Sociology Commons^™

The Steroid/Peptide Theory Of Social Bonds: Integrating Testosterone And Peptide Responses For Classifying Social Behavioral Contexts, Sari M. Van Anders, Katherine L. Goldey, Patty X. Kuo

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Hormones, and hormone responses to social contexts, are the proximate mechanisms of evolutionary pathways to pair bonds and other social bonds. Testosterone (T) is implicated in trade-offs relevant to pair bonding, and oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) are positively tied to social bonding in a variety of species. Here, we present the Steroid/Peptide Theory of Social Bonds (S/P Theory), which integrates T and peptides to provide a model, set of predictions, and classification system for social behavioral contexts related to social bonds. The S/P Theory also resolves several paradoxes apparent in the literature on social bonds and hormones: the …

School Racial Composition And Race/Ethnic Differences In Early Adulthood Health, Bridget J. Goosby, Katrina M. Walsemann

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

We investigate whether school racial composition is associated with racial and ethnic differences in early adult health. We then examine whether perceived discrimination, social connectedness, and parent support attenuates this relationship. Using U.S. data from Waves I and IV of the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health, we found that black adolescents attending predominantly white schools reported poorer adult health while Asians reported better health. Further research is warranted to understand whether there are qualitative differences in the treatment of racial and ethnic minorities within certain school contexts and how that differential treatment is related to adult health outcomes.

“What About Boys?” The Sexual Exploitation Of Boys And Young Men In Asia, Glenn Miles, Heather Blanch, Jasmir Thakur

Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking: 3rd (2011)

Sexual exploitation of boys and young men continues to be an invisible problem with inadequate research to determine the prevalence and outcomes. Where research has been done then the focus has primarily on HIV prevalence and other risk factors including violence is not adequately considered. Why is this? This research looks at two locations in Mumbai, India and Phnom Penh, Cambodia where some base line data has been obtained. Around 50 boys in Phnom Penh and 102 boys in Mumbai were interviewed. The results demonstrate a level of vulnerability that dispels the myth that sexual exploitation of boys is vastly …

What About Boys? An Initial Exploration Of Sexually Exploited Boys In Cambodia, Glenn Miles, Heather Blanch

Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking: 3rd (2011)

Sexual exploitation of children has tended to focus on girls. The majority of organizations and service providers for sexually exploited children cater to the needs of girls. However, boys are also vulnerable to sexual exploitation. Limited research has been done to determine the prevalence of sexual exploitation of boys, but what has been done suggests that the issue is worthy of more attention. This study hopes to provide a baseline of information about young men who are being sexually exploited in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. In gathering and analyzing data about these young men, the researchers hope to promote awareness about …

Quality Of Life In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2011 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Nebraska appeared to survive the recent economic recession better than most other states. The state's unemployment rate has been one of the lowest in the nation in recent years. The agricultural economy has also been strong. Farm income levels reached record levels in 2010 and are expected to remain strong this year. Given the challenges and uncertainties of recent years, how do rural Nebraskans believe they are doing and how do they view their future? Have these views changed over the past sixteen years? How satisfied are they with various items that influence their well-being? How happy are rural Nebraskans? …

Chab Dai Charter, Helen Sworn

Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking: 3rd (2011)

• 'Chab Dai' means 'joining hands' in Khmer • Coalition began in 2006 understanding the need to work together to address trafficking & sexual abuse issues in Cambodia • Currently 50 members • Collaborative activities today include focus forums, bi-annual member meetings, daily emails, resource sharing & staff capacity-building trainings

How it Began
The Charter
Stakeholder Groups
Member Participation
Implementation Tool Overview
Self-Assessment Tool
Scoring
Action Plans
Training & Support
M&E
Chab Dai Charter Expected Outcomes
Expected Individual Organization Impact
Expected Collective Impact
Upcoming Plans

The Chab Dai Study On (Re-­) Integration: Researching The Life-Cycle Of Survivors Of Sexual Exploitation And Trafficking -- Mid 2011 Report, Glenn Miles, Siobhan Miles

Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking: 3rd (2011)

In 2010 Chab Dai (translation “Hands Together”) started a ten-year longitudinal ‘Butterfly’ research study in Cambodia with the aim to understand the re-integration process of children/young people who have experienced sexual exploitation and trafficking. The preliminary phase was conducted during 2010 and the focus was to explain the research to potential After-care shelters and stakeholders working in the field. During this phase a preliminary survey of interested and potential Aftercare shelters was conducted in order to understand their perspective of (re-) integration and how their programs operated. Focus group work with girls from three shelters and later one with boys …

Disrupting Cultural Selves: Constructing Gay And Lesbian Identities In Rural Locales, Emily Kazyak

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Research points to the increasing geographical diversity of gays and lesbians, in contrast to cultural narratives that link gay and lesbian sexualities to urban spaces. Examining the sexual identity constructions of rural gays and lesbians thus provides an opportunity to analyze the connection between cultural and personal levels of narrative identity. Drawing on data from thirty interviews with rural gays and lesbians, I address how this group negotiates cultural narratives about queerness and constructs sexual identities in rural locales. I find that their interpretations of geography make clear distinctions between urban/rural and draw on elements in rural culture. These interpretations …

Relationship Formation And Stability In Emerging Adulthood: Do Sex Ratios Matter?, Tara D. Warner, Wendy D. Manning, Peggy C. Giordano, Monica A. Longmore

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Research links sex ratios with the likelihood of marriage and divorce. However, whether sex ratios similarly influence precursors to marriage (transitions in and out of dating or cohabiting relationships) is unknown. Utilizing data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study and the 2000 U.S. Census, this study assesses whether sex ratios influence the formation and stability of emerging adults’ romantic relationships. Findings show that relationship formation is unaffected by partner availability, yet the presence of partners increases women’s odds of cohabiting, decreases men’s odds of cohabiting, and increases number of dating partners and cheating among men. It appears that sex ratios …

The Self-Assessed Literacy Index: Reliability And Validity, Kristen Olson, Jolene D. Smyth, Ying Wang, Jennie E. Pearson

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Literacy is associated with many outcomes of research interest as well as with respondents’ ability to even participate in surveys, yet very few surveys attempt to measure it because doing so is often complex, requiring extensive tests. The central goal of this paper is to develop a parsimonious measure of respondents’ reading ability that does not require a complex literacy test. We use data from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy to identify correlates of reading ability to form a literacy index. These correlates include self-assessments of one’s ability to understand, read and write English, and literacy practices at …

The Effect Of Caretaker Separations On Indigenous Adolescents, Melissa L. Welch

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The family instability hypothesis has been researched among the general population as well as among African American and Mexican American populations, but not yet among Indigenous families. The purpose of this research was to examine whether experiencing separations from their caretakers (lasting at least one month), and the types of living arrangements that follow, affect Indigenous adolescents’ risk of meeting criteria for an internalizing, externalizing, or substance use disorder. Diagnostic criteria were assessed in Wave 6 using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-Revised (DISC-R). The hypothesis that as the number of lifetime separations increases, the risk of meeting criteria for …

Community Life In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: Current Perceptions And Future Strategies: 2011 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, Connie Reimers-Hild

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Recent community level Census data show that most small communities in Nebraska experienced population decline since 2000. However, most of the larger communities experienced population growth during this same time period. Various economic development strategies could be employed by communities to grow their population and economies. Given these conditions, how do rural Nebraskans feel about their community? Are they satisfied with the services provided by their community? Are they planning to move from their community in the next year? Have these views changed over the past sixteen years? How do rural Nebraskans believe various economic development strategies would impact their …

Is Less More And More Less…? The Effect Of Two Types Of Interviewer Experience On “Don’T Know” Responses In Calendar And Standardized Interviews, Ipek Bilgen

Survey Research and Methodology Program: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Among interviewing context factors, the level of interviewer experience has been observed to be associated with item nonresponse rates in surveys (Singer et al., 1983, Bailar et al., 1977; Pickery & Loosveldt, 1998). The findings regarding the direction of this association, however, are equivocal. This dissertation addresses competing theories behind the relationship between interviewer experience and item nonresponse. The explored experience types are general interviewer experience, gained via survey administration during a lifetime, and within-study interviewer exposure, gained during administration of a particular study fielding period. Item nonresponse was measured via respondents’ “don’t know” responses.

To date, methodological …

The Digital Age: Nonmetropolitan Nebraskans’ Use Of Technology 2011 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Over the past decade, people have increasingly used the Internet for shopping, social networking, government services, learning and education. Are rural Nebraskans using the Internet for these applications? What do they believe are the benefits and drawbacks of these applications? In addition, people are increasingly using mobile devices to connect to the Internet. Are rural Nebraskans using their cell phones to access the Internet? This paper provides a detailed analysis of these questions.

This report details 2,490 responses to the 2011 Nebraska Rural Poll, the sixteenth annual effort to understand rural Nebraskans’ perceptions. Respondents were asked a series of questions …

Animal Welfare: Perceptions Of Nonmetropolitan Nebraskans: 2011 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, Connie Reimers-Hild

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

The manner in which food animals are produced, shipped and processed has been in the news lately. Specifically at question is whether or not current livestock practices adequately ensure the welfare of food animals. With a sizable animal agriculture production sector in the state of Nebraska, this is an important issue. How do rural Nebraskans feel about animal welfare issues? Do their opinions differ by age, education or their experience with livestock production?

This paper provides a detailed analysis of these questions. This report details 2,490 responses to the 2011 Nebraska Rural Poll, the sixteenth annual effort to understand rural …

Infertility Treatment And Fertility-Specific Distress: A Longitudinal Analysis Of A Population-Based Sample Of U.S. Women, Arthur L. Greil, Julia Mcquillan, Michele Lowry, Karina M. Shreffler

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Because research on infertile women usually uses clinic-based samples of treatment seekers, it is difficult to sort out to what extent distress is the result of the condition of infertility itself and to what extent it is a consequence of the experience of infertility treatment. We use the National Survey of Fertility Barriers, a two-wave national probability sample of U.S. women, to disentangle the effects of infertility and infertility treatment on fertilityspecific distress. Using a series of ANOVAs, we examine 266 infertile women who experienced infertility both at Wave 1 and at Wave 2, three years later. We compare eight …

Pregnancy Loss And Distress Among U.S. Women, Karina M. Shreffler, Arthur L. Greil, Julia Mcquillan

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Although pregnancy loss—especially miscarriage— is a relatively common experience among reproductive-aged women, much of our understanding about the experience has come from small clinic-based or other nonrepresentative samples. We compared fertility-specific distress among a national sample of 1,284 women who have ever experienced a stillbirth or miscarriage. We found that commitment/attachment to pregnancy that ended in loss as well as current childbearing contexts and attitudes were associated with distress following pregnancy loss. Practitioners working with women or couples who have experienced pregnancy loss should be aware of the importance of characteristics associated with higher distress, such as whether the pregnancy …

The Status Of Students With Special Needs In The Instrumental Musical Ensemble And The Effect Of Selected Educator And Institutional Variables On Rates Of Inclusion, Edward C. Hoffman Iii

Glenn Korff School of Music: Dissertations, Theses, Student Creative Work, and Performances

The purpose of this study was to describe the current status of students with special needs in the instrumental musical ensemble and to examine the effect of selected educator and institutional variables on rates of inclusion. An online survey was designed by the researcher and distributed electronically to 600 practicing K-12 instrumental music educators in the states of Idaho, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Rhode Island. While 13.6% of the total school-aged population nationwide received special education services, demographic data provided by respondents revealed that students with special needs accounted for 6.8% of all students participating in bands, orchestras, …

Race And Gender Differences And The Role Of Sexual Attitudes In Adolescent Sexual Behavior, Laura E. Simon

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Attitudes towards premarital sex have become more permissive in the past fifty years and adolescent sexual behavior reflects this attitudinal trend. The majority of adolescents are having sex prior to marriage and many adolescents are having sexual intercourse outside of committed relationships. Sexual behavioral trends vary by race and gender adding further intricacies in understanding adolescent sexuality. Past research examining adolescent sexual behavior has not examined the role of sexual attitudes in sexual behavior and the potential differences by race and gender. I draw on the Theory of Reasoned Action to further the understanding of the role of sexual attitudes …

21rst Century Educational Farmstead, Trevis Carmichael

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

When Europeans began settling in the United States, farmsteads were built across the Great Plains. Out of necessity, these had to function in a self-sufficient manner; meaning the people had to produce their own food, use local materials, and be energy efficient for their transportation. Parents had to teach their children how to do all of the practical work it took to maintain their lives. This was the foundation that America was built upon. Having completed the first decade of the 21st century, the time seems right for a mental re-settlement that follows some of those same principles. Teaching our …

The Process Of Becoming A Strong Glbt Family: A Grounded Theory, Maureen E. Todd

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Using the qualitative method of grounded theory, data were collected from 21 couples who identified as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and/or Transgender (GLBT) from across the country. The purpose of this grounded theory was to generate a model that explains the process of developing family strengths in GLBT couples. In-depth interviews (both in person and phone interviews), observations with field notes, and member checking were used. A theoretical model was developed describing 1) the central phenomenon of strong GLBT families, 2) the contexts in which GLBT families thrive, 3) the various strategies GLBT couples use to build and maintain their strengths, …

Women’S Sexual Orientations And Their Experiences Of Sexual Assault Before And During University, Sandra L. Martin, Bonnie S. Fisher, Tara D. Warner, Christopher P. Krebs, Christine H. Lindquist

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Purpose — We sought to examine relationships between women’s sexual orientations and their sexual assault experiences before and during university.

Methods — Self-reported responses on a web-based survey of 5,439 female undergraduates who participated in the Campus Sexual Assault study were analyzed to compare three groups: bisexuals, lesbians, and heterosexuals. Groups were compared in terms of the prevalence of sexual assault before and during university, and the extent to which sexual assault before university predicted sexual assault during university.

Findings — The prevalence of sexual assault before and during university was higher among bisexuals and lesbians compared with heterosexuals (25.4% …

Aversive Racism And Implicit Biases In Civil Rights Workers, Anne N. M. Hobbs

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of implicit mechanisms that perpetuate inequality. The vast majority of claims of discrimination in this country are filtered through the lens of a civil rights investigator. It is critical to our understanding of civil rights enforcement, and inequality overall, to assess the potential for implicit bias processes of non-judicial government employees to impact the outcome of discrimination cases.  Social psychologists have long established that the human brain processes information in highly effective ways that may make it prone to stereotyping and error. I used a vignette methodology to assess …

Understanding Bioprospecting: Can Indigenous Populations Benefit From The Search For Pharmaceuticals In Areas Of High Biodiversity, Emily Schwindt

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Bioprospecting is a controversial issue, and anthropologists and other scientists are quick to take sides. The idea of large corporations pumping money into conservation and development programs, while developing what could be the latest life-saving drug simply sounds too good to be true, and often times is. However, if all parties work together and proceed with caution, these benefits could become more than a fantasy. Looking at case studies from Costa Rica, India, South Africa and Panama this paper attempts to find patterns among successful bioprospecting agreements and note shortcomings and identify risks. This information will be used to suggest …

Creating An Environmental Placed Based Education At Norris Elementary, Ben Kittrell

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This study is focused on creating a place based education program. Place based education programs provide many benefits at the personal level with the students (PBEEC). The study was completed at Norris Elementary School where the students have access to the “Norris Forest” which is a planted forest with a walk way through the trees. Some of the trees are labeled for the students to identify and others are not. A graph of the unlabelled trees has been included for the students or the teachers to use.

This project incorporates activities that will engage the students in order to teach …

Parks And Obesity In Rural And Urban Nebraska, Michaela S. Wolf

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

In order to better understand the role community design plays in obesity rates, this project studies a potential relationship between distance of parks from homes and obesity rates in four Nebraska counties. Park use may contribute to important health benefits, such as reducing risk of obesity by increasing physical activity levels. There are limitations to park use, such as crime rates and facility upkeep that are important to understand so that they might be managed and communities can reap greater benefits from their parks, including better fitness. This study examines park distance from homes as a potential limiting factor to …

Infertility Help Seeking And Social Support: Do Conventional Theories Explain Internet Behaviors And Outcomes, Kathleen S. Slauson-Blevins

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation uses data from the National Survey of Fertility Barriers (NSFB), a nationally representative sample, to assess factors associated with face-to-face and internet help seeking (study 1) and perceived social support (study 2).  In study one, I examine whether the General Help Seeking Model, a theory that has been used to explain in-person help seeking, generalizes to internet help seeking. I assess four types of help seeking:  (1) no help seeking, (2) only internet help seeking, (3)only medical help seeking, and (4) both online and medical help seeking.  Results suggest that online help seeking is differentiated from in person …

Exploring Student Perceptions To Explain The Relationship Between Physical Activity And Academic Achievement In Adolescents: A Mixed Methods Study, Megan J. Hylok

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A nationwide survey conducted by the Center for Disease Control in 2007 reported 65% of high school students did not meet the recommendation that youth participate in at least 60 minutes of physical activity most days of the week (CDC, 2008). While research has focused its attention primarily on bodily health, growing evidence supports the benefits of physical activity on brain health (Ratey & Hagerman, 2008). Physical activity is important and many adolescents are not meeting the recommendation, therefore, it is important to explore the adolescent perceptions to understand which factors influence physical activity participation. The significance of this study …

Review Of Environmental City: People, Place, Politics, And The Meaning Of Modern Austin. By William Scott Swearingen, Jr., Jonathan R. Wynn

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

William Scott Swearingen, lr.'s Environmental City is a social history of how a place like Red Bud Isle and the larger city surrounding it could come to exist. Swearingen opens with the founding of Austin, and takes the reader through the ideals shaping its modern era: the battle between the twin paradigms of "growth" and "green." At its heart, the book tells the story of the success of Austin's green campaign: how "place" was created, fought for, and won. Not all battles were victories, but Swearingen points to key moments, and unpacks the slow process of institutionalizing broad environmental concepts …

Understanding Mesosystemic Influences On Reported Health Among Rural Low-Income Women: A Structural Equation Analysis, Tiffany Wigington

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

While ensuring access to health insurance and health care services is important, emerging research indicates that individual health and well-being result from a complex array of environmental, social, and psychological factors. The delineation of how factors of health and well-being unfold and impact rural low-income women is particularly salient for social workers who provide services to rural residents and who work within a rural context. Utilizing components from the ecological systems perspective, this study explored how the factors associated with health risk influenced reported health and mesosystemic processes among rural low-income women. This sample (n=304) for this study was drawn …