists, and organizations committed to cultivating a culture of inclusion must do so with intentionality. In the context of higher education, this often requires the intentional development of professionals within a particular college or university. There has been a great deal of research concerning the development of cultural …

The Impact Of A Culturally Responsive Intervention On Perceived Career Barriers, Ethnic Identity, Student Motivation And Engagement, And Career Decision Making Self-Efficacy Of Middle School Minority Females, Marsha L. Rutledge

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the impact of a culturally responsive intervention on perceived career barriers, ethnic identity, student motivation and engagement, and career decision making self-efficacy of middle school minority females. The author analyzed data from the Female Leadership Academy for Minority Excellence (FLAME) program at a local rural middle school. Data was collected from 34 Black female middle school students who participated in the program. The study was a repeated measures quasi-experimental, quantitative single group pre-test, mid-test, and post-test design. According to results from a series of repeated measures ANOVAs, significant differences were found between pre-group, mid-group, and post-group scores. …

Assessing The Degree Of Access To Urban Public Parks For Older Adults In The Villages Metropolitan Area Of Florida, 2017, Yingsong Wang

Theses and Dissertations

With the rapid urbanization, the urban residents' demand for urban public parks is increasing. As a unique and representative age group, older adults put forward new requirements for the evaluation and rational planning of urban parks. Park accessibility is an important index reflecting the rationality of park layout, the accessibility of residents to the park and the social equity of park services. In this paper, buffer analysis and network analysis based on the ArcGIS platform were selected to analyze service accessibility and green transportation accessibility of The Villages metropolitan area of Florida respectively and then make a summary analysis. In …

Racism, Healthcare Provider Trust, And Medication Adherence Among Black Patients In Safety-Net Primary Care: A Strength-Based Approach, Mickeal Pugh Jr

Theses and Dissertations

Integrated primary care has been incorporated into a variety of healthcare settings. The benefits of these services are empirically supported by a plethora of studies, which highlight the integration of behavioral and physical healthcare to be beneficial for both patient and healthcare providers. Integrated care models are typically incorporated in Veterans Affairs hospitals, general primary care facilities, and community clinics. Community-based clinics, such as safety-net clinics, typically serve underrepresented populations, and research has shown several mental and physical health disparities to exist among minority populations. Further, the minority stress model posits that distal and proximal minority-based stress processes can result …

Schadenfreude: The Impact Of Another's Misfortune On The Mood Of College Students, Erin A. Chalmers

Theses and Dissertations

The present study was focused on determining if positive affect scores increase after viewing an example of misfortune which would demonstrate the psychological phenomenon of schadenfreude-defined as a feeling of pleasure or satisfaction when something misfortunate happens to someone else. Measures used in the study included the Positive and Negative Affect inventory (PANAS; Watson et al., 1988) and a modified version of the Velton mood induction procedure developed by Seibert and Ellis (1991) which was used to measure and manipulate students’ mood, respectively. Students enrolled in a psychology research pool at Columbus State University participated in the study (N=46). …

Evaluating The Impact Of A Work Identity Based Onboarding Intervention On Young Professionals’ Work Efficacy, Samuel Liberant

Theses and Dissertations

By virtue of their age and relative inexperience, young employees tend to lack the professional competencies their organizations need such as communication skills, suitable workplace conduct. These deficits can significantly affect how these employees select, engage, and perform in the workplace. This action research study examined the effects of a work identity intervention in a sample of young professionals. Twelve full-time working adults aged 24-30 were recruited to participate in the intervention designed to deepen their understanding of their work identity, defined as who a person is at work and how he or she is defined within the context of …

Amplifying 'Whispered Interventions' Into Loud And Forceful Cries, Joelina Robinson Machera

Theses and Dissertations

An equitable educational environment includes the voices of the individuals and the power of their stories. For marginalized people, particularly women of color, surviving school means existing in oppressive environments which require the stealing of knowledge while struggling to obtain an education (Collins, 2002). It is imperative that institutions acknowledge the specific complexities women of color face in the academy (Crenshaw, 2017). This study is designed to make meaning of the journey of Black women doctoral students using counterstories and composite stories to capture and learn from their lived experiences. Through the (re)covery and (re)telling of the stories of Black …

Understanding Effectiveness Of A Diverse Board In The Nonprofit Sector: The Role Of Board Inclusion & Critical Mass Of The Diverse Board Members, Suparna Dutta

Theses and Dissertations

Using rated responses from nonprofit CEOs who participated in the 2016 BoardSource national survey, this study investigates whether nonprofit board inclusive behavior or board inclusive practices are positively correlated with nonprofit board effectiveness. It further examines whether a critical mass of racial and ethnic minority or women board members may moderate the relationship stated above. To answer these questions, the study tested six hypotheses using principal component analysis, followed by hierarchical regression analysis, and found no evidence of statistical significance in main or moderator effects. The study recommends that policymakers should frame policies that ensure mandatory quotas for women and …

Adverse Childhood Experiences Indirectly Affect Child Telomere Length Through Self-Regulation, David Sosnowski

Theses and Dissertations

The goals of present study were: (a) to examine associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and telomere length during childhood using ACE composite scores both with and without “new” adversities (i.e., parental death and poverty), and (b) to determine if ACEs indirectly affect telomere length through children’s self-regulatory abilities (i.e., effortful control and self-control). The analytic sample consisted of national data from teachers, biological parents, and their children (N = 2,527; M_age = 9.35, SD = .36 years; 52% male; 45% Black). Results from linear regression analyses revealed a statistically significant main effect of updated (but not traditional) …

The Nail That Sticks Up Isn't Always Hammered Down: Women, Employment Discrimination, And Litigiousness In Japan, Kristen Luck

Theses and Dissertations

Much recent scholarship is devoted to projecting Japan’s future and analyzing its prospects as a global power. After two decades of economic stagnation, alarming demographic trends, and the 3/11 triple disaster, some scholars argue that Japan is grappling with an era of precarity, marked with instability and anxiety. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe returned to office in 2012, promoting his economic reform policy, “Abenomics” and within the third “arrow" of this approach targeting structural reforms, he promoted “womenomics”, a term coined by Kathy Matsui of Goldman-Sachs. Prime Minister Abe’s objective is to create a society where "women can shine” and women …

Associations Between Ethnic-Racial Identity, Family Factors And Alcohol Problems Among Diverse Emerging Adults, Chloe Walker

Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined how multiple dimensions of ethnic-racial identity (ERI) were associated with alcohol use and alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms and how these relations varied by individuals’ ethnic-racial group among 1850 diverse emerging adults (M = 18.46, SD = .38). Further, measurement invariance of the Ethnic Identity Scale-Brief (EIS-B) was tested across Latinx, White, Black, Asian, and Multiracial students. Additionally, alternative models were examined that tested whether family factors (i.e., parent education and family history of alcohol problems) moderated the relations between ERI and alcohol problems to further examine nuances in these relations. Results indicated that the …

Loneliness And Sleep Disturbance In Older Americans, Sarah C. Griffin

Theses and Dissertations

Loneliness is a risk factor for premature mortality but the mechanics of this relationship remain obscure. A potential mechanism is sleep disturbance. The present study aimed to examine the association between loneliness and sleep disturbance, evaluate loneliness as a risk factor for sleep disturbance and vice-versa, model effects between loneliness and sleep disturbance over time, and evaluate a mediation model of loneliness, sleep disturbance, and health. Data came from the 2006-2012 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally-representative study of older Americans; participants > 65 were included (n=11,400). Analyses included (i) linear regressions accounting for complex sampling and (ii) …

Associations Between Expressed Emotion, Mental Health, And Functioning In Families: Child Asthma Status As A Moderator, Katherine W. Dempster

Theses and Dissertations

Expressed emotion (EE), the affective attitudes and behaviors of one toward another, can affect caregivers’ behaviors toward their child. Research examining associations between EE and child/family outcomes is mixed; these associations may be affected by other influences such as the presence of a chronic disease or parent mental health. In this study of families living in an urban area, we examined associations between EE and child outcomes (anxiety/depressive symptoms) and family functioning, with parent anxiety as a covariate. We evaluated child asthma status as a moderator as the presence of a chronic illness may strengthen the association between EE and …

Elaborations On Multiattribute Utility Theory Dominance, David L. Vairo

Theses and Dissertations

ELABORATIONS ON MULTIATTRIBUTE UTILITY THEORY DOMINANCE

By David L. Vairo

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2019.

Major Director: Dissertation director’s name, Dr. Jason Merrick, Supply Chain Management and Analytics

Multiattribute Utility Theory (MAUT) is used to structure decisions with more than one factor (attribute) in play. These decisions become complex when the attributes are dependent on one another. Where linear modeling is concerned with how factors are directly related or correlated with each other, MAUT is concerned with how a decision maker …

The Impact Of Social Determinants Of Health On The Efficacy Of School-Based Interventions For Adolescents With Adhd, Cathrin D. Green

Theses and Dissertations

Adolescents with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often experience impairment in academic functioning in the school and home environment. Because of this, many school- and clinic-based interventions have been developed to target these problems. Initially, clinic-based interventions were mainly used; however, these interventions were associated with many barriers to care, such as lack of transportation, financial resources, and time. Therefore, school-based interventions were developed to address these barriers. However, there has been minimal research evaluating the role of social determinants of health on the efficacy of school-based interventions. In a sample of 222 adolescents with ADHD randomly assigned to receive either a …

Developmental Dynamics Of Students' Perceptions Of Classroom Practices, Their Identity, And Academic Engagement, Krystal R. Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

As the student body in the United States continues to become more diverse, it is critically important to understand the factors that influence African American and Latinx students’ engagement, including what they bring to the classroom, and their perceptions of what is occurring in the classroom. During early adolescence, youth are making meaning and internalizing the proximal influences their classrooms have on their sense of self and subsequent academic outcomes. Among school variables, teaching quality accounts for some amount of variation in student achievement.

This dissertation project explored whether there were gender differences among 205 middle school students’ perceptions of …

Transit Access Equity In Richmond, Va, Rachel Jordan

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the extent of public transit access equity issues in Richmond, VA. The City of Richmond has an established public transportation network system, and the thesis explores the level of access for urban residents to use existing public transportation services. Technologies and programs have begun to emerge across the United States to help solve transit accessibility challenges. The thesis assesses the level of transit access equity that exists in Richmond and introduces technologies and services that could help improve accessibility and equity. The thesis uses a mixed methods approach that will consist of …

Capitalist Reproduction In Schooling: The Social Control Of Marginalized Students Through Zero Tolerance Policies, Mary K. Wickline

Theses and Dissertations

Due to increasing media focus, there has been growing concern that U.S. students and the school environment are increasingly violent, leading the public to believe that school discipline should become more strict and punitive (Giroux 2003; Schept, Wall, & Brisman 2014). However, scholars argue that there is little evidence that current practices of school discipline have made the school environment safer, but instead have criminalized the school and are disproportionately targeting students of color and disabled students (Beger 2002; Civil Rights Project 2000; Gregory, Skiba, & Noguera 2010; Hirschfield 2008; McNeal & Dunbar 2010; U.S. Government Office of Accountability 2018). …

A Genetically Informed Study Of Acute Threat Endophenotypes For Callous-Unemotional Traits, Ashlee A. Moore

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction. Callous-unemotional (CU) traits predict socially debilitating outcomes including Antisocial Personality Disorder and violent crime in adulthood. Despite significant research, the etiology of CU traits is not well understood. This dissertation incorporates genetic, physiological, neuroanatomical, and self-report measures to investigate the etiology of CU traits. Specifically, this project focuses on measures previously found to associate with impaired fear-processing observed in individuals high on CU. Brain morphometry for paralimbic regions of interest (ROIs) and electromyographic facial eyeblink reflex to startle and fear-potentiated startle probes were investigated as potential endophenotypes for CU traits. Methods. Two genetically informative (ages 9-20) twin samples ( …

Patient-Centered Medical Homes And Hospital Value-Based Purchasing: Investigating Provider Responses To Incentives, Lauryn Walker

Theses and Dissertations

Provider incentives are a commonly used policy tool to mold provider behaviors.¹ However, while we frequently measure the change in patient outcomes, failure to consistently produce changes in outcomes does not mean that providers are not changing their behavior. This paper focuses on two programs with null or inconsistent quality outcomes to try to identify why such inconsistency occurs. The two programs, both ratified in the Affordable Care Act, are 1) patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs), and 2) the Medicare Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (HVBP) program.

Chapter 1: Using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel survey (MEPS), I match provider characteristic …

Using Latent Semantic Analysis To Evaluate The Coherence Of Traumatic Event Narratives, Gabriella C. Scalzo

Theses and Dissertations

While a growing evidence base suggests that expressive writing about a traumatic event may be an effective intervention which results in a variety of health benefits, there are still multiple competing theories that seek to explain expressive writing’s mechanism(s) of action. Two of the theories with stronger evidence bases are exposure theory and cognitive processing theory. The state of this field is complicated by methodological limitations; operationalizing and measuring the relative constructs of trauma narratives, such as coherence, traditionally requires time- and labor-intensive methods such as using a narrative coding scheme. This study used a computer-based methodology, latent semantic analysis …

Negotiating Masculinity In Tabletop Roleplaying Game Spaces, Rigby L. Bendele

Theses and Dissertations

As video games and other gaming has become a popular media form, with 60% of Americans playing games daily (Entertainment Software Association [ESA], 2018), gaming communities have increased in size and participation. While scholarly research has consistently found that women are marginalized in these communities, little research has looked at how men see these communities. Research on homosociality shows that men use communities and relationships with other men to access masculinity (Bird, 1996; Dellinger, 2004; Houston, 2012). Building on game studies and masculinity studies, this research looks at the way men in tabletop roleplaying game communities understand their involvement and …

How Do You Like Me Now? Social Media Bridging The Distance In Online Education, Lee Heller

Theses and Dissertations

Distance education has disrupted our educational norm, with students taking more online courses than ever before. Some research has assumed that online students experience a feeling of isolation, disconnect with their institution, and overall, have a diminished educational experience. During the last 10 years, another phenomenon, social media, has also experienced explosive growth, including the largest and most interwoven into modern society: Facebook.

With almost 92% of respondents in this study reporting they use Facebook daily, this study found there was statistical significance (1) between using Facebook for social use and the feelings of isolation; (2) between belonging and participating …

Students’ Awareness, Knowledge, And Perceptions Of Mandatory Reporting Of Sexual Victimization On College Campuses, Dhara Minesh Amin

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify students’ awareness, knowledge, and perceptions of the mandatory reporting policy related to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX). Mandatory reporting requirements are being implemented in higher educational institutions; however, existing literature does not examine students’ perceptions or their knowledge of the specific requirements that apply exclusively to them. This exploratory study examines the perceptions of college students at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Virginia. Drawing on survey data (N = 501) from a large, public research university, the study explores two outcome variables: students’ awareness of the …

Social Jetlag, Depressive Symptoms, And Longitudinal Outcomes In College Students, Morgan P. Reid

Theses and Dissertations

Social jetlag refers to the chronic shift in sleep timing between work and free days and has been associated with a variety of negative physical and psychological outcomes. Existing research on social jetlag has relied heavily on cross-sectional studies, preventing researchers and practitioners from assessing the effects of social jetlag over time. The current study used longitudinal data to explore the directionality of the association between social jetlag and depressive symptoms as well as the longitudinal associations between social jetlag, academic performance, and wellbeing in college students. Gender and race were also assessed as potential moderators of these associations. Cross-lagged …

Race, Health, And Social Support On Campus: An Exploration Of Discrimination On Health And Fraternity/Sorority Membership For African American College Students, Alexandra M. Munson

Theses and Dissertations

African American college students face a myriad of unique race related stressors on campus, yet there is a gap of knowledge on how these experiences may impact overall health as well as what may mediate these effects. The goal of the current study was threefold. First, it was to better understand the relationship between health outcomes and the experience of discrimination on college campuses for African American students. Second, it further investigated the research of Pieterse & Carter (2007), to explore if perceived discrimination influences health outcomes above and beyond general life stress in the emerging adult population. Lastly, it …

A Contextual Approach To Understanding Psychiatric Comorbidities In Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Individual, Peer, And Family Factors, Jessica L. Greenlee

Theses and Dissertations

Psychiatric comorbidities are common in youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and can have a negative impact on adaptive functioning and quality of life. Research has primarily focused on individual characteristics associated with internalizing problems such as age, intelligence, and social functioning. However, developmental theory supports the notion that individual level factors are necessary but not sufficient to understand the mental health of youth with ASD. Using the Family Ecology Framework as a guide, the purpose of this study was to examine how peer and family contexts are associated with anxiety and depression symptoms of adolescents with ASD. Using data …

Developing An Evidence-Based Hiv Testing Message For Young African American Women, Melanie P. Moore

Theses and Dissertations

African American women have the highest rates of HIV infection among women of all racial/ethnic groups in the United States, and over 50% of HIV infected young adults are unaware of their infection. HIV testing is a cost-effective mechanism for reducing HIV transmission. Despite this, limited research has been devoted to developing interventions specifically promoting HIV testing. This two-part study proposed to address this gap through developing a culturally tailored HIV testing message aimed at increasing HIV test intentions among young African American women. Study 1 was a quantitative study that examined predictors of HIV testing history and future HIV …

Always Already Imprisoned: The Panoptic Power Of Capitalism In American Literature, 1900-1940, Andrew Spencer

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

ALWAYS ALREADY IMPRISONED: THE PANOPTIC POWER OF CAPITALISM IN AMERICAN LITERATURE, 1900-1940

By Andrew Blair Spencer, Ph.D.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2019

Director: Dr. Richard Fine, Professor, Department of English

By applying the theories of control that Michel Foucault outlines in Discipline and Punish to the capitalist system, I argue that capitalism functions in much the same was as Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon in that it perpetually imprisons individuals who live under its purview. As I see it, capitalism works on …