b'Divorce and Its Effect on ChildrenNicole B. McClendon, Department of Political ScienceFaculty Sponsor: Dr. Marc G. Pufong, Department of Political ScienceDivorce has been an ongoing problem in American society. Divorce can be defined as the separation of someone who once had a legally binding relationship. Where children are involved divorce takes on a different aura. In this paper we argue that divorce has a significant effect on children that may be both positive and negative. We then examine the effect its effect on children. We elect a time period (1990 to present), the type of situation the child was put through (divorce the parents had) (whether traumatic experiences or simple otherwise), the race of the child, and the socioeconomic status of the family. We found confirmation of effect correlated with the listed factors. Opioid Deaths Across the 50 StatesIbsa Debela, Department of Political ScienceFaculty Sponsor: Dr. James LaPlant, Department of Political ScienceThis study examines various factors that could have an influence on the abuse of prescription opioids across the 50 states. Opioid abuse in the United States often leads to death. A lot of Americans are starting to use prescription opioids to manage pain, even if that pain is bearable. As a result, people are suffering from opioid dependency, as opioids are highly addictive. Seven independent variables were selected to see whether they influenced opioid abuse: per capita income by state, unemployment rate by state, percent with a high school diploma by state, poverty rate by state, population density by state, percent white population by state, and region. These independent variables were tested using a correlation analysis, a regression analysis, and analysis of variance for the regional factor. Two of the independent variables, unemployment rate and population density by state, were found to be statistically significant in relation to opioid deaths across the 50 states. The independent variables of percent white population, poverty rates, percent with a high school diploma, and per capita income had no significant correlation to opioid deaths. The ANOVA revealed that the Northeast has more opioid related deaths in the United States than any other region. It can be therefore be concluded from this study that population density and unemployment rate have a significant influence on which states experience the most opioid related deaths. 69'