Digital Commons Network^™

Help Seeking Experiences Of Asian American Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Mellanie Kristelle Roxas De Guzman

Doctoral Dissertations

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has become more widely understood and accepted by the general and professional populations. However, self and social stigma related to ASD persist and continue to negatively impact help-seeking behaviors. This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews guided by an ecological systems model, to explore the lived experiences of 11 Asian American (AsAm) parents residing in the greater San Francisco Bay Area with a child with ASD. A thematic analysis framework was utilized. A total of six themes and six subthemes emerged from this study and included: (1) comparisons, (2) stigma, (3) resilience, (4) support for services, (5) …

The Lived Experiences Of Cisheteronormativity By Nonbinary Sexual Assault Survivors, Emma Jackson Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Gender minorities experience higher rates of sexual assault (SA) victimization and psychological distress, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than their cisgender counterparts. Nonbinary individuals, in particular, face elevated levels of victimization, post assault distress, and unique barriers to receiving competent care both in general and specific to their assault experiences. Current research highlights the need for culturally competent care for nonbinary and transgender individuals, as well as for SA survivors. Although the experiences of SA survivors have been previously explored, specific information regarding the experiences of nonbinary survivors remains scarce. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study, grounded in Heideggerian …

Perspective-Taking, Self-Talk, And Social Connection: A Phenomenological Study Of How Individual Practices Reduce Loneliness During The Menopausal Years, Sarah Joy Groff

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Menopause is a stage of the life cycle known for physical, mental, and emotional changes. Many women report feeling isolated and lonely during this time due to changes in hormones and physical appearance, lack of sleep, uncertainty about their role after raising children, and cultural pressures to remain thin and beautiful. Due to the lack of education and normalization of this life change, women often withdraw and become increasingly depressed or anxious, as a result. Loneliness is associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety, suicidality, premature death, and a variety of other physical ailments. However, previous research suggests that the …

Anticipatory Grief Narratives Of Caregivers Of Children With Cockayne Syndrome, Emily T. Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Knowledge of the impending death of a loved one has been connected with experiences of anticipatory grief. Specific grief experiences such as caring for a parent with dementia and caring for a child with cancer have been explored. Other rarely occurring anticipatory grief experiences have yet to be explored. The occurrence of Cockayne syndrome (CS) is 2.7 births in 1,000,000 worldwide. CS caregivers begin grieving the moment they learn of their child’s diagnosis, and counseling professionals are ill prepared to counsel the bereaved in even the more typical post death situations. Therefore, this qualitative, narrative study asked the question: what …

Development Of A Multidimensional Measure Of Wellbeing For Emerging Adults Utilizing A Convergent Parallel Mixed Method Design, Kelley Marie Wick

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Attempting to conceptualize wellbeing is difficult, and the current research literature does not offer a standard definition that encapsulates the complexity of this construct, nor has there been a thorough consideration the impact of culture and societal standards of behavior on wellbeing. Additionally, the emergence of a new developmental period between adolescence and true adulthood (emerging adulthood) offers an additional layer of nuance, as many of the traditional scales currently used to measure wellbeing are inappropriate for emerging adults. A major gap in the current research literature is the reluctance in developing measures with the help of the target population. …

Exploring Hobbies As A Critical Component Of Work-Life Balance: Perceptions Of Their Influence On Job Satisfaction And Job Performance, Maigon Campbell-Nowlin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Work-life balance is an ongoing challenge for many individuals, as they seek to harmonize their personal and professional lives. In this study, I explored hobbies as a critical component of work-life balance and their influence on job satisfaction and job performance. I strived to fill a gap in the existing literature by shedding light on the influence of hobbies on work-life balance, job performance, and job satisfaction. Using qualitative methodology, I investigated how individuals perceive and explain the interconnection of their hobbies with their work responsibilities, examining the possible impact of hobbies on job performance and job satisfaction. Through 15 …

Identifying Potential Underreporting Of Alcohol Use Among U.S. Military Members, Jeong Hong

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Understanding the dynamics of alcohol reporting among U.S. military members is crucial for promoting their well-being and for developing effective support programs. Yet current research often overlooks the issue of potential underreporting of alcohol use among U.S. military members. This study aimed to address this gap by exploring the phenomenon of underreporting alcohol use among military personnel. This qualitative study utilized an ethnographic research method to investigate the experiences of 35 U.S. military members with various military statuses. The research questions explored the perception of the prevalence and causes of underreporting of alcohol use and possible remedies for underreporting, framed …

Research Imitates Life: Researching Within Your Lived Experience, Bethany Donaghy, Delane Linkiewich

Patient Experience Journal

This personal narrative article seeks to bring awareness to and provide an overview of the various aspects that come with being a lived experience researcher including the host of benefits and challenges that come with conducting research within one's own area of lived experience. Throughout this narrative, we (Bethany Donaghy, an autistic person, and Delane Linkiewich a person living with chronic pain) share our perspectives on what it is like to be lived experience researchers. Our narratives discuss how the many identities we hold both improve the impact and relevance of our research while also posing challenges for us like …

A Social Ecology Model For Social Determinants Of Health As Psychosis Risk Factors, Katie Beck-Felts

Theses and Dissertations

Social determinants of health (SDOHs) significantly impact psychosis risk beyond heritability. However, there is a need for an organizing framework to observe how these diverse elements concurrently predict psychosis risk. This study examines SDOHs as psychosis risk factors using a four-level model, aligned with Bronfenbrenner's social ecology theory. The study aims to assess the proposed model’s ability to predict psychosis risk. Specifically, it is hypothesized that each socioecological level of the model would predict psychosis risk with more proximal SDOHs (e.g., individual level vs community) exhibiting stronger predictive power, aligning with Social Ecology theory. College students (N = 210) completed …

Five A Day, The Rainbow Way: A Nutrition Education Toolkit For Elementary School Aged Children, Sasha Menard

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

Learning Outcome: Develop a nutrition educational toolkit based on Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) for obesity prevention among elementary school-aged children by improving determinants of fruit and vegetable intake.

Background: Poor consumption of fruits and vegetables is a major contributing factor to childhood obesity, increasing the risk for chronic diseases later in life. There is a need for multicomponent nutrition educational tools to influence children to improve their eating behavior by increasing their awareness and self-efficacy. The current project describes the development of a 3-component toolkit for improving participants’ knowledge and values related to fruit and vegetable intake among 6-11-year-olds.

Methods: …

Recidivism: Putting A Stop To The Revolving Door, Kathy Crowder Green

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Recidivism is a powerfully adverse factor in the lives of individuals who seek to reintegrate into society and the community at large. In this qualitative research, former inmates who were successfully released and had never been convicted within one year of their release were interviewed to discover the rationale. The research focused on understanding the skills and traits obtained through the Alternative Custody Program that can effectively reduce recidivism. Utilizing a phenomenological design, the purpose of this study was to understand the effects of program participation on the lives of former inmates concerning recidivism. Interviews lasting approximately an hour were …

Essential Resource Barriers And Perceived Implications Among Military Parents Of Autistic Children, Ann Bayron-Freay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Elevated mental health issues and health care accessibility challenges may be exacerbated by the stressors experienced by military parents of autistic children. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis was to explore how military parents with autistic children experienced and perceived essential resource barriers. Parent perceptions of the obstacles they experienced with essential resource accessibility led to significant difficulties being identified. The stress process model was used to frame the concepts in this research. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with eight active duty or recently retired military parents who had at least one autistic child during their service. Themes …

The Psychological Victimization Of Relational Bullying Among The Lgbtqia+ Population, Erika Daniels

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The research problem in this study was the lack of research conducted on the psychological victimization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersexual, asexual, and other (LGBTQIA+) individuals who may have experienced relational bullying by other sexual minorities. Unfortunately, relational bullying is not viewed as being as detrimental as physical, verbal, and cyberbullying. The purpose of this study was to explore sexual minorities’ experiences with relational bullying at the hands of other sexual minorities. Research has shown that LGBTQIA+ individuals experience physical, verbal, and cyberbullying behavior from their family, friends, and peers. However, there was limited research on how they …

African American Men’S Pursuit Of Leadership Roles In White-Collar Professions: A Qualitative Study, Quincy Bryant

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this research was to examine the context of minority leadership for African American men to identify how African Americans’ physiological, safety, security, social, esteem, and self-actualization needs impact their desire to seek leadership roles in white-collar settings while understanding modern implications of their experiences. Previously, there have been discrepancies in terms of managerial roles, specifically top management, which has contributed to addressing potential variables that influence lack of minority leadership in white-collar organizations. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory was used. Purposive and snowball sampling strategies were used to identify 21 participants for this qualitative study via one-on-one …

Testing The Effect Of Autonomy-Supportive Instructions During Yoga On Autonomy, Competence, And Affective Response, Bree Geary

Psychology Theses and Dissertations

This early-phase intervention development project tested the effect of autonomy-supportive instructional cues during a single yoga session on affective response, perceived autonomy, and perceived competence. Using a between-subjects experimental design, participants were randomly assigned to either an autonomy-supportive intervention condition or a mindfulness-based control condition. During the 30-minute online pre-recorded yoga sessions, affective response was measured immediately before the yoga session, at peak, pre-savasana, and post-savasana. Perceived autonomy and perceived competence were measured immediately after. Multilevel models tested the effects of the autonomy-supportive intervention on primary outcomes (affective response, perceived autonomy, and perceived competence) and secondary outcomes (yoga practice intentions …

Cbt-I Training For The Mental Health Clinician To Deliver Evidence-Based Treatment To Address Impaired Sleep Quality In A Correctional Facility, Huong Madrigal

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Abstract

Description of the Problem: Insomnia significantly impacts mental and physical well-being, with long-term health effects and considerable healthcare costs. While pharmacological treatments offer temporary relief for some, they do not always provide lasting solutions.

Available Knowledge: A PRISMA-guided literature review found that training programs for cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) are effective in increasing knowledge and confidence for addressing impaired sleep.

Aim and Objectives: This project aimed to enhance mental health clinicians' ability to assess and treat impaired sleep, focusing on implementing a tailored CBT-I educational initiative in a correctional facility.

Intervention: This project implemented evidence-based CBT-I …

A Stepwise Evaluation Of Pairing, Shaping, And Nonremoval Of The Spoon For Children With Autism And Feeding Difficulties, Nicole C. Demchuk

Theses & Dissertations

Feeding difficulties are pervasive for children with autism. The present study investigated the effects of a pairing intervention on cooperation with demands/acceptance of new foods, inappropriate behaviors, proximity to therapist, and indices of happiness for three children with autism and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder. When the pairing intervention alone was not effective to decrease inappropriate behaviors and increase acceptance of new foods, we implemented shaping procedures. Shaping was effective to increase acceptance of four new foods for two participants. For the third participant, we ultimately implemented nonremoval of the spoon procedures to decrease inappropriate behaviors and increase acceptance of …

Peer Support For Second Victims In The Healthcare Setting, Levi Gangi

Advances in Clinical Medical Research and Healthcare Delivery

Adverse and traumatic events happen regularly in healthcare settings, and often they create a clinician “second victim” who struggles with feelings of guilt, isolation, doubt, and incompetence. Research has shown that clinicians desire support in the wake of such adverse events, but that factors such as stigma, culture of perfection, and lack of an available structured peer program limit the support that might be offered. Healthcare institutions contract with EAP (employee assistance program) agencies to provide counseling for employees, but it is more likely that a second victim will seek out or welcome help first from a peer who shares …

Affect Regulation And Allostatic Load Over Time, Amanda E. Ng, Tara Gruenewald, Robert-Paul Juster, Claudia Trudel-Fitzgerald

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objective

Emerging work suggests that affect regulation strategies (e.g., active coping, anger expression) predict disease and mortality risk, with sometimes divergent estimates by sex or education levels. However, few studies have examined potential underlying biological mechanisms. This study assessed the longitudinal association of affect regulation with future allostatic load.

Method

In 2004–2006, 574 participants from the Midlife in the United States study completed validated scales assessing use of nine general and emotion-specific regulatory strategies (e.g., denial, anger expression). As a proxy for how flexibly participants regulate their affect, variability in the use of regulatory strategies was operationalized using a standard …

Disability In Cluster Headache Is More Than Attack Frequency – Results From And Validation Of The English Version Of The Cluster Headache Impact Questionnaire (Chiq), Katharina Kamm, Andreas Straube, Mark Burish, Ruth Ruscheweyh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Cluster headache (CH) is associated with high disability. The Cluster Headache Impact Questionnaire (CHIQ) is a short, disease-specific disability questionnaire first developed and validated in German. Here, we validated the English version of this questionnaire.

METHODS: The CHIQ was assessed together with nonspecific headache-related disability questionnaires in CH patients from a tertiary headache center and an American self-help group.

RESULTS: 155 active episodic and chronic CH patients were included. The CHIQ showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.91) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.93, n = 44). Factor analysis identified a single factor. Convergent validity was shown by …

Cooperative Extension’S Role In Addressing The Opioid Overdose Crisis: Best Practices From The Heart Initiative Model, Hailey Judd, Alise Williams Condie, Ashley C. Yaugher, Mateja R. Savoie-Roskos, Gabriela Murza, Timothy Keady, Sadie Wilde, Rachel Myrer, Maren Wright Voss

Journal of Extension

Cooperative Extension is in a unique position to address health and wellness concerns across the country, particularly in rural areas with local Extension services. One innovative model, the Health Extension: Advocacy, Research, and Teaching (HEART) Initiative, unites Extension, community organizations, and community members in collaborative activities to address the complex, multifaceted components of substance use disorder. The model utilized a multidisciplinary team and community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach with evidence-based practices to increase Extension’s abilities to guide and tailor programming to local needs and to create significant impacts. Cooperative Extension’s long history of engagement in the community, with state and …

Acceptability Of Heart Rate-Based Remote Monitoring Of Smoking Status., Matthew Mitnick, Shelby Goodwin, Mikaela Bubna, Justin S White, Bethany Raiff

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

INTRODUCTION: Digital interventions present a scalable solution to overcome barriers to smoking cessation treatment, and changes in resting heart rate (HR) may offer a viable option for monitoring smoking status remotely. The goal of this study was to explore the acceptability of using smartphone cameras and activity trackers to measure heart rate for use in a smoking cessation intervention.

METHODS: Participants (N=410), most of whom identified as female (75.8 %) with mean age 38.3 years (SD 11.4), were recruited via the Smoke Free app. They rated the perceived comfort, convenience, and likelihood of using smartphone cameras and wrist-worn devices for …

A Qualitative Study On Workplace Mental Wellbeing In The Singapore Context, Chad C E Yip, M. Anthony Machin, Yong Wah Goh

The Qualitative Report

Workplace wellbeing is essential for the employee as well as the organisation, but it may not adequately capture the way wellbeing is experienced in Singapore due to its diverse multi-ethnic society imbued with Eastern and Western values. The present study explores Singaporean employees’ understanding and perspectives in relation to how they experience wellbeing at the Singapore workplace. With a total of 31 participants consisting of full-time Singaporean employees from 17 industries, we used reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2013) to interpret the data and develop the themes. These 13 themes are: accomplishment, autonomy, co-worker relationship, employee recognition, fairness, learning …

Educational Experiences Of Juvenile Offenders In Minnesota, Danielle Petruska

Theses and Graduate Projects

Objective of Study. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of positive adult/teacher relationships in juvenile detention educational settings in Minnesota on juvenile offenders’ perceptions of school, as well as their future plans for attending college after high school. Method. Data were obtained from the 2019 administration of the Minnesota Student Survey, involving 280 juvenile offenders (83 girls) from correctional educational facilities. Hypotheses were tested using correlational analyses to examine the relationship between perceived adult/teacher relationships and school perceptions, as well as the association between these relationships and post-high school plans. Results. Results revealed …

Caring Until It Hurts: A Survey Of Compassion Fatigue And Moral Injury Among Wild Animal Caregivers And Its Implications For Animal Welfare In Zoos, Aquariums, Rehabilitation Centers, And Sanctuaries, Nadiya L. Delgado

Theses and Dissertations

Caregivers for captive wild animals are fundamental to the overall care, welfare, and conservation of animals in their charge, fulfilling diverse and critical roles. Caring for others, whether humans or animals, exposes caregivers to compassion fatigue – a state of emotional and physical exhaustion resulting from prolonged empathetic engagement with those they assist, and moral injury – psychological distress that arises from actions, or the lack of them, which violate one's moral or ethical code. This distress can manifest as intense feelings of guilt, shame, or a sense of betrayal by oneself or others. These phenomena are pertinent in environments …

Sex Differences In The Diets Of Forest-Dwelling Baboons (Papio Anubis), Kara Hartunian

Theses and Dissertations

The ability to eat and switch between many food sources is an adaptative feeding strategy utilized for meeting nutritional needs across different environments, seasons, and physiological conditions. Baboons (genus Papio) excel at both dietary flexibility and foraging selectively, and consequently have one of the most widespread geographic distributions in the Order. To further expand to our understanding of baboon feeding ecology, I analyzed foraging activity and the nutritional characteristics of the diets of the relatively understudied rainforest baboons (Papio anubis) living in Kibale National Park, Uganda. I also investigated if there are differences in food type choice …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Mental Health- A Comparison Between Gender & Race, Taliyah Quinn

Theses and Dissertations

My study will focus on the rise of mental health toward the African American, Latinx and Asian Americans communities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The spread of the virus, the high percentage rate of infections among minorities, isolation, quarantining and socio economic disadvantages played a major role in the increase of mental disparities.

Narcissus Goes Digital: The Impact Of Zoom’S Self-View Feature On Cognitive Load And Zoom Fatigue Among Those With High And Low Adhd Symptoms, Abigail Aris Weir

Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with ADHD may be more vulnerable to an increased cognitive load during video conferencing (e.g., Zoom) due to the distracting nature of their reflection being displayed by the self-view feature. This feature, however, may also provide stabilizing effects by offering consistent visual feedback for self-monitoring, thus reducing anxiety.

Comparing Virtual Reality Vs. Augmented Reality In Promoting Covid-19 Self-Testing, Vaccination, And Preventive Behaviors, Zhan Xu, Lisa Dam

Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies Faculty Research

Objective: Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are innovative technologies that can serve as effective tools for creating health interventions by altering psychological distance. Based on construal level theory and the reality-virtuality continuum, we designed, tested, and compared VR and AR campaigns to encourage proactive measures against COVID-19. Methods: 143 participants were randomly assigned to one of three messages: VR, AR, and a CDC video, and completed surveys before, immediately, and one week following message exposure. Results: VR and AR increased preventive intentions and behaviors against COVID-19 both in the short and long run. VR was particularly effective as …

An Exploration Of China’S Low Fertility From A Feminist Lens: Chinese Women’S Feminist Identity Development, Perceived Gender Inequality, And Attitudes Toward Marriage, Yuan Hao

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Inspired by China’s current low fertility rate issues, this dissertation explored how Chinese women’s perceptions on gender inequality might shape their attitudes towards marriage and intent to marry, through the influences of different dimensions of feminist identity development. Through an online survey, 251 Chinese women who met the inclusion criteria were participants in this study. Hypotheses were tested through mediation analysis using the PROCESS Macro Model 4.

The following hypotheses were supported: 1) Chinese women’s perception of gender inequality is associated with their attitudes toward marriage. The greater they perceive gender inequality, the more negative their attitudes toward marriage will …