Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Moral Distress On Burnout And Spiritual Well-Being Among Clinical Healthcare Professionals, Stephanie R. Russell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Clinical healthcare professionals often encounter situations in the workplace that create moral distress, influence spiritual well-being, and lead to the development of burnout. Much of the current research focuses on healthcare employees’ experiences with burnout and morality at work during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically among Asian and Middle Eastern populations. Gaps that exist in the current research include an examination of moral distress among clinical healthcare professionals in the United States in the post-COVID-19 era and an examination of the relationships between moral distress, burnout, and spiritual well-being. The current study aims to fill the gaps in the research by …

Social Media, Religion, And Anxiety: Comparison Of Age Groups, Kaye Eileen Redeker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Social media has become an integral part of daily life for all age groups. The current research is mixed, showing both positive and negative effects from social media on mental health. This study aimed to examine how the duration of social media use compared with anxiety levels, and if religiosity had any effect on social media use and anxiety. It also wanted to determine if there was a correlation between religiosity and social media use, and how social media use and religiosity predicted anxiety. This study filled a gap in research by extending previous studies beyond adolescents and by including …

Are Army Recruiters At High Risk For Suicide?, Sherley Pierre

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Suicide and occupational stress among military personnel continue to be a pressing matter, yet research has given inadequate focus to the unique stressors faced by Army recruiters. Even with the emphasis on military suicide, minimal consideration has been given to the mental impact of occupational stress on this specific group, causing a disconnect in recognizing how their occupational stressors may result in suicidal ideation and suicide. This descriptive phenomenological qualitative study researched the occupational stressors experienced by 13 United States Army recruiters, exploring their prospective role as risk factors for suicidal ideation. This research study used semi-structured interviews framed within …

Cultivating Workplace Wellness: An Evaluation Of Gratitude Card Interventions Among University Faculty, Jeffrey Druck, Patrick Ockerse, Jamal Jones

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: There has been a growing interest in understanding the role of gratitude in promoting well-being. Gratitude, defined as a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation in response to receiving a benefit from someone else, has been shown to improve mood, increase social support, and decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety. This research paper explores an innovative intervention using gratitude cards for faculty members and measures the emotional impact of this intervention.

Methods: The study involved 32 clinical physicians from the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Utah. Participants were invited to write a gratitude card to …

Emotional Intelligence And Wisdom In Christian Leadership, Jamar Baker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research study focused on emotional intelligence and wisdom in Christian leaders. This empirical study assessed if leaders who have a high measurement of emotional intelligence are also wise leaders according to the wisdom measurement scale. This correlational research study sought to determine the correlation between wisdom and emotional intelligence and if age was a moderating factor. It was hypothesized that there is a significant relationship between wisdom and emotional intelligence, and age moderates the relationship. Because there is a paucity of information in the literature concerning these attributes and relationships this research study aimed to explore these effects. The …

The Epidemic Of Fatherlessness: Implications For Ethical Development And Mental Health, James Elbert Ellis Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the negative effects of fatherlessness on childhood development and the long-term impact on adult mental health. According to Bhugra, Watson, and Wijesuriya (2021), significant racial demographic differences existed in the prevalence of fatherless households. Harris (2019) noted that mental illness affected individuals across various racial groups, including Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans. Research by Bhugra et al. (2021) indicated that children raised in homes without fathers were more likely to experience mental health challenges. This study sought to determine whether a fatherless environment predisposed children to the development of …

Voices Of Change: Narratives Of African Americans And Their Recommendations For Reforming Law Enforcement Practices, Tanisha N. Hines-Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The focus of this study was to explore real-life experiences African Americans have with law enforcement to suggest changes that can be put into action to improve interactions, fairness, and accountability. This study, which makes use of a case study technique, examined perceptions of police interactions and engagement from the viewpoints of community members. The study specifically responded to the following two research questions: 1) What is the narrative of individuals in the African American community regarding law enforcement? 2) What changes do participants suggest are needed to improve interactions and establish a better relationship between the African American community …

Mindful Parenting And Parental Stress Relation In Parents Of Children With Autism, Nika Badiei-Emran

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The current study aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of mindfulness and mindful parenting in reducing the stress and anxiety levels of parents with children who have autism. This study utilized pre- and post-surveys to assess parents' stress and anxiety levels before and after participating in the mindfulness component of the Dialectical Behavior Therapy course. These levels were compared to those of parents involved in an Applied Behavior Analysis program, where a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) conducted parent training at least once a month.

Participants were recruited by posting research flyers on social media platforms, including the Autism Facebook group. Participation …

The Meaning And Essence Of Rationalizing Workplace Injustice: A Phenomenological Study, Wendy F. Davis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The extant literature on organizational justice (OJ) involves employee perceptions of fairness and justice in workplace decisions, outcomes, procedures, and interpersonal treatment. This research examined the dark side of these justice dimensions, including injustice acts of discrimination, bias, and unfair treatment. Workplace injustice is not an uncommon occurrence; however, a different reality emerges as employees are rationalizing their experiences. In this context rationalization involves individuals creating plausible explanations to justify the injustice, making it more acceptable and the psychological processes individuals employ through rationalizing. This qualitative study employed an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) examining the lived experiences of 12 participants. …

Comparative Efficacy Of Combined Versus Singular Auditory Alpha-Theta Brainwave Entrainment And Hypnotherapy Modalities In Chronic Pain Management, Jennifer Nicole Leavitt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This experimental quantitative research, a randomized controlled trial, evaluated combined efficacy of auditory alpha-theta brainwave entrainment (BWE) and hypnotherapy in chronic pain management versus each modality alone. Chronic pain is a serious clinical challenge that may benefit from novel, nonpharmacological interventions. Previous studies have demonstrated benefits of both BWE and hypnotherapy for pain; but research on combined effects was not identified. This study hypothesized that a synergistic approach would offer superior pain relief compared to singular modalities. The study utilized a randomized controlled trial design with a sample size of 38 participants, initially, aged 25 to 65 years old, recruited …

Military Children's Lived Experiene: A Continuous Parental Military Deployment, Detria L. Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Military deployments disrupt the stability of parent-child relationships, especially for adolescents navigating attachment during extended parental separations. This qualitative dissertation study explored the lived experiences of twelve Military Children (MC), ages 14-17, across the three key phases of a continuous six-month to one-year parental deployment: pre-deployment, deployment, and reintegration. This study employed a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to capture MC perspectives on relational dynamics, emotional challenges, and attachment disruptions with both the deployed and non-deployed parents. Participants were recruited via social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter), publicly distributed recruitment flyers, and participated in semi-structured interviews conducted through audio-video recorded interviews. …

University Clinicians’ Experiences Of Supporting Student-Athletes In Seeking Support For Mental Health Needs, Megan Laurel Collins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to discover and understand the experiences of clinicians at Division I universities supporting university student-athletes. The theory that guided this study was Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory as it relates to the various systems in which people are connected and impacted knowingly or unknowingly. The data was collected from the participants who have experienced the phenomenon via virtual semi-structured interviews. Data analysis strategies were a textural description of the clinicians’ experiences, a structural description of clinicians’ experiences, and a combination of the textural and structural descriptions to convey the overall essence of the experience …

Comparing The Association Between Eastern Vs. Western Cultures And Secure Father-Son Attachments, Thomas David Ngugi

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research sought to examine the particular elements of Eastern and Western cultures that either promote or hinder the development of secure father-son relationships through research and Biblical context, and suggest approaches to mitigate the factors that impede it. Participants (n=12) were at least 18 years of age, identified as fathers, had a son currently attending high school, and had a predominant cultural background from either the Eastern or Western regions. A purposive and snowball sampling method, face-to-face interactions, social media platforms, and other digital communication were employed to specifically target the needed participants in this phenomenological qualitative cross-sectional study. …

The Virtual Workforce: A Phenomenological Study Of Perceived Factors That Influence Employee Engagement, Sharon A. Palmer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study aimed to examine the lived experiences of employees working in the virtual workforce who have previously worked at an onsite location to better understand the tools needed to keep them engaged. This study aimed to fill the gap in research by gaining insight into the aspects unique to the virtual workplace that promote employee autonomy, competence, and connectedness. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect relevant informational data from 13 participants recruited from the professional social media platform LinkedIn. Participants were individuals aged 21 or older who had worked in a traditional and remote working environment, were currently …

Resilient Personalities: Exploring The Psychological Resilience Of Young Adults Through The Hexaco Model Of Personality, Ekaterina Belous

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study explores the intricate relationship between personality traits and psychological resilience in young adults aged 18-25. Personality traits are conceptualized and assessed using the HEXACO model of personality, which includes six factors: Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience. Resilience is assessed using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Employing a cross-sectional, quasi-experimental design, the study compared personality profiles of individuals with low and high resilience to examine how personality factors interact with an individual's capacity to adapt and cope with adversity. The results indicate that Extraversion and Conscientiousness are the strongest positive predictors of resilience, while Emotionality …

Financial Coaching To Improve Financial Well-Being: A Qualitative Descriptive Study, Jennifer A. Jessee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how effective a financial coaching program is for helping participants improve their overall financial well-being through short-term incremental steps moving toward obtaining long-term financial goals. Financial coaching is built on a client- and solution-focused approach, where participants set the pace and goals of the process, with a coach providing encouragement and motivation throughout this journey. Additionally, the coach is responsible for holding participants accountable for fulfilling their commitments and providing education and support in revising their goals when it becomes apparent they are struggling. The premise of financial coaching is to …

A Phenomenological Study: The Effects Of Mental Toughness On Female Athletes And Return To Competition Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries, Heidi R. Field

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Anterior cruciate ligament injuries (ACL) are the most common severe season ending or career ending injury (Petushek et al. 2019). One ACL injury costs the individual and healthcare system $38,000 which includes surgery and rehabilitative costs (Petushek et al., 2019). However, this amount does not account for the psychological effect of ACL injuries on the athletes. For all athletes, a major determinant in the decision to undergo ACL reconstruction surgery is the goal of returning to sport, but only 50% of athletes return to sport following ACL surgical intervention (Ardern et al., 2011). As females are up to three times …

The Mediating And Moderating Effects Of Job Satisfaction, Burnout, And Compassion Fatigue, Through The Lens Of The Cfrm, Jasmine N. Radcliff

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study explored the relationship between job satisfaction, compassion fatigue, and burnout. The theoretical framework of the compassion fatigue resilience model was also used to analyze the variables of self-care, social support, compassion satisfaction, and detachment. This quantitative study used a self-reporting survey design to examine the rate at which job satisfaction mediates the relationship between compassion fatigue and burnout; as well as; the rate at which the following variables of self-care, social support, compassion satisfaction, and detachment, moderate the relationship between compassion fatigue and burnout. The anonymous survey results were analyzed using moderation and mediation analyses. The findings for …

The Spiritual And Psychological Impact Of Belief: Self-Efficacy And Intrinsic Spirituality In The Modern Workplace, Anita D. Powell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative, correlational study examined the predictive relationship between employees' general self-efficacy and intrinsic spirituality and their work attitudes and work performance. Data was collected via a 37-item online survey administered through LinkedIn, targeting professionals across industries. A total of 132 participants responded, with 127 meeting eligibility criteria for analysis. Sequential multiple regression analyses revealed significant positive relationships between both predictor variables and the criterion variables. General self-efficacy emerged as the stronger predictor, explaining 29.7% and 27.3% of the variance in work attitudes and performance, respectively. Intrinsic spirituality, while less influential, contributed 2.5% and 3.1% to the variance in these …

Breaking Point: Examining Secondary Traumatic Stress, Toxic Leadership, Coping Mechanisms, And Well-Being In Non-Uniformed Federal Law Enforcement Personnel, Karen F. Stapleton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative correlational study examined the extent to which secondary traumatic stress and toxic leadership were experienced and these variables’ relationships with well-being among non-uniformed federal employees in law enforcement organizations. The research aimed to identify coping strategies beneficial to employee well-being. A sample of 73 federal employees from a U.S. government law enforcement organization was recruited using purposive sampling, excluding uniformed personnel. Measurement instruments included the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, Toxic Leadership Scale, Brief COPE, and World Health Organization 5-Item Well-being Index. Statistical analyses using SPSS version 29 revealed a significant, moderate negative correlation between secondary traumatic stress and …

Swosu Department Of Psychology History, Janice L. Sperle

Department of Psychology

SWOSU DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY HISTORY
1948-2025

By Janice L. Sperle

The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Posttraumatic Symptomology In Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Adults, Timothy Hollinger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Childhood adversity is a known predictor of poor psychological outcomes in adulthood, yet little is known about this relationship among Hispanic adults in South Texas. This study examined whether adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and whether gender, marital status, or educational attainment moderate this relationship. The central research questions were: (1) What is the relationship between ACEs and PTSD symptoms among Hispanic adults in South Texas? and (2) Do gender, marital status, or education moderate this relationship? Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, this quantitative archival study used a non-experimental, correlational design. Linear …

Neuroanatomical And Morphometric Differences In Children Who Stutter, Mohammad A. Khan

Honors Scholar Theses

Childhood-Onset Fluency Disorder commonly known as stuttering is a neurodevelopmental speech disorder characterized by disruptions in speech fluency. While genetic and neurobiological factors are implicated, the structural brain differences underlying stuttering remain unclear. This study investigated neuroanatomical alterations in children who stutter (CWS) compared to typically fluent children (TFC), focusing on gray matter volume, cortical thickness, and surface area in speech-related regions; the Inferior Frontal Gyrus, Middle Temporal Gyrus, and Pre-motor Operculum. High-resolution MRI data from 100 children (48 CWS, 52 TFC) aged 3–12 years were analyzed using FreeSurfer. Group comparisons revealed no statistically significant differences in cortical thickness, surface …

A Resource-Based Perspective Of Stem Career Development: A Latent Class Analysis, Erika Ann Schemmel

Dissertations and Theses

Through technological developments and the growing concerns around climate change, the need and demand for electric vehicles has been steadily increasing. A trained and qualified STEM workforce is required to meet these demands, yet standard STEM education may not be sufficient. The STEM development program centered in the present study is a collegiate workforce development program that provides North American students with training and hands-on experience in the engineering of electric vehicles. Drawing from central principles of COR theory, the present study explores the experiences of students within the program utilizing a resource-based perspective and a mixed-methods approach. First, the …

Poetries Of Abandonment: A Study Of Plath And Glück, Yara Abdelmoneim

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the intersection between literature and trauma, which can be discerned in the key works of two poets, Sylvia Plath and Louise Glück. While offering readings of crucial poems, the thesis also examines the interrelations among trauma, memory and narrative as theorized by two contemporary psychiatrists, Bessel van der Kolk and Judith Herman. Both Plath and Glück wrote about personal and generational trauma after going through different experiences of abandonment. Absence, indirection and repetition provide the basis for literary techniques that allow their traumas to be better understood by authors and readers alike. The degree to which each …

Spousal Bereavement Enhances Proinflammatory Cytokine Production To Acute, Psychological Stress., E Lydia Wu-Chung, Ryan L. Brown, Robert Suchting, Jensine Paoletti-Hatcher, Michelle A. Chen, Angie S. Leroy, Kyle W. Murdock, Cobi J. Heijnen, Christopher P. Fagundes

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Early widowhood is characterized by chronic stress and is associated with a higher risk of incident depression and cardiovascular-related morbidity and mortality. Peripheral inflammation is involved in the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder and atherothrombosis and may represent a common mechanism underlying widow(er)'s elevated risk for both health conditions. Chronic psychological stress sensitizes the release of proinflammatory cytokines during the peripheral stress response. The present study examined whether recent spousal bereavement enhances the inflammatory response to an acute, psychological stressor. Recently widowed older adults (n = 143) and non-widowed controls (n = 69) participated in a quasi-experimental study, during which …

Correlates Of Internalized Weight Bias In An Ethnically Diverse College Sample, Amanda Cipolla

Psychology ETDs

Understanding factors related to internalized weight bias (IWB), particularly among diverse populations, is an important avenue of research to inform interventions aimed at reducing IWB. This study surveyed college students (n = 319) about their body image, social media use, and culture. ANOVA, multiple regression, and hierarchical regressions were used to analyze data. Overall, body image flexibility emerged as a strongly negatively related to IWB, indicating potentially protective qualities. Physical appearance comparison, objectified body consciousness, and BMI emerged as maladaptive correlates. Findings related to social media were more complicated, with appearance related social media consciousness as an important negative correlate, …

Visitor Experience Model At The Marian Shrine Of La Vang, Younghee Lee, Hyo Dan Cho

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This research explores tourists’ experiences at La Vang in Vietnam. La Vang as a place of Catholic Marian apparition, is a sacred pilgrimage site that holds great religious significance for Catholics. This study employs both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to develop a model of the visitor’s experiences at La Vang. The initial qualitative study involved in-depth interviews and participant observation. Subsequently, the findings of the qualitative study were validated in the second quantitative study, which involved 75 surveys with residents of Macau who visited La Vang. This study proposes seven key scales measuring tourists’ experiential aspects at the sacred place. …

Investigating The Impact Of A Social Media Literacy Intervention On Appearance Satisfaction, Life Satisfaction, And Affect, Jennifer Lai

Student Theses and Dissertations

Social media (SM) platforms are popular mediums for entertainment and connection among young adults, and the companies behind these platforms have intentionally designed and implemented features to enhance user engagement. Research has identified a negative relationship between SM use and mental health outcomes but few studies have tested SM literacy interventions to reduce the impact of SM use on these outcomes. To extend the literature on SM literacy interventions, this study sought to investigate the impact of a digitally-delivered SM literacy intervention on appearance satisfaction, life satisfaction, and affect. Participants were 125 students (M_Age = 20.50; SD = 2.79; …

[2025 Honorable Mention] Pedagogies In The Flesh And Recovery Of Historical Memory From The Perspective Of A Salvadoreña, Janelle I. Martinez

Ethnic Studies Research Paper Award

My submission is a praxis paper. First, I explore the concepts and theories I would like to put into praxis, which are pedagogies in the flesh and recovery of historical memory. I then explain how and why I put them into praxis.