Digital Commons Network^™

From Cyclones To Cybersecurity: A Call For Convergence In Risk And Crisis Communications Research, Ann Marie Reinhold, Ross J. Gore, Barry Ezell, Clemente I. Izurieta, Elizabeth A. Shanahan

VMASC Publications

Effective risk and crisis communication can improve health and safety and reduce harmful effects of hazards and disasters. A robust body of literature investigates mechanisms for improving risk and crisis communication. While effective risk and crisis communication strategies are equally desired across different hazard types (e.g., natural hazards, cyber security), the extent to which risk and crisis communication experts utilize the “lessons learned” from scientific domains outside their own is suspect. Therefore, we hypothesized that risk and crisis communication research is siloed according to academic disciplines at the detriment to the advancement of the field of risk communications research writ …

Burnout In Board-Certified Behavior Analysts, Casey J. Kane

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Burnout is a pervasive challenge among board-certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) due to the high performance demands and extensive workload associated with their roles. This study investigated the effectiveness of a self-advocacy intervention in mitigating burnout among BCBAs. Using a waitlist control design with repeated measures, nine BCBAs participated in an asynchronous intervention focused on communication, organization, and self-care strategies. Burnout levels were measured at baseline, post-waitlist, and post-intervention using the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory. Results showed a reduction in burnout levels, with improvements in disengagement and exhaustion scores across participants. Additionally, the intervention increased the frequency of behaviors associated with burnout …

Critical Analysis Of Gestational Diabetes Risk Factors: A Systematic Review, Madison Keich, Madeleine Ray, Mia Ross

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is a common complication of pregnancy that causes an increased blood sugar that can affect both the mother's and baby’s health. A variety of factors can increase the risk of developing the disease, including race, socioeconomic status, and prenatal education. Each of these factors contributes to the experience of one’s maternal care. Expecting mothers may not understand how significant GDM is, and its potential to result in negative outcomes. It is important to review these factors, acknowledge them, and help reduce health disparities caused by them. Nurses are vital to assessing and delivering patient education on …

Sealing The Deal: A Case Study Of A Private, Southeastern, Regional College’S Student Onboarding Practices, Alicia R. Gaston, Kristen Meyer, Tyler Ogden, Jennifer Perkinson, Casey Yocum Michaels

Doctor of Education Capstones

Each year, higher education institutions offer support to new, incoming students through an onboarding process that requires dedication and collaboration across multiple departments. Offering streamlined guidance and clear communication throughout the onboarding process is essential to ensure incoming students understand action steps without becoming overwhelmed with new terminology, processes, and environments. This explanatory case study is set to understand the current communication practices and technology use across onboarding departments at Brightside College – also referred to as Brightside or BC (pseudonym). The research team aimed to understand Brightside's onboarding staff's perspective of current processes and practices. With emphasis on the …

Shattering The Glass Ceiling: Comparative Narratives Of Women Leaders In Public Relations In Ghana And The United States Of America, Adriana Kukuwaa Adu

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study explores the lived experiences of women in public relations (PR) leadership roles in both Ghana and the United States, focusing on the cultural, institutional, and societal barriers that shape their professional journeys. Employing a qualitative research design, the study involved ten women in senior PR positions, five from each country, through in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis identified six key themes: institutional barriers and gendered expectations; double standards in leadership communication; the influence of stereotypes; mentorship and support; intra-gender competition; and leadership agency and optimism. Guided by Social Role Theory, Glass Ceiling Theory, Feminist Standpoint Theory, and Transformational Leadership …

Love At First Words: A Communication Competency Approach To Romantic Relationship Initiation, Grace E. Wiegand

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Initial interactions are essential to romantic relationship formation, and both parties must desire a second interaction after an initial encounter for the relationship to advance. Many studies have explored the communication styles and tactics that are effective in a person desiring a second interaction from a dating initiation scenario. However, existing research has yet to explain why some communication strategies do or do not result in second interactions. The current study seeks to examine this phenomenon further, testing the extent to which perceived partner communication competence influences a person to want to see another again after an initial interaction. In …

Nursing Simulation For Pediatric Communication: An Integrative Literature Review, Jayla R. Call

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The aim of this thesis is to explore literature focused on enhancing nursing students' communication skills with pediatric patients through simulation. Effective communication is key to building rapport and trust, which are essential for improving patient outcomes. However, nursing students may experience anxiety when interacting with pediatric patients due to limited training in communication techniques. Simulation offers a valuable opportunity for students to practice and refine their skills in a risk-free environment, allowing them to build confidence and competence. An integrative literature review was conducted, utilizing three databases and PRISMA guidelines (Page et al., 2021) to gather relevant studies for …

Patient Experiences And Prerequisites Of Collaboration As Partners In Person-Centred Care: An Interview Study, Lena Rosenlund, Sofie Jakobsson, Helen Lloyd, Anna Diffner, Åsa Lundgren-Nilsson, Anna Dencker

School of Psychology

Aim: To explore what characterises communication and collaboration within a patient and professional partnership in outpatient care settings garnered from the experiences of persons living with long-term conditions. Design: A qualitative descriptive study design. Methods: Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 15 persons with long-term condition/s who experienced outpatient treatment or follow-up care. Data were explored through inductive thematic analysis. The COREQ checklist was followed. Results: The analysis revealed five themes: adapting and self-managing in daily life, handling and carrying information, building trust and continuity, acting in a flexible and transparent dialogue and sharing the way forward. The participants described …

Llms Enhance Emotional Expression While Maintaining Analytical Depth In News Writing, Samuel Mazzone, Jonah Harlan, Larry Zhiming Xu, Terence T. Ow

Management Faculty Research and Publications

As the impact of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) becomes increasingly evident in automated journalism, leveraging its potential while mitigating the risks becomes a priority in research. To address this need, our study evaluated the performance of large language models (LLMs) in news writing. We tested 11 LLMs by having them rewrite headlines and content from articles published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service (NNS) between 2011 and 2023. The analysis and comparison of 3,623 human-written and 39,853 AI-adapted news pieces showed that different LLMs consistently enhanced emotional expression in headlines (Cohen’s d = .33) and in news content (Cohen’s d = …

Senior Registered Nurses' Organisational Communication Satisfaction, Job Satisfaction, Burnout, And Intention To Stay: A Cross-Sectional Study Of Two Healthcare Groups, Gemma Doleman, Kaoru Nosaka, Annemarie De Leo

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Aim: To explore organisational communication satisfaction and its impact on senior registered nurses' job satisfaction, burnout, and intention to stay. Design: A cross-sectional design using surveys. The study was conducted with senior registered nurses across two healthcare groups in Western Australia. Results: One hundred seventy-four usable surveys were returned. The results of this study indicated that those with higher communication satisfaction levels were more likely to have higher levels of job satisfaction. Senior registered nurses who intended to leave their jobs had a higher risk of emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation, which may result in higher rates of burnout compared to …

Beyond The Drill: Understanding Empathy Among Undergraduate Dental Students, Muhammad Qasim Javed, Zaina Ahmad, Muhammad Muhammad, Kamran Ali, Arham Riaz, Rebecca Glanville

Peninsula Dental School

Introduction: Compassionate care and empathy are fundamental components of health care which contribute to the social construction of physician–patient relationship to meet the expectations of the patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical empathy among undergraduate dental students at a University in the Middle East. Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study which used purposive sampling to recruit undergraduate dental students from five academic years. The Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy-Health Profession Students was used, a reliable 20-item tool with a total score ranging from 20 to 140. Data collection was done online using Google Forms. …

How Epilepsy Risks Might Be Introduced And Discussed In Clinical Consultations, Rohit Shankar

Peninsula Medical School

AbstractAdverse impacts of epilepsy (e.g., injury, depression, and Sudden Unexpected Death from Epilepsy (SUDEP) can be mitigated by factors that patients may control, such as medication adherence, improved sleep and diet, reduced alcohol and taking care around pregnancy. New guidelines state that risk should be discussed at the time of diagnosis but some clinicians express concern about not wanting to raise anxiety.ObjectiveTo explicate practices by which epilepsy expert clinicians broach discussions of risk in specialist epilepsy clinics.Methods24 recordings of initial telephone appointments at specialist clinics where epilepsy is diagnosed from two specialist outpatient epilepsy services in England were subjected to …

Which Discourses Underpin Long-Term, Autistic/Non-Autistic Romantic Couples’ Understandings Of Their Relationship As They Live With And Accommodate Each Other? A Critical Discourse/Narrative Inquiry, Vivien Southall

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This piece of work draws on both critical discourse and critical narrative inquiry to examine the long-term romantic relationship experiences of those in autistic/non-autistic long-term romantic relationships. Four couples participated, three heterosexual and one female same-sex couple. The participants were given the opportunity to tell their narratives in a variety of forms, through interviews, emails, stories and with photographs and mementoes as prompts. These forms inspired the way that the data was retold in the research using a variety of styles reflecting the narrative choices of the participants. Through interviews with participants individually and as a couple, over sixteen months, …

Officers’ Perceptions Of Body-Worn Cameras: An Exploratory Study Of Small Police Departments In Upstate New York, Stefan A. Dela Riva

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

The aim of this exploratory study is to examine how police officers perceive the impact of body-worn cameras (BWCs) on their use of discretion when communicating with members of the public. In this context, “discretion” refers to an officer’s authority to make independent judgments while enforcing the law; deciding whether to issue a warning, make an arrest, or resolve an incident informally when legality permits. To understand officers’ opinions, a cross-sectional, quantitative online survey was distributed to various police departments and sheriff’s offices in upstate New York. Participants completed a series of Likert-style survey items addressing their general views on …

Talking About Suffering In The Intensive Care Unit, Brent M Kious, Judith B Vick, Peter A Ubel, Olivia Sutton, Jennifer Blumenthal-Barby, Christopher E Cox, Deepshikha Ashana

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Background: Some have hypothesized that talk about suffering can be used by clinicians to motivate difficult decisions, especially to argue for reducing treatment at the end of life. We examined how talk about suffering is related to decision-making for critically ill patients, by evaluating transcripts of conversations between clinicians and patients' families.

Methods: We conducted a secondary qualitative content analysis of audio-recorded family meetings from a multicenter trial conducted in the adult intensive care units of five hospitals from 2012-2017 to look at how the term "suffering" and its variants were used. A coding guide was developed by consensus-oriented discussion …

Personalized Persuasion In The Digital Age: A Data-Driven Approach To Effective Communication, Annye Braca

Doctoral

This thesis investigates the potential of Machine Learning (ML) to personalize persuasive marketing messages. It explores the identification of individuals receptive to specific persuasion techniques based on their psychometric profiles. By developing ML models that incorporate these profiles, the thesis aims to predict the impact of tailored messages and improve the effectiveness of marketing communication.

Tweeting Over Time: Twitter/X For Communication, Assessment, And Growth In Middle Level Teacher Education, Toni M. Williams

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

This article shares how preservice Middle Level teacher candidates used social media, specifically Twitter/X as both a resource and a tool and how that tool became important in assessing student growth and knowledge building which, in turn, informed instructional planning for the teacher education classroom. This is paramount for teacher educators and the future educators they teach, as they are preparing to create a variety of engagements for learning in teacher education programs and in middle level classrooms. Creating an online community is a means in which all preservice teachers can use their voices while at the same time having …

Bridging The Governance Gap: Addressing Board Turnover And Team Building In Northern California Special Districts, Karin R. Freese

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The turnover of publicly elected or appointed board members in Northern California’s special districts poses a significant challenge to effective governance, impacting these local governments' strategic capabilities and mission accomplishment. Despite extensive research on governance, there is a notable gap concerning the effects of turnover and the role of formal training in building effective governance teams in special districts. This qualitative multiple-case study addresses this gap by investigating the governance dynamics following board turnover, focusing on the perspectives of both board members and general managers. Employing a flexible design, the study integrates interviews, document analysis, and archival data to examine …

Exploring The Uses And Gratifications Of Higher Education Online Multimedia Instructional Tools: A Qualitative Study, Shelby Lord

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research study examined the communication goals that motivate California Community College (CCC) faculty to employ multimedia instructional tools in their online classes. Additionally, this study investigated the positive and negative impacts of multimedia instructional tools on faculty-to-student communication. A qualitative research method was utilized for this research study. Findings were obtained from June 2024 through August 2024 using 25 qualitative semi-structured one-on-one interviews. Participants were faculty who were currently teaching remote classes through the CCC system, faculty who approved the informed consent for the study, and faculty who agreed to participate in a semi-structured interview. A thematic analysis process …

Building Bridges An Inclusive Practices Toolkit To Empower Neurodivergent Adults In The Workplace, Gloria Saldana

Student Theses and Dissertations

In this toolkit, designed for managers of neurodivergent employees, we will dig into the complexities of neurodivergence, specifically of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This toolkit aims to promote inclusivity within the workplace. We need to bridge the gap in improving neurodivergence education by understanding characteristics and communication differences, identifying cues, stigma, and consequences of actions ( e.g., bullying). Prioritizing each person's needs allows neurodivergent individuals and employers to discover natural talents and thrive within a diverse society. Through interactive sessions and practical exercises, managers will learn strategies for clear and concise communication, facilitating smoother collaboration, and initiating changes in the …

Enhancing Communication And Swallowing Skills In Children With Cri Du Chat Syndrome: A Comprehensive Speech Therapy Guide, Soultana Papadopoulou, Areti Anagnostopoulou, Dimitra V. Katsarou, Kalliopi Megari, Efthymia Efthymiou, Alexandros Argyriadis, Georgios Kougioumtzis, Maria Theodoratou, Maria Sofologi, Agathi Argyriadi, Efterpi Pavlidou, Eugenia I. Toki

All Works

Background: A specific deletion on the short arm of chromosome 5 (5p) is the hallmark of the rare genetic syndrome called Cri du Chat Syndrome (CdCS). It causes severe difficulty with swallowing, speech, motor skills, and cognitive deficiencies. These arise from characteristic laryngeal abnormalities and oral–motor dysfunctions. Objective: This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of speech and language intervention in addressing the multifaceted challenges of CdCS, including speech and language impairments, feeding difficulties, and social communication deficits. Methods: A narrative review was conducted to synthesize existing studies from the last 35 years on therapeutic interventions for individuals with CdCS. …

Improving Compliance In Missed Visits Documentation, Ma Rosalie Felix

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem: Within the South Bay Hospice Agency, documentation compliance for missed visits was 68% in the first quarter of 2024, when the national standard should be 100% according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Context: Inadequate nurse documentation and communication between health professionals can lead to medical errors, poor team communication and suboptimal patient outcomes (Tasew et al., 2019). Therefore, the importance of documentation compliance is imperative. Hospice staff perform scheduled visits for terminally ill patients 1-2 times a week; however, a missed visit can occur when a patient declines it for a variety of reasons.

Interventions: The …

The Cowl - V. 88 N. 10 - December 12, 2024

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Vol. 88 No. 10 - December 12, 2024. 20 pages.

A Qualitative Analysis Applying Uses And Gratifications Theory To Explore The Types Of Spaces Within Facebook Post Comments Regarding Mental Illness And Suicide, Melissa Rice

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The current study investigated spaces created within Facebook comments on posts related to mental illness and suicide. The uses and gratification theory and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs served as the framework for this qualitative study utilizing content analysis to analyze 14,186 comments from 175 Facebook posts. This study highlights how user comments on specific posts create engagement spaces that turn positive or negative based on Facebook users' need for fulfillment. The findings also suggest that users engage with posts to meet various needs, such as seeking validation and attention, fulfilling a desire to feel valued, connecting with others through shared …

The Cowl - V. 88 N. 9 - December 5, 2024

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Vol. 88 No. 9 - December 5, 2024. 16 pages.

The Effects Of First Responder Stress & Trauma On Spouses And Romantic Partners, Eden Thiess

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

First responder jobs pose unique difficulties due to the sheer number of traumatic events that they witness and personally experience. Research has demonstrated some effects of stress and trauma on family relationships, but the literature lacks an understanding of the ways that first responder trauma and stress affects their marriages and romantic relationships. The current study’s purpose was to investigate the experiences of first responder spouses and partners within the Las Vegas area in regards to stress, trauma, and relationship dynamics as influenced by the first responder role. In this study, 11 participants who were in a marriage or romantic …

Script Fading And Training: Evaluating The Necessity Of Visual Cues To Teach Contextually Appropriate Play Commenting, Devanio J. Cousins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is marked by many areas of need, including play and communication. These areas of concern can have a negative impact on a child's development. Applied behavior analysis, specifically script training and fading procedures, has shown promise in teaching communication during play to young autistic children. However, traditional script training and fading methods have some limitations, including the skills the children already possess to learn the scripts and the resources needed to teach the scripts. Recent studies have shown that script frames can be taught without using traditional training formats (i.e., text, auditory) but by using generic …

Life Experiences Of Limited English Proficiency Patients With Established Cardiovascular Diseases Living In The Us-Mexico Border, Cristina Dominguez De Quezada, Crystal Brown, Enrique Barrientos

Sigma Foundation for Nursing Research Grant Reports

The proposed study aimed to explore the life experiences of Limited English Proficiency Hispanic/Latinos with established cardiovascular conditions when interacting in a predominantly English-speaking healthcare environment in the US-Mexico border.

The Current (Including Special Section) - Volume 35 Issue 6, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Exploring Consumer And Clinician Attitudes Towards Patient Reported Outcome Measures (Proms) In An Australian Inpatient Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Unit: A Qualitative Pilot Study, Rehana Di Rico, Louisa Ng, Jacquelin T. Capell

Patient Experience Journal

Objective: This pilot qualitative study explores consumers' and clinicians' perspectives about the relevance and utility of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) in an Australian inpatient rehabilitation unit. Methods: Two focus groups, were recruited via convenience sampling, comprising English speaking rehabilitation clinicians (n = 5) and consumers (n = 6) who had recent experience of inpatient musculoskeletal rehabilitation in a large, privately funded, rehabilitation hospital in Melbourne Australia, in 2020. The focus groups were conducted via videoconference, moderated by two experienced rehabilitation clinician-researchers, following semi-structured interview guides. Focus group recordings were professionally transcribed for coding and thematic analysis by …