Digital Commons Network^™

Self-Awareness And Therapeutic Alliance In The Treatment Of Traumatic Brain Injury, Janis Whitney-Fremont Neal

Wayne State University Dissertations

The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between self-awareness and therapeutic alliance in dyads of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and their clients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Although both topics have been independently associated with treatment outcomes in individuals with TBI, there is little research that investigates how these elements interact as they relate to client and SLP behavior. A mixed-methods approach was used to examine the interaction between these elements. Research questions targeted the communicative-behavioral manifestations of SLP self-awareness and the ratings of client self-awareness related to the client’s perception of therapeutic alliance. Additionally, the findings were …

Understanding The Utilization Of Community-Based Services In Late Old Age: A Participatory Approach For Connecting Through The Communication Ecology, Carrie Leach

Wayne State University Dissertations

As the pool of eligible recipients continues to grow, understanding service system utilization and barriers can help ensure very old adults can access support from their communities when needed. Mounting research demonstrates that investment in community-based services to ensure seniors remain independent translates to saved government dollars. As a contributing researcher of a multi-year county-wide older adult needs assessment in Monroe County, Michigan, data collected from 1,870 people revealed a communication disjuncture between seniors and service providers. In response, officials convened a post assessment working group that focused on communication and outreach. Along with members of the Community Advisory Group …

Uncertainty In Online Dating, Elena Corriero

Wayne State University Dissertations

Relationship initiation is a moment typically characterized by high uncertainty, and online dating platforms have the potential to heighten uncertainty and thus deeply affect relationship formation dynamics. While previous research has focused on other-uncertainty and on its reduction through information-seeking, this qualitative study adopts Babrow’s (2001) problematic integration (PI) theory to expand our understanding of uncertainty in online dating beyond other-focused uncertainty, by exploring the meanings and sources of uncertainty in online dating, how uncertainty is appraised, and what strategies daters adopt to cope with it.

Data obtained from 13 semi-structured interviews with active online daters was analyzed using thematic …

The ‘Hypertextual’ Self: A Mixed Methods Exploration Of Social Media Use For Identity Work Among Muslims In North America, Annisa Meirita Patimurani Rochadiat

Wayne State University Dissertations

Digital connectivity and social media use have become increasingly commonplace as internet-mediated communication and mobile phone technology dominate our daily communication repertoire. Informed by a multidisciplinary theoretical framework of the cybernetic Big Five theory (CB5T; DeYoung, 2015), Communication Theory of Identity (Hecht, 1993), an affordances framework (DeVito, Birnholtz, & Hancock, 2017), and respectability politics (Higginbotham, 1993), this two-phase sequential explanatory mixed methods (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011) dissertation explores some of the implications of social media use for North America’s (the United States and Canada) Muslims, and how Muslim social media users engage with and communicate through internet-mediated technologies to …

Cultivating Transmedia Storytelling: Real World Perceptions Derived From Popular Media, Tabitha Lynn Cassidy

Wayne State University Dissertations

With continued interest in media convergence, transmedia storytelling is as prevalent to communication studies as ever. However, research into the effects of transmedia storytelling remains scarce. Looking at the difference between heavy and light viewers, cultivation theory purports that those who more frequently view violent programming on television are more likely to think the world is a violent place. As of writing, such effects have not yet been extended to transmedia storytelling. This dissertation fills in those gaps in research by examining the cultivation effects of transmedia storytelling usage on participants. First, the main themes or messages of content within …

“I Was Prepared To Stay Here And Die With My Animals”: Pet Owners, Hurricane Harvey, And The Role Of Communication In Disaster Sense-Making, Ashleigh Day

Wayne State University Dissertations

Companion animals (also referred to as “pets”) are omnipresent in society and, increasingly, many companion animals are considered members of the family unit. However, crisis planning, preparedness, and communication efforts are sparse in including pets and their owners/guardians. This study investigates the disaster experience(s) and sense-making process(es) of pet owners (POs) and animal guardians (AGs) that were affected by the 2017 Hurricane Harvey. More specifically, examination pays close attention to the role and function of PO/AG identity and crisis and risk communication in individuals’ sense-making of their disaster experience. Importantly, participant experiences provide the means to examine the larger context …