Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Grief, Depression, And Well-Being: The Role Of Social Support And Psychological Inflexibility, Ashley Wicochea

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Grief/bereavement is a normal emotional process that individuals experience upon the death of a loved one. Complicated grief or prolonged grief disorder results when grief becomes prolonged and associated with impairment in functioning (Howarth, 2011; Al-Gamal et al., 2018). Previous research has found a positive relationship between prolonged grief and depression. Moreover, research has found that the relationship between grief and depression was strongest under conditions of low peer support (Al-Gamal et al., 2018). Previous research on psychological inflexibility has found a positive relationship with grief and psychological distress, and a negative relationship with psychological well-being (Howell & Demuynck, 2021). …

Why We Leave: The Role Of Approach And Avoidance Motivations In Romantic Relationship Dissolution, Emily Connard

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Romantic relationship dissolution (i.e., a breakup) is one of the most stressful events a person can experience. Breakup initiators often encounter a range of emotions (e.g., guilt, depression, anxiety) after leaving their romantic partner. Yet, little is known about how an initiator’s unique motivations for leaving impact their breakup strategies and emotions in the aftermath. The current study examined the association between dissolution motives, breakup strategies, and experienced outcomes in 273 marital and non-marital breakup initiators. As predicted, initiators who left due to approach dissolution motives (e.g., seeking more freedom; draws to leave) experienced greater positive outcomes following a breakup; …

Public Relations For Cryptocurrency: Coinbase Guidebook, Logan Odneal

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Cryptocurrency has emerged as a disruptive force in the global financial landscape, challenging traditional systems and offering new possibilities for economic transactions. As this innovative technology gains traction, its reputation and public perception have become crucial factors for its widespread adoption and long-term success. However, the reputation of cryptocurrency and cryptocurrency organizations have been in crisis as multiple and widescale frauds and crashes have threatened the growth of the industry.

This project seeks to answer this issue by applying crisis communications and public relations frameworks to create a plain language guide to inform the consumer base and restore investor confidence …

The Impact Of Infant-Toddler Screen Time On Self-Regulation And Behavior Challenges: The Role Of Parenting Style And Socio-Economic Status, Tara O'Malley

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

As young children are growing up in a digitally enmeshed world, there is growing concern about the developmental impacts of screen time. Given the importance of early rapid brain development, understanding the developmental outcomes of screen time in early childhood is critical. Current research suggests that excessive screen time may lead to delays in physical, cognitive, and language development. However, the impact of screen time on socio-emotional development among young children (0-5 years) is not well understood. Therefore, the present study examined the effects of screen time on social-emotional outcomes of 12-to-36-month-old children, specifically, the impact on self-regulation and behavior …

Strong As A Mother: The Resilience Of Women Who Have Previously Experienced Infertility, Madison Hinkle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Infertility impacts numerous individuals during their reproductive journey. Yet, there is little research and information available that examines if having a history of infertility goes on to have further implications after an individual conceives and gives birth. Thus, the current study aimed to examine if infertility impacts the postpartum period, and if there were any particular risk or resiliency factors that contributed to this relationship. In this study, women aged 18 to 50, who had given birth within the last 12 months, participated in an online survey that assessed a variety of physical and mental health constructs. Overall, results largely …

Navigating Cultural Crossroads: Exploring Fictional And Interview Narratives Of Nigerian Immigrant Women Living In The Southern United States, Tolulope Adeusi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nigerian immigrant women undergo constant navigation of their personal identities when conflicting cultural dynamics sometimes engender a balancing act between their personal beliefs and the ongoing process of acculturation. Their new Southern environment offers its own traditional mores, as well as greater opportunities for economic advancement. This places Nigerian Immigrant Women in a position where they must reconcile their desires for personal independence and empowerment with societal expectations that emphasize more traditional gender roles. This study explores the interview narratives of Nigerian immigrant women, reinforced by fictional accounts from prolific African women writers, which provides a more nuanced discussion of …

Behavioral Indicators Of Reflective Functioning In Mother-Child Dyadic Interactions, Rachel Clingensmith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Positive parenting practices and secure attachments are consistently linked to healthy child outcomes (Ainsworth & Bowlby, 1991; Waters et al., 2000). Research on cognitive processes that scaffold parental behaviors which contribute to secure attachment is an essential contribution to the literature, particularly given the potential for early intervention with at-risk families. Parental Reflective Functioning (PRF) is a construct of increasing interest which has been linked to secure attachments and positive child outcomes, with one commonly used self-report measure of PRF being the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ; Camoirano, 2017; Clingensmith, 2021; Luyten et al., 2017). As such, the purpose of …

Tennessee Promise And Two-Year Community College Retention And Graduation In Rural Appalachia, Tammy Dycus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental study was to explore the relationship between the implementation of the Tennessee Promise scholarship program and the two-year Tennessee community college retention rates and graduation rates of first-time, full-time Tennessee students from rural Appalachian counties. Results from this study may help higher education stake-holders better understand the features of Tennessee Promise that are influencing an increase in community college retention and graduation rates for Tennessee students from rural Appalachian counties. The theoretical framework that guided this research was the social capital framework. Data including use of Tennessee Promise, county of origin, retention, and graduation …

Business Cycle Downturn Estimation For Ciudad Juarez: 1991-2022, Steven L. Fullerton, Thomas M. Fullerton Jr.

Border Region Modeling Project

A monthly frequency metropolitan business cycle downturn likelihood equation is estimated for Ciudad Juarez. The binary index of economic conditions is based upon monthly IMMEX export oriented manufacturing employment. A dynamic probit methodology is used for parameter estimation. Continuous explanatory variables include a 1-year minus 1-month Mexico interest rate spread, a 2015 = 100 weighted real exchange rate index, and a 10-year minus 3-month USA interest rate spread. Parameter estimation results confirm the various hypotheses examined. However, model simulation outcomes are less favorable with the results indicating that accurate forecasting of the post-2010 business cycles may require additional refinement to …

Borderplex Business Barometer, Volume 7, Number 8, Thomas M. Fullerton Jr., Steven L. Fullerton

Border Region Modeling Project

No abstract provided.

A Study On The Effect Of Confucian Culture On The Work Enthusiasm Of Enterprise Employees, Mei Xu

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Confucianism represents the core of Chinese philosophical ideologies and values, often regarded as the “root” and “source” of Chinese culture. Its influence extends beyond the realm of culture, imparting enduring impacts on the ethical and behavioral norms of Chinese individuals and organizations (Ip, 2009). Xue and Liu (2009) remarked, “It may seem as though the shadow of traditional Confucian culture has faded from view, but regardless of whether one acknowledges it or not, it remains deeply ingrained in the heart of every Chinese individual, serving as the foundation of the Chinese nation.” As a rising economic power, China’s market mechanisms …

The Effects Of Innovative Work Culture And Training Quality On Counterproductive Work Behaviors, Emily Anne Garreton

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In the present study, I examined how innovative work climate influenced job training quality and behavioral intentions and perceptions of employees. Employee reactions to job training foreshadow workplace intentions and behaviors that employees might engage in. The intentions that were investigated were Counterproductive Work Behaviors (CWBs) and the reduction of Organizational Citizenship Behaviors (OCBs). The sample consisted of 338 participants who have been employed recently. In a self-report questionnaire, participants recalled their perceptions of the job training at a current or recent job and indicated how likely or interested they were in committing certain work behaviors. Survey items were gathered …

Black Pugilism: The First Act In Twentieth Century America, Angel Mario Lopez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

When teaching about the twenty-first century in the United States of America, educators delve deeply into how the Jim Crow Era was but a new manifestation of a slave-era philosophy. As W.E.B. Du Bois states in his 1903 book The Souls of Black Folk, “the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line.” Inspiring pro-Jim Crow government officials and citizens to impose economic and political segregation on black citizens that, on paper, are “separate but equal” when infringing on their civil and human rights deliberately. Limiting the black individual to the status of second-class citizenship where …

Social Contagion Of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury, Stephanie Jarvi Steele

Psychology: Faculty Books

This chapter explores the social contagion of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) via interpersonal, media and online exposure among both youths and adults by referencing social learning theory and the Social Exposure to Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Scale. According to social learning theory, people imitate and learn certain behaviors by identifying with people who act as models. The chapter elaborates on the concepts of social learning, modeling, and imitation, and general recommendations for the assessment and treatment of clinical practice addressing social contagion factors. It then suggests utilizing ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and single-case experimental design (SCED) for future studies on social contagion of …

Building Buy-In: A Qualitative Study Seeking To Understand Stakeholder Perceptions Of A University Extension System Through The Lens Of External Branding, Anissa M. Zagonel, Lauri Baker, Ricky Telg

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

A brand is an organization’s link to its audiences. When the audience is asked to participate in building a brand culture, they are more likely to hold a favorable attitude toward the brand and be loyal to the brand long term. The purpose of this study was to understand the UF/IFAS Extension brand’s image from the perspective of the brand’s stakeholders, specifically focusing on brand awareness, audience groups, and potential future obstacles for the brand. A series of six online focus groups were conducted during the spring/summer of 2021 using Zoom. Major themes identified were a public knowledge gap related …

Mississippi Career And Technical Education Teachers’ Perception Toward Implementing A Food Science Toolkit Designed To Increase Food Science Curriculum Use In Mississippi, Jasmine D. Hendrix, Wes Schilling, Laura H. Downey, Yan Campbell, Shecoya White

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

A pilot test implementing a food science toolkit designed to increase student awareness, interest, and knowledge of food science academic and career pathways in Mississippi Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses was conducted to determine teachers’ perceptions of the food science education resources. After implementing the food science toolkit in their CTE course, four teachers individually participated in a semi-structured interview to capture each teacher’s detailed experience implementing the food science toolkit. The results of this study revealed that teachers are interested in teaching food science at the secondary education level to increase student knowledge of food science and enhance …

Evaluation Of Recipes For Life Nutrition Education Program For Fifth-Grade Students, Omolola A. Adedokun, Jean M. Najor, Paula Plonski, S. Brooke Jenkins-Howard, Anna Caroline Durr, Jackie Walters

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Emerging research indicates that chronic illnesses exacerbated by obesity begin in childhood. While research continues to show that consumption of fruits and vegetables can lower rates of obesity, children in the United States often fall short of consuming the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables. Youth nutrition education and cooking education programs have emerged as proven strategies for promoting youth consumption of fruit and vegetables, and other factors (e.g., nutrition knowledge, food-related behaviors, food preferences, attitude toward cooking, and cooking self-efficacy) that mediate youth consumption of fruits and vegetables. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the …

A Case Study Comparing The Life Skills Development And Knowledge In Youth Participants Of Horseless And Traditional Horse Programs In Utah, Haley M. Johnson, Kelsey L. Hall, Benjamin Scow

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

This study compared four horseless and seven traditional horse participants from Washington County 4-H in Utah for horse knowledge gained and for the development of 10 life skills from Hendricks’s Targeting Life Skills Model: leadership, teamwork, self-responsibility, personal safety, problem-solving, decision-making, critical thinking, goal setting, communication, and concern for others. This study’s mixed methods design employed interviews to learn about life skill development and quantitative data from a 20-item horse knowledge quiz and demographic survey. The traditional horse youth showed greater development of leadership, self-responsibility, decision-making, goal setting, and communication than the horseless youth. Roughly half of the participants in …

Navigating The Legal Landscape Of Mental Health In The Workplace: Insights For The Dental Practice, Gary Chamberlin Milr, Jd

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Dealing with an employee’s mental health situation poses complex challenges for human resource professionals. Dental practices, typically run by busy dentists or administrative managers, often lack a human resource professional and the legal expertise needed to navigate the intricacies of employment laws pertaining to mental health disabilities. Moreover, mental health issues in the workplace are sensitive, private matters that intersect with disability and leave laws and are still associated with cultural stigmas despite evolving societal attitudes. This article provides specific scenarios that give insights into the legal issues when managing dental office employees with mental health conditions. Readers should address …

Compassion: It’S Needed Now More Than Ever, Michelle C. Dziurgot Dds

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This editorial emphasizes the pressing need for compassion in a world of conflict and division. It underscores the importance of compassion in global crises, politics, family dynamics, and the dental profession. MDA Editor Michelle C. Dziurgot encourages unity and understanding, advocating for compassion as a vital force in bridging divides.

Improved Fine-Scale Tropical Forest Cover Mapping For Southeast Asia Using Planet-Nicfi And Sentinel-1 Imagery, Feng Yang, Xin Jiang, Alan D. Ziegler, Lyndon Estes, Jin Wu, Anping Chen, Philippe Ciais

Geography

The accuracy of existing forest cover products typically suffers from “rounding” errors arising from classifications that estimate the fractional cover of forest in each pixel, which often exclude the presence of large, isolated trees and small or narrow forest clearings, and is primarily attributable to the moderate resolution of the imagery used to make maps. However, the degree to which such high-resolution imagery can mitigate this problem, and thereby improve large-area forest cover maps, is largely unexplored. Here, we developed an approach to map tropical forest cover at a fine scale using Planet and Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery …

The Basic Communication Course And College Student Retention: A Longitudinal Analysis, David E. Schneider, Jennifer D. Mccullough

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This longitudinal study examined the relationship between two formats of the basic communication course (BCC) and first-year college student retention over a four-year period. Chi-square and logistic regression models indicated students who completed the BCC were more likely to be retained than those who did not complete the BCC. While completing the BCC was associated with retention for both formats, the hybrid BCC format was more consistently related to retention than the public speaking BCC. Students from certain demographic groups who completed the hybrid BCC were retained more frequently than students from the same demographic who did not complete the …

Anatoview: Using Interactive 3d Visualizations With Augmented Reality Support For Laypersons’ Medical Education In Informed Consent Processes, Michelle Chen

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

AnatoView is an interactive multimedia educational application that visualizes medical procedures in three-dimensional (3D), augmented reality (AR) space. By providing visual and spatial information of medical procedures, AnatoView acts as a learning supplement for laypersons/patients in informed consent (IC) processes — wherein instructional content is traditionally limited to purely spoken explanations that lead to poor patient comprehension. We design a mixed study and conduct a randomized, controlled trial with 15 laypersons as participants: administering a traditional IC process to a control group, and an IC process supplemented by the use of AnatoView to experimental groups. As a primary outcome, medical …

Household Environments And Functional Decline Among Middle-Aged And Older Adults In China, Dandan Zhao

All Theses

This thesis investigates the associations between household social, economic, and physical environment conditions and the trajectory of self-reported functional limitations over time among middle-aged and older adults in China. Despite the increasing interest in the impact of household environments on functional decline, most existing studies are cross-sectional or concern changes in functioning observed in two waves of surveys, and they primarily focus on the influence of one condition. This thesis explores how the trajectory of functional decline is influenced jointly by multiple household factors, including living arrangement, annual living expenditure per capita, indoor air pollution resulting from solid fuels, and …

Racial Discrimination In Nba Contracts, Andrew Byrne

All Theses

Throughout NBA history, there has been discrimination that has been faced by black players. This is not limited to the compensation that black players receive compared to white players. Literature in this are showed a significant amount of discrimination occurring between white and black NBA players when holding player performance constant when looking at the mid 1980s. This changed with later literature, as analyses of the early to mid 1990s found that this discrimination had subsided in NBA contracts.

This paper analyzes seasons from the early 1990s through to early 2020s to see whether this change in discriminatory practices holds …

The Effect Of Package Types On Fresh Peaches In The Direct-To-Consumer Distribution Environment, Brennan Lytle

All Theses

The direct-to-consumer (DTC) shipping mode presents new opportunity for fresh peach sales in North America where demand over the past four decades has steadily declined. The hazards in this distribution mode are severe, and fresh peaches are fragile emphasizing the need for proper protection. A full analysis that not only encompasses the effects of the direct-to-consumer distribution environment, but also incorporates analyses of the environmental and economic impact of the packages utilized for transit of peaches is necessary. In this study, we use the metrics of peach grade, firmness, soluble solids concentration, and percent softness before and after the distribution …

Parental And Individual Correlates Of Work Ethic In Young People In Albania, Eljona Elmazi

All Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the work ethic strength, dimensions, and correlates in young people in Albania. The review of the available research concluded that, regardless of the attention that youth-related topics have received in the last decade, there was a considerable gap in the understanding of the state and correlates of the work ethic in this group. Using the Multidimensional Work Ethic Profile – Short Form, the work ethic strength and dimensions were explored in an Albanian sample of (N = 501) 18 to 24 years old, otherwise known as Generation Z. Data were collected via …

Seeking And Providing Social Support In Online Forums For Individuals Experiencing Depression, Anna Gentry

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis project investigates how individuals suffering from depression seek support, provide support, and describe experiences of stigma in an online support platform. A phronetic-iterative and constant comparative approach guided an in-depth analysis of 37 posts on a discussion board designed for individuals with depression. The findings demonstrated that individuals use online discussion forums to request support both implicitly and explicitly. In response to sought support, individuals provided informational, emotional, and network support. Finally, discussion board participants discussed social and self stigma. Despite the limitations of the study, the findings indicate the utility of online social support platforms for individuals …

The Hidden Role Of Religiosity In Contemporary Public Education In The United States Of America, Marilyn Anderson Rhames

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The ‘separation of church and state’ is a fundamental precept of the United States, yet the phrase itself is not written in the Constitution and even Supreme Court justices disagree on how it should be defined. The ambiguity surrounding religious liberty is perhaps most felt in K-12 public education, where the fear of inflicting faith formation on impressionable students has inspired the vision of a secular, God-neutral, government-run school system. As such, federal and state laws dictate that public school educators who coerce students by promoting or inhibiting religious devotion risk losing their jobs. Yet, the reality is that the …

Beef And Dairy Substitution Effects Associated With Carbon Labeling And An Information Intervention, Sara Gardner Hedgecock

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding consumer perceptions of carbon emissions in agriculture is a critical step to help increase the sustainability of food consumption. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 14.5 percent of all global anthropogenic GHG emissions are estimated to be represented by livestock (FAO), and cattle, raised for beef and milk, are the largest animal species responsible for emissions, comprising over 60 percent of the livestock sector’s emissions. This motivates this study’s analysis of beef and dairy milk products and alternatives. To better understand how consumers may substitute meat and milk products when provided with information about …