Communication Commons^™

A Critical Analysis Of Intellectual Disabilities And End-Of-Life Decision Making, Saritha Farris

Graduate Research Symposium (GCUA) (2010 - 2017)

Presently, research suggests the involvement of individuals with intellectual disabilities (IDs) in making end-of-life (EOL) decisions appears to be minimal (Ellison & Rosielle, 2008).

The reasons for the lack of involvement include but are not limited to communication challenges, lack of education on caring for individuals with IDs by the medical community, incorrect assumptions that the individual lacks cognitive capacity to consent, and fear of legal consequences if formal caregivers are accused of not providing enough care. (Wagemans et al., 2010).

These factors then often culminate in the individual with IDs having decisions made for them by someone else, whom …

Acceptability Of Sexting In Same-Sex Relationships, Carly Shadid, Katherine M. Hertlein, Sarah M. Steelman

Graduate Research Symposium (GCUA) (2010 - 2017)

For individuals who identify as part of the LGB community, the Internet can be seen as a tool to take control of their lives, may promote self-esteem, and foster a sense of belonging. The purpose of the study was to learn about sexting practices on college campuses. It builds on the existing body of knowledge by attending specifically to sexting rather than the previous literature about engagement in sexual behavior online (see, for example, Daneback, Cooper, & Månsson, 2005). Findings indicated that sexting is viewed as more acceptable in same sex relationships as compared to heterosexual relationships.

Coping With Pediatric Cancer: Conversational Methods Utilized By Parents And Children When Dealing With Pediatric Cancer, Chelsi Morgan Walls

Graduate Research Symposium (GCUA) (2010 - 2017)

This thesis sought to analyze how parents communicate with their child regarding pediatric cancer treatments. When dealing with pediatric cancer, it is vital that parents and their child communicate about the illness in order to effectively cope with the cancer. Using Uncertainty Management Theory, along with sub-concepts of the theory (i.e., appraisals, inferences, and illusions), this thesis sought to discover which coping mechanism (i.e., affect-management or buffering) would be chosen to manage the illness. Under UMT, appraisals were assessed, resulting in positive and negative appraisal, which indicated whether the individual handled the issue with either an inference based on general …

The Portrayal Of Schizophrenia In Television: An Experiment Assessing How Viewer Attitudes Are Affected, Lindsey Jo Hand, Paul Traudt

Graduate Research Symposium (GCUA) (2010 - 2017)

Portrayals of schizophrenia in the media have been found to be very negative in nature. This study is an attempt to take research in this area a step further by conducting an experiment measuring attitudes of viewers toward schizophrenia before and after viewing an episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit in which a man with schizophrenia is depicted as a dangerous sexual deviant. Participants were given a pretest, viewed the television show and then were given a post-test. The post-test and pretest are identical and consist of questions from the Community Attitudes on Mental Illness (CAMI) scale and …