Scholarship & Research
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Item Medical cannabis: healthcare professionals' attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Nursing, 2020) Earle, Kelly A.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Sandra Benavides-VaelloBackground: The medical marijuana industry and the sociopolitical atmosphere in which it exists have evolved tremendously over the past decade. However, little is known about the healthcare professionals' attitudes, perceptions, and behavior toward patient use of medical marijuana. In order to understand the legitimacy of medical cannabis in the future of palliative care, it is important to understand the beliefs and perceptions of healthcare professionals. Objectives: The purpose of this scholarly project was to (1) assess the attitudes, perceptions, and behavior of healthcare professionals surrounding medical cannabis through an online survey, (2) provide a live learning opportunity about medical cannabis to staff at an 89-bed rural hospital, and (3) determine if the educational opportunity allowed for staff to feel more comfortable discussing medical marijuana with patients. Methods: A Survey pretest was sent out via email to the staff at Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital. The largest number of participants were RNs or LPNs (67%, n=103) followed by MDs or DOs (15%, n=23) and NPs (10%, n=16). A live educational opportunity was provided for staff members. Those staff were asked to participate in a post-survey after the educational opportunity. Results: Most of the participants cared for patients who use medical marijuana (n=108, 70%). Furthermore, 13 (64%) MDs/DOs and 13 (67%) NPs/PAs either agree or strongly agree that medical cannabis is a legitimate therapy. Fifty people participated in the live educational opportunity, of which 20 participated in the post-survey. Post-survey demonstrated: 12 (60%) said they felt more comfortable discussing cannabis with patients, five (25%) said they were not more comfortable, and three (15%) said they did not know if they felt more comfortable after the educational opportunity. Discussion: With the growing number of users across the United States, it will be essential that those who work in patient-care areas are able to bring clarity to patients who may be curious about the use of medical cannabis for palliative measures. However, more research is needed, specifically surrounding the longitudinal effects of chronic use of cannabis.Item Understanding rancher's beliefs and behaviors regarding drought and natural water storage in southwest Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2018) Moore, Megan Alison; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Jamie McEvoyDrought has the potential to impact both natural environments and human communities, with specific repercussions for agricultural communities. In the face of changes to the quality, quantity, and timing of water runoff, water storage for drought mitigation is one of the top concerns for many water managers and water users. Due to a growing recognition of negative social and environmental impacts of traditional infrastructure, such as dams, there is a need for alternative forms of water storage. The concept of nature-based solutions, specifically natural water storage systems, has gained traction as a potential strategy to slow spring runoff, store water, and raise water tables, often resulting in an increase in late season streamflows. This research examines the adoption of these new strategies, specifically flood irrigation and beaver mimicry projects in the context of a changing climate in Montana. This thesis uses the theory of planned behavior to better understand findings from twenty-two amenity and traditional ranchers in the Red Rock Watershed/Upper Beaverhead Watershed in southwestern Montana. Results show that ranchers' beliefs toward drought can impact their drought planning responses. In this watershed, it is impractical for ranchers to convert to flood irrigation due its high labor needs and low production outputs. There is potential for beaver mimicry projects to be adopted, but economic and regulatory hurdles must first be addressed. Results suggest that natural water storage practices will be more successful if organizations involved form better relationships with ranchers, remain flexible, and integrate local knowledge into decisions and policies.Item Beyond the binary: understanding the 'essence' of attitudes toward people who are non-binary(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2018) Bruun, Megan Perry; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Keith A. HutchisonPsychological essentialism is the belief that some entities have deep, unchangeable properties that determine its goals, personality, and function (Prentice & Miller, 2007). Unfortunately, in some cases, the belief that something has an unchangeable 'essence' is also tied to prejudice. The current study examined how essentialism relates to attitudes towards non-binary people, who are not easily categorized by their gender. To do this, we collected survey data from 305 undergraduate students and Mechanical Turk participants. The study validated modified measures of attitudes and behavioral intentions toward people who are gender non-binary. Next, we examined the relationships between essentialism and the different forms of expression of non-binary gender prejudice and support. Results showed greater levels of essentialism were associated with greater levels of negative intentions and attitudes toward gender non-binary people and lower levels of positive intentions and attitudes. We also conducted a latent profile analysis, identifying and organizing people into profile groups based on their attitudes and behavioral intentions toward gender non-binary people. Results demonstrated 3 meaningful profile groups; participants clustered as advocates (positive attitudes and positive intentions), ambivalent (both positive and negative attitudes and intentions), or antagonists (negative attitudes and negative intentions). The participant's political ideology, gender, and data collection forum were significant predictors of profile group membership; and group membership was a significant predictor of level of essentialism. These findings help to lay the ground work for theory building and application research on gender non-binary prejudice.Item Attitude changes of junior High school students placed in foster homes(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1964) Whitney, Audrey HageItem Attitudes toward aging : a study of middle aged women in Gallatin County, Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1994) Johnson, Ann Ohlfest