Digital Commons Network^™

Second Acts In Academic Librarianship: Trends, Impacts, And Implications, Tiffany Davis Norris, Phill Johnson

The Southeastern Librarian

This study investigates the increasingly common phenomenon of academic librarianship as a second career. Survey data from more than 500 academic librarians found that nearly 70 percent of respondents did not begin their professional lives in the library field. These findings challenge the long-held perception of librarianship as an early or primary career choice and highlight significant trends with implications for library education, recruitment, leadership development, and burnout prevention. The study explores patterns in first careers and examines demographic trends, age distributions, and correlations between career background and current leadership roles. By framing librarianship as a deliberate career pivot rather …

Da Mosang Tarsier Series: Developing Digital Bullying Prevention Materials For Filipino Parents Of Grade School Students, Rudy M. Danganan Jr., Ann Christine V. Braga, Maria Kristina S. Alfonso, Romelito Manuel D.S. Clorina, Ma. Regina Hechanova

Children and Families

Bullying remains a significant public health and educational concern worldwide and is particularly prevalent in Philippine public schools, with Grade 7 students identified as a vulnerable group. Although the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 (Republic Act No. 10627) mandates school-based policies and procedures, persistent implementation gaps underscore the need to strengthen home–school partnerships and equip parents with practical, culturally grounded response strategies. This paper describes the development of the Da Mosang Tarsier Series, a set of digital psychoeducational comic strips designed for Filipino parents of Grade 7 students. Guided by a user-centered design (UCD) framework, the project began with a Generative …

Resisting Dualism In Contemporary Movement Building: Lessons From The Zapatista Movement On Creating Assertive, Insurgent, And Generative Praxis, Nico Killian

University Honors Theses

The common struggle of social movements, revolutionary and otherwise, in the contemporary era is how to establish a collective capable of asserting its politics via grassroots organizing in the face of the logic of global capitalism that atomizes communities, reconfigures the role of the state, and unleashes the fragmentizing and simultaneously totalitizing forces of the global market. Discourse regarding effective movement building in the contemporary era often falls into two dualistic avenues of resistance - complete autonomy that rejects any engagement or affiliation with political structures out of fear that it would result in demobilization through co-optation or negotiating a …

Economic Background And The Role Of Self-Compassion, Dixy Melendez

Psychology and Counseling Theses

Although self-compassion is established as a buffer against psychological distress, few studies examine its protective role alongside socioeconomic discrimination. This study used hierarchical multiple regressions and a hierarchical logistic regression to examine subjective social status, downward classism, self-compassion, and internalized shame as predictors of distress, academic anxiety, and academic task choice among college students, controlling for demographic variables. Greater self-compassion predicted less internalized shame, and greater downward classism predicted greater shame and distress. Self-compassion showed only marginal protective effects against distress after accounting for other variables. Internalized shame was the strongest, most consistent predictor, robustly relating to academic anxiety and …

The Neuropsychological Analysis Of The Effect Of Shame And Traumatic Memories In Paranoia: A Network Analysis, Anwesha Maitra

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Paranoia is increasingly recognized as a multidimensional psychological phenomenon influenced by trauma-related distress, shame, maladaptive interpersonal experiences, and emotional functioning. Although these factors have been extensively associated with paranoia, their relationships with neurocognitive functioning, social cognition, and global functioning remain less well understood. The present study examined these relationships using traditional statistical analyses, network analysis, and machine-learning approaches in a non-clinical sample of 42 adults.

Participants completed self-report measures assessing trauma-related distress, childhood interpersonal experiences, shame, paranoia, depressive symptoms, fear of negative evaluation, self-esteem, and hostile attribution bias, in addition to a comprehensive neurocognitive battery, an emotion recognition task, and …

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy For Toddlers In Japan: Comparing Outcomes For Children With And Without Autism And/Or Developmental Delays, Emily-Anne Sevilla Del Rosario

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Toddlers (PCIT-T) is a toddler adaptation of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy designed to improve social-emotional development and parenting practices among children under two years of age. This study evaluated the effectiveness of PCIT-T among Japanese families and explored whether treatment outcomes differed between neurotypical toddlers and autistic children and/or children with developmental delays. Data was analyzed from 83 parent-child dyads who received PCIT-T in community-based agencies across Japan between 2018 and 2023. Results indicated significant improvements in children’s protective developmental factors, caregiver use of PRIDE skills, and reductions in Avoid skills following treatment. CARES skills did not …

“We Have The Right To Education”: Exploring Student Experiences, Disability Policy, And The Need For Culturally Refined Awareness Raising On Inclusive Higher Education Within The English-Speaking Caribbean, Kadesha Treco

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Within the English-speaking Caribbean, research at the intersection of inclusive education policy and higher education (HIED) remains limited. Despite the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) by countries across the region, the establishment of the CARICOM Special Rapporteur on Disabilities, and the creation of several pieces of national disability legislation, there is little evidence regarding the effectiveness of these initiatives at improving access to HIED. Therefore, this dissertation contributes to regional scholarship on inclusive education by examining how access to, and experiences within HIED institutions are shaped for students with disabilities. This …

Effectiveness Of Pcit With Toddlers In A Community-Based Sample: Special Considerations For Youth With Neurodevelopmental Conditions, Rebecca Scott Bradley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The early caregiving environment serves as the context in which young children develop emotional regulation abilities. While supportive, responsive caregiving is crucial for helping children regulate their own emotions in times of stress, disruptions to the parent-child relationship may set the stage for poor emotion regulation throughout childhood. Emotional and behavioral problems, particularly in children with neurodevelopmental conditions, may stem from early difficulties with emotion regulation. If left untreated, emotion dysregulation in children can mark a trajectory towards continued social-emotional concerns and family disruption; as such, the toddler years represent an ideal time for intervention. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Toddlers …

Pinochet’S Upswing: The Demise Of A Democratic Society In Chile, Jacob Behnk

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

In the United States, we tend to view democracy as an inviolable tenet of political life. Our nation’s founding is even romanticized as a heroic fight for liberty against the wicked tyranny of the British monarchy. It is unthinkable that democracy could ever be destroyed, let alone have the citizens cheer on those who engineer its destruction—yet this is the very situation that Chile found itself regarding Augusto Pinochet, a brutal dictator who ruled the country with an iron fist from 1973 to 1990. Pinochet would be voted out of power in a 1988 plebiscite, but still managed to win …

Addressing Bias Against Sopo Vee Opp Polyamory, Nafees Alam

Social Work Faculty Publications

Polyamory is a consensual relationship style involving multiple romantic and/or sexual partners, with SOPO (solo polyamory), VEE, and OPP (one penis policy) being specific polyamorous dynamics that often face heightened bias. The reality show "Sister Wives" offers a compelling case study of both stigmatization and potential normalization of non-monogamous relationships in mainstream media. This manuscript examines how "Sister Wives" both reinforces and challenges stereotypes about polyamory, its impact on public perception, and how the experiences of the Brown family parallel those of SOPO VEE OPP practitioners. By analyzing media representation alongside lived experiences, we can better understand how to promote …

Animal Assisted Interventions For Older Adults Experiencing Cognitive Impairment, Preeti Bachu

Psychology

As individuals age, they often experience gradual declines in cognitive abilities that ultimately affect their quality of life and independence. Severe cognitive decline is not necessarily a natural or universal part of the aging process and tends to be exacerbated by various neurodegenerative diseases, most notably Alzheimer's disease (Colita et al., 2024). There have been promising outcomes of animal assisted interventions in improving the conditions of several populations and spaces, including educational, rehabilitative, and therapeutic settings. Animal assisted therapy specifically is delivered by a qualified or licensed health professional. Previous research has shown a large benefit in long-term memory, verbal …

Examining The Effectiveness Of Nature Metaphor Patterns For Cultivating Intimacy, Acceptance, Relationship Satisfaction, Self-Compassion, And Positive Communication In Couples, Jenna Rice, Sarah Fraher, Elizabeth Engelkamp, Melissa Mcternan, Hannah Grigorian, James Cordova

Psychology

Effective couple interventions, such as Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy and the Relationship Checkup, include the labeling of common relationship patterns. This study hypothesized that a micro-intervention using nature metaphors, such as “Porcupine–Turtle,” would produce greater improvements in relationship health relative to descriptive labels such as “Approach–Withdraw.” Twenty-five couples were presented with nature metaphor patterns, while 24 couples were presented with descriptive patterns. Several measures of relationship health showed significant improvements across both groups, while other measures showed significant improvements for descriptive patterns only. Generally, nature metaphor patterns were initially rated as more novel and more resonant. Broadly, these results add …

Improving Urban Search And Rescue Team Coordination Through Adaptive Context Awareness, Daniel Reyes Duran

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Modern multi-agent Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) operations heavily rely on mobile geospatial Common Operating Pictures (COPs) to maintain team coordination and Situational Awareness (SA). However, the proliferation of high-frequency sensor telemetry at the tactical edge has introduced a data saturation paradox challenge: while information theoretically drives informed decision-making, unmanaged data surges induce increased operator cognitive overload and alert fatigue on mobile End-User Devices (EUDs), while downstream data-broadcasting models inherently strain edge processing and viewport environments.

To resolve these constraints, this dissertation presents a context-aware Value of Information (VoI) data-management framework integrated directly with a custom, event-driven Android Team Awareness …

Polarized Truth Decay & The Role Of Education In A Democracy, Sonja Varbelow, William Yaworsky

Anthropology Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to delineate the causes and dangers of truth decay for a democracy, the role education has played in the process, and how education can present a resistance to this dangerous trend. Truth decay has been characterized as an increase in quantity of opinion over fact, divergent views on what constitutes a fact, and decreased confidence of traditional sources of information. We agree that truth decay is a serious problem but would characterize it somewhat differently. Opinions, divergent views, and decreased confidence in traditional sources of information are not detrimental by themselves. Instead, we see …

Pre-Service Teacher Mental Health Bias Toward Students, Rachael Ann Crofford

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand mental health bias held by pre-service teachers. Participants in the study were 122 pre-service teachers enrolled in teacher education programs at three universities (two in the Midwest and one in the South) and included 92.6% white, 82% female, and ranged in age from 18-59 years old, with the largest group of participants being 20 years old. This cross-sectional survey study used the Biases Toward Children with Psychological and Behavioral Disorders Scale (Hirsch, 2013), comprised of 21 items using 1-6 Likert scale. In addition, demographic, education experience, mental health training, mental health care …

The Narrative Dynamics Of Special Books By Special Kids Youtube Videos And Comments: A Study Of Disability Rhetoric And Public Narrative Engagement, Jessica Louise Allee

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Digital media has expanded disability advocacy and community building by enabling accessible, visual storytelling and connection. Special Books by Special Kids (SBSK), a YouTube channel using interview-based disability storytelling, foregrounds people’s experiences with disabilities in the videos, while inviting viewers to interpret, identify with, and respond in the comments. As a participatory storytelling space, SBSK offers a site for examining how disability meanings are constructed, negotiated, and transformed through narratives, multimodal practices, and audience uptake, while revealing how dominant disability rhetoric or ableist discourse that positions people with disabilities as burdens, inherently deficient, or socially devalued, can be reproduced, complicated, …

Examining Clinical Educators’ Readiness For Artificial Intelligence In Medical Education: An Exploratory Qualitative Study, Tim Murphy, Ginger Vaughn, Rob E. Carpenter, Benjamin Mckinney, Rochell Mcwhorter

Human Resource Development Faculty Publications and Presentations

Artificial intelligence (AI), treated in this study as an umbrella term for AI-enabled clinical and educational technologies rather than as a single platform, is reshaping medical education, including how diagnostic skills, treatment planning, and patient care are taught. This study examines AI integration in medical education through the perceptions and readiness of clinical educators. Guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, the study explores factors influencing AI adoption in medical training, including performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions. In this exploratory study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 clinical educators in the south-central …

Impact Of Baseline Cognition On Dual-Task Performance: Tracking Verbal Accuracy And Fluency In Adults At Risk For Alzheimer’S Disease, Rebecca Nicole Frederichs

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is increasing in prevalence as life expectancy continues to rise, highlighting the need for sensitive measures to detect early cognitive changes. This study examined the effects of baseline cognitive status on dual-task performance over time, in terms of dual-task cost, verbal fluency, and verbal accuracy in older adults at risk for AD. This study utilized a quantitative secondary analysis of the longitudinal dataset, the Digital, Cognitive, Multi-Domain Alzheimer Risk Velocity (DC-MARVel) study (Gray et al., 2022). Participants were categorized into low, medium, or high cognitive tertiles based on baseline Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status …

Influence Of Self-Reported Maternal Mental Health Diagnosis And Parenting Practice On Child Externalizing Behavior, Caitlin E. Smith

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Maternal psychopathology generally has been associated with greater likelihood of childhood pathology (e.g., Bellina et al., 2020) which is likely due to both genetic (e.g. heritability of mental health diagnoses) and environmental (e.g., parenting) influences. ADHD, in particular, is a disorder with a high heritability rate (Kuja-Halkola et al., 2015). Other parent mental health difficulties, such as anxiety or depression, can also influence parenting behavior as well as child behavior. Broadly, maternal psychiatric history is related to child ADHD symptom severity (López Seco et al., 2015). Positive parenting may be especially important when parenting a child with ADHD as positive …

How Cultural Homogeneity Couples With Organizational Climate In Public School Environments, Steven R. Peterson

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study examines how cultural homogeneity influences teachers’ perceptions of school climate in Indiana public schools. Grounded in systems thinking and organizational theory, the study analyzes how shared values and norms shape teachers’ responses to leadership practices and stakeholder demands. Data were collected from educators using the School Culture Survey and a custom scenario-based climate instrument capturing reactions to organizational challenges. Statistical analyses explored relationships between cultural homogeneity and teachers’ perceptions of stability, workload, and adaptive capacity. Results indicate that alignment in key cultural dimensions—particularly Collaborative Leadership—significantly shapes climate experiences, while overall homogeneity alone does not predict workload pressures. …

Global Prevalence Of Internet Gaming Disorder: An Umbrella Review Of Meta-Analytic Evidence And Implications For Child And Adolescent Psychiatry, Elisabeth C. S. Poon, Xun Ci Soh, Trina J. H. Poh, Andre C. S. Tan, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Background/Objectives: Internet gaming has become a widespread global activity, raising concerns about the prevalence of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). However, existing meta-analyses report highly variable prevalence estimates. This umbrella review aims to clarify the prevalence and variability of IGD by synthesizing evidence from meta-analyses to provide a comprehensive overview of IGD prevalence across populations, age groups, and regions. Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, systematic searches were carried out across five published literature databases and two supplementary search sources. Title and abstract screening, followed by full-text eligibility assessment, were conducted independently by three authors. The same three authors then performed data extraction …

Understanding Chronic Bodily Pain Across Multisystemic Illnesses: A Comparative Analysis Using Exploratory Factor Analysis And Invariance Testing, Suvetha Ravichandran

Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

Chronic pain is a debilitating symptom that often remains under-researched and poorly treated, particularly for those with multisystemic conditions. This study explored the shared and distinct experiences of chronic bodily pain across four multisystemic illnesses: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Post-Polio Syndrome (PPS), and Long COVID. Comparative exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and invariance testing were used to examine commonalities and differences in underlying pain experiences for those with the above diagnoses as well as healthy controls based on their responses to pain items from the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire-1 (DSQ-1). A total of 3,724 participants were included: 2,403 …

Do I Fit In Here? How Immigrants’ Endorsement Of Social Markers Is Related To Their Wellbeing In Three Migrant Receiving Societies, Justine Dandy, Chan Hoong Leong, Adam Komisarof, Travis Lim, Krystal Perkins

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Social markers of acceptance are the attributes seen as important for immigrants to achieve or display in order to be accepted similarly to a local-born citizen. In research on constructions of national identity, factor analysis reveals a culture-specific, two-factor structure akin to the ethnic–civic distinction observed. In this paper, we extend this work by examining the relationship between social markers of acceptance and immigrants’ well-being in three national contexts: Australia, Japan, and the U.S. Specifically, in study 1 we examined the factor structure of social markers in non-immigrant samples in each context (Australia, n = 1357; Japan, n = 2000; …

The Personality Profile Of Innovator, Entrepreneur, And Business Leader Elon Musk, Amelia Brower, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

This paper presents the results of an indirect personality assessment of entrepreneur and business leader Elon Musk, from the conceptual perspective of personologist Theodore Millon.

Psychodiagnostically relevant data relating to Musk 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 personality profile yielded by the MIDC was analyzed in accordance with interpretive guidelines provided in the MIDC and Millon Index of Personality Styles (MIPS) manuals. Musk’s primary personality patterns …

A Leadership Trait Analysis Of U.S. Vice President Jd Vance, Aubrey Immelman, Sophie J. Heck

Psychology Faculty Publications

This paper presents the results of an indirect leadership trait analysis of U.S. vice president JD Vance, conducted for the purpose of anticipating Vance’s likely leadership style in a high-level executive role in politics, from the conceptual perspective of Margaret Hermann’s leadership trait analysis (LTA) model, employing an empirically based “psychodiagnostic meta-analytic” methodology.

Psychodiagnostically relevant data relating to Vance were collected from biographical sources and media reports and synthesized into a personality profile using the Hermann Leadership Trait Inventory (HLTI) — constructed expressly for the present study — which taps seven leadership trait dimensions: belief in one’s ability to control …

Childhood Maltreatment Profiles And Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (Pmdd) Among Female Adolescents In Nigeria: A Latent Class Analysis, Wasiu Olorunlambe, Sherifat Adeniyi, Maricela Galdamez, Ruby Charak, Julian D. Ford

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Background

Objectives

Participants and Settings

Methods

Mental Health Stigma In Latin American Youth With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Ryan J. Mccarty, Matias Jensen, Elissa Paz Jensen Santa Cruz, Melisa N. Sagarnaga, Pamela Claisse Quiroz, Isabella A. Cruz, Laura D. Seligman, Joseph D. Hovey, Monica E. Ochoa, Nadeen Salhadar

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an impairing mental health condition that affects individuals across the lifespan. Some literature has evaluated mental health stigma in adults with OCD but limited attention has been given to youth, as well as those of Latino ancestry. The present study reported the extent of stigma experiences among Latin American youth with OCD, as well as examined sociodemographic, clinical and psychological correlates. 235 youth with clinician confirmed diagnoses of OCD from 10 North and South American countries completed questionnaires assessing stigma experiences, symptomatology, and functioning. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were also collected. The average OCD stigma response …

The Accidental Entrepreneur: How Military Spouses Take Their Careers Into Their Own Hands, Jennifer Barnhill, Rosalinda Maury, Jeanette Harvie

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

The Accidental Entrepreneur is the second narrative profile in the Reimagining Military Spouse Employment series, a companion to the initiative's data briefs. Through the story of a mid-career military spouse who builds a business after repeated career disruptions, it examines why many spouses turn to entrepreneurship and what stands in their way. The profile covers the barriers spouses face when starting a business, including access to funding, certifications, and grants, along with the reality that self-employment does not eliminate the military spouse earnings penalty. It offers guidance for military spouses considering entrepreneurship and for the community leaders positioned to support …

Navigating Unemployment Without Unemployment Insurance: Evidence From Singapore, Kim, Lanjie Wang

Research Collection School Of Economics

This study investigates the short-term impacts of unemployment among older workers (aged 50–62) in Singapore, a setting with-out public unemployment insurance. Using monthly panel data from the Singapore Life Panel, we analyse dynamic effects onmajor life outcomes such as income, spending, health, and subjective wellbeing over 2 years post-unemployment. Our findingsreveal substantial initial earnings losses with incomplete recovery: income remains 50.7% below pre-unemployment levels after24 months. Despite this persistent income gap, total household expenditure declines by 9.8% on average over 2 years (rangingfrom 7% to 16% across months). The implied two-year marginal propensity to consume is about 0.182, smaller than …

The Integration Of Psychology And Theology: An Examination Of Personality And Spiritual Gifts In Christian Formation, Vocation, And Everyday Ministry, Suzannah W. Driver

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Human beings are created in the image of God, formed through relationship with Him, and empowered by the Holy Spirit to participate in His mission. Yet personality and spiritual gifts are often considered separately, leaving believers with fragmented language for understanding who they are, how they have been formed, and how they are called to serve. Psychology offers meaningful insight into patterns of thought, emotion, behavior, and relationship, while theology grounds identity in divine creation, spiritual formation, and Spirit-empowered purpose. When these perspectives remain divided, believers may understand parts of themselves without recognizing how those dimensions work together within the …