Digital Commons Network^™

Laughing Through The Pain: An Analysis Of Dark Humor In Trauma-And-Crisis-Centered Occupations, Zoe R. Potter

University Honors Theses

The use of dark, or "black" humor by professionals in trauma-and-crisis-centered occupations is common, with fields such as healthcare, crime, emergency response, and social work reporting frequent use of dark humor on the job. Using a literature review approach, peer-review articles were examined to understand the function that dark humor plays in trauma-and-crisis-centered fields. The findings suggest that dark humor acts as a coping mechanism, and contributes to various group dynamics between colleagues. The literature was also reviewed for the effects that dark humor has on patients or people in contact with trauma-and-crisis personnel. While some preliminary findings point to …

Recovery Of Voice, Agency, And Mental Health Through Autobiography In Nadia, Captive Of Hope, Dania A. Ayach

University Honors Theses

This paper explores the process of how one Arab woman reclaimed her agency, autonomy, and ability to move through trauma to self-construction, self-narration, and self-healing via the medium of autobiography in Nadia, Captive of Hope: Memoir of an Arab Woman.

Shame And Silencing Of Amejo In Okinawa: Examining Gendered And Militarized Violence, Katie Hashimoto

University Honors Theses

Off the southern part of Japan is the small archipelago of Okinawa. Of Japan's total land mass, Okinawa makes up only 0.6% of the country, yet it hosts over 70% of the land occupied by U.S. military bases. Since the end of World War II, Okinawa has existed under dual-subjugation by Japan and the U.S., which has created the grounds for systemic gendered and militarized violence. Rape and sexual violence perpetrated by U.S. military servicemen continue to be the primary concern of Okinawan feminists pushing for the demilitarization of Okinawa. However, these concerns often get lost within heteronormative and male-masculinist …

Climate Change Policies And Older Adults: An Analysis Of States’ Climate Adaptation Plans, Bryant Carlson, Jacklyn N. Kohon, Paula Carder, Dani Himes, Eiji Toda, Katsuya Tanaka

Institute on Aging Publications

Background and Objectives

As climate change drives more frequent and intense weather events, older adults face disproportionate impacts, including having the highest mortality rates from storms, wildfires, flooding, and heat waves. State governments are critical in deploying local resources to help address climate change impacts. This policy study analyzes states’ climate adaptation plans to assess the methods through which they address the impact of climate change on older adults.

Research Design and Methods

This study uses content analysis to analyze available climate change adaptation plans for all U.S. states for strategies designed to increase resilience of older adults to impacts …

Examining The Motives Behind Performative Allyship, Salena Keys-Kukoricza

University Honors Theses

In this literature review, the author investigated the potential motivations and consequences of performative allyship. Performative Allyship can be characterized as a social status in which one exhibits a feigned display of support for known causes and social movements. The main issue surrounding performative allyship is the possible negative impact that it has on disadvantaged group members. Furthermore, researchers have encountered challenges in rendering the motivation behind allyship behaviors, with the current landscape and social environment. With the rise in cancel culture, fear of seeming prejudiced in a social circumstance may be attributed to individuals acting in allyship behaviors. Cancel …

Neural Correlates Of Comorbidity Of Anxiety Disorders And Eating Disorders, Karsen Coelho

University Honors Theses

The presence of eating disorder and anxiety disorder comorbidity has raised the question of whether or not there is a causal relationship between them. Previous studies have found that this comorbidity has been present in various patients with anxiety disorders and eating disorders, going further to try and determine which diagnosis came first. By conducting a literature review, studies were examined to determine neurobiological regions impacted by both disorders. Prefrontal cortex abnormalities are consistent among both disorders, contributing to differences in behavior and reward systems. With the irregular structure and activation of the amygdala, emotion and fear regulation are disrupted …

Stop Not Writing Songs: Using Time And Collaboration To Overcome Self-Doubt, Imposter Syndrome, And Writer's Block, Carley Baer

University Honors Theses

The inner critic is a common foe within creative disciplines, and with it comes a host of internal obstacles such as anxiety, self-doubt, imposter syndrome, writer’s block, and more, that cause stress and conspire to keep artists from realizing their full creative potential. In this paper, I utilize research methods as well as self-reflection to consider how songwriters can implement the external constraints of time and collaboration to get around internal obstacles and introduce more freedom into the creative process. I examine the strategies of quantity over quality, maintaining an improv mindset, and amending expectations to explain how the inner …

To Be Black, Female, And Anxious: How Can We Better Implement Intersectionality And Understandings Of Gendered Racism Into Therapeutic Practice?, Helena Sai

University Honors Theses

Black girls were the most likely to report attempting suicide in 2017, and national data suggests that nearly half of all Black adolescent girls in the United States report experiencing symptoms of depression (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). A multitude of research has been conducted to investigate the effect of gendered microaggressions and discrimination on women, as well as the research surrounding the effects of discrimination on Black people. However, within that exists a gap where research has not focused on the effects of both race and gender-based discrimination on Black women’s mental health (Doornbos, M. et al., …

Examining Benefits Of Early Intervention In Cases Of Pediatric Chronic Hypoxia, Kendra Stefan

University Honors Theses

There is a strong foundation of evidence and consensus in the literature that hypoxia has adverse impacts on brain function. Recent research has broadened the field in two directions. One is the treatment for acute hypoxic injuries, and the second is regarding the accumulative impact of intermittent or chronic hypoxia. Historically, in cases of acute hypoxia, action is taken to remedy the source of hypoxia. Physical and cognitive rehabilitation has typically been provided as needed depending on the severity of the injury. While cases of intermittent or chronic hypoxia may not demonstrate an acute urgency for treatment and rehabilitation, current …

Indigenous Water Justice: Theory, Gaps, And Opportunities For Application, Ruby Howard

University Honors Theses

Indigenous people are particularly at risk of water scarcity in the U.S. and abroad, and face high rates of nonexistent or failing water infrastructure, water pollution, pipeline proposals that threaten water resources, and water-related climate change impacts. They also are often unequipped, politically and economically, to react and adapt to these impacts, resulting in devastating health impacts. Due to this widespread insecurity, many scholars are calling for the application of a theory and set of principles known as water justice. However, Indigenous people have pointed out that water justice literature does not focus enough on Indigenous issues, often neglecting the …

Dissociative Identity Disorder: A Literature Review, Savannah M. Demicoli

University Honors Theses

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), previously referred to as Multiple Personalities Disorder, has been historically misrepresented in the media and excluded from professional training. This literature review describes the information presented in various research studies to illustrate what DID is, the theoretical models that have been used in application to DID, the role of childhood trauma, as well as successful treatment methods and accessibility of resources. In understanding DID, it is necessary to look at the disorder’s prevalence, background, and major symptoms of amnesia and switching between personality states. The theoretical models that will be covered include the Sociocognitive/Fantasy Model and …

Designing The Future: The Influence Of Lloyd J. Reynolds On American Product Innovation, Bander Qadan

University Honors Theses

This research inquiry will explore how critical advances in American design products and consumerism can be traced back to the late Lloyd J. Reynolds and the silent yet powerful influence he has had on a generation of students, such as the innovative pioneer, Steve Jobs. Lloyd J. Reynolds was a renowned calligrapher and teacher at Reed College. The inquiry is structured chronologically, leading to Apple's 2022 valuation of about two trillion dollars. Four significant areas will be examined to trace this trajectory. Firstly, the paper examines the effects of calligraphy/typography on Lloyd J. Reynolds. Secondly, it delves into Steve Jobs’ …

International Comparison Of Literature On Home Health: Taiwan And The United States, Jaden Gloden

University Honors Theses

Taiwan is one of the world's fastest-aging societies and in 1994 implemented its universal National Health Insurance program which would later include a comprehensive long-term care system. The United States is also an aging society and a growing number of Americans are in need of long-term care services that the government has yet to provide or finance. Aging in place, the desire of older adults to stay in their homes as they age has consistently remained popular among Americans 50+ resulting in the popularity of home-based medical care. Taiwan society also values aging in place and an emphasis on Confucian …

Pandemic Collaborative Governance Facilitation: A First Look At Covid-19'S Impact On Collaborative Governance, Amelia Webb

University Honors Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on Collaborative Governance Facilitation, prompting a need to examine continuing impacts and repercussions. This study investigates the effects of COVID-19 on Collaborative Governance Facilitation by exploring the perspectives of facilitators who worked through this period. Using a qualitative approach, and incorporating elements of Grounded Theory and Phenomenology, a focus group was conducted with facilitators operating in the greater Pacific Northwest that identified several emerging themes and patterns in the facilitators' pandemic experiences. The analysis revealed significant insights in several key areas: the assessment phase, pace and productivity, equity and demographic differences, building …

Model Minority Myth And Oral Health Disparities In Asian Americans Of Multnomah County In Oregon, Taylor Kang

University Honors Theses

This thesis explores the concept of the Model Minority Myth (MMM) and its impact on minority groups such as Asian American communities. It discusses how the MMM is one of the many reasons why health disparities such as oral health disparities, may exist for these groups, particularly in the context of White-majority places like the city of Portland and Multnomah County in Oregon. These disparities, as a result, prevent communities from achieving racial equity in areas such as employment, education, occupation, and income, to name a few. At first glance, the MMM seems to shed an optimistic light with its …

Sustaining Multimodal Choices: Examining Travel Behavior For Non-Work Trips Beyond Covid-19, Yizhao Yang, Rebecca Lewis

TREC Final Reports

Increasing the usage of sustainable travel modes requires changes in both environmental and psychological dimensions. A knowledge gap exists concerning the mechanism via which various factors interact to shape travel decision. Gaining such knowledge requires our ability to examine people’s behavioral adjustment in reaction to environmental and psychological changes or interventions.

This project uses COVID-19 as a natural experiment, treating the significant disruption induced by the pandemic as an intervention to study changes in travel behaviors and adoption of different travel choices following the COVID pandemic. This project builds upon a 2020 study conducted by the PI’s. It adopts a …

The Identification Of Representation Gaps In Diverse Us Children's Picture Books, Alena Rivas

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

This paper addresses this research question: which intersectional identities remain underrepresented in diverse US children’s picture books? The analysis is based on two datasets, one from Diverse BookFinder (collected December 2022–April 2023) and another from a survey of librarians (collected January 2023–April 2023). Each book in the Diverse BookFinder collection features a non-white character in the following racial/cultural categories: Asian/Pacific Islander, Biracial/Multiracial/Mixed Race, Black/African American, Brown Skinned/Unspecified Race, Latinx/Hispanic, Middle Eastern/Arab, Multi-Racial Cast of Characters, Native American/Indigenous, and White/Caucasian. These identities were cross tabulated with the following identities to measure intersectionality: Gender (Nonbinary, Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, Intersex, and Unspecified); LGBTQIAP2S+; …

The Role Of Coping In Processes Of Resilience: The Sample Case Of Academic Coping During Late Childhood And Early Adolescence, Kristen E. Raine, Melanie J. Zimmer-Gembeck, Ellen Skinner

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Developmentalists have increasingly concluded that systems approaches to resilience provide a useful higher-order home for the study of the development of coping. Building on previous work on the complementarity of resilience and coping, this paper had two goals: (1) to propose a set of strategies for examining the role of coping in processes of resilience, and (2) to test their utility in the academic domain, using poor relationships with the teacher as a risk factor, and classroom engagement as an outcome. This study examined whether coping serves as a: (1) promotive factor, supporting positive development at any level of risk; …

Women Parliamentarians In India Since 1991: Challenges And Opportunities, Vatsala Bhusry

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

India gained a new economic orientation in 1991 following the policy of economic liberalization. It offered the opportunities to close the gender gap in various fields including the political field as visualized in the original goal of the Indian constitution. However, there is an acute underrepresentation of women at the national political level and there is a lack of evidence-based research studies to analyze this gap. This study maps the political trajectories of 13 elected women leaders holding offices at the national level since 2019. To better understand the challenges and opportunities at both macro and micro levels they came …

A Literature Review On Understanding, Solidifying, And Expanding The Role Of Art Therapy In Death And Dying, Deborah D. Clark

University Honors Theses

The purpose of this literature review is to weave together an understanding of what research exists around art therapy in death and dying, what the role of art therapy is in end-of-life care and education, and determine what gaps exist for further study. When it comes to the topic of death and dying, most of us would agree that end-of-life care is extremely important, though this agreement often falls apart regarding what that care looks like, and how we do (or don't) talk and learn about death and dying. This review argues for an integrated holistic model of care concerning …

Player Character Conflict In Dungeons & Dragons 5e, Makenzie Kellar

University Honors Theses

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is a tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) that has become increasingly popular in recent years due to cameos in shows such as Stranger Things, the success of actual play shows like Critical Role, and the release of the D&D movie Honor Among Thieves. D&D and other TTRPGs set themselves apart from other games by allowing for a massive amount of freedom both in character creation and in-game choices, both of which are a massive appeal for the player base. However, this also allows for conflict not only between the players, but also between the …

Globalizing Investments: Enhancing Retail Investor Portfolios Through Cross-Asset International Diversification, Charlotte T. Kline

University Honors Theses

Diversification is frequently reiterated, but for the standard retail investor, the what, how, and why often slide between the cracks. Diversifying internationally appears even more seldom discussed. A wealth of research has been integrated throughout this paper to focus on the what, how, and why of foreign diversification, all from a retail investor's perspective. This synthesis provides a comprehensive background followed by a discussion of a variety of asset classes available for diversification and biases and factors that lead to these gaps in diversification. The findings were divided into two categories: possible asset classes favorable to international diversification and causes …

A Hierarchical Decision Model To Evaluate Healthcare Organization's Readiness To Implement Clinical Decision Support Systems, Mohammed Oussama Laraichi

Dissertations and Theses

Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) are essential tools for healthcare organizations as well as for healthcare providers to improve clinical care. However, successful implementation of CDSS can be challenging. Therefore, before implementing CDSS, it is crucial to assess the readiness of healthcare organizations to implement these tools.

Through a literature review, the first step of this research explores the concept of clinical decision support and CDSS, discussing their features, characteristics, and organizational hurdles to implementation. It also provides perspectives on CDSS adoption in the context of Information Systems and Health Technology. The review helped identify research gaps, objectives, and questions. …

Comparing True Maternal And Paternal Care In Pair-Living, Ex-Situ Varecia Rubra (Red Variegated Lemurs) Contextualized Among Other Primate Cooperative Breeders, Payton Elizabeth Zuver

Dissertations and Theses

Observations of variegated lemurs in the wild have revealed a cooperative breeding strategy including extensive male care to young, primarily in the form of infant guarding. This thesis presents an analysis of the first quantitative assessment of true paternal and true maternal care from pair-housed, ex-situ red variegated lemurs (V. rubra) housed at the Lemur Conservation Foundation's Myakka City Lemur Reserve in western Florida. This study aims to answer specific research questions: How do paternal and maternal care compare when resources are abundant, and paternity is certain? Is male care instinctual? Is it driven by energetic necessity? If …

Exploring The Impact Of Community Engaged Work Through Arts-Baws Methods With Child, Youth, And Family Studies Practicum Students, Community Partners, And Community Members With Staci B. Martin, Staci B. Martin

PDXPLORES Podcast

In this episode of PDXPLORES, Staci B. Martin, Assistant Professor of Practice at the School of Social Work, outlines her CERA grant-awarded proposal, Exploring the Impact of Community Engaged Work Through Arts-Based Methods with Child, Youth, and Family Studies Practicum Students, Community Partners, and Community Members, seeking to focus on the impacts of Speaking for Ourselves Action Research methodology at practicum sites, and positioning community members as authorities of their own experiences, further developing their awareness of systemic issues and moving them to social action.

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Local Voices: Counterstorytelling And Retention Of Faculty Of Color In Oregon's Community College System, Kristin Christophersen

Dissertations and Theses

The Oregon community college system employs a full-time faculty workforce that is overwhelmingly White. This study aimed to research why the representation of faculty of color in the state’s community colleges remains low by conducting interviews with faculty of color about their experiences at these public 2-year institutions using counterstorytelling as research methodology. Using critical race theory as a theoretical framework, this study collected and analyzed the counterstories of seven faculty of color in a variety of institutions and regions across one state about their experiences with institutional racism and how it impacts their persistence strategies and retention patterns.

Experiences Of People With Serious Mental Illness Seeking Services At Community Mental Health Centers During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Emily Leickly

Dissertations and Theses

Community mental health centers (CMHCs) have been underfunded and overburdened since Reagan-era disinvestment and the United States' move toward neoliberalism. Rates of mental illness have been rising consistently, particularly in Oregon, as CMHCs face continuing financial pressures and staff retention issues. This was before the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, we are still trying to understand the ongoing pandemic's impact on people with serious mental illnesses (SMI). Most of the studies in this area thus far are quantitative, and first-hand accounts of the pandemic from people with SMI are largely absent. Additionally, research in this area fails to draw on critical alternative …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet May 2023, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The May 1, 2023 Monthly packet includes the May agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held April 3, 2023.

The Use And Influence Of Health Indicators In Municipal Transportation Plans, Kelly Christine Rodgers

Dissertations and Theses

Transportation is an important social determinant of health that shapes the places where people "live, learn, work, and play" to the extent that an individual's zip code better predicts their health than their genetic code. Researchers and practitioners have called for the use of health indicators in transportation as one way to integrate public health concerns into transportation. The underlying hope is that new organizational routines, such as measuring and tracking indicators, can translate policy goals into policy practice. However, it is unclear how indicators are used and what impact they have on policy--the creation or modification of policies and …

Vitamin D In The Prevention And Treatment Of Oral Cancer: A Scoping Review, Man Hung, Konstantinia Almpani, Bao Thao, Kaili Sudweeks, Martin S. Lipsky

Institute on Aging Publications

Introduction: Oral cancer is a serious health problem with an increasing incidence worldwide. Researchers have studied the potential anti-cancerous action of vitamin D and its association with several cancers including oral cancer. The purpose of this scoping review is to synthesize the existing literature on the role of vitamin D on oral cancer. Methods: A scoping review of the literature was conducted using the framework developed by Arkey and O’Malley and the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Nine databases were searched for peer-reviewed human studies published in English that either investigated the association of vitamin D with, or its impact on either the …