Digital Commons Network^™

If Pets Are Family: Pet Loss And The Need For Grief Equity In One Health, Michele L. Whitney

Journal of One Health Systems

One Health frameworks increasingly recognize pets as integral to human health and well-being. However, these models often overlook the health and equity implications of pet loss. Culturally mediated grief experiences following pet bereavement represent a critical grief equity gap in One Health systems. Drawing on findings from a qualitative study of African American adults who experienced pet loss, along with existing literature, this Viewpoint highlights how pet loss is not only an emotional experience but also a socially structured one shaped by cultural norms, social recognition, and access to support. These dynamics contribute to inequities in how grief is experienced …

Balancing Our Capacity To Serve: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Black Women Navigating Personal, Professional, And Community Leadership Roles, Shemeka K. Brathwaite

Student Theses

This phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of Black women community leaders as they navigate a balance between their professional, personal, and community leadership roles. The research design uses the theoretical frameworks of Black Feminist Intersectionality and Role Theory, specifically addressing the cultural burdens imposed by the Strong Black Woman archetype, which adds additional role strain. The study began with a questionnaire completed by 54 Black women community leaders, followed by 20 in-depth, semi-structured interviews selected from this pool. The study’s key findings are illustrated in a Black Women’s Sustainable Community Leadership Framework. Black women community leaders exude high self-efficacy, …

Words Can Hurt: A Review Of Racial Microaggressions And Their Effects On Cortisol Level, Edgar Perez-Lopez

McNair Research Journal SJSU

The study examines the impact of racial microaggressions on cortisol levels,

highlighting inconsistent findings across various research methodologies.

Microaggressions--subtle discriminatory actions--are linked to stress and

can raise cortisol levels, a hormone released in response to stress. Some

studies suggest that frequent microaggressions blunt cortisol response,

making it less available for future stressors, while others reported increased

cortisol levels. The divergence in results may be due to differences in

research designs, such as cross-sectional, interpersonal research, or

nomothetic, versus longitudinal, intrapersonal research, or idiographic

approaches. Combined, the results of each type of research proves chronic

and acute impact of microaggressions. The …

The Relationship Between Gender, Platonic Physical Affection, And Interpersonal Sensitivity, Mariam Malik

McNair Research Journal SJSU

Interpersonal sensitivity (IS), also known as emotional maturity or empathy,

is characterized by recognizing emotions and displaying empathy, which

are important social skills. Understanding the factors that are associated

with interpersonal sensitivity can provide the foundation for research

revolving around improving interpersonal sensitivity, and in turn,

improving social skills. Platonic physical affection (PPA), such as holding

hands and hugging, is a social variable often associated with those close to

one another (e.g., friends and family). However, the exhibition and

receptivity to this social variable may differ across cultures and genders.

This study aimed to see if there is a relationship …

Heroes At Home: Developing And Evaluating A Comprehensive Parenting Program For Expectant Parents And Parents Of Young Children, Olivia Adams

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Parental preparedness plays a critical role in parental wellbeing, relationship functioning, and early child development; however, many parents report feeling unprepared for the emotional, relational, and developmental demands of parenthood. Although psychoeducational parenting programs have demonstrated positive effects on parental mental health and child outcomes, access to comprehensive and time-efficient interventions remains limited. This pilot program evaluation assessed the feasibility and preliminary outcomes of a brief, online psychoeducational parenting program designed to reduce parenting stress and enhance parental self-efficacy. A quasi-experimental pre–post design was used to examine changes in parenting stress and parental self-efficacy following participation in a single 120-minute …

A Narrative Study Of The “Religious Dones” And Their Religious Identity, Relationship To God, And Social Connections, Michelle Suh

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

This qualitative study aims to learn about how religious dones — those who were formerly religious but no longer identify as religious — have constructed their life narratives in light of their religious deidentification, with particular attention on the evolution of religious identity, perceived relationship with God, and social connections across the lifespan. A narrative methodology was employed to capture participants’ experiences in a story format to understand the subjective meaning-making process of their lived experiences, and six young adults between the ages of 23-29 participated in the study. Data collection consisted of a life-story portion of the interview with …

Motherwise In Nicaragua: The Implementation Of Culturally Adapted Relationship Education For Women During Pregnancy And Postpartum, Amanda Key Correa Love

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a concerning public health issue of global proportions, particularly within rural and under-resourced settings. Communities in these settings face elevated risk for relationship abuse, further compounded by barriers to access culturally responsive preventive intervention programming. This qualitative study investigated participant experiences, cultural adaptation, and implementation of the MotherWise program, a healthy relationship education intervention in rural Leon, Nicaragua. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with former and current program participants as well as the program facilitator following the initial program implementation. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns related to participant experiences, the types of …

Determinants Of Corporal Punishment And Severe Physical Punishment In Egypt: A Mixed-Methods Analysis For Child Protection Policy, Marwa Moustafa Nassef

Theses and Dissertations

Corporal punishment (CP) and severe physical punishment (SPP) remain a major public health, child rights, and child protection policy concern. In Egypt, despite legislative reforms, survey-weighted analysis of the 2021 Egypt Family Health Survey (EFHS) 2021 (CAPMAS, 2022) reveals prevalence rates of 60.5% for CP and 27.4% for SPP among children aged 1–14 (author’s calculations using EFHS-2021, n=7623), yet evidence distinguishing the determinants of routine corporal punishment from escalation to severe physical punishment remains limited in low- and middle-income contexts. Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological framework, this mixed-methods study identifies key drivers of CP and its escalation to SPP among Egyptian …

Overcoming Behavioral Health Barriers In The Homeless Population: A Healthcare Case Study, Uchenna Godson Ogbuokiri

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Understanding Moral Injury In Emergency Department Clinicians: Predictors, Outcomes, And Evidence Gaps, Rose Doering Lightspeed

University Honors Theses

Moral injury (MI) is an emerging construct for understanding clinician distress in high-acuity healthcare settings, yet its application to Emergency Department (ED) clinicians remains limited. MI refers to psychological distress resulting from exposure to, or participation in, situations that conflict with deeply held moral or ethical standards, often due to systemic or organizational constraints. Although prior research has examined MI in heterogeneous healthcare samples, the ED remains underexamined despite its unique combination of high patient acuity, throughput pressure, and resource limitations.

This review synthesizes literature on MI among healthcare workers with a focus on ED clinicians, drawing on Industrial-Organizational psychology …

Engaging Immigrant Families Of Children With Disabilities: Recommendations For Practitioners, Robai N. Werunga, John William Mckenna, Rocio Rosales

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Family involvement is essential for positive school outcomes. Yet research suggests that family engagement for students with disabilities may be marked by conflict. Furthermore, creating an environment that promotes active engagement for immigrant families may be challenging. In this paper, we synthesize existing research, legal guidance, and community-engaged insights to present four practice-oriented recommendations for educators and practitioners working with immigrant families of children with disabilities. Grounded in Hans and Love’s stages of immigrant family engagement, these recommendations aim to support meaningful and culturally responsive participation in special education processes.

Misinformation Machine, Jan A. Wozniak

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

No abstract provided.

Racism In The Science And Practice Of Psychotherapy, Richard E. Redding, Craig L. Frisby

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

We discuss a recent controversy that occurred in The Cognitive Behavioural Therapist over whether Lilienfeld’s critical views on microaggressions theory and research reflect racist beliefs, as alleged by some. This is one of many recent examples of a profoundly antiscientific practice whereby racism allegations chill scientific debate and open inquiry on important research issues. This produces an overtly politicized science that has a corrosive effect on scientific progress and ultimately the useful application of research in clinical practice. The microaggressions controversy provides an especially useful vehicle for challenging this state of affairs given the widespread application of microaggressions theory, including …

Rhode Island Teen Institute Remains Impactful After More Than A Decade Hiatus, Tayla Von Ash, Anusha Gupta, Michael J. Thompson, Jennifer Stevens, Terese Gregg, Sandra Del Sesto

Journal of Youth Development

Rhode Island Teen Institute (RITI) is a 5-day residential program based on the Positive Youth Development approach that exposes participants to intensive training in individual and community advocacy, decision-making, interpersonal communication, and leadership development. Results from prior iterations of RITI (2002-2009) demonstrated that the program was efficacious at improving leadership and other related skills among participants. However, unfortunately due to loss of funding, the program did not run from 2010-2023. The present study assesses the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the 2023 implementation of RITI after more than a decade-long hiatus. The program was successfully implemented with 44 youth …

An Ecological Approach To School Climate, Safety, And Space: Accounts From Educators, Architects, And Guidelines, Mahnaz Izadi

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation explores how the spatial and social contexts of schools interact to influence how school safety and climate are perceived and enacted. Using ecological psychology theories, I examined the perspectives of teachers, counselors, and architects, school stakeholders involved in school planning and operation at different times, with varying levels of control and involvement in the daily life of schools. The study investigates how these stakeholders think about school climate and safety, the strategies they employ to improve it, and the challenges they face in doing so.

This qualitative study employs semi-structured interviews with 11 teachers and 4 counselors from …

Diverse Families Navigating Mental Health At The Pediatrician’S Office: A Mixed Methods Exploration Of The Interplay Of Stress, Culture, And Child Mental Health In The Primary Care Setting, Sara B. Budowsky

Dissertations

Low-income and ethnic minority youth experience high psychiatric need but persistently low participation in traditional mental health care. General pediatricians are often the first and only healthcare providers with whom many families engage around their child’s emotional and behavioral development. Using both quantitative analysis of retrospective secondary data and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) of in-depth interviews with diverse caregivers, this project explored influencers of child mental health and family utilization of pediatric primary-care-based mental health services in the context of a uniquely multicultural clinic serving a predominantly Medicaid population. Three key findings include: 1) Caregiver Stress was a highly significant, …

Youth Social And Emotional Development Through Sports: Skyhawks Insight, Jeremy Vincent, Michelle Van Beek

Journal of Youth Development

This study examines the impact of Skyhawks Sports Academy camps on youth participants’ social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies using an intrinsic case study approach incorporating both quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative data were gathered through SEL competency surveys and observations of coaches and qualitative data through semi-structured interviews with past and current Skyhawks coaches. A paired samples t-test analysis of the quantitative data revealed statistically significant changes in three SEL competencies: social awareness and self-management showed growth, while relationship skills declined. However, significant changes were not discovered in all categories; therefore, the null hypothesis was accepted. The observational data (scored using …

Relationships Matter: External Factors Influence High School Completion Among Black Young Adults, L. B. Simmons, Shawn Jones, Sepideh S. Soheilian, Chelsea Williams

Journal of Youth Development

To identify whether and how contextual (i.e., spiritual, educational, and cultural contexts) and relational (i.e., physical and psychological caregiving) resilience influence high school completion among Black young adults, the team conducted logistic regression and moderation analyses. The interaction between contextual resilience and relational resilience revealed that at higher levels of relational resilience, increased contextual resilience is associated with an increased likelihood of high school completion. Importantly, the findings also suggest that at lower levels of relational resilience, increased contextual resilience is associated with a decreased likelihood of high school completion among Black young adults. Themes emerging from this study highlight …

Relationships Matter: External Factors Influence High School Completion Among Black Young Adults, L. Blair Simmons, Shawn Ct Jones, Sepideh S. Soheilian, Chelsea D. Williams

Journal of Youth Development

To identify whether and how contextual (i.e., spiritual, educational, and cultural contexts) and relational (i.e., physical and psychological caregiving) resilience influence high school completion among Black young adults, the team conducted logistic regression and moderation analyses. The interaction between contextual resilience and relational resilience revealed that at higher levels of relational resilience, increased contextual resilience is associated with an increased likelihood of high school completion. Importantly, the findings also suggest that at lower levels of relational resilience, increased contextual resilience is associated with a decreased likelihood of high school completion among Black young adults. Themes emerging from this study highlight …

"I Still Care About Her": Ambiguous Loss And Social Death In Substance-Affected Relationships, Margaret M. King

University Honors Theses

Substance use creates a ripple effect, affecting the individual as well as their family members. The struggles associated with problematic substance use result in feelings of ambiguous loss towards the substance using individual, a type of loss in which a person is still living but either psychologically or physically unavailable. This research explores the experiences of ambiguous loss in college students with loved ones struggling with substance use, examining how they are thrust into caregiving roles, experience support, and find meaning within their loss. Seven semi-structured interviews were held with adult college students who identified as having a loved-one struggling …

Trends Of Pediatric Psychotropic Polypharmacy In Massachusetts Before And During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Gianna D'Ambrozio

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Youth in the U.S. and internationally are increasingly being diagnosed with depression and related psychiatric conditions (Murthy, 2021) many of whom are being subjected to non-evidence-based, or what has been termed irrational, psychotropic polypharmacy (Barnett & Concepcion Zayas, 2019). Psychotropic polypharmacy can be defined as “the use of 2 or more psychiatric medications in the same patient,” (Zito et al., 2021) though definitions can vary. Using data from the Center for Health Information Analysis’ Massachusetts All-Payer Claims Database, this study examined the sociodemographic factors associated with high rates of polypharmacy, a hypothesized increase in pediatric psychotropic polypharmacy rates in Massachusetts …

Analyzing The Impact: Foster Grandparent Program, Shanetta Weatherspoon, Miyue Chen, Monica Pereda

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

The Foster Grandparent Program (FGP) is a multigenerational approach to community volunteerism. The study uses intergenerational solidarity to conceptualize the impact of the FGP. The study aims to examine the impact of two dimensions by analyzing data from the Assignment Assessment Forms and the New General Self-Efficacy Scale. Paired t-tests were conducted to determine whether there is a difference in the mentees’ behavior pre- and post-intervention over four years and by way of three priority areas. Results indicated that the FGP has an impact on both the mentees and volunteers. Findings suggest that the program’s activities are the vehicle for …

Organizational Sustainability In Shared-Space Behavioral Health Models, Lorie Lopez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Exploring How Leadership Systems Institutionalize Culturally Responsive Care Within Behavioral Health Organizations, Frank E. Edmonds Iii

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Moderating Roles Of Adolescent Peer Relationship Difficulties And Prosocial Behavior On The Relationship Between Triangulation And Adolescent Emotional Symptoms During Parental Divorce, Taylor Kalei Demotta

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

The divorce process is a stressful, transitional period that is widely experienced by families in the United States. This process incites a variety of stressors and deleterious family dynamics that impact children and adolescents. The divorce literature has identified parental conflict as a significant contributor to youth outcomes following divorce. Therefore, researchers have aimed to investigate the specific dynamics occurring during interparental discord that may influence youth. Triangulation, or the involvement of children in parental disagreements, has been found to mediate the relationship between parental conflict and adolescents’ internalizing symptoms. Adolescents may be particularly vulnerable to triangulation due to increases …

Behind The Bar: Empathy Burnout's Impact On Lawyers' Job Competency, Eva L. Newkirk

Honors Projects

It is well established within psychological literature how burnout develops among human service professionals including nurses, therapists, police officers, and first responders. Despite facing the same kinds of risks for burnout development by helping professions, especially trauma and stressful client relationships, the development and consequences empathy burnout have been under-researched in lawyers. This project aims to explore existing literature around burnout and empathy as related to job competency in legal professionals and develop a survey that explores empathy as a potential indirect mediating variable from burnout to employee engagement. The article additionally discusses the pathway from second-hand trauma to empathy …

Perceived Concepts Which Influence Initial Methamphetamine Use Amongst Young Latina Women, Rebeca Rivera

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Women Self-Help Groups As Drivers Of Community Development In Rural Kenya, James Kariuki, Bhoke Chacha

Journal of Global Awareness

Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are informal grassroots associations of people who have similar objectives and concerns working cooperatively and collectively to meet their needs and improve their living conditions. SHGs are known to contribute towards the development and welfare of their members. This paper examines the role of SHGs in community development in Kenya with a focus on selected women groups in Migori and Makueni Counties. The study adopted a mixed research approach that provided both qualitative and quantitative data, and it was anchored on two interrelated theories of community development: empowerment theory and social capital theory. The researchers interviewed 80 …

Lessons Learned In Providing Infant And Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Rashele Wade

Journal of Global Awareness

Access to quality childcare is a protective factor from lifelong issues such as school failure, school drop-out, and incarceration. Conversely, preschool suspension and expulsion are significant risk factors. Evidence-based interventions, such as Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation, aim to reduce and eliminate the incidence of preschool suspensions and expulsions. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted access to quality childcare for many children across the country and globally. This study utilized a qualitative action research approach and generic qualitative inquiry to examine the research question, “How can we improve Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation through lessons learned during the …

Caring For The Carers: Exploring The Mental Wellbeing Of Informal Palliative Caregivers Of Cancer Patients In Kenya, James Kariuki, Rose Njiraini

Journal of Global Awareness

Cancer cases have been on the increase globally, and this has led to economic burden on the affected households. One way of reducing the cost of care is through home-based care by informal palliative caregivers who include family members, friends, and other people assigned by the family members to take care of the patient. The objectives of this study were to assess the status of the mental wellbeing of palliative caregivers of cancer patients; to examine the relationship between the ability of the patient to cope with cancer diagnosis and the mental wellbeing of the caregiver; and to investigate the …