PHD, Kent State University, 2022, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Sociology and Criminology

Gender scholars contend that accountability for "doing" gender within interactions between individuals is how the gender structure can be challenged or "redone" (Connell 2010; Hollander 2013, 2018; Risman and Davis 2013; West and Zimmerman 1987). Some scholars point to consent culture practiced by the BDSM (Bondage/Discipline, Domination/Submission, Sadism/masochism) community, as a model to teach consent and accountability (Buchwald, Fletcher, and Roth 2005; Cagwin 2018; Dixie 2017; Harding 2015; Pitagora 2013; Stryker, Queen, and Penny 2017). Other research indicates that the BDSM community might "undo" gender, but more likely simultaneously challenges and reproduces gender inequality (Banerjee, Merchant, and Sharma 2018; Deutsch 2007; Simula and Sumerau 2017). However, little literature focuses on how consent is socially constructed to include interactional accountability that might challenge gender inequality within BDSM. In this research, I consider how interactional consent scripts socially construct consent culture, how "doing" consent in the kink community provides an empirical example of "redoing" gender across the gender spectrum, and how BDSM identifying individuals and communities experience the conflict between consent culture and the hegemonic gender structure. I found that socially constructed interactional consent scripts guide interactions in BDSM through stringent rules that aim to maintain agency and bodily autonomy through enthusiastic consent, boundaries, and limits. The BDSM community reinforces consent scripts with strict social control and accountability through formal and informal methods including social sanctions and reputations. I found that interactional consent scripts form the basis of "doing" consent, where individuals enact consent scripts in their interactions to uphold consent culture much like "doing" gender upholds the gender structure. Individuals in BDSM across the gender spectrum shared how “doing" consent allowed them to "r (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Tiffany Taylor (Advisor); Kathryn Feltey (Committee Member); Clare Stacey (Committee Member); Katrina Bloch (Committee Member); Suzanne Holt (Committee Member) Subjects: Sociology

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2016, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences)

Despite being one of the most important phenomena in human experience, much of the philosophical work done in consent theory has been lacking, particularly in regards to the ontology of consent. I argue that this is in part due to the fact that many consent theorists fail to highlight the bilateral nature of consent. In this paper I offer a critical analysis of the most well-articulated forms of the Subjectivist theory (as presented by Hurd) of consent ontology and the Performative theory (as presented by Wertheimer) and suggest that we adopt a Hybrid theory of consent ontology (of my own construction) since it is better able to account for the bilateral nature of consent. I then present the two most prevalent consent transaction models (Faden and Beauchamp's AA model; Miller and Wertheimer's FT model), analyze them in terms of how well they account for sexual consent transactions, and then offer my own model which better tracks our intuitions regarding sexual consent.

Committee: Jack Bender (Advisor); James Petrik (Committee Member); Scott Carson (Committee Member) Subjects: Philosophy

MA, Kent State University, 2018, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Sociology and Criminology

Consent is an increasingly important topic considering current social movements and policy surrounding sexual assault and misconduct. Consent seems to be a misunderstood concept that requires further definition and exploration. This research investigates BDSM (an acronym for bondage/discipline, domination/submission, and sadomasochism) to observe how consent is discussed, taught, participated in and enforced within this community. This qualitative study employs feminist methodologies and grounded theory to access information and personal accounts of BDSM identifying individuals and how they navigate matters of consent. Second, because this is a stigmatized population, it will consider how consent could be persistent as a response to stigma. Further, it will explore how consent practices within BDSM challenge traditional gender norms and associated gender status characteristics. It will analyze the implications that BDSM ideologies have for teaching consent and autonomy to combat rape culture with the desired result being a culture of consent. This study serves to inform the reality of practices within the BDSM community and illuminate the structural norms it challenges. Findings have implications for how important consent is when considering not only sexual health and education but also an increased sociological understanding of the possibilities BDSM brings to resist rape culture by creating consent culture.

Committee: Tiffany Taylor (Committee Chair); Dum Christopher (Committee Member); Kathryn Feltey (Committee Member) Subjects: Sociology

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2007, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Ed.D., Antioch University, 2024, Education

Farmed animal sanctuaries provide lifelong care to formerly farmed animals. Many strive to educate their community about farmed animals and promote more compassionate lifestyles, such as veganism. Important to this is cultivating empathy and concern for the well-being of individual farmed animals. Essential to well-being is agency, which is the capacity of a living being to engage with their environments and to make choices for themselves. Farmed animals outside of sanctuaries have had their agency systematically suppressed and denied. Sanctuary educators can bring awareness to this and inspire alternative, agency-centered relationships with not only farmed animals but all living beings. To aid in this endeavor, this practice-based dissertation included the development of a resource guide for sanctuary staff and volunteers about recognizing, supporting, and teaching about the agency of farmed animals in sanctuary education. Following Stephen Brookfield's (2021) Materials Development Dissertation outline, this paper describes the inspirations for creating these materials and the development process in detail. This process included inviting scholars and practitioners to review the materials and offer feedback, which is shared in this paper. This paper also reports on how the materials will be disseminated to have the most impact on the field. There is also discussion on the broader implications of this work in countering oppression and facilitating more equitable and compassionate ways of coexisting with all beings. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Committee: Stephen Brookfield Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Dana McPhall J.D. (Committee Member); Sarah Bexell Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Animal Sciences; Animals; Communication; Education; Environmental Education

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2023, Media and Communication

Generations of women in the Evangelical Church have embodied narratives passed from mother to daughter, from church leadership, and through their religious communities. These narratives, including those of women's subservience and deserving of suffering endured from spouses, church leaders, and others, have origins in the earliest days of church history. In this thesis I examine how such narratives are embedded in books on pubertal guidance targeted to mothers and daughters in Evangelical Christian communities. Building on Fish's work on interpretive communities, Gramsci's conceptualization of hegemony, Foucault theorizing on power, and an interdisciplinary literature on the interaction between religion, culture, and politics, I interrogate themes of puberty, sexual function, gender roles, consent, and gender-based violence addressed in books on pubertal guidance, and how these books contribute to or reinforce evangelical Christian doctrinal narratives on gender and sexuality. Through a methodological approach using grounded theory, narrative inquiry, autoethnography, and textual analysis, findings indicate Evangelical Christian culture creates an interpretive community which drives only acceptable interpretation of religious texts (primarily the Bible), gender norms, and patriarchal power dynamics. Themes emerging from the texts analyzed, including Complementarianism, submission, purity, modesty, inadequacy, and silencing, have deep consequences not only for women and girls in Evangelical Christian communities, but for society at large as the legislative push for adherence to Evangelical Christian doctrinal ideologies work to remove access to basic human rights for people who do not adhere them. Misinformation, incomplete information, and hegemonic narratives serve to perpetuate gender inequality and have broad effects on women's and girls' mental, emotional, and physical health. In light of the most recent intrusions by Christian Nationalists into the legislative (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Lara Martin Lengel Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Clayton` Rosati Ph.D. (Committee Member); Lisa Hanasono Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; American Studies; Behavioral Psychology; Bible; Biblical Studies; Biographies; Communication; Divinity; Education; Ethics; Families and Family Life; Gender; Gender Studies; Health; Health Care; Health Education; History; Individual and Family Studies; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Pastoral Counseling; Personal Relationships; Philosophy; Public Health; Public Health Education; Public Policy; Religion; Religious Congregations; Religious Education; Religious History; Rhetoric; Social Research; Social Structure; Sociology; Spirituality; Theology; Womens Studies

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2023, History

Ronald Reagan, conservatism, economics, and the Cold War define many of the historical analyses of 1980s America. Recently, studies on the decade's cultural artifacts, social protests, and the divisive culture wars have finally come into focus. The intersection of film studies and historical analysis of the ‘80s has few comprehensive explorations, which this project seeks to expand. This thesis analyzes the portrayal of youth sexual culture in 1980s American mainstream and independent films while also contextualizing the broader American culture in which these films were made. The use of mainstream and independent films will not only tease out any similarities and differences, but these analyses will also explore how these films reinforced, or complicated, contemporary cultural values. The project will move through the decade by examining the following films and their respective film reviews: Little Darlings, The Last American Virgin, Sixteen Candles, She's Gotta Have It, Dirty Dancing, and Casual Sex? By combining the theoretical frameworks and methodologies from film studies, cultural studies, and historical research, this project will create a unique perspective of 1980s American youth sexual culture while also establishing these films did not exist in a vacuum. The thesis asserts that the space for female-centered conversations on films about sexuality, especially for young girls, existed at the beginning of the 1980s but dwindled as the decade went on. Throughout the 1980s, films about youth sexual culture became male-dominated and reduced the female perspective to a subplot even in cases where these stories centered on the female characters. By the end of the decade, complicated female perspectives on sexuality were reduced to perpetuating patriarchal themes and expectations. As a medium, film failed to encapsulate authentic female voices in the 1980s. Instead, film provided youth audiences access to sexual experiences if they could not easily get them els (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Nicole Jackson Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Becca Cragin Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; Film Studies; Gender; History; Modern History

Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciences, Youngstown State University, 2022, Department of Graduate Studies in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Background: Physical Therapists in the United States can perform Dry Needling (DN) in most states with the legal requirement for the therapist to obtain written and/or verbal informed consent (IC). When consenting patients to DN treatment, it is necessary to inform patients of potential risks of harms.In cases where risks are disclosed as part of IC, patients have potentially shown poor recall which calls into question how best this type of information should be presented. Purpose: To develop a risk of harm statement that can be used on an IC form for DN in both the clinic and research settings to improve patient autonomy and decision making. Research Design and Methods: The Delphi study involved three rounds of questionnaires to gain expert consensus for inclusion of AEs for IC. Inclusion criteria for DN experts included: (1) >= 5 years practice performing DN and one of the following secondary criteria: (a) Certification in DN, (b) Completion of a manual therapy fellowship that included DN training, or (c) >= 1 publication involving the use of DN. Participants rated their level of agreement using a 4-point Likert scale. Consensus was defined as >= 80% agreement or >=70% and < 80% agreement with Median >= 3, Interquartile Range <= 1, and Standard Deviation <= 1. A Nominal Group Technique (NGT) methodology was used to achieve consensus among participants to identify what needs to be included in a risk of harm statement to allow patients understand the true risks. Participants included: policy experts, legal experts, DN experts, and patients who received DN. The NGT session consisted of 5 rounds of idea generation and final consensus voting which lasted for 2 hours. Consensus for inclusion of ideas was defined as >= 80% agreement following 2 rounds of voting. Analysis: In both studies, median, Interquartile range (IQR), standard deviation, and (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: David Griswold PhD (Advisor); Chad Cook PhD (Committee Member); Ken Learman PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Health Care; Health Sciences; Physical Therapy

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2022, Bioethics

This project is a critique of the concept of consensus and its relation to secular moral reasoning. Proponents of public deliberation argue that achieving consensus is crucial to informing moral norms in secular pluralist societies. Without a transcendental basis for morality, ascribing authority to moral norms requires a process of deliberation. Many bioethicists are concerned with formulating ways to ensure discourse is tolerant, non-coercive, mutually respectful, and grounded in intersubjective understanding. The problem is that secular discourse is fraught with varying conceptions of human rights, ethical principles, and what constitutes a morally authoritative consensus. Bioethicists acknowledge the tyranny of the majority problem, but secularism lacks a sufficient rationale to identify when a majority is wrong. Since competing visions of the good comprise bioethics and consensus does not necessarily indicate moral truth, moral uncertainty is the logical result of secular pluralism. Some moral scientists argue that science can inform moral norms, but a careful reading of their work suggests that what is being espoused is moral nihilism. From determinism to deep pragmatism, many scientists are inadvertently supporting a view of reality that obliterates the possibility of values. In secular pluralist societies, consensus is required to establish basic norms, but no account of consensus can indicate when moral truth is known. Consensus is necessary to fulfill the visions of moral scientists, but such scientists implicitly endorse nihilism. What secularists are discovering – by their own reasoning – is that moral truth is elusive, science cannot inform human values, and bioethical dilemmas are incapable of being resolved. The conclusion to this project offers an Engelhardtian solution. Not only is the principle of permission the only viable basis for secular pluralism – the principle coincides with moral scientists' own account of human nature.

Committee: Matthew Vest (Advisor); Ryan Nash (Committee Member); Ashley Fernandes (Committee Member) Subjects: Ethics; Philosophy; Philosophy of Science

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2022, Dentistry

Purpose: To evaluate resident performance and self-efficacy in moderate sedation skills through different simulation styles as part of an advanced dental education program. Methods: Simulation exercises for informed consent via standardized patients and emergency management via mannequins were integrated into the resident sedation curriculum. Resident performance was evaluated quantitatively by a standardized grading rubric completed by an attending faculty and qualitatively through reflection exercises. Resident self-efficacy was measured via pre- and post-simulation questionnaires. Descriptive and non-parametric statistics were calculated. Results: Twenty-five residents completed three simulations. Second year residents performed better than first year residents in both informed consent and emergency simulations; however, the difference was only statistically significant for the informed consent simulation (p<.02). Self-efficacy significantly increased after completing the simulations for all residents (18% strongly agreed with self-efficacy statements pre-simulation versus 42.7% post-simulation, p<.0001). Overall, 69.5% strongly agreed that the simulations were helpful. The qualitative analysis of reflections revealed that residents felt prepared with the technical elements of informed consent, but not as much for emergency management. Residents identified communication skills as an area of improvement in both simulation formats. For emergency management, residents felt that improvement was needed in knowledge, problem-solving skills, and teamwork. Conclusions: Simulations were effective at improving self-efficacy in emergency management and informed consent. While self-efficacy increased, residents approaching graduation still felt unprepared in many facets of managing a sedation-related emergency. Simulation training can address these deficits, but best practices in terms of simulation style, frequency, and (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Beau Meyer (Advisor); Kimberly Hammersmith (Committee Member); Janice Townsend (Committee Member) Subjects: Dentistry; Education

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2021, Antioch Santa Barbara: Clinical Psychology

The purpose of this research study is to identify the ways in which recently passed anti-sex-trafficking laws, Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) and Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA) affect the community of consensual sex workers. Due to the well-documented history of statistical violence against sex workers, the goal of this research is to explore appropriate methods to better support this marginalized community while approaching it through a phenomenological lens. Conducting qualitative interviews with sex workers who operate in a diverse range of sex work services, four significant themes were identified regarding the ways in which they endorsed being affected by FOSTA/SESTA. The effects of FOSTA/SESTA reported in these interviews were discovered to be (a) a lack of autonomy, (b) a decrease in online accessibility for resources, (c) emphasis on the need for the decriminalization of sex work, and (d) a lack of positive benefits received in response to these anti-trafficking bills. These recorded findings are intended to add to the body of literature regarding the sex worker experience in the United States and provide an academic platform for the voices of those who make the autonomous decision to pursue this realm of criminalized work. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu/) and Ohio Link ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Committee: Brett Kia-Keating EdD (Committee Chair); Stephen Southern EdD (Committee Co-Chair); Eric Sprankle PsyD (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Counseling Psychology; Demographics; Gender; Glbt Studies; Mental Health; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Psychology; Psychotherapy; Public Policy; Social Research; Therapy; Womens Studies

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2021, Psychology

Adults with intellectual disability (ID) are both underrepresented in research and enrolled in studies that they may not understand. Instead of facilitating research engagement, the informed consent process often fails to elucidate the very elements that are essential to informed consent. The primary goal of this pilot research was to evaluate whether a novel informed consent process was more effective than current practice at including adults with ID in research. N=21 adults with ID completed a novel iterative teaching process (ITP) for teaching and assessing informed consent. The ITP consisted of three distinct approaches (i.e., Conventional consent form, Easy Read, and Conversational) to teaching comprehension of each of the nine core domains deemed essential to informed consent. Following each teaching mode, participants were asked a series of open-ended questions to assess their attitudes toward, and their comprehension of, the ITP materials. The pilot found encouraging evidence for the efficacy and feasibility of the ITP. The ITP approach improved comprehension of the essential elements of consent. Results did not support a clear advantage of one mode of presentation over another; both the Easy Read and Conversational modes were effective in teaching the materials as well as being well liked by participants. Measures of verbal intelligence were the strongest predictors of capacity to consent in this sample. The design and findings of this project contribute to a growing literature by introducing a process for teaching and evaluating informed consent.

Committee: Susan Havercamp Ph.D. (Advisor); Marc Tassé Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kathryn Vannatta Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2021, Dentistry

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine if written rehearsal of informed consent improved six-months recall and comprehension compared to the current best practices. Methods: A consultation was provided and subjects read the modified informed consent. They were randomized to Group A (received the core and up to four custom elements of treatment, wrote what each image displayed) or Group B (presentation of the 18 elements with core elements chunked at the end followed by up to four custom elements). Interviews recording recall/comprehension occurred immediately and six months later. Results: Overall, no significant differences in baseline or 6-month follow-up scores were found between groups. Initially, Group A outperformed Group B in some core domains. There were no significant differences between groups in the change of scores from initial to recall. Follow-up scores were significantly lower than baseline scores (p<0.05). Higher initial scores were associated with larger drops at follow-up. A decrease in knowledge >20% was common. Conclusions: Overall the methods are comparable at baseline and 6-months. Initial content retention was roughly 2/3, with 6-9% deterioration. For areas of treatment methods, risk, discomfort, and resorption at 6-months, the current processes fail the patient and leave the practitioner vulnerable to risk management issues. Results support the rehearsal method with immediate feedback for misunderstandings as the preferred method for informed consent.

Committee: Henry Fields (Advisor); Allen Firestone (Committee Member); Fonda Robinson (Committee Member); Ai Ni (Committee Member) Subjects: Dental Care; Dentistry; Ethics

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2020, Bioethics

For decades, discussions related to informed consent have been at the forefront of medical research. Guidelines, protocols, and regulations have evolved and continue to be modified at national and international levels. However, while the specifics of informed consent have been defined in more detail when testing is conducted on live research participants, there has been little written about what informed consent should consist of when it comes to whole-body donation and who should provide that consent. With other research projects, there are several international guidelines along with federal regulations that specify the extent of information that must be provided to participants (Nuremburg Code, Declaration of Helsinki, Belmont Report, Common Rule). Federal protections for whole-body donors are nearly absent and state regulations vary greatly and are often minimal. Commonly, donors consent to their body being used for “educational and research purposes” which conveys minimal information at best to the donor or donor's family as to what will happen with the body. In parts of the United States, the bodies of unclaimed dead are still used for research, absent any type of informed consent. Furthermore, when the studies have been completed, it is not always clear if all or only part of the human remains will be cremated and returned to the family. When consent is obtained from the person donating their own body, should medical institutions also be required to receive informed consent from those who possess the legal right of disposition since what happens to the body is generally a concern to the family? The literature addressing these questions appears to be minimal or even absent. This thesis addresses these issues and others in an attempt to bring more transparency and accountability to whole-body donation and to stimulate further discussion of these topics. Just as respect for live research participants takes precedence over the results of the studies in which they (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dana Howard PhD (Advisor); Courtney Thiele JD, MA (Committee Member); Joy Balta MSc, MATLHE, Phd (Committee Member) Subjects: Ethics; Health Education; Health Sciences; Human Remains; Medical Ethics; Medicine

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2020, Medicine: Genetic Counseling

Purpose: Determine if involvement of a genetic counselor (GC) during the genetic testing process impacts documentation of pre- and post-test genetic counseling. Methods: A retrospective chart review of 467 participants, who had send-out genetic testing through Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center between July 2016 and June 2018, was performed. A GC was involved for 223 participants (GC group), and not involved for 244 participants (non-GC group). Categorical, binomial variables were abstracted from the medical record, and frequency of documentation of those variables was compared between the GC and non-GC groups using Fisher's exact test. Results: For all pre- and post-test genetic counseling variables except one, description of the genetic test, documentation occurred more frequently in the GC group compared to the non-GC group (all p <0.005). When comparing participants with only a genetic physician involved (GP group), the GC group had more documentation of a majority of genetic test counseling variables (all p <0.005), with the exception of any test description, negative test results, and family testing recommendations. Except for documentation of test description, the GC group also had more documentation for all other variables compared to participants with only a non-genetics physician (NGP group) (all p <0.001). Conclusion: Involvement of a GC during the genetic testing process was associated with increased documentation of most pre- and post-test genetic counseling variables. This may indicate that more comprehensive pre- and post-test genetic counseling is performed when a GC is involved. Further research directly analyzing genetic counseling provided is needed to provide further insight.

Committee: Melanie Myers Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Kathleen Collins M.S. (Committee Member); Hua He M.S. (Committee Member); Katherine Healy M.S (Committee Member); Chinmayee Nagaraj M.S. (Committee Member); Emily Wakefield M.S. (Committee Member) Subjects: Genetics

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, African-American and African Studies

This dissertation explores comparative legal practices, cases, media coverage and testimonies that have arisen in relation to forced sterilization in the United States under Jim Crow laws and Southern Africa during the apartheid era. This project argues that the denial of consent, or at best tenuous consent, to sterilization reflects institutionalized violence perpetrated by the state and a global anti-blackness built on a historic partnership between legal segregation and eugenic practices. Using legal documents, media analysis and narratives of victims of sterilization, the project explores the concept of consent, asking about the conditions that must be present for consent to exist, how lines are drawn between consent and coercion and in what ways consent can be understood within systems of legalized segregation. Further, the project considers how consent itself could become a mechanism of control within the state rather than a means to grant autonomy. Through these lines of inquiry, the project aims to explore the broader phenomenon of how Black women's reproductive abilities pose a continuing threat to societies built on a violent and legal Black-white racial divide. Contending that violence must be analyzed both as an act of physical force as well as systemic violence perpetuated by discriminatory systems, the project concludes by exploring the continued forms of this reproductive violence through the global distribution of birth control and limited access to reproductive technologies.

Committee: Simone Drake Dr (Advisor); Valerie Lee Dr (Committee Member); Adeleke Adeeko Dr (Committee Member); Kwaku Korang Dr (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; African Americans; African History; African Studies; Gender; Gender Studies; Womens Studies

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2019, Dentistry

Purpose: To assess the level of understanding of Spanish-speaking caregivers consenting to dental care under general anesthesia (DGA) utilizing two different consent-delivery pathways. Methods: Seventy-eight parents of children who never had GA for dental treatment were recruited. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: 1) Interpreter, or 2) Video. Parents then completed an eight-question survey to evaluate comfort level with GA and comprehension of areas required for informed consent. Data was analyzed using Fisher's Exact Test and Pearson's Chi Squared test. Results: A high percentage of parents in both groups understood risks associated with GA (89% interpreter group vs 90% video group). Families in both groups had difficulty understanding indications for DGA (64% interpreter group vs. 60% video group) and expectation of post-operative pain (50% interpreter vs. 55% video group). All parents in both groups understood if their child has been sick recently, they should tell the dentist before their appointment. Overall, 97% of participants believed they sufficiently understood the information presented about DGA. The mean score for comfort level with GA was 7.03 for the interpreter group and 6.82 for the video group (Range 1-10). Conclusions: Differences between consent pathways were not significantly different for risk understanding, importance of pre-operative illness, and acquisition of consent-related knowledge.

Committee: Paul Casamassimo (Advisor); Homa Amini (Committee Member); Dennis McTigue (Committee Member) Subjects: Dentistry

BS, Kent State University, 2018, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

Determining if a partner communicates consent for sexual behavior is an important topic in sexual victimization research. I examined how college students define consent and whether they could correctly identify non-consent. I also examined the influence of gender, means of communication, and level of sexual activity on perceptions of non-consent. A total of 684 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to mode of communication conditions (verbal and non-verbal). Within each condition, participants completed a survey that included rating three examples of non-consent. The examples represented three within-subject variables of increasing levels of sexual activity. For the quantitative methods portion, consent was rated on a scale from 1 to 5, where 5 indicates that consent was “definitely not given.” For verbal consent, gender interacted with level of sexual activity. As the level of sexual activity increased, women rated the examples as being more non-consensual than men. For non-verbal consent, women rated the examples as more indicative of non-consent than men. For verbal consent, sexual victimization history interacted with level of sexual activity. For the qualitative portion, students wrote their interpretation of what “without my consent” means. Qualitative coding was used to identify the responses' themes. Eleven dominant themes emerged. Multiple dominant themes had one or more sub-themes. Over 70% of responses reflected multiple themes and/or sub-themes. Results indicated that sexual consent is complex and includes an emotional component. Any formal definition adopted for research should contain multiple communication strategies, unacceptable situations, and permission giving and receiving.

Committee: Joel Hughes (Advisor); RaeAnn Anderson (Advisor); Mary Owens (Committee Member); John Gunstad (Committee Member); Suzy D'Enbeau (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2018, Communication Studies (Communication)

This dissertation explores communication about mental illness and other sources of emotional distress inside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Though often untrained, religious leaders are the most sought-after source of support for mental illness and emotional distress in the United States. I used interviews, autoethnography, participant observation, and the analysis of cultural documents to gather and analyze discourses which illuminated how several local LDS communities understood mental illness and other forms of emotional distress. I interviewed thirteen Mormon bishops and ten professional mental health care providers who worked with LDS dominant populations about their experiences providing care for members in distress. Three main questions guided my research: What narratives do Latter-day Saints use to make sense of mental illness and other forms of trouble and how does this sensemaking enable or constrain emotional wellness? How does the LDS culture's habitus foster inclusion or stigmatize difference? How does silence around stigmatized issues like mental illness, human sexuality, and gendered violence enable or constrain religious leaders' and communities' ability to appropriately make sense of and respond to trouble? I present my analysis in chapters four, five, six, and seven. In chapter four I outline the spectrum of silence inside LDS communities and situate mental illness along it. I argue that overly programmed life scripts which I term brittle narratives lead some members to stigmatize trouble, have unrealistic life expectations, live by absolutes, and strive for perfection. In chapter five I discuss LDS discourses about human sexuality which I describe as existing in a narrative desert, a discursive landscape that only partially tells a dominant story and uses institutional and social power to police and silence counternarratives. In chapter six I discuss discourses about sexual violence which fall under a category I named narra (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Lynn Harter PhD (Committee Chair); William Rawlins PhD (Committee Member); Brittany Peterson PhD (Committee Member); Joseph Bianco PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Clergy; Communication; Counseling Psychology; Ethics; Gender Studies; Glbt Studies; Health; Mental Health; Organization Theory; Pastoral Counseling; Psychotherapy; Public Health; Religion; Religious Congregations; Rhetoric; Social Research; Spirituality; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2017, Counselor Education

The current trend in college sexual assault prevention programs emphasizes the prosocial and preventative role that bystanders can play. Men are approached as potential protectors instead of potential perpetrators, and it is important to know what kinds of variables affect this willingness to intervene. The current study used an online survey to explore the relationship between binge-drinking, bystander intervention attitudes, and sexual consent attitudes and behaviors among undergraduate college males (n = 216). The data indicated that there were no significant differences between those participants classified as non-binge-drinkers and binge-drinkers for bystander intervention attitudes, as well as for sexual consent attitudes and behaviors. There was no significant relationship found between binge-drinking and bystander intervention attitudes, or between binge-drinking and sexual consent attitudes and behaviors. However, there were significant relationships found between bystander intervention attitudes and sexual consent attitudes and behaviors. Additionally, sexual consent attitudes and behaviors were found to significantly predict bystander intervention attitudes. Implications for college sexual assault prevention programs are discussed, along with limitations and suggestions for future research.

Committee: John Laux Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Christopher Roseman Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kamala London Newton Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kasey Tucker-Gail Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Education