Digital Commons Network^™

Are Clinicians Primed For Burnout?: A Multidiscplinary Approach To Exploring Counselor Wellness, Anastasha Homa-Earl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Though clinician wellness is a “hot topic” in the field of counseling, the current models of examining counselors’ levels of burnout and engagement do not account for the likely role that perception plays the subjective experiences of these constructs. This project attempts to synthesize methodology from the fields of social and cognitive psychology with the latest in industrial-organizational theory on burnout and engagement by applying a priming methodology to the study of mental health professionals’ experiences of work-related burnout and engagement. One hundred sixty-two clinicians participated in a priming experiment disguised as a workplace perceptions survey in an attempt to …

Remembering The Civil War In Indian Territory: Conflict, Commemoration, And The Birth Of A State, 1861-1965, Sarah Elliott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project argues that the Civil War was the mechanism by which Indian Territory transformed into the white-dominated U.S. state of Oklahoma, both in population and identity. Factions of the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole Nations in Indian Territory allied with the Confederacy at the outset of the war. During Reconstruction, the federal government used these alliances to justify harsh treaty terms that dissolved tribal sovereignty and dispossessed these nations of much of their land. Initially, the federal government resettled other forcibly removed Indigenous peoples on this confiscated land, but the late nineteenth century, the Dawes Allotment Act and …

Impact Of An Electronic Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Catch-Up Module For Women With Criminal-Legal System Involvement, Shawana Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Cervical cancer can often be prevented with targeted strategies such as Pap smear screenings and the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, now also recommended for those aged 27-45 who have not received the vaccine previously. However, women involved in the criminal-legal system often miss out on primary and secondary prevention measures and are at increased risk for the development of cervical cancer caused by HPV. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of an electronic HPV catch-up module for women in the criminal-legal system aged 27-45. The study, guided by the Health Belief Model, …

Barriers, Facilitators, And Competencies In Advocating For Adults With Intellectual Disabilities With Health Disparities, Carol Adams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Nurses working in the specialty of intellectual disabilities are positioned to advocate for individuals with intellectual disabilities and other health disparities. This study explored nurses’ perceived competencies, barriers, and facilitators when advocating for improved health status in adult patients with intellectual disabilities.

Methods: Twenty-five nurses working in the specialty of intellectual disabilities were interviewed using semi-structured interviews, and the data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results: Barriers identified in advocacy were: Funding, Communication, Negative Perceptions and Misperceptions, Lack of access, and Diagnostic Overshadowing. Nurses were also facilitated in advocating for improved health status in people with intellectual disabilities. Facilitators …

Assessing The Psychological Benefits Of Biophilic Design In Therapeutic Counseling Spaces, Andrew Graf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the intersection of biophilia and counseling, aiming to illustrate the potential benefits of integrating nature-based interventions into therapeutic practice. Biophilia, the innate human tendency to connect with nature, has garnered attention in various fields, yet its implications for counselors remain unexplored. This qualitative study employs a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to investigate the lived experiences of counselors who have incorporated biophilic elements into their practice and the perceptions of clients who have engaged with these interventions.

Through semi-structured interviews with licensed counselors, themes emerged regarding the impact and use of biophilic interventions on the therapeutic process. Findings suggest …

But I’M A Good Person: The Resistance Of White Emotionality Exhibited By Offenders Of Racialized Incidents, When Addressed By Student Conduct Practitioners, Anne Mullarkey Sawa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experience of American conduct practitioners in their process of responding to reported racialized incidents. A diary method was used for participants to capture their experiences and interactions with the person(s) harmed and the offender. Of particular focus was the response of the reported offender when confronted by the conduct practitioner regarding their role in the incident. This study sought to determine in what ways resistance was exhibited by the offender, if at all, in addition to what strategies conduct officers employed when responding to resistance by the reported offender. A total of ten …

School Nurses And Administrators Perceptions Of School Preparedness: A Focused Ethnography, Deborah Horton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Disasters are dangerous for schools where many children are located in one area. Children were significantly impacted by a biological incident during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, and more recently the COVID-19 pandemic. Research is needed to determine the values, perceptions, and beliefs of school disaster preparedness through a cultural lens.

Methods: A focused ethnography was used to interview school administrators and nurses from April-December 2022 to explore and understand the unique culture of school disaster preparedness. Data was analyzed according to Leininger’s Four Phases of Data Analysis.

Results: Twenty-four participants from K-12 public schools were interviewed resulting in …

The Impact Of Dual Credit On Student Success: A Mixed Methods Study At A Texas University, Jennifer D. Coker Goddard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2015, the number of students enrolled in dual credit coursework in United States (U.S.) schools had reached over 1.4 million, a 68% increase over the previous few years (Field, 2021). By this year, 88% of U.S. high schools offered dual credit programs, and 34% of students enrolled in dual credit coursework, indicating a steady growth in dual credit programming (Rhine, 2022). Furthermore, 27% of public high school students in Texas earned credit for dual credit coursework (Villarreal, 2017). Despite significant growth in dual credit coursework offerings, limited knowledge of the effectiveness of these programs in preparing students for post-secondary …

The Contributions Of Philosophical Anthropology To Healthcare Ethics, Bura Koroba

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The first principles of bioethics, autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice have contributed immensely to healthcare ethics. The procedural approach streamlines the decision-making process, protects vulnerable subjects, and fosters stability and trust in the patient-caregiver relationship. Yet, the principles are demonstrably insufficient, riddled with limitations and loopholes that could stand in the way of care.[i] Several recommendations have been proffered to remedy the deficiencies. Value ethics, for instance, has been touted as a proficient addendum to the foundations established by the principles. Still, these have not sufficiently addressed all arising issues in bioethics. Besides the challenges encountered in decision-making, opposing …

A Critique Of The Pivotal Ethical Issues In Organ/Tissue Donation & Transplantation, Francis Sarpong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Organ or tissue donation has proven to be a lifesaving intervention for patients battling failing or failed organs or tissues. However, scholars have raised concerns about just and rational procurement and transplantation in a global shortage. This dissertation addresses normative approaches for organ/tissue procurement, allocation and transplantation to highlight the related pivotal ethical issues. It defends normative approaches such as queuing and nudging, and upholds their universal obligatoriness. It provides illumination about the demands of an effective solution to who shall receive or give organs when not all can. The introductory chapter employs common morality as a principal source of …

On The Cultivation Of Relational Leadership Mindsets Among Graduate Supervisees In The Mental Health Professions: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis, Cristina Bucur

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In counseling supervision, leadership is often associated with supervisors’ skills, role, position, and responsibilities. However, supervisees need to learn and practice how to lead also: for example, how to promote others’ well-being, how to support, and advocate for others and self. Graduate supervisee relational leadership in the mental health professions is an intrinsic part of the purposive aspect of counseling supervision. Relational leadership in graduate counseling supervision is a purposive, interpersonal, facilitative, growth oriented, and process-based service in which leaders -expert facilitators and mentors- seek to cultivate leaders, not followers. Relational leadership is mutuality-affirming and mutuality-promoting (e.g., open dialogue, mutual …

Aristotle's Division Of The Sciences And The Impossibility Of A Science Of Everything, Christopher Lutz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aristotle’s division between practical, productive, and theoretical sciences is widely acknowledged, and it is uncontroversial to say that it organizes his texts. However, contemporary scholarship often treats the division of the sciences as a mere organizational structure without investigating its underlying principles. My dissertation seeks to correct this oversight by investigating the logical principles of Aristotle’s division of the sciences in the Posterior Analytics’ account of scientific knowledge (ἐπιστήμη). My central argument is that Aristotle sees the sciences as inherently divided, so that a demonstrative science of everything is impossible. By understanding why science is divided, we are better …

Within-Day Reliability Of Submaximal Running Economy Testing: Implications For Advanced Footwear Testing, Garrett Oehlert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Running economy (RE) has been identified as a critical component of endurance performance. Alterations in footwear have shown to significantly impact RE. Quantifying reliability of within-day RE measures may determine differences that could be expected when testing footwear. PURPOSE: Assess within-day reliability of RE testing on a calibrated metabolic system. METHODS: Trained male distance runners (n=10) were recruited to perform 4 × 5-minute trials (set speed, in habitual running shoes) at their estimated marathon pace (5-minute rest period) during a single visit to the lab. Oxygen consumption (VO2) data were collected during the final two minutes of each stage and …

Inclusion Of The Virtual Other: How Closeness On Social Media Moderates The Relationship Between Perceptions Of Close Friends’ Alcohol-Related Posting And Drinking, Angela Tanygin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Heavy drinking among young adults is a serious, longstanding public health issue. College students are particularly vulnerable to a culture of intoxication that promotes excessive drinking, which has been linked to severe consequences such as sexual assaults, car accidents, and even death. An abundance of literature has found that students’ overestimations of peer drinking norms are associated with greater alcohol use and problems. Furthermore, research has established a strong linkage between students posting and viewing peers’ alcohol-related content (ARC) on social media and increased drinking. However, there is a dearth of studies examining how closeness to close friends on social …

Circumcision—Deal With It! A Clinical Ethnography Of Intactivism At American Intersections, Benjamin M. Gaddes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

On a routine trip to the grocery store, or while scrolling online, you might encounter the provocative and puzzling discourse of Intactivism, a viral, single-issue social movement that opposes infant male circumcision, and wonder “Huh? Why is this here, now?” This project situates Intactivism in a history of circumcision and anti-circumcision that spans from ancient Sumerian tents to the front pages of Reddit. It takes an immersive qualitative clinical ethnographic approach, nested in a broader cultural psychology that is non-reductive and pluralistic, to articulate an Intactivist ethos in its public and private dimensions. Methods include participant-observation, interviews, and framework discourse …

Perinatal Ethics: The Role Of Ethics Consultation Around Parental Dilemmas Before And After Birth, Giulia Adele Dinicola

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation, “Perinatal Ethics: the Role of Ethics Consultation around Parental Dilemmas Before and After Birth,” aims to examine the nuances of clinical ethics consultations in the field of perinatal ethics. Perinatal ethics entails ethical quandaries that emerge during a life-changing shift in prospective parents’ lives: pregnancy, childbirth, and the first days to months of their child’s life. Although pregnancy and childbirth often come with happy and joyful memories; this is not always the case. When fetal anomalies are diagnosed either with prenatal screening tests, or when maternal health complications develop during pregnancy, or when delivery-related emergencies occur during childbirth, …

Transforming Chaplain Ethics: The Clinical Ethics Of Spiritual Care In A Pluralistic Healthcare Environment In The United States, Robert Alan Price

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation, “Transforming Chaplain Ethics: The Clinical Ethics of Spiritual Care in a Pluralistic Healthcare Environment in the United States,” aims to examine the clinical ethics of religious and spiritual care provided by clinical chaplains for patients and families receiving treatment in a pluralistic healthcare context in the United States.

Clinical chaplains are more than clergypersons and they are more than clinicians; they are a highly specialized marriage of both worlds. There is a fundamental asymmetry between functioning as a leader in a local religious community or faith tradition and providing clinical spiritual care in a pluralistic healthcare environment. This …

Pedal Points: Harmony And The Double-Action Pedal System In Modern Harp Music, Mckenna Jennings

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pedals are an invisible guide in chromatic harp repertoire. While the evolution of tonality and rise in chromaticism incentivized the invention of the double-action pedal harp, the unique restraints and extensions of this technological system influence harmony and pitch collections in chromatic harp music. This thesis explores the pedal harp and the influence the affordance and idiomacy of the pedal layout exerts onto chromatic harp repertoire. It draws on embodiment and schema theory to describe patterns of pedal motion in harp music, thus presenting and demonstrating an original theory of pedal schemas. Pedal schemas are patterns of motion defined by …

The Distinctive Contribution Of The Catholic Tradition On Emerging Ethical Issues Around Embryos., Michael Donkor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation considered the distinctive contribution of the Catholic Church surrounding emerging ethical issues around embryos. In many Catholic doctrines, the church has stated that the embryo must be treated as if it were a human person with (soul) and must be protected. The embryo is considered an individual with relational qualities worthy of all the rights given all humans per the natural law.

The Church continues to oppose all forms of assisted reproduction that eliminates the unitive and procreative nature of marriage as it violates the dignity of the child and marriage. Technologies such as lower tubal ovum transfer(LTOT), …

Teacher Perceptions Of Principal Impact On School Culture And Teacher Retention In Title 1 Schools., Erika Walker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School districts across the United States are grappling to fill, and to keep, their classrooms operating with qualified teachers, especially in Title 1 certified schools. To ensure a quality education for the millions of students in the nation in the coming years, educational leaders and government officials need to evaluate what can be done to increase the number of teachers staying in their positions. Schools must be better equipped to understand teachers’ sense of belonging and teacher retain and how principal impact contributes to high turnover rates. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine teachers’ perception on …

Applying Exploratory Learning Methods To Sociopolitical Beliefs And Cognition., Sarah French

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Americans are polarized along party lines across a variety of sociopolitical issues, including climate change and sustainability issues. Sociopolitical messaging often triggers biased processing that results in defensive rejection or biased elaboration (i.e., counterarguing) of belief-incongruent information. The current research examined whether exploratory learning activities, primarily applied in STEM-education research, can foster belief updating about polarized sustainability issues. Exploratory learning encourages people to engage with learning materials and arrive at their own conclusions before receiving direct instruction/messaging. In two experiments, participants reported their beliefs about carbon taxes and electric vehicle incentives (among other issues) before and after receiving counter-attitudinal persuasive …

Caring For The Aging In The Twenty-First Century: A Principlist Approach To Psychiatric Care For Geriatric Patients, Gabriella Agostaro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the field of psychiatry continues to expand, the importance of equitable care continues to remain apparent. Geriatric patients with psychiatric conditions experience a heightened rate of discrimination in care facilities and psychiatric symptoms are often left untreated or individuals are forcibly treated against their will. While these patients typically present with a handful of physical comorbidities, gaps in care typically result from a lack of resources delegated to the aging population and an extreme lack of education for clinicians dealing with psychiatric patients.

Clinicians and additional members of the medical team have typically prioritized a paternalistic approach to the …

A Comparison Of The Whytry Curriculum And Aggression Replacement Training In Adolescents At Risk For Family Breakdown, Grace Elizabeth Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) division of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services seeks to provide evidence-based programs to prevent family breakdown. Evidence-based programs are defined as programs that have qualitative and quantitative support of positive outcomes by peer-reviewed articles. Family and Youth Success (FAYS) is a PEI program that seeks to promote resilience in families and youth by offering one-on-one skills-based counseling and group-based learning for children and parents. FAYS utilizes the WhyTry Program and Aggression Replacement Training (ART) as social skills training programs that seek to decrease social problems and aggression and increase social skills. …

Psychological Mediation Of Minority Stress And Health: Exploration Of Risk Factors In Lgbq College Students, Kyndal Grammer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Decades of research have documented pervasive physical and mental health disparities among individuals holding a marginalized identity, including those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer (LGBQ). Heterosexism in the forms of harassment, rejection, and discrimination likely increases minority stress, which is theorized to contribute to documented health disparities. One group that may be particularly vulnerable to effects of heterosexist discrimination, harassment, and rejection is LGBQ college students, especially those who identify as first-generation and were raised in rural environments. The current study aimed to evaluate relationships between LGBQ discrimination, depression, and physical health outcomes at the bivariate level, …

The Implications, Magnitude, And Development Of Traumatic Brain Injury For Individuals Undergoing Treatment For Opioid Use Disorder, Hannah G. Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is an established bidirectional relation between substance use and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Despite the high rate of prescribing opioids for pain management following a TBI and the epidemic of opioid use disorder (OUD) in the United States, scarce research has specifically analyzed the association between TBI and OUD. In a series of three interrelated manuscripts, the present study will first examine the prevalence and features of TBIs among persons seeking treatment for OUD. Next, the present study will evaluate the association between TBI and indicators of risky health behaviors and OUD severity, including the risk of overdose and …

Symptom Clusters In Individuals Seeking Treatment For Gambling Disorder, Blaine Stiglets

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5) presents the criteria for Gambling Disorder (GD) as a unidimensional construct where each additional symptom corresponds to increased severity. Many individuals experience addiction symptoms in specific symptom clusters, with membership to one profile of symptoms or other better-representing disorder severity than raw symptom counts. This study explored whether similarly informative symptom clusters exist among adults seeking treatment for gambling harms. The sample included 444 adults (Mage= 44.95) who completed an assessment of DSM criteria for GD at intake. Through a latent class analysis of GD criteria, three …

Do Emotion Dysregulation And Internalized Shame Mediate The Relationship Between Borderline Personality Disorder Symptomology And Criminal Involvement?, Madison Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe and debilitating mental disorder that is over-represented within the criminal legal system (CLS), with 15-29.5% of individuals in the CLS meeting criteria. However, little research has examined mechanisms leading to criminal involvement within this population. Potential mechanisms include positive/negative emotion dysregulation and internalized shame, which (aside from positive emotion dysregulation) have been linked to criminal involvement in other populations. Research has yet to examine these constructs as mechanisms explaining criminal involvement among individuals with BPD. This study examined positive/negative emotion dysregulation and internalized shame as mechanisms of the relationship between BPD and criminal …

Exploring Knowledge And Perceptions Of Nursing Students: A Quantitative Study On Sexual Assault And Sex Trafficking Awareness, Isabella Marino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to explore nursing students' knowledge and perceptions of identifying and treating victims of sexual assault and sex trafficking. Survey data was collected from second to fifth semester nursing students in Eastern Tennessee. The study aims to identify students' perceptions of medical personnel's ability to identify and treat sexual assault and sex trafficking victims, examine whether adherence to myths affects knowledge and confidence levels, determine students' confidence in identifying and treating victims, and evaluate whether demographic characteristics affect identification and treatment. Results will help improve our approach towards these issues.

Teacher Support For Virtual Instruction In The Social Studies Classroom, Lindsay Weirich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study focuses on providing professional development for teachers using virtual reality in secondary social studies classrooms. Literature surrounding virtual reality for education focuses on the effects of virtual reality on student motivation and engagement. However, there are no current studies available to help instructional coaches or academic leaders provide adequate professional development for their staff on this topic. The purpose of this mixed-methods exploratory case study is to design a professional development founded on best practices in VR and instructional coaching to help support social studies teachers integrate VR in the classroom. Research questions include: 1) How do …

The Components Necessary In A Clinical Day Program For A Successful Transition To Traditional School, Erica Parker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine what components of academic and therapeutic clinical day programs ensure success for students with mental health diagnoses as they transition back to conventional educational settings. This study focused on the importance of developing students' capabilities to fulfill their own needs within Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs through coping skills, academic skills, and ensuring those skills transition to their traditional home school setting. The research questions guiding this study were: 1. How is “successful reintegration” defined for students with mental health concerns by the students, families, teachers, and other school staff? 2. What program …