I would like to express my deep appreciation and gratitude to the people who made this dissertation possible. I wish to thank my advisor, Ed Frongillo, for his patient guidance and encouragement. I am truly fortunate to have him as my mentor and friend. I would also like to thank my committee members for their friendly guidance and thought-provoking suggestions that each of them offered me over the years. I would like to acknowledge the financial, academic, and technical support of the organizations where I conducted this research. I owe my deepest gratitude to all the people who participated in this research and generously shared their time, experience, and insights with me. I also wish to thank my fellow doctoral students, faculty, and st...