<p> Crime shows are extremely prevalent in current television programming. The popularity of these shows has created what is commonly referred to as &ldquo;the CSI Effect.&rdquo; This effect argues that crime shows cause viewers to have skewed expectations regarding criminal investigation and prosecution. This research looked specifically at the CSI Effect and how it has affected the way law enforcement officials do their jobs. The purpose of this thesis was to determine if and/or how crime shows have influenced contemporary criminal investigations. This research took a qualitative research approach based on grounded theory. Fifteen, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with individual police officers to examine what influences crime shows have had on their profession. Participants were asked 14 questions related to crime shows and their work experience. Once participant responses had been coded and analyzed, it was determined that police-work is very case specific and officer dependent. Participants acknowledged that each situation they deal with is different than the next; therefore, at times they were unable to provide exact answers to questions. This study found that crime shows do influence law enforcement and contemporary investigation. The type and severity of the influence was inconclusive. Overall, this thesis argues that more research needs to be conducted regarding the impact crime shows have had on current policing.</p>

<p> Researchers have documented that problem gambling has affected families. The purpose of this quantitative study is to investigate how the gambling behaviors of an individual affected perceived social support of his or her family members and their financial well-being. This study will be based on a cross-sectional survey of 33 family members of gamblers who resided in Orange County, California. The majority of the participants estimated their family member spent an average of $1,000 per week on gambling activities. Asians and first generation immigrants experienced low perceived social support compared to their non-Asians and second and third generation counterparts. Participants who earned less than $15,000, those who rented, and were single scored low on financial well-being scale compared to their counterparts. Study findings have implications for social and behavioral sciences. The findings aimed to help families, communities and helping professionals to have an awareness of the potential harm of problem gambling.</p>

<p> The subject of this inquiry is the lived experience of the body healing from childhood interpersonal trauma. The questions driving this inquiry were designed to elicit the meaning body-based healing has brought to those who have endured childhood trauma and engaged in healing practices offered by the field of psychology, including both talk therapy and somatic psychotherapy and practices. The literature in psychology reveals scarce studies that privilege the lived experiences of persons who are in the process of transforming childhood trauma. Therefore, there is need for this study which foregrounds the mind, body, and spiritual lived experiences of trauma and its healing, in participant&rsquo;s own words. </p><p> This study brings forth the stories of four participants who experienced interpersonal childhood trauma and also sought body-based healing modalities. Through the perspective of psyche, outcomes of this study were revealed from a deep, reflective, metaphorical standpoint. This theoretical foundation set the stage for the use of the qualitative method of narrative inquiry. Phenomenological analysis of interviews created a first-person subjective point of view into the experience of developing a deeper body consciousness. </p><p> Meaning derived from this study delineated four pathways of healing presented under the refrains of Seeking Healing, What Wants to Live, Living Within Trauma and Healing, and The Awakened Body. From here, the study provides a broader context to the experience of healing that includes the movement from dissociation to awareness in a context of uncertainty. This perspective provides a different consideration of what is happening in the healing process, important for psychotherapists, as well as trauma scholars and practitioners exploring treatments. Most importantly, the outcomes will be of interest to those who are healing from childhood trauma, sketching a trajectory of how body-based therapies and activities potentially transform many aspects of one&rsquo;s life. Outcomes could guide further research related to the intersections of childhood trauma and long-term healing and transformation.</p>

<p> This qualitative research study addresses the gap in literature about the lived experience of counselors working with English-speaking immigrant parents who use physical discipline with their children. A phenomenological design was used to guide this project as a way of capturing the unique meanings of each participant. Relational cultural theory was the framework utilized to present explanations of counselors&rsquo; work with the clients/parents they serve. The researcher interviewed 10 social workers: five were licensed master social workers and the other, licensed clinical social workers who volunteered for the study. The interviews were individually conducted and audio-recorded. Four semi-structured interview questions guided the interview. Each interview was transcribed verbatim, read multiple times, and coded and analyzed by using the computer software, MAXQDA. The three themes emerged from the data analysis were: (a) Counselors&rsquo; Knowledge of Physical Discipline; (b) Counselors&rsquo; Perspectives of Physical Discipline; and (c) Counselors&rsquo; Use of Self. The identified themes were supported by selections of the participants&rsquo; responses. The findings of this study reveal the need for counselors&rsquo; initial and ongoing education and trainings in cultural sensitivity and cultural competence to better serve English-speaking Caribbean immigrant parents who use physical discipline with their children. This study&rsquo;s results were compared and contrasted to existing literature on counselors&rsquo; work and on physical discipline. Implications, limitations, and future recommendations were also discussed.</p>

<p> The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether or not a father&rsquo;s absence has an impact on how adult daughters view intimate partners and how they choose their intimate relationships. While most previous research focused on the importance of the father/daughter relationship on a daughter&rsquo;s sexual development, there is limited research that reveals the importance of the father/daughter relationship on women&rsquo;s adult intimate relationships. The present study was conducted with 15 adult women who volunteered to participate in the study. The results revealed that father&rsquo;s involvement in their daughter&rsquo;s lives throughout their childhood can influence their intimate relationships in adulthood. The factors associated with father absence during childhood can stay with individuals as they enter into adulthood, which shows the significance for early intervention. Even though most of the participants mentioned having a fear of abandonment and becoming too attached, there is still potential for fatherless daughters to have healthy fulfilling and lasting relationships. Implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research are discussed. </p>

<p> Single mothers are commonly characterized as low-income welfare recipients. In 2010, close to 30% of single mother households were below the poverty line (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010a) conversely leaving 70% of single mothers above the poverty line. Being a married working mother is challenging and comes with the need of several supports. With the growing divorce rate and the introduction of women choosing to become single mothers, the numbers of single working mothers are growing rapidly. In order to be a successful single mother certain factors need to be accounted for. This study focused on single mothers who are in high profile professional positions and looked at what supports it took; both internally and externally, to sustain their situations. Some highly regarded, prestigious positions that fell into this category include, but are not limited to, school administrators, writers/authors, successful entrepreneurs, attorneys, doctors, professors, upper level managers/supervisors, and executive directors. Also, this study looked at character traits of the identified mothers to see if there was an inner predisposition that positions them to be able to thrive in difficult situations. The findings suggest that in order for single mothers to succeed they need to establish a strong support network, have a flexible career and demonstrate strong leadership skills ranging from a Lazier Fair approach to a transformative one with a strong mentoring influence and affinity.</p><p> The results from this study indicate that this population identified as resilient, passionate, and focused about their professional and personal lives. These single mothers are motivated by a high level of passion for both their work, and parenting their children, including providing a comfortable lifestyle and rich involvement in their children&rsquo;s lives. Their use of support varied and formed a naturally occurring continuum spanning from &ldquo;no support&rdquo;, to &ldquo;support is essential&rdquo;. This population reported their relational style either increased or decreased in their willingness to seek out and accept assistance from others. In leadership style, this group of single mother professionals scored extremely high in having tendencies towards Transformational leadership and surprisingly, even higher in having tendencies towards Laissez-faire leadership.</p>

<p>The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) is a briefer revision of the MMPI-2. The archived MMPI-2 profiles of 214 evangelical missionaries seeking psychological services were analyzed in order to explore the relationship among the MMPI-2-RF newly constructed interpersonal scales, the RC scales, and missionary distress. Missionary husbands and wives were placed into two groups based on marital types (conflicted and non-conflicted) and again into three groups based on clinical presenting problems (marital, family, and non-family distress). The results lend support to the use of the MMPI-2-RF SHY, IPP, and FML interpersonal scales along with the RC4 scale in screening missionary marital distress. Recommendations for counselors and missionary boards are discussed.

<p>Past research often considers living alone as a risk factor for older persons. In fact, adverse health outcomes are associated with living arrangement transitions, suggesting a need to consider the dynamic process of living arrangements. Using eight waves of the Health and Retirement Study (1998&ndash;2012), this study examines three research questions: (1) Do older Americans&rsquo; living arrangements exhibit a pattern of sequence? (2) What are implications of living arrangements at particular older ages on life expectancy? (3) What factors predict transitions out of a living alone arrangement? </p><p> The first analysis displays and classifies ordered patterns of living arrangements over time. Baseline living arrangements have a substantial influence on subsequent transitions. Major patterns of women&rsquo;s living arrangement sequences are more diverse than those for men. In particular, living alone is both the major living arrangements at baseline or intermediately after baseline. These results suggest the importance of the living arrangement status at old ages in relation to subsequent living arrangements over time. </p><p> Next, multistate life tables are estimated for calculating life expectancy in total and among distinct living arrangements. While the expected percentage of time spent living alone for men increases with age, about half of women&rsquo;s total life expectancy at any ages is spent living alone. Older persons living alone do not have shorter life expectancies than those in co-residential living arrangements, particularly among women. This suggests a selection process in which less robust older persons tend to transition to other living arrangements or die at younger ages. </p><p> Lastly, discrete-time event history models are used to examine factors associated with transitioning from living alone. Sentinel health events and poorer functional status are associated with an increased risk of death, and, to a lesser extent, a subsequent transition to co-residence or institutionalization. Analyses of transitions from living alone measured concurrently with changes in functional status suggest that many transitions may be immediate reactions to a recent health decline rather than adjustments following a progressive health decline. In either case, subsequent co-residence does not appear to be a common adaptation for many older adults who live alone with increased needs for care. </p>

<p> The current study examined the construct of intergenerational transmission of trauma (ITT) in relation to its effect on depressed, anxious, and stress symptoms in a sample of participants who could identify a parent as having survived notable trauma. Parental communication style was examined as the moderating factor. A total of 89 participants comprised the current sample, with a majority of the sample representing individuals who identified as highly educated, female, and born in the United States of America. Five assessment tools were utilized, including the Modified Secondary Trauma Questionnaire (MSTQ; Motta, Hafeez, Sciancalepore, &amp; Diaz, 2001), The Depression and Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS; Lovibond, &amp; Lovibond, 1995), The Family Communication Scale (FCS) from The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES-IV; Olson, 2011) and a demographic questionnaire. The most frequent traumas in the sample included loss of parent or other significant family member, physical/sexual/verbal abuse and immigration related trauma. Multiple regression statistics were used to analyze the data, and it was found that MSTQ scores contributed significantly toward the variance in levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Parent communication style did not moderate these associations. Clinical implications, study limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.</p>

<p> The Darfuri families have been a new population to Colorado. Most of the Darfiuri families come to the USA as Genocide survivor and come from hardship life. The study looks at what factors impacts the Darfuri families&rsquo; life, who are recent immigrant to the USA. Previse research has looked at how the Darfuri family adapted the their new life in Colorado. The study looked at the strengths and the difficulties the Darfuri families handle on a daily basis through several themes including life before the war and during war and after the war, life in the refugee camps and in their new life in Colorado. The primary data was used for the purpose of this thesis. For this study, families consisted of 6 participants who were interviewed. Then qualitative data was analyzed by finding factors that were exhibited through this study. Results provide four common themes throughout the research.</p>