Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Human Trafficking, Jenna Diprima, Eboni Patterson, Gabriela Meza

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

Human trafficking is a crime that has been documented since the 1500s and continues to be a significant issue, reaching unprecedented levels today. Human trafficking is an act in which an individual coerces/compels another and forces them to provide services for financial gain. Victims often come from connections with people they trust. In 2023, it was monitored that 348 people in the US were victims of human trafficking, 316 of 348 victims were children. Worldwide, however, this number is much higher standing at 49.6 million with Guatemala taking up a significant chunk as it has been estimated that 24.9 million …

Food Insecurity In The Philippines, Hannah Dennis, Kassidy Lake, Esther Van Horn

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

Overconsumption and food waste in the United States have a major impact on food insecurity globally, including in the Philippines, due to the dependency of food production from these countries. The Philippines is a country currently devastated by food insecurity, leading to malnutrition and poverty because individuals are unable to meet their basic nutritional and economic needs. Currently, 44.7% of the population in the Philippines faces moderate to severe food insecurity, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, while the U.S. Department of Agriculture states that food waste is estimated at between 30-40 percent of the …

Attitudes & Beliefs About Homelessness In Cache County, Rachel Didericksen, Brynlee Wright, Bailee Allred, Natalie Rust

Student Research Symposium

The rise in homelessness at the local level calls for community member engagement in solution-building. In order to inform policy and funding decisions, it is important that we understand what perceptions community members have regarding persons experiencing homelessness (PEH), perceptions of gaps in resources, and the degree of support for expanding resources.

How Does Social Media Influence The Self-Perceived Well-Being Of Rural Residents?, Danalee Welch-O'Donnal

Student Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Freedom To Change: Comparing U.S. And Norwegian Recidivism, Sofia Low

Student Research Symposium

The U.S. criminal justice system is set up to fail those leaving!

Housing Attainability In The Bear River Area, Peyton Reynolds

Student Research Symposium

Utahns are experiencing numerous challenges related to affording, securing, and maintaining housing.

Substance Abuse On Vulnerable United States And Russian Populations, Avery Wuollet, Emyli Sandrock, Mallory Loerts, Rylyn Murphy

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

The National Institute of Health states that 39.5 million people in the world are affected by drug abuse. According to the National Institute of Health, a total of 18,013 overdose deaths in Russia, while nearly 108,000 people have overdosed in the United States as of 2024, according to The National Institute of Drug Abuse. This is prevalent due to poor policies, the presence of street drugs, and the stigmas surrounding this problem. This research will entail the different effects drug abuse has on both users and the community. The research will also compare the risks of engaging in drug abuse …

Teaching Interprofessional Collaborative Skills In Primary Care Using Team-Based Learning With Simulation: A Pilot Study, Elaine B. Cruz, Mamta K. Singh

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

"Anything And Everything:" An Analysis Of Role Ambiguity In Pennsylvania School Social Work, Jennifer L. Hoffa

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

For the past 100 years, since the inception of school social work, a comprehensive list of the duties of social workers in schools has remained intangible; thus, the professional identity of school social workers (SSWs) has not been well-defined. An ambiguous professional identity gives rise to a lack of legitimacy, role confusion, and inconsistency in responsibilities faced by current SSWs employed in a public-school setting. A comprehensive understanding of how SSWs function, both in theory and in practice, is essential to producing social workers who are qualified, competent, and equipped to support students. This study utilizes quantitative methods to investigate …

Crisis Text Line: "An Empathic World Where Nobody Feels Alone", Amy Stoermer

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

Through this internship, I’ve learned so much about how to be an empathetic and non-judgmental listener. I’ve also learned about how to respond to individuals that are in crisis situations. Thanks to the help of the Platform Supervisors, I’ve also gained valuable knowledge about how to collaborate with team members so I can best assist clients in need. The safety plan training I’ve received has been so helpful, too.

Coming Out And Inclusion Into Society Based On Queer Individuals, Danny Trip

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

Past literature found that family acceptance of gender identity and sexual orientation of their family members who were coming out affects their struggle in society, (Flores et al., 2020), which can be themed with Inclusion, Perceived Discrimination, and Public Attitude. Background research found that perceived acceptance by those close to queer individuals increased perceived acceptance by society around them (Golriz, 2021). The present study investigated how family acceptance affected religious community acceptance and the research question of how does an individual's coming out experience affect their acceptance by others.

Inspire Student Research & Engagement Conference [Program] April 7-8, 2025, University Of Northern Iowa

INSPIRE Student Research & Engagement Conference Programs

A program for the INSPIRE conference where undergraduate and graduate students present their research, internship, volunteer and study abroad experiences, club activities and creative performances.

Dollars And Zen: A Randomized Control Trial Of A Community-Partnered Financial Capability And Stress Management Digital Intervention Among Low-Income Latino Adults, Luisa Blanco, Nataria Joseph, Mckenzie Richards, Flora Sedrakyan

School of Public Policy Working Papers

Latino adults disproportionately experience financial stress, but no programs developed for Latinos comprehensively and successfully integrate financial capability and stress management approaches to address financial stress. Using a community-partnered approach, we enhanced a digital financial capability intervention with theoretically- and empirically-grounded stress management techniques. We tested whether this integrative intervention improved financial capability, self-efficacy, actions, and stress as well as sleep, a correlate of stress. A sample of 76 Latino adults (39 in the intervention group, 37 in the control group; mean age = 45, 76% female, 88% with household income below $59,999) completed the three-month randomized waitlist-control trial. Participants …

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Age And Disposition In The Juvenile Court Data, Jaden Reign Deblois

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Struggles with depression are prominent among the population of incarcerated individuals. After COVID-19, the impacts of depression became more profound among incarcerated youth. For youth with previous diagnoses, the impacts of depression were more severe. To better understand the scope of the issue, this literature review examines how the field currently understands COVID-19’s impact on the depression of incarcerated youth. Findings suggest that factors such as isolation, physiological social stressors, and prior mental health diagnosis contribute to depression among incarcerated youth. Implications for mental health prevention and treatment for incarcerated youth will be discussed.

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet April 2025, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The April 2025 monthly packet includes the agenda, appendices, and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments given in the meeting held April 7, 2025.

A Cross-Sectional Analysis: Employment And Its Impact On Physical Activity, Academic Performance, And Quality Of Life Among Bellarmine University Students, Orlando Exposito Nuñez

Undergraduate Theses

Introduction: Half of undergraduate students are employed, meaning they must balance work with academics, physical activity (PA), and personal responsibilities. This study examines the potential negative impact of employment on PA, academic performance, and quality of life (QOL) among college students. Methods: The cross-sectional survey comprised 125 Bellarmine University students (Age 21.07 ± 3.40; 52% female, 48% male). Measures included the RAND SF-36 for QOL, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF), and a custom academic and employment questionnaire. Racial and ethnic demographics included White (75.2%), Black or African American (11.2%), Hispanic or Latino (15.2%), Asian (4.8%), Multiracial (4.8%), …

Examining The Nexus Of Communication, Leadership, And Employee Satisfaction In Community Colleges: A Mixed-Methods Exploration, Sudhir J. Kamath

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Employee turnover and attrition are not something that organizations look forward to. This is particularly significant at community colleges, where staff retention is important for stability and student success. While employees leave for a variety of reasons, dissatisfaction is one of the main reasons employees look for other jobs. This research seeks to answer the central question: How do different leadership styles and communication practices impact employee satisfaction levels at rural two-year community colleges? A mixed methods case study was conducted using survey and semi-structured interviews at four rural Midwestern colleges.

Unh To Launch New Public Health Major In Fall 2025, Aaron Sanborn

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Acculturation, Social Support, And Immigration-Related Stressors: Impact On Depression Among Single Mother Immigrants In The United States, Comfort Payne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Depression is a prevalent mental health condition that disproportionately affects immigrant single mothers in the United States, whose risk is heightened by unique vulnerabilities. The interplay between acculturation, social support, and economic burden in this population is underexplored. This quantitative, cross-sectional study examined the relationship between various factors and depression using 2020–2022 National Health Interview Survey data. Inclusion criteria were single immigrant mothers aged 19–60 years, who had lived in the U.S. for at least one year, had one or more dependent children, and self-reported depression status. The socioecological model provided a lens for identifying how individual, interpersonal, and structural …

Medical Social Workers’ Self-Efficacy And Perceptions Of Interdisciplinary Collaboration Managing Patients With Chronic Pain And Opioid Use Disorder, Alexis Ware

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social work is a complex field, with the roles and responsibilities of social workers often unclear. This ambiguity can lead to low self-efficacy and hinder effective collaboration with other disciplines, which can negatively impact patient care. The purpose of this quantitative study is to explore the relationship between the occupational self-efficacy of medical social workers, level of experience and social workers’ perceptions of interdisciplinary collaboration when managing patients with co-occurring chronic pain and opioid use disorder. The theoretical framework that guided this study is Bandura’s self-efficacy theory. The conceptual framework for this research is Bronstein’s model of interdisciplinary collaboration. The …

The Rider (2025-04-07), Rebeca Salinas

The Rider Archives

Vol. 10, No. 25

Predictors Of Political Participation Of U.S. Social Workers: The Mediating Effect Of Confidence, Maria Wathen, Rachel A. Young, Amy Krings, Teresa Kilbane

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

What factors are associated with social workers’ political participation, and how does political confidence mediate those relationships? To answer this question, data were collected in 2020 through an original online survey of members of the U.S.-based National Association of Social Workers (NASW). Informed by self-efficacy theory, researchers conducted a structural equation modeling (SEM) path model with political participation as the outcome variable, and political confidence as a mediating variable. Exogenous variables included: one’s self-reported political orientation, belief that social work has a political mandate, gender, and knowledge about how to effectively participate in politics. Results indicate that high political confidence …

35. Protest 2025. Hands Off! Protest [Article & Images], Holly Hudson Hill, Chris Zoeller

LGBTQIA+ Archive Class Projects

Citation: Hill, H. and Zoeller, C. (2025, April 8). Hands Off Protest. Courier, A1 & A4.

Blue Chairs And Broken Minds: The Troubled Teen Industry’S Legacy Of Abuse, Macie Barker '25

Honor Scholar Theses

The Troubled Teen Industry (TTI) operates under the veil of rehabilitating adolescents with behavioral challenges. However, evidence reveals a system rife with abuse, manipulation, and inadequate oversight. From the infamous blue chairs of Straight, Inc., to the isolation tactics of WWASP program, this industry has maintained a facade of treatment while subjecting youth to severe abuse. This paper explores the history, recruitment tactics, institutional failures, survivor recovery journeys, and legal battles that define the TTI. Advocacy movements, including Breaking Code Silence and WWASP Survivors, have emerged to combat industry malpractice and push for policy changes to protect vulnerable youth. Additionally, …

Actor–Partner Model Of Parenting And Co-Parenting Practices And Youth Resilience During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Olivia Aspiras, Jaimie O'Gara, Justine Radunzel

Faculty Publications

The present research examined parents' perspectives of co-parenting and supportive and hostile parenting as predictors of youth resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were 47 mother/father dyads who had at least one K-12 child (Mage = 11.40, SD = 3.92). Mothers and fathers each completed an online survey that measured parenting, co-parenting, and youth resilience during the pandemic. Data were analyzed using the actor–partner interdependence model. Results revealed a positive relationship between mother supportiveness and perceived youth resilience; in contrast, increased father supportiveness was associated with lower perceived youth resilience. For both mothers and fathers, increases in their own hostility …

Inciting Action By Analyzing Pachirat, Rhi N. Soto

Amplify: A Journal of Writing-as-Activism

The book Every Twelve Seconds: Industrialized Slaughter and the Politics of Sight by Timothy Pachirat explores “the politics of sight”, or the intentional invisibilizing or transparentizing of repugnant acts in order to encourage or limit them, through the case study of a beef slaughter house in Omaha, NE. While also utilizing the politics of sight, Pachirat hopes for great political and social change concerning the immoral acts that happen at meat plants through a radical act of transparency: a narrative ethnography. Writers with similar goals of great change in social and political issues can make use of Pachirat’s techniques, which …

Issue Cover Art: Homecoming Collage, Rhi N. Soto

Amplify: A Journal of Writing-as-Activism

This piece is a found poem/collage made from different magazine cut-outs glued onto red construction paper. What inspired its creation is the book Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. In this book, Gyasi describes colonialism's over 400-year impact on the continent of Africa, the Indigenous people to those lands, and their ancestors. She does this by writing a historical fiction story of a family that started in what is now considered current-day Ghana, taking place from the mid-1700s to the early 2000s. The family starts with the mother of two sisters, Maame, who leaves her first daughter (Effia) while her village …

Evaluating Food Insecurity In The Setting Of An Interprofessional Student-Run Free Clinic, Yasmeen Berry, Tariq Kermalli, Rehab Bondok, Avan Chu, Polina Chuikov, Mina Juma, Judson Knott, Kit Tran, Jeremy Delor Pharmd, Bcps, Min Jian Huang Jd, Kristi Price Msw, Martha Schiller Pt, Dpt, Msa, Aline Saad Pharmd

Medical Student Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

The Diamond, April 4, 2025, Dordt University

Dordt Diamond

• Front Page: Women's Basketball Wins Back-to-Back National Titles; A Closer Look at the Removal of Dordt's Ash Trees; The Non-Dutch, Non-Reformed Experience at Dordt
• News: New Canadian Prime Minister; Faith CRC Hosts Community Worship Night
• Feature: Dordt and Northwestern Social Work Clubs Support Sioux Center Families in Need; Senior Spotlight; NISO and Concert Choir Work with Community Members to Present Brahm's Requiem; Puppetry, Faith, and a Whimsical Life: Dordt Alumnus Story; Designing a Space for Community; Dordt University Introduces Innovative Gaming Course
• Arts & Entertainment: It's Not That Deep: Senior Art Exhibit Showcase; Radium Girls …

Social Belonging In Post-Resettlement Refugees: The Role Of Aid Organizations In The United States, Jessica Jean Byers

Theses and Dissertations

Since 1975, an estimated 3.6 million refugees have entered the United States (USA Facts, 2024). The months and even years following resettlement can be difficult and isolating for refugees. Previous research has shown that creating connections with others can enhance well-being, feelings of security, and self-reliance, all of which are especially needed for vulnerable populations such as refugees (Archambault et al., 2022; Giovanetti et al., 2022). Using the theory of social network analysis and semi-structured, in-depth interviews with aid organization leaders, this study seeks to understand the relationship between refugees and aid organizations during the post-resettlement phase. It also explores …