Digital Commons Network^™

A Preliminary Study On The Role Of Personal History Of Infectious And Parasitic Diseases On Self-Reported Health Across Countries, Gerit Pfuhl, Filipe Prazeres, Marta Kowal, Toivo Aavik, Beatriz Abad-Villaverde, Reza Afhami, Leonardo Aguilar, Grace Akello, Laith Al-Shawaf, Jan Antfolk, Chiemezie S. Atama, Derya Atamtürk Duyar, Roberto Baiocco, Sercan Balım, Carlota Batres, Yakhlef Belkacem, Théo Besson, Adam Bode, Merve Boğa, Jordane Boudesseul, Mahmoud Boussena, Hamdaoui Brahim, Nana Burduli, Ali R. Can, Hakan Cetinkaya, Antonio Chirumbolo, Dimitri Chubinidze, Clément Cornec, Bojana M. Dinić, Seda Dural, Izzet Duyar, Samuel O. Ebimgbo, Edgardo Etchezahar, Peter Fedor, Tomasz Frackowiak, David A. Frederick, Katarzyna Galasinska, Felipe A. García, Talia Gomez Yepes, Dmitry Grigoryev, Farida Guemaz, Ivana Hromatko, Gözde Ikizer, Steve M.J. Janssen, Julia A. Kamburidis, Tina Kavčič, Nicolas Kervyn, Farah Khan, Aleksander Kobylarek, Mehmet Koyuncu, Yoshihiko Kunisato, David Lacko, Miguel Landa-Blanco, Linda H. Lidborg, Samuel Lins, Tetyana Mandzyk, Silvia Mari, Tiago Marot, Martha Martinez-Banfi, Alan D. A. Mattiassi, Marlon Mayorga-Lascano, Moises Mebarak, Norbert Meskó, Maria Rosa Miccoli, Vita Mikuličiūtė, Taciano L. Milfont, Katarina Mišetić, Mara Morelli, Jean C. Natividade, Izuchukwu L. G. Ndukaihe, Felipe C. Novaes, Salma S. Omar, Mohd Sofian Omar Fauzee, Tobias Otterbring, Barış Özener, Simon Ozer, Ju Hee Park, Irena Pavela Banai, Farid Pazhoohi, Mariia Perun, Martin Pírko, Ekaterine Pirtskhalava, Katarzyna Pisanski, Nejc Plohl, Koen Ponnet, Pavol Prokop, Matheus F. F. Ribeiro, Frederico Rosário, Ayşegül Şahin, Fatima Zahra Sahli, Dušana Šakan, Oksana Senyk, Henrik Siepelmeyer, Diana Ribeiro Da Silva, Sangeeta Singh, Çağlar Solak, Sinem Söylemez, Anna Studzinska, Chee-Seng Tan, Gulmira Topanova, Merve Topcu Bulut, Ezgi Toplu-Demirtaş, Bastien Trémolière, Singha Tulyakul, Joaquín Ungaretti, Jaroslava V. Valentova, Marco A.C. Varella, Mona Vintila, Tatiana Volkodav, Anna Wlodarczyk, Yao-Yuan Yeh, Gyesook Yoo, Oulmann Zerhouni, Marcos Zumárraga‑Espinosa, Maja Zupančič, Piotr Sorokowski

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objectives

Infectious diseases are often associated with decline in quality of life. The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between personal history of communicable, i.e., infectious and parasitic diseases and self-rated health.

Study design

Secondary analysis of a large dataset multi-country observational study.

Methods

We used a four-pronged analysis approach to investigate whether personal history of infectious and parasitic diseases is related to self-reported health, measured with a single item.

Results

Three of the four analyses found a small positive effect on self-reported health among those reporting a history of pathogen exposure. The meta-analysis found no support …

Art Therapists’ Perspectives On Exploring Sexuality In Treatment Sessions, Daniel Blausey

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This study examined the relationships between U.S. based graduate-level art therapists’ (N = 174) personal and professional characteristics and their decisions to explore sexuality in sessions. A mixed-methods concurrent design generated quantitative and qualitative data through a one-time anonymous internet study centering on two clinical case vignettes. One vignette highlighted gender nonconformity, the other the sexualization of the therapist. Comparison of years of art therapy experience for two groups, those who interacted with one vignette before exiting and those who interacted with both found the group that rated both vignettes had more years of AT experience (M = …

“Leading For Peace, Equity, Sustainability, And Prosperity”: The Architecture Of Healing And Hope, Bro. Ignatius Perkins, O.P.

Faculty Conference Presentations

Presentation to the Leadership Academy Retreat, March 16, 2025, NLN/ Walden University College of Nursing, Institute for Social Determinants of Health and Social Change.

Fighting Instinct: The Brain, Emotions And Decision-Making In The Water, Jill Nash, Sam Hills

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

This conceptual paper explores the complex interplay among the human brain, emotions, and decision-making processes, particularly in aquatic environments. Integrating insights from neuroscience, psychology, and behavioural economics, we investigate how instinctual responses and emotional states influence our decisions during water-related activities. By analysing both biological and psychological factors, the paper aims to illuminate the intricacies of human behaviour in various aquatic settings and highlights significant gaps in the research on emotional decision-making that warrant further investigation. Additionally, the paper suggests interventions, including plausible communication strategies, to mitigate the impact of instinctual responses and improve safety and decision-making efficiency.

Molecular Identification Of The Italian Soldiers Found In The Second World War Mass Grave Of Ossero, Barbara Di Stefano, Barbara Bertoglio, Filomena Melchionda, Monica Concato, Solange Sorçaburu Ciglieri, Alessandro Bosetti, Pierangela Grignani, Eros Azzalini, Yasmine Addoum, Raffaella Vetrini, Fabiano Gentile, Francesco Introna, Serena Bonin, Chiara Turchi, Carlo Previderè, Paolo Fattorini

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background/objectives: DNA analysis is the most reliable method for the identification of human skeletal remains, especially the ones found in mass disasters or recovered from mass graves. To this aim, DNA was extracted from bones and teeth allegedly belonging to 27 Italian soldiers executed during the Second World War and exhumed from a mass grave in Ossero (Croatia).

Methods: A selection of 131 different bone samples (petrous bones, femurs, metacarpal, and metatarsal bones) and 16 molar teeth were used for DNA extraction. Autosomal and Y-chromosome STR profiles were determined using a conventional CE approach, while a panel of 76 microhaplotypes …

Advancing Telemedicine Adoption: Insights From Health Behavior Models With A Focus On The Multi-Theory Model, Rahib K. Islam, Abigail E. Watson, Alec Robitaille, Manoj Sharma, Robert E. Davis, Joshua T. Clark, Vinayak K. Nahar

Journal of Public Health in the Deep South

Telemedicine, the use of digital communication technologies to deliver clinical healthcare remotely, has emerged as a pivotal advancement in modern medicine. By providing virtual consultations, asynchronous data transmission, and remote patient monitoring (RPM), telemedicine enhances accessibility, particularly for underserved populations, while promoting efficiency and continuity of care. As telemedicine transforms healthcare delivery, its adoption hinges on understanding health behaviors—actions influenced by psychological, sociocultural, and environmental factors. These behaviors can be categorized into preventative, illness, and risk-related actions, with established models like the Health Belief Model (HBM), Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), and Transtheoretical Model (TTM) offering insights into behavior change mechanisms. …

Cardiometabolic Benefits Of A Non-Industrialized-Type Diet Are Linked To Gut Microbiome Modulation, Fuyong Li, Anissa M. Armet, Katri Korpela, Junhong Liu, Rodrigo Margain Quevedo, Francesco Asnicar, Benjamin Seethaler, Tianna B. S. Rusnak, Janis L. Cole, Zhihong Zhang, Shuang Zhao, Adele Gagnon, Edward C. Deehan, Joao F. Mota, Jeffrey A. Bakal, Russell Greiner, Dan Knights, Nicola Segata, Stephan C. Bischoff, Laurie Mereu, Andrea M. Haqq, Catherine J. Field, Liang Li, Carla M. Prado, Jens Walter

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Industrialization adversely affects the gut microbiome and predisposes individuals to chronic non-communicable diseases. We tested a microbiome restoration strategy comprising a diet that recapitulated key characteristics of non-industrialized dietary patterns (restore diet) and a bacterium rarely found in industrialized microbiomes (Limosilactobacillus reuteri) in a randomized controlled feeding trial in healthy Canadian adults. The restore diet, despite reducing gut microbiome diversity, enhanced the persistence of L. reuteri strain from rural Papua New Guinea (PB-W1) and redressed several microbiome features altered by industrialization. The diet also beneficially altered microbiota-derived plasma metabolites implicated in the etiology of chronic non-communicable diseases. Considerable …

Predicting Fatal Opioid-Involved Overdoses: A Social-Ecological Framework Matched To A Linked-Data Warehouse, Ric Bayly, Jack Cordes, Dana Bernson, Leland K Ackerson, Marc R Larochelle, Ghada H Hassan, Cici X Bauer, Thomas J Stopka

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: An estimated 60 million people used opioids non-medically worldwide in 2021. In 2019, opioid use disorder caused the loss of over 12.5 million healthy years of life due to disability and premature deaths, including those resulting from opioid-involved overdoses. Factors associated with opioid-involved overdoses are numerous, multi-layered, and interrelated. Using the social-ecological model as a foundation, we sought to comprehensively identify risk and preventive factors of fatal opioid-involved overdoses and operationalize them with quantifiable measures.

Methods: With our Community Advisory Board, investigators' expertise, and an examination of the literature, we created an expansive, opioid-overdose specific social-ecological model structured as …

Decolonizing Global Health Research: Experiences From The Women In Health And Their Economic, Equity And Livelihood Statuses During Emergency Preparedness And Response (Wheeler) Study, Ahmed Adam, Lisa Lazarus, Bernadette Kina, Robert Lorway, Bilali Mazoya, Michaela Mantel, Marleen Temmerman, Lisa Avery, Evaline Chepchirchir Langat

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Decolonizing global health research involves rethinking power structures and research collaboration to prioritize the voices and experiences of communities that have been historically marginalized. Cross-sectoral and cross-regional partnerships based on reciprocity, trust, and transparency can be facilitated by decolonized research frameworks. To address global health issues in a way that is inclusive, context-specific, and genuinely advantageous to all parties involved, especially communities most impacted by health disparities, the ethics behind this change is imperative. We applied a decolonizing health research approach to the Women in Health and their Economic, Equity, and Livelihood Statuses During Emergency Preparedness and Response (WHEELER) study …

Brain-Type Natriuretic Peptide Is A Useful Biomarker Of Cardiovascular Disease And Predictor Of Cardiac-Related Mortality In Chimpanzees (Pan Troglodytes), Angela M. Achorn, Carolyn L. Hodo, Martha E. Hensel, Elizabeth R. Magden, Stephanie J. Buchl

Anthropology Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE

To validate the use of brain-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) for detecting and monitoring cardiac dysfunction in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

METHODS

We analyzed cross-sectional (N = 175) and longitudinal (N = 76) BNP, echocardiogram, ECG, and pathology data from living and deceased captive chimpanzees to examine age and sex effects and to assess the usefulness of BNP for detecting cardiovascular disease and predicting mortality. The study period was from July 2010 through October 2024.

RESULTS

Brain-type natriuretic peptide values were significantly associated with age, and males exhibited significantly higher BNP values than females. Brain-type natriuretic peptide values …

Rates Of Hospitalization And Death Due To Covid-19 In Us Veterans With Sars-Cov-2 Infection In The Xbb-, Jn.1-, And Kp-Predominant Eras, Taeyoung Choi, Yan Xie, Ziyad Al-Aly

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Between September 2023 and October 2024, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 evolved through 3 variant-predominant eras: XBB, JN.1, and KP. Among 130 263 Department of Veterans Affairs patients with coronavirus disease 2019, hospitalization odds declined for JN.1 (0.81; 95% CI, 0.74-0.89) and KP (0.80; 95% CI, 0.72-0.88) compared with XBB, with consistently low in-hospital death rates across all eras.

"Our Vision Is That Black Mothers And Birthing People, Fathers, And Partners Are Safe, Honored, And Respected Throughout Pregnancy And Parenthood": Black Birth Workers' Agenda For Black Maternal Health In Oregon, Sarah Marguerite Applin

University Honors Theses

Black women and Birthing People (BWBP) face disproportionate rates of mortality within the United States healthcare system. BWBP are three times more likely to suffer a pregnancy-related death than White women. Therefore, addressing and consulting with BWBP about the birthing experience that BWBP sustains when they are bearing children is imperative. The inclusion and application of this key knowledge and understanding should be emphasized and at the root of further development toward reproductive justice. This participatory story was led by Dr. Roberta Hunte. Interviews and focus groups with Black birth workers, birthing people, and public health professionals were conducted in …

Developing Evaluation Metrics To Measure The Us National Institute Of Health Plans To Enhance Diverse Perspectives: A Protocol For A Consensus-Based Study, Yulia A Levites Strekalova, Sanjay Jain, Pinaki Sarder

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: The diversity of participating investigators representing diverse disciplines, career stages, stakeholder groups, regions and types of institutions is essential for the success of large-scale research programmes. In 2021, the National Institutes of Health introduced a requirement for some of its large grants to include a separate section that describes the project's plan for enhancing diverse perspectives (PEDPs). Our project aims to develop consensus-based PEDP evaluation metrics and instruments that can be systematically and sustainably collected across the projects.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Evaluation work is organised into three objectives. First, shared knowledge about PEDP infrastructures, activities and outcomes will be …

Displaced: An Ethnography Of Language And Identity Loss, Ariel Caroline Wilsey-Gopp

Dissertations and Theses

Through ethnography and personal narrative, I explore the language and identity loss of one person, my father, in order to understand the complex issues surrounding the effects of symbolic and structural violence on language and identity development. Through personal narrative, fieldwork, and interviews, I tell the story of one person, born in wartime during Nazi occupied Serbia, and follow the guiding questions: how does language get lost and what are the effects? Drawing on methodology set forth by empirical ethnographical work as well as more recent theory around epigenetics and trauma, my research synthesizes into focus three pillars of understanding …

Genome Wide Association Study Reveals Novel Associations With Face Morphology, Aamer Alshehhi, Mira Mousa, Guan K. Tay, Naoufel Werghi, Habiba Alsafar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on the Middle Eastern population, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have been relatively limited. The present study aims to investigate genotype-face morphology associations in the UAE population through Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS). Phenotypic data (44 face measurements) from 172 Emiratis was obtained through three-dimensional (3D) scanning technology and an automatic face landmarking technique. GWAS analysis revealed associations of 19 genetic loci with six face features, 14 of which are novel. The GWAS analysis revealed 11 significant relationships between 44 face parameters and 242 SNPs, exceeding the GWAS significance threshold. These phenotypes were previously associated …

Cultural Consensus Modeling To Identify Culturally Relevant Reasons For And Against Suicide Among Black Adolescents, Ryan M Hill, Danielle Busby, Jennifer L Brown, Eric Sumlin, Estefania Fernandez, Carla Sharp

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: The development of evidence-based treatments relies on accurate theoretical frameworks sensitive to the lived realities of the populations from which they are derived. Yet, the perspectives of Black youth are vastly underrepresented in extant theories of suicidal behavior. Cultural Consensus Modeling provides an evidence-based approach for developing a culturally informed understanding of suicide risk among Black youth.

Method: Participants were 50 Black adolescents (Mage = 16.20 years; 76.0% male) who completed Phase 1 of a Cultural Consensus Modeling study. Participants freely listed reasons for suicide and reasons for living among similar peer Black youth. Responses were synthesized and coded …

Historical Demography And Species Distribution Models Shed Light On Speciation In Primates Of Northeast India, Mihir Trivedi, Kunal Arekar, Shivakumara Manu, Lukas F K Kuderna, Jeffrey Rogers, Kyle Kai-How Farh, Tomas Marques Bonet, Govindhaswamy Umapathy

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Past climate change is one of the important factors influencing primate speciation. Populations of various species could have risen or declined in response to these climatic fluctuations. Northeast India harbors a rich diversity of primates, where such fluctuations can be implicated. Recent advances in climate modeling as well as genomic data analysis has paved the way for understanding how species accumulate at a particular geographic region. We utilized these methods to explore the primate diversity in this unique region in relation to past climate change. To ascertain the population level changes, we inferred the demographic history of nine species of …

Pass It Along: Learning About Health Inequities Through Project-Based Learning And A Student-Developed Workshop, Marcy S. Ekanayake-Weber, Deanna Cunha, Kristi L. Fung, Sydney Macgregor, Nicole Ribeiro, Nicholas Smith

International Journal of Transformative Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

People in marginalized communities experience reduced quality of healthcare due to complex interactions between implicit bias, stereotypes, and structural inequities, but future healthcare providers remain unprepared to confront these problems. To address the issue of health inequities in health sciences education, a project-based learning seminar for undergraduates called “Biology of Inequity” was developed and offered by the Department of Anthropology at [redacted] University in Spring semester 2022. Following the project-based learning (PBL) framework, the course was extremely interactive, culminating in a project where students were asked to “materially improve health inequalities out in the real world.” The students responded by …

Analysis Of Covid-19 Prevention And Control Policy Implementation In Islamic Boarding Schools In Dki Jakarta, Dickha Adi Wibowo, Fajar Ariyanti

Journal of Indonesian Health Policy and Administration

Indonesia, as one of the countries affected by COVID-19, has implemented various efforts to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. One effort that can be implemented is the implementation of COVID-19 prevention protocols. Apart from that, according to the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Islamic boarding schools are locations with high mobility. This research aims to determine the implementation of policies related to the prevention and control of COVID-19 in Islamic boarding schools in the DKI Jakarta Province. This research used descriptive research with a qualitative approach, with the number of respondents being three Islamic boarding school leaders and students. The results …

Evaluating The World Health Organization's Hearts Model For Hypertension And Diabetes Management: A Pilot Implementation Study In Guatemala, Irmgardt Alicia Wellmann, Luis Fernando Ayala, Taryn M Valley, Vilma Irazola, Mark D Huffman, Michele Heisler, Peter Rohloff, Rocío Donis, Eduardo Palacios, Manuel Ramírez-Zea, David Flood

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization HEARTS Technical Package is a widely implemented global initiative to improve the primary care management of cardiovascular disease risk factors. The study's objective is to report outcomes from a pilot implementation trial of integrated hypertension and diabetes management based on the HEARTS model in Guatemala.

METHODS: We conducted a single-arm pilot implementation trial over six months from October 2023 to May 2024 in 11 Guatemalan Ministry of Health primary care facilities in two districts. The pilot evaluated a package of five HEARTS-aligned implementation strategies to improve the pharmacological treatment of hypertension and diabetes. The primary …

Impact Of A Clinician-Directed Educational Program On Communicating With Patients Regarding Gun Violence At Two Community Urban Healthcare Centers., Erik E. Langenau, Alexa M. Kaminsky, Michael B. Roberts

PCOM Scholarly Works

CONTEXT: Gun violence negatively impacts not only victims but also their families and surrounding communities. Resources and counseling services may be available to support families affected by gun violence, but the families and their clinicians may not know about these resources or how to access them.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of a clinician-directed educational program on patient reports of their discussions with their physician regarding gun violence, prevention, and available resources for support and treatment.

METHODS: This quasi-experimental, cross-sectional, survey-based, quality-improvement study included pre-, mid-, and posttraining surveys administered to patients and clinicians …

Exploring The Role Of Cyclin D1 In Regulating Thermogenic Program In Brown Adipose Tissue, Chengrui Qiu

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Abstract Adipose tissue plays a multifaceted role in regulating metabolic health and contributing to the pathophysiology of various diseases. Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT), a vital organ that senses different environmental cues such as cold stress and diet and then undergoes non-shivering thermogenesis in mammalian animals, enhancing energy expenditure to combat obesity. In our recent published study, we found that the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling pathway exhibits doubleedge effects in regulating thermogenic function, with opposite role in BAT and white adipose tissue (WAT). To further investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the dual role of mTORC1 in thermogenic …

The Caitlin Clark Effect: Illuminating Women’S Sport History, Shelley Lucas

International Journal of Physical Activity and Health

The Caitlin Clark Effect is a term that describes the impact of the University of Iowa basketball player on the popularity of women’s basketball, which occurred in conjunction with Clark’s record-breaking performances in 2023 and 2024, as well as the Iowa team’s successes in the NCAA championship tournament. While the Caitlin Clark Effect is associated with intense media attention, ticket sales, and viewership, it also illuminates significant and lesser-known aspects of women’s sport history, specifically media coverage, the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), and the state of Iowa’s unique basketball heritage and ‘6-on-6’ basketball rules. The purpose of …

Ecological Trait Differences Are Associated With Gene Expression In The Primary Visual Cortex Of Primates, Trisha M Zintel, John J Ely, Mary Ann Raghanti, William D Hopkins, Patrick R Hof, Chet C Sherwood, Jason M Kamilar, Amy L Bauernfeind, Courtney C Babbitt

2020-Current year OA Pubs

UNLABELLED: Primate species differ drastically from most other mammals in how they visually perceive their environments, which is particularly important for foraging, predator avoidance, and detection of social cues.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Although it is well established that primates display diversity in color vision and various ecological specializations, it is not understood how visual system characteristics and ecological adaptations may be associated with gene expression levels within the primary visual cortex (V1).

METHODS: We performed RNA-Seq on V1 tissue samples from 28 individuals, representing 13 species of primates, including hominoids, cercopithecoids, and platyrrhines. We explored trait-dependent differential expression (DE) by contrasting species …

Exploring The Pathogen Profiles Of Ancient Feces, Drew Capone, David Holcomb, Amanda Lai, Karl Reinhard, Joe Brown

Karl Reinhard Publications

Analysis of ancient desiccated feces – termed paleofeces or coprolites – can unlock insights into the lives of ancient people. We collected desiccated feces from caves in the Rio Zape Valley in Mexico (725-920 CE). First, we extracted DNA with methods previously optimized for paleofeces. Then, we applied highly sensitive modern molecular tools (i.e., PCR pre-amplification followed by multi-parallel qPCR) to assess the presence of 30 enteric pathogens. We detected ≥1 pathogen associated gene in each of the ten samples and a mean of 3.9 pathogens per sample. The targets detected included Blastocystis spp. (n=7), atypical enteropathogenic E. coli (n=7), …

Resistance Training Versus Cardiovascular Training: Which Is Better For Fat Loss?: A Brief Narrative Review., Jason M. Curtis, Jose Antonio, Cassandra Evans

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

Abstract

Introduction: Obesity has risen from 30.5% to 41.9% from 2000-2017. Those who are considered severely obese increased from 4.7% to 9.2% over that same period. There are numerous fitness-center approaches to induce weight-loss or reduction of body fat. These interventions are often categorized into two general categories: Resistance training (using weighted resistance in anaerobic strength training) and cardiovascular training (aerobic training). While both fitness groups have been shown to be effective, there is a debate about which method is most effective for eliciting changes in body composition, primarily fat loss.

Methods: Google Scholar and Pubmed were scoured for …

How Are You Doing… Really? A Review Of Whole Person Health Assessments, Kurt C. Stange

Faculty Scholarship

Policy Points A redirection of measurement in health care from a narrow focus on diseases and care processes towards assessing whole person health, as perceived by the person themself, may provide a galvanizing view of how health care can best meet the needs of people and help patients feel heard, seen, and understood by their care team. This review identifies key tensions to navigate as well as four overarching categories of whole person health for consideration in developing an instrument optimized for clinical practice. The categories (body and mind, relationships, living environment and finances, and engagement in daily life) include …

Autoethnographic Action Research As A Contemplative Practice: Awareness And Transformation Of Inner And Outer Selves, Jiju Varghese, Bal Chandra Luitel, Niroj Dahal

The Qualitative Report

Contemplation as a spiritual practice has taken various forms across different religious traditions and regions worldwide. Over the years, various contemplative practices have evolved and become popular even outside religious traditions to promote the well-being of all for inner and outer selves’ transformation. In education, many scholars worldwide have expounded on the benefits of contemplative practices in the classroom for students and teachers. Contemplative practices have penetrated research practices in the form of contemplative inquiry considering performative, philosophical, and artistic transformations, where researchers enter into a deep, thoughtful, and reflective introspective journey to see the connection between what is seen …

Debating Member-Checks Of Exceptional Human Experiences, James Houran, Everton De Oliveira Maraldi, Beth M. Houran

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This integrative essay reflects on member-checking and engaged research approaches in the study of exceptional human experiences (EHEs)—subjective accounts that often challenge conventional views of consciousness and physical reality. Member-checking, or inviting research participants to review data or interpretations, can improve credibility by aligning research with their lived experience. While benefits include transparency and insight, risks include confirmatory bias, emotional distress, power asymmetries, and logistical complexity. The evolving nature of EHEs further complicates participant validation. We therefore advocate a six-level "fit-for-purpose" system to balance rigor with ethical care and responsiveness. We also explore digital, asynchronous, and AI-assisted strategies to enhance …

Integral And Transpersonal Education, Heidi Fraser Hageman

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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