Sociology Commons^™

Neuroticism's Ties To Relationship Satisfaction: What Behaviors Matter?, Alexyss M. Lange

Theses and Dissertations

In multiple studies, neuroticism and romantic relationship satisfaction are negatively related to one another. Yet, the exact behaviors that link neuroticism to lower relationship satisfaction are unknown. Our seven-day daily diary study (N = 246) identified specific, everyday behaviors that might mediate this association. After establishing positive and negative factors using exploratory factor analysis, we examined whether positive or negative behaviors (and sub-categories of these dimensions) mediate the relationship between neuroticism and relationship satisfaction. Our results showed that negative behaviors mediated the relationship between neuroticism and relationship satisfaction but positive behaviors did not. A subcategory of conflict tactics mediated the …

Waqf In Transition: Tracing Local Institutional Change During The British Mandate In Palestine, Zachary Murray

Theses and Dissertations

The British Mandate’s actions of state-building in Palestine were informed by a Zionist-Western modernist envisioned past of Palestine. This state-building ideology was embedded within much of the bureaucracy of the Mandate’s system and infringed on numerous Palestinian institutions such as Waqf. Waqf was disenfranchised in particular through the implementation of urban development programs, like town planning and archaeological regimes, which sought to support the British-Zionist recasting of Palestine.

This thesis aims to show how the British’s ideology of Palestine informed the Mandate’s internal polices and actions which infringed on the rights of waqf. This was done through two axes of …

Healthy Aging Beyond Sex And Gender Binaries, Nicole M. Lampe

Theses and Dissertations

An estimated 2.7 million sexual and gender minority (SGM) adults 50+ reside in the United States (US) with this number projected to increase to more than 5 million by 2060 (Flatt et al. 2022; Fredriksen-Goldsen and Kim 2017). Medical research, education, and practice in the United States (US) often erase sex and gender variation, thus ignoring the experiences of older adults living beyond Western sex and gender binary systems (e.g., female/male and women/men), particularly transgender, non-binary, and/or intersex (TNBI) populations. Such erasure stems from TNBI older adult structural incompetency or the failure to understand how macro-level systems, institutions, and structures …

Cities Of God Under Occupation: Settler Colonial Practices And Pacification In The Favelas Of Rio De Janeiro And The Occupied Palestinian Territories, Amanda Pimenta Da Silva

Theses and Dissertations

The 2002 film ‘City of God’ tells an anecdotal story of violence in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, and is a reminder that the societies we tend to take for granted can actually be a luxury. The film portrays the daily life of the peripheries of Rio and its relation with drug trafficking, crime, and poverty, and how it has deteriorated into a war zone so dangerous that anyone risk being shot to death. Thousands of miles away from the Brazilian slums there is another so-called city of God, or the city chosen by God to be the home’s …

The Influence Of Sex On Cognitive Control Performance And Frontoparietal Network Integrity In First Episode Psychosis, Kaitlyn Mcfarlane Greer

Theses and Dissertations

Cognitive deficits in first-episode psychosis (FEP) are well documented including deficits in cognitive control, but how sex may influence or impact these cognitive deficits is not well known. Cognitive deficits may impact multiple neural networks, including the fronto-parietal network (FPN). How sex may influence the structural integrity of regions in the FPN is also an important area of research in FEP that may provide further insight into the beginnings of the disease. The current study aimed to examine sexual dimorphisms in structural integrity of the frontoparietal network (FPN) and its role in cognitive control in FEP. A total of 111 …

The Apostrophic Impasse: Diacritical Remarks On The Stories Of International Law, Legal Decolonial Genealogy And Antony Anghie’S Historiography, Britt L.A.Q. (Haadiya) Hendrix

Theses and Dissertations

The (hi)stories of international law have strengthened the tentacles of coloniality in the legal regime as they continue to taunt the precarious lifeworlds of people, our planet and social imaginaries of an otherwise. The flow of coloniality has similarly rematerialized in decolonial legal theories and the postcolonial historiographical accounts of international law. I intend to demonstrate this colonial revival in the groundbreaking text of Antony Anghie Imperialism, Sovereignty and the Creation of International Law (2005) which challenged the (hi)stories of traditional jurisprudence. The latter was not necessarily a rejection nor negation of Western thought, because I argue that postcolonial historiography …

Effective And Responsive Implementation Of German Asylum And Resettlement Procedures For Syrian Refugees From 2015 To 2018, Nourhan Morsy Abdelmeguid

Theses and Dissertations

The refugee and migrant crises are one of Europe’s most contentious and divisive issues. In particular, Germany is one of the countries most involved in the Syrian refugee crisis. The number of Syrians seeking refuge in Germany is substantial, and it hosts over one million refugees. Germany is also a key participant and stakeholder in the European Union asylum policies. Thus, this thesis examines the responsiveness and effectiveness of asylum proceedings under the crisis-induced from 2015 to 2018. Germany temporarily suspended the Dublin regulation by processing asylum applications despite stopping by other EU countries as a humanitarian response to accommodate …

The Relationship Between Historical Trauma And Mental Health Status: The Moderating Role Of Ethnic Immersion For Polynesian Americans, Cameron W. H. Hee

Theses and Dissertations

A large body of research has examined the intergenerational consequences of historically traumatic events with populations whose ancestors have collectively faced significant experiences of loss and trauma due to colonization, genocide, and other forms of oppression and marginalization. This type of research is especially prevalent among indigenous populations and historical trauma has been used to theoretically explain some groups overrepresentation in negative societal and health indices. Yet there has been virtually no empirical study of the effects of historical trauma using a Polynesian sample. The aim of this dissertation was to examine the association historically traumatic losses may have with …

Socioeconomic Potential: Predicting Income Through The Moderating Effect Of Socioeconomic Status On Social Capital, Virginia K. Leiter

Theses and Dissertations

Social capital is an important predictor of socioeconomic attainment, defined here as household income, but it is less clear how this relationship may vary by socioeconomic status (SES). Coleman's (1988) theory of social capital suggests that context is likely to influence exchanges of capital. Indeed, theory and research suggest that SES may either intensify or compensate for social capital in its relation to socioeconomic attainment. I seek to identify and understand these potential interactions using data from 101,163 participants of the European Social Survey (ESS). Results indicate that while social trust and both absolute and relative social involvement--two common measurements …

Concurrent And Incremental Validity Of Parent- And Teacher-Report And Neuropsychological Measures Of Executive Functions, Attention, And Hyperactivity In An Outpatient Community Mental Health Clinic Pediatric Sample, Lindsay Morgan Fruehauf

Theses and Dissertations

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that affects academic, social, and health functioning. The psychometric properties of measures commonly used in diagnostic settings to assess the constructs of attention, hyperactivity, and executive functioning, including concurrent and incremental validity with other commonly used measures, are not well-established. Additionally, these specific psychometric properties within ecological samples of children and adolescents presenting to community-based clinics is infrequent. The purpose of this dissertation was to describe a sample of children and adolescents presenting to a community-based mental health clinic and to test the concurrent and incremental validity of parent- and teacher-report questionnaires …

Sleep And Eating Behavior Among Adolescent Females With Overweight Or Obesity: The Role Of Appetite-Related Cognitive Processes, Kirandeep Kaur

Theses and Dissertations

Insufficient sleep duration and poor sleep quality can potentiate weight gain and obesity in adolescents. Furthermore, overweight and obese females are at unique risk for insufficient sleep and associated health complications. We examined self-reported sleep duration and self-reported adequacy of sleep duration as potential moderators of the relationship between eating behavior and several cognitive processes including hedonic hunger, executive dysfunction, and self-control. We used a multisystemic conceptual framework to highlight the pathways that may explain the relationship between sleep behaviors and the Healthy Eating Index (HEI). The study employed a cross-sectional design. Participants completed baseline measures of height and weight, …

Authenticity Without Belief In Western Tibetan Buddhist Practice, Hannah Sharp-Wang

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a study of Tibetan Buddhism as practiced by adult converts in Utah. Semiotic ideology is a thread throughout the paper that functions as an explanatory mechanism for describing the ontological variations between beginning and seasoned practitioners. I show examples of clashing semiotic ideologies that demonstrate differing assumptions in understanding of how the world operates. In Chapter 2, I explore the concept of interiority and the taken for granted assumptions of religiosity in the West. The tensions introduced in Chapter 2 are addressed in Chapter 3, which explores how practitioners resolve concerns about authenticity through reliance on their …

The Impacts Of Local Schools On Experience Of Community, Ciera M. Galbraith

Theses and Dissertations

This study expands upon the research regarding the role of schools in the local community to include how they impact experience of community. Current literature and school-related legislation focus on schools as facilities for education and socialization; little research has been done to look at how schools may influence how individuals experience community. To look at the possibility of this relationship, this study uses the 2017 Rural Utah Community Study to examine how residents view local education, schools, and degrees in addition to their experience of community through community attachment, community satisfaction, and community desirability. I find that residents' views …

Online Sexual Mindfulness Intervention For Black And Interracial Couples: A Pilot Study, Jenna M. Lawlor

Theses and Dissertations

Sexual mindfulness has been shown to improve couple's relationship and sexual satisfaction. Mindfulness research has mostly been conducted with White participants, largely leaving out the perspectives of diverse participants. This study piloted an online culturally-adapted version of the Sexual Mindfulness Project with Black and interracial couples (N=26 heterosexual individuals in a committed relationship from three different continents; age range 23€“44) to understand the program's acceptability and impacts. Qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys showed that couples enjoyed the program and experienced positive relational and sexual impacts post-intervention, including improved relationship satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, communication, and sexual mindfulness. Implications to improve the …

Women's Response To Spousal Pornography Use: A Grounded Theory, Misha Duncan Crawford

Theses and Dissertations

Empirical research suggests that married women may more commonly experience spousal pornography use as a relational attachment threat and are more likely to experience negatively associated relational outcomes such as distress and loss of trust. The purpose of this study was to develop a grounded theory of women’s response to concealed spousal pornography use. This study included the experiences of 30 women who reported spousal pornography use as a threat to relational attachment and demonstrated evidence of individual and relational healing thereafter. The research question, “How do women describe the experience of learning of their spouse’s pornography use and the …

Dropout In Couple Therapy: An Exploration Of The Trajectories Of Couples Dropping Out, Ragan A. Lybbert

Theses and Dissertations

Dropout is a problematic phenomenon which wastes community, clinician, client, and researcher resources. Clients who dropout from therapy end up the same, or worse than, those who did not seek out therapy at all. While there is a relatively deep and broad understanding of dropout from individual therapy, an exhaustive review of couple therapy dropout literature reveals a very inconsistent and non-conclusive body of research. This may stem from a lack of a consistently used theory to guide research endeavors in this important realm. Primarily, this seems to stem from treating dropout as a static event rather than a process …

Correlates Of Intimate Partner Cyber-Harassment Among Mexican American College Students, Erica M. Benavides-Moore

Theses and Dissertations

The social issue of intimate partner cyber-harassment among Mexican American college students continues to affect dating violence. While there is a considerable amount of literature focusing on various forms of criminal behavior in cyberspace, such as cyberbullying, cyber-pornography, hacking, online fraud and identity theft, less attention has been paid to violence facilitated through cyber-communications and digital/electronic means such as CH. This thesis examines Mexican American college students to identify which factors correlate to cyber harassment (CH) offending and which correspond to cyber victimization. In this context, intimate partner cyber harassment (IPCH) is defined as a pattern of repeated behaviors by …

Zinā In The Criminal Legislation Act (1999-2000): An Evaluation Of The Implication For Muslim Women's Right In Nigeria, Paul Orerhime Akpomie

Theses and Dissertations

The research engages in an exploration of human rights in Islam. Human rights issues are then contrasted with international law positions. The data gotten is then used for investigating women’s human rights issues in Shariʾa penal tradition regarding zinā (adultery) in Nigeria. The re-emergence of Sharia penal codes adopted by 12 Northern states in Nigeria in 1999 as an operative Islamic law has sparked concerns about rulings amounting to stoning to death in several cases of zinā. These events raised concerns about Shariʾa penal traditions’ legality and relationship with other legal traditions operational in Nigeria, a secular political space. …

Age-Related Differences In Food-Specific Inhibitory Control: Electrophysiological And Behavioral Evidence In Healthy Aging, Whitney D. Allen

Theses and Dissertations

The number of older adults is estimated to double from 52 million to 95 million by 2060. Approximately 80-85% of older adults are diagnosed with a chronic health condition. Many of these chronic health conditions are influenced by diet and exercise, suggesting improved diet and eating behaviors could improve health-related outcomes. One factor that might improve dietary habits in older adults is food-related inhibitory control. We tested whether food-related inhibitory control, using behavioral (response time, error rate) and scalp-recorded event-related potential (ERP; N2 and P3 components) measures of food-related inhibitory control differed between younger and older adults over age 55. …

Communities Of Water: An Examination Of Cooperation And Conflict In Water Management Practices In The Central Peruvian Andes, Sylvie D. Littledale

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores two examples of water management in the highland Peruvian villages, San Pedro de Llancha and San Antonio de Chinchina. One example is of cooperation and union between the two communities. The other is of conflict between the same two villages just 40 years prior. I examine ethnographic and ethnohistorical data from both the collaborative period and the conflictive period of these two communities’ relations over water. The data suggest that, while the outcomes of these two periods were drastically different, the processes through which these communities came into relation with one another were quite similar. Their communal …

Outdoor Air Pollution And Psychological Well-Being: A Meta-Analysis, Jeremy Stanley Bekker

Theses and Dissertations

Human life takes place as part of a global ecosystem, meaning that human mental health is at least partially tied to the health of the planet. Health experts who seek to promote psychological well-being should consider how changes to the broad ecological system may impact their efforts. Given the potential impact of the environment on human well-being, we conducted a meta-analysis to assess the impact of air pollution on subjective well-being. The goal of this project was to outline the current state of the research on these constructs and provide a clear framework for what research is still needed. Nonsignificant …

Psychometric Properties Of The Survey On Flourishing (Surf) In A Nationally Representative Adolescent Sample, Gus C. Salazar

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Adolescent subjective well-being is a topic that has gained significant focus over recent years. This focus is reflected in the formation of measurement tools and interventions used to better understand and improve adolescent mental health. While these are important steps, there still exist problems related to adolescent subjective well-being measurement. Notably, current measurement tools are limited in their content, applicability to various populations, and in their accessibility. Aims: The purpose of this paper is to examine the psychometric properties of the Survey on Flourishing (SURF) when used with a nationally representative adolescent sample. The SURF aims to address some …

Orienting Pacha: Value As Action In The Late Horizon Xauxa-Pachacamac Axis, Ridge C. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

The Andean Late Horizon (ca. AD 1438–1532) was a period of exceptionally rapid and far-reaching cultural change. Over this short span of only a few generations, the Inka ethnic group established an empire that was greater in size than any other pre-colonial American polity. The Inka accomplished their expansion without the use of certain institutions (i.e., a standing army, formal writing system, monetary system, or price-setting markets) that the received anthropological wisdom has long held as being necessary preconditions to imperial expansion. Standard explanations of Late Horizon culture change tend to overemphasize the roles of environmental constraints, social evolution, and …

Witches, Victims, And Villains: #Metoo And The Political Polarization Of Sexual Violence, Hannah Shoaf

Theses and Dissertations

The MeToo movement, which sought to combat sexual violence, evolved into a partisan problem, where support for or against the movement fell across party lines. This polarization negatively impacted the progress of the MeToo movement, fitting the larger pattern of increasing polarization in the United States. My thesis seeks to understand the politicized nature of sexual violence and to explore what language and themes are drawn on to politicize conversations around sexual violence by using the MeToo movement as a case study. My thesis found that the political polarization of sexual violence increased during the MeToo movement (and especially during …

Parental Incarceration As A Predictor Of Legal Cynicism, Mackenzie Joy Heim

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have established that legal cynicism is linked to violence, deviant behavior, and crime. In response to the potentially dangerous implications of a legally cynical society, research in recent years has attempted to identify experiences and conditions that play a role in the development of legal attitudes. Given that youths' familial and social conditions appear to be influential predictors, this study tests the relationship between parental incarceration and legal cynicism. Data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study were used for this analysis. Results from three OLS regression models indicate that parental incarceration is not a significant predictor of …

The Reciprocal Relationship Between Group Therapeutic Relationships And Group Member Symptom Improvement: An Archival Analysis, Aileen Marie Rands

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers and clinicians have long recognized that therapeutic relationships play a fundamental role in client symptom change during treatment. At the same time, it has been proposed that improvement in client symptoms is associated with improvement in therapeutic relationships. To date, very few studies have investigated this reciprocal relationship; even fewer have examined group therapeutic relationship factors. The present study is an archival analysis on Group Questionnaire (GQ) (i.e., positive bond, positive work, and negative relationship) and Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45) data that aims to analyze the reciprocal relationship between group therapeutic relationships and client symptom change. More specifically, this study …

Returning Thanks To God And Others: The Relational, Prosocial, And Emotional Consequences Of Transcendent Indebtedness, Jenae Marie Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Gratitude and indebtedness facilitate cooperative relationships and altruism. Although most of the world endorses some belief in God, gratitude and indebtedness to God have not received adequate empirical attention. The "Gratitude to God" research initiative was created to address this gap, of which the current project is an appendage. This project encapsulates a multiphase research proposal, including three parts; a pilot study and two experimental studies. The purpose of the pilot study (N = 475) was to create and test experimental manipulations for the two experimental studies. Experiment 1 (N = 659; highly religious emerging adult sample) was a 3x2 …

The Relationship Between Traumatic Brain Injury And Disruptions In Heart Rate Variability And Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback: A Systematic Review, Leah D. Talbert

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Traumatic brain injury is a significant public health problem. Heart rate variability is a potential modality to measure physiological dysfunction following traumatic brain injury to assist in determining recovery time and the relationship between traumatic brain injury severity and recovery. To date, a summary of the evidence across injury severities and the possible role of heart rate variability biofeedback in traumatic brain injury treatment is lacking but needed to determine potential clinical utility. Participants and Methods: We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Systematic literature searches on CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, and MEDLINE …

Physical Aspects Of Sexuality, Attachment, And Sexual Satisfaction, Chelsea Zollinger Allen

Theses and Dissertations

Healthy sexuality includes relational, emotional, and physical elements (Busby et al., 2021). However, there are gaps in what is known about the physical aspects of sexual relationships. Genital acceptance and physical sexual knowledge are two areas of physical relationships that may have an effect on the satisfaction of sexual relationships. Attachment, namely levels of anxious and avoidant attachment, is another factor that has been related to sexual relationships (Allsop et al., 2021; Bennett et al., 2019; Busby et al., 2020). Results from a dyadic sample of 515 couples who had been in a relationship for at least two years were …

Psychological Distress Of Spousal Caregivers Of Older Adults: The Moderating Role Of Marital Quality, Avalon White

Theses and Dissertations

Caregiving, specifically caregiver burden, is commonly related to decreased psychological well-being. Conversely, marital quality is positively related to psychological well-being, though existing literature presents mixed findings as to whether or not a gender difference exists in this relationship. The current study examined the relationship between objective and subjective spousal caregiver burden and psychological distress with marital quality as a moderator. Gender differences in this relationship were also explored. 1,066 spousal caregivers from the National Study of Caregiving (NSOC) were used to estimate cross-sectional moderation models and plot significant interactions in Mplus. Results indicated a significant positive relationship between subjective caregiver …