Digital Commons Network^™

Cohesive Model Of Supervision: An Empirically Based Approach, Gülşah Kemer

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

Supervision models are fundamental to our supervision practices and criticized for lacking empirical support. As a data-driven approach based on research with expert supervisors, Cohesive Model of Supervision unifies existing models’ central premises in a meaningful manner and emphasizes the understated areas of supervision practice.

Ally With Ai: An Icebreaker To Unlock Career Aspirations For Online Or Hybrid Organizational Behavior Cohorts, Jyro B. Triviño

Leadership and Strategy Faculty Publications

Modern organizational behavior classroom, which are increasing in size, diversity, and complexity, are shifting to online and hybrid learning environments, challenging the use of traditional icebreaker activities. This paper introduces a 15-minute icebreaker designed to address these issues while integrating the principles of Kolb's experiential learning theory and fostering social capital through peerr engagement in an online setting. By leveraging the availability of generative AI, students prompt a template code to unlock their career aspirations and stimulate social connections among their classmates. This provides an innovative teaching model for meeting the foundational icebreaker goal while serving a suitable tool for …

Effects Of Group Theraplay On Emotional Regulation And Social Interaction Skills In Children With Emotional And Behavior Disorders, Andrea Hutchison

Graduate Research Papers

Childhood mental health has gained significant attention in recent years. Poor childhood mental health is quickly becoming a major problem in the United States. The impacts of this problem are wide-reaching, affecting families, communities, and schools. Play therapy is one well-known intervention that is often used to alleviate symptoms of mental disorders in children. This study focuses primarily on one play therapy modality: Theraplay®, which is an attachment-based intervention that can be delivered in group and dyadic settings. The purpose of this study is to examine the literature that exists regarding the effectiveness of Theraplay®, specifically Group Theraplay®. Specific questions …

Use Of E-Cigarettes And Other Substances And Related Psychiatric Symptoms In Undergraduate Students, Grant L. Saba

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This study evaluated the role that use of alcohol and e-cigarettes had in the development of dependence and demand of each other, along with symptoms of depression and anxiety in undergraduate college students. It tested four hypotheses: (1) that these symptoms are related to more frequent e-cigarette use, (2) they are related to problematic alcohol dependence, (3) alcohol demand will be higher in e-cigarette users, and (4) e-cigarette demand will be higher in problematic drinkers. 173 undergraduate students completed self-report inventories describing their alcohol dependence, e-cigarette dependence, depression, and anxiety, along with completing two hypothetical purchase tasks where they were …

Online And In-Person Intimate Partner Violence: The Role Of Relationship Initiation Context, Jesse John

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive phenomenon, and cisgender women and sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals are particularly affected. Despite the prevalence of internet usage and online dating among young adults, less research has examined how IPV manifests across relationships in which interactions are predominantly online, as well as those that begin online and transition to predominantly in-person interactions (i.e. hybrid). This study's primary aims are to examine the rates of IPV and nondating technology-facilitated sexual victimization among SGM and nonSGM emerging adults and explore how IPV victimization and mental health outcomes vary based on the extent to …

White Racial Identity, Climae Change, And Social Attitudes, Alyssa Engle

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This study examined how symbolic racism, political conservativism, and White racial identity predicts attitudes toward climate change among White Americans. Prior research suggests that racial resentment vaticinates social and political judgments beyond explicitly racial domains, including environmental issues and policies which disproportionately harm Black and marginalized communities. Building on this prior research, the present study investigated whether racial identity dimensions predict climate change distress, and whether symbolic racism mediates associations between conservative political orientation and climate concern. Seventythree White undergraduate students completed measures of racial identity, symbolic racism, distrust in climate science, political conservatism, and climate distress. As predicted, a …

Thinking Beyond Ourselves: Using Interdisciplinary Exploration And Speculative Scenarios To Understand The Human Experience, Shannon Kundey

Honors in Practice Online Archive

This essay presents an interdisciplinary seminar in honors that challenges students to move beyond the limitations of human experience and examine cognition and behavior across species, environments, and hypothetical extraterrestrial minds. A Choose Your Own Adventure structure encourages reflection on cognitive biases, thereby fostering a nuanced understanding of intelligence, perspective, and sociality. Author observes that students benefit from frameworks that disrupt human-centered biases and suggests that engaging students in speculative scenarios prompts confronting and questioning assumptions about intelligence, ethics, and social dynamics.

The Moderating Role Of Personality In The Relationship Between Cognitive Ability And Counterproductive Work Behaviors, Sarah Jacobsen

Theses and Dissertations

Counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs) are negative behaviors that detract from an organization’s goals and cause harm to the organization and to those involved. The current study investigated cognitive ability and personality as predictors of CWB and explored a moderating role of personality on the cognitive ability-CWB relationship. The results found no significant relationships for cognitive ability and personality with self-reported CWBs. Additionally, personality did not moderate the cognitive ability-CWB relationship. An exploratory analysis revealed significant relationships between personality and supervisor-rated CWBs, but no significant relationship for cognitive ability nor significant cognitive ability-personality interactions were found. The current study challenged previous …

The Choice Process Of A Higher Education: Latine College Women And The Effects Of Marianismo, Karina Trujillo

Theses and Dissertations

Latine women have significantly increased their enrollment in higher educational institutions throughout recent years. Castillo and colleagues (2010) developed the Marianismo Belief Scale centered around five pillars: “Family,” “Virtuous and Chaste,” “Subordinate to Others,” “Self-Silencing to Maintain Harmony,” and “Spiritual.” The purpose of this study is to (1) provide insight into how Latine women make the vital decision to attend college and (2) explore how marianismo may limit or act as a protective factor. This study interviewed 12 Latinx college women who shared their experiences on how the role of marianismo impacted their decision regarding their college choice process. Content …

Exploring The Relationship Between Athletic Identity And Academic Resiliency Through A Life Skills Transfer Lens., Lilla Kisvari

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine and explore the relationship between athletic identity and academic resiliency. This is an exploratory study with three research questions: 1) How do Athletic Identity and Academic Resilience correlate? 2) What are the latent classes that exist between Athletic Identity and Academic Resilience? 3) How do these latent classes differ in terms of their academic and athletic characteristics?

The study utilized secondary data which were collected in 2020 and included a total of 489 participants. The participants completed the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) and the Academic Resiliency Scale (ARS-30). Findings revealed that …

Barriers And Facilitators To Accessing Mental And Physical Health Care Among Sexual Minority Women: A Qualitative Exploration, Charlotte A. Dawson, A. Moulder, Kristin E. Heron

Department Psychiatry & Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Cisgender sexual minority women (SMW, e.g., lesbian, queer) are at greater risk for poor mental and physical health compared to heterosexual women and face challenges when accessing health care. Previous research has largely focused on general sexual and gender minority barriers to health care, but more research is needed on the experiences of specific subgroups, including cisgender SMW. The current study qualitatively explored barriers and facilitators for cisgender SMW seeking health care. Twenty cisgender SMW aged 18-40 recruited using Meta advertisements and past participant lists completed 45 min semi-structured interviews and a brief survey. Thematic analysis conducted by two coders …

Igf-1 As A Biomarker For Symptom Severity In Adult Traumatic Brain Injury: Evidence From An Observational Study, Justin Weppner, Kimberly Rosenthal, Jennifer Bath, Tonja Locklear, Melissa Martinez

Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Faculty Publications

Traumatic brain injury (TBI)-related growth hormone deficiency is often undertreated, despite documented physical, metabolic, and neuropsychiatric effects. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), with neuroreceptors located in brain regions responsible for learning, memory, and mood, regulates cerebral blood flow, neurogenesis, and neuroplasticity. The aim of this study was to determine associations between IGF-1 levels and post-TBI symptom severity, anxiety, and depression. This retrospective observational study at an Academic Brain Injury Center included participants evaluated 3-12 months post-TBI with available IGF-1 values and complete Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPQ-13), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) responses. Patients under 18 or …

The Unintended Consequences Of Normalization: Unmonitored Mental Health Discourse Among Youth And Suicide Risk, Farley Morris

Social Work Theses - Archive

Suicide has become an increasingly common cause of death among U.S. children ages 10–14. In 2001, suicide accounted for 8% of deaths in this age group; by 2010 the proportion rose to 12%, and by 2020 it reached 22% (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020). Although factors such as adverse childhood experiences (Felitti et al., 1998; Jones et al., 2024), psychache (Shneidman, 1998), burdensomeness (Joiner, 2005; O’Connor, 2011), and hopelessness (Bat Tonkus et al., 2022; Qiu et al., 2017) are associated with suicide, these elements alone do not explain the significant rise in suicide deaths over the past …

Resilience And Reality: Exploring The Lived Experiences Of People Living With Hiv In Texas During The Covid-19 Pandemic – A Qualitative Study., Ahmed F. Alanazi

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

This study investigated the lived experiences of individuals living with HIV (PLWH) in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area of Texas during the COVID-19 pandemic, using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) framework. The research examined the intersection of health, social dynamics, and psychological resilience among PLWH, who faced compounded vulnerabilities due to systemic inequities and the dual public health crises of HIV and COVID-19. Through semi-structured interviews with ten participants from diverse backgrounds, the study captured the profound impacts of disrupted healthcare systems, heightened stigma, and social isolation on this marginalized population. The findings reveal that the pandemic exacerbated existing inequities …

Beyond Filters: Exploring Social Media Effects On Social Physique Anxiety And Physical Activity, Morgan T. Rios

Psychology Theses - Archive

With obesity rates reaching new heights, there has been a pressing demand for research focused on sedentary lifestyles, specifically investigating the consequences of increased screentime and social media use on mental health and physical activity levels. This study explored the impact of both screentime and social media use on physical activity engagement and social physique anxiety among college students. Additionally, it examined complex interrelationships among these variables and identified key psychosocial factors contributing to social physique anxiety. Ultimately, this research provided insights into the predictive power of social media content, social physique anxiety, and relevant psychosocial variables (e.g., perceived health, …

Examining Political Knowledge And Trust In The U.S Federal Government, Sheila Alvarez

History and Political Science | Senior Theses

The United States is a representative democracy and as such requires participation from its citizens to function; in order to participate, citizens need to have information. Trust in social institutions is often contingent on our knowledge about those institutions. For instance, increased trust in scientists, science, or both, can be affected by educational achievement and scientific knowledge (Yen & Zampelli, 2022). The relationship between trust and knowledge highlights how an understanding of concepts leads to higher receptivity (Yen & Zampelli, 2022). Research has also suggested political knowledge is a driving force of political participation and tolerance (Delli Carpini & Keeter, …

Dark Triad Personality Traits And Correlations With Mating Preferences, Mackenzie Warner, Yara Ali, Averee Martinez, Oliver Espana, Madeleine Scott

SPARK Symposium Presentations

With dating apps coming to a rise, there comes an influx of people who begin to use them, whether that be for long-term relationships, short-term, or even friendships (Freyth, et al., 2021). Additionally, dark personality traits, such as narcissism, are associated with higher perceived attractiveness and positive personality traits (Rauthmann et. al., 2012). Along with this, there has been research that shows differences in gender usage for dating apps and whether that is related to the Dark Triad personalities, with a desire for those that reflect the dark triad personality traits (Carter et al., 2014). To study this further, in …

Teaming With Technology: Adaptive Automation In Joint Cognitive Systems For Industry 5.0, Jessica Johnson

Virginia Digital Maritime Center (VDMC) Faculty Publications

Adaptive automation enables dynamic reallocation of functions between people and autonomous agents to improve performance in complex work. This paper presents a meta-analysis of experimental and quasi-experimental studies (2000-2025) on joint cognitive systems in industrially relevant contexts, quantifying effects on task performance, safety/failure management, workload, trust, and learning. Across studies, adaptive automation reliably reduces operator workload and shows moderate gains in task performance and safety, with healthier trust dynamics when adaptations are triggered by human-state or event cues, made transparent to the user, and remain rapidly overridable. Risks emerge when performance-triggered switching is opaque or poorly timed, which can erode …

Escapism: The Presence Of Escapist Tendencies In Depressed Gamers, Hannah K. Weberg, Emily Pica

Modern Psychological Studies

Escapism, a coping mechanism used to relieve stress, uniquely characterized by removing one’s conscious self from reality, can be utilized by video gamers with depression to escape from their own realities. The implications of this phenomenon could allow researchers to better understand how escapism affects this community. It was predicted that there would be a positive relationship between escapist gaming motivations and depressive symptoms. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative survey methods drawing from undergraduate students at Austin Peay State University (n = 113) and correlational analyses, our hypotheses were supported. A significant positive relationship was found between escapist …

Exploring Factors Influencing Posttraumatic Growth Among Nurses: A Path Analysis, Shinhi Han, Hee Sun Kang, Koun Eum, Kathleen Karsten, Faith Armstrong

Publications and Research

Introduction: Persistent exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic has subjected frontline nurses to heightened levels of collective traumatic syndromes, including stress, burnout, and emotional distress. Resilience and self-compassion may serve as protective factors in mitigating stress and burnout stemming from the pandemic. Moreover, these factors may contribute to posttraumatic growth (PTG), which has been recognized as a potential outcome for nurses caring for patients. This study aimed to investigate the factors contributing to PTG among registered nurses, with perceived stress, burnout, resilience, and self-compassion.

Methods: This cross-sectional observational survey used convenience sampling with 228 registered nurses from New York. Data were …

Developing Staff Training Modules To Enhance Neurodiversity-Affirming Care In An Inpatient Psychiatric Setting, Haley Morris

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

Introduction: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are admitted to psychiatric hospitals at higher rates and for longer durations compared to neurotypical individuals (Kuriakose et al., 2018). Externalizing behaviors, such as aggression and self-injury, significantly increase hospitalization risk, yet standard psychiatric interventions (e.g., traditional process groups) are often ineffective for this population. A key barrier is the lack of ASD-specific training among hospital staff (Siegel & Gabriels, 2012). This capstone project aimed to address this gap by developing and implementing an educational training program to improve patient-centered, neurodiversity-affirming care across all inpatient psychiatric units. The primary aims were to: …

Your Attention Is For Sale, Sam Nova

Emerging Writers

There has been an undeniable trend of shortening attention span length within the last decade. The shift has made many people anxious to point fingers at potential factors which may be partial causes. Despite the common claims that the change is inadvertently caused by technology, shorter content online, or any other unintentional factor; the change is engineered and intentional. There is profit to be made for big social media companies from the purposeful shortening of attention spans amongst the public. Through harmful design philosophy which puts profit over public health, social media companies have designed their platforms to be addictive …

The Impact Of Family Variables On The Mental Health Of Gender Expansive Transitional Age Youth And Adults, Courtney Erdly

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Gender expansive individuals are at an elevated risk for stress and poor psychological outcomes such as depression, substance abuse, and death by suicide due to minority stress. Family variables can either protect against or perpetuate poor psychological outcomes. There is need to examine specific protective and risk factors in families with gender expansive children. The present study explores the relationship between family and caregiver relationship variables and well-being in a sample of 39 gender expansive individuals. Participants completed an online survey consisting of questionnaires measuring current internalizing and externalizing symptoms and their perception of their family structure, functioning, and parental …

Examining The Link Between Food And Alcohol Disturbance And Alcohol-Related Sexual Behavior: Does Body Esteem Moderate The Relationship?, Jamie D. Martin

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Food and alcohol disturbance (FAD) is a behavior pattern that involves calorie restriction and/or compensation in the context of alcohol use (Choquette et al., 2018). FAD comprises of four dimensions (alcohol effects, bulimia, dietary restraint and exercise, and restriction) The present study aimed to examine the dimensions of FAD in relation to alcohol-related sexual behavior (ARSB) among college undergraduates. Additionally, a moderation variable, body esteem (weight esteem and appearance esteem), was included to determine if the correlation between FAD and ARSB was strengthened if one experienced low weight or appearance esteem. In total, this study included 434 undergraduate students enrolled …

Personalized Therapy To Meet Individual Children’S Needs And Improve Access: Identifying A “Goldilocks” Group Therapy Length For Children With Post Traumatic Stress (Pts), Rosa L. Boniface

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Objectives. The present study investigated the incidence and correlates of early treatment response among youth participating in a school-based intervention for PTSD symptoms. Methods. 44 elementary school children who participated in the Bounce Back Program (BB) from 2017 to 2019 were included. A Reliable Change Index (RCI) score was calculated for each child on the UCLA-R for PTSD. Youths with a significant RCI score by session 5 of the 10-session protocol were classified as early treatment responders. Pretreatment characteristics were examined in relation to early responder status. Results. PTS means in this sample decreased significantly after 5 …

The Mediating Role Of Emotion Regulation Between Parent-Child-Relationship Quality And Psychological Health Of Adolescent Girls, Ethan Marcus Rick

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Emotion regulation plays a crucial role in adolescent psychological health and is influenced by the quality of parent-child relationships. Prior research suggests that supportive relationships foster adaptive emotion regulation, while conflict-ridden relationships contribute to emotion regulation difficulties, leading to negative psychological outcomes. This study examines the mediating role of emotion regulation difficulties in the association between mother-daughter relationship quality and adolescent psychological maladjustment, including anxiety, depression, and disordered eating. A sample of 106 adolescent girls (ages 11–21) in the United States completed self-report measures assessing relationship closeness and discord, emotion regulation difficulties, and psychological distress. Results indicated that relationship discord …

Integrated Behavioral Health In Pediatric Primary Care: Identifying Latent Patient Subgroups And Differential Outcomes, Karen Glownia

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Fifty percent of children do not receive care for their mental health concerns, while 95% are seen annually within primary care by age 6. Individual, cultural, and systemic barriers limit access to mental health care. Integrating mental health services into primary care has the potential to increase awareness, reduce costs, and decrease stigma. However, integrated primary care often relies on a brief and targeted intervention approach that may not be suitable for all families. Therefore, it is important to examine differential outcomes within this setting. Methods: This study analyzed retrospective data from 3,494 new patient medical records at a large …

Examination Of Barriers To Accessing Integrated Behavioral Health Care, Alyssa Buthman

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Research has found that pediatric integrated behavioral health (IBH) significantly increases utilization of behavioral health services, but there are still families who are missing out. The purpose of the current study is to examine characteristics that may influence or impede utilization of an IBH referral. Phase 1 utilized survey methodology paired with electronic medical record review in a sample of 24 caregivers to pediatric patients to investigate whether parent-reported perceived stigma of accessing mental health care, barriers to accessing health care in general, and child symptom severity uniquely predicted referral utilization. Phase 2 used electronic medical record data in a …

The Impact Of Parenting Behaviors On The Development Of Hope In Young Children Experiencing Homelessness, Gracie Munnie

Psychology Theses

Research in resilience science has revealed a “short-list” of protective factors that support positive development in contexts of risk and adversity (Masten, 2014). One such factor is hope, which includes agency thinking (i.e., the belief in one’s ability to accomplish their goals) and pathway thinking (i.e., the ability to produce attainable routes to those goals; Sparks, 2021; Synder, 1997). In families, parents with high levels of hope set intentional parenting goals and encourage their children to create goals as well; these parents also report better psychological functioning and increased ability to cope with parenting stressors (Cole & Molloy, 2023). Although …

Interaction Mechanism Between Health Anxiety And Information Seeking Behavior From The Perspective Of Phenomenology, Yanfeng Zhang, Minqian Yu

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance]To analyze the evolution characteristics of health anxiety before and after information search behavior from the perspective of phenomenological graph analysis, and to explain the internal mechanism of the interaction between health anxiety and information search behavior. [Method/process]By using the phenomenological qualitative research method, the interactive mechanism between health anxiety and information search behavior was deeply explored. Based on the I-PACE theoretical model framework, the model elements of users' health anxiety and information search behavior were analyzed from the four dimensions of "Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution". To construct a mechanistic relationship model between health anxiety and information search behavior. [Result/conclusion]The research results revealed …