Digital Commons Network^™

Experience With A Systematic Review Project From An Undergraduate Student Perspective, Maggie Schade, Bianca Welikson, Maria Kondaurova

The Cardinal Edge

Trauma exposure due to gun violence, homelessness, and/or substance abuse is prevalent in West Louisville, KY. In 2020, 65% of adults in KY reported one traumatic experience. Depression, as a result of trauma, affects significantly more adults in KY than nationwide (25.7% vs. 20.5%). It is known that depression affects the characteristics of child-directed speech (CDS), a specific register that caregivers use while interacting with their children. CDS is characterized by exaggerated prosody, more distinct vowels, shorter and structurally simpler sentences in comparison to adult-directed speech, and is an important predictor of language development. However, our knowledge of the effect …

Stress And Sleep In A Community Sample Of Preschool-Aged Children, Khadija Awale, Akira Isaac M.S., Alyssa Rodriguez M.S., Sara Bufferd Ph.D.

The Cardinal Edge

Stress influences sleep patterns, as elevated stress levels can decrease adequate sleep. However, research on this relationship in preschool-aged children is limited. The current study examined the relationship between stress and sleep in preschool-aged children and sought to evaluate associations between children’s stress and sleep, as well as parental psychopathology (i.e., anxiety and depression). Participants included N = 609 parents and their children ages three to five at Time 1. 368 of whom participated again when children were ages six to eight years old at Time 2. Participants completed study questionnaires, and children’s hair samples were taken to assess cortisol …

The Resilient Families Project: Promoting Resilience, Mindfulness And Belonging Through Community Engagement And Interactive Reading In At-Risk Adults, Sydney Higdon, Dillon Hepler, Lora D. Haynes, Ph.D., Angela Ely, B.A.

The Cardinal Edge

Founded in 2011, the University of Louisville’s Resilient Families Project (RFP) is a community-engaged initiative that promotes evidence-based habits of resilience, mindfulness, and happiness among adults experiencing homelessness and/or in the addiction recovery program at Wayside Christian Mission (WCM). Through weekly trauma-informed sessions, RFP aims to strengthen such things as a sense of family/community, emotional awareness, positive coping strategies and a growth mindset.

This presentation highlights RFP’s current curriculum, centered around our six core values and integrated content from select storybooks, to support healthy attachment relations, interactive reading, and a sense of purpose and belonging.

The current authors also describe …

Depression, Belonging, And Self-Censorship About Palestine Among Arab Americans, Ghadir Habeeb, Amanda Jiang, Batool Alderawi, Yara Mekawi, Nadia Al-Dajani

The Cardinal Edge

Background: As a result of exposure to traumatic media depicting the Gaza genocide, many Arab Americans are moved to speak up in support of Palestine. Due to the suppression of pro-Palestinian advocacy, however, many Arab Americans self-censor as a defense mechanism, which can alleviate distress but can also exacerbate depressive symptoms. Belongingness may serve as a protective factor against the negative effects of self-censorship. Centering Arab Americans’ experiences, this study examines the relationship between self-censorship and depression, as well as the role of belongingness in this association.

Method: Arab Americans adults recruited through Qualtrics Survey Panels completed questionnaires assessing self-censorship, …

Hallucinogens For Mood And Anxiety Disorders: A Critical Review Of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies, Georgia Chlebek

The Cardinal Edge

In quite a few people worldwide, there are several mental disorders that prevent the brain from operating in the “proper” way, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) being among the most common. Luckily, there are several medications that are produced and used to treat these disorders, but some medications are hard to access, and others simply don’t help the patient. Firstly, these medications take time to study and prove safe for public use, though in some cases time is not readily available. In other cases, these medications are going through shortages and becoming increasingly difficult for patients to access …

Obesity And Suicide Behavior In Young Latina Adults Of Mexican Heritage: The Mediating Influences Of Sleep Problems, Health Problems, And Dissatisfaction With Personal Appearance, Joseph D. Hovey, Liza Talavera-Garza, Glenn Gray, Isabella A. Cruz, Nadeen Salhadar, Monica E. Ochoa

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Although research findings have indicated that obesity is associated with suicide behavior, especially in females, scant research has examined mediators in this relationship. Moreover, although suicides have increased in young Latina adults in the United States, no published studies have examined obesity and suicide risk in young Latina adults. The present study thus examined the relationship of obesity to suicide behavior in young Latina adults and assessed sleep problems, health problems, and dissatisfaction with personal appearance as possible mediators. Participants were 401 female students of Mexican heritage from South Texas who completed the National College Health Assessment II, from which …

How Recruitment And Retention Of Staff Affect Behavioral Health Care Facilities, Teresa A. Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

ABC Organization identified the barriers of how recruitment and retention of staff affect a behavioral health care agency. The goal of the study was to determine how these barriers affect behavioral health care organizations. The framework used for the study was the Baldridge framework. The research questions that guided the study addressed how recruitment of staff affects an organization and how retention of staff affect an organization. The methodology was a qualitative case study with 10 participants. Data was analyzed by coding and identifying themes. The results showed that when an organization invests in the leaders and offers benefit packages, …

How Do People Maintain Consensual Non-Monogamy? An International Development And Validation Of The Multiple Relationships Maintenance Scale, Justin K. Mogilski, Geoffrey F. Miller, Peter K. Jonason, Katarzyna Grunt-Mejer, Jaroslava Varella Valentova, Rhonda Balzarini, David L. Rodrigues, Elisabeth Sheff, Laith Al-Shawaf, Zsófia Csajbók, Andrew G. Thomas, Tamas David-Barrett, Cezar Giosan, Daniel J. Kruger, David J. Ley, Justin J. Lehmiller, Heath A. Schechinger, Amy C. Moors, Stefano Ciaffoni, Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair, Stephen Whyte, Zuzana Štěrbová, Klára Bártová, Ryan G. Witherspoon, Magdalena Żemojtel-Piotrowska, Pavol Prokop, Virgil Zeigler-Hill, David P. Schmitt, Adil S. Saribay, Magdalena Lipnicka, Ivana Goláňová, Ezra Hampikian, William Costello, Limor Gottlieb, Cory J. Cascalheira, Michelle A. Larva

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Maintaining multiple intimate relationships entails some risks and complications beyond exclusive pair bonding (i.e., monogamy). Consensual non-monogamy (CNM; e.g., polyamory, swinging, or open relationships) allegedly reduces these risks and complications, but no one has tried to comprehensively document typical CNM risk management practices, nor analyzed the relationship outcomes of those who use these practices. We developed the Multiple Relationships Maintenance Scale (MRMS) to examine how engagement in common CNM practices predicts relationship quality among people with one or more partners. In Study 1, a community sample of people with CNM experience (N = 429) nominated the best practices for …

Embodied Transcendence: Psychedelics And The Evolution Of Moral Abstraction, Emanuel Jas

Journal of Conscious Evolution

This paper explores the role of psychedelics in the context of evolutionary brain development and the conceptual capacity for moral realism. Drawing on theories from evolutionary anthropology, neuroscience, and moral philosophy, the first part provides a brief overview of human evolution and brain expansion. From here, recent empirical data from the neurosciences is assessed on the effect psychedelics have on the brain, along with speculations on the role of psychedelics in our hominoid evolutionary history—specifically, the capacity for phenomenologically rich, conscious, subjective experiences that are incredibly vivid and real. This imaginative capacity for transcendence and disembodiment could enable the realization …

Phishing Susceptibility Among Healthcare Workers: A Multiyear Study, Darin Challacombe, Elizabeth Mcelhiney

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Understanding and improving phishing awareness is an important aspect of ensuring patient health information (PHI) is protected. Many health organizations require associates to complete annual training and supplement that training with simulated phishing email campaigns.

This poster will provide the results of a multiyear group of four studies in which health information (HI) professionals were provided various types of training and then tested on their susceptibility to simulated phishing emails. This will supplement the research on the viability of this method. And, this will present the findings by using real HI professionals (vs. college students).

We will provide a summary …

Lost In Translation? Bilingual Readability In Healthcare Forms, Darin Challacombe, Elizabeth Mcelhiney

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Health information achieves impact only when it is accessible and understandable to patients and their caregivers. Challacombe and McElhiney (2025), in Advances in Health Information Science and Practice, reported results from three studies analyzing the readability of patient-facing forms from the 150 highest-ranked hospitals in the United States. Their findings revealed the average readability of these forms exceeded the recommended 8th-grade reading level, indicating patients may not have fully understood their privacy rights or the specific documents requested.

This follow-up study extends the previous research by evaluating Spanish-language versions of these forms. Preliminary results suggest many translated documents are written …

The Collective Impact Of Physical Activity, Somatic Therapy, And Nature-Based Spirituality (Pastans) On Individuals Recovering From Substance Use Disorders (Suds), Sara R. Maddox

University Honors Theses

This correlation research study explores the collective impact of physical activities, somatic therapies, and nature-based spirituality (referred to as PASTANS, a term created by the researcher) on individuals recovering from substance use disorders (SUDs). The study aimed to evaluate how these practices enhanced emotional regulation and fostered community development, thereby supporting sustained recovery and overall well-being. PASTANS interconnected to alleviate cravings and rewire brain reward pathways, promoting cultural connections through activities that resonated with pre-colonial traditions and were accessible to atheists and agnostics.

Participants engaged in movement and somatic practices in natural settings, including yoga and hiking. Somatic therapies are …

Determining The Minimal Clinically Important Difference Of The 40-Item Smell Identification Test In People With Cystic Fibrosis, Eugene Oh, Jessa E. Miller, Michelle J. Lee, Anna Zemke, David Baraghoshi, Matthew J. Strand, Jeremiah A. Alt, Todd E. Bodner, Michael Chang, Naweed I. Chowdhury, Multiple Additional Authors

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis(CRS) and olfactory dysfunction (OD) are highly prevalent among people with cystic fibrosis (PwCF) and negatively impact quality of life. The 40-item Smell Identification Test (SIT) is widely used to assess psychophysical olfaction, but a CF-specific minimal clinically important difference (MCID) has not been established. This study aimed to determine the SIT MCID in PwCF treated with elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (ETI) and/or endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). Methods: Data from three prospective, multi-institutional observational studies were pooled. Participants were ≥12 years old with confirmed CF and CRS who completed SIT at baseline and ≥1 follow-up (3, 6, 9, 12, or 24 …

Prevalence Of Contact Child Sexual Abuse Victimization In The Us: Perpetration Types And Cohort Differences, Luciana C. Assini-Meytin, Rebecca L. Fix, Yi Sun, David Finkelhor, Elizabeth J. Letourneau, Keith Kaufman, Ben Mathews

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We investigated the prevalence of contact child sexual abuse (CSA) victimization in the US by comparing perpetration types in two adult cohorts. Participants included a nationally representative sample of adults aged 18–22 (n = 3,174) and 32–36 (n = 3,237). We used weighted proportions to obtain prevalences, Rao-Scott χ2 tests to assess for differences between cohorts. Analyses were also stratified by gender. The overall prevalence was 21.7% and similar between the two cohorts; 9.7% reported abuse by adults and 16.9% by youth under age 18. Most said that offenses were perpetrated by people known to them. CSA perpetration by youth …

Emotional And Psychological Well-Being In Early Postmenopausal Women: A Phenomenological Study, Marjorie F. Leon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how early postmenopausal women experience and navigate emotional and psychological well-being during the postmenopausal transition. Although menopause has been widely examined as a biological process, women’s lived emotional and psychosocial experiences during the early postmenopausal period remain underexplored in psychological research. Conceptually informed by Engel’s biopsychosocial model, this study examined how biological, psychological, and social factors intersect in shaping resilience, identity, and coping during this transitional life stage. Thirteen women within 5 years of menopause onset participated in semi structured interviews. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase reflexive …

The Role Of Teacher-Student Identity-Matching In Multi-Informant Universal Screening For Social, Academic, And Emotional Behavior Risk Among Middle School Students, Melissa L. Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Multi-informant universal screening tools leverage insights from multiple perspectives to paint a comprehensive picture of student risk across a variety of domains. However, many barriers exist to the appropriate and effective implementation of multi-informant universal screening within the school. When such screening tools are utilized without intentional consideration of students’ unique backgrounds and lived experiences, harmful outcomes may disproportionally impact marginalized and minoritized students. To address this, context-sensitive, identity-conscious approaches may improve the accuracy and equity of identifying students in need of support. This study investigated the role of identity concordance (i.e., alignment of teacher and student gender and race/ethnicity) …

Insecure Attachment Predicts Poor Sexual Communication Among Emerging Adults, Carson T. O'Leary

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Sexual communication significantly predicts sexual satisfaction within adult romantic relationships (Byers, 2011). Further, research has demonstrated that relationship satisfaction and relationship outcomes are positively influenced by sexual satisfaction (Anderson, 2012). Research regarding interest in promoting long-term romantic relationships should target sexuality-related concerns in romantic partners. Sexuality research grounded in attachment theory has provided promising results. Attachment theory hypothesizes that individuals develop an attachment style based on early life experiences with their caregiver(s). These styles strongly predict how individuals respond to loved ones, including romantic partners (Bell & Ainsworth, 2023). Research also suggests insecurely attached individuals struggle with effective communication in …

Executive Functioning In Schizophrenia Using A Novel Virtual Reality-Simulated Workplace: Validity, Test-Retest Reliability, And Links To Competitive Employment, Ernest Marek Tyburski, Ewa Zawadzka, Adrianna Bober, Ewa Karabanowicz, Piotr Podwalski, Jerzy Samochowiec, Anna Michalczyk, Shane T. Mueller, Michał Szelepajło, Błażej Misiak, Monika Folkierska-Żukowska, Monika Mak, Michał Harciarek, Krzysztof Wietrzyński, Ashok Jansari

Michigan Tech Publications

Virtual reality offers a promising avenue for the assessment of executive functioning in complex workplace environments. However, its use in schizophrenia remains limited. For that reason, we investigated the validity and test-retest reliability of the Jansari assessment of Executive Functions (JEF©) in individuals with schizophrenia and its associations with competitive employment. A total of 69 participants with schizophrenia and 67 healthy controls completed JEF© and standard tests. A subsample of 58 patients was retested after an 8-week interval. Individuals with schizophrenia performed more poorly than controls on JEF© (p <  0.001) and standard tests (p <  0.05). JEF© scores correlated with standard measures (p <  0.05), except inhibition tests, and with clinician-report of everyday problems (p <  0.001). Total score showed a good test-retest reliability and the practice adjusted RCI indicated 87.9% of patients remained stable over 8 weeks. In logistic regression, higher JEF© total score significantly predicted competitive employment after adjusting for age (p = 0.004) and remained significant when …

The Benefits Of A Holistic Biblical Approach To Adolescent Substance Use Treatment And Prevention, Amberlin D. Salas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Adolescent addiction is increasingly problematic in the United States, including substance use and other addictive behaviors that carry a risk of continued adult addiction if not resolved effectively. Current treatment models are primarily limited to meeting the mental, emotional, and physical needs, but have gaps in treating areas such as spirituality and healthy parental relationships. From a biblical standpoint, Christian principles are relevant to all areas of need in the addicted individual, and considering a holistic biblical approach to address all areas of life could fill the gaps left by conventional addiction interventions. To understand the possible implications of a …

The Psychometric Use Of Word Embeddings, Thomas Benjamin Lyle Wasden

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study examined the feasibility of categorizing individuals by English-language competency using word embeddings derived from language samples obtained from these individuals and by viewing word embeddings as a psycholinguistic construct. Word embeddings have been shown to be a versatile tool for performing a large number of important natural language processing (NLP) tasks, as well as a plausible model for some processes in the human mind, including processes within the domain of psycholinguistics. This research seeks to build upon previous research by showing that word embeddings may shed light on the underlying neural representation of semantic entities being acquired …

Not All Ei Dimensions Are Created Equal: Differential Effects Of Perceived Leader Emotional Intelligence On Lmx Quality And Employee Engagement, Michael Frommack

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study examined the pathways through which employees’ perceptions of their leaders’ emotional intelligence influenced employee engagement, with leader-member exchange (LMX) quality as a mediating mechanism. Using structural equation modeling with data from 368 full-time employees, the study investigated whether the four dimensions of leader emotional intelligence differentially predicted the three dimensions of employee engagement. Results demonstrated that leader EQ strongly predicted LMX quality (β = .80, p < .001, R² = .64), and that leader emotional intelligence and LMX quality significantly predicted employee engagement in bivariate analyses (β = .43, p < .001, R² = .19; β = .47, p < .001, R² = .22, respectively). However, LMX quality completely mediated this relationship. The indirect effect was significant (β = .26, p = .002), while the direct effect was nonsignificant after accounting for LMX (β = .17, p = .108), indicating full mediation. No dimension-specific pathways emerged after controlling for relationship quality. Supplementary analyses revealed that others’ emotion appraisal (OEA) demonstrated almost twice the predictive strength of the other emotional intelligence dimensions for predicting LMX quality (β = .45, p < .001). These findings provide empirical support for Social Exchange Theory and demonstrate that leader emotional intelligence is statistically accounted for by relationship quality mechanisms. Practical implications suggest that organizations should prioritize relationship building competencies in leadership development and selection. Theoretical implications challenge assumptions about dimensional equivalence in emotional intelligence frameworks and establish LMX quality as the complete mediator for leadership influence on employee engagement.

A Phenomenology Of Sexual Assaults On College Campuses, Karon R. Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The rate of sexual assaults for women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals on college campuses is reported at a higher rate compared to males and is continuing to rise at a staggering rate, causing this to become a national issue. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand the subjective experience, campus culture, psychological disorders, and changes in students' religious beliefs after a sexual assault. Victims’ perceptions and campus norms reporting sexual violence and assault incidents help to explain institutional support systems, the afterlife, and long-term outcomes of victims, prevention programs, and services. The frameworks for this …

Exploring The Relationships Between Differentiation Of Self, Family Unit Functioning, And Posttraumatic Growth In Adult Female Survivors Of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, Samantha Stokesberry

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the relationships between differentiation of self (DoS), family unit functioning (FUF), and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in adult female domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) survivors in the United States. A Bowen Family Systems Theory framework was used for the theoretical foundation of this study and the research was explored from a Christian worldview. A sample of 30 adult female DMST survivors between the ages of 25-55 completed an anonymous online survey that included four measures: a demographics form, The Differentiation of Self Inventory – Revised (DSI-R), the Family Unit Functioning Questionnaire (FUF-Q), and …

Cultural Influences On Mental Health Help-Seeking: A Comparative Study Of Haiti And The United States, Luther-King Jean-Baptiste

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Mental health stigma and help-seeking behaviors vary across cultural contexts and are shaped by shared beliefs, values, and social expectations. This qualitative study examined how cultural meaning systems influenced mental health help-seeking behaviors in Haiti and the United States. Using surveys and semi-structured interviews, data were collected from 30 participants (15 from each country) who reported a history of psychological distress or mental health challenges. Findings indicated that help-seeking behaviors were not determined solely by symptom severity but were embedded within cultural, relational, spiritual, and structural frameworks. In Haiti, help-seeking was largely collective and shaped by family validation, community norms, …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Women Caregivers Of The Sandwich Generation, Keri L. Burns

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe female members of the sandwich generation’s experiences as care providers during and post-COVID-19 in Central Florida. At this research stage, female members of the sandwich generation are understood as women in midlife who occupy dual caregiving roles for dependent children and aging parents, and whose lived experiences offer insight into caregiving experiences during a global pandemic. (Steiner & Fletcher, 2017). As life expectancy has increased and financial insecurity has been a concern for all generations, the sandwich generation caregivers, specifically women, have become more focused on providing varying levels of care …

Examining The Relationship Between Burnout And Emotional Intelligence In Ministry Leaders Of Start-Up Churches, Jacquelyn Steidel-Santiago

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to utilize Emotional Intelligence (EI) and burnout models to examine the relationship between perceived EI and firsthand experiences of burnout in ministry leaders of start-up churches to establish a unique connection and offer valuable insights for participants and other ministry leaders facing similar circumstances. Personal characteristics were divided into demographic information about the participants (i.e., age, race, years in ministry, congregation size, etc.) and information about the participants’ experience with specific features of burnout. The demographic information was used to identify possible factors related to various levels of EI, with the expectation …

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Unfaithful Partners: Perceptions Of Forgiveness And Commitment To Rebuilding Trust After Infidelity, Ana De La Cruz Arciniega

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Infidelity has significant emotional and relational consequences; however, limited research has examined the lived experiences of unfaithful partners, particularly their perceptions of forgiveness and commitment to rebuilding trust. This phenomenological study described the lived experiences of unfaithful partners and explored how they understood forgiveness and engaged in trust-rebuilding efforts following infidelity. Thirteen participants (seven males and six females), aged 30 to 65, who had engaged in emotional, physical, virtual, or paid sexual affairs were recruited through social media, private therapeutic practices, affair recovery programs, and church networks. Participants completed individual 45-minute semi-structured interviews conducted via Zoom. Interviews were transcribed, member-checked, …

The Lived Experiences Of Individuals With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities (Idd) On Work Success Within Organizations In North Carolina: A Phenomenological Study, Yvonne D. Wright

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) continue to experience substantially lower employment rates than individuals without disabilities. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to explore the lived experiences of individuals with IDD with regard to their work success within organizations in North Carolina. This study is guided by the Self-Determination Theory (SDT and the Social Model of Disability Theory (SMDT). This study also explores the perspectives and roles of the caregivers in supporting inclusion and work success for this population. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from nine individuals with IDD and seven caregivers. The thematic …

Candidate Generative Ai Use In Pre‐Hire Employment Assessments: Self‐Reported Incidence And The Impact Of Warnings, Chet Robie, Timothy G. Wingate, Nataliya Baytalskaya, Hilary Butera

Business Faculty Publications

The rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) poses new challenges for the validity and fairness of pre‐hire employment assessments. Across two applied studies using large applicant samples completing a standardized pre‐hire assessment (which includes both cognitive and non‐cognitive components), we examined the self‐reported incidence of GenAI assistance, and the impact of warning statements designed to deter such behavior. In Study 1 (N = 5675), conducted in Q3 2024, fewer than 3% of applicants reported using GenAI, though up to 19% reported using GenAI in combination with algorithmic resources (e.g., search engines). All three warning statements (consequences, educational, and reasoning) …

Perceived Black Maternal Narcissism And Their Daughters’ Delinquency: Chronicles From A Daughter’S Interpretation, Nzinga Cates

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative study examined the intricate dynamics between perceived Black narcissistic mothers and their daughters, particularly regarding potential delinquent behaviors exhibited by the daughters. By utilizing in-depth interviews with seven participants, I sought to uncover the psychological and relational factors contributing to these behaviors’ development. Thematic analysis indicated that daughters of narcissistic mothers often endure emotional neglect, manipulation, and lack of healthy role modeling. This can result in feelings of inadequacy and rebellion. Themes of identity confusion, low self-esteem, and desire for autonomy surfaced as significant contributors to the daughters’ engagement in delinquent activities. The study underscored the importance of …