Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Invisible Load Of Motherhood: Exploring Parental Stress Differences Among Caucasian And African American Mothers, Angena Mombrun

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Parental stress can be defined as the perceptions and feelings that are experienced in a parental role because the demands that are related to the role are unable to be fulfilled with the resources that are available (Abidin, 1992). Research suggests that African American women may experience more parental stress than their Caucasian counterparts due to various factors (Coll & Pachter, 2002). However, there is not sufficient evidence to support this notion as the majority of research available on parenting stress is comprised of middle-class Caucasian women (Coll & Pachter, 2002; Nomaguchi & House, 2013). The purpose of this study …

Supporting Teachers In Supporting Students: Facilitating A Successful School Reintegration Post Psychiatric Hospitalization, Alicia J. Gialanella

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Given the increasing mental health needs and high rates of psychiatric hospitalization among children today, school-based supports are needed to mitigate potential areas of difficulty for students upon their return to school. This study provides a review of the school reintegration literature, including current issues, medically-based transition plans, and teacher and student perceptions of the reentry process. The overarching purpose of this study was to facilitate a more successful school reintegration for students post psychiatric hospitalization. For the present pilot study, an online course was developed and assessed through review by 15 education professionals gathered through a convenience sample. The …

Nonmedical Prescription Stimulant Use, Mood, And Quality Of Life Among Graduate Students, Anastasia Skliros

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is commonly diagnosed in childhood, yet research indicates that symptoms persist into adulthood for approximately two-thirds of clinical cases. Stimulant medications are the primary treatment for all ADHD presentations across developmental ages. This prospective study investigated the relationship between nonmedical prescription stimulant use (NMPSU), mood, anxiety, and quality of life among graduate college students. Quantitative data from 321 participants were obtained using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) for anxiety, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHO-QOL) measure. Four participant groups were examined: those with ADHD engaging in NMPSU, …

Healthcare Providers’ Willingness To Prescribe Buprenorphine To Adolescents And Young Adults With Opioid Use Disorder, Nicole M. Fusco

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The opioid epidemic is a public health crisis, with opioid use frequently beginning during adolescence and young adulthood. Opioid-related overdoses have continued to increase among adolescents and young adults. Despite the efficacy of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in treating opioid use disorder (OUD), they remain underutilized. A critical step to addressing this issue is identifying the barriers that prevent physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants from prescribing MOUD. This study investigates healthcare providers' willingness to prescribe buprenorphine to adolescents and young adults with OUD. Participants included physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who currently treat adolescents and young …

Role Of Resilience, Quality Of Life, And Social Problem-Solving In Caregivers Of Patients Living With Dementia, Emily Helene Fannick

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study examined predictors of caregiver burden, mental health, physical health, overall quality of life, and the physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains of quality of life in caregivers of persons living with complications of dementia. Predictors included social problem-solving, caregiver resilience, length of time as a caregiver, and severity of dementia symptomatology. Caregivers recruited from an outpatient memory care clinic completed an online survey that included a demographic questionnaire, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), the Social Problem-Solving Inventory–Revised: Short Form (SPSI–R:S), the World Health Organization Quality of Life -Short Version (WHOQOL-BREF), the Dementia Severity Rating Scale (DSRS), and the …

Brief Observation Of Social Communication Change To Evaluate Change In Autism Symptoms As A Treatment Response In A Semistructured Play Assessment, Camilla Woodard

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Measuring changes in autism symptoms as a result of treatment is a known gap in autism research and intervention. The Brief Observation of Social Communication Change-Minimally Verbal (BOSCC-MV) was designed to capture changes in social communication behaviors and other autism-related behaviors as a treatment response. In this study, the BOSCC-MV coding scheme was applied across different play observations from the BOSCC-MV and the Communication Play Protocol to compare the effect of semistructured play contexts with a familiar play administrator over time to determine if differences in social communication behaviors and autism symptoms would be observed. This research examined the impact …

The Effect Of State Anxiety On Working Memory Updating, Alexandra L. Mastrangelo

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Anxiety impairs cognition by operating to alter processing efficiency. When anxiety impairs efficiency, the capacity of working memory (WM) is confined especially for individuals who concurrently experience higher levels of anxiety (Yang et al., 2018). The updating function is a crucial process that operates within WM to replace and modify older with novel information to carry out complex cognitive tasks. However, if interference accrues from previously learned information (known as proactive interference, or PI), removing information from WM becomes more difficult. Because the relationship between state anxiety (SA) and WM is less understood compared to trait anxiety (TA), this study …

Prolonged Grief: The Predictive Value Of Cognitive Distortions, Depression, And Anxiety, Michael Kastelnik

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Bereavement, the emotional pain of losing a loved one, may lead to significant distress and functional impairment, which can negatively impact the relationships, work, and health of those who grieve. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between cognitive distortions and prolonged grief, depression, and anxiety. It was hypothesized that there would be a significant and positive relationship between prolonged grief, depression, anxiety, and cognitive distortions, as measured by the Prolonged Grief Scale-Revised (PG-13-R), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and the Inventory of Cognitive Distortions (ICD), respectively (Hypothesis 1). It was also …

Revisiting The Global Measures Of Overall Neuropsychological Function And The Impact Of Race-Based Normative Data In Clinical And Forensic Populations, Zachary Thomas Dipasquale

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This research investigated the impact of race-based normative data, the removal of a subtest, and the reason for referral on neuropsychological assessments. Three hypotheses were tested using various statistical methods. The first hypothesis predicted a significant difference in the Average Impairment Rating (AIR) when comparing European American normative data to African American normative data. The second hypothesis posited that the removal of the 12th composite score (Av-1) would significantly alter the classification of brain injury using the AIR. The third hypothesis proposed that a significant difference would be observed in the AIR, General Deficit Scale (GDS), and Halstead Impairment Index …

Wildlife Conservation And Adaptation To Humans, Valeria Mazza Phd, Claudio Carere

Animal Sentience

For many animal species, the ability to adapt to coexistence with the human species and to the environmental changes that humans cause is a biological imperative. This adaptive capacity varies not only between species, but within species. Studying individual differences in animals’ behavioral, cognitive and physiological adaptability is important for integrating ethology and conservation. Findings about animal cognitive capacities, including learning, need to be applied in conservation—but humans need to be educated about ethology, coexistence and conservation too.

The Development Of Homicidal Behavior In Relation To Life-Course Theory, Rebekah Jensen

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

This paper examines the role of life-course theory in order to explain the relationship between individuals developing violent behavior and committing murder. By incorporating evidence from case studies, documentaries, and various forms of criminological literature, I discuss how the development of violent behavior through exposure to risk factors increases the likelihood of developing homicidal behavior. In Chapter 1, I seek to establish this correlation by narrowing the risk factors down to three categories: antisocial behavior, low self-control, and normalization of violence. To further support this correlation, I utilize control theories and learning theories which focus on the development of homicidal …

The New Landscape Of Online Sex Work, Anna Dostalik

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Debates surrounding sex work are nothing new. Decades have been spent arguing that it’s misogynistic, liberating, exploitative, none of your business. There is a distinct shift in the field, though, one that warrants new analysis. The technological advancements of the past decade have resulted in a significant development: OnlyFans. This website combines certain aspects of in person sex work with pornography, and adds in new layers of parasocial connection. In order to understand both the issues with this mode of sex work and its implications, I employ a Marxist analysis of labor to understand commodification and wage slavery. Additionally, I …

Modern Colonialism: The Case Of Costa Rica And The United Fruit Company, Micah X. Perez

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

This academic paper systematically investigates the intricate historical relationship between the United Fruit Company (UFC) and the socio-economic landscape of Costa Rica during the Liberal period from 1870 to 1940. By examining the direct relationship between the UFC's presence and the simultaneous growth of the tourism industry, coastal land development, and the consequential rise of the sex trade, this research elucidates the adverse impacts of foreign monopolies on the privatization of land. The study underscores the enduring repercussions of this phenomenon in contemporary Costa Rican society. Through historical analysis, this thesis argues that the UFC's actions in Costa Rica during …

How Climate Change Is Altering Energy Finance And Governance In China And The United Arab Emirates, Hans Gebauer

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Climate change is an environmental problem with catastrophic ecological, economic, social, and political impacts. The dramatic scale of the problem has appropriately earned it the name of “climate crisis.” As a protracted crisis, climate change will dominate national and international agendas while transforming institutional politics. Conflicts within policy communities, new interest alignments, social pressure on governments, and ecological collapse could conceivably transform the norms and institutions through which economics, policy, and politics are conducted. Nowhere is this clearer than the energy sector, which is responsible for most greenhouse gas emissions and wherein massive institutional shifts are just beginning to occur. …

Economic Entanglement: The Quantum Race Between The United States And China, Isabella Willhite

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

The United States and China are both currently home to the strongest economies and militaries in the world. Despite their interdependence, trade wars have escalated between the two countries in the past few years. While past trade wars have been focused on purely economic protectionism or ideological stances, the trade wars of today signify a shift towards protecting critical emerging technologies. The important emerging technology of today is quantum computing, which will forever change the way that computers encrypt, process, and decode information. The United States and China are on the eve of the “quantum race,” in which they will …

Reading Vs Screening: The Development Of Generation Alpha, Frances Gibson

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Child development is an important field of research as it allows us to understand what promotes the cognitive, emotional, physical, social, and educational growth that shapes the adults we become. Every generation grows and learns in a new environment that is constantly changing, and it is vital that we determine what factors benefit or deter our development. This is especially true for Generation Alpha, who are uniquely recognized for being true digital natives. Technology has been integrated into nearly all aspects of our society and has had numerous benefits in terms of convenience, social connection, and education. However, overindulgence of …

Household Water Conservation For The Upper Colorado River Basin, Lauren Ott

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Fresh, clean, potable water is the most important natural resource to sustain human life. Concern over the continued, equitable and affordable access to such water is therefore top of mind. Calls for climate change mitigation practices, improved natural resource management, and enhanced attention to water conservation have therefore become increasingly prevalent. These water conservation practices require population-wide political, attitudinal and behavioral shifts and it will be especially impactful for wealthy nations and wealthy people to be mindful of instituting these changes in their own spaces.

In this project, I conduct a literature review to investigate current challenges surrounding water from …

Unlocking Children’S Potential Through Play: Improving Early Childhood Experiences In Nyarufunzo Village, Sereverien Ngarukiye, Sereverien Ngarukiye

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

From the study conducted in February 2024, 80 parents with children under the age of 6 participated in the research. 68 parents (38 women and 30 men) who participated in the survey live in Kigali city and have a bachelor’s degree or beyond. Other 12 parents, 4 men and 7 women, who participated in both focus group discussions and in a survey are parents who live in Nyarufunzo village and have a high school degree or below. This last group of parents has similarities to my village where I was born from where the majority of parents have finished primary …

Ms Environmental Biology Capstone Project, Reilly Miller

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Habitat loss due to deforestation is a primary threat to global biodiversity. Clearing tropical rainforests for agriculture leads to forest fragmentation. Forest fragments contain fewer large trees and provide lower food availability for primates compared to continuous forests. Mantled howler monkeys inhabit the increasingly fragmented rainforests of Central and South America and may need to alter their activity and spatial cohesion to mitigate competition and preserve energy in fragments where there is lower quality food. We compared howler monkey activity and spatial cohesion across a small forest fragment (La Suerte Biological Research Station, LSBRS) and a large, continuous forest (La …

An Individuals-Oriented Approach To Conservation, Kristy M. Ferraro

Animal Sentience

Individual cognitive and emotional differences in personality among animals, along with differences in their behavioral traits, are increasingly important in conservation efforts. It is not only more effective but more ethical to take both collective and individual perspectives into account in both research and practice.

Complexities Of Consistent Individual Behavioral Differences In Effective Wildlife Management, Nathalie R. Sommer

Animal Sentience

The study of animal personality, or consistent individual behavioral differences, has faced numerous challenges since its inception, including terminological disputes, labor-intensive methodologies, and notable retractions. This commentary explores the mechanisms behind personality traits, questioning the link between personality and sentience, and highlights the bias towards megafauna in wildlife management. It underscores the ecological and ethical significance of considering arthropod personalities and the complexities of integrating personality into wildlife reintroductions. Caution is advised in generalizing personality effects, and the limitations of current measurement techniques are discussed, suggesting that personality traits should be one of many factors in comprehensive management strategies.

Performance Activism Versus Collective Action, Grace Belt

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Collective action is how groups can change society. According to the social identity model of collective action (SIMCA), facets of group identification can motivate or discourage collective action. However, no current research has focused on motivations for engagement in performance activism (i.e., displaying support for a mobilized group without engaging in mobilization) from an ingroup perspective. The current study investigates this literature gap, focusing on the dynamics of group membership, specifically feelings of self-prototypicality, as motivation to engage in performance activism or collective action. Participants (N = 189) were made to feel they were core members (prototypical) or fringe …

Examining Anxious Attachment And Its Effects On Sexual Behaviors In Adulthood, Justin Graham

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between anxious attachment and adult sexual behaviors. The study utilized pairfam, a nationally representative German sample, as a secondary data set for its quantitative analysis. Participants responded to two anxious attachment scales and questions regarding sexual desire, sexual confidence, and age at first sexual experiences. Analyzing data from 5561 individuals, averaging 29.27 years old, a path analysis was conducted to assess variable effects. Findings indicate that higher anxious attachment correlates with reduced sexual confidence and earlier onset of sexual intercourse. Future studies should investigate additional attachment scales and include a more diverse …

Routine Outcome Monitoring In Emotionally Focused Therapy: A Clinical Perspective, Lillian Dunn

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

The field of couple and family therapy has a foundation in systems theory and recognizes the intricate dynamics of relationships. Therapists often navigate complex webs of connection, aiming to enhance communication, foster healthy interaction patterns, and cultivate emotional well-being to strengthen relational bonds. This thesis focuses on the integration of routine outcome monitoring (ROM) within Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and aims to shed light on its role in achieving therapeutic goals. ROM tools offer insights into the therapeutic process, facilitating tailored interventions to meet clients' needs. The findings suggest that integrating ROM into EFT benefits therapists and clients, enhancing our …

Horse Owner Preferences For Equine Veterinary Services, Olivia Gibson

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

The decline in the number of equine veterinarians creates significant challenges for the future of equine veterinary medicine. One crucial aspect of this issue is how the financial health of equine veterinary practices might be improved. Examining how horse owners respond to changes in the prices of veterinary services allows practices to determine whether adjusting prices can improve practices’ financial standing. Using an online stated preference survey completed by 4,992 horse owners in the U.S., this study investigates horse owner preferences for equine veterinary services. First, horse owners’ utilization of equine veterinary services and willingness to adapt to the changes …

Malleability Of Abortion Attitudes, Allison Leip

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

Although abortion attitudes have been thoroughly investigated and population-level attitudes have not changed much over the past half-century, polls and research inquiring about abortion attitudes tend to ask isolated questions about if, and in what circumstances, abortion should be legal. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which abortion attitudes both varied and changed according to several contextual factors. A multiple-segment factorial vignette was conducted with 530 respondents in the state of Kentucky. Overall, most respondents held strong attitudes on access to abortion, both before the rationale was provided and regardless of the rationale provided. However, …

Maternal-Adolescent Communication About Sex And Risky Sexual Behaviors: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Of Czech, Spanish, And Taiwanese Youth, Mckinley Hall

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

This present study aimed to test the relationship between perceived maternal-adolescent communication about sex and risky sexual behaviors, while also considering the links between perceived maternal-adolescent closeness and maternal-adolescent conflict with risky sexual behaviors, across three culturally distinct countries, namely the Czech Republic (N=878, mean age of 17.93), Spain (N =1024, mean age of 18.79), and Taiwan (N =1443, mean age of 16.48). Samples of adolescents from each country were used and statistical analyses were conducted to test the hypothesized relationships. Based on path analysis carried out on each sample, the results revealed that Czech adolescents reported the highest levels …

Child Language And Happiness Behaviors: Evaluating The Effects Of Caregiver Coaching, Ashlen Grubbs

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

Caregivers of young children who have or are at risk for disabilities may struggle supporting their child’s language development. This study used a tailored rapid coaching intervention to teach a caregiver different naturalistic language interventions that can be used with their child during play. Evidence-based naturalistic skills for increasing child communication were chosen to teach the caregiver based on baseline levels of skills. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a tailored RCI (training and coaching) with caregivers of children with developmental disabilities. Like other studies, this study involved evaluating child-level communication but extended child measures …

Pixels Or People: A Comparison Of The Differenital Effects Of Animated And Human Video Models On Exercise Behaviors For Hgh School Students With Intellectual Disability, Jade Alexis Fulkerson

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

Individuals with intellectual disabilities, with or without autism spectrum disorder, often require structured programming to facilitate acquisition of skills. Video modeling, an evidence-based strategy, offers a promising avenue for skill instruction. While research has demonstrated the effectiveness of human-modeled video interventions, limited research has been conducted into the efficacy of animated models. Addressing this gap, the present study employed an alternating treatments design to compare the effectiveness of human and animated models in teaching exercise behaviors to high school students with intellectual disabilities, with or without autism spectrum disorder. Results revealed variability among participants: one individual exhibited superior performance with …

Essays On The Dynamics Of Subnational Public Finance In Indonesia, Much Rosidi

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

This dissertation comprises three essays that collectively explore the intricacies of subnational public finance in Indonesia: vehicle tax amnesty, property tax competition, and corruption. The research aims to understand the dynamics shaping fiscal policies at the subnational level.

In the first essay, I examine vehicle tax amnesty programs in Indonesia that have been very popular in dealing with high delinquency rates. From 2008 to 2020, provincial amnesties occurred every 2.5 years on average. Using the variation in the timing of the province’s amnesty adoptions, I estimate the effect of vehicle tax amnesty on vehicle tax revenue using difference-in-differences. The short-run …