Digital Commons Network^™

Music Therapy For The Treatment Of Body Image Dissatisfaction: Implications For Future Practice, Elizabeth Hope Vance

Honors Projects

Body image dissatisfaction has become a growing concern in recent decades. Negative body image has been linked to anxiety, depression, elevated stress, eating disorders, and relational problems (Smith et al, 2024). Body image can negatively affect a wide variety of populations such as cancer survivors, people diagnosed with eating disorders, and adolescents. Fortunately, recent studies have investigated ways to improve body image perceptions among those affected.  Common treatments for body image dissatisfaction include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and alternative therapies (Peng & Xie, 2021).  Despite social efforts to reduce negative body …

Conditional Product Sampling For Gaussian Process Implicit Surfaces, Song Shi

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Gaussian Process Implicit Surfaces (GPISes) provide a powerful and unified stochastic geometry representation for rendering surfaces, volumes, and the rich continuum between them. Recent work has shown that GPISes can model a broad space of visual appearances under a unified light transport framework. However, practical rendering with GPISes remains challenging: existing estimators can become inefficient for particular correlation structures, and highly anisotropic or heightfield-like GPISes require specialized treatment to obtain robust variance reduction.

This thesis extends recent work on GPIS rendering by introducing a new next-event estimation (NEE) technique for anisotropic GPISes.We show that standard NEE provides diminishing benefits as …

From Identification To Support: Improving Postpartum Depression Detection And Referral In Postpartum Care, Jennifer M. Hall, Gail W. Salter

Group: Samford University Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing

Postpartum depression (PPD) affects approximately one in seven women in the United States and poses significant risks to maternal well being and infant development. Despite routine use of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) shortly after childbirth, gaps persist in consistent follow up, early detection, and timely referral particularly during the vulnerable period between hospital discharge and the four to six week postpartum visit. This quality improvement project implemented patient navigator services to strengthen continuity of care and enhance early recognition of PPD. Guided by Cheryl Beck’s Modified Grounded Theory of PPD, “Teetering on the Edge,” and her middle range …

Implementing A Standardized Social Determinants Of Health Screening Process To Improve Care Coordination In Primary Care, Catherine A. Addison

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Beyond "Bad Apples": Political Identity, Moral Interpretation, And Institutional Response To Abuse, Laura Werner

Student Theses

This thesis examines how psychological explanatory frameworks and structural institutional response interact to shape how domestic violence and sexual abuse are understood and addressed. Drawing on behavioral design theory and John Dewey's transactional approach to experience, I argue that harm is interpreted through mental models that simultaneously shape both individual perception and institutional action. Using survey data from 736 participants, I demonstrate that endorsement of the "bad apples" explanatory framework, attributing abuse primarily to a small group of deviant individuals, is predicted by psychological essentialism, belief in a just world, social dominance orientation, and political conservatism. These findings suggest that …

Every Night We Tell This Story: Remembering, Remaking, And Re-Remembering Paula Vogel's Indecent, Sam Plattus

Student Theses

Vogel’s subtitle calls Indecent “the true story of a little Jewish play,” Sholem 4 Asch’s The God of Vengeance. A Jewish man is arranging a marriage for his daughter; that man is a brothel owner who raised his daughter in a home just upstairs from his place of business; his daughter falls in love with a girl working downstairs, and they dance naked, together, in the rain. Indecent follows the journey of Asch’s play from its first reading in his bedroom in 1906, through its European tour in the 1910s, to its debut on Broadway in 1923 when the cast …

Exploring Biogeographical Ancestry Inference Of New York Residents Using A 45 Indel Panel, Amanda Martinez

Student Theses

Biogeographical ancestry (BGA) inference is an important tool in forensic science, providing supplemental information when comparison/reference DNA is not available for traditional DNA analyses. Insertion/deletion polymorphisms (INDELs) have been used in the last decade as ancestry-informative markers (AIMs) for BGA inference because they can be easily adapted to forensic-type samples and are determined using low cost and easy processing methods. Limited research has attempted to estimate ancestry and admixture in United States (U.S.) populations. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a 45- and 21- INDEL panel to measure population admixture proportions of four different origins (African, European, East Asian and …

Pharmacy Benefit-Management Strategies To Improve Cost-Related Medication Adherence, Ja'meisha Dontinique Gibson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

A Clinical Practice Guideline On Phq-9 Screening And Follow-Up Management In An Outpatient Setting To Close The Gap In Depression Care, Tina Dongmo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Staff Education To Improve Early-Stage Chronic Kidney Disease Patient Education, Yoel Madruga Reyes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Perceptions Of Stigma Of Emotional Distress Among Black Clergy, Sharon S. Mccollough

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Insights On The Origins And Repercussions Of Corruption In Haiti, Yves Louissaint

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Male Perspectives On The National Rifle Association And Gun Reform, Holly Jo Tatman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Determinants Of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Medication Use Among People Aged 18–29 Years Living In Florida, Jeremiah Magraubin Mchaka Wandabwa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Mental Health Services For Foster Care Youths Aging Out Of The System, Kenya Staten Hennigan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Succession Planning Strategies For Inclusive Leadership And Market Competitiveness, Cara L. Miller

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Parents’ Lived Experiences In Caregiving Their Children Diagnosed With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (Dmd), Olubukola Ojoawo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Innovation Strategies For Small And Medium-Sized Construction Companies In Nigeria, Olabode Akinkunmi Akindele

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Instrumentality Of Developmental Coaches’ Self In Building The Coaching Relationship With Clients Seeking Leadership Development, Leslie Ann Rodríguez Díaz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Staff Education For Nurses On The Stress First Aid Continuum, Gilbert Anyangwe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Alabama Middle School Teachers’ Experiences Preparing Economically Disadvantaged Students For The Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program, Jasmine Jeromicia Edmond

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Implementing Trauma Informed Care Practices In An Inpatient Psychiatric Unit, Clara Eyra Dedzo Amenuvor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Behavior Analysts' Recommendations For Police Interactions With Youth On The Autism Spectrum, Emily Emily Hinterneder

Honors Theses

Autism spectrum disorder affects nearly 2% (1 in every 36) of children in the United States, yet few resources exist to aid police officers in effective communication and interaction with this portion of youth. This study surveyed behavior analysts’ recommendations for police regarding how they can better interact with youth with autism spectrum disorder based on their knowledge, experiences, and opinions. The research surveyed behavior analysts initially in Massachusetts, then throughout the United States, on how police interact with youth with autism, with the intent to propose possible improvements. Quantitative analyses of the closed-ended questions were conducted to examine familiarity, …

Deep Screens (1): Reliability-Driven Correction Of 3d Pose Estimation For Animation, Emma Vejcik

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Modern 2D and 3D human pose estimators silently fail on archival film footage. Their confidence channels do not surface these failures, and no annotated ground truth exists in the domain against which to evaluate or correct them. The result, in pipelines that lift archival 2D detections to 3D for downstream applications, is animation output with jittering limbs, hallucinated skeletons, and anatomically implausible poses. This thesis addresses these failures through three interventions, working from the data foundation upward.

First, we construct a hand-annotated reliability dataset of over 50,000 joint-frame rows across six segments from four films spanning multiple eras (1910, 1960, …

Reflect & Reset Check In: Cultivating Care, Connection, And Culture, Whitney C. Jackson, Tawanda Williams-Hardie, Jamali Stone

Group: Samford University Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing

Nurse burnout remains a critical challenge in healthcare, with national rates exceeding 60% and contributing to turnover, reduced morale, and compromised patient care. Existing end-of-shift practices are largely task-oriented and fail to address emotional decompression or team connection. This quality improvement project implemented the Reflect & Reset (R&R) Check-In Model, a structured, end-of-shift intervention designed to support nurse well-being, enhance psychological safety, and strengthen team communication across two inpatient units.

Grounded in Donabedian’s Structure–Process–Outcome framework and Duffy’s Quality Caring Model, this pre-post, mixed-methods project engaged registered nurses, patient care technicians, and charge nurses over a five-week pilot period. The intervention …

Workplace Health: Blood Pressure Education And Self-Monitoring At The Worksite, Pamela E. Carver

DNP and Student Works

Hypertension (HTN) is the most common diagnosis in the United States and one of the 10 most expensive health conditions for employers. Poorly managed and undiagnosed HTN increases health care costs and contributes to lost employee productivity. The literature strongly supports self-monitoring as key to blood pressure (BP) control, especially when paired with additional interventions such as education. Although much has been done to review various worksite health promotion programs over the last 20 years to 30 years, specific evidence regarding the potential impact of providing BP self-monitoring equipment at the worksite is lacking. The purpose of this study was …

Employee Engagement And Its Motivational Drivers: Lived Experiences Of Generation Y Employees In The Workplace, Ololade Dorcas Afolabi

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This qualitative study sought to explore the meaning of employee engagement among Generation Y employees in the United States. Specifically, this research aimed to understand how Generation Y employees described their lived experiences of engagement and the motivational drivers that influence their engagement at work. The researcher interviewed five Generation Y employees. Two of them work in retail industry, two work in healthcare technology, and one works in higher education. The findings show that the participants have a shared meaning of engagement, defining engagement as alignment between their personal goals and organizational goals. In addition, participants shared lived experiences of …

The Torture Never Ends: Stories, Mackintosh Willingham

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

The Torture Never Ends is a darkly funny, emotionally charged collection of short fiction that peers beneath the surface of ordinary lives to reveal the private absurdities, quiet devastations, and fleeting redemptions we carry with us. A housewife’s diary becomes a record of rebellion against domestic invisibility; an institutional history of a medical consortium turns into a satire of ambition, scandal, and failed benevolence; a devoted reader’s love for pirate romance collapses into sinister obsession. What first appears to be a tender, if somewhat desperate, epistolary courtship becomes a study in delusion, entitlement, and violent self-mythology; and a young haunted-house …

Improving Hyaluronic Acid Filler Safety Through A Structured, Evidence-Based Training Program: A Dnp Educational Initiative, Carlos Sandoval Madrigal

Doctoral Projects

The rapid growth of aesthetic medicine, particularly the use of hyaluronic acid (HA) dermal fillers, has outpaced the development of standardized educational pathways for Health Care Providers (HCPs), contributing to a wide variability in clinical practice and increased risk of adverse events. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured, evidence-based educational intervention designed to improve provider knowledge and confidence in the prevention and management of HA filler complications. The intervention was developed using the 10-Point Plan framework and evaluated using the Kirkpatrick Model Levels 1 (Reaction) and 2 (Learning). A quasi-experimental, one-group …

Heat Shock Factor 1 Signaling: A Novel Pathway Implicated In Rett Syndrome Pathophysiology, Sonia Gonzalez

Dissertations

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder that is associated with loss-of-function mutations in the methyl-CPG binding protein 2 (MECP2) gene. There are limited therapeutic options to address the wide range of social, cognitive, motor, and respiratory symptoms that patients experience throughout their lifetime. To identify novel therapeutic targets, we leveraged a rare form of RTT known as MeCP2-mutation-negative or atypical RTT. Traditionally, RTT is first diagnosed clinically and then confirmed through the identification of mutations in the MECP2 gene. However, ~5% of RTT patients are found to be MeCP2-mutation-negative (atypical), despite sharing overlapping symptomology with typical RTT. We …