Digital Commons Network^™

Differentiation Of Self As A Therapist Effect In Couple Therapy, Nathan D. Knebel

Theses and Dissertations

Murray Bowen proposed that a therapist's level of differentiation of self influences therapeutic effectiveness, particularly in clinically distressed relational systems. Although existing literature has demonstrated that therapist effects account for a meaningful portion of variance in couple therapy outcomes, differentiation of self has received limited empirical attention as a therapist-level predictor. The present article proposes a framework for empirically examining Bowen's hypothesis by investigating whether therapist differentiation predicts trajectories of couple relationship quality across treatment. Additionally, the article explores theoretical pathways through which therapists may increase their level of differentiation, assuming Bowen's hypothesis is supported.

Examining Data Access Gaps For Tribal Epidemiology Centers: Qualitative Interviews And A 50-State Syphilis Data Audit, Kathleen P. Conte, Ashley Hoover, Levi Mattoon, Brigg Reilley, Jessica Leston

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

Context: Federal law establishes American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes and Tribal Epidemiology Centers (TECs) as public health authorities with rights to state data to conduct public health activities. Tribal authorities, however, struggle to access public health data.

Objectives: To examine TECs’ access and barriers to public health surveillance data, and using syphilis as a case study, to assess data availability and timeliness nationwide.

Design: In-depth qualitative interviews and a desk audit of syphilis data by states.

Setting: All 12 TECs who collectively provide epidemiologic and public health support to 574 Tribes and 41 Urban Indian Centers nationwide.

Participants: Sixteen …

Breaking The Silence: A Content And Expert Analysis Of The 2025 Ramadan Series Lam Shamseya's Framing And Subversion Of Child Sexual Abuse Discourse In Egypt, Maya Abouelnasr

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes how the 2025 Egyptian TV series Lam Shamseya served as a sociocultural intervention and awareness platform for reframing and subverting the typical child sexual abuse (CSA) discourse in Egypt. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study triangulates framing theory and two complementary tools of the critical discourse analysis (CDA) and the circuit of culture model through a scene-level content analysis of 304 scenes across all 15 episodes of the series and ten semi-structured interviews with media experts, media practitioners, and psychologists. Key findings include reported corroboration of subversion of traditional tropes and archetypes, as well as reframing of …

The Welfare System To Prison Pipeline In America: How Media, Policy, And Surveillance Extend The Reach Of Mass Incarceration Through Child Welfare Practices, Delaney A. Painter

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

Scholarship across youth social policy, child welfare, media studies, and criminology has documented media driven moral panic, racial disproportionality in child welfare involvement, and foster-care-to-prison pathways as related but individual, distinct phenomena. Similarly, critical frameworks by Alexander and Ritchie trace how mass incarceration unfolds across marginalized communities, yet often begin analysis at points of formal criminal legal contact.

This paper builds on an integrated framework that identifies child welfare as a distinct and underrecognized branch of mass incarceration operating at an earlier stage of the life course. Drawing on interdisciplinary literature, this analysis demonstrates how fear based media narratives shape …

Disability Rates Among South Asian Immigrants In The U.S. Vary By Country Of Origin, Sobia Mushtaq, Marc A. Garcia

Population Health Research Brief Series

South Asian immigrants are often grouped together in U.S. health data, masking significant differences in health outcomes across subgroups. This brief uses data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Public Use Microdata Sample (N = 6,643,738; 2020–2024) to describe disability rates among foreign-born adults from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh residing in the U.S. The authors find that while South Asian immigrants as a group have lower disability rates than U.S.-born adults, this average is driven largely by Indian immigrants, who make up about 79% of South Asians in the U.S. Among adults aged 65 and older, Bangladeshi immigrants have …

Testing The Moderating Effect Of Self-Compassion On The Relationship Between Perfectionism-Related Discrepancy And Perceived Social Support From Family, Marinne Hammond

Theses and Dissertations

Perfectionism involves an insistence on outstanding performance on tasks to an extreme level. More specifically, perfectionism-related discrepancy is when one subjectively sees a gap between their performance and their expectations for how they should perform. Perfectionism may be linked to mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and social disconnection. The perfectionism social disconnection model asserts that perfectionism can also lead to social withdrawal. Self-compassion involves the acceptance of imperfection; it has been associated with higher perceived social support and has also been shown to attenuate the relationship between perfectionism and psychological distress. This study aimed to further …

Living Through Misinformation: An Autoethnography Of Autism In Chinese Communities, Joy Lu

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This critical autoethnographic essay examines how misconception, misinformation, and disinformation shape understandings of autism within Chinese communities and produce tangible harm for autistic individuals and their families. Drawing on lived experience, advocacy work, digital observation, and cross-cultural analysis, it explores how language, medical practices, social media, and professional authority sustain persistent misrepresentation.

The essay argues that this misinformation is not merely the result of ignorance, but a socially reinforced and institutionally supported system of knowledge. By situating personal encounters within broader cultural and structural contexts, it highlights the interconnected roles of language, power, and exclusion in shaping autistic lives. It …

Pretty Much From Scratch: A Braided Essay On Autistic Diagnosis, Creativity, Identity, And Community, Jenée Stanfield

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This braided essay uses memoir and research to explore autistic diagnosis, creativity, identity, and community. It examines how the misinformation around these topics harm and “other” autistics: the fallacy of diagnostic objectivity/neutrality, the dual myths of autistic hyper- and hypo-creativity, and autism as an identity defined solely by medical professionals. The memoir sections play with point of view and genre.

Jenée is a late-realized autistic with ADHD and OCD, who identifies as neurodivergent and neuroqueer. She lives in Washington state with her spouse and dog. She has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and is currently a Master …

When Distress Is Misread: Autistic Credibility And The Politics Of Interpretation, Katrine Callander

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

Misinformation about autism is often understood as a problem of inaccurate facts, stereotypes or public misunderstanding. This essay argues that misinformation also operates through dominant interpretive frameworks that shape how autistic experiences are recognised, understood and believed. Drawing on participatory narrative research with autistic women, the essay examines how institutions frequently reinterpret experiences of harm as personality dysfunction, emotional instability or individual deficit rather than recognising them as relational and socially produced. Autistic forms of communication and storytelling are often treated as signs of unreliability, shaping whose accounts are considered credible within clinical and institutional contexts. By reframing these patterns …

Parent Cultural Wealth: How Beliefs, Curriculum Familiarity, And Community Awareness Facilitate Home-Based Cs Conversations, Nicol Howard, Leiny Y. Garcia, Jean Ryoo, Julie Flapan, Michelle Choi, Paula Nazario, Wei Wei

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Parents are critical influences on children's computer science (CS) pathways, yet families’ involvement remains understudied. Guided by parental involvement and community cultural wealth frameworks, this work-in-progress examined survey data from 53 parents representing families historically underrepresented in computing within California (71% women; 54% Hispanic/Latin/x/e). Findings revealed that CS school curriculum familiarity and awareness of CS community events significantly predicted parent-child CS conversations, while parent CS confidence and attitudes did not, suggesting that curriculum transparency and community connections can promote equitable involvement. Future work will integrate qualitative interviews to examine how families draw upon their cultural wealth.

From Peril To Perseverance: Dr. Arthur C. Parker And The Seneca Arts Project, Brennan Ciccolone

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

Like many Native people, the Haudenosaunee were subjected to culturcide and assimilation using residential schools like the Thomas Indian School in the late 19th and early 20th century. During this time, in 1925, the Seneca archaeologist Dr. Arthur C. Parker was hired as the director of the Rochester Museum and Science Center. Parker used his museum position to uplift and preserve Haudenosaunee arts and culture. This paper focuses on his Seneca Arts Project (1935-1941), which gathered art and artifacts from both ancient and contemporary Haudenosaunee members. This project explores how Parker’s work was used to help revitalize and honor Native …

Assessing Indoor Heat Vulnerability And Cooling Strategies In Three Mobile Home Communities In Boulder, Colorado, Usa, Mehdi P. Heris, Skye Niles, Alana Wilson, Megan Mccurdy, Amy Lacourse, Nick Lankau

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Extreme heat is an increasing public health and environmental threat shaped by both physical and social factors. This study assesses the vulnerability of mobile homes and their residents at three mobile home parks in Boulder, Colorado. We examined indoor temperature, housing conditions, and social and personal risk factors of the households. We monitored indoor and outdoor temperatures using 27 indoor and 5 outdoor temperature data loggers, comparing mobile homes with air conditioning, swamp coolers, and passive cooling designs. This work provides a detailed analysis of indoor temperature patterns and demonstrates how evaluating trends yields insights into the performance and effectiveness …

Perceptions Of Young Adult Menstruators’ Use Of Reusable Menstrual Products On The Relationship With Their Bodies: An Exploratory Study, Maisie Hudson

Sociology Between the Gaps: Forgotten and Neglected Topics

No abstract provided.

It's (Not) Raining Men: Exploring The Themes Surrounding Low Male Presence In Pediatric Nursing, Marcin Janczak

Honors Projects

Background: Men remain underrepresented in nursing, with an even smaller presence in pediatric nursing. Purpose: To examine pediatric-specific themes that may contribute to the low presence of men in pediatric nursing, and strategies to counteract these potential barriers. Methods: CINAHL Ultimate and Google Scholar were searched for primary research published from 2015 to 2025 related to male nurses, male nursing students, gender bias, pediatric care, and clinical experiences. Findings: Four major themes emerged: gender stereotypes and the feminization of pediatric nursing, sociocultural barriers and gender bias, fear and distrust toward male nurses, and psychological and professional impacts on men in …

Scaffolded Reflection And Research Assignment For Sociology 101, Sara Martucci

Open Educational Resources

Dr. Sara Martucci created these assignments as part of a funded project focused on converting more sections of high-enrollment foundational courses to use Open Educational Resources and Pedagogy.

Racism In The Science And Practice Of Psychotherapy, Richard E. Redding, Craig L. Frisby

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

We discuss a recent controversy that occurred in The Cognitive Behavioural Therapist over whether Lilienfeld’s critical views on microaggressions theory and research reflect racist beliefs, as alleged by some. This is one of many recent examples of a profoundly antiscientific practice whereby racism allegations chill scientific debate and open inquiry on important research issues. This produces an overtly politicized science that has a corrosive effect on scientific progress and ultimately the useful application of research in clinical practice. The microaggressions controversy provides an especially useful vehicle for challenging this state of affairs given the widespread application of microaggressions theory, including …

Many Hands Make Light Work: Restoring Edu-Economical Debts For Black Males, Joyice Robinson Myers

VA Engage Journal

A college degree is closely linked to economic stability, yet only 20% of Black men in the United States hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. These disparities are not accidental; they are the cumulative result of systems that have systematically denied Black males equitable access to educational and economic opportunity across generations. This systematic review examines the compounding relationship among family structure, educational attainment, and economic standing for Black males, and considers what restoring that relationship could look like in practice. I integrate three theoretical frameworks—Education Debt (Ladson-Billings, 2006), African American Male Theory (Bush & Bush, 2013), and the R³ISE …

Regimes Of Pain: Violence, Silence, And The Reproduction Of Power In Indonesia, Andi Achdian, Erna Ermawati Chotim

Jurnal Politik

This article examines political violence in Indonesia as a continuing mode of governance that extends beyond periods of open repression. Focusing on three historical episodes—the mass violence of 1965–1966, militarised rule in Aceh during the Military Operations Zone, and the racialised violence of May 1998—it argues that violence does not disappear after formal repression ends, but is reorganised within everyday life through bodily injury, social silence, fear, and learned endurance. To explain this process, the article develops the concept of regimes of pain, defined as forms of power that produce and normalise bodily suffering in order to sustain political order. …

Disaster Justice: Queer And Disabled Mobilities And Infrastructures Of Care In The Pacific Northwest, Rachel Springer

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation examines the social, political, and environmental pressures that drive LGBTQ+ migration to the Pacific Northwest and the social infrastructures people find on arrival. Drawing on thirty-four semi-structured interviews with LGBTQ+ adults who relocated between 2022 and 2025, it argues that these movements are best understood as responses to slow-onset disasters produced by the compounding interaction of legislative targeting and infrastructural violence.

State-level legislation targeting LGBTQ+ people—particularly transgender individuals—has fractured the geography of safety in the U.S., producing a landscape where civil rights, healthcare access, and everyday security vary dramatically across space. For those navigating these conditions at the …

Teaching Peace Where Borders Divide: Interdisciplinary Praxis In A Criminal Justice Program, Lucas Espinoza

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article describes a criminal justice senior-level undergraduate course, CRIJ 4350: Peace, Nonviolence, & Justice, at a Hispanic-serving institution known as the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. The course centers five key frameworks: critical pedagogy, intersectionality, decolonial theory, restorative and transformative justice, and trauma-informed care, as this course departs from carceral models of justice education. Grounded in theory, literature, and research from criminal justice, criminology, peace and conflict studies, sociology, political science, ethics/philosophy, social justice, human rights, and critical pedagogy, the course centers student reflection from course evaluations, relationships, and experiences of a faculty member. …

How Lesson Type Shapes First-Grade Scienceengagement And Enjoyment, Stella Cybulski, Brooke Towner, Joy James

Journal of Youth Development

Although traditional classroom instruction often emphasizes passive forms of learning, growing evidence highlights the value of active play in promoting curiosity and conceptual development. Grounded in guided play theory, this study investigated how young learners experience science lessons across three instructional contexts: indoor inactive, indoor active, and outdoor active. Thirty-two first-grade students in a Title I laboratory school completed an enjoyment survey and drawing task following each lesson type. Results demonstrated that active play, particularly in outdoor contexts, was associated with higher enjoyment and more dynamic depictions of science learning. Thematic analysis of drawings indicated that students connected more deeply …

Rhode Island Teen Institute Remains Impactful After More Than A Decade Hiatus, Tayla Von Ash, Anusha Gupta, Michael J. Thompson, Jennifer Stevens, Terese Gregg, Sandra Del Sesto

Journal of Youth Development

Rhode Island Teen Institute (RITI) is a 5-day residential program based on the Positive Youth Development approach that exposes participants to intensive training in individual and community advocacy, decision-making, interpersonal communication, and leadership development. Results from prior iterations of RITI (2002-2009) demonstrated that the program was efficacious at improving leadership and other related skills among participants. However, unfortunately due to loss of funding, the program did not run from 2010-2023. The present study assesses the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the 2023 implementation of RITI after more than a decade-long hiatus. The program was successfully implemented with 44 youth …

The Five Cs Of Positive Youth Development In Singapore: Building Adolescent Resilience, Teresa Theodora Jing Yi Tan, Li Neng Lee

Journal of Youth Development

The Five Cs of Positive Youth Development (PYD) model is one of the most empirically discussed frameworks on youth thriving. Generalisability of the model was investigated among 210 middle (15-18 years old) and 250 late (19-25 years old) adolescents in Singapore. The Five Cs of PYD was evaluated as a mediator between intentional self-regulation, social-emotional competencies and family functioning, and the outcome of adolescent resilience. Results validate the model among youths in Singapore and show that the Five Cs of PYD positively predict adolescent resilience. The study extends the global application of the model while highlighting the need to consider …

Public Acceptance Of Meat-Reduction Policies Across Cultures: Comparing Singapore And Switzerland, Bianca Wassmann, Shu Tian Ng, Mark Chong, Angela K. Y. Leung, Michael Siegrist

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Purpose – As meat-reduction policies are discussed across the globe, many are met with public resistance. Cultural values may help explain this pushback, yet their role in shaping support for food policy remains poorly understood. This study is the first to apply cultural cognition theory to food policy by examining how cultural worldviews shape the acceptance of meat-reduction interventions in Singapore and Switzerland—two economically developed countries with contrasting cultural profiles. Design/methodology/approach – In an online survey, participants (Singapore: n = 357; Switzerland: n = 495) rated their acceptance of 11 meat-reduction interventions (e.g. taxes, subsidies, labelling). We then analysed to …

"Certain" Unalienable Rights: Christian Nationalism And Beliefs About Freedom Of Speech, Emily J. Haan

Honors Projects

Christian nationalism can be defined as an ideology advocating for the fusion of Christianity with American civic life. While the First Amendment protects freedom of speech and religion, Christian nationalism has been linked to limiting the rights of those who do not fit into their vision for America. Citing the belief that America was founded as and should continue to be a Christian nation, Christian nationalists hold an exclusionary view of America, pointing to a relationship between Christian nationalist ideology and a limiting freedom of speech for stigmatized groups. This project uses data from the General Social Survey, 2021, (N …

Table Of Contents, Journal Of Youth Development

Journal of Youth Development

No abstract provided.

Socioeconomic Inequalities In Health-Related Quality Of Life During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Six-Country Comparison Using The Eq-5d-5 L, Joëlle Eijkens, Joshua M. Bonsel, You-Shan Feng, M. F. Bas Janssen, Erica I. Lubetkin, Juanita A. Haagsma

Publications and Research

Purpose

Despite the growing attention to health inequalities, there is no global consensus on how to measure socio-economic status. This study examined inequalities in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic across six countries—China, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US)—using three SES indicators: education level, income, and work status.

Methods

Between April and June 2020, individuals aged 18–75 years old completed a web-based survey. HRQoL was measured using the EQ-5D-5L Level Sum Score (LSS), where higher scores indicate poorer health. Country-specific differences in LSS across SES groups …

The Social Construction Of Risk: How Media Socially Constructs Risk Perceptions Surrounding School Shootings Among College Students, Natalie Jobe

University Honors Theses

Although school shootings are statistically rare events, public fear surrounding them has continuously increased across the United States. This thesis explored how college students perceive the risk of school shootings despite the relatively low probability of experiencing these violent events, with particular attention to the role of media framing, sensationalized reporting, and repeated exposure to violent social and digital media. In order to examine how media framing, social and digital media exposure, as well as ongoing encounters with violent content affect risk perception, this research conducted six interviews with traditionally aged college students from Portland State University regarding their experiences …

Fundamentalist Disorientations For Queer Subjects: Narrative And Theory, Betty Canoso

University Honors Theses

This thesis examines disorientation experienced by queer people who were raised in high-cost fundamentalist Christianity–people like me. Disorientation is a philosophical concept useful for examining specific intersections of human experience, like queerness and fundamentalism. Philosophers such as Sara Ahmed (2006) and Ami Harbin (2016) have been exploring the intersection of queerness and disorientation. Psychologists, sociologists and researchers from other disciplines are analyzing the interrelatedness of queerness and religion, and disaffiliation and deconversion from high-cost or high-control religions is another ongoing area of interest. Yet, despite widespread interest in these concepts, few have looked at instances of disorientation as they pertain …

4‑H Efforts Toward Demographic Representation, 1980–2025: Next Directions (Part 2), Jeremy Elliott-Engel, Jeff Wayne Howard

Journal of Youth Development

This article builds on Part 1 of this study, a state-of-the-art review that synthesizes 45 years of scholarship (1980–2025) on 4-H’s efforts to equitably serve a demographically representative youth population (see Elliott-Engel & Howard, 2026). This article examines the findings that draw from the previously discussed 99 articles and provides the next directions for achieving a demographically representative 4-H program by synthesizing crosscutting themes from 45 years of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging scholarship. Despite meaningful progress, persistent gaps remain in participation, professional readiness, and systemlevel integration. Our review highlights the need for culturally responsive recruitment, familycentered engagement, and program …