Sociology Commons^™

Interpersonal Discrimination And Older Latinx Adults In The United States, Adrianne Dues

Theses and Dissertations

Discrimination is a chronic source of stress among Latinx adults in the United States (Lopez et al. 2017; Williams 2012). Limited research, however, considers differences within ethnicity-nativity, the influence of important psychosocial mechanisms such as sense of control, and the ways interpersonal discrimination may extend beyond the individual, known as vicarious effects (Wofford et al. 2019). For my chapters, public data comes from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative longitudinal study of Americans aged 50 and older. My three dissertation chapters proceed in the following manner: Chapter 1 provides information to better understand Latinx adults beyond the …

A Qualitative Examination Of Female Sex Offender Grooming Of Child Victims, Mollee Katherin Steely Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Sex offenders often engage in manipulative and coercive behavior to begin, conceal, and continue to sexually abuse children over time. They utilize grooming behaviors to gain the trust and compliance of their victims. Grooming is the process by which an offender prepares a victim, significant adult and peers, and the environment for the eventual abuse. Most of what is understood regarding grooming behavior derives from exclusively male samples, which is problematic because male and female sex offenders vary widely in their offending patterns, motivations, and behaviors. For the present study, I examined the nature of sexual grooming among a sample …

The Banality Of Corporate Evil, Amina Dessouki

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis critiques the notion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) through tracing the multiple dynamics between a multinational corporation and a development consultancy working on a recycling project in collaboration with the Zabaleen in Mansheyet Nasser, Egypt. The thesis looks at the ways in which actors negotiate their different positions, the harmonies and discordances that unfold through various agendas coming together, the silences produced, and the ways in which structural violence is intensified under the guise of development. The thesis contrasts the detached efforts of corporate workers and development consultants with the lives of the zabaleen, who live in a …

Misunderstood: A Phenomenological Study On Intersectionality And The Lived Experiences Of Black Millennial Student Affairs Professionals At Pwis, Emily P. Dixon

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to further understand the lived experiences of Black millennial student affairs professionals navigating and advancing through a predominately white institution in the southern United States. This phenomenological study, framed by critical race theory and intersectionality, sought to ultimately use these lived experiences to advocate for change. A review of the literature highlighted the needs, values, and experiences of Black Millennials based on both identities, the experiences of working in student affairs/higher education with these experiences, and the need for intentional diversity efforts by higher educational institutions.

The researcher interviewed nine participants to learn more about …

Straight White Men's Geosocial App Preferences: Exploring The Effects Of Race, Sean Aaron

Theses and Dissertations

Geosocial apps on mobile phones use location data to introduce many young adults to other people to initiate various types of relationships. This study examined how established racial preferences affect Straight White Men's (SWM) selection decisions of potential partners in a pseudo-geosocial app when controlling for age, attractiveness, and other profile factors of potential matches. A sample comprising exclusively of SWM was selected because historically, this demographic has benefited most from gender and racial inequalities (Thompson, 2009), and they make up the largest portion of people in interracial relationships in the United States (Livingston & Brown, 2017). We found that …

When Clients Who Got Worse Believe They Got Better: A Qualitative Analysis Of Oq-Deteriorators Reporting Improvement In Therapy, Eric Alexander Ghelfi

Theses and Dissertations

A recent study highlighted discrepancies between qualitative client self-reports of outcome and OQ-45 reports. Specifically, only 8.8% of clients who deteriorated during a course of therapy based on the OQ-45 perceived that they had deteriorated, while 50% of these clients perceived that they had improved in therapy (Top et al., 2018). This phenomenon, where different means of tracking outcomes yield divergent results, has been called “paradoxical outcome.” The trend suggests that the most advanced forms of tracking psychotherapy outcomes might not detect important facets of outcome from the perspective of psychotherapy clients. The current study is a qualitative investigation of …

Warning! Explicit Material: The Effects Of Adolescent Pornography Use On Risky Sexual Behavior Over Time, Emily Jensen-Schvaneveldt

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the longitudinal effects of adolescent pornography trajectories on risky sexual behavior, as well as predictors of pornography trajectories. Data was taken from Waves V-X of the Flourishing Families Project, which included a sample of 463 families. A zero-inflated Poisson growth mixture model was run to determine class participation and growth trajectories. Findings revealed that gender and religiosity significantly predicted class participation, and class participation significantly predicted risky sexual behavior. While this study did have limitations, this study adds to the previous literature by examining adolescent pornography trajectories over an extended period of time.

How Are Police Lineups Represented In Popular Crime Shows In The U.S.A? An Examination Of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Luis Fernando Chavarria

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to explore police lineups as portrayed in crime-related TV shows in the U.S.A, such as Law & Order: SUV. The data used is from 25 episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The methodology used for this study is grounded theory and content analysis. results of the study by themes which are: DNA evidence, police lineups, and lineups used in court. From these themes codes were further highlighted and noted. Based on the episodes for the show and real-life lineup procedure practices, there were inconsistencies about clothing, physical characteristics of suspects, incorrect lineup …

Physical Health As A Predictor Of Change In Self-Reported Presenting Problems In Couple Therapy, As Mediated By Emotional Regulation, Janette J. Driscoll

Theses and Dissertations

Recent literature in couple therapy has demonstrated the effects of physical health on some common presenting problems; however, few studies have considered progress as a construct on its own, irrespective of client-identified presenting problem. The current study used an Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediated Model to determine the connection between each partner's physical health and their own and their partner's self-reported progress in couple therapy, mediated by each partner's emotional regulation. Physical health was measured every four sessions using the Health-Related Quality of Life scale, and progress was measured by the Presenting Problem Progress Questionnaire given each time a couple attended therapy. …

"It's Like Being Pulled In Two Directions": Experiences Of Transgender Latter-Day Saints, Morgan Monet

Theses and Dissertations

This study qualitatively examined the experiences of transgender individuals who also identify as active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (N=10). Researchers took an interpretive phenomenological approach to elicit factors which allow trans Mormon folks to hold their apparently conflicting religious and gender identities simultaneously (and the consequences of doing so). Overall, we aimed to answer the broad question, “what is it like to be transgender and Mormon?” Following a process of semi-structured interviews, transcription, and coding, the broad categories which seemed to connect many elements of the trans/Mormon experience were 1) a sense of being …

Parent Anxiety, Parental Psychological Control, And Adolescent Anxiety: Mediation And Bidirectional Relationships, Iesha R. Gibbons

Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety is the most common mental health diagnosis for adolescents. Among important etiological factors are parent anxiety and parenting behavior, which can increase anxiety in adolescents. Adolescent anxiety can also act as a source of stress for parents that then increases parent anxiety and negative parenting behaviors. Using the Family Stress Model, this study aims to examine the longitudinal and bidirectional relationship between parent and adolescent anxiety with parental psychological control acting as a mediator. Structural equation modeling was used to examine these relationships across five waves of data for 457 families. Adolescents (51.86% female, mean age 13.34 at wave …

The Relationship Experiences Of Male Survivors Of Sexual Abuse: A Qualitative Analysis, Jordan Grant Gibby

Theses and Dissertations

Although the experience of sexual abuse is quite common among men, particularly among those in clinical populations, relatively little research has been done specifically with male survivors and the impact of abuse in their lives. More specifically, the impact of sexual abuse on male survivors' relationship dynamics has been underdeveloped in the research literature. Untapped online data can help illuminate these relationship dynamics, providing insight to clinicians for improved couple and family treatment. Through qualitative analysis of data from online discussion boards at MaleSurvivor.org, the present study examined the ways in which male survivors of sexual abuse described dynamics of …

Cross-National Analysis Of Mothers' Occupational Status In Germany And The United States: Before And After Germany's Work-Family Policy Changes, Paige N. Park

Theses and Dissertations

In many OECD countries, women are underrepresented in the highest status, highest paying positions and overrepresented in the lowest status, lowest paying positions. One potential reason for this inequity is the "motherhood penalty," where women with children face more roadblocks in hiring and promotions. This research investigates occupational segregation among mothers and fathers and analyzes whether gender gaps in occupational status are more extreme for immigrant populations. Using data from the Luxembourg Cross-National Data Center, I compare changes in gender occupational segregation from 2000 to 2016 in Germany and the United States among immigrant and native-born parents. Multinomial logistic regression …

Pinpointing Pornography's Effects: Paring Off The Influences Of Masturbation, Sexual Desire Discrepancy, And Sexual Engagement In Heterosexual Dyads, Brady C. Eisert

Theses and Dissertations

Pornography has increasingly become a hot topic of discussion in the United States, likely due to its increasing rate of consumption. Recent scholarship has indicated the need to account for factors such as masturbation and sexual desire discrepancy when conducting pornography research. The current study isolated the influence pornography use had on those in heterosexual romantic relationships (N=713 couples) by parsing out the effects of sexual desire discrepancy and masturbation. This was done by using a series of nested actor-partner interdependence models (APIM) to see how the relationships between pornography use and sexual satisfaction changed in each model. Masturbation and …

Detecting Remnants Of The Past: Archaeo-Geophysical Prospection Of Fremont Sites In Southern Utah Valley, Jacob P. Jepsen

Theses and Dissertations

The variable contexts of Fremont habitation sites in Utah Valley often make identification of those sites very challenging for archaeologists. Pit houses and other structures throughout the valley are frequently in plowed fields or other disturbed contexts that obscure their more exact location and nature. The application of geophysical technologies at archaeological sites throughout the world, including in North America, has proven to be an effective means of subsurface archaeological survey. However, geophysical techniques have been underutilized in Fremont archaeology. This paper reports on the employment of two geophysical methods, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and fluxgate gradiometer surveys, at three known …

Assessing The Power Of Policy: Deconstructing Declines In Child Marriage Around The World, Zackery Butler

Theses and Dissertations

Drawing on research from the fields sociology and demography, this dissertation endeavors to deconstruct the declines in Child, Early and Forced Marriage (CEFM) around the world by assessing the power of international institutions to create and enforce global norms across a wide range of nation-states. I conducted three different studies on CEFM at different levels to better understand how international policy, the cultural composition of countries, macro level demographic trends, and the relationships between national leadership and international governance have effected changes over the last few decades beginning in 1980. I used comparative historical methods in conjunction with demographic techniques …

How Do I Love Thee? A Latent Mixture Model Analysis Of College Dating Relationships, Aeriel Grace Halstead

Theses and Dissertations

Relationship researchers often assume that satisfying relationships are healthy, but is this true? We examined whether different types of college dating relationships exist if we analyze elements of relationship health that included not only global relationship satisfaction, but patterns of communication, intimate partner violence, and positive and negative appraisals of one's partner. To do this, we used latent mixture modeling in a large sample of students in committed relationships (N = 1935). Three distinct types of committed relationships emerged: unhealthy and unsatisfying (N=477), healthy and satisfying (N=703), and a group we termed healthy and satisfying but unimpressed with their partner …

Limbic Morphometry In Individuals With Schizophrenia And Their Nonpsychotic Siblings, Rachael Olivia Slate

Theses and Dissertations

The limbic system is hypothesized to play a critical role in pathophysiology of schizophrenia, with abnormalities thought to contribute to the expression of various aspects of the cognitive deficits and clinical symptoms. Psychosis is understood as highly heritable and family members, specifically non-affected siblings, while not displaying overt signs of the disorder, often exhibit features similar to those observed in patients, though to a lesser degree. The overarching aim of this project was to investigate the integrity of limbic circuitry in a sample of patients with schizophrenia and their non-affected siblings and examine its potential relationship with various clinical features …

Is Variability In Inhibition-Related Neural Activation After Sleep Restriction Associated With Eating Behavior In Adolescents?, Kimberly A. Barnett

Theses and Dissertations

The primary aim of the present study was to evaluate whether intra-individual variability in inhibition-related neural activation in response to sleep restriction is associated with eating behavior in adolescents aged 12-18 years. In addition, the potential moderating effects of sex and body mass index on the association between sleep and variability in neural activation were examined. This study employed a within-subjects crossover design that randomized subjects to both a 5 hours per night (sleep restricted) and 9 hours per night (well-rested) sleep condition for 5 nights, with experimental conditions separated by four weeks. On the 6th day of each study …

A Feasibility Study Of A Group-Format, Ecologically Oriented Neurorehabilitation Of Memory (Eon-Mem) Program In Older Adults, Kayla Michelle Frodsham

Theses and Dissertations

Older adults often show declines in subjective and objective memory performance relative to younger adults. One potential path for helping older adults with memory may be compensatory memory training programs. Compensatory memory training programs teach strategies to manage memory impairment. Traditional compensatory memory training programs tend to be highly specific to a task and often do not generalize to other memory tasks. Ecologically Oriented Neurorehabilitation of Memory (EON-Mem) is a method for teaching memory strategies that may generalize for efficient use in everyday contexts. We performed a feasibility study to determine the value of pursuing a group-based version of EON-Mem …

Beirut/The Other Side Of The City: The Impact Of Visual Texture Production Of The Lebanese Postmemory Generation, 1989 - Present, Mohamed Moustafa Gameel Ebada

Theses and Dissertations

In 1989, after the Ta'if agreement, the war in Lebanon started to fade, which ended years of one of the most destructive civil conflicts in the region with no decisive winner or loser. The year also marked the birth of a new Lebanese generation who did not experience the war in person. It is a generation of postmemory, a term Maria Hirsch coined to describe the reminisces of those who did not have a personal encounter with past traumatic events. However, it was not before February 2005, when Rafic Al-Hariri's violent assassination occurred, when the postmemory generation started to question …

The Link Between Internet Activity And Community Experience In Rural Utah, Kayci A. Muirbrook

Theses and Dissertations

The growth of high-speed internet access in rural communities is a relatively recent event. In this study, I contribute to the literature regarding the internet and local community by analyzing the influence of internet activity on community experience, measured through community satisfaction and attachment, using the systemic model as controls. After surveying 24 rural communities in Utah, USA once in 2008 and again in 2017, I find a negative association between community experience and increased use of the internet for informational purposes. While my models find mixed findings that community experience has decreased over time in rural areas, I find …

More Than One Way: How Migrants Are Able To Achieve Belonging Beyond Their Legal Status, Claudia Soto

Theses and Dissertations

Is legal status a master status for migrant belonging? If not, how do other factors--such as social networks, religious participation, language and cultural familiarity--shape belonging? Over the past few years, some migration scholars have suggested that legal status is a "master status"which determines migrant outcomes (Gonzales 2015). Other literature suggests that migrant outcomes are determined by a variety of factors, asserting that migrant experiences can be better understood by studying the interaction between these factors (Enriquez 2017; Valdez and Golash-Boza 2020). Utilizing 73 semi-structured interviews with migrants in Utah, I compare the experiences of refugees, permanent migrants, temporary migrants, and …

Sensory Sensitivity And Intolerance Of Uncertainty Influence Anxiety In Autistic Adults, Karys M. Normansell-Mossa

Theses and Dissertations

Several models of anxiety in autistic adults have focused on the role of intolerance of uncertainty which has biological and evolutionary bases, as a cognitive explanation for the high prevalence of anxiety in autism. This framework suggests that all people are born with a healthy level of intolerance of uncertainty, and as we develop, this intolerance is lessened as we learn when situations are safe and begin to understand and manage the uncertainty. This process of learning about managing uncertainty does not happen in the same way in those who are high in autistic traits, which could be the reason …

Parental Incarceration And Juvenile Delinquency: The Role Of Gender, Kirstie S. Weyland

Theses and Dissertations

Parental incarceration is connected to many negative outcomes for children including negative externalizing behaviors. Most studies are not conclusive in determining whether maternal incarceration or paternal incarceration has a more detrimental impact on children. This study looks at a sample of 2,458 youth from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study (FFCWS) and their parents and compares the gender of the incarcerated parent and that of the child to determine if there are differences in the risk of delinquent behavior among adolescent children. Results found that parental incarceration overall increased the risk of juvenile delinquency and that female children are …

The Relationship Of Alliance, Cohesion, And Group Climate With Outcome, Rachel Anne Arnold

Theses and Dissertations

Therapeutic alliance, cohesion, and group climate are all important relationship components of group therapy which have been shown to predict client outcome. Yet, due to discrepancies in how these are defined and measured in the literature, how these three constructs differentially predict outcome is not yet fully understood. For instance, most studies only assess a single construct and often do so with outcome assessed from a pre-post perspective rather than continuously. The present study is an archival analysis on Group Questionnaire (GQ) positive bond and Outcome Questionnaire-45 (OQ-45) data that aims to elucidate the predictive relationship of therapeutic alliance, group …

The Impact Of Client And Therapist Religious Commitment On Psychotherapy In A University Counseling Center, Brodrick Thomas Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Religion is important to many Americans and the way they approach life, but psychologists are less likely than the general population to be religious. Because of this, it is important to not only know how religious commitment can influence clients' outcome and experience in psychotherapy, but also how the level of match between client and therapist religious commitment might impact those variables. The current study was undertaken in order to investigate how client religious commitment impacts distress at the beginning and end of treatment, how therapist religious commitment impacts the use of religious/spiritual interventions in therapy, and whether the level …

South Sudanese Women In Cairo: The Making And Re-Making Of Life Under Precarious Conditions, Nour Abdulhak

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses how South Sudanese women mobile subjects who choose domestic work as a livelihood navigate life in the city of Cairo. The thesis unpacks how these women’s precarious conditions and different individual and structural factors or policies affect the way they make and re-make their lives in Cairo. While it is common for South Sudanese women to do domestic work in Egypt, this population has been neglected by academia and policy makers. Due to the academic limitations on this topic, interviews with experts were conducted alongside the ethnographic study of these women’s lives to attain the closest depiction …

Effect Of Schematic Congruence On Mnemonic Discrimination In The Hippocampal Subregions, Ariana M. Hedges-Muncy

Theses and Dissertations

Two experiments are presented in this dissertation to investigate the effect a schema may have on mnemonic discrimination. We developed stimuli composed of a foreground item on a background that was either schematically congruent or incongruent. For the encoding phase of both experiments, these stimuli were presented to 98 participants, who were tasked with determining the congruency of each foreground-background pair. Next, the two experiments diverged for the retrieval phase, where participants were presented with either the same object as before (Target) or one that was similar (Lure). Forty-six participants in Experiment 1 saw stimuli with the same background as …

Predictors Of Psychosocial Functioning Following Pediatric Neuropsychological Assessment, Benjamin D. Eschler

Theses and Dissertations

Pediatric neuropsychological evaluations are often used to help with diagnostic clarification, aid with treatment planning, and propose recommendations. Yet, little is known about the effects that a neuropsychological evaluation may have on psychosocial outcome and functioning. The present study sought to replicate customer satisfaction results and recommendation adherence results from previous studies while including a longitudinal measure of psychosocial functioning to determine change over time in a pre-test post-test design. Parents of children who underwent a neuropsychological evaluation between May 2016 and December 2020 were invited to complete a survey including the consumer satisfaction questionnaire and treatment adherence questions. They …