Digital Commons Network^™

The Forgotten Carers: A Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Chinese Canadians Caring For A Family Member With Borderline Personality Disorder (Bpd/Fbpd), Judy Y.F. Wu

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

There is a fair amount of literature on Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD); however, it still lags behind research on other major mental illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia (Furnham et al., 2015). Similarly, while there has been ample research on caring from various perspectives; little has been explored regarding caring for individuals with BPD. Research on Chinese Canadian families caring for patients with BPD is even more scarce. This study explored the lived experiences of Chinese Canadians caring for family members diagnosed with BPD (FBPD) in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Ontario, Canada. BPD is characterised by “interpersonal hypersensitivity, affective …

An Examination Of Speech Motor Control And Auditory Processing In Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd), Rita Bishai

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Fluent speech production is achieved through a relative weighting of feedback and feedforward motor control systems. These systems are thought to be responsible for the online correction of vocal errors and initiating speech, respectively. The relative weighting of these motor control systems has been shown to differ under conditions of high attentional load and across individual differences in sensory acuity. However, research has yet to examine speech motor control in a population with clinical attentional and sensory processing differences, such as those with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The studies in this thesis aimed to examine how ADHD traits relate to …

Arts Enriched Head Start Preschool And School Readiness: Are Benefits Accentuated For Children Facing Greater Economic Hardship?, Isabella Capera

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Children growing up in impoverished and low-income households face opportunity gaps that limit their school readiness (Blair & Raver, 2015). Head Start preschool, which serves families facing economic hardship, has been demonstrated to reduce these gaps and enhance school readiness. Further, multiple studies have suggested that arts enriched Head Start may offer particular benefits (e.g., Brown et al., 2010, 2018; Lobo & Winsler, 2008). Yet research to date is limited and has not examined whether the benefits of arts enriched preschool may be uniquely helpful for children facing the greatest economic risk. The present study examines growth in school readiness …

Dual Language Learner Status In Relation To Cortisol For Children In Head Start Preschool, Keala Bratsch

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Early childhood education (ECE) has well documented school readiness benefits, especially for children facing economic hardship. Yet preschool context poses challenges that are associated with elevated stress levels and potential long-term tax on physiological systems that respond to stress. The present study examined dual language learner (DLL) status in relation to levels of the stress hormone cortisol among low-income children attending Head Start Preschool programs. Participants included 207 children ages 3- 5 years who attended preschool in 2021-22 (60.9% attending a dual-language learning school, 39.1% attending an English-instruction-only preschool; all participants meeting the criteria for low-income), and their parents or …

Executive Self-Management Of Reading And Writing For College Students With Adhd, Jiajie Li

Dissertations and Theses

Background. College students with ADHD often experience difficulties with self managed academic tasks, for which there are currently few specific interventions. The present study examined associations among ADHD symptom severity, executive functioning, academic achievement, and perceived helpfulness of reading- and writing-focused sessions within a cognitive-behavioral intervention for college students with ADHD. Method. N = 41 undergraduate students (Mean age = 21.32 years, SD = 2.74; 70.7% female) with ADHD were recruited into a 12-week group-based cognitive behavioral intervention for executive functioning difficulties. Two sessions were devoted to skills and strategies specific to academic tasks, Reading for Retention and Planning, Organizing, …

The Ick Factor: Explaining The Term Through Lenses Of Sexual Disgust And Avoidant Attachment Style, Maxum O'Halloran

Dissertations and Theses

The phenomenon of the “ick” has gained significant traction in the context of modern romantic relationships, particularly across social media platforms, where individuals describe trivial negative traits and habits in potential and current romantic partners. Despite their trivial nature, icks are often treated as meaningful dealbreakers, raising questions about whether they reflect genuine psychological processes or are simply a social media trend. The present study examined whether the presence of an ick influences perceptions of attractiveness and dateability, and whether individual differences in sexual disgust sensitivity and attachment style help explain icks and reactions to icks. Participants (N = 236) …

Relational Spirituality And Maternal Coping In Carceral Contexts: A Participatory Action Study Of Meaning-Making And Mental Health Among Formerly Incarcerated Mothers, Jessica Peters

Dissertations and Theses

Maternal incarceration carries significant psychological, familial, and community consequences, yet limited research centers the mental health experiences of mothers themselves. This study explored how religious and spiritual engagement shape mental health and coping among formerly incarcerated mothers using a participatory action research framework. Guided by this, small groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 mothers in collaboration with a community-based organization. This approach prioritized lived experience and aimed to reduce barriers to participation among a population often mistrustful of research institutions. Data were analyzed thematically to identify patterns in psychological distress, coping strategies, and meaning-making. Findings revealed pervasive and …

Shared Burden, Potential Space: A Qualitative Study Of How Psychodynamic Therapists Work With Intergenerational Transmission Of Historical Trauma, Shaun J. Halper

Dissertations and Theses

The intergenerational transmission of trauma (ITT) has been investigated since the 1960s, beginning with research on the descendants of Holocaust survivors. Few qualitative studies, however, have taken up how psychodynamic therapists experience their treatments with adult patients with ITT. This study uses Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (APA) to analyze adult ITT treatments from the perspective of psychodynamic psychotherapists. Ten licensed clinicians in the NYC tri-state area participated in semi-structured interviews, which were organized around three research aims: how clinicians conceptualized and identified ITT, what effective clinical interventions they used, and how they understood the impact of therapist-patient sameness or difference (regarding …

Examination Of Awareness And Frequency Of Behavioral Masking/Camouflaging Based On Life Experiences, Elizabeth M. Smith

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Camouflaging behaviors are typically employed by individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to appear more in line with societal norms and avoid social ostracization. This study examined the connections between camouflaging and theatre experience, mental health diagnostic status, and levels of self-monitoring. In the study, participants completed a brief, 30- minute survey online examining camouflaging, autistic traits, self-monitoring, and life experiences across individuals of different age ranges. All participants were 18 years of age or older, completed a consent form, and received a debriefing. All responses were completely anonymous. The results showed significantly higher levels of camouflaging behaviors in participants …

Social Support, Trauma And Neurophysiological Stress, Devon S. Glicken

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic life experiences and the prolonged effects of stress can negatively impact an individual’s mental and physical health. Hyperreactivity to acute stressors can often be seen in individuals with anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideations, conditions commonly observed with endocrine dysfunction. How do traumatic experiences, particularly experiences related to military affiliation, influence stress responses and feelings of burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness? This study predicted (1) that military-affiliated individuals (and those with PTSD symptomology and high perceived life stress) will have heightened neurophysiological responses to minor levels of acute stress compared to individuals without military-affiliations (and those without PTSD symptomology or high …

Wherefore Art Thou Competitors? How Situational Affordances Help Differentiate Among Prosocials, Individualists, And Competitors, Y. Liu, A.W. Stivers, R.O. Murphy, N.J. Van Doesum, J. Joireman, M. Gallucci, E. Aharonov-Majar, U. Athenstaedt, L. Bai, R. Böhm, N.R. Buchan, X.-P. Chen, K.B. Dumont, J.B. Engelmann, Li, Norman P., H. Euh, S. Fiedler, J. Friesen, S. Gächter, C. Garcia

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The Triple Dominance Measure (choosing between prosocial, individualistic, and competitive options) and the Slider Measure (“sliding” between various orientations, for example, from individualistic to prosocial) are two widely used techniques to measure social value orientation, that is, the weight individuals assign to own and others’ outcomes in interdependent situations. Surprisingly, there is only moderate correspondence between these measures, but it is unclear why and what the implications are for identifying individual differences in social value orientation. Using a dataset of 8021 participants from 31 countries and regions, this study revealed that the Slider Measure identified fewer competitors than the Triple …

Artificial Intelligence, Fundamental Motives, And Evolutionary Mismatch, Amy J. Lim, Jose. C. Yong, Edison Sora Tan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In recent years, the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and psychology has garnered unprecedented attention, particularly following the advent of generative AI tools in 2022. These tools, capable of producing human-like text, images, and even deepening our understanding of cognitive processes, have not only captured the public imagination but also sparked new concerns and debates within the psychological community. While AI has been a subject of research for decades, the emergence of its generative capabilities has truly thrust AI into the spotlight. This article explores how these advancements are reshaping our understanding of human cognition and behavior, as well as …

How Autistic Children Define Novel And Real Words, Henry James Tomiser

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Word knowledge is highly valuable to Autistic individuals, and although much research has characterized Autistic children’s vocabulary breadth (i.e., the number of lexical entries), less attention has been paid to vocabulary depth (i.e., the richness with which one understands a given word). In this exploratory post-hoc study, 11 Autistic children (one assigned female at birth) participated in novel and real word learning paradigms in which child-friendly referents were paired with CVCV word forms. Participants were then asked to provide open-ended definitions of the words. Definitions were parsed into meaningful subunits, or semantic features. Semantic features were coded by type of …

Influence Of Parental Immigration On Children Of Latino Immigrants’ Attachment And Substance Use, Leilanis Cancel-Lopez

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study aimed to explore how children of Latino immigrants described their attachment and substance use experiences. The narrative that formed implies that throughout their adolescence, children of Latino immigrants use substances in part to cope with their parents’ heightened expectations for the participants to perform well in school/work/life. Additional results find that children of Latino immigrants also form a sense of exoneration for their parents upon reaching young adulthood. Clinical implications include the use of a systemic perspective when approaching children of immigrants when treating substance use and the inclusion of this narrative when creating prevention strategies for immigrant …

Behind The Curtain: A Literature Review Of Personal And Ecological Risk Factors And Current Multi-Level Interventions For Performing Artists, Christopher A. Robles

Social Work Theses

Performing artists experience psychological distress, including anxiety, depression, burnout, and substance use disorders, at rates significantly exceeding those of the general population. Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (EST) and the Person-in-Environment (PIE) perspective, this structured literature review synthesizes research published between 2010 and 2026 to examine individual personality traits, environmental stressors across meso- and macro-systems, and existing multi-level mental health interventions for performing artists. Findings reveal that while traits such as high openness to experience, sensory processing sensitivity, and perfectionism foster artistic expression, they also heighten vulnerability to occupational stressors, financial precarity, social isolation, and venue-based substance exposure. Current …

Comorbidity Between Ptsd And Eds: Occurrence, Mutual Facilitation, And Integrated Treatment, Ava Avolio

Modern Psychological Studies

This article reviews literature related to comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and eating disorders (ED). Meta-analysis estimates that about one in five people who present with PTSD are also diagnosed with a comorbid eating disorder and about one in four people who present with an eating disorder are diagnosed with comorbid PTSD. However, despite the widespread occurrence, an integrated evidence-based treatment has yet to be established. Preliminary research proposes multiple theories for comorbidity rates. Some propose stress-induced glutamatergic dysfunction may facilitate both disorders, while others contend disordered eating behaviors are maladaptive coping mechanisms for negative affect. Regardless of the underlying …

Parenting For Autonomy: New Insights Into Warmth, Leniency, And Emotion Regulation, Elizabeth O. Arroyo, Ana Paula M. Constantino, Dolly P. Rojo

Modern Psychological Studies

Past parenting research has focused on Maccoby and Martin's (1983) two parenting qualities, Warmth and Demandingness. We know that these can affect several children's outcomes, including academic achievements (e.g., Pinquart, 2016) and self-esteem (Pinquart & Gerke, 2019). Still, we know less about the impacts of parental qualities on children’s autonomy, and even less about the impact that qualities of more modern parenting styles (e.g., emphasis on promotion of emotional regulation skills) might have on children’s outcomes. Our study explores the associations of parent’s Warmth, Demandingness, leniency, and promotion of emotional regulation skills on children’s autonomy. We predicted that parental Warmth, …

Development And Validation Of The Ipip-Ocean: A Hierarchical Facet-Level Measure Of The Big Five, Caleb Niccum

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This study focused on developing a mid-range, hierarchical, five-factor, 20-facet personality inventory (the IPIP-OCEAN) composed of 100 items drawn from both the IPIP-NEO-300 and the Abridged Big Five Circumplex. Hierarchical confirmatory factor analysis was used to validate the factor structure. Depression and anxiety, measured with the PHQ-9 and GAD-7, were used to further validate the measure through discriminant and convergent validity by examining whether the domains and facets of the IPIP-OCEAN produced findings consistent with those reported for similar scales in prior depression and anxiety research. Numerous factor analyses were conducted on the IPIP-OCEAN dataset (N = 1,058), and a …

An Experimental Investigation On The Influence Of Emotion On Craving And Alcohol Consumption Among Women, Melissa C. Rothstein

Open Access Dissertations

A burgeoning literature suggests that alcohol use, rates of binge drinking, rates of alcohol use disorder, and experiences of alcohol-related consequences are increasing among women in comparison to men (Adams et al., 2022; Baraona et al., 1991; Peltier et al., 2019; White, 2020). As such, alcohol use among women is a growing public health concern, but historically, most existing research, including interventions, has focused on men (Agabio et al., 2017; Holzhauer et al., 2020; Maxwell et al., 2022; Verplaetse et al., 2021; White, 2020). Although there is a large literature on the role of negative emotion in alcohol use (Austin …

Bilingualsim In The Workplace: How Work Attitudes Influence Burnout And Turnover Intentions, Andrea Del Aguila

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Understanding whether language status functions as a risk or protective factor for employee well-being and retention is essential for developing organizational policies that support workers from varied demographic backgrounds. This study examined how work attitudes such as job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and work engagement are seen among bilingual and monolingual workers and how these outcomes relate to employee burnout and turnover intentions. An outside researcher from Talent Metrics Consulting collected data via an online survey utilizing previously validated measures of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, burnout, work engagement, and turnover intentions. Participants were recruited through online advertising and social sampling obtaining …

From Recruitment To Breach: The Impact Of Employment-At-Will On Psychological Contracts, Krystal N. Porlles

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Employment-at-will is the default legal framework governing most private-sector employment relationships in the United States, yet little research has examined how explicit employment-at-will language influences applicants’ psychological expectations before organizational entry. Drawing on signaling theory and psychological contract theory, the present study investigated whether the inclusion of an employment-at-will statement in a job advertisement affected relational psychological contract development, anticipated job insecurity, organizational attractiveness, perceptions of psychological contract breach, emotional reactions, and withdrawal intentions. Undergraduate students (N = 253) were recruited through the University of Central Florida’s SONA research participation system. After data screening, the final analytic sample consisted of …

Appendices A, B, C, D, & E For "In Their Own Words: Qualitative And Quantitative Analyses Of What Students, Staff, And Faculty Say About Vertical Transfer", Alexandra W. Logue, Vita Rabinowitz, Kerstin Gentsch, David Wutchiett, Barbara Condliffe, Sophia Sutcliffe, Yoshiko Oka, Stephanie Abbeyquaye, Rhina Torres, Nayeon Yoo, Kyle Du

Publications and Research

Deposited here are the Appendices (A, B, C, D, & E) for an article to be published in 2026 in Journal of Postsecondary and Student Success. The abstract of this article is:

This research analyzed higher education constituencies’ statements about vertical transfer (student transfer from community to bachelor’s colleges). Data consisted of both focus group excerpts involving dozens of students, staff, and faculty, and of answers to open-ended survey questions completed by thousands of students and faculty. Results were generally consistent using both qualitative (topic identification) and quantitative (bigram frequency and sentiment analysis) analyses. The results were also compared …

“What Is In Vogue?” A Critical Study Of Photography, Psychology, And Power In Vogue Magazine, Hannah Eve Osinoff

MA Theses

Capitalizing on our obsession with beauty and power, this thesis examines, through psychological and art-historical lenses, how Vogue’s use of photography increased the public’s fascination with elitist culture. Using archives and secondary sources, this thesis aims to prove that photography was so powerful that it compelled readers to covet what they did not have. Accordingly, Vogue serves as a key example of how photography informed cultural perceptions of beauty and class. Ultimately, photography has and continues to impact fashion and media, as exemplified by Vogue’s early dominance of this medium and the resulting change in culture.

Psychometric Evaluation Of The Treatment Integrity Instrument For Elementary School Classrooms - Observer Report: Preliminary Evidence For Construct And Discriminative Validity, Cristian J. Rivera Nales

Theses and Dissertations

Treatment integrity is the degree to which a program and its practices are delivered as intended. Treatment integrity measures are critical for evaluating the effectiveness of evidence-based programs (EBPs) in effectiveness research, but few are designed for research conducted in community settings, such as schools. The Treatment Integrity Instrument for Elementary School Classrooms – Observer Report (TIES-O) is an observational measure used to assess the treatment integrity of teachers implementing EBPs in their classrooms. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the TIES-O, which captures Adherence (frequency and thoroughness of delivery) Competence (skillfulness of delivery), and Differentiation (the extent to …

Psychological Richness From Shared Experiences In Romantic Relationships: The Moderating Role Of Attachment, Sae Y. Kim

Theses and Dissertations

Psychological richness, defined by experiences that are novel, complex, and perspective changing, has been proposed as a third dimension of the good life alongside satisfaction and meaning. Although prior work has focused on richness at the life level, romantic relationships may be an important context in which psychologically rich experiences occur. In Study 1, a correlational study, adult attachment was associated with psychological richness in life, such that secure attachment was positively related to psychological richness, whereas anxious and avoidant attachment were negatively associated. Informed by the results of this study, I designed Study 2 to be a 4-day daily …

Internalizing Symptoms In Lgbtq+ Young Adults: Understanding The Roles Of Social Support And Resilience To Social Stigma, Chloe M. Sobolewski

Theses and Dissertations

LGBTQ+ young adults are at increased risk of adverse mental health outcomes including internalizing symptoms. The current study seeks to better incorporate strengths when modeling internalizing symptoms outcomes in LGBTQ+ young adults. The present study is secondary analysis of data collected as part of a three-wave longitudinal study. LGBTQ+ young adults (N = 250) completed baseline questionnaires assessing resilience to social stigma, types of perceived social support (i.e., family, friend, significant other), and internalizing symptoms. Moderation models were not practically or statistically significant; however, covariates (i.e., age, socioeconomic standing, and childhood basic needs) stood out in their significant contribution in …

Examining Youth Ethnic Identity And Parental Familismo As Protective Factors Against Bicultural Stress And Internalizing Symptoms In Latino Youth, Daniella Olivares

Theses and Dissertations

Adolescence is a critical developmental period marked by increased vulnerability to mental health challenges. For Latino adolescents living in the U.S., experiences of bicultural stress may heighten the risk for adverse mental health outcomes. However, cultural strengths–such as youth ethnic identity and parental familismo–may serve as protective factors. The current study examined whether youth ethnic identity and parental familismo moderated the relationship between bicultural stress and internalizing symptoms among a diverse sample of Latino youth in central Virginia. Latino adolescents (n = 60) completed measures assessing bicultural stress, ethnic identity, and internalizing symptoms, while parents (n = 60) reported on …

What’S Sleep Got To Do With It? A Mixed Methods Exploration Of The Feasibility, Acceptability, And Initial Outcomes Of Group Cbt For Insomnia In Parkinson’S Disease, Claire M. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is commonly associated with sleep disturbances, affecting up to 80 percent of individuals with Parkinson’s. Effective and accessible treatments for sleep problems in Parkinson’s disease remain limited. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi) is a well-established, non-pharmacological treatment for insomnia but has been minimally studied in Parkinson’s populations. This study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of a group-based CBTi intervention adapted for individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Participants engaged in a six-week group intervention that incorporated Parkinson’s-specific adaptations. Preliminary findings indicated that the adapted group CBTi intervention was generally feasible and …

Positive Body Image In Postpartum Women: A Psychometric Evaluation Of The Body Appreciation Scale-2 And A Phenomenological Exploration, Taylor Vashro

Theses and Dissertations

Postpartum women appear particularly vulnerable to body dissatisfaction due to the rapid physiological, emotional, and environmental changes that occur across the perinatal experience (Baskin et al., 2021; Nippert et al., 2021). Recent studies have demonstrated the experience of both negative and positive body image during postpartum (Rodgers et al., 2024; Watson et al., 2016). However, there is limited research regarding the measurement and exploration of positive body image in postpartum women. The current study aimed to: 1) evaluate the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2), a widely used measure of positive body image in postpartum …

Conceptual Concerns Regarding The Content Validity Of The Construct Of Gender Dysphoria In The Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision, Waverley Vesely

Theses and Dissertations

The diagnostic classification of gender dysphoria in the DSM-5-TR elicits a number of clinical, political, and philosophical concerns, ranging from those that are diagnostic and taxonomical in nature to those that fall within the domains of ontology, phenomenology, and hermeneutics. Part of the reason for the complexity of studying the diagnostic and nosological validity of gender dysphoria as an extant diagnostic classification is that, unlike many disorders, gender dysphoria is inextricably tethered to identity. While the recent change from gender identity disorder to gender dysphoria has nominally removed the status of disorder, in practice, both clinicians and the general population …