Digital Commons Network^™

Quiet Quitting: Navigating An Old Phenomenon In The New Normal, Eilish Keane

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Quiet quitting is a recently popularized trend that has taken the workplace by storm following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The term is not clear or easily defined, described by some as an anti-work philosophy and by others as healthy boundary setting. This review explores the evidence that quiet quitting is occurring, similar concepts from the I-O literature that appear highly similar to quiet quitting (i.e., disengagement, work-life balance), how Job Demands-Resources Theory may apply, the potential role of the psychological contract, how the pandemic uniquely contributed to the trend, recommendations for addressing or preventing quiet quitting in the …

Youth Relational History Affecting Mentoring Relationship Quality, Brittanie Nicole Gage

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Black youth in low-income communities have a heightened risk of exposure to poverty-related stressors, increasing the risk of poor youth outcomes. Proven moderately effective, youth mentoring programs were created to decrease the risk of negative outcomes and promote positive development. A primary relational experience, the parent – child relationship shapes a youth’s relational history and influences their relational capacity, or ability to connect with a mentor. The mentoring relationship quality (MRQ) is a key determinant in mentoring success. Emerging research suggests youth with moderate relational histories experience the most benefits from mentoring, demonstrating a curvilinear relationship.

This study investigated two …

Do Moral Foundations Predict Views On Morally Contested Issues?, Mackenzie Maria Moreno

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

The following research utilized Moral Foundations Theory to evaluate individuals on the five moral foundations (harm/care, fairness/cheating, loyalty/betrayal, authority/subversion, sanctity/degradation) and liberalism-conservatism as predictors for views on morally controversial topics. According to a 2021 Gallup poll, some of the most morally contested issues were abortion, doctor-assisted suicide, and changing one’s gender. This study sourced participants from LinkedIn and then Sona (DePaul University’s undergraduate subject pool) using a blended phasing plan to ensure a politically diverse sample (N =213). This research replicated findings from Graham et al. (2009) that liberals and conservatives operate from different moral foundations. This study also extended …

The Age Of Connection: Interdependent Self-Construal Links Age And Prosociality, Jason Snyder

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Theories of aging have major implications for age differences in the self-concept across the adult lifespan that remain largely untested. Here, I propose a new perspective that draws from prominent aging theories to argue that people come to adopt a more interdependent self-construal with age as social environments become increasingly interdependent. Accordingly, I explain how ontogenetic development across the adult lifespan may emphasize interdependent social environments and subsequently encourage one to adopt a more interdependent self, explore how this perspective dovetails with prominent aging theories, and apply this perspective within the context of aging and prosocial behavior to support three …

Latinas In Leadership Positions In The United States: Theories, Characteristics, And Recommendations, Fernanda Ibanez

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, Latinas are one of the fastest growing populations in the workforce today. Despite increased presence in the labor market, it has not resulted in significant increases in the representation of Latinas in top and middle level leadership positions. This thesis details the current state of Latinas as leaders, as well as the theoretical background pertaining to leadership styles and challenges that Latinas face. Finally, the thesis aims to serve as a resource for Latinas currently occupying a leadership role, or looking to occupy one in the future, by offering recommendations of characteristics and behaviors that relate …

Retail Workers’ Job Preferences: Uncovering The Drivers Of Attraction, Retention, And Attrition, Alyssa Green

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Retail workers face unique job pressures and the industry itself has always been plagued with turnover rates much higher than other industries. The COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated issues, causing employers to struggle even more with attraction and retention. The goal of this study is to gain a comprehensive understanding of what retail workers value in their job by determining the job characteristics that drive attraction, retention, and attrition. Current retail workers were asked to rate the importance of multiple different job attributes that impacted recent job decisions. Multinomial logistic regression was used to analyze responses and found different job characteristics …

The Protective Effects Of Physical Activity Coping And Environmental Supports On Academic Stress Among Adolescents, Taylor Swenski

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to identify how physical activity (PA) coping interacts with environmental risks and resources to predict youth mental health. Academic stress poses a threat to adolescent wellbeing, and has been linked to adverse mental health outcomes, including depression and anxiety. Previous research has established that engaging in PA protects adolescents from depression and anxiety. However, very little is known about how PA may function as a coping mechanism, specifically (i.e. PA coping). PA is influenced by risks (e.g. crime, low built environment quality, etc.) and resources (e.g. accessibility, exercise equipment, etc.) in one’s environment, and accordingly, the present …

Exclusion, Extroversion, And Relationship-Related Thought Accessibility, Stacey L. Kruse

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to examine the relationship between social exclusion and relationship-related thought accessibility together with the potential moderating influence of extroversion. After completing a personality measure, a sample of 250 participants (M_age = 19.3 years) were randomly assigned to either a social inclusion or a social exclusion condition and completed the corresponding manipulation. Participants then completed a word fragment completion task to evaluate relationship-related thought accessibility. A moderated regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the main effect of social inclusion/exclusion on relationship-related thought accessibility as well as the interaction effect of social inclusion/exclusion and extroversion on relationship-related …

All Bi Myself: The Relationship Between Bisexuality And Self-Essentialism, Madeline Lucille Sharmat

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

With growing positive representation of sexual minorities in psychological research, it is important to consider how differing identities in the LGBTQ+ community might reflect varying relationships with the self. Bisexuals might especially experience poor self-images, due to prejudice experienced both in LGBTQ+ spaces and cishet spaces (Roberts et al., 2015). There is evidence that essentializing the self has a positive relationship with emotional wellbeing (Dulaney et al., 2019). Due to the essentialist belief that an individual can only experience attraction to one gender (Roberts et al., 2015), it is possible that people with multigender attraction struggle to self-essentialize. The current …

Critical Civic Engagement Of Immigrant-Origin Latinx Youth, Wendy De Los Reyes Moore

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

During adolescence, youth gain sociocognitive skills to think abstractly about inequalities which may propel critical civic engagement (CCE, i.e., civically engaged behaviors aimed to transform systems of inequality). Latinx immigrant-origin youth must uniquely decipher their place within U.S. political contexts, considering their hyphenated multi-national identities and potential familial obligations, which may differ drastically from the experiences typically captured in the civic engagement literature that are often based on non-immigrant, White, middle-class American young adults. Additionally, previous research on the Latinx immigrant community has bypassed nuances of their civic engagement by failing to consider within-group differences (e.g., nationality, generational status), or …

The Influence Of Metaphorical And Literal Language On Conspiracy Theory Belief: The Role Of Language And Individual Differences, Gabrielle Toups

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Although conspiracy theories have long existed, they are of current interest due to their widespread nature on social media (Enders et al., 2021). Research has shown the impact of informational framing on overall conspiracy theory believability (Swami et al., 2013). Informational framing can influence overall public perception of conspiracy theories (Butler et al., 1995; Hameleers, 2020; Enders et al., 2021), showing the impact of the language used in spreading conspiracy theories. Individual difference measures have been shown to impact overall conspiracy theory belief (Swami et al., 2010; Swami et al., 2013; Douglas, 2019). However, research has not explored the relationship …

Trainee Perceptions Of Structured On-The-Job Training (Ojt): The Impact Of Trainer Experience And Use Of Structured Ojt Guides, Jessica Nicole Cooperstein

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

This research study investigated the influence of trainer experience on the trainer’s use of directive behaviors and communication clarity in structured on-the-job training (OJT) and how those variables, in turn, impacted trainee perceptions. It was predicted that trainer experience would be positively related to trainer characteristics (directive behaviors and communication clarity), and that the use of structured OJT guides would have a conditional impact on this relationship. It was also predicted that trainer characteristics would be positively related to trainee perceptions. Finally, it was predicted that the conditional relationship of trainer experience and use of structured OJT guides would influence …

Examining Predictors Of Vicarious Posttraumatic Growth Among Sexual Assault Service Providers In Rape Crisis Centers, Anna Wegrzyn

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Rape crisis centers (RCCs) rely on counselors and victim advocates to provide support to survivors of sexual assault via crisis intervention, advocacy, counseling, case management, and referrals. As a result of their direct service work, sexual assault service providers are frequently exposed to vicarious trauma. This may inhibit both service provision and provider well-being. Not all impacts of engaging in trauma work are negative, however; positive benefits have also been documented from engaging in trauma work. One such benefit is vicarious posttraumatic growth, which is understood as the positive psychological transformation undergone by trauma workers as a result of their …

Answering The Call

DePaul Magazine

With a strong spirit of service, DePaul initiatives aid displaced populations in Chicago and internationally.

A Syndemic Perspective On Anti-Asian Racism And Asian American Mental Health During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Rebecca Mcgarity-Palmer

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Asian Americans have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, experiencing COVID-related anti-Asian racism as well as exacerbated pandemic-related stressors, such as increased negative mental health symptoms and economic challenges, due to existing structural inequities. Asian Americans are a diverse group made up of various ethnic and cultural groups with differential impacts from the pandemic. Examining differences within Asian Americans is therefore important to further understand the impacts of health inequities, economic challenges, and racism. Using a large, national dataset, I conducted three studies that examine Asian Americans’ experiences of anti-Asian racism, negative mental health symptoms, and economic challenges within …

How The Readability Level Of Prior Text Impacts Comprehension Of Subsequent Text, Benjamin Jerry Dumont

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis research is to explore how the difficulty of text impacts the ability to process subsequent text. The basic idea is that difficult text might deplete cognitive or attentional resources, creating difficulties for readers as they try to continue reading afterwards. A pilot study was conducted to gather preliminary data prior to the two final studies. High (easy to read) and low (difficult to read) readability passages were created and presented prior to a target passage. The results from the pilot study suggested that there may be differences in comprehension based on the readability and difficulty …

Organizational Involvement Type And First-Generation College Student Persistence: A Survival Analysis With Time-Varying Covariates, Jordan Reed

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Social integration into the university is the most critical factor in predicting persistence for students, including first-generation college students. Yet social integration takes many forms. Researchers theorize that academic-oriented and marginalized-identity focused organizations have uniquely positive relationships with persistence for students generally. Yet other theorists consider organizational involvement to be an insufficient means of integration and persistence at a student’s institution. This dissertation compares these organization types and others to understand their relationships with first-generation students’ degree persistence. This analysis was conducted with a sample of 304 students from three institutions. Additionally, while longitudinal methods are inherent to persistence studies …

The Relationship Between Youth Adult Sexual Communication And Risky Sexual Behavior In Adolescence, Erin Geary

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Adolescents are engaging in risky sexual behavior at high rates which is impacting the rise of sexually transmitted infections in the United States. Risky sexual behavior in adolescence is related to both negative health and psychological outcomes. Sexual health communication between adolescents and adults might serve as a protective factor to prevent adolescents in participating in risky sexual behavior, however the specific factors that could contribute to this impact are less known. This thesis has two aims: 1) to determine how sexual health communication between adolescents and adults impacts risky sexual behavior and 2) to explore how sex, race/ ethnicity, …

Perspective Taking: A Tool For Improving Team Member Relationships And Performance, Mikayla Ann Marcinkowski

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Researchers and practitioners alike are interested in ways to help teams reach their full potential. In the current research, perspective taking is presented and tested as a tool that can help teams build and maintain positive interpersonal relationships and achieve top performance. Further, the current research integrates several conceptualizations of perspective taking to acknowledge that while some people may be more inclined to engage in perspective taking behaviors, there is the potential to train perspective taking as a skill for those who are not. Thus, this research also tests the effectiveness of a perspective taking intervention focused on encouraging the …

The Relationship Between Youth Adult Sexual Communication And Risky Sexual Behaviors In Adolescence, Erin Geary

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Adolescents are engaging in risky sexual behavior at high rates which is impacting the rise of sexually transmitted infections in the United States. Risky sexual behavior in adolescence is related to both negative health and psychological outcomes. Sexual health communication between adolescents and adults might serve as a protective factor to prevent adolescents in participating in risky sexual behavior, however the specific factors that could contribute to this impact are less known. This thesis has two aims: 1) to determine how sexual health communication between adolescents and adults impacts risky sexual behavior and 2) to explore how sex, race/ ethnicity, …

An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Of Displacement From Single Room Occupancy (Sro) Housing, Camilla Cummings

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Single Room Occupancy (SRO) housing is typically the most affordable and attainable form of housing for low-income people and is often located in desirable areas with access to social infrastructure. Literature shows SRO tenants are marginalized related to their social positionalities (i.e., they are disproportionately Black, elderly, more likely to have mental illness, and be in recovery from substance or alcohol use). Unfortunately, SRO housing has been increasingly lost to for-profit developers. The current study employed a community-based participatory action research approach and qualitative design to explore the subjective experiences of SRO residents’ displacement. An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis approach was …

A Longitudinal Analysis Of The Impact Of Daily Hassles, Life Stressors, And Chronic Medical Conditions On Salivary Alpha Amylase In Young Adults, Anjana Jagpal

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Young adulthood is a critical point of transition accompanied by a number of different stressors. Exposure to a stressor activates two systems – the hypothalamic pituitary axis (HPA) and sympathetic adrenal medullary (SAM) system. Research has primarily examined HPA axis and its corresponding stress hormone, salivary cortisol with little attention on sympathetic nervous system (SNS) markers. However, emerging research has proposed salivary alpha amylase (sAA) as a potential surrogate for SNS activity. The existing neuroendocrine research on sAA has largely focused on acute stressors and it is important to understand how sAA behaves in response to different levels of stressors …

Exploring The Dimensional Structure Of A Measure Of Supervision Competence And Its Prediction Of Trainee Development, Jacqueline Davis

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Clinical supervision is one of the most important components of a health service psychologist’s training. Supervisors ensure the integrity of the supervisee’s services to protect the public and act as gatekeepers to the profession. Despite the importance of this professional practice, supervision training and evaluation received minimal attention until the early 2000s. There is little high-quality research on what makes supervision effective, in part due to few measures assessing supervision competence. A culture shift to competency-based training and education in health service psychology both allows for and requires improved evaluation of supervision. The current study aimed to (a) elucidate the …

Examining Psychosocial Interventions For Refugees From Asia: A Meta-Analysis And Systematic Review On Efficacy, Effectiveness, And Cultural Tailoring, Mengxue (Fiona) Sun

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Background: Internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, and asylum seekers who have experienced forced migration are at a disproportionate disadvantage of experiencing distress and developing mental health problems. Research on psychosocial interventions for refugees indicated positive findings on symptom improvement in depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and anxiety. However, previous meta-analyses and systematic reviews have primarily focused on randomized control trials (RCTs) to the exclusion of a large body of intervention research. In addition, many previous reviews have included studies that targeted at specific treatment types (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy, narrative review therapy) or specific mental diagnoses (e.g., major depressive disorder, posttraumatic …

Relationship Building In E-Negotiation: Dyadic Effects On Subjective Negotiation Outcomes, Mounica Reddy

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

E-negotiation is a critical activity that is becoming a new reality (Sokolova et al., 2006), however, the e-negotiation environment lends itself to fewer informative cues than the face-to-face environment. The ability to maintain relationships with parties and negotiate with them in the future increases the negotiator’s bargaining power and could be important beyond economic outcomes (Curhan & Brown, 2011). This study investigates the link between relationship-building and subjective values in negotiation, and how the negotiation medium may change this relationship. Subjective values of rapport, trustworthiness, and interest in future interaction were predicted to both differ by e-negotiation and face-to-face negotiation …

Engaging N Service Learning: Using Mixed Methods To Examine Community Partner Perceptions, Kendall P. Crum

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Outcomes for students engaging in service learning are well documented and accepted throughout educational literature. However, less is known about how community partners perceive service learning. A convergent mixed methods approach was used to examine the perceptions of community partners engaged in service learning activities. In the first phase of the current study, community partner perceptions were explored using extant focus group data. Five themes were identified: experiences with students, experiences with the Steans Center, service learning impacts on organizational capacity, perceptions of university partnerships, and other community partner perceptions. Experiences with students included five subthemes: (a) student work; (b) …

Why People Share When They Shouldn't: Antecedents And Consequences Of Impulsive Secret-Sharing, Natalie Ann Mordini

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation, comprised of three studies, explores goals and antecedents of sharing and keeping personal secrets, examines how secret-sharing and secret-keeping experiences differ and are perceived to differ, and investigates the emotional outcomes of sharing and keeping secrets. It also suggests two potential “triggers” which may lead to increased impulsive secret-sharing. Study 1 explored, retrospectively, how secret-sharing and secret-keeping experiences align and differ. It found key differences between these experiences, particularly regarding motivations, level of planning, contextual factors, confidant perceptions, and the emotional consequences related to the decision. Study 2 examined perceptions of secret-keeping and secret-sharing decisions and predicted emotional …

Black Adolescent Self-Perceptions: The Roles Of Ethnic Identity And Stress Exposure, Kailyn Bare

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

The effects of stressors during youth and adolescence have long been investigated as powerful experiences affecting adjustment and well-being. Stressful life events predict a range of psychological and physical outcomes, but their impact on adolescent self-perception has yet to be studied thoroughly. Adolescent strengths, such as ethnic identity, may serve as protection from threats and warrant exploration. Using resilience theory (Fergus & Zimmerman, 2005) and a stressor model of adolescent development (Grant et al., 2003), this study examines the influence of ethnic identity in the relationship between youth stressful experiences and different types of self-perception (social competence, behavioral conduct, and …

An Evaluation Of Reciprocal Associations Across The Mentoring Relationship For Mentors And Mentees With Attachment Needs, Molly Cory

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Mentoring programs are a popular approach for supporting low-income youth by providing them with an adult mentor who is intended to be a positive role model and fulfill unmet attachment needs. Low-income youth who become mentees are often understood through an attachment lens and treated as the focus of any mentoring intervention. Although significant research has been devoted to understanding the impact of the mentoring relationship on mentees, the function of the mentoring relationship for mentees remains unclear. Some studies have found direct effects of the mentoring relationship on mentee emotional and behavioral outcomes, while other studies have suggested indirect …

Pandemic Pressure: Race, Job Insecurity, And Stress During The Covid-19 Pandemic, David B. Taullahu, Jason S. Snyder, Alyssa R. Minton, Brooke Nyberg, Joseph A. Mikels

DePaul Discoveries

With the ongoing pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic, the working world has been drastically altered. Additionally, pandemic related pressures are not evenly distributed across racial groups–with negative outcomes being exacerbated as a byproduct of structural inequities for people of color (Seldan & Berdahl, 2020). Using the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen et al., 1983), and Job Insecurity Scale (Ashford et al., 1989), we aimed to determine how various work-related factors such as job insecurity, essential worker status, and race relate to overall perceived stress in daily life. Participants (n = 266; M_age = 50.56 years, SD = 7.83; age …