Digital Commons Network^™

Enhancing Operational Efficiency Of Paratransit Services Using Predictive Models, Troyee Saha

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Paratransit services play a vital role in supporting the mobility of older adults and individuals with disabilities, yet they experienced major disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to face ongoing operational issues such as trip cancellations. This dissertation explores these challenges through three distinct analyses using data from Arlington, TX. The first chapter investigates how COVID-19-related factors (policies, cases, and vaccination) and socio-demographics influenced paratransit usage from 2019 to 2021. Applying SARIMAX and Poisson regression models, the study finds a substantial drop in ridership—41% in 2020—and a shift toward essential medical travel. It also reveals that restrictive policies, such …

Research Team: Oer Research Presentation, Alyssa Price, An Chau, Matthew Black, Leslie Esquivel, Nissy Lechuga

PREL 4316 Student Publications - Archive

This presentation was created through data collected from members of the UTA faculty, about their knowledge, interest and experience working with OER. Identifying the pros, and cons for faculty in addition to incentives and recommendations from faculty. Outlining the methodology for data collection. Presenting both qualitative and quantitative data collected through surveys, focus groups and one-on-one interviews.

About The Mcnair Scholars Program, The Mcnair Team

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Impact Of Mindfulness Practice On Quality Of Life And Anxiety Levels In College Students, Ope L. Oyeyemi

2024 Fall Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Anxiety disorders are becoming more common among college students, seriously affecting their academic performance and overall well-being. This study sought to investigate how current mindfulness practices and willingness to engage in mindfulness relate to psychological outcomes in college students. Participants (N=432) were students ≥ 17 years old recruited from the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). Analyses compared differences in levels of anxiety, quality of life, depression symptom severity, cognitive dysfunction, and stress based on participant self-reported willingness to engage and current time spent engaging in mindfulness practices. It is expected that students who currently engage in more mindfulness will …

Postpartum Depression In North American Ghanaian Women, Natalie Bawuah

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, The Mcnair Team

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Therapeutic Modalities: A Visual Resource For Clinicians And Students, Karen Magruder

Mavs Open Press Open Educational Resources - Archive

This guide serves as a tool for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of therapeutic approaches, whether you're preparing for licensing exams or refreshing your professional practice. Each section has been thoughtfully curated by Master of Social Work (MSW) students at the University of Texas at Arlington, who have distilled complex concepts into clear, accessible content geared for the visual learner. This resource provides a practical and engaging way to review various therapeutic modalities essential for effective clinical practice.

Latinas In A Hispanic Serving Institution: A Social, Political, And Economic Landscape, Cyntia Lopez Lara

2024 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

The purpose of this study is to explore the progress of Latinas in the United States by focusing on first-generation female students in a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) who self-identify as Hispanic and/or Latin American. Furthermore, this study considers the contributing factors to their change and development, primarily through education. This study focuses on the shared and unique experiences of being first generation Mexican-America through the Latina experience in higher education. The research questions are: (1) What career fields do Latin American and Hispanic women pursue? (2) What impact do role models, gender roles, and culture have on their career …

Exposure To Neighborhood Violence And Gun Carrying Among Adolescents In The United States: Findings From A Population-Based Study, Philip Baiden, Yangjin Park, Catherine A. Labrenz, Saltanat Childress

SAGE Open Access Agreement Publications-Archive

Although studies have investigated and found an association between victimization and weapon carrying, few studies have examined the association between exposure to neighborhood violence (NV) and gun carrying among adolescents. The objective of this study was to examine the cross-sectional association between exposure to NV and gun carrying among adolescents. Data for this study came from the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. An analytic sample of 17,033 adolescents aged 14 to 18 years old (51.7% male) was analyzed using logistic regression with complementary log-log link function. The outcome variable investigated in this study is gun carrying and was measured as …

Multi-Professional Perspectives To Reduce Moral Distress: A Qualitative Investigation, Sophia Fantus, Rebecca Cole, Lataya Hawkins, Timothy J. Usset

SAGE Open Access Agreement Publications-Archive

Background

Research Objective

Participants & Research Context

What Removal Causes Are Most Common For Children In Foster Care? Are There Discrepancies Across Age Groups?, Elise Woodliff

Social Work Theses - Archive

Although there has been recent focus on child welfare to prevent removals, little literature has examined reasons children are removed among diverse developmental stages. The present study explores the multifaceted demographics of children in the foster care system in order to recognize who is being affected by what removal causes. The purpose of this study is to better understand the foster care system to target interventions and screenings for children under eighteen years of age in the United States. Quantitative measures were used to analyze statistics that were made available through the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System. …

Peer-Led Mental Health Services On College Campuses: A Scoping Review, Anadja Tamofo

Social Work Theses - Archive

This scoping review explores peer-led mental health services on college campuses, focusing on virtual mental well-being support. It examines the implementation, effectiveness, and outcomes of these interventions, highlighting the pivotal role of peer supporters. The review identifies three key themes: the importance of structured implementation, the effectiveness of peer-led interventions in reducing stigma and improving outcomes, and the psychosocial benefits and challenges faced by peer supporters. Significant gaps remain in understanding how to train and support peer supporters effectively, especially in virtual environments. Addressing these gaps can enhance program sustainability, improve student well-being, and foster supportive campus environments.

Surveying The Policy Landscape Concerning Tgd Youth In Schools, Dustin Ward

Social Work Theses - Archive

Recently, there has been a precipitous rise in anti-TGD legislation across state legislatures, growing from 143 proposed bills in 2021 to 604 in 2023. This pronounced increase in TGD-restrictive legislation may exacerbate existing stressors experienced by TGD youth. This study uses Ecological Systems Theory as a framework to conceptualize how this legislation might worsen the emotional strain and related risks experienced by TGD youth. All proposed and enacted state policies from January 1st, 2023, to December 31st, 2023, impacting the school environments of TGD youth were collected, and the characteristics were categorized according to domain, policy instruments, consequences specified, and …

U.S. Online Romance Scams: A Mixed Methods Analysis Of Factors Associated With Victimization And Exploration Of Lived Experiences Of Victimization, Rebecca A. Cole

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

The objective of this dissertation is to understand develop an understanding of experiences of online romance scam¹(ORS) victimization and to examine factors associated with ORS victimization. The dissertation samples ORS victims and uses purposive sampling strategies to recruit participants. The research used a mixed methods explanatory design approach. Inclusion criteria included ORS victims 18 and older who lived in the U.S., lost any amount of money in ORS scam, and met the scammer on any Internet platform. Three research manuscripts complete this dissertation. The first manuscript is a scoping review to understand the mental and physical health outcomes …

Boiling Behind Bars: Exploring The Hidden Toll Of Extreme Heat On Mental Health In Texas Prisons, Sandra K. Miller

Social Work Theses - Archive

The State of Texas supports the largest prison system in the US and held 132,859 people in 100 units scattered across the state as of December 2023. Approximately 70% of Texas prison beds are not air conditioned, despite the state’s reputation for dangerously hot, humid summers. The State has officially recorded temperatures inside Texas prison facilities as high as 120 degrees with heat index values of over 150. Although there is a growing body of research on the negative physiological and psychological consequences of extreme heat among the general public, little is known about the physical and emotional toll of …

Assessing Attitudes And Self-Efficacy In Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training: The Impact Of Lived Experience And Prior Mental Health Education Among College Students, Andreea Morin

Social Work Theses - Archive

Gatekeeper training is a suicide prevention strategy aimed at providing individuals who frequently interact with those potentially at risk of suicide with the necessary knowledge and skills to recognize signs and offer support. There is limited research exploring the impact of lived experience and prior mental health education on self-efficacy and attitude outcomes. This study aims to fill this gap by investigating how these factors impact self-efficacy and attitudes among college students gatekeepers. Participants (n= 652) were mostly female (62%), White (80%), Christian (72%), and straight (90%). Participants were divided into four groups based on different levels of …

(Di)Versification: Transgressive Poetics In The Twenty-First Century Classroom, Ronnie K. Stephens

English Dissertations - Archive

(Di)versification: Transgressive Poetics in the Twenty-First Century Classroom pairs literary analysis with pedagogical implications in an attempt to argue for the increased use of poetry in the classroom as a mechanism to subvert anti-ethnic and anti-LGBTQ censorship efforts. I argue in favor of a structuralist approach to analyzing early twenty-first century poetry in the transgressive classroom as a site of resistance against legislative efforts to censor or prohibit discussions of structural racism in public education. The work is separated into five chapters, each of which interrogates distinct formal traditions in American poetry: received forms, invented forms, erasure, nontraditional forms, and …

The Way Of Eldering: Spiritual Maturation Across The Lifespan, Kineret Yardena

Social Work Theses - Archive

Background and Objectives

People in midlife are often encumbered with uncertainty about how to transition toward later life without regret. Many sense the need to spiritually mature as they age, but lack practical guidance. Elders are those in later life who have made this transition and who have become sources of wisdom, nurturance and guidance for those younger than they. This phenomenological study explores the spiritual maturation journey of eldering.

Research Design and Methods

Ten people who were identified as elders took part in intuitive life story interviews. Using Story Method, this phenomenological study sought to identify key themes in …

A Neuroscience-Based Curriculum For Addiction Prevention For Fourth-Grade Students, Paola Andrea Benitez

Social Work Theses - Archive

Substance use is one of the main problems affecting adolescents and young adults. While the consumption of alcohol has decreased, the consumption of marijuana has increased rampantly due to youth's positive perception after being legalized in 24 states with no clear message of the many adverse effects this drug causes. Different approaches to prevention have been used throughout the years: scare-led tactics, socio-emotional learning skills, and neuroscience-based curriculums. Since substance use results from the conjunction of different biopsychosocial factors that lead to this relapsing brain disease, the solution should integrate different preventive solutions as well. Public policy, schools, social workers, …

Documented Outcomes Of Informal Caregivers Delivering Home-Based Interventions To Persons Living With Dementia: A Scoping Review, Andrea H. Meller

Social Work Theses - Archive

Most people living with dementia in the United States reside at home with informal caregivers. Yet research regarding non-pharmacological interventions for persons living with dementia is mainly conducted in institutional settings. Also, research into the impacts of interventions for persons with dementia on informal caregivers is scarce. This scoping review aims to map the breadth of literature on outcomes of informal caregivers delivering home-based interventions to people with dementia through the lens of the stress process model. Using the Arskey & O’Malley framework, an initial database search yielded 3,977 studies of which 22 were included in this review. Results revealed …

Is The Virtual Therapy Experience A Sufficient Means For Person-Centered Therapy? A Systematic Review, Aaron Feibush

Social Work Theses - Archive

Background: American psychologist Carl Rogers is considered the main originator of person-centered therapy (PCT), a psychotherapeutic approach which focuses on self-actualizing abilities of the client which emerge when engaged in an environment of three core conditions established by the therapist: unconditional positive regard, empathy and congruence. Over the last several decades there have been thousands of studies that demonstrate support for these three core conditions as necessary features of effective therapy. However, with the emergence of psychotherapy being conducted via telehealth in the last several years, in particular since the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, it remains unknown …

Implementation Of Technological Innovations: An Identification And Examination Of Opinion Leaders And Advice Networks In Primary Care, Alan Kunz Lomelin

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Technological innovations, such as artificial intelligence, have the potential to mitigate health disparities in healthcare, but lower uptake of these innovations in low resource healthcare settings, due to limited resources and staff shortages, may lead to missed opportunities. However, low-cost implementation strategies may facilitate the uptake of these innovations and increase their accessibility and adoption in this setting. The Network Model of Diffusion of Innovations suggests the identification of opinion leaders and the study of advice networks as strategies that may help enhance the uptake of innovations. Specifically, this framework suggests the use of a sociometric or network approach to …

Exploring The Process Of Seeking Informal Social Support For Intimate Partner Violence Among African Immigrants Residing In The United States, Ricka Olga Mammah

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Intimate partner violence against women is a pervasive global issue. For African immigrants in the United States, IPV continues to be a social problem, with many survivors seeking support from their informal networks. Informal networks refer to the social connections and relationships that individuals have outside of formal or professional settings, such as family members, friends, and acquaintances who provide emotional, practical, and social support. However, various cultural, religious, social, and legal barriers can make seeking informal social support for IPV challenging. To improve interventions designed to reach this vulnerable population, more inquiry is needed into how African immigrant survivors …

Trauma Exposure’S Influence On How Black Superwomen Cope And Perceive Stress, Latisha Thomas

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Black women in the United States experience high levels of lifetime trauma exposure, which significantly affects their perceived stress and coping mechanisms. The lifetime trauma experienced by Black women in the United States is a large and intricate issue shaped by numerous historical, cultural, and structural elements that affect their perceived stress and coping mechanisms. Lifetime trauma encompasses a wide range of painful events or experiences that transpire throughout an individual's life, significantly and persistently affecting their mental, emotional, and physical health (National Institute of Mental Health, 2020). These traumatic occurrences can encompass a broad range of experiences, including physical …

Outpatient Fall Prevention In Ambulatory Adults 65 Years Old And Over, Dorothy L. Osborne-White

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Background: In the United States (U.S.), falls are the leading cause of injury among adults 65 and over, resulting in 36 million falls yearly (Moreland et al., 2020). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2023), one in four older adults experiences a fall each year. Falls are the world's second most prominent cause of accidental deaths (World Health Organization [WHO], 2021). Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries among older adults (Moreland et al., 2020).

Methods: A quality improvement project that included a fall bundle was implemented in a primary clinic. A …

Exploring The Perceptions Of Stakeholders Regarding Food Availability, Affordability, Accessibility, And Acceptability In North Texas, Benjamin J. Sesay

Social Work Theses - Archive

Objective: The objective of the study is to explore the perceptions of stakeholders regarding food availability, affordability, accessibility, and acceptability of food provided by a food pantry to food-insecure adult clients aged 50 years and older in Arlington, Tarrant County, North Texas. In this study, the stakeholders/participants of the food pantry are a director, a volunteer, and a client aged 50 years or older.

Methods: This study used a single-case study applying a qualitative rigorous and accelerated data reduction (RADaR) technique to analyze the data collected from a sample of three stakeholders or participants. As such, the study focuses on …

United States Policies Related To Military-Connected Domestic Abuse: A Review And Analysis, Mary C. Highfill

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

This dissertation is comprised of three papers on United States Military policies related to domestic violence and abuse. The Department of Defense recognizes domestic abuse as a serious problem that interferes with mission readiness and causes harm to individuals. Significant work has explored antecedents of abuse, rehabilitation programs for abusive Service Members, and the experiences of uniformed survivors. However, relatively few empirical studies have investigated the policies that circumscribe domestic abuse and violence and the military’s response thereto.

The first article is a mapping review that synthesizes the peer-reviewed and gray literature related to U.S. Military policies related to domestic …

Guideline For Creating A Support Group For Adults With Down Syndrome Who Suffer With Prolonged Grief, Brandon Chace Warman

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Adults with Down syndrome process and express their grief differently from the general population. There are a multitude of support groups and organizations for individuals grieving a loss and experiencing prolonged grief but there are none that exist for people with Down syndrome. This project develops a guideline for creating support groups aimed at adults with Down syndrome who experience prolonged grief. Fifty-one pieces of literature from all over the world were reviewed to formulate recommendations that were graded by seven stakeholders. These recommendations were then used to develop a guideline for creating support groups for this population. Analysis of …

Sticks And Stones: A Look At The Effects Of Microinsults And Stereotype Threat On Sustainable Career Outcomes, Shona G. Smith

Management Dissertations - Archive

Subtle forms of workplace discrimination have many adverse consequences for employees and organizations (Jones et al., 2016). Microinsults – a type of microaggression “characterized by interpersonal or environmental communications that convey stereotypes, rudeness, and insensitivity and that demean a person’s racial, gender, or sexual orientation, heritage, or identity” (Sue, 2010, p. 31) – are one form of subtle discrimination that may be pervasive in organizations. As they are invisible and ambiguous (Sue et al., 2008), some research suggests that microinsults are more taxing than overt forms of discrimination because they involve guesswork and sensemaking for the target to process their …

Clinical Simulation Workshop For Healthcare Undergrads, Chloe Bennett, Erica Y. Hinojosa, Jennifer Roye, Steven Gellman

UTA Libraries Staff Publications - Archive

This is curriculum for a full 10-day clinical experience workshop designed for undergraduate healthcare students. It includes lesson plans and all accompanying digital materials.