Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding The Impact Of Language Barriers And Visit Duration On Caregiver Satisfaction In Pediatric Primary Care, Gavin Miller

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: Children from households that speak languages other than English (LOE) face barriers in accessing healthcare, leading to poorer health outcomes. Language barriers contribute to these disparities, often resulting in diminished communication between providers and families. Visit duration may play a key role in facilitating effective communication and improving patient satisfaction.

Purpose: This study examines how language barriers affect caregiver satisfaction in pediatric primary care, and whether visit duration mediates this relationship. We hypothesized that caregivers from LOE households would have comparable visit durations to English-preferring caregivers but report lower satisfaction due to receiving less information within that time. …

Surviving Their Stripes: Quality Of Life And Coping For Individuals With Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Julianna L. Breazeale

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Hypermobile type Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) is a subtype of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a genetic connective tissue disorder with complexities involving joint hypermobility, tissue fragility and severe pain. Patients with hEDS often experience misdiagnosis, medical dismissal and years of waiting for a diagnosis. This study aims to evaluate the quality of life and diagnostic journey for patients living with hEDS. Qualitative, cross-sectional and semi-structured interviews were conducted in this study using a descriptive, phenomenological methodological approach. The specific phenomenon is the experience of the hEDS diagnosis and how that diagnosis further impacts patient life. The two primary research questions that we aimed …

A Systematic Review Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy In Sub-Saharan Africa: Understanding The Cultural Adaptations, Miriam N. Mukasa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a type of therapy that helps people handle difficult thoughts and feelings by staying present, accepting what they cannot control, and focusing on what truly matters to them. Despite its growing global popularity, the implementation and effectiveness of ACT in sub-Saharan Africa remains underexplored.

We evaluated the current evidence on the application, effectiveness, and cultural adaptation of ACT in sub-Saharan Africa, identifying gaps and providing recommendations for future research.

18 unique studies that met the inclusion criteria were found. Studies on improving athletic performance were the most common, with ACT also being evaluated for …

Development Of A High-Level Model Of Remote Work's Psychological Consequences Using A Large International Data Set, Morgan Russell

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Remote work has proven to be an enduring fixture of the post-pandemic global economy. Despite research on the construct proliferating in recent years, it has not yet coalesced into a unified model of why, and in which contexts, remote work produces favorable or unfavorable outcomes for employees. The present study represents the first attempt to produce such a model, utilizing a global database of over 8 million employee surveys. The findings of the present study suggest that remote work is associated with small increases in job satisfaction, intent to stay and task performance, with the former two relationships mediated by …

Usage Of Natural Language Processing And Deep-Learning Techniques On Thematic Apperception Tests To Predict Big Five Personality Traits, Blayten Jones

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The usage of personality as a method of behavioral prediction and outcomes of success has grown considerably over the last few decades. This project explores predicting user personality profiles via the Big Five personality index through the integration of advanced natural language processing techniques as well as neural networks. Using a dataset provided by Dr. James W. Pennebaker, participants analyze an image—formally referred to as a thematic apperception test—and write a thorough paragraph describing the details. This free-form text, along with their personality test results, is captured in a structured dataset. Many deep-learning and machine learning models have been used …

Navigating The Tides Of Change: Girls’ Experiences In Scouts Bsa, Alexandra Rush, Olivia Kochis, Beth Belanger, Jennifer Brown Urban, Miriam R. Linver

Journal of Youth Development

On February 1, 2019, Boy Scouts of America officially accepted girls into its signature program (ages 11–18) and changed its name to Scouts BSA. This historic shift provided a novel opportunity for researchers to investigate the experiences of some of the first 13 girls to enter this traditionally all-boy space and examine how participation influenced sense of self and purpose. A qualitative phenomenological approach was adopted to explore girls’ experiences and perceptions and meanings they constructed, using secondary data consisting of 38 transcribed interviews from all 13 girls. Girls ranged in age from 12–18 years old (M = 13.72, SD …

Behind Bars, Behind Lies: The Role Of Jailhouse Informants In Juror Decision Making, Anna Pierce

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Jailhouse informant testimony is a leading cause of wrongful conviction, especially in severe cases (e.g., rape and murder) with severe punishments (Warden, 2005). The current study investigated the impact of multiple jailhouse informants’ testimonies upon juror decisionmaking, especially when providing consistent or inconsistent testimony. Participants (n = 102) read a murder trial summary with two informants - consistent statements, two informants - inconsistent statements, one informant, or no informant. Results indicated that the multipleconsistent condition had significantly higher guilty verdicts and higher perceptions of credibility than all other informant conditions. Inconsistent statements reduced guilty verdicts and perceptions of credibility, yet …

A Cross-Sectional Examination Of Rejection-Identification And Collective Action Among Latino College Students Following The Walmart Shooting In El Paso, Xavier Vera-Adrianzen

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Objectives: The present study aimed to test predictions derived from the rejection-identification model and collective action perspectives. Using a cross-sectional design, hypothesis 1 examined whether ethnic identification mediated the association between perceived discrimination and psychological distress, and hypothesis 2 examined whether attitude toward activism moderated the mediating effect of ethnic identification on the association between perceived discrimination and issue-specific activism. Method: 372 (77.4% female; Mage = 20.9 years, SD = 4.2) Latino undergraduate students from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) completed an online survey within approximately two years after the El Paso Walmart shooting, the deadliest attack …

Temperament And Screen Time Into Adulthood, Kareem Barbis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The possible correlation between language skills, temperament, and screen time in adulthood is understudied. It was hypothesized that high effortful control scores and low childhood screentime would corelate with higher cognitive reflection scores and higher language skills. Using a correlational design, 162 participants were studied (M age = 19.17 years old, 80% female, 86% White, 6% Hispanic). Participants completed an adapted version of the Adult Temperament Questionnaire (Evans & Rothbart, 2007), Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT; Fredrick, 2005), the Cognitive Reflection Test 2 (CRT-2; Thompson & Oppenheimer, 2016), Thompson & Oppenheimer, 2016), a childhood screen time questionnaire, a bilingualism questionnaire, and …

Exploring Secondary Teachers’ Mental Health Self-Efficacy, Perceptions Of Supporting Student Mental Health And Well-Being, Sherilyn A. Kile

Education (PhD) Dissertations

Research has indicated that over half of all lifetime cases of mental health conditions begin before the age of 14 years (NAMI, 2024a), making the adolescent period a critical and formative time. The unprecedented effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has been linked to more mental health problems in children and adolescent youth (Sayed et al., 2024), particularly affecting southern California school districts that implemented distance or hybrid learning models (K. Brann et al., 2022). Secondary teachers are essential referral sources and gatekeepers for linking adolescent children to mental health support (Owens et al., 2014). Given the essential role teachers play …

The Backdrop Of Leadership: How Environmental Awe Influences Charisma Attributions, Jack Mcguire, Nicolas Bastardoz, Leonie J. Hentrup, David De Cremer, Jochen I. Menges

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Charisma is often attributed to leaders based on how they look, talk, and behave. Yet very little is known about the role of the physical environment in influencing attributions of leader charisma. The role of the physical environment is crucial because leaders inevitably occupy physical spaces that vary across contexts. In this research, we find that the grandeur of the physical environment, specifically in its ability to induce awe, enhances attributions of charisma for leaders who are not already known to be charismatic. First, in a field experiment, we show that a real business leader is attributed with more charisma …

Atypical Morphometry And Connectivity Of The Cortico-Striatal-Thalamo-Cortical Circuit In Children And Adolescents With Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome: A Population At Ultra-High Risk For Developing Obsessive-Compulsive And Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, Amanda I. Rowan

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder associated with serious medical, cognitive, and psychiatric conditions, including significantly elevated risk for obsessive-compulsive (OCD) and/or schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SCZ). The cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) neural circuit is critical for cognitive and emotional processing. Dysfunction of the CSTC circuit is implicated in the etiopathology of both OCD and SCZ but has not been specifically examined in individuals with 22q11.2DS. This study used structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), along with standardized psychological and cognitive measures, to investigate atypical morphometry and white matter connectivity within CSTC-related brain regions in …

Double, Double, Toils And Troubles: Analyzing The “Magical” Relationships Between University Leaders’ Personality Traits And Their Self-Efficacy In Leadership Situations, Fay Ludvine Boudreaux

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This present study investigated the relationship between higher education leaders’ personality traits and their self-efficacy in leadership situations. A total of 151 leaders employed across the nine institutions within the University of Louisiana System completed a survey that prompted them to identify their personal values, traits, and skill sets, as derived from the online Pottermore quiz, the official Harry Potter Hogwarts House sorting instrument. This niche personality metric was chosen to cater to higher education’s evolving landscape, as it welcomes an influx of Millennials into leadership positions. Participants’ responses were eventually recoded to “sort” them into their respective Houses: Gryffindor, …

Development Of The Integrated-Cultural Well-Being Index (Icwi): A Content Validity & Inter-Rater Reliability Study With Experts In Clinical Mental-Health Counseling, Brandon L. Selby

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This dissertation study developed and validated the Integrated-Cultural Well-Being Index (ICWI), a psychological measurement that assessed well-being across both Individualist-Cultural (IC) and Collectivist-Cultural (CC) dimensions. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s Process-Person-Context-Time (PPCT) model, the ICWI was conceptualized to reflect the multidimensional nature of well-being in modern integrated societies, where cultural boundaries are increasingly fluid. The ICWI consists of ten latent dimensions of well-being: self-determination, social relationships, self-enhancement, self-contentment, cultural identity, cultural coping skills, communalism, cultural spirituality, life satisfaction, and mental health.

A three-phase expert validation process was conducted, employing both content validity and inter-rater reliability methodologies. Content validity was assessed using …

Who Cares For The Caregivers? How Dance And Movement Can Benefit Caregiving Parents Of Children With Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities: A Literature Review, Haley E. Gilbert

Expressive Therapies Theses

Caregiver parents of people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) are not able to care for themselves as often as they should be able to for their own mental and physical wellness due to their caregiving responsibilities that often carry into adulthood. These can lead to anxiety, depression, grief, and dysregulation for the parent. Dance and movement practices have been found to relieve the symptoms of these experiences while helping the child with IDD and the parent connect more, building stronger relationships. This thesis will include a comprehensive literature review of body-based theories such as the Polyvagal Theory (Polyvagal Institute, 2025), Bowlby’s …

Use Cases For Art Therapy Intervention In Clinical Psychedelic Praxis, Kaitlin Maud

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Psychedelic medicine has existed for thousands of years as a traditional, sacred practice and is now in varying stages of legalization for clinical application in the United States. Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy uses specific psychoactive substances to facilitate altered states of consciousness in which clients have access to unconscious material and there is a greater cognitive openness to new perspectives and possibilities. Art Therapy is a modality of psychotherapy with decades of data to support its clinical efficacy in treating mental illness and other chronic conditions. A review of the literature shows a range of use cases for art in the context …

Navigating Eating Disorders Through Counseling, Alyssa M. Pelella

Senior Honors Theses

Many different characteristics are involved in eating disorders, each of which helps show that counseling is important to the recovery process. An eating disorder that goes untreated can lead to a higher degree of symptoms over time, like the use of waist trainers, laxatives, and calorie counting. These factors can cause guilt in an individual and can hinder relationships. Males are often overlooked in eating disorder instances, as is the Napoleon complex. Athletes are typically at a higher risk of developing an eating disorder as they are constantly working out, and many times are focused on a goal to fit …

The Impact Of Bilingualism On Executive Functioning And Mathematical Abilities Throughout Development, Brenna Claire Mehringer

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Research suggests that a bilingual advantage is present for domain-general cognitive abilities, such as working memory (López, 2021), leaving it unclear whether an advantage exists for domain-specific abilities (e.g., mathematics abilities). Given the role of working memory and executive functioning in math achievement, this project explored the cognitive effects of bilingualism. It was hypothesized that participants who are bilingual, or who spoke a language other than English at home, would have enhanced performances on working memory and executive functioning tasks. It was further hypothesized that if an executive functioning bilingual advantage existed, then bilinguals would exhibit stronger math abilities. College …

The Identity Of “I’M Sorry”: Perceptions Of Apologies In False Confessions And The Influence Of Suspect Gender, Frances Anna Storgion

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Apologies serve as a mediator between victims and wrongdoers to promote forgiveness and enhance moral perceptions, while ostensibly reinforcing the guilt of the offender. These effects are further tempered by the gender of the apologizer. Paradoxically, content analyses show that apologies are not uncommon in false confessions and may reinforce false judgements of guilt. The current experiment aimed to elucidate the role that suspect gender and gender stereotypes of apologies play in shaping observer perceptions of coercion and guilt within confession contexts. This experiment conformed to a 2 (suspect gender: woman vs. man) x 3 (gender expectations of the apology: …

Cognitive And Social Vulnerabilities: Adolescents’ Pragmatic Inferences Of Leniency In Response To Minimization, Madelyn P. Stine

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The current study expands upon Luke and Alceste’s (2020) experiments to explore the effects of minimization via pragmatic implication on adolescents compared to adults in the context of police interrogations. Adolescent and adult participants read a police report and were randomly assigned to one of the four conditions (control, minimization, direct promise, and honesty) to gauge how differing perceived implications of leniency in interrogation tactics impact one’s perceptions of suspect outcomes. Drawing on empirical research on the social and cognitive vulnerabilities of minors (e.g., Bettens & Normile, 2023; Kassin & McNall, 1991; Kostelnik et al., 2006), I hypothesized that adolescents …

The Effects Of Starting Hormonal Contraceptive Use On Rumination, Abigail Brien

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Rumination, a cycle of repetitive dwelling on negative feelings and distress, is associated with mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. Although there is a substantial body of research on rumination and its association with depression and anxiety in women, there is a lack of studies specifically examining the role of hormonal fluctuation in this process. Changes in the menstrual cycle linked to estrogen and progesterone have been associated with mood regulation and susceptibility to depression, yet the impact of hormonal contraceptives (HCs) on rumination remains unexplored. The current study examined the role of HCs on rumination by comparing …

Understanding Loneliness In The Digital Age: Implications Of Social Media Use, Ryan D. Shinazy

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Despite the promise of greater connectivity through digital platforms, loneliness remains prevalent among young adults. This study investigates the impact of different types of social media use on loneliness through an experimental design—an uncommon but needed approach in a field dominated by correlational studies. Participants (n=17) were randomly assigned to one of five conditions: active use with positive feedback, active use with negative feedback, broadcasting with positive feedback, broadcasting with negative feedback, and passive scrolling. Each participant interacted with a mock social media platform tailored to the University of Northern Colorado community. Loneliness was assessed using the Revised UCLA Loneliness …

Phonetic Convergence And Speech Intelligibility, Kinza Nadeem Mughal

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Previous studies have indicated that phonetic convergence, in which a listener’s speech aligns with the speech of a talker they hear, can influence speech perception. The present study replicated and extended these findings by investigating whether phonetic convergence can facilitate speech intelligibility. A total of N = 140 participants, all aged 18 or older and native English speakers, completed a speech shadowing task, a speech intelligibility test, and perceptual similarity tests. This study examined whether individuals better understand their own speech compared to others’, whether shadowing improves speech intelligibility, and whether phonetic convergence is positively related to intelligibility. Results supported …

Who Falls For Online Misinformation: Examining The Cognitive Correlates Of Vulnerability To Misinformation, Sanjay Kumar Chhetri

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

As misinformation sweeps across the digital world, there is a need to better understand the psychological processes that underlie belief and susceptibility to online misinformation. The present study measured vulnerability to misinformation through a proxy construct of verifying online information. Using path modeling, we investigated how cognitive styles, as assessed by the Cognitive Reflection Test, predicted the extent individuals verify online information and content. The path model also investigated the mediating role of conspiracy mentality and pseudo-profound bullshit receptivity. Based on a U.S. sample of 194 adults, we found that the cognitive reflection test was positively related to verifying online …

Understanding Gossip In The Workplace: The Impact Of Personality And Emotional Intelligence, Alessandra Mogrovejo

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Workplace communication is a constantly evolving process. In recent years, workplace gossip has been reframed as a more complex construct, with researchers increasingly recognizing its positive and functional aspects. The current study aimed to contribute to the gossip literature by examining how personality traits, specifically Neuroticism and Extraversion, predict workplace gossip, and whether Emotional Intelligence (EI) moderates these relationships. A sample of 185 full-time employees in the United States completed measures of personality, EI, and four types of gossip: negative gossip about supervisors and coworkers (NWGS and NWGC), and positive gossip about supervisors and coworkers (PWGS and PWGC). Stepwise regression …

Emotional Intelligence And College-Aged Couples’ Relationship Satisfaction, Leeza Milman

Psychology

This study examined the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and romantic relationship satisfaction (RAS) among college-aged individuals. Drawing on established models of EI and prior research linking EI to interpersonal functioning, the study tested three hypotheses: (1) higher EI would be positively associated with greater relationship satisfaction, (2) individuals in female same-sex relationships would report higher satisfaction than those in heterosexual relationships, and (3) EI would mediate the relationship between relationship length and satisfaction. A sample of 72 undergraduate students in romantic relationships completed validated measures of emotional understanding, emotion management, regulation difficulties, and relationship satisfaction. Contrary to expectations, no …

Trapped In The Screen: How Digital Dependency Shapes Our Bodies And Minds, Jessica A. Supreme

Psychology

With each successive generation, time spent on cell phones continues to increase, raising concerns about the long-term effects of digital dependency on both physical and cognitive health. Prior research has linked excessive cellphone use to a range of issues including poor posture, eye strain, disrupted sleep, increased anxiety, reduced attention span, and addiction-like behaviors. These concerns are compounded by sedentary lifestyles, which reduce physical activity and contribute to risks such as cardiovascular disease and obesity. This study surveyed individuals aged 18–30 through an online questionnaire assessing daily cellphone usage, physical activity, and sleep habits. Results revealed that both men and …

The Effect Of Mandatory Enrollment In A Gender Studies Course On Awareness Of Sexism, Gender Attitudes, And Views On Feminism, Sarah Pille

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

The patriarchy is a social construct that allows for the domination, oppression, and exploitation of women. An intervention that can be employed to counteract the outcomes of patriarchal beliefs in college students is gender studies courses. These courses aim to promote awareness of sexism, egalitarian gender attitudes, and positive views of feminism. When enrollment to these courses is made mandatory, it can create resistance to their educational goals. This survey study examined differences in gender and course type on resistance and the educational outcomes of gender studies courses (N = 104). The results of this study indicated that gender studies …

Relationship Between Mental Health Education And Nurse Preparedness, Deborah C. O'Dell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study was to see if there was a relationship between the type of Mental Health education undergraduate nurses received or the number of Mental Health clinical days they experienced and how prepared they were to care for Mental Health Consumers (MHCs) when they first were employed. This information had never before been studied, so had the potential to change nursing curriculum and provide better care for MHCs. An anonymous survey using the Behavioral Health Care Competency’s questions was used and an invitation to participate was placed on various nursing discussion forums and social media sites. Participants (n = …

Understanding Change Following Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: A Phenomenological Study, Melina K. Bricker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The field of psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is growing and broadening, with significant implications for treatment-resistant behavioral health disorders for which traditional therapies have limited impact. Determining the efficacy of such treatments with populations seeking relief from trauma-related chronic behaviors must include an understanding of trauma’s complex impact on regulatory functioning, the perceptual and functional changes experienced as a result of PAT, and implications for future research in addressing trauma-related treatment resistance. To understand the phenomenon of change, questions of motivation, experience, and outcomes in this treatment type must be understood. In this qualitative phenomenological study, 10 patients at a ketamine-assisted …