That could be Baaahhd!

Goats are becoming increasingly common in the populations of domesticated animals. Spurred on by the ‘green movement’ and the desire to raise productive pets, an increasing interest in the therapeutic benefits of goats has been identified, particularly in combination with therapeutic gardening. While goats are frequently friendly towards humans and respond to human affection, they are larger than dogs and when agitated or frightened can “run amuck.” A recent incident in Australia calls this to our attention. A neighboring billy goat (aka Billy) was responsible for two spinal cord injuries, multiple cuts, and a sprained ankle when he became frightened and escaped his yard. The purpose of this study is to first identify and manage the risks related to using goats in animal assisted therapy. The second part of this study will examine the therapeutic benefits of goats in multiple environments.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7612632/Rampaging-goat-puts-three-in-hospital.html

Bella! Get up off the forrest floor_IRB amendment

This study will also look at the developing obsession of 13 year-old females with "Warepigs." Please see link for further developments in this study.

http://theoatmeal.com/story/twilight

Bella! Get up off the forest floor: An exploration of codependent relationships in adolescent females

Aim: This study explores the impact of Stephanie Myer’s wildly popular Twilight Series on adolescent female’s romantic patterns of attachment. Traditionally, adolescent females place a high priority on the meaning of relationships; particularly dating relationships. Additionally, the rate of depression and post-traumatic stress is exceptionally high within this demographic group. Given the recent literary success of high school romance novels (i.e., Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series), the purpose of this project was to determine the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adolescent females involved in codependent dating relationships post breakup; and evaluate coping styles that may serve as a protective factor.

Methods: Using qualitative and quantitative inquiry methodology, female high school students in a small sized high school in the pacific northwest were interviewed to determine a) the rate of codependent relationships, b) the experience of PTSD, and c) coping mechanisms used post breakup. Coping mechanisms were measured with the Coping in Relationship, Youth (CRY) Inventory. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participant post breakup and with her self-identified support network (e.g., friends and rebound boyfriends).

Results: In all, 67% of participants experienced clinically significant levels of PTSD. Participants identified wallowing, visual hallucinations, and periods of comatose behavior as coping mechanism. Friends identified feeling rejected and dissinvolved with the ‘dumped’ individual. Interviews with rebound boyfriends yielded no thematic results.

Conclusions: Owing to the already heightened levels of risk for depression, post-traumatic stress, and maladaptive coping mechanisms, we found that the romanticizing of codependency between the characters of Bella Swann and Edward Cullen has lead to an unrealistic expectations on romantic relationships for adolescent females within the “Twilight” cohort. This proliferation of unrealistic expectations has lead to maladaptive attachment styles within young relationships, causing increased incidence of depression, risk seeking behaviors, and vampirism within this cohort. Therefore, beyond the safe-sex versus abstinence debate, high school sex education classes have a requisite need to screen for PTSD and teach appropriate coping skills.

Professional (self) service (TIP: Read me first)

As social scientists, we are constantly influenced by our observations of the world around us. This section is dedicated to those social phenomenon, anomalies, trends, and such that desperately deserve our attention. However, we have neither the time, nor the passion (mainly it’s the time) to give them what they need.  So, in service of the larger leisure behavior (and social scientific) community we offer you Dissertations that should be written (but we would rather die than write).  Here we choose to mock-up these important topics with witty titles and brief abstract in hopes that other aspiring Doctors of Leisure will take on the task to conquer these projects, and of course, give us the requisite 'shout out' in your acknowledgments page (and by shout out we mean authorship, seriously, we need jobs too).