Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Trait Impulsivity And Acute Alcohol Responses As Markers Of Binge Drinking In Young Adults, Holley Jamison

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Impulsivity, tolerance to alcohol-induced motor impairment, and high sensitivity to alcohol-induced disinhibition each have empirical support as markers of alcohol-related problems. However, research on alcohol response and personality-based markers of risk have remained largely independent lines of research. This dissertation examined how individual differences in these well-established markers may interact to additively contribute to heavy drinking.

Participants were 96 young adults (21-33 years old). with no history of AUD. They self-reported their drinking habits over the prior 90 days, and behavioral tasks measuring disinhibition and motor impairment were administered on two separate days following two alcohol doses (active [0.65 g/kg] …

Personalized Longitudinal Network Models Of Alcohol Use: A Mechanistic Approach, Stephen Semcho

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

AUD and high-risk drinking are significant public health concerns, and prevailing diagnostic models fail to account for the within-person variability in AUD presentation and the role of functional mechanisms that maintain drinking outcomes. The ETOH Framework highlights the importance of three primary superdomains that maintain and characterize AUD – reward salience, cognitive dyscontrol, and negative emotionality. The current study was the first attempt to investigate the role of the primary ETOH mechanisms, along with positive and negative affect, on alcohol use outcomes, using a novel approach to model individual-level networks of relations over time. This study gathered twice-daily diary data …

The Condom Use Outcomes And Sexual Functioning Of Young Adult Latinas: The Roles Of Intimate Partner Violence, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, And Marianismo Beliefs, Jessica Flores

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been linked to poorer condom use outcomes and sexual functioning in women broadly. Limited studies have examined these associations in Latina samples through a culturally sensitive, trauma-informed lens. A sample of 383 U.S. Latina/Latinx/Hispanic women (Mage = 25.29 years; SD = 4.44) who had a past-year intimate relationship completed a cross-sectional online survey of IPV history, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, marianismo beliefs (i.e., traditional Latina gender role expectations), condom use outcomes (i.e., condom use attitudes, efficacy, negotiation efficacy, and behaviors) and sexual functioning. Linear regression models found that past-year IPV was positively related …

Sugar And Spice: Sex, Money, And Social Media, Rachel Elizabeth Davis

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

Interest in transactional sex, or the provision of a sexual relationship in exchange for gifts and/or money, has increased in recent years among researchers, nongovernmental organizations, and law enforcement officials as increasing numbers of women self-identify as hypergamous, indicating their interest in forming heterosexual partnerships with men of higher status. Hypergamous women may identify as sugar babies, spoiled girlfriends, or high-value women. A sugar baby is a woman providing romantic companionship to an older man, known as a sugar daddy, in exchange for money and/or gifts. A spoiled girlfriend is a woman whose partner provides her with money and/or gifts …

Parenthood, Mental Health, And Intergenerational Adversity: Exploring Gender Role Ideologies, Household Composition And Work-Family Conflict, Ashley Vowels

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

To date, research at the intersections of parenting, stress, gender, and mental health has yielded complicated and inconsistent results. The objective of this dissertation was to deepen our understanding of how parenting stress contributes to the mental health of both parents and their children, especially within the context of balancing work and family responsibilities. A three-study approach was used to assess differences by sex, gender role ideology, and household composition. Additionally, it explored the impact of parents’ characteristics on their children’s well-being in adulthood.

This project utilized secondary data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). Multivariate regression analyses …

This Is Who I Am: Identity Development And Importance Among Diverse Youth From Lgbtq+ Parent Families, Madison T. Diomede

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Although the literature on identity and related constructs among adolescents, emerging adults, and diverse populations is growing, little research has investigated identity among adolescents and emerging adults specifically in the context of LGBTQ+ parent families. The present study seeks to fill this gap in the literature by qualitatively investigating identity development and importance among diverse youth with LGBTQ+ parents. Participants are 51 youth (ages 12-25 years) with at least one LGBTQ+ parent. Trained personnel conducted remote, audio-recorded, semi-structured interviews from December 2018-February 2020. Interviews included questions about participants’ individual identities and conversations they have had with their parents about those …

Prenatal Ethanol Exposure Impairs Performance On Spatial And Tactile Sequential Discrimination Task In Juvenile Rats, Caleb S. Bailey

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) are a set of cognitive and behavioral abnormalities that arise in ~5% of children who have been prenatally-exposed to alcohol. Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can cause impairments in learning acquisition, working memory, response inhibition, and attentional-set shifting that result in exaggerated deficits in executive function and impairments in goal-seeking behavior. There are standard procedures used in rodent research to address some components of these deficits, but few procedures are sensitive enough to comprehensively assess such deficits. To address this issue in FASDs research techniques, we developed a procedure that requires prolonged executive function in a …

The Role Of Maladaptive Emotion Socialization In Risk For Urgency And Problem Drinking In Adolescents, Emily Atkinson

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Negative urgency (NU; the tendency to act rashly when experiencing negative emotions) is a robust risk factor for a number of problem behaviors, including early adolescent drinking. Little is known about the factors that precede the development of NU, and hence the full etiology of this component of risk. The current study aimed to investigate the possibility that childhood maladaptive emotion socialization (MES; the tendency for children’s expressions of emotions to be met with punishment, minimized, or invoke a reaction of distress from their parents/caretakers) increases risk for the development of NU. Secondarily, the study tested whether MES predicts increased …

Victimization, Symptoms Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, And Gender As Predictors Of Long-Term Substance Use Outcomes Of Patients In Community Treatment Programs, Christopher John Penn

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Violence victimization and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are prevalent among individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs). Current evidence is mixed regarding the impact they have on substance use-related treatment outcomes and few studies have examined victimization and PTSD symptoms together in the same model. The current study will evaluate whether there is an indirect effect of past year victimization on substance use-related treatment outcomes through the pathway of PTSD symptom severity, among a subsample of 1,613 adult men and women reporting a lifetime history of victimization who participated in the Kentucky Treatment Outcome Study (KTOS), a statewide study evaluating federally- …

Polyrhythmic Pathways: Using Bimanual Coordination Research To Develop A New Framework For Practice, Performance, And Pedagogy, Christian Swafford

Theses and Dissertations--Music

This study reviews and compares percussion literature pertaining to polyrhythms and scientific literature pertaining to bimanual coordination. There exists a gap in the pedagogical approach to polyrhythms, and there is much disagreement between common instructional methods, especially when considered against the findings of several bimanual coordination studies. The purpose of this study is to reveal insight to the percussion community that the learning of polyrhythms is facilitated by the brain in novel ways, and the uniqueness of this learning process requires a rethinking of the current pedagogical approach. Percussion articles, method books, popular literature, and music scores are surveyed alongside …

Paper Gowns, Cold Hands, Or Something Else? Black Women's Barriers To Gynecologic Screening, Nadia Ayesha Sesay

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Cervical cancer mortality burden is carried disproportionately by African American women. Early indicators of cervical cancer are identified through prevention screening, a procedure typically performed by a gynecologist. Ideally, the patient group with the most severe mortality would likewise be the group with the most robust communication exchange with their physician to prevent cervical cancer incidence. However, a slew of factors contributes to continued mortalities among Black women. This study uses semi-structured interviews (n=10) and the health belief model to examine one barrier to Black women’s prosocial behaviors regarding routine gynecologic care—awkwardness, which here is conceptualized as social anxiety. The …

Evaluating The Differential Effects Of Using A Technology-Based Antecedent Intervention In Comparison To A Technology-Based Treatment Package, Rachel Fosnaught

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

This study investigated the differential effects of using non-contingent reinforcement in the form of attention as an antecedent intervention in comparison to using non-contingent reinforcement in addition to self-monitoring as a treatment package. A multi treatment single case research design was utilized in this study. Levels of student’s on-task behavior were measured to evaluate the differential effects of an antecedent intervention in comparison to the combination of an antecedent and consequent intervention. This study also only used treatments that were technologically delivered to the participants.

Your Problem Or Our Problem: How Clients' Evaluation Of The Problem Affects Therapeutic Progress In Therapy, Claire Elizabeth Nickell

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

As systems theory has become the foundation of interpreting family interactions in therapy, it has become apparent that taking a systemic approach correlates with improved client growth and satisfaction outcomes. Clients’ systemic orientation to their problems may be influential in determining these outcomes in therapy. Thus, this study focused on how client’s systemic agreement can impact the outcomes of therapy and problem progress. We had 968 partnered individuals with differing economic backgrounds, education levels, and religious backgrounds participated in the study, as well as couples from age 18-72 with the mean age of 31.3. The couples’ SES ranged from below …

The Effect Of Physical Activity Courses On The Motivation For Physical Activity In College Students: A Scoping Review, Erica Fauste Waizenhofer Hill

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

The lack of physical activity and exercise participation has been an ongoing
problem for young adults aged 18-24. Universities and colleges worldwide offer a variety of required and elective physical activity courses for college credit to increase active participation in lifelong healthy lifestyles. This scoping review collected studies on college students’ motivation to participate in physical activity. The courses were taught using methods based on motivational theories. The authors of the studies collected information from the students before and after the classes to gather data on the theoretical framework’s effect on the students, if any. This review compiles this information, …

The Effect Of Exceptionality Label On School Psychologists During The Evaluation Process, Rachel Jacob

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

School psychologists often lead the evaluation process that is responsible for identifying students with an education-based disability. They are also responsible for providing recommendations for the student following the evaluation. The current study is focusing on the variable of exceptionality label as it is a universally present variable that has the potential to affect all evaluations. Two recent studies have examined and found labeling bias on preservice educators (Allday et al., 2011; Fisher et al., 2022). This study sought to expand this research by looking at labeling bias in school psychologists. The study measured the effect of exceptionality label on …

“Who Do You Love, And Are You For Sure?”: Black Relationship Attitudes And Partner Preferences, Chesmore Simon Montique

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Historically, research has identified Black relationships as deviant, unstable, and pathological as compared to White relationships (Frazier, 1966; Moynihan, 1965). This outlook centers on White experiences as a baseline for comparison and dismisses the cultural nuance within Black relationships. Examining intraracial Black relationship formation dynamics – specifically romantic partner preferences – using an intersectional framework seems more relevant as Black people are least likely of all races to date White people (Batson et al., 2006; Yancey, 2009). As Black immigrants continue to increase their presence in the U.S. (Anderson & López, 2018), the current research examines how cultural factors influence …

‘It’S Like Flipping A Switch’: Understanding The Challenges, Expectations, And Identity Of High School Wrestlers, Aubree Herman

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

This study aims to understand the challenges and expectations of high school wrestlers, and how they are managing their social identities within the parameters of the sport. The rise of female wrestlers within the last decade and the hegemonic masculine roots of the sport show how imperative it is that research shed light into the unique experiences of high school wrestlers. Social identity theory was used as a theoretical framework and participants answered interview questions that discussed the three components of their social identity (i.e., cognitive, affective, and evaluative). They also identified challenges that they faced, the kind of expectations …

And The Survey Says ... A Qualitative Exploration Of Structurational Divergence From The Perspectives Of Nurse Managers Who Are Accountable For Patient Experience Measures, Lisa Carpenter Huddleston

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

For more than a decade, hospital leaders have focused on boosting patient experience scores as part of the federal government’s value-based purchasing (VBP) program. Hospitals that receive federal financial assistance (such as Medicare) are mandated to participate in the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS), a standardized survey that measures patients’ perceptions of their care. Results are publicly reported, and hospitals may be penalized on their reimbursements if they do not reach established benchmarks for patient experience. However, much debate has occurred about whether VBP has increased the quality of healthcare and whether the HCAHPS is an …

Consumers’ Preferences And Willingness To Pay For Value-Added Dairy Products In Kentucky - Considering Price, Provenance, And Environmental Product Attributes, Favour E. Esene

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

Many medium and smaller dairies are shifting to various kinds of value-added products that may expand in demand nationally aside from fluid milk. This study uses a latent class logit model to investigate the heterogeneity of consumer preferences and willingness to pay for dairy value-added products across four latent classes considering different local and environmental sustainability labels. The dairy products examined for this research are butter, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. This research revealed that younger consumers, especially those that reside in rural areas, always pay attention to product attributes when they shop for dairy products, mostly the local state …

Exploration Of Factors Associated With Rural Appalachian Women's Use Of Buprenorphine Prior To Incarceration, Kelsey A. Redmayne

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

The Gelberg-Anderson Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations was used to identify factors related to buprenorphine use in general and through diversion (versus formal treatment) among rural Appalachian women using substances in the six months prior to their incarceration. This study is a secondary analysis of data from interviews completed with rural Appalachian women (N=400) residing in rural Kentucky jails. Independent variables were analyzed using chi square and independent t-tests for buprenorphine use generally and diverted buprenorphine use. The significant predictors were then evaluated through hierarchical logistic regression to explore which factors account for the most variance in general …

Portrayals Of Family Resilience In Webcomics During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Thematic Analysis, Claire Catherine Heaney

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

Families and couples were challenged with stresses unlike any other as individuals faced adversities from lockdowns, as well as fears derived from the coronavirus. During the pandemic, trends of webcomics became more popular, particularly comics that depicted characters in romantic relationships dealing with “the new normal.” In this project, I suggest that social media webcomics incorporated topics of coping. The purpose of this study was to examine webcomics that documented daily life situations during lockdowns and stress-buffering skills found in couples’ interactions when dealing with concerns. Utilizing Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis, 585 romantic relationship webcomics posted from March …

Three Essays On Health, Food, And Agricultural Economics, Saber Feizy

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

This dissertation comprises three distinct but interrelated projects that explore the intersection of agriculture, nutrition, and economics. The first project investigates the impact of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) food programs on the health outcomes of its participants. Using fixed effects models and a matching algorithm, the study finds that while conventional fixed effects models indicate a significant effect of CSA participation on diet-related medical expenditures, our modified time-heterogenous fixed effects model did not find a meaningful effect. The results of the matching method are consistent with those of our modified model.

The second project examines racial disparities in the prevalence …

Comparing Indirect Assessment Results To A Direct Function Focused Preference Assessment To Identify Potential Reinforcers To Increase Task Completion In A School Setting, Kailee Joy Matthews

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

In the present study, a concurrent operant analysis (COA) was conducted for one elementary aged student in a publicly funded school to determine if the results yielded an interpretable outcome to identify a potential reinforcer to increase work completion. A simultaneous treatments design was used during the COA to assess choice making behavior. The results of the COA indicated the student’s choice making behavior was maintained by access to attention. An indirect measure of motivation was used as a secondary assessment to identify a potential reinforcer to increase work completion and to determine if the results would align with the …

Comparing The Efficacy Of Interventions Derived From Concurrent Operant Analysis And Indirect Assessment, Lane Marquardt

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

In this study, a simultaneous treatments design was used to conduct a concurrent operant analysis (COA) to evaluate the choice making behavior of one elementary aged student. The COA results were used as a possible reinforcer for one of the conditions for the intervention to increase work completion. An indirect assessment, Questions about Behavioral Function (QABF), was used identify a hypothesized function to the student’s lack of task completion behavior. The results from thee QABD were used as a possible reinforcer for one of the conditions for the intervention to increase work completion. An alternating treatments design (ATD) was used …

Effects Of Video Modeling With Voice-Over Narration Versus No Voice-Over Narration, Kennedy Carpenter

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

In the current study, the effects of video modeling with voice-over narration (VMW) was compared to the effects of video modeling with no voice-over narration (VMN) when learning the acquisition of a vocational skill. Four high-school students within a public school who spent most of their school day in a special education classroom participated in the study. An adapted alternating treatments design was used to compare the VMW and VMN conditions and then a best alone condition was conducted for each participant that used the video modeling procedure that demonstrated superiority during the comparison. A modification of the inclusion of …

Exploring The Distinction Between Support And Enabling In Families With Substance Use Disorder, Krystal N. King

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

Substance use disorders (SUD) are a pervasive public health problem facing families in the United States. Although families are frequently urged to support loved ones who have SUD and cautioned against enabling them, there is a dearth of literature that distinguishes between supporting and enabling. Through qualitative interviews, this phenomenological study examined the experiences of eight parents with adult children with SUD who were currently in recovery. Five themes emerged from the data including: (a) living in despair, (b) addiction and recovery knowledge, (c) support group philosophy, (d) coping with addiction, and (e) differentiation. The results from this study suggest …

Gambling On Growth: An Analysis Of The Early Impact Of Historical Horse Racing On Kentucky’S Thoroughbred Industry, Barrett W. Kerr

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

With a continuous decline in on-track wagering on Thoroughbred racing, racetrack operators are exploring alternative revenue sources to fund purses and create better quality racing. Historical Horse Racing (HHR), which represents one of the most recent advancements in parimutuel wagering, has become a popular system used by many states to offset the live wagering decline. Proponents of HHR suggest that this alternative wagering option will benefit the live racing industry. Using data from Kentucky racetracks from 2002 – 2021, this study examines the relationship between HHR wagering and key industry metrics, such as purses, on-track wagering, sales prices, and foal …

Two Essays On Industrial Hemp Firms In The United States, Abraham Olakunle Ajibade

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

After a long absence from American fields, industrial hemp was reintroduced to growing fields starting with state pilot programs in 2014 and received the green light for commercial cultivation in the US through the 2018 Farm Bill. Being an industry in its resurgence, investment is crucial for growth and the stock market and over-the-counter markets help US hemp firms get these much-needed funds for growth and expansion. This thesis consists of two essays on US hemp firms.

The first essay uses descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and the Kruskal-Wallis Test to investigate how US hemp stocks compare to mid-cap and large-cap …

Hoarding Lifesaving Knowledge While Millions Die: The Political Economy Of Global Covid-19 Vaccine Apartheid, Kenneth Stancil

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

Coronavirus vaccines saved millions of lives, but experts estimate that the suboptimal production and inequitable distribution of shots resulted in nearly 3 million preventable Covid-19 deaths in 2021 and 2022 as well as millions of indirect deaths during the pandemic. These avoidable fatalities are inseparable from the grotesquely unequal vaccination rates between rich and poor nations. Dose hoarding by high-income countries contributed to vaccine inequality, but the “vaccine apartheid” inflicted on low-income countries reflects an even more fundamental injustice: knowledge hoarding by profit-maximizing pharmaceutical corporations—aided and abetted by wealthy governments—which deprived generic manufacturers of the right to produce additional lifesaving …

Property Protocols And The Spatial Relations Of Real Estate Technologies, Ian Spangler

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

The dissertation contributes to our understanding of the technologically mediated, professionally managed social relations of private property, and specifically, their consequences for housing and home. I analyze standards and protocols for real estate data transfer, such as the multiple listing service, arguing that these standards play an increasingly important role in how real estate capital authenticates property relations. Focusing on technologies that leverage these standards in order to manage, exchange, and marketize housing, I show how standards often derive from moral values grounded in rubrics of white upper-class masculinity and national border-making. In making this argument, I draw on interviews, …