Destigmatizing Care In Pregnant People with Substance Use Disorder

Nicky Edwards, School of Applied Health Undergraduate Student

College of Professional Studies

Pregnant people and families with substance use disorder who receive care at local rural clinics and hospitals need more recovery resources. Community nurses can assist by educating parents and families about proper Narcan use and first aid. Public health departments can assist by utilizing a collaborative referral system for additional resources. Physicians can be educated about compassionate care practices in communicating with patients. These interventions will lead to goals of pregnant people feeling safe seeking support from their providers, fewer newborns experiencing withdrawal symptoms, and less children being placed with child protective services thus keeping families together.

DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF HIGH-INCLINE WALKING ON BIOMECHANICAL VARIABLES AND EMG PATTERNS ON DIFFERENT TREADMILL DECK SYSTEMS

ROHIT KUNDU, School of Applied Health Graduate Student

College of Professional Studies

While walking on the ground and using a treadmill are the standard mode of exercise, treadmill walking has gained popularity recently. Treadmills are more efficient and reliable because of the better control of speed, and grade, and can be used in all weather conditions. Even though multiple studies looked over the impact of surfaces at different inclines at biomechanics (gait, impact forces, tibial acceleration, and muscle activation), still the impact of surfaces has not been examined using different treadmill manufacturers while comparing high-incline (20%) with low-incline (1%).

Development and Psychometric Characteristics of the Chocolate Craving Inventory

College of Professional Studies

One of the most popularly craved foods in the United States is chocolate. Yet, current definitions and ways to assess chocolate craving vary from study to study. The purpose of this investigation was to create a reliable and valid measure that can be used to assess problematic chocolate craving and its correlates. Preliminary findings indicate that the Chocolate Craving Inventory (CCI) is both a reliable and valid measure. Our investigation yielded high internal consistency and test-retest reliability in a college sample (N = 100). In addition, evidence for convergent and discriminant validity were also found. Future studies will further assess the psychometric properties of the CCI.

Development and Psychometric Properties of the College Help-Seeking Behavior Scale

College of Professional Studies

Although college students have access to many free or low-cost services, a majority do not take advantage of these resources. For decades, researchers have sought solutions to this misalignment of service availability, need, and utilization. Impeding this goal is the lack of a sufficiently broad psychometric instrument that can measure and predict help-seeking in an individual. At this time, no such measure currently exists. The purpose of this study was to develop the College Help-Seeking Behavior Scale (CHSB) to assess college students’ intention and past behavior regarding seeking help from social networks and on-campus services for various problems.

Development and Psychometric Properties of the Mobile Device Dependency Scale

College of Professional Studies

Communication through cell phones is increasingly prevalent in our society and places individuals at risk of developing a mobile device dependency (Salehan, & Negahban, 2013). The purpose of this study is to develop a measure of psychological and social dependence on mobile communication. Also, this research aims to provide reliability and validity of the Mobile Device Dependency Scale (MDDS). Participants completed four self-report surveys that showed high reliability and validity of the MDDS. This scale may provide valuable information about dependency in regard to technological advancements and the societal pressures associated with device usage.

Development and Validation of the Academic Procrastination Scale

College of Professional Studies

Academic procrastination is the intentional delay of starting or continuing progress on school-related work. Academic procrastination often leads to negative outcomes such as submitting late assignments, cramming for exams, and test anxiety. To assess this we created a 21-item Academic Procrastination Scale (APS). The APS showed appropriate criterion (r = .69, p < .000), convergent (r = .49, p < .000), and discriminant (r = .29, p = .001) validity. The APS also showed good internal consistency with an alpha of .88 and a test-retest reliability of r = .75, p = .000. Validity and reliability analyses show that the APS is a valid and reliable measure of academic procrastination.

Development and Validation of the Humboldt Idealism Questionnaire

College of Professional Studies

Idealism is defined as believing that desirable consequences can, with the “right” action, always be obtained. This involves decreasing the amount of negative outcomes and increasing the amount of positive outcomes. Due to the lack of a reliable and valid existing measure of idealism, our goal was to create a psychometrically sound scale. Morality and justice are two important domains that were addressed during item creation. The HIQ was compared to the Global Belief in a Just World Scale in order to establish criterion validity; the short form of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale was used for discriminant validity.

Development of Wilderness Therapy Programs Over Time

College of Professional Studies

This project aims to illustrate the growth, development, and fundamental transformation of Wilderness Therapy programs over time. This research includes highlighting the health benefits of nature experiences, dissecting the historical background of Wilderness Therapy programs, and the shift towards Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare.

Deviant Leaders: Examining the Effect of Group Consensus on Individuals' Attitudes Towards a Leader's Position

College of Professional Studies

The current study investigates how high or low consensus around a leader who holds a deviant or normative position influences individual attitudes, all contingent on the perceived group’s attitude towards said position. We hypothesized that exposure to a leader with a deviant position who was elected by a landslide (high consensus) vs. marginally (low consensus) will convert individual attitudes to align with the perceived group attitude, which is supportive of the deviant position.

Diversity Among University Students in the U.S.: An Analysis of Student Ethnic Group Preferences and its Impact on Campus Diversity

Joseph Pang, Psychology Graduate Student

College of Professional Studies

The current study explores students' ethnic identity, ethnocentrism, and friendship diversity and how they these variables relate to with whom students interact. The study uses research from intergroup relations, friendship diversity, and ethnic identification. Specifically, the study will examine how ethnic identification, ethnocentrism, and student cultural group involvement relate to intergroup anxiety which, in turn, relates to intergroup bias. Through this work, we seek to understand how intergroup relations stands amongst People of Color (POC) in the United States.