Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Mya Arenaria And Oxygen Isotopes: An Analysis To Suggest Season Of Occupation At Holmes Point East (62-6), Holmes Point West (62-8), And Joves Cove (44-13), Maine, Emily Blackwood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ratio of oxygen isotopes (ẟ18O) derived from archaeological bivalves can be used to suggest whether a site was occupied seasonally or year-round. To address the question of seasonality at three archaeological shell midden sites along the coast of Maine, modern samples of the soft-shelled clam, Mya arenaria, were collected from tidal mudflats associated with each site once a month for one year. An average of six modern shells per month were analyzed with their resulting ẟ18O values used to establish monthly ranges to which the archaeological samples of Mya arenaria were assigned; association of the archaeological shells to a …

Mountain Livelihoods In A Time Of Change: A Case Study Of Upper Mustang In Nepal, Sandesh Shrestha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A case study was conducted in a remote Himalayan village—Yara—in the Upper Mustang region of Nepal. The goal of this study was to understand and assess the livelihood strategies of local people in the village. The study focused on understanding the socio-economic and environmental driving factors of livelihood vulnerability, prevalent livelihood activities, emergent livelihood strategies, and resulting livelihood outcomes in the village. We used multiple data generation methods, which included both qualitative social science and quantitative biophysical components. For the qualitative component, we utilized multiple data generation methods including key informant interviews, semi-structured household interviews, group discussions, and field observations. …

The Effect Of Public-Place Smoking Bans On Risky Health Behavior Among Different Races And Ethnicities In The United States, Muntasir Rahman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is an established body of literature on the effect of public-place smoking bans on smoking behavior. However, these studies focus on the effect of the public-place bans on the overall population and ignore racial/ethnic heterogeneity, therein. Given that there is ample evidence of racial/ethnic differences in risky health behaviors (such as smoking and drinking) in the United States, research that sheds light on this differential impact is necessary. Thus, the two studies presented in this thesis work estimates the heterogeneous racial/ethnic effects of public-place smoking bans on smoking and drinking-related behavior of U.S. adults.

In the first chapter we …

Stress Inoculation Training In Rotc Cadets, Ashley N. Doss Ph.D

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 1,100 ROTC facilities are housed at university campuses across the United States (Today’s Military, 2017; Guide to Understanding ROTC Programs, 2017). ROTC provides individuals with the ability to dedicate time and service to leadership training and complete studies in a specified degree field. Poor stress management can significantly impair academic performance and persistence. This study was designed to answer the following questions: 1) can Stress Inoculation Training predict academic performance above and beyond personality and psychological variables in freshmen and sophomores enrolled in a military science program?”, and 2) “Can Stress Inoculation Training predict academic retention above and beyond …

Grower Risk And Community Perception: Impediments To Growing Maine's Aquaculture Industry, Avery W. Cole

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Maine has a long and proud history of working waterfronts and commercial fishing. However, in recent decades, aquaculture, or the harvesting or growing of aquatic life, has emerged as another player in the coastal economy. Globally, aquaculture is experiencing the fastest growth of any food sector in the world as it subsidizes floundering wild-capture fisheries (FAO, 2014). Maine and the rest of the United States have not yet participated in this growth, which has led stakeholders and policymakers like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to advocate for massive improvements to the sector by 2020 (NOAA, 2016). To ensure …

Battle Over Black Bears: Investigating Perceptions Of The Black Bear Hunting Referendums In Maine, Francesca A. Gundrum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human dimensions of wildlife is an emerging discipline that seeks to understand the complex relationships between people, wildlife, and their conflicts and/or interactions (Decker, Riley, & Siemer, 2012). Human dimensions utilizes several tested theoretical frameworks to investigate these complexities, such as cognitive hierarchy theory and wildlife value orientations (WVOs). Both of these theoretical frameworks were examined in this study, which investigated the content of news media during controversial American black bear (Ursus americanus) hunting referenda in Maine, and key stakeholder perceptions of black bear management. Maine is the only state that allows hunters to take a black bear over bait, …

Beyond A Reasonable Doubt: A Discourse Analysis Of Forensic And Psychological Truth In Child Narratives, Elizabeth Samson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation draws on a hermeneutically-informed modification of Potter and Wetherell’s (1987) discourse analysis methodology to explore how child memory and experience are conceptualized in two widely-used forensic psychology training manuals. Current research about child testimony tends to focus on how well children can factually recount their experiences, or on optimizing interviewer performance so as to obtain accurate accounts and minimize the risk of distorting children’s memories. Results of this discourse analysis include: 1) frequent advisement of evaluator caution, objectivity, and thoroughness, since evaluators are understood as responsible for preserving the accuracy of children’s memories during the evaluation process; and …

School-Based Services For Children With Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (Pans), Maura Miglioretti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) is an emerging disorder affecting school age children causing deleterious cognitive, social, emotional, and academic effects. Most frequently, children with PANS demonstrate severe, rapid-onset obsessive-compulsive symptoms in addition to a variety of other psychiatric disturbances. Symptoms are known to significantly a child’s educational experience. Despite this, little is known about the educational impacts related to the disorder or the supports provided to children with the diagnosis. This research sought to identify the school related impairments of children with PANS, the school-based services provided for children with PANS, and the relationships between obsessive compulsive symptoms and …

School Based Policies Protecting Lgbtq+ Youth, Amy Tiberi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to the 2017 National School Climate Survey, over half of all LGBTQ+ students reported experiencing LGBTQ+ related discriminatory policies or practices in their schools (GLSEN, 2019). While there is legislation in place that should standardize compliance and equality within school districts, there is often a discrepancy in implementation and follow through in public school systems. This study sought to examine a) school psychologists’ knowledge of federal legislations protecting LGBTQ+ youth, b) school psychologists’ self-report of the implementation of these regulations in their school’s policies, and c) the attitudes of school psychologists working with LGBTQ+ youth. Results indicated that attitude …

Impact Baseline Composite Score Differences Among Student Athletes, Kerry Schutte

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ImPACT aims to measure neurocognitive functioning in student athletes. Many schools administer preseason ImPACT assessments to determine athletes’ baseline functioning. Follow-up ImPACT assessments are administered to athletes who sustain concussions to compare their pre- and post-injury functioning. Normative data may be used in place of individualized baseline scores if athletes were not administered baseline assessments. At the inception of this study, normative datasets consisted of scores from typically developing athletes. However, research suggests athletes of varying gender and exceptionality statuses perform differently on baseline ImPACT assessments. In particular, differences were found among male and female athletes as well as …

Using The Coaching Approach Behavior And Leading By Modeling (Calm) Program To Examine Attachment And Parental Behaviors In Childhood Anxiety, Seana Bandi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety is one of the most common disorders in children that can often lead to detrimental outcomes. Empirically-supported risk factors for child anxiety include the child’s temperament and behavioral inhibition, insecure attachment, parental over-controlling behaviors, parental anxiety, and the impact of adverse life events on the child. Targeting these risk factors early on has the ability to lead to a decrease in anxiety symptoms later in adolescence and adulthood.

Evidence suggests behavioral, therapeutic interventions are effective for treating anxiety and other mood disorders for middle childhood and adolescents. Recent research has begun to focus on developmentally-appropriate adaptations for younger children …

Does Emotional Intelligence Moderate The Effect Of Field Work Experience On Counseling Students' Group Counseling Self-Efficacy, John Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Counselor educators and supervisors need a comprehensive understanding of counseling students group counseling development with the aim of assessing student learning outcomes and facilitating academic and supervisory interventions that support development. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and group counseling self-efficacy and determine the feasibility of using emotional intelligence to predict changes in group counseling self-efficacy. Results indicated that although there was significant increase in group counselor self-efficacy after a semester of fieldwork experience, the results showed no significant relationship between emotional intelligence and group counselor self-efficacy. Practical implications and future directions for …

Mentor As Scaffold: A Mixed-Methods Exploration Of Feminist-Informed Mentoring In The Undergraduate Setting, Elizabeth Bennett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There has been little consensus around the definition or meaning of mentoring as a phenomenon. As highlighted first by Jacobi (1991) and more recently by Crisp and Cruz (2009), the relatively small mentoring literature is plagued by a poor understanding of mentoring itself. Additionally, there are few guiding recommendations for the development of formal mentoring programs, particularly those informed by feminist pedagogy and theory, at the undergraduate level. To begin to address these gaps in the mentoring literature, I conducted a mixed-methods study with a convergent parallel design (Creswell & Clark, 2007) and qualitative emphasis. Eight participants completed individual, semi-structured …

Reclaiming Embodiment: An Existential-Phenomenological Exploration Of Women’S Tattoos, Ashley Gill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a phenomenological research study about the lived experiences of women who elected to get tattoos in the last five years. Due to historical and present discourses on female embodiment and persistent stigmas and pathologies often associated with tattoos, I sought to generate meaningful knowledge about the lived experiences of women who have voluntarily chosen this form of body modification. I conducted phenomenological research interviews with nine participants about personal meanings, decision making processes, and lived experiences of embodiment (capturing existential themes of lived body, spatiality, relationality, and time) before and after tattooing. I applied thematic interpretation of …

Listen For The Desert: An Ecopsychological Autoethnography, Dorothy Cashore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

What does it mean for human beings to be part of nature – not just as a conceptual justification for doing right by the planet, but actually as an embodied, emotional, and sensuous experience? What happens to the experience of being human when notions as fundamental as voice, absence, suffering, and psyche are re-encountered from a perspective rooted within, rather than apart from, the natural world? While this dissertation responds to these questions, it initially took shape in response to something that felt less like a research question and more like a summons. Following a startling experience of feeling called …

Kink In Flux: Bdsm Theory And Sexual Praxis, Celeste Pietrusza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The opening decades of the 21^st century have seen a veritable explosion of representations of bondage, discipline and sadomasochism (BDSM) and kink practices in mainstream media and American culture. Along with this, empirical researchers working in sexuality studies continue to show, contrary to the history of stigmatizing accounts in the history of clinical psychology, no evidence of increased pathology and, in some studies, better outcomes on measures of mental health.

Given the legacy of psychoanalysis in foregrounding considerations of sadomasochism and sexuality for the human psyche, it seems particularly well positioned to approach the complexities of dynamic fantasies involved …

Cognitive, Mood, And Cardiovascular Reactivity And Recovery In Response To Sadness In Remitted Major Depressive Disorder, Olivia Bogucki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Major depressive disorder is marked by high rates of relapse and recurrence. Research has suggested that formerly depressed individuals exhibit dysphoric mood or dysfunctional beliefs that are similar to currently depressed individuals while in a dysphoric, but not euthymic, mood and these changes prospectively predict relapse and recurrence over time.While there is still disagreement as to whether dysfunctional thinking or dysphoric mood characterizes remitted depression, these changes appear to be mood state dependent, or undetectable until activated by sadness. These findings have led to the hypothesis that cardiovascular functioning may also be mood state dependent in remitted depression; however, this …

A New Materialist Rhetoric: Theorizing Movement From A Rhetorical Ethnography Of Hiking, Bryan Picciotto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the field of rhetoric, conventional concepts of movement depend on dialectical theories of materiality that posit matter is not rhetorical until acted upon by human sign or symbol systems. New materialist philosophy, which considers the dynamism of matter without situating materiality in dialectical relationship to language, provides a theoretical context for reconceptualizing the rhetoricity of movement. Working from a nondialectical approach to materiality, this dissertation theorizes how movement functions rhetorically, specifically within cultural practices of hiking. For this project, I participated in 15+ hikes at state and national parks in Maine, and generated a multimodal archive of 1,000+ audio, …

Apartment Residents' Understanding Of And Satisfaction With Water Savings Devices, David Farmer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the human population increases, the way we use and manage our supply of drinking water becomes even more important. The purpose of this study was to determine residents’ satisfaction level of and performance rating of new water savings devices installed in their apartments. Specifically the investigation focused on ratings of shower heads, kitchen faucet aerators, bath faucet aerators, and fill valve and flapper systems.

This quantitative survey included residents at 4 apartment complexes in Tennessee using a paper questionnaire (N = 626). The participants were grouped by age, ethnicity, gender, and whether or not they had experienced both nonrestrictive …

Exploring The Match Demands Of Division I Women’S Collegiate Soccer, Robert W. Sausaman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to shed light on the physical demands of women’s soccer at the NCAA division I college level. Though research does exists describing the physical demands of women’s soccer, the vast majority seeks to explain the physical demands association with the professional and international level. This dissertation sought to: 1) examine the physical demands of NCAA division I women’s soccer and 2) observe changes in physical demands of two NCAA division I women’s soccer players over a four-year career using a case study approach.

Study 1 examined the physical demands of twenty-three athlete from a …

A Tactful Conceptualization Of Joint Attention: Joint Haptic Attention And Language Development, Lauren P. Driggers-Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research investigating associations between joint attention and language development have thus far only investigated joint attention by way of visual perceptions while neglecting the potential effects of joint attention engaged through other sensory modalities. In the present study, I aimed to investigate the joint attention-language development relationship by investigating the possible links between joint haptic attention and language development, while also exploring the likely contributions of joint visual attention through a mediation analysis. Using video recordings from an archival dataset, measures of joint haptic attention and joint visual attention were derived from behavioral tasks, and measures of vocabulary development were …

Exploring The Relationship Between Religiousness And Video Game Addiction, Joseph Barnet

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Religiousness has been shown to have an inverse relationship with at least some types of addiction. The present study examined whether intrinsic religiousness predicts substance addiction and video game addiction in a sample of participants that included mostly undergraduate students from the Appalachian region, as well as some participants surveyed with the use of social media advertisements. Intrinsic religiousness has been defined as internalizing the tenets of one’s faith. Participants self-reported their religiousness using the Religious Surrender and Attendance Scale – 3 (RSAS-3), which has been shown to measure intrinsic religiousness. Religiousness as measured by the RSAS-3 predicted lower levels …

An Integrated Model Of Eating Disorder Risk And Protective Factors: Implications For Research And Treatment, Leslie Alison Davis-Waddle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors are significant public health concerns, especially among college-age women. Despite extensive research, the complex nature of disordered eating and its etiology has prevented a satisfactory predictive model from being developed and validated and has therefore hindered the development of effective prevention and intervention strategies. This study aimed to integrate four of the most common etiological theories into a model to predict disordered eating behaviors. Bivariate correlations and moderation analyses were conducted to determine the strength of relationships between variables and to determine whether a protective factor (i.e., self-compassion) moderates the effects of risk factors …

Climate Resilient Development And Discourse In The Peruvian Highlands, Jamie A. Haverkamp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation strives to rethink apolitical and ahistorical efforts for adapting to climate change in terms of a political struggle for survival in times of radical global environmental change. Drawing on ethnographic and participatory fieldwork with agro-pastoralists of the Peruvian Andes, government officials and international NGO actors, this dissertation follows emergent climate-resilient discourse of rapid glacier retreat as it travels from global origins and articulates with local culture and indigenous ecologies in the Cordillera Blanca. Through this research, I offer a critical interpretive analysis of modern, capitalist and rationalist ways of knowing and planning for climate change, finding that such …

Disordered Eating, Depression, And Cognitive Vulnerabilities In College Women., Kelsea Visalli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study tests a path model of disordered eating and symptoms of depression derived from the Hopelessness Theory of Depression (Abramson, Metalsky, & Alloy, 1989). The model proposes that cognitive vulnerabilities to depression will be associated with disordered eating behaviors and symptoms of depression in college women. A sample of undergraduate women (n = 181) completed self-report measures assessing disordered eating symptoms and symptoms of depression. Findings revealed that one, but not all, cognitive vulnerability was associated with disordered eating behavior, and that disordered eating behaviors and symptoms of depression are bi-directionally associated. Implications and future research directions are discussed.

Religious Coping Measurement In The Context Of Long-Term Care., Nathaniel David Andrew

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the reliability and validity of religious coping measures in long-term care settings. The paper begins with a discussion of general coping and religious coping theory, coping measurement, and a review of religious coping in elderly long-term care residents. Next, a modified model of coping and resilience in older adults is introduced. The latter part of the paper describes a study that examines the reliability and validity of two specific religious coping measures in nursing home, assisted living, and personal care residents. The study utilizes a cross-sectional design by interviewing a convenience sample of nursing home, assisted living, …

Pathways To Delinquent And Sex Offending Behavior: The Role Of Childhood Adversity And Environmental Context In A Treatment Sample Of Male Adolescents, Kelcey Puszkiewicz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Exposure to more types of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) has been associated with a greater likelihood of general and sexual offending behaviors. However, few studies exist that consider both the impact of varied ACE exposures and community correlates on pathways to offending behaviors in adolescents who have engaged in sexually abusive behaviors. The current study examined these pathways using data collected from archival records of male adolescents (N= 285) who had received treatment for sexually abusive behavior at a youth facility. Structural equation modeling revealed a three-factor model for ACEs, which included: nonsexual abuse and neglect; household dysfunction; …

Sensemaking In The Process Of Inquiry: A Qualitative Case Study Of A Networked Improvement Community, Bethany Fillers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There are persistent and pervasive issues plaguing American education, and almost seventy years of educational reform efforts have failed to adequately improve educational outcomes for many of America’s children. Networked improvement communities (or NICs) are a type of social organization created to address such problems and are proposed as an effective and efficient way to organize improvement efforts. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the sensemaking experience of a newly-formed networked improvement community as members engaged in inquiry around a chosen problem of practice. During network initiation, NIC members engage in experiences to collaboratively identify and …

Self-Compassion And Suicide Risk In Veterans: Serial Effects Of Shame, Guilt, And Ptsd, Jessica Mckinney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Suicide is a significant public health concern and ranks as the 10^th leading cause of death in the U.S. Veterans are at a disproportionately higher risk for suicide, due to risk factors such as exposure to trauma and its negative cognitive-emotional sequalae, such as PTSD, shame, and guilt. However, not all veterans exposed to traumatic events, or who experience shame and guilt, die by suicide, perhaps as a result of the presence of individual-level protective factors such as self-compassion. Conceptualized as self-kindness, mindfulness and common humanity, self-compassion is beneficially associated with mental and physical health, including reduced suicide risk. …

Impact Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Mental Health Outcomes And Related Prescription Practices In A Psychiatric Inpatient Sample, Carrie Lemay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A definitive association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and negative physical and mental health outcomes has been established. There is evidence that individuals in forensic psychiatric facilities are disproportionately exposed to ACEs, which may impact severity, prognosis, and age of onset of psychiatric symptoms, including behavioral concerns of institutional aggression, self-harm behaviors, and suicide attempts. Such psychiatric and behavioral concerns are often managed through multiple psychotropic prescriptions, leading to psychotropic polypharmacy. This study evaluated the relationship between ACEs, mental health and behavioral concerns, and psychotropic polypharmacy through analysis of archival data from a forensic inpatient psychiatric facility. A total of …