Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Phenomenological Study Of Social Media Usage In Southern Baptist Churches In The Atlanta Metropolitan Area, Patricia Maria Rankin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore social media usage according to leaders from churches in the Southern Baptist Convention in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. For this study, social media was defined as any social media networking platform used to share the Gospel. The research was guided by the mathematical theory of communication (Shannon, 2001; Weaver,1953) developed by Shannon, Weaver, Schramm, and Berlo. The communication model effectively understands and explores the literature gap regarding God and how He communicates with His people. The study started with purposeful sampling and recruitment of participants, who then voluntarily completed the …

Perfectionism And Religious Well-Being: Exploring The Mediating Effects Of Sense Of Belonging Among Christian College Students, Charity L. Frazier

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Perfectionism has predominately been linked to lower relational and religious well-being among young adults. Perfectionists who report more positive relationships with others, however, tend to experience better outcomes such as life satisfaction, lower self-criticism, and greater religious well-being. The perfectionism social disconnection model (PSDM) provides a framework for understanding how relational factors, such as a sense of belonging, may contribute to divergent outcomes among perfectionists. The purpose of this study was to explore (1) whether adaptive and maladaptive aspects of perfectionism have opposite effects on belonging and religious well-being, and (2) whether perfectionists who feel they belong experience greater religious …

Exploring Lived Experiences Of Suicide Surviving Spouses: An Interpretive Phenomenological Qualitative Study, Amanda Jo Guin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A crippling concern that has swept the world and shown to be a significant public health issue is suicide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2022) show suicide is among the top ten leading causes of death in ages 10–64. The survivors of suicide are at increased risk of adverse consequences. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study explores the lived experiences of spouses of suicide loss (SOSL) living in the United States (U.S.) regarding the spiritual change (SC), the process of suicide bereavement, and posttraumatic growth (PTG) within ten years post-loss. To better understand lived …

African American Parenting Style Influence On Children And Adolescents' Academic Success, Elizabeth F. Martin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine how parenting styles influence African American children and adolescents’ academic success. The theory guiding this study was Diana Baumrind’s parenting typologies authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive parenting styles. A sample size of 10 African American participants who had at least one child, 3 months to 18 years of age, were recruited and selected through purposeful and snowball sampling. Each participant was interviewed via recorded Zoom meetings and data were collected utilizing open-ended, semistructured, in-depth interview questions. Three research questions guided this study: (a) what response is given that characterizes parents’ relations …

Examining The Role Of Authentic Leadership In Job Embeddedness And Turnover Intent, Abigail J. Jamison

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Hospital turnover has increased at alarming rates, particularly since the onset and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. While traditional theories of turnover look at why employees leave, job embeddedness is both a theory and a framework that examines why people stay. Authentic leadership is a relational leadership style comprised of components of self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, relational transparency, balanced processing, and caring. This quantitative correlational research investigated the relationship of authentic leadership as mediator between job embeddedness and turnover intent, as well as the relationships between the five constructs of authentic leadership, to determine which, if any, caused …

The Role Of Community Outreach Programs In Partnership With The University Of Mississippi In Combating Food Insecurity In The Oxford/Lafayette Area, Gabrielle Miller

Honors Theses

Grow Club is a community outreach programming effort that was formed in Oxford, Mississippi in the fall of 2020 by University of Mississippi undergraduate students. The program works towards bringing community members as well as university students and staff together in attempts at alleviating many stressors felt by local community members living in poverty. This written work aims to offer a breakdown of how this program began and the steps taken to recognize a community need, formulate solutions, and work with the community to offer resources.

Unvaxxed And Unafraid: Unvaccinated Americans Perceive Less Disease Risk Than Do Vaccinated Americans, David J. Hauser, Brian P. Meier

Psychology Faculty Publications

Is disease risk perception accurately calibrated among the unvaccinated? People shift their attitudes to rationalize their choices, so those who choose to be unvaccinated may be motivated to feel less at risk. In three studies (total N = 1446), we asked Americans how worried they were about catching/spreading influenza and COVID-19 and whether they were vaccinated against those diseases. Unvaccinated participants felt less at risk of catching/spreading the diseases they were unvaccinated against than vaccinated participants. For instance, unvaccinated participants felt ∼24% less at risk of catching/spreading COVID-19 and had ∼28% stronger intention to engage in activities that carried a …

Hope Psychology (Random Quotes & Reference), Yoshihiko Ariizumi

Learning, Teaching, & Researching Optimization

This document is for those who are interested in HOPE in educational science. If you have high hope, you will be successful in your future education or job performance. The predictive power of hope is higher than the precious GPA or entrance exam score. High hope score is also associated with less susceptibility to anxiety, depression and mental trauma. More than 500 reference information in this document may lead to deeper study on this concept. Two forms of the measurement tools are included.

Who Cares For The Caregivers: How Being A Caregiver Impacts Cancer Survivorship, Cristy Romero

Sociology & Anthropology Student Scholarship

Cristy Romero ’23
Majors: Sociology and Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Brandon C. Martinez, Sociology and Anthropology

With an aging population, informal caregiving is rising and is the predominant way for people with chronic illnesses to receive care. Providing care for someone with a chronic illness can take a toll on the caregiver. Caregivers often develop their own chronic illnesses such as cancer. Compared to Whites, Latinx cancer survivors and their families experience disproportionate adverse effects of cancer and cancer therapy as a result of physical, emotional, and financial challenges. This highlights racial/ethnic disparity in cancer survivorship. Due to the interwoven …

Public Sector Leadership During The Covid-19 Crisis In Ghana, Komla D. Dzigbede, Anthony M. Ivanov

Public Administration Faculty Scholarship

This article examines public sector leadership during the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic in Ghana. It focuses on the Bank of Ghana–the nation’s central bank responsible for monetary policy and financial sector leadership–and examines the critical leadership attributes that the central bank demonstrated through its administrative and policy responses to the crisis. The findings from textual analysis of monetary policy committee press briefings show that the central bank demonstrated several criteria of effective public service leadership during the crisis, namely sensemaking, critical decision-making, communication, accountability, adaptability and, to an extent, learning. However, the textual evidence suggests that the …

Book Review: The Secret Life Of Secrets: How Our Inner Worlds Shape Well-Being, Relationships, And Who We Are, Michele Hoffnung

Sociology Between the Gaps: Forgotten and Neglected Topics

No abstract provided.

Measuring Performance: The Economics Of Cleaning The Outside Of The Cup, Joshua Hollinger

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"Sometimes focusing too much on what we can measure distorts our beliefs and actions as we turn away from immeasurable things that matter."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­the economics of evaluating workers based on their performance from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation.

https://inallthings.org/measuring-performance-the-economics-of-cleaning-the-outside-of-the-cup/

Offense Or Defense? Leadership Of The Nba And Nfl In Response To Athlete Activism, Katrina Hale

Honors Theses

Over the past decade, the Black community of the United States has faced great discrimination and violence leading to various protests and instances of activism across the county. In the world of sports, where one may think that political engagement has no relation, some Black athletes use their platforms to speak up about these issues. The National Football League (NFL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) recruit the largest percentage of Black athletes compared to any other professional league in the U.S., but their reactions to racial activism on the field and on the court appear very different. In order …

Analysis Of Firefighters’ Psychological Trauma And Interrupted Domains, Alyssa Garcia, Pamela Kasyan-Howe, Kristin Domville, Kristian Llaca

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Firefighters are at a high risk of experiencing posttraumatic stress, anxiety, depression (Teoh et al., 2019), suicidality, substance abuse (Bing-Canar et al., 2019), and burnout (Teoh et al., 2019). Firefighters are regularly exposed to traumatic events on calls which results in their decreased mental health; and associated decreased participation in meaningful occupations, routines, and roles (Edgelow & Cramm, 2020; Edgelow et al., 2021; Wittwer et al., 2021). This project contains both research and a program. The purpose of this research was to understand how firefighter demographics interact with interrupted occupations, routines, and roles and at what frequency when faced with …

Possible Effects Of Sexual Health Education On Health Behaviors And Indicators, Chloe Lafosse

Honors Scholar Theses

Sexual health education has long been evolving, and while a mountain of research has built a compelling case for continuing its improvement, the authors of the present paper were interested in evaluating the efficacy of state education standards in 2009, 2014, and 2019 on a multitude of sexual health outcomes in 2019. We concluded that throughout all three years, states with higher educational requirements could in fact produce better health outcomes, but those outcomes were heavily targeting delaying pregnancy. The educational requirements appeared to have neglected all other aspects of sexual health, including STD prevention, even though STD-based education was …

Evaluating Library Instruction At 2-Year And 4-Year Institutions: Findings And Data Analysis, Karen Kaufmann, Katy A. Miller, Rachel E. Trnka

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Presentation slides from Association of College & Research Libraries Project Outcome webinar on April 25, 2023.

Join us as we share our experience using Project Outcome for analysis of our cross-institutional research project. We'll discuss our process, methodology, and the findings from this research. Using our experience as a case study, we hope to generate ideas for others interested in exploring Project Outcome for other research projects. This may include identifying opportunities, planning and implementation considerations, and analyzing results.

The Role Of Web 2.0 Technologies In Empowering Librarians: The Case Study Of University Libraries In Iran, Hadis Khedri

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The present study aims to investigate the impact of Web 2.0 technologies on empowering the librarians of the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and the University of Isfahan libraries. This applied research was conducted using a survey method. The population of the study consisted of 135 librarians in the the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and the University of Isfahan libraries in Iran. Due to the limited number of participants, data were collected from the whole population and sampling was not carried out. Two questionnaires for assessing the Web 2.0 Library Tools and empowerment of staff were utilized to collect …

Mirroring Jesus’S Prayerful Approach To Interactions With Dissatisfied Followers Through The Lens Of The Modern Worship Pastor, Bryant Timothy William West

Masters Theses

This study shows the life and mission of Jesus through His interactions with conflict and will show how worship pastors can apply these lessons to the church. Detailing Jesus's prayer life and His approach to interacting with others, examining the approach worship leaders should have when interacting with similar people. The report will concentrate on three areas of study, including Jesus's prayer life, his ministry, and how the worship pastor can create a church that parallels Christ. Jesus' ministry and discussions with the Pharisees show worship pastors how they should approach church members. This discussion is due to the struggles …

Accessibility Of On-Campus Food Pantries: A Comparative Review, Jayden Parrott

Honors Projects

This project explores ways in which food pantries across Ohio college campuses are accommodating for those with food restrictions such as food allergies, religious diets, or personal choice (vegan/vegetarian). Food insecurity is a widespread issue that affects many Americans. College students especially bear the burden of this issue. Food pantries are a common institution to combat food insecurity, and these work for many of the individuals that use them. Those with special dietary needs, however, may find more difficulty when accessing these resources. Having a food allergy or being on a religious or personal diet may impact how you can …

Influence Of Childhood Social Media Use On Parental Attachment And Individual Self-Regulation As An Adult, Pamela Jean Corbin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The utilization of social media continues to rise as technology becomes more refined. Social media has become a topic for extensive research due to this continuing upward trend of use among its diverse set of users. Evidence indicates that there are positive and negative outcomes that originate from the use of social media, including the inability to self-regulate. Several research articles also indicate that the lack of parental attachment, results in the inability to self-regulate. Research shows that social media has a negative effect on self-regulation, but there is limited data on how this association affects all ages, including adults. …

An Investigation Into The Relationship Between Perfectionism And Adverse Childhood Experiences In African American Adults, Natasha Maria Beckum

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Decades of research have confirmed an association between family dysfunction, adverse parentchild relationships, and perfectionism. However, to date, only one study has confirmed a link between perfectionism and specific types of ACEs. There are no studies that have examined the relationship between ACEs and perfectionism in predominately racial/ethnic populations. The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative survey research was to investigate the relationship between conventional and expanded ACES and perfectionistic traits and behaviors. Additionally, this study aimed to determine if the experience of ACEs is associated with higher levels of perfectionism in African Americans. Data was collected using the Hewitt Multidimensional …

Efficacy Of A Christian Intervention To Promote Posttraumatic Growth In Women Recovering From Intimate Partner Violence, Jerra L. Dooley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative pretest-posttest design evaluated a biblically based personal development program (PDP) for promoting PTG in Christian women who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV). A convenience sample (N = 7) of volunteers included women within a large county in the Southeastern United States. Participants were recruited through numerous large and small Southern Baptist churches. Qualifications included being female, at least 19 years old, and having experienced IPV but not within the last 12 months, to reduce the possibility of reinjury by rumination. Participants completed pretest assessments, attended the 3-hour personal development program, and completed a posttest assessment. Data was …

The Role Of Spiritual Fitness On Burnout And Organizational Commitment In High-Stress Environments, Amy Mcdonald Stevens

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study examined the relationships between burnout, spiritual fitness, and organizational commitment in National Guard servicemembers. Recent deployments and chronic stressors have resulted in an emergence of mental health concerns, burnout, and turnover intentions in this population. Research has indicated that elements of spirituality address these concerns and suggest that more spiritual individuals are more resilient, less susceptible to burnout, and find positive meaning in work. This study examined these variables using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Maslach & Jackson, 1981), the Organizational Commitment Scale (Meyer & Allen, 1997), and the SOCOM Spiritual Fitness Scale (Alexander et al., 2020). Correlations …

Negative Police Interactions And Resulting Depression In Black Men, Darren Lamont Dubose

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In recent years research has revealed that there is incommensurate treatment toward Black men at the hands of law enforcement, but there is minimal research that is dedicated to displaying if there is a connection between these interactions and depression in Black men. This study sought to find out if there is a correlation between experiential, first-person, and vicarious witnessing of negative police interactions and depression in Black men. The study involved a non-probability purposeful sampling of 50 Black men from various geographical locations who met the following prerequisites: Black males between 21-55, natural-born American citizens, no previous incarcerations, and …

How We Thrive: Black Clergywomen Experiencing Intersectionality And Influenced By The Strong Black Woman Schema, Karen Elizabeth Harden

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of Black women in church leadership (e.g., pastors, clergywomen) who experienced intersectionality and were influenced by the Strong Black Woman (SBW) motif, specifically in the Black Church in the southern United States. Intersectionality and the SBW schema were the guiding theoretical frameworks in this study. With adherence to these guiding theories, the participants were asked to describe their experiences with intersectionality while influenced by SBW and to examine well-being as it pertained to their lives and ministerial calling. Despite the emergence of more women in ministry, the barriers …

Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Nationally Credentialed Victim Advocates: Baseline And Risk Factors, Bette Marie Stebbins Inch

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Crime victims rely on the expertise of nationally recognized victim advocates to navigate the complex criminal justice process that includes reporting the crime and participating in the criminal legal system while recovering from trauma. People indirectly involved in traumatic events can also experience adverse effects. Providing direct services to traumatized crime victims may increase an advocate’s risk of developing secondary traumatic stress and negatively affect client services. This study was designed to examine the occurrence of specific symptoms matching the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale to establish a baseline of secondary traumatic stress among a sample of nationally credentialed victim advocates …

Experiential Interrelationships Of Learned Helplessness, Military Culture, And Chronic Veteran Homelessness, Adam Joseph Russo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative research study examined psychological resiliency factors. The theories that guided this research study were Peterson et al. (1993) Learned Helplessness (LH) Theory, military, cultural conditioning, and Seligman’s (2018) PERMA psychological resiliency model, which is rooted in Positive Psychology. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to describe the lived experiences of veterans who had experienced homelessness for at least 90 consecutive days and who were currently living in a therapeutic housing shelter in the northeastern United States. I investigated veterans’ military-to-civilian transitional experiences, social support transitions, cultural norm differences, and routine engagement experiences. The data …

The Effects Of Multiple Micronutrient Fortified Beverage And Responsive Caregiving Interventions On Early Childhood Development, Hemoglobin, And Ferritin Among Infants In Rural Guatemala, Alysse J. Kowalski, Victor Alfonso Mayen, Silvia De Ponce, Kaley B. Lambden, Nick Tilton, Lisa M. Villanueva, Ana M. Palacios, Greg A. Reinhart, Kristen M. Hurley, Maureen M. Black

Health Policy & Community Health: Faculty Publications

Undernutrition and a lack of learning opportunities can jeopardize long-term growth and development among infants in low- and middle-income countries. We conducted a 6-month 2 × 2 cluster-randomized trial to assess the effects of multiple micronutrient-fortified beverages and responsive caregiving interventions among infants 6–18 months in 72 community sectors in southwest Guatemala. We administered baseline and endline assessments of childhood development (Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development) and socioemotional development (Brief Infant Toddler Socio-Emotional Assessment) and measured ferritin and hemoglobin on a subsample. The trial was analyzed using linear mixed models. At the baseline, the mean age (SD) was …

Parental Perspectives On The Social Communication Between Adolescent Females Diagnosed With High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder And Their Typically Developing Older Siblings: A Case Study, Victoria Suzette Paxton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Verbal social communication and nonverbal social communication have been documented as a source of deficiency in adolescents with high-functioning (H-F) autism. Likewise, adolescent females with autism reported an increase in social communication difficulties as they aged into adolescence. While the positive impact on social communication in children with autism by older siblings has been documented, there is no such research that has investigated the nonverbal and verbal social communication characteristics among adolescent females with high-functioning autism and their typically developing older siblings (Ben-Itzchak et al., 2016). In the following research study, parental perspectives on the social communication between female adolescents …

Mental Health Outcomes From Adverse Childhood Experiences And The Role Of Natural And Service-Based Community Involvement, Sydney Elizabeth Wooten Quinones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the literature that exists on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) related to relationships and mental health outcomes, there is a gap that exists in how community involvement can be a moderating factor. Studies do not address how extended family and community influence childhood development as it relates to mental health outcomes. This study is a mixed-method research design. Participants included 61 individuals with at least 1 ACE score and who were at least 18 years of age. They were recruited through social media sharing. Phase 1 assessed demographics, ACE scores, depression and anxiety severity, involvement with a service-based community, and …