Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2003, Psychology

This study examined the influence of individual, family, and environmental factors on the development of rule-violating behaviors over time among 508 children and adolescents and their parents drawn from a longitudinal study of bereavement and depression. Participants ranged in age from 5-17 [M(SD) = 11.4(3.2)] at study entry; 52% were male, and 98% Caucasian. Hierarchical multivariate multilevel models were created to measure the effect of individual, family, and environmental factors on participation in rule-violating behaviors over five repeated assessments. Interaction effects were also examined. Overall reported unruly behavior, alcohol use, drug use, and sexual activity were quite low, but strongly correlated. Parent and child reports of behavior were correlated, but parents reported less substance use and sexual activity, and more unruly behavior overall. Significant differences were found in the models for the four dependent variables. No sex or SES differences were found, with the exception of reported sexual activity, which was higher among girls and older adolescents. Use of alcohol was greatest among those with normative pubertal development. Sensation seeking predicted increased unruly behavior and alcohol use. Impulsivity predicted more unruly behavior in younger children, but had no effect for older adolescents. Depression significantly predicted more unruly behavior, but effects on alcohol use and drug use interacted with age and differed for parent and child report. Conduct disorder (CD) symptoms were linked with increased sexual activity, and predicted greater alcohol use and more unruly behavior among older adolescents. CD symptoms predicted more drug use among depressed youth, but decreased drug use in non-depressed participants. Older adolescents living in two-parent households at study entry reported less alcohol use. Parent psychopathology predicted greater sexual activity. Positive family functioning predicted decreased unruly behavior and dr (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mary Fristad (Advisor) Subjects:

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1960, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

PHD, Kent State University, 0, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

This dissertation examined a sample of individuals with endometriosis-consistent symptoms, who have not yet been formally diagnosed. Their views of endometriosis and their symptoms were measured, and the impact of such perceptions on health outcomes including care-seeking intentions, information seeking behaviors, coping strategies, and wellbeing indices, were examined. The Commonsense Model served as the theoretical guide of this work. Illness perceptions emerged as important predictors of health outcomes, explaining between 19.6% and 48% of the variance in outcomes. Notable illness perceptions that significantly predicted outcomes – regardless of their conceptualization as a symptom or endometriosis perception – were concern and control perceptions. Specifically, high concern and control beliefs predicted important outcomes such as care-seeking intentions, learning one's risk, and coping strategies. Interventions that target concern and control beliefs of patients at risk may most profitably foster endometriosis care-seeking behaviors. Such interventions should avoid also raising any of the perceptions identified as threatening in this work (e.g., emotionality). This dissertation lays groundwork for future research to learn more about those at risk of endometriosis and to inform psychological efforts to improve patient health outcomes. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Committee: John Updegraff (Advisor); Jennifer Taber (Committee Member); Kristen Marcussen (Committee Member); Nichole Egbert (Committee Member); Amy Sato (Committee Member) Subjects: Health; Health Sciences; Psychology; Social Psychology

PHD, Kent State University, 2024, College of Public Health

The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methods study was to explore HIV risk perception, the meaning of HIV testing, and HIV risk behavior among college students following a negative HIV test. An extended version of the theoretical framework of the health belief model (HBM) aided in the exploration of college students' perceptions of HIV, rationales for HIV risk behavior, and the meaning they attached to HIV testing. Following the sequential explanatory mixed methods design, the initial phase involved collecting quantitative data to assess HIV risk perception among college students who received a negative HIV test in the last 12 months. In the second phase, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was applied to gather data through individual semi-structured interviews to help explain HIV risk behavior in the context of HIV testing. Findings indicated that college students' perception of their HIV risk is aligned with their risk behavior. Results showed a statistically significant difference in HIV risk perception based on sexual orientation. Before HIV testing, college students justified their HIV risk behavior based on partner trust, not wanting to feel restrained, and acting on the need to fulfill their desire, lust, or temptation. After receiving a negative HIV test result, college students still experienced fear of contracting HIV. However, some students became more cautious and adopted preventive measures, while others continued with previous behavior patterns. Implications of the research findings include examining risk perception across college students of different sexual orientations to understand the impact of risk perception in HIV testing and exploring the differing needs of college students to remain HIV-negative. Participants recommended that colleges address access to free HIV testing, increase information dissemination regarding HIV risk and HIV testing services, and continue research that explores college students' lived experiences (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jeffrey Hallam (Committee Co-Chair); Jo Dowell (Committee Member); Deric Kenne (Committee Member); Eric Jefferis (Committee Co-Chair) Subjects: Behaviorial Sciences; Epidemiology; Higher Education; Public Health; Social Research

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2024, Educational Leadership

Collegiate men are overrepresented in student conduct systems across the higher education landscape as they are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors when compared with their female counterparts (Laker & Davis, 2011). There is a strong correlation between these high-risk behaviors and the ideology of toxic masculinity (Wagner, 2015). Many collegiate men yearn for a sense of belonging and when they are joining community with each other, it can re-enforce the adoption of this toxic masculine ideology (Harris & Struve, 2009). Restorative Justice while not a new concept, is still a relatively newer practice in higher education. As the toxic masculine ideology is leading to many collegiate men engaging in harmful behavior that is not being sufficiently corrected through historical punitive student conduct practices, this study aimed to see if restorative justice could be used a tool to support men engaging in high-risk behavior and combat toxic masculinity by aiding with their self-authorship and sense of belonging. 16 student conduct professionals from across the country participated in this constructivist phenomenological research and data was collected through semi-structured interviews, to learn from their experiences on challenging and supporting male college students with restorative justice practices and philosophy. Eight themes emerged from this study. The themes are as follows: 1) Versatility of restorative justice; 2) Traditional forms of student conduct have significant limitations; 3) Art of vulnerability; 4) Understanding of community impact; 5) Becoming an agent for change; 6) Finding authenticity; 7) Meaningful change; 8) Building and/or finding community.

Committee: Matthew Witenstein (Committee Chair); Bill Fischer (Committee Member); Davin Carr-Chellman (Committee Member); Mary Ziskin (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Philosophy; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration

PHD, Kent State University, 2022, College of Business and Entrepreneurship, Ambassador Crawford / Department of Accounting

This dissertation consists of two essays on the impact of negative prospects on firm cost structures. It focuses on cost behavior for two reasons. First, cost structures, also known as operating leverage, play an important role in the level and the risk of a firm's profitability, and second, a firm's cost structure is largely determined by its managers' decisions and mirrors a vast range of operating decisions. The prospect theory argues that people may exhibit different behaviors on the same issue depending on whether these people frame the results as gains or losses. Specifically, based on prospect theory, people are risk-averse in the gain frame, preferring a sure gain to a speculative gamble, but are risk-seeking in the loss frame, tending to choose a risky gamble rather than a sure loss. It is important to investigate whether negative prospects can cause firms' risk-taking behavior because such risk-taking behaviors are usually value-destroying and associated with inferior subsequence performance. Given the evidence provided by the prospect theory literature, I conjecture and prove a controversial argument that when firms and their executives face negative prospects, these firms will adopt a rigid cost structure. In this dissertation, I examine two examples of negative prospects. The first essay examines the association between earnings or demand downside risks and firms' cost behavior and argues that firms may adopt rigid cost structures when they face earnings or demand downside risks. Traditional wisdom believes that when firms face high risk, especially high downward risk, they should adopt a flexible cost structure. Konchitchki et al. (2016) estimate a firm's earnings downside risk by comparing the realized earnings with the expected ones. Following their method, this essay develops an estimate for demand downside risk and proves that it is associated with firms' subsequent demand as well as subsequent operating performance. According to the prospect the (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Shunlan Fang (Committee Co-Chair); Dandan Liu (Committee Member); Pervaiz Alam (Committee Co-Chair) Subjects: Accounting

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2022, Medicine: Epidemiology (Environmental Health)

Objective: Data from electronic health records (EHRs) was used to determine individual characteristic association with aggressive incidents in children and adolescents during psychiatric hospitalization. Predictive probability of risk factors for aggression was examined to provide an evidence-based methodology for early detection of unsafe behavior among adolescent psychiatric inpatients and reducing harmful incidents. Methods: This retrospective study involved 10,054 unique patient admissions to inpatient psychiatry at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) from April 1, 2010 until June 30, 2021. Children and adolescents aged 4-18 years old were admitted through the emergency department (ED). All admissions were unique and no patient had more than one inpatient admission at CCHMC during the study period. Factors obtained in the ED assessment prior to admission were analyzed. Aggressive incidents were documented by the psychiatric nursing staff using the Overt Aggression Scale (OAS). Pearson's chi-squared tests were conducted to determine associations between aggressive incidents and categorical variables. Wilcoxon's rank sum exact tests were used to compare the continuous characteristics in aggressive and nonaggressive groups. The Brief Rating of Aggression by Children and Adolescents (BRACHA) alone was compared to an expanded model for risk prediction. For the expanded model, the optimal predictors were identified using random forest. The expanded model cut point was chosen based on similar sensitivity to the BRACHA score cut point. Predictive power of the expanded model was compared to that of the BRACHA alone using the Delong's test. The expanded model was evaluated comparing logistic regression and recursive partitioning. The optimal model was chosen based on improvements to sensitivity, specificity and the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristics (ROC). Results: Age, sex, health insurance, living arr (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Scott Langevin Ph.D. (Committee Member); Richard Brokamp Ph.D. (Committee Member); Marepalli Rao Ph.D. (Committee Member); Lisa Martin Ph.D. (Committee Member); Ranjan Deka Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Epidemiology

MS, Kent State University, 2022, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Health Sciences

This study examined the knowledge, risk perception, and behavior perception of college students with and without a family history of diabetes (n=175), as well as the effect of these factors on diet and physical activity habits. Students enrolled in a nutrition elective course were invited to complete a series of questionnaires and a three-day dietary record. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze demographic data. Three independent samples t-tests were used to compare mean differences in diabetes knowledge, risk perception and behavior perception between students' family history status. Finally, three factorial ANOVAs were performed to determine effects among these variables on risk-related behaviors. Sixty percent (n=105) of students indicated that they had a first- or second-degree relative with diabetes, although these students did not differ in disease knowledge when compared to those without a family history (p ≥ 0.05). Those with a family history did have significantly greater risk perception scores (p ≤ 0.01); however, both groups were unrealistically optimistic about developing diabetes in their lifetime. As a whole, the sample did not meet the recommendations for fiber while simultaneously overconsuming saturated fat. Yet, students with a family history had significantly lower behavior perceptions (p ≤ 0.05), indicating that they may be more receptive to educational interventions. Two, three-way interaction effects (p ≤ 0.05) were found on the dependent variable of physical activity. Diabetes prevention efforts would benefit from further research examining the combined effect of family history, knowledge, and perception on the risk-related behaviors of college students.

Committee: Dr. Eun-Jeong Ha (Advisor); Dr. Jamie Matthews (Committee Member); Dr. Natalie Caine-Bish (Committee Member) Subjects: Nutrition

Master of Arts, Case Western Reserve University, 2022, Psychology

Greater levels of educational attainment (EA) have been associated with many positive life outcomes throughout adulthood. Prior work has focused upon the role of academic achievement in predicting EA; however, more recent work suggests EA is likely influenced by additional variables, including genetics. The current study used data collected in a longitudinal twin study to examine the direct impact of genes on individual differences in EA and the mediating role of other behaviors shown to impact EA. Results indicated that the polygenic score (PGS) for EA did not account for a significant amount of variance in EA, likely due to limitations in statistical power. However, the EA PGS did account for significant variation in math and reading achievement, as well as educational self-concept. The PGS also predicted financial responsibility in emerging adulthood. Altogether, findings support characteristics of adulthood defined by the developmental theory of emerging adulthood.

Committee: Lee Thompson (Advisor); Brooke Macnamara (Committee Member); Heath Demaree (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Developmental Psychology; Genetics

Bachelor of Music Education, Wittenberg University, 2019, Music

High-risk students are less likely to act out in the music classroom because of activities used to keep students engaged, moving and creative. Students are less likely to be a behavioral problem in the classroom when they are interested in the material, and constantly “doing” instead of listening to a teacher talk at them. In the elementary music classroom, through movement, singing, playing, listening, and other musical techniques, teachers are better able to control and/or prevent behavioral problems. Elementary music classes are often overlooked as a resource and solution for students' emotional needs, and should be utilized more and understood as a space where students are actually more inclined to behave and express their emotions in a healthy way. Through talking with various teachers in inner-city school districts, much evidence was found to support the idea that music affects students in a positive way and can be used to correct and prevent negative behaviors in the elementary music classroom. This research paper will discuss the ways in which music can be used in an elementary music classroom to help promote positive behaviors instead of negative ones, and will suggest activities that can be used as starting points to help students engage and prevent acting-out.

Committee: Erik Zinter (Advisor); Brandon Jones (Committee Member); Amy McGuffey (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Elementary Education; Music Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, Anthropology

Primates are confronted with threats of predation on a regular basis, but much is unknown regarding how they perceive and respond to these threats. Even less is known about how predators respond to primate anti-predator behaviors. Thus, key questions remain: How do primates cope with the possibility of being eaten and do these coping strategies thwart hunting by predators? This dissertation investigates these questions using a newly identified primate species, Rylands' bald-faced saki monkeys (Pithecia rylandsi), one of their main felid predators, ocelots (Leopardus pardalis), and audio and visual simulations of other predators. Specifically, I conducted experiments on wild saki monkeys in the Peruvian Amazon using audio playbacks of predator vocalizations and life-size decoys of their main aerial and terrestrial predators. I also carried out playback experiments on the predators themselves using audio broadcasts of monkey alarm calls. This experimental design allowed me to test the ability of sakis to recognize predators based on acoustic and visual cues, determine how they respond based on predator class, location, and context, as well as to examine what information might be conveyed in their alarm calls and how these calls cause changes to predator behavior. Results from playbacks show that sakis are able to identify predator types (aerial vs. terrestrial) based solely on vocalizations, but they do not exhibit predator-specific escape responses to terrestrial predators based on acoustic cues alone. While sakis respond to harpy eagle shrieks appropriately by descending the canopy, they exhibit no clear movement patterns upon hearing jaguar growls. In contrast, visual jaguar models consistently elicit fast approaches, mobbing-style responses, and long alarm calling bouts. Visual harpy eagle stimuli elicit predator-specific whistle calls that are brief and quiet in nature, characteristics that make them difficult to locate in the forest matrix. Additional (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dawn Kitchen (Advisor); W. Scott McGraw (Committee Member); Debbie Guatelli-Steinberg (Committee Member) Subjects: Animals; Biology; Ecology; Physical Anthropology; Zoology

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2020, Biological Sciences

This dissertation addresses the limited understanding of the effects of spatially and temporally dynamic toxicant plumes entering flowing systems on aquatic organisms. The research summarized in this dissertation builds upon the understanding of dynamic exposure effects by investigating: (1) differences due to the distribution of toxicants from varying sources, (2) the relative contribution of dynamic plume characteristics in changing the personality of organisms (3) the use of organisms subjected to exposure regimes as bioindicators, and (4) modeling the effects of dynamic exposure on population dyanmics. To analyze the effects of variable exposure regimes, the first aim of this dissertation worked to examine differences in agonistic interactions and enzymatic response of crayfish proceeding exposure to structurally different plumes of an herbicide pollutant. These toxicants entered as groundwater or runoff sources and the resulting differences in exposure paradigm characteristics altered the toxicity of the pollutant. The overall intensity of the agonistic interactions and enzymatic response was altered depending on the mode of entry (Steele et al. 2018). The second aim worked to improve the definition of toxicity by examining inter-individual variation in response to a toxicant. The pre-exposure and post-exposure expression of personality were assessed by examining responses to predatory threat. Personality-dependent sensitivity to all exposure regimes resulted, where bold individuals showed an increased change in response relative to shy animals (Steele and Moore 2019). The third aim worked to investigate the sensitivity of organisms exposed to pollutants in natural aquatic environments by establishing the utility of crayfish as a bioindicator for PFAS contamination. Changes in foraging and antipredator behavior displayed by crayfish collected from various field sites correlated with PFAS concentrations found at these locations. This study demonstrated the sens (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Paul Moore Ph.D. (Advisor); Mohammadali Zolfagharian Ph.D. (Other); Rachelle Belanger Ph.D. (Committee Member); Robert Michael McKay Ph.D. (Committee Member); Louise Stevenson Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology; Ecology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, Computer Science and Engineering

Analysis of telematics data collected from drivers in real-time, along with contextual data (such as traffic and weather, data), provides valuable insights regarding an individual's driving behavior, common driving habits, and characteristics of a road network. The primary focus in this dissertation is on predicting the risk in driving, with the risk being a combination of the risk of the driver, the risk in a route, and the risk caused by driving conditions. We propose several data-analytic techniques for driving risk prediction and related caused and apply them to different sources of telematics and contextual data to extract useful insights. We seek to answer the following research question: How can telematics data and their context be modeled to make a fair and sound prediction about driving risk? In answering this question, we take two concerns into account: 1) scoring of driving risk is not a context-agnostic process, and 2) driving risk is not independent of the personality of drivers and their driving skills. We propose a solution that consists of three parts: a) characterizing driving context, b) characterizing driving style, and c) context-aware driving risk prediction. The first two parts derive useful insights that we leverage to design the third part. Characterizing driving context is about exploring properties of different contexts. We propose two solutions for this task. The first solution, which we term segmentation and causality analysis, derives the characteristics of contexts from the aggregate behavior of drivers. We start by segmenting trajectories to identify meaningful driving patterns (e.g., a hard brake). Then we analyze each pattern with respect to contextual data to identify cause-and-effect patterns (e.g., traffic signal --> hard-braking event). The second solution is a geo-spatiotemporal pattern discovery framework based on contextual data. We propose a new framework that explores two types of patterns, propagation and influential. P (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Rajiv Ramnath (Advisor); Srinivasan Parthasarathy (Committee Member); Wei-Lun (Harry) Chao (Committee Member) Subjects: Computer Engineering; Computer Science

Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2019, Psychology, Clinical

Previous research suggests that the Health Belief Model and the model of Pluralistic Ignorance are used interdependently to account for individuals' engagement in sexual risk behavior (Wulfert & Wan, 1995; Miller & McFarland, 1991; Downing-Matibag & Geisinger, 2009). The present study investigates if health belief variables (i.e., perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, and perceived self-efficacy) moderate or mediate the association between perceived peer norms and sexual risk behavior among college students. Results did not provide support for health belief variables acting as a moderator or a mediator of the association between perceived peer norms and sexual risk behavior. However, the results indicate that perceived peer norms consistently predicted sexual risk behavior among college students. These findings underscore findings from previous research regarding how important our perception of our peers is, and how this perception may drive our own behavior.

Committee: Jackson Goodnight Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Catherine Zois Ph.D. (Committee Member); Julie Walsh-Messinger Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Public Health

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2019, Consumer Sciences

Scarcity appeals, which commonly highlight a product or a service is scarce due to “high demand” or “limited supply,” are pervasively used in the marketplace. However, not all scarcity appeals are equally effective in persuading consumers. This study examines the joint effects of scarcity appeal type (demand-framed versus supply-framed) and consumers' sense of power on their purchase intention in the context of online booking. The results show that the demand-framed (vs. supply-framed) appeal leads to higher purchase intention among consumers with a high sense of power, whereas such a difference is attenuated among consumers with a low sense of power. Furthermore, results from a mediation analysis reveal that perceived risk is the psychological mechanism that explains these effects. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

Committee: Stephanie.Q Liu (Advisor); Jay Kandampully (Committee Member); Milos Bujisic (Committee Member) Subjects: Ecology; Marketing; Social Psychology

Master of Science (M.S.), University of Dayton, 2018, Civil Engineering

When a vehicle leaves the roadway, the likelihood of a roadway departure (RwD) crash can be deadly. Roadway departure conflicts usually involve a single vehicle, which occurs after a vehicle crosses an edge line, a centerline, or otherwise leaves the designated traveled way and collide with another vehicle or with a fixed object or overturns, etc. This study investigates the nature of the interrelations between roadway, vehicle, and driver (characteristics and behavior) risk factors in roadway departure conflicts. The purpose of this thesis study was to examine which factors increase the risk of roadway departure conflict and increase the likelihood becoming a roadway departure crash, using the Second Strategic Highway Research program (SHRP2) data. SHRP2 include Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS) and Roadway Information Database (RID), which were collected from six different states in 2010-2012. Stepwise logistic and generalized linear regression models were estimated to provide insights as to those factors that have association with roadway departure conflicts and more importantly to those that are more likely to lead the conflict into crashes. The results revealed that drivers pre-incident maneuvers, judgment maneuvers, secondary tasks (distracted drivers), road alignment (curves) were significant factors. Driver education, average mileage driven per years were also significant factors. However, driver gender and age were non-significant risk factor of roadway departure conflicts in the current study.

Committee: Deogratias Eustace Ph.D., P.E., PTOE (Advisor) Subjects: Civil Engineering

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2017, Psychology/Clinical

The majority of college students report having had at least one hook up experience, meaning that most have engaged in some form of sexual activity outside of romantic relationships or dating and without the expectation of a future relationship. This project aimed to provide a balanced account of the ways in which college students may experience hook-ups as both psychosocially adaptive and maladaptive and the ways in which various coping strategies may relate to their psychological adjustment and decision making with regard to alcohol and condom use when hooking up. This study surveyed 317 college students at a mid-size state university to (1) examine the extent to which hooking up itself elicits emotional reactions that are both positive and negative; (2) investigate the prevalence of various psychosocial and religious/spiritual coping struggles and resources with hooking up; and (3) determine whether specific types of coping tended to be linked to general psychosocial adjustment. Results showed that both men and women endorsed a mix of positive and negative emotions, with more positive than negative emotional reactions. However, women had significantly lower scores on positive emotions and higher scores on negative reactions than did men. For women, greater reliance on more healthy coping mechanisms such as seeking emotional support, institutional support, and positive reframing tended to be linked to greater flourishing. For certain more religious individuals, even low levels of hook-up behavior may contribute to a range of r/s struggles that in turn are tied to poorer psychological adjustment. Implications for both research and practice are discussed.

Committee: Annette Mahoney (Advisor); Kenneth I. Pargament (Committee Member); Anne Gordon (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Counseling Psychology; Psychology; Religion; Spirituality

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2016, Dentistry

Purpose: To characterize a child population seeking emergency dental care at the largest urban children's hospital's dental clinic and determine social determinants of health associated with emergency care seeking behaviors. Methods: 418 parents of children seeking emergency dental care at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Dental Clinic (NCHDC) completed a two-part survey. Part 1 asked 22 questions regarding patient and parent demographics, social risk factors, prior utilization of the dental and medical health care system, parent-identified chief complaint, thorough pain history, and past dental history. In part 2, dentists noted diagnosis, whether patient had sought care elsewhere for chief complaint, and information regarding necessary treatment and follow-up care. Additional patient demographics, in depth medical history and information related to previous care seeking behaviors were drawn from the electronic health record. Results: Of 418 patients completing the survey, most respondents were Caucasian 227(54%) or African American 161(39%), with the majority residing in Franklin County 288(71%). At assessment, 243(59%) of patients presented with caries pain, and 74(18%) presented with dental trauma. 237(57%) patients required treatment, with extraction being the most common. 234(56%) of patients were in pain, and nearly half (49%) had been in pain for 7 days or more. Almost half of patients (44%) had a dental visit within the last 6 months, and nearly one third of patients (30%) were seen elsewhere before presenting to NCHDC for this emergency visit. 226(54%) patients have only ever sought care at NCHDC on an emergency basis, with 47(11%) having their first dental visit at the time of emergency visit. 301(77%) families were considered low income, earning less than $40,000 annually which is approximately 200% of the federal poverty level. 227(67%) children lived in single parent homes, and only 90(22%) parents reported having a bachelor's degree. Only 259(63 (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ashok Kumar DDS, MS (Advisor); Paul Casamassimo DDS, MS (Committee Member); Homa Amini DDS, MPH (Committee Member); Catherine Flaitz DDS, MS (Committee Member); Jeffrey Hoffman MD (Committee Member) Subjects: Dentistry; Public Health

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2015, Sociology

Prior research suggests that sexual minorities [e.g., lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) identified individuals] are more susceptible than their heterosexual peers to behaviors such as substance use, criminality, and suicidality during both adolescence and young adulthood. Such scholarly work has examined the underpinnings of this association (Marshal et al. 2009; Fedewa & Ahn 2011; Safren & Steimberg 1999). Perhaps the most prominent explanation, minority stress theory suggests that due to discrimination and stigma, subjective age (i.e., one's sense of maturity) is increased by membership in the disadvantaged sexual minority group, while psychosocial maturity (i.e., the mental and emotional competence that accompanies genuine adult development) is stunted in sexual minority groups. Subjective age and psychosocial maturity, both aspects of adult identity, have been shown to influence adolescents' risk behavior and young adults' mental health (Galambos et al. 1999; Benson 2014). Yet no research links these two components of adult identity to risk behavior during the transition to young adulthood. Additionally, little work has been done to consider whether sexual minority youth's increased probability of risk behavior is due to differing levels of adult identity formation. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n=11,404; 53.6% female; ages 18 to 26 years), this study explores how two key components of adult identity, subjective age and psychosocial maturity, influence levels of substance abuse, criminality, and suicidality. This study further examines whether subjective age and psychosocial maturity differ between sexual minority young adults and their heterosexual peers, and additionally explores whether the relationships between subjective age and psychosocial maturity and risk behavior vary by sexual minority status. Results from ordinal and logistic regression analyses indicate that psychosocial maturity is significantly associated with reduced (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Corinne Reczek PhD (Advisor); Dana Haynie PhD (Committee Member); Chris Knoester PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Sociology

Master of Science (MS), Wright State University, 2015, Biological Sciences

White-tailed deer are a species of great economic and ecological concern. Foresters sometimes leave logging debris known as slash on the forest floor with the intent to protect seedlings from deer herbivory and promote forest regeneration. I examined the effects of slash on rates of deer browsing on sugar maple seedlings in a forest of northern Wisconsin and measured deer foraging behavior using giving-up density and vigilance rates by employing trail cameras. Rates of browsed stems were almost twice as high in the open as within and adjacent to slash. These findings underscore the usefulness of slash for mitigating the effects of deer on tree seedlings.Deer vigilance did not vary by night and day but photos were rarely taken during dawn and dusk. These results may suggest that rather than using reactive vigilance behavior, deer are using proactive antipredator behavior and avoiding the study site at high-risk times.

Committee: Thomas Rooney Ph.D. (Advisor); Jeffrey Peters Ph.D. (Committee Member); John Stireman III Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Animals; Biology; Ecology; Forestry