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Author: Matthew Hayhurst | Major: Sociology | Semester: Fall 2023
Over the past semester, I have worked with Mindy Sue Bradley, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminology, on a project investigating health and psychosocial outcomes in a population of 197 sexual minoritized men. Our survey data was originally collected by Mance Buttram, Ph.D., an Associate Professor in the Department of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation (HHPR). Responses were collected in summer 2023 as part of the University of Arkansas Men’s Sexual Health Survey. The survey is robust, with sections devoted to illegal drug use, rurality, social networking use, sexual risk behavior, and mental distress.
Meeting Dr. Buttram was serendipitous. In the spring of 2023, I began thinking about what I would like to investigate as my senior thesis topic. When I began looking into professors that were doing the work that I am interested in, I came across Dr. Buttram on the College of Education and Health Professions (COEHP) webpage. I reached out to him, and he was eager to meet and have me join in on his work. By chance, he was working on developing the Men’s Sexual Health Survey at the time, which coincided with my research interests. We worked in tandem on the development of the geosocial networking use and mental distress sections of the survey, giving me experience in quantitative survey development.
Over the summer, I primarily worked on my Honors Grant Proposal for the project and began looking for a primary mentor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology. After doing some research, I came across Dr. Mindy Bradley, Ph.D. who has done extensive research with queer and minoritized populations. It was important to me that my primary research mentor had experience working with sexual minoritized populations so that they could help me navigate the challenges of doing work with this population. I reached out to Dr. Bradley, and she, like Dr. Buttram, was very eager to meet and discuss my project. We began working together this semester and it has been a wonderful experience.
One of the initial challenges I had (which was not truly a challenge) was the pure breadth of the data. The survey collected data on almost 300 variables, so I first had to define what was most interesting to me and what could have the most impact in the current research climate. I completed an extensive literature review to help guide the direction of the project, and data analysis is ongoing. Funds from the Honors Grant Proposal funded an individual STATA license, so that I am able to complete data analysis remotely which has proved to be fundamental to making progress on the project. Regular meetings with Dr. Bradley have helped guide the direction of my project, and she has helped me work through the obstacles of being a novice in statistical analysis.
Data analysis should be complete over the next several weeks. After manuscript editing and my thesis defense, my goal is to publish my work and present at the National LGBT Health Conference in Chicago in August. Dr. Bradley and Dr. Buttram have been immensely supportive of these goals and my work on this project. Both have served as open resources and have been willing to meet or answer questions at any time, despite having very busy schedules. Another person I have been very thankful for in this process has been Dr. Rocio Paez-Ritter, Ph.D., Teaching Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology. I had Dr. Paez-Ritter for my Social Research course, and she has offered her editing and expertise even after I finished her class.
My advice to those beginning work on their Honors Thesis is to first identify a subject that interests them. I am applying to medical school, and I think some pre-medical students are inclined to take on biology theses and work in wet labs because they think that it will look best on their medical school application, even if they are not invested in the work that they are doing. Research inevitably comes with challenges, so it is important that you choose a topic that both interests and invigorates you so that you do not burn out quickly. Once you have identified that topic, the UARK website is your best friend to find professors that are doing research within that area. Sending cold emails can be a bit intimidating, but I was surprised by how gracious the professors I have reached out to have been in taking on mentees and including students in their research work.
The highest thanks to my research mentors and thesis committee: Mindy Sue Bradley, Ph.D., Mance Buttram, Ph.D., and Rocio Paez-Ritter, Ph.D.