Sociology electronic theses and dissertations (MU)
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The items in this collection are the theses and dissertations written by students of the Department of Sociology. Some items may be viewed only by members of the University of Missouri System and/or University of Missouri-Columbia. Click on one of the browse buttons above for a complete listing of the works.
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Item Experiences of discrimination and the mental health of Black military service members(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Massey, Kenya; Hermsen, Joan[EMBARGOED UNTIL 12/01/2026] Although extant research about the United States military emphasizes the mental health of military service members and veterans, there is a paucity of research on the relationship between discrimination and the mental health of service members. Many have greatly emphasized the importance of understanding race and the racialization of the U.S. especially its impact on health. Yet, the impact of racism and discrimination are severely understudied in the military. This dissertation utilized critical sociological frameworks, extensive literature, and restricted data from the Department of Defense to examine the pervasive racial inequalities in the military. This dissertation examined how the military reproduces racial inequalities, and examined how discrimination affects anxiety, depression, morale and work stress in Black service members. Findings indicated that discrimination was associated with negative mental health outcomes and higher career stress. This study underscores the impact of racial discrimination on mental health. Moreover, this research contributes to the developing studies of race relations and mental health in the military.Item An Environmental Justice approach : the construction of pollution and space(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Alder, Emily Ann; Hermsen, Joan[EMBARGOED UNTIL 08/01/2026] This research examines knowledge production about pollution, framing pollution as both physical and social. It comprises three stand-alone essays: how scientific studies approach pollution exposure in relation to low birth weight (LBW); how community members in a large metropolitan area interpret their pollution experiences and embodied impacts; and how discourses contribute to the racialization of space by romanticizing "pure" space, spaces seen as morally untainted. Two original datasets and methods were used. An integrative literature review explored why studies on proximity to Superfund sites and LBW yield inconsistent results. Qualitative analyses (thematic, narrative, and discourse) of interviews with 19 Franklin County, Ohio residents informed the other two essays. One focused on perceptions of pollution; the other on how pollution discourse romanticizes pure space. Key findings include: 1) geographic unit levels largely explain inconsistencies in LBW--Superfund proximity research; 2) non-expert pollution perceptions shape behaviors and emotional responses; and 3) pollution discourse applies moral standards to space, reinforcing exclusionary ideals within the white spatial imaginary. This research contributes to Environmental Justice by highlighting how environmental injustices and spatial inequalities are reproduced through discourse and everyday interactions. Future studies should consider other environmental hazards and health outcomes and include broader interview samples across all neighborhoods in a county.Item Commercial marketing and public health : like oil and water? A sociological analysis of the VERB social marketing campaign(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Mulligan, Julia A.; Brekhus, Wayne H.[EMBARGOED UNTIL 05/01/2026] The purpose of this dissertation is to apply the tools of sociological inquiry to critically examine the social marketing approach to health promotion in public health through a case study of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) VERBTM "It's What You Do!" national mass media campaign, which used social marketing to encourage 'tweens' (aged 9-13) to be physically active between 2002-2006. Funding for the VERB campaign was the most amount of money for a single initiative that the CDC had ever received and has since become one of the most well documented public health campaigns ever. Through a theoretically informed interpretive qualitative analysis, this research aims to contribute to the small but growing literature on the sociology of public health and health promotion, through an analysis of a social marketing campaign, in particular. Using discourse analysis of campaign documents, this research seeks to deepen understanding about and explore the implications of adopting market model commercial marketing techniques for improving public health and society from a sociological perspective.Item Correlates of satisfaction among the small town elderly(University of Missouri--Columbia, 1971) Adams, David L."INTRODUCTION TO THE PROBLEM: "Old" is a unique social category. It is both achieved and ascribed. It is achieved with little, if any, effort on the part of the individual and ascribed despite its desirability. It is achieved regardless of other social characteristics and ascribed on the basis of no more than the passage of time--whether this is measured by the calendar, by role sets, or simply by the appearance of the biological organism. In some cultures, old is beautiful. However, in many cultures, and particularly those undergoing rapid social change, old is obsolete. It is "functional" in such societies to ascribe low status to the elderly. This provides younger generations with a "rationalization" for removing "old" from the social mainstream and replacing it with "new." The aging individual, however, is caught in a dilemma when he suddenly finds himself the object of his own negative stereotype. This is aptly stated in the story about the man and his son who were carrying grandfather to the river in a sack to dispose of him, and the son said, "Save the sack, father, I'll need it for you." It has been suggested that two universal human desires are to prolong life and to depart life honorably. It would appear, however, that the two are mutually exclusive, with "primitive" societies achieving the latter and "modern" societies achieving the former. Put another way, the status of the elderly seems high where they are few and low where they are many. Nonetheless, the quest to unite the two would seem to account for much of the current attention to the elderly. This concern for the dilemma faced by twenty million Americans, combined with the financial ability to be concerned, has resulted in a proliferation of literature on the topic over the past twenty-five years. The elderly have been shown to be healthier/unhealthier/the same as middle generations. They have been shown to participate more/less/the same. It is said that they have negative/positive/neutral attitudes toward death, old age, the middle generation and self. Satisfaction is shown to increase/decrease/remain constant with advancing age. Their concern for family, friends, and the church become greater/less/unchanged in old age. In other words, a number of seemingly contradictory statements have been made about the elderly. It is the author’s contention that these "contradictions" merely reflect the complexity of that group called the "elderly," and are a function of particular subsamples of this group from which the observations arose. For example, one investigation of the present study sample has shown that satisfaction decreases with age, while two others have shown no relationship. However, the former involved the entire sample while the latter was based on selected subsamples which were homogeneous in many respects--but not in age. This points out that satisfaction, at least, is not a necessary correlate of age, but rather, is a function of subgroup characteristics for which age serves as a convenient "handle." In addition to "elderly" complexity, it is believed that the "contradictions" arise from the methods of analysis used by many investigators. Admitting exceptions, these methods have involved simple linear examinations of relationships. Thus, claims are made that health declines with age, and income declines with age, and participation declines with age, and satisfaction declines with age--but few attempts have been made to determine the interacting influence of income on health, health on participation, participation on satisfaction, etc."--Page 1.Item Ethical imperative to health and epistemological distance : rural patients and advanced practice registered nurses(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Yates, Justin; Avery, EileenRural populations have increased mortality, lower life expectancy, and less access to specialty care. Rural health disparities result from geographic, social, and epistemological barriers. In the wake of rural hospital closures, rural patients necessarily seek care from non-rural hospitals. These barriers facilitate comorbidities and untreated illnesses, requiring complex care that advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) can provide. APRNs offer unique insights into the context of rural care. To explore these dynamics, this study uses a systematic literature review and analyses of semi-structured in-depth interviews. The literature review uses the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses Scoping Review extension (PRISMA-ScR) methodology. This review explores the role and scope of APRNs in rural health. This study used semi-structured in-depth interviews to discuss rural health barriers with twenty APRNs, including nurse practitioners (NPs), certified nurse midwives (CNMs), and clinical nurse specialists (CNSs). These APRNs practice within a large, Midwestern, university-affiliated, non-rural, hospital system with a level one trauma center. APRNs provide insights into rural barriers to health, including their role in addressing rural health challenges. Addressing rural patients' limited cultural health capital and infrequent exposure to healthcare systems, APRNs engage in culturally competent care. Culture, as well as the ways in which rural populations understand health, are consequential factors in care outcomes. Building trust and rapport with rural patients is essential to rural patient care, especially for those who are wary or distrustful of clinical approaches to health. APRNs confront the ways in which rural culture intersects with epistemology, meeting challenging dynamics within the context of providing care.