Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Past And Present Of The Cvs: Empirical Research And Evidence-Based Policy, Kevin T. Wolff

Publications and Research

In this keynote address, I emphasized the critical role of accurate crime measurement in developing evidence-based policies. I discussed the "dark figure of crime," highlighting how many crimes go unreported, and stressed the importance of victimization surveys in uncovering these hidden crimes to provide a more complete picture of criminal activity.

I also explored how technological advancements, particularly AI, are transforming how we collect and analyze crime data. While AI offers significant benefits in predictive policing and resource allocation, I cautioned about the risks of bias and privacy issues that must be managed carefully.

Regional collaboration, standardization, and inclusivity are …

Writing For The Journal: A Guide For Community-Based Organizations, Randy Wykoff, Rachel E. Dixon

Journal of Appalachian Health

The Journal of Appalachian Health welcomes submissions from a variety of stakeholders interested in and contributing to improvement of health across the Appalachian Region. This editorial provides basic guidelines for those working in community settings who may with to make JAH (or any other journal) their publication home.

Tierra, Sangre Y Resistencia, Rosalva Resendiz

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

For myself, art has been a way to explore my Chicanx realism a la Cheri Moraga. There are so many conflicting emotions I have experienced as a mestiza indigenous brown individual living on the borderlands. I have lived with much rage, having survived the colorism within my own family, the racism from both lands of the North and South, and the identity crisis that comes with learning to accept myself as de-tribalized and indigenous in a country which refuses to accept that we are natives and not immigrants.
My contribution to this issue is a painting for the issue’s cover …

El Corrido De La Redada De Los “41 Maricones”: Decolonizing El Porfiriato And Its Queer Signifier, Lucas Espinoza, Rosalva Resendiz, Luis E. Espinoza

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The purpose of this article is to critically examine the story of the number 41 as a queer signifier in Mexican culture from a decolonial perspective, taking into account archival records in the development of hegemonic masculinity in the 20th century. An examination of hegemonic masculinity and homophobia of early 20th century Mexico is provided by reviewing colonial accounts of indigenous sexuality, as well as uncovering the hidden stories of the corrido/ballad of El Baile de los 41 Maricones. The corrido was used as satire to ridicule the homosexual practices by the bourgeoisie, creating a rift between social classes, and …

Unemployment, Weekly Earnings, And Cost Of Living In Mountain West Metros, 2022, Annie Vong, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet examines data on unemployment, weekly earnings, and cost of living for five Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah. The Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity (LISEP). Local Analysis report includes data on the 50 largest MSAs in the U.S., which include the following in the Mountain West: Phoenix-Mesa Scottsdale, AZ; Tucson, AZ; Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO; Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV; and Salt Lake City, UT.

Co-Occurring Disorders In The Juvenile Justice System: Clinicians’ Attitudes, Skills, And Knowledge, Wendi Watson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders have been found to contribute to delinquent and criminal behavior leading to higher rates of incarceration. Although this problem is increasingly recognized within the juvenile justice system and the social work profession, very little is known about how knowledgeable social workers are with respect to treating co-occurring disorders. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between social workers' clinical experience (i.e., years of experience), level of education, and type of licensure and perceived clinical competence when serving youth with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders in the juvenile justice …

Granite Guide To Early Childhood: Introduction To New Hampshire’S Child Care Sector, Evan England, Jess Carson

Carsey Publications

The early care and education (ECE) sector in New Hampshire is a complex ecosystem that must account for families’ needs and resources, the capacity and availability of the workforce, and the costs of providing services. This ecosystem is also bolstered (and constrained) by local, state, and federal policy. This series of primers, titled the Granite Guide to Early Childhood, synthesizes the widely disaggregated scholarship on child care in New Hampshire and compiles this work into an unprecedented accessible collection. These primers aim to provide a vital understanding of key factors involved in developing a high-quality, affordable, and equitable ECE …

La Gente De Agua: Intersectional Metaphors Of Identity And Resistance, Arlett Lomelí

Sociology Faculty Publications

Berre: “Nombre, pinche Americana, no sabe!” And I didn’t know, because it had taken a long time not to be mad at not being able to pronounce words properly or using my translanguaging skills to create words in Spanish. Playing with cousins in Mexico was fun but challenging. They weren’t always the kindest or showed compassion. It was I who was living in the U.S. after all. The expectation was not to speak Spanglish. The idea that Spanish should be pure and learned properly kept being yelled at me when I didn’t understand the double-meanings and certain humor.

Do Participation Rates Vary With Participation Payments In Laboratory Experiments?, Huizhen Zhong, Cary Deck, Daniel J. Henderson

ESI Working Papers

This paper reports a series of experiments designed to evaluate how the advertised participation payment impacts participation rates in laboratory experiments. Our initial goal was to generate variation in the participation rate as a means to control for selection bias when evaluating treatment effects in common laboratory experiments. Initially, we varied the advertised participation payment to 1734 people from $5 to $15 using standard email recruitment procedures, but found no statistical evidence this impacted the participation rate. A second study increased the advertised payment up to $100. Here, we find marginally significant statistical evidence that the advertised participation payment affects …

White Paper: Embracing Responsible Use Of Chatgpt In Education, Monica J. Weir

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

This white paper presents challenges and opportunities for integration of ChatGPT, an artificial general intelligence (AGI) model developed by Open AI, in education. Drawing parallels to prior technological innovations in education including handheld calculators, the author asserts that the primary solution lies in guiding students to develop skills for responsible use of available resources. While debates surrounding the use of ChatGPT and plagiarism, misinformation, and ethics are valid, this paper stresses the importance for open conversations and growth mindset. The proposed solution includes a responsible use policy for ChatGPT in the classroom, which emphasizes critical thinking, collaboration, continuous feedback, ethical …

Phenomenology Via A Narrative Inquiry In Action: A Study Identifying Themes Of Persistence And Barriers Faced By African American Male Students In Their Pursuits Of Higher Education, Jeremiah Rotich

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

The use of phenomenology via a narrative inquiry is increasingly becoming popular in qualitative research study as it provides an unparalleled approach in sharing lived experiences. This article employs a narrative inquiry study to improve the understanding as to why Black male students (also known as African American male students) graduate from college at a lower rate than their Latino, White, and Asian counterparts in the United States. These narratives helped describe the barriers that have frustrated African American male students from persisting in higher education. Participants identified the lack of financial support, lack of cultural competency, lack of identity, …

Teaching Grow Your Own (Gyo) Programs: A Deeper Discussion Of A Teaching Gyo With A College Campus Immersion Experience, Gricel Escobedo

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

While the U.S. has seen an increase of students of color in K-12 schools, the teaching profession faces a shortage of teachers of color. A range of issues, including engaging and retaining teachers of color, learning outcomes, and ensuring academic success for students, all contribute to the shortage. Teaching focused Grow Your Own (GYO) programs have gained popularity as a grassroots effort to diversify the teaching profession to reflect current student demographics. This article explored the commonly used strategies in teaching GYO programs aimed at recruitment and retention of diverse teachers. Additionally, it focused on the Future Teacher Academy (FTA) …

Barriers To Healthcare Faced By Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Their Families, Jennifer Lu

Theses and Graduate Projects

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that is characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication as well as repetitive behaviors or interests that can affect daily functioning. ASD individuals are also more likely to experience poor physical and mental health along with reduced life expectancy compared to non-autistic people. Thus, it is crucial that those with ASD are able to obtain adequate healthcare. However, there is limited research on the barriers to medical care access faced by those with ASD and their families.

Purpose: Due to the lack of autism awareness in the general population and …

Adhd And Chronic Anhedonia: Antecedents Of Treatment-Resistant Depression And Suicidality In Adults, Tia Sternat

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Depression is a chronic and debilitating disorder. Approximately 280 million people live with depression, and more than 700,000 lives are lost due to suicide each year. Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is a severe form of depression which is highly correlated with comorbid psychiatric disorders such as attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and associated with increased suicidality. Anhedonia, the reduced ability to experience pleasure, is associated with various psychiatric conditions, including ADHD. The theoretical framework for this study was the biopsychosocial model. Depression may be diagnosed in accordance with a defined cluster of symptoms, and/or how symptoms are experienced vary by individuals …

Strategies For Addressing Substance Abuse And Gambling Among Youth, Kevin T. Wolff

Publications and Research

This keynote address opens with a description of recent trends in substance use and gambling among youth, sharing insights from relevant research. I highlight that while some global trends indicate a decline in adolescent substance use, other areas, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, have seen increases. I emphasize the importance of comprehensive prevention strategies, such as school-based, community-based, and family-based programs, and effective treatment approaches like behavioral interventions and integrated mental health services.

On the topic of youth gambling, I highlight the rising normalization and accessibility of gambling, particularly through the internet. I describe specific challenges in regions like South …

Groundwater Modeling Of The Ogallala Aquifer: Use Of Machine Learning For Model Parameterization And Sustainability Assessment, Tewodros Aboret Tilahun

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Addressing groundwater depletion problems in heterogeneous aquifer systems is a challenge. The heterogeneous Ogallala Aquifer, a critical source of groundwater in the central United States, has undergone decades of decline in water levels due to pumping. This project aims to build a robust groundwater model to evaluate optimal scenarios for sustainable use of the groundwater resource within a section of the Ogallala aquifer located in the Middle Republican Natural Resources District (MRNRD). This study follows a comprehensive approach involving parameterization, construction, and optimization. The model is parametrized using hydraulic conductivity and recharge values obtained from a random forest-based machine learning …

Evaluating The Client Base And Housing Outcomes Of A Community Based Organization Serving Unhoused Adults, Emi Caprio

Doctoral Dissertations

There is a well-documented, bidirectional relationship between mental health and housing instability. When coupled with the complex historical, societal, and political factors contributing to houselessness, the result is a unique set of mental health needs within this community. Despite this, there is a low rate of mental health service utilization and a dearth of research on how to tailor services to meet the needs of unhoused individuals. Additionally, first-hand perspectives are often omitted, as this population is seen as “hard to reach”. The goal of this two-phase mixed-methods program evaluation was to better understand the demographic and mental health profiles …

Our Bodies, Our Choices: Reproductive Justice And Social Embodiment, Charles Olney

Political Science Faculty Publications

Feminist scholars of reproductive justice argue for a broader model of politics organised around embodied experience. But to fully express the intersectional politics of reproductive justice, more attention must be given to the social function of embodiment—the ways that bodily markers create associative communities among strangers. This shared form of embodiment establishes connections that exceed the intimate relationship of a specific pregnancy. In particular, foetal embodiment manifests via communities with vested interest in the social meaning of life. These communities are affected, albeit indirectly, by reproductive choices and are therefore valid subjects of concern for reproductive justice. I develop the …

Projected Job Growth By 2031 In The Mountain West, Madison Dwyer, Annie Vong, Kristian Thymianos, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet examines job growth projections from 2021 to 2031 for the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. This fact sheet also presents projected job growth data by educational level, and across selected occupational sectors. Data are sourced from the report, “After Everything: Projections of Jobs, Education, and Training Requirements through 2031,” published by the McCourt School of Public Policy’s Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) at Georgetown University.

The Impact Of Coach-Created Motivational Climate On Athletes’ Mental Health And The Mitigating Effects Of Psychological Safety And Psychological Resiliency, Shir Wasserman

Dissertations, 2020-current

With the growing importance of athletes’ mental health in sport, there is an escalating need for understanding the multifaceted nature of the concept, including related individual and environmental factors (Nixdorf et al., 2023). Previous studies suggest that athletes’ engagement with their social environment can potentially influence their mental health outcomes (Reis, 2001). Additionally, studies examining the coach-athlete relationship have consistently affirmed the significance of this connection to various athlete-related outcomes, including aspects of mental health and overall well-being (Jowett & Shanmagum, 2016). Therefore, this study explored the relationship between coach-created motivational climate, athletes' mental health, and the mitigating effects of …

Relationship Between Student Physical Therapist Pain Knowledge, Beliefs, And Self-Efficacy Assessing And Treating Pain, Ryan Morgan Reed

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Chronic pain is a debilitating condition that affects a large percentage of the population. According to recent studies, chronic pain management is best treated using a biopsychosocial (BPS) non-pharmacological approach rather than a biomedical (BM) approach. Student Physical Therapists (SPTs) trained in a BPS approach have different beliefs about pain than those trained in the BM approach. Beliefs about pain are related to pain knowledge and self-efficacy for treating pain patients. To date, no study has examined these three variables together or explored differences in BM versus BPS beliefs in relationship to the other two variables. Guided by social cognitive …

What Do New Hampshire Families Want For Child Care?, Rebecca Glauber, Jess Carson

Carsey Publications

Most New Hampshire families with young children need child care, although both use and preference vary. In this primer, authors Rebecca Glauber and Jess Carson describe the complexity of families’ child care decision making, shaped by preference and the reality of available offerings. Evidence suggests that family priorities differ, but reliable arrangements are key for most. The need for a diverse mix of accessible options and an emphasis on reliability are true for families outside of New Hampshire as well.

Essays In Family Economics, Margarita Podledneva

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I investigate the relationship between family structure, domestic environment, and child outcomes, with a focus on educational achievement in Russia. Chapter 1. Fertility, Marriage, and Cohabitation Across Family Types: Stylized Facts The first essay analyzes family structure in Russia, providing essential context and intuition for the rest of the thesis. Using the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS), I document several stylized facts about the composition of families in Russia, with a focus on families with children. Additionally, I explore trends in cohabitation, marriage, and divorce, as well as fertility decisions among women in different family structures. I …

Predictors Of Antisocial Behavior Among Hispanic Adults, Mara Page

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Antisocial behavior can lead to serious social and legal consequences such as long-term involvement in criminal activities. Although there has been much research on predictors of antisocial behavior, such as perceived economic status, parental communication, impulsivity, substances, parenting styles, and parental involvement, little has been researched on how these apply to the Hispanic population. Grounded in Gottfredson and Hirschi’s general crime theory, the purpose of this nonexperimental correlational survey design study was to assess whether sensation-seeking behavior, self-control, parental monitoring, religious coping, perceived social support, and rugged resilience predicted antisocial behavior among Hispanic adults. A sample of 167 Hispanic adult …

Roots Of Turmoil: Exploring The Causes Behind Fano Force's Struggle Against Abiy Ahmed's Administration, Agenagn Dagnew Mr

Journal of African Conflicts and Peace Studies

The struggle between Abiy's administration and the Fano had led to other-round chaos and violence in the Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia, after the conflict between the Tigray People Liberation Front’s (TPLF) and the federal government of Ethiopia took place from 2020 to 2022. In regard to this, the researcher explored the causes that resulted in Fano's struggle with Abiy Ahmed's administration. The research design was an exploratory case study. Document review, audio-visual sources, and a semi-structured interview were employed to look into the reasons for Fano Force's conflict with Abiy’s administration. The Oromo nationalist movement attacks on Amhara, the …

Burundi: Building Democracy On An "Ethnically" Divided Society, Elias Sentamba

Journal of African Conflicts and Peace Studies

Pre-colonial Burundi was a homogeneous society: Burundians shared the same language, culture, religion, history, etc. and lived harmoniously on the same hills. This population was made up of a multitude of clans and Hutu, Tutsi, Ganwa and Twa social components of very secondary social importance. Even the monarchy reflected the various segments of such a nation.

It was this harmony that Belgian colonisation definitively ruined, with the policy of divide et impera. By claiming that the Ganwa and the Tutsi were the superior races and the Hutu and Twa the inferior ones, a whole process of political and administrative manipulation …

Strategic Governance To “Silence The Guns” In Africa: Urban Sub-Saharan African Perceptions On War's Root Causes., Peter Tresor Miyalou, Chun Yan Hu

Journal of African Conflicts and Peace Studies

Despite the African Union’s campaign to silence the guns in Africa by 2020 (STGIA 2020), many African countries are suffering from wars and political instability, the primary causes of underdevelopment in Africa. This paper examines the roots causes of wars in Africa and provide a strategic governance to silence the guns beyond 2020. To accomplish this, we gathered data from 169 questionnaire responses administered across 25 African countries, to capture African people’s perceptions on the root causes of wars and whether employing strategic governance would help silence the guns in these countries. The results showed that political power struggle (47.9%), …

Challenges Of Peacebuilding In The Global South: Taking Sudan As A Case Study, Wallelign Zelalem Getie

Journal of African Conflicts and Peace Studies

This paper examines the challenges faced in peacebuilding practices within the Global South, focusing specifically on Sudan, an East African state. Despite a long-standing peacebuilding history, the Global South's contributions to international peace and security often go unnoticed. Instead, these contributions are frequently overshadowed by numerous challenges. In particular, the post-independence era in Africa has been characterized by fragmented peace and security, primarily due to civil wars and internal conflicts. The study highlights that numerous regional and international actors have been involved in Sudan's peace agreements since the outbreak of the first major intra-state conflict in 1972. The study employed …

Resolving Nigeria’S Security Conundrum: A Comprehensive Regional Analysis, Lukman Ahmed Lawal, Beacon Mbiba, Salamatu Kassah

Journal of African Conflicts and Peace Studies

Abstract

This article analyses the regional variabilities of insecurity in Nigeria to propose a suitable approach to understanding their peculiarities. It argues that the dominant military interventions and one-size-fits-all approaches are inappropriate for resolving the country’s myriad security challenges. The Regional Security Complex Theory offers a theoretical basis to contextualise the complex security challenge in Nigeria. There is a need to unbundle the dynamics for each of the regions. Syntheses from the six geopolitical zones indicate that although the security challenges manifest in precarious living conditions, the drivers differ. The article recommends that interventions analyse and identify underlying factors for …

Transgender And Gender Non-Conforming (Tgnc) Leaders And Leadership, Galen J. Talis

Libraries

The author presents highlights from a paper accepted at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting. A 12-minute videorecording is also available.
Gender and leadership research has traditionally employed a binary framework, overlooking the experiences of transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) leaders and forcing leaders of all genders and intersectional identities into a dichotomous frame. This paper reviewed interdisciplinary literature using a robust search strategy in three academic databases and Google Scholar, as well as across eight leadership studies journals. Sixteen sources involving 440 leaders’ experiences were found. The author conducted a thematic analysis to explore how TGNC leaders’ experiences challenge …