Sociology Commons^™

Adolescent Protective Factor Attainment: An Exploratory Study Of Two Select Populations, Victor W. Harris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Eighty-four adolescents responded to the survey administered for this study. Thirty-eight members were from the nonadjudicated community sample (e.g., from a semirural Utah community); 46 members of a juvenile court adjudicated group (e.g., juveniles from Cache County, Utah, who were currently on probation) also responded to a paper-pencil survey asking about protective/deficit factors and involvement in problematic behaviors.

Results illustrate the differences in levels of protective/deficit factors and problem behaviors attained between these two convenience samples for a number of variables. The findings showed that the nonadjudicated group consistently reported higher levels of protective factors and lower levels of problem …

Factors Predictive Of Commitment To Invest In Marriage, Randy A. Gilchrist

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research for this thesis investigated factors predictive of how committed married couples are to make positive efforts for their marriage. Respondents consisted of 72 husbands and wives from a semi-urban area. For each gender, correlations were conducted between marital commitment to invest and egalitarian ism, decision-making power, and conflict communication style. Finally, regress ions were conducted with these measures and nine demographic variables.

As projected, commitment to invest in marriage correlated negatively with husband demand-withdrawal communication and positively with husband and wife mutually constructive communication. The stepwise regression predicting husband commitment to invest included demand-withdrawal communication and total months knowing …

Predicting Family Strength In Families Caring For Children With Disabilities, Katrina J. F. Ericson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research sought to identify factors that might be useful in helping to predict family strengths in families caring for a child with a disability. Based on the ABCX model designed for families in crisis, this research examined severity of child's disability (A); the family's existing resources of household income, education of the mother, and mother's marital status (B); the family's perception of family resources, family support, and parenting stress (C); and how these influence family strength (X) over time. In relation to the ABCX model, it was hypothesized that the aforementioned constructs would be associated with each other, and …

Solution-Focused Couples' Group Therapy, Lafray Kelley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Solution-focused therapy is one of the models of brief family therapy that has come into prominence during the 1980s and 90s. Whereas earlier forms of family therapy concentrated on problems and the behaviors that maintained them, solution-focused therapy places its emphasis on "exceptions" to the problem--times when it is not happening--and seeks to elaborate on and amplify these exceptions.

A solution-focused therapy model has been used with individuals, couples, and groups of individuals, but a search of the relevant literature revealed no information on its use with couples' groups. The purpose of this study was to develop a solution-focused treatment …

Risk Factors In Adolescent Problem Behaviors Among Native And Nonnative Americans, Roger B. Christensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The high incidence of adolescent problem behaviors in the United States raises major concerns. These problem behaviors include: sexually transmitted diseases, unintended pregnancies, suicide, depression, substance abuse, crime against persons and property, and delinquency. Consequently, there continues to be a high level of concern and interest in different ethnic populations of adolescents and their level of risk.

This study evaluated the following problem behaviors: substance abuse, suicide, delinquency, and sexual intercourse; and the risk factors that increase the probability of these problem behaviors occurring. Specifically, the study identified the profiles of the population in relationship to the problem behaviors comparing …

Parental And Teacher Priorities For Children's Requisite Kindergarten Entry Skills, Kelly J. O'Claire-Esparza

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined mothers', fathers ', preschool teachers', and kindergarten teachers' opinions regarding children's requisite kindergarten entry skills. Participants were 101 preschool teachers from eight counties in northern Utah, as well as 113 kindergarten teachers and 286 parents of kindergartners from five school districts in northern Utah. Questionnaires were administered to assess opinions regarding (a) the preschool teachers' role in preparing children for kindergarten, (b) the parental role in preparing children for kindergarten, (c) priorities for requisite kindergarten entry skills, (d) the importance of specific skills emphasized in preschool, and (e) the importance of specific skills emphasized in kindergarten.

Findings …

Familial And Extrafamilial Correlates Of Children's Child-Care Perceptions, Michael K. Godfrey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to identify the individual, familial, and child-care characteristics related to children's perceptions of their nonparental child-care environments. One-hundred seventy-five children, their families, and child-care providers participated in this study. Children attended one of three forms of child care: large center-based child-care settings, home-based child-care settings, and a preschool. Correlates of children's perceptions of their child-care experiences came from variables classified into six categories: individual child characteristics, family structure, family processes, previous child-care experiences, child-care structure, and child-care processes.

Children's perceptions were elicited through the Child Care Game Assessment (CCGA), a role-playing game-like experience for …

Recidivism Rates Of Level Six Residential Programs For Youthful Male Sexual Offenders: 1995-1996, Kevin N. Barlow

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The phenomenon of youthful sexual offending has received increased attention in recent years in the state of Utah. As a result. programs have been developed to treat the sexual offender within residential treatment centers. However. the efficacy of these programs had not been examined prior to the initiation of this project. The success of the programs has been assessed by examining recidivistic activity as measured by post-treatment criminal histories. The results of this study indicate that the sample of clients departing from treatment in Utah in the year 1995 has a recidivism rate of93.2% for sexual criminal behavior, as of …

An Exploratory Study Of The Termination Process In Marriage And Family Therapy, Jennifer H. Childers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to explore and better understand termination in the field of marriage and family therapy, as well as to generate a working model of termination. Data were obtained from a total of 40 marriage and family therapists (MFTs) licensed in the state of Utah. Two research questions were posed about termination and how client type and treatment progress may influence the termination process: (1) Given that MFTs see individuals, couples, and families, are there differences and similarities across client types in regard to how therapy is terminated?; and (2) Does termination differ in regard to …

Financial Management And Financial Problems As They Relate To Marital Satisfaction In Early Marriage, Barbara C. Kerkmann

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The financial management habits and perceptions of young married couples were examined, as well as their financial problems and perceptions of their problems' magnitude in an attempt to assess the relationship of these financial factors to marital satisfaction. A survey was delivered to 604 residents of family student housing at Utah State University. The spouse who predominantly handled family finances was asked to complete the survey. By using an incentive for completing the survey, a response of 51.32% was obtained. It was hypothesized that both financial management practices and problems would be related to a couple's reported satisfaction with their …

Explaining The Uneven Penetration Ofindustrialization In The U.S. Dairy Sector, Douglas B. Jackson-Smith, F. H. Buttel

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

One of the most dramatic trends in American farm-structural change over the past several decades has been the industrialization of livestock production. Many now expect that dairying in the United States will be the next major livestock sector to succumb to the industrialization trend. This paper utilizes a multidimensional definition of industrialization to critically examine evidence for and against the dairy industrialization hypothesis. The authors find that while there is a persistent trend toward larger units of production, and a geographical shift towards states with more industriallike farm operations, the penetration of industrial relations of production has occurred more slowly …

The Proper Role Of Women (And Men): A Comparison Of Beliefs From 1980 And 1997 For Utah State University Students, Tavia Elaine Simmons

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Since 1970, the United States has seen an explosion in the rate of women working and a change towards equality in men's and women's roles. In 1980, Helal Mobasher Liaey gave a survey to measure what Utah State University students thought were proper roles for women, in categories ranging from occupations to decision making. He did this research at a time when traditional and egalitarian role views were still furiously clashing, especially in Utah, which is generally considered to be one of the most conservative states in the country since it is primarily LDS. This study revisits how gender roles …

Parenting Styles And Family Communication As Correlates Of Juvenile Delinquency, Montone White

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The goal of this study was to examine parenting styles and family communication as correlates of juvenile delinquency. A review of the literature was completed in the areas of parenting styles, family communication, and juvenile delinquency. The literature that was reviewed for this study was examined mainly from juvenile perceptions. This study was approached from a general systems theory perspective.

A sample of juveniles (N = 78) from Weber County, Utah, involved in the juvenile justice system completed a survey assessing their perception of parenting styles and family communication. The survey was a 25-item questionnaire measuring kindness, unkindness, communication, …

Manure Management Inwisconsin: Results Of The 1995 Wisconsin Farmer Poll, Douglas B. Jackson-Smith, M. Nevius, B. Barham

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Over the past 20 years, a significant amount of state and federal money has been spent researching the impacts of farming activities on water quality in Wisconsin. Manure and nutrient management practices have been identified as critical variables affecting the environmental performance of most farms in the state. To protect surface and groundwater resources, a number of technical and managerial solutions have been designed to minimize nutrient leaching and runoff from barnyards and farm fields. An impressive array of educational programs, financial subsidies, and regulatory incentives has been employed to encourage livestock producers to manage their manure in environmentally responsible …

Political, Economic And Social Dominance Of Major Cities In East Asia During The Twentieth Century, Michael B. Toney, Chalon Keller

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

One of the greatest shift in human societies has been the change from dispersed settlement patterns toward a complex urban pattern. Prior to the industrialization there were only a few urban places scattered throughout the world and none could compare with numerous cities of today with respect to size and complexity. In recent decades the growth of cities in Asia has been particularly remarkable as there has been an increase in the number of medium sized cities and the growth of a number of mega cities. This urbanization of the worlds population has corresponded with other fundamental changes in human …

Urban Pathology, Brian L. Pitcher

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Urban theorists have long debated to what extend and how the social problems of the city have been brought about or exaggerated in some consistent way by the urban environments in which they occur. This presentation reviews theories of urbanism, and the features of cities which contribute to the augmentation and control of various types of social pathology. Special emphasis is given to some types and patterns of urban unrest, and the structural characteristics associated with deleterious urban environments. Also included is perspective on the contested nature of social relations, the construction of perceptions of social pathology, and some overall …

Urbanization In East Asia: Retrospect And Prospect, Yun Kim, Byoung Mohk Choi

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to review the trend of urbanization and the growth of cities in East Asia and to discuss the social, economic, environmental, and physical implications accompanying the rapid urbanization and the growth of large metropolitan cities. The paper discusses the past trend and distribution of urbanization and the growth of large cities in East Asia in comparison with those of other parts of Asia and the world at large.
The urban structure and hierarchy, population concentration in primate cities, and rural to urban population redistributions are also discussed. In addition, the paper comments on various …

Adolescents' Recollection Of Early Physical Contact: Implications For Attachment And Intimacy, Mark D. Oleson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Three hundred seventy-six college students responded to a measure designed to examine retrospective accounts of the physical affection received during early childhood. The study looked exclusively from the perspective of the adolescent. Assessing the importance of touch in human development, and the role it plays in adult attachment and the ability to form and maintain close and intimate relations with others was the purpose of the study.

Six separate measures were used to assess the role of touch in adolescent development: three items from Gupta and Schork to assess physical affection (touch); Simpson's attachment style measure; Gerlsma, Arrindell, Van der …

Wisconsin Agriculture In Historical Perspective:Economic And Social Changes, 1959-1995, Douglas B. Jackson-Smith

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Anyone who travels through the Wisconsin countryside and speaks with an average farm operator will quickly come to appreciate the acute sense of anxiety about the future of agriculture that permeates rural life in the state. Long hours, a lack of vacation time, declining commodity prices, and rising farm expenses have all contributed to a growing inability to find young people interested in taking over Wisconsin farm operations. The loss of farms - particularly dairy farms - in many regions of the state has placed stress on the economic vitality and cultural identities of rural communities that have traditionally depended …

Expansiontrends In Wisconsin Dairying: Evidence From The 1994 Atffi Dairy Farmer Poll, B. Barham, F. Buttel, J. Mcnichol, Douglas B. Jackson-Smith, S. Wood

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

For several years there have been growing concerns about the long-run decline of farm incomes and the future viability of the dairy industry in Wisconsin. These problems are sometimes attributed to declining milk prices, and indeed the average milk price per hundredweight received by Wisconsin farmers has declined by over 40 percent since 1980 when inflation is taken into account. But there is now little optimism that the long-term decline of milk prices can be reversed. There is virtually no chance that the 1995 Farm Bill will raise the federal support price for milk products, and if anything there may …

Maternal Responsivity To A Child With A Disability: A Comparison In Single- And Two-Parent Families, Kristin Bollwinkel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research was to examine the differences between mothers in single- and two-parent families as they interact with their child with a disability. The sample consisted of 240 children with developmental disabilities and their mothers. Maternal interaction behaviors were measured using the Maternal Behavior Rating Scale. Demographic information, child characteristic measures, and family functioning variables were also considered. Analyses of covariance indicated that there were no differences between interaction behaviors of mothers in single- and two-parent families. However, relationships between income, education, and family cohesion, and the types of interactions displayed between mother and child were found. …

Clinical Typologies Of Youthful Male Sex Offenders Derived From The Sex-Offender Characteristic Inventory-Male Version (Soci-M), Susan L. Ericksen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Sex-Offender Characteristic Inventory-Male Version (SOCI-M) was filled out by a national sample of 78 clinicians experienced in the treatment of youthful sex offenders. Using factor analysis, clinician perceptions of the biopsychosocial characteristics related to normal, conduct-disordered, and sex-offending youth were determined.

All of the variables in the categories considered in this study factored into at least three distinct normal, conduct-disordered, and sex-offender youthful factors, with sex-offender variables loading onto more than one sex-offender factor in some categories. The normal youth factors accounted for the greatest variability in the Learning Disabled, Tourette's Syndrome, Borderline Traits, Histrionic Traits, DSM III-R Diagnosis, …

The Influence Of Workplace Stressors, Resources And Perceptions On Work-To-Family Spillover: An Application Of The Double Abcx Model, Steven A. Dennis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Changes in the American workforce have raised concern over the interface between family and work. The responsibilities and frustrations of the work domain frequently spill over to the family domain and vice versa. The purpose of this research has been to investigate the influence of workplace stressors, resources, and perceptions on subsequent negative work-to-family spillover. The theoretical direction for the study stems from a modified application of McCubbin and Patterson's double ABCX model, which fits well into the larger spillover perspective.

The data for the study came from 1992 National Study of the Changing Workforce [NSCW). A subsample of respondents …

Child Abuse In The Wake Of Natural Disasters, Thom Curtis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Natural and technological disasters impact thousands of families in the United States each year. Catastrophic events leave homelessness, unemployment, injury, and death in their wake. The cost to society is usually measured in homes destroyed, jobs lost, casualties, and expected dollar expense of recovery. There are the social, psychological, and family consequences of catastrophic stressors. Anecdotal reports suggest that among these consequences is an increase in family violence, including child abuse. This dissertation tests the hypotheses that reported and confirmed child abuse increases in the wake of natural disasters.

Child Protective Services (CPS) records of several jurisdictions that have experienced …

Searching For Effective Natural-Resources Policy: The Special Challenges Of Ecosystem Management, Steven E. Daniels, Gregg B. Walker

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

No matter how elegant ecosystem management is scientifically, it will not reach its potential in western U.S., with its abundant public lands, unless it is effective public policy. Such policy is (1) an adaptive process, (2) utilizes the most appropriate science and technology, (3) is implementable, and (4) has low transaction cost. This paper focuses on the latter two characteristics which are shaped by social legitimacy, and proposes a procedure termed Collaborative Learning as a promising decision-making process for ecosystem management.

Getting In While The Going's Tough: Entry In Thewisconsin Farm Sector, Douglas B. Jackson-Smith

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

In recent years, there has been growing public attention to an apparent decline in the rate at which young people have been entering the Wisconsin farm sector. Interest in farm entry arises from a public policy concern that if too few young people enter farming in the coming decade, the viability of the Wisconsin farm sector in general, and the dairy industry in particular, could be threatened. A number of public and private initiatives to assist beginning farmers have been proposed, and a few programs including subsidized loans and planning for a computerized land-link system to match entering and exiting …

The Effects Of A Cd-Rom Computer Storybook Program On Head Start Children's Emergent Literacy, Susan Talley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the effects of a computer CD-ROM storybook program on 73 Head Start children in Logan, Utah. A variation on the two-group pretest/posttest design was used to determine if there was any increase in emergent literacy skills after spending an average of 15 minutes per day for an average of 12 days on the computer.

Previous research suggests that a child's home environment is integral to the preschool child's emergent literacy development. A parent questionnaire designed for assessing information regarding the child 's Iiterate environment at home was administered. Mean scores indicated that those children scoring highest on …

Community Responses To Siting A Hazardous Waste Facility: The Case Of The High-Level Nuclear Waste Facility At Yucca Mountain, Nevada, Lori A. Cramer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Quality of life is an important issue for residents facing potential changes in their social and/or physical environments. Potential quality of life changes are especially relevant for rural residents of southern Nevada who are currently facing the possibility of living near the nation's first high-level nuclear waste repository. Whether the effects of the proposed repository are perceived as positive or negative, they nonetheless alter residents' perceptions of their quality of life.

A theoretical model was designed to guide the analyses in this study. It suggested that residents have both current perceptions and future expectations for themselves and their community. When …

Perceived Parental Acceptance Related To Self-Esteem, Gpa, Sex-Role Identity, And Substance Use Of Adolescents From Intact And Reconstituted Families, Stephen B. Sniteman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This investigation assessed the relationship between adolescents of intact families and adolescents in reconstituted families with regard to the effects of perception of parental acceptance on the variables of self-esteem, academic performance, sex role identity, and use of substances. Observed differences between adolescents of intact and reconstituted families from a structural perspective, eliminating process variables, were also examined. Participants included two hundred fifty-six high school students in grades 9 through 12 in an overseas Department of Defense Dependent School (DoDDs). Questionnaires incorporated the measures of Perception of Parental Behavior Index; Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Survey; The Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI); questions …

Prophets And Preference: Constructing And Maintaining A Homosexual Identity In The Mormon Church, Richard D. Phillips

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis is a descriptive ethnography of homosexuals and homosexuality in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon church, The study employs the labeling perspective in sociology and uses gay Mormons to examine how an individual constructs and maintains a homosexual identity in an environment where such an orientation is stigmatized and devalued. Qualitative interviews and documentary analysis are the chief methodological tools for this study.

The contradictions between a homosexual lifestyle and Mormon theology are outlined, and a history of Mormon church policy concerning homosexual members from 1959 to the present is presented. The study finds …