Digital Commons Network^™

Joining Forces:A Research-Practice Partnership For Out-Of-School Time, Julián C. Alonso Restrepo, Trevor Bopp, Diedre F. Houchen, Chanae Jackson, Sunshine Moss, Rose M. Pringle, Christine Wegner

Journal of Youth Development

This article describes the development and early implementation of the Youth Development Research-Practice Partnership (YDRPP), a collaboration between university researchers and the Better Out-of-School Time (BOOST) Alliance in Alachua County, Florida. Established to address persistent racial and socioeconomic disparities affecting youth, the partnership used a collaborative qualitative assessment to identify local youth needs, program strengths, and organizational challenges. Findings revealed that practitioners viewed academic support, mental health, social-emotional development, positive adult relationships, physical activity, life skills, and workforce preparation as the most pressing needs of youth. Programs responded through holistic offerings that included tutoring, mentoring, trauma-informed practices, recreation, career readiness, …

A Billion People In The Shadows: Understanding Disability, Kelly Dziak

Journal of Youth Development

The disability community is the largest minority group and encompasses people of all ages and backgrounds. Despite its size, members of this community frequently encounter social, educational, and economic barriers that limit opportunities for full participation. Youth development programs have the potential to support skill-building and foster a sense of belonging. However, professionals often face challenges to effectively support individuals with disabilities including limited training and accessibility barriers. A Billion People in the Shadows: The Ultimate 1-Hour Guide to Understanding Disability by Doug McCullough provides practical guidance for improving understanding and support for this population. Drawing on personal experiences with …

Can A Critical Reflection-Based Intervention Effectively Teach Intersectional Awareness Of Gendered Racism? An Empirical Study With College Students, Jayantika Chakraborty, Alena G. Esposito

Psychology

Intersectional awareness of gendered racism refers to the understanding of how intersecting systems of power and inequality shape the distinct and unequal forms of discrimination experienced by women of color across social contexts. This form of awareness recognizes that racism and sexism operate jointly, producing qualitatively different experiences that vary across race, gender expression, and social location. Developing such awareness is foundational to advancing equity and has been linked to outcomes such as student activism and engagement with social justice efforts. However, empirical research examining whether and how intersectional awareness can be cultivated through educational interventions remains limited. Responding to …

Building Wellbeing Through Nature And Adventure For Justice-Involved Youth, Lewis Kogan, Meagan Ricks, Janna Coulter, Miranda Margetts, Lori Butterfield, Ben Ukoh-Eke

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Justice-involved youth often experience elevated levels of stress, mental health challenges, and reduced access to positive developmental opportunities. A nature- and adventure-based youth development program designed to strengthen resilience, self-efficacy, nature-connectedness, and well-being among justice-involved youth was piloted in 2025 to address these challenges. Pilot findings indicated improvements in resilience, self-efficacy, hopefulness, and connectedness to nature.

Alzheimer’S Disease And Related Dementias Risk Profiles And Health Literacy Among South Asian Seniors, Sandra A. Kennedy

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) pose significant health challenges globally, with South Asian seniors in the United States facing elevated risks due to high rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and limited health literacy. This study assessed dementia literacy and the prevalence of cardiovascular, psychosocial, and lifestyle risk factors among South Asian seniors in New York City, utilizing community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles in collaboration with India Home, a community-based organization. Fifty-six (N=56) South Asian seniors aged 55 and older (M = 69.05, SD = 6.36), primarily of Indian or Bangladeshi origin, participated in the study. Data collection involved a …

Neural Symphony Of Flow Experience: Evidence For High-Dimensional Metastable Dynamics, Abdelrahman B. M. Eldaly, Kris Zhangguang Kang, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah, Leanne Lai-Hang Chan, Keng Siau, Xiao Fan Liu, Richard Huskey, Langtao Chen, Tejaswini Yelamanchili, Rene Weber

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Flow, an optimal experience characterized by deep immersion and engagement in an activity, has been extensively studied in behavioral research. However, its neural dynamic mechanism remains poorly understood. In a within-subject video gaming experiment, we captured neural activity underlying flow, boredom, and anxiety using a 64-channel electroencephalogram (EEG) system. Compared to boredom and anxiety, flow exhibits the highest global functional connectivity, metastability, and dimensionality of dynamic functional connectivity patterns, suggesting that flow is a highly adaptable process that is supported by high-dimensional neural dynamics. Unlike previous studies that focused on identifying static or localized brain activity, we examine the neural …

Full Issue, Volume 21, Issue 3, Journal Of Youth Development

Journal of Youth Development

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents, Journal Of Youth Development

Journal of Youth Development

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences, Protective And Compensatory Experiences, And Parenting Attitudes Among Fathers, Kylie Schmidt

Dissertations

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are defined as potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood particularly between the ages of 0 and 17 years that negatively influence long-term health, relational functioning, and parenting practices (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2026; Felitti et al., 1998; Merrick et al., 2019). Conversely, protective and compensatory experiences (PACEs) have emerged as protective factors that foster resilience and possibly buffer against the adverse outcomes of ACEs (Narayan et al., 2018). As the existing research has greatly focused on mothers, little is known about how men’s early life experiences shape their parenting attitudes, particularly during the …

Cognitive-Affective And Somatic Depressive Symptom Domains Related To Psychological Mechanisms And Sociodemographic Factors, Danielle B. Hazeltine

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Major depressive disorder is prevalent, chronic, and heterogeneous, including cognitive- affective (e.g., maladaptive beliefs or thinking patterns and sad mood) and somatic (e.g., fatigue, appetite, or sleep changes) symptom domains. While depression domains have been long theorized, research examining psychological mechanisms underlying this distinction is limited. Preliminary research suggests cognitive-affective symptoms relate more strongly to cognitive mechanisms (cognitive bias, perseverative thought), somatic symptoms relate more strongly to behavioral mechanisms (behavioral inhibition/activation), and gender, race, and ethnicity moderate these relationships. This study examined whether cognitive-affective and somatic symptom domains differentially relate to cognitive and behavioral mechanisms, and whether these relationships are …

Distinguishing Between Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: The Role Of Childhood Maltreatment, Catherine Harris

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The current study examined whether court-substantiated childhood maltreatment may be associated with increased risk for Complex PTSD (CPTSD) and whether individuals with CPTSD and individuals with PTSD could be distinguished in terms of complex trauma exposure. Children with documented cases of abuse and neglect prior to age 11 were matched on age, race, sex, and approximate family socioeconomic status with children without documented histories of maltreatment (controls) and both groups were followed prospectively into adulthood. Participants (N = 1,196) were assessed using a DSM-III-R based structured interview of PTSD symptoms and other self-report measures of psychiatric symptoms at mean age …

Sensation And Perception V3, Todd A. Kahan

Open Educational Resources

Sensation and Perception V3 is an introductory college textbook that explores how we detect and interpret sensory information from the world around us. Covering all five major senses—vision, audition, touch, taste, and smell—the book provides a comprehensive overview of the biological and psychological processes that underlie perception. While all sensory modalities are discussed, the primary emphasis is on vision, tracing the flow of visual information from the moment light strikes the retina through the complex mechanisms that allow us to perceive objects, color, motion, and depth.

The Influence Of Childhood Experiential History On U.S. Vice President Jd Vance’S Personality, Amelia Brower, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

This paper presents the results of a developmental causal analysis of the adult personality of U.S. vice president JD Vance, from the conceptual perspective of personologist Theodore Millon.

Psychodiagnostically relevant data relating to Vance’s personality were collected from biographical sources and media reports and synthesized into a personality profile using the Millon Inventory of Diagnostic Criteria (MIDC), which yields 34 normal and maladaptive personality classifications congruent with DSM-III-R, DSM-IV, and DSM-5-TR.

The findings of the personality assessment were previously reported in a separate paper. Vance’s primary personality patterns were found to be Dominant/controlling and Ambitious/confident, supplemented by …

Schizophrenia Spectrum Biomarkers Consortium: Establishment Of A Biorepository For The Discovery Of Quantitative Fluid Biomarkers, Mohini Ranganathan, Susanne Jakob, Felecia Cerrato, Lia Urban Spillane, Tarlan S. Daryoush, Sophie Shuster, Katherine Dokholyan, Shaynna Herrera, Brian Koo, Clyde Markowitz, Pojen Deng, Sage Rush, Monica E. Calkins, Scott Troyan, Kosha Ruparel, Ruben C. Gur, Holly Reynolds, Claire Wegel, Matthew B. Johnson, Lauren Hom, Sam Bryant, Ross W. Mair, Randy L. Buckner, Rebecca Birnbaum, Christian G. Kohler, Cheryl M. Corcoran, Raquel E. Gur, Steven E. Hyman

Student Publications [Scholarly]

Background and Hypothesis: Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) produce severe symptoms, disability, and premature mortality, but only partially effective symptomatic treatments exist. Treatment development is impeded by lack of insight into disease mechanisms or objective biomarkers for clinical trials. Advances in genetics and neurobiology have converged on strong pathogenic hypotheses for SSDs centered on synapse dysfunction and excessive pruning, pathogenic processes that may produce measurable proteomic evidence in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Leveraging design precedents from successful fluid biomarkers discovery for Alzheimer’s disease, we undertook a pilot study to test the feasibility of repeated CSF and blood samples collection from individuals with …

Social Media-Based Social Comparisons Among Socially Anxious Young Adults: The Role Of Cognitive Reappraisal, Jennifer L. De Rutte

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Social media is a central context for social interaction and self-evaluation among young adults. For those with elevated social anxiety, these environments may be especially salient because they provide frequent opportunities for social comparison. Although upward social comparison on social media has been linked to poorer emotional outcomes, less is known about its experimental effects among socially anxious young adults or whether upward and downward comparison have distinct effects that extend to later socially evaluative situations. The present study examined these questions in 84 socially anxious young adults randomly assigned to view simulated Instagram feeds eliciting upward comparison, downward comparison, …

Intimate Partner Violence And Emotion Regulation Among Emerging Adults: Investigating The Roles Of Dispositional Mindfulness And Executive Function In The Context Of A Laboratory-Induced Stress Paradigm, Mikell Bursky

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a major public health concern that impacts an estimated 10 million men and women in the United States annually. IPV refers to a range of physical, sexual or psychological forms of aggression committed against a current or former romantic partner in the context of a relationship. The highest rates of IPV are observed in emerging adulthood, a developmental period between the ages of 18 to 25 that is significant for the transition from adolescence into adulthood, and the establishment of first meaningful intimate relationships. Although distal risk factors for IPV such as violence in the …

Authoritarianism, Hostility And Threat: An Analysis Of American Political Podcasts Surrounding The 2024 Presidential Election, Noah D. Cohen

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Political rhetoric surrounding key events has seen sharp increases in emotionally affective speech, intergroup sentiment, and rhetoric unbecoming of democratic societies in recent years. Similarly, semi-democratic and ideologically driven speech has become increasingly normalized within an era of political polarization and hardline beliefs in modern media. Within this economy of outrage, sensational and largely unmoderated media formats, particularly podcasts, have become a mainstay of political information and discourse. This raises an important question: how does rhetoric surrounding political events construct intergroup sentiment and authoritarian rhetoric within political media, particularly American political podcasts? Further, given political podcasts’ growing social influence in …

When Protection Becomes Predation: Militarized Masculinity And Sexual Violence In Northeastern Nigeria, Tosin Osasona

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The study investigates the structural and situational drivers of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) perpetrated by state security actors in the context of Nigeria’s counterinsurgency campaigns in Borno State. Drawing on militarized masculinity and strain and deprivation theories, and using a qualitative, interpretive research design, the study argues that CRSV is not an isolated or episodic form of deviance by individual soldiers and security personnel but is embedded in routine military–civilian interactions. Advancing an interactionist explanation of CRSV in Nigeria’s Islamist counterinsurgency operations, the study demonstrates that the likelihood of sexual violence increases through the interaction of gendered institutional norms, operational …

Approaching Well-Being Through The Research Lens: How Hca Healthcare Colleagues Are Building Healthy Work And Learning Environments, Gregory Guldner, Allison Woodall, Deepinder Bal, Jennifer Larkin, Cynthia Borum, Sunny Hull, Annette Edens, Lisa H. Moore, Elaine K. Miller, Harold Gomez Acevedo, Katia M. Lugo Enriquez, Noor Judge, Yanie Oliva, Pablo E. Ramirez Caraballo, Faraz Jaffer, Prerna S. Sharma, Daniel Heller, Siddarth Kathuria, Nathaniel Banet, Orlando Nieves-Lugo, Adrienne Madison, Lily Martin, Oliwier Dziadkowiec

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

At the heart of our commitment to the care and improvement of human life are the physicians who dedicate themselves to delivering exceptional care. To support not only our physicians’ professional excellence but also to foster personal fulfillment, HCA Healthcare partnered with Claremont Graduate University to establish the Physician Wellness Research Lab (PWR Lab). In his new role as the Vice President of Academic Affairs for Graduate Medical Education (GME), Dr Guldner led a nationwide search to establish and implement a new approach to well-being. At HCA Healthcare, we believe that true flourishing requires transforming the work and learning environment …

Psychological Adaptation In Colorectal Cancer Survivors: Pilot Study Findings, Anuja L. Sarode, Emily M. Su, Amber Kerstetter-Fogle, Steve Paciorek, Erica L. Laipply

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

In this pilot study, we examined psychological impacts of colorectal cancer (CRC), focusing on cancer-related posttraumatic stress disorder (CR-PTSD) symptoms, posttraumatic growth (PTG), and their relationship with coping strategies in surgically treated CRC patients.

Methods

This prospective pre- and postoperative pilot study assessed CRC patients at 2 time points, pre- and postoperative. Psychological symptoms were evaluated using the PTSD Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (PCL-5) and the PTG Inventory Short Form (PTGI-SF). Coping strategies were assessed using the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) instrument. Changes in CR-PTSD, PTG, and coping …

Coping Beyond Cancer: Exploring Fear Of Recurrence In Colorectal Cancer Survivors—A Pilot Investigation, Emily M. Su, Steve Paciorek, Erica L. Laipply, Anuja L. Sarode

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

Evidence is limited on the fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) among colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors in the US, especially regarding patterns and trends of post-recovery coping mechanisms. This pilot mixed-methods study quantified FCR, examined its associations with Brief COPE domains, and contextualized coping through qualitative analysis.

Methods

Twenty-three patients who successfully underwent CRC surgery were included in this pilot study. Fear of cancer recurrence was measured using the FCR Inventory (FCRI) Short Form, and coping strategies were assessed with the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) survey. Descriptive statistics summarized participant characteristics, FCR, and COPE scores. Spearman correlation …

Nihilistic Violence Aesthetics In Public Online Communication, Heath Nicholas Landress

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Public online communication has increasingly included violence-related content that is meme-based, ironic, visually stylized, multimodal, and only partially ideological. This comprehensive literature review synthesized research on online extremism, extremist memes, toxic multimodal content, dehumanizing digital communication, nihilistic violent extremism, warning behaviors, platform affordances, and youth-facing online environments. The purpose was to clarify what the literature had established; identify where the scholarship remained fragmented; and map research domains relevant to social, behavioral, public safety, and human services scholarship. The review used a structured, comprehensive literature review strategy supported by integrative synthesis procedures. The final corpus contained 34 scholarly sources, including 32 …

Relational-Developmental Autoethnography: A Method Of Qualitative Inquiry That Fosters Personal Growth, Chris Wells

The Qualitative Report

This paper introduces relational–developmental autoethnography (RDA), a qualitative method for exploring psychological growth through personal writing and reflection. Developed through lived experience, RDA traces psychological development through sustained, recursive engagement with personal writing. Drawing on an archive of my journals, letters, clinical records, and correspondence spanning more than 30 years, I show how writing and reflection were first tools for my survival, and later became catalysts for insight, healing, and transformation. RDA is grounded in two developmental frameworks: Dąbrowski’s theory of positive disintegration, which views emotional intensity and inner conflict as signs of developmental potential, and relational-cultural theory, which …

Waves Of Exhaustion, Currents Of Renewal: An Autoethnography Of Academic Emotional Burnout And Recovery, Rofiza Aboo Bakar

The Qualitative Report

This autoethnography explores my experience of academic burnout and emotional recovery as a mid-career female educator in a Malaysian public university. Drawing from reflective journals, memory work, and embodied recollections between 2023 and 2025, I trace a personal journey through three experiential phases: the weight of expectations, burnout and emotional rupture, and embodied recovery through open sea swimming. The narrative is guided by Chang’s (2016) thematic structuring approach and interpreted through Lazarus and Folkman’s (1984) Transactional Model of Stress and Coping. My story reveals how burnout was not the result of overwork, but of institutional erasure. As I navigated the …

Revictimization Of Female Sexual Assault Survivors During Cross-Examination From The Perspective Of Criminal Prosecutors, Robyn Fuchs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexual assault is a heinous crime that remains one of the most underreported crimes. Victims of sexual assault face scrutiny for reporting and may be revictimized by the process. The intent of this study was to examine how cross-examination has the potential to revictimize female sexual assault survivors from the perspective of criminal prosecutors. This study may provide insight on whether defense attorneys intentionally cause harm to victims or if there is an automatic level of trauma in testifying. Ten interviews were conducted with criminal prosecutors across the United States. After the interviews, the transcripts were manually analyzed to identify …

The Impact Of Inclusive Leadership And Leader Cultural Intelligence On The Work Engagement Of Migrant Employees, Dena Semonia Whittle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With the rise of globalization and the growing demand for skilled workers, the number of foreign-born employees in the American workforce has grown significantly over the last 20 years. These numbers continue to grow, as the upward trend of foreign-born employees has been even more significant over the last 5 years. However, despite having a now more diverse workforce, there are still signs of discrimination and unequal treatment of migrants in the workplace. Such mistreatment has been linked to health-related, occupational, and psychological consequences and has been negatively associated with work engagement. The purpose of this quantitative study was to …

Redefined: Understanding The Experience Of Black Joy Among Black Youth, Kaela A. Yamini

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The study of Black joy is a newer concept and, therefore, reflected in a small but growing body of literature. Many scholars have reflected on the theoretical nature of Black joy and how it can appear across settings, e.g., academically, occupationally, communally, and internally, but very few studies have examined this phenomenon empirically. Several definitions of Black joy have emerged in connection to history and suffering; however, there is still a notable lack of agreement among researchers. Despite that, all conceptualizations acknowledge how this emotional experience is much greater than the pain associated with it and highlight its ability …

Home, Neighborhood, And Community Environments And Social Isolation In Later Life: Joint Associations And Their Moderation By Life-Course Socioeconomic Mobility, Jeein Law

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Social isolation is a major public health concern among older adults, yet less is known about how multilevel residential environments shape isolation among those aging in place. Guided by the Socio-Ecological Model, Person–Environment Fit, and a life-course perspective, this dissertation examined whether micro-level home hazards, meso-level neighborhood social cohesion and physical disorder, and macro-level census-tract structural conditions were associated with social isolation. It also examined whether life-course socioeconomic mobility moderated the associations between home and neighborhood environments and social isolation.

This dissertation used two nationally representative longitudinal studies of U.S. older adults. Aims 1 and 2 used the National Health …

Beyond Monolithic Narratives: The Interaction Of Ethnic-Racial Socialization And Resistance In Shaping Mental Health Among Black Immigrants In The U.S., Krystel Francis

Graduate Masters Theses

Black immigrants represent one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. Black population, yet their unique racialized and cultural experiences remain understudied within psychological research. This thesis examined how ethnic-racial socialization and resistance and empowerment against racism can influence how race-related stress was associated with psychological distress among Black immigrants in the United States. This study tested a moderated moderation model to determine whether ethnic-racial socialization and resistance and empowerment against racism, independently and jointly, buffered the adverse effects of race-related stress on psychological distress. Using data from a larger IRB-approved study on racism and mental health among people of …

Effects Of A Shame-Focused Self-Compassion Writing Intervention In Individuals With Social Anxiety, Selen Amado

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The present study examined the efficacy of a brief, shame-focused self-compassion (SF-SC) writing intervention in reducing shame, social anxiety and related cognitive maintenance processes among individuals with elevated social anxiety. Shame is a core feature and maintaining factor of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), closely linked to self-focused attention, post-event processing, and self-criticism. Additionally, self-compassion demonstrates a robust inverse association with shame. However, few interventions have explicitly targeted shame as a primary mechanism of change using self-compassion strategies in socially anxious populations. Using a randomized controlled design, 94 participants with elevated levels of social anxiety and shame were assigned to either …