Digital Commons Network^™

Inclusive Space For Everyone Door Sign (Printable 8.5 X 11 Inch), Joan H. Robinson

Open Educational Resources

This is a printable 8.5 x 11 inch door sign for faculty, staff, and administrators to let people know it is an inclusive space for everyone. For improved visibility, print with a color printer and cut along the dotted line.

See also: 11 x 17 inch door sign.

Experiences Of Minority Workers: A Three-Study Dissertation Evaluating Recruitment And Workplace Experiences For Minority Workers, Jennifer Saucedo

Dissertations and Theses

Through a series of three manuscripts, the dissertation explores the experiences of minority groups across different points of the employee life cycle. As minority employees often face a negative set of unique stressors inside and outside of work, this series of papers attempt to further our understanding of minority experiences during the organizational stages of recruitment and retention. The first manuscript tests the effects of recruitment material on pre-hire applicant outcomes for minorities by integrating literature on realistic job previews (RJPs) and diversity recruitment. The experimental study finds that leader diversity testimonials that provide a mix of positive and negative …

Moral Positioning In The South China Sea Disputes Between The Philippines And China, Eryan Ramadhani

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

For the past two decades, disputes between the Philippines and China over the South China Sea (SCS) have experienced continuous escalation. Benigno Aquino III filed an arbitration case against China. This legal success was later overturned by Rodrigo Duterte in exchange for closer relations with China. However, his decision did not cease hostility in the SCS. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. then brought the Philippines back on legal track and steered the country closer to the United States, which further heightened tensions. Built on this background, this article intends to explain the unceasing escalation in the SCS using Positioning Theory (PT). This …

Predictors Of Treatment Adherence Among Individuals With Bipolar Disorder And Comorbid Substance Use Disorders, Monique Dawn Romeo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Individuals with bipolar disorder (BD) require lifelong treatment to manage their symptoms, and many also struggle with comorbid substance use disorders (BD-SUD) that complicate treatment adherence. Despite these challenges, there has been limited research on what factors predict successful treatment adherence in this population. This study was thus conducted to identify key predictors of adherence among individuals with BD-SUD. Several factors were examined, including age, gender, type of substance used at admission, opioid medication-assisted therapy, length of stay in inpatient psychiatric care, type of discharge service, and participation in self-help groups before discharge. The study applied a donut model framework …

Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, And Self-Care Practices: Mental Health Professionals Working In The Community, Autumn Brooke Wohlford

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Mental health has been thoroughly researched in recent years. However, following community-level mental health professionals' mental health patterns is an emerging concept in the present research field. Due to the recent high demand for mental health professionals in their communities, burnout and compassion have increased. In recent years, researchers have focused on increased burnout and compassion fatigue, as well as the use of self-care practices in mental health professionals. To further contribute to the research, using a quantitative research study, burnout rates, compassion fatigue, and self-care practices were examined in mental health professionals using a multiple linear regression. Sixty mental …

Child Sexual Abuse And Mental Health: The Role Of Intrusive Thoughts And Spiritual Warfare, Sheriese S. Sanchez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A number of psychological issues are experienced by individuals who have experienced CSA, including depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder, as well as intrusive thoughts contribute to the perpetuation of the mental health problem. Studies have shown that spiritual practices, such as prayer, meditation, reading the Bible, and reciting scripture affirmations, can improve mental health, improving one’s psychological well-being. Further, intrusive thoughts may be initiated by dark spiritual influences. Despite ongoing research, there is a lack of integration between disciplines of science and biblical truth concerning the impact of immaterial spiritual dimensions on psychological states. To understand intrusive thoughts, one must …

Understanding The Relationship Between Food And Connection To God, Angela M. Hall

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A person’s relationship with God is a personal one, as is the choice of the food we eat. Today we see more and more people struggle with unhealthy relationships with food. And our relationship with food affects more than just our physical health. Food and diet can play a role in how we hear from God. The present qualitative study aimed to understand the relationship between food and connection to God. Specifically, this study aimed to explain lived experiences with food and if diet affected connection to God. A total of twelve Christian, adult men and women participated in 1:1 …

Effects Of Coping Strategies On Acculturation-Based Conflict And Mental Health Symptoms Among Asian American Youths, Jennifer Yu

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Various research has identified numerous culturally specific stressors as contributors to Asian American (AA) youth mental health problems and their functional impairments. Proper coping strategies are crucial for children to manage stresses resulting from relational conflicts, and a specific coping strategy may either facilitate engaging in adaptable responses or avoiding the conflicts. However, there is a lack of studies to determine the types of coping strategies that have been effective among AA youths to reduce conflicts with their parents and to decrease their depression and anxiety. To address these limitations, this research study aimed at exploring the types of effective …

Learning From Sesame Street: A Qualitative Analysis Of Acceptance, Inclusion, And Cultural Diversity, Justin M. Polette

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Sesame Street first aired on public television in 1968. Sesame Street was developed by television producer Joan Ganz Cooney in partnership with educational and developmental psychologists to bridge the achievement gap in school readiness, specifically in underserved and underrepresented urban communities. This achievement gap was credited to societal racism and a lack of acculturation and racial diversity. Sesame Street was one of the first television programs, and the first children’s program, to feature an urban setting and a culturally diverse cast. During the 1940s, television programming was an almost exclusively white, Caucasian medium. The roles written for minority characters were …

The Perceived Effectiveness Of Mindfulness Practice In Enhancing Memory Function In Veterans, Margarita A. Balish

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In recent years, mindfulness practice has become more prevalent in treatment methods for mental health issues, and it is an underlying component in many existing therapies. Quantitative studies have been accomplished on the benefits of mindfulness practice in various population groups to include Veterans, but there is a lack of understanding of the perceived effectiveness of mindfulness practice on memory function in Veterans. Therefore, perceived effectiveness of mindfulness practice in enhancing memory function in Veterans was examined in this qualitative study. Ten Veterans, 18 years of age or older participated in a digitally guided mindfulness application over the course of …

Worldview And Moral Injury: An Exploratory Multiple Case Study On Behavioral Health Providers’ Descriptions Of Moral Injury, Mark C. Lane Jr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The concept of Moral Injury continues to gain research traction in the helping professional fields. Researchers continue to debate different components of Moral Injury. Defining, assessing, and treating Moral Injury captures much of the psychological literature. Despite this, standardized holistic conceptualization and treatment have yet to be realized. Worldview influences all aspects of every endeavor in human life. As such, this qualitative exploratory multiple case study from a Christian post-positivist position explored how Department of Defense or Veteran Affairs behavioral health providers’ worldview influences their descriptions of the construct of Moral Injury, its morbidity, and how behavioral health providers choose …

Response To Intervention: Educator Perception Of A Systematic Framework To Support Reading Achievement And Improve Efficacy, Sarah Christine Ducko

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Response to Intervention, a multi-tiered system of supports, utilizes data-based decision making for early identification and intervention, and when implemented with fidelity, results in positive outcomes for student achievement. While RtI has been studied, continued societal changes and individual needs necessitate further research to shed light on current educator perspectives. This qualitative phenomenological study sought to explore educators’ lived experiences of RtI in reading with regard to their knowledge, training received, strengths, and challenges of implementation. An anonymous online survey was distributed to elementary educators in four school districts within Chester County, PA. Data was analyzed to identify significant statements …

Relationship Between Daily Hassles In Different Domains And Later Anxiety And Depression With A Moderator Of Rejection Sensitivity Among Adolescents, Ashley Vasquez Gonzalez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Exposure to stress can affect youths’ well-being; however, there was a need for research on how different types of stress or daily hassles are associated with emotional adjustment. Daily hassles common in adolescence, can occur in multiple domains including school, family, peer, appearance, and sports. Being sensitive to rejection may strengthen associations with emotional adjustment problems, especially for hassles in interpersonal domains. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the associations between daily hassles in different domains and later anxiety and depression and how nervous and angry rejection sensitivity moderated those relationships. This study was based on …

Aviation Maintenance Technicians’ Perceptions Of Safety Management System Implementation At Maintenance, Repair, And Overhaul Facilities, Stanley Matthew Losiewicz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A safety management system (SMS) is challenging for an aviation maintenance facility and even more significant for the aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs) entrusted to perform the work due to organizational, methodological, and consistency issues. The incorporation of an SMS is new in the United States for maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities that operate under the Code of Federal Regulations Part 145. AMTs constitute the bulk of the workers in an MRO. By default, a safety culture and safety consciousness existed in MROs prior to an SMS, and this study was conducted to understand the perceptions of the AMTs in …

The Effects Of The Devaluation Of The Egyptian Pound On Auc Student Happiness, Mariam Kharboush, Nour Dabbour, Nelly Abdelwahed, Nour Heikal

The Undergraduate Research Journal

The aim of this research is to investigate the difference in measured happiness between students who pay the full tuition cost at the American University in Cairo (AUC) versus students who are on financial aid/scholarship in light of the devaluation of the Egyptian Pound. The literature review found that there are five key determinants for the happiness of university students: financial satisfaction, academic performance, leisure time, social support, and high levels of self-confidence and esteem. These five factors were used in the conceptual framework along with the utility theory. This study was executed through an online Google Forms survey that …

Reflections On Using A Strength-Based Culturally Sensitive Community Psychology Approach To Promoting Sexual Health Of Egyptian Women And Girls, Salma Elhabashi, Farida Elrefaie, Zeina M. Shahine

The Undergraduate Research Journal

Navigating the intricate landscape of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) poses considerable challenges, especially within societies where the discourse is shaped by deeply rooted traditions and cultural norms. This paper examines a research project aimed at addressing the critical gap in dialogue surrounding women's SRH in Egypt. Adopting a community psychology framework, this project has two components: a mother-daughter communication guidebook and a comprehensive needs assessment survey. The guidebook was designed to facilitate discussions during the critical transitional phase of puberty, and the needs assessment survey aimed to understand the distinct needs of Egyptian women using a strengths-based approach. By …

The Female Judge “Hunch” In Family Court; Does Female Judgment Differ From Male Judgment?, Kareem M. Rashed

The Undergraduate Research Journal

This paper offers an in-depth theoretical review of the differences in moral judgments between genders, particularly emphasizing their manifestation in the context of family court. Based on Carol Gilligan's critique of Lawrence Kohlberg's theory about moral development, there are distinct differences in moral reasoning approaches between men and women. Gilligan's work challenged the universality of Kohlberg's framework and instead suggested that gendered perspectives on moral reasoning commonly prioritize care and relationships over abstract principles. Complementing this theoretical foundation, the paper incorporates findings from a number of practical studies and surveys, providing non-theoretical evidence of these differences in real-world contexts. Moreover, …

Sustaining Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Through Transformational Leadership In Behavioral Health Management, Ndubuisi Christopher Egunetugo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This case study examines the challenges of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) within an organization, emphasizing systemic biases, workforce diversity, and the necessity of culturally competent care. The Behavioral Health Organization in the southern United States faces significant DEI challenges due to its diverse clientele, workforce, and various stakeholders. Transformational leadership, marked by visionary thinking and actionable initiatives, is crucial for sustaining DEI efforts and addressing disparities in service access, care quality, management practices, and treatment outcomes. The Baldrige Framework of Excellence is employed as a systematic method to embed DEI principles across organizational operations, facilitated by transformational leadership to …

Predictors Of Older Adults' Confidence In Avoiding Drug Interactions, Ginalynn Cabanas Garces

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adverse drug interactions due to polypharmacy pose a significant global health concern, particularly for older adults. Age-related physiological changes increase vulnerability to medication-related issues, with adverse drug reactions often mistaken for normal aging. These misdiagnoses can lead to prescribing cascades and preventable harm. Despite evidence supporting comprehensive medication reviews and clinical guidelines, their application remains inconsistent across healthcare settings. This quantitative archival analysis aimed to identify critical risk factors—such as age, sex, race, education level, medication complexity, drug interaction discussions, number of prescriptions, and overall physical and mental health—that influence older adults’ confidence in avoiding drug interactions. Grounded in the …

Culture And Attachment Preference Among Young Adults In Egypt And The United States, Musheera Anis Abdellatif

School of Education Faculty Publications

We explored the relationship between cultural values, recollected early caregiving experiences and young adult attachment preference. Young adults in Egypt (N = 209) and the United States (N = 554) ranked their current attachment preference, rated their collectivist and individualist beliefs, and recalled the relative contributions of their early caregivers. Egyptian students scored higher than US students on collectivism and recalled more involvement from non-parental caregivers. Most participants reported a preference hierarchy (82% Egypt & 84% US). Surprisingly, individualism was negatively associated with maternal attachment ratings and with having a clear principal attachment relationship, whereas higher collectivism predicted …

Seguir Adelante: A Qualitative Exploration Of Latino Farmworkers' Work And Nonwork Resources., Faviola Robles Saenz, Julissa Castellanos Regalado, Larry Martinez, Greg Townley

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Latino immigrant workers have been an exploited community within many dangerous workforces, but especially within the agricultural industry. They are a crucial population for the labor and economy of the U.S., yet Latino farmworkers report feeling expendable, discriminated against, and exposed to hazardous working conditions. Due to these experiences, it is essential to explore the resources that farmworkers find valuable in improving their working conditions. This study draws upon qualitative interviews conducted with 41 Latino farmworkers in Oregon. Themes pertaining to work and nonwork resources were uncovered through thematic analysis, illustrating that farmworkers receive support from their proximal communities and …

Youth Experiences Of Participation, Inclusion, And Influence Within A Youth-Serving Organization Implementing Participatory Processes, Rhen M. Miles

Dissertations and Theses

The youth development field has undergone shifts and reconstructions in how youth are conceived, impacting the approaches of youth-serving programs attempting to facilitate learning, growth, and engagement. Evolving views inform how policymakers, funders, and youth-serving agencies perceive and relate with youth. In turn, these dynamics influence how youth learn to think about themselves, others, and the world. Dominant discourse regarding youth development has been shifting from a deficit-based to an asset-based lens, with the proliferation of Positive Youth Development (PYD) frameworks, which seek to cultivate internal strengths and positive developmental outcomes rather than just prevent negative behaviors and outcomes. Despite …

Are Positive And Negative Leader Humor Two Different Coins? A Meta-Analysis, Xiaohong Xu, Richard Hayes, Lixin Jiang, William P. Jimenez

Psychology Faculty Publications

Scholars disagree on the distinction between positive and negative leader humor, which may hinder the integration and advancement of the leader humor literature. Thus, we meta-analyzed the correlation between positive and negative leader humor, as well as their shared nomological networks (k = 161; follower N = 45,759; leader N = 7,820). Our meta-analysis indicates that (1) there is a very small but significant correlation between positive and negative leader humor (ρ = -.07); (2) positive and negative leader humor have differential relationships with most antecedents (e.g., positive affectivity) and outcomes (e.g., innovation and citizenship behavior); (3) positive affect …

Multiple Sclerosis Cognitive Scale (Mscs): A Brief Psychometrically Robust Metric Of Patient-Reported Cognitive Difficulty, James F. Sumowski, Joshua Sandry

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Background:

Existing metrics of patient-reported cognitive difficulties in multiple sclerosis (MS) are lengthy, lack psychometric rigor, and/or fail to query prevalent expressive language deficits.

Objective:

Develop a brief psychometrically robust metric of patient-reported cognitive deficits that includes language items; the Multiple Sclerosis Cognitive Scale (MSCS).

Method:

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on 20 Perceived Deficits Questionnaire (PDQ) items plus five newly developed language questions in a large MS sample and matched respondents without neurologic disease. Independent confirmatory principal components analysis (PCA) assessed EFA factor structure. Reliability of the new scale and subscales, and relationships with objective cognitive impairment and …

The Impact Of Time Of Night On Affect And Affective State Type: A Simulated Nightshift Study, June J. Pilcher, Christopher Ply

Publications

Nightshift workers experience circadian misalignment thus negatively impacting many physiological systems which can change subjective states such as affect. The current study examined change in affect and affective state across a simulated first nightshift. Ninety sleep-deprived college students (33% female) completed a series of surveys and tasks across four testing sessions during the night. The participants completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule at the beginning of each testing session. Using these affect scores, we derived four affective state types defined by high and low positive and negative affect (Self-actualizing-high positive affect with low negative affect, High affective-high positive affect …

The Role Of Acculturative Stress, Discrimination In Healthcare Settings, And Migration-Related Trauma On Hiv Prevention And Mental Health Among Immigrant Hispanic Sexual Minority Men: An Integrated Model Of Acculturation And Minority Stress, Jonathan Lopez Matos

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation expands Minority Stress Theory (MST) by integrating the Fourfold Acculturation Model (FAM) to examine the impact of psycho-sociocultural stressors on health outcomes among immigrant Hispanic sexual minority men (HSMM) in the U.S. The study explored how language proficiency, acculturative stress, discrimination in healthcare, migration-related trauma, and stress-related growth influence HIV prevention behaviors and mental health. Survey data from 194 Spanish-speaking immigrant HSMM revealed that monolingual Spanish speakers experienced significantly higher acculturative stress than bilinguals. Acculturative stress significantly mediated the association between stressors and health outcomes, such as HIV testing and mental health symptoms. Discrimination and trauma were directly …

Category Learning Reorganizes Internal Representations Of Visual Artworks, Aishwarya Gurung

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

How are categories of art internally represented, and how can we capture those representations systematically? Investigating category learning in the context of complex, multidimensional stimuli like visual artworks presents unique challenges due to their inherent variability and perceptual complexity. Artworks engage multiple cognitive processes and are shaped by both sensory-driven mechanisms and top-down influences like prior knowledge, making them uniquely suited for studying how structured categorical knowledge interacts with perceptual and aesthetic judgments. The present study addresses these questions by utilizing machine-learning tools to construct and implement a two-dimensional similarity space of 400 existing artworks painted by two artists from …

The Elephant (And Donkey) In The Room: The Effects Of Political Ideology On Diversity Training Effectiveness, Luke P. Kayga

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In recent years, the prevalence of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) trainings in organizations has grown significantly (Wang et al., 2024). DEI trainings are typically designed with the purpose of educating organizational members on DEI-related content and promoting feelings of inclusion in the workplace (Devine & Ash, 2022). Much like many other types of organizational training efforts, the effectiveness of DEI trainings is contingent on a variety of input factors. One such factor that has been extensively covered in the broader training literature but relatively understudied in DEI training research is trainee characteristics. Since DEI trainings are values-based, ethically prescriptive …

Tracing Reverberations: Vietnamese Refugee Mothers' Adaptations To Complex Structural Forces And Intergenerational Engagements, Kim Khanh Nguyen-Nalpas

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The main purpose of this study is to learn how refugee mothers adapt to hierarchical systems of oppression with agency and resistance. Global refugee forums and decades of past research on refugees have identified the importance of increasing agency to best support refugees as they resettle. Previous research by the author has demonstrated that refugee mothers model resistance to oppressive systems which has implications for children who witness this resistance. In-depth interviews were conducted with 19 Vietnamese refugee mothers to explore their mothering practices, how they adapted given the socio-political forces shaping their lives, and how these adaptations reverberated through …

Proximity In Pixels: The Moderating Roles Of Structural And Psychological Distance On Behavioral Leadership Effectiveness, Ethan J. Ray

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

With a sharp increase in virtual working arrangements in recent years, there is a distinct need to reevaluate what constitutes effective leadership at a distance. Although research on virtual leadership exists, it has often lacked a focus on specific leader behaviors and the psychological intricacies unique to virtual work settings. The present study examines followers' perceived effectiveness of two enduring leadership behavior categories: task-oriented and relationship-oriented. Utilizing dyadic distance theory, the study tested whether perceived effectiveness of these behaviors is contingent not only on the tangible effects of virtual work, referred to as structural distance, but also on the intangible …