Thesis (M.S.)--Ball State University, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Nov. 30, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Queensland, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (B. Psy. Sc.(Hons.))--University of Queensland, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (B.A.)--Haverford College, Dept. of History, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 277-288). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

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The purpose of this study was to measure American attitudes toward communism in the post-Cold War era (1990-to present) and see if the legacy of negative media messages has influenced the formation of attitudes. The researcher attempted to explore current attitudes toward communism and look for differences in perception of East-West relations among those Americans who were raised during the Cold War and those who grew up at the end of the Cold War.The researcher interviewed forty-five individuals in three age groups to meet the goals of the study. Three factors have emerged from the study.Factor 1 is favorable toward Russia and is tolerant toward communism. Factor 2 maintains the Cold War enemy image of communism; therefore, it has negative attitude toward communism and Russians. Factor 3 dislikes communism as a working political system, but doesn't perceive it as a threat, and holds favorable attitude toward Russians. Overall, all factors believed that relations are improving between the U.S. and Russia.The educational levels of each group revealed differences in their attitudes toward communism/Russia. The most educated factor was Factor 1, the most tolerant factor. / Department of Journalism

Past research on attitudes toward the mentally ill has produced conflicting results, due in part to methodological problems. The present study examined this issue using a more sophisticated design. Randomly, 600 residents of Delaware County Indiana were chosen from the telephone directory to be the recipients of a mail survey. Of these, 206 responded, yielding a return rate of 34.5%. Each subject was randomly assigned to either the experimental group that read a case vignette which described a hypothetical mental patient, or the control group which read about a medically ill patient. In both conditions there were three levels of severity of behavior. Thus, three cases described hypothetical patients labeled as mentally ill with a range of severity of psychopathology, and three described comparably behaving medical controls. It was found that the mentally ill were rejected significantly more than medical controls at each level of severity. Respondents also rated the mentally ill as less predictable, and having less hopeful outcomes, than the medical controls. In addition, beliefs about mental illness were not sufficient to account for all rejection. Finally, no demographic characteristics of the population were found to significantly correlate with rejection. / Department of Psychological Science

In the past ten years there has been a tremendous growth in outpatient surgery. Technical advancements in surgery techniques and anesthesia delivery have made it possible for lengthy, complex surgical procedures to be done on an outpatient basis. While surgery is dramatically changing, the basic nursing needs of surgical patients remain constant. It is widely accepted that most patients face the same spiritual issues of coping, hope, inner-peace and a sense of emotional and physical well-being, which have long been associated with the surgical experience, yet the newer processes necessitate adaptation at an accelerated rate. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the meanings of the lived spiritual experiences of patients transitioning through major outpatient surgery. The philosophical framework of this research was operationalized congruent with interpretive phenomenological methodology. The philosophic methodological approach of van Manen formed the foundation for this study while Munhall’s stepwise approach guided the methodology. Seven research participants who had just completed major outpatient surgery were recruited through a purposeful criterion based sample. The participant interviews resulted in rich descriptions of each individual experience framed within the context of the four existential life-worlds. After interviewing and readdressing the participant’s accounts, four distinct themes emerged. The identified themes were; a) a point in time, b) holy other, c) vulnerability in the operating theater and d) appraisals of uncertainty. Several suggestions for perioperative nursing practice were discussed as well as two general recommendations for future research.