Family, Life Course, and Society Commons^™

The Effects Of Mismatches Between Survey Question Stems And Response Options On Data Quality And Responses, Jolene Smyth, Kristen Olson

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Several questionnaire design texts emphasize a dual role of question wording: the wording needs to express what is being measured and tell respondents how to answer. Researchers tend to focus heavily on the first of these goals, but sometimes overlook the second, resulting in question wording that does not match the response options provided (i.e., mismatches). Common examples are yes/no questions with ordinal or nominal response options, open-ended questions with closed-ended response options, and check-all-that apply questions with forced-choice response options. A slightly different type of mismatch utilizes a question stem that can be read as asking for two different …

Bullying At School And On The Street: Risk Factors And Outcomes Among Homeless Youth, Kimberly A. Tyler, Rachel Schmitz

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Though rates of bullying among general population youth are high, there is elevated prevalence among certain subgroups, in particular sexual minority homeless youth. Enduring bullying can have devastating consequences, including poor mental health, revictimization, and substance abuse. The current study compares risk factors (i.e., sexual orientation, gender, and child abuse) for being bullied both at school and on the street among homeless youth. We also examine the associations of both contexts of bullying (i.e., at school and on the street) with physical and sexual victimization while on the street, with illicit drug use. From July 2014 to October 2015, we …

The Role Of Protective Behavioral Strategies, Social Environment, And Housing Type On Heavy Drinking Among College Students, Kimberly A. Tyler, Rachel M. Schmitz, Colleen M. Ray, Scott A. Adams, Leslie Gordon Simons

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Background: Though research has examined heavy drinking by housing type, the link between type of college student housing and protective behavioral strategies (PBS) has rarely been examined comparing different college campuses. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to examine the role of housing type, perceptions of peer drinking, and PBS with respondent heavy drinking among undergraduate college students from one Southeastern and one Midwestern university in the United States. Methods: 1,448 college students enrolled in undergraduate courses at two public universities completed a paper and pencil survey of attitudes and experiences about dating, sexuality, and substance …

Risk Factors For Forced, Incapacitated, And Coercive Sexual Victimization Among Sexual Minority And Heterosexual Male And Female College Students, Colleen M. Ray, Kimberly Tyler, Leslie Gordon Simons

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Although college students are at high risk for sexual victimization, the majority of research has focused on heterosexual students and often does not differentiate by victimization type. Thus, little is known about prevalence rates and risk factors for sexual victimization among sexual minority college students and whether the interaction between gender and sexual orientation differs by victimization type. To address these gaps, we examine whether risk factors for three types of sexual victimization (i.e., forced, incapacitated, and coerced) differ by gender (n = 681 males; n = 732 females) and sexual orientation (n = 1,294 heterosexual; n = …

Examining The Effects Of A Service-Trained Facility Dog On Stress In Children Undergoing Forensic Interview For Allegations Of Child Sexual Abuse, Cheryl A. Krause-Parello, Michele Thames, Colleen M. Ray, John Kolassa

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Disclosure of child sexual abuse can be a stressful experience for the child. Gaining a better understanding of how best to serve the child, while preserving the quality of their disclosure, is an ever-evolving process. The data to answer this question come from 51 children aged 4–16 (M = 9.1, SD = 3.5), who were referred to a child advocacy center in Virginia for a forensic interview (FI) following allegations of sexual abuse. A repeated measures design was conducted to examine how the presence of a service-trained facility dog (e.g. animal-assisted intervention (AAI) may serve as a mode of lowering …

“Just Because A Doctor Says Something, Doesn’T Mean That [It] Will Happen”: Self-Perception As Having A Fertility Problem Among Infertility Patients, Ophra Leyser-Whalen, Arthur L. Greil, Julia Mcquillan, Katherine M. Johnson

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Only some individuals who have the medically defined condition ‘infertility’ adopt a self-definition as having a fertility problem, which has implications for social and behavioral responses, yet there is no clear consensus on why some people and not others adopt a medical label. We use interview data from 28 women and men who sought medical infertility treatment to understand variations in self-identification. Results highlight the importance of identity disruption for understanding the dialectical relationship between medical contact and self-identification, as well as how diagnosis acts both as a category and a process. Simultaneously integrating new medical knowledge from testing and …

“It Ruined My Life”: The Effects Of The War On Drugs On People Who Inject Drugs (Pwid) In Rural Puerto Rico, Roberto Abadie, C. Gelpi-Acosta, C. Davila, A. Rivera, Melissa Welch-Lazoritz, Kirk Dombrowski

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Background—The War on Drugs has raised the incarceration rates of racial minorities for non-violent drug-related crimes, profoundly stigmatized drug users, and redirected resources from drug prevention and treatment to militarizing federal and local law enforcement. Yet, while some states consider shifting their punitive approach to drug use, to one based on drug treatment and rehabilitation, nothing suggests that these policy shifts are being replicated in Puerto Rico.

Methods—This paper utilizes data from 360 PWID residing in four rural towns in the mountainous area of central Puerto Rico. We initially recruited 315 PWID using respondent-driven sampling (RDS) and collected data about …

Time Banks As Aging-In-Place Initiatives, Calli Sajnani

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There has been growing concern over how state and federal governments can support the increasing population of aging Americans and their need for long-term care. Current insurance funding models cover acute hospitalization and skilled care only, leaving unskilled care needs and homemaker services at the full expense of those in need. Time banking allows individuals to exchange or barter time for goods or services without monetary payment. There is insufficient evidence to determine if members believe time banks to be a viable alternative to support aging-in-place care needs. This phenomenological study explored time banking as a potential vehicle for nonskilled …

The Experiences And Perceptions Of African American Women Who Reside In Nursing Homes, Lakeisha De Lon Riley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the experiences and perceptions of African American women who reside in a nursing home and to understand African American women's decisions for admitting to the facility. Social Learning Theory was applied to answer the question of how African American women's experiences and perceptions toward long-term care influence healthcare decisions and admission to a nursing home. Eleven participants interviewed in the study were at least 60 years old, admitted into the facility within the past two years and who had not previously resided in a nursing home. Yin's five step approach …

Medication Reconciliation In Primary Care Setting, Lawrence James-Osondu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Polypharmacy entails the use of multiple drugs taken at the same time to manage the various comorbidities common among elderly patients. Polypharmacy is associated with increased health care spending due to drug duplication, adverse drug events, and medication noncompliance. Medication reconciliation has been shown to reduce the problems seen with polypharmacy. The purpose of this project was to review published evidence to develop a staff education program on medication reconciliation in a primary care setting and determine the efficacy of the program in relation to staff confidence and knowledge levels concerning medication reconciliation. The project was guided by Nola Pender's …

The Lived Experiences Of Counselors Who Work With Female Intimate Partner Violence Victims, Lekesha Levette Thomas-Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global health concern that affects victims, families, and the communities. Master's level counselors, who work in mental health settings, are in key positions to provide identification and intervention services to female victims of IPV with mental health issues. This study explored the lived experiences of master's level counselors who worked with female victims of IPV to gather a deeper meaning into the values, attitudes, and beliefs that master's level counselors hold in working with female victims of IPV. This study was conducted as a hermeneutic phenomenological study through a feminist poststructuralist lens to guide …

Parents Perceptions Of Social Inclusion Of Adults With Intellectual Disabilities, Jacqueline Green

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have shown that the voices of parents of adults with intellectual disabilities can help build supports in the community. Research regarding the perceptions and lived experiences of these parents regarding social inclusion of adults with intellectual disabilities is limited. Guided by positive psychology, the purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to examine parents' lived experiences of social inclusion of adults with intellectual disabilities. Research questions were framed to understand and describe the meaning of how parents experience social inclusion with their adult children with intellectual disabilities. Data were elicited through 6 individual interviews with parents of adults with …

The Impact Of Depakote On Agitation And Short-Term Memory In Nursing Home Dementia Residents, Kristin E. Fazzolari-Pleace

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have linked dementia to common psychiatric symptoms such as agitation and aggression, known as behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). To treat residents manifesting BPSD, nursing homes (NHs) use psychoactive medications. However, research is limited and inconsistent regarding the impact of Depakote treatment on agitation and short-term memory (STM) in NH residents who have dementia. The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative study was to evaluate for 1 year the impact of Depakote treatment on agitation and STM in NH residents as measured by each resident's Minimum Data Set (MDS). Moncrieff and Cohen's drug-centered theory served as the theoretical …

Very Long Engagements: The Persistent Authority Of Bridewealth In A Post-Apartheid South African Community, Michael W. Yarbrough

Publications and Research

This article examines the persistent authority of the customary practice for forming recognized marriages in many South African communities, centered on bridewealth and called “lobola.” Marriage rates have sharply fallen in South Africa, and many South Africans blame this on the difficulty of completing lobola amid intense economic strife. Using in-depth qualitative research from a village in KwaZulu-Natal, where lobola demands are the country’s highest and marriage rates its lowest, I argue that lobola’s authority survives because lay actors, and especially women, have innovated new repertoires of lobola behavior that allow them to pursue emerging needs and desires for marriage …

Introduction: For Better Or For Worse? Relational Landscapes In The Time Of Same-Sex Marriage, Michael W. Yarbrough

Publications and Research

As same-sex marriage has become a legal reality in a rapidly growing list of countries, the time has come to assess what this means for families and relationships on the ground. Many scholars have already begun to examine how marriage is helping some same-sex couples, but in this introduction I call for a broader and more critical research agenda. In particular, I argue that same-sex marriage crystallizes a key tension surrounding families and relationships in many contemporary societies. On the one hand, strict family norms are relaxing in many places, allowing more people to form more diverse types of caring …

Peer Support For Youth And Young Adults Who Experience Serious Mental Health Conditions: State Of The Science, Janet S. Walker, Caitlin Baird, Mary Beth Welch

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Peer support for youth and young adults who experience serious mental health conditions (SMHCs) is rapidly growing in popularity as an addition to the mental health service array in communities around the United States. Research focusing on various aspects of the youth/young adult peer support role has been accruing in recent years; however, many questions remain regarding how the role is defined and supported, and what sort of outcomes can and should be expected once peer support is implemented as a service. This brief reviews the research literature that bears on these topics, describes how current work at Pathways RTC …

No More Blood, Kerry Abrams

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Type 2 Diabetes Management For Geriatric Veterans, Fachecia L. Fort

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Managing diabetes in the geriatric long-term care population can be challenging, yet important because diabetes is a chronic, progressive disease. The purpose of this project was to identify clinical practice guidelines for managing Type 2 diabetes in geriatric veterans and to develop a class to educate providers on diabetes management in the geriatric long-term care population at a community living and rehabilitation center. The practice focused question asked if providing education to providers about the clinical practice guidelines for managing Type 2 diabetes in geriatric long-term care veterans would improve knowledge as measured by a pre- and posttest. The project …

Antibiotic Overuse In The Geriatric Population, Kimberley Allison Kelly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid are requiring long-term care facilities (LTCFs) to implement antibiotic stewardship programs (ASPs) to alleviate overuse of antibiotics in the nursing home population. Current research shows that the benefits of ASPs include improved patient outcomes, reduced adverse events related to Clostridium difficile (C-diff) infection, improvement in rates of antibiotic susceptibilities, and optimized resource utilization. This project addressed the problem of antibiotic overuse and misuse in the geriatric population and whether the implementation of an ASP reduced the overuse of antibiotics, C-diff infection, and resistance rates in the LTCF. Application of the Johns Hopkins nursing model …

Exploring Disaster Preparedness For The Aging Population, Gladysmarie W.R. Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Older adults are encountering harsh recovery after disasters, and compounding this problem is the lack of research on older adults' perceptions on disaster preparedness as aging affects the ability to react to emergency situations. To partially address that gap, the purpose of this general qualitative research study was to use Rotter's spectrum of locus of control theory to examine the level of preparation regarding disaster preparation of older adults who were living independently in single-family homes in a state affected by Hurricane Sandy. Data were collected through a qualitative survey distributed to adults aged 65 to 80-years (N=88) and publicly …

Adults Aged 65+ And The Societal Pressure To Exercise, Susan Murphy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Globally, by 2050, the older adult population will be larger than other age segments of the population. Government programs and health care guidelines are being put in place to help encourage exercise. However, there is little information on how the societal pressure presented in these government programs makes people feel, especially those over the age of 65. The purpose of the present study was to understand what the societal pressure to exercise means to adults over the age of 65 using a qualitative, phenomenological approach and employing in-depth interviews using the health belief model as the guiding framework. The interview …

Social Inclusion Outcomes For An Organization's Adolescent Parent Intervention, Anayra Ivette Tua

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The study institution is a non-profit organization with a model developed from the continuous implementation of needs assessments of the families of adolescent parents in Puerto Rico, with the purpose of increasing their social inclusion potential. Addressing social exclusion and stigmatization of adolescent parents is vital because it generates a dual benefit for social interactions and growth. The social inclusion concept used and further elaborated for adolescent mothers is described by researchers as the level of access to engaging with institutions and societal relationships. This program evaluation was developed to understand the outcomes and effectiveness of the organization's social inclusion …

Examining The Role Of Behavioral Inhibition In Harsh Parenting Preferences: An Analog Study, Kelsey T. Ellis

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Understanding the cognitive processes involved in harsh parenting behavior would have broad implications for parenting interventions and training programs. Few studies have addressed how parental stressors, specifically infant crying, can influence individuals’ self-regulatory cognitive capacities and ultimately their preference for harsh parenting strategies. Furthermore, little research has explored the link between these cognitive processes and harsh parenting preferences; thus, little work has been done to establish a true causal relationship. This study examined the role of behavioral inhibition in harsh parenting preferences when individuals were exposed to an infant crying noise.

Participants (n = 129) were undergraduate students (Mage = …

Child Inhibitory Control And Maternal Acculturation Moderate Effects Of Maternal Parenting On Chinese American Children’S Adjustment, Jing Yu, Charissa L. Cheah, Craig H. Hart, Chongming Yang

Faculty Publications

The goals of this study were to examine: (a) bidirectional associations between maternal parenting (physical punishment and guilt induction) and Chinese American preschool children’s psychosocial adjustment and (b) the role of maternal cultural orientation and child temperament in moderating parenting effects. Participants were Chinese American mothers and children (N 163, Mage 4.56, 53% boys). Mothers reported on their parenting practices at both Wave 1 (W1) and Wave 2 (W2) and their cultural orientations and children’s inhibitory control at W1. Teachers rated children’s prosocial, internalizing, and externalizing behaviors at both W1 and W2. A Bayesian approach to path analysis was utilized …

The Spark In The Powder: Iroquois Freemen Trappers In The Rocky Mountain Fur Trade, Jay H. Buckley

Faculty Publications

This article challenges Iroquoian stereotypes portrayed in existing fur trade records by contrasting the failure of the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) to integrate Iroquois and Métis trappers as successfully as the North West Company (NWC) had. The article also compares that to the successful integration and positive portrayal of Iroquois and Métis (mixed-desent) trappers within the American Rocky Mountain fur trade. Racial and economic discrimination by the HBC toward the Iroquois caused a negative impact on the financial success of the Snake Country expeditions under HBC’s Alexander Ross. Additionally, behaviors resulting from such discrimination received negative portrayals in Peter Skene …

Impact Of Patient Demographics And Health Insurance On Hospital Discharge, Ana Acosta

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Based on discharge data collected with 241 patients who received medical care from a fall injury between 2014 and 2015 at the emergency room in a general hospital in El Paso, Texas, I will examine whether individuals over age 55 have health insurance and the type of care that is recommended to patients after being discharged. In particular, I will examine demographics, including ethnicity, age, and language on whether the patient paid with insurance and the disposition of discharge from the emergency department after a fall. Additionally, I will examine which demographic factors are associated with disposition of discharge- facility, …

Age Stereotypes And Attitudes Towards Welfare State Arrangements For The Old: A Multilevel Analysis Across Twenty-Nine Countries, Ferry Koster

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study investigates whether and how support for welfare state arrangements for the old relate to the stereotypes of the young and the old within society. It is hypothesized that the social status that these groups have in society affect these attitudes through different mechanisms, relating to the deservingness criteria that citizens apply. An empirical analysis of Round 4 of the European Social Survey (including 50,009 individuals from 29 European countries) shows that: (1) the social esteem of people over 70 predicts support for welfare state arrangements for the old; and (2) the social esteem of people in their 20s …

Educational Attainment In Young Adulthood, Depressive Symptoms, And Race-Ethnicity: The Long-Reach Of Parenting Styles In Adolescence, Brittany N. Hearne, C. André Christie-Mizell

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Utilizing four parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian, uninvolved, and permissive) and two types of educational achievement (years of education completed and completion of a college degree), we investigated whether mental health (i.e., depressive symptoms) mediates the relationship between parenting styles in adolescence and the educational attainment of young adults. We further assessed whether the relationships among parenting styles and educational attainment vary by race and ethnicity for African Americans, Hispanics, and whites. Compared to youth with authoritative parenting, those who experienced uninvolved or authoritarian parenting were more likely to experience depressive affect, and these symptoms of depression partially mediated the relationship …