Digital Commons Network^™

"In My Community, If You're An Addict, People Don't Just Look Down On You For The Drugs, But For Being Black, Too": Black And Latine Methadone Patients' Experiences Around Addiction, Methadone Treatment, And Intersectional Stigma, A.M. Ward, T. Wood, Donny Gerke, Suzan Walters, J. Williams, D. Clement, M. Katandu, D. Ferguson, K. Morrison, Yahya Alnashri, Benjamin Grin, Jessica Jaiswal

Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: Stigma surrounding opioid use disorder (OUD) and medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), such as methadone, remains a significant barrier to care, despite the effectiveness of MOUD. Intersectional stigma tied to addiction, methadone treatment, structural racism, and classism disproportionately affects minoritized people with OUD, with direct consequences for health and wellbeing. Less is known about how Black and Latine people in methadone treatment think about and experience various dimensions of stigma related to addiction and the social determinants of health.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Black and Latine patients from two Newark, NJ, United States, methadone clinics (n …

Organizational Demands, Worker Adaptation, And The Relational Ripple Effect In Child Welfare Case Planning, Mackenzie Alexia Leach

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Black Faith-Based Organization Leaders And Their Role In Mental Health, Alyssa Te'rese Green

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Blacks age 65+ have more mental health issues than others but underutilize mental health services because of stigma. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to identify what leaders in Black faith-based organizations believe their role is in supporting their congregants in accessing/attaining mental health services and how they provide support to their elderly congregants who may not have social support that could identify mental health issues. The health belief model and theory of planned behavior were used to explore mental health knowledge and support for the elderly congregants of faith-based organizations. Semistructured interview data from 10 Black religious …

The Intersection Of Ventilator Support And Hospice In Late Als Diagnosis, J. Marco Cipriaso, Md, Kenna Hawes, Md, Margot Noyelle, Md, Megan Cecchine, Md

The Medicine Forum

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) often leads to respiratory failure that can be treated with respiratory support in the form of tracheostomy plus invasive mechanical ventilation. It typically occurs late in the disease course, often allowing patients to adequately prepare by discussing their goals of care. We describe a case of a patient whose ALS was diagnosed after he had TMV initiated. As a result, the patient and family faced a daily decision on when to withdraw ventilator support, and he was unable to achieve his ultimate wish to die at home. We highlight this to recognize that serious illnesses with …

Associative Activists’ Engagement And The Professional Inclusion Of People With Disabilities In Morocco: Challenges And Prospects, Ahmed Belgaid

Revue Marocaine de Droit, d'Economie et de Gestion (Moroccan Journal of Law, Economics and Management)

The professional inclusion of people with disabilities requires the involvement of several stakeholders whose contribution remains underexplored in the Moroccan context. This research highlights the role of non-profit organizations as partners in implementing inclusion policies for people with disabilities. In Morocco, given the lack of professional structures offering support services to companies, candidates and employees with disabilities, working with non-profit organizations appears to be a relevant alternative. Based on an exploratory qualitative methodology, the study examines the contribution of associative actors to the professional inclusion process and the role they play in facilitating recruitment, integration and retention. The results show …

Reconfiguring Civil Society Organization Governance Models For Social Inclusion And Sustainable Innovation: Practical Contributions Of The Tamuri Programme, Oussama El Hadfi, Mostafa Kharbachi

Revue Marocaine de Droit, d'Economie et de Gestion (Moroccan Journal of Law, Economics and Management)

Today, civil society organizations (CSOs) play a decisive role in promoting social innovation and reducing inequalities, particularly in disadvantaged territories. Aware of their potential, several support and guidance schemes have emerged to strengthen their impact. The Tamuri programme, led by the Moroccan Center for Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship (MCISE) and co-funded by the European Union, is part of this dynamic through structured and personalized support for CSOs from diverse territorial contexts. Despite these efforts, many organizations still face difficulties related to governance, financial structuring and the sustainability of their actions. This article aims to analyze, through an empirical approach and …

Summer 2026, Augustana College, Rock Island Illinois

Augustana Magazine

No abstract provided.

Reducing Caregiver Burden In Hospice Care, Aubrey Martin Bsn, Rn

Nurse Residency

In family caregivers of adult hospice patient’s, does a nurse-led support program, compared with usual hospice education, reduce caregiver burden?

Making Digital Connections: Extension Educators’ Perceptions And Use Of Qr Codes, Kobina D. Fanyinkah, Jefferson D. Miller, Casandra Cox, Will Doss

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

While Extension educators recognize the potential of digital tools for outreach, there are still barriers to adoption, effective implementation, and acceptance. The goal of this study was to evaluate Extension educators’ perceptions concerning quick-reponse (QR) codes in outreach activities, including their effectiveness, integration, and barriers faced when using them. The study used a qualitative approach in the form of semi-structured interviews of twelve Extension professionals purposely sampled from the Ozark region of the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. Participants perceived the effective use of the technology to be related to their target clients’ age and technological proficiency. Additionally, Extension professionals reported …

Reconciling Faith And Academic Identity: Evangelical Christian Identity And Ontological Confusion In Sport Studies, Sean Burke

Movement and Being: The Journal of the Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure and Sports Studies

This paper investigates the interplay of ontological confusion and Evangelical Christian identity within the context of qualitative sport studies research. Employing a reflexive autoethnographic method, I explore my personal experiences as an Evangelical Christian and as a social scientist who grapples with the complexities of paradigmatic confusion. Personal vignettes highlight the influence of sporting spaces and figures such as Tim Tebow and Kurt Warner in shaping my faith, identity, and framework for understanding reality. The analysis delves into the challenges posed by competing paradigmatic orientations, including positivism and social constructivism. These paradigms reveal the inherent difficulty of aligning scholarly inquiry …

A Holistic Christian Perspective On Wellness For College Students - A Qualitative Analysis, Shari L. Jurgens, Deb Majewski, Jessica Clevering

Movement and Being: The Journal of the Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure and Sports Studies

Aim: This study sought to explore the impact of a Christ-centered, holistic wellness course on college-aged students’ understanding of key wellness principles. The goal was to gain insight into how students comprehend and apply these principles considering their spiritual and personal development.

Background: Wellness education for undergraduate students is both timely and essential, especially within Christian higher education, where nurturing the whole person is a core value. A common misconception is that wellness pertains only to physical and mental health. However, Scripture affirms that human flourishing involves a harmony of body, mind, and spirit. A holistic, biblically informed approach to …

The Roles Of Shame In Ex-Christians' Personal Experiences And Deconversion Journeys, Anaya Bruno

Florida Atlantic Undergraduate Research Journal

Although the benefits of religion on individuals’ mental wellbeing have been well-studied, research exploring aspects of religion that may prove harmful to mental wellbeing is limited. This study explores the roles of shame in the experiences of ex-Christians that led to their deconversion. The study’s results have implications for understanding the experiences of religious trauma, considering that chronic shame has been linked to the development of trauma. Respondents, recruited via Reddit, answered survey questions about the ways in which they perceived shame to influence their religious experiences, personal experiences, and religious deconversion. Inductive thematic analysis was utilized to derive themes …

The Most Age-Diverse Society In Our Country's History, Cal J. Halvorsen, Logan Fox, Tim B. Zielonko

Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging

The public narrative is that the United States population is getting older. This is, indeed, true. We have more people over age 50 than we have ever had in our country—both in total numbers and in the share of the population. The numbers of older people will continue to grow, all the way up until the projections stop at the year 2100. Many have asked, “What will we do with all of these older people?”

Current Practices And Variations Among Pediatric Severe Asthma Programs In The United States-The North American Severe Pediatric Asthma Consortium., Kristina Gaietto, Nadia Krupp, Avani V. Shah, Erhan Ararat, Samantha H. Averill, Sachin Baxi, Matejka Cernelc-Kohan, Jeffrey M. Chambliss, Heather De Keyser, Monica Federico, Bob Geng, Akilah A. Jefferson, Parisa Kaviany, Lila C. Kertz, Kirsten Kloepfer, Allyson Larkin, Sydney Leibel, Tanya Martinez-Fernandez, Samira Naime, Robert D. Pesek, Dinesh K. Pillai, Deepa Rastogi, Katherine Rivera-Spoljaric, Kristie R. Ross, Franziska J. Rosser, Tregony C. Simoneau, Jade Tam-Williams, Kelan G. Tantisira, William Anderson, Jonathan M. Gaffin, Theresa W. Guilbert, Erick Forno

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Severe and difficult to treat asthma in children is a complex condition causing significant morbidity and associated healthcare costs. While treatment guidelines exist for severe asthma, optimal treatment approaches for the pediatric population are less well established. Furthermore, best practices regarding real world management and implementation of guidelines for the severe pediatric asthma population are lacking. In order to provide care for this population, institutions around the United States have developed multidisciplinary severe pediatric asthma programs (SPAPs). In recent years, the North American Severe Pediatric Asthma Consortium (NASPAC) was established as a mechanism for SPAPs to collaborate and share …

Clinical Ethics Training Needs Among Pediatricians And Pediatric Residents In Ethiopia: Conference-Based Cross-Sectional Survey., Betelehem Kassa, Addishiwot Melesse, Eyob Kebede Etissa, Bitseat W. Haile, Atnafu Mekonnen Tekleab, Stephanie Kukora

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Pediatricians encounter ethically challenging cases in clinical practice throughout the world. In Ethiopia, ethically distressing pediatric cases are heightened by limited resources, lack of ethical frameworks to guide clinical care and withdrawal of supportive therapies, absence of child protection laws, and dearth of trained ethics consultants or institutional ethics committees providing clinical ethics consultation. Ethics training remains limited in undergraduate medical programs and absent in the resident curriculum at most institutions.

METHODS: A survey of Pediatric Residents and Pediatricians attending the Ethiopian Pediatric Society's 24th Annual Conference on March 2023 was conducted using a self-administered, clinical ethics needs assessment. …

Taking The Thumb Off The Scale: Rebalancing Parental And Children’S Rights To Empower Child Protective Services, Sebastian Wagner

Utah Law Review

This Note provides background on the current legal framework of state prevention of child maltreatment in the United States. It discusses parental rights and the Parental Rights Doctrine, child rights in the United States, and how states prevent child maltreatment through child protective service agencies.

This Note also explores the legal landscape surrounding the balance of parental rights and children’s rights in child welfare cases. One of the central issues in the current framework is how the Parental Rights Doctrine can significantly limit the state’s ability to intervene in cases where children are at risk. State intervention, governed by vague …

Nh Ece Research Consortium Research & Evaluation Stakeholder Map, Jess Carson, Evan England, Lisa Bauer

New Hampshire Early Care and Education Research Consortium

New Hampshire's early care and education (ECE) ecosystem is complex and includes a broad, dynamic community of people and organizations who contribute to and rely upon ECE research. This visual stakeholder "map" documents the organizations that contribute to research and evaluation in NH ECE. These maps rely on contributions, updates, and refinements from the field and are meant to be a shared resource reflecting the complexity and partnerships in New Hampshire's ECE ecosystem.

Purpose In Practice: A Master Of Social Work Professional Portfolio, Lexi M. Laird

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Alphabet Soup Of The Special Education System, Grace Hansen

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Transition age students with disabilities are increasingly expected to practice self advocacy and take an active role in planning their futures. However, a review of existing special education literature reveals a significant gap. While substantial resources exist to help parents and general education teachers navigate the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process. Accessible for age appropriate tools designed directly for student understanding remain scarce. To bridge this divide, this project introduces a student centered curriculum framework designed for secondary students in grades 7 through 12. Drawing upon foundational special education pedagogy, the project breaks down complex IEP terminology, processes, and meeting …

Framing Schools As A Second Home For Children, Christian Duncan

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone explores how a structured professional development program can create greater unity and mutual understanding among educators by framing the school as a “second home” comparable to a parent household. The project developed from observations of division, dissatisfaction, and strained relationships among educators and considers how these dynamics can influence school culture and the stability students experience. Key influences included research on child development, home and school stability, teacher well-being, professional relationships, and effective professional development. Research from Darling-Hammond and Cook-Harvey (2018) emphasized the importance of emotional and physical safety, supportive adult relationships, and belonging for student development, while …

Rooted In Wonder: Cultivating A Connection To The Environment Through Nature-Based Learning In Central Mexico, Mikaela Tennis

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Children are spending less time outdoors and feeling increasingly disconnected from the natural world. This reduced exposure and lack of interaction limits opportunities to form early connections with nature, which have lasting benefits into adulthood. Nature-based learning approaches have been proven to increase a sense of nature connectedness, which in turn strengthens one’s environmental attitudes and behaviors while supporting mental health and well-being. To address limited access to nature-based learning experiences in Central Mexico, this capstone draws from research on nature connectedness, nature-based learning, and nature center design to answer the question, How can a nature-based learning center be designed …

How Wounded Healer Trainees Develop Self-Awareness Of Their Wounds And Use This Self-Awareness In Clinical Work, Nishi Ravi

Dissertations (1934 -)

The wounded healer, a concept originally introduced by Carl Jung (1951), characterizes individuals who, having undergone personal struggles or ‘wounding,’ feel inclined to alleviate the suffering of others. Extant literature attests to the prevalence of woundedness among counseling professionals and to the potential benefits and risks their wounds pose in clinical practice. Despite its widespread use across the literature, the wounded healer concept has yet to be formally and empirically operationalized, and this study addresses that gap by offering a concrete, empirically grounded definition of the construct. Yet, while wounded healers are increasingly recognized across counseling training contexts, little research …

Gold & Blue, Summer 2026, St. Mary's University - San Antonio, Texas

Gold & Blue

This is the Summer 2026 edition of Gold & Blue, which is St. Mary’s University's official alumni magazine.

Exploring Primary Care Providers’ Compassionate Care And Their Evidence-Based Practice With Death, Grief, And Loss: Patient Experience And Perspective, Kathryn Krzykala

Dissertations

Research on primary care providers’ (PCPs) education regarding Death, Grief, and Loss (DGL) remains limited. Specifically, data is lacking regarding patients' perceptions and opinions on what they need and expect from their PCPs regarding grief and loss. This exploratory mixed-method study comprised 146 participants who had experienced death and non-death loss. It examined participants' perceptions of 1) PCP compassion, 2) PCP utilization of evidence-based grief and loss practices, 3) their own level of comfort discussing DGL with their PCPs during medical visits, and 4) their personal grief and loss experiences. The findings revealed that PCPs' grief-informed evidence-based treatment, as reflected …

Implementing Student Choice Through Social-Emotional Learning To Support Independence And Motivation In Elementary Education, Allison Sloan

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Most people feel more motivated and invested in the work they are doing when they have a voice in the matter. This remains true for elementary students with their school work. This capstone paper analyzes and compares research articles to answer the guiding question: How can classroom strategies grounded in SEL and student choice promote independence while supporting diverse learning needs? The guiding question and project were created due to a noticeable lack of choice being represented and provided in elementary classrooms. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between student choice, social-emotional learning, and student independence …

Beyond The Classroom

DePaul Magazine

DePaul's Irwin W. Steans Center, celebrating its 25th anniversary, has evolved into a national higher-education leader in community-engaged service learning, connecting faculty, students and community organizations to foster mutually beneficial initiatives and outcomes.

Therapy With Empathy

DePaul Magazine

DePaul's Speech Language Pathology and Occupational Therapy graduate programs, newly aligned in the Department of Rehabilitative Sciences and Professions at the College of Science and Health, employ a community assets-based approach to serving diverse populations and individuals' needs across the lifespan.

Fostering Wellness: Developing Strategies To Improve Mental Health And Decrease Burnout For Professionals Serving Foster Youth, Amaya Dorado Ledesma

Occupational Therapy Student Capstones

High burnout rates, turnover, and decreased mental health are limiting not only foster youth professionals, but also the families and children they serve.

Hope College Magazine, Volume 58, Number 1: Summer 2026, Hope College

Hope College Magazine

No abstract provided.

Msw Portfolio: Through Courage And Heart, Meghan N. Conklin

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio discusses my journey through the MSW program highlighting anti-oppressive frameworks, ethics, trauma informed care, and indigenous practice. This portfolio displays how I met the core competencies of advanced integrative practice with a focus on practice with youth in and out of institutional setting.