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Examination of the Relationships Between Religious or Atheistic Belief Certainty and Mental Health Outcomes
No full textPerceived meaning in life is considered to be an outcome of one’s efforts to create and sustain a sense of subjective understanding and purpose in the world. Meaning-making researchers have historically emphasized the role of religious worldviews as fundamental structures through which meaning-making attempts can be guided. Often, researchers have suggested that religious beliefs offer unique benefits for physical and psychological well-being for religious believers compared to non-believers. Archival data was analyzed across two separate waves, and significant correlates of aspects of meaning in life, belief certainty, and psychological well-being were identified. Perceived meaning and peace and mitigation of lapses of meaning in life consistently mediated the relationship between belief certainty and psychological well-being. Evidence was also found in support of some unique benefits for religious belief content, compared to non-religious beliefs, for psychological well-being within this sample. Findings highlight that the psychological benefits of belief certainty are at least partially dependent on one’s level of perceived meaning in life, regardless of religious or atheistic belief. Strengths, limitations, implications of our findings, and directions for future research are discussed
The Impact of Previous Police Contact and Attitudes Toward Police on Firearm Carriage in a College Student Population
No full textThis study examines whether an association exists between police contact and firearm carriage. Additionally, the present study examines whether the intrusiveness of police contact has an association with firearm carriage. Questionnaires measuring participant demographics, perceptions of the police, contact with the police, and firearm carriage were administered to 222 participants recruited through undergraduate psychology courses at a state university in the Midwest. Results indicated that participants with a history of contact with the police were more likely to carry a firearm than participants with no contact with the police. Regarding frequency of firearm carriage, participants with a history of police contact reported firearm carriage on significantly more days compared to participants who did not experience police contact. Results did not find a relationship between intrusiveness of police contact and firearm carriage. A significant relationship was found between firearm carriage and perceptions of the police, such that individuals with less favorable attitudes toward the police reported greater firearm carriage both in presence and frequency. These results build on extant research and help to further understand the significant impact the police have on citizens when they interact, regardless of how intrusive that interaction may be
Evaluating the Impact of Seed Money Grants in Stimulating Growth of Community-based Research and Service-Learning at a Major Public Research University
No full textAt a major research university, community engagement must intersect with research productivity and attract external funding to be well-regarded. At USF, community engagement increased its value to the institution by using seed grants for community-based research and service-learning projects. Between 1998 and 2006, 132 projects received 9 million in grants to USF, a return on investment of approximately 6-to-1
Champions for Outreach and Advocacy for Campus and Community Health: A College-Based Peer Health Coach Program
No full textFew studies have investigated the role Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) students can play in addressing chronic diseases among themselves, their peers, and local community. An overview of a peer health promotion education strategy is provided. Ten students completed an eight-week health disparities curriculum while providing health information and screening to 1,525 campus and community residents. A description of the program and recommendations are provided. Findings support the need for peer student health educators in HBCUs as a model to improve campus and community health outcomes
The Impact of Community-Based Learning in School Guidance
No full textIn this article we explore how higher education partners, in this case a small, Jesuit, liberal arts institution, can partner with local public schools through community-based learning in order to increase counseling-based resources in the public schools. Using the case study of one undergraduate course’s field-based experience component, we examine the initial impact on the undergraduate participants as well as potential contributions to the public school. Given the economic constraints facing American public schools, the lack of sufficient guidance and counseling staff within schools, and the growing need for counseling-based services, the need for community partners to contribute to this domain has become increasingly apparent. While our findings are preliminary, it is clear that higher education-public school partnerships can extend beyond tutoring and mentoring into the school counseling field in order to support the trained school counseling professionals present in schools