Browsing by Author "Prasad, Joshua, committee member"

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Open Access
Alone again, naturally? Loneliness and performance among STEM graduate students
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Stoa, Rosalyn, author; Fisher, Gwenith, advisor; Dik, Bryan, committee member; Prasad, Joshua, committee member; Stromberger, Mary, committee member
Graduate student mental health is a trending topic of research, and rightfully so considering the growing number of graduate students, high rate of mental health concerns particularly among young adults, and the high rate of attrition from graduate programs. Qualitative research has consistently raised isolation and loneliness as concerns for many doctoral students. Not only is loneliness an issue for mental health and wellbeing, but loneliness may have serious consequences for students' motivation, satisfaction, intentions to stay in school, and the current and future productivity of these scholars. Based on the tenets of self determination theory and the model of workplace loneliness, I hypothesized that perceived loneliness in doctoral students would be negatively related to motivation, satisfaction, productivity and intent to quit. The current study extends previous research by exploring loneliness in doctoral students in a large-scale (N = 1117) quantitative survey to investigate perceptions of loneliness, motivation, engagement, satisfaction, and productivity among doctoral students in STEM fields. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) to test hypotheses, results demonstrated that loneliness was negatively related to satisfaction with program, motivation, and productivity, and explained 49% of the variance of intent to quit. Relationship with advisor mediated the relationship between loneliness and motivation, but not satisfaction with program or productivity. Results may inform graduate programs with students who may be at higher risk of loneliness and/or attrition and may guide future interventions to prevent or reduce loneliness in graduate students.
Open Access
Experiencing information: using systems theory to develop a theoretical framework of information interaction
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Raymer, Steven D., author; Byrne, Zinta, advisor; Prasad, Joshua, committee member; Rhodes, Matthew, committee member; Fisher, Ellen, committee member
This study outlines the construction, development, and initial testing of a proposed theoretical framework and measure for information interaction. To address the challenges associated with experiencing information, I synthesized existing literature from complementary and multidisciplinary domains of cognitive psychology, computer science, and organizational communication. I initially proposed theoretically driven components of information interaction based on a literature review, followed by a multimethod evaluation to further develop and refine the framework. Quantitatively, I researched organizational practices used for managing the information environment. Empirically, I collected data using multiple samples to test the psychometric properties of a proposed measure of information interaction. I used structural equation modeling to assess relationships associated with information interaction to develop its nomological network. The findings of these studies have implications for research and practice by establishing a new theoretical space in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, using a systems approach to construct development and application, and providing organizations with a mechanism for constant, minimally obtrusive collection and assessment of the information experience of members within the organizational system.
Open Access
Exploring local food purchasing patterns during COVID-19: insights from a nationwide consumer survey
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Edmondson, Hailey Elizabeth, author; Thilmany, Dawn, advisor; Jablonski, Becca, committee member; Prasad, Joshua, committee member
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic shocked many aspects of life, and food was no exception. One very large shift that occurred, and was likely influenced by both economic and public health shocks, was in the ways that people purchased food, particularly in the use of new market channels. The following study, as of a larger USDA Agricultural Marketing Service project interested in impacts of COVID-19 on local and regional food systems, investigates local market channel use. In particular, we investigate the extent to which increased interest in local food markets is observed across a national sample and, if so, how it correlates with consumers' behavior-influencing traits like food values and COVID-19 impacts. This study contributes to existing literature through its collection of a large, national consumer survey dataset with a novel focus on local and regional market channels and more in-depth understanding of shifting consumer preferences for non-traditional market channels. We find that a nearly one third of our survey sample used new local and regional market channels during COVID-19, and that individual COVID-19 impacts and values related to local and social welfare were significant predictors of new market channel use. We also find that COVID-19 risk, exposure, and income and employment impacts significantly affect likelihood of new local market adoption. Identifying these traits and values of consumers participating in new market channel behaviors provides valuable insight for local food system practitioners strategizing for a post-COVID future, such as implementing values-based marketing and leveraging technology.
Open Access
Minority stress, work stress, and health inequity for Hispanic/Latinx K-12 teachers in Colorado: a mixed methods study
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Holm, Abby K. Johnson, author; Graham, Dan, advisor; Prasad, Joshua, committee member; Chavez, Ernest, committee member; Faw, Meara, committee member; Parks, Elizabeth, committee member
While stressors related to teaching are already concerning (AFT, 2017; NIOSH, 2016), particularly amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Hispanic/Latinx teachers likely experience identity-related stressors in addition to occupational stressors (e.g., see NIOSH Occupational Health Equity Program, 2018). According to the Allostatic Load Model (McEwen & Stellar, 1993) and the Minority Stress Model (Meyer, 2006), these combined stressors may lead to increased strain on the body, taking a toll on the overall health and wellness of this group. Using a mixed-methods design, I recruited participants in partnership with the CEA (CEA; teachers union) in November 2020. The sample consisted of 851 Colorado teachers and union members who completed an online survey on their experiences of discrimination, stress, and health in their workplace. Twenty-six of these teachers (most of whom were Hispanic/Latinx or Teachers of Color) were interviewed for 45-60 minutes on these experiences as well as their feelings regarding diversity affinity groups as a practice to celebrate diverse identities in their workplace. First, I found that Hispanic/Latinx teachers experienced more intersectional discrimination than white teachers; however, there were no group differences in workplace discrimination or work-related stress in this study. Secondly, Hispanic/Latinx teachers did not have poorer health than white teachers, though they had marginally poorer health than non-Hispanic Teachers of Color. Finally, while I hypothesized that organizational support would moderate the relationship between workplace discrimination and health conditions, I found that work discrimination did not predict more health conditions/symptoms, but organizational support did predict fewer health conditions/symptoms. Nearly every Hispanic/Latinx interviewee reported workplace hostility, and most had experienced one or more forms of discrimination at work. Many teachers responded favorably to the idea of diversity affinity groups to celebrate diversity and deter feelings of isolation, but there were also several concerns (i.e., the potential for isolation or surface-level efforts) regarding their implementation. While discrimination in the workplace did not impact Hispanic/Latinx teachers' health, these results suggest that organizational support can have a powerful and positive effect on teachers' health, as other occupational literature suggests (Baran et al., 2012). Future research should study these variables longitudinally and outside of a pandemic and consider other implications of discrimination in the workplace besides its effect on health within this population. The results from this dissertation suggest that diversity affinity groups may be an excellent resource for repairing harm and making change, but above all, Hispanic/Latinx teachers simply need to be heard.
Embargo
Promoting safety through diversity management: diversity climate, racial ethnicity, and safety voice
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Beckel, Julia Lynn Otero, author; Gardner, Danielle, advisor; Prasad, Joshua, committee member; Prince, Mark, committee member; Rosecrance, John, committee member
Given a sustained increase and undue burden of work-related injury and illness among racial-ethnic minorities in the United States, the current study aimed to provide a preliminary understanding into mechanisms which might lend to occupational health disparities. I utilized a two-wave survey approach via Prolific, a web-based survey platform, to gather perceptions from workers in high-risk industries (e.g., construction, manufacturing, healthcare, etc.) relating to their work groups' diversity climate, perceived organizational identification and psychological safety, worker safety voice, and occupational safety and health history. I considered four research questions: 1) How do employee perceptions of their organization's diversity climate relate to worker safety voice, 2) Do workers' perceptions of psychological safety and organizational commitment mediate the relationship between perceived diversity climate and worker safety voice, 3) What racial-ethnic differences exist in the indirect effects of diversity climate on worker safety voice via psychological safety and organizational identification?, and 4) If racial-ethnic difference in safety voice exist, are they also associated with differences in self-reported occurrences of accidents, injuries, or work-related illnesses across racial-ethnic groups? Results demonstrate the indirect effect of diversity climate on safety voice is significant via psychological safety, but not organizational identity. However, these effects did not influence occupational incident occurrence by race/ethnicity. I discuss relevant implications for theory and practice.
Open Access
Psychological distress and coping during the COVID-19 pandemic: a structural topic modeling approach
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Tran, Thao P., author; Henry, Kimberly L., advisor; Lucas-Thompson, Rachel G., committee member; Prasad, Joshua, committee member; Prince, Mark, committee member; Swaim, Randall C., committee member
In this study, I focused on two closely related phenomena, namely psychological distress and distress-coping mechanisms during the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. I examined participants' voluntary written responses to two open-ended questions on psychological distress and coping in an online survey using an unsupervised machine learning approach called structural topic modeling. I chose to extract 17 topics from the collection of participants' responses. Among these topics, 11 were mostly about different factors contributing to participants' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, including but not limited to, uncertainty due to the coronavirus, financial/work-related concerns, living conditions, and concerns about personal health and safety as well as the well-being of loved ones and others in general. Besides, I also found 5 topics discussing many ways people took care of their mental health during this challenging time. Surprisingly, one topic revealed different feedback people had for researchers who designed and implemented the survey. I also found cross-country differences in terms of the prevalence of each of the resultant topics. In summary, I documented a number of findings that are congruent with the existing literature on psychological distress and coping during the COVID-19 pandemic while at the same time, pointed out some important nuances in the qualitative responses of participants. Implications, strengths, and limitations, as well as directions for future research were discussed in the study.
Open Access
Telework, work ability, and well-being among workers with chronic health conditions
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Beckel, Julia L., author; Fisher, Gwenith, advisor; Prasad, Joshua, committee member; Stallones, Lorann, committee member; Rosecrance, John, committee member
In the current study, I investigate the relationship between telework, work ability (i.e., job-related functional capacity), and well-being among workers with chronic health conditions (CHCs). Specifically, I address four research questions: 1) how does the utilization of telework relate to work ability and well-being in workers with CHCs, 2) do job control and flexibility mediate the relationships between telework, work ability, and wellbeing among workers with CHCs, 3) does the type of work activity performed moderate the relationship between telework, work ability, and well-being via perceptions of flexibility and job control, and 4) does the relationship between telework, wellbeing, and ability change when employees work more hours via telework arrangements? Using an experience sampling design, I demonstrate how the relationship between telework and daily perceptions of work ability and well-being among workers with CHCs' is primarily driven through perceptions of job control workers experience when teleworking versus attending their central organization. This relationship is also related to the nature of one's work, such that when individuals' jobs require high levels of educating or training others (i.e., remote learning), they experience less job control within the teleworking context, and subsequently report poorer work ability and well-being. Considering these findings, organizations might better define instances in which telework may be used an effective accommodation practice for workers with chronic health conditions.
Open Access
The call to sell: a qualitative exploration of calling for religiously identified women in multi-level marketing
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Jayne, Alexa, author; Dik, Bryan, advisor; Prasad, Joshua, committee member; Tompkins, Sara Anne, committee member; Albert, Lumina, committee member
Work is a life domain in which many people perceive a calling. Research on calling reveals that workers who perceive and live out a calling often experience a range of positive outcomes, such as increased work-related and overall life satisfaction and well-being. However, living a calling can also lead to negative outcomes, such as workaholism, burnout, and exploitation. Multi-level marketing (MLM) is a business model that operates via direct selling and network recruitment. This business model has been found to be particularly attractive to women. It has also gained traction within the faith community, with many MLM companies aligning with Christian values and faith communities. This study sought to investigate the sense of calling that religiously identified women who work in Young Living, a leading MLM company in the United States, may experience. Six individuals participated in-depth structured interviews, and transcripts were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Results revealed four domains and multiple themes, including 1) Reasons for Joining (e.g., supplementary income, pipeline of buying to selling, positive previous experiences with product, means to achieve work-life balance, desire to have own business), 2) Sense of Calling (e.g., transcendent summons, desire to educate and share clean products with others, sharing their faith with others, empowering others to become distributors, perceiving multiple callings), 3) Positive Outcomes (e.g., personal and professional growth, belonging to a community of like-minded people, camaraderie with other women in business, positive recognition and social influence, increased religious engagement), and 4) Negative Outcomes associated with the work (e.g., overwhelm and difficulty setting boundaries, moral disagreements with discourse and utilization of certain products, negative perceptions of business structure from others, needing to convince others about usefulness of products). Implications for clinicians, organizations, and future research are explored. Future research is recommended to replicate and validate the results of this study. Research is also recommended to investigate how the results of this study may apply to more diverse samples, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods. The results of this study may help to inform clinicians into how one's religious perspective may inform their sense of calling.
Open Access
The silent minority: differential effects of diversity climate on silence and burnout depending on minority status
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Rosen, Marisa Ali, author; Gardner, Danielle, advisor; Prasad, Joshua, committee member; Chavez, Ernest, committee member; Albert, Lumina, committee member
The purpose of the study was to examine if diversity climate serves as a resource, particularly for racial and ethnic minorities, that promotes speaking up and reduces burnout from the perspective of Conservation of Resources Theory (COR) and Social Identity Theory (SIT). I tested that supposition in a sample of 502 working adults, split between racial/ethnic majority and minority status, across three time points with one-week time lags. Path analysis demonstrated that diversity climate reduced opportunistic silence, particularly among racial and ethnic minorities. Further, diversity climate had a stronger relationship with emotional exhaustion for minorities compared to majority group members. The study extends the voice behavior and silence literatures because it further investigates the influence of organizational variables and integrates diversity research. Findings also have implications for theory and practices, such that COR and SIT were supported, and organizations should aim to implement diversity climates to benefit both majority group and racially/ethnically minoritized employees.