Community Psychology Commons^™

Reforming Egypt’S Alternative Child Care System Through Deinstitutionalization: An Assessment Of The Current Status And Readiness To Change In The Residential Care Sector, Dina Elbawab

Theses and Dissertations

The main objective of this study was to assess the current status and readiness of the sector of residential care institutions for children to take part in the deinstitutionalization of children in alternative care in Egypt. The assessment was carried out using an adapted version of the Community Readiness Model (CRM), a tool developed by the Tri-Ethnic Center at Colorado State University. Accordingly, the assessment comprised semi-structured interviews with fourteen key informants to assess the following six readiness dimensions: efforts, knowledge of the efforts, leadership, community climate, knowledge of the issue, and resources related to the issue. The study briefly …

The Resilient Families Project @ Wayside’S Hotel Louisville: Strategies For Building Resilience, Mindfulness & Happiness In At-Risk Adults, Lexi N. Frederick, Hannah Parker, Angela Ely, Lora Haynes

The Cardinal Edge

The Resilient Families Project (RFP) provides educational experiences to strengthen evidence-based habits of resilience, mindfulness, and happiness in at-risk individuals. RFP holds programs for adults facing homelessness and women in drug/alcohol recovery who are housed by Wayside Christian Mission in their Emergency Shelter or Hotel Louisville.

RFP programs work to promote healthy attachment relations, a sense of belonging/purpose, and interactive reading, and children’s storybooks serve as the foundation for designing programs. The book “The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse'' was reviewed through content analysis to emphasize diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as RFP Core Ideas. Thanks …

Overcoming The Inner Critic: The Therapeutic Use Of Self-Portraits With Older Adults, Brenda Echeverry

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Older adults are a growing and vulnerable population who experience discriminatory practices that impact their access to equitable housing, employment, and healthcare which was made even more obvious during the Coronavirus pandemic in the United States. A community engagement project was developed and facilitated by the writer to support older adults with the psychological effects of surviving the pandemic. This project also helped to increase accessibility to expressive arts therapy in the writer’s local community. Expressive arts therapy is an effective and accessible method to support mental health and wellness for people of all ages. Engagement with the arts helps …

Undressing Consent –Preliminary Evaluation Of A Campus Sexual Violence Prevention Program, Angelina M. Cleroux

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The current study is a preliminary evaluation of the impact of the Undressing Consent post-secondary sexual violence prevention program on student attitudes and beliefs related to consent, understanding of desires and boundaries, societal gendered sexual scripts, and responding to rejection. A primary goal of the study was to create a reliable measure to be used for future evaluation of changes in student attitudes and beliefs related to core program content. In addition, we evaluated student responses to our newly created scales before and after participation in the intervention and between gendered groups. A total sample of 570 students (women and …

Entering Terra Incognita: Adapting Psychotherapists To Work During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Monika Zielona-Jenek, Agnieszka Izdebska, Emilia Soroko

The Qualitative Report

Sudden historical events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, may critically change the circumstances in which psychotherapy is conducted. The objective of this study was to analyze Polish psychodynamic psychotherapists’ experiences of working with patients at the onset of the pandemic and hence to understand the process of their coping with the external reality challenges. 183 Polish psychotherapists (160 women and 23 men) aged 26-66 years (average 38) completed a survey about their therapeutic work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were analyzed in accordance with Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis framework. Five general themes were identified: (1) Facing a taboo; (2) …

Identifying Associations Between The Family Environment And Anxiety And Depression Among Children Ages 0-17 In The United States, Reagan A. Richardson, Nicole M. Holt

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

This study analyzes whether physical, emotional & neurological, family environment, or community-related factors display the strongest association with anxiety and depression among children ages 0-17 in the United States.

Using IBM SPSS v. 27, we conducted a univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis on data from the 2017 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) with a sample size of 21,599. Our independent variables included 30 questions from the NSCH which were compared to a mental health index score.

Our study shows that about 10.6% of children suffer from either anxiety, depression, or both, and the univariate model found that 19 …

The Antagonistic Anatomy Of Anti-Shippers: A Thematic Analysis, Adrian A. Stone

Student Theses

Within the transformative fandom community is an ideologically-affiliated group known as anti-shippers, whose rhetoric contends that fictional interests are an indication of those held in reality. Anti-shippers focus solely on fictional material perceived to be sexual in nature and make frequent references to pedophilia. This rhetoric is used to justify harassment against individuals who do not share in their beliefs. As this population primarily operates on social media, this study was designed to conduct an exploratory investigation into themes gleaned from posts authored by anti-shippers on Twitter. Utilizing latent content analysis, a total of 187 posts from 222 unique users …

Reconceptualizing The Interaction Between Adhd Symptoms And Environmental Context, Oliver G. Mcfadden

University Honors Theses

Difficult questions regarding etiology, prevalence, and individual treatment allude to the heterogenous and complex neurocognitive profile ADHD. Current understandings do not point to there being any yet-undiscovered, succinct set of features for the condition that will answer these questions. ADHD in fact has a heterogeneous etiology and neurocognitive profile, suffers from both overdiagnosis and underdiagnosis, and a variety of styles of treatment are conceivable to address this. Sociocultural factors have crucially guided the direction of ADHD pathology and medicalization and are woven into institutional environments. These extant problems have eluded ADHD research, and the debate over the construction and validity …

Tattoos And Trauma: Are Tattoos Healing For Trauma?, Krystal Bell

University Honors Theses

Prior research and literature reviews suggest that there is medicinal value in tattooing for the healing of trauma. However, tattooing is still a burgeoning topic in academic studies and still mostly taboo as a western societal practice, so there are gaps in qualitative and quantitative data that could further validate the healing benefits of tattoos for trauma. This literature review analyzed 30 peer reviewed articles that focus on "contemporary tattoo data," "indigenous traditions and practices," "tattoos and trauma," and other alternative healing such as "MDMA, psilocybin, EMDR" to establish a well-rounded investigation into tattoos as an alternative healing option. The …

Parental Psychological Maltreatment In Egypt: Exploring Intergenerational Parenting Behavior And Identifying Protective Factors, Sylvia Said

Theses and Dissertations

Psychological maltreatment is an under-recognized problem, even though it is a widespread form of child maltreatment and has detrimental consequences, whether in the short or long term. This study aims to explore the intergenerational patterns of parenting behaviors, measure the difference in emotionally abusive behaviors between mothers and fathers, investigate the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and adopting different parenting styles, and identify the protective factors against parental psychological maltreatment. A mixed-methods approach was used to answer these research questions thoroughly. Online versions of the survey, in English and Arabic, were shared on social media platforms, and online interviews were …

Choosing To Come Back: Second-Generation Egyptians Returning As Social Change Agents, Hajar Khalil

Theses and Dissertations

Research has found that upon visiting their parents’ homeland, second-generation immigrants were able to gain a better understanding of where they came from, allowing them to reflect upon their own lives in respect to their family history (Marschall, 2017). Some researchers call this journey the ‘self-awakening’ or ‘searching-self’ journey (Christou, 2003). The aim of this research is to understand the process of second-generation Egyptians return journey to their parent(s)’ homeland in order to create social change. The two main questions posed are: 1) How do second-generation Egyptians construct their narrative identity, and 2) How do they conceptualize themselves as social …

Mother’S Coping While Caring For A Child With Cancer And Its Relationship With Mother-Child Relationship, Alaa Nasr

Theses and Dissertations

Having a child with cancer is one of the most stressful situations families can experience. This study sheds light on mothers’ stress and coping with pediatric cancer in the Arab world, with a specific focus on Kuwait. The first aim of this study was to examine mothers’ stress and how it related to the quality of mother-child relationship, and subsequently the child’s behavioral problems. The second aim was to explore mothers’ main stressors, resources and services that help or could help with alleviating the stress experienced from having a child with cancer. A total of 102 mothers living in Kuwait …

Historical Trauma: Literary And Testimonial Responses To Hiroshima, Mariam Ghonim

Theses and Dissertations

The concept of trauma is controversial in literature. While one may be able to come up with ways to describe trauma in fiction, representing historical trauma is a hard task for writers. Some argue that trauma can not be described through those who did not experience it, while others claim that, provided some elements are added, one can represent trauma to the reader. This thesis focuses on twentieth-century historical traumas related to a nuclear catastrophe and explores the different literary and testimonial responses to the catastrophic man-made event of Hiroshima (1945). In this thesis, Kathleen Burkinshaw’s historical fiction The Last …

A Comparative Study On Depression, Anxiety, Stress, And Psychological Wellbeing Among Orphan And Non-Orphan Adolescents, Patteswari Duraisamy, Rajesh Raman, Rithvik S Kashyap, Kanchana Dm, Muralikrishna Tn

International Journal of Health and Allied Sciences

Background: Orphans, other vulnerable children, and adolescents living in institutions are more susceptible to developing behavioral and emotional problems because they lack the love and care of a family. The current study intends to investigate stress, anxiety, and depression in orphans living in the chosen orphanages in Mysuru, Karnataka. Methodology: Descriptive research methods were implemented in this research. A total of 200 adolescents made up the representative sample, including 100 orphans and 100 non-orphans. The data were taken from numerous orphanages and schools located in the city of Mysore. The samples were chosen using purposive sampling techniques. The level of …

Uncovering Emotional Contamination: Five Sites Of Trauma, Abigail Zola

Masters Theses

“Emotional contamination,” describes residual feelings associated with a space where a negative or tragic event occurred to an individual or group either personally, historically, or politically. Emotional contamination affects people’s associations with place and informs their willingness to spend time in them. This project considers a set of design principles rooted in uncovering and acknowledging the lifespan of a site, and considers how this acknowledgment can exist as an urban system rather than an individual architectural artifact. My thesis work analyzes five case studies in Berlin where political and economic factors determined the result of intervention, and how these sites …

Heal The Hood: An Exploration Of Community And Organizational Assets In Chicago's Twentieth Ward, Jasmine James

Dissertations

This study seeks to expand upon Empowerment Theory (Rappaport, 1984) by utilizing Asset Based Community Development to better understand what community members and organizations deem as current strengths and needs of Chicago’s twentieth ward. The questions that this dissertation explores are What strengths exist in Chicago's 20th ward that can lead to empowerment for the community and What are community members' perspectives on what is needed in the 20th ward for community members to thrive? In order to explore these questions, this dissertation moves away from the terminology of “community needs assessment” and chooses to rather focus on Asset Based …

A Guide For The Everyday Woman Surfer: How Surf Culture's Patriarchy Marginalizes Ocean Lovers, Alexis S. Di Stefano

Women's, Gender and Queer Studies

Humans are naturally drawn to the water by wind and tide. It is a place of solace that we have a desire to know deeply, yet we have kept one another from experiencing it through biases that perpetuate inequality. White-supremacist hegemony has historically kept communities of color from coastlines, women from lineups, and queer communities from participating in surf culture. As more people from all social groups return to the water through surfing in the 20th century, surf culture needs to adapt to become more inclusive. This paper outlines surf culture's historical transition into whiteness and how female beauty standards …

A Rudimentary Framework Of The Emergence Of Naturally-Occurring Mentorships, Aaron S. Baker Cervantes

Dissertations

Cross-age relationships between youth and adults that develop organically outside the construct of youth programs are examples of natural mentoring relationships. In the United States, research has demonstrated the positive impact of these mentorships. Scholars have begun applying concepts learned from natural mentoring to formal mentoring schema; however, much work is yet to be done in examining how these relationships emerge and the factors that impact their development. Designed in partnership with a private secondary school in rural México, this study aimed to unpack these questions using a grounded theory approach. Current students, alumni, and teachers participated in the study …

Permanent Shelter In The Empire City: Youth Experiencing Family Homelessness And Navigating The Homeless Industrial Complex With A Narrative Inquiry Approach, Henry O. Love

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Many studies have examined unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness; however, a relative silence persists about the lives of youth and young adults (YYA) while in family homeless shelters. This study aims to fill the gap in the literature about the lives of youth residing in family shelters and to learn about successful transitions from adolescence to young adulthood while experiencing family homelessness. This transition interacts with various social collectives (family, peers, community), political institutions (municipal, state, and federal), and an overwhelming economic system (global racial capitalism). These complex perspectives are considered with a narrative activity-meaning system research design to understand the …

Dirt, Ground And Groundedness: Material Semiotics And Social Anchors Of The Real And Truth In The Modernist Imaginary

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

What makes the ground (earth, dirt, soil) the axial point of reference for modern subjectivity? In this paper, I explore the semiotics of the ground and the complex ways modern subjectivity sets a performative frame around association/ disassociation with dirt. From the hygiene hypothesis and the problematic of modern existence and the lack of understanding of the good of dirt for the immune system to the ontology of being real in grounded theory, how we posit our connection to the ground can inform us of the way that we seek to anchor our place in the world. In this anchoring …