Digital Commons Network^™

Behavioral Differences Among Couples With Depression, Couples With Gad, And Couples With Co-Occurring Depression And Gad, Alex Joseph Hietpas

Dissertations (1934 -)

Romantic relationship quality is central to people’s physical and mental health (Braithwaite and Holt-Lunstad, 2017; Proulx et al., 2007; Robles et al., 2014), and depression and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are negatively associated with the quality of couples’ relationships (Whisman et al., 2000). Using observational data coded using the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior model (SASB; Benjamin, 1979, 1987, 2000), this study compared the interactions of couples with depression (n = 23), couples with GAD (n = 27), and couples with co-occurring depression and GAD (n = 12). Multilevel models examined the associations between diagnostic status and couples’ interpersonal behaviors …

Wildflower Season: A Semi-Somnolescent Retrospective, Connor Johnson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I came to graduate school under the impression that I would be working on my own. I believed the process of playwriting to be an individualistic pursuit, where my plays came from my mind and my mind alone. Instead, through the process of writing my thesis play, Wildflower Season, and its subsequent production as part of the ArkType New Play Festival, I discovered that writing a play was a collective endeavor, and that one of the great pleasures the theatre has to offer is creating it with a group of other people.

An Experimental Study On Gendered Leadership Effects In Neighborhood Climate Protests, Farzana Fahmee

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Leaders are at the frontline as they determine the attitude that audiences have towards social movements and the level of attention they are willing to give to those movements. This paper investigates the influence of a neighborhood environmental protest leader’s gender on perceived leadership and democratic participation. The study relies on self-categorization theory, social identity theory, and the concept of issue-fit to assert the possibility of women gaining from the cultural connection between environmental care and femininity, while also experiencing backlash due to the masculine coding of leadership. A post-test online experiment involving 189 university students was conducted in which …

The Oncoming Light: An Experiential Approach To Psychological Exposition Through Dialogue-Driven Narrative, Benjamin G. Dewitt

Honors Theses

Narrative is a lens through which we understand ourselves, our histories, our futures, and our ties to those around us. Narrative form has undergone vast transformations over time, and in the case of “postmodern” literature, pushes the boundaries of form into the experimental, questioning the truth of knowledge itself. While these experimental works can give rise to uniquely powerful emotional experiences, some components of narrative, when abandoned, may only hinder the immersion of the reader. This thesis evaluates several experimental, dialogue-driven narrative works against these components: linguistic, literal, emotional, and intellectual significance, in a hierarchy of importance as proposed by …

Podcasting As A Marketing And Communication Modality: Exploring Its Impact On Potential New Members’ Satisfaction, Attitudes, And Decision-Making In Utc Sorority Recruitment, Britain Meyers

Honors Theses

This study explores podcasting as a marketing and communication modality within the context of sorority recruitment, specifically examining its impact on Potential New Members’ (PNMs) preparedness, satisfaction, attitudes, and decision-making. Centered around Scrappy’s Sorority Scoop, a four-episode podcast created by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 2025-2026 Panhellenic Council, this research investigates how podcast engagement influences the recruitment experience. Using qualitative interviews with eight participants who both joined a Panhellenic chapter and listened to the full podcast series prior to recruitment, the study identifies key themes related to the podcast’s effectiveness. Findings indicate that podcasting enhances PNMs’ understanding of the …

The Privacy Paradox: How Does Concern About Privacy Impact Actions In The Digital Age?, Julia Laduke

Honors Theses

The privacy paradox occurs when people claim to care about their digital privacy, but do not take actions to keep their data from being spread across the internet. This study examines college students, being primarily Generation Z, and their concerns and actions regarding digital privacy and security. A survey of 15 college students, 7 in humanities and 8 in STEM, was used to analyze their thoughts and concerns about their digital privacy. This survey also asked whether they took actions concerning their privacy, and if so, what tools they used to protect it. The results show that about 50% of …

Belonging, Governance, And The Future Of The Nation: Rethinking Citizenship In Tribal Nation Communities, Meadow Carroll

Honors Theses

Tribal citizenship is often framed as a question of identity or legal status, but it functions more fundamentally as a structure of governance that determines who participates in political life and whether nations can sustain themselves over time. This study compares the citizenship frameworks of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and the Cherokee Nation to examine how different enrollment criteria shape political participation, demographic continuity, and institutional capacity. Drawing on tribal constitutions, enrollment materials, governance records, and voter participation data, the analysis demonstrates that citizenship systems produce measurable differences in how tribal governments function in practice. Systems based on fixed …

Skill Growth And Development In An Honors Experiential Learning Course, Julia D. Lyashevskiy

Honors Theses

Problem-solving skills are crucial for students in both schoolwork and the workforce as they help individuals and groups work through obstacles and come up with solutions to a problem. To help prepare students, the Innovation in Honors Lab at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is a hands-on, interdisciplinary course that provides an experiential learning opportunity to practice skills while working directly with community partners to find and solve a local issue. This research tracks the development of six specific skills that students use throughout the class. The skills included communication, creative thinking, decision making, problem solving, conflict resolution, and …

The Effect Of Chronic Aerobic Exercise On Working Memory: A Study On Young Adults, Alexandria J. Morris

Honors Theses

Physical activity is essential for optimal health. Cognitive function is a major part of that, and can be evaluated through working memory (WM). This thesis examines the impact of physical activity on WM in young adult college students. It reviews existing research on exercise and WM, highlights gaps in the literature focused on this demographic, and explores the importance of chronic and moderate to high-intensity exercise to WM. There is existing research that examines the correlation of WM and physical activity for both acute and chronic exercise, as well as for children, adults, and older adults. Acute aerobic exercise shows …

Post-Dobbs: Observed Maternal And Infant Health Outcomes, Erin P. Yenawine

Honors Theses

This research investigates how the variance in abortion legislation and access across the United States has impacted infant and maternal health. This builds upon previous research identifying a relationship between abortion policy and quantity of births, (Myers et al., 2025; Bell et al., 2025) abortion policy and infant and maternal health pre-Dobbs (Gardner, 2024), and an emerging body examining the health outcomes post-Dobbs for mothers and infants (Gemmill et al., 2025; Gressler & Lewis, 2025). Scholars indicate that primary contributors to increases in infant mortality may be the continuation of pregnancies with congenital abnormalities and compounded barriers of access to …

“Who Are We?”: Exploring Adolescent Identity And Community Through Collaborative Mural Art, Rachel E. Stacy

Honors Theses

This thesis explores how participation in a high school mural club influences students’ sense of personal identity and community. By creating and leading a mural club, I guided students in designing and painting murals around their school and extending this work into the local community, all focused on how students defined themselves within the context of the school’s motto: “A Star is Rising”. I used qualitative methods including surveys, observational notes, artist statements, and visual documentation to examine and analyze how students experienced identity and collaboration throughout the process. The findings show that the creation of these murals provided students …

A Narrative Of The Plague Doctor And How Its Historical Context Translates To The Modern View Of The Plague Doctor, Callie P. Johnston

Honors Theses

The Plague Doctor was once a historical figure who practiced medicine primarily on those infected with the bubonic plague. The plague doctor, as a historical figure and physician, has been transformed in modern culture and media. Originally perceived as a harbinger of both hope and death, the Plague Doctor has undergone a historical transformation from a masked physician to a more stylized character that appears in modern media, digital art, toys, costumes, video games, and popular culture. This thesis examines the evolution of the Plague Doctor from its historical role as a plague physician to its current iconography as a …

How Do Community Gardens Contribute To A Thriving National Park City: A Case Study Of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Ansley B. Barry

Honors Theses

On April 3, 2025, Chattanooga, Tennessee became the first National Park City (NPC) in North America. With a long, industrial history, Chattanooga has made quite the pivot from being widely renowned for its low air quality and particulate pollution to being recognized as the Best Outdoor City in the US by Outdoor magazine. The goals emphasized by the National Park City campaign are creating a city-wide common interest of community-led sustainability efforts. While the initiative highlights many important initiatives to make the city more sustainable and resilient, community gardens are noticeably left out of the conversation. This paper argues that …

Dissociation, Anxiety, And The Vestibular System: Understanding The Impacts Of Anxiety, Panic, And Dissociation On The Vestibular System, Julian Achata

Honors Theses

Previous research indicates that vestibular dysfunction is associated with symptoms of anxiety, panic, and dissociation. The present study will investigate anxiety, panic, and dissociation symptoms and identify the connections between reported symptom severity and vestibular functionality. This study will focus on three different hypotheses: 1) higher levels of dissociation will correlate with increased vestibular disruption; 2) higher levels of anxiety will correlate with increased vestibular disruption; 3) higher levels of panic will correlate with increased vestibular disruption. Six virtually administered self-report measurements were used to identify the variables: Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Depersonalization Derealization Inventory (DDI), Dissociation Experiences Scale-II (DES-II), …

Emotional Detachment In A Second Language: Exploring Emotional Expression In Bilingual Adults, Daniela Salas Lopez

Honors Theses

This qualitative study explored how bilingual and multilingual adults experience emotional detachment when using a second language and how language shapes emotional expression. This study aimed to examine how bilingual individuals personally experience these emotional differences in everyday life. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six bilingual or multilingual adults from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings revealed five major themes: emotional detachment in a second language, reduced emotional intensity and meaning, increased cognitive effort and emotional fatigue, authenticity and emotional comfort in the first language, and identity and personality shifts across languages. Participants consistently …

Domain-Specific Concussion Knowledge And Reporting In United States Major League Rugby Players, Julie Stamm, Katherine Hunzinger, Owen Sheehy, Christine Baugh

Department of Exercise Science Faculty Papers

Previous research indicates high concussion knowledge is not associated with better concussion reporting, with research examining the relationship between reporting and global concussion knowledge. Concussion knowledge has not yet been investigated in United States Major League Rugby (MLR) players. This study evaluated domain-specific concussion knowledge, concussion history, and reporting behaviors among active MLR players. In a cross-sectional design, 207 MLR athletes (age 26.6 ± 3.4 years) completed a survey assessing concussion history, knowledge, and nondisclosure reasons. While in the MLR, 24% reported an undisclosed concussion, with nondisclosure reasons related to a lack of concussion knowledge, a desire to continue playing, …

A Creative Climate Framework For Developing Leaders Who Can Navigate Complexity, Uncertainty, And Change Now And Over Time, Christa M. Heydt-Hernandez

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

As organizational environments grow increasingly volatile and complex, leaders face a widening gap in the skills hardest to cultivate in adults: creative thinking, systems thinking, and human-centered design thinking. Yet leadership development has prioritized culture over climate, overlooking a more direct lever for change. This project argues the gap is fundamentally developmental: the skills most demanded of today's leaders are best introduced across childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood—long before the workplace—through what the author terms the Long Game of Leadership Development. In response, this project introduces the Creativity Steward™ framework, a longitudinal model grounded in developmental psychology, creative climate research, …

The 5i’S Framework Of Creative Self-Leadership, Maggie Cubbler

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

The purpose of this Master of Science in Creativity and Change Leadership project is to establish a framework for Creative Self-Leadership (CSL) development. Viewed through a gendered lens, the framework addresses how women's intrapersonal processes—the 5I's of introspection, interoception, intuition, imagination, and intrinsic motivation—are often compromised by sustained environmental and systemic pressure, and proposes practices designed to restore and strengthen these internal guides.

By recalibrating these intrapersonal processes toward accurate self-knowledge, CSL employs the science of creativity to lead women in their own quest for change, agency, and resilience while remaining cognizant of the dynamic between her and her environment.

Techno-Imagination: Elevating Creativity Through Xr And Ai, Christopher Spitzer

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Techno-Imagination: Elevating Creativity Through XR and AI explores the history of creativity and computing technology, supported by research and academic literature, and looks at the possibilities of a convergence between the two. In parallel, a brief biographical story of the author shares how a passion for creativity emerged, along with a growing interest in science and technology—specifically extended reality—which ultimately came together in the creation of this master’s project. The project also highlights how the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) process was used alongside AI bots and twenty research-based creative thinking skills in developing the business model canvas. Finally, the outcome …

Leading The Choreography: Preserving Creative Agency In Ai-Supported Problem-Solving, Mikhaila Ackerbauer

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

As artificial intelligence tools become increasingly present in creative and problem-solving contexts, a critical question emerges: how can users engage with AI in ways that preserve rather than erode their own creative capacity? This project explores that question through research synthesis, practitioner conversations, coursework, international conference presentations, and the development of custom AI chatbots trained in the Creative Problem-Solving process. The central finding is a theoretical triangle comprising three interdependent capacities: autonomy, creative self-efficacy, and critical thinking. Grounded in Rhodes' (1961) Four P's framework, the triangle sits within the Person dimension. Convergent themes across the literature, practitioner conversations, and direct …

Systemic Barriers To Educational And Employment Attainment Among Individuals With Substance Use Disorders, Mollie B. Mccann Poblocki

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Substance use disorders (SUDs) and opioid use disorder (OUD) represent one of the most pressing yet poorly understood public health crises in the United States. Despite decades of clinical intervention, recovery outcomes remain deeply unequal, not because individuals lack motivation, but because the structural systems surrounding them are fundamentally broken. This project explored that reality through a comprehensive literature review examining how systemic barriers across educational systems, labor markets, poverty dynamics, and healthcare infrastructure shape vulnerability, treatment access, and recovery outcomes for individuals with SUDs. Major findings revealed a consistent socioeconomic gradient of harm: individuals with lower educational attainment, unstable …

An Investigation Of The Roles Aging, Gender And Age-Related Hearing Loss Play In Emotional Prosody Recognition, Giavanna Yowell

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Emotional prosody recognition is crucial for social interactions but is influenced by aging, gender, and age-related hearing loss (Lambrecht et al., 2012; Oerlemans et al., 2014; Palermo et al., 2013). No past studies have looked at all of these factors collectively. To address this shortcoming, the current study explored the relationships between aging, hearing loss and gender differences in emotional prosody recognition. The ability to recognize emotions through facial expressions was also included as a comparative measure. One hundred fifteen individuals (42 men and 73 women), ages 50 and older (M = 60.39, SD = 8.12), completed a hearing handicap …

Bridging The Gap: Can Targeted Intervention With Future Educators Strengthen Instructional Practices Related To Academic Achievement And Motivation?, Natalie Marissa Virgil

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Although Indiana’s graduation rates have improved, many students continue to experience challenges related to academic achievement and motivation post-pandemic. Research suggests that students’ motivation and persistence are shaped in part by how educators frame success, failure, and effort (Weiner, 2010). Teachers also play a central role in fostering students’ psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness, as well as shaping task value beliefs and perceived ability. Despite this, future educators often receive limited explicit training on how to apply these motivation and achievement-based theories within everyday classroom practice. The current study examined whether a targeted, theory-based intervention can strengthen teacher …

Do I Say This Out Loud? Perceived Popular Campus Opinion And Political Voice Among College Students In A Hyperpolarized Climate, Madeline T. Dauphin

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The purpose of this study was to see if college students who perceive their political beliefs to be in the minority on campus will be less likely to express their political opinions in a hyperpolarized environment. This was done by fielding an original study to collect quantitative data from college students, mainly in the Midwest. The survey measured students’ perceptions of their campus political climate, student comfort expressing their own political opinions, and the frequency with which they self-censor their political opinions. I found that perceiving one’s political views to be in the minority on campus was associated with a …

The Impact Of Sensory Processing Disorder On Elementary-Aged Students In The Classroom And Proper Teacher Responses, Sophia Slater

Senior Honors Theses

Sensory processing disorder (SPD) is when an individual cannot correctly process an incoming stimulus from the surrounding environment. This is prevalent in young children as they are beginning to learn about the world around them. Their inability to properly process information through their senses affects their daily lives and creates a challenge for them. There are also co-occurrences of SPD with both autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactive disorder. Since most of a child’s time is spent in the classroom, it is imperative that teachers understand the disorder and proper strategies to assist these students as they learn. Occupational …

News, Breaking: The Enduring Role Of Local Journalism Amidst Rapid Digitalization And Media Market Decline, Emily Atha

Senior Honors Theses

The landscape of media production and consumerization is evolving with the ushering in of an increasingly digital era. Print newspapers are declining, digital media is delivered faster than ever and social platforms are gaining dominance. The evolution of the industry challenges the role of local news organizations and the ethics they are built upon. Not only have the modes of news collection and delivery changed, but the core perceptions and relationship between the media and public are shifting. This thesis seeks to understand how the digitalization of media and integration of artificial intelligence into digital journalism affect public trust, particularly …

Pediatric Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome: An Integrative Review, Esther Maclean

Senior Honors Theses

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, otherwise known as (POTS) is a neurological condition that affects the autonomic nervous system. POTS often presents in adolescent women. This review looks at research surrounding possible treatment modalities including pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. The goal of this review is to increase healthcare provider knowledge surrounding POTS and increase the speed and efficiency at which POTS is diagnosed and treated in adolescents. This will be done by surveying the current research for best treatment methods, common comorbidities, and reasoning for delayed diagnosis. Common symptoms seen in POTS include syncope and pre-syncope, dizziness, fatigue, and decreased cognitive …

Is God An Illusion? Comparing Parasocial Relationships And Relationships With God, Parker J. Gungor

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to distinguish the parasocial relationship (PSR) from a relationship with God. A PSR is a one-sided relationship with a parasocial figure (PSF) such as a celebrity that gives the illusion of reciprocity. Since neither God nor the PSF interact with people in the same manner as standard reciprocal relationships, several key psychological theories are examined to highlight the similarities and differences between the relationships. A research gap is identified regarding the reciprocity of a relationship with God, so a study is proposed to compare the perceived responsiveness between a PSF and God. In comparing the perceived responsiveness …

Examining Dimensions And Patterns Of Arts Participation In Relation To Positive Youth Development Outcomes Across Socioeconomic Contexts, Yasmine Perry

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Grounded in the Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory and the Positive Youth Development framework, the purpose of the current study was to examine how dimensions of arts participation, specifically breadth, intensity, and duration, relate to Positive Youth Development (PYD) outcomes and whether socioeconomic status (SES) moderates these associations over time. Data were drawn from three waves of the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development. The analytic sample included 747 adolescents aged 12 to 18, capturing a developmental period marked by identity exploration and increased engagement in organized activities. A combination of longitudinal, person-centered, and moderation analyses was used to …

Ephemeral System, Shibo Chan

Theses and Dissertations

Ephemeral System examines systems, feedback, repetition, and material fragility through a kinetic wax sculpture repeatedly dragged across a wooden ramp. Drawing from cybernetics, absurdist waiting, and personal mourning, the work explores how bodies and systems wear themselves down through continuous operation.