Digital Commons Network^™

Time To Listen: Engaging Latino Autistic Adults And Parents As Partners In Advancing Autism Research, Cecilia Montiel-Nava, Chenoa Navarro, Jessica Abouchard, Ana C. Ramirez, Victoria Villareal, Susana Perez Kantor, Valerie Neeley, Alberto Allegre, Antonio F. Pagán, María Cecilia Montenegro

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

The limited representation of Latino autistic individuals and their families in research studies limits our understanding of how autism presents and is experienced across diverse communities, emphasizing a need for more inclusive research methodologies and participant recruitment strategies. Our project aimed to explore how participatory research methods can be effectively implemented to develop culturally valid measurement tools and research protocols that accurately capture the experiences of bilingual/bicultural Latino autistic individuals and their families. This study used a phenomenological framework design guided by community-based Participatory research and the social model of disability principles. Two trained researchers conducted three focus groups with …

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 …

The Lived Experiences Of Covid-19 Grief, Loss, And Coping Strategies For Black Family Caregivers Of Covid Orphans, Allison Dalrymple-Mason

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black family caregivers in the United States experienced disproportionately high mortality rates due to COVID-19, resulting in many Black children becoming orphans. The unexpected loss placed a burden on these family caregivers, who navigated their grief while taking on new caregiving responsibilities. Limited studies explored how Black family caregivers experienced the meaning of COVID grief, loss, and coping strategies. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to gain an understanding of the meaning of grief, loss, and coping strategies for Black family caregivers of COVID orphans, guided by Worden’s task-based approach to supporting people bereaved by COVID-19 and Folkman’s …

Navigating The Labyrinth: Transition Planning Process For Reintegration Of Inmates With Chronic Illnesses And Disabilities, Courtney Ashley Dean

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Most offenders face challenges with successfully reintegrating, especially those living with chronic illness and/or disabilities. Transition interventions employed by mental health professionals are not universal and vary from facility to facility. While recidivism, community stigmatization, reoffending, and reconviction are explored in extant literature, little has been done to examine the difficulties faced by the professionals who work with this population as they get ready to plan for transitioning this disenfranchised group back into society. This study is an exploration of the role of professional counselors in facilitating successful transition planning for inmates living with chronic illnesses and/or disabilities. Guided by …

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 …

Power Impacts Target Goals And Responses To Racism, Urmi Chatterjee

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Racial microaggressions are harmful to people of color (POC) and inhibit their social functioning in the long term. Explicit forms of racism have been focused on in previous studies on interpersonal racial interactions. While studies have found the effect of confrontation on POC who experience subtle racism, other forms of responses to racism lack research. Are responses influenced by how powerful targets are? What happens when a powerful target experiences subtle racism? This study shows how power shapes the strategies people of color use to respond to subtle racism. We used a negotiation framework between three types of goals and …

Varied Versus Non-Varied Behavior-Specific Praise On Student On-Task Behavior, Jessica Boss

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The current study examined the effects of praise statements on students’ behavior by assessing how varied and non-varied behavior-specific praise statements effect student on-task behavior. An alternating treatment design was used to compare the treatment conditions of varied and non-varied BSP. During baseline, participants were not given feedback on their praise statements or their interactions. After baseline, participants were taught to a mastery criterion on varied and non-varied BSP conditions. In the experimental phase, the participants alternated between a condition providing non-varied BSP and a condition providing varied BSP. The results of this study showed that both varied and non-varied …

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 …

Stronger Together: A Mixed-Methods Examination Of Identity, Efficacy, And Emotions In Young Adults’ Collective Action, Kindy Insouvanh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Young adults are increasingly engaging in collective action for social change, yet we lack a clear understanding of the factors driving their participation in social movements. This mixed-methods study uses a social psychological framework to examine key quantitative factors related to young adults’ intentions to engage in collective action for racial justice, as well as their reasoning around their involvement. A survey of 373 racially and ethnically diverse young adults (18-35 years old) assessed the impact of racial justice ally identity, emotions (anger and contempt), and dimensions of efficacy on action intentions. Path analysis revealed that young adults’ identification as …

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, …

The Role Of Prediction Error In Episodic Memory, Kevin D. Mohawk

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Predictions play an important role in our everyday lives. We make predictions (whether conscious or unconscious) about what we will encounter. However, we will also experience discrepancies between predictions and observed outcomes (i.e., prediction error; PE). There are inconsistencies in the literature regarding how PE affects memory. Several studies find that PE facilitates memory (e.g., Greve et al., 2019), while others find that it harms memory (Kim et al., 2013). The aim of the present study was to determine which conditions may lead to PE facilitating memory and which conditions may lead to worse memory. We tested two PE models, …

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 …

Gender Biases: The Interaction Between Children And Voice Assistants, Trà Hương Bùi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Nowadays, children can access and interact with voice assistants (VAs) easily since the machines are more available in the family context. However, there is a gap in understanding how children conceptualize VAs when interacting with the machine. Specifically, this study aimed to examine whether children understand VAs as inanimate. Additionally, the study also compared how children and adults rate the VAs’ level of warmth and competence and the way they associate AI voices with feminine or masculine faces. Another goal was to explore how children and adults match the gender and competence/warmth of the VA with facial masculinity and femininity. …

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 …

Mourning And Melancholia In The Lord Of The Rings, Ali Mirzabayati

Journal of Tolkien Research

This paper analyzes how Denethor and Théoden respond differently to the deaths of their sons in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Initially consumed by grief, Théoden embraces hope with Gandalf's support, while Denethor descends into despair. Employing Freud's essay "Mourning and Melancholia" (1917), we examine how Théoden and Denethor illustrate differing reactions to mourning and melancholy in the face of loss. Recognizing developments in psychoanalytic theory, the paper moves beyond simple binaries to offer a nuanced exploration of grief and attachment in Tolkien's narrative.

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, …

Serving Minority Women Survivors Of Intimate Partner Violence, Consuelo Valentina Riso

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread public health concern that disproportionately affects women, particularly those belonging to minorities. In the United States, the prevalence of IPV among Latina women is influenced by intersecting factors such as immigration status, socioeconomic stressors, cultural values, and systemic barriers. Research and community initiatives addressing IPV among Latina women have included crisis hotlines, domestic violence shelters, advocacy programs, and bilingual services within community health centers. Research also highlights that culturally tailored services yield better outcomes than trauma-informed approaches alone.

Additionally, online interventions are emerging as promising tools to expand safe, accessible, and bilingual support, …

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 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 …

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 …

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 …

Parent Engagement And Preschooler Development In Suriname: Unveiling Patterns, Predictors, And Outcomes Through Latent Class Analysis, Corinne Blake

Dissertations - ALL

Despite the fact that different aspects of parent engagement with preschool aged children have a significant impact on children’s social and cognitive development, this area of research is still emerging in global majority contexts, such as the Caribbean. This study identified parenting engagement patterns in a Surinamese sample and examined the relationship between parent engagement patterns and child social and cognitive development. Propositions within sociocultural theory, parenting and literacy models, and the developmental niche model guided the formulation of research questions and hypotheses. A sample of 1765 mothers/caregivers of 3- and 4-year-olds interviewed in the UNICEF Multiple Indicators Cluster Surveys …

Behavioral Self-Regulation In Context: Timing, Types, And Changes Of Material Hardship Across Childhood, Qingyang Liu

Dissertations - ALL

Behavioral self-regulation in childhood lays the foundation for lifelong adaptive functioning, including academic achievement, social relationships, and psychological well-being. While early poverty is consistently linked to worse behavioral self-regulation, less is known about how the timing, types, and changes in material hardship (i.e., daily experiences of deprivation), shape children’s development of behavioral self-regulation. This dissertation addresses these literature gaps through three interconnected studies that examine the dynamic association between material hardship and behavioral self-regulation across childhood, including (1) how early exposure to distinct patterns of material hardship in infancy shapes children’s behavioral self-regulation developmental trajectory from early to middle childhood; …

Program Evaluation Of The Behavioral Interventions Monitoring Assessment System-2 For High School Students In Rural Nebraska, Laura Burnett, Lakin Braman

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects: College of Nursing

Behavioral and mental health issues among adolescents in rural areas often go unrecognized due to limited access to screening and intervention. This study evaluated the efficacy of the BIMAS- 2 tool in identifying at-risk high school students in a rural Nebraska high school. Methods: A retrospective cohort program evaluation was conducted over two years with 263 students in grades 9-12. The BIMAS-2 assessment was administered electronically each semester, followed by in-person mental health interviews. Descriptive statistics and Pearson chi-square tests assessed the tool’s sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value. Results: The BIMAS-2 demonstrated high sensitivity (100%) and specificity (96.15%), with a …

Behavior Analysts’ Training And Practices Regarding Cultural Diversity: A Replication And Extension, Tania M. Valdez-Nuguid

Theses & Dissertations

Culturally responsive care, which involves adapting assessment and treatment methods to reflect the culture of individuals served (Sue & Torino, 2005), is crucial for client success, especially for minoritized and marginalized groups. This study replicated and extended Beaulieu et al. (2019) by surveying behavior analysts on their training, perceived competence, and practices in culturally responsive care. We extended Beaulieu et al. (2019) by including open-ended questions regarding culturally responsive practices and barriers faced in delivering culturally responsive care and offering the survey in Spanish. Participants reported feeling skilled and comfortable providing culturally responsive care, with increased training across various modalities. …

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 …

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 …