Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Exploring The Needs Of College Students Experiencing Housing Instability, Sandy D. Dawoud

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative study explored the needs and experiences of college students who have aged out of the foster care system and facing housing instability at a large public institution. The study explores the participants' pre-college experiences and college journey to identify challenges they faced, sources of support, and unmet needs impacting their education. Analysis of 14 individual interviews highlighted key themes related to motivations, obstacles, and desired assistance across areas like finances, mental health, academics, and support systems. This work has implications for implementing tailored institutional support, community partnerships, transition programs, and advocacy efforts to promote resilience and success for …

Beyond Coming Out And Queer Tragedy : How Julie Ann Peters, Becky Albertalli, Adam Silvera, And Aiden Thomas Navigate Through The Spectrum Of Queer Representation, Jacqueline Carey

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In recent years, readers, critics and activists have recognized the importance of more inclusive storytelling, especially in young adult literature. This thesis explores how Julie Peters, Becky Albertalli, Aiden Thomas, and Adam Silvera diversify queer representation within the realm of young adult literature. Drawing on literary analysis, queer theory, and sociocultural perspectives, this thesis will explore how queer representation manifests in each of these works to challenge and complicate representational norms. Ultimately, this thesis seeks to contribute to the ongoing conversations surrounding the importance of having diverse stories that foster a more inclusive literary environment.

Co-Opting Alliance With Efficient Grease Theory: An Observational Descriptive Study Of Corruption And Trust Nexus In Political Institutions In West Africa, Yarh Komolo

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation presents an analysis of the impact of corruption as related to trust in political institutions in select West African nations. Corruption and some of its implicative hues are highlighted, considering such practice is generally an entrenched part of Africa in its economic, political, social, and cultural fabric and lifeline. In respect to the specific region of interest, robust Afrobarometer observational surveys convey data covering 14 of the 16 countries that comprise West Africa, with the exclusion of Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania which lack survey data. The study covers a seven-year period that runs from 2014 to 2021, excluding 2016 …

Crisis Intervention Model Effectiveness In South Dakota City And Rural Schools, Nicole Ann Bechen

Dissertations and Theses

Little information is known on crisis prevention and intervention plans in schools across South Dakota. A review of the existent literature revealed gaps within school-based crisis intervention models, their objectives, and their effectiveness in addressing the psychological and physical safety needs of students, staff, teachers, families, and community members. Gaps in understanding rural crisis response were noted. The purpose of this study was to assess whether crisis prevention and intervention plans in South Dakota schools adequately protected students, staff, families, and community members. To achieve this, a stratified random sample of 53 PreK-12 public schools in the state of South …

Support For Girls’ Education And Keeping Them In School, Population Council, Swedd

Adolescents and Young People

SWEDD Series: Best Practice Guide no. 2

This Guide is one of a series that retrospectively documents the process of implementing the interventions of the SWEDD project, and documents good practices, challenges and lessons learned. The “Sahel Women's Empowerment and Demographic Dividend” (SWEDD) project was launched in November 2015 with financial support from the World Bank, and technical support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the West African Health Organisation (WAHO). The research informing this Guide was led by the Population Council.

Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation And Functional Connectivity In People Living With Hiv/Aids Who Smoke Tobacco Cigarettes: A Preliminary Pilot Study, Gopalkumar Rakesh, Thomas G Adams, Rajendra A Morey, Joseph L Alcorn, Rebika Khanal, Amanda E Su, Seth S Himelhoch, Craig R Rush

Student and Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: People living with HIV (PLWHA) smoke at three times the rate of the general population and respond poorly to cessation strategies. Previous studies examined repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L. dlPFC) to reduce craving, but no studies have explored rTMS among PLWHA who smoke. The current pilot study compared the effects of active and sham intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) on resting state functional connectivity (rsFC), cigarette cue attentional bias, and cigarette craving in PLWHA who smoke.

METHODS: Eight PLWHA were recruited (single-blind, within-subject design) to receive one session of iTBS (n=8) over the L. …

Screening For Food And Nutrition Insecurity In The Healthcare Setting: A Cross-Sectional Survey Of Non-Medicaid Insured Adults In An Integrated Healthcare Delivery System, Carmen Byker Shanks, Nancy P Gordon

Student and Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVES: Healthcare screening identifies factors that impact patient health and well-being. Hunger as a Vital Sign (HVS) is widely applied as a screening tool to assess food security. However, there are no common practice screening questions to identify patients who are nutrition insecure or acquire free food from community-based organizations. This study used self-reported survey data from a non-Medicaid insured adult population approximately one year after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (2021). The survey examined the extent to which the HVS measure might have under-estimated population-level food insecurity and/or nutrition insecurity, as well as under-identified food and nutrition insecurity …