Digital Commons Network^™

Unraveling The Link Between Simulation Ehr Training And Task Performance: The Mediation Role Of Stress, Murad Moqbel, Vanessa Garza Clark, Aroop K. Pal, Lauren Pulino

Information Systems Faculty Publications

Past research has explored the link between computer-mediated communication (CMC) and task performance, but it remains unclear how (i.e., under what mechanisms) CMC impacts task performance. Drawing on media naturalness theory and the stimulus-organism-response model as our theoretical framework, we develop a research model and describe how simulation-based EHR training (a type of CMC) can improve EHR-based task performance by mitigating stress. We empirically test the model with a unique experimental dataset from EHR lab assessment and questionnaires that 225 participants completed. The structural equation modeling analysis results show that simulation EHR training helped improve EHR-based task performance (both effectiveness …

Disrupted Learning During Covid-19: A Survey Of Student Experience, Celia Szelwach, John Cordes, Alia Sheety, Vinayak Mathur, Maia Magrakvelidze, John Doyle, Gifty Key, Joseph Cimakasky

SoTL Commons Conference

Navigating unexpected disruption caused by COVID-19 in Higher Education required immediate and flexible response by faculty and students as they pivoted to other learning modalities. In Spring Semester 2021, we administered a 40-question survey including several open-ended questions to 795 undergraduate and graduate students (master and doctoral level) in multiple disciplines across four Schools at a private university in Pennsylvania to capture student perceptions of learning experience in face-to-face, hybrid, and fully online environments. Ninety-nine students completed the survey. Lessons learned for teaching and learning include sensitivity to students’ stress and understanding learning environment design preferences and effectiveness.

Uncharted Territories: Covid-19 And Other 2020 Events That Changed Lives Forever, Justina Ogodo

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

The year 2020 rolled in with pomp and pageantry like any other year in human history. I assume that many like me had high hopes, possibly made new year resolutions. I looked forward to the new year with great expectations—planned trips, events, graduations, weddings, and even new writing goals and aspirations. But the year had its own plan, taking an unexpected turn. I am a science educator, wife, and mother of three black children; I walked into the uncharted territories of COVID-19 and other 2020 events that changed lives forever. I tell this story of my lived experience with a …

Effects Of Positive And Negative Emotion On Picture Naming For People With Mild To Moderate Aphasia: A Preliminary Investigation, Tyson G. Harmon, Courtney Nielsen, Corinne Loveridge, Camille Williams

Faculty Publications

Purpose: To investigate how emotional arousal and valence affect confrontational naming accuracy and response time in people with mild to moderate aphasia compared with adults without aphasia. We hypothesized that negative and positive emotions would facilitate naming for people with aphasia but lead to slower responses for adults with no aphasia.

Method: Eight participants with mild to moderate aphasia, 15 older adults, and 17 young adults completed a confrontational naming task across three conditions (positive, negative, neutral) in an ABA case series design. Immediately following each naming condition, participants self-reported their perceived arousal and pleasure. Accuracy and response time were …

The Use Of Virtual Reality In Environment Experiences And The Importance Of Realism, M. Newman, B. Gatersleben, K. J. Wyles, E. Ratcliffe

School of Psychology

IntroductionVirtual reality (VR) can be extremely useful in simulating nature when physical presence is not possible. Additionally, it allows for environments to be customised (e.g., weather, or topography) and facilitates the design of controlled experimental settings. However, VR can involve the use of expensive equipment and complex software to create highly realistic immersive experiences. But is it necessary for experiences to rival the latest Hollywood blockbuster? This paper explores whether such investment can be valuable in research on nature experiences.StudiesTwo studies were conducted to examine how realism of environmental presentations impact affective responses and participant perceptions. Study One (n = …

Should Dogs Have A Seat In The Classroom? The Effects Of Canine Assisted Education On College Student Mental Health, Christine A. Kivlen, Allison Quevillon, Dani Pasquarelli

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Students continue to face an increase in mental health concerns related to their role of being college students, including increased academic expectations; organizational and time management demands; and, often, a transition to an independent living situation. Mental health symptoms, such as stress and anxiety, have negatively affected students’ academic performance more than any other factors in college students’ lives, and nontraditional inexpensive interventions that can reach a large number of students, such as animal assisted intervention, continue to be explored. Thus, the researchers in this study investigated the effects of canine assisted education (CAE) on students’ stress and anxiety, distractibility, …

Investigating #Covidnurse Messages On Tiktok: Descriptive Study, Bhavya Yalamanchili, Lorie Donelle Phd, Rn, Fcan, Leo-Felix Jurado, Joseph Fera, Corey H. Basch

Publications

BACKGROUND: During a time of high stress and decreased social interaction, nurses have turned to social media platforms like TikTok as an outlet for expression, entertainment, and communication. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this cross-sectional content analysis study is to describe the content of videos with the hashtag #covidnurse on TikTok, which included 100 videos in the English language. METHODS: At the time of the study, this hashtag had 116.9 million views. Each video was coded for content-related to what nurses encountered and were feeling during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: Combined, the 100 videos sampled received 47,056,700 views; 76,856 comments; and …

Shifting The Focus Of Mental Health Onto Graduate Students, Rosanna Jaramillo

Graduate Research Showcase

The transition from undergraduate to graduate school has the potential to increase demands among students surrounding coursework as well as fiscal responsibilities. The increased demand has the potential to alter the student’s physical activity which can negatively affect mental health. Physical exercise has the potential to reduce depression as well as negative mood symptoms, such as stress. Exercising also allows for boosting energy, improvement of sleep quality, and relaxation quality. The purpose of this research study was to examine the mental health of the graduate participants prior and after a two-week exercise regimen. The presented study focused on a two-week …

The Relationship Between Nursing Faculty Stress And Gratitude Journaling, Kathleen L Whalen

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

“The relationship between nursing faculty stress and gratitude journaling”

Kathleen L. Whalen, MS RN – Regis University

The National League for Nursing (NLN) has reported a national shortage of nursing faculty. Some of the factors involved are limited qualified faculty, schools’ inability to offer competitive wages, and faculty leaving due to stress or retiring. A quality improvement project was developed for full-time faculty in a university nursing program in dealing with stress, which could aid in retention. A quasi-experiment with a pre-test and post-test design was used to measure participants’ stress using the Perceived Stress Scale–10 (PSS-10) before and after …

Ptsd In Covid-19 Frontline Workers, Samantha Gagliano

Graduate Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Role Of Sleep And Personality On Emerging Adult Mental Health In The Covid-19 Pandemic, Dywayne Johnson

Undergraduate Research Posters 2022

Emerging adulthood is a critical developmental period that affords many new opportunities for adolescents as they transition to adulthood; however, studies reported that the pandemic caused significant disruptions in terms of development for young adults. As such, it is critical that researchers work to further our understanding of the impacts of COVID-19 on core areas of young adult functioning. Sleep plays an integral role in understanding the effects of mental health, but the impact of the pandemic on sleep in young adults is one area that has been understudied. The main focus of the present study is to highlight the …

The Efficacy And Acceptability Of A Virtual Versus Hybrid Wellness Program On Health Outcomes Among Faculty And Staff At A Northeastern University During Covid-19, Elizabeth Tenison

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

According to American Psychological Association Work and Well-being Survey of 1,501 U.S. adult workers, 79% of employees reported negative impacts of work-related stress, including lack of interest (26%) and effort (19%) at work. Workplace wellness programs offer a means to alleviate stress among employees. The research explored the perceived acceptability and efficacy of a virtual versus hybrid wellness program and some specific health outcomes, total cholesterol, BP, and BMI, perceived well-being and stress among faculty and staff at a northeastern university. Participants (n=61) included women (77%), 30-50 years of age (67.7%), and staff (30%) vs. faculty (70%) enrolled in the …

Cognitive Load Effect On Moral Decision Making, Elise Crause, Liz Eisenga, Caroline Hopper, Merry Bailey

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Cognitive Load Effect on Moral Decision Making

Elise Crause, Merry Bailey, Liz Eisenga, Caroline Hopper

Choices are made each day to determine the outcome of our lives. To better understand the human process of decision making, philosophers and psychologists have examined moral dilemmas. Cognitive load is a type of stress that alters decision-making and the likelihood of choosing a self-motivated behavior over a behavior that benefits another person or group. For this study, moral dilemmas were given in sets of two before and after a cognitive-load-inducing task. The cognitive-load-inducing task required participants to verbally answer subtraction problems until the answer …

Sex Differences In Cognitive Flexibility Are Driven By The Estrous Cycle And Stress-Dependent, Andrew T. Gargiulo, Jiayin Hu, Isabella C. Ravaglia, Annie Hawks, Xinyue Li, Katherine Sweasy, Laura A. Grafe

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Stress is associated with psychiatric disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, and panic disorders. Women are more likely to be diagnosed with these stress-related psychiatric disorders than men. A key phenotype in stress-related psychiatric disorders is impairment in cognitive flexibility, which is the ability to develop new strategies to respond to different patterns in the environment. Because gonadal hormones can contribute to sex differences in response to stress, it is important to consider where females are in their cycle when exposed to stress and cognitive flexibility testing. Moreover, identifying neural correlates involved in cognitive flexibility …

Social Support, Self-Esteem, And Levels Of Stress, Depression, And Anxiety During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Candace Ying Tsai

Scripps Senior Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in unprecedented disruptions to daily routines and social connections, which negatively impacted the mental health and well-being of many. Unsurprisingly, the most utilized coping strategy during the pandemic involved social support. However, those low in self-esteem seem to question others’ positive regard and continued acceptance, and overall perceive others’ behavior more negatively than those with high self-esteem (Murray, Holmes, et al., 1998). The proposed correlational study will examine the effects of social support and self-esteem on stress, anxiety, and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as investigate whether one’s self-esteem affects the influence that social …

Stress, Coping, And Disease Awareness With Metabolic Disease Risk: A Longitudinal Cohort Study, Chelsea Anestal

Honors Undergraduate Theses

College students undergo stressors (e.g., potential financial strain, changes in workload or location), which may precipitate metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk associated with obesity and high blood pressure. Concerning rises in young adult obesity and type 2 diabetes, prompt study into MetS risk factor prevalence and awareness in youthful populations transitioning to new environments, such as college. This study assessed perceived stress, coping resources, and disease awareness differences in the first time on campus and final-year students associated with MetS risk factors (elevated body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure). We hypothesized lower stress perception, lower weight gain and blood …

Yoga, Stress, And College Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Study, Lori Klein

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

College students have experienced exponential increases in stress and mental health concerns that continued to rise during the global coronavirus pandemic. Yoga is a popular, well-regarded method for improving psychological wellbeing, and this study explored how students’ perceived stress improved during a semester-long introductory yoga course upon returning to in-person instruction after a period of remote learning as a result of coronavirus restrictions. This study used an explanatory sequential mixed method design to first measure perceived stress scores and then compare this data to student-reports of wellbeing. College students (n = 121) enrolled in 8 sections of Yoga 1 completed …

Coping Matters: An Examination Of Coping Among Black Americans During Covid-19, Caitlin M. Mercier, Dena M. Abbott, Michael S. Ternes

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Using a critical race theory framework and a convergent mixed-method design, this study examined the relationship between coping with stress and psychological distress among Black U.S. Americans (N = 155) during the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of race-based stressors (e.g., anti-Black racism). Path analysis revealed mixed support for hypotheses; avoidant coping was positively related to all measured facets of psychological distress, whereas socially supported coping was associated with none. Self-sufficient coping was negatively associated with only depressive symptoms. Qualitative analysis revealed four salient themes: (a) Race and the COVID-19 Pandemic, (b) Complex Pandemic Related Changes to Life, (c) …

Relationship Between Video Games And Recovery From Work: A Comparison Of Different Genres And Leisure Activities, Jessica A. Gass

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Work stress can have a negative impact for both individuals and organizations, warranting research on how to recover from it. This research analyzes how the relationship between video games and work recovery differs depending on the genre of the video game played. In addition, these relationships are compared against the relationships between the recovery experiences and other leisure activities. Participants were asked to provide information on how often they play video games and engage in other leisure activities. In addition, two different measures of the four components of work recovery (psychological detachment from work, relaxation, mastery experiences, and control) were …

Stress And Its Interventions In Undergraduate College Students During Covid-19, Katie A. Jones

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Though stress in postsecondary education is a highly researched topic, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has created many new questions that require answers. It is important to connect total perceived stress in undergraduate students with academic, COVID-19, and distance-learning factors and examine the effectiveness of interventions on stress and anxiety during the pandemic. This research determines the efficacy of mindfulness stress interventions (cognitive-behavioral, guided meditation, and music) for individual differences in stress, self- efficacy, and anxiety and links these variables to performance. This study measures levels of different types of stress (total perceived, distance-learning, academic, and COVID-19) for undergraduate …

Prefrontal Glutamate Neurotransmission In Ptsd: A Novel Approach To Estimate Synaptic Strength In Vivo In Humans, Lynnette A Averill, Lihong Jiang, Prerana Purohit, Anastasia Coppoli, Christopher L Averill, Jeremy Roscoe, Benjamin Kelmendi, Henk M De Feyter, Robin A De Graaf, Ralitza Gueorguieva, Gerard Sanacora, John H Krystal, Douglas L Rothman, Graeme F Mason, Chadi G Abdallah

Staff and Researcher Publications

Background: Trauma and chronic stress are believed to induce and exacerbate psychopathology by disrupting glutamate synaptic strength. However, in vivo in human methods to estimate synaptic strength are limited. In this study, we established a novel putative biomarker of glutamatergic synaptic strength, termed energy-per-cycle (EPC). Then, we used EPC to investigate the role of prefrontal neurotransmission in trauma-related psychopathology.

Methods: Healthy controls (n = 18) and patients with posttraumatic stress (PTSD; n = 16) completed 13C-acetate magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) scans to estimate prefrontal EPC, which is the ratio of neuronal energetic needs per glutamate neurotransmission cycle (VTCA/VCycle).

Results: Patients …

Mindfulness And The Veteran: Increasing Veteran Participation In Mindfulness Programs At A Va Medical Center, Cynthia Lang-Groening

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) supports the use of mindfulness-based therapies for the medical and mental health treatment of veterans. The Wilmington, Delaware VA Medical Center (VAMC) offers mindfulness-based programs in guided imagery, tai chi and mindful meditation; however, the veterans who receive primary care services do not participate in these programs to their full potential. The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project was to increase veteran participation in the mindfulness-based programs at the Wilmington VAMC. Based on a retrospective chart review of veterans’ electronic medical records (EMR), mindfulness-based program referral and enrollment patterns were analyzed, and …

Autonomic Nervous System Coordination : Examining The Impact Of Perceived Discrimination And Stressful Life Events, Rachel Renee Mitchell

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Literature has demonstrated the deleterious effects of discrimination on mental health. For racial and ethnic minorities, discrimination is associated with symptoms of psychopathology, including anxiety and depression. Likewise, women who report gender-based discrimination are at an elevated risk for psychopathology. Scholars have theorized that chronic stress elicited by discrimination throughout one's life contributes to this increase in risk. Indeed, a wealth of research examining the consequences of stressful and potentially traumatic life events (SLEs) on mental health has pointed to physiological dysregulation as a mechanism through which life course stress undermines health. Patterns of physiological dysregulation within the sympathetic (SNS) …

A Role Perspective Of Workplace Procrastination, Boran Li

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Although procrastination has been studied for over twenty years in the field of psychology, knowledge of workplace procrastination, developed from general procrastination, remains limited. Drawing from role theory, the current study aims to examine the positive relationship between role ambiguity and workplace procrastination through stress. It further examines the moderating role of work self-efficacy on the stress-procrastination relationship, such that higher work self-efficacy attenuates the positive relationship between stress and procrastination. Results from experimental data on 119 participants revealed that neither role ambiguity nor stress directly affects workplace procrastination, but individuals who have a higher level of self-efficacy at work …

Educational Level As A Moderator Between Stress And Suicidal Ideation Among Law Enforcement Officers, Sittipong Permsookjit

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Law enforcement officers are exposed to occupation-related stress at a level greater than any other occupation, save war combatants, such stress can lead to suicidal ideation. There is a growing trend of suicidal ideation among law enforcement officers. This trend will threaten the stability of society if it is allowed to continue. Educational level has been shown to improve quality of life and is considered a quantitative resource. Using the theoretical framework of appraisal theory, this study’s purpose was to examine the moderating effects of educational level on stress and suicidal ideation among law enforcement officers. A total of 72 …

Strategies To Reduce Technostress On Corporations’ Employees, Kenneth Michael Coble

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Technostress is a phenomenon that hurts the performance of corporations and employees. Technology managers must identify strategies to reduce technostress, as technostress causes employee burnout and absenteeism, reducing employee performance and the corporation’s productivity and ability to remain financially stable. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore leadership strategies technology managers use to minimize technostress. The participants were nine business leaders in the United States who implemented strategies to minimize technostress. Data were analyzed using Yin’s five components of case study data analysis. Five main themes were identified: (a) tech-break; focus …

A Phenomenological Study Exploring The Client And Stylist Interaction As A Culturally Specific Form Of Coping With Stress For Black Women In The United States, Nicole Michelle Holden

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study is to describe the experience of Black women who visit the salon regularly in the United States. This study is constructed around the culturally intimate relationship of the stylist-client interaction in the Black community as a historical coping mechanism in which Black women utilize for stress and life challenges rather than seek professional mental health services. Although COVID-19 continues to mount a significant mortality rate and financial hardships, its disproportionate effects on communities of color will have lasting implications on their mental health. The need for mental health services has increased due to the mental …

Systematic Review Regarding The Use Of Mindfulness-Based Mobile Applications To Reduce Psychological Symptoms And Enhance Well-Being Among General And Clinical Population Adults: Benefits, Limitations And Future Directions, Brian Clawson

Theses and Dissertations

Mindfulness is now utilized throughout Western Society and is part of the growing behavioral health, self-help, and wellness movements. Mobile applications have become increasingly popular for a wide variety of uses related to physical health, mental health, and self-improvement. Therefore, mindfulness-based mobile applications have promise both as stand-alone tools for end-users seeking self-help resources and as clinician-recommended adjunctive tools to enhance the process and outcomes of professional therapy. This systematic review identified, reviewed, and synthesized the findings from studies (n = 29) concerning the impact of mindfulness-based mobile applications on specific aspects of psychological functioning in both the general population …

Overcoming Stress And Anxiety: Examining The Impact Of Fixed Vs Growth Mindsets Amongst African American High Achievers, Julie Sumner

Theses and Dissertations

A rapidly increasing number of Americans suffer from stress and anxiety (Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 2018; American Psychiatric Association, 2020). It is even more prominent among stress afflicted adults now that we are experiencing civil unrest and a pandemic. Without tools to implement and maintain a growth mindset, those who suffer will struggle with negative thoughts, behaviors, and results (Bergland, 2017). The purpose of this research is to disrupt the cycle of negative energy that leads to social ills and fixed mindsets by developing a structured method to practice positive thinking and goal achievement. This qualitative transcendental phenomenological …

Family Structure And Maternal Depressive Symptoms: A Cross-National Comparison Of Australia, The United Kingdom, And The United States, Kirsten Rasmussen, Elizabeth K. Sigler, Sadie A. Slighting, Jonathan A. Jarvis, Mikaela J. Dufur, Shana Pribesh

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between family structure and maternal depressive symptoms (MDS) in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Family structures that involve transitions across life's course, such as divorce, can alter access to resources and introduce new stressors into family systems. Using the stress process model, we examine the links between family structure, stress, resources, and MDS. Using nationally representative data from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States and cross-sectional models for each country, we find that family structure may influence MDS differently in the UK than it does …