Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Self-Compassion And Sexual Assault Victimization: A Systematic Review, Alexis A. Adams-Clark, Jerin Lee, Lucy W. Naughton, Anna Purcell, Ananya Sharma, Siena Candullo, Kelsey Sawyer, Prachi H. Bhuptani, Lindsay M. Orchowski

Student Publications [Scholarly]

Sexual assault survivors demonstrate substantial resilience, prompting calls for strength-based approaches to understanding recovery. One construct receiving increasing attention is self-compassion (i.e., treating oneself with kindness and understanding in the face of suffering), which may buffer against the negative mental health effects of assault victimization. The current systematic review synthesized data from 31 peer-reviewed studies examining self-compassion, sexual assault exposure, and mental health. Reported in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards and registered in PROSPERO (CRD420250648494), the review included observational and experimental studies assessing sexual assault victimization and self-compassion across the lifespan. Most studies …

Effect Of Workload, Burnout, And Flexible Work Practices On The Well-Being Of University Faculty And Staff, Caroline O. Rogers

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

The present study examined the impact of workload, burnout, and flexible work practices (FWPs) on the well-being of higher education employees from the perspective of Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory. A moderated mediation model was hypothesized, wherein workload would be associated with well-being through burnout, and that this association would be attenuated by the presence of FWPs. A total of 477 full-time faculty, staff, and affiliated research foundation employees from a large public university in the Northeast region and a broader range of colleges and universities across the United States of America completed a cross-sectional survey. Validated measures assessed workload (Quantitative …

Exploring Psychological Safety And Workforce Experiences Among Employees In Recovery Community Organizations In The Southern United States: A Qualitative Study, Claire-Lorentz Ugo-Ike

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study explored how employees in Recovery Community Organizations (RCOs) in the Southern United States experience psychological safety and how these experiences shape employee well-being and their intentions to stay or leave their organizations. Guided by Edmondson’s Psychological Safety Theory and the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, the study examined how leadership practices, workplace culture, and the emotional demands of recovery support work shape employees’ perception of safety, support, and sustainability in the workforce. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 RCO employees working in various peer support roles. Thematic analysis identified five major themes: (1) leadership behaviors shape psychological safety …

Disentangling Exercise Motivation From Eating Disorder Symptom Severity: A Dominance Analysis Of Compulsive Exercise Predictors, Sarah E. Siegel

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Compulsive exercise (CE) appears frequently in eating disorder (ED) samples but also occurs in nonclinical populations, raising the possibility that different motivational processes drive the behavior, perhaps depending on ED pathology. This study examined the relative contribution of exercise motives to CE while separating motivational variance from ED symptom severity. Undergraduate women (N = 376; 38.3% White, 28.8% Black) completed the Exercise Motivations Inventory–2 (EMI-2), the Compulsive Exercise Test (CET), and the 7-item Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q7). An exploratory factor analysis of EMI-2 subscales yielded four factors: Affective Well-being (Enjoyment, Revitalization, Stress Management), Health/Function (Ill-health Avoidance, Nimbleness, Positive Health, …

Relational Efficacy Beliefs In Supervision Of Master’S Level Counseling Trainees As Predictors Of Counseling Interests And Goals, Taylor Karnilaw

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Master's level counseling trainees have condensed training periods before making career-related decisions and are often placed in settings with high rates of burnout and turnover. Supervision has been shown to be a protective factor for burnout and has the potential to be a source of self-efficacy, which has been linked with career-related outcomes like occupational interests and goals (Lent et al., 2018; O’Connor et al., 2018). Moreover, within the context of close relationships, like supervision, efficacy beliefs are believed to be shaped by a network of beliefs, including relation-inferred self-efficacy, self-efficacy, and other-efficacy (Lent & Lopez, 2002). The current study …

The Moderating Effect Of Self-Efficacy On The Relationship Between Social Determinants Of Health And Alcohol Use In A Diverse Adult Sample, Cara L. Fresquez

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Heavy alcohol consumption is associated with a range of psychosocial problems and chronic conditions, resulting in approximately 140,000 preventable deaths each year. With these potential consequences in mind, it is understandable that 46% of individuals who consume alcohol report attempting to reduce the quantity of alcohol they drink; however, very few enter formal treatment. Despite this, many people will decrease their heavy drinking over time, presumably due to individual and environmental factors, particularly self-efficacy and protective social determinants of health (SDoH). This study aimed to answer the research question “How is SDoH adversity related to the likelihood of reporting reduced …

Maintaining Balance And Wellness In Remote Work, Michelle Bartlett

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

In today's rapidly evolving work environments, remote work has become more than a trend; it is now a mainstay and rising (Ewers & Kangmennaang, 2023). This shift has necessitated a re-evaluation of traditional work paradigms, particularly in the realms of work-life balance and employee wellness. This chapter details the core strategies for thriving in remote work settings by setting boundaries, combating isolation, and fostering supportive corporate cultures. Transitioning from offices to remote work can blur the lines between personal and professional lives (Bella, 2023; Beňo, 2023). This section provides practical advice on how remote workers can effectively delineate these aspects. …

Counselors' Lived Experiences Of Moral Injury: A Social Ecological Perspective, Lisa M. Belknap

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study explores the lived experiences of counselors who encountered moral injury when sociopolitical, institutional, and organizational conditions constrained their ability to practice in alignment with their personal morals, professional values, and the counseling profession’s code of ethics. Participants (N = 15) included licensed counselors who self-identified as having experienced moral injury in response to directives from legitimate authorities that conflicted with professional ethics, social justice commitments, or client welfare. Grounded in social ecological systems theory, this phenomenological study employed a confidential, cross-sectional online survey. Reflexive thematic analysis identified seven themes: (a) Profit Over People, (b) Structural Forces Contributing to …

The Lived Experience Of Tenders Of Community Grief Rituals, Margaret Y. Wilson

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this research study is to gain an understanding of the lived experience of tenders of community grief rituals, and how tenders make meaning of their experiences. This study utilized photo elicitation and a reflexive thematic analysis. Participants (N = 11) provided one to three photographs that captured their experience of grief and/or tending grief rituals. The results identified 10 themes supported by subthemes: (a) Grief Tender Wisdom About the Nature of Grief, (b) Life’s Many Experiences are Sources of Grief, (c) The Multifaceted Impacts of Grief-Body, Anger, Compassion, Empathy, Resilience, Gratitude, Joy, and Love, (d) The Nuances …

Beyond The Diagnosis: A Qualitative Exploration Of Men Living With Hiv, David R. Romanelli

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of men (18+ years old) living with HIV to better understand how they navigate identity, mental health, relationships, and healthcare systems after diagnosis. The method included a qualitative thematic analysis with 10 participants. Eight themes emerged from the data: (1) reactions, reflections, and meaning-making after diagnosis; (2) managing medication, treatment, and co-occurring conditions; (3) stigma, disclosure, and negotiation of identity; (4) substance use, housing instability, and socioeconomic stressors; (5) navigating the changing HIV landscape; (6) experiences with family and intimate relationships; (7) implications for mental health counseling; and (8) the role of community …

The Use Of Mindfulness In Empirically Supported Treatments In Psychology, Timothy Stewart

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

After gaining popularity in the United States of America (USA) in the 1960s and 1970s, Buddhist mindfulness was introduced to clinical psychology and investigated for its potential psychological healing effects. In the years since, mindfulness has been widely used in empirically supported treatments (ESTs) in clinical psychology in the USA to treat a wide variety of psychological conditions and disorders. This dissertation examines and compares conceptualizations and implicit understandings of mindfulness in early (Theravāda) Buddhism and in ESTs in clinical psychology in the USA. Through textual narrative analysis of two Buddhist sutta and 10 clinical psychology journal articles, this study …

The Effect Of Paternal Engagement On The Sexual Self-Concept Of Black Female Adolescents, Amelia Flynn

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Black women in the U.S. continue to experience disproportionately high rates of unintended pregnancies, with a 64% rate reported in 2011 (Finer & Zolna, 2016). Positive sexual self-concept (SSC) is linked to healthier sexual behaviors, yet research on SSC development has largely overlooked the role of fathers and systemic influences, particularly within Black families. Grounded in an ecological framework, this study examines the impact of father-daughter engagement on SSC among Black female adolescents, considering paternal residential status and socioeconomic class as key contextual factors. The study revealed that when middle class father-daughter engagement is high, daughters’ sexual self-esteem is lower. …

Virtual Communities, Real Identities: Bi+ Storying And Connection On Youtube, Gabrielle Gershoni

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation explored how bi+ individuals narrate identity, belonging, and community connection through personal storytelling on YouTube. Despite being a significant subset of the LGBTQIA+ population, bi+ individuals face unique challenges such as monosexism, bi-erasure, and binegativity. These systemic challenges contribute to health disparities and a pervasive lack of belongingness in both straight and queer communities. Using a narrative inquiry framework and reflexive thematic analysis, this study examined six publicly shared narratives of bi+ YouTube creators to investigate how digital spaces are utilized to construct and discus bi+ identities. Heteronormative socialization, “clicks” of identity recognition, relational negotiations, and misrecognition both …

Caught Between Silence And Truth: Graduate Trainees' Disclosures Of Microaggressions, Lourdes D. Concepción Cabán, Rochelle E. Goins, Farhia A. Osman, Brea M. Banks, Tyra M. Jackson, Arielle N. Flint, Keeley Hynes, Kierra R. Peterson

Faculty Publications – Psychology

Graduate training in school, clinical, and counseling psychology programs is often shaped by structural inequities that can harm racially minoritized trainees. Guided by Critical Race Theory, this qualitative study used counterstorytelling to explore how 10 racially minoritized graduate students in school, clinical, and counseling psychology programs experienced and disclosed microaggressions to faculty/supervisors during their graduate training. Through thematic analysis, six overarching themes emerged: (a) types of microaggressive experiences, (b) influence on perceptions of program climate, (c) influence on emotional functioning, (d) actions in response to microaggressions, (e) faculty/supervisor responses, and (f) institutional feedback. Findings indicate that disclosure is frequently fraught, …

Mental Health Therapists’ Experiences Of Moral Injury, Mary Krome

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Moral injury refers to the psychological, social, behavioral, and spiritual consequences that may result from experiences involving perceived violations of deeply held moral values and beliefs. Although research on moral injury has expanded beyond military populations, limited attention has been given to the experiences of mental health therapists, and qualitative investigations of this phenomenon remain scarce. Therefore, this project provides a qualitative assessment of mental health therapists’ lived experiences of moral injury, using an ecosystemic approach and accounting for biopsychosocial factors that influence experiences of moral injury. Six mental health therapists completed the Moral Injury and Distress Scale and endorsed …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Fitness Wearable Use And Embodiment, Lucas Brandt

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Wearable fitness technologies have become increasingly integrated into contemporary health and wellness culture, providing users with continuous access to physiological and behavioral data related to movement, sleep, stress, recovery, and overall health. Research has demonstrated that wearable devices can increase physical activity and support health behavior change (Ferguson et al., 2022; Koivisto & Hamari, 2019). Although less is known about how these technologies influence individuals’ lived experiences of their bodies. Understanding this relationship is particularly important given growing concerns regarding embodiment, self-surveillance, and the psychological effects of health-tracking technologies (Bergsland, 2017; Rapp, 2021). Drawing on theories of mind-body connection and …

Doctoral Trainees’ Experiences Of Vicarious Trauma Within Inpatient Settings: An Exploratory Study, Melissa Neitlich

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Vicarious trauma (VT), first coined by Irene Lisa McCann and Anne Pearlman, is described as a pervasive and cumulative impact of working with survivors of trauma, resulting in changes to the therapist’s identity, worldview, psychological needs, beliefs, and memory. In spite of the unique vulnerabilities of doctoral trainees for experiencing VT, there is limited research on the impact of VT among doctoral trainee populations, as most of the extant literature focuses on the impact of VT in middle- to late-career psychological practice. In this primarily qualitative dissertation, I examined trainees’ experiences of vicarious trauma within various inpatient settings using the …

Impact Of Therapeutically Applied Role-Playing Games (Ta-Rpg) For Individuals At The Intersection Of Sexual And Gender Minorities (Sgm) And Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd), Alexander S. Gelernter

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who also identify as sexual and gender minorities (SGM) may experience intersecting challenges related to communication, social belonging, masking, identity development, and access to affirming clinical spaces. Although role-play and therapeutically applied role-playing games (TA-RPGs) have been described as promising experiential approaches, limited research has examined how ASD/SGM individuals themselves understand role-playing games (RPGs) or evaluate their possible therapeutic use. This qualitative study explored how young adults with ASD level 1 who identify as SGM describe their experiences with RPGs and how they appraise the potential usefulness, risks, and conditions of TA-RPG. Five participants …

The Psychological Process Of Decolonizing The Colonized Self: A Grounded Theory Based On Hong Kongers’ Decisions After The 2019 Protests, Lai Kwan Shirley Lo

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Hong Kong, a British colony for over a century, was returned to China in 1997. In 2019, the proposal of an extradition bill sparked widespread outrage, leading to a year of unprecedented social unrest. The protests eventually dissipated with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Chinese central government’s tightening controls. Although the state characterized its interventions as decolonization, a significant wave of Hong Kongers responded by leaving their homeland to cultivate new lives in the “Western world,” including Britain. How does a colonized population willingly return to their colonizer after decolonization? This study sets out to search for …

The Effects Of Coping Motives On Alcohol Use Consequences, Madisyn E. Feliciano, Samantha Pelfrey

UROP Posters

The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in alcohol use consequences between those who drink to cope with anxiety or depression symptoms and those who do not. Our research aimed to expand on earlier studies by placing emphasis on how coping with anxiety and depression influences alcohol consequences using constructs aligned with DSM-V symptom criteria. Research has consistently shown that those who drink to regulate distressing emotions experience more harmful consequences, making this an imperative area for prevention efforts. It was hypothesized that coping motivated drinking would be associated with an increased amount of alcohol related consequences. …

Measurement Invariance Of Transtheoretical Model-Based Measures For Covid-19 Vaccination Readiness, Allegra Opiela

Open Access Dissertations

Purpose. To assess the measurement invariance of four novel Transtheoretical Model (TTM)-based measures for readiness to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Design. Cross-sectional.

Setting. Online survey study in the United States (US).

Participants. 1169 US-based adults aged 18-85.

Measures. Demographics, Stage of Change, Vaccination History, Decisional Balance, Self-efficacy, Myths, and Barriers to COVID-19 vaccination.

Analyses. Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses with increased restraints on model parameters to assess configural (no constraints), metric (factor loadings constrained), and scalar invariance (factor loadings and item intercepts constrained) in a sequential manner.

Results. Decisional Balance, Myths, and Barriers demonstrated scalar …

Estimating The Average Treatment Effect In Randomized Controlled Trials With Incomplete Covariates, Elizabeth M. Pauley

Open Access Dissertations

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are commonly used to estimate average treatment effects (ATEs), with baseline covariates often included to improve precision and statistical power for detecting those effects. In applied settings, covariates can be incomplete, and some may moderate treatment effects, leading to heterogeneous treatment effects (HTE). Literature lacks clear direction regarding whether incomplete covariates should be included when estimating the ATE and how different missing data handling methods perform in such conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of four missing data handling methods in RCTs via Monte Carlo simulations, namely listwise deletion (LD), inverse probability weighting (IPW), …

Protective Behavioral Strategies On Alcohol And Cannabis Co-Use Occasions, Sabrina Todaro

Open Access Dissertations

Simultaneous use of alcohol and cannabis, or co-use (i.e., the use of both substances so that effects overlap), is an increasingly significant public health concern among young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 in the U.S. (SAMHSA 2025; Terry-McElrath & Patrick, 2018). Protective behavioral strategies (PBS; i.e., tactics used to modify or limit substance use related harm; Pearson, 2013) have been robustly linked to fewer negative outcomes (e.g., lower use quantity, frequency, and consequences) for alcohol- and cannabis-only occasions (Bravo et al., 2016; Bravo et al., 2017; Bravo et al., 2019; Pearson, 2013; Pedersen et al., 2016; Pedersen …

Intersectionality In Discrimination, Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, And Suicide Ideation: Black Americans In Appalachian Contexts, Jailyn May Wilson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Racial discrimination is recognized as a race-based traumatic stressor that has been associated with posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and suicide ideation (SI). However, there remains a paucity of research investigating the impact of racial and other forms of discrimination on understudied populations, including Black Americans residing in Appalachian regions. The current study used an online self-report survey to examine PTSS as a mediator in the association between perceived discrimination and SI and to examine the moderating effect of the number of identity factors with which one experienced discrimination (i.e., race, gender, region) on the relationship between perceived discrimination and PTSS. …

Cross-Cue Reactivity Of Nicotine And Cannabis Vaping Products, Madeline Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

SIGNIFICANCE. The rewarding properties of nicotine increase when administration is paired with external stimuli, or “cues”, including those related to vaping products. Given the visual similarity between nicotine vaping products (NVPs) and THC vaping products (TVPs), exposure to one product may elicit reactivity (e.g., craving, urge to use) to the other. The present study aimed to develop a set of cues capable of differentiating NVPs from TVPs to inform investigations of cross-cue reactivity. METHODS. Images (n=61 NVPs; n=64 TVPs; 7=unspecified) were obtained via an online search using both generic (“vape”, “vape pen”) and product-specific (e.g., “nicotine vape”, “dab pen”) keywords …

Behavioral Adaptation To Systematically Changing Local Conditions Of Reinforcement, Kento Yasukawa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Adaptation is the continual process of behavioral change in response to changes in environmental contingencies. One example of adaptation is to track the temporal distribution of reinforcers. The present dissertation investigated how responding tracked cyclically changing reinforcement schedules (i.e., cyclic interval [CI]) and how such tracking was influenced by concurrently available alternative reinforcement schedules. Across two experiments, four pigeons responded under a CI 60-s schedule in which the interreinforcer intervals (IRIs) changed systematically according to a sinusoidal function. The primary dependent variable was postreinforcement pauses (PRPs), with local response rates (response rates per IRI) examined as a secondary measure of …

Do Transdiagnostic Factors Predict Emotion Recognition?, Grace L. Wheeler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

While emotion recognition deficits have been found in several anxiety and related disorders (e.g., social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive), consistent results have not been established. To clarify the relationship between emotion recognition abilities and anxiety, the current study tested if transdiagnostic factors related to anxiety are predictors of emotion recognition abilities. Data was analyzed from participants (N = 188) recruited via CloudResearch; they completed measures of three transdiagnostic factors related to anxiety (e.g., anxiety sensitivity, intolerance of uncertainty, and rumination), followed by an emotion recognition task. Multiple regression analyses revealed higher levels of anxiety sensitivity predicted worse recognition for anger, disgust, …

Feasibility Of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy-Toddler In Community Clinics In The United States And Japan, Sharon T. Phillips

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The toddler age (12-36 months) is characterized by a toddler’s increasing desire for autonomy, which can result in caregiver-child conflict and toddler externalizing problems (Kohlhoff & Morgan, 2014). Clinical levels of disruptive behavior in toddlerhood can be predictive of a host of negative outcomes, including problems with academic achievement and delinquency (Copeland et al., 2007; Milledge et al., 2019). High levels of toddler behavior problems also are associated with poor caregiver-child relationships and poor toddler emotion regulation skills (Beijers et al., 2013; Umemura et al., 2022). Thus, interventions targeting toddler behavior problems need to focus on strengthening the caregiver-child relationship …

Embodiment Among Collegiate Women Athletes: The Perceived Impact On Sport Performance, Commitment, And Enjoyment, Hannah Lynne Silva-Breen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Collegiate women athletes report high rates of body dissatisfaction and wanting more support for improving their body image within their athletic departments. Guided by the Developmental Theory of Embodiment (DTE; Piran, 2017), the purpose of this study was to examine collegiate women athletes’ perceptions of the relationship between their embodiment and aspects of their sport experience. Participants were 311 women currently competing in 24 different sports within NCAA and NAIA athletics. Participants completed the Experience of Embodiment Scale, Subjective Performance Questionnaire, Sport Commitment Questionnaire-2, and open-ended response questions about the perceived relationship between these variables. A convergent parallel mixed methods …

I Think, Therefore I Can: Self-Efficacy, Self-Regulation, And Sense Of Belonging In Introductory Physics, Danielle Christine Maldonado

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Cognitive and affective beliefs in physics classrooms are important indicators of student success beyond traditional measurements of academic performance. This body of work explores major beliefs and processes, including self-efficacy, self-regulation, and sense of belonging, as they relate to academic achievement among introductory undergraduate physics students. First, this dissertation explores the development of physics self-efficacy and physics sense of belonging, two highly correlated variables. This work identifies unique sources of physics self-efficacy and sense of belonging development from current and prior academic experiences, personality factors, and demographic variables. Then, relationships between early- semester self-efficacy and sense of belonging, mid-semester …