A Before-School Counselor Intervention that Promotes Peer Relational Skills and Influences Prosocial Behavior

The purpose of this dissertation was to understand the student experience and perception of change after participating in a before-school counselor intervention focused on learning prosocial behaviors and developing peer relational skills. This evaluation included both how students experienced the program and if they perceived any change in themselves after participating in the program. Qualitative methods are often used in evaluations because they tell the program\u27s story by capturing and communicating the participant\u27s stories (Patton, 2003, p. 2). The purpose of this type of method was to illuminate the process and outcomes of a program. The intent of qualitative findings was to deepen understanding through the eyes of the participants or to put faces on the statistics to deepen understanding (Patton, 2003, p. 2). In order to understand the student experience and perception of change, the researcher interviewed eight students who participated in a 12-week before-school program. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed. Analysis of the data resulted in six separate findings. To summarize, the students found the before-school program to be a positive experience where they learned how to make friends more effectively, they felt good about helping others, and they found it difficult to cooperate on a consistent basis. Students evaluated the program as being fun and they spoke about 38 of the 52 activities. The bulk of the program evaluation centered unanimously around four specific activities. And each individual student came away from the 12 week program gaining a personally meaningful and unique skill. This study provided a qualitative evaluation of student perception of a before-school program. These findings are useful for school administrators, superintendents, and school counselors because they provide an understanding of the student experiences of change in group counseling which occurred before-school. This data can be used to support the value of group work outside of the traditional day. This program can be used to provide a model of psychoeducational prevention work to students when time for counseling groups in elementary school is becoming increasingly scarce

Ethnic variations in the relationship between multiple stress domains and use of several types of tobacco/nicotine products among a diverse sample of adults.

IntroductionFinancial strain and discrimination are consistent predictors of negative health outcomes and maladaptive coping behaviors, including tobacco use. Although there is considerable information exploring stress and smoking, limited research has examined the relationship between patterns of stress domains and specific tobacco/nicotine product use. Even fewer studies have assessed ethnic variations in these relationships.MethodsThis study investigated the relationship between discrimination and financial strain and current tobacco/nicotine product use and explored the ethnic variation in these relationships among diverse sample of US adults (N = 1068). Separate logistic regression models assessed associations between stress domains and tobacco/nicotine product use, adjusting for covariates (e.g., age, gender, race/ethnicity, and household income). Due to statistically significant differences, the final set of models was stratified by race/ethnicity.ResultsHigher levels of discrimination were associated with higher odds of all three tobacco/nicotine product categories. Financial strain was positively associated with combustible tobacco and combined tobacco/nicotine product use. Financial strain was especially risky for Non-Hispanic Whites (AOR:1.191, 95%CI:1.083-1.309) and Blacks/African Americans (AOR:1.542, 95%CI:1.106-2.148), as compared to other groups, whereas discrimination was most detrimental for Asians/Pacific Islanders (AOR:3.827, 95%CI:1.832-7.997) and Hispanics/Latinas/Latinos (AOR:2.517, 95%CI:1.603-3.952).ConclusionsFindings suggest discrimination and financial stressors are risk factors for use of multiple tobacco/nicotine products, highlighting the importance of prevention research that accounts for these stressors. Because ethnic groups may respond differently to stress/strain, prevention research needs to identify cultural values, beliefs, and coping strategies that can buffer the negative consequences of discrimination and financial stressors

Undocumented Immigrants and the Constitutional Rights of Their U.S. Born Children

In this essay I will discuss language of the 14th Amendment, which grants automatic citizenship to every child born on US soil, regardless of the immigration status of their parents. These children have been typecast by the media as “anchor” babies. Through primary documents and peer review journals, this paper will show the nature of what it\u27s like to be a child of an undocumented immigrant and the rights they have. The funding for these children with undocumented parents has been widely disputed and will discuss in-depth about what type of services the U.S. is responsible for. With the upcoming presidential race, this group of people are going to be the ones most widely effected. With 16.6 million people that have at least one relative that is an undocumented immigrant, choosing to start deportation undocumented immigrants would cause so much destruction to our country. This paper ultimately concludes that although there are costs associated with children with at least one undocumented parent, choosing to deport undocumented immigrants will cause more damage to our Country

Bridging the Gap Between Healthcare and Law Enforcement in the Field of Forensics

The evolution and integration of forensic nursing into other disciplines within communities create an excellent opportunity to network and collaborate with personnel in other fields. However, this dynamic interaction into new territory may lead to collaborative and communication issues, especially in areas such as the criminal justice system. As the specialty of forensic nursing evolves and becomes more established in different areas of the community, the criminal justice system and nursing need to work together to bridge previously defined gaps. Through analysis and evaluation of current research and literature, key contributing factors to gap this will be discussed and recommendations will be made for change

Student Athlete Perceptions of Athletic Trainers’ Competence Based on Appearance and Dress

Context: Physical appearance and dress attire may be a major influence on a person’s perception of an individual’s professional competence. Objective: To examine influence of Athletic Trainer (AT) physical appearance and dress attire on student-athletes’ perception of an AT’s competence. Design: Cross-Sectional Study Setting: NATA District 5 Participants: Student athletes (n=156; female: n=71; male: n=78) from NCAA Division III and NAIA institutions participated in the study. Interventions: Participants viewed one of four Body Mass Index (BMI) specific AT images [underweight BMI=18, normal weight BMI=24, overweight BMI=30, or an obese BMI=36] while answering 36 Student Athlete Response (SAR) Form survey questions regarding professional competence. AT specific images alternated between a male or female and dressed in either business casual or athletic attire. Participants completed eight behavioral characteristics derived from 5th edition of the Athletic Training Education Competencies by selecting an optimal BMI from a silhouette scale. Main Outcome Measures: ANOVA and post hoc analyzed SAR Form Data. Composite sub-scores were calculated for AT dress (business casual and athletic attire) and gender (male and female). Independent t-test measured silhouette scale data. Results: A significant main effect was found for AT BMI [F (3, 152)=6.2, p n2=.9355]. A post-hoc test revealed obese BMI (139.55 ± 25.9; 95% CI=131.25, 147.85), differed significantly (p \u3c .05) in composite SAR mean score from underweight (159.19 ± 15; 95% CI=154.18, 164.20) and normal weight (153.26 ± 17.5; 95% CI=147.86, 158.65) AT BMI categories. A significant main effect was found for AT dress [F (1, 154)=27.74, p 2 vs. 26.04 ± 3.8kg/m2; pConclusions: Student-athletes perceive a relationship between an AT’s physical appearance and professional competence. More specifically, student-athletes perceived both an AT that was normal and underweight as well as an AT that was dressed in business attire as more competent than the alternatives

Does the HELP Grant Help? Impact of the HELP Grant on College-Going in Mississippi

Mississippi appropriates millions of dollars each year to the Higher Education Legislative Plan for Needy Students (HELP) Grant to help college-ready, low-income students pay for college, but little is known about the effectiveness of the program. This dissertation in practice examines the impact of the HELP Grant by comparing the college-going performance of HELP Grant recipients to the college-going performance of similar students who did not receive the HELP Grant. The study finds HELP Grant recipients complete significantly more hours and earn significantly higher GPAs than non-recipients after the first term, first year, and second year of college. With the HELP Grant, minority students and the lowest income students complete nearly as many hours and earn nearly the same GPA as their majority and higher income peers. Nevertheless, the merit eligibility criteria act as an eligibility barrier for many students, so too few students receive and benefit from the HELP Grant. These data will be shared with policymakers to inform the Mississippi budget process and the development of general legislation