Digital Commons Network^™

The Southeastern Librarian 73(4) Winter 2026 (Full Issue)

The Southeastern Librarian

No abstract provided.

Pervasive Policing: The Psychological Effects Of Overcriminalization Of Black And Latino Youth, Chloe Gonzalez

Scripps Senior Theses

Recent years have brought increased awareness to the discriminatory treatment of Black and Latino individuals by the police, but a gap in the literature remains at the intersection of the study of criminalization and psychology. The proposed study will attempt to bridge this gap by investigating the extent to which the overcriminalization of Black and Latino high schoolers contributes to the internalization of racialized stereotypes and the development of depressive symptoms. The research will implement a correlational approach combining quantitative and qualitative methods to gather data from a sample of Black and Latino high schoolers ages 14 to 18. Participants …

Roots To Recovery: How Therapeutic Horticulture Can Heal Sexual Trauma, Fiona E. Larsen-Teskey

Scripps Senior Theses

Sexual assault is one of the most prevalent sources of trauma among females. While still requiring more research, therapeutic horticulture (TH), also known as gardening therapy, has so far shown promising results regarding trauma recovery. In this study, I seek to discover how TH can aid in female sexual assault recovery. To determine its impact, I will conduct a three-month experiment with two groups: those who receive cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and those who receive CBT plus TH. I will specifically measure three common side effects survivors face: dissociation, shame, and PTSD. These categories will be measured through surveys and …

Personal Strength As A Core Dimension Of Posttraumatic Growth: A Multi-Method Study Of U.S. Military Veterans, Steven Moore

Social Work Dissertations

U.S. military veterans are frequently exposed to traumatic and morally challenging experiences that can disrupt core assumptions about identity, purpose, and control. While much of the veteran mental health literature has emphasized psychological distress and functional impairment, growing attention has been directed toward posttraumatic growth and strengths-based outcomes. This dissertation examined posttraumatic growth among U.S. military veterans with a specific focus on personal strength as a central dimension of growth following trauma.

Using a multi-method design, this dissertation integrated findings from three complementary studies. First, a scoping review mapped how posttraumatic growth, personal strength, and related constructs have been conceptualized, …

Students Shouting Louder Than School Bells: An Analysis Exposing Anti-Youth Rationales In Federal Courts, Edward D. Scott Jr., Christopher L. Mathis

Missouri Law Review

In a paradigm-shifting departure from conventional First Amendment analysis, this study is the first empirical examination of First Amendment rights, spanning every level of the federal judiciary, for students in public schools. Departing from conventional narratives, our scholarship examines how the federal court adjudicates the nuances surrounding the First Amendment within public K-12 educational institutions.

The Cost Of Care: A Mixed Methods Study Of Social Work Student Well-Being, Practicum Pay, And The Future Of Feminized Care In The Health Workforce, Christian Adeleke

Social Work Dissertations

Social work field education, commonly enacted as the practicum, is widely regarded as the profession’s signature pedagogy, yet its material conditions—particularly the prevalence of unpaid or minimally compensated placements—are rarely problematized. This dissertation examined the financial, academic, and well-being consequences of practicum participation among social work students and the mechanisms through which these consequences arise. Using an embedded mixed methods design, the study analyzed secondary data from the Payment for Placements (P4P) survey (N = 618), combining a moderated-mediation structural equation model with a reflexive thematic analysis of open-ended narrative responses. Drawing on feminist political economy and social reproduction …

Counseling And The Neurodiversity Paradigm: A Call To Action, Emily Goodman-Scott, Rawn Boulden, Aaron Albright, Jenna Alvarez, Betsy M. Perez

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

The counseling profession is rooted in prevention, wellness, mental health, and a critical social justice approach to serving historically marginalized communities, including people with disabilities. The overarching construct of disability comprises subtypes, such as neurodivergence. Given the prevalence of neurodivergent individuals worldwide (approximately 15%-20%), the counseling profession must be prepared to support this community. At the same time, there is a dearth of peer-reviewed literature on neurodiversity specifically for the counseling profession. In this article, we address a timely topic in the profession. We discuss utilizing a critical counseling lens and centering marginalized identities, such as people with disabilities; prominent …

Humanizing The Base Of The Pyramid: Exploring The Influence Of Resource (Dis)Advantages On Value Creation, Ted London, Lisa Jones Christensen, Tyson Mackey, Alison Mackey, Heather Esper, Andrew Grogan-Kaylor

Faculty Publications

Base of the pyramid (BoP) scholarship emphasizes the potential for enterprises to generate profits by enhancing the wellbeing of the impoverished, often by selling socially-beneficial products (SBPs). Yet, many such BoP enterprises have experienced mixed results. We argue that this may stem from insufficient attention to how BoP consumers value SBPs and other products. We frame SBPs as a type of human capital investment and thus use human capital theory to study how the consumption of SBPs does or does not create value for consumers. Specifically, we use a novel data set from rural India to measure value creation in …

Autistic College Students Who Identify As Female: Experiences Working With Speech Language Pathologists, Mollie Spencer

Brehm Scholars Research

No abstract provided.

Adverse Experiences Of D/Deaf Individuals, Lily Buchholz

Graduate Research Papers

With over 1 million people making up the Deaf and hard of hearing community in the United States, this population faces Adverse Childhood Experiences and intimate partner violence at rates higher than the hearing population. D/deaf people experience adversity specifically related to their inability to hear, including discrimination and daily microaggressions. Researching the adverse experiences of the D/deaf population allows for greater awareness to better serve them in professional settings. Clinicians using this information can provide more trauma-informed services, schools can create healthier and safer learning environments for D/deaf students, and D/deaf communities can support each other through connection and …

“I’M Throwing The Red Flag”: Online Peer Responses To Teen Descriptions Of Abusive Relationship Behaviors Posted On Reddit, Kyla M. Cary, Morgan E. Pettyjohn, Erin Nolen

Faculty Publications – Psychology

Adolescents in the United States experience abusive relationship behaviors at alarming rates; yet formal education on navigating harmful relationship dynamics is lacking. Thus, many teens use the internet to disclose abuse experiences and seek information or advice from their online peers. To better understand the types of responses, advice, and information teens receive from their online peers, we analyzed peer-to-peer discussions about abusive relationship behaviors from teens in the Reddit community r/teenrelationships. Using qualitative content analysis, we analyzed comment responses (n = 154) to Reddit posts (n = 56) in which teen users discussed experiences of interpersonal harm …

Community Narratives On Addressing Gender And Power-Based Violence: Asian/Pacific Islander Voices From Dc, Maryland, And Virginia; An Oral History Of The Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project (Dvrp), Linda Kuo

Social Work Theses - Archive

Between 16% and 55% of A/PI women and 8.4% of men report experiencing intimate partner violence in their lifetime (API GBV, 2020). The DC, Maryland, and Virginia tri-state region is home to a growing Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI) population and calls for further learning about their culturally relevant social services. The Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project (DVRP) is the only pan-A/PI specific anti-violence organization in this area. Grounded in intersectionality and collective memory theory, the current study employs oral history methodology to interview 14 individuals involved in supporting A/PI survivors, who are and have been part of the DVRP community. …

Advancing Research Appointments: Enhancing Patron Satisfaction Through Assessment, Kytt Everdeen Moore, Tera A. Ray, Laura B. Wright

The Southeastern Librarian

As research appointments continue to be a service offered across reference departments, it is important to regularly assess their effectiveness at meeting patrons’ needs and to seek improvement. To do this, patrons were surveyed after scheduling a research appointment to understand their reasons for scheduling an appointment, preferred formats, expectations, knowledge gained, and overall satisfaction. The findings revealed that most patrons were students, and the most common way to learn about appointments was from instructors. Patrons primarily scheduled appointments online, citing convenience and location as main reasons for their choice. Their main expectation was to learn effective search strategies. Recommendations …

Period Poverty, Gabriel Degraeve, Monica Bennett

SPARK Symposium Presentations

In the United States, 25% of adolescent females lack access to adequate period products (Period., 2025). Limited access to period products disproportionately affects women of color, women from low-income areas, and rural communities (Kuhlmann & Obionu, 2024). One in six women and girls in Tennessee lives under the federal poverty line (Alliance for Period Supplies, 2025) and likely lacks adequate access to these products. This limited access forces women to use alternatives, such as toilet paper or paper towels, or to use period products longer than recommended. This can lead to serious health issues, including toxic shock syndrome, and make …

Mapping Change, Lydia Goetz, Kayla Kaser, Rachel Maack

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Mental health crises are often addressed with law enforcement officers who may not have specific training regarding behavioral health intervention, which can ultimately result in poor outcomes. Tennessee House Bill 0954 proposes that crisis response units with qualified mental health professionals would respond to mental health related calls alongside law enforcement and take the lead in crisis intervention. HB 0954 would also require proper training for officers to encourage collaboration between mental health professionals and officers. Police officers respond to all kinds of emergency calls, ranging across all different types of emergencies, including mental health crises. Research around co-responders has …

Evaluating The Impact Of Tennessee House Bill 2327 & Senate Bill 2055, Kya Cousino, Emily Redford, Leah M. Vetters

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental delays often require consistent therapeutic interventions such as speech therapy, occupational therapy (OT), or applied behavior analysis (ABA) in order to meaningfully access their education (Treatment and Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder, 2024). However, service shortages, scheduling barriers, and restrictions on outside providers during the school day frequently create gaps in care. As a result, families may be forced to choose between their child’s educational attendance and the continuity of medically or developmentally necessary services.

House Bill 2327 and corresponding Senate Bill 2055 seek to address this barrier by requiring Local Education …

Adverse Childhood Experiences And Intellectual Disabilities: A Population-Based Comparison, Sarah Hurst, Astrida S. Kaugars

Modern Psychological Studies

Childhood is a critical time for development, and negative experiences during this period may have lasting consequences. Children with intellectual disabilities (ID) are at greater risk for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) than children without ID. Using data from the 2022 National Survey of Children’s Health (U.S. Census Bureau), we assessed the frequency of ACEs reported based on IDs. Participants were caregivers of 528 children currently diagnosed with an ID and a random sample of 528 children selected from the remaining 49,755 respondents without an ID. As hypothesized, parents of children with ID reported a statistically significant greater number of total …

Combating Reproductive Injustice In A Ruby-Red, Restrictive State: The University Of Tulsa College Of Law Reproductive Justice Practicum, Miriam H. Marton

Journal Articles

In tandem with one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the United States, Oklahoma continues to expand the concept of fetal personhood in its laws. This expansion, in turn, translates to yet another means to expand Oklahoma’s criminalization of pregnancy, and to further strengthen its stranglehold on women’s bodily autonomy.

In the fight for reproductive justice in such environments, is there a role for law schools and law students to play? Practicums and clinics in law schools are untapped resources in ruby-red, restrictive states like Oklahoma. They can support nonprofits within the local reproductive justice ecosystem, shed light on …

Computational Clinical Judgment: Predicting Risk With Large Language Models, Hannah Laqueur, Ryan W. Copus

Faculty Works

For seventy years, research has shown actuarial methods outperform clinical judgment. Yet actuarial approaches have limitations: they generally rely on structured data; cannot exploit rare case-specific details; have limited accuracy where outcome data are scarce or incomplete; and cannot offer case-level justifications. Large language models (LLMs) offer a different approach. Like actuarial methods, they aggregate information algorithmically, but like clinicians, they bring general knowledge and can provide case-level justifications. We prompted seven LLMs to assess rearrest risk from 113 parole hearing transcripts and compared their predictions to a machine learning model trained on 4,000 cases with 91 administrative variables. GPT-5 …

“Which Side Are You On?”: The Historical Creation And Political Implications Of An Appalachian White Other, Zoe Davin

History Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

A Multidisciplinary Dialogue On Students Of Color And First-Generation Students In United States Higher Education: Challenges, Current Representations, A Personal Story, And The Road Ahead, Christian Torres

Theses & ETDs

Despite a considerable amount of research, racial diversity in higher education in the United States remains a complicated social issue. Intersecting variables like being a first-generation student or a female student, in addition to the variable of being a student of color, complicate the issue further, calling for more research into the variable of race and ethnicity and how it may impact a student’s potential chances at success at the higher education level. In this thesis, a personal story of a first-generation student of color is provided to humanize the issue of diversity in higher education. Secondary data were then …

Three Unsung Pioneers Of The East Baton Rouge Parish Public Library System, Eddie Hughes

Southern University and A&M College: John B. Cade Library Publications

The historical narrative of the United States is deeply marked by systemic racial discrimination, particularly against African Americans. White Americans employed race-based strategies to oppress and marginalize African Americans, denying them access to professional organizations and opportunities for socioeconomic advancement. This exclusion extended to the field of librarianship, where African Americans were barred from professional networks, reinforcing perceptions of the profession as a reflection of mainstream racial inequities. This report offers a concise analysis of three pioneering African American librarians who overcame entrenched racist practices to become the first African American information professionals within the East Baton Rouge Parish Public …

Southern Adventist University Undergraduate Catalog 2025-2026, Southern Adventist University

Catalog, Undergraduate

Southern Adventist University's undergraduate catalog for the academic year 2025-2026.

Mason, New Hampshire Annual Report Of The Town Officers For The Year Ending December 31, 2025, Mason Town Representatives

Mason, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Not Dating, Just Doing The Dishes: Reducing Anxiety And Increasing Participation Through Low-Risk Interpersonal Role-Plays., Alison Leah Morris-Neuberger

2026 Scholarly Teaching Conference: Poster Session Papers

Soon after last semester began, I found myself in a classroom where students seemed disengaged and often unwilling to participate in open class discussion. I decided to ask students for feedback on how I could do better. What I heard was something I had not fully considered before. Many students, primarily Gen Z, asked that I use more examples centered on roommates. Several shared that they did not have experience with romantic relationships or professional work environments, but there was one common thread among them - they all had roommates. Talking about a roommate felt much lower stakes than talking …

Creating Safe Spaces: A Trauma-Informed Approach In Alabama State University's Special Collections Department, Kashonda Murphy

Alabama Libraries

A trauma-informed library is a library that adopts practices and policies designed to understand, recognize, and respond to the impact of trauma on individuals who use its services. This approach aims to create a safe and supportive environment for patrons who may have experienced trauma, such as abuse, violence, poverty, discrimination, and natural disasters. Key principles of trauma-informed care are promoting safety, trustworthiness, peer support, collaboration, and empowerment in all aspects of library operations and interactions. This article details the approaches taken to initiate trauma-informed principles into the Special Collections Department at Alabama State University.

2025-2026 Common Data Set, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Common Data Sets

This document contains data compiled by the SWOSU Office of Institutional Research for the 2025-2026 academic year.

More Than “Just A Misdemeanor”: Why Diversion Is Critical For Low Level Youth Offenders, Lynn Williams, Ariana M. Ellis

Akron Law Student Publications

Over the past two decades, juvenile arrests have declined sharply nationwide. Yet, during this same period, policies and penalties governing youth have grown increasingly punitive. Many lawmakers continue to advance “tough on crime” legislation that subjects all youth in the juvenile justice system to the same level of sanction, regardless of the seriousness of their offense or prior legal history. This article argues that juvenile delinquency should be addressed through individualized assessments of both risk and needs, rather than through uniform punitive measures. Unnecessary or disproportionate court involvement, particularly for low-risk youth, can produce significant short- and long-term harms, disrupt …

Commencement Program (Spring 2026), Csusb

CSUSB Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Family Factors And Adolescent Behavior: How Parenting Practices And Parent-Child Relationships Shape Internalizing And Externalizing Behaviors, Angela J. Spikes

Social Work Dissertations

Mental health challenges can emerge across childhood and adolescence, often manifesting as internalizing and externalizing behaviors. These outcomes are shaped by the complex interplay of environmental and contextual influences, particularly parenting practices and family dynamics. This study examines how parental practices and caregiver-child relationship quality influence adolescent internalizing and externalizing behaviors while accounting for key sociodemographic factors, including sex, race/ethnicity, maternal education, income, and household structure. Using a longitudinal design, secondary data were drawn from the Future of Families and Child Well-being Study. The analytic sample included adolescents and caregivers with data from Wave 5 (Year 9) and Wave 6 …