PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2020, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Educational Studies

This dissertation, co-conducted with the Youth Council for Suicide Prevention (YCSP), investigates youth leadership in youth advisory structures (YAS) in three papers. Each paper contributes to an understanding of how and why young people are involved as advisors on issues germane to them. The first paper is a review of scholarly research on YAS in the United States. The review found that while the use of YAS is increasing, YAS vary widely in format and research offers little information about their processes or engagement of youth. However, most YAS partner with marginalized youth to inform health research and programming. This review provides recommendations for best practices and informs the discussion of the following two papers. The second paper is an open source published study with the YCSP (Haddad et al., 2020), which serves as a case example of how participatory projects are carried out within YAS. The abstract is as follows: “Suicide is a prevalent health issue for youth and understanding youth experiences is critical for the development of effective prevention strategies. Although youth perceptions regarding suicide are relatively well studied, there is a paucity of youth voices in the planning, design, facilitation, and implementation of suicide prevention research. This study examines youth perceptions of suicide prevention through a community-academic partnership with the Youth Council for Suicide Prevention (YCSP). Working together as co-researchers, the YCSP conducted a modified Group Level Assessment with over 200 youth to understand youth perspectives on suicide prevention. The findings were used by the council to inform outreach and prevention activities that directly affect YCSP members and their peers” (Haddad et al., 2020, p. 1). The third paper is a participatory study with the YCSP that explores the personal and professional impact and meaning of their experiences as council members for suicide prevention. YCSP members were involved in (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Lisa Vaughn Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Farrah Jacquez Ph.D. (Committee Member); Miriam Raider-Roth Ed.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2017, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Educational Studies

After years of decline, there has been a steady increase in the percentage of youth who report seriously considering suicide or making a suicide plan (Kann et al., 2016) and those who have died by suicide (CDC, 2016). As of 2014, suicide moved from being the third leading cause of death for youth ages 10 to 24 to being the second leading cause of death (CDC, 2014). Public strategies and funding to prevent suicide have increased; however, the effectiveness of existing strategies varies, especially in regard to youth help-seeking behaviors, problem-solving, and treatment engagement and utilization. Although youth are among the primary targets of suicide prevention strategies, they have largely been excluded from prevention efforts except as passive participants in programs and research studies. Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) is a collaborative approach to research that engages youth and academics as equal partners, and aims to build youth potential for being intentional agents of change for issues that directly affect them and their peers (Cammarota & Fine, 2008). The current study utilized YPAR within an integrated social ecological and positive youth development theoretical framework as an adolescent suicide prevention strategy in Cincinnati, Ohio. Multiple methods were used to determine the usability of YPAR as an innovative approach for building youth development, to explore youth experiences with YPAR for suicide prevention, and to understand youth capacity for conducting suicide prevention research. Findings revealed that confidence gained through YPAR processes contributed to important changes in individual youth development, which then fostered group development and positive perceptions of their capacity to work collectively to address adolescent suicide amongst themselves and with their peer group. The findings have important implications for understanding key processes within YPAR that lead to individual and group development, and where in the YP (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Lisa Vaughn Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Jacqueline Grupp-Phelan M.D. (Committee Member); Farrah Jacquez Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Public Health

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2016, Psychology

Teen dating violence (TDV) is a dangerous and pervasive problem, and it is associated with a host of negative psychological, behavioral, health, and academic outcomes. While other forms of violence are addressed in schools, TDV has received less attention from school-based prevention efforts. The empirical support for school-based TDV prevention programs is limited and additional research is needed. Schools are in need of effective and sustainable prevention programs to address TDV in their students. The current study explores the outcomes of engaging youth in the process of addressing TDV at their school. Students from ninth through twelfth grade participated in a community-based participatory research (CBPR) project that engaged them in both research and prevention design and implementation to address TDV in their school. A mixed-method, longitudinal study design combined survey and group interview data to examine the school-wide and youth committee impact of using a CBPR approach to address TDV. The findings suggest that high school students can effectively engage in the CBPR process to design a TDV prevention program and that their participation is associated with an increase in positive youth development. The study supports further research examining youth engagement in CBPR to address TDV prevention.

Committee: Paul Flaspohler PhD (Committee Chair); Jennifer Green PhD (Committee Member); Elizabeth Kiel-Luebbe PhD (Committee Member); Dawna-Cricket-Martita Meehan PhD (Committee Member); Amity Noltemeyer PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology

Master of Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, 2009, Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Understanding sexual behaviors of persons on Antiretroviral therapy(ART) is critical designing and implementation of positive prevention programs. 559 HIV infected adults were enrolled in clinic based prospective observational study and sexual behaviors ascertained at ART initiation and semi-annually thereafter. Using Logistic regression with generalized estimating equations, factors associated with sexual activity and unprotected sex were examined. Over the first three years of ART, the proportion sexually active did not change at ~52% (χ2 Trend, p=0.94) while the proportion reporting unprotected sex decreased (χ2 Trend, p<0.0001). Men reported unprotected sex less often than women (p<0.0001). In all analyses, having no children and female gender (controlling for any other factors) was associated with the practice of unprotected sex. The interventional effect of comprehensive HIV care resulted in marked reductions in unprotected sex particularly among men. Strengthening of positive prevention interventions, especially among females are needed in ART programs in this setting.

Committee: Ajay Sethi Phd,MHS (Committee Chair); Christopher Whalen MD, MS (Committee Member); Jeffrey Albert Phd (Committee Member) Subjects: Biostatistics; Epidemiology; Health; Health Care; Virology

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2008, Counseling Psychology

The present study investigated associations among African American and same sex attracted identity developmental components, psychological well-being, difficult sexual situations, and sexual risk practices among a sample (N = 73) of HIV-positive African American men who have sex with men (MSMs). The current study responds to Mays, Cochran, and Zamudio's (2004) call for empirical investigations of culturally specific determinants impacting psychological health and sexual risk behaviors among African American MSMs. The current study parallels the methodology of Diaz, Ayala, and Bein (2004) and Diaz, Bein, and Ayala (2006), linking experiences of homophobia, racism, and poverty to psychological health and sexual risk practices among gay identified Latino men. Using a similar framework, the current study investigated the impact of African American and same sex attracted identity development on psychological health and sexual risk practices within a sample of African American HIV-positive MSMs. The current study's sample reported a diverse range of sexual identities (e.g., gay, heterosexual, “on the down low;”), with all participants having engaged in consensual sex with other men. Results indicated that higher endorsement of the Anti-White African American identity (as measured by the Cross Racial Identity Scale [CRIS, Vandiver et al., 2000]), as well as lower levels of psychological well-being, and younger ages, predicted circumstances promoting unsafe sex. Higher endorsements of the African American identities of Multiculturalist Inclusive and Miseducation, as well as the same sex attracted identity of Superiority (as measured by the Lesbian and Gay Identity Scale [LGIS; Mohr & Fassinger, 2000]), predicted interpersonal barriers to unsafe sex. Additional exploratory analyses showed higher endorsements of the same sex identity of Homonegativity to predict lower levels of psychological well-being; higher endorsements of the African American identity of Assimilation, an (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Charles Waehler Ph.D. (Advisor) Subjects: African Americans; Behaviorial Sciences; Demographics; Developmental Psychology; Gender; Health; Multicultural Education; Psychology; Psychotherapy; Public Health; Social Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2012, Psychology

This study examines how parental hostility, parental depression, and overall parenting skills contribute to child bullying and the effectiveness of the ACT Parents Raising Safe Kids (ACT-PRSK) program at reducing child bullying. Seventy-two parent participants completed a parent symptom inventory, parenting skills measure, and child symptom inventory, which evaluated the presence of child bullying behaviors. Of the 72 parent participants, twenty-five participated in the ACT-PRSK program and 27 parent participants served as comparisons. Results indicate that parental hostility is the only significant predictor of child bullying for the entire sample. Data suggests, however, that there may be a difference in the relationship between parental factors and child bullying by child gender. Furthermore, results show that the ACT-PRSK group evidenced a significant reduction in bullying behaviors, suggesting this intervention can make an important contribution to the prevention of bullying and that parental hostility should be a significant component addressed in bullying prevention.

Committee: Jeanne Brockmyer Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Michele Knox Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Wesley Bullock Ph.D. (Committee Member); Alice Skeens Ph.D. (Committee Member); Mojisola Tiamiyu Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology