Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of War Exposure On Psychological Well-Being And Social Preferences, Jacinta B. Duncan

Master's Theses

Using original survey and experimental data collected in Ukraine in 2023 and 2024, this paper estimates the causal impact of exposure to war-related violence on psychological outcomes, social preferences, and cognitive functioning. I combine a disaggregated war experience index with two incentivized economic experiments - a modified Dictator Game and an Emotional Stroop Test - and exploit randomized variation in task order as a priming treatment to establish causal identification. I find that war exposure has clear and consistently negative effects on psychological well-being, with direct personal experience producing the largest reduction in DASS well-being (β=−0.338 SD, p < 0.01), and that these effects are broadly distributed across demographic groups - though women report disproportionately higher psychological distress even at low levels of exposure. Social support emerges as the most effective buffer against war-related psychological harm, nearly eliminating the well-being gap between high- and low-exposure individuals, while economic hardship compounds distress and drives passive coping responses. In contrast, war exposure has limited and context-specific effects on social preferences: property loss and direct exposure increase prosocial behavior, but only when sharing is costless, consistent with solidarity norms operating within binding resource constraints. Cognitive task performance is largely unaffected by war exposure or emotional priming, with education emerging as the dominant predictor of Stroop performance across all specifications. Taken together, these findings support targeted, gender-sensitive mental health interventions and community-based support programs as high-leverage instruments for mitigating the long-term human costs of conflict.

A Pot Of Gold At The End Of The Assembly Line: Jewelry, Facture, And Alienation, Jonathon A. Zalakos

Masters Theses

A Pot of Gold at the End of the Assembly Line integrates icons of mass-manufacturing with signifiers of joyful work, stimulating a dialogue between industrial and craft labour. Visible traces of the making process left on these works conjure a spectral ‘maker’, implied by the fingerprints, toolmarks, assembly, and conspicuous decision making of an ‘other’. As we relate to these signifiers as opportunities for our own bodily action, this spectre speaks in our own voice. Possessed by this ghost, viewers are vicariously thrust into an imaginary context and made sensitive to the nature of this work — whether it validates …

The Current Status Of Utah Women & Girls: A Research Synopsis: 2026, Susan R. Madsen, Corinne Clarkson

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

In 2025, U.S. News and World Report rated each state using 71 metrics across eight categories. Utah was rated the #1 “Best State Overall” for the third year in a row, ranking first in fiscal responsibility and third in both the economy and infrastructure categories and fourth in education.¹ Utah was also ranked number one for “Economic Outlook” by Rich States, Poor States in 2025, a forward-looking forecast that is based on 15 state policy variables.² WalletHub ranked Utah as the second “Most Charitable State” and the number one state for volunteering and service.³ In addition, ConsumerAffairs …

A Quantitative Study Examining The Impact Of Gender On Covenantal Empowerment And Mental Health Quality Of Life Among 911 Dispatchers, Michael Ryan Udriét

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative correlational study examined factors affecting the mental health quality of life (MHQoL) of 911 dispatchers in Greater Richmond, Virginia. Dispatchers frequently experience psychological strain due to exposure to traumatic calls, demanding workloads, and inconsistent organizational support. Leadership is a crucial factor in shaping well-being, yet the influence of covenantal empowerment (CE)—a model emphasizing mutual support, shared accountability, and relational trust—on dispatcher mental health remains underexplored. This study examined the relationship between CE and MHQoL, explored gender as a moderator, and considered additional demographic and work-related factors including age, years of experience, work shift, length of shift, marital status, …

Girls On Screens And Boys In The Streets: Afrobeats Dance, Gender, And Waithood In Lagos, Nigeria, Gali Kinkulkin, Moshe Morad, Lynn Schler

Journal of International Women's Studies

The global success of the musical genre of Afrobeats has generated substantial scholarly interest in the experiences of singers and musicians within the industry. Scholars of this genre have examined an array of topics, including cultural identity, gender disparities, socioeconomic impact, and the global music industry. However, few studies focus on the experiences of Afro dancers despite the critical role of dance in the genre’s international popularity; those that do centralise dance concentrate primarily on how women dancers navigate an industry that both empowers and objectifies women. This study departs from these earlier studies by examining the lived experiences of …

From Anxiety To Resilience: A Case Study Of Female-Identifying Middle School Students At A Math Summer Camp, Elizabeth Teixeira

Educational Studies Dissertations

Mathematics anxiety, defined as a fear that hampers engagement in mathematical tasks (Richardson & Suinn, 1972), affects nearly 50% of students (Johnston-Wilder et al., 2014) and has a disproportionate impact on female students (Devine et al., 2018; Stoet et al., 2016). Math anxiety is often treated in the research literature as a relatively stable trait. This perspective may not fully capture how anxiety manifests in specific moments of mathematical engagement or account for the role of environmental conditions that can both precipitate and mitigate anxious responses. In response to these gaps, this study investigates how mathematics anxiety manifests in …

Weaving In The Ends: Analyzing Fiber Art As A Subversive Symbol In Virginia Woolf’S To The Lighthouse And The Years, Samantha J. Klein

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Scholars have long overlooked the role of fiber arts in Virginia Woolf’s fiction, treating the artform as acts of ‘women’s work.’ In an attempt to fill this gap, I posit that fiber arts operate as subversion of the Victorian ‘Angel in the House’ trope within two of Woolf’s novels, To the Lighthouse and The Years. While scholarship on To the Lighthouse cites Mrs. Ramsay’s perpetual status within the home as proof of her role as an ‘Angel in the House,’ her preferred hobby of knitting actually subverts this. Most Englishwomen during the Victorian era chose to follow their Queen’s example …

“The Hond Hire Helde”: Solidarity, Mirroring, And Foreshadowing Between Helen, Cassandra, And Criseyde In Chaucer’S Troilus And Criseyde, Mallory K. Warner

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Geoffry Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde has divided readers and critics alike when addressing the main female protagonist: Criseyde. The poem follows Criseyde and her love interest Troilus, during the final days of the Trojan War, as the two are thrust together into a tragic affair then ripped apart by outside forces and the consequences of their own choices. By the end of the narrative, Criseyde’s autonomy is stripped from her as she is traded in a hostage exchange to the Greek army. In her last present moment in the poem, Criseyde comes to the realization that remaining true to Troilus …

Miss Ogilvy Does Not Find Herself: The Repression Of Queer Expression Post World War I, Kennedie Krieger

2026 Symposium

World War l was a historical period of intense societal change, and although it brought upon a lot of devastation, there were also groups of people that experienced liberation because of the war. Radclyffe Hall’s short story “Miss Ogilvy Finds Herself” is an example of the ways in which the war offered relief for queer women who had previously been expected to exist within rigid gender roles. Through an uncommon perspective, readers are able to get a sense of the ways in which gendered societal expectations shifted during the war and the positive outcomes this brought about. Although these hopeful …

From Your Pov: Using Narrative-Focused Methodology To Study Psychological Correlates Of Sexual Health Behaviors, Zoë E. Sweaney, Stephanie Afful

The Confluence

How far would you go (or not go) to protect yourself from risky sexual behaviors? Additionally, what influence does our gender identity and socialization have on these decisions? In the current series of studies, a story-driven safe-sex behavioral assessment was developed and administered to participants to assess the relationships amongst psychological indices, personal values, and sexual health. This research confirms the validity of an instrument that queries sensitive data while controlling for social desirability concerns. The applications of this research are especially pertinent to improving upon interpersonal communication, sexual health education, and women’s sexual health advocacy.

Economic Survival And Chosen Kinship: Analyzing Intersectionality’S Role In Reframing Trans Representation In Tangerine, Lydia Britton '27

Student Research

Transgender representation in mainstream media has grown in recent years. However, these portrayals are often hegemonic, clinging to a traditional worldview. Depictions of trans characters prioritize Whiteness, higher socioeconomic status, and transitions that adhere to the binary. Additionally, transgender characters often have access to gender-affirming care and are supported by their families throughout their transition (Mocarski et al., 2019). Research on the media representations of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals points out how these portrayals reinforce ideals surrounding transnormativity, or the idea that trans people’s identities and experiences must be applied to the dominant binary and medicalized framework (Bradford …

The Role Of Gender And Salient Social Identities In Producing Vulnerability And Maladptation To Flooding In Koraso, Berekum, Ghana, Kingsley Damoah Oppong

Geography ETDs

This paper highlights how social identities like polygamy, illiteracy, and ethnicity hinder rural women farmers in Ghana from adapting to climate change. It advocates for an intersectional approach to address these challenges, moving beyond simplistic gender binaries. Using qualitative interviews (n=49) in a flood-prone village in Berekum, Ghana, the study reveals how these identities intersect with gender roles and colonial legacies, exacerbating vulnerability. It bridges Black feminist thought with climate change, an underexplored area, offering insights into climate change and environmental studies, as well as Black feminist scholarship. This research urges a reevaluation of how we understand climate change in …

They’Ve Been Waiting For Me A Long Time, Anna Minzer

Theses

They’ve Been Waiting for Me a Long Time is a photo-based project saturated in process, layers, and iterations. Using collage as a connective approach, They’ve Been Waiting for Me a Long Time interrogates the boundaries of the domestic and wild, the aestheticized and the abject and the trappings of gender in tension with queer values.      As my visual art encapsulates a variety of approaches, my sources and inspirations manifest from a variety of media—installation, literature, philosophy, photography, and wallpaper. With an assortment of influences, I demonstrate a proclivity towards the liminal. A prime purpose of They’ve Been Waiting for Me …

I Lost My Number, Can I Have Yours? Body Image Satisfaction With Sexually Dimorphic Traits Is Associated With Men's Dating Anxiety And Confidence, David A. Frederick, Tania A. Reynolds, Nikoline L. Smart, Justin R. Garcia, David A. Puts

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Evolutionary scientists posit that sexual selection processes caused males to develop sexually dimorphic traits to aid them during intrasexual competition and increase their likelihood of being chosen as mates. Evolutionary social sciences have extensively examined women's preferences for traits such as muscle mass and voice pitch, reasoning that these traits serve as cues of men's ability to provide direct benefits (e.g., resources) and indirect (genetic) benefits passed on to offspring. At the same time, body image researchers have extensively focused on the social causes and consequences of men's dissatisfaction with their muscularity and body fat. We connected these two research …

Gendered Socialization Of Comfort With Risk And The Selection Of A College Major, Eliza S. Staton

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study investigates the potential relationship between the gendered socialization of risk preferences and the selection of a college major. Women are underrepresented in many fields of study, but especially in those related to science, technology, engineering, and math (S.T.E.M). Careers in STEM fields tend to require degree paths that require difficult classes, with lower average grade points, and a high chance of failure. As of 2023, only 24% of the student body in the College of Engineering at the University of Arkansas was composed of women (Uark 2023). These high-pressure, male-dominated environments have been found to lose women at …

Dominance And Desire: Perceptions Of Dominant And Submissive Traits Among Men And Women, Anna Mahealani Gritzenbach

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Dominant, possessive “alpha male” characters are common across media and often embody traditional masculine norms, which include emotional stoicism, physical strength, and assertiveness. Portrayals such as these reinforce hegemonic masculinity and masculine honor ideology, which position dominance as essential to men’s social and romantic success, and submission as the expectation for women. Previous research has not explored how both dominant and submissive traits are evaluated across genders, and how endorsement of masculine honor ideology vary these perceptions. We examined how men and women perceive dominant and submissive traits in male and female characters across perceived romantic attraction, social attraction, leadership …

Exploring The Significance Of Hyper-Feminine Fashion Within Gen Z, Riley D. Frymark

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study examines the rise of hyper-feminine fashion within Gen Z and the role that social media plays in shaping trends. Through a social media content analysis, this study explores how hyper-feminine fashion and aesthetics gained popularity and how it is perceived by Gen Z women. The findings suggest that Gen Z associates hyper-feminine fashion with empowerment, agency, and a sense of nostalgia redefining and challenging traditional expectations of femininity. These findings informed a fashion design developed to reflect key themes and design elements identified in the content analysis such as a pink color palette, lace, bows, and ruffles. Overall, …

Surface Gestures: Contemporary Sculpture, Material, And The Possibilities Of Finish, June Kitahara

Theses and Dissertations

Through the work of Tiona Nekkia McClodden, Patty Chang, and Jes Fan, alongside performance, cinema, cultural figures, and twentieth-century sculpture, the thesis argues that the surface of contemporary works reveals the inextricability of aesthetics from technologies of gendered racialization, sexuality, and sensation.

Domestic Cow Of Plenty: Gender And Womanhood In The Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Harshika Ajay Gupta

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis examines gender and womanhood in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa (Bhāgavata), a Sanskrit text from the 10th century CE that holds an important theological and cultural position in contemporary Hindu traditions. It decodes the Bhāgavata’s unique perspectives on the following: (1) gender, sex, sexuality, and reproduction, (2) women’s social normativity, and (3) women’s personhood and agency. This thesis argues that the Bhāgavata contains a unique theorization of gender and sex as well as a positive valuation of femininity, and that it imbues its narratives with practical resources and actions to recognize and expand the agentive capacity of women.

For scholars …

Gender-Neutral Insurance Reform In The United States: Actuarial Challenges In Pricing And Reserving, Matthew O'Connor

Honors Scholar Theses

This paper examines whether gender remains an appropriate rating variable in the U.S. insurance industry. Gender has historically been used across several lines of insurance because it has demonstrated predictive value in areas such as mortality, claim frequency, and health utilization. However, the continued use of gender creates challenges as insurance systems attempt to accommodate individuals who do not fall within traditional male/female binary classifications.

The paper first reviews the current state of gender use in U.S. insurance, including examples from auto, health, life, and annuity markets. It then considers equity and ethical concerns, particularly the tension between actuarial fairness …

The Mouse At The Border: Magic, Money, And Manufactured Identity, Ricardo Manuel Hinojosa

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis investigates the methods by which The Walt Disney Company constructs and negotiates representations of Latine, gender, and queer identities within contemporary animation, with a particular emphasis on Coco (2017), Encanto (2021), and Wish (2023). Through a critical and intersectional lens, this research posits that Disney strikes a balance between cultural specificity and global market appeal, often leading to representations that are visually elaborate yet narratively limited. Both Coco and Encanto showcase a significant engagement with cultural traditions and themes such as memory and generational trauma; however, they ultimately fall short of thoroughly addressing systemic issues like colonialism and …

Mind The Gap: Exploring Sociocultural And Educational Factors Contributing To The Gender-Based Achievement Gap In Early Elementary Ela, William Matthew Mcgee

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the sociocultural and educational factors contributing to the gender-based achievement gap in early elementary English Language Arts (ELA). While research has examined the gender-based achievement gap related to female-identifying students in STEM disciplines, there is less emphasis on the underperformance of male-identifying students in ELA. Earlier research often emphasized biological explanations rather than the influence of environment and instructional practices. This study was guided by the Expectancy-Value Theory and Social Role Theory to better understand how home environments, gender norms, instructional practices, and student perception of literacy influence student engagement and performance in Kindergarten through third grade. …

"Am I A Man Or A Muppet": A Rhetorical Analysis Of Generative Ai’S Representation Of Gender, Jessica Boaz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how generative artificial intelligence constructs and performs gender roles through a rhetorical analysis of the fully AI-generated podcast Fairytale Forensics. Drawing on theories of constitutive rhetoric, stereotyping, and McLuhan’s approach to the medium, this thesis investigates how AI-generated hosts interpret classic fairy tales while simultaneously reproducing and negotiating gender norms through the lens of prosopopoeia, metonymy and synecdoche. These performances rely on normative gender stereotypes that align with broader societal expectations, thereby potentially reinforcing existing cultural assumptions about masculinity and femininity. Ultimately, it demonstrates that AI-generated discourse does not merely reflect human biases but actively participates in …

The Impact Of Representation In Sex Education On Gender And Sexual Minority Youth, Piper A. Ellison

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The purpose of this capstone project is to examine the representation of gender and sexual minority youth in sexual education. Given that, not all representation is good representation, this senior capstone examines the effects of both a lack of representation and misrepresentation. Through a literature review, administrator interviews, and college student surveys, the findings showed that there is often little to no practical representation of gender and sexual minority students in sexual education. Further findings show that when there is representation, it is often either at the superficial level, acknowledging that the identities exist, but not providing detailed health information, …

Where Are They Now?: Chinese Tomboys In The Us, (Fe)Male Masculinity, And Recentering Home Via Queer Migration, Xinyan Mia Tong

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

T/TB (tomboy), as a sociolinguistic category that denotes masculine lesbians in the Chinese-speaking world, has long been criticized by community members and Western academics alike for being too heteronormative and reductive in comparison to the post-identity queer figure in Western gender/sexual discourses. Through the detailed life histories of three T/TBs who moved to the United States for college, I problematize this East/West binary within queer geography and present a more nuanced framework to understanding queer migration and queer globalization. I argue that my interlocutors, while highly diverse in their subjectivities, all strategically evoke the United States, as both a physical …

Reclaiming The Past: Contextualizing The Role Of Women And Gender In Celtic Paganism, Angus Mccolloch

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

This article evaluates the role of women and gender in pre-Christian Celtic paganism and how these concepts can be applied to the modern era, building on the prior understanding that Celtic women had more freedoms than other women during their time. I utilize archaeological findings, primary sources, and scholarly sources to develop an understanding and interpretation of how women and gender were perceived by the communities who observed and practiced these ancient belief systems. I argue, through the study of Celtic women ranging from figures in their mythologies to physical artifacts and accounts, that these women had a more significant …

We’Ve Been Dying From Trying: Taylor Swift, Earnestness, And The Collective Repudiation Of Cool., Kathryn J. Lively

The Manuscript: Journal of Taylor Swift Studies

This essay argues that cool operates not as an aesthetic preference but as a feeling rule—a socially enforced constraint on which emotions are permissible in public life. Drawing on Thornton's concept of subcultural capital, Goffman's dramaturgical framework, and Hochschild's theory of feeling rules, the paper identifies three structural requirements of cool: distinction in the mode of appreciation, performative concealment of effort, and emotional constraint. Taylor Swift violates all three. Through analysis of the Eras Tour, Swift's songwriting, her public persona, and the ritual practices of her fandom, the essay demonstrates that Swift's cultural significance lies not in her popularity but …

The Influence Of The Japanese Language On Gender Perceptions, Jasmine Bishara

Honors Projects

This study aimed to understand the how the Japanese language impacted people’s gender perceptions of women. Previous research showed that there are words and phrases in the Japanese language that are devaluing towards women, and that there are different societal expectations of women in their speech style. There are also different expectations of women’s behavior, which has impacted them in the workplace. Due to a lack of participants, no conclusions can be drawn about how language and social expectations impact how women are perceived in society. However, based on previous research it can be assumed that these issues still remain …

Unprotected In Public: Street Harassment And The Legal Control Of Female Resistance, Joanne Sweeny

Cleveland State Law Review

This Article traces the historical development of street harassment from its emergence in the Victorian era to its contemporary manifestations, situating it within broader social, legal, and gendered frameworks. It explores the cultural and structural forces that have enabled street harassment to persist over time, examining how it functions as both a method of gendered control and a reflection of public space dynamics. While street harassment has long been recognized by those who experience it as a form of violence and domination, the law has consistently failed to treat it as such. Instead, legal responses have often focused not on …

Answering The Call: Resiliency, Gender, And Growth Following Secondary Trauma In Emergency Dispatchers, Brandi D. Colding

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study examined secondary traumatic stress (STS), resiliency, posttraumatic growth (PTG), and gender among 911 emergency dispatchers, a population exposed to high levels of indirect trauma yet underrepresented in research. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether resiliency moderates the relationship between STS and PTG, and whether gender moderates the relationship between resiliency and STS. Data were collected from 99 U.S. emergency dispatchers using the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, Brief Resilience Scale, and Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. Results indicated that most participants reported elevated STS, and correlations revealed that resiliency was negatively related to STS, while STS was …