Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games And Their Effects On Life Satisfaction And Social Skills, Heidi Mccreary

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adult massively multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPGs) gaming is a popular trend that is often perceived negatively, including having a lack of social adaptation skills and low life satisfaction. This quantitative study explored whether life satisfaction and social skills were influenced by gaming by comparing MMORPG gamers (casual and avid) and nongamers. This quantitative survey study was built upon the limitations listed in previous research. The hypothesis was that there would be no difference between MMORPG gamers and nongamers regarding life satisfaction and social skills. To conceptualize the influence MMORPG may have, this study used Diener’s conceptualization of the pursuit …

Mental Health Disparities In Social Work Practice Of Minority Youth Offenders, Beverly Ann Rivera

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractA large number of minority youths placed in the juvenile justice system across the United States have mental health disorders. Most of these youths do not receive mental health services or support within the system, which increases risk factors such as undiagnosed and untreated mental illness and adverse outcomes such as recidivism. This action research sought to uncover whether mental health disparities in social work practice in the juvenile justice system were due to race and ethnicity and asked social workers to recommend strategies to improve mental health availability, access, and provision. Participants in the study were social workers who …

A Sese Uta, Ia Tonu Tai: Local Government Management For Climate Change Adaptive Practices, Casuallen Iulieta Atuatasi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

American Samoa remains highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and has not developed the adaptive capacity to ensure resiliency. The current regulatory system influences the policy decisions of local policy leaders and therefore affecting the territory’s adaptive capacity to climate change impacts. The purpose of this general qualitative interview-based study was to investigate the current governance framework and describe the factors in the territorial relationship that impact policy action of local policy leaders on climate change issues. The research question examined what major aspects of the current regulatory framework impact the policy action of local policy leaders on …

Analysis Of Sexual Assault Policy Implementation Through The Narratives Of University Support Professionals, Rachel Cromheecke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexual assaults occurring on university campuses are a national health crisis with statistics revealing 1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men endure an unwanted sexual experience during their college career. The United States government has modified Title IX to update processes and resources educational institutions must provide to their students affected by sexual assaults. Educational institutions have increased educational resources to inform students about sexual assault prevention, how to recognize a sexual assault, where to go on campus for assistance, and where to report a complaint. However, studies have shown that over 90% of sexual assaults never get …

Clarifying The Relationship Of Dissociative Experiences To Suicide Ideation And Attempts: A Multimethod Examination In Two Samples, Mikayla C. Pachkowski, Megan L. Rogers, Boaz Y. Saffer, Nicole M. Caulfield, E. David Klonsky

Faculty Publications

Fears of pain, injury, and death may represent key barriers to acting on suicidal thoughts. Dissociation, which involves a disconnection from one's body, may reduce fears and sensations of pain associated with harming the body, in turn facilitating suicide attempts. This study examined whether dissociation differentiated individuals with a history of suicide attempts from those with a history of suicide ideation, and investigated whether other relevant constructs explain this relationship. Sample 1 included 754 undergraduates (Mage = 21, 79% female) who completed a battery of self-report measures. Sample 2 included 247 undergraduates (Mage = 19, 74% female) who completed a …

[Nove] Graphic Novels And Manga Virtual Book Display, Raquel Estrada

Library Display Posters

Virtual book display for Graphic Novels and Manga.

[Nahm] Native American Heritage Month 2021 Library Events, Raquel Estrada, William Flores

Library Display Posters

Poster for Native American Heritage Month 2021.

Beadmaking During The 17th And 18th Centuries In Eu County, Normandy, Guillaume Klaës

BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers

This paper reconstructs the history of a family of French beadmakers in Eu County, Normandy, from 1687 to 1747, as well as the context of their migration from the urban beadmaking center of Rouen. While Normandy had produced windowpane and bottles since the Middle Ages, artisans who made “crystal” soda glass – the glass of beads – were newcomers from Italy and Languedoc. They founded glassworks in Paris and Rouen in the late 16th century. Conflicts with Rouen artisans and merchants led the Mediterranean glassworkers to migrate to Eu County in 1634, where their crystal factories spun off a rural …

Gold & Blue, Fall 2020/Winter 2021, St. Mary's University- San Antonio, Texas

Gold & Blue

This is the Fall 2020/Winter 2021 edition of Gold & Blue which is St. Mary's University's official school publication.

Poster: The Relationship Between Grace And Self-Compassion, Lindsay Price, Melissa Flores, Javeen Beard, Rodger K. Bufford

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

Dimensions Of Grace Scale: Concurrent Validation, Rodger K. Bufford, Javeen Beard, Melissa Flores, Lindsay Price, Adam Hodge

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

Poster: Validity Of Anxiety And Depression Scales Created From The Ncha-Ii, Matthew J. Ditty, William Buhrow, Rodger K. Bufford, Joel Gregor

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

Machine Learning To Predict Sports-Related Concussion Recovery Using Clinical Data, Yan Chu, Gregory Knell, Riley P. Brayton, Scott O. Burkhart, Xiaoqian Jiang, Shayan Shams

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Objectives: Sport-related concussions (SRCs) are a concern for high school athletes. Understanding factors contributing to SRC recovery time may improve clinical management. However, the complexity of the many clinical measures of concussion data precludes many traditional methods. This study aimed to answer the question, what is the utility of modeling clinical concussion data using machine-learning algorithms for pre- dicting SRC recovery time and protracted recovery? Methods: This was a retrospective case series of participants aged 8 to 18 years with a diagnosis of SRC. A 6- part measure was administered to assess pre-injury risk factors, initial injury severity, and post-concussion …

Leverage Psychological Factors Associated With Lapses In Cybersecurity In Organizational Management, Chad Holm

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

With computers being a standard part of life now with the evolution of the internet, many aspects of our lives have changed, and new ways of thinking must come. One of the biggest challenges in most cyber security problems is not related to the software or the hardware; it is the people that are using the computers to access the data and communicate with others, where the hackers could simply find a weak entry point that naturally exists and a weak link caused by human hands. The human factor as an “insider threat” will affect unauthorized access, credentials stealing, and …

Training Needs Of Counseling Trainees In Corrections: A Survey Of Clinical Directors, Frank Dicataldo, Brett Dejesus, Don Whitworth

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

As the mental health treatment needs of adults and adolescents within the criminal justice system has garnered increasing attention, the training of mental health professionals has increasingly focused on serving individuals in forensic and correctional settings. We surveyed 55 clinical directors of mental health programs in forensic and correctional settings in a New England state. Respondents reported that Clinical Mental Health Counselors (CMHCs) broadly participated in assessment, treatment and supervision within these programs. Counseling experience emerged as the most important knowledge/experience domain for prospective job applicants and CMHCs were rated as providing a large share of the treatment within these …

Social Media Addiction And The Loneliness Epidemic, Melanie Huynh

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

This paper discusses the ill-fated relationship between the rise in social media addiction among young adults and the resulting loneliness epidemic that has contributed to greater concerns for mental health – a topic heavily relevant in today’s ongoing battle with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Psychosocial Factors In Coronary Heart Disease, Elizabeth J. Vella Phd

Faculty Publications

Cardiovascular disease represents the leading cause of death globally, which includes mortality due to stroke and coronary heart disease (CHD); of these two forms of cardiovascular disease, CHD accounts for more deaths annually (World Health Organization, 2015). The primary features of CHD include plaque development in the coronary arteries (atherosclerosis), heart attack (myocardial infarct), and acute chest pain (angina; Labarthe, 1998). The traditional risk factors for CHD include age, obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, inactive lifestyle, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and family history of the disease (World Heart Federation, 2015). Epidemiologic evidence suggests that traditional risk factors of CHD …

Language Contact And Covert Prominence In The Sḥerēt-Jibbāli Language Of Oman, Jarred Brewster

Theses and Dissertations--Linguistics

This thesis reports on a phonetic production study, the results of which support the existence of a complex word-prosodic system for the Sḥerēt-Jibbāli language of Dhofar, Oman. In the language, stress seems to co-occur in some lexical items with a high tone. In the discussion, a mechanism for the emergence of this system is proposed as the reflex of a typological feature held in common with the related language, Soqotri, and as justification for an Eastern Modern South Arabian subgroup consisting of Sḥerēt-Jibbāli and Soqotri.

Revised: Etymology Of “Ragtime”: Role Of “Tag, Rag, And “Bobtail” (The Rabble) And The 19th Century “Fancy Rag Balls”, Fred Hoeptner

Arts, Languages and Philosophy Faculty Research & Creative Works

Despite abundant speculation about the etymology of “rag” in “ragtime” since the emergence of ragtime music into popular consciousness in 1896, a convincing solution has remained elusive. As OED3 sums up the situation (rag, n. meaning #5): “Origin uncertain and disputed.”

But at least some new insight may now be possible. The present study is the first to use digitized newspaper archives to track “rag” and “ragtime” from their sources to full maturity, and the following picture emerges:

1. The starting point is tag, rag, and bobtail “the common herd, the rabble”; the word appears in OED3 under bob-tail.
2. Rag as …

“In My Letters, But I Was Still By Myself”: Highlighting The Experiences Of Queer Men Of Color In Culturally Based Fraternities, Crystal Garcia, Antonio Duran

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

This narrative inquiry study examined the ways Queer Men of Color in culturally based fraternities navigated issues of sexuality and gender expression in these organizations. Eight men from four different National Pan-Hellenic Council and Multicultural Greek Council fraternities shared their experiences through interviews and reflective journals. Using queer of color critique as a framework, findings showed how their sexuality substantially shaped their experiences in these culturally based organizations. In particular, participants communicated how their sexuality played a role in their motivations to join their fraternity. Additionally, once they became members, these eight Queer Men of Color explained how these organizations …

Japan's Stock Market Performance: Evidence From Toda-Yamamoto And Dolado-Lutkepohl Tests For Multivariate Granger Causality, Kishor K. Guru-Gharana, Matiur Rahman, Anisul M. Islam

Faculty Publications

This paper empirically examines the causal linkages of Japan's stock market (proxied by Nikkei 225 index) performance with selected key macroeconomic fundamentals. Relatively recent Toda-Yamamoto and Dolado-Lutkepohl, multivariate Granger causality tests are implemented. Monthly time series data from September 1974 to February 2017 with a large sample size of 510 monthly observations covering the floating exchange rate regime were utilized. The study documents some interesting and some unexpected results. Bi-directional causality is evidenced only between the stock market and the industrial production. Somewhat counterintuitively, unidirectional causality runs from stock market to money supply. Furthermore, unidirectional causality flows from interest rate …

Understanding Resident-To-Resident Conflicts In Long Term Care Settings From The Perspective Of Administrative Staff, John F. Walker

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Assisted living facilities are expanding in response to the growing population of older adults in the United States. Assisted living facilities offer a wide array of services including memory care. Research has shown that a majority of assisted living facilities have residents with cognitive impairments living along with non-cognitively impaired individuals (i.e., mixed populations). Little is known about the conflicts that may arise between cognitively and non-cognitively impaired residents in a mixed population. The present study hoped to better understand what conflicts occur, how direct care staff are trained to handle these conflicts, from the perspective of assisted living facility …

Tough Conversations About Race: Let The Book Start The Discussion, Cynthia W. Bassett, Kara Phillips

Faculty Publications

Discussing racism is difficult, both for those who have experienced it and those who are seeking to understand its effect on others. The authors suggest that book discussion groups can help lawyers and students to have these difficult conversations.

Using Eye Tracking To Explore Visual Attention In Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Anne M.P. Michalek, Jonna Bobzien, Victor A. Lugo, Chung Hao Chen, Ann Bruhn, Michail Giannakos

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

Video social stories are used to facilitate understanding of social situations for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study explored the use of eye tracking technology to understand how adolescents with and without ASD visually attend to video social story content and whether visual attention is related to content comprehension. Six adolescents, with and without ASD, viewed a video social story of visiting a dental office. Eye gaze metrics, including fixation duration and count, and visit duration were collected to measure visual attention, and a knowledge assessment was administered for comprehension. Results indicated adolescents with ASD fixated and maintained …

Applying Data-Driven Multimodal Speed Management Strategies For Safe, Efficient Transportation, Yao-Jan Wu, Xianfeng Yeng, Sirisha Kothuri

TREC Project Briefs

How can we use a variety of data-driven speed management strategies to make transportation safer and more efficient for all modes–whether you’re driving, walking or taking transit? The project was led by Yao Jan Wu, director of the Smart Transportation Lab at the University of Arizona. Co-investigators were Xianfeng Terry Yang of the University of Utah, who researches traffic operations and modeling along with connected automated vehicles, and Sirisha Kothuri of Portland State University, whose research has focused on improving signal timing to better serve pedestrians. “We want to improve mobility for all users, be it pedestrians, vehicle drivers or …

Maternal Proximity To Mountaintop Removal Mining And Birth Defects In Appalachian Kentucky, 1997-2003, Daniel B. Cooper

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Background: Extraction of coal through mountaintop removal mining (MTR) alters many dimensions of the landscape, and explosive blasts, exposed rock, and coal washing have the potential to pollute air and water with substances known to increase risk of developmental and birth anomalies. Previous research suggests that infants born to mothers living in MTR coal mining counties have higher prevalence of most types of birth defects.

Objectives: This study seeks to examine further the relationship between MTR activity and birth defects by employing individual level exposure estimation through precise satellite data of MTR activity in the Appalachian region and maternal residence …

Using An Evaluation Grid To Holistically Assess Library Databases, Summer Durrant

Administrative / Professional Faculty Articles

When evaluating subscription-based databases, academic librarians primarily rely on cost-per-use statistics to guide their decision-making. Although this metric is useful, it does not provide a complete picture of a resource’s value to the institution. To adopt a more holistic approach, the University of Mary Washington implemented an evaluation grid, which was used to assess 61 products the library subscribed to during the 2019–2020 academic year. In addition to product cancelations, results were used to identify areas for improvement. Using an evaluation grid enabled UMW Libraries to make high-quality renewal and cancelation decisions in an objective and transparent manner and effectively …

Things Are Getting Worse On Our Way To Catastrophe: Neoliberal Environmentalism, Repressive Desublimation, And The Autonomous Ecoconsumer, Alex Stoner

Journal Articles

The aim of neoliberal environmentalism was to unleash the market to protect the environment; but as it turns out, things are getting worse on our way to catastrophe. Despite persistent failures, neoliberal environmentalism remains prevalent—and apparently without alternative. This paper directs focus on an often-overlooked dimension of this apparent stasis: the nexus of self and society in advanced capitalism, as shown in the linkage between neoliberal environmentalism and the autonomous ecoconsumer. Marcuse’s concept of repressive desublimation is engaged to better understand how environmentalist desire is currently being thwarted in ways that inhibit movement toward socioecological emancipation. The paper provides an …

Aeolian Sand Stringers In The Upper Midwest, Usa: Morphology, Stratigraphy, And Paleoenvironmental Significance, Kenzie L. Shandonay

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Sand stringers are subtle (~1-10 m high), elongate (several km long, up to 100 m wide) aeolian landforms that lack a slip face and generally have a northwest-southeast orientation. They are ubiquitous across the Upper Midwest, including southeast Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Despite their prevalence, the timing, processes, and environmental conditions during sand stringer formation and evolution are poorly understood. This research aims to describe sand stringer morphology and stratigraphy, reconstruct regional paleoclimate, and characterize the timing and geomorphic processes of sand stringer formation and evolution in response to shifts in environmental conditions. This study investigates two sand stringers: Good-1 …

Unveiling Race And Japanese Identity Through Kokusai Kekkon, Manami Matsuoka

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Kokusai kekkon, marriage among Japanese and non-Japanese nationals, are common, yet sometimes it comes with difficulties. The study aims to uncover Japanese people’s hidden perceptions of gaikokujins, foreigners, and Japanese identity shaped in relation to gaikokujins based on race and ethnicity within cross-national marriage. 18 Japanese spouses of U.S. Americans were interviewed for the study. The study employed thematic analysis to disclose Japanese beliefs and worldviews through interpreting Japanese interviewees’ experiences and their families’ discourses regarding marriage with U.S. Americans. The study found that whiteness and the sense of inferiority to the West and superiority toward the East influence Japanese …