The Impact Of Social Interaction On Patient Well-Being With Transition Into Long-Term Care Settings: A Review Of Interventions For Improved Patient Outcomes, Helen Whitney Harmon

Epsilon Sigma at-Large Research Conference

Abstract

Purpose: When individual patients are transitioned from home or acute care settings to more long-term care environments such as skilled nursing units or assisted living facilities, the residents are at an increased risk of experiencing loneliness, which is linked to depression, anxiety, and increasing cognitive decline, and other detrimental outcomes.

Aims: Combinations of peer-reviewed qualitative and quantitative research studies were analyzed to determine what factors contributed to changes in patient well-being, mental health and overall quality of life during these transitions.

Methods: One article focusing on preventable healthcare transitions in patient population was able to link higher medical acuity …

Mindfulness-Based Therapy For The Treatment Of Anxiety In Adolescents, Alicia Lemaster

Epsilon Sigma at-Large Research Conference

Abstract

Adolescent anxiety disorders represent a significant and growing public health concern, with increasing prevalence and associated functional impairment. Traditional treatments, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and pharmacologic interventions, are effective but often limited by barriers such as access, stigma, and adherence. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have emerged as a promising alternative or adjunctive approach to address anxiety symptoms in adolescents. The purpose of this literature review is to evaluate the effectiveness of structured mindfulness-based therapy programs in reducing anxiety symptoms among adolescents compared to usual care. A systematic literature search was conducted using databases including PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO, focusing …

A Systematic Literature Review Examining Suicide Risk Factors In Older Adults, Carolyn Bivens

Epsilon Sigma at-Large Research Conference

Introduction & Background: Suicide in older adults is a increasingly prevalent tragedy worldwide, and rates in North America have uniquely increased over the past two decades. The context of the cultural environment of North America and population-specific factors in the elderly must be explored to protect this vulnerable group.

Purpose Statement Question: In older adults living in North America, what experiences and risk factors influence the development and severity of suicidal thoughts and behaviors?

Literature Review: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flowchart guided the search of the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature …

Postpartum Psychosis Risk In Women With Bipolar Disorder, Rachel R. Lay

Epsilon Sigma at-Large Research Conference

Psychiatric relapse and postpartum psychosis pose vital psychological threats to women with bipolar disorder. The phase after delivery implies a great number of biological, psychological, and social alterations that might predispose to mood fluctuations and extreme psycho-psychiatric behavior. A systematic literature review assessed the recent literature on postpartum relapse risk, contributors, and maternal outcomes in women with bipolar disorder. Systematic search of three electronic databases, CINAHL, PubMed, and PsycINFO, revealed 168 studies dating back to 2022. Title and abstract screening of 124 articles was carried out after elimination of duplicates and other eligibility criteria. Eighteen articles were full-text reviewed, and …

Over The Garden Wall And The Divine Comedy: Mchale's Modern Vision Of Purgatory, Gloria Asper

Liberty University Research Week

This paper discusses how the allusions to The Divine Comedy in Patrick McHale’s mini-series Over the Garden Wall (OTGW) influences one’s interpretation of the series. Building off the work of other OTGW scholars such as Willsey and Camacho & Menchero as well as pop culture commentators such as Trey the Explainer, I highlight parallelisms within OTGW as well as reference comments from the creators in order to demonstrate how theoretical concepts in The Divine Comedy shape the understanding of OTGW. Specifically, one such theoretical concept involves Dante’s philosophical belief that the intellect and the will must work together to create …

M.E. Bradford And American Conservatism, Avery White

Liberty University Research Week

M.E. Bradford is an often overlooked figure in American Conservatism and his unique brand of Southern traditionalist political thought should be analyzed and understood better.

Euripides’ Medea As An Existential Protagonist: Comparing Conceptualizations Of Fate In The 400s Bc And The 1800s Ad, Johanna Bryant

Liberty University Research Week

No abstract provided.

Transnational Beings: Corner Store Entrepreneurship Of Mena Immigrants Of The Third Wave, Gabriel Al-Shaer

Liberty University Research Week

No abstract provided.

Mother-Daughter Ties Across Borders: Identity And Connection In Dreaming In Cuban, Alvaro Ricardo Larrea Salazar

Liberty University Research Week

This project examines how trauma, memory, and political displacement shape generational identity in Cristina García's Dreaming in Cuban. I argue that García presents memory as both a bridge and a barrier within the matrilineal line of Celia, Lourdes, and Pilar, ultimately suggesting that reconciliation across political and cultural divides is possible only through acknowledgment rather than suppression of inherited trauma. While Celia’s devotion to the Cuban Revolution and her nostalgic attachment to lost love root her identity firmly in the past, Lourdes responds to revolutionary violence and exile by rejecting her heritage and embracing American capitalism as a form of …

Purposes For Sacred Song In Eighteenth-Century British Colonial America, Merrily Kelsey

Liberty University Research Week

In eighteenth-century colonial America, the colonists sang sacred songs for several reasons which they identified in song text, song book introductions, journals, sermons, and several other places.

Recovering Children's Choirs: Bonhoeffer's Musical Pneumatology And The Formation Of Polyphonic Fellowship, Dee Tackitt

Liberty University Research Week

This textual-investigative study explores how Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s musical pneumatology and his theology of polyphony provide a framework for recovering children’s choirs as practices of Spirit-formed communal discipleship. In Bonhoeffer’s writings—especially Life Together, Ethics, and Letters and Papers from Prison—polyphony becomes a theological metaphor in which “distinct voices sound together” under a unifying center without collapsing differences. Recent scholarship, particularly by Joanna Tarassenko, identifies this polyphonic imagery as a form of implicit pneumatology: the Holy Spirit harmonizes plurality into a fellowship where unity does not require uniformity, and difference does not result in division. This project applies that framework to the …

2026 Acssc Program, Acssc Planning Committee

Annual Celebration for Student Scholarship and Creativity

No abstract provided.

Myth In Service Of Sin: Theology And Mythology In Dante's Inferno, Holly Staggs

Liberty University Research Week

Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy has been a central focus in medieval poetic scholarship. As a distinctly allegorical work, Dante's epic poem perfectly situates Christian teachings alongside paganism to reinforce a Christian moral order. One of the cornerstone teachings of the 14th century became Bishop John Thorseby's Seven Deadly Sins. While the Seven Deadly Sins teachings were obviously present in Purgatorio, the second part of Dante's poem, they also appear in Inferno. Dante positions them alongside pagan mythological figures in Inferno to strengthen his allegory for Christian moral order.

Spirit-Enabled Sonship In Paul: Adoption And The Cry "Abba", Detron Nelson

Liberty University Research Week

This study examines Paul's theology of adoption in Romans 8:15–23, Galatians 4:4–7, and Ephesians 1:3–14, with particular attention to the term huiothesia and the Spirit-enabled cry "Abba, Father." It argues that adoption in Paul is a Trinitarian act initiated by the Father, accomplished through Christ, and confirmed by the Spirit, establishing believers as sons and heirs within the household of God. By placing Paul's language within its Jewish covenant and Greco-Roman background, this project shows that adoption shapes identity, belonging, inheritance, and ecclesial life. The study concludes that Paul's theology of adoption is not only a doctrinal category, but a …

Just One More Thing, S'Il Vous Plaît: The Use Of Affective Presentation In Fictional Detectives Hercule Poirot And Lt. Columbo, Rachel Smith

Liberty University Research Week

No abstract provided.

Women In The Early Church: Developing A Documentary, Sana Washa

Liberty University Research Week

Many Christians do not recognize the vital impact that women played in the development of the early church, from witnessing the resurrection, to working in planting and leading house churches. There are certain women mentioned in Scripture or in the works of the church fathers whose lives have been generally swept over, and this research project aims to highlight several prominent women in the early church for the sake of creating a future documentary. I am working with Professor Bennett from the film department to synthesize information and sources on women’s roles in church history so that he can create …

Past His Prime: Polonius And The Language Of Advice, Mandy Bergeron

Liberty University Research Week

This paper focuses on the language of advice in Hamlet. It uses a close reading method and secondary sources to answer the research question: How has the characterization of Polonius transformed the nature of advice in modern speech?

The Power Of A Woman’S Charm: Analyzing The Presence Of Onahal In Oroonoko, Kristyn Haney

Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal

Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko is a story that places great emphasis on the importance of the power of beauty, but it isn’t perhaps the strongest force at work in the novel. Onahal is a minor character in the story who contrasts the idea that beauty is the only way to obtain power. As a former wife of the King, it is noted that while she once possessed beauty, she is now older and has therefore lost her beauty to the passage of time. Though her beauty is diminished, she still has her charm, which grants her power within her space. In …

Yun Dongju And The Effects Of Colonization On Literature, Grace C. Shields

Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal

Tucked away in a small room, in a country he used to recognize, poet Yun Dongju (1917-1945) drafted nineteen poems that would become the foundation of his legacy: Sky, Wind, Stars, and Poetry. Growing up during the Japanese annexation of Korea, Yun drafted his poetry during a time where Korean language and cultural practices were banned by Imperial Japan. In my essay, I will use Yun’s poetry as a viewpoint for dissecting the negative effects of literary censorship brought about by colonization. Additionally, I will discuss the significance of how Yun – one of Korea’s most famous poets – …

Beyond Memorization: Ai Chatbots For Smarter Retrieval Practice, Marcy A. Faircloth, Patrick G. Paulson, Lawrence Schrenk

Essays in Education

This paper explores the integration of artificial intelligence chatbots as tools for implementing retrieval practice – an evidence-based learning technique that significantly enhances long-term memory retention – in business education contexts. We present four distinct implementation strategies that vary in sophistication and resource requirements: the standard AI model approach, which allows students to upload materials and use custom prompts for flexible, self-directed practice; the course-specific chatbot, which provides immediate access to preloaded curriculum content; the dedicated retrieval practice chatbot, which incorporates systematic algorithms for spaced repetition and interleaved practice; and the course-specific chatbot with integrated retrieval practice module, which combines …

Leveraging Critical Social Media Literacy To Safeguard Youth Against Violent Radicalization And Extremism, Muhammad Akram, Adeela Arshad-Ayaz, Muhammad Ayaz Naseem

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Social media is inundated with radical and extreme propaganda. Such information is often left unfiltered due to platform algorithms that are economically driven and socially unethical in design. It puts social media users, mostly youth, in danger of becoming radicalized and vulnerable to supporting and engaging with extremist beliefs. When young people lack sufficient critical social media literacy (CSML), radical and extremist information impacts their perspectives, affecting behavior in the real world. A PRISMA-guided systematic review of the Web of Science core collections and the Scopus database was used to find peer-reviewed articles about how CSML skills can be used …

Teacher Reflections On Media And Information Literacy In Vietnamese K-12 Schools: Current Practices, Challenges, And Pathways For Improvement, Tinh T.T Le, Minh Tran, Anh Dương, Huong T. Pham, Vy Tran, Daniel Jackson

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Media and Information Literacy (MIL) education is widely recognized as essential, yet its adoption in Vietnamese K-12 schools is still at the early stages. This study examines the current state of MIL education in Vietnam from the perspective of teachers. Drawing on insights from a trial online MIL teacher training program, which includes teachers’ learning journals, lesson plans, and an open survey using SWOT forms, we explore the approaches they use, the challenges they face, and the opportunities in promoting MIL education in their school setting. Additionally, the findings highlight specific professional development needs to enhance teachers’ MIL instruction quality. …

The Creative Participation Pedagogical Approach To Media Literacy Education, Amanda Levido

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Approaches to media literacy education have developed over time in response to cultural understandings and the development of new media digital technologies. One approach that extends on current Media Arts approaches to media literacy is the Creative Participation approach. Underpinning this approach is an emphasis on how young people work together to make meaning through the process of production. The Creative Participation approach draws on the theory of Communities of Practice (Wenger, 1998) and the concept of participatory culture (Jenkins, 2006) to support the assertion that young people, through shared practices, the generation of meaning through media artworks, and through …

Productive Disruptions: An Equityoriented Framework For Civic Media Literacy In The Digital Era, Carlos Jimenez, Lynn Schofield Clark, Johnny Ramirez

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This article introduces Productive Disruptions as a framework for civic media literacy that centers equity and social justice. Past scholarship has emphasized understanding media content and gaining competence in media production. To center equity as a structural concern beyond individual behaviors, we argue for media literacy interventions that support disrupting racism in content, production, and digital media distribution systems themselves. Drawing on an ethnographic case study with young people experiencing marginalization, we examine how youth productively disrupted instances of systemic racism via TikTok and Instagram. We identify three distinct modes of intervention: creating counter-narratives that disrupt racist discourses, subverting adult-led …

Building Resilience: The Influence Of The Format On The Effectiveness Of News Literacy Messages, Patrick F. A. Van Erkel, Peter Van Aelst, David N. Hopmann, Claes H. De Vreese, Joren Van Nieuwenborgh

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Although academic interest in news literacy messages (NLM) has grown, many questions about them remain unresolved. First, it remains unclear how the format of the NLM influences its effectiveness. Second, we still know little about their long-term effectiveness. To answer these questions, this study conducted a two-wave experiment in Belgium. We compared NLMs in the format of a text, an infographic, and video. We also manipulated elements in the false news article that participants had to evaluate. Our findings show that NLMs are effective and that the effects remain over a middle-long period of two weeks. Second, we find that …

Spring 2026 Excellence In Research And Creative Inquiry And Incite Award Ceremony, Office Of Student Research, Longwood University

Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

No abstract provided.

Strategies Case Managers Use To Communicate With Limited English Proficient Patients, Joel Cruz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) face ongoing communication barriers that heighten medical errors and health disparities because nurse leaders in acute care settings lack empirically informed guidance on leadership practices that effectively implement language services. Grounded in transformational leadership (TL) theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry project was to explore how nurse leaders perceive, experience, and enact strategies to address the language access needs of LEP patients. The participants were six nurse leaders from across the Midwest region, who successfully led nursing teams to improve communication with LEP patients. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, government proactive …

Impact Of Campus Involvement On Depression Levels Of Undergraduate Students At Providence College, Margaret Fallon, Maggie Murphy, Nancy Nuñez, Caroline Moloney

Social Work Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Food Insecurity At Providence College, Jordan Foster, Emma Gilooly, Yessenia Tavarez

Social Work Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Social Support And Weight Management Behaviors Lived Experiences Of Overweight Native Hawaiian Women, Satu Gruenstein

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Hawaiian Islands have an alarming concentration of obesity and related chronic health issues and many Native Hawaiian women do not have access to culturally sensitive weight loss information. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to increase understanding of the lived experiences of middle-aged Native Hawaiian women, relating to weight loss, weight management, and the impact of social support and cultural factors on those experiences. The conceptual framework for the study included the models of social support and social networks. A phenomenological research design and purposeful sampling were used to conduct semistructured interviews with eight middle-aged Native Hawaiian women, …