Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio State University, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 58-61).

The images in our world that render ideas of prejudice are reciprocally related to racism and sexism and have the ability to make us aware of how we base our evaluations of ourselves and others mainly on visual appearance. In the case of African American women in American society, this is magnified. My art is about my relationship to history and a personal understanding of obsessions with visual appearance. Through portrait painting, performance art and sculptural forms, I am attempting to express a personal interpretation or the collective cultural identity of African American women of my generation in the 21st, century.

Personality prototypes have gained more attention as a unit of personality analysis in the past decade. However, relatively few studies have looked at the personality structure of ethnic minorities in general and Black/African Americans specifically using this method of analysis. The current study utilized a large sample (n = 951) of Black/African American undergraduates. The scale scores and relevant work behaviors of the Workplace Personality Inventory (WPI) were analyzed via k-means to develop a prototypic outline of the three personality prototypes (i.e., resilient, undercontrolled, and overcontrolled.) Further, research relating to high achieving Black/African American undergraduates is also sparse. Thus, this study analyzed the cumulative grade point averages (CGPA) of the participants by gender and cluster type. The results show the replicability of the sample into the three personality prototypes as well as the statistical significance of gender and CGPA. The practical implications and limitations of the current study are discussed.

<p>Obesity and overweight disproportionately impact Black American adolescent females—placing them at a lifetime of elevated physical health risks. Despite this burden, the literature that explores the contributors to obesity and overweight among Black American adolescent females remains limited and unclear. This dissertation aims to develop knowledge related to obesity and overweight in Black American adolescent females, by appraising the current understanding of factors that contribute to their obesity and overweight, and explicating the everyday social influences on dietary practices. The primary study conducted for this dissertation used a mixed method, multiple case study design to examine the mother, daughter, and other household contributors to Black American adolescent daughters’ everyday practices of food consumption, acquisition, preparation, and planning. Findings reveal the importance of understanding the complex and dynamic ways mothers and other household members contribute to a holistic view of everyday dietary practices among adolescent daughters. By deeply examining the nuanced ways the multiple cases varied, context-dependent knowledge essential to understanding the complicated health challenge of obesity was produced. Subsequently, recommendations are provided for health providers and scholars to more holistically approach and examine obesity—particularly among populations who are disproportionately affected.</p> / Dissertation

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the experiences of high-ability, Black, female college freshmen when preparing for college to identify influences from various family, school, and community environments. Using a theoretical framework, which incorporates both Kimberlé Crenshaw’s intersectionality and Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory in an orientational manner as a guide to examine literature related to the multiple identities and experiences potentially shared by the participants and to generate the interview questions to collect data and explore their experiences as broadly as possible. To explore these experiences, the researcher conducted in-depth individual interviews of ten Black female freshmen and two focus groups of six of those ten freshmen who are high ability and from low-income households. The participants answered questions to learn more about experiences that influenced their processes preparing for college. These perspectives may help inform the development of interventions, programs, counseling practices aimed at helping students with shared identities. Findings from this qualitative research study revealed that intrinsic and extrinsic motivating experiences and relationships across multiple contexts within the participants’ lives have contributed to their process of preparing for college. Nine themes emerged from the participants’ responses: (1) navigating the “crooked room”: perceptions of self; (2) prophetic excellence: family and friends support and expectations, (3) it takes a village: community culture and resources, (4) from chaperone to mentor: exploring the depth of K-12 educational interactions and opportunities, (5) preparing for a home away from home: college exploration and preparation, (6) demystifying the process: I don’t know what I do or don’t need to know, (7) calibrating to fit and understand new environments, (8) and still I rise: acknowledgement of systemic issues, and (9) hindsight 20/20: if I knew then what I know now. Implications for practice and future research are included.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--York University, 2008. Graduate Programme in Education. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 107-114). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR38777

Purpose: To characterize the association of social class discrimination with the timing of first cigarette use and progression to DSM-IV nicotine dependence (ND) in Black and White youth, examining variation by race, parent vs. youth experiences of discrimination, socioeconomic status (SES), and stage of smoking. Methods: Data were drawn from 1461 youth (55.2% Black, 44.8% White; 50.2% female) and mothers in a high-risk family study of alcohol use disorder and related conditions. Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were conducted, using youth’s and mother’s social class discrimination to predict first cigarette use and progression to ND, stratifying by race. Interactions between discrimination and SES indicators (parental education and household income) were tested. Adjusted models included psychiatric covariates. Results: In the adjusted first cigarette use models, neither youth’s nor mother’s social class discrimination was a significant predictor among Black youth, but mother’s discrimination was associated with increased risk [HR = 1.53 (1.18–1.99)] among White youth. In the adjusted ND models, mother’s discrimination was associated with reduced ND risk for Black youth in middle-income families [HR = 0.29 (CI 0.13–0.63)], but neither youth’s nor mother’s discrimination predicted transition to ND among White youth. Conclusions: The observed race and smoking stage-specific effects suggest that social class discrimination is more impactful on early stages of smoking for White youth and later stages for Black youth. The robustness of links with mother’s discrimination experiences further suggests the importance of considering family-level effects and the need to explore possible mechanisms, such as socialization processes.

Research examining how these athletes, specifically football players, are racially mistreated in revenue sports in Power Five conferences, as well as the effect of this mistreatment on their health and well-being, has been sparse. Thus, the purpose of my study was to examine current Black male college football players' experiences of racial mistreatment within their lives in general, and their collegiate sport experiences in particular, and to learn how these experiences have affected their health and well-being across their academic, athletic, and social spheres of functioning. Through reflexive thematic analysis, I gathered that (a) the athletes believed that football defines and limits them, (b) they felt misunderstood and isolated on campus, (b) they were dehumanized and criminalized, and (d) they were physically and psychologically exhausted from chronic racial mistreatment. Despite the NCAA making positive strides toward addressing mental health concerns within collegiate athletics, there remains a clear need for more support and nourishment regarding the mental health of Black male college athletes, particularly football players. Further results and implications are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which the academic and professional experiences of Black people in American music therapy reflect current attitudes within the field towards diversity and cultural awareness, and how understanding those experiences can lead to enhanced, culturally sensitive practice. An arts-based narrative inquiry methodology using poetry was employed as a means to understand the experiences of Black people in the field through artistic forms that invite readers to enter the affective worlds of the participants. A total of 10 music therapy students, clinicians and educators participated in open-ended, semi-structured interviews. Transcripts of these interviews were analyzed for thematic material as well as to provide content for poems in the participants’ voices that described their experiences. Additionally, the researcher created poems responding to each participant that reflected on aspects of the interactions, content and sub-text of the interviews. All poems were analyzed for thematic material. That material was compared with previously derived themes out of which seven main themes emerged. Those themes are: things and people are not as they seem; being the only one/one of a few; self-definition versus being defined by others; adding value to the field; dealing with the status quo; calling for greater cultural awareness, acceptance and equality; and importance of support. Findings indicated that participants did not feel as if they fully belonged in the profession and that the music therapy community inconsistently recognized and addressed the need for diversity, cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity. Implications for music therapy training and practice, along with recommendations for the field and future research are also presented. / Music Therapy

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2008. / Title from file title page. Renee Schatteman, committee chair; Chris Kocela, Margaret Harper, committee members. Electronic text (158 [i.e. 156] p.) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed 23 June 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 146-156).