Browsing by Author "Dr. Stanley B. Baker, Committee Member"

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    Moving from Secondary to Primary Prevention of Sexual Violence: Attitudes, Perceptions, and Experiences of Rape Crisis Prevention Coordinators
    (2008-11-14) Adair, Jeannie Elizabeth; Dr. Sylvia C. Nassar-McMillan, Committee Chair; Dr. Pamela P. Martin, Committee Member; Dr. Edwin R. Gerler, Committee Member; Dr. Stanley B. Baker, Committee Member
    This exploratory qualitative multiple-case study examined attitudes, perceptions and experiences of rape crisis prevention coordinators in the first year of transition to a new way of addressing primary prevention of sexual violence. The main goal of this research study was to discover ways to improve the shift from secondary to primary prevention efforts by exploring and analyzing the lived experiences of prevention coordinators working in rape crisis centers in North Carolina, one of four states fully funded by the CDC to begin moving from secondary to primary prevention. Seven prevention coordinators ranging in age from 23-66 were interviewed with a semi-structured interview. This research utilized a multiple case study design (Yin, 1984) to explore the factors that support or hinder the shift in focus from secondary to primary prevention of sexual violence. Due to the lack of research on this topic and population, this exploratory phenomenological approach was selected to gain insight into how prevention coordinators perceive their experience. This means that one should keep in mind that whatever information emerged from the data is what was discovered in this study. There were no preconceived notions about what type of data or answers to research questions would come about from the research investigation (Yin, 1984). Instead, what was discovered was that which the participants allowed us to discover. The themes that emerged from the qualitative data included: training on feminist theory and sexual violence is a must in helping train prevention coordinators; the participants not only struggled with the concept of primary prevention itself, but also with the way the shift occurred or was imposed on agencies by the funders; prevention coordinators often felt that the old ways of conducting prevention programs were discounted; prevention coordinators wanted and needed networking with other prevention coordinators; and the training and implementation of the transition to primary prevention lacked logical order. Implications of these and other emergent themes, as well as, conclusions and future research directions, were presented.
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    Worldviews, Mental Health, Career Values, and Academic Success of Medical Students at a Southeastern Medical School
    (2009-04-27) Acheampong, Cassandra Dixon; Dr. Sylvia C. Nassar-McMillan, Committee Chair; Dr. Stanley B. Baker, Committee Member; Dr. Marc A. Grimmett, Committee Member; Dr. Craig C. Brookins, Committee Member
    A review of research and literature on student development in medical education has documented the presence of differences in the medical school experiences of underrepresented minority medical students (URMs) (Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino(a), and Native American/American Indian) and non-underrepresented minority medical students (non-URMs) (White/Caucasian). Moreover, some authors from the fields of counseling, psychology, and medical education have suggested that cultural worldviews may account for some of these differences and that worldviews may be related to medical students’ psychological, career, and academic development in medical school. In an effort to investigate the possible relationship between worldviews and medical students’ development, the following research questions were examined in this descriptive, exploratory study: 1.Is there a difference in worldviews for URMs and non-URMs? 2.Is there a difference in mental health status for URMs and non-URMs? 3.Is there a difference in Primary Care Medicine career values for URMs and non-URMs? 4.Is there a relationship between worldviews and mental health in the sample? a. What is the presence and strength of the relationship for URMs? b. What is the presence and strength of the relationship for non-URMs? 5.Is there a relationship between worldviews and Primary Care Medicine career values in the sample? a.What is the presence and strength of the relationship for URMs? b.What is the presence and strength of the relationship for non-URMs? 6.Is there a difference in worldviews between academically successful participants in the sample and those participants experiencing academic difficulty? a. What is the difference in worldviews between academically successful URMs and URMs experiencing academic difficulty? b. What is the difference in worldviews between academically successful non-URMs and non-URMs experiencing academic difficulty? A convenience sample of 19 (24.40%) URM and 59 (75.60%) non-URM students at Brody School of Medicine volunteered to participate in this study and completed the following instruments: Belief Systems Analysis Scale (Montgomery et al., 1990); Brief Symptom Inventory (Derogatis, 1993), Physician Values in Practice Scale (Hartung et al., 2005), and a demographic survey form. Descriptive statistics, two-tailed independent sample t tests, Mann Whitney U Tests, and correlation analyses were calculated for the data of the 78 participants. Career values in Primary Care Medicine were found to be significantly higher for URMs indicating that Brody URMs have stronger preference for careers in Primary Care Medicine than do Brody non-URMs. Worldviews and career values in Primary Care Medicine were found to be negatively correlated for non-URMs suggesting that one score increases for Brody non-URMs as the other increases. No significant difference was found in the worldviews or mental health status of Brody URMs as compared to non-URMs and there was no significant relationship between worldviews and career values of Brody URMs; small sample size and characteristics may possibly account for this lack of significance. Descriptive statistics were calculated to examine differences in worldviews of URMs and non-URMs experiencing academic success and academic difficulty.