Digital Commons Network^™

Identifying The Brain Circuits Involved In Religious Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Kiana Bunnell

Theses and Dissertations

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an often-debilitating psychiatric disorder involving a pattern of obsessive thoughts and compensatory compulsions. Symptoms tend to be chronic, leading to substantial emotional burden and significant impairment across multiple domains of daily functioning. Previous research has identified some consistency in the brain regions implicated in OCD. In particular, cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuitry has been linked to behavioral features commonly observed in OCD. Moreover, some studies suggest that distinct patterns of brain activation and functional connectivity may be associated with different OCD symptom dimensions, though findings have not been consistent. One symptom dimension of OCD (scrupulosity) is characterized by …

When Your Neighbours Are A Reminder Of Your Ageing, Cynthia Tan, Yi Wen (Chen Yiwen) Tan

ROSA Journal Articles and Publications

In a commentary, Cynthia Tan, a retired senior corporate leader, and Tan Yi Wen, a Senior Research Fellow at SMU’s Centre for Research on Successful Ageing (ROSA), questioned whether the low demand for community care apartments is because seniors do not want only other seniors for company. They noted that most older people do not spend their days dwelling on ageing until everyone around them reminds them that they are growing old. They added that prolonged exposure to such an environment may carry subtle emotional and psychological consequences. Citing a national survey by ROSA, the writers mentioned that eight in …

Balancing Our Capacity To Serve: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Black Women Navigating Personal, Professional, And Community Leadership Roles, Shemeka K. Brathwaite

Student Theses

This phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of Black women community leaders as they navigate a balance between their professional, personal, and community leadership roles. The research design uses the theoretical frameworks of Black Feminist Intersectionality and Role Theory, specifically addressing the cultural burdens imposed by the Strong Black Woman archetype, which adds additional role strain. The study began with a questionnaire completed by 54 Black women community leaders, followed by 20 in-depth, semi-structured interviews selected from this pool. The study’s key findings are illustrated in a Black Women’s Sustainable Community Leadership Framework. Black women community leaders exude high self-efficacy, …

Who Gets To Be Taken Seriously? Three Atypical Scholars Navigate Doctoral Education At The Intersections Of Race, Neurodivergence, And Veteran Identity, Sr. Richard De La Garza

Dissertations

As a first-generation, neurodivergent, Mexican American/Chicano veteran, I entered the University of San Diego's doctoral program having had experiences that most institutional intake processes would label as risk factors. The Findings chapter of this dissertation begins by describing those experiences—not as a confession, but as the foundation for a systematic inquiry into how doctoral legitimacy is produced, withheld, and defended. The description of my life experiences is followed by a discussion of the doctoral journeys of two other study participants who also were atypical doctoral candidates.

The central argument being advanced is this: What higher education calls "fit," "rigor," and …

Collaboration Between Non-Denominational Community-Based Support And Social Work Professionals For Substance Use-Related Family Crises, David Marcelo Siqueira

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Family social problems such as child maltreatment and domestic violence continue to impact vulnerable populations, despite societal progress. Evidence of negative results due to these factors is found not only in vulnerable populations in the United States but also throughout the world. These issues are often interconnected and cyclical, with substance abuse both contributing to and resulting from familial trauma. Addressing such issues requires interdisciplinary interventions and socioecological models that consider the broader environments influencing an individual's well-being.

One such environment is the non-denominational Christian church. While churches have traditionally offered community support, the professionalization of social work, including licensure …

Building Resilience: How Protective Factors Mitigate Acculturative Stress In The Latinx Immigrant Community, Andres I. Delgado, Jamie Tierrablanca

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This literature underscores the vital role of protective factors in reducing

acculturative stress among Latinx immigrants. Key factors such as social

support, religious affiliation, familism, and physical activity help contribute to

mitigating the negative effects of acculturation. The Latinx community can

significantly benefit from integrative, culturally responsive interventions informed

by social work frameworks such as ecosystems theory and critical race theory

(CRT) as they are essential in addressing the mental health needs of this

population. Despite existing research, gaps remain in understanding the full

scope of the Latinx immigrant experience, suggesting a need for further

exploration. The expected findings will …

Parental Socialization Practices As Protective Factors Of Lgbtq+ Youth Well-Being And Sexual Health, Melissa M. Ferguson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

LGBTQ+ teens face challenges like discrimination and exclusion from school-based sex education. Support from parents is crucial for helping LGBTQ+ teens feel safe and confident. Most research has only looked at how parents react when their child comes out, and less about how parents support their child in everyday life. This two-study dissertation explored how parents help support and protect their LGBTQ+ teens’ well-being over time.

The first study looked for patterns of protective parenting across interviews with LGBTQ+ teens and their parents from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Teens and parents shared their experiences of open communication, building community, …

Stability Without Support: Kinship Care And The Reproduction Of Inequality In Child Protection, Kiera Fischer

Senior Seminars and Capstones

This project examines child protection outcomes in Minnesota through a structural and inequality focused lens, analyzing how poverty, housing instability, racism, and system overlap shape family involvement with Child Protective Services (CPS). This literature review draws from sociology, anthropology, social work, and child welfare research, to examine how child protection systems disproportionately surveil and penalize low-income families and families of color, often framing structural disadvantage as an individual parental failure rather than a systemic or institutional issue. I specifically consider placement outcomes following child removal, with particular attention to differences between kinship care and non-relative foster care. Kinship placements are …

Creative Engagement For Community Through The Life-Span, D. Nicole English, Pelgy Vaz

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Creative Engagement for Community Through the Life-Span

Creative Engagement includes crafts, cultural practices, expressive arts, and activities that bring people together. Having access to such activities enables people to develop healthy habits, social interactions, and build community that can sustain one throughout the lifespan. On-going research indicates that Creative Engagement Activities, and the Communities of Practice that build around them, benefit people throughout the life-span, but become particularly important to older adults, by building resilience and social connections, in the face of inevitable life losses.

https://youtu.be/r3JS5YP-MnM

The Power Of Asking: A Feasibility Assessment Of Incentive Social Worker-Led Screening For Sexual Violence Against Children In Humanitarian Settings In Ethiopia, Yadeta Dessie, Abir Nur, Dagim Habteyesus, Bonnie Wandera, Gloria Seruwagi, George Odwe, Peter Kisaakye, Francis Obare, Et Al.

Humanitarian Task Force

Sexual violence against children (SVAC) is an acknowledged concern in humanitarian contexts. In response to recent findings on the prevalence of SVAC in refugee camps in Ethiopia, coupled with low levels of disclosure and service-seeking by child/adolescent survivors, the Baobab Research Programme Consortium collaborated with humanitarian stakeholders in Ethiopia to establish mechanisms for promoting sexual violence disclosure and service uptake among young survivors in refugee settings.

This study employed a mixed-methods concurrent triangulation study design (involving a combination of service statistics, group interviews, and fieldnotes) for evaluating the feasibility of the aforementioned intervention, which specifically entailed sexual violence screening (of …

Negotiating Fatherhood: Young Men’S Narratives Of Care, Responsibility, And Struggle In A Low-Income South African Setting, Urlridge A. Thompson Dr, Tshepang Headman Mr, Leballo Tjemolane Mr, Lukhanyo H. Nyati Dr

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Financial provision continues to factor significantly in how Black men perceive and enact fatherhood, influencing the extent and manner of their paternal engagement. The enduring representation of men primarily as financial providers constrains the generation and enactment of alternative modalities of fatherhood within families and society. This qualitative study explored how the everyday lived experiences of young Black men in Soweto, South Africa, influence their varied engagements with fatherhood as they navigate structural constraints to pursuing their ideal of fatherhood. An exploratory descriptive qualitative approach was employed. We conducted two sets of semi-structured interviews with 19 young Black men in …

“Sometimes You Need A Middleman”: Negotiating Family Engagement For Foster And Kinship Caregivers Involved With Child Welfare, Anna Wasim, Catherine A. Labrenz, Nelkasia Graves, Samantha Zuniga Thompson, Monica Faulkner

Graduate School of Social Work: Student Scholarship

Family engagement is increasingly prioritized in child welfare policy and practice, yet limited research has explored how foster and kinship caregivers perceive and navigate this process. Understanding caregivers’ experiences is critical to advancing relational permanency and improving outcomes for children in foster care. Using an adapted grounded theory design, this qualitative study examined the experiences of 24 foster and kinship caregivers from two agencies participating in a family engagement practice model in one state. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focus groups, and were analyzed thematically. All participants provided informed consent, data were de-identified, and pseudonyms were assigned to …

Children And Youth With Special Health Care Needs (Cyshcn) Regional Support Centers (Rsc): A Framework For Effectively Engaging Stakeholders, Jenna Lequia, Susan Burlazzi, Abby Beer, Miriam Franco, Kathleen Mcgrath, Angel Morales, Joanne Siegel, Susan Hetherington, Tricia Patrick

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

The three University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs) in New York served as Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) Regional Support Centers (RSC). The RSCs aimed to increase the capacity of local CYSHCN programs to connect with and support CYSHCN and their families in their community. RSCs conducted activities in the areas of family engagement, training and educational materials development, and technical assistance. RSCs engaged in ongoing dialogue with CYSHCN and their families to learn about experiences to inform systemic improvements through focus groups, interviews, and surveys. This article describes a statewide framework to serve …

Under The Guardianship: Experiences Of Mothers In Egypt’S El Nayaba El Hesbaya, Hana Khayry

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the intersectional lived experience of El Nayaba El Hesbaya in Egypt. El Nayaba El Hesbaya, operating under Law 119/1952, is the administrative and judicial body responsible for overseeing the financial and legal affairs of minors whose father or mother had passed. Hundreds of thousands of mothers in Egypt have (had) children under the guardianship of El Nayaba El Hesbaya. This research delves into the experience of mothers whose children are or were under the guardianship of El Nayaba El Hesbaya, examining how it shape(s/d) their everyday life as women, mothers, widows or ex-wives, citizens, and legal subjects. …

Corrigendum To “Decolonizing Knowledge As Epistemic Justice: Key Conceptual Tendencies From The Global South” [Tanzania Journal Of Sociology, Vol. 11, Issue No.2, December 2025: 113 - 128], Richard Sambaiga

Tanzania Journal of Sociology

This article registers corrections done to a reference section of "Decolonizing Knowledge as Epistemic Justice: Key Conceptual Tendencies from the Global South” [Tanzania Journal of Sociology, Vol. 11, Issue No.2, December 2025: 113 - 128]

Responding To Social Isolation: The Tole Of Chaplaincy In Addressing Social Determinants Of Health (Sdoh) In Pediatric Contexts, Adam Lubbers, Forest Melton, Simbarashe Sigauke, Sophie Le

2026

This poster describes a pilot program that integrated chaplaincy services into the care pathway for pediatric patients and families who screened positive for low social support, a key social determinant of health. The findings suggest chaplain-led interventions provide effective emotional, spiritual, and practical support, helping address social isolation, caregiver burden, financial insecurity, and other health equity concerns while offering culturally responsive care.

Roll The Dice: Do Fostered Youth Stand A Chance In Juvenile Justice?, Marina Rios

Capstone Showcase

Foster youth remain dramatically overrepresented in the juvenile justice system, accounting for up to almost a quarter of system-involved youth despite comprising less than 5% of the general population. Prior research on this subject indicates that foster youth tend to face disproportionately punitive responses, systemic challenges linked to trauma, placement, and instability, as well as limited access to diversion programs. This project aims to examine the disparities that foster youth face that result in juvenile justice involvement, as well as focusing on how structural barriers influence detention rates, sentencing outcomes, and opportunities for rehabilitation. Through an analysis of current literature, …

The Psychological Effect Of Maternal Separation From A Child During Incarceration: A Survey And Critique Of Risk Needs Assessments, Samantha Yearwood

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study examines whether frequently used correctional assessment instruments adequately capture the psychological impacts of maternal-child separation among incarcerated women. This research was conducted in response to growing criticisms that traditional risk and needs assessments fail to account for gender-specific experiences, specifically those related to caregiving roles and pregnancy. Using a qualitative analysis content analysis to assess four widely used instruments, the Women’s Risk and Needs Assessment (WRNA), Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions (COMPAS), Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18), and Level of Service Inventory–Revised (LSI-R), the thesis  examines the inclusion of pregnancy-related variables, caregiving responsibilities, and separation-related psychological factors. …

Design Considerations For Development Of A Youth Advisory Board, Michelle I. Graef, Penny Putnam Collins

Center on Children, Families, and the Law (and Related Organizations): Publications

This guide provides an overview of youth advisory board (YAB) design components. The guide is organized around key design components, with examples from States across the country to illustrate different approaches. A range of examples are provided that highlight diverse and instructive models of the various ways YABs have been structured. Each section describes approaches that states have used in practice, offering jurisdictions a menu of options to consider when developing or strengthening their own YABs. Descriptive information about state YABs was gathered through interviews conducted with state YAB administrators and contractors from 8 states, conducted from October–December 2024. Examples …

Bridging The Gap: Predictors Of Alignment Of Parent And Caseworker Perceptions Of Engagement, Jianchao Lai, Michelle I. Graef

Center on Children, Families, and the Law: Faculty Publications

This study examined predictors of alignment between parents’ and caseworkers’ perceptions of family engagement in child welfare services. Using data from 2,274 Alternative Response (AR)–eligible families randomized to AR or Traditional Response, engagement was assessed across the domains of Receptivity, Buy-in, Worker-family Relationship, and Mistrust using a modified Yatchmenoff (2005) scale. Multinomial logistic regression models identified factors associated with agreement and discrepancy between ratings of family engagement within the parent and worker dyad. While both parents and workers valued engagement, workers were more likely to provide higher overall engagement ratings, although the direction of discrepancy varied across specific subscales. Greater …

Strengthening Social Structures To Improve Informal Care For Older People With Chronic Life-Limiting Illnesses In Rural Ghana, Barbara Adonteng-Kissi, Obed Adonteng-Kissi

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Traditional family-based care for older people in Ghana is declining as globalization and social change weaken historical support systems. This analysis is informed by a review of scholarly literature concerning the implications of globalization for the provision of caregiving for older people managing chronic life-limiting illnesses. We aimed to explore ways of strengthening social structures to enhancing the quality of lives of older people with chronic life-limiting illnesses in rural Ghana amongst 15 older people; 15 family caregivers; 10 healthcare professionals. Critical Social Theory (CST) functions as the primary theoretical framework for conducting an interrogation of the systemic structures that …

You Are Your Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams: A Journey Beyond The Lens Blueprinting The Influence And Impact Of Media And Podcast Pedagogy On Black And Brown Creatives In Higher Education And Beyond, Diamond N. Morgan Dr.

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Explores the influence and impact of media and podcast pedagogy on Black and Brown creatives (BBC) in higher education. Grounded in Critical Race Theory (CRT), the Black Creative Educational Experience (BCEEs) framework, and the conceptual lenses of sociological and public podcasting, this study examines how podcasting functions as a transformative pedagogical and sociocultural tool for storytelling, identity development, creative expression, and community building within collegiate environments. Utilizing a convergent parallel mixed methods design, the study integrates quantitative survey data from 65 participants with qualitative focus group discussions to provide a holistic understanding of participant experiences across personal, professional, academic, social, …

Christianity As Coping Mechanisms For Migrants With Mental Health Challenges In Australia: Social Work Implications, Obed Adonteng-Kissi, Nnaemeka Meribe, Kathomi Gatwiri, Lillian Mwanri, Agness Tembo, Frank Darkwa Baffour, Edith N. Botchway-Commey, Aunty Kerrie Doyle, David Chisanga, Ahmed A. Moustafa, Uchechukwu Levi Osuagwu

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Christian religion may be a powerful resource that can serve as a coping mechanism to resolve challenges and provide comfort to African migrants confronted with mental health challenges. We aimed to explore the coping strategies among African migrants in Australia. We undertook semi-structured interviews online with 11 participants with African backgrounds, comprising six mental health clinicians and five migrant service users living in Australia for at least the past 12 months. Literature exploring religious coping mechanisms, social support and acculturation was drawn on. The interviews were undertaken online via Teams, WhatsApp call, and zoom with participants whom we recruited through …

Between Self, Family, And Becoming: Mindfulness And The Transition Experiences Of Latinx Clinical Counseling Graduate Students, Orlando R. Alvarez

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Latinx graduate students transitioning into their first semester of clinical counseling master’s programs often navigate substantial challenges as they embark on their academic journeys. While transitions into any new role can be difficult, the changes that accompany the beginning of a graduate program have been associated with increased role and identity strain, anxiety, depression, and feelings of fraudulence and imposterism, negatively impacting student success, performance, and attrition rates (Halladay et al., 2019; Murphy, 2021; Vidic & Cherup, 2019). Although mindfulness practices provide benefits for graduate student wellbeing, there is no current scholarship that has examined how mindfulness practices support Latinx …

I Am Still Concerned About Them: Grandmother Kinship Caregivers And The Challenge Of Abuse By Children In Their Care, Hajara Bentum, Vicki Banham, Kwadwo Adusei-Asante

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Research evidence has shown that adverse occurrences within the kinship caregiving environment, such as the grandparents' experiences of violence and abuse, may introduce new stressors or exacerbate existing aged-related challenges, leading to adverse impacts on grandparent kinship carers. Yet no research has explored the impact of abuse and violence experienced by grandparent kinship caregivers from children in their care. This study involved narrative interviews with 31 grandmother kinship caregivers in Ghana to explore the adverse effects of the abuse they have experienced from children in their care. The study findings revealed the following impacts on grandmothers: (1) high blood pressure, …

Do Lineage-Based Inheritance Norms Matter In Kinship Care Arrangements? Exploring Inheritance Paths In Grandparent Kinship Care Practice In Ghana, Hajara Bentum, Alhassan Abdullah, Vicki Banham, Kwadwo Adusei-Asante

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Kinship lineage and inheritance norms in Ghana play a significant role in shaping family decisions. Research has shown that kinship lineage and inheritance norms determine kin membership for children by specifying whether they belong to their maternal or paternal family, as well as whether they can inherit properties of their biological father or mother. The notion of kinship membership has shaped parenting and child welfare practices in Ghana, including child maintenance payments and parental neglectful behaviours. This research explored whether kinship-based inheritance norms could influence decisions about selecting a grandmother (maternal vs. paternal grandmother) as a child’s caregiver. We interviewed …

Beyond The Pandemic: How Covid-19 Highlighted The Need For Cross-Sector Healthcare Solutions For Young Australians Living With Adversity, Ennur Erbasi, Shannon Muir, Karen Mclean

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

We explored the perceived impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on health and healthcare access among young people living with significant adversity in Victoria, Australia, using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. Guided by a pragmatism epistemology, fifty-seven purposively sampled Victorian adolescents aged 15–19 years with lived experience of adversity completed a primarily quantitative online survey, and eight also participated in semi-structured interviews. Descriptive quantitative results indicated that a greater proportion of participants rated their mental health as fair or poor during COVID-19 (69%) compared to before the pandemic (40%). Similarly, more participants rated their physical health as fair or poor during …

Exploring Cultural Values In Alcohol And Other Drug Use Among African Australian Youth: A Qualitative Study, Abraham Kenin, Justine Dandy, Kwadwo Adusei-Asante, Sonam Pelden

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The heritage cultural values of Sub-Sahara African (SSA) migrants in the Australian sociocultural context could offer insights into understanding the problem of Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) use among SSA Australian youth. This study explored the conceptualization of SSA cultural values in Australia, and to establish how they relate to AOD use among SSA Australian youth. Utilizing convenience sampling, one-on-one interviews were conducted with a total of 18 SSA Australians. The participants comprised 9 youth (aged 18–30; 4 females, 5 males), and 9 community leaders (aged 35–74; 4 females, 5 males). Based on a reflexive thematic analysis of the data, …

Providing Help In Europe: Are In-Household Care And Outside-Household Support Associated With Grandparental Child Care?, Roosa Maria Savela, David A. Coall, Mirkka Danielsbacka, Antti O. Tanskanen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Grandparental child care is a vital form of social support that can enhance family well-being. Prior studies have found that older adults who provide support to one individual are more likely to offer help to others within their families and social networks. However, little research has examined whether helping others is associated with grandparental child care. Using data from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe, covering 27 countries, and using multinomial regression models, we show that (a) support provided to individuals outside the household is associated with increased grandparental child care, whereas (b) family care provided within …

Three Case Studies Of Transformative Learning In A Service-Learning Anthropology Course, Elizabeth S. Schulte

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the processes of personal transformation of three students enrolled in a service-learning based course that I taught at Brigham Young University. Informed by my observations as instructor of the course, in the analysis below I draw upon these students' weekly personal reflection essays to describe the process of individual transformation of these three students across the semester. This accounting provides insight into aspects of and contributing factors to that growth. I propose that a service-learning based course design with a framework of anthropological theory is a good way to facilitate transformational educational experiences. Aspects of service-learning such …