Digital Commons Network^™

Mental Health Impacts On African Refugees, Michelle Mailhiot

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study explores the mental health impacts of African refugee women traveling with children under the age of 18 during migration to Europe through Morocco, a key yet under examined transit country. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological case study was to examine the lived experiences of distress, coping, and barriers to mental health support. Twenty participants were recruited through local NGOs and community networks in Morocco, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was employed to identify recurring patterns across participants’ narratives including hunger, homelessness, and exploitation intensifying psychological strain, particularly in relation to caregiving responsibilities …

Retrospective Adult Bullying Role Trend Analysis With Correlational Investigation Between The Victim Role And Stigma-Based Demographic Information, Shilowe A. Ensminger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A longstanding social construct that has negatively impacted large numbers of individuals throughout generations is bullying. Despite anti-bullying programs and policies, current literature indicates that bullying is an ongoing concern throughout schools and in the workplace. The consequences of bullying have been shown to impact the mental and physical health of those involved with potentially severe outcomes. Current literature focuses on analysis of childhood bullying experiences, leaving a gap in the research investigating adult reflective bullying trends. The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental survey, and causal-comparative study was to address this gap by recruiting adult participants for a reflective analysis …

Cv: Kimberly Duris (Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Counselor Education And Supervision), Kimberly Duris

Psychology Department Faculty Curricula Vitae

No abstract provided.

Contrapower Harassment And Stress Experienced By Online Psychology Instructors, Sarah D. Hull

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous researchers have found that face to face bullying by students directed towards postsecondary education faculty may result in negative mental and emotional impacts. The virtual environment provides a unique opportunity for student-to-faculty bullying behaviors, known as cyberbullying, to occur. Researchers have not yet studied how psychology faculty in particular experience stress when cyberbullied by students. The purpose of this qualitative study, rooted in phenomenological design, was to improve the understanding of how psychology faculty who are cyberbullied by students experience stress. Contrapower harassment theory was used to ground these research questions and design. The research questions examined the experiences …

Threads Of Attachment: Exploring Relationship Development Among Marginalized Populations Of Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors, Eunique S. Powell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA), traumatic sexual violence within trusted relationships, continues to impact children in the United States and often leads to insecure attachments in adulthood. There was a gap in the literature concerning the experiences of adult survivors of CSA within marginalized communities, where such experiences are frequently ignored. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive phenomenological study was to explore how adult survivors of CSA from marginalized populations develop attachments. Bowlby argued that maintaining mental health in adulthood depends on forming healthy and secure relationships during childhood. Bowlby’s attachment theory served as the framework to understand how early attachment …

Cv: Philip Blankenship (Behavioral Neuroscience), Philip Blankenship

Psychology Department Faculty Curricula Vitae

No abstract provided.

The Lived Experiences Of Imposter Syndrome Among Women Of Color Professors In Higher Education, Adrianna Marie Hooker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the unique challenges faced by women of color professors in higher education, who often experience imposter syndrome due to systemic barriers and underrepresentation. The purpose of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of how these professors experienced and made meaning of imposter syndrome in academic settings. The central research question examined the meaning of imposter syndrome among women of color professors in higher education. This study was grounded in intersectionality and self-determination theory, which provided frameworks for understanding how multiple identities influenced feelings of inadequacy and professional identity. Participants included 12 women of …

The Stress Parents Face When Their Autistic Child Turns 21, Everetta Joyce Irene Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This exploratory study examined the lived experiences of parents whose autistic children turned 21 and aged out school and services provided by the federally funded Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) program. Although researchers have conducted numerous studies on autism, limited research has focused specifically on the stress parents face when their autistic child turns 21 and loses access to FAPE. The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry was to gain a deeper understanding of the emotional, logistical, and systemic challenges these parents encountered during the transition out of high school. Family Systems Theory provided the conceptual framework for exploring these …

The Impact Of Microaggression Exposure On Emotional Reactivity And Distress Following An Emotionally Provocative Movie Scene, Gwendolyn Jefferson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This quantitative study explored how past experiences with racial microaggressions affect emotional reactions to racially charged media and whether factors like age and gender influence that response. Using Minority Stress Theory as a guide, 183 African American adults completed the Racial and Ethnic Microaggressions Scale and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory before and after watching a racially provocative film clip. The first analysis found no direct link between microaggression exposure and emotional change. However, further testing with analysis of variance showed that people with higher exposure reported much stronger emotional distress than those with lower exposure, F(1,180) = 38.12, p < .001, η² = .175. When demographic factors were added in a hierarchical regression, the model became significant, F(7,175) = 2.06, p = .036, R² = .076, showing that age (β = .086, p = .009) and gender (β = 1.505, p = .039) influenced emotional responses. Thus, older African American women showed the strongest distress, suggesting that the combined effects of race, gender, and age increase vulnerability to racial stress. These findings support the idea that racial trauma is complex and shaped by overlapping social identities. The study highlights the need for culturally sensitive mental health support, inclusive media portrayals, and greater awareness of generational and caregiving stress among African American women. By showing how overlapping identities shape emotional well-being, this research advances social change through empathy, reduced stigma, and institutional accountability, encouraging equity-driven practices that foster racial healing, fairness, and psychological resilience across communities.

Making Sense Of Teaming With Ai: Exploring Human-Ai Team Development Through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Elizabeth A. Johnson

River Cities Industrial and Organizational Psychology Conference

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly embedded in collaborative work environments, Human-AI Teaming (HAIT) is reshaping how employees experience team development and view AI as an active teammate, versus passive tool. This in-progress dissertation study uses Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore how employees make sense of team development within HAIT context. Grounded in Business Psychology and designed for I-O psychology application, the study explores how employees interpret milestones of human-AI team development and navigate emerging socio-technical dynamics. The primary research question guiding this inquiry is: How do employees make sense of their experiences of team development while working on …

Impact Of Artificial Intelligence On Employee Job Performance, Communication, And Job Security, Andrew S. Duck, David Earnest

River Cities Industrial and Organizational Psychology Conference

The recent mass influx of Artificial Intelligence (AI) over the last 10 years has impacted how many professions operate (Olan et al., 2023). These operational changes include a decrease in clerical positions as AI tools, such as language automation software, have been implemented to replace routine tasks like data entry and shift scheduling (World Economic Forum, 2023). Changes can also be seen in healthcare, where AI diagnostic tools assist doctors in interpreting medical images, such as tears or fractures (Gitto et al., 2024). Research supports AI integration benefits, including reduced employee burnout and lower turnover rates in jobs such as …

Intimate Partner Violence: Serving Heterosexual Male And Same-Sex Victims, David Welch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an ongoing social problem across nationalities, cultures, socioeconomic statuses, sexual orientations, and genders. Historically, research into IPV has focused on the heterosexual female victim and male perpetrator paradigm, including identifying the root causes of this phenomenon and appropriate treatment models. There is a distinct gap in the current literature addressing how therapists in the psychological community approach working with heterosexual male and same-sex victims of IPV, beginning with case conceptualization. To explore the unique case conceptualization considerations of therapists as they encounter heterosexual male and same-sex IPV victims in their practice, a general phenomenological research …

Beyond Buzzwords: How Ai Is Transforming Learning & Development, Grace Winder

River Cities Industrial and Organizational Psychology Conference

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly revolutionizing Learning and Development (L&D), offering benefits such as personalized training, streamlined content creation, and enhanced accessibility. This session delves into the transformative power of AI in the design and delivery of training programs. By addressing common training hurdles, like outdated manuals and rigid materials, the presentation showcases how AI can significantly enhance both effectiveness and learner experience. It will also explore key theoretical frameworks, including Cognitive Load, Social Learning, Constructivist, and Self-Determination Theories, and how they underpin AI applications like immersive Virtual Reality training, adaptive learning platforms, and intelligent tutoring systems. This session will provide …

What Fuels The Badge: College Students’ Beliefs On What Motivates Officers, Riya N. Patel

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Today, a large, increasing gap in trust exists between law enforcement officers and civilians. Although law enforcement officers may possess a “rescue personality” (e.g., being a highly dedicated risk-taker with a desire to help), they are feared by some civilians (Salters-Pedneault et al., 2010; Wynveen et al., 2007). Still, many officers choose more positive motivators for pursuing their career, including factors such as job security, benefits, and the desire to help others (Schuck, 2020). To better understand this, this study surveyed 198 undergraduate students at the University of Central Florida who completed a survey measuring their perceptions of the motivators …

Factors Affecting Public Knowledge About Ocd Mental Health Literacy, Lauren Angell, Aleena Babu, Jimmy Dumont, Lauren Masapollo, Kaitlyn Silva

The Graduate Review

This research project aimed to examine how varying portrayals of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) influence public mental health literacy (MHL). Our research questions focused on the impact of multidimensional vs single portrayals of OCD on OCD MHL, as well as the influence of certain sociodemographic factors on OCD MHL. Additional exploratory questions were investigated and aimed to explain the relationship between OCD MHL and media, as well as OCD MHL and education levels. To investigate these questions, the study employed a combination of experimental and survey-based methods. By fostering greater awareness of misinformation about OCD, the study not only aimed to …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Examining Emergent Patterns Of Behavior In White Female Sexual Homicide Offenders, Kristin Bemis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The majority of studies on sexual homicide offenders (SHOs) have been conducted on male sexual homicide offenders (MSHOs). In many aspects, this is due to society’s reluctance to view women as capable of sexual murder. There have only been a handful of studies conducted on female sexual homicide offenders (FSHOs). However, these studies found substantial differences between MSHOs and FSHOs, as well as between White FSHOs and Black FSHOs. Since prior studies on FSHOs have all been quantitative, this study employed a qualitative case study approach to analyze FSHOs. Using rational choice theory, 12 White FSHO cases were examined, using …

The Relationship Between Psychological Acculturation And Bicultural Identity Integration In A Sample Of Migrants Living In Germany, Konrad Dalberg, Viktoria Kohl, Mona Leonhardt, Stephan Bongard

Papers from the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conferences

Psychological acculturation strategies and bicultural identity integration have mostly been examined separately in the context of migration. This study explores to what extent these constructs and their subdimensions are related and whether there are overlaps or redundancies between them. Using data from an online survey of migrants (N = 147) in Germany, correlation and regression analyses, an exploratory factor analysis, and mean comparisons were conducted. Significant relationships were found particularly between orientation towards the host culture and cultural harmony, while no association between cultural blendedness and psychological acculturation was found. The factor analysis identified four factors, with primary loadings largely …

Comparison Of Human Versus Genai Generated Measurements Of Personal Beauty Values, Fumiko Kano Glückstad, Kohei Kanno, Hiromi Kobayashi, Rie Nakamura

Papers from the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conferences

It is a challenging task to develop a scale to measure psychological constructs in a non-native language. In this study, we compared reliability and validity of a scale to measure five dimensions of Personal Beauty Values (PBV) generated by ChatGPT4 with a human-generated PBV scale. The original human-generated PBV scale in English consists of 14 items divided into five dimensions. The limitation of this scale developed by non-native English speakers is a restricted number of items, which will potentially limit the applicability of the scale to other cultural contexts. To complement this weakness, we generated additional items of the five …

The Progression Of Deinstitutionalization And Its Effects On The American South: A Judicial Analysis Of 20th-Century United States Supreme Court Decisions, Eva-Marie V. Jones

Honors College Theses

This thesis explores the effects of four landmark Supreme Court cases on the deinstitutionalization movement in the American south. Previous literature frequently discusses the legislative implications of this era; however, no law is applicable without the interpretation and application of the judiciary, which so often contextualizes the greater public perspective. Rarely has an analysis of judicial decisions involving psychiatric care merged with regional focus, and certainly not in a format accessible to the average individual.

From unmarked graves to abandoned infrastructure, the legacy of historic psychiatric care in the United States has been largely obscured – yet its consequences continue …

Refugee Stigma And Its Toll On Mental Health: Development And Validation Of The Refugee Stigma Scale (Rss), Hamed Abdollahpour Ranjbar, Khaled Elazab, Ibrahim Yigit, Fatema Almeamari, Ceren Acartürk, Gülşah Kurt, Janet Turan, Andrea Norcini Pala, Bulent Turan

Student Publications [Scholarly]

Background Unprecedented, forced displacement, especially from conflict and war areas, requires addressing resultant mental health issues. Aim Refugees experience mental and physical health problems due to post-displacement stressors, and the pervasive stigma associated with refugee status can exacerbate these difficulties, highlighting the need for a comprehensive assessment tool to understand various facets of refugee stigma. Method We developed the refugee stigma scale (RSS), consisting of 43 items informed by the literature, qualitative and quantitative data. The scale includes four theoretical dimensions of stigma: perceived community stigma, experienced stigma, anticipated stigma and internalised stigma. To examine convergent validity, validated self-report measures …

The Effects Of Head Injury On Executive Function And Emotion Regulation In Male And Female Athletes, Anna Christine Speer

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Head injuries are a common occurrence among athletes, and research on concussions has seen significant rise alongside an increasing awareness of their symptoms and effects. Women’s involvement in sports has also rapidly increased in recent decades. However, a significant gap in research exists as to how the effects of head injuries may differ across sexes, particularly regarding executive function and emotion regulation. This study aimed to bridge this gap in research by investigating how the frequency of head injuries in both female and male athletes impact executive functioning and emotion regulation among current and former athletes. Current and former athletes …

Competitive Stress And Life History Mismatch, Norman P. Li, Amy J. Y. Lim

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Simulations, correlational studies, and laboratory experiments have recently shown that cues to high-resource competition may be steering individuals toward increasingly less favorable attitudes toward reproduction and slower life-history strategies. This work suggests that, alongside extrinsic mortality, it may be fruitful to examine the role of competitive stress cues in shaping life-history strategies.

Recommendations From Multi-Disciplinary Professionals For Survivor-Informed And Comprehensive Care For Human Trafficking Survivors, Christina Tsoi, Timothy B. Smith, Elizabeth Cutrer-Párraga, Devan Clayton, Joshua M. Marshall, Jamila Mastny

Faculty Publications

Background: Human trafficking affects millions of people worldwide with multiple adverse outcomes including psychopathology. Although research on human trafficking has become abundant in other academic disciplines (e.g., public health, criminology, social work), healthcare research specific to the mental health treatment of survivors remains limited. Objective: The purpose of this study was to gather recommendations from professionals about mental health treatment of trafficking survivors. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 multidisciplinary professionals working with trafficking survivors. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis methodology. Results: An overarching theme derived from the data concerned the recommendation to implement trafficking survivor-informed care, …

E-Counseling Platform For Seafarers’ Sound Mental Health : Prospects And Challenges To Implement Globally On-Board Ships, Farzana Yasmin

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Differentiation Of Self And Self-Construal On Satisfaction With Life And Psychological Well-Being In A Brazilian Sample, Kavya Dhaipulle

Theses and Dissertations

The present study intended to confirm the self-construal dimensional model and to examine the cross-cultural applicability of Bowen’s Family Systems theory in the Brazilian context. Bowen’s concept of Differentiation of Self (DoS) has gathered substantial empirical evidence for its association with well-being; however, only a few studies have examined these constructs within Latin American cultures, including Brazil. Recent studies have indicated that independent and interdependent self-construal coexist in many Latin American cultures, such as Brazil. Therefore, the current study examined how the unique blend of independent and interdependent values in Brazilian culture relates to their DoS, overall psychological well-being, and …

Longitudinal And Cross-Sectional Predictors Of Sleep Disturbance In A Treatment Follow-Up Sample With Tourette’S Disorder, Maya S. Tooker, Kathryn E. Barber, Joseph F. Mcguire, Flint M. Espil, Jordan T. Stiede, Jennifer S. Schild, Shannon M. Bennett, Matthew W. Specht, John T. Walkup, Douglas W. Woods, John Piacentini, Emily J. Ricketts

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Background: Sleep disturbance is common in individuals with Tourette’s disorder (TD). Tic symptoms, medication, functional impairment, and psychiatric comorbidity frequently contribute to sleep disturbance in children and adults with TD. However, long-term predictors of sleep disturbance in TD are not known. This study examined longitudinal and cross-sectional predictors of sleep disturbance in a treatment follow-up sample with TD.

Methods: Eighty subjects who completed a 10-week randomized controlled trial of behavior therapy for tics in childhood (M_age = 11.47, SD = 2.42 years) participate in follow-up evaluation on average, 11.17 (SD = 1.25) years after post-treatment assessment ( …

Three Good Things And Family Process, Julia Prouty

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

There is a need for adaptive and affordable prevention/intervention strategies to promote happiness, health, and well-being in families. Three Good Things (3GT) is a free exercise from the field of positive psychology meant to shift an individual’s focus and perceptions towards gratitude. 3GT promotes focusing on gratitude by reflecting on what an individual is grateful for from the past day/week. Persons are encouraged to write down and share their 3GT with another individual. A mindset of gratitude is closely associated with improved happiness, health, and well-being. The exercise of reflecting on 3GT is adaptive to most individuals/families. To date, most …

Religious Security As A Component Of National Security In The Sphere Of Social And Economic Communication, Yevhen Kharkovshchenko, Vitalii Nitsenko, Yevhen Piletskyi, Mariia Nesterova

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

National security is proposed to be viewed as a coordinated open system that, in addition to the religious, also includes military, economic, social, and other components. Considering religion as part of such an open system makes it possible to distinguish two mutually directed vectors of communication within religious communities: from church leaders to the faithful and vice versa. This presupposes feedback communication links that allow a denomination to balance interactions among the actors of church–society relations. The concept of “communication” in the context of religious and national security is thus expanded from a narrow understanding of information exchange to an …

Digital Media And Political Engagement: Shaping Youth Environmental Attitudes And Behaviors In Four European Societies, Tyler Hansen, Chloe K. Taylor, Ryan T. Knowles

Psychology Student Research

This study investigates the relationship between students’ political engagement, civic knowledge, socioeconomic status, gender, and digital media use and their pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors in Denmark, Sweden, Spain, and Romania. To do this, we use data from the International Civic and Citizenship Study (ICCS:22) and employ hierarchical level modeling. We found that students with higher civic knowledge and greater confidence in their ability to be active citizens were more likely to report both pro-environmental behaviors and positive attitudes in every country studied. Socioeconomic status also showed positive links with environmental engagement. Digital media use was linked to more pro-environmental behaviors …