Psychology Commons^™

The Role Of Evangelical Beliefs In The Attainment Of Posttraumatic Growth Among Adult Survivors Of Child Sexual Abuse, Sandra Jean Mcmillan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is a post-trauma outcome that is extraordinarily complex due to the many subjective aspects and various emerging models regarding the mechanisms leading to it. Studies have led to traditional models of PTG; however, some special populations have limited data regarding factors leading to PTG. Adult survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) are a distinct population due to the unique sequela emerging from CSA. Religious or spiritual growth is a recognized domain that has been shown to predict PTG; however, no study to date has examined Evangelical Protestant beliefs in relation to PTG among adults with a history …

Marital Satisfaction And Attachment Style: The Mediating Role Of Emotional Intelligence And Religious Commitment, Denise Dos Santos Moitinho

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Most couples enter marriage hoping to experience happiness and satisfaction. This study acknowledges that spouses bring their worldviews, personalities, behaviors, and emotions to the marriage relationship, and for this reason, this study investigates the connection between marital satisfaction and attachment style as mediated by emotional intelligence and religious commitment in a sample of heterosexual married Christian individuals living in the United States. This quantitative, non-experimental, survey-based research analyzes data collected through Amazon Mechanical Turk from 530 married individuals to understand the relationship between variables affecting marital satisfaction. Results from Pearson’s correlation analyses show a significant relationship between attachment style subscales …

The Relationship Between Young Adult Attachment And Loneliness Factors With Their Childhood Social Media Usage Patterns, Kenneth Walter Mark

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Social media use has become an integral and often ignored part of children’s lives because it is rationalized not to be detrimental to their future development. However, childhood social media use was associated with insecure attachment styles and possible loneliness issues emerging in young adulthood. Past research examined social media use and secular attachment in the present only, without examining spiritual attachment or loneliness levels. This is the first research study to explore longitudinally the relationship between past childhood social media use and current young adult (aged 18-24) secular attachment, spiritual attachment, and loneliness levels. The population (N = 149) …

Predictors Of Online Faculty's Organizational Commitment, Anna Carroll Stevens

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Online higher education is a booming industry; however, concerns have been voiced about the quality of online education. As a significant participant in the online environment, the online faculty member plays an essential role in the delivery of quality online education. Yet, research on online faculty and their experience is limited. With high turnover rates and the quality of online education coming into question, this mixed methods study sought to gain a more in-depth understanding of the predictors of online faculty’s organizational commitment. The delivery method of faculty’s previous educational experience as a student, their highest earned degree, employee status, …

Educators’ Perspectives Of Student Outcomes, Rikki Jean Cook

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Individual experiences inform psychological adjustment, academic achievement, and trait-specific behaviors during adolescence. The formation of their identity is further dependent upon social and emotional interactions such as those experienced in the social learning environment. During the COVID-19 pandemic, mandated social distancing resulted in the closure of public schools state-wide, forcing students and educators to utilize online educational environments with no preparatory or transitionary periods to allow for adequate adjustment. It is necessary to assess and work toward an understanding of the consequences of this environmental shift, and of the adolescents’ modified social interactions. This descriptive qualitative phenomenological study explores the …

Correlation Of Psychospiritual Factors And Suicide In The Military, Michael Odinaka Ugbor

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Military is a profession that requires stable mental state as a prerequisite for active military life. However, suicide rate among active members and veterans has significantly increased despite traditional measures such as psychotherapies, medications and government sponsored incentives. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the correlation of psychospiritual factors (spiritual, religious factors and psychological beliefs) and suicide risks among military members. Participants were 18 years or older and members of the United States military base stationed in Kentucky. Data collection involved the used a paper-based survey to measure spiritual and religious affiliations and activities, church attendance, prayer …

Addressing The Impact Of Adverse Childhood Experiences Of Adults Through The Pastoral Counseling Ministry Of Victory Church, Joseph Randall Tapp

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Dr. Vincent Filetti's landmark 1998 study exposed the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on children and adults. His analysis determined that childhood traumatic experiences could strongly correlate to serious health issues in adults. Exposure to childhood adversity has been shown to correlate not only with mental health issues such as depression, suicide, and substance abuse but also with chronic, life-threatening health issues such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and immune system issues. This DMin study aims to address the impact of ACEs on adult clients of the pastoral counseling ministry of Victory Church, a large non-denominational Christian church located …

The Integration Of Neuroscience And Counseling Using Neuroeducation In Trauma Treatment: A Quantitative Study, Daniel Ross Wood

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Researchers in numerous professional fields, including psychology, have applied neuroscience integration in their studies. Yet research has also demonstrated a hesitancy among counselors to utilize neuro-informed principles in case conceptualization and treatment. No researchers in the studies found among the mental health counseling fields considered this issue. If left unaddressed, counselors and clinicians may avoid the use of an effective and complimentary integrative approach or unintentionally misapply neuro-informed principles and violate ethical standards in practice. This quantitative research used a survey and case study design to consider mental health professional characteristic variables of self-competency, theoretical attitude, and strength of religious …

Should I Stay Or Should I Go? Exploring The Crisis Of Faith Process Of Former Members Of The Cjlds Within The United States, Kent Taylor Critchlow

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Christians are experiencing a crisis of religious faith throughout the United States at an alarming rate, especially among millennials. For members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, there were 20 primary and secondary reasons that created a crisis of religious faith and there were 13 reasons that motivated each participant to eventually abandon their Church membership. Over 80% of the reasons why the participants left the Church were directly and indirectly tied to the Prophet Joseph Smith and to the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. The use of the Internet played a significant role in expediting …

Childhood Food Insecurity In Rural America: Raising Awareness And Inspiring Action Through Art And Design, Julie Hansen Olson

Masters Theses

Children go hungry in America every day, particularly in rural communities, where statistics show food insecurity to be as high as 17%. This means one in six children in rural communities lacks nutritionally adequate food or the ability to acquire it on a daily basis. In one of the wealthiest countries in the world, this appalling statistic is unacceptable. But how do we mitigate food insecurity for children and its resulting effects on a child’s physical, mental, and social development? This project proposes to educate, raise awareness, and inspire and/or enable action by all stakeholders to reduce food insecurity, specifically …

More Than A Single Story: Culturally Diverse Literature And Social Inclusion In Elementary Classrooms, Amanda Works

Senior Honors Theses

This paper aims to consider the existing literature regarding culturally diverse literature, social inclusion, and children’s literature as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. These three concepts form a conceptual framework that supports the research study, which explored the use of culturally diverse literature and any correlation with social inclusion. Four elementary teachers participated in semi-structured interviews focused on two research questions: “What impacts the use of culturally diverse literature in elementary classrooms?” and “Does culturally diverse literature affect social inclusion in elementary classrooms?”. Through thematic, qualitative analysis, the study identified three central themes: (1) levels of choice based on …

Teacher Self-Efficacy, Job Satisfaction, And Burnout Amid The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jaimee Ann Hager

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Teachers are consistently faced with adversity, which can affect their ability to feel efficacious in their position, causing them to experience a decrease in their job satisfaction and putting them at risk for burnout. Recently, teachers have experienced significant changes in education, as the COVID-19 pandemic has increased illnesses and forced necessary safety adaptions in the educational setting. This study is a quantitative research design. Participants included 40 elementary teachers from Isle of Wight County Schools in Virginia. Participants were provided a link or QR code to access the survey. This study used a Pearson Correlation to measure relationships between …

Bidirectional Leader-Member Exchange And The Impact On Middle Manager Job Satisfaction, Brian A. Collera

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Leader-member exchange (LMX) theory focuses on the quality of the relationship between a leader and member. LMX is associated with a number of positive member outcomes, but LMX research has largely neglected what, if any, positive benefits leaders attain from high quality relationships beyond better team performance. The purpose of this study was to apply the LMX theory to middle managers in organizations. Middle managers inherently balance the competing interests of multidirectional relationships, acting as both a leader and a member in the organizational hierarchy. This study explored how middle manager’s self-rating of LMX (relationship with their subordinates), leader-leader exchange …

Childhood Adversities And The Impact On Development, Karey Womack Dulaney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Experiences in life are crucial in determining how one’s development will progress throughout their lifespan, with many of the factors occurring in early childhood. The factors include but are not limited to adversities experienced at an early age, toxic stress, and childhood trauma. Childhood adversities can impact a child’s cognitive development and biological systems. Children living in adverse situations are at a greater risk of not reaching their full developmental potential in life. Although previous research and literature discuss and demonstrate the cruciality of early childhood interventions to mitigate adverse childhood experiences, gaps in the research exist for individual interventions, …

The Moderating Role Of Positive Religious Coping And Workplace Spirituality In The Relationship Between Level Of Traditional And Covid-19 Related Stressors Encountered And Mental Health In Hospitality Workers, Danielle Grace Defacci

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Higher levels of workplace and COVID-related stressors appear clearly linked to poorer mental health outcomes, and evidence is emerging that suggests positive religious coping (PRC) and workplace spirituality (WS) are both related to better mental health outcomes. It could be that PRC and WS buffer the impact of high stress levels on mental health. However, only one study exists that has explored the moderating effect of PRC in the stress-mental health relationship, and no studies exist exploring the moderating effect of WS in the stress-mental health relationship. Therefore, this study looked at the moderating role of PRC and WS in …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Formation And Change In Attachment To God, Virginia Watson Cashion

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study consisted of a phenomenological exploration of the lived experience of individuals who identify as Christians, examined within the context of attachment to God. Eleven Ph.D. students enrolled in an online program at an evangelical institution in the southeastern United States were interviewed. The interviews were conducted online, recorded (audio and video), and transcribed within the MS Teams app. Data was analyzed, codes were established, and themes were identified. Analysis revealed that while one’s relationship with God was meaningful and secure, all indicated the presence of seeking (greater connection to God) language. Second, attachment terms were often used to …

Pornography Use And Its Effect On Marital Quality, Karolyn A. Webster

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Statistics have shown that married couples who start watching pornography double their chances of divorcing within two years following the pornography use. Statistics also report that every year for the past decade there have been roughly one million divorces in the United States, and the current divorce rate is 2.9 per population of 1000, with 45 reporting states, including Washington, DC. However, these statistics do not provide a breakdown of how many of these divorces were due to pornography use. Research suggests that the negative relationship between pornography use and marital well-being has grown stronger over time, during a period …

Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated With Streptococcal Infection (Pandas): A Qualitative Study Of Parental Perceptions Of Factors In Remission, Janice Diane Weddle

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infection (PANDAS) starts as the child’s body has an inappropriate reaction to the immune response for streptococcal infection. PANDAS is characterized by the sudden onset of neuropsychiatric disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, chorea movements, and tics. Previous research has drawn conflicting conclusions on PANDAS treatment efficacy and long-term treatment outcomes leaving remission rates unclear. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological case study was to explore parents’ perceptions of factors related to PANDAS remission. Parents of children diagnosed with PANDAS were recruited through Facebook PANDAS support groups and the National Institute of Mental …

Third Culture Kids' Repatriation And Planned Transition To College From A South Asian Country: A Qualitative Collective Case Study, Sandra Wiemann Blank

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative collective case study was to understand the transition to college in the United States of third culture kids (TCKs) who have spent at least one year in South Asia during their upbringing (ages 6-18). Schlossberg’s adults in transition theory was employed to study planned transitions to college. This study attempted to answer the research questions: How do TCKs perceive the major events or benchmarks in their transition to college? How did expected and unexpected outcomes impact TCKs’ experience during their transition to college? What resources do TCKs typically access during their repatriation to college transition …

Mothering While Black: Examining Resilience And Grit In The Raising Of Black Boys By Black Single Mothers, Suzette M. Fagan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The ongoing struggles and challenges of the Black experience and the consequences thereof have been widely studied. One of the many challenges that have faced by this population is the growing epidemic of single parenting. The fractured nature of the Black family has been researched, showing the implications of absentee fathers and the raising of children by black single mothers, especially those raising boys. Using the social constructs of resiliency and grit, this study provided insight into how Black single mothers used resilience and grit to turn their parenting into a story of hope. A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted …

A Quantitative Study Examining Individual Employee Experiences Of Change Initiatives And The Impact On Employee Perceptions Of Change And Attitudes, Adrienne Marie Read

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Current organizational change management models focus on information sharing as the primary mechanism for involving employees in change initiatives, but most change initiatives fail due to limited attention given to organizational members impacted by change. The current study provides empirical evidence for more tangible methods of employee involvement by examining individual experiences of organizational change and the influence of involvement factors (leadership communication and work contribution) on employee perception of change and job attitudes (organizational commitment and turnover intentions). A causal-comparative design was implemented using a 39-item survey administered to 344 participants who have experienced an organizational change. The nonparametric …

Personality Traits And Forgiveness After Infidelity, Tammy Porter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This correlative phenomenological study aims to discover the relationship between personality traits and forgiveness, specifically when infidelity has taken place. The purpose is to identify personality traits that are positively associated with forgiveness after infidelity. The research analyzed responses from both married and divorced couples that participate in a Facebook event. The theory guiding this study is the Big Five personality traits model with the analysis of those traits related to forgiveness, specifically for infidelity. The study took a close look at each personality trait within the Big Five Personality Model as it relates to forgiveness for the couple for …

Hbcu Proud And At Risk: Evaluating The Relationship Between Aces And Academic Performance In Black First-Year College Students, Courtney Janell Loyd

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Few studies have studied the impact of trauma on academic performance and even fewer have studied Black students. Black college students are usually from a lower socioeconomic class which puts them at a greater disadvantage and a higher risk for dropping out of college. This study is a mixed-method research design. Participants included 44 undergraduate students recruited from a university in the Southern U.S. Phase 1 included paper-pencil surveys, and Phase 2 consisted of an open-ended questionnaire, which allowed for a deeper understanding of the lived experiences. This study used a Spearman Correlation to measure the strength of association between …

Algorithmic Manipulation: How Social Media Is Shaping Our Theology, Ethan Jago

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

The average individual in Generation Z spends nine hours a day on social media and derives over 62% of the information retained from social applications such as YouTube and Instagram. Social media applications are designed to track and adapt a user's activity to custom-tailor their internet experience resulting in a controlled, one-sided view of the information flow custom-tailored to an individual's usage, which subtly changes the disposition concerning the interpretation of theological and biblical truths. The algorithm of social media responds adapts and directly impacts individuals in what they think, purchase, and places they visit. Social media is not neutral …

Disability And Employability: Challenging Stereotypes Through Information And Education, Claire Gallagher Mcelvaney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Individuals with disabilities (IWDs) have had an alarmingly low employment rate despite introduction of the Americans with Disabilities Act and other legislation meant to enable workplace inclusion. This low employment rate seemed illogical as employed IWDs have often demonstrated extremely high work engagement and organizational loyalty. Prior research indicated that organizations were willing to hire IWDs but were concerned regarding potential costs and training issues. Because lifelong unemployment has often resulted in segregation and depression for those with disabilities, this research sought to determine if educational intervention, i.e. a presentation designed to address some of the myths regarding costs and …

Leaving The Faith: Factors That Lead To Emerging Adult Apostasy, Sammie Davis-Dyson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The present qualitative study used the transcendental phenomenological model. It investigated the three parenting factors of modeling, style, and attachment and their impact on emerging adult decisions to leave the Christian faith of their upbringing. Six participants, ages 21-25, male and female, white or Hispanic college students yielded information demonstrating that the parenting factors mutually interacted with one another. If the parent or parents had a positive impact in the modeling factor, the same was true for attachment and style. A fourth focal point was whether the emerging young adult would seek out a community of faith of his or …

Refugee Perceptions Of Post-Migratory Stressors Impact On Pre-Existing Trauma, Christine Elizabeth Krauter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Refugees are an ever-growing population across the world. Refugees leave their country to survive from the horrors and traumas many experiences. They arrive in countries oftentimes with little to no language proficiency, housing, finances, or employment. The stressors many of them face mixed with the trauma they experienced pre-arrival can be a heavy burden to carry. The purpose of this case study is to understand the perceptions of post-migratory stressors impact on pre-existing trauma for refugees at Matthew House in Vancouver, Canada. A constructivist approach is taken since the focus is on the situation from the participants’ point of views …

Bias As A Worldview Engine, The Terminus A Quo Of The Problem Of Evil, Eric Spencer Mccrickard

Masters Theses

Evidential evil is an encompassing title for moral evil, natural disasters, disease, famine, divorce, suffering, or other calamities in life that yield dissatisfaction or discernable discomfort. This area of evidential evil is the focus of this paper generally, including the argument posed by William Rowe from evidential evil and contemporary treatments offered by Bruce Russell. The argumentation is God’s nonexistence from the platform, or derivative of no greater good observed or known, of the justification or allowance of evil. It is not a refutation of the premises, per se, but instead, the biases associated with them are de facto statements …

Fostering Forgiveness Through The Reach Forgiveness Model To Dispel The Angry Black Woman Trope, Demetrius Tamantha Golden

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

For generations, the African American community has felt lingering reminders of the oppression of their ancestors. Consequently, this oppression may have inhibited forgiveness or the ability to forgive. Unforgiveness can be expressed in many forms, but most commonly as anger, bitterness, and rage. The American culture depicts the African American woman in the media as an “Angry Black Woman,” neglecting her existence as a pillar to her family and community and the stressors that accompany this role. Research is lacking around forgiveness models using the population of African American women. The purpose of this dissertation is to contribute to the …

Reducing Caregiver Risk For Child Maltreatment: Results From Advocacy Program Data, Nicole Airesman

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Three Minute Thesis