Digital Commons Network^™

Mindfulness And Anxiety Symptoms: The Role Of Cognitive Reappraisal In Community Adults, Calla L. Pritulsky

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Anxiety is the most common mental health condition worldwide and contributes to substantial societal costs, personal distress, and impairment (World Health Organization, 2023). Given its high prevalence, low treatment utilization, and modest response rates, identifying protective factors to inform prevention efforts is critical (Mamede et al., 2022; Mendelson & Eaton, 2018). Mindfulness, or the ability to nonjudgmentally pay attention to the present moment, comprises five key facets: observing, describing, acting with awareness, nonjudging, and nonreactivity (Baer et al., 2006b). Although mindfulness is inversely associated with anxiety, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear (Desrosiers et al., 2013). Cognitive reappraisal, defined …

Evaluating Measurement Models Of Problematization: Connections With Identity Empowerment And Community Connectedness, Angel Long

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Consistent with Liberation theory, problematization is the process of creating critical reflection, a means by which critical consciousness occurs. It is a method for understanding issues faced by oppressed populations, while centering the perspective of these populations. Within Liberation spaces, problematization is critical for fostering critical consciousness, disrupting oppression, and promoting strength. However, problematization is a theoretical concept frame from narrative responses and lived experiences of marginalized individuals. There are few resources highlighting depictions of problematizing/critical consciousness and cultural strengths captured by measures of BIPOC community functioning. Therefore, there is a need to empirically evaluate major tenets of the concept …

Turning To The Sacred: The Role Of Religious/Spiritual Coping In Psychological Outcomes Of Childhood Interpersonal Trauma, Vanessa S. Tomasik

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are widespread and associated with significant and lasting psychological consequences, including posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and dissociation. Much of the existing literature has focused on adult trauma or narrowly examined childhood abuse and neglect, with comparatively limited attention given to other forms of childhood adversity such as witnessing intimate partner violence, parental separation, or household dysfunction. As a result, the differential psychological impact of distinct types of ACE exposure (i.e., maltreatment vs. household dysfunction) remains insufficiently understood. Emerging literature on coping identifies religious and spiritual (R/S) coping as an important factor in trauma adaptation. Positive R/S …

Medical Distrust And Willingness To Engage In Mental Healthcare: The Moderating Roles Of Mental Health Literacy And Stigma Among Rural Populations, Alex Cudd

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Healthcare and mental healthcare disparities among rural communities in the United States remain a persistent and growing public health concern, driven by both structural barriers and sociocultural factors that continue to compromise rural community members’ utilization of healthcare services. Though structural barriers to rural healthcare are well-documented, there are continued gaps in the literature related to the understanding of sociocultural mechanisms contributing to these disparities. The present study investigated the influence of medical distrust, mental health literacy, and perceived public stigma on attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help among rural adults living within the United States. A sample of 240 …

Self-Reflecting On 30 Years Of Liberational Praxis: A Pluri-Epistemic Journey Embracing The Relational Indigenous Research Paradigm To Expand The Emancipatory Aims Of The Psychology Of Liberation., Adriana Fernand Salazar Ms

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis asks how embracing Relational Epistemology, through accountable Pluri-Epistemic Dialogue, expands the Emancipatory aims of the Psychology of Liberation and deepens Liberational Praxis. Grounded in thirty years of Liberational Praxis, it brings the Psychology of Liberation into accountable encounter with Indigenous and Postcolonial Relational Epistemologies, without claiming Indigenous identity, authority, ceremony, or ownership. Within this situated encounter, Pensar Bonito (Tidy Thinking) illuminates movements from Martín-Baró’s Historical Memory toward Territorial and Ancestral Memory, from Freirean Dialogue toward walking the Word, from Fals Borda’s sentipensante toward Body-Nature and Body-Us, and from decolonial critique toward practices of Care and Subversion. Through a …

The Power Of The Mind: Exploring The Perceived Benefits Of Spiritual Meditation For Children's Loss And Grief, Shefali Bhalla

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Grief and loss can significantly affect children’s emotional, cognitive, and social development, yet many existing interventions remain difficult to access due to stigma, cost, and limited cultural fit. Meditation has shown promise as a low-cost and adaptable strategy for supporting emotional regulation, but little is known about how children themselves perceive its usefulness in grief-related contexts. The present study explored children’s beliefs about the usefulness of spiritual meditation as a coping strategy across grief, interpersonal conflict, and positive emotional vignettes. Fourteen children between the ages of 8 and 13 participated in individual Zoom sessions in which they listened to three …

Diverging Impacts Of Organizational Dei Practices: The Role Of Objective And Subjective Group Status, Julia Oberlin, Claudia Toma, Tessa L. Dover

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose – While DEI practices aim to enhance the outcomes of disadvantaged groups, their impact remains uncertain, with disparities often persisting. This paper examines whether the accumulation of DEI practices helps reduce psychological and work disparities between employees, considering both their objective (e.g. gender and race) and subjective (or perceived) (dis)advantage.

Design/methodology/approach – Study 1 surveyed 602 employees to assess the impact of perceiving their organization as having many orfew DEI practices on theirsense ofinclusion and job satisfaction. Study 2 used an experimental design (N 5 739) to extend the findings of Study 1 by manipulating the number of DEI …

The Impact Of A Play-Based Nature Camp On Self-Regulation In School-Age Children, Margaret Berkemeyer

Doctoral Dissertations

This study is a program evaluation with a mixed-methods design that evaluated the effectiveness of Y Rangers, a summer camp offered by the YMCA of San Francisco, in increasing the self-regulation abilities of school-age children. A total of 18 caregivers completed the quantitative portion of this study that included pre/post-test analyses of self-regulation measures. There were no statistically significant changes between pre and post assessments of self-regulation. A subset of seven caregivers and three Y Rangers counselors participated in interviews, the transcripts of which were analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. Caregivers experienced Y Rangers as a unique opportunity for their …

The Relationship Between Acculturative Stress, Body Dissatisfaction, And Disordered Eating Behavior Among Latina Women In The United States, Emily Lillian Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations

The majority of research on body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors focuses predominantly on the experiences of white women, neglecting the significant impact of acculturative stress on these issues, especially among understudied groups like Latina women. The present study seeks to address the gap in the literature by obtaining data that explores the extent to which acculturative stress, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating behavior have a relationships. Additionally, it investigates the roles of cultural values and ethnic identification in protecting against body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behavior within this population. To determine whether acculturative stress is predictive of body dissatisfaction …

Beyond Symptoms: Examining Perinatal Mental Health Care Among Black, Indigenous And People Of Color With Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome, Vinaya Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) are as a public health concern in the United States. Individuals from minoritized racial/ethnic groups face a significantly elevated risk of maternal morbidity, mortality, mental health disorders, and associated adverse outcomes. Emerging studies also reveal a higher likelihood of experiencing perinatal mental health concerns in individuals with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), currently known as polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS). People who identify as Black, Indigenous, or a person of color (BIPOC) face unique healthcare challenges given the added structural and social burdens. This online survey study aimed to 1) understand the relationship between PMOS …

Perceptions, Attitudes, And Experiences Of Persons Who Work In Forensic Mental Health Systems, Abigail Wiser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The forensic mental health system serves clients with dual needs —serious mental health concerns like psychosis and suicidality, and management of risk. Experiences and perceptions of professional and direct care staff may impact daily and therapeutic interactions and client success. These experiences may be marked by stigma, such as beliefs about what led to hospitalization, treatability of mental health concerns, and intentionality of behavior. Understanding this stigma, as well as the role of vicarious trauma, workplace burnout, and other relevant individual factors, may help us understand staff experiences and guide training, thus improving client care. 146 staff members across three …

Ring Ring Goes The Telephone, Answer That Email: The Immediacy Of Information Communication Technologies And Their Effects On Employee Well-Being, Concepcion Rodriguez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Rapid technological advances have resulted in information communication technologies (ICTs) with revolutionary capabilities, allowing employees easy access to the workplace without the impediments of time or space. Initial inception of ICTs in the workplace were expected to increase autonomy (Heller, 1989), but the ability to be reachable at any time proved disadvantageous to employee well-being by creating a culture in which immediate responses were expected and precipitating the psychological phenomenon of workplace telepressure, an overwhelming preoccupation and urge experienced by workers to respond to work-related messages (Barber & Santuzzi, 2015; Mazmanian et al., 2013). The current study centered on exploring …

Evaluating The Pulse Of Exercise Programs: Developing And Validating The Intervention Usability Scale For Exercise (Iuse) To Enhance Implementation And Adherence, Anne Inger Mørtvedt, Eva Ageberg, Steven Elmer, Kevin Trewartha, Erich Petushek

Michigan Tech Publications

Background: Adherence to exercise interventions is often suboptimal, despite numerous studies documenting barriers and facilitators. Usability may be a critical yet underexplored determinant of adherence. This study aimed to develop and assess the psychometric properties of the Intervention Usability Scale for Exercise (IUSE). Methods: Item generation and content validation involved cognitive interviews and feedback from eight exercise intervention stakeholders and ten target users from the general public. Subsequently, 526 target users from University, Qualtrics and Prolific participant panels assessed exercise programs through an online survey. Dimensionality was assessed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), and bifactor models. …

The Downstream Effect Of Gender Bias On Academic Performance And Career Aspirations Amongst Female Students In Stem Via Gender-Professional Identity Integration (G-Pii), Chi-Ying Cheng, Shuna Shiann Khoo, Shih-Fen Cheng, Yeow Leong Lee, Vandana Ramachandra Rao

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Background Gender imbalance in STEM, characterized by a significant underrepresentation of women, remains a significant challenge. Although gender bias is a well-known contributor to women’s attrition from STEM, the psychological mechanisms linking gender bias to departure are less well understood. Our research investigates early antecedents of attrition and the psychological processes that precede leaving the STEM pathway in tertiary education. Drawing upon identity integration research, we propose that perceived gender bias exerts undermines female STEM students’ academic performance and career aspirations by reducing their Gender-Professional Identity Integration (G-PII), a construct that captures individual differences in the perceived compatibility between a …

Depression, Psychological Distress, And Coping Strategies Among African Migrants In Australia: A Cross-Sectional Web-Based Study, Uchechukwu Levi Osuagwu, Lillian Mwanri, Edith N. Botchway-Commey, David Chisanga, Agness Tembo, Nnaemeka Meribe, Kathomi Gatwiri, Obed Adonteng-Kissi, Kerrie P. Doyle, Frank Darkwa Baffour, Ahmed A. Moustafa

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: African migrants constitute a significant proportion of the Australian population. While migration and resettlement offer opportunities, the associated stressors may adversely affect the mental health and well-being of African migrants. This study explored, for the first time, the prevalence of depression and psychological distress among African migrants in Australia and the relationship between coping mechanisms and mental health outcomes. Methods: A web-based cross-sectional survey of adult African migrants in Australia was conducted between February and May 2022. Participants (N = 167) who did not have a refugee status who resided in Australia for at least 12 months were recruited …

Evolving Ai Integration In Complex Medical Decision-Making And Multidisciplinary Transplant Care: A Systematic Review Of Human-Ai Collaboration, Rachel L. Dzieran, Cihan H. Dagli, Robert J. Marley

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Purpose of Review: Artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare has evolved dramatically from early expert systems, which were initially considered replacements for clinical judgment, to today's collaborative frameworks that aim to augment physician decision-making. This evolution is particularly crucial in domains such as transplant surgery, where decisions carry irreversible consequences and require the integration of complex, often ambiguous data. Drawing on peer-reviewed literature from 2019 to 2025, we conducted a systematic review that analyzed key elements distinguishing successful human-AI partnerships from those that fail. Recent Findings: The ideal balance incorporates human expertise into AI systems through weighted integration approaches, rather than …

Correctional Officer Suicide: A Theory-Driven Investigation Of Acquired Capability And Suicide Behavior, Abigail R. Andersen

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A growing body of research suggests that correctional officers (COs) die by suicide at a significantly higher rate compared to the general population and some other public safety personnel. Despite what is known about this phenomenon, an understanding of the risk factors driving the high rate of suicide among this population remains unclear. Specifically, little attention has been paid to specific risk factors for suicide among this population and there is an overall absence of theory-driven research investigating CO suicide. The present study sought to address the gap in this area of research by investigating potential risk factors for suicide …

We All Read: Adapting An Early Literacy Program For Children With Developmental Differences And Their Families, Rachel Podl

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Children with developmental differences face elevated risk for early literacy delays, while their caregivers experience significant difficulty accessing appropriate and supportive resources. This paper describes an adaptation of WeRead, an existing story-time and psychoeducation program through the University of Denver's Baby S.T.E.P.S. Lab, for children ages 0–7 with developmental differences and their caregivers. The program integrated a neurodiversity-affirming read-aloud, a strengths-based art activity, movement and music, caregiver psychoeducation on visual schedules, and collaboration with four community partners. The event drew approximately 65 attendees. A post-program survey, though limited by few responses, indicated that caregivers valued the program's accessibility, community partnerships, …

Values, Flourishing, And Identity Integration: Understanding Alcohol And Other Drug Use Among African Australian Youth, Abraham Kenin, Justine Dandy, Kwadwo Adusei-Asante, Sonam Pelden

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Previous research suggests Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) use by sub-Saharan African (SSA) youth who emigrate to Western cultural contexts like Australia is an indication of their acculturation and is influenced by their values. Although values are distal predictors of AOD use, the extent to which SSA Australian youth apply their values in AOD use could be a function of their psychological flourishing and Bicultural Identity Integration (BII). The aim of this study was to test a predictive model that combines values, psychological flourishing and BII to explore how the interaction of personal values and adaptive resources are related to …

The End Of Unmeasured Exploitation: How A.S.M., C.A.S., And S.I.A. Challenge Digital Attention Capitalism, Delante Clark

Graduate Scholarship and Creative Works

Digital attention capitalism generates value through the capture and monetization of human attention, yet it has historically lacked standardized mechanisms for measuring attention-related harm. This paper argues that the Attention Safeguard Models (A.S.M.), Cognitive Attentional Standards (C.A.S.), and Sociological Impact Assessment (S.I.A.) collectively challenge this system by introducing an integrated framework for classifying, measuring, and evaluating digital attention harm and its societal consequences. C.A.S. provides standardized measurement of digital attention harm, A.S.M. identifies and classifies patterns of attentional disruption and manipulation, and S.I.A. evaluates broader impacts on institutions, communities, civic engagement, education, social cohesion, and inequality. Together, these systems transform …

Beyond Screening In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Domain-Standardized, Measure-Flexible Framework For Comprehensive Neuropsychological Assessment, Etiane Navarro

Archives of Assessment Psychology

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a multisystem neurodegenerative disorder in which cognitive, behavioral, language, and social-cognitive changes may occur across clinical phenotypes, including the ALS-frontotemporal spectrum. Neuropsychological assessment is important for characterizing nonmotor manifestations and identifying changes relevant to autonomy, everyday functioning, and clinical management. This systematic review examined literature identified through APA PsycINFO, PubMed, Google Scholar, and supplementary searching to characterize neuropsychological domains, measures, phenotype-related findings, and disease-specific limitations relevant to comprehensive assessment. Two hundred records underwent title and abstract screening, 150 reports were reviewed in full text, and 61 resources were retained for synthesis. ALS-specific screening instruments, including …

How Wisconsin Extension Educators Talk About Climate Change Without Talking About ``Climate Change'', Sky Hershberger, Todd P. Newman

Journal of Extension

Climate change touches all areas of Extension's programming. To understand how educators approach talking about climate change with constituents, we interviewed 15 Extension educators and three program managers in Wisconsin. Crops and Soils educators view climate change as interwoven with their work, Financial Education educators view it as mostly disconnected, and Community Economic Development educators range between these extremes. Educators in all three programs avoid the polarizing phrase ``climate change,'' instead focusing on specific, local, and relatable issues. Educators show empathy and emphasize resilience (adaptation) rather than mitigation. These findings can inform Extension's organizational strategy on climate change.

Differences In Sustained Attentional Engagement With Emotional Targets In Individuals Reporting High And Low Worry, Jinu J. Mathew

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Attention bias towards emotionally salient or threatening information has been well documented across various populations, and it has been thought to contribute to the development and maintenance of anxiety. While previous research has identified early-stage attentional differences in individuals reporting elevated anxiety symptoms, less is known about how worry might impact later-stage processes involving sustained attentional engagement and visual working memory. The present study examined behavioral and electrophysiological indices of attentional processing during a modified visual search task in individuals reporting high compared to low levels of worry. Sixty-eight participants were recruited and classified into high and low worry groups …

High School Teachers' Experiences Working With Latino Immigrant Students Who Have Experienced Trauma, Collette Marie Jiménez Serra

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Latino immigrant students in U.S. public high schools are disproportionately exposed to trauma related to migration experiences, family separation, poverty, and acculturative stress, yet many teachers report feeling underprepared to address students’ trauma-related needs in culturally responsive ways. Limited research has examined high school teachers’ lived experiences implementing trauma-informed practices with Latino immigrant students, particularly from teachers’ own perspectives. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore high school teachers’ lived experiences implementing trauma-informed practices with Latino immigrant students, including their perceptions of preparedness and the factors influencing implementation. Guided by principles of trauma-informed care (TIC) and relational-cultural …

Artificial Sentience: From Computational Functionalism To Behaviourism?, Wanja Wiese

Animal Sentience

I critically examine Jonathan Birch’s account of how brain emulations might create artificial sentience candidates, arguing that his account risks collapsing into a behaviourist account, unless the specific computational processes realised by such emulations are carefully considered. Drawing on examples from computational neuroscience, I show that similar behaviours can arise from vastly different computational processes, thereby undermining the suggestion to focus on behaviourial profiles to determine whether a brain emulation of a sentience candidate is itself a sentience candidate.

Cloud: Between Paris And Tehran: Kiarostami/Corbin/Lacan, Heba Arafa Abdelfattah

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a book review of Joan Copjec, Cloud: Between Paris and Tehran: Kiarostami/Corbin/Lacan (MIT Press, 2025).

Mission And Editorial Policy

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Editorial History

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Eating Disorders & Meat Consumption: A Meta-Analytic Review, Urska Dobersek, Laurel Standiford-Reyes, Tyler Robinson, Alex Antony Edwin, Sarah Siebers

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

In this meta-analytic review, we examined the current evidence on eating disorders in relation to meat consumption and meat abstention. We systematically searched six online databases in December 2025 for primary research on eating disorder-related variables in meat consumers and meat abstainers. Fifty-one studies with 55,984 participants (n_{meat consumers} = 44,282, n_{meat abstainers} = 9,751) met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The outcomes were eating disorders and orthorexia nervosa. Meat consumption was associated with lower eating disorder (g = 0.20, 95% CI [0.08, 0.32], p = .001) and orthorexia nervosa symptomology (g = 0.47, 95% CI [0.33, …

Subjective Time Estimation In Rats: Seconds To Minutes, Alissa Christensen

Holster Scholar Projects

Time estimation is important for survival. Importantly, time estimation is subjective, influenced by a variety of factors.

We used a temporal bisection task (Church & Deluty, 1977) to determine the degree to which a rat “feels” a stimulus is long/short in reference to predetermined anchor durations.

Animals were first trained to respond differently to a short (3s) and long (6s) duration light-cue. This was followed by intermediate duration probes (averaging 4.5s). Most animals treated the intermediate intervals as long. The function varied, some showing a more linear response while others a step function.

The second phase examines longer time estimation, …