Digital Commons Network^™

The Adjustment Of Autistic First-Generation Students To Higher Education, Paris J. Cumba

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of the current study is to investigate how first-generation students on the autism spectrum adjust to higher education compared to their continuing generation and neurotypical peers through the lens of intersectionality. Previous research has studied how first-generation students and autistic students transition into college environments, but little research has explored how these identities intersect and affect college adjustment.

For this study, 189 undergraduate students completed a survey that measured different dimensions of college adjustment, such as academic motivation, self-efficacy, and current life satisfaction. ANOVA tests showed that there was no significant interaction between first-generation status and autism status …

Filipino Teachers’ Grit And Organizational Resilience During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jyro B. Triviño, Moses G. Manalang

Leadership and Strategy Faculty Publications

This study explores the relationship between employee grit and organizational resilience, focusing on perceptions from Filipino teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing a quantitative survey, data from 108 teaching faculty from a Southern Luzon university were analyzed using Spearman correlation to identify potential associations between these constructs. Findings reveal significant but weak to moderate correlations between dimensions of grit and facets of organizational resilience. Notably, adaptability to situations emerged as the most substantial grit component linked to organizational resilience, indicating its critical role in fostering organizational adaptability and planning strategies during uncertain times. The results suggest that individuals with high …

Exploring What Parents And Their Twice-Exceptional Children Need From The Mental Health System, Mehrnaz Mirhosseini M.S.

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

Twice-exceptional (2e) students, defined broadly as those with both high cognitive abilities and disabilities, have unique psychological needs. Many 2e students struggle in school and at home, and their abilities and disabilities tend to mask each other, making it more difficult to diagnose twice-exceptionality (Foley-Nipcon et al., 2013). Additionally, no gold-standard interventions have been identified (Foley-Nicpon & Candler, 2018). These factors and the relative obscurity of twice-exceptionalism can leave parents feeling helpless, confused, and isolated when seeking care for their 2e child. There is no research on which mental health interventions parents believe their 2e children need, as well as …

Real Talk: Piloting A Brief Digital Body Image Intervention For College Students, Logan Faith

Research Honors

The present study examines data from 20 participants who were randomly assigned to a brief digital body image intervention and a waitlist control group. The program, Real Talk, incorporated elements from several evidence-based approaches, namely affirming one’s values, making cognitive reappraisals, building body functionality, and self-compassion. The main outcome measures were body appreciation, functionality appreciation, self-kindness, and self-judgment. We hypothesized that Real Talk participants would experience greater increases in positive body image constructs and self-kindness and lower levels of self-judgment as compared to the waitlist control group. Data were analysed using nonparametric analyses due to the small sample size. Mann-Whitney …

Steady As She Goes: Remote Work Benefits Daily Goal Progress Through Reduced Energy Variability, Andrew A. Bennett, Kathleen R. Keeler, Emily D. Campion, Sheila K. Keener

Management Faculty Publications

As the prevalence and allowance of remote and hybrid work evolves, research has shown consistently mixed findings about how work location is related to worker energy and perceptions of daily performance. We aim to resolve this ambiguity by integrating affective events theory with ideas about emotion dynamics to develop new theorizing explaining why energy variability, rather than mean energy level, is an important predictor of daily goal progress. We test our hypotheses using a sample of 219 employees from one organization allowing remote and hybrid work, capturing individual hourly energy levels for five consecutive workdays (4,812 hourly observations). Our …

An Insidious Interstice: Understanding Cognition And Language Behaviour Through The Eyes Of Juvenile Justice Professionals, Anne M. Perrotti, Allison T. Chappell, Tancy Vandecar-Burdin

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Introduction

Despite evidence suggesting language and cognition deficits are prevalent for justice involved youth, little research explores how juvenile justice personnel experience language and cognition behaviours in the youth they serve.

Aims

This qualitative study explored how juvenile justice personnel understand language and cognition skills and deficits in justice involved youth.

Methods

Twenty-two U.S. juvenile justice professionals participated in individual, semi-structured interviews. Questions focused on individual understanding of receptive language, expressive language, social communication, and cognition (i.e., problem-solving, predicting consequences and impulsiveness) in juveniles served. Using a phenomenological lens, transcripts were coded identifying themes and sub-themes of participant responses.

Results …

Joint Associations Of Meditation And Physical Activity With Depression And Anxiety Symptoms In Us Adults: Nhis 2022, Yubing Wang

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Objectives

Physical activity and meditation may each relate to mental health, but their joint associations in U.S. adults are unclear. We examined the separate and joint associations of any past-year meditation and meeting physical activity (PA) guidelines with depression and anxiety symptoms.

Method

We analyzed data from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey Sample Adult file (n = 24,927). Exposures were meeting PA guidelines, any past-year meditation, and their four-level combination (Neither, PA only, Meditation only, Both). Outcomes were moderate-to-severe depressive and anxiety symptoms (PHQ-8/GAD-7 >= 10). Survey-weighted modified Poisson models estimated prevalence ratios (PRs), with interaction, sensitivity, and post …

Factors Influencing Vaping Behaviors Based On Social Cognitive Theory: A Qualitative Study Among Mexican-American College Students, Bara S. Bataineh, Liza Talavera-Garza, Alexandra Loukas, David J. Badillo, Sherman Chow, Geronimo B. Cardenas, Erika Garza, Anna Wilkinson

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Background: Vaping rates among Mexican-American college students are high, yet the contributing personal and environmental factors remain understudied. The current qualitative study applies Social Cognitive Theory to examine how personal factors (e.g., self-efficacy, beliefs, and outcome expectations) and environmental influences (e.g., social norms and social media) shape vaping behaviors in this vulnerable population. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 Mexican-American college students (ages 18–25 years), 68% of whom were female, and all were current vapers. Participants discussed the personal and social contexts of their vaping experiences, with questions exploring their beliefs and outcome expectations. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and …

Examining Challenges For Sociology Master’S Degree Students At California State University, David Ortuno

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify the lived experiences of CSU sociology graduate students pursuing a master’s degree. Seven sociology graduate students from six of the eight (75%) total sociology MA programs throughout the entire CSU system were interviewed. Their responses were designed to analyze the support systems and challenges they face while pursuing a master's degree, as well as to investigate whether their experiences correlate with or fail to correlate with the promises in the CSU mission statement, and to answer the study’s research questions and achieve the purpose of this qualitative study.

Four themes emerged from …

The Effects Of Pornography On Romantic Relationships, Jade A. Green

McNair Scholars Research

This study examined the relationship among pornography use, attitudes toward pornography, and romantic relationship outcomes among adults in the United States. The hypotheses are as follows: 1. Pornography use is negatively associated with relationship satisfaction. 2. Positive attitudes toward pornography are negatively associated with relationship satisfaction. 3. Men will report more positive attitudes toward pornography than women, 4. Higher pornography use is associated with being single.  A convenience sample of 165 adults from central Arkansas completed measures assessing pornography use/acceptance and relationship satisfaction. Statistical analyses included a correlation matrix, an independent-samples t-test, and a chi-square analysis. Results showed that pornography …

The Charity Capacity Curse, Shirley (Lijun) Zhang, Thomas Allard, David Hardisty, Shane Wang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Can displays of charity capacity cues paradoxically harm charities' fundraising efforts? Six pre-registered studies provide evidence of a charity capacity curse whereby donors penalize charities for displaying capacity cues, such as human resources capacity, organizational capacity, and financial capacity cues. This curse occurs because donors perceive higher-capacity charities as needing less help. As donors typically donate based on need, they donate less to charities with superior capacity signals. This effect is attenuated when: (1) higher-capacity charities' needs are made salient, and (2) donors reflect on how their decision impacts end-beneficiaries. This research contributes to the literature on effective altruism and …

Brief Therapy Dog Interactions May Increase Self-Efficacy And Lower Perceived Stress And Cortisol In High School Students: A Preliminary Study, Dawn Melzer, Deirdre Yeater, Madison Derubis, Christiana Rose Kohlroser, Barbara J. Pierce

Psychology Faculty Publications

The present study examined changes in high schoolers’ perceived stress, general self-efficacy and cortisol levels after a brief interaction with a certified therapy dog. High school students completed self-report measures of perceived stress and general self-efficacy and provided salivary cortisol samples both before and after a 10-min interaction with a certified therapy dog. Following the interaction, students reported reductions in perceived stress scores, exhibited lower salivary cortisol concentrations and demonstrated increases in self-efficacy scores compared to before the interaction. Although higher self-efficacy scores were observed, general self-efficacy is generally regarded as a stable construct; therefore, these findings may reflect a …

Effects Of Coaching Interventions On Burnout And Mental Health Outcomes Among Collegiate Athletes: A Meta-Analysis, Natalie Mitchell

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This meta-analysis examined the effects of coaching interventions on burnout and mental health outcomes among collegiate athletes. Following PRISMA guidelines, literature published from 1980 onward was searched across SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and ProQuest Theses & Dissertations. Studies were included if they assessed burnout, psychological well-being, or related mental health outcomes in collegiate athletes and investigated a coaching intervention. Twelve interventional studies met the inclusion criteria. Across studies, coaching interventions varied in structure, duration, sport context, and cultural setting, with most emphasizing intrapersonal strategies and emotional or mental health outcomes. Meta-analytic results indicated small, non-significant effects favoring …

Pretend Play Effects On Autistic Children's Theory Of Mind & Social Skills, Joelle Lok

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Autistic individuals often struggle with basic social skills due to deficits in Theory of Mind (ToM), perspective taking, reciprocity difficulties, etc. Early interventions that target these skills, specifically metarepresentation skills, could be essential to an individual’s social success and overall well-being. Further, pretend play shares an important relationship with ToM and social skills, due to their shared use of putting oneself in others’ shoes. Thus, a pretend play intervention could be beneficial in not only improving children’s overall play interactions, but also through a domino effect on their ToM and social skills. The directionality of the relationship between pretend play, …

The Phenomenon Of Professional Burnout Among Military Chaplains In Ukraine, Artem Makovskyi, Oleg Mateyuk, Oleksandr Bilovskyi, Anton Datskov, Dmytro Oleshko

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article presents a comprehensive study of the phenomenon of professional burnout among military chaplains in Ukraine in the context of their personal experience of being in extreme (combat) conditions. The relevance of the problem is due to the prolonged impact of combat operations, high psycho-emotional stress, and the special role of military chaplains in the system of moral and psychological support for Ukraine's security and defense sector. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study was the concept of professional burnout by K. Maslach, the provisions of the person-centered approach, and the theory of personal experience. The empirical study …

Postsecular Coping Mode (Pscm): The Mechanism Of Sacred Meaning Reactivation Under Secular Pressure In Post-Soviet Societies, Aruzhan Akhmetova Aru, Mukhan Issakhan

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article introduces the concept of Postsecular Coping Mode (PSCM) to explain the changing psychological dynamics of religiosity in post-Soviet societies. Classical studies of religious coping typically conceptualize religion as a relatively stable strategy or behavioral response. However, under postsecular conditions, religious experience increasingly appears as a context-sensitive, episodically activated meaning-regulation mode. In response, the notion of coping mode is conceptualized as a distinct psychological category analytically differentiated from conventional coping frameworks. The proposed PSCM model describes the selective reactivation of sacred meaning resources under conditions of perceived secular pressure. Its processual architecture unfolds through four stages: (1) the trigger …

Parent Perspectives: Child Attendance In Community Grief Support, Janeene Sanderson

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Childhood bereavement can affect children emotionally, socially, and developmentally, creating a need for support that is both age-appropriate and grief-informed. This qualitative study explored how parents perceived the impact of community grief support programs for their bereaved children. The study focused on children ages 8–12 who attended a peer support group, grief camp, or similar community-based grief support program after the death of a loved one. Data were collected through parent interviews and reviewed through thematic analysis. Findings showed that parents perceived these programs as meaningful because they created safe spaces where children could feel normal and validated in their …

Unveiling Othering Experiences In Multiethnic Families: Narratives Of Identity And Belonging Among White/Hispanoamerican Women, Maria-Esther Wood

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation explores the lived experiences of multiethnic Hispanoamerican women as they navigate identity, belonging, and familial othering within the context of multiethnic family systems. Using qualitative narrative inquiry, the study centres the voices of nine women residing in Ontario, each with one white parent and one Hispanoamerican parent, ranging in age from 19 to 65. Guided by Dewey’s three-dimensional model of narrative analysis, the research explores how personal stories reflect broader patterns of othering and belonging, the central research question asks: What specific forms of othering related to identity and belonging—inclusive of discrimination and racist treatment—do multiethnic Hispanoamerican women …

The Forgotten Carers: A Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Chinese Canadians Caring For A Family Member With Borderline Personality Disorder (Bpd/Fbpd), Judy Y.F. Wu

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

There is a fair amount of literature on Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD); however, it still lags behind research on other major mental illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia (Furnham et al., 2015). Similarly, while there has been ample research on caring from various perspectives; little has been explored regarding caring for individuals with BPD. Research on Chinese Canadian families caring for patients with BPD is even more scarce. This study explored the lived experiences of Chinese Canadians caring for family members diagnosed with BPD (FBPD) in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Ontario, Canada. BPD is characterised by “interpersonal hypersensitivity, affective …

Sex Differences In The Use Of Cognitive Strategies In Brown-Headed Cowbirds (Molothrus Ater), Nicole E. Robinson Ms.

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Cognition is widely believed to be adaptive, yet few studies directly show that variation in cognitive performance is related to fitness. Brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) provide a powerful system for addressing this gap because brood parasitism creates strikingly different reproductive problems for females and males. Females face the spatial demands of nest-prospecting, whereas males face social and competitive demands associated with access to mates. Across five experiments, cowbirds were tested on an outdoor foraging task designed as an analogue of nest prospecting, with manipulations of retention interval, cue conflict, and breeding condition, followed by observations of reproductive behaviour. …

Mixed Methods Insights Into Understandings Of And Stigma Towards Autism In Children And Young Adults, Natalia Gc Van Esch

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

BACKGROUND: Autism is widely stigmatized and misunderstood. Existing research using methods such as questionnaires finds that autistic individuals are often evaluated more negatively than their non-autistic counterparts. Unfortunately, this approach provides limited insight into the underlying representations of autism that individuals hold. The present study seeks to examine how children and adults define, describe, and represent autism, and how these representations relate to stigma. METHODS: In Part I, children participated in a semi-structured interview in which they defined autism and created autistic and non-autistic characters using a guided character-building task. Children then rated their characters on a series of social …

The Effects Of Appearance Change And Partial Face Visibility On Eyewitness Identification, Raina-Lynn A. Brock M.A., Judy Eaton Ph.D.

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

There is limited research examining the possibility of a temporary appearance change (e.g. a black eye) between exposure to a perpetrator at the time of a crime and later identification attempts by eyewitnesses. Across two experimental studies, this research examines how eyewitness identification decisions are impacted by an appearance change and how lineup procedures can influence eyewitness accuracy. Study 1 examined how a transient facial feature, a black eye, affects the accuracy of eyewitnesses’ identification decisions, while manipulating the severity of the black eye (prominent bruising, faded bruising, no bruising). Participants (N=403) were exposed to a 43-second mock crime video …

Contemporary Approaches To Group Psychotherapy Supervision, Michelle A. Collins-Greene (Ed.), Molyn Leszcz, Nina W. Brown, Ellen Wright, Scott Giacomucci, Les R. Greene, Susan P. Gantt, Leah M. Niehaus, Francis Kaklauskas, Tony L. Sheppard

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

This chapter captures the work of contemporary supervisors of group psychotherapy, all of whom have practiced many years and have trained and supervised innumerable group leaders. They demonstrate the diversity of settings and theoretical orientations that are prominent in the current era. Their essays speak for themselves and provide wonderful illustrations and models for supervisors-in-training and consultation to emulate. They also talk about who influenced, mentored, and supervised them.

The Impact Of Belonging To Identity-Based Student Organizations On Minority Stress In A Midwestern Predominantly White University, Mallory Millet, Akanksha Das, Christian C. Garcia, Rose Marie Ward

Journal of Higher Education & Student Affairs

Minoritized students are exposed to additional unique stressors due to the systematic devaluation of their identities (i.e., minority stress). Additionally, minoritized students report higher levels of mental health concerns than their peers (e.g., anxiety, depression). Identity-based student organizations can be one avenue that universities could use to support these students. These organizations, designed to build social connections among students with shared experiences, may reduce minority stress through fostering students’ sense of belonging. However, the relationship between sense of belonging, minority stress, and identity-based student organizations has yet to be studied. The present study used quantitative and qualitative methods to understand …

Sources Of Tensions In Ai Adoption For Organ Procurement Organizations, Amaneh Babaee

Masters Theses

"Although medical AI systems have promise, the healthcare system has not fully integrated them for improved organizational operations. Studies have been conducted to identify root causes for this hesitancy without targeting a specific domain in healthcare. This generalization can be enhanced for the nuanced or domain-specific factors that offer practical insights to organizations leader. In this thesis, I focus on the factors and sources of tensions in AI adoption in transplant system, which is highly regulated but encourages innovation. Applying the Extended Technology, Organization, Environment (TOE) framework, 10 interviews were conducted at Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs).

Although not always technically …

Don't Crash Out: The Effects Of Personality And Social Support On Subjective Stress Responses And Heart Rate Variability, Nicholas Kilpatrick

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the relationship between personality traits, physiological stress responses, and subjective stress during a social-evaluative stress task, as well as the potential mediating role of heart rate variability (HRV) and moderating role of imagined social support. Participants completed a laboratory-based modified Trier Social Stress Task while HRV was continuously recorded, and self-reported stress was assessed across task phases. Results indicated that neuroticism and protective self-monitoring were associated with higher levels of subjective stress, while acquisitive self-monitoring was associated with greater reductions in stress following the task. Neuroticism was also associated with greater increases in HRV during the …

Barriers To Healthcare For Traditionally-Aged Lgbq+ College Students, Parker Long

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Seeking and receiving high-quality healthcare are key components of healthy living. Greater access to high-quality healthcare is associated with higher quality of life (Bunker, 2001). Despite the many benefits of quality healthcare, many people face barriers to accessing quality healthcare, resulting in poorer physical and mental health outcomes (Jatrana & Crampton, 2021). Individuals who identify as LGBQ+ face serious health disparities as a marginalized group. The current research was designed to examine and address these specific barriers to accessing high-quality healthcare among LGBQ+ traditionally-aged college students in order to inform ways to improve access to care. Specifically, this study investigated …

The Interplay Between Loneliness, Cortisol, And Nk Cell Function: The Role Of Cortisol In Nk Cell Dysfunction, Abhinav Saurabh, Yvonne Baumer, Laurel G. Mendelsohn, Elizabeth M. Aquino Peterson, Dana Sadler, Shirley J. Lopez De Leon, Ayushi Dave, Andrew S. Baez, Lola R. Ortiz-Whittingham, Mario A. Pita, Manuel A. Cintron, Hannatu A. Tarfa, Sandy T. Reynolds, Shelby R. Hicks, Sonal Sharda, J. Eleanor Seo, Maria Lopez-Ocasio, Pradeep K. Dagur, Skyler A. Kuhn, Neelam R. Redekar, James F. Troendle, Ayanna L. Wells, Marie Marah, Katherine J. Tolentino, Michael J. Corley, Alika K. Maunakea, Lynnette K. Nieman, Marcus R. Andrews, Tiffany M. Powell-Wiley

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Chronic psychosocial stressors contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and related risk factors, particularly in under-resourced communities. Psychosocial stressors activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, leading to sustained cortisol action on immune cells. Natural killer (NK) cells are altered in distribution and function in cardio-metabolic diseases; however, pathways linking cortisol as a marker of chronic stress to NK cell dysfunction remain understudied. We recruited 186 African American women from the Step It Up Community-Engaged, Digital Health Physical Activity Intervention study and collected cortisol, NK cell measures, and psychosocial stress measures using validated questionnaires, including chronic stress and loneliness. Plasma cortisol levels were …

Inferential Statistics For Industrial Organizational Psychologists: A Practical Guide For Testing Hypotheses Using R, Caitlin Lapine

Open Touro Created

2026

This text aims to provide a practical guide for students in industrial organizational psychology or related fields to complete inferential statistics using R open-source programming language. It provides information about when to use particular statistical analyses and how to perform those with statistical software.

Dispositional Correlates Of Mobile Dating Application Users’ Self-Presentation Behaviors, Danielle Rafal

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Introduction: Mobile dating applications (MDAs) have moved from niche to norm, making connecting with others easier. A problem with MDAs is the accuracy of user self-presentation. Dispositional characteristics such as personality traits, psychological distress, and age may be factors that drive MDA users’ self-presentation behaviors. This study explored whether the extent of discrepancy between deceptive and real self-presentation predicts psychological distress, whether Big Five traits enhance this prediction, and whether age group influenced self-presentation among MDA users.

Method: Using a cross-sectional quantitative survey-based design, 160 MDA users ages 18 and older residing in the United States completed the following measures: …