Medicine and Health Commons^™

Pornography: Social, Emotional And Mental Implications Among Adolescents, William K. Canady

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

This presentation will explain the historical development of pornography. It will highlight four segments: 1- Porn’s impact on brain development of reward pathways, ultimately increasing the appetite for more porn. 2- Porn can be a false substitute for real intimacy, resulting in decreased sexual satisfaction with a real person and increased verbal and physical aggression. 3- Porn promotes sex trafficking, promotes multiple sex partners and reduced STD prevention. 4- A review of interventions available to assist clients in navigating a lifestyle away from pornography.

Intergenerational Risk And Resilience Pathways From Discrimination And Acculturative Stress To Infant Mental Health, Sabrina R. Liu, Curt A. Sandman, Elyssia Poggi Davis, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Preconception and prenatal stress impact fetal and infant development, and women of color are disproportionately exposed to sociocultural stressors like discrimination and acculturative stress. However, few studies examine links between mothers’ exposure to these stressors and offspring mental health, or possible mitigating factors. Using linear regression, we tested associations between prenatally assessed maternal acculturative stress and discrimination on infant negative emotionality among 113 Latinx/Hispanic, Asian American, Black, and Multiethnic mothers and their children. Additionally, we tested interactions between stressors and potential pre- and postnatal resilience-promoting factors: community cohesion, social support, communalism, and parenting self-efficacy. Discrimination and acculturative stress were related …

Older Adult Preparedness For Living With An Endemic Covid-19, Micah Tan, Paulin T. Straughan, Grace Cheong, Wensi Lim, Mindy Eiko Tadai, Nadya Haifan, Dyan Jun Wei See Toh

ROSA Research Briefs

As Singapore holds steady against the current Omicron wave and begins to pave the next steps towards living with COVID-19, we hope that this report will provide our fellow colleagues and stakeholders with valuable insights into the perceptions and experiences of older adults in preparing to live with an endemic COVID-19. To this end, the current report examines several aspects of living with an endemic including whether older adults perceive themselves to be prepared, whether they are willing to adopt certain preventive behaviours, and the level of support they have for living with an endemic COVID-19. Specifically, we look at …

Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission Comment Tool On Changes To Trapping Regulations, Jacquelyn Reiss, Amy Donley Phd, Brian Hall

Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS)

To collect public comments on the modernization of trapping rules and analyze the feedback provided, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the FCRC Consensus Center contracted with the Institute for Social and Behavioral Sciences (ISBS). Together the FWC, FCRC Consensus Center, and ISBS constructed a comment tool that was comprised of 5 different sections.

Healing Racial Injustice With Mindfulness Research, Training, & Practice, Danielle "Danae" Laura

Mindfulness Studies Theses

This thesis offers a collection of authors and studies in support of improved research, training, and practice connecting mindfulness with racial justice through intergroup applications. The paper identifies barriers at work (e.g., colorblindness, spiritual bypass, white fragility, and implicit bias) in contemplative science, Western Buddhist communities, and secular mindfulness centers, which block the sizeable contributions possible in studying the intergroup application of mindfulness practice—specifically Lovingkindness Meditation, among others—when used as an intervention with anti-racist aims. Through secondary qualitative research, I reviewed six key works from Black authors on mindfulness and race, as well as six sample studies on the prosocial …

Rural Parent's Experiences Of Stress And Resilience During The Covid-19 Pandemic And School Closure, Emily Wilson, Jungwon Eum, Yuenjung Joo, Martinique A. Sealy, Jentry Stoneman Barrett, Gwen C. Nugent, Joan M. Carraher, Angela G. Hinrichs

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

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated social and economic disruptions, resulting in cascading effects on the health and well- being of global citizens. However, little research has focused on how COVID-19 has affected rural regions, despite rurality being a critical factor for understanding community impact and response to the pandemic. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of rural Nebraskan parents with young children during the COVID-19 pandemic and school shutdown, and the strategies they used to support their families during that time. We conducted individual and group interviews with 22 white, non-Hispanic mothers living in rural …

Social Isolation, Residential Stability, And Opioid Use Disorder Among Older Medicare Beneficiaries: Metropolitan And Non-Metropolitan County Comparison, Tse-Chuan Yang, Carla Shoff, Seulki Kim

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Research has shown that the prevalence of opioid use disorder (OUD) may rise substantially as society ages, but this issue receives the least attention in the literature. To address this gap, this study utilizes county-level data from multiple data sources (1) to investigate whether social isolation is associated with OUD prevalence among older Medicare beneficiaries, (2) to examine whether and how residential stability moderates the association between social isolation and OUD prevalence in US counties, and (3) to determine if there are any differences in these associations between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties. The results show that social isolation is a …

A Technology-Based, Mixed Methods Approach To Examining The Psychosocial Determinants Of Maternal Health Disparities, Hannah M. Ming

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Exposure to racism and discrimination in the U.S. increases Black women’s risk for experiencing maternal health disparities. Additionally, racism and discrimination affect maternal psychosocial well-being, creating evidence for a biopsychosocial relationship between racism and maternal health outcomes. However, current research does not define the psychosocial Black maternal self well. Given the dynamic relationship between racism, psychosocial well-being, and Black maternal health outcomes, research must comprehensively examine the Black maternal self. The operationalization of a comprehensive construct for Black maternal psychosocial well-being can improve understanding of the relationship between racism, psychosocial well-being, and Black maternal health outcomes.

Purpose: …

Pain That Only She Must Bear: On The Invisibility Of Women In Judicial Abortion Rhetoric, Francesca Laguardia

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The graphic and bodily facts of a legal question of rights are relevant to the courts, particularly in questions that directly implicate physical bodies and pain, such as right to die cases, or what level of search may be allowable and when. However, in the case of abortion, or more specifically the bodily ramifications of pregnancy and childbirth, this detail is conspicuously absent. This article, relying on a content analysis of over 220 legal opinions on abortion rights, documents this absence of rhetoric. Particularly in the context of other discussions of pain and physical health risks in these very same …

The Program To Reduce Implicit Bias In Carroll Hospital Center Using The Implicit Association Test, Katherine E. Traynor

Capstone Showcase

Natural brain processes make all individuals susceptible to unconscious bias; however, stressful, fearful, or anger-evoking situations as well as the negative influence of media and social surroundings increase the risk of holding obstructive bias, and there is a greater risk of being negatively impacted by this phenomenon when belonging to a minority population (Rose & Flores, 2020). As a result, high rates of infant mortality (10.2 deaths per 1,000 live births for the Non-Hispanic Black population compared to 4.1 in the White population) and cardiovascular related diseases (190.0 cases per 1,000 in the Non-Hispanic Black population compared to 161.3 in …

Cesarean Skin-To-Skin Contact: Who Gets The Experience In The Operating Room?, Jessica S. Junk-Wilson

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

For the past decade, skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth has been the general recommendation for all births, as there is evidence that it provides many benefits for mothers and infants. Yet, research has shown that immediate skin-to-skin contact is not the standard practice after most Cesarean births. This study assessed access, incidence, and circumstances surrounding Cesarean skin-to-skin contact (CSSC) in the operating room and examined influencing maternal characteristics of age, education, race, and number of births via a survey of 2327 people. Women who experienced a Cesarean section birth in the past 10 years were recruited through Facebook groups for …

Integrative Power Of Illness: A Qualitative Study Of Cancer Patients, Hossein Afrasiabi, Kasra Barzideh

The Qualitative Report

Our aim of this study was to explore the constructions of cancer patients about their everyday interactions using an interpretive-qualitative approach. We wanted to know how cancer patients understand their condition and the challenges they face in family and everyday relationships. Accordingly, a basic qualitative research method was used, and interviews were conducted with 21 cancer patients and their caregivers. Participants were selected through the purposeful sampling in Ahvaz City, Iran. The collected data were firstly transcribed and then analyzed by the grounded theory coding analysis. The findings were represented in five main categories included: pressure on relatives, the limitation …

Romantic Partner Interference And Psychological Reactance In The Context Of Caregiving For An Aging Family Member, Hannah Ball, Jennifer L. Bevan, Tessa Urbanovich, Erin S. Craw

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Negotiating romantic relational dynamics is inherent to family caregiving situations, which continue to be on the rise in the United States. However, despite evidence that family caregiving duties are linked to a variety of negative relational outcomes, limited research examines communication processes that contribute to or alleviate the burden of caregiver duties on romantic relationships. Guided by psychological reactance theory (PRT), this study examined the link between romantic partner interference with family caregiving duties and the reactance process, as well as directness of communication about irritation as a type of freedom restoration behavior associated with reactance. Adults caring for aging …

Survey Measures On Substance Use Amongst College Students, Jacquelyn Reiss, Amy Donley

Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS)

The Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS) reviewed measures utilized in 3 major surveys administered within middle schools, high schools, and colleges state-wide and nationally to compile a list of tested survey measures on youth substance use. The 3 surveys that were assessed are the Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey (FYSAS), the American College Health Association National Collegiate Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA), and the Monitoring the Future Survey (MFS).

Perceived Neighborhood Cohesion Buffers Covid-19 Impacts On Mental Health In A United States Sample, Jennifer W. Robinette, Georgiana Bostean, Laura M. Glynn, Jason A. Douglas, Brooke N. Jenkins, Tara L. Gruenewald, David A. Frederick

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objective

This study examined whether perceived neighborhood cohesion (the extent to which neighbors trust and count on one another) buffers against the mental health effects of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

The XXX University National COVID-19 and Mental Health Study surveyed US adults (N = 3965; M age = 39 years), measuring depressive symptoms, staying home more during than before the 2020 pandemic, and perceived neighborhood cohesion.

Results

A series of linear regressions indicated that perceiving one's neighborhood as more cohesive was not only associated with fewer depressive symptoms, but also attenuated the relationship between spending more time at …

"It's The Way You Sing It": Translating Music Therapy For Isolated Older Adults Affected By Covid-19 To The Television Screen, Eunice Wong

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The current Covid-19 pandemic has increased the likelihood of loneliness and social isolation among older adults due to the restrictions on movement and visitations in care facilities. Loneliness and social isolation have consistently been identified as risk factors for poor mental and physical health in older people. Meanwhile, a growing number of older adults are utilizing technological resources to enhance their interpersonal relationships and overall quality of life. In the winter of 2020/2021, an innovative music therapy-informed television program was designed and produced for isolated older adults in need of mental and emotional support. This project, produced jointly by a …

Examining Spatial Inequality In Covid-19 Positivity Rates Across New York City Zip Codes, Tse-Chuan Yang, Seulki Kim, Yunhan Zhao, Seung-Won Emily Choi

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

We aim to understand the spatial inequality in Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) positivity rates across New York City (NYC) ZIP codes. Applying Bayesian spatial negative binomial models to a ZIP-code level dataset (N = 177) as of May 31st, 2020, we find that (1) the racial/ethnic minority groups are associated with COVID-19 positivity rates; (2) the percentages of remote workers are negatively associated with positivity rates, whereas older population and household size show a positive association; and (3) while ZIP codes in the Bronx and Queens have higher COVID-19 positivity rates, the strongest spatial effects are clustered in Brooklyn and …

Remembering Postpartum Depression In Later Life: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Walker Ladd Phd

The Qualitative Report

Postpartum depression (PPD) occurs in as many as 1 in 7 women (Gavin et al., 2005). PPD remains underdiagnosed and largely untreated, contributing to high societal costs and increased maternal mortality. Despite the wealth of research reporting the adverse effects of PPD on childbearing women and their offspring, little is known about how women who have experienced PPD describe or interpret the meaning of the experience in later life. I conducted semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 10 women self-identifying as having had PPD a minimum of 13 years in the past. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) I identified …

The Peace Dimension Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Caesar A. Montevecchio

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Global Cultural Shifts Induced By Covid-19, Wenshan Jia

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

"While COVID-19 has reportedly been bringing about numerous changes in geopolitics, economy, health, and security around the world, little has been written about changes in cultural practices it has been bringing about. I hereby unravel such emerging changes in the hope that readers could adapt to such changes."

Neither “Post-War” Nor Post-Pregnancy Paranoia: How America’S War On Drugs Continues To Perpetuate Disparate Incarceration Outcomes For Pregnant, Substance-Involved Offenders, Becca S. Zimmerman

Pitzer Senior Theses

This thesis investigates the unique interactions between pregnancy, substance involvement, and race as they relate to the War on Drugs and the hyper-incarceration of women. Using ordinary least square regression analyses and data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ 2016 Survey of Prison Inmates, I examine if (and how) pregnancy status, drug use, race, and their interactions influence two length of incarceration outcomes: sentence length and amount of time spent in jail between arrest and imprisonment. The results collectively indicate that pregnancy decreases length of incarceration outcomes for those offenders who are not substance-involved but not evenhandedly -- benefitting white …

The Ideology Of Baby-Mama Phenomenon: Assessing Knowledge And Perceptions Among Young People From Educational Institutions, Opeyemi S. Adeojo, Daniel Egerson, Gabriel Mewiya, Rowland Edet

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This study investigated the knowledge and perception of the ideology of baby-mama concept among the youths. Particularly, this paper assessed the knowledge of the concept of baby mama among youths and also their opinion on the acceptability of this style of family structure. The study employed a qualitative approach through an in-depth interview research method. Forty respondents between the ages of 16 and 40 years were selected across three educational institutions in Oyo state, south-west Nigeria. The participants of the study voluntarily agreed to participate in the research and everything said during the course of the interview was transcribed and …

Rural/Urban Differences In The Predictors Of Opioid Prescribing Rates Among Medicare Part D Beneficiaries 65 Years Of Age And Older, Carla Shoff, Tse-Chuan Yang, Seulki Kim

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Purpose: While research has been done comparing rural/urban differences in opioid prescribing to the disabled Medicare Part D population, research on opioid prescribing among the aged Medicare Part D population is lacking. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring the predictors of opioid prescribing to aged Medicare Part D beneficiaries and investigating whether these predictors vary across rural and urban areas. Methods: This is an analysis of ZIP Codes in the continental United States (18,126 ZIP Codes) utilizing 2017 data from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The analytic approach includes aspatial descriptive analysis, exploratory spatial analysis with …

Face Masking Violations, Policing, And Covid-19 Death Rates: A Spatial Analysis In New York City Zip Codes, Tse-Chuan Yang, Seulki Kim, Stephen A. Matthews

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The use of face masks during a pandemic and compliance with state and local mandates has been a divisive issue in the United States. We document variation in face masking violation rates involving police enforcement in New York City and examine the association between police-enforced face masking violations and COVID-19-related death rates. We assemble a Zone Improvement Plan (ZIP) code–level data set from the New York City Open Data, Department of Health, and the American Community Survey (2014–2018). We use maps to demonstrate the spatial patterning of police-enforced face masking violation rates and COVID-19-related death rates. Using a Bayesian spatial …

Attitudes About Paid Parental Leave: Cross-National Comparisons And The Significance Of Gendered Expectations, Family Strains, And Extant Leave Offerings, Chris Knoester, Qi Li, Richard J. Petts

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Using data on paid parental leave preferences from 35,488 adults situated within 26 different OECD countries, and multilevel modeling, this study examines public opinions about the provision of paid parental leave, some government funding of leave offerings, and preferred lengths of leave offerings. We consider how attitudes may be similar or different across social contexts and then focus upon the extent to which gender, gendered parenting role attitudes, family strains, and country-level institutionalized leave offerings are associated with leave preferences. The findings indicate that the vast majority of respondents are in favor of rather widespread and generous paid parental leave …

Spatial Non‑Stationarity In Opioid Prescribing Rates: Evidence From Older Medicare Part D Beneficiaries, Seulki Kim, Carla Shoff, Tse-Chuan Yang

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Previous research that examined spatial patterns of opioid prescribing rates and factors associated with them has mainly relied on a global modeling perspective, overlooking the potential spatial non-stationarity embedded in these associations. In this study, we investigate whether there are spatially non-stationary associations between opioid prescribing rates and key characteristics of older Medicare Part D beneficiaries and their prescribers using several data sources from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. All measures are aggregated to the ZIP code level, and a total sample size of 18,126 ZIP codes is included in the analyses. Our descriptive results from geographically weighted …

Are Countries With Higher Levels Of Mental Health Cases Experience Higher Divorce Rates?, Liu Ying Wong, Yi Pei Goh

Introduction to Research Methods RSCH 202

This paper aims to determine if spouses’ mental health can be a factor affecting the divorce rate of marriage. A regression analysis is carried out to determine how the percentage of mental health cases in a country’s population affects the divorce rates of a country, while controlling the effects of labour force participation and income. The data from the selected 20 countries are collected from reputable world organizations selected. The results obtained from the regression analysis show that mental health has a marginally significant association with divorce rate and the association between income index and divorce rate is statistically significant.

Support Clubs For Children And Youth In Haiti Living With Hiv: A Case Study, Susan Settergren, Robert Philippe, Joanne St. Louis, Nathaniel Segaren, Sylvie Boisson, Tessa Lewis, Olbeg Désinor, Kesner François

HIV and AIDS

In Haiti, where an estimated 3,000 children and youth are receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), Caris Foundation, with funding from the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), provides hospital-linked psychosocial support groups, known as Kids Clubs, for young people ages nine and older. The clubs are intended to help ensure that HIV-positive children and adolescents stay in contact with health services, and serve as a conduit for delivery of other services, including health messages and health products. In 2019, Project SOAR conducted a study to describe the Kids Club …

Lessons From A Five-Year Research Programme On Fgm/C And Their Relevance For Policy And Programmes In Kenya, Dennis Matanda, Agnes K. Meroka-Mutua, Samuel Kimani

Reproductive Health

The Sustainable Development Goals target the elimination of all forms of harmful practices, including female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) by 2030. Kenya has made progress in addressing the elimination of FGM/C through ratification of global instruments and enactment of the Prohibition of FGM Act in 2011 and other supportive laws. The Act created the foundation for the establishment of the Anti-FGM Board, which provides policy leadership and coordination of anti-FGM/C programs in Kenya. More recently, the President of Kenya issued a decree for accelerated elimination of FGM/C by 2022. This synthesis report highlights how evidence generated over the last five years …

Important Lessons On Fgm/C Abandonment From Four Research Studies In Egypt, Nada Wahba, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab, Abeer Salem

Reproductive Health

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) continues to be a widespread practice in Egypt. According to the 2014 Egypt Demographic and Health Survey, the prevalence of FGM/C was 92 percent among ever-married women aged 15–49. However, Egypt continues to witness a drastic surge in the medicalization of FGM/C, with 74 percent of women aged 19 years and younger circumcised by medical practitioners, compared to 55 percent in 1995. This policy brief provides key results and recommendations of four studies conducted by the Population Council/ Egypt under the Evidence to End FGM/C project, in coordination with Egypt’s National Population Council. The four studies …