African American Caregiver Resiliency: Resources, Vulnerabilities, Coping, And Well-Being Among Caregivers Of Persons With Chronic Illness

Using a sample of African American family members from the National Survey of Families and Households: NSFH), this study explored the experience of caring for a family member with chronic illness. Guided by the Model of Family Stress, Adaptation, and Resiliency the study looked at the role that family stress and coping factors: specifically, resources, vulnerabilities, and coping behaviors) have on caregiver well-being. T-tests and chi-square analyses of the entire sample, both the caregivers and non-caregivers: N = 2390) revealed no significant differences, other than gender, between caregivers and non-caregivers across demographic, stressor, and coping factors. Caregivers were more likely to be female. Moreover, though a correlation did exist between caregiving and depression: using the CES-D depression scale), regression analyses revealed that this relationship was not significant when other independent family stressors, namely divorce and unemployment, are controlled for. Thus, caregiving as an independent family member stressor was not related to depression or other well-being indicators. Finally, an investigation of a subset of caregivers: N = 369) in the sample was conducted, via path analyses, to look at the relationship between model factors and caregiver well-being. Results revealed that caregiver vulnerabilities, particularly employment and caring for more than one ill member, were significantly related to health reports. Coping behaviors did not mediate these relationships. The results of this study suggest that the context of the caregiver\u27s family life is directly related to their well-being, perhaps more so than coping behaviors. This has implications for future development of family-based support interventions

Creating a user friendly website for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Black Hawk County

Website design can be overwhelming for many viewers. Many times viewers discontinue using sites, because it.is not easy to navigate through the site. In creating the website for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Black Hawk County, user-friendliness was the focal point of the project. The Chief Professional Officer along with the staff at the Boys & Girls Clubs assisted with the development of a website by providing information that was to be included on the site. To ensure a professional look the designer relied on the four basic principles of design: contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity. The design simplicity of the site will allow for the site to be updated with ease

The design of health promotion strategies for seafarers

Health promoting interventions among seafarers have, to date, been limited in scope and their effectiveness is questionable. There is good knowledge base from a wide range of onshore settings that indicates how best to structure health promotion initiatives in ways that are accepted by those affected by them and where their effectiveness has been fully evaluated. Here we identify the main lessons to be learnt from experience in other sectors and note the special features of the settings in which seafarers live and work as the basis for strategic development. The history of health promoting initiatives in seafarers is also summarised. The aim of this review is to foster debate about the best means to formulate seafarer health promotion initiatives and to introduce them in such ways that their effectiveness can be evaluated. The review has its origins as a scoping document for a strategic review of seafarer health promotion supported by the Seafarers’ Trust

Extraction and recovery of 2-butoxyethanol from aqueous phases containing high saline concentration

Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (EGBE), also known as 2-butoxyethanol (2-BE), has been identified as a contaminant in hydraulic fracturing fluids. In order to determine the presence of 2-BE in hydraulic fracturing chemical additives, a reliable method for recovering 2-BE from aqueous phases by liquid-liquid extraction combined with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was established. The liquid-liquid extraction method was applied to samples matrices containing various amounts of salt. Using methylene chloride for liquid-liquid extraction in a sample to solvent ratio of 1:3, ≥99% 2-BE recovery may be achieved with less than 5% standard error. The limit of detection was determined to be 0.957 mg L−1 2-BE. Accuracy was determined to be 2.58% and precision was determined using the coefficient of variation, which was 3.5%. The method was used to recover 2-BE in a hydraulic fracturing chemical additive called Revert Flow and to quantify the weight percent of 2-BE in the chemical additive. Weight percent of two additional components of Revert Flow, D-limonene and 1-butoxy-2-propanol, were also determined. We also used the method to determine the abiotic of 2-BE in water, which was 5.55 days. The persistence of 2-BE in hydraulic fracturing fluid was also investigated and determined that 2-BE is more persistent in this environment

The Nelson Memorandum: How two HELIOS members are responding

UT Librarie

A Phenomenological Study of Cultural Responsiveness in Special Education

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the factors affecting elementary teacher’s ability to understand the academic needs of their racially, culturally, and ethnically diverse special education students and the ways in which their values and beliefs influenced their use of culturally responsive practices in the special education classroom. This study revealed five major reasons for the disproportionate number of Black students in special education as perceived by three White teachers in North Carolina: (a) the inadequate coursework in teacher education programs regarding teaching strategies to effectively teach racially, culturally, and ethnically diverse (RCED) students, (b) the cultural dissonance that created a divide between White teachers and their racially, culturally, and ethnically diverse students, (c) lack of knowledge on the instructional strategies that should be utilized in order to effectively teach racially, culturally, and ethnically diverse students, (d) cultural considerations for Response to Interventions (RtIs) and (e) a disconnect between the home-school cultures. It is significant because findings from this study could add to the knowledge base of strategies to close or eliminate the achievement gap of racially, culturally, and ethnically diverse students in special education programs. Furthermore, these experiences may provide an additional opportunity for local educational agencies (LEAS) to examine the impact of culturally responsive teaching practices on the achievement of RCED students in the special education classroom

Effectiveness of an Evidenced-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Intervention for Adolescents in a School Setting

Abstract The adolescent years are a formative time when rapid hormonal and physical changes stimulate the developing mind. Exposure to poverty, abuse, violence, and lack of peer and social support causes an increase in vulnerability to the development of mental health problems. The COVID-19 pandemic has also exacerbated symptoms of depression and anxiety. Regardless of the risk factors, anxiety and depression continue to be significant health problems, affecting thousands of adolescents yearly in the United States. The first-line treatment recommendation for managing anxiety and depression symptoms is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). However, access to a provider for CBT treatment is not always an option for many reasons. This pilot evidenced-based practice project aims to increase access to skills acquired through CBT and improve adolescents’ mental health by implementing a brief and evidenced-based CBT program in a school setting. The CBT program for this project is the Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment (COPE) for Teens program consisting of seven 50-55-minute sessions. The COPE program was delivered to 22 students in a 7th grade health class. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Modified for Adolescents (PHQ-A) measured anxiety and depression scores at baseline, post-intervention, and two-month follow-up. Results indicate clinically significant improvements in anxiety and depression scores and showed participant satisfaction

Smokers’ beliefs about the tobacco control potential of “a gene for smoking”: A focus group study

BACKGROUND: Several genetic variations associated with nicotine dependence and lung cancer exist. Translating this knowledge into tobacco control policy relies on smokers’ perceptions of the implications of the research. This study explored smokers’ beliefs about the tobacco control uses for research examining genomics, smoking, and addiction. METHOD: Smokers (N = 85) participated in one of thirteen focus groups and one interview, stratified by race (eight black, six white) and education (seven < Bachelor’s degree, seven ≥ Bachelor’s degree). Data were analyzed by two independent coders using standard analysis and validation techniques. RESULTS: Nearly all groups suggested using genetic information for youth-oriented tobacco prevention education. Beliefs about the effectiveness of such actions varied. Many participants believed that providing smokers personalized genetic testing results or informing them about the existence of a gene would not motivate people to quit. All smokers emphasized the need for improved smoking cessation treatment options. Using genomics research to develop gene therapies and personalized drug treatments were also mentioned, yet perceptions of such treatments were mixed. Whereas some participants viewed the possibility positively, others expressed concern about cost and access. Participants who were skeptical of the effectiveness of using genetic information for tobacco control noted that the harms of tobacco use are widely known and genetic information does not add much of a deterrent. CONCLUSION: Participants generated several possible tobacco control uses for genomics research findings. Our findings suggest that tobacco control experts should consult with smokers prior to implementing tobacco control measures. The potential public health benefits of genetics and genomics research related to tobacco use cannot be realized until communication strategies that are most likely to encourage and support tobacco avoidance decisions, and minimize mistrust and backlash, are identified

PERCEIVED LIFE SATISFACTION AMONG GAY MALES: THE COMING-OUT PROCESS

This research project was a mixed method of both a quantitative and qualitative design to examine the perception of 38 gay male’s life satisfaction post coming out. In the past few years, laws affecting the gay community have been at the forefront of policies and debates, given all communities an insight into the specific challenges that are endured. As the gay community starts to openly live their lives as a gay man, there has been a need to accept and understand not only the challenges, but to give acceptance. Additionally, this project sought out to determine if the gay community feels that their life satisfaction has increased post coming out to their family, friends, and coworkers, furthermore to be able to live a life not of shame, but of pride and acceptance of themselves

A Mixed Methods Study of the Perceived Effectiveness of the Rising Stars Leadership Development Program for Principals and Assistant Principals

The principal plays a significant role in the success of a school. It is important that leadership training programs prepare principals to be instructional leaders who know how to employ research based instructional strategies, implement programs that improve student achievement, analyze data, empower others, select appropriate professional development, and create a culture of collaboration and high expectations. The purpose of this study was to determine if the Rising Stars Leadership Training Program developed by Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement (GLISI) was perceived as an effective leadership preparation program by the participants. The research study census included 112 school administrators within a RESA district. A mixed-methods study utilized the Leadership Practices Inventory survey (Kouzes & Posner, 2003) along with open-ended questions and interviews. Results of an independent t-test on the LPI survey results revealed that there was little difference in the perceived leadership practices of administrators who completed the Rising Stars Program and administrators who did not. The open-ended questions and interviews provide data that gives insight to the strengths and weaknesses of the Rising Stars Program as well as areas for improvement. The information gleaned from this study could be instrumental in selecting future leadership training programs.Pate, James L.Downey, StevenLeech, DonaldSiegrist, GeraldEd.D.Educational Leadershi