Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Vcu Health Nursing Inquiry Process Diagram (Version 2), Roy E. Brown

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

This diagram outlines the nursing inquiry process to help answer questions that arise in the clinical setting. The diagram further helps a nurse understand how to distinguish whether a situation calls for evidence-based practice, performance improvement or research. It also guides a nurse through clarifying the initial question, gathering the evidence, and through each step in the subsequent process.

Fake Fur, Fruit Leather, And Ferrofluids: Challenges To Managing A Materials Library In The Middle East, Amy J. Andres, Richard J. Lombard

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

The Materials Library at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar is the only one of its kind in the Arab Gulf region. The library's mission is to provide students and faculty with access to various industries’ most innovative materials and products. But collection efforts are frequently challenged by the school's geographical location. How can a diverse and eclectic materials collection develop and expand in the face of strict customs regulations, exorbitant shipping costs, and, most recently, a political crisis that has severely restricted the country's airspace and shipping routes? A supportive administration and a creative approach to materials procurement have helped …

In The Spirit Of Ella: Race, Community & Education Reform In New Orleans Post Katrina, Daniella Ann Cook

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of Mobile Phone Use While Driving: An Application Of The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Sokunthea Kruy

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Mobile phone use while driving has been an emerging issue for road safety in recent years. The development of new technology has meant that users are more connected to their devices than ever before. This has led to use while driving despite the illegality of this behaviour. In this research, three mobile phone use behaviours were investigated: making/receiving calls; creating/sending text messages, and accessing social media. Through application of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), an online survey was developed. Five hundred and fifty-nine university students including 193 young respondents (aged 17 – 25) responded to investigate attitudes, subjective norms, …

The Mechanics Of Front Leg Loading During Cricket Fast Bowling: Delivery Variations, Spell Demands, And The Effects Of Strength Training, Samuel J. Callaghan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The goal of fast bowling in cricket is to dismiss a batsman for as few runs as possible. To assist this goal, fast bowlers will attempt to maximise ball release velocity (BRV) to decrease the decision-making and stroke execution time of the opposing batsmen. Fast bowlers will also employ various delivery lengths (i.e. short, good and full) to assist in affecting a batsman’s stroke execution.

Several issues remain to be addressed with regards to the biomechanical assessment of fast bowling. This is particularly evident when analysing fast bowling performance (i.e. BRV), the implications of front foot loading (i.e. vertical and …

Breathing New Life: Investigating Ways To Improve The Mental Health Of People Living With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease In Western Australia, Tina Phan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Anxiety and depression are common comorbidities in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), contributing to greater morbidity and mortality in an already vulnerable population. Despite the prevalence, few recommendations exist in global management guidelines for the detection and treatment of these comorbidities, reflecting the limited literature available on effective strategies for dealing with mental health issues in COPD populations. There is promising evidence that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) improves mental health outcomes in people with COPD. However, investigational studies have commonly reported participants’ lack of transport, lack of time and illness as barriers to recruitment and successful completion. This …

An Investigation Into Trust And Security In The Mandatory And Imposed Use Of Financial Icts Upon Older People, David Michael Cook

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Care needs to be taken to reduce the number of people who are fearful and mistrustful of using ICT where that usage is forced upon them without choice or alternative. The growing incidence of mandatory and imposed online systems can result in confusion, misuse, fear, and rejection by people with only rudimentary ICT skills. A cohort where a high percentage of such people occur is older people, defined in this study as people over the age of 60 Examples of compulsory ICT interactions include some banks limiting bank statement access through online rather than paper-based options. Other examples include the …

Young People Who Fireset In Western Australia: Peer Group Influences And Impulsiveness Trump Consequences, Catherine Analise Timms

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The paradoxical character of fire is perfectly captured by the juxtaposition between the initial ease and excitement of lighting fires, and fire’s destructive and uncontrollable nature. Australia is fire prone with its hot, dry climate, volatile vegetation and urban sprawl surrounded by bushland. Since an estimated 50% of fires lit in Australia are deliberate (Stanley & Read, 2016) the problem of intentional firesetting cannot be overstated. This thesis argues that youth firesetting requires both macro- and microlevel approaches to appreciate the complexities of the problem, and aims to identify applicable and directed responses to minimise youth firesetting. Study one analysed …

Effects Of Long-Term Participation In Tennis On Cognitive Function In Elderly Individuals, Scott Culpin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Many studies have reported the relationship between exercise and cognition with conflicting results. This may be due to differences in intervention durations, session lengths, intensities, and type of exercise. It has been suggested that exercises requiring greater cognitive demand such as football, basketball and racquet sports, are protective against cognitive decline, compared to less cognitively demanding exercises such as swimming, cycling and running, however, research concerning exercise types are currently limited. The present study tested the hypothesis that elderly individuals who had been regularly playing tennis more than 10 years, would have greater cognitive function than those who had been …

An Investigation Into The Creation Of Goal Scoring Opportunities In Women’S International Football; And A Comparison To Men’S International Football, Mark Scanlan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Football is the most popular sport in the world, played in over two hundred countries and it is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), who host a World Cup every four year for both men and women. Women’s football is growing in terms of popularity, with this growth in popularity, research into the women’s game has begun to emerge. However, to date there is very little published research in women’s football that describes effective attacking strategies and the creation of goal scoring opportunities (GSO). Video of each match (52) from the Women’s World Cup (Canada 2015) was …

Reading Between The Crimes: Online Media’S Representation Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander People’S Interaction With The Criminal Justice System In Post-Apology Australia, Jonathan Cannon

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Australian research confirms that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience high levels of social inequality, racism and injustice. Evidence of discrimination and inequality is most obvious within the criminal justice system where they are seriously over-represented. The Australian news media plays a large part in reinforcing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inequality, stereotypes and racist ideology within specific situations such as the Northern Territory Emergency Response and the Redfern riots. This study widens the scope from how the media reports a single criminal justice event to how the media reports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s interaction with the …

The Greatest Bachelor Party On Earth?, Claire Stewart

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Web-Based Visitor Education On Human-Tibetan Macaque (Macaca Thibetana) Interactions At Mt. Huangshan, China, Kirili Stauch

All Master's Theses

Daily visitor-macaque interactions lead to higher rates of macaque aggression (macaque-human, intragroup), macaque self-directed behaviors (SDBs), and zoonotic disease transfer. At the Valley of the Wild Monkeys in Mt. Huangshan, China, I made an educational website with site-specific information (e.g., guidelines for conduct, park rules, conservation) available and unavailable through QR codes for an equal number of randomized days. I recorded visitor-Tibetan macaque (Macaca thibetana) behaviors on all days using human and macaque ethograms. Past researchers at this site found positive correlations between decibel levels and macaque SDBs, as such decibel levels were recorded daily. I compared the …

The Effects Of Autonomous Motivation And Implementation Planning On Dietary Goal Adherence Among Personal Training Clients, Hannah Allen

All Master's Theses

Personal Fitness Trainers working within their scope of practice are in a unique position to encourage client adherence to dietary changes that are aligned with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). Some research shows that the quality of an individual’s motivation may play a role in goal success, and that implementation planning may be an effective goal adherence promotion strategy for those with autonomous motivation. However, little is known regarding this relationship between type of motivation, implementation planning, and goal adherence among personal training clients interested in improving their dietary habits. This 6-week mixed methods study sought out female personal …

Confidence In Academic Testing: The Effect Of Induced Checking And Anxiety On University Students' Emotional Responses To, And Performance In, Academic Challenge, Elijah Bruner

All Master's Theses

Academic tests such as the American College Testing (ACT), Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), and National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) have been used to assess academic aptitude. Research suggests that both test anxiety and test emotions (positive and negative) influence academic performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of test anxiety and uncertainty (i.e., re-checking items) on performance and test emotions. It was hypothesized that induced checking and participant anxiety would negatively predict performance and positive testing emotions, and positively predict negative testing emotions. It was also hypothesized that induced checking and anxiety would interact, with …

Enrichment Assessment For Geriatric African Old World Monkeys Under Human Care, Amanda E. Osborne

All Master's Theses

I proposed a study that determines whether enrichment regimes used for geriatric African Old World monkeys living under human care are effectively eliciting affiliative and active behaviors. I wanted to determine if alternating enrichment types used by the zoo staff were eliciting different social behaviors and locomotion in non-human primates based on different factors including ages, species, and sexes. My data collection took place at the Association of Zoos and Aquarium (AZA) accredited, Oregon Zoo in Portland, Oregon. I conducted my research from 11 June to 5 August 2017. I collected data from eight individuals of varying ages from three …

Promoting Hope, Healing, And Wellness: Catholic Interventions In Behavioral Health Care, Thomas G. Plante, Gerdenio Manuel S.J.

Psychology

In this chapter, we will outline, highlight, and review some of the Catholic traditions and pastoral tools that can be integrated into any professional clinical practice in behavioral health care. We will focus our attention on six tools in particular that are particularly popular and unique within the Catholic faith tradition. We will also offer brief case illustrations to provide examples of how these Catholic tools can be effectively integrated into professional clinical practice.

And Then They Boned: An Analysis Of Fanfiction And Its Influence On Sexual Development, Lindsay M. Mixer

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The purpose of this research is to demonstrate how young adults come to understand their sexuality (from sexual and gender identities to sexual likes and dislikes) through reading and writing fanfiction. Previous studies show that fanfiction promotes non-heterosexual orientations, but little research has been done on how it contributes to overall sexual development. In conducting an online survey of fanfiction readers, I explore how fans use these works to generate an understanding of themselves as sexual beings. Explicit stories make up a sizable portion of the fanfiction available, and there is a wide range of sexual acts depicted in those …

Master Of Science In Experimental Psychology 2018, Nova Southeastern University

CPS Postgraduate Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Monitoring Psychiatric Patients’ Preparedness For Hospital Discharge, Carrie Olsen Hennessy

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This mixed method study piloted a newly developed tool for monitoring preparedness among youth discharged from New Hampshire Hospital (NHH) and explored its influence on hospital discharge planning and follow-up care. This study spotlighted psychosocial variables in readmission risk for a psychiatric population and introduced a conceptualization of preparedness that included patient understanding of their discharge plan, as well as hope for change and supportive relationships. Quantitative methods were used to examine the relationship between aftercare and hospital readmission and further to explore the relationship between patient preparedness and readmission, as well as adverse events experienced post-discharge. Qualitative methods were …

Can Podcast Listening Influence Attitudes About Mental Illness?: An Exploratory Study, Samuel B. Nathan

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Mental illness (MI) is a major problem in the United States, with significant economic, emotional, and physical impacts on individuals with MI, their loved ones, and their employers. Many of those who could benefit from treatment do not seek it out, despite the researched benefits of mental health care. The self-stigma (SS) associated with MI is a well-documented obstacle to help-seeking behavior. Mental health professionals have tried, with mixed results, to combat SS and encourage help-seeking. Individuals with MI have found and supported one another, forming a community and successfully advocating for reforms to the mental health system. Contemporary peer …

A Single-Subject Evaluation Of Facilitated Communication In The Completion Of School-Assigned Homework, Nancy A. Meissner

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Few projects have combined quantitative and qualitative approaches in the analysis of facilitated communication as did this study of a 17-year-old nonverbal autistic male responding to homework questions using facilitated communication. Findings were consistent with prior studies: Tim was minimally able to produce correct responses independent of facilitator influence under controlled conditions; whereas, at least some typed messages in the spontaneous narratives appear to be his authentic communications independent of facilitator control.

An overview of the history of facilitated communication, its related research, and the heated debates around its validity are presented. Disparate findings between controlled and non-controlled circumstances are …

Protected Area Planning And Management: Supporting Local Stakeholder Participation With An Asset-Based, Biocultural Approach, Nicole M. Wengerd

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Given the uncertainties and risks of anthropogenic climate change, the urgency to conserve biodiversity has renewed urgency that has prompted a number of international forums, treaties, and agencies to advocate for the establishment of new and/or expansion of existing protected areas. One of the most broadly recognized efforts to expand the global protected area network can be found in the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, outlined in the Convention on Biological Diversity Strategic Plan for 2011-2020, adopted in 2010 by 196 countries. Target 11 calls for the expansion of terrestrail and inland water areas, as well as coastal marine areas. While the …

Analysis Of Land Use/Land Cover Change Impacts Upon Ecosystem Services In Montane Tropical Forest Of Rwanda: Forest Carbon Assessment And Redd+ Preparedness, Mcard Joseph Mlotha

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Changes in forest cover especially changes within tropical forests, affect global climate change, together with ecosystems and forest carbon. Forests play a key role in both carbon emission and carbon sequestration. Efforts to reduce emissions through reduced deforestation and degradation of forests have become a common discussion among scientists and politicians under the auspices of the United Nations Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN-REDD Programme). This dissertation research assessed the impacts of land use land cover change upon ecosystem services from a protected area focusing on forest carbon distribution and vegetation mapping using remote sensing and …

The Experience Of “Cool”: A Qualitative Exploration, Kristen Lauer

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This qualitative study explored the phenomenological experience of cool as retrospectively reported. I proposed cool as a phenomenological concept and advocate for the consideration of cool as relevant to clinical psychology through first, a literature review of related academic research and second, by identifying the information gap around cool as it intersects with clinical psychology. I utilized Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to inform analysis and exploration of participant narrative responses collected through an online survey. Participants consisted of 25 individuals between the ages of 18 and 25 who endorsed having experienced cool at some point in their life. In sharing …

Return To Play Decision Making With Concussed Athletes: Sports Medicine Practitioners’ Responses, Courtney N. Condiracci

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Sports-related concussions continue to be a serious health concern as the prevalence and incidence of concussion continue to increase annually (Center for Disease Control [CDC], 2016). Decisions regarding return to play (RTP) following concussion represent one of the biggest challenges for sports medicine professionals. The literature recommends implementing an individualized, collaborative, multi-dimensional approach to increase accuracy when assessing concussion recovery and making RTP decisions (McCrory et al., 2013). The current study examined the self-reported practices of sports medicine professionals surrounding RTP decisions. The study utilized an author-developed questionnaire, Sports Medicine Practice Questionnaire (SMPQ), administered as an online survey to assess …

Indicators Of Client Engagement In A University Psychotherapy Training Clinic, Katie L. Randall-Sungar

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

A retrospective research study evaluated archival data on client engagement from a program evaluation project implemented at the Psychological Services Center at Antioch University New England. Student researchers from the Center for Behavioral Health Innovation (formerly Center for Research of Psychological Practices) partnered with the Antioch University Psychological Services Center (PSC) to investigate the impact of client early engagement on drop-out rates and therapy outcomes of mental health clients. Potential participants were administered a brief questionnaire, prior to the first session via phone call, to assess their readiness, expectations of therapy, potential barriers to seeking treatment, and their initial impression …

Emotional Self-Regulation And Management Of Disruptive Behaviors In Schools, Erin Hopkins

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study investigated the relationship between teachers’ emotional regulation skills and their management of students’ disruptive behaviors. Teaching is an emotionally demanding job made significantly more stressful by the time and resources required to handle dysregulated and non-compliant students in the classroom. Unfortunately, the current disciplinary practices in many schools fail to support teachers in more effectively managing problematic behaviors. While some teachers appear to be skilled at diffusing an escalating classroom conflict, little is known about what distinguishes them from their more overwhelmed peers. This study sought to determine if there was a relationship between the teacher’s own capacity …

Disclosure And Nondisclosure In Clinical Supervision: Negotiation Of The Learning/Vulnerability Paradox, Vanessa Jayne Leary

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Few studies have explored the long-term impact of nondisclosure and disclosure events on supervisee development and identity formation. This qualitative study explored the retrospective accounts of supervisee (non)disclosure experiences in clinical supervision as supervisees negotiated the learning/vulnerability paradox that accompanies disclosure. Through the use of Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), six early career licensed clinical psychologists who completed their predoctoral internships between 3 and 5 years ago, graduated from an APA-accredited program, and who were actively practicing in the field of psychology were interviewed. Following interview transcription, I engaged in the process of convergent and divergent analysis in order to elicit …

Does Personality Moderate The Relationship Between Video Gaming And Quality Of Life?, Jean M. Devenny

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Video game research has expanded greatly in recent decades, fueled partly by concerns that video game content affects real-word behaviors and experiences. Despite the preponderance of research on the effects of video game content on various outcomes, there are still areas left to be explored. For example, while the American Psychological Association has concluded that violent video game content serves as a risk factor for real-life aggression, the association has also recommended the pursuit of additional research on alternative variables that may influence the relationship between video game content and outcomes (APA Task Force on Violent Media, 2015). The present …