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Item A case for a quantum informed approach to health communication research(Frontiers, 2023-08) Parrish-Sprowl, John; Parrish-Sprowl, Susan; Communication Studies, School of Liberal ArtsFoundational social science has dominated health communication research, especially in the mainstream of Western scholarship. Alternative ways of conceptualizing, including most if not all indigenous ways of thinking, have often been relegated to second class status, if regarded at all. For those who questioned prevailing wisdom in the past, the choice regarding theory and research seemed to be one of going in a more interpretive or critical direction and leaving “science” behind or staying within a framework they found wanting in many ways. Ironically, the work of such Communication scholars as Pearce, Dutta, and others, often born from interpretative and critical perspectives, is much more consonant with quantum framed science than social science as practiced. Indeed, much of the body of indigenous perspectives align with quantum theory informed science better than social science as practiced. As we move through the 21st century, it is time that communication theory and research, especially in health communication, moves to reclaim science in ways that shift us from a Newtonian understanding of the world to more a quantum paradigm. As we do so, we will likely find that many who have been on the margins can and should move their work to the mainstream, albeit with a process that synthesizes their work with quantum science. This would help us move forward in ways that not only invite more inclusion, but also create more meaningful ways of conceptualizing communication and its relationship to health.Item Asian American women's perspectives on donating healthy breast tissue: implications for recruitment methods and messaging(2016-12) Ridley-Merriweather, Katherine E.; Parrish-Sprowl, John; Bute, Jennifer J.; Head, Katharine J.Asian women have a lower risk than Caucasians, African Americans, and Latinas of developing breast cancer (BC). Yet, once Asians move to the U.S. their risk rates measurably increase. The Susan G. Komen® Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Cancer Center (KTB), the only biobank of its kind in the world, collects healthy breast tissue from women of all racial groups to use as controls in BC research. The KTB represents a critical tool in efforts to treat and prevent BC; however, Asian American (AA) women display marked reticence towards donating tissue to the KTB. The purpose of this study is to use the basic components of Grounded Practical Theory to explore potential messaging that may result in AAs’ more positive outlook on breast tissue donation. This study recruited seventeen (N=17) AA women to share their perspectives on donating breast tissue for research purposes. Participants took part in an interactive focus group exploring potential messaging for successfully recruiting AA women to the KTB study. Findings revealed that: a) participants retained a culturally-embedded discomfort with donating, and a general distrust that their donation would be handled ethically and appropriately; b) the women possessed an extraordinary need for knowledge about all facets of the donation process; c) participants perceived that they lack a personal connection to BC, making it difficult for them to generate any truly altruistic tendencies to perform the desired behavior, or to understand a need to do so; and d) they possess a strong desire to learn why it seems important to the KTB to collect their tissue, and especially about the increased BC rates and risk for Asians who move to or are born in the U.S. The findings from this study have important implications for others who work in applied clinical settings and are interested in addressing racial disparities in medical research through more effective and targeted recruitment messaging.Item Assessing the Mental Health of Student-Athletes(2024-08) Barnes, Jordan Ann; Brann, Maria; Head, Katharine J.; Parrish-Sprowl, JohnMental health has become a major topic of discussion in recent years. Open conversations about one’s mental well-being have become a new norm. That said, there has been a rapid spike in the declining mental well-being of student-athletes at the collegiate level. Professionals urge those involved with athletes to act to improve their overall well-being. Despite the grave concern, there has still been little action taken towards bettering the mental health of athletes. Most existing studies have focused on the collegiate coach-athlete relationship and the athletic performance of athletes rather than the psychological health of athletes. One factor that may affect athletes’ relationships and mental health is how well communication is enacted. To address this gap, 77 current student athletes were surveyed to assess their communication satisfaction, coach confirmation, and mental well-being. Results from Pearson’s correlations demonstrated a relationship between communication satisfaction and reported mental health scores; however, there was no significant correlation found between confirmation and reported mental health scores. This suggests that communication satisfaction can affect student-athletes’ mental well-being, but there may also be other factors that have more of a significant effect than confirmation on the reported mental health of student-athletes. Future research should explore other potential contributing factors.Item Big Trouble for the Big Three: An Audience Perspective of the Appropriateness and Effectiveness of the Big Three Automakers’ Image Repair Strategies(2010-07-19T14:48:46Z) Anderson, Lindsey B.; Sandwina, Ronald M.; Sheeler, Kristina Horn; Parrish-Sprowl, JohnThe importance of image management has created the need to for organizations to continually work in order to improve their image or defend it against perceived threats. Since organizations engage in a constant struggle to preserve their reputation, it is important to understand the persuasive discourse associated with image repair strategies. In addition, a successful rhetor must also acknowledge the importance of perception of the appropriateness and effectiveness of the apologetic discourse from the perspective of an audience. Focus groups were conducted and analyzed in order to better understand the perceived appropriateness and effectiveness of the image repair strategies employed by the Big Three Automakers as perceived by the audience. The findings of this study complement the original findings of Benoit and Drew’s quantitative study assessing the appropriateness and effectiveness of image repair strategies in an interpersonal setting. However, there were observable differences between the studies in terms of the perception of both the appropriateness and effectiveness of bolstering and the effectiveness of differentiation. The implications of these differences can be important in developing a better understanding of the utilization of image repair strategies in the apologetic discourse of organizations. Specifically, the results demonstrate how the audience determines the appropriateness and effectiveness of the strategies and how rhetors are able to successfully use different strategies based in context.Item Borderland Journeys: A Layered Autoethnography(2014-02-25) Bankert-Countryman, Janice Elizabeth; Goering, Elizabeth M.; Dobris, Catherine A.; Rhodes, Nancy; Parrish-Sprowl, JohnThe collection of pages spread before you now, this story-thesis, is a collection of stories about my journey from cult member to the place in life I am now, stories about those stories, and stories about the people who lived or read them, talked about them, and were changed by the tellings. Most importantly, the goal of this story-thesis is to illustrate how the process of story-making and -telling changes how we interpret our identities and our lifeworlds. I argue that the stories that we share change our identities, and I also argue that how we perceive our identity and the identities of others affects the stories that we share.Item A case study of community response to a health crisis from a communication perspective(2016-11) Goodin, Lisann; Parrish-Sprowl, JohnThe city of Austin is a small community in Southern Indiana that experienced a large HIV/AIDS outbreak which infected over 180 people. Due to rapid spread of the disease from shared needles during intravenous drug use, a public health emergency was declared in March 2015. This epidemic was a symptom of the overall communal health issues within the area related to drugs, crime, prostitution and poverty. These problems affect residents’ physical and mental health, however, often go unaddressed due to limited resources, healthcare and education. Organizations within the area were affected by the epidemic, and many provided a response to help combat the issue. The purpose of this study is to examine how organizations respond to a health crisis from a communication perspective. Research question one is, what was the level of coordination between the seven organizations during the HIV/AIDS epidemic? Research question two is, what was the public’s response to the effort made by the seven organizations? This study interviewed seven participants and a thematic analysis was conducted that discovered four themes: coordinated response, uncoordinated activities, response time, and inadequate response. In response to research question one, the levels of coordination were infrequent with the seven agencies. Research question two found multiple areas that indicated the agencies approach ineffective in adequately informing the public. The agencies’ efforts displayed a lack of coordination and poor timely response to the crisis. These issues show it is imperative that we develop a resilient health system to operate systemically. By implementing communication for whole health, it would provide a resilient system for agencies to understand and develop coordination and collaboration between each other. With a sense of coordination, they would then be able to execute ways of promoting and living out better physical and mental health (Parrish-Sprowl and Parrish-Sprowl, 2016).Item Challenges of acquiring intercultural communicative competence : based on international students’ perspectives(2016-05) Sugumar, Varalakshmi; Bute, Jennifer Jo; Parrish-Sprowl, John; Goering, Elizabeth M.Each year thousands of international students enroll in universities across the United States of America. However, we know very little about the challenges they encounter to become competent intercultural communicators in the American academic system. Therefore, the purpose of this is to use the basic components of Deardoff’s Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) model to explore the challenges international students face to acquire requisite attitudes, knowledge, and skills to achieve ICC. The study was conducted through in-depth interviews with eight foreign students who were enrolled in a large Midwestern university during the time of this study. Participants described about their experiences with the intercultural communication that took place between them and their American peers and professors. Results the thematic analysis revealed the presence of four main themes and several sub-themes.Item College Students Perceptions of Quarantine and Social Distancing Methods in the Event of an Influenza Pandemic(2007-06-23T20:26:31Z) Baker, Kylene Joy; Parrish-Sprowl, John; Sandwina, Ronald; Goering, ElizabethIn the event of another pandemic influenza, it will be important to understand the public’s perception of quarantine and social distancing methods, as these methods will be the first line of defense in attempting to contain or lessen the severity of the outbreak until a vaccine and medications can be developed and produced in mass quantities. College students perceptions are particularly important to look at as their living situations can vary drastically from the general public, i.e. living far away from home and with roommates. This study looks at college students perceptions of quarantine and social distancing measures that could be implemented in the event of an outbreak of pandemic influenza. The data revealed that undergraduate college students in this study favored the use of government implemented quarantine and social distancing methods, except for requiring that religious services be temporarily canceled. They are also worried about the potential problems that may occur as a result of the implementation of quarantine and social distancing methods, and the only information source that the majority of them trust to give them useful and accurate information regarding an influenza pandemic in their community was their physician or other health care professional. Of most significance to the college student population, as opposed to the general public, is the place of quarantine for the other people that live in the same residence. Fifty-three percent of the respondents in this study favored quarantining the other people living in their residence in a separate quarantine facility compared to 29% in the Blendon (2006) study that surveyed the general adult population in the United States.Item Communication for behavioral impact: a COMBI plan for cancer prevention in Taiwan(2014-12) Chao, Kang-I; Parrish-Sprowl, John; Goering, Elizabeth M.; Sandwina, Ronald M.The aims of this research were to evaluate the merit of a communication-based medical approach to cancer prevention in Taiwan and to give deeper understanding of whether physicians view this type of method as a possible solution to public health problems. It is also hoped that this research will be able to find out whether doctors support the use of COMBI for managing public health issues in Taiwan. The results show that Taiwanese physicians perceive communication-based approach and communication methods as a way for managing public health problems, and they also agree that COMBI can be used for cancer or other public health issues prevention. The World Health Organization has used COMBI to deal with public health issues and has made a huge impact in many countries, combating diseases such as dengue fever, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV/AIDS with successful results. There is also a large body of research indicating that there is a strong relationship between eating fruits and vegetables and cancer prevention. In Taiwan, cancer has been both the top cause of death for 18 years and one of the top ten causes of death for 30 years. However, more than 80% of people in Taiwan still do not consume enough fruits and vegetables daily. Thus, this COMBI plan is hoped to help change these people’s eating habits for cancer prevention. The plan is also evaluated by doctors from Taiwan in terms of its pros and cons in this document, and suggestions for changes are made. These doctors view communication-based strategies like COMBI as a key component for managing public health problems, and they also believe that this COMBI plan will accomplish its goal of increasing people's fruit and vegetable intake for cancer prevention in Taiwan. Up till now, only minimal research has been conducted on the use of COMBI in Taiwan. Therefore, this investigation is hoped to initiate this research and provide a guideline for future COMBI-based actions taken in Taiwan.Item Coordinating the Uncoordinated Giant: Applying the Four Flows Model of Communicative Constitution of Organizations to the United States Weather Enterprise(2019-10) Rothrock, Matthew Carter; Parrish-Sprowl, John; Goering, Elizabeth; Sandwina, RonaldThe US weather enterprise includes academia, the private weather industry, and government-funded forecasting, research, and dissemination agencies. While not an organization in its own right, the enterprise behaves like an organization of organizations. This thesis applies the communicative constitution of organizations, and McPhee and Zaug’s four flows model in particular, to the US weather enterprise. Each organization in the weather enterprise behaves like individual members of an organization would, which extends this theory to a conceptualization of organization that increases innovation, collaboration, and coordination. The weather is a constitutive force which calls the US weather enterprise into being. Finally, CCO is extended to other collaborative, coordinated efforts among the public and private sectors, indicating the possibilities of CCO as an attractive answer to the great organizational questions of the 21st century and beyond. Future research areas are considered, including how the US weather enterprise manages the unexpected and reduces uncertainty organizationally. Also, considerations as to how CCO can be applied to the incident command structure, often called forward during high-impact weather events, will be made.