Digital Commons Network^™

An Exploration Of Substance Abuse By Healthcare Workers During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review, Andrew Hills

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Objective

This scoping review aims to identify available literature and research on substance abuse by healthcare workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic to examine whether the stress of their duties during the pandemic exacerbated existing issues of substance abuse.

Methods

A literature search using PubMed and Google Scholar using Harzing Publish or Perish identified 100 relevant professionally-authored, peer-reviewed, English-language academic articles published between 2015 and 2025 on substance abuse by HCWs. Exclusions were done via a review of the abstract and then from the full text, reducing the number of articles to three from those three articles which generated an …

The Association Between Economic Outcomes And Abortion: A Scoping Review, Larisa Nicole Stephenson

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Background: Abortion access is not just an issue of autonomy, but an economic issue as well. Evidence of the intersectionality of abortion health care and economics has endured due to the financial cascading effects a denial of an abortion, or the inability to access an abortion, has on one’s personal, professional, and economic upward mobility. A change in recent policies impacting access to abortion warrants an updated synthesis examining the relationships between economic outcomes and abortion access for people of reproductive age in the United States (U.S.).

Aim: This scoping review summarizes evidence pertaining to the association …

Active Shooter And Radiological Contamination Full-Scale Exercise, Elise M. Lowe

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Planning and conducting exercises in rural settings highlights the unique features and challenges of emergency preparedness in rural America. Exercise designers must employ creative solutions to plan for player/controller contingencies, limited resources, and patient management across large geographical areas. This paper outlines the process by which a full-scale mass casualty exercise was conducted in a small Wyoming town. It analyzes some of the major problems encountered in rural exercise development and the solutions employed. The focus is on the success and failures of the exercise design based on direct observation/participation, hotwash forms, the after-action review, and direct feedback from participants. …

Improving Oral Hygiene Practices In A Long-Term Care Setting For Individuals With Advanced Dementia: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Rachel L. Mcinerney

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

This quality improvement project utilized the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework to enhance oral hygiene practices in a long-term care setting for individuals with advanced dementia. Advanced dementia often leads to significant oral health challenges due to the individuals’ inability to communicate needs or independently manage oral care. Poor oral hygiene results in pain, systemic infections, and reduced quality of life. The project aimed to identify and address barriers to effective oral care delivery by focusing on organizational factors such as leadership, training, and caregiver support. This capstone paper provides insights into the quality improvement initiative’s aims, background, and methodology, while emphasizing its …

Unbridled Healing: Identifying The Barriers Of Equine-Assisted Therapy, Sally A. Hamm

Human Development and Family Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Despite the documented benefits of equine-assisted therapy (EAT) for mental health conditions, this complementary approach remains underutilized. This qualitative study investigated barriers preventing wider EAT implementation by examining challenges faced by clients, facilities, and volunteers. Data collected through open-ended surveys from 33 participants and the researcher's autoethnographic observations revealed eight common barriers: Accessibility (48 mentions), Money (43), Time (30), Awareness (23), Physical Factors (13), Relationships (13), Risk (13), and Weather (7). Clients identified financial constraints as their primary barrier, particularly insurance limitations. Facilitators struggled most with accessibility challenges, including lack of resources, trained staff, suitable horses, and appropriate facilities. Volunteers …

Redefining Children’S Experience In Social Services Offices, Julia K. Bryant

Human Development and Family Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The effects of childhood trauma are far-reaching and diverse, influencing physical, emotional, and mental health across a child’s entire lifetime. Research indicates that children who experience adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as abuse or neglect are at an increased risk for various consequences and that the environments they encounter post-trauma play a significant role in shaping their experiences. Social services offices, where many traumatized children are taken for interviews or assessments after being removed from their homes, can often become places of additional distress. This project seeks to address this issue by proposing redesigns for social services offices to create …

Parental Perceptions Of Child Life Specialists, Anna Muccio

Human Development and Family Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Most children spend time in the hospital at some point during their childhood whether it is for a short visit or a long-term stay. Hospitalization can be a very stressful experience for children and their families. Child life specialists work in hospitals to help families navigate hospitalizations and cope with stress. This study aimed to investigate parental perceptions of child life specialists, including parents’ familiarity with their role, recognition of its importance, appreciation for help provided, and the formation of meaningful relationships with child life specialists. A survey was conducted among child life specialists who had worked with children and …

Parental Expectations On Pediatric Care For Children, Brenan Cash

Human Development and Family Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Childhood pediatrics is a major factor for a full and healthy childhood for all children from adolescence to adulthood. However, the physical health aspect has been the main focus through most primary care clinics and hardly focuses on the mental health side. Mental health issues which involve anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress are more prominent than they have ever been, as up to 30% of children have experienced mental health issues such as posttraumatic stress disorder, especially in recent pandemic years (Meherali et al., 2021). This study employed a non-experimental, quantitative analysis utilizing online close-ended survey questions. The type of …

Telehealth And Medical Consumerism In The Digital Age, Yibing Hu

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper discusses the role of telehealth in medical consumerism. As a cheap and convenient model of healthcare, telehealth enables patients to access healthcare regardless of location, as long as they have the necessary technology.

In the current healthcare landscape, insurance policies and high costs push patients to act as consumers of medical services. With the rise of telehealth as another healthcare option, the medical sector further becomes consumer-oriented. This ultimately changes the way patients interact with healthcare.

Environmental And Societal Impacts Of Agricultural Land Abandonment In Indonesia: A Bibliometric Review, Jane A. Landrum

Geosciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the past decades, Southeast Asia has faced one of the highest urbanization rates globally, with land conversion, agricultural land abandonment, and deforestation occurring simultaneously. High population growth rates and migration away from rural areas have also led to increased food insecurity, which has increased the need for agricultural production. In Indonesia, high rates of urbanization on the island of Java have historically prompted governmental policy solutions aimed at population redistribution and agricultural extensification (rather than intensification). The cost of this conversion of lands to agriculture often falls on the environment, with peatlands and forested lands being converted to large-scale …

The Weaponization Of Medicine In Arkansas Prison Farms, 1960s-1970s, Grace E. Marr

History Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Arkansas State Penitentiary provides a case study for medical care in prisons during a transformational period. Isolation and state non-involvement in Arkansas allowed the creation of an independent culture in which harrowing abuses flourished. Medical providers could be prisoners themselves, operating the hospital and blood bank creating a complicated hierarchy. By examining medical provisions at the Cummins and Tucker Prison Farms during the 1960s to 1970s, this thesis reveals a system where the lines between treatment and torture and medical practitioner and imprisoned were blurred.

"Troublesome Medicine Man": Representations Of The Sword Bearer Incident In Newspaper Coverage, Cara Sue Swaim

History Undergraduate Honors Theses

Newspaper coverage of Native Americans during the nineteenth century had an “artistic bias,” or a tendency to emphasize action, danger, and treachery as a part of the “Indian formula.” This meant that vast amounts of journalistic zeal was spent on instances of conflict and tension between tribes, within tribes, between tribes and white settlers, or between tribes and the U.S. military, while times of peace and instances of cooperation received miniscule amounts of attention. This was largely motivated by a desire to justify American western expansion and the need to “civilize” Native groups. This “Indian formula” was also applied in …

Relationship Between Nutritional Knowledge And Eating Disorder Risk Levels, Valeria Fernandez

Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

The prevalence of disordered eating is a critical public health concern that often progresses towards the development of a diagnosable eating disorder (ED). This, in turn, has detrimental physical and psychological consequences for individuals. Organizations such as the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) have recognized nutrition education as a crucial component of prevention and recovery. Determining the extent to which nutrition knowledge is related to risk factors for EDs is worth investigating due to its implications for healthcare approaches – especially among adolescent and young adult populations. The goal …

Coaggregation With Actinomyces Naeslundii Reduces Corynebacterium Matruchotii Cell Division Rate And Increases In Cell Length, Sarah M. Kenny

Biological Sciences

Corynebacterium matruchotii is believed to form a scaffold-like structure within the human oral cavity so that other species of bacteria have a place to bind. Many types of bacteria may be found within oral biofilms, commonly referred to as dental plaque. Actinomyces naeslundii are associated with dental caries and they are frequently found in dental plaques. Previous studies in our lab have demonstrated that A. naeslundii has a greater coaggregation rate with C. matruchotii than other Actinomyces species. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of coaggregation with A. naeslundii on C. matruchotii growth kinetics. In this …

Guarding The Black Womb: A Qualitative Case Study Exploring Improving Black Maternal Health Through Increased And Equitable Doula Support, Adeanna Tazell

Education Doctoral

Black maternal health is a critical topic in health care. Black women are at a disproportionately high risk of maternal death and morbidity compared to their White counterparts, highlighting the need for change in healthcare systems (Declercq & Zephyrin, 2020). Research also shows that supporting Black mothers with Black doulas can improve the mother’s birth outcomes and disrupt the racial inequities of maternal health (Horton & Hall, 2020). This qualitative case study explored the lived experiences of 11 Black women who utilized doula support and the perspectives of the doulas and program administrators. The primary objective was to evaluate the …

Exploring The Status Of Women In Collegiate Sports Leadership Positions: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Danielle Tucker

Education Doctoral

Despite an active legislation that mandates impartiality on the basis of sex under any educational program, many schools still have discriminatory policies (Fabrikant, 2018). Many times, the policies benefit the dominance of men as coaches and athletic administrators, which displays an unequal representation on the leadership side of college sports (Belkoff, 2020). The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the status of women in collegiate sports leadership positions within an athletic program in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level. Through interviews with six to 10 women who were women executive leaders currently …

Designing And Installing A Disability Accessible Teaching Garden, Annabelle D. Denham

Horticulture Undergraduate Honors Theses

As horticulture becomes increasingly popular as a subject, activity, and form of therapy, its inclusivity has not kept up with the pace of its growth. In order to address the need for inclusivity and accessibility, gardens must adopt universal design. Individuals with special needs continuously face discrimination. While horticulture therapy has long been studied and catered to primarily neurotypical and able-bodied individuals, there is limited research on creating gardens specifically to include those with disabilities. This project aimed to create a garden that could serve the needs of all participants, regardless of their ability and sensory needs. The garden was …

Quick Response Codes In Extension Outreach Communications: Insights From A Visual Content Analysis And Educators’ Perceptions, Kobina Danful Fanyinkah

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increased smartphone use presents an opportunity to enhance the creative inclusion of Quick Response (QR) codes in extension outreach efforts. Tailoring extension programs to communicate with specific audiences has been identified as essential, highlighting the need for targeted and context-specific strategies. The development of QR code technology has provided a unique approach that allows extension professionals to target clientele with specific extension messages and programs. While extension has a commendable record in educational delivery through traditional forms of outreach, research on how best to employ digital tools with extension audiences is thin at best. Though the rising popularity of QR …

Strength Over Specificity: Building The Athlete, Not The Skill In Strength And Conditioning, Jack E R Krueger

Leadership Education Capstones

This mixed-methods study explored how athletes, sport coaches, and strength and conditioning coaches perceive the role of general strength training versus sport-specific training in athletic performance. The research was guided by two questions: (1) To what extent can foundational strength and power gains achieved in the weight room influence sport-specific skills? and (2) How do key stakeholders perceive the benefits of general strength versus sport-specific training in the context of sport performance? Data were collected through an anonymous online survey distributed via the Strength Coach Job Network Discord server, Instagram stories, and word of mouth. The final sample consisted of …

Recreational Runner Participation: Barriers, Benefits, And Best Foot Forward In Josephine County, Adam Boothe

Leadership Education Capstones

Running, a simple yet powerful activity, has the potential to significantly enhance physical and mental well-being. While many individuals in Josephine County enjoy running as a recreational pursuit, a cohesive running community remains absent. This research aims to delve into the factors hindering the formation of such a community and explore the potential benefits of participating in a recreational running club.

The Coping Strategies Of Collegiate Football Student-Athletes With Mental Health, James Williams

Leadership Education Capstones

This study explores the mental health challenges faced by Division II collegiate football players, their coping mechanisms, and the adequacy of institutional resources. Through qualitative interviews with student-athletes, the research examines their experiences, stress levels, and perceptions of support systems. Findings indicate that anxiety, stress, and performance pressure are prevalent among players, with 58.3% reporting anxiety symptoms and 50% experiencing football-related stress. Despite 91.7% of respondents being aware of campus mental health services, comfort levels in discussing mental health remain moderate, and coaching support is perceived as only somewhat effective. The results highlight that while individual coping strategies exist, psychological …

Bullet Ricochet And Tunnelling Of Wood Substrates, Abdelrahman Khalifa

Student Theses

With the overall rise in shooting incidents throughout the country, most notably in urban areas, the capabilities and limitations of current forensic examinations of firearms-related incidents have become more apparent. An underappreciated aspect of shooting incidents is the phenomenon of bullet ricochet, which has led to ricochet-related injuries, with some cases proving fatal. Although there are processes and generally accepted standards for bullet trajectory analysis, ricochet analysis typically requires outside input from firearm examiners. Additionally, current research regarding ricochet on wood surfaces remains less thoroughly investigated than ricochet analysis on other yielding surfaces. The goal of this research was to …

Aspiring Leaders And Future Visions About Leadership Communications, Conner Haggerty, Dylan A. Sawicki, Jared Gerke, John Langan, Kaitlyn Mj Calabrese, Kyle Borske, Mattie Schimenz, Barbara Holmes

Leadership Education Books

The spring 2025 Leadership Education LDRS 615 graduate course student writing project focuses on the leadership communications and the future. Graduate students enrolled in this class chose as a topic: Aspiring Leaders and Future Visions about Leadership Communications. Interest in this topic emerges from discussions regarding the new digital tools and mediums implemented in the 21st century.

Upon completion of the Organizational Leaders program, new leaders will add voice and expertise to creating new visions for the workplaces of tomorrow. These graduate students point out that the future is here and the requirement to send clear communications to others remains …

Keeping The Faith : Spiritual Formation During The College Years, Ricardo A. Rodriguez

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Personality's Role In Burnout : Examining The Impact Of Personality Traits On Burnout In Ministry Leadership, Johnny F. Ray

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Flourishing In The Field : Best Practices For Missionary Health And Effectiveness, Matthew H. Rasch

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Rude Awakening : Divine Disruption And Human Dynamics In Revival And Spiritual Renewals, Ruben Cervantes Jr.

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Developing Spiritually Healthy Churches : Advancing Biblical Ecclesiology And Ministry Practices Among Pastoral Leaders, Julian Panga

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Transforming Pastoral Ministry : Spiritual Formation Practices For Biblical Preaching, Jeffrien Joel Joseph

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Women In Christian Leadership : Promoting Women To Lead Within A Complementarian Setting, Swarn Kaur Potter

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.