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Roots And Systems: A Portfolio Of Clinical Growth, Trauma-Informed Care, And Culturally Centered Practice, Sarah Rice

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

10 Questions To Fall In Love With A Chatbot: An Experimental Study On Interpersonal Closeness With Large Language Models (Llms), Jessica M. Szczuka, Lisa Mühl, Paula Ebner, Simon Dubé

Human-Machine Communication

Large language models (LLMs), like ChatGPT, are able to compute affectionately nuanced text, which can be deployed in online dating or power artificial companions. This study explores whether people can experience intimate interest and interpersonal closeness toward a potential human or AI partner, based on such text. In a mock matchmaking scenario, 307 participants rated 10 text responses to the Interpersonal Closeness Generation Task from the dating profile of their potential partner, unaware that all were LLM-generated. Surprisingly, the source label (human or AI) had no significant impact on intimate interest and interpersonal closeness. Instead, the perceived quality and human-likeness …

Comparing The Difference In Nurses’ Knowledge And Attitudes Toward Near-Death Experiences (Ndes) Before And After Receiving Nde Education, Renata B. Mcallister

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Near-death experiences (NDEs) have been reported in approximately 6.3% to 39.3% of patients who survived death or critical illness. Research indicated that health care professionals, of whom nurses are the largest group, received little education or training on NDEs. Nurses' responses to a disclosure could help the patient integrate the experience or contribute to stress and isolation. National nursing standards do not address education or competencies specific to NDEs, and few studies have examined educational programs on the topic. This quasi-experimental study examined changes in nurses' knowledge and attitudes before and after a three-part asynchronous training on NDEs, measured with …

Interstellar Faith: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Christian Reconciliation With Uaps And Nonhuman Intelligence, Christian Pedersen

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The researcher examined how Christian leaders interpret, respond to, and navigate questions surrounding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) and nonhuman intelligence (NHI) within their theological and ministerial contexts. Despite growing cultural and governmental attention to these phenomena, little empirical research has explored how Christian leaders engage these questions pastorally or theologically. Using a transcendental phenomenological design informed by Moustakas (1994), the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with twelve Christian leaders across multiple traditions. Analysis produced ten major themes organized around three research questions addressing theological interpretation, pastoral ministry, and lived experience. Findings revealed a participant group marked by intellectual humility, theological seriousness, …

Sport, Human Flourishing And The Common Good: A Jesuit Perspective, Patrick M. Kelly S.J.

Journal of Catholic Education

The author interprets humanist and early Jesuit education inspired by the Spiritual Exercises through the lens of the flow psychology theory of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi to highlight that they bring about differentiation – the development of the different interests, skills, dimensions of the person – and integration – in a way that is connected to community and fosters the common good. The inclusion of physical education and sports in the humanist and early Jesuit schools – the first instance of it in Catholic schools – was influenced by longer traditions which emphasized the unity of the person and a “play ethic”, …

Exploring Elite Athletes’ Perceptions Of The Practice Of Mindfulness For Mental Health And Optimal Performance, Omar A. Sesay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Elite athletes experience physical, cognitive, and emotional demands that affect athletic performance and personal well-being, increasing the risk for anxiety, depression, burnout, attentional difficulties, and maladaptive coping strategies. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has been examined for its effect on attentional control, emotional regulation, cognitive flexibility, and stress resilience, but limited qualitative research has examined how elite athletes experience the practice of mindfulness. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore elite athletes’ perceptions of the practice of mindfulness for mental health and optimal performance. The theoretical framework draws from mindfulness theory and MBSR principles. Semistructured interviews were conducted …

Investigating The Links Between Iq, Emotion Dysregulation, And Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia In Childhood Antisocial Behavior, Isley Jean-Pierre

Student Theses

This study examined relationships among cognitive ability, emotion dysregulation, physiological regulation, and antisocial behavior. Participants were 340 children ages 7-10. Caregivers reported on emotion regulation, aggression, and delinquency, and children completed cognitive assessments. Intellectual profiles were classified as even or uneven. No significant differences in aggression or delinquency were found between intellectual profiles. Emotion Regulation Checklist scores mediated relationships between VIQ and both aggression and delinquency. Resting RSA mediated the relationship between VIQ and delinquency, although the indirect effect was small, whereas RSA reactivity did not mediate either outcome. Overall, findings suggest that emotion regulation may be a more consistent …

Understanding Ourselves And Others: A Social Psychology Approach, Whitney Whitaker Ph.D., Noba Project

All Open Educational Resources

This book is a compilation of Open Education Resources for the use in an undergraduate level social psychology course at Fort Hays State University.

E-Health Literacy And Cyberchondria Severity Among Adolescent High School Students: A Cross-Sectional Study, Seyda Çavmak, Adem Bilgin

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: Amid rapid digitalization and the growing use of artificial intelligence-based search engines, adolescents increasingly seek health information online. This study examined the relationship between high school students' e-health literacy and their cyberchondria tendencies.

Methods: This quantitative, cross-sectional study included 683 students from public high schools in Mersin, Türkiye. Data were collected using a Demographic Information Form, the e-Health Literacy Scale (eHEALS), and the Cyberchondria Severity Scale Short Form (CSS-12). Descriptive statistics, comparative tests, and Pearson correlation were applied (p < 0.05).

Results: Students' e-health literacy and cyberchondria severity were moderate. Significant positive correlations emerged between e-health literacy …

Openness To Experience And Creative Capacity Among Active First Responders, William Reagan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Because emergency services demand adaptive, creative problem-solving within procedurally rigid cultures, this study examined whether Openness to Experience predicted creative capacity among active first responders and whether age or tenure moderated that relationship. A cross-sectional design used N = 117 first responders from eight agencies. Openness was measured with the Big Five Inventory-2 (percentile ranks); creativity was assessed with the Divergent Association Task (DAT; n = 116) and the Consensual Assessment Technique (CAT; n = 111). Covariates were age, tenure, rank, gender, and, for 46 participants at one agency, a dispatch-derived operational exposure score. In the full sample, Openness did …

The Role Of Reassurance Messages In Pediatric Oncology, Isabelle Faller

Doctoral Dissertations

Despite decreasing mortality rates, the high prevalence and incidence of pediatric cancer necessitate the need for advancements in the treatment of psychological concerns, specifically the reduction of patient distress and anxiety. A more comprehensive understanding of current reassurance messages in clinical practice can aid in developing a standardized framework for providing reassurance in pediatric oncology. Qualitative Content Analysis was employed to examine the types of messages nurses use to reassure patients (to reduce their anxiety about a future health-related event) and how effective nurses perceive these messages to be in relieving patients' anxiety. The adult participants, located at hospitals throughout …

The Moderating Effect Of Facial Recognition Ability On The Post-Identification Feedback Effect, Benjamin Martell

Student Theses

Abstract

Researchers have long understood the contaminating impact that feedback given to an eyewitness regarding their lineup identification has on a host of testimony-relevant retrospective judgments (Steblay et al., 2014; Wells & Bradfield, 1998). This phenomenon-the Post Identification Feedback Effect- has been influential in informing policy that seeks to reduce the number of false identifications and subsequent miscarriages of justice (Dysart et al., 2012). The present study aims to further our understanding and application of the post-identification feedback effect by investigating how a factor specific to the eyewitness, facial recognition ability, may moderate this effect. The present study failed to …

Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, Secondary Trauma, And Experiences With Death And Dying Among Organ And Tissue Recovery Professionals: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Shelby Andreasen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Professionals in organ and tissue recovery have complex job roles that affect the outcomes of patients who wait for a life-saving organ or a life-enhancing tissue graft. This profession had little research regarding burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary trauma, as well as how consistent involvement with deceased patients affects these professionals and the outcomes of their cases. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of 11 organ and tissue recovery professionals (OTRPs). Constructivist self-development theory was applied to understand OTRPs’ lived experiences of compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, and burnout, as well as the impact …

"Help Me Live It The Way You Do": Grounding Singaporean Responses To The Rorschach Situation, Casey Y. Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Contemporary research on the Rorschach and culture is striking for the latter’s disappearance as a variable of significance (Meyer et al., 2015; Meyer et al., 2007; Mihura et al., 2013; Viglione & Hilsenroth, 2001). This erasure is chronicled and reproduced in the narratives of universal objectivity, of extensive international meta-analyses, of replications, of standardized norms (Ritzler, 2004; Smith et al., 2018; Smith et al., 2020; Weiner, 2004). A different story emerges, however, when we ask, how has culture disappeared? The proposed study is a multimethod qualitative analysis of Singaporean responses to the Rorschach, aimed at generating sensitive yet critical discourses …

Between Care And Despair: An Existential Phenomenological Study Of Eco-Anxiety As Lived Experience, Conor H. Sukhdeo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the lived experience of eco-anxiety among young adults aware of the ongoing ecological crisis but not directly exposed to climate-related disasters. Grounded in the human science tradition, ecopsychology, and existential phenomenology, this study employed Scott Churchill’s (2022) approach to Existential Phenomenological Research (EPR) to deepen our understanding of the phenomenon of eco-anxiety. Four participants, residing in Pittsburgh and aged 18-25, produced written experiential descriptions and participated in open-ended phenomenological interviews. As outlined by EPR, this data was analyzed through meaning unit delineation, imaginative variation, phenomenological reduction, and structural synthesis to produce individual situated structures of eco-anxiety for …

Zeus Network And The Commercialization Of Conflict: A Critical Analysis Of Exploitation, Representation, And Reality Television, Delante Clark

Graduate Scholarship and Creative Works

This study examines Zeus Network as a prominent example of the commercialization of conflict within contemporary digital media. Through reality based programming that frequently emphasizes confrontation, public humiliation, emotional volatility, and interpersonal disputes, the network has cultivated a profitable entertainment model built upon spectacle and controversy. Drawing upon conflict theory, critical race theory, and media sociology, this paper investigates whether Zeus functions as a platform for cultural representation and economic opportunity or as a system that monetizes dysfunction for audience consumption. Particular attention is given to the portrayal of Black women and Black communities, whose experiences often become central to …

Impact Of Emerging Technologies On Leadership Identity Of Behavioral Health Leaders, Jenah Habermehl

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Emerging technologies are reshaping behavioral health leadership by changing documentation, communication, ethical responsibilities, and role expectations. Qualitative case study research methodology was used in this study. The problem addressed in this case study was the limited understanding of how emerging technologies influence the leadership identity and professional values of behavioral health leaders. The Baldrige Performance Excellence Framework guided this study of behavioral health leaders at a privately operated behavioral health organization in the South Atlantic region of the United States. Data were collected by conducting semistructured interviews with four behavioral health leaders at the organization and gathering internal archival and …

Generation X’Sperspectives On Indonesian National Pride: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis, Rizal Kurniawan, Sartana Sartana, Avin Fadhila Helmi

The Qualitative Report

Having a sense of national pride is crucial for the well-being and progress of a country. It plays a vital role in the overall development of a nation and its people. Generation X (individuals born between 1960 and 1980) in Indonesia have experienced many national events and these events influence how they feel about being part of Indonesia. However, empirical research has not shown which events are sources of pride for them. Our study identifies sources of national pride for Generation X in Indonesia. The research data was collected using an open questionnaire and analyzed using a reflexive thematic analysis …

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

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

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

Juvenile Lifers: Adapting To Life While Doing Life, Tristin Faust

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative study examined psychosocial maturation among individuals sentenced to life imprisonment for offenses committed during adolescence. Archival interview and survey data were analyzed for 30 men who had been resentenced and released after serving an average of 31 years in prison. Findings revealed a developmental progression across four stages: pre-incarceration, initial incarceration, catalysts for change, and later incarceration. Participants described entering prison with developmental immaturity compounded by trauma, unstable home environments, educational disruption, and antisocial peer influence. Their early years of incarceration were marked by anger, fear, misconduct, and survival-oriented behavior. Over time, participants identified discrete events and ongoing …

Development And Validation Of A Multidimensional Measure Of Role Ambiguity: Integrating Nlp-Based Factor Analytic Techniques With Traditional Psychometrics, Md Allama Ikbal Sijan

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This dissertation developed and validated the Multidimensional Role Ambiguity Scale (MRAS), a measure that separates role ambiguity into five subdimensions: goal/expectation/responsibility ambiguity, process ambiguity, priority ambiguity, behavior ambiguity, and performance criterion ambiguity. Although role ambiguity is one of the most studied role stressors in organizational research, it has been measured largely as a single global score, a practice that masks differences among its facets and may explain the inconsistent criterion relationships reported in prior work. Scale development followed the three-step framework of Singh and Rhoads (1991). Thirty items were generated from working definitions grounded in role theory, and fifteen research …

Nicotine Aerosol Self-Administration And Reward Potentiation: Using A Preclinical Model Of Vaping To Investigate The Stimulus-Enhancing Properties Of Nicotine, Kiernan T. Callister

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States and worldwide. Nicotine, the primary component of tobacco, is responsible for the addiction to tobacco and nicotine products, such as Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS). The widespread consumption of these products is motivated by several complex properties of nicotine, such as its ability to increase the rewarding value of stimuli in the environment. Although reward enhancement has been demonstrated via smoking and other forms of nicotine intake, it is unclear if these effects extend to electronic cigarettes. The present study used an animal model of …

The Price Of Possessiveness: How Parental Materialism Undermines Child Psychological Wellbeing, Miao Li

Sociology Publications

Materialism, a value system that places the pursuit of possessions at the core of happiness and life meaning, is a dominant cultural force in modern societies. While its associations with individual well-being are well-documented, its intergenerational implications remain understudied. This study conceptualizes materialism as a potential family stressor contributing to the intergenerational transmission of stress. An intergenerational crossover model of materialism was tested using data from 1,996 parent-child pairs in Zhengzhou, China. Results indicate that higher parental materialism is associated with stronger materialistic values in children, weaker family relationships, and more frequent parental comparisons, each of which is linked to …

A Qualitative Study Of Immigration Trauma, Posttraumatic Growth, And The College Experience Among Mena Immigrant Students, Braa A. Elkhidir

Dissertations

Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) immigrant students who are seeking to earn a higher education in the United States have to navigate acculturative stressors and systemic barriers. Prior research has focused primarily on the challenges MENA immigrant students experience without deeply exploring how these students adapt and grow. The focus in this qualitative study was to understand how MENA immigrant college students experience and make meaning of their academic journeys. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore the academic experiences of seven MENA immigrant college students in the United States and assess how acculturative stressors, personal strengths, coping strategies, and …

Love’S Dialects: Proposed Additions In Emotionally Focused Therapy For Intercultural Couples, Nicola Heurich

Dissertations

Intercultural romantic relationships have become an increasingly prominent feature of contemporary society due to globalization, migration, and cross-cultural exchange (Livingston & Brown, 2017). However, these partnerships are also associated with elevated levels of relational distress and higher rates of conflict, separation, and divorce, underscoring the need for culturally responsive approaches in couple therapy (Bustamante et al., 2011; Genç & Su, 2021).

Research on intercultural couples remains limited both within and beyond Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and despite increased recognition of cultural factors, there is still insufficient guidance on navigating differing cultural contexts within a dyad (Linhof & Allan, 2018).

The …

A Critical-Constructivist Grounded Theory Exploration Of The Mental Health Experiences Of Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities In Post-Secondary Settings, Alyssa L. Decker

Dissertations, 2020-current

Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) now have access to higher education, often through inclusive post-secondary education programs (IPSE), to increase employability and quality of life. IPSE programs, historically, have provided academic and life skill support and not mental health support within programs’ curricula. A recent review of IPSE programs reveals that if mental health services are included, they are often accessed through university health services. Transitioning from high school to college induces high levels of stress, which can exacerbate underlying mental health conditions. Mental health care is defaulted to an already overburdened college counseling center without the knowledge and skills …

The Ambivalent Wisdom Of Moral Disgust, Brandon Yip

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This paper has two aims. First, to provide a positive account of moral disgust. I suggest that moral disgust is a response to acts that are socially corrosive, namely, acts that undermine the normative structure to which an agent is attuned. I support this analysis with two lines of evidence: (1) moral disgust serves the important function of guarding normative structures from socially corrosive actions and (2) the analysis provides an illuminating explanation of moral disgust in a wide variety of cases. The secondary aim of this paper is to probe the normative implications of my positive account. I suggest …

When The Best-Fit Model Is Not Best: The Glass Slipper Fallacy And Latent Growth Mixture Modelling, Jonathan L. Chia, Markus Wettstein, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Despite the use of latent growth mixture modelling (LGMM) to study longitudinal changes, existing practices may inadvertently impede this very investigation. Although subgroup trajectories may theoretically differ in their structure (e.g., some subgroups being linear, some curvilinear), the current convention advocates overreliance on the baseline model to derive subsequent profile trajectories, which may obscure these structural differences. In this article, we provide a brief description of extant LGMM practices, after which we explicate the pitfalls of the current approach. Finally, we provide a principled approach for LGMM research moving forward. Specifically, we recommend specifying a set of theoretically plausible models …

Global Prevalence Of Depression Among University Students: A Comprehensive Umbrella Review, Gilda Yun Kai Sam, Xun Ci Soh, Harshitha Balaji, Gabriel X. D. Tan, Shu Fen Diong, Meilan Hu, Andree Hartanto, Nadyanna M. Majeed

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Depression has become a major concern for educational institutes due to its increasing incidence and detrimental impacts on students’ well-being. However, its global prevalence in the context of tertiary education remains unclear. This umbrella review summarised existing meta-analyses and systematic reviews to examine the worldwide prevalence of depression among university students. Several sociodemographic and methodological factors, including differences in depression prevalence before, during, and after COVID-19, were examined as moderators. Structured and exhaustive searches were conducted in five bibliographic databases and five journals, alongside two sources of grey literature. A total of 61 meta-analyses and systematic reviews were included in …

The Augmented Matching Law, Matias A. Avellaneda

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Every living organism, including humans, has a finite amount of time available: 24 hours in a day, 365 days in a year, and a certain number of years in its life. At every moment, such an organism will be engaging in one of a multitude of possible activities, such as eating, sleeping, or reading this dissertation. We use the term choice to denote the way in which the organism distributes its time among all these activities, and some of these choice patterns are more beneficial to the organism than others, showcasing the importance of understanding the mechanisms underlying choice. A …