Digital Commons Network^™

Social Workers’ Lived Experiences Of Trauma-Informed Training, Ashley Ann Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social workers report limited formal training in trauma-informed approaches, and implementation of trauma-informed care varies widely across settings, with inconsistent training uptake and organizational support for sustained practice change. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of social workers in trauma-informed training. The study was guided by trauma-informed care principles and an experiential learning framework. The research question examined how social workers develop trauma-informed competence and how systemic factors influence practice. Data were collected through 11 semi structured interviews with social workers and analyzed using thematic analysis. Three key themes emerged: (a) trauma-informed competence …

An Exploration Of The Psychological Impacts Of Code-Switching, Cristina Culler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an interpretative phenomenological analysis of the lived experiences of four Black American adults who have frequently engaged in code-switching. Historically, code-switching has been perceived as a necessary skill that helps marginalized folx adopt the norms and practices of the dominant culture. As a result, code-switching has become a routine practice specifically for Black Americans who often occupy white spaces. Since code-switching has been perceived as a skill, the oppressive origins of code-switching often go unnoticed. Therefore, this dissertation examines code-switching through a critical lens that deems this practice a product of racist ideologies that prioritize whiteness. Through …

Exploring Public Perceptions Of Genetic Risk In Substance Use Disorders, Brooke A. Goodenow

All Dissertations

This dissertation examines genetic risk perception, with specific emphasis on substance use disorders (SUDs), through a collection of three manuscripts. The dissertation examines genetic risk perception for hereditary diseases in existing literature, describes a methodological framework for capturing genetic risk perception across social media discourse, and identifies themes and emotional tone associated with genetic risk perception for SUDs across two major social media platforms (X and Reddit).

Combined, these three manuscripts expand and support previous findings about genetic risk perception and its role in shaping health beliefs and associated behaviors. The dissertation findings reveal numerous similarities in genetic risk perception …

Leveraging Technology To Measure The Strength Of Demand For Commercial And Trafficked Sex, Michael D. Shively, Bob Rodgers, Courtney Furlong, Brooke Ruffin

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The article examines Transaction Intercept (TI), an artificial‑intelligence platform designed to reduce sex trafficking by disrupting the revenue streams that draw organized crime into the market. Transaction Intercept deploys decoy online ads that appear to offer commercial sexual exploitation or prostitution. Automated "decoy" personas connect to individuals who click on these ads and engage them in text conversations. These exchanges can remain fully automated, ending with deterrence messages, or be transferred to police for potential enforcement action or to trained volunteers who attempt to discourage further attempts to buy sex. Transaction Intercept generates extensive, real‑time data on local demand for …

Navigating The Dark Side: Emotional Labor's Impact On Hr Professionals' Wellness, Esmeralda Amelia Rendón

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative descriptive study was designed to document and describe how female-identifying human resource (HR) generalist practitioners serving as sole or primary employee relations practitioners in small- to medium-sized organizations across the United States experience and manage emotional labor in their roles, cope with its demands, and how these experiences impact their wellness and perceptions of organizational support. Despite the centrality of emotional labor (EL) in human resource professionals’ (HRPs) roles, little was known about how HRPs in these underresourced environments cope with these demands. Data were collected through semistructured virtual interviews with eight participants and analyzed using Braun and …

A Quantitative Exploration Of Public School Teachers’ Colorblind Racial Attitudes And Their Teaching Practices, Lindsey Dopheide

Dissertations

Teachers play a significant role in shaping student’s academic experiences, social development, and understanding of race and diversity within school settings. Because schools function as important sites of racial socialization, teachers’ beliefs about race may influence how they interpret student behavior, respond to inequities, select instructional practices, and engage with culturally diverse classrooms. One framework that has received increasing attention within psychological and educational research is colorblind racial ideology (CBRI) which reflects the minimization or denial of the continuing significance of race and racism in society. Colorblind racial ideology has been identified in prior literature as a dominant framework for …

What Makes A Cozy Game Cozy? Looking Through The Lens Of Feminism And 4e Cognition, Mary Catherine M. Wilcox

All Theses

Why do some games feel cozy, and others miss the mark, even if they are tricked out in bright colors and festooned with bows? This thesis examines the emerging genre of “cozy games” to better understand why some titles successfully evoke comfort and relaxation while others fail, despite relying on conventionally cute aesthetics or farming-sim mechanics. Although cozy games have grown rapidly in popularity over the past decade, the genre remains under-studied and is often dismissed as frivolous, reflecting the broader historical devaluation of media associated with women. Accordingly, this study argues that understanding cozy games requires examining women’s relationship …

Artificial Intelligence (Ai) In Forensic Psychology: An Umbrella Review Of Potentials And Pitfalls, Ysabel Thereze Ang Guevarra, Nur Eva Alisha Binte Mohamed Hisham, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly embedded within forensic psychological practice, shaping how criminal risk, legal responsibility and public safety are assessed. AI tools are now used in recidivism prediction, behavioural analysis, deception detection and investigative support, high-stakes domains where errors can have profound consequences. Despite this rapid adoption, the existing literature remains fragmented, with most reviews confined to narrow subdomains and offering limited integrated synthesis of AI′s broader role in forensic psychology. Thus, this umbrella review addresses this gap by synthesising findings from 43 reviews obtained from five major databases, namely EBSCOhost ERIC, EBSCOhost PsycInfo, PubMed, Scopus and Web …

Gender And Professional Identities In Businesswomen’S Negotiation, Chi-Ying Cheng, Amy J. Lim, Yi Wen Tan, Fiona Lee

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Gender roles and expectations for women have been shown to account for why women tend to negotiate ineffectively in business settings. Drawing from the psychological literature on multiple identities, this paper examines how individual differences in perceived compatibility between gender and professional identities–captured by the construct Gender-Professional Identity Integration (G-PII)–shape businesswomen’s negotiation behaviors. Two studies examined how G-PII interacts with identity cues and cue valence to influence negotiation outcomes. We found that those who perceived their gender and professional identities as compatible (high G-PII) exhibited an “assimilation” effect–they negotiate more effectively when their professional identity was primed by professional identity …

Counselors’ Training Needs In Effectively Engaging With Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy, Elif Bor

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

As public and scientific interest in psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) continues to grow, counselors are increasingly encountering clients who are exploring or engaging in psychedelic use for therapeutic purposes. Such encounters introduce new ethical, clinical, and professional considerations. Counselors must develop an informed understanding of psychedelics and their effects, recognize the emotional and cognitive processes that may emerge during psychedelic experiences, and be prepared to respond to potential risks or adverse reactions (Aicher et al., 2025). They also need to competently answer client questions, assess risk and suitability, facilitate the integration of psychedelic experiences, and collaborate with medical and other professionals …

Switches And Witches: Exploring The Relationships Between Religious Struggles, Spiritual Beliefs, And Well-Being, Emma J. Trierweiler

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the mechanisms between interpersonal and doubt-related struggles and well-being outcomes in a formerly religious sample. The focus of this dissertation was to analyze the mediating roles of disengagement from God and perceived social support. Approach toward God was also examined as a control but not specified to be connected to the well-being outcomes given the emphasis on formerly religious individuals’ experiences. This was a retrospective study, where participants were asked to consider their responses as they relate to the time they were pulling away from religion. Three measures of well-being were explored using structural equation modeling. Positive …

Drinking Group Injunctive Norms: An Event-Level Examination, Karolina Kazlauskaite

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

College students are at increased risk for negative alcohol-related outcomes. Theoretical and empirical support suggest that peer groups play a crucial role in college student alcohol use, in part because they establish normative values and behaviors (i.e., norms) that members follow. Research indicates that those who identify more strongly with a group are more likely to embody that group’s values—particularly regarding drinking. Notably, injunctive norms, or perceptions of peer permissibility toward drinking, predict individual drinking outcomes, such that perceiving one’s peers as more approving confers additional risk for personal drinking. However, prior examinations of injunctive norms have not assessed perceptions …

Exploring The Experiences Of Women In Mental Health Therapy After The Occurrence Of Perinatal Loss, Courtney Allison Nishnick

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Perinatal loss encompasses losses of pregnancies at any gestational age, as well as deaths occurring within one year post-birth. In the United States, around 40 thousand stillbirths and infant deaths occur every year (Ely & Driscoll, 2025; Gregory et al., 2025), with about 23 million miscarriages also occurring annually worldwide (Quenby et al., 2021). Perinatal loss experiences lead to distressing mental health symptoms not limited to anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress, and grief (Crockett et al., 2019; Wamser & Ferro, 2025). While there is extensive research on perinatal loss as it pertains to medical context, there is minimal research relating to …

Closer Than They Appear: Parasocial Relationships, Social Processes, And Emotional Intimacy, Paige Bedore

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Decades of research have attempted to clarify the mechanisms underlying parasocial relationships, or one-sided relationships. Yet, relatively little empirical attention has been given to the subjective experiences of intimacy that occur in these relationships or to making direct comparisons between social and parasocial relational processes within individuals. The present study aimed to address these gaps and to investigate whether selected variables associated with social relationships similarly predicted parasocial relationship strength. Adult participants identified both a meaningful social relationship target and a parasocial target before completing measures of relationship strength, intimacy, attachment style, and cumulative exposure for each relationship type. Hypotheses …

The Representation Of Suicide In Spanish Teen Fiction Tv Series: Narrative Trends And Media Literacy Implications, Patricia Palomares-Sánchez, Victoria Soto-Sanz

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

The present study analyses the narrative treatment of suicide in Spanish youth fiction television series produced between 2015 and 2024, aiming to identify representation trends in relation to the recommendations for responsible media coverage and their implications for media literacy. The methodology underpinning this study encompasses eight fiction TV series and combines quantitative research, derived from data collection and analysis, with a qualitative component, focusing on the interpretation and analysis of the results. Findings indicate that the representation lacks due caution in depicting the method and location of suicide, which increases the risk of imitation. Although the narratives present alternatives …

Eco-Anxiety Among Environmental Volunteers: The Emotional Cost Of Caring For The Planet, Siti Jaro'ah, Cholifia Sarining Pawasa, Kuni Saffana

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

Environmental disasters have frequently been shown to impact the psycho-emotional states of humans, a phenomenon commonly termed eco-anxiety. Individuals who engage in close interactions with the environment may encounter more significant repercussions than other groups, including environmental volunteers. This study seeks to investigate the phenomenon of ecological anxiety among environmental volunteers. The study employed a qualitative phenomenological methodology, using three environmental volunteers as participants. Data were gathered through semi-structured, comprehensive interviews and analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The results indicate that participants experienced the effects of environmental issues in three ways: emotionally, cognitively, and in their daily lives. Among …

Effects Of Exposure To Opposing-Party-Aligned And Same-Partyaligned News On The Tone Of Cross-Cutting And Intraparty Online Political Discussions, Alexa Chen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Five-hundred twenty-one participants completed an online study to assess the effects of exposure to highly polarized news sources on the tone of intraparty and crosscutting political discussions. Participants watched five randomly selected news clips from Fox News or MSNBC and then completed a discussion task with an AI chatbot. News clips were matched by tone and topic across news sources and each participant watched the same number of positive, negative, and neutral news clips. Participants were randomly assigned to engage with one of two chatbots: the liberal chatbot or the conservative chatbot. Semantic analysis was conducted via LIWC-22 to produces …

A Multi-Method Investigation Of Social Media Use In Adolescent Girls: Examining Emotion, Emotion Regulation, And Effects By Depression, Alison Tuck

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Adolescents experience emotional instability, challenges in emotion regulation, and increased risk for the onset of psychopathology, including depression. Adolescents also engage in more social media use (SMU) than any other age group. There is significant interest inside and out of the scientific community regarding how SMU is implicated in healthy versus unhealthy adolescent emotional well-being during this developmental shift in emotional experiences, particularly among girls, who may be most vulnerable. Although research on how adolescent girls’ emotional well-being may be associated with their SMU has increased over the past decade, findings have been largely mixed and inconclusive. This may be …

The Relationship Between Strength Training And Burnout, Maddie R. Barrientos

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to comprehensively examine the relationship between strength training and burnout to assess whether consistent engagement in strength training would be associated with lower levels of burnout. Results of an online survey administered to 119 participants revealed that those who did strength train versus those who did not did not significantly differ in their levels of burnout, but among those who did strength training, there were significant differences in levels of burnout with how they engaged in strength training. The greater frequency of strength training participation and the greater number of muscle groups trained were …

Stop Blaming My Users: Illumination Of The Technocentric Mythos Bias, Ervin H. Frenzel, Richard Lightcap

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

 Abstract -This conceptual essay addresses the need for systemic and systematic transdisciplinary analytical techniques within cybersecurity and technical security. This conceptual essay is contingent upon recognition that cybersecurity is not simply technical in nature, it does not need an adversary, and more importantly it is based upon systems engineering and systems thinking.  The essay contributes a socio-technical attribution chain and field-specific ontology/taxonomy which distinguish user-triggered events from root causes, latent conditions, technical debt, validation failures, governance failures, and attribution bias before assigning responsibility to end users. It systematically defines an ontology inclusive of developer technical debt, organizational debt arising from …

Investigating Learning In Immersive Virtual Reality, Andrew Negrette

Master's Theses

Students often struggle with learning challenging subjects throughout their education. This also tends to lead to lower enjoyment and science self-efficacy for learning. Some subjects may be better represented in 3-dimensional spaces utilizing immersive virtual reality (IVR). Recently, IVR headsets have become more accessible and affordable and therefore are in wider use. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether differences in science selfefficacy, enjoyment, presence and knowledge retention exist between IVR and controls on an ocean acidification lesson. I predicted that participants taking the lesson in IVR would score higher compared to a laptop on all measures, due …

Remote Reality: Exploring The Outcomes Of Psychological Contract Breach On Telecommuting Employees, Karen L. Ng

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between psychological contract breach (PCB) and attitudinal outcomes, specifically job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intent, within the telecommuter population. Results of an online survey administered to 213 participants revealed strong support of all hypotheses: PCB was negatively associated with job satisfaction and organizational commitment and positively associated with turnover intent. Exploratory analyses revealed moderating effects of remote work frequency and organizational tenure with PCB and attitudinal outcomes. High-frequency remote workers and longer-tenured employees showed stronger negative reactions to PCB, indicating their amplified vulnerability to breaches. Age and gender showed …

The Moderating Role Of Flexible Work Styles On The Relationship Between Relational Identification And Affective Organizational Commitment, Justine Lee

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the moderating role of flexible work styles (in-person, hybrid, and remote) on the relationship between relational identification and affective organizational commitment (AOC). The study utilized an online survey to collect data from 69 respondents. The results demonstrated that although relational identification and AOC were related, this relationship was not moderated by flexible work styles. The three different work styles of in-person, hybrid, and remote work did not show differing affects for a subordinate’s relational identification and the strength of their AOC. The results emphasize that organizations can foster strong relational identification to …

The Moderating Effect Of Pay Satisfaction On The Relationship Between Generational Differences And The Desire For Meaningful Work, Mia J. Kottgen

Master's Theses

The modern workforce is increasingly generationally diverse, with generational cohorts such as Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z differing in their work values and attitudes. Prior research suggests that meaningful work may be experienced differently across generations and that workplace factors, such as pay satisfaction, may influence these differences. However, few studies have examined generational differences in the desire for meaningful work while also considering workplace influences. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between generational identity and the desire for meaningful work, and whether pay satisfaction moderates this relationship. A survey was administered …

The Relationship Between Imposter Syndrome And Organizational Citizenship Behaviors: The Moderating Role Of Gender, Sakina I. Read

Master's Theses

Prior research consistently shows that imposter syndrome is associated with a wide variety of negative psychological and work-related outcomes such as stress, burnout, and lower job satisfaction. However, other research suggests that individuals with higher levels of imposter syndrome may engage in compensatory behaviors such as increased effort and discretionary helping for impression management purposes. Additionally, research has found that women tend to report higher levels of imposter syndrome and higher engagement in organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) than men, suggesting a gender difference in both variables. The present study sought to examine the relationship between imposter syndrome and OCBs and …

Sense Of Safety And Quality Of Life Among Immigrants, Rachel Gomez

McNair Scholars Research

This study examined the relationship between sense of safety and quality of life among Hispanic/Latinx immigrant communities. The study sought to determine whether perceived sense of safety was associated with quality of life and whether differences existed based on immigration status, gender, and age. A quantitative, non-experimental survey design was used with a convenience sample of 33 first- and second-generation Hispanic immigrants from Arkansas. Participants completed a survey combining the Immigrant Enforcement Fear Scale and the 10-Item Well-being Instrument, which were translated into Spanish to increase accessibility. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients and independent-samples t-tests with an alpha …

“I’Ll Cry Tomorrow”: The Heroism Of Anti-Alcoholism Advocate Lillian Roth, Elizabeth Gritter

Heroism Science

Lillian Roth (1910–1980) is remembered primarily for her bestselling autobiography I’ll Cry Tomorrow and its successful film adaptation, yet her broader significance as a social hero has received little scholarly attention. This article examines Roth’s transformation from celebrated entertainer and alcoholic to influential public advocate whose confessional storytelling helped reshape public attitudes toward alcoholism during the mid-twentieth century. Drawing on Roth’s autobiographies, contemporary media coverage, and historical sources, the article argues that her willingness to publicly disclose trauma, addiction, and recovery represented an act of social courage that challenged prevailing stigma. By leveraging celebrity to promote compassion, recovery, and public …

Military Culture And The Student Veteran: A Mixed Methods Study Of Service Members Transition Into Higher Education, Joanna Fagan

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Military veterans are entering higher education spaces at a steady rate. While their visibility on U.S. campuses is increasing, these veterans face various challenges in entering higher education. This mixed-methods study examined the relationships among military identity, trauma exposure, and psychological functioning in student veterans, with a focus on meaning in life, life satisfaction, and social engagement. Quantitative data was used to assess correlations and associations between meaning making, military identification, satisfaction with life, and college involvement, while qualitative data were used to contextualize and extend statistical findings. Results indicated that military identity was positively associated with meaning making but …

Principles Of Sociopolitical Competency In Psychological Practice, Research, And Teaching, Richard E. Redding, Nina C. Silander

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Research shows that sociopolitical attitudes and values (SPAVs) often play an important role in people’s personal and social identity, life choices, psychological and behavioral functioning, and interpersonal relationships (including those between psychologists and their clients). Thus, SPAVs are frequently relevant to the work that psychologists do, whether as clinicians, researchers, or educators. After reviewing the research on the impact of SPAVs on people’s lives and relationships, we provide a set of evidence-based principles for effectively addressing SPAVs in clinical practice, psychological research, education and professional training, and professional ethics.

The Relative Strength Of Social Media Motives, Perceived Race Relations, And The Centrality Of Black Identity In Predicting Black Community Activism, Johnnie Gordon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As social media has become a central context for identity development, sociopolitical awareness, and civic engagement among Black emerging adults, exposure to racialized content, experiences of online discrimination, and competing narratives regarding racial progress may heighten awareness of systemic inequities and strengthen collective racial identity. To date, the potential of these experiences to motivate engagement in Black community activism to advocate for community empowerment has not been investigated. Informed by social identity theory, this quantitative study assessed the relative importance of motives for social media use, perceived racial progress, and Black identity centrality in predicting Black community activism among emerging …