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Embodying Altruistic Love: The Role Of Emotions In Teaching Black Students With Disabilities Within An Inclusive Elementary School, Joshua Armentrout

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Teacher emotions play a pivotal yet understudied role in shaping the educational experiences of Black students with disabilities (SWDs). This study examines how five special educators in a fully inclusive elementary school understand, experience, and navigate their emotions in relation to Black SWDs. Using a qualitative approach grounded in portraiture, this study explores the intersection of race, disability, and emotion, revealing how teachers internalize, resist, and negotiate dominant ideologies within the broader educational system.

Guided by a three-dimensional space framework from the field of narrative inquiry—temporality, sociality, and spatiality—this study traces how educators’ emotions are shaped by past experiences, social …

The Power Of Storytelling: Creatively Facilitating Conceptual Change In The Classroom, Mackenzie S. Rose, Marcus Johnson

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Conceptual knowledge encompasses understanding the interrelationships among multiple pieces of information. Misconceptions of these interrelationships illustrate the need for effective educational strategies to facilitate conceptual change, with the goal of facilitating changes in learner understanding to appropriate, accurate, and complete concepts. Strategies, such as refutation texts, have proven effective in addressing science misconceptions, yet there is a prominent gap in research on conceptual change in nonscience subjects and the use of storytelling to facilitate such change. Storytelling, presented in a range of educational subjects, invites learners to engage in social discourses and problem-solving exercises. Prompted by classroom storytelling practices, creativity, …

Avoidance Of Mental Health Utilization And Reporting Of Symptoms Among U.S. Air Force Active-Duty Service Members In Civilian-Equivalent Career Fields, Nadja Bright, Patricia Hopkins-Smith, Jesma Revering, Marcia Bennett, Jim Theisen

Theses and Graduate Projects

The high suicide rate among U.S. active-duty military personnel and veterans is a significant public health concern. Despite the high prevalence rate of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) among this population, service members are less likely to seek mental health services compared to the civilian population. Factors such as fear of career harm, stigma, and barriers to care contribute to this avoidance. This study aimed to investigate if service members in civilian-equivalent (non-combat) jobs are less likely to disclose psychological symptoms compared to those in combat-related career fields and to assess the impact of perceived importance …

Phenomenological Study Of Gender, Self-Esteem, And Anxiety As Factors Influencing Older Adult Technology Use, Nadine Prosper

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An increasing number of individuals 65 years of age and older are in the U.S. workforce. Many older workers are hesitant to learn new technology and adapt to digital innovation that may, in the future, automate jobs and abolish more traditional forms of employment. Organizational leaders need to understand the factors influencing older workers’ attitudes and adoption of new technology for greater productivity. The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study was to examine how gender, self-esteem, and anxiety influence workplace technology utilization among older workers between 66 and 76 years of age in their jobs. The study was grounded …

Is A Dog A Female Offender’S Best Friend? Prison-Based Dog Program Implications, Lavinia Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The existing literature on female offender prison-based dog program (PBDP) experiences and their effect and influence on female offender reentry, rehabilitation, and transition into society following incarceration is limited at best. Despite mixed evidence on prison-based animal programs, human–animal interaction research suggests positive psychological effects. With a 56% chance of reoffending a year after release, understanding the effects of PBDPs may aid reentry/transition support that lowers recidivism rates. Grounded by Broidy and Agnew’s gendered general strain theory, through basic qualitative inquiry, this research study aimed to understand female offender PBDP participants' reentry and transition experiences. Twenty-seven semistructured interviews were conducted …

Schwartz Values Of Active-Duty U.S. Soldiers: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of Refined Values, Kelcey Sihanourath

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The U.S. Army is currently facing recruitment challenges due to a decrease in the number of qualified youths. When recruitment is low, reducing attrition becomes even more critical to maintaining force readiness. Research indicates attrition patterns may be influenced by interactions between personal characteristics and the unique culture of each military branch. One characteristic is personal values; however, the most widely used personal values framework, Schwartz’s values theory, has not been validated for the U.S. Army population. This study aimed to address this gap by empirically assessing Schwartz’s values using a nonexperimental cross-sectional quantitative design, collecting data from 273 active-duty …

Food Insecurity And Family-Based Treatment For Pediatric Obesity, Genevieve Davison

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Pediatric obesity puts children at risk for long-term, negative health outcomes and disproportionately impacts children from families with low income. Families with low income are also at increased risk for food insecurity. Consistent with the “scarcity mindset” theory of poverty, food insecurity is associated with increased discounting of delayed rewards and heighted present focus. It is also associated with increased food reinforcement, and decreased likelihood of meal planning. Despite the seriousness of this issue, little research has examined the role food insecurity, and its psychological correlates, play in behavioral treatments for pediatric obesity. This study examined food insecurity in 108 …

Determinants Of Integration: Migration Difficulty, Mental Health, And Social Connections Among Eritrean Immigrants, Shewit Woldemichael

Master's Theses

This thesis explores how the experience of migration hardship affects integration outcomes of Eritrean migrants in the U.S. and the Netherlands. Using original survey data and the Immigration Policy Lab’s Integration Index (IPL-24), this paper investigated the intersection of economic, psychological, and social interactions that facilitate integration outcomes. This research finds that migration hardship doesn’t just make people’s lives more difficult; it breaks down the social ties and mental well-being that are essential for economic success measured by integration.

Exploring The Benefits Of A Virtual Reality Positive Psychological Intervention For Older Adults In Senior Living Communities, Christopher Reed

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The majority of psychological research has followed a disease model focusing on how we reduce factors associated with psychopathology. In the last few decades there has been a push to explore positive psychological traits as an avenue for intervention by fostering traits we already possess. Most of these interventions have targeted mental health across the life span with fewer examining their efficacy on cognitive change with even fewer utilizing immersive technologies like virtual reality. By 2050 over 20% of the world’s population will be over the age of 60 and with this aging population rates of neurocognitive disorders will increase. …

Investigating Testosterone And Cortisol In Romantic Relationships, Rylei Donovan

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Romantic relationships are a primary relationship in adulthood. Relationship satisfaction has been suggested to decline over time across couples with and without children but explanations as to what might lead to decreased relationship satisfaction are lacking. Combining internal factors with external factors is likely to provide a more thorough understanding of what relationship satisfaction looks like after the major life change that is parenthood. The current dissertation focuses on understanding how hormones (i.e. testosterone and cortisol) and interpersonal interactions such as social support and partner investment might help explain what romantic relationship satisfaction looks like in parents. This project uses …

A Qualitative Meta-Analysis Of The Experiences Of Clients In Psychotherapy For Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Empirically Based Process-Oriented Staged Model, Nicholas A. Pierorazio

Graduate Masters Theses

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is prevalent and can be highly complex. Guidance for the treatment of PTSD has typically been based on quantitative meta-analyses of randomized controlled trial findings and has focused on the comparative efficacy of specific treatments, rather than how to deliver treatment. There is a need for clinical guidance that highlights moment-to-moment, in-session psychotherapy processes for psychotherapists working with clients with PTSD. In the current study, I conducted a qualitative meta-analysis, focusing on the qualitative literature investigating clients’ perspectives in order to develop an understanding of the preferences, values, and experiences of clients in individual psychotherapy for …

Give Them Their Roses: Honoring Student Affairs Professionals Of Color Combatting Secondary Racial Battle Fatigue At A Historically White Institution, Julián X. Latshang, Julián X. Latshang

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores the phenomenon of Secondary Racial Battle Fatigue (SRBF) and its impact on student affairs professionals of color in higher education. Grounded in critical qualitative inquiry and the lived experiences of participants, this study examines how emotional, behavioral, and physiological effects of SRBF manifest both through professionals’ direct racialized experiences and their roles supporting students enduring racial trauma. Framed by Racial Battle Fatigue (Smith, 2010) and Secondary Traumatic Stress (Figley, 1995), the research addresses three guiding questions: (a) How does SRBF manifest in professionals of color? (b) In what ways does it emerge when supporting racially traumatized students? …

Influences And Implications Of Medical Mistrust On Healthcare Behaviors In A Low Health Outcomes County In The State Of New Jersey, Dale Johnson, Adeena Javed, Nathaniel J Byrnes, Anne C Jones, Kristin N Bertsch

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

Medical mistrust is an ongoing concern in the United States, with patient confidence in both individual practitioners and institutions decreasing sharply in recent years. Atlantic County, New Jersey has some of the worst health outcomes in the state and is below the national average. This study sought to investigate medical mistrust by recruiting participants to complete a survey and/or health screening at 12 food pantry distribution events throughout Atlantic County (N = 124). The mean score for the Medical Mistrust Index was 19.06 (SD = 5.6) for participants who reported receiving the annual influenza vaccine and 16.05 (SD = 4.7) …

Relations Among Racism-Related Stress, Anxiety, Spirituality And Mindfulness In Black Sexual Minority Men, Kainaat Anwar

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Kainaat Anwar RELATIONS AMONG RACISM-RELATED STRESS, ANXIETY, SPIRITUALITY AND MINDFULNESS IN BLACK SEXUAL MINORITY MEN 2021-2022 Jonathan Mathias Lassiter, Ph.D. Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology Black sexual minority men’s experiences of racism and anxiety have not been documented extensively in the literature. There is also a paucity of research exploring protective factors that can mitigate the effects of racial stress on anxiety in BSMM. Therefore, this study looked at the potential moderating effects of spirituality and mindfulness on the relationship between racism-related stress and anxiety in BSMM. Participants completed measures regarding socio-demographics, racism-related stress, anxiety symptoms, mindfulness and …

Exploring Virtual Group Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Format On Participation Of Parents Of Children With Autism, Abigail Owen

Theses and Dissertations

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and co-occurring challenging behavior (e.g., aggression, self-injury, property destruction) experience higher rates of anxiety, depression, and poor overall well-being. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), which encourages psychological flexibility, is an effective intervention for addressing well-being in this population when presented in various formats. Despite its potential to increase accessibility and improve social connectedness for parents, time commitment may impact parents’ willingness to participate in virtual ACT group interventions. The current study examined parents’ participation in and perceived acceptability of 6 hrs of virtual ACT groups in three different formats: a 6-hr workshop, …

The Impact Of Specific Foster Care Placement Factors On Attachment-Related Anxiety And Avoidance In The Adult Intimate Relationships Of Foster Care Alumni, Latasha Macklin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Children who have a history of maltreatment, like those placed in foster care, are at a significantly higher risk for developing an insecure attachment style, which may be correlated with various problems in adulthood, including adverse relationship outcomes, poor job satisfaction, low self-esteem, mood, and personality disorders. Prior research suggests a correlation between the attachment style of a foster child and specific foster care factors, including the type of placement, reason for placement, number of placements, age of the child at placement, and gender of the child. However, no research exists to examine how these factors might significantly impact the …

Experiences Of Group Support For Partners Of Sex Offenders, Monika Szabo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Intimate relationships with individuals who have committed sex offenses significantly stigmatize and traumatize partners. Partners also face barriers to effective treatment, negatively impacting both themselves and their children affected by these offenses. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to gain an understanding of partners’ experiences with support groups in coping with trauma symptoms and stigma, thus addressing a gap in the literature. Grounded in theoretical concepts of trauma, mutual aid, and stigma, how social support dynamics facilitate healing by investigating coping strategies and support group stages to understand participants’ healing journeys were examined. Data were collected from 10 …

The Sauce To Meat Is Ceremony: Cannibalism And Hospitality Serve As Horror And Culture Tropes In Hannibal And Macbeth, Shay Williams

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

When examining Macbeth (1623) as a case study within Shakespeare’s canon, we see all the obvious horror tropes - murder, witches, a ghost, bodies, blood and gore. What is less pronounced is the horror that lies within eating, drinking, feasting, and the ceremony of banquets. On the other side of the spectrum, and unlike the character of Macbeth, we have a figure that epitomizes all things horror, and has been read about in novels, watched on film, and as of late (2013-2015) has been the subject of a Television show, aptly named: Hannibal. In both works, we encounter men/monsters/killers …

The Relationships Among Orthorexia Nervosa, Perfectionist Tendencies And Academic Achievement In Nutrition And Dietetics Students, Sophia Grace Owens

Master's Theses

Eating disorders can cause a disturbance in how the health of food is viewed (Cerniglia et al., 2017). If a person has disturbances in their eating behaviors that can cause harm to their health, but the behaviors do not fit into the criteria of a specific eating disorder, they fall into the category of a disordered eating pattern (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2018). Because of the stress the college environment can cause students, some college students may cling to anything they can control, which may be reflected in their dietary habits. Orthorexia Nervosa (ON), a disordered eating pattern, is …

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Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of Eating Disorders Among Asian American Women, Shelby Seipert

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Eating disorders can be defined as a psychological illness that results in abnormal or disturbed eating patterns. The three common eating disorders diagnosed within the United States are anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. When analyzing the demographic distribution of individuals diagnosed with an eating disorder in America, it was shown that the subcategory of Asian American citizens had significantly lower amounts of data in comparison to other racial categories. This may be attributed to the fact that on average, Asian Americans are half as likely as Caucasian Americans to seek mental health services. Three main areas shown to have …

Making A Career Of Humanity: Implications Of Activism For Mental Health, Tate Henderson

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Collective action in society, or activism, may increase psychological distress of participants and societies. Multiple studies regarding this relationship of activist behavior and mental health among marginalized or minority groups were reviewed. Certain variables might decrease or even reverse this effect of activism on mental health. Activist behavior that is more passionate and low-risk could improve psychological well-being. Social identity theory explains that increased identification with a group may improve mental health. Despite social identity, activist behavior of itself may also increase feelings of self-actualization, or the feelings of joy that come from personal growth. Such participation in activism may …

When Racist Jokes Go Unchecked: The Plight Of Asian Americans At The Hands Of Fellow Americans, Sedric Jacobsen

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Asian American people are often the target of unchecked racist jokes levelled by fellow Americans. Because of the model minority myth, racism towards Asian Americans has received less attention than that of other minority groups. Stereotypes furthered by racist jokes may seem innocuous, but they lead to mental, emotional, and potentially physical harm. Victim blaming is a common response to objections levied by Asian American people and this process leads to further psychological damage for the offended. The favored profile of an American is white, heterosexual, and male. Divergence from this model leads to prejudice, a response that is taught …

Differences In Diagnosis, Perception, And Recognition Among Children With Autism-Spectrum Disorder Belonging To Racial And Ethnic Minority Groups, Madelyne L. Syphus

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Despite Autism-Sprectrum Disorder's (ASD's) relatively short existence as a diagnostic category, it has become one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders in the world. However, as awareness of ASD rises, those who do not fit the White-male diagnostic mold are often left out of conversations and experience disparities in diagnosis, recognition, and support for autism (Matthews, 2019). Many racial and ethnic minority groups suffer from professionals' lack of cultural awareness, and spontaneous judgments often result in lower rates of referral for and diagnosis of ASD (Begeer et al., 2008; Burke et al., 2015; Lopez, 2014). Differences in social norms among …

Perceptions Of Police Executives Of Threat Assessment Practices In Municipal Level Policing, Robin Renee Griffin-Kitzerow

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While there is no single solution to responding to active threats and targeted acts of violence, strategies such as awareness, preparedness through threat assessment practices, and education are the keys to prevention. Threat assessment practices and mandates are widely used in university and K-12 educational environments and have successfully prevented these acts. However, research up until this point seemed to indicate that local municipal police departments were slow to adopt these practices. As a result, communities suffer through targeted acts of violence, senseless tragedies, and untimely deaths of innocent victims. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how …

Waffles And Spaghetti: The Effects Of Cognitive Processing Methods On Team Performance And Communication, Jonah Daniel Browning

Masters Theses

The goal of this thesis is to shed light on a practical method for resolving conflicts in team environments that stem from miscommunications brought on by differing cognitive processes. Our brains use different cognitive processing techniques to make sense of and explore the vast amount of information the world presents them on a daily, even hourly basis. Each person has their own thinking style which influences how teams collaborate and problem solve. However, miscommunication can often arise when individuals fail to recognize and adapt to the varying processing methods, which can lead to frustration and inefficiency.

This research seeks to …

Validation Of The National Institutes Of Health Toolbox For Use In Phenylketonuria Clinical Trials: A Pilot Study, Clarissa Thin Tardiff

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Background: Many individuals with phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare genetic disorder, find current treatments inadequate and believe new treatments must be developed (Brown, 2018). Although approvals of existing treatments have largely been based on decreases in phenylalanine (Phe) levels, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has indicated that instruments to assess functional outcomes are needed in future PKU clinical trials. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Toolbox Cognition Battery (Toolbox) meets criteria that are crucial for such trials. Methods: Data from 58 individuals with early-treated PKU (aged 8–55 years) enrolled in an ongoing NIH-funded longitudinal study of hyperphenylalaninemia were used to …

A Phenomenological Study Examining The Effects Of Restrictive Factors On Previously Incarcerated Individuals’ Chances Of Recidivism, Tawanda Shantell Heim-Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe the effects of perpetual restrictions and stigmatization for previously incarcerated individual’s vulnerability and efforts to reduce recidivism in society. The theories guiding this study are Bandura’s (1986) social theory as it explains the relationship between the theory of self-efficacy and motivation, and Maslow’s (1954) hierarchy of needs accompanied by humanistic and existential theorists Viktor Frankl’s (1946) logotherapy and Carl Roger’s (1951) humanistic psychology as it emphasizes basic needs for human existence and success which are contradicted by hinderance of perpetual restrictions. Because of the mass stigmatization of people who have been …

Seeing Resilience Through Experience: Teachers' Resilience Experiences Post Covid-19 Pandemic, Yashica Dudley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological was to describe the post-COVID-19 resilience experiences of 6th to 12th grade schoolteachers at Hope County Public School (HCPS). The theory that guided this study is the differing pathways to resiliency theory, as it was used to describe teachers’ resilience experiences regarding the outlook on work, self-efficacy, and coping responses. The central research question was, “What are the post-COVID-19 resilience experiences of 6th to 12th grade schoolteachers at the HCPS in the classroom?” Participants included 10-15 6th to 12th grade schoolteachers who taught before, during, and post the COVID-19 pandemic. The data was collected through …

Honor, Courage, And Commitment: Institutional Betrayal And Military Identity In Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Amanda Reine Bedford-Rank

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Military veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experience elevated suicide risk and face unique treatment barriers; however, few studies have examined the role of military-specific constructs in shaping these barriers. This quantitative-correlational study investigated the relationship between institutional betrayal, self-stigma, military identity, and help-seeking attitudes among a sample of U.S. military veterans with PTSD (N = 142). This study also applied semi-qualitative questions to explore military-related trauma themes, PTSD literacy, neuroplasticity, PTSD perceptions, and military acknowledgment. Statistical analysis using SPSS revealed significant positive correlations between institutional betrayal and self-stigma, and a negative relationship with help-seeking attitudes. Notably, the Department …