Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Us Military Veterans’ Perceived Concordance With Their Providers Regarding Persistent Physical Symptoms Prospectively Predicts Satisfaction With Care And Adherence To Care Plans, L Alison Phillips, Laura M Lesnewich, Katharine Bloeser, Yong Lin, Rachel L Boska, Justeen K Hyde, Peter J Bayley, Helena K Chandler, Matthew J Reinhard, Susan L Santos, Rachel Stewart, Drew A Helmer, Lisa M Mcandrew

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Background: Medically unexplained, persistent physical symptoms and syndromes are commonly seen in primary care. These are debilitating for patients and difficult to treat, causing frustration for patients and providers.

Purpose: This study investigates how well US military veterans with multiple persistent physical symptoms (PPS), called Gulf War illness (GWI), agree with their healthcare providers about their illness. This agreement, called perceived concordance, is hypothesized to influence veterans' satisfaction with care, adherence to care plans, and disability levels.

Methods: Participants were 230 veterans with GWI deployed to the 1990-1991 Gulf War who were recruited from Veteran Affairs primary care and War …

Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Black Women In The Us, Brittany C Slatton, Farrah G Cambrice, Serwaa S Omowale

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IMPORTANCE: COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Black women is a critical public health concern, potentially exacerbating existing health disparities and impacting community-wide vaccination efforts.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Black women in the US and identify the specific concerns and experiences shaping hesitant attitudes toward vaccination.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Qualitative study using in-depth, semistructured interviews conducted virtually between June and November 2021. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes from the interview data. Participants were recruited through social media platforms and word-of-mouth referrals from various regions of the US. Interviews were conducted remotely …

Lusaka's Colonial Legacy: Town Planning, Public Health, And The Making Of A Segregated City, 1913–1963. A Study Of Power, Inequality, And Urban Development, Wamburakwao J. Sapao

Zambia Social Science Journal

This paper explores the intersection of town planning and public health policy in Lusaka, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), during the colonial period (1913–1963), which was a time of significant urban growth and transformation. British colonial authorities adapted Ebenezer Howard's Garden City principles to design and manage Lusaka, but these measures perpetuated spatial control, segregation, and social engineering, thus exacerbating racial and socio-economic disparities. By analysing secondary and primary sources, including planning ordinances, zoning regulations, and public health policies, this study reveals how these measures shaped the city's development and reinforced inequalities. Despite colonial intentions for a white settler-city, Lusaka evolved …

Transpersonal Philosophy Grows Up: A Clarification Of Ken Wilber’S Most Recent Updates To His Theoretical Framework, Ritske Rensma

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

The fact that there are multiple phases to Ken Wilber’s theoretical development has been widely recognized, with Wilber himself arguing that his works can be divided into four distinct phases (1983/2001). Students of Wilber’s work later added a fifth and final phase, which is said to begin in 2001. What has received hardly any scholarly attention, however, is the fact that Wilber still made major changes to his theoretical framework several years after the beginning of phase 5 in Integral Spirituality (2006), and that it is only after the publication of this book that his thinking really reaches a steady …

Unitlessness: Highlighting The Trans-Discursive Qualities Of Nondualism And Implications For Psychological Terminology, Christian U. Krägeloh

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

Nondual awareness has recently gained increased interest in broader psychological research. In meditation contexts, it reflects the dissolution of subject and object, while in Maha_ya_na Buddhism, practitioners aim to develop insight that leads to awareness of nonduality in everyday-life situations. Traditionally, teaching of nondualism employed paradoxes to prompt nonconceptual inquiry into reconciling dualistic contradictions. To offer an approach to communicate nondualism to a modern audience of psychology researchers, the framework of unitlessness is introduced here, which differentiates between linguistic characteristics (units) and experiential phenomena (unity), both within an enveloping ineffability (unitlessness). This type of nondualism is trans-discursive, as it acknowledges …

The Nondual Realization Of Advaita Vedanta Does Not Support A Psychological Theory Of Consciousness, Glenn Hartelius

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

Advaita Vedanta is seen as something of an authoritative source for nondual philosophies and theories of consciousness that postulate a pure featureless awareness at the base of mental experience. These approaches deviate from both the lineage-based teachings of Advaita Vedanta and the necessary standards of science, constructing compromises that fall short of traditional fidelity and psychological rigor. Dialogues between psychology and Advaita Vedanta need to delineate clearly between a sensate phenomenology of experience and spiritual interpretations that may be implicit within experiential descriptions.

The Head, The Heart, And The Human: A Developmental Cascade Perspective Of Adults With Dextro-Transposition Of The Great Arteries, Alexandra Brooke Roseman

Selected Full-Text Dissertations 2020-

As survival rates for individuals with complex congenital heart disease (CHD), such as dextro-Transposition of the Great Arteries (d-TGA), increase, there is a growing need to examine neurocognitive and psychosocial challenges from a lifespan perspective. However, research often overlooks the integration of these factors, despite evidence from other chronic illness populations suggesting their interplay influences psychosocial functioning in adulthood. This study assessed psychosocial maturity in emerging adults with d-TGA and explored its relationship with executive functioning (EF) and social cognition (SC) longitudinally. Data were drawn from the Boston Circulatory Arrest Study (BCAS) cohort at age 16 (n = 80) and …

Suicide Exposure In The Army National Guard: A Three Manuscript Dissertation, Rebecca Willis-Nichols

Theses and Dissertations--Social Work

Between 2000-2022, the U.S. suicide rate increased 36% with one death now occurring every 11 minutes (CDC, 2024). Despite the Department of Defense making a concerted effort to curb the suicide increases in their ranks, the rates have continued to rise. Active-duty component rates have slowly increased since 2011 while reserve and guard components have held steady (U.S. Department of Defense, 2023). After adjusting for age, the suicide rate in the veteran population was 57% greater than the civilian population in 2020 (CDC, 2024). There is a need for a better understanding of the impact of these deaths and the …

Childhood Trauma And The Emergence Of Precognitive Abilities: A Correlational Study, Kirsten Cameron, Jenny Wade

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

This study addresses the scientific tendency to misattribute the higher levels of belief in extra-sensory perception (ESP) of adult survivors of childhood trauma to cognitive errors when they may be a result of actual experience with ESP. Dissociative tendencies may contribute to precognition, which would be an adaptive skill for children living in unpredictable and traumatic environments. This study investigated the correlation between self-reported childhood abuse and neglect and precognitive abilities in 227 adults. The participants completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, comprising subscales measuring emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, and physical and emotional neglect, and completed four online tasks measuring …

Debating Member-Checks Of Exceptional Human Experiences, James Houran, Everton De Oliveira Maraldi, Beth M. Houran

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This integrative essay reflects on member-checking and engaged research approaches in the study of exceptional human experiences (EHEs)—subjective accounts that often challenge conventional views of consciousness and physical reality. Member-checking, or inviting research participants to review data or interpretations, can improve credibility by aligning research with their lived experience. While benefits include transparency and insight, risks include confirmatory bias, emotional distress, power asymmetries, and logistical complexity. The evolving nature of EHEs further complicates participant validation. We therefore advocate a six-level "fit-for-purpose" system to balance rigor with ethical care and responsiveness. We also explore digital, asynchronous, and AI-assisted strategies to enhance …

The Filipino Experience Of Kutob: Understanding Culturally-Informed Hyper-Intuition, Carl Lorenz Gaston Cervantes

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Kutob is a Filipino concept that usually refers to a sense of what may happen. It is often experienced as an omen of negative events. Despite its apparent ubiquity in everyday conversations, there is a lack of sincere academic reflection surrounding the topic of kutob. Relying on foreign (that is, western) approaches and frameworks to understand this concept may only limit it to certain categories of psychological thought. In this paper, I use the lens of indigenous psychology—in particular, Sikolohiyang Pilipino (Filipino psychology)—to identify the nuances and contexts of kutob. I show how kutob is a function of the dynamic …

Integral And Transpersonal Education, Heidi Fraser Hageman

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

N/A

Teaching In The Transpersonal Paradigm, Christopher M. Bache

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This article explores the transpersonal dynamics of teaching by presenting two core themes of The Living Classroom: 1) the synchronicities and energetic resonances that radiated invisibly around me as my spiritual practice deepened over time and 2) the “learning fields” that surround well-taught courses—fields of collective consciousness that can trigger new insights and powerful transformations in our students.

Process-Oriented: A Creative Approach To Transformative Learning, Dorit Netzer

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

In this intrinsic case study, the author explores the value of creative expression as a process-oriented approach to transformative learning through her experience of designing and facilitating a graduate art-therapy studio workshop. The author grounds her teaching in a humanistic view of creativity and transpersonal, transformative learning theories pertaining to expressive ways of knowing. Excerpts from one group of students’ responses to the course in terms of its impact on their personal-professional identity were grouped under four major themes: Purposeful Encounter; Authenticity; Expressive Mediums for Self-Care; and Shared Discovery. Conclusions from this case may be relevant to other educational settings …

Millennium School: An Experiment In Transpersonal Education For Early Adolescents, Jenny Wade

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This article describes the design, curriculum, culture, and values of an experiment in transpersonal education for young adolescents, the Millennium middle school in San Francisco, CA. The overarching design of the school was to help children exiting the latency period of child development, who exhibit the rudiments of Wade’s Authentic consciousness or Maslow’s Self-actualization motive stage, consolidate that level rather than losing it, as the vast majority do, because of social pressures that make earlier stages of development more adaptable in most contemporary societies. Early adolescence is a time when peer pressure, individuation from the family, and puberty are strong …

Book Review "Processing Reality: Finding Meaning In Death, Psychedelics And Sobriety," By John H. Buchanan, Christopher M. Aanstoos

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

N/A

Transpersonal Education: A Glimmer Of Light To Compulsory Education?, Scott Buckler, Harriett Moore

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Arguably transpersonal education is still in its infancy in relation to defining the area and from this, implementing into practice. While broad themes exist, such themes tend to apply to graduate or postgraduate education. The purpose of this article is to revisit definitions of transpersonal education in relation to compulsory schooling (elementary school through to the end of secondary school). From this, a series of principles and practices have been identified and presented to educators and students for validation purposes. Although a range of transpersonal practices are discussed, the implementation of a martial art inspired ‘Mindful Movement Program’ is introduced …

Teaching For Transpersonal Learning, Paul F. Cunningham

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This article addresses the “why,” “what,” and “how” of teaching for transpersonal learning. Why transpersonal education is relevant for addressing modern social problems and the global ecological crisis, what it is like to teach for transpersonal learning, and how transpersonal learning becomes transformative are discussed. Three promising options in technology and consciousness studies for transpersonal learning—transpersonal media, multistate studies, and entheogenic education—are described and the challenges of introducing transpersonal education into academic settings and assessing educational (student) learning outcomes are reviewed. The relevance of Mezirow’s Transformation Theory to transpersonal educational psychology, with special attention to ecological perspective transformation, is then …

How Widely Are Near-Death Experiences Recognized In Indian Society And Health Care? A Preliminary Survey, Jimmy Mathew, Sreelakshmi Rajeev, Jerry Paul, Subramnia Iyer

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Patients who have had near-death experiences are often profoundly changed by the event, and they and their families can find these phenomena bewildering or even distubing. Despite this, awareness of near-death experiences appears to be minimal among health care providers in India. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 100 individuals who attend patients at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi, Kerala, India, and with 100 physicians at the same institution. Acquaintance with the phenomenon of near-death experiences was found to be quite low among both samples—lower than rates seen in Western societies. Almost half of the physicians who …

In This Issue Of Ijts

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

N/A

Caring For Native American Elders: Developing Cultural Knowledge And Comfort Levels Of Senior Nursing Students In Northern California, Ireland Odonnell

Nursing | Senior Theses

Providing appropriate care to patients in the healthcare setting includes being aware of their culture. Nurses play an important role in caring for patients and need to know how to be culturally sensitive toward their patients. Various research articles highlight the lack of knowledge and comfort that current nurses and nurse educators have when caring for culturally diverse patients. Research also shows that a lack of overall knowledge about how to be culturally competent, knowing how to care for patients from different backgrounds, and understanding the effect cultural beliefs have on modern-day medicine poses a challenge when trying to provide …

A "Mind"Ful Diet: Analyzing Nursing Education On The Mind Diet For Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease, Audrey Marie Rafols

Nursing | Senior Theses

Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease (EOAD) is a rare form of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) that makes up around 5% of AD cases. The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet, a hybrid diet of the Mediterranean and DASH (dietary approaches to stop hypertension) is an approach that patients with EOAD can adapt to slow down the progression of cognitive decline. Current literature focuses on what the effects of the diet are more for AD and not EOAD specifically, where there is less of an established baseline of nurse knowledge. The lack of research about what nurses understand regarding providing education of the …

Developing A Culturally Sensitive Nursing Framework For Muslim Patients Practicing Ramadan: Focusing On Fasting Benefits And Islamic Dietary Recommendations, Amreen M. Munshi

Nursing | Senior Theses

Background: Muslims practice Ramadan, a month-long period of fasting from dawn to dusk, yet many healthcare providers lack knowledge of its principles and practices. Hospitals lack formal education on caring for fasting Muslim patients, leading to a knowledge deficit in cultural competence and sensitivity of Islamic practices. Purpose: This paper proposes a research design for a nurse education program on Ramadan fasting to promote cultural competence and sensitivity in nursing care. The proposed research aims to educate nurses on Islamic practices, particularly Ramadan, to bridge the cultural competency gap. The literature review also explores the health benefits of …

We're In This Together: Spirituality, Interconnectedness, And Concern For Global Crises, Ayla Lyons, Imants Barušs

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

This study examined the relationship between spirituality, interconnectedness, and concern for global crises. A sample of 225 participants comprised of students from King's University College, members of the Consciousness Club, and alumni from The Finders Course completed online questionnaires assessing spirituality, psychological well-being, and attitudes toward global crises. Quadratic regression analysis revealed that spirituality accounted for 11% of the variance in concern for global crises. Individuals scoring lower and higher on spirituality reported the most concern for global crises, whereas individuals scoring in the mid-range on spirituality reported less concern for global crises. The correlation between spirituality and interconnectedness was …

An Evaluation Of Nhmrc Funded Dementia And Diabetes Research, Etienne Vignola-Gagné Phd, Dmitrii Malkov, Elisabeth Browning, Jörg Hellwig Phd, Luigi Rocco Phd, Henrique Pinheiro, Alexandre Bédard-Vallée

Public Reports

This report, commissioned by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), provides comprehensive insights into the research outputs, outcomes, and impacts of NHMRC-funded health and medical research in the areas of dementia and diabetes to support NHMRC's mission of ‘building a healthy Australia.’

Debating Member-Checks Of Exceptional Human Experiences, James Houran, Everton De Oliveira Maraldi, Beth M. Houran

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

This integrative essay reflects on member-checking and engaged research approaches in the study of exceptional human experiences (EHEs)—subjective accounts that often challenge conventional views of consciousness and physical reality. Member-checking, or inviting research participants to review data or interpretations, can improve credibility by aligning research with their lived experience. While benefits include transparency and insight, risks include confirmatory bias, emotional distress, power asymmetries, and logistical complexity. The evolving nature of EHEs further complicates participant validation. We therefore advocate a six-level "fit-for-purpose" system to balance rigor with ethical care and responsiveness. We also explore digital, asynchronous, and AI-assisted strategies to enhance …

Mujeres Hispanas Y Latinas: Influencias Culturales Y Religiosas En El Uso De Métodos Anticonceptivos, Paola Martinez

World Languages and Cultures Senior Capstones

This paper analyzes the importance of sexual and reproductive health for women’s overall wellbeing, focusing on how religious and cultural factors significantly influence contraceptive use in Hispanic and Latina communities. Religious affiliation, particularly within Catholicism and evangelical Christianity, promotes values that may discourage contraception, impacting STI prevention and family planning. Sociocultural constructs like machismo and familism reinforce these barriers, limiting women’s autonomy. Additionally, a lack of sexual education and distrust in healthcare systems contribute to unplanned pregnancies and increased STI risks. The analysis suggests that culturally sensitive educational programs could improve access to reliable information and empower women to make …

Poner En Práctica Las Regulaciones Federales: Habilitando A Los Pacientes Dominio Limitado Del Inglés, Caitlyn Gailey

World Languages and Cultures Senior Capstones

This paper examines the gaps in the U.S. healthcare system that affect the Hispanic community, focusing on language barriers and cultural competence. It highlights the challenges faced by Limited English Proficiency (LEP) patients, who may struggle with medical terminology, leading to misdiagnosis and improper treatment. The paper advocates for culturally sensitive language services, including qualified interpreters, translated documents and signage in order to improve communication, patient satisfaction, and reduce medical errors. It calls for systemic changes to ensure equitable care for all patients, regardless of language or cultural background.

Los Inmigrantes Indocumentados Y Su Pelea Para La Salud Medica En Los Estados Unidos, Alejandro Del Rello

World Languages and Cultures Senior Capstones

This essay explores the critical issue of healthcare access for undocumented immigrants in the United States. Despite contributing significantly to the economy through labor and taxes, undocumented immigrants face systemic barriers to medical care, including lack of insurance, fear of deportation, and economic troubles. These barriers result in untreated illnesses, mental health struggles, and increased use of emergency services, which generate higher long-term costs. The paper argues for inclusive healthcare policies, such as Medicaid expansion and protections for patient privacy, to improve public health, reduce disparities, and enhance economic stability. Drawing from U.S. and international examples, the essay demonstrates that …

El Uso De Las Prácticas Curativas No Occidentales En Lugar De Y Dentro De La Cultura Biomédica, Lynda Gulledge

World Languages and Cultures Senior Capstones

This paper explores the difficulties that the Hispanic community faces when accessing healthcare in the United States, which emphasizes the use of biomedical culture. Topics such as cultural and linguistic barriers, past and present healthcare policies, and the use of non-Western medical practices are examined. Furthermore, this paper explores the history and use of curanderismo as an accessible and culturally appropriate form of healthcare. Lastly, the integration and acknowledgement of curanderismo in biomedical culture is explored and encouraged in order to create a more holistic healthcare experience for the Hispanic community.