Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Vision To Improve Policies For Grandfamilies, Kerry Littlewood

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

In 2007, my mentor, Anne Strozier, and I wrote an article about the various systems of care that were in place to help support grandparents and other relatives raising children in the US (Strozier & Krisman, 2007). We noted how difficult it was to completely understand the data related to the needs of grandfamilies, because they existed in so many siloed systems of care, including child welfare, aging, education, legal, health care, and others. Today is 17 years since that article was published and systems serving kinship families are just as segmented and siloed as ever.

In the 10 years …

Solving Old Cases With New Technology, Philip Hodapp

Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Leadership

The State of Minnesota has seen a significant uptick in the homicide rate in the last ten years, and not all homicides are being solved. Due to a significant staffing shortfall across the state, but especially in the inner-city areas, police agencies are having a hard enough time keeping up with ongoing cases, let alone finding time to work on cold cases. With the advancement in DNA technology, including Forensic Genetic Genealogy, cases need to be re-examined to see if the new technology could spark life into older investigations.

Due to the rise in skepticism of policing today and the …

Physical And Mental Health Experiences Of Obese Men Living In The United States During The Covid-19 Pandemic, James Cunningham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges to public health worldwide, significantly impacting vulnerable populations like obese men in the United States. This qualitative descriptive study involved exploring how these men perceived the pandemic’s impact on their physical and mental health, addressing a critical gap in existing literature. The research question that guided this study was: How did obese men living in the United States perceive the stressor that was the COVID-19 pandemic on their physical and mental health? Guided by the biopsychosocial model, the study involved using semi-structured interviews with 15 participants who were recruited online through social media. Thematic …

Therapists’ Experiences In Cases Of High-Conflict Divorce Among Individuals With Personality Issues, Tamara Soal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High-conflict divorce (HCD) involves prolonged conflict exceeding 2 years, persistent hostility, and extensive court involvement. Mental health professionals often participate as court-appointed expert witnesses or provide therapy at parental request. Therapists' roles become more complex when parents exhibit challenging personality traits. This descriptive qualitative study explored therapists’ experiences in treating children and families in HCD cases where one or both parents displayed complex personality issues or disorders. Greenberg and Gould’s model on mental health professionals in court cases and Freud’s countertransference theory provided the study’s conceptual framework. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with nine therapists, and thematic analysis was …

Experiences Of Former Foster Youths With Learning Disabilities Who Transitioned Into Adulthood, Phyllis J. Phillips

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Foster youths with learning disabilities face numerous challenges as they transition out of care, including housing instability, unemployment, and mental health issues. Despite these barriers, research focusing on this specific population is limited. Guided by Taormina’s adult personal resilience theory, this qualitative case study explored the experiences and perceptions of former foster youths with learning disabilities to inform interventions and improve service delivery and policy improvements. The research questions addressed the experiences of former foster youths with learning disabilities transitioning out of care, the unique challenges associated with transitioning out of foster care as experienced by former foster youths with …

Archival Adventures: A First-Year Quest Through Campus History, Katie Strand, Kelly Rovegno, Katie Luder

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

University Archives endeavors to collect, preserve and make available the permanent historical record of Utah State University (USU). These records include published material, faculty papers, office files, and other historical material generated by the academic departments, extension offices, statewide campuses, research centers and institutes.

How Do Gender And Marital Status Impact High-Risk Polysubstance Use?, Kira England, Alexander Chapman

Population Health Research Brief Series

Drug overdose deaths in the United States increasingly include the use of multiple drugs, known as polysubstance use. These include opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine, tranquilizers, and sedatives. Polysubstance use is considered high risk because it can cause dangerous synergistic effects and result in the ingestion of higher amounts of drugs. This brief summarizes findings from a study that used data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health on U.S. adults from 2002 through 2019 to examine gender and marital status differences in high-risk polysubstance use among U.S. adults ages 18 and older. The authors find that polysubstance use is …

Podcasting Towards Togetherness: Utilizing Podcasts To Improve Departmental Camaraderie And Well-Being, Michael Petrauskis, Colleen Gutman, Rosemarie Fernandez

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Physician burnout is on the rise, and this is of particular concern in emergency medicine. Burnout is associated with medical errors, adverse events, poor professionalism, and litigation. A sense of community can build engagement and mitigate workplace stressors on well-being. Emergency physicians may have trouble connecting due to the nature of shift-work and various practice settings. Communication technology, and particularly podcasting, has the potential to help overcome these barriers and positively impact relatedness and well-being.

Approach: We developed an inward-facing podcast, “The ER Break Room” within the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Florida. Through the …

Editorial: On Social Fiction And The 2025 Special Issue Of The Qualitative Report, Patricia Leavy

The Qualitative Report

In this editorial Patricia Leavy situates her work in the context of writing as inquiry. She discusses coining the term “social fiction and her fictional story-worlds. The piece ends with an invitation to the story.

Celebrating Dr. Patricia Leavy’S Body Of Work: An Introduction To This Special Issue, Laurel Richardson, U. Melissa Anyiwo

The Qualitative Report

In this article Laurel Richardson and Melissa Anyiwo detail Patricia Leavy’s contributions to qualitative inquiry. After providing background information, they provide a thematic look at Leavy’s contribution in the areas of innovation and trailblazing, paradigm shifts, border crossing, creativity and artistry, and social justice and humanitarianism. They conclude with remarks about Leavy’s enduring legacy in the field of qualitative research.

Reach And Utility Of The New Hampshire Child Care Scholarship Program, Harshita Sarup, Jess Carson

Carsey Publications

In this primer, authors Harshita Sarup and Jess Carson describe the New Hampshire Child Care Scholarship Program after recent policy changes. The authors find that while an estimated 55,000 children are eligible, only 7 to 8 percent are enrolled. Scholarships can represent significant savings for families, particularly with multiple children, although reimbursement rates can leave gaps for providers. The authors conclude by discussing some potential strategies for increasing the reach and efficacy of the program.

Cover And Forewords, C. Nicholas Raphael

The Geographical Bulletin

Cover and Forewords

The Geography Of The European Dreadnought Race: 1884-1919, William D. Walters, Jr.

The Geographical Bulletin

The launching of HMS Dreadnought in 1906 is sometimes regarded as the start of the warship building race preceding World War One and is often seen as one of the causes of that war. In fact, the European battleship building race goes back to the 1880s. Most of the countries of Europe participated in some way in this race, which involved significant transfer of technology from the more developed to the less developed countries of Europe. Spain, Italy and Russia received significant aid from armaments firms in northern and western Europe. During the period before the war, battleships dominated naval …

Volume 34-1 Complete Issue, C. Nicholas Raphael

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 34-1 Complete Issue

Late Holocene Coastal And Estuarine Environments Of The Shanghai Area, People's Republic Of China, Li Jinan, Yan Qinshang

The Geographical Bulletin

Four major sedimentary environments have been identified in the Shanghai area which were deposited over the past 7,000 years, 3 to 20 meters above a Pleistocene basal clay. These are marsh, lagoon, recurved spit and tidal flat. The morphology west of Shanghai is a fresh water marsh since it was not transgressed by rising Holocene sea levels. In the central area, a recurved spit and lagoon had developed from 6,500 years B.P. to 3,500 years B.P. However, the tidal flat has characterized coastal sedimentation in the eastern part of Shanghai since 3,000 years B.P.

Thematic Innovation On The North American Colonial Frontier: Comparisons Of The Four Historic Maps Of Fort Michilimackinac, Michigan 1749-1769, Richard Alan Sambrook

The Geographical Bulletin

To date, four historic maps of Fort Michilimackinac, Michigan are recognized: de Lotbiniere's Plan and Description (1749), the Magra Map (1766), the Nordberg Map (1769), and the Crown Collection Map (circa 1766-1769). These maps are all different in a number of important map features, including scale, style, technique, and portrayal of the type and detail of information included on the map, especially the accuracy of the location and size of structures within the fort. This paper also demonstrates the wealth of social, cultural and architectural information contained within the four existing historic maps. In conjunction these maps have both aided …

Planning With Place: Sense Of Place In Berlin, New Hampshire, Brooks Preston

The Geographical Bulletin

This study applies a phenomenological framework to the study of place in Berlin, New Hampshire. The results of Berlin's efforts to identify sense of place are compared with the findings generated by a phenomenological approach to the study of place. It is shown that the attributes and qualities of place that are most important to the people of Berlin are mentioned in the phenomenological interviews but sometimes overlooked or misinterpreted by the city's efforts. Sense of place is not embodied purely in the landscape or heritage, but exists in the minds of the people. Sense of place is a dynamic …

Projections And Perceptions-Editorial Comments. The Good Fortune Of Being A Geographer, Charles F. Gritzner

The Geographical Bulletin

How refreshing it is to see this brief and very upbeat reference to being a geographer in "Notes from Ptolemy" (January 1992 AAG Newsletter). Extremely fortunate we are indeed to be geographers! Being a geographer and " doing geography" are challenging, meaningful, satisfying, and fun. Geographic knowledge can be a marvelous source of intrinsic satisfaction; increasingly it also can offer substantial vocational rewards. During most of more than three decades in academe, an aura of gloom and doom prevailed for all but a select few young students aspiring to become geographers. Employment opportunities were sparse. Geography languished in the elementary …

Volume 34-2 Complete Issue, C. Nicholas Raphael

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 34-2 Complete Issue

Cover And Forewords, C. Nicholas Raphael

The Geographical Bulletin

Cover and Forewords

Climatic Trends And Variability During Winter And Summer In Central Montana, Elizabeth G. Lowell, Philip W. Suckling

The Geographical Bulletin

Seasonal values of maximum temperature, minimum temperature and precipitation were examined in a study of climatic trends and variability for winter and summer in central Montana. Regional trends for the three climatic elements were graphed for the period 1949- 1986. A Student's T-test was utilized in order to detect significant changes. For winter, temperature declined significantly from the 1960s into the 1970s while snowfall increased slightly followed by a slight decrease during the 1980s. For summer, although maximum temperatures were significantly cooler during the 1950s, very little change in temperatures generally occurred. Although rainfall fluctuations were observed, no distinct trends …

News From The Chapters1991-1992, C. Nicholas Raphael

The Geographical Bulletin

The 1991-1992 school year for the Alpha Chapter of GTU was truly a successful one with 25 active members participating in quite a few events. During National Geography Awareness Week we sold world T-shirts at the student union, held a geography quiz contest, and had our annual Geography White Elephant Auction which brought in over $350.00. We had our Christmas Party at the local Best Western with great food and happy spirits. Throughout the year members participated in the " Return to Prairie at Funks Grove" where we cleaned out bushes and burned grass. We also had weekly Thursday Happy …

Terrain Influences On Total Length Of Snow-Avalanche Paths In Southern Glacier National Park, Montana, Jay K. Gao

The Geographical Bulletin

This research was designed to determine the impact of topographic variables on the total length of avalanche chutes in southern Glacier National Park, Montana. Seventy-eight snow avalanche paths were manually interpreted from aerial photographs within the study area, and their outlines were delineated on U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps with a scale of 1 :24,000. Terrain variables were either measured directly from the maps or derived from the original ones. Terrain parameters were first analyzed by using the descriptive statistical method. Total path length was then regressed against the independent variables elevation, orientation, and slope gradient. We found that: (a) …

Gravestone Landscape Evolution Of A Japanese Rural Community, Tadashi Nakagawa

The Geographical Bulletin

Quantitative and chronological examination of 99 gravestones of four cemeteries in a rural community northeast of Tokyo reveals the effectiveness of gravestone study in reconstructing historical geography of Japanese rural villages. Temporal patterns of gravestone inscription, the number of bases and such design elements as vases, water holders, and incense burners clearly show the changing styles and values toward burial customs, economic conditions, and some aspects of family units.

Spatial Variation In Poverty Levels Within The Lower Mississippi Delta Development Region, Wendy Shaw

The Geographical Bulletin

In 1988 a Senate bill established the Lower Mississippi Delta Development Commission, whose stated purpose was to address the poverty of the region. The region identified spanned seven states and included 187 counties, and was said to share economic, social, and cultural ties. While some underlying similarities may exist in the region, the manner in which poverty manifests itself is differentiated spatially, and the region is far from homogeneous. Variations with respect to the national average in per capita income, percentage of families below the poverty level, rate of high school graduation, and unemployment rate were examined and mapped. A …

Projections And Perceptions-Editorial Comments. The Changing Importance Of College And University Teaching: The 1960s Versus The 1990s, James O. Wheeler (University Of Georgia), James O. Wheeler

The Geographical Bulletin

Approximately thirty years ago, when I was just starting graduate school in geography, one of the first impressions I gained was the low priority accorded teaching. The emphasis, instead, was on research. The attitude was that anyone could teach but not everyone could do hotshot research. In fact, I got the impression that professors who were so wrapped up in research that their lectures were disorganized and confused were admired more than professors who did little or no research but whose lectures were superb. (There were, of course, inexplicably, those rare professors who did both remarkably well.) In general, poorly …

Cover And Forewords, C. Nicholas Raphael

The Geographical Bulletin

Cover and Forewords

Spatial Variation In Tourism In The United States: An Industrial View, Chad Meadows, Keith Debbage

The Geographical Bulletin

This paper attempts to empirically document the spatial variations in employment and revenue for selected businesses in the tourism industries of 20 states under study. Employment and revenue figures were classified by US Census SIC codes, and separated into two classifications : direct and supporting tourist services. In states with large economies, a diversified economic base frequently minimizes tourism's proportional importance to statewide service economy employment; however, in many states with small economic and population bases, tourism employment made a significant proportional contribution to the service labor market. States with large economies have high absolute revenue in both the direct …

Volume 35-1 Complete Issue, C. Nicholas Raphael

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 35-1 Complete Issue

The Active Voice: One Key To More Effective Geographic Writing, Michael D. Sublett

The Geographical Bulletin

Despite admonitions from grammarians, journal editors, and conference program chairs, many geographers apparently either know not or care not about the advantages of choosing the forceful active voice over the feeble, often anonymous, passive voice. Paired examples of (1) previously published sentences, from geographic sources, containing at least one passive expression and (2) my revisions of the same sentences provide herein illustrative material for authors wishing to activate their prose.