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Acknowledging Social Connectedness: Young Adults with Disabilities

Description

Human beings are social creatures and need social connections to thrive in society. I observed low social connectedness amongst the students with disabilities in my high school and wanted to do more research on the cause of this occurrence. In my literary analysis and proposal, I highlight the effects…

Human beings are social creatures and need social connections to thrive in society. I observed low social connectedness amongst the students with disabilities in my high school and wanted to do more research on the cause of this occurrence. In my literary analysis and proposal, I highlight the effects social isolation and loneliness have on the well-being of people. While concluding that negative health effects come from low social connection, I researched the prevalence of low social connection amongst the disabled population and found that although low social connectedness can impact anyone, those with disabilities experience more low social connectedness than those without disabilities. I then analyzed ways in which low social connection can be addressed and focused on measuring social isolation and loneliness as indicators of low connectedness. I proposed a promising mentorship program intervention for my chosen population, young adults with disabilities, to help them increase social connection. This proposal may be adapted for use with any population. My goal for this program is to help increase social connection, promote societal support, and increase self-esteem and knowledge of their desired career and life skills as they transition into adult roles. Furthermore, I hope this paper may help spread awareness and get society to think of ways interventions to promote social connectedness can be implemented for people, like young adults with disabilities, who experience low social connectedness.

ContributorsBabatunde, Oreoluwa (Author) / Pohl, Janet (Thesis director) / Dykstra, LeAnn (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation (Contributor)

Created2023-12

The Fundamentals of Friendship: A College Course Designed to Teach Students How To Build and Maintain Healthy Friendships

Description

I have designed a college-level course to help college-aged students build and maintain healthy friendships. Every week, students will engage in collaborative activities and learn a variety of topics related to friendship, including the benefits of friendship, barriers to friendship, and friendship maintenance mechanisms. As part of their final project,…

I have designed a college-level course to help college-aged students build and maintain healthy friendships. Every week, students will engage in collaborative activities and learn a variety of topics related to friendship, including the benefits of friendship, barriers to friendship, and friendship maintenance mechanisms. As part of their final project, students will demonstrate their knowledge of making and maintaining healthy friendships by completing a case study in which students will be expected to apply their learnings from class to a chosen friendship and observe how the friendship changes as a result. In order to establish the need for the course I made, I first conducted a literature review on friendship, loneliness, and factors that may contribute to young adults having difficulties making friends.

ContributorsLiu, Stephanie (Author) / Mox, Kyle (Thesis director) / Shiota, Michelle (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor)

Created2023-05

Physical Interference

Description

this project is about interrupting existing patterns of urban loneliness. the project explores three urban typologies of loneliness and potential interferences for each landscape. obstacles to unloneliness are investigated, such as urban form and social media. each is evaluated for its effect on loneliness and how this effect can be…

this project is about interrupting existing patterns of urban loneliness. the project explores three urban typologies of loneliness and potential interferences for each landscape. obstacles to unloneliness are investigated, such as urban form and social media. each is evaluated for its effect on loneliness and how this effect can be used to influence urbanites to feel less lonely. the focus is on ideas and experimentation. physical interference seeks to challenge preconceptions of what a city is, how one experiences the urban environment, and the role social media plays in our daily lives. the goal is to determine a spatial representation of the effect urbanism and social media have on loneliness and to use that to suggest a new typology of public space to promote unloneliness within phoenix, san francisco, and new york city. physical interference is a manifestation of ideas surrounding the modern urban experience.

ContributorsMedeiros, Camille Nicole (Author) / Maddock, Bryan (Thesis director) / Neveu, Marc (Thesis director) / Cloutier, Scott (Committee member) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / The Design School (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2019-05

Venture Together: The Dire Need for Social Connection

Description

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has been turned upside down. People everywhere are recommended to self-isolate and social distance to limit the spread of the deadly virus. Older adults specifically are being forced into isolation because they are at the highest risk for severe illness—illness that…

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has been turned upside down. People everywhere are recommended to self-isolate and social distance to limit the spread of the deadly virus. Older adults specifically are being forced into isolation because they are at the highest risk for severe illness—illness that can result in hospitalization, intensive care, or even death. But this isolation is not new. Even before COVID-19, the older adult population has been suffering through a social isolation epidemic. And now, with social distancing measures in place, even more adults are being socially isolated to remain safe and healthy. But when individuals are isolated for long periods of time and no longer have an active social network to connect with, this social isolation can become harmful. Social isolation is known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, and stroke, and it is associated with anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline. Furthermore, the risk of premature death from any cause increases because of social isolation. With all these negative consequences, it is crucial that we confront the toll that COVID-19 countermeasures have taken on older adults and look for ways to prevent social isolation. Venture Together, a multi-user social media platform designed for older adults, attempts to do just this and more.

ContributorsHouchins, Michelle (Author) / Doebbeling, Bradley (Thesis director) / Mejía, Mauricio (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)

Created2022-05

Helping the Homeless: An Examination of Social Support For Individuals Experiencing Homelessness Who Are Residing In An Emergency Shelter

Description

In this thesis, we surveyed homeless individuals at the Saint Vincent de Paul homeless shelter to discover any trends amongst the homeless population in the areas of: mental health and quality of life, as well as to how effective the shelter is for individuals. Our overall findings show us that…

In this thesis, we surveyed homeless individuals at the Saint Vincent de Paul homeless shelter to discover any trends amongst the homeless population in the areas of: mental health and quality of life, as well as to how effective the shelter is for individuals. Our overall findings show us that not only is the shelter successful in assisting homeless individuals in their daily lives and quality of lives, but friends and family play a crucial role in supporting homeless individuals as well.

ContributorsBlakeman, Alec (Author) / Stein, Adam (Co-author) / Morgan, Alaina (Co-author) / Legg, Eric (Thesis director) / Riker, Elise (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / School of Music, Dance and Theatre (Contributor)

Created2022-05

Comparing Human and Non-Human Animal Social Isolation: Terms, Methods, Interventions, and Biopathology

Description

This paper is a review of current scientific literature in the area of social isolation and health in both humans and nonhuman animals. Social isolation is an important subject today with social isolation generally increasing throughout human populations across the globe. Animals offer critical insights into certain mechanisms of social…

This paper is a review of current scientific literature in the area of social isolation and health in both humans and nonhuman animals. Social isolation is an important subject today with social isolation generally increasing throughout human populations across the globe. Animals offer critical insights into certain mechanisms of social isolation. While assessing social isolation in animals is quite different in comparison to humans, the results of experimentation often show that animals share similar biological responses to social isolation with humans. Areas of social isolation research assessed in this paper include social isolation terms, methods and/or measurement, interventions (including environmental enrichment in animals), and biopathology. While some comparative studies exist that compare social isolation in humans and animals, this paper attempts to be a summative analysis of literature in multiple specific areas of social isolation research. The purpose of this literature review is to provide a perspective of first how social isolation is defined, of how it is measured, and finally the significance of both humans' and animals' biological responses to social isolation. Of these areas, comparisons between humans and animals offer critical insights for future social isolation research.

ContributorsKolodisner, Jude (Author) / Pohl, Janet (Thesis director) / Snyder-Mackler, Noah (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)

Created2022-12

Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults During COVID-19

Description

The purpose of this Honors Thesis was to first, understand the implications of social isolation and loneliness on an individuals’ physical and mental health and second, uncover successful strategies that individuals used to overcome social isolation and loneliness. This thesis used two primary data sets to draw conclusions about individuals’…

The purpose of this Honors Thesis was to first, understand the implications of social isolation and loneliness on an individuals’ physical and mental health and second, uncover successful strategies that individuals used to overcome social isolation and loneliness. This thesis used two primary data sets to draw conclusions about individuals’ subjective feelings of loneliness and isolation and to further understand what strategies were used to overcome these feelings. The results from this thesis demonstrated that individuals who successfully avoided feelings of social isolation and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic took up new activities, used strategies to facilitate communication, participated in community engagement, completed acts of service, practiced mindfulness and reflection, and made new connections.

ContributorsPishko, Claire (Author) / Harelson, Haley (Co-author) / Doebbeling, Bradley (Thesis director) / Meja, Mauricio (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor)

Created2021-12

Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults During COVID-19

Description

For our thesis, we analyzed a set of data from the on-going longitudinal study, “Aging In the Time of COVID-19” (Guest et al., ongoing) from the Center for Innovation in Healthy and Resilient Aging at Arizona State University. This study researched how COVID-19 and the resulting physical/social distancing impacted aging…

For our thesis, we analyzed a set of data from the on-going longitudinal study, “Aging In the Time of COVID-19” (Guest et al., ongoing) from the Center for Innovation in Healthy and Resilient Aging at Arizona State University. This study researched how COVID-19 and the resulting physical/social distancing impacted aging individuals' health, wellbeing, and quality-of-life. The survey collected data regarding over 1400 participants’ social connections, health, and experiences during COVID-19. This study gathered information about participants’ comorbid conditions, age, sex, location, etc. We presented this work in the form of a website including the traditional elements of an Honors Thesis as well as a visual essay with the data analysis portion coded with the JavaScript library D3 and a list of resources for our target audience, older adults who are experiencing social isolation and/or loneliness.

ContributorsHarelson, Haley (Author) / Pishko, Claire (Co-author) / Doebbeling, Bradley (Thesis director) / Mejía, Mauricio (Thesis director) / Guest, Aaron (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor)

Created2021-12

Associated Materials

ContributorsHarelson, Haley (Author) / Pishko, Claire (Co-author) / Doebbeling , Bradley (Thesis director) / Mejía, Mauricio (Thesis director) / Guest, Aaron (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)

Created2021-12

Honors Thesis Presentation

ContributorsHarelson, Haley (Author) / Pishko, Claire (Co-author) / Doebbeling , Bradley (Thesis director) / Mejía, Mauricio (Thesis director) / Guest, Aaron (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)

Created2021-12

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