Digital Commons Network^™

Difference In Therapeutic Alliance: High-Conflict Co-Parents Vs Regular Couples, Andrea Mae Parady

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to explore differences in the therapeutic alliance for High-Conflict Co-Parents (HCC) vs. Regular Couples. Therapeutic alliance refers to the relationship, consisting of a bond, and agreement on the tasks and goals of therapy, between at least two people in the therapeutic relationship. It was hypothesized that HCC clients would have lower therapeutic alliance scores compared to regular couple clients. The results supported this hypothesis. By identifying these differences, more research can be conducted to improve our understanding of how to strengthen the therapeutic alliance with HCC clients, leading to improved treatment of this population.

Does The Scientist-Practitioner Gap Have Ontological Roots?, Eric Alexander Ghelfi

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, the nature and extent of practitioners' dissatisfaction with the psychotherapy research literature will first be described. A case will be made that a deeper analysis needs to be conducted to fully understand this dissatisfaction. Next, this dissatisfaction will be framed in the context of a particular ontology that seems to have largely contributed to it. Most importantly, several features of this ontology will be described and connected to practitioners' dissatisfaction. Finally, an alternative framework for understanding practitioners' dissatisfaction will be tentatively proposed, and it will be suggested that this alternative could help researchers and practitioners understand their …

Unexpected Effects: The Dual Effects Of Prevalent Work Characteristics On Goal Accomplishment And The Moderating Role Of Proactivity, Anna Saelinger

Theses and Dissertations

The present study addressed the issue of the inability of current job design models to account for some of the complexities associated with prominent job characteristics (e.g., autonomy, task variety, and interdependence) by examining the effects of these work characteristics on employee goal accomplishment from the perspective of a new conceptual model: the opposing processes model. Specifically, this research proposed intrinsic motivation and interruptions as opposing mechanisms in the work characteristic-work performance relationship, where the positive effect of one (i.e., intrinsic motivation increasing effort and/or desire to reach one’s goal) would be counteracted by the negative effect of the other …

U.S. Racial/Ethnic/Cultural Groups In Counseling Psychology Literature: A Content Analysis, Jared Mark Hawkins

Theses and Dissertations

Research on ethnic/racial/cultural (REC) groups can contribute to reducing mental health risks and treatment disparities among REC minorities. Content analysis is a way to measure the quantity and quality of REC-focused research within a given field. For this study, counseling psychology was chosen for its leadership in multicultural and social justice issues. Three journals (Journal of Counseling Psychology, The Counseling Psychologist, and Journal of Counseling & Development) were coded for several variables, including REC-minority focus, article topic, geographic location of sample, urban/rural setting of sample, and inclusion of ethnic identity and acculturation measures. The results showed that 490 (21.3%) of …

The Impact Of An Introduction To Community Psychology Course On Refugee Sense Of Empowerment, Kamauria Acree

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the impact of an Introduction to Community Psychology course on the empowerment of adult refugees living in Egypt. The course was designed and implemented at a refugee center located in downtown Cairo. For a period of 10 weeks, refugees enrolled in the course conducted a community needs assessment (CNA) to identify the resources and needs of a community in Cairo. The refugee students then designed and implemented a community intervention to help meet the needs of their chosen community. The course sought to empower adult refugees by 1) increasing their knowledge and skill level of the CNA …

The Effect Of Photovoice On Explicit & Implicit Prejudice Towards Persons With Disability, Amira El Zawahry

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effect of Photovoice on implicit and explicit prejudice towards People with Disability (PWD). Research participants (n=80) were undergraduate students at an American university in Egypt. The participants were divided into two groups; one attended an educational session on disability (n=39) while the other group attended a Photovoice exhibition (n=41). After participants attended either the educational session or the Photovoice exhibition, their level of explicit prejudice was measured using the Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons Scale (ATDP) while their level of implicit prejudice was measured using the Implicit Attitude Test (IAT). It was predicted that participants attending the …

The In-Betweens Of Lifeworlds: Double Clicks Of Becoming-Entrepreneurial, Ahmed Amin

Theses and Dissertations

In this project, I de-naturalize dynamics of the establishment of social entrepreneurship as a political project that has on the underside of it after-modern passions and desires with an affinity to the European Renaissance and the West as, according to Michel-Rolph Trouillot, “a project not a place, a multi-layered enterprise in transparent universality” (Trouillot, 1991: 32). I purse de-naturalization through de-scription. I de-scribe and trace relationships and inter-actions that are made and re-made in the name of social entrepreneurship. In those very inter-actions, entrepreneurial bodies are re-assembled. According to Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari (1987), “we know nothing about a …

Gender, Perceptual Factors, And Entrepreneurial Intention: Evidence From Egypt, Eman Tawfik El-Hadary

Theses and Dissertations

In Egypt, women's total early-stage entrepreneurial activity is 3.7% out of female adult population coupled with one of the world's lowest women's economic participation rate. As the government is no longer the haven for women's jobs and the private sector is not filling the void, promoting entrepreneurship amongst women can prove effective in creating employment opportunities as well as empowering women with financial and social autonomy to allow them to become equal decision maker within the family and or household. In this research, the relationship between gender and entrepreneurial intention among non-entrepreneurs was investigated. The research shed light on the …

Attitudes Of University Students In Castellón De La Plana Toward Valencian Catalan And Castilian, Jeannette Alicia Fuhriman

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated language attitudes toward Valencian Catalan and Castilian among university affiliates in Castellón de la Plana, Spain. One hundred informants completed an online survey regarding attitudes toward and uses of Valencian and Castilian in various situations. The results were first analyzed globally, then again based on the independent variables of age, sex, and mother tongue. The findings suggest that overall, informants held positive attitudes toward Valencian and Castilian and believed that it was important that the local language be preserved and passed down to the next generation. University-aged participants, those whose first language was either Valencian or both …

Application Of Standardized Project Management Practices In Egyptian Non-Profit Organizations: Two Case Studies, Mostafa Adel

Theses and Dissertations

A standardized project management approach across the entire organization is one of the business models adopted by non-profits that contributes to a more efficient and effective project delivery and achieving the organizations’ goals and objectives. Lack of a standardized project management approach might result in project failure and losing the skills and knowledge gained from previous projects, which significantly harms the organizational efforts to have institutional memory that allows implementing these skills and knowledge in future projects. A project management office is the key to mainstream the standardized project management methodology across non-profits. This research aims at investigating the impacts …

The Influence Of Therapist-Patient Religious/Spiritual Congruence On Satisfaction With Therapy: A Review Of Research, Tammy E. Henderson

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this review was to examine the relationship between mental health and religion and/or spirituality. Specifically, it was believed that religion and spiritual congruence had a positive influence on satisfaction with therapy. Indeed, the literature reviewed suggests that therapists should be more open to addressing a patient's religious and/or spiritual beliefs as it could lead to more attuned therapeutic sessions. The importance of congruence between patient and therapist is a factor that can impact the therapeutic alliance, based on the literature, this concept appears to hold true for those that are or are not religiously and/or spiritually inclined.

The Impact Participation In School Actvities, Events And Organizations Has On The Veterans' Ability To Assimilate To Campus Culture, Eric Scott Fagan

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between student veterans’ self-perceived level of participation in school activities/events and school organizations and the association his/her participation has with his/her level of assimilation to college life. This study serves as the basis for follow up research, aiming to discover innovative tools and resources that will assist veterans facing difficulty with assimilating to college life. Subjects in the study are one hundred student veterans from a southwestern university and college. The instruments for the study are the Veteran Involvement Questionnaire (VIQ) and the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ). The results of the study reveal …

Mexican American Counselor And Client: Perceptions Toward Substance Use Disorders, Eluterio Blanco Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Over 28.6 million Americans have admitted to the ongoing use of illicit drugs and more than half of Americans are current alcohol drinkers yet a significant number of these people do not seek treatment. Trends regarding substance-related treatment have shown Hispanic drug users tend to underutilize drug and alcohol services and treatment avoidance is especially prevalent among Mexican Americans who reside along the US-Mexico border, due in part to the stigma associated with substance use. In addition, counselor attitudes as well as student counselors-in-training attitudes are showing a manifestation of the same kind of stigma toward substance use as the …

Knowledge And Attitudes Toward Persons With Schizophrenia Among Hispanic University Students Enrolled In Mental Health And Non-Mental Health Disciplines, Manisha Sharma

Theses and Dissertations

The present study was designed to examine university students’ knowledge regarding schizophrenia and factors that can influence university students’ attitudes toward persons with schizophrenia. An attribution questionnaire ([AQ-27], Corrigan, Markowitz, Watson, Rowan, & Kubiak, 2003), the Error Choice Test ([ECT], Michaels & Corrigan, 2013), and the Social Desirability Scale ([SDS-13], Reynolds, 1982) were utilized to collect data from undergraduate students attending The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), the largest U.S. Hispanic serving university located on the Texas-Mexico border. Descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized to analyze the survey data. Results indicated a non-significant relationship between students’ knowledge regarding …

Representations Of Mental Health In Young Adult Literature: A Cultural Analysis Of The Three Ps Of Patient, Practitioner And Population, Christine Gonzales Severn

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the representations of mental health in young adult literature by categorizing texts into a new framework established by this thesis as the Three Ps of patient, practitioner and population. Looking at the Three Ps from an interdisciplinary, cross-cultural view recognizes ways in which literature with themes of mental health is progressively changing with the times. In analyzing John Neufeld’s Lisa, Bright and Dark (1969), Emily Danforth’s The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2012), and Ned Vizzini’s It’s Kind of a Funny Story (2006), this thesis identifies the changes in mental health visibility and awareness, Sexual Orientation Change Efforts’ …

Cultural Humility: A Qualitative Study On The Development Of Self-Awareness In Social Work Educators, Nicole Moore-Bembry

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the faculty members' perspectives on their racial identity development and how these perspectives impact their cultural self-awareness and cultural humility in the classroom. White social work faculty members voiced their vulnerability and discomfort in addressing race, oppression, and discrimination in the classroom. This study included a total of 10 White social work faculty members from a medium sized northeastern university.

Key findings of the study indicate that White faculty members: were primarily clinicians who later became educators, were primarily raised in White communities and the Monoracial upbringing impacted their personal …

Understanding The Experiences And Perceptions Of Specialty Mental Health Probation Officers, Brice Terpstra

Theses and Dissertations

Over the last two decades, specialty mental health probation caseloads have become increasingly common – focusing on offenders with serious mental illness (SMI). Scholars have examined overall effectiveness, the organization and design of these programs, and the differences between standard probation and specialty probation. Less attention, however, has been placed on examining how the officers supervising these SMI caseloads perceive their roles as specialty mental health probation officers and how discretion impacts their caseload management. In the current study semi-structured interviews were conducted with a complete census of 24 SMI caseload probation officers and supervisors in Maricopa County, Arizona over …

Well-Being And Physiological Reactivity To Stress, Sheilagh Fox

Theses and Dissertations

Because of the impact of stress on health, it is important to understand the variables that underlie cardiovascular reactivity to stress because it may lead to more focused targets of intervention for helping people to reduce or otherwise better manage their stress. The purpose of the present study was to answer the following questions: does lack of eudaimonic well-being (a combination of psychological and social well-being) predict increased cardiovascular reactivity to stress in a clinically distressed population? And does increased eudaimonic well-being protect against increased cardiovascular reactivity to stress when hedonic well-being (a combination of positive affect and life satisfaction) …

The Relationship Of Spirituality And The Wellbeing Of Latino College Student, Andrea Almaguer

Theses and Dissertations

The Latino population in the United States continues to grow (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012b). Besides their significant representation in the general population, national data has shown that Latinos are at great risk for health problems that usually go unmet (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). There is little research that focuses on the effects of spirituality on their well-being. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between spirituality, purpose in life, and mental well-being of Latino college students. Data was obtained and analyzed for 184 Latino college students at a Hispanic serving University in South Texas. …

Assessing Parenting: Adaptation Of The Home Inventory For Use In Egypt, Khadiga Abdellatif Alsharif

Theses and Dissertations

A study of violence against children in Egypt found that in 2014, 93% of children between the ages of 0-14 were subject to some form of violent discipline. While Egyptian law protects children from abuse, in practice it is challenging for social workers and other child protection practitioners to intervene. There is a lack of protocols for home visitation and family intervention, and there are no standardized procedures for assessing parenting practices and determining the safety of children’s homes. The HOME inventory, short for Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment, is a tool that has been adopted internationally and …

Towards A Code Of Ethics For Community Psychology And Community Practice In The Arab World: Defining Ethical Values, Fatema Abouelela Abdelzaher

Theses and Dissertations

In response to the need for ethical guidance in Arab community psychology and other forms of community practice, this thesis used mixed methods to explore the ethical values that are of relevance to community psychologists and other community practitioners in the Arab World. A total of 18 community practitioners in the Arab region were interviewed to share their views on the importance of Arab societal values, the values of community psychology, and the principles identified in globally dominant codes of ethics for psychologists in community practice in the Arab world. Using thematic analysis, 53 themes were identified in the collected …

Singing And Stress, Joseline Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

College students use various methods to cope with stress. The effects of singing on stress, have been scarcely examined in students with little to no singing experience while in their natural environments. College students' stress levels were examined before and after singing. A significant decrease in stress levels was found.

Disordered: Conversations About Mental Health And Society, Rachel Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Disordered is a collaborative, participatory street art project designed to destigmatize mental health challenges like depression and anxiety, and reframe health as a societal issue. Through social practice and guerrilla strategies, Disordered intervenes in public spaces, creating conversations, stickers and metal signs to inspire personal, social and political transformations.

Ageism Among Healthcare Professionals: The Influence Of Personal Aging Anxiety, Job Role, And Work Setting On Attitudes Toward Older Patients, Jennifer L. K. Inker

Theses and Dissertations

Older adults make up a significant and increasing proportion of the U.S. population and are frequent users of healthcare services. Ageism in healthcare, driven by an incomplete and narrowly biomedical perspective on aging, has been linked to various problematic outcomes for older patients, including under- and over-treatment. The purpose of this study was to use the theory of relational ageism to explore the relationship between personal aging anxiety among healthcare professionals and their attitudes to older patients, considering the potentially moderating factors of job role and work setting. Using convenience sampling, clinical healthcare professionals working for a mid-sized, regional healthcare …

Unpacking Students’ Writer Identity In The Transition From High School To College: A Mixed Methods Study, Marcie J. Walsh

Theses and Dissertations

Since the 1975 publication of Newsweek’s article asserting that “Johnny” can’t write, many have continued to support the claim that students graduating from American high schools and universities can’t write. This criticism has led many students to believe the problem lies exclusively with them. Efforts to improve students’ writing have had little effect, as reflected in continually concerning scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Recently, researchers have begun to suggest that the problem should be addressed by working to change students’ identification as a bad writer. Two constructs have emerged from these efforts: writer and authorial identity. Research …

Online Resources And The Transgender Community, Mason Maxwell Wehse

Theses and Dissertations

Transgender individuals are characterized by identifying as a gender other than the gender they were assigned at birth based on their biological sex (Meerwijk & Sevelius, 2017). Transgender identities can include being born female but identifying as male and vice versa. Identities can also include people who are non-binary meaning that they identify as a gender other than male or female, such as identifying as no gender (i.e., agender). Being transgender can be seen as controversial and there is a lot of misinformation and little formal research conducted on this topic. Because of this, transgender people often face discrimination and …

"The Mission Always Comes First": A Phenomenological Study Of Active Military Students In Online Community College Courses, Marilyn Brock

Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this study was to develop greater understanding about the unique experiences of active-duty military soldiers who are taking online courses. The qualitative phenomenological study was comprised of online active military (OAM) students taking undergraduate college level courses offered by the Distance Learning Military Programs at a Californian community college. Six participants volunteered while taking online courses from various locations around the world, including sites that were located in an increased zone of conflict. The study’s results provided information that may assist with improving future military students’ learning experiences while they are facing the conflicts associated with military …

A Study Of The Perceived Value Of The National Association Of Schools Of Art And Design (Nasad) Accreditation By Fashion Students In Fashion Programs At Public And Private Colleges, Cynthia R. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

When one thinks of the fashion industry, one might think of famous designers and celebrity fashion shows. Today, fashion is a $1.2 trillion global industry, employing 1.9 million people in the United States, creating a positive impact on regional economies across the country (JEC, 2015; US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017). Presently, 90% of apparel design and production has gone overseas or elsewhere in the world (Robinson, 2013). Manufacturing today requires “universal participation” (Bill, 2011); meaning garments designed in one country, made in fabric from a second country, assembled in a third country, then shipped back to …

Reclaiming Empowerment, Agency, And Collective Healing (R.E.A.C.H.) For Youth: An Adaptation Of Emotional Emancipation Circles For Adolescent Males Of African Ancestry, Marlene Angela Garza

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation identifies the relevant literature and methods that were used to develop a facilitator's handbook for a culturally-specific intervention for adolescent males of African ancestry. The handbook, 'Reclaiming Empowerment, Agency, and Collective Healing for Youth' (R.E.A.C.H.-Youth) provides curriculum for a culturally-centered and social justice-oriented group intervention for adolescent males of African ancestry. The resource developed will serve to provide empowerment for healing for young adolescents who have experienced historical discrimination and the negative effects of racism and discrimination in the United States. Adolescent young men of African ancestry are one of the many groups within the US that have …

Enhancing Career Choices And Opportunities For Saudi Women, Walaa Albahoth

Theses and Dissertations

Despite many efforts made by Saudi Arabian government aimed toward providing substantial opportunities to access higher education and the workforce for Saudi women, women's unemployment remains high. The purpose of this study was to explore the internal factors such as self-concept, personal skills, and career aspirations, and external factors such as social norms, education system, and work environment that affect career choice for Saudi women. In addition, the study sought to examine the most important strategies that support Saudi women in their career choices. A quantitative approach was employed for this study. The data was collected primary through online survey, …