Theses and Dissertations from UMD
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New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item When Guardians Become Capable: An Analysis of Social Bias and Situational Context in Bystander Intervention(2021) Wy, Gabrielle Cabrera; Xie, Min; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Data from the National Crime Victimization Survey in the 1990s indicate that bystanders were present in two-thirds of violent victimizations; however, a bystander who is present may not necessarily intervene. The present study posits that there are two major types of factors that may influence the likelihood of intervention across incidents: factors related to the severity of the crime, and factors that reveal social bias related to race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and crime type. Using NCVS data from 2012-2018, the present study finds statistically significant associations between presence of a firearm, a victim being female, the crime being sexual assault or rape, and the crime being intimate partner violence, and the outcome of bystander intervention. Results add to the social psychology and sociology literature on helping behavior and inform policy and practice regarding the need for programs that target bystander intervention in violent victimization.Item Cyberbullying: an examination of victimization, parent-child communication, collective efficacy and safe behaviors online among young adolescents(2018) McHugh, Meaghan Conte; Gold, Robert S; Public and Community Health; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Each year, approximately 10%-40% of adolescents are the victims of cruel online behaviors such as posting embarrassing photos or videos, purposeful exclusion, harassment, even threats of violence, often referred to as cyberbullying. Cyberbully victimization (CBV) during adolescence, a critical time for physical, mental and emotional development, might lead to adverse short and long-term health impacts and teach the adolescent to mistrust others while suggesting that it is appropriate for peers to intentionally harm each other. Numerous studies have reported the negative health impacts associated with CBV including both internalizing problems (i.e. depression, anxiety, loneliness, and low self-esteem) as well as externalizing problems (i.e. self-harm and drug use). CBV has also been linked to suicide. The current study examined suspected protective factors of CBV from a social ecological model including: demographic and Internet behaviors (individual characteristics), parent-child communication about Internet use (Interpersonal or relationships) and collective efficacy (school community). Data were obtained from a convenience sample of 1,249 young adolescents through a web-based survey administered in multiple public-school classrooms. An important feature of this study was a comparison of a multi-item scale of repeated cyberbully behaviors suggesting that 37% of adolescents were CBV with females (38%) and 8th graders (43%) at greatest risk, compared to a binary item that suggested that only 12% of adolescents were victims (females:13% and 8th graders:15% at greatest risk). Several statistically significant correlates of CBV were identified in this study including safe behaviors online and number of hours on the Internet, quality parent-child communication, and school collective efficacy. For our sample, safe behaviors online partially mediated the association between quality parent-child communication and CBV. Research is needed to understand the mechanism by which parent-child communication might protect against CBV. Suggestions for future prevention and intervention strategies for this complex public health challenge are discussed.Item COLLECTIVE EFFICACY, THREAT, AND URBAN CHANGE: EXAMINING SOCIAL CONTROL FORCES IN AREAS OF GENTRIFICATION(2015) Kozey, Kathryn Noe; Paternoster, Raymond; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Since the term gentrification was first coined in the 1960s, scholars have had an interest in understanding how this process of change can impact neighborhoods. Empirical research focusing on the relationship between gentrification and crime has yielded varying results, with little examination of the contextual mechanisms which may influence the relationship. In addition, little empirical attention has been devoted to the possibility of the spatial displacement of crime due to gentrification. The purpose of this dissertation is to contribute to our understanding of how gentrification impacts levels of crime in three ways. First, using data from the U.S. Census, the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, and the Chicago Transit Authority, I examine whether gentrification is significantly associated with lower levels of crime. Second, I examine levels of crime in gentrifying and adjacent areas to assess the presence of spatial displacement. Third, I incorporate two contextual factors - collective efficacy and perceived neighborhood change - to examine whether or not they modify the relationship between gentrification and crime. Analyses utilize multilevel modeling techniques and difference-in-differences estimation. Results offer preliminary support for the moderating roles of collective efficacy and perceived neighborhood change mechanisms on the relationship between gentrification and crime. While there is an overall negative association between gentrification and crime, this effect is strengthened with collective efficacy, but reversed with rising levels of perceived neighborhood change. Additionally, there is preliminary evidence that the spatial displacement of crime is not occurring as a result of gentrification. I conclude this dissertation with a discussion of the limitations, policy implications, and future directions for this area of research.Item Community Tolerance of Community-Based Reparative Boards in Vermont: A Closer Look at Community Members' Tolerance of Offense Types(2009) Miller, Noah Patrick; Wellford, Charles; McGloin, Jean; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Many people support harsh punishments for convicted offenders. Similarly there are large amounts of political resistance to any criminal justice policies that appear to be soft on crime. On the surface this is a self perpetuating circle, but when community views are probed it becomes clear they are much more complex. This article looks at respondents views on community-based reparative boards in Vermont. In particular, this study assesses their views on which offenders should go to such boards and the effects individual characteristics and victimization can have these opinions. Views were measured through a combination of frequency charts and ordinary lease squares regressions. They show that people have widely varied views on which offenders should be referred to reparative boards. Consistent with previous research, victimization status does not appear to effect respondent's support for reparative boards.Item Cyberstalking Victimization: Impact and Coping Responses in a National University Sample(2008-05-05) Hensler-McGinnis, Nancy Felicity; Fassinger, Ruth E; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Cyberstalking, or technology-aided stalking, is the use of electronic communications or tracking technologies to pursue another person repeatedly to the point of inducing fear. This study investigated the impact of cyberstalking victimization on psychological trauma and impairment of academic/career functioning, controlling for ongoing cyberstalking. Financial impact also was examined. The potential moderating relationship of resilient coping on the association between cyberstalking victimization and the outcome variables was explored. In addition, the study investigated the potential mediating relationship of perceived threat on the associations between victimization and: trauma, academic/career impairment, and formal reporting. The study explored relationships between the reported effectiveness of coping responses and: victim's sex, self-defined victimization, and type of prior relationship with pursuer. Finally, the study investigated predictors of cyberstalking victims' informal and formal reporting behaviors, as well as frequency of reporting, disciplinary outcomes for the cyberstalkers, and victims' reporting satisfaction. Participants were 452 female and male, currently-enrolled, U.S. college/university undergraduate and graduate/medical/law students who responded to an online survey requesting individuals who had been stalked via technology. Results indicated that the experiences of almost half (46%) of the university sample met legal criteria for cyberstalking victimization. Cyberstalking victimization predicted psychological trauma and impairment in academic/career functioning; significant predictors of both outcomes included self-defined victimization and the number of distinct cyberstalking behaviors experienced. In addition, prior dating/intimate partner-stalkers were predictive of psychological trauma, while unknown and female stalkers were associated with more academic/career impairment in university victims. The present study found no evidence for a moderating effect of resilient coping. Perceived threat was found to partially mediate the relationships between cyberstalking victimization and psychological trauma, impairment in academic/career functioning, and formal reporting. Coping response effectiveness was consistent with limiting one's exposure and accessibility; lack of effectiveness was characterized by contact with the pursuer. Coping responses were less effective for students whose victimization met legal definitions of cyberstalking and for those stalked by dating/intimate partners. A majority of students did not formally report victimization; approximately 14% indicated that formal reports resulted in disciplinary action for their cyberstalkers. Additional findings and implications for future research, practice, and policy/advocacy are discussed.Item The Social Information Processing Patterns of Peer-Victimized Children(2006-05-01) Groff, Sarah Katherine; Teglasi, Hedwig; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study examined social information processing (SIP) in peer-victimized children in ways that considered issues of measurement in what constitutes being a victim. A sample of 107 2nd and 3rd grade students completed self- and peer-reports of victimization and aggression, as well as a measure of SIP. The results indicated that self- and peer- reports of victimization were not significantly correlated. There was a modest but significant positive relationship between victimization and aggression, both within and across informants. Findings about the relationship between victimization and SIP were complicated by overlaps between victimization and aggression, lack of correlations across perspectives, and small sample size. Hostile intent attributions were modestly positively correlated to self-reported victimization, but not to peer-reported victimization. The results suggest that the relationship between victimization and SIP depends on how victimization is measured. Implications of these findings for future research are discussed.