Digital Commons Network^™

The Experiences Of Post Secondary School Completion Of Academically Talented African American Teenaged Parents, Adrienne Denise Butler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teen pregnancy and parenting are cited as the reasons 1 in 3 teens drop out of high school. For African American teenagers, the drop-out rate is slightly higher, with 38% of teen parents leaving high school without a diploma. Living in impoverished communities with substandard educational facilities and opportunities, academically talented African American teen mothers must make choices about education and parenting. Pregnant teens must consider their future and decide whether to keep their baby, to complete high school or dropout, and if to attend a postsecondary institute. The problem is the low college attendance and graduation rate for parenting …

The Relative Strength Of Social Media Use, Social Comparison Orientation, And Materialistic Values On Self-Worth, Jeanine Frost

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Excessive social media use is linked to psychological and emotional issues such as depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Social media may expose its users to idealized representations of others’ material success that, by comparison, makes individuals feel wanting. In the United States, where material possessions are often a measure of one’s value, the comparative lack of material possessions takes a toll on social media users’ self-worth. While researchers have investigated the potential for individual differences in social status seeking, malicious envy, and social media use to influence self-esteem/worth, none have examined the relative strength of social media use, social comparison …

Relationship Between Self-Concept And Self-Compassion Scores And Weight-Loss Surgery Outcomes In Women, Christine Curry-Tuthill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity is a global health concern associated with a multitude of psychosocial issues, including emotional dysregulation, depression, low self-esteem, social isolation, and economic issues related to bias. Weight loss surgery is generally considered to be an effective treatment; however, insufficient weight loss and weight regain are not uncommon. Because self-compassion and self-concept are psychological and social constructs that have been shown to influence obesity and health, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between weight loss surgery outcomes and these two concepts to obtain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms behind suboptimal weight loss. The theoretical framework …

Exploring The Link Between Self-Distancing And “Stress Is Enhancing” Mindsets, Kyle Green

Masters Theses, 2020-current

While stress is generally framed as debilitating, past research has shown that adopting a mindset that focuses on the positive aspects of stress, referred to as a “stress is enhancing” mindset, can improve the ways in which one engages in stressful experiences. Researchers in this area have called for further investigation of the ways in which “stress is enhancing” mindsets are adopted. This study sought to explore the practice of self-distancing as a potential mechanism. It was hypothesized that participants who were instructed to write about a personally relevant future stressor from a distanced, third-person perspective would have more positive …

Online Or In-Person: What Mode Of Conversation Makes People Feel The Most Socially Connected?, Nathan P. Gheorghita, Cynthia D. Mohr, Maryann Samson, Sheila Mccabe, Julia Lynch

Student Research Symposium

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been spending significantly more time online. Today, people spend an average of 6 hours and 58 minutes online every day, and much of this time is spent socializing via various platforms. Many studies have examined the benefits and risks of socializing online, but few studies have examined online conversations specifically. In this study I aim to uncover the differences in perceived social connection based on the medium of conversation. To do this, I will administer the Connectedness During Conversations Scale (CDCS) to a sample of Portland State University students (N=80). The …

Activism And Stress, Ashanti Laine T. Peredo, Taylor Gayton, Lalaine Sevillano

Student Research Symposium

Black women often shoulder a heavier burden of financial, social, and physical responsibilities within their families compared to non-Black individuals who do not identify as women. This increased load contributes significantly to mental health disorders and psychological distress and well as physical disparities. When compounded with experiences of racism and sexism, these responsibilities can lead to a sense of social invisibility and foster a tendency towards stoicism. This study is a mixed method study as it aims to quantitatively examine the relationship between activism, physical wellbeing measured by the Conserved Transcriptional Response to Adversity (CTRA), and psychological wellbeing among Black …

Emotion Regulation Strategies And Perceived Emotional Intelligence: The Effect Of Age., Iwanna Sepiadou

Adultspan Journal

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between perceived emotional intelligence and the reported use of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. We also investigated the possible effects of age on the aforementioned variables. The total sample consisted of 379 people (158 men, 220 women, 1 unreported). Across participants, 273 were young (20-39 years old) and 106 were middle-aged (40-65 years old). We found statistically significant positive correlations between the dimensions of perceived emotional intelligence and the reported use of cognitive reappraisal and negative primarily correlations between the dimensions of perceived emotional intelligence and the reported use of …

Predictors Of Work Styles And Transition Success From Military Service To The Civilian Workforce, Ryan Nicholas Schuler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Upon leaving the armed forces, service members face challenges transitioning to the civilian workforce. The relationship between service members’ work styles and successfully transitioning to the civilian workforce is unknown. It is also unknown if military occupation (MO) affects the relationship between work styles and transition success. Although researchers have investigated the transition from active military service to the civilian workforce, they have not focused on identifying predictors of transition success. Three theories, positive psychology, transformational learning theory, and career decision-making theory, were used as the foundation of the study and to develop the research questions to determine the success …

Experiences Of Outpatient Mental Health Counselors Building Relationships With Clients During Covid-19 In Michigan, Paulette Gaines

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of many individuals and communities and their access to mental health counseling. This study explored the experiences of mental health counselors attempting to build online relationships with clients during the COVID-19 pandemic and how these workers experienced and interpreted relationships with their clients during that period. The transactional theory of stress and coping model provided theoretical foundation to this study. One limited licensed and eight fully licensed professional counselors participated in this study. A generic qualitative design was used, and data were collected by audio recording interviews via …

Using Advocacy Exercises To Promote Academic Identity And Ownership, Timothy Schoenfeld

Faculty Scholarship Symposium

In the sciences and mathematics, having a strong STEM-related skillset and personal STEM identity are both important for fostering long-term persistence in STEM-related vocational fields. Science and math courses are routinely designed to build the skillset of students but creating a positive STEM identity is more difficult, particularly for underrepresented groups. Across the semester of a pilot neuroscience course, students engaged in daily and semester-long exercises in learning about and practicing advocacy as a way to build positive identities in science. At the beginning and end of the semester, students took the Persistence in the Sciences (PITS) survey, measuring student …

Toward The Integration Of Behavioral Sensing And Artificial Intelligence, Subigya K. Nepal

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

The integration of behavioral sensing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has increasingly proven invaluable across various domains, offering profound insights into human behavior, enhancing mental health monitoring, and optimizing workplace productivity. This thesis presents five pivotal studies that employ smartphone, wearable, and laptop-based sensing to explore and push the boundaries of what these technologies can achieve in real-world settings. This body of work explores the innovative and practical applications of AI and behavioral sensing to capture and analyze data for diverse purposes. The first part of the thesis comprises longitudinal studies on behavioral sensing, providing a detailed, long-term view of how …

Sport Fandom And Perceptions Of Color, Alex Imm

Honors College Theses

The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between color and sport fan perceptions. There is a distinct connection between colors and emotions that is underexplored in the setting of sport. This connection could also be influenced by someone’s level of dysfunction or their attachment to a team. The research hoped to identify the influencing factors of the connection and offer possible applications of the research in the future such as advertisements, posters, and commercials. It was hypothesized that sport fans of varying levels of dysfunction will have different perceptions and cognitions based on the color of the …

Visualizing Victory: The Role Of Imagery In Empowering Athletes Battling Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Sydney Raboin

Education, Health & Behavior Studies Student Publications

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is one of the most common mental health disorders that can make activities of daily life more challenging, as well as adversely impact wellbeing. OCD is an anxiety disorder that presents as uncontrollable and unsolicited thoughts, mental images, and sensations, followed by obsession over them and an irresistible need to complete compulsive behaviors in attempt to challenge them and find relief. It causes fear of both one’s own thoughts and the world around them. OCD shows its place in the athletic realm where it can impact an athlete’s mentality, attention, behaviors, and goal orientation, which may potentially …

Longitudinal Effects Of Adolescent Digital Media Use On Sleep, Cardiometabolic Health, And Mental Health, Caroline Watson

All ETDs from UAB

Background Digital media use has become an integral part of society and may contribute to adverse physical and mental health outcomes, particularly among adolescents. However, few studies have examined the longitudinal effects of adolescent digital media use across the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. As adolescents present as a highrisk group for the adverse effects of digital media use on mental and physical health, the present studies identified digital media use trajectories from adolescence into young adulthood and examined these trajectories as predictors of sleep duration, cardiometabolic health, and mental health outcomes in young adulthood. Methods Participants (Mage=15.53; 56.86% …

Online Criticism Of Parents After Child Accidents: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis, Kelsi Toews, Jorden A. Cummings, Michelle Mclean, Laura Knowles

The Qualitative Report

When a child is harmed, parents frequently experience condemnation and blame from others. This blame is amplified online. Our online worlds reflect our offline ones, and this negative atmosphere toward parents can influence both parents themselves and societal expectations for parents. Previous research on parental blame has either directly asked people about their blame attributions or utilized hypothetical vignettes. Our thematic analysis expands on this research by analyzing unsolicited online comments left on news stories about two, real-world incidents of child harm: A child who fell into a gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo, and a child who was killed …

Test Anxiety Inflation, Brian Podkulski, David P. Valentiner

Honors Capstones

Mental health conditions are higher than ever worldwide, despite best efforts to increase public awareness and deliver informed solutions. To account for this rise, some suggested models argue that measures taken to ameliorate mental health problems are actually contributing to their inflation through iatrogenic effects. The current proposed study seeks to identify the possibility of iatrogenic effects on test anxiety as a product of psychoeducational material. The scope of this study includes the immediate effects of viewing a typical short-form informational video on core and adjacent symptoms of test anxiety. Participants will engage with our study entirely through an online …

Emotional And Metacognitive Impacts Of A Human Anatomy Course Utilizing Three-Dimensional Learning Modalities, Shawn M. Magrum

Theses & Dissertations

A high school human anatomy course was designed to integrate three-dimensional learning modalities through the use of three-dimensional visualization technology, augmented reality, and whole-body donors (cadaveric specimens), and customized 3D digital models were created to support student learning. The course was organized so that each class meeting fell into one of six unique learning session types: lectures, augmented reality labs, gross anatomy (cadaveric) labs, content application (active learning) sessions, review sessions, and examination sessions.

An interval scale using ten emoji, each associated with a particular emotional valence (i.e., pleasantness) level, was developed and integrated into the course to track students’ …

Mental Health Among Collegiate Athletes, Stella Elise Fairbanks

Honors Thesis

Mental health has become increasingly more linked with athletics, especially collegiate athletics. There has been an increase in public acknowledgment of the presence of mental health in sports, specifically, more athletes are speaking about their mental health struggles as well as more research is being conducted in order to gain a greater understanding of the relationship between mental health and athletics. This literature review discusses athletes’ personal experiences of their mental health struggles, the presence of stigma associated with mental health and athletics, and the results of the recent NCAA, National Collegiate Athletic Association, research. This thesis aims to uncover …

Sexological Ecosystemic Assessment: A Systems Approach To Understanding Sexual Issues In Individuals And Couples, Stephanie Buehler

Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education

Sexuality is a complex construct made up of the influence of systems upon the individual and counterinfluence of the individual upon systems, which can make sexual history taking problematic. The adaptation of Bronfenbrenner’s developmental ecological systems model has been employed to create a Sexological Ecosystemic Assessment. The Sexological Ecosystemic Assessment is described as a means of gathering and organizing information about an individual’s sexual development and current sexual expression across five subsystems that range from the microsystem, wherein interactions take place among and between family members and close caregivers, to the chronosystem, which is the effect of time across the …

Implementing The Reconsolidation Paradigm In Treating Misophonia, Angel Prats

Theses and Dissertations

Misophonic patients experience extreme sense of disgust when exposed to acoustic and/or visual triggers. In this longitudinal study, the reconsolidation paradigm was applied to treat 25 patients during a month. The findings reveal that reminders in a control setting did not improve maladaptive memories, but counterconditioning update ameliorated symptoms.

Rehearsing Attention: Contemporary Dance As A Practice Of Sustained Focus, Eve J. Jacobs

Theses and Dissertations

This paper contextualizes the influences, details the creative process, and reflects on the relevance of choreographer Eve Jacobs' artistic research for her MFA thesis, "Four Statements on Attention." She draws upon the legacies of choreographers Merce Cunningham and Anna Halprin; publications by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Johann Hari, Jenny Odell, and others; and resources from the activist coalition Friends of Attention to articulate how her dance practice continues to shape her capacity for sustained attention in an age of distraction.

Rgb Root Matriz Color Dance, Danielle E. Gauthier

Theses and Dissertations

RGB Root Matriz Color Dance (Color Dance) is an immersive, interactive experience that combines poetic phrases and color filters to create a womb-like environment. Designed by Danielle Gauthier, this artistic piece uses a webcam to respond to users’ movements in real time, allowing them to confront and express their emotions through metaphor and dance. Color Dance creates a unique platform for self-discovery and empowerment by fostering a connection between the body and discomforting emotions.

Unwanted Pursuit Behaviors & Emotional Reactivity To Former Romantic Partners: An Eeg Study, Ameer Abdel-Muhsin

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Romantic relationships are extremely important connections for humans to make. When these relationships end, one partner will sometimes engage in unwanted pursuit behaviors (UPBs) to attempt to continue communication the other. Although previous research has demonstrated that these UPBs can result in psychological distress among victims, little is known about how they influence one’s emotional reactivity to the perpetrator. This study therefore sought to investigate the link between cyber and in-person UPBs and neural indicators of emotional reactivity when viewing photos of an ex-partner. Participants (n = 18) who experienced a breakup were asked to view pictures of their …

Attachment To Diagnostic Labels: Social Media, Over Identification, And Self-Efficacy For Personal Recovery, Robert Oehler

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

This study explored the relationship between self-diagnosis, social media exposure, and how individuals interpret a diagnostic label. Different attitudes toward one’s diagnosis impact an individual’s attitudes toward therapy, compliance with care, and general psychological well-being. One such attitude is over-identification, how attached an individual is to their diagnostic label and how they see a diagnosis as a part of themselves, as this could have implications for their self-concept and attitudes toward therapy. We will ask the following questions: Firstly, do individuals with different diagnoses show meaningfully different levels of attachment to their diagnosis? Secondly, do individuals vary in their social …

Silent Killer – Exploring The Loneliness Epidemic, Stigma And Awareness Among Post-Covid College Students, Natasha, Holland

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the aftermath of the Covid-19 Pandemic (Covid), American society has experienced what national officials have declared a public health crisis. This research aimed to explore the impact of America’s Epidemic of Loneliness and Social Isolation on traditional college students by identifying how perceptions of loneliness stigma and levels of awareness about loneliness affected the loneliness experiences of participants. Research spanning the last several decades has converged, revealing the vast and significant health and well-being outcomes associated with social isolation and loneliness. A lack of social connection and the loneliness it inflicted is linked to many adverse and dire consequences …

Continuing Bonds Experiences Of Bereaved Adults Within The Context Of The Pandemic, Benjamin Lyons

Honors Program Theses and Projects

COVID-19 has impacted the lives of countless people and has resulted in the death of millions. Due to this, there is a need to understand how individuals coped with the losses that came with this uniquely difficult circumstance. With this in mind, my project investigates how the COVID-related death of a loved one influences the continuing bonds relationship of bereaved adults within the context of the pandemic. Ten participants who lost a loved one to a COVID-related death during the pandemic were interviewed about their grief experiences and audio recorded. Using qualitative thematic analysis, themes in the data were constructed …

The Role Of Acculturation In The Professional Identity Of Art Therapy And Counseling International Students, Ana Marcela Tobar Chavez

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

In a country of immigrants, the concept of acculturation needs to be familiar to almost any professional in the mental health field and it is a reality for immigrants and international students. As international and immigrant students continue to join the Art Therapy Counseling profession, it is important to understand how acculturation plays a role in the development of their counseling professional identity. Unlike most master’s students in the art therapy counseling profession, international and immigrant students go through unique experiences such as being born and raised in a different country with difference in cultures, languages, and immigration statuses that …

Disordered Eating In Transgender And Non-Binary Individuals, Vincent Marais

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and nature of disordered eating behaviors and body image issues among transgender and non-binary individuals. It examined prevalence rates of different disordered eating behaviors to contrast them with rates among cisgender individuals. It also examined the ways in which gender-affirming healthcare and social acceptance of one's gender identity are correlated with improvement in eating habits and body image. For transgender and non-binary survey participants, the prevalence of disordered eating behaviors was compared to self-reported stage of transition. The prevalence of disordered eating behaviors among binary transgender participants at different stages …

Gender Stereotypes In The Elementary Classroom, Mckenna Gill

Master's Theses

This study explores ways to reduce gender stereotypes in the elementary classroom. Specifically, it was designed to collect data on male and female behaviors related to gender stereotypes toward different school subjects, volunteering, peer relationships, and student redirections during lessons. A literature review was conducted to investigate existing research on this topic. A mixed-methods design was used in this study. Data was collected in a fifth-grade classroom, by keeping a tally of each of the subject areas Math, Reading, Science, and Writing, and the students who volunteered. Included in the investigation was a teacher interview regarding her thoughts on gender …

Chat Is This Real? Perceived Authenticity Of #Naturecore Via Tiktok Comments, Anna Madison

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to understand how people perceive the authenticity of nature-based TikTok content by analyzing the comments left on videos that featured the hashtag #naturecore. Comments posted on relevant videos were observed using qualitative content analysis to evaluate how people use comments to express perceptions of authenticity. Prior literature on the perceived authenticity of mass-oriented computer mediated communication was used to inform decisions made during data analysis. Of the 138,389 comments collected as data, 1,031 were identified as relevant for this scope of this study. The final sample was analyzed using constant comparison to establish codes …