Digital Commons Network^™

Screening Incarcerated Women For Opioid Use Disorder, Michele Staton, Martha Tillson, Mary M. Levi, Matthew Webster, Carrie B. Oser, Carl Leukefeld

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

The overall aim of the present study is to examine the utility of the DSM OUD Checklist and the NM-ASSIST screening tools to identify symptoms consistent with OUD among incarcerated women in county jails. This study contributes to the existing literature because research on screening and assessment approaches for incarcerated women has been limited. The focus of the current study is to describe the screening procedures and study recruitment for a larger parent study focused on increasing treatment linkages. Study findings indicate a positive correlation between indicators of OUD using the two screening tools, as well as a high degree …

Trends In Youth Opinions About Police Agencies In The United States, 2017–2021, Delvon T. Mattingly, Nancy L. Fleischer

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Introduction: As civil unrest about policing in the United States (US) continue, research on changing opinions about police agencies is needed, especially among younger populations. These opinions may be associated with distress and other health outcomes that come with public health implications.

Methods: We aggregated and used yearly 2017 to 2021 data on 12th-grade youth living in the US from the Monitoring the Future cross-sectional study (n = 7132). We categorized opinions about police agency job per- formance into 1) very poor/poor (hereafter: poor), 2) fair/good/very good, and 3) no opinion. To examine trends in policy agency opinions over time, …

A Social History Of Opioids’ Crimedical Cycle, Jerel M. Ezell, Alex Rains, Babatunde Patrick Ajayi, Kyle Miller, Erin Augustine, Dawn Goddard-Eckrich, Elizabeth N. Kinnard, Michelle R. Lofwall

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Historically, public and political discourse around people who nonmedically use opioids has largely been rendered via a deficits-oriented lens, presenting this population as weak, disinterested, and deviant,and thus undesirable and ill-positioned for wellness and communal integration. These narratives, and subsequent policies used to engage people who use opioids, are intermittently formed and disrupted by geopolitical changes, as public and institutional attitudes, often driven by racial and class-related considerations, shift. As part of what we term the crimedical cycle, a population’s behaviors fluctuate between periods of medicalization and criminalization. Strengths-based theory, an offshoot of ‘positive psychology’ that helps contextualize the crimedical …

Extended-Release Injection Vs Sublingual Buprenorphine For Opioid Use Disorder With Fentanyl Use, Edward V. Nunes, Sandra D. Comer, Michelle R. Lofwall, Sharon L. Walsh, Stefan Peterson, Fredrik Tiberg, Peter Hjelmstrom, Natalie R. Budilovsky-Kelley

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Importance: Fentanyl has exacerbated the opioid use disorder (OUD) and opioid overdose epidemic. Data on the effectiveness of medications for OUD among patients using fentanyl are limited.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of sublingual or extended-release injection formulations of buprenorphine for the treatment of OUD among patients with and without fentanyl use.

Design, Setting, and Participants: Post hoc analysis of a 24-week, randomized, double-blind clinical trial conducted at 35 outpatient sites in the US from December 2015 to November 2016 of sublingual buprenorphine-naloxone vs extended-release subcutaneous injection buprenorphine (CAM2038) for patients with OUD subgrouped by presence vs absence of fentanyl …

Table Top Roleplaying & Communication: Rituals, Rhetoric & Reclamation, Logan Cyrus Sayles

Undergraduate Scholarship

Broadly the topic is about the effect reclaiming a passionate will to play, act, and tell stories has on our lives and how doing so changes communication practices and the way people communicate. Narrowed further the focus is on the observable effects of Table Top Role Playing Games (linguistically narrowed down to the most popular Table Top Role Playing Game, Dungeons & Dragons) as a kind of social tool, with a further sub-focus on the stimulation and promotion of the following values and activities; acting, creative thinking, critical thinking, public speaking, self-confidence, self-empowerment, risk-taking, experimentation, active listening, teamwork/group work, storytelling, …

Amplifying Awareness: Narrative Rationality In The Discourse Of Childhood Cancer, Rosalinda L. Frick

Undergraduate Scholarship

This paper looks into the complex psychological and economic effects of pediatric cancer on families. The paper has devastating realism as it draws on personal experience, as illustrated by the author's brother, Dylan, dying of brain cancer. Dylan's shortened life serves as a harsh reminder of the need to address this serious problem. The paper delves into the power of Aristotle's persuasion model, specifically looking at the concepts of ethos, pathos, and logos. This persuasion model ties into narrative rationality in the paper and looks at how a story's coherence and fidelity can make a large impact on persuasion and …

The Online Education Landscape, Digital Tools, And Covid-19, Rosetta S. Burk

Undergraduate Scholarship

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has been the ultimate stress test for communication technologies, online learning methods, digital pedagogies, students and educators as the world faced school closures and emergency online learning situations during the pandemic lockdowns. There has been an influx in communication tools, digital paradigms, and teaching methodologies in addition to relying on existing digital tools and methods to continue students' education while unable to meet in person. The level of remote learning and digital movement is unprecedented and the results have been varied and illuminating. Research has been conducted on student attitudes in the immediate aftermath of the …

Artists’ Displacement And Rights: Citizenship, Care And Advocacy In The Networked Arts Sector In Europe, Mary Ann Devlieg

Doctoral

This thesis is situated at the intersection of arts, human rights and migration policies and practices. Contextualising five of my previous publications, the thesis is a critical reflection on my transectoral work as an advocate for the rights, recognition and professional development support of persecuted artists relocated to European Union countries for safety. Focusing on the decade 2009-2019, with a coda regarding significant events in 2023, the thesis exposes observed disconnects between a European cultural policy discourse stressing diversity and inclusion and the realities encountered by artists at risk seeking sanctuary. The thesis includes two chapters, an introduction and a …

Reclaiming Fantasy: The Female Protagonist In Works Of Visual Art, Literature And Film, Siobhán O'Connor

Theses

‘Reclaiming Fantasy: The Female Protagonist in Works of Visual Art, Literature and Film’ charts representations of the female protagonist through the media in which the archetype is most prominent. From fairy tales to the slasher film, the female protagonist’s representation has been consistent with narratives that pertain to patriarchal constructions of gender. This is particularly true of genres that work on a level of ‘suspension of disbelief’, such as fantasy. This thesis presents findings on the reclamation of the female protagonist by female voices using a multidisciplinary approach, combining feminist theory, literary criticism, and visual art studies. From the 17th …

The Effects Of Physical And Emotional Child Abuse On Social Functioning, And Help Seeking Behaviors In Adulthood, Beatrice Chambers

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Child abuse is very common in today’s society, and of great social concern. Reports indicate at least one in seven children have experienced child abuse or neglect in the past year in the United States. Further, in 2020, 1,750 children died of abuse and neglect in the United States alone. The number may be even higher since not every victim who died from abuse would have that indicated as the cause of death (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022a). The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of physical and emotional child abuse on social functioning …

Cognitive Fusion, Self And Other-Blame, And College Adjustment Outcomes, Olivia B. Tipton

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

College students from socioeconomically challenging backgrounds are more likely to drop out of college before being awarded a bachelor’s degree. A challenging background predicts difficulties in emotion regulation, which may affect adjustment to college and, subsequently, persistence in college until a bachelor’s degree is awarded. Previous research has identified cognitive fusion, a state in which one unquestioningly believes the literal content of their thoughts, and inflexible usage of self and other-blame as predictors of negative social, psychological, and academic outcomes. The present study used self-report data collected from emerging adult college students at a small midwestern university to assess whether …

Examining Self-Esteem As A Moderator Of Attachment And Multiple Sexual Partners, Dezerae Kinderknecht

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

The purpose of this study was to examine self-esteem as a moderator of attachment styles (i.e., avoidant, anxious, or secure) and its associated impact on the number of sexual partners an individual has had in their lifetime. Previous literature has found that an individual’s level of self-esteem affects a person’s number of sexual partners. Studies have also been conducted examining the correlation between attachment styles and number of sexual partners, finding that those with an insecure attachment style, namely anxious or avoidant attachment, tend to have more sexual partners. While previous literature has examined these factors separately, this study aimed …

Differences In Student-Ai Interaction Process On A Drawing Task: Focusing On Students' Attitude Towards Ai And The Level Of Drawing Skills, Jinhee Kim, Yoonhee Ham, Sang-Soog Lee

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Recent advances and applications of artificial intelligence (AI) have increased the opportunities for students to interact with AI in their learning tasks. Although various fields of scholarly research have investigated human-AI collaboration, the underlying processes of how students collaborate with AI in a student-AI teaming scenario have been scarcely investigated. To develop effective AI applications in education, it is necessary to understand differences in the student-AI interaction (SAI) process depending on students' characteristics. The present study attempts to fill this gap by exploring the differences in the SAI process amongst students with varying drawing proficiencies and attitudes towards AI in …

The Effects Of Affiliation, Proximity To Suicide, And Religiosity On Suicide Acceptance, Lindsey M. Gack

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

As suicide becomes increasingly more prominent in the lives of people, research is being conducted to investigate causes, prevention, and even opinions on the topic. The impact of religious affiliation and religiosity on people’s acceptance of suicide was investigated in the current study. This was examined by using The Religious Commitment Inventory-10 (RCI-10; Worthington et al., 2003), the Semantic Differential Scale Attitudes Towards Suicidal Behavior (SEDAS; Jenner & Niesing, 2000), and the Proximity to Suicide Scale (PSS; self-constructed). Results indicated that a higher religiosity score was correlated with a more understanding viewpoint of an attempted/committed suicide. Results also showed that …

The Importance Of Self-Regulation And Motivation In Online Learning Environments, Sydney A. Hicks

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Student learning satisfaction is important in the education world. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, learning environments have changed drastically from in-person learning to online learning. With this, more studies are needed to better understand learning satisfaction in online learning. The current study aims to use Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) as a framework to explain potential factors involved in learning satisfaction in both in-person and online courses. SCT reasons that interactions between environment, personal factors (motivation and self-regulation), impact different behavioral outcomes (learning satisfaction) (Mantooth et al., 2020). With this framework, the current study investigated how intrinsic motivation and self- regulation …

Life Satisfaction In Motherhood: The Influence Of Mindfulness On Life Stressors, Shyann Schumacher, Shyann M. Schumacher

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Motherhood can be a stressful and highly demanding role. With the challenges a mother faces, many factors can influence satisfaction a mother experiences in their life. Within the many roles mothers play throughout their lives, mindfulness is found to benefit both women and their children and positively influence mothers’ relationships with their children or partner. This study investigated the role of mindfulness within life satisfaction among mothers’ experiences by examining levels of social support, mother’s age, work-life balance, and socioeconomic status as predictors of life satisfaction when moderated by mindfulness. Participants were sampled through social media including Facebook and Instagram. …

Exploring Psychological Factors Behind Consideration Of Cosmetic Surgery Through The Lens Of Social Comparison Theory, Noriene Verma

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Cosmetic surgery refers to an extreme form of appearance modification whose sole purpose is to improve the appearance of the chosen area. Despite psychological concerns associated with repeated perform of cosmetic surgery, rates of cosmetic procedures are likely to increase in the coming years (American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 2020) and it warrants the need to study the potential motivators that encourage someone to opt for such procedures. Motivators of cosmetic surgery explored in this study are social media usage and self-esteem through the lens of Social Comparison Theory. Social comparison theory can explain the mechanisms behind one’s desire to …

The Role Of Shopping Orientations And Intrinsic Experiential Value In Consumer's Willingness To Follow Embodied-Ai's Advice In Fashion Shoe Stores, Christina Soyoung Song, Ji Young Lee, Dooyoung Choi

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This study employs a synthesis of Intrinsic Motivation Theory with three shopping orientations, namely “adventure,” “idea,” and “personalized” shopping, in order to examine their potential influence on individuals' motivation towards shopping. We proposed that consumers’ experiential value of intrinsic enjoyment is an indispensable mediator that affects their willingness to follow EAI’s advice. The study offers novel insights into the way that consumers’ characteristics of influencing others’ clothing consumption affect their shopping motivations to find adventure and stimulation, keep up with new fashion trends and products information, and their preference to patronize stores and interact with store staff on a personal …

Higher Education Faculty Perceptions Of Chatgpt And The Influencing Factors: A Sentiment Analysis Of X, Yoseph Mamo, Helen Crompton, Diane Burke, Christine E. Nickel

STEMPS Faculty Publications

ChatGPT, an AI chatbot developed by OpenAI, was released in November 2022, sparking a significant surge in global awareness and utilization of generative AI across various domains. Although recent studies have acknowledged the significance of ChatGPT in the education sector, they have yet to focus on exploring faculty attitudes toward ChatGPT. We gathered a comprehensive corpus of tweets containing “#ChatGPT” and “#highered” between November 30th, 2022, and April 30th, 2023. We analyzed data by triangulating VADER, NRC lexicon, and ground coding. Findings suggest that 40% of the expressed sentiments were positive, 51% were neutral, and 9% were negative. The study …

The Physiological And Behavioral Effects Of A Centrally Administered Oxytocin Receptor Antagonist On Maternal Buffering In Infant Guinea Pigs, Kendra A. Carter

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the role of endogenous oxytocin (OT) in maternal buffering of infant stress responses in guinea pigs. Infants received intracerebroventricular infusion of an oxytocin receptor antagonist (OTA) or artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) immediately before being placed with the mother in a novel environment for 60 minutes. Blood cortisol levels and behavioral responses, including vocalizations and crouching, were measured throughout the testing period. Results indicate only a significant effect of time, with cortisol levels increasing with time spent in the novel environment. Otherwise, no significant differences were observed either physiologically or behaviorally between aCSF and OTA conditions. This study …

Peer-Assisted Learning In Miller Analogies Tasks, Preston S. Menke

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The present study aimed to investigate the role of peer-assisted learning (PAL) on individual performance using a relatively complex Miller Analogies Task (MAT). I found that low-ability learners benefitted from PAL. Furthermore, this may be explained by a significant trust mechanism indicating that learners who correctly identified trustworthy peers had greater performance. I did not find support for a significant difference between PAL and individual learning conditions. This study provides evidence for the role of scaffolding, where low-ability learners may benefit from identifying who to guide them when engaging in a social peer-learning task.

Underuse Of Pragmatic Markers Among Non-Native English Speakers: Causes And Suggestions For Interventions, Arwa Abdullah S. Alqahtani

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Pragmatic markers (PMs)—those optional markers used in conversations to facilitate communication—have been gaining attention among researchers in the field of pragmatics in the past three decades or so. Proper use of PMs contributes to the success of any interaction in real-life conversations. However, they are often underused by non-native English speakers (NNSs). This paper critically reviews the existing research literature to investigate the causes of the underuse of PMs among NNSs, focusing on linguistic and extralinguistic factors that might contribute to the limited use of PMs. The findings of this study show that the distinctive nature of pragmatic development in …

Retracing Their Tracks: The Rediscovery And Memorialization Efforts Of The National Orphan Train Project, Joanna Lockwood

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Between 1854 and 1929, the placement system that became known as the orphan trains in modern scholarship, removed neglected and orphaned children from the dangerous streets of New York City and attempted to place them into homes across America that would benefit their futures. While this charity-run program was well-intentioned, the estimated two hundred fifty thousand children of the orphan trains experienced a mix of encounters upon their placements. Although many homes provided a caring environment for these children, others did not. After years of struggle during their early childhood, numerous children had not only lost their parents and were …

Examining The Relationship Between Toddlers’ Sleep Patterns, Negative Parenting, And Executive Function, Morgan Elizabeth Harris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Negative parenting can often be described as having three domains (i.e., laxness, verbosity, and over-reactivity, Arnold et al., 1993; Rhoades & O’Leary, 2007), which may have relations to toddlers’ behaviors, like executive function (EF) and sleep. However, this field is understudied, especially in early childhood development. One possible explanation for the lack of research in this field is that it can be difficult to study executive function in toddlers due to variability in the stability of regulatory behaviors and emerging regulatory abilities at this age range. Although positive sleep patterns (e.g., quality and quantity) have been linked to executive function, …

Detecting Cognitive Decline In High-Functioning Older Adults: The Relationship Between Subjective Cognitive Concerns, Frequency Of High Neuropsychological Test Scores, And The Frontoparietal Control Network, Justin E. Karr, Jonathan G. Hakun, Daniel B. Elbich, Cristina N. Pinheiro, Frederick A. Schmitt

Neurology Faculty Publications

Objective: Neuropsychologists have difficulty detecting cognitive decline in high-functioning older adults because greater neurological change must occur before cognitive performances are low enough to indicate decline or impairment. For high-functioning older adults, early neurological changes may correspond with subjective cognitive concerns and an absence of high scores. This study compared high- functioning older adults with and without subjective cognitive concerns, hypothesizing those with cognitive concerns would have fewer high scores on neuropsychological testing and lower frontoparietal network volume, thickness, and connectivity.

Method: Participants had high estimated premorbid functioning (e.g., estimated intelligence ≥75th percentile or college-educated) and were divided based on …

The Impact Of Poverty On Educational Achievement: Understanding Socio-Economic Barriers And Opportunities For Change, Amanda Sanz

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores how poverty impacts education from preschool through high school and looks at factors such as home environment, early childhood education access, and mental health issues that contribute to the achievement gap. It draws attention to the ways that problems like food insecurity, unstable housing, and a lack of parental participation impact students' academic, emotional, and cognitive growth. The effectiveness and limitations of current programs, such as Head Start and Title I, in filling these gaps are reviewed. The study further emphasizes the need for equitable policies regarding education, school-based mental health resources, and early interventions in helping …

Brief Observation Of Social Communication Change To Evaluate Change In Autism Symptoms As A Treatment Response In A Semistructured Play Assessment, Camilla Woodard

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Measuring changes in autism symptoms as a result of treatment is a known gap in autism research and intervention. The Brief Observation of Social Communication Change-Minimally Verbal (BOSCC-MV) was designed to capture changes in social communication behaviors and other autism-related behaviors as a treatment response. In this study, the BOSCC-MV coding scheme was applied across different play observations from the BOSCC-MV and the Communication Play Protocol to compare the effect of semistructured play contexts with a familiar play administrator over time to determine if differences in social communication behaviors and autism symptoms would be observed. This research examined the impact …

The Effect Of State Anxiety On Working Memory Updating, Alexandra L. Mastrangelo

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Anxiety impairs cognition by operating to alter processing efficiency. When anxiety impairs efficiency, the capacity of working memory (WM) is confined especially for individuals who concurrently experience higher levels of anxiety (Yang et al., 2018). The updating function is a crucial process that operates within WM to replace and modify older with novel information to carry out complex cognitive tasks. However, if interference accrues from previously learned information (known as proactive interference, or PI), removing information from WM becomes more difficult. Because the relationship between state anxiety (SA) and WM is less understood compared to trait anxiety (TA), this study …

2024-2025 Lynn University Academic Catalog, Lynn University

Academic Catalogs

The 2024-2025 Academic Catalog initially published as a web-only document.

This is a PDF version, created by the Department of Marketing and Communication.

Ruling In The Shadows: Analysis Of The Supreme Court’S Use Of The ‘Shadow Docket’ And Its Effects, Emilee Smart

Theses and Dissertations--Political Science

The recent increased use of the shadow docket has left the public and scholars with unanswered questions about how procedures influence outcomes and behavior. Many of these shadow docket cases have been petitioned to the justices as emergencies in very important policy areas such as immigration, abortion, elections, and transgender rights. I collect a large dataset of all outcomes of the Supreme Court's shadow docket from 2010-2022. I examine the language the justices use to justify their decisions made using alternate procedures. I find unique differences in the justifying behavior of the justices as well as significant differences in the …