There’S A Crisis Brewing In Higher Education, Caroline M. Graham

Dissertations, 2020-current

This dissertation addresses the increasing need to enhance crisis preparedness among student affairs practitioners in higher education. With the growing frequency and complexity of campus crises—ranging from mental health emergencies to incidents of violence, the preparedness and self-efficacy of those in student support roles are paramount. This three-manuscript dissertation explores crisis intervention training, crisis self-efficacy, and the lived experiences of student affairs practitioners navigating campus crises. The first manuscript provides a conceptual overview of the gaps in current crisis intervention training within graduate programs, advocating for the integration of core competencies informed by accreditation standards and professional associations. The second …

Unmasking Masculinities In Counseling: From Conformity To Connection, Kyle R. Rose

Dissertations, 2020-current

This dissertation explored the entanglements of professional counseling and masculinities across three manuscripts, to contribute to (1) healthier forms of gender expression within and beyond the spectrum of masculinities for individuals, (2) the counseling profession’s role in transforming hegemonic masculinity within communities, and (3) larger movements to subvert the patriarchy throughout society. The first manuscript is a conceptual article that presented the Relational Cultural Privileged Identity Counseling (RCPIC) model, an integrative framework designed to help counselors address hegemonic masculinity within the therapeutic relationship. Drawing from Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT) and Privileged Identity Exploration (PIE), this model provided a roadmap for compassionate …

Lgbtqia+ Competency In Counseling: Understanding Current Trends, Educational Experiences, And Counselor Identity Implications, Tyler Puryear

Dissertations, 2020-current

This dissertation presents is made up of three manuscripts. The first is a systematized review that synthesizes current literature to better understand the definition, development, and gaps in LGBTQIA+ competency. Eleven major themes were identified: competency frameworks, cultural humility over competence, competence in practice, barriers, intersectionality, subgroups, advocacy, allyship, pedagogy, language, and counselor attitudes. Findings suggest the field must move beyond static competency models toward a cultural humility framework. The qualitative study used constructivist grounded theory (CGT) to explore how recent graduates from counseling programs experienced learning about LGBTQIA+ counseling topics. Five themes emerged: faculty influence on learning, experiential learning …

Clinician Training, Support, And Self-Efficacy In Supporting Patients With Severe Persistent Mental Illness, Jaclyn Sharkey

Dissertations, 2020-current

Abstract

Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI) has existed long before the contemporary definitions that prevail in the present day. However, traditional perspectives and treatment of SPMI illness have been influenced primarily by the medical model of treatment, resulting in a diagnosis that feels demoralizing and inhibitive for the individual suffering, particularly if they do not share in this belief. The expansion of community-based programs for SPMI patients has provided many opportunities for counselors to work with these clients, however, training and research on how to address population-specific needs is severely lacking within counseling programs and counselor research. As the …

Examining Validity And Reliability Evidence For The Multicultural Neuropsychological Scale (Muns) Party Subtest Scores, Madyson Hernandez

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Neuropsychological tests were developed primarily for Westernized, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) populations (Henrich, 2020; Fernández & Abe, 2018). According to the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN) Relevance 2050 Initiative project, approximately sixty percent of Americans will be deemed unsuitable for neuropsychological testing because test norms are primarily based on European Americans who speak English (AACN, 2015). To aid in effective cross-cultural neuropsychological assessment, The Multicultural Neuropsychological Scale (MUNS; Fernández et al., 2018) was developed to be easily translatable to various languages. The MUNS is a 40-minute neuropsychological test battery that examines cognitive abilities such as reading fluency, …

Characteristics Of Parent-Adolescent Relationships As Predictors Of Adolescents’ Future Emotion Regulation Abilities, Jaclyn H. Snyder

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Adolescence is a critical period for the development of emotion regulation skills and parents play a pivotal role in the shaping of such skills. Indeed, several characteristics of the parent-child relationship have been implicated in adolescents’ emotional development. Namely, parental acceptance of adolescents’ emotions, the quality of parent-child attachment, and the tactics parents utilize to resolve conflict with their child appear to be significant sources of influence. The current study aimed to examine each of these three factors as possible predictors of adolescents’ emotion regulation abilities later in life. Additionally, this study sought to understand the relative strength of these …

Adapting A Contingency Contract Across Environments For Interfering Behaviors And Coping Skills, Samantha N. Eckstein

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of taking an already successful contingency contract for an individual and adapting it to two separate environments to determine the effects on interfering behaviors and the utilization of coping skills. An AB design was utilized to allow for comparison of effects between conditions (i.e., control and treatment). The independent variable was the contingency contract(s) used across all settings and there were three dependent variable measures. These were the effects on interfering behaviors, skills demonstrated, and the utilization of coping skills. There is not enough evidence shown in the data to …

Grief As Slip: (How Little I Show) An Exploration In Clay, When Words Are Not Enough, Michelle A. Smith

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Grief as Slip (how little I show) implies that even as we acknowledge our mortality and the fleeting nature of life, we still only reveal a fraction of our true selves or our deeper realities. The ceramic artwork in this exhibition carries and conveys a journey through the present and remembered emotions of the artists’ personal narrative. By juxtaposing the tactile nature of clay with the ethereal quality of human experience, Smith contemplates the profound interplay between material transformation and emotional resilience. The exhibition’s intent is to translate the essence of complex emotional states into abstracted forms so they can …

The Relationship Between Positive And Negative Experiences With Sport Culture And Psychiatric Symptoms In Collegiate Athletes, Angelos Tsalafos

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Although mental health professionals have indicated their interest in understanding the relationship between sport culture and mental health, this relationship has yet to be examined using psychometrically validated scales. In this study, the Semi-Structured Interview for Consideration of Sport Culture in Therapy Scale (SSICSCTS; see Donohue et al., 2006) was administered to 59 Club and National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) athletes. This scale assesses how athletes experience importance (Sport Culture Importance Scale; SCIS) and negative experiences (Sport Cultural Problems Scale; SCPS) in sport culture. Participants were also assessed for psychiatric symptomology using a well-established scale, i.e., the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised …

Performance Optimization-Focused Family Behavior Therapy To Address Verbal And Physical Aggression In An Adolescent Diagnosed With Bipolar I Disorder: A Case Report, Sierra Ann Ramirez Jarvis

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Bipolar disorder is a chronic and debilitating condition characterized by fluctuations in mood that significantly interfere with day-to-day functioning. While symptom onset typically occurs in early adulthood, manifestations can occur at an earlier developmental stage. Early intervention has been shown to be effective in decreasing long-term negative outcomes and decreasing symptom severity in serious mental illness (SMI) populations, and as such, early intervention treatment programs may have particular benefits for individuals who are early in the course of bipolar disorder. However, there is little information regarding the effectiveness of these programs. This thesis reports a case of an adolescent client, …

Postpandemic Perspectives Of Teleassessments In Clinical Psychology, Jacklin B. Cardentey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teleassessments gained prominence as a viable means of conducting psychological assessments in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was an exploration of teleassessment use catalyzed by the pandemic, with a focus on the postpandemic era. The aim was to identify the factors influencing perceptions and strategies used in effective postpandemic teleassessment adoption, including factors that influence licensed psychologists’ perceptions of effective teleassessments and strategies adopted to maintain quality practices since face-to-face restrictions were lifted. The significance of this inquiry extended to various stakeholders, including mental health care practitioners, policymakers, and the public, all of whom have a vested …

A Novel Game-Based Assessment Of Risk-Taking Propensity: Development And Psychometric Evidence, Danielle L. Head

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Risk-taking propensity is defined and measured in different ways across the literature, resulting in assessment issues related to construct validity (Bran & Vaidis, 2020). Multimethod assessment approaches can bolster construct validity by capturing more facets of risk-taking propensity (Meyer et al., 2001). Risk-taking propensity is assessed through self-report questionnaires (Zhang et al., 2019), which exhibit good test-retest reliability (Frey et al., 2017) and predictive validity (Beauchamp et al., 2017), and behavioral tasks (Aklin et al., 2005), which are less psychometrically sound, lacking convergent validity and test-retest reliability (Frey et al., 2017). Guided by evidence-centered design principles (Mislevy, 2013), a novel …

The Human Element In Space Exploration – Embodying Our Highest Values, Leila Halawi, Mark Miller, Samuel J. Holley

Publications

SpaceX mission and the Polaris Program extended astronaut competencies and skills, suggesting mixing traditional practices with pioneering methods. The current astronaut symbolizes a progression, integrating old skills with evolving competencies. While maintaining core technical and scientific aptitudes, today’s astronauts or space explorers must demonstrate mastery in autonomous operations, cross-cultural collaboration, and navigation between governmental and commercial space protocols. Current training practices echo this change, emphasizing resilience for prolonged isolation, self-governing management proficiencies, and competence throughout distinct spacecraft systems. This chapter explores the fundamental human qualities that drive successful space exploration: resilience, curiosity, collaboration, and hope. We highlight how these vital …

Using Neural Networks To Better Understand Static And Dynamic Components Of Facial Expression Recognition, Yi-Fan Li, Anne Bibiana Sereno

MODVIS Workshop

Facial expressions are crucial social information for human communication. In the real world, facial expressions are dynamic; however, much of existing research in facial expressions relies on static stimuli. This static approach may limit the ecological validity of our understanding of the emotional information on faces. Our study aims to investigate the dynamic and static information contained in different emotional categories of facial expressions (e.g., happy, sad). Four convolutional neural networks are introduced as models to be trained with a large-scale dynamic facial expression dataset (short videoclips of 16 frames of 7 different emotional categories) in four different ways: ordered …

Perceiving The Perceiver: “Viewing” Sauron Through The Gestalt Theory Of Perception, Cameron Bourquein

Journal of Tolkien Research

This paper uses Gestalt theory, the Gestalt laws of perception, and the reception theory of Wolfgang Iser to elucidate the character “Sauron” as he appears in The Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power, and Tolkien’s wider legendarium. It argues firstly that Sauron’s high degree of indeterminacy and ambiguity suggests he can be read as a gestalt entity, one the reader creates by mentally constructing a whole from (seemingly) disparate parts. Building on the semiotics work of Nagy (2013), it argues that Sauron in The Lord of the Rings can be read as gestalt across the spatial, …

Successful Psychopathy: Trait Expression, Construct Validity, And Career Differences Among Lawyers, Law Students, And Pre-Law Undergraduate Students, Jessica Rush

Student Theses

Psychopathy is a multidimensional personality construct traditionally studied in offender populations but increasingly recognized in high-functioning, nonclinical groups. This study examined the expression of psychopathic traits—Fearless Dominance, Self-Centered Impulsivity, and Coldheartedness—among legal professionals at various career stages, including pre-law students, law students, and practicing attorneys. Using the Psychopathic Personality Inventory–Revised (PPI-R) alongside validated measures of related constructs (e.g., narcissism, aggression, affect, behavioral activation/inhibition), the study assessed trait distribution, construct validity, and contextual influences in a sample of 82 participants. Results provided partial support for the PPI-R’s construct validity in this population. Total psychopathy and Self-Centered Impulsivity were positively associated with …

The Experience Of Spirituality And Self-Image In Sexually Abused Women, Nereyda Sullins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

I explored the role of spirituality and self-image in the healing processes of adult women who have experienced sexual abuse. Using trauma theory as a guiding framework, I sought to understand how survivors engage with spirituality to reconstruct their identities and navigate their recovery. I aimed to contribute to the growing body of literature on trauma recovery by offering insights into the ways survivors integrate spiritual practices and self-perceptions to foster resilience. A qualitative phenomenological approach was used to capture the lived experiences of 12 women who had experienced sexual abuse and engaged with spirituality as a coping mechanism. Thematic …

Effects Of Healthcare Administrators And Icu Nurses’ Perspectives Of Leader Bullying On Work And Physical Six Sigma/Lean Training, Agha Raza

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the U.S. government-funded initiatives, public responsiveness, and antibullying legislation to improve healthcare, leadership bullying behavior remains a serious concern in hospital intensive care units (ICUs). The ICU nursing involves high stress levels and hospital work conditions, which lead to bullying behaviors. When ICU nurse leaders do not participate in work and physical Six Sigma/Lean training, they may develop different perceptions of leaders’ bullying behavior compared to those whose leaders participate in this training. The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative cross-sectional survey study was to discover any significant relationships between the type of Six Sigma/Lean training (descendant, ascendant, and horizontal) …

Pain Dismissal, Anxiety, Depression, And Substance-Use Coping In Emerging Adults With Chronic Pain, Elizabeth Felice Fenelon

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Twelve percent of emerging adults (EA) experience chronic pain. Having one’s pain dismissed by others, or pain dismissal, is not uncommon and is isolating. There is already an established relationship between pain, anxiety, and depression; furthermore, pain dismissal exacerbates anxiety, depression, and substance-use coping. The current study explores pain dismissal’s relationship to anxiety, depression, and coping with substances. Undergraduate students with chronic pain (N = 227, age M = 19.58, SD = 1.42, range = 18-25) at a Midwestern university reported if they had pain, if their pain had been dismissed, as well as symptoms of anxiety, depression, and substance-use …

The Effects Of Crossfit And Pharmacology On Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms And Self-Efficacy Levels, Priscilla Kay Fleming

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nearly half of individuals diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) who are provided with an SSRI or SNRI medication do not experience a clinically meaningful reduction of symptoms or a full remission of symptoms. A gap in the literature existed for comparisons of treatment approaches and their outcomes for GAD symptoms and self-efficacy levels. Research questions for this study were: Is there a difference in GAD symptoms between the CrossFit participants and pharmacology participants at the point of three months treatment regimen?, and Is there a difference in self-efficacy levels between the CrossFit participants and pharmacology participants at the point …

The Role Of Somatization In Predicting Health-Related Quality Of Life Among Racial And Ethnic Minorities: Examining The Mediating Effects Of Perceived Injustice And Symptom Catastrophizing, Kimi Han Hashimoto

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

There is a pressing need to address the significant health disparities of underrepresented groups such as racial and ethnic minorities (Mills et al., 2020). As of 2019, individuals identifying as a racial or ethnic minority make up 40% of the U.S population as of 2019, yet they fare significantly worse across many health-related measures (Hill et al., 2022). Given these disparities in healthcare and health outcomes, racial and ethnic minorities represent an important group to investigate somatization and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Cognitive appraisals, such as perceived injustice and symptom catastrophizing, may mediate this relationship, influencing how somatization translates …

Quiet Times: The Application Of Self-Management To Private Spiritual Practices, Noah R. Branson

Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal

A “quiet time” refers to the private spiritual practice of reading the Bible, praying, and meditating on one’s own initiative outside of religious sanctioned events. This study examines the effect of a self-management intervention on establishing and maintaining the habit of a daily quiet time. The study’s hypotheses predicted there would be an increase in quiet time 1) frequency, 2) duration, and 3) overall satisfaction from the baseline phase to the intervention phase. Data was collected via a daily check-in and pretest/posttest surveys, and participants attended an in-person intervention to determine how to apply self-management tactics to their own personal …

An Examination Of Writing Attitudes And Writing Proficiency Throughout A Performance Feedback Writing Intervention, Sophia Victoria Alderman

Theses - ALL

Writing attitudes, defined as self-assessments of liking or disliking writing (Ekholm et al., 2017), are important motivational factors that can impact writing development. A review of the literature on writing attitudes found that attitudes positively predicted writing achievement and that writing interventions can increase writing attitudes (Ekholm et al., 2017). Existing empirical literature has primarily focused on examining writing attitudes before and after implementing writing interventions, which vary in empirical support (Boscolo et al., 2012; ; Knudson, 1991b, 1992; Seban, 2012). However, no studies have dynamically assessed writing attitudes throughout the course of an evidence-based writing intervention with emerging writers. …

Foraging Connections: Exploring The Relationship Between Optimal Foraging And Phonological Fluency Performance, Kimberly Savika Arjune

Theses - ALL

The semantic fluency task is a timed listing of as many words as possible within a certain category (Bousfield & Sedgewick, 1944). Optimal search requires traversing resource-rich clusters (groups of consecutive responses with shared characteristics) and weighing the benefit of staying in the current cluster, decreasing the rate of return, or switching to a new cluster with more easily accessible resources, but with the cost of search time (Charnov, 1976). According to the marginal value theorem, a switch to a new cluster should occur when the rate of finding words in the current cluster drops below the average rate for …

Developing Art Resources To Reduce Stress And Increase Well-Being For Healthcare Professionals, Elisabeth Ruth Baird

Theses - ALL

This study explored how art-based wellness resources can support healthcare professionals who provide direct patient care in hospital settings. A focus group of these providers shared their experiences with stress and burnout, identifying key challenges and needs. Based on their feedback, a Mini Wellness Manual was developed with practical, research-based art activities designed to help reduce stress and promote well-being. In a second focus group, participants reviewed the manual and provided feedback on its usefulness and accessibility. Findings showed that self-care interventions often place the burden on individuals rather than addressing the larger systemic issues that contribute to burnout, highlighting …

Predicting Detection Threshold Performance With Modality-Specific Sensory Profile Scores, Marie Shuter

Theses - ALL

Research on tactile psychophysics among autistic people has examined inhibitory pathways within the primary somatosensory cortex (S1). Both adults and children with autism are equally able to detect vibrotactile stimuli in dynamic and static task conditions. In contrast, typically developing peers find dynamic tasks harder than static tasks due to pre-stimulus inhibition. Task performance has been linked to sensory overresponsivity in children with autism (McKernan et al., 2020); however, recent literature suggests that sensory processing (e.g., overresponsivity) in autism may be better defined within sensory modalities. Here, I utilized a cross-sectional design to 1) replicate findings of similarities and differences …

The Role Of Causal Structure In Romantic Stay-Leave Judgments, Judith Lynn Burkle

Theses - ALL

I report on one between-subjects experiment exploring the impact of causal structures on decisions regarding staying in relationships. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: a first-person perspective or a third-person perspective. In each condition, subjects encountered several relationship scenarios that instantiated one of five distinct causal structures: (a) common cause, (b) common effect, (c) causal chain, (d) positive feedback loop, and (e) negative feedback loop. Within these scenarios, subjects were asked to make causal attribution judgments by evaluating how each event described in the scenario would influence the decision to stay in the relationship. Additionally, subjects rated …

A Counselor’S Experience: Trauma-Informed Care When Working With Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Abbigail Rinard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to understand the lived experience of professional counselors when implementing trauma informed care to children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. There are few studies that have assessed the counselors lived experience of implementing TIC, and even fewer that have examined professional counselors experience doing so in a specialized population.

To understand the lived experience of professional counselors, the participants of the study were purposefully selected to include those who have an active professional counseling license, implement TIC, and work with children diagnosed with ASD. The study was conducted with a total of eight participants who have implemented …

Changing The Face Of Power: Understanding Black Female Clinical Supervisors Through The Superwoman Schema, Shanelle V. Clay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics (2014), the counseling profession’s core values include honoring diversity and embracing a multicultural approach to both direct services and supervision. Despite the acknowledgement of multiculturalism in clinical supervision, there is minimal research on the impact of supervisors’ intersectionality on supervision dynamics. This qualitative research study will examine the experience of Black female clinical supervisors and the impact the Superwoman Schema has on their role in supervision. This phenomenological research is grounded in the Superwoman Schema Conceptual Framework and Black Feminist Thought. A total of five superordinate themes and 14 subordinate themes …

A Comparison Of Resurgence Following Dra And Dro, Alysa Georgopoulos

Theses & Dissertations

Resurgence, a form of behavioral relapse, occurs when a previously reduced target behavior reemerges after an alternative source of reinforcement is discontinued. Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) and differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) are commonly used strategies to reduce undesired behaviors. Although both are effective, unanticipated periods of extinction (e.g., service lapses or staff turnover) may lead to resurgence of the original target behavior. Romano and St. Peter (2017) found that behavior reduced via DRO was more prone to resurgence than behavior reduced via DRA. However, their study used a different number of response options between conditions (one …