Digital Commons Network^™

The Influence Of Father Involvement On Early Childhood Outcome In China, Shuiyan Guo

Theses and Dissertations

Using a sample from China, this study examined the influence of father involvement on child outcome in early childhood in areas of internalizing problems, externalizing problems and prosocial behaviors. The participants were drawn from the larger PACIFIC project, a cross-cultural study of family processes in Asia. 479 families with a preschool or kindergarten child living in Beijing and Dalian, China were included in this study. Using multiple regression analysis, result indicated that father involvement was not significantly associated with child’s internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and prosocial behaviors. Moderation analysis was also conducted and found that the effect of father involvement …

Therapist Experience As A Moderator Of Therapeutic Alliance Across The Course Of Couple Therapy, Julia K. Christensen

Theses and Dissertations

Therapeutic alliance is a key predictor of successful couple therapy outcomes. Little research has explored how therapist experience may predict its development. This study was designed to examine whether initial therapeutic alliance scores differ between couple clients of training clinics versus couple clients of community clinics, and whether the rate of change in alliance across sessions varies between these groups. Additionally, I controlled for initial relationship distress. Using dyadic therapy process data for at least one partner of 1,330 couples, a multilevel growth curve model with therapist experience as a moderator was fit to determine the difference in initial therapeutic …

Unseen Burdens: Exploring Gender Disparities In Infertility Experience And Depressive Symptoms, Khiara Cardoza Brown

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how experiences with infertility relate to mental health outcomes among newly married U.S. couples, emphasizing gender differences and the potential moderating role of gender attitudes. Using data from 3,137 individuals in a nationally representative sample, three Actor-Partner Interdependence Models were estimated: first assessing actor and partner effects of infertility on depressive symptoms and subsequently incorporating gender attitudes as moderators. Results indicated a significant actor effect for wives, where infertility was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms, and this association was significantly stronger for wives than for husbands. No significant effects were found for husbands' infertility and …

Adoption, Friendships, And Social Skills, Alexis M. Chelle

Sociology Undergraduate Senior Theses

Adoption functions as both an identity status and a source of unique social benefits and challenges for teenagers, informing their experience of friendship. While prior research primarily focuses on individual outcomes and difficulties that adoptees face, such as trauma-related disorders and social skill deficits, it often overlooks how adoptees and their parents perceive these impacts on peer relationships. This study draws on twenty-one in-depth interviews with adoptees ages thirteen to twenty-one and their adoptive parents to explore the role that adoption and adverse childhood experiences have on an adopted teen’s experience of friendships. Findings reveal that despite facing significant social …

Criminal Organizations And Nuclear Threats In Southeast Asia, Gary Ackerman, Thomas Guarrieri, Justin V. Hastings, Steven Hoodjer

International Journal of Nuclear Security

Increasing global interest in nuclear energy and peaceful uses of nuclear technology has led to facilities in emerging countries with nuclear materials and radioactive sources that could be stolen, sabotaged, or otherwise accessed by criminals. In this paper, we created a framework to assess the motivations and capabilities of criminal networks and measure the threats they may pose to different stages of the nuclear fuel cycle in emerging nuclear states. We applied the framework to a unique dataset, capturing characteristics of criminal organizations active in Southeast Asia, which allowed us to assess which criminal organizations are most likely to pose …

Down Syndrome In Africa: Challenges, Opportunities, And Future Directions, Eimear Mcglinchey, Salina Tewolde, Amanda He, Juan Fortea, Lingani Mbakile-Mahlanza, Ayda Tefera, Emmanuel Epenge, Jason Hassenstab, Rachel Maina, Zul Merali

Brain and Mind Institute

INTRODUCTION: As life expectancy improves for people with Down syndrome (DS) in Africa, the risk of developing DS-associated Alzheimer’s disease (DSAD) will rise. There is a pressing need to plan for this emerging challenge, particularly in the context of existing health and social disparities.

METHODS: This work emerged from a pan-African collaboration, including discussions at the Brain Ageing and Dementia in Low- and Middle-Income Countries conference held in Nairobi in 2024, where stakeholders identified regional priorities for DS and dementia care.

RESULTS: Limited epidemiological, cognitive, biomarker data, delayed diagnoses, and gaps in specialized services may impact access …

More Than Hormones: Psychological Consequences Of The Medicalized Menopausal Experience, Haley Derrickson

University Honors Theses

Menopause, a transitional period that roughly half the population may experience, has a high degree of variability in onset and intensity of symptoms, one of which is depression. It is also a period in which the lives of those transitioning are highly medicalized. This literature review investigates how medicalization has increased since the term was created, and how it impacts perimenopause, menopause, and mental health.

The Impact Of Nicu Death On Bereaved Mothers, Jennie Terranova

University Honors Theses

Infant loss in the United States occurs 5.6 per 1,000 live births. This paper examines risk factors that contribute to neonatal death. Prematurity is a risk factor for NICU admission. A portion of premature babies receiving care in the NICU will die. The stressful nature of the NICU has been studied widely in journals. The impact of NICU death on hospital staff and bereaved parents has been studied less. Mortality studies suggest that bereaved mothers are at a high risk of dying within the first 5 years after their child has died. Despite the frequency of maternal death post-child loss, …

Identity, Bodies, And Time: Analysis Of Transgender Education Curricula In K Through 12 Grades, Dean Weiler-Zilberman

University Honors Theses

The author analyzes lesson plans that focus on education around gender and transgender subjects--sourced from Sexual Orientation and Gender Institute (SOGI) 123 and Advocates for Youth (AFY)--and puts them in conversation with key literature on transgender education. What surfaces from their interaction are clear strong areas that support transgender education and gaps that fail transgender students.

Echoes Of Longing, Mahalexmi Mohan

Masters Theses

Loss lingers like a shadow, a weight no time can lift. Longing becomes a silent scream, echoing within, unanswered. Internal pain festers in the quiet, where unhealed wounds weave themselves into the fabric of being. Each breath is both survival and surrender, a fragile balance between hope and the hollow ache of what was, what will never be, yet could be.

Abstract

My work is deeply influenced by my experiences within a dysfunctional family structure and is explored through the relationship of emotional vulnerability and its effect on self-worth. Layered into the work is a confrontation with the scars, conflict …

Do Myths Ever Die? Social-Cultural Changes And Mythical Transformations In Indigenous Amazonia: A Dialogue With Peter Gow, Aparecida M. N. Vilaça

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

This is the first Peter Gow Memorial Lecture, given at the University of St Andrews in February 2024. Based on the analysis of different versions of Wari’ myths (Rondônia, Brazil) collected over forty years, the paper has two central objectives. The first is to engage with Peter Gow’s analysis of the mythical transformations resulting from the historical changes experienced by the Piro/Yine Indigenous people of Peru. The second is to discuss Lévi-Strauss’s suggestion that a myth can “die” after successive transformations, exhausting itself, taking the form of romantic tale or legendary tradition.

Welcome To My Mind Palace: The Power Of Fantastical Thinking, Sadie Levine

Masters Theses

What follows is a record of my efforts to make the magic and horrors of my internal world tangible and shareable. The brain constructs hyper-specific fictional realities from childhood to adulthood, yet the scientific study of the mind often forgoes the subjective and the visual. I offer a complementary exploration of the mind - one that is highly visual and based on my own experiences, yet still contextualized in psychological research. Finding the magic in everyday life, and by extension, retreating into alternate realities, is a conscious choice I make, but I have not always had the option to choose. …

Creating Family Flow By Participating In The Reflective Practice Of Exercise With Family Members, Julianne M. Sylva

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

This synthesis project explores how families can use shared exercise and reflective practice to cultivate lifelong learning habits and deepen family connection. Anchored in the fields of critical and creative thinking, the work integrates concepts of metacognition, flow, and personal mastery to examine how structured, intentional routines can foster both individual growth and relational attunement. The author documents a series of weekly exercise sessions undertaken with her co-parent and child at a local training facility. Drawing from theories of action research, reflective practice (Schön, Brookfield), and flow (Csikszentmihalyi), the project combines personal observation, scholarly frameworks, and course-based learning to construct …

From Contamination To Consequence: Tracing Donna Lake’S Human Environmental History, Dean Kyne

Sociology Faculty Publications

The Donna Reservoir and Canal System (Donna Lake) in Texas has been a persistent source of environmental contamination for over a century, exposing surrounding communities to dangerous levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Originally built for agricultural irrigation, the system became a recreational fishing site before PCB contamination was discovered during public health investigations in the 1990s. This study examines patterns of demographic vulnerability, evaluates remediation efforts by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and explores residents’ ongoing challenges related to toxic exposure. Using publicly available demographic data, EPA reports, and previous health assessments, the study analyzes variations in community characteristics …

Field Journal: The Excluded Middle, Carrie E. Kouts

Masters Theses

What does it look like to engage with organisms and landscapes at the periphery of anthropocentric value structures? How does one break the internalized myth that the “built” environment is excluded from the natural world? When does a hyper-mobile and hyper-commodified society confront the exponential crisis of animal death? Within this series of journal entries, field notes, collection observations, weird prose, and sensory musings, one will find questions on the nature of being human and the complex narratives of care we encounter in a world shared with more-than-humans. Each handwritten vignette and photograph from daily life weaves a non-linear and …

Embodying Altruistic Love: The Role Of Emotions In Teaching Black Students With Disabilities Within An Inclusive Elementary School, Joshua Armentrout

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Teacher emotions play a pivotal yet understudied role in shaping the educational experiences of Black students with disabilities (SWDs). This study examines how five special educators in a fully inclusive elementary school understand, experience, and navigate their emotions in relation to Black SWDs. Using a qualitative approach grounded in portraiture, this study explores the intersection of race, disability, and emotion, revealing how teachers internalize, resist, and negotiate dominant ideologies within the broader educational system.

Guided by a three-dimensional space framework from the field of narrative inquiry—temporality, sociality, and spatiality—this study traces how educators’ emotions are shaped by past experiences, social …

Mapping Our Tears: Risd Cry, Yimiao Wang

Masters Theses

RISD CRY is a participatory project empowering the RISD community to share their experiences of emotional vulnerability. The project includes physical sign-in forms in campus facilities, a Google Doc sign-in form, illustrations of participants’ comments, and an online campus map where individuals can mark where they have cried. This multi-format engagement fosters community connection, challenges the stigma surrounding emotional expression, and provides a platform for solidarity among individuals facing stress and burnout.

Beyond its tactical goals, RISD CRY also interrogates the cultural frameworks through which emotional struggle is perceived and processed. It critiques the institutional impulse to measure, diagnose, and …

A Qualitative Study On The Barriers And Facilitators Of Integrating Women Into The Firefighting Workforce: Perspectives Of Men And Women, Helen Frazer Ph.D. Candidate, Ellie Lawrence-Wood Ph.D., Miranda Van Hooff Ph.D., Amelia Searle Ph.D.

The Qualitative Report

This study explores the barriers and facilitators of integrating women into the firefighting workforce, with insights drawn from both women and men firefighters in South Australia. The research focuses on challenges and supports encountered during recruitment and long-term retention of women in this male-dominated field. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with paid (career) firefighters, with a thematic analysis applied to transcriptions. Key themes identified included occupational challenges (barriers) such as lack of diversity, perception of women as “diversity hires,” ill-fitting uniforms and equipment, unconscious bias, and the hypermasculine culture of the workplace. Women also tended to cope with workplace …

A Teacher, A Tutor, A Friend: Chatgpt And The High School Experience, Saisha Gupta, Vivek Mehta, Rebecca Kam, Caroline Ehmann, Alma Orgad, Emily Kuang, Alejandro Castro Barrantes, Matthew Posada, Samay Shah, Nikhita Prasad, Tara Pai, Eileen Ho, Shirley Xi, Tianyi Zhou, Elaina Li, Stephanie Wan, Shreya Paranjape, Zoe Dearling, Siqi (Grace) Peng, Aanya Kaveti, Gwendolyn Lowrance, Angela Ziyi Xie, Mira Xu, Adhiti Hariram, Alexa Muse

The Qualitative Report

Given the increasing emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) in education, high school students' perspectives on ChatGPT are underrepresented in current research literature. As high school student researchers in an English Language Arts course, we approached this gap in literature by asking the question: In what ways do pressures within high school communities influence students’ perspectives on justifying or rejecting the use of ChatGPT? We interviewed 24 secondary students and conducted a thematic and discourse analysis, coding the interviews through the lenses of social goods (Gee, 2014), Figured Worlds (Holland et al., 1998), and positioning theory (Holland et al., 1998; Ingram …

Navigating Crisis: A Qualitative Exploration Of Parents' Journeys With Suicidal Adolescents In Australian Emergency Departments, Demee Rheinberger, Lauren Mcgillivray, Fiona Shand, Sally Ann Pollard, Susanne Oliver Armstrong, Julia Lessing, Katherine Boydell

The Qualitative Report

Rates of emergency department (ED) presentations for suicide crisis (thoughts, feelings, plans and behaviours) in adolescents are increasing. Parents play a key role in supporting adolescents during and after the ED presentation, however little is known about parental experiences in the ED. Interviews with 20 parents from across Australia were undertaken to help understand this experience. A reflexive thematic analysis was conducted, resulting in three themes which explore the impact of the suicide crisis and ED presentation on the parents’ sense of identity. First, parents’ identity was threatened as they were faced with the juxtaposition between the role of protector …

Associations Between Breastfeeding Duration And Weight Status Transitions In Early Childhood, Hyojun Park, Eric N. Reither

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Empirical evidence with respect to the protective effect of breastfeeding on childhood obesity remains inconclusive, and studies on sex-specific associations are sparse. We investigated whether (H1) longer breastfeeding duration reduces the risk of entry into elevated body mass (EBM); and (H2) longer breastfeeding duration increases the likelihood of exit from EBM. Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), our sample comprised 10,550 mother-child pairs after excluding 100 non-biological pairs. The ECLS-B assessed children from 9 months of age through kindergarten, spanning infancy through 7 years of age. We used two transitions in weight status (i.e., entry to EBM …

From Decriminalization To Social Legitimization: The Lived Experiences Of Non-Conforming Individuals In India, Heeya Datta

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores how queer and non-conforming individuals in urban India navigate, resist, and reimagine dominant norms of kinship, intimacy, and family. Drawing on 18 in-depth interviews, it examines the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals in the aftermath of legal reforms such as the decriminalization of Section 377 and the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act. While these reforms mark symbolic progress, queer individuals continue to face social stigma, legal exclusions, and familial rejection. The study is divided into three chapters: the first analyzes the dual role of homosociality as both a space of refuge and constraint; the second investigates …

"We Walk The Same Path But Have On Different Shoes: Wounded Healers And A Halfway House In Boston, Ma", Julie Labagnara

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This study explores the processes, procedures, and relationships in a women’s reentry house, the New Hope Home (NHH), in the Grove Hall neighborhood of Boston, MA while also examining the evolution of the home and the relationships within the NHH.  This project is based on interview and participant observation data of the staff and residents of the home to ascertain multiple viewpoints and experiences of people critical to the home’s existence and success or struggles. The home opened in April 2022.  This research begins at the grand opening of the home and continues through early 2025.  Finally, neighborhood resident interviews …

"I'M Strictly T4t": Trans For Trans Connections In The Contemporary, Madi Lou Alexander

Dissertations and Theses

Trans for trans relationships, referred to as "t4t", are a relationship type specific to trans individuals. Linguistically originating from Craigslist personal ad spaces, t4t indicates a trans person seeking out and engaging with another trans person. The scope of relationships under the t4t label are often largely associated with sexuality and dating scenes due to their conception in online cruising spaces. Through qualitative analysis, I assess the range of what t4t relationships are through 30 in-depth interviews with participants identifying as trans. This work moves away from focusing on the deficits of holding a marginalized identity, instead aiming to center …

Unpacking Violence: Examining Socioeconomic, Psychological, And Genetic Drivers Of Gun-Related Homicide And Potential Solutions, John Menezes, Kavita Batra

Department of Plastic Surgery Faculty Research

Background: Gun-related homicide remains a persistent public health crisis in the United States, with over 48,000 firearm-related deaths reported in 2022, including 19,651 homicides and 27,032 suicides. Despite frequent calls for tighter gun control, firearm access alone does not explain the complexity of violence. Objective: This commentary aims to unpack the socioeconomic, psychological, and biological drivers of gun-related homicide and propose integrative, evidence-based solutions that extend beyond legislative reform. Methods: We synthesized data from peer-reviewed literature, national crime and health databases (e.g., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Federal Bureau of Investigation), and international reports. We examined patterns related …

The Criminal Justice System And The Effect Of The Color-Blind Racial Ideology On Male Minorities Within Bell County, Texas, Teresa Ortiz Santos

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The phenomenological study aimed to define the color-blind racial ideology, understand the effect of the color-blind racist ideology on people of color and determine the perception of racial disparity within the criminal justice system by male minorities within Bell County, Texas. The critical race theory, also known as CRT, explains how the white privileged maintain their standing, allowing them to subjugate others based on their social rank. The author describes the racial disparity within the criminal justice system through the CRT. The author collected data from minority males and those over 18 years old. The information was gathered using a …

Homeplace As A Methodology Of Care: Conducting Critical Qualitative Research With 2slgbtqia+ Youth In Higher Education, K. Rende Mendoza, Ferial Pearson, Isa Manhart

Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education

This paper addresses the alarming trend of policies and legislative actions targeting diversity, equity, inclusion, and affirmation/accessibility (DEIA) efforts in higher education, particularly those affecting 2SLGBTQIA+ youth. These policies not only pose a direct threat to the physical and psychological safety of marginalized students but also undermine the institutional support systems essential for their personal and academic development. Authored by a nonbinary undergraduate and two 2SLGBTQIA+ teacher education researchers, our paper explores student-led critical qualitative research as a countermeasure to these regressive policies. Building from bell hooks' conception of homeplace, we offer our suggestions for establishing safe, supportive, and liberatory …

Structural Covariance And Episodic Memory: Sex Differences In Schizophrenia, Delaina Brooke Cimmino

Theses and Dissertations

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a chronic brain disease characterized by patterns of positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms that interfere with daily functioning and persist throughout the lifespan. Clinical and cognitive symptoms differ between males and females with the disease, suggesting neurobiological abnormalities that vary on the basis of biological sex. The present study used high-dimensional brain mapping and network analysis procedures of cortical and limbic regions known to be involved in memory formation to investigate sex differences in brain correlates of episodic memory among patients with schizophrenia. This study analyzed multi-site archival data from 363 male (M) and 108 female (F) …

Increasing The Educational Attainment Of Youth In Extension Of Foster Care Through Positive Youth Development Centered Programming, Julia M. Rossmiller

Senior Capstone Papers

Approximately 20,000 young adults age out of the foster care system in America each year. Of these 20,000 individuals, less than one-quarter will choose to participate in Extension of Foster Care services. Even fewer will complete a bachelor’s degree by age 26. Extension of Foster Care provides financial support for housing and education for young adults pursuing an education or working. However, most young adults have received little or no education on post-secondary options despite having the financial resources available for these programs. Low levels of protective factors further raise the barrier to entry for young adults to pursue an …

Planetary Health And Indigenous Sovereignty: Exploring The Theory Of Change Of The Healthy Environments And Lives (Heal) Network In Western Australia, Lucie O'Sullivan, Theoni Whyman, Mara West, Noel Nannup, Jaime Yallup Farrant, Naomi Joy Godden, Emma Leigh Synnott, Raewyn Mutch, Anita J. Campbell, Kylie Wrigley, Brad Farrant

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper outlines the theory of change which underpins the Western Australian (WA) hub of the Healthy Environments and Lives (HEAL) network. HEAL is an Australian national research initiative that aims to address the health impacts of climate and environmental change. The WA hub's theory of change is focused on improving the health and well-being of the planet and people, including children, through centring Indigenous sovereignty, voices and ways of knowing and being in research, policy development and service provision. The WA hub also recognises it is essential for place-based, community-led solutions, which strengthens responses to climate and environmental change, …