This study addressed the issue of the relationship between psychological well-being and immune function in a sample of HIV seropositive homosexual and bisexual males. A control group of HIV seronegative gay males was included. The study assessed the relationship between various psychological independent variables and immune system functioning over a 24-month time period for the seropositive subjects. Data on depression, coping style, psychosocial stress, and psychomatic symptoms were collected at baseline, as well as data on depression at 12 months and CD4 counts at 6-month intervals over a 2-year period. Preliminary analyses comparing HIV seropositive to HIV seronegative subjects showed differences on four of eight coping style scales, as well as on all of the psychogenic attitudes scales reflecting stress levels. There were no effects of eight coping styles on immune system functioning for the seropositives. However, there were significant relationships among four of six psychogenic attitudes scales (chronic tension, premorbid pessimism, future despair, and somatic anxiety) and immune system functioning for the seropositives. There were also significant effects of three scales measuring psychosomatic symptoms (Allergic Inclination, Gastrointestinal Susceptibility, and Cardiovascular Tendency) for the seropositives. However, there was no effect of level of depression on immune system functioning. The final chapter discusses the findings given the existing body of research. The emphasis is on the need to develop interventions targeting stress levels among persons with AIDS, as well as on conducting further research utilizing carefully constructed longitudinal research designs.

The purpose of this study was to examine self-reported experiences of primary, secondary, and perpetrated abuse of an emotional, physical, and sexual nature among a male, nonclinical, noncriminal sample. One hundred forty-two subjects completed the Youth Experiences and Behaviors Questionnaire (YEBQ) (developed by the author) and the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS). Results indicated that overall, the YEBQ demonstrated moderate to high levels of internal consistency reliability and moderate levels of concurrent and divergent validity. Various descriptive statistics, scale, and subscale correlations for the YEBQ were provided. Results indicated that secondary abuse information was most predictive of later abuse perpetration with the exception of sexual abuse. Primary and secondary abuse information was found to be most predictive of abuse perpetration types of the same nature (e.g., emotional abuse history/witness scores best predicted emotional abuse perpetration scores and family abuse history/witness scores best predicted abuse perpetration toward family members scores) except in the cases of sexual abuse and stranger abuse. Theoretical interpretations and implications for these results are provided.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The research for this dissertation is a study of one case example of programs and classes put into place for African American males at community colleges around the United States with a focus on how these programs were successful or not in assisting in the persistence, retention, and graduation of these students. The purpose of using Cross’ (1991) Black Identity Development Theory as a framework for exploring the students’ experiences in racial ‘awakening’ was to track the patterns in how these experiences aligned with Cross’ concepts.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The United States of America incarcerates more of its citizens than any other industrialized nation. Moreover, African American males are disproportionately targeted for incarceration in a system reminiscent of the system of slavery abolished after the civil war. As the cycle of recidivism plays itself out in this nation, this research examines the experiences of Black males who have broken the cycle to reestablish themselves within society through educating themselves in our nation's colleges and universities. This work is a phenomenological multiple case study that examines the experiences of five men who were incarcerated for a felony offense and successfully obtained bachelor's degree upon release. This research asks the questions: what motivated the pursuit of a degree, how did they pay for it, what resources were utilized, what challenges were overcome, and what impact this achievement had on their lives? Additionally, this research examines current correctional and educational policies and their impact on the Black community and concludes by making recommendations grounded in the research on how the nation can reduce recidivism rates and better serve African American communities.

Black males’ quality of life indicators are at a crisis level. This has been the perception of Black males for many years. The purpose of this study is to understand how exposure to positive prototypes of Black maleness impacts other Black males’ initial perception of their own collegiate academic experiences. This study addresses the following overarching research question: How does the exposure to positive images of prototypes of Black maleness influence fellow Black males’ initial perceptions of their own collegiate academic experiences? This study employs the conceptual framework that is a hybrid of Africana Critical Theory (ACT) and Critical Race Theory (CRT). I used the methods of historicizing of knowledge and the CRT tenets of permanence of racism and counter-narrative accounts. The symbiotic use of the conceptual framework, methods, and research design assists the inquiry into how exposure to positive prototypes of Black maleness may impact academic experiences. The research around Black males has conveyed pejorative findings for over 30 years. The study findings were interesting. The three participants were positively impacted by exposure to positive prototypes of Black maleness. They all conveyed that associations with positive prototypes of Black maleness are necessary; however, the academic impact that these prototypes have is still very much undetermined. A longer span of research might determine how impactful the positive prototypes of Black maleness are to other Black males. One finding was very apparent among the three participants- Black males do like to learn affirmative history about other Black males.

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Childhood sexual abuse is represents a significant public health problem in the United States, as 21% of U.S. children experience sexual victimization prior to age 18. Research dedicated to preventing further sexual victimization has identified factors that influence the development of sexually abusive behavior. The abused-abuser hypothesis suggests that a prior history of sexual victimization may increase the risk of engaging in sexually abusive behavior among some victims. Some research has also investigated the relationship between characteristics of an individual's experiences of sexual abuse and the characteristics of their own sexually abusive behavior, but such research is scarce with inconsistent findings. For the present study, we first hypothesized that childhood sexual victimization is more prevalent among those who have engaged in sexually abusive behavior than those who have not. We also posited that among those who have engaged in sexually abusive behavior, their own sexual abuse experiences contribute to victim Page 188 2017 Appalachian Student Research Forum choice, the age at which they begin sexually abusing others, and the frequency of abuse. Our sample (N=529; 100% male; 84.7% Caucasian; M = 17.71) consisted of participants from two larger studies of university students with no known history of sexually abusive behavior (n = 286; 84.6% Caucasian; M = 20.18) and youth who have engaged in sexually abusive behaviors and received residential treatment in the Southeastern U.S (n = 243; 84.8% Caucasian; M =14.79). Data from university students were self-reported, while data from the residential youth were coded from archival records. Results of a chisquare analysis revealed that youth who have engaged in sexually abusive behavior were significantly more likely to have experienced childhood sexual abuse than non-sexual abusers,  2 (1, N=523) =210.788, p = .000. Additionally, within the sample of youth who have engaged in sexually abusive behavior, correlations were used to examine relationships between characteristics of their own sexual perpetrators and their victim choice. Results indicate being victimized by a male is significantly associated with having a male victim (r= .143, p=.033), being victimized by a relative is associated with sexually abusing a relative (r=.148, p=.024), and being victimized by a non-relative is associated with sexually abusing a non-relative (r=.194, p=.033). Findings thus far indicate that youth who have engaged in sexually abusive behavior have not only experienced greater sexual victimization than non-sexual abusers, but that the characteristics of their sexual perpetrators may relate to how they sexually abuse others, specifically with regard to victim choice. Additional analyses will examine whether these characteristics of sexual victimization influence the age of onset of their sexual offending and their number of arrests, sexual offenses, and victims. Future directions and limitations will also be explored.