Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Rumination As A Moderator In The Relationship Between Divine Forgiveness And Forgiveness Of Self In Older Adults, Christopher R. Giles

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A growing body of research supports empirical evidence that the ability to self-forgive benefits mental, emotional, and physical health. Recent literature has documented the predictive relationship between divine forgiveness and self-forgiveness. However, little attention has been given to the cognitive processes that may influence this relationship. Furthermore, research on forgiveness has largely overlooked the older adult population, despite forgiveness being shown to be a developmental construct. This quantitative correlational study examined the relationship between offense-specific divine forgiveness, rumination, and self-forgiveness in individuals aged 60 and older. Data were collected from 101 participants through an anonymous online survey utilizing previously validated …

Adults With Learning Disabilities Navigating The Transition From School To Work, Shatrece L. Jenkins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the experiences of adults with learning disabilities when transitioning from academics to the workplace, with an emphasis on emotional intelligence. The two research questions asked how adults with learning disabilities described their lived experiences and experiences of emotions and emotional regulation in their transition from academic environments to the professional workplace. The theory guiding this study was the emotional intelligence theory developed by Salovey and Mayer, which was used as a determinant in building relationships and upholding social interactions. The sample consisted of 13 adults with learning disabilities working at …

Cyberbullying And Academic Outcomes: Investigating The Mediating Role Of Hookup Site Usage Among Senior High School Students, Rubby Aku Ameh, David Asumadu-Boateng, Jefferson Sigfred Seyaram Bansa, Harry Adjetey Ashong

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

The proliferation of digital communication technologies has reshaped adolescent interactions, with social media and hookup apps becoming common spaces for connection and exposure to online risks. This study explores the link between cyberbullying via hookup apps and its effects on academic performance and psychosocial well-being among senior high school students in Ghana. Drawing on Social Learning Theory and General Strain Theory, it examines how online victimization influences emotional health and academic outcomes. A mixed methods approach combined survey data from 300 participants with interviews involving 40 students, parents, and school counsellors. Results show 31.7% of students experienced cyberbullying on platforms …

Interdisciplinary Co-Teaching And Community-Engaged Learning: Integrating Community Case Studies To Teach Ethics, Justice, And Grassroots Leadership, Ziwei Qi, Lori E. Kniffin, Sammuel Byer (Rob)

Leadership Faculty Publications

This paper serves as a teaching report examining an interdisciplinary, co-taught course at a rural, regional state university designed to promote ethics, justice, and grassroots leadership through community-engaged learning (CEL). Faculty from criminal justice, philosophy, and leadership studies co-developed and taught the course using Socratic dialogue and reflective journaling to help students analyze community challenges from multiple disciplinary angles. Students also engaged in training on positionality, power dynamics, and cultural humility, incorporating their reflections into final reports to deepen ethical engagement. Regular faculty collaboration aligned teaching strategies across disciplines, while a case study presentation and analysis allowed community partners to …

Adult-Child Caregivers’ Fear And Coping Regarding The Risk Of Inheriting Alzheimer’S Disease, Rebecca Anne Ledbetter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Caring for elderly parents with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) poses two major challenges for adult-child caregivers: the tasks involved in taking care of ailing parents and also potentially living in fear of developing the same disease. This research examined how caregivers with such fear regard their vulnerability to AD and how they manage the stress that comes with caregiving for someone with a disease they dread developing themselves. This grounded theory study employed the appraisal theory of emotions and the theory of moods as frameworks and aimed to establish awareness regarding coping strategies that adult-child caregivers have about caretaking and their …

Rest Easy, Applied Researcher: Latent Profile Analysis Is For You, Matthew A. Ng, Chelsea A. Lenoble, Allen Shorey, Abigale Gregory, Mark Kateli

Psychological Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Of Organizational Health Safety Efforts Specific To Covid-19 And Perceived Organizational Support On Affective Organizational Commitment, Suzzee Meusel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

When health safety efforts for COVID-19 are perceived negatively, the implementation of health safety efforts by employers may not be effective and are therefore likely to fail in protecting employee health, such as in the agriculture industry. Guided by social exchange theory, organizational support theory, and the theory of organizational commitment, this quantitative correlational study involved examining relationships between organizational health safety efforts specific to COVID-19 (OHSE-C19), perceived organizational support (POS), and affective organizational commitment (AOC) among poultry hatchery employees. The study entailed analyzing survey and opinion poll data from 90 participants from two poultry hatcheries in Iowa and Pennsylvania, …

Conscious Control: A Case Study On Self-Monitoring And Interventions In Maladaptive Daydreaming, Caleb Chan

McNair Research Journal SJSU

Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is a persistent mental activity

characterized by immersive, excessive daydreaming that disrupts daily

life. This study examines the effectiveness of self-regulation strategies

in managing MD, including cognitive techniques, behavioral

adjustments, technology-assisted cues, and environmental

modifications. Using a single-subject ABA design, each intervention

phase lasted one week, with MD episodes tracked through self-reported

diaries and EEG monitoring. The results demonstrated that cognitive

reframing and task switching produced the most sustained reductions in

MD episodes, while technology-assisted cues had diminishing

effectiveness over time due to adaptation. Environmental modifications,

particularly workspace reorganization, con- tributed to long-term

improvements, while lighting adjustments …

Exploring The Moderating Effect Of Boundary Management Strategy In A Remote Work Environment, Brandon M. Vasquez

Master's Theses

Remote work has evolved significantly, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and continues to influence employee experiences in both positive and negative ways. Managing the separation between work and personal life is of importance. More specifically, using a boundary management strategy of segmentation may be more effective than an integration strategy because those who separate the two domains of work and family/personal life may be less prone to conflict in their lives. The present study aimed to examine the moderating effect of boundary management strategy on the relationship between remote work and job satisfaction, work-life balance, and well-being. Specifically, it was …

Personality As A Moderator Of The Relationship Between Casual Sex Behavior And Psychopathology, Dean J. Harris

Theses and Graduate Projects

Prior research has evaluated the impact of casual sex on mental health outcomes; however, there is a lack of research on the possible moderating effects of personality traits on this relationship. Thus, the purpose of this study was to clarify whether personality traits -specifically extraversion and neuroticism- are protective or risk factors for symptoms of anxiety and depression among individuals who engage in casual sexual behaviors, particularly in college-aged individuals. Using a cross-sectional design, 108 participants who met survey criteria completed self-report measures assessing casual sex behavior, the PHQ-9, the GAD-7, the International Big-Five Mini- Markers, and demographic questions. Moderation …

The Relationship Between Effort Cost Decision Making, Consummatory/Anticipatory Pleasure, And Health Behaviors In Schizotypy, Adriann Lai

Theses and Dissertations

Motivational and hedonic deficits are not well studied in schizotypy as they relate to health behaviors. Nonclinical undergraduate participants (n= 247) completed self-report measures and a behavioral task (EEfRT) that assessed effort cost decision making. Social anhedonia was positively associated with increased effort but simultaneously reduced responsiveness to increasing rewards, indicating inefficient effort allocation. Consummatory pleasure was the more relevant hedonic predictor of effort, rather than anticipatory pleasure. In exploratory analyses, higher positive schizotypy scores were significantly associated with greater consummatory pleasure, while disorganized schizotypy was unrelated to pleasure indices or effort performance. In secondary hypothesis analyses, all schizotypy traits …

Rethinking The Red Zone: Risk Factors Of College Student Dating Violence Victimization During The Fall Semester, Alexandra Nicoletti

Theses and Dissertations

College students experience dating violence (DV) victimization at alarmingly high rates, which is associated with a variety of negative outcomes (Brewer & Thomas, 2019; Choi et al., 2017; Leemis et al., 2022). To implement effective prevention programming, it is important to understand the risk factors associated with DV victimization on college campuses. Further, college students report the highest rates of one type of DV victimization—sexual victimization—during the fall semester, also known as the “red zone” (Carey et al., 2018, Cranney, 2015). This study utilized the socioecological model to understand which individual-, relationship-, and community-level risk factors were associated with DV …

How Familism And Hostile And Benevolent Sexism Shape Attitudes Toward Legal Abortion Among Latinx And Non-Latinx Adults In The United States, Xiana Bueno, Beyza E. Büyüker, Brandon L. Crawford, Ronna C. Turner, Wen-Juo Lo, Kristen N. Jozkowski

Counseling, Leadership, and Research Methods Faculty Publications and Presentations

People who strongly value family ties may see family support and interconnection as a reason to discourage women from seeking abortion. At the same time, sexist beliefs are often linked to negative views on abortion. Hostile and benevolent sexism are typically associated with anti-abortion sentiment; hostile sexism conceptualizes abortion as a challenge to traditional gender roles and benevolent sexism conceptualizes abortion as a rejection of women's "natural" role as mothers. We examine how these two belief systems-familism and sexism-are linked to attitudes toward legal abortion among Latinx and non-Latinx U.S. adults. We used a national survey of 3,046 adults (1,183 …

Attention In The Age Of Tiktok: Examining The Cognitive Impact Of Short-Form Video Consumption, Samantha Shannon Sutrisno

Master's Theses

With the rapid growth of popularity among short-form video platforms such as TikTok, media consumption has shifted toward fast-paced and highly engaging formats. This trend raises questions about the potential effects of continuous exposure to brief and repetitive audiovisual stimuli on attention. Research on short-form video’s impact on attention is limited, but prior studies suggest it may influence attention in meaningful ways. This study examined the relationship between short-form video consumption and attention among TikTok users (N = 110) by using the Attention Network Task (ANT), which measures the alerting, orienting, and executive control networks of visual attention. Participants were …

The Relationship Between Self-Talk And Self Esteem Amongst University Students, Weam Batarfi, Saddiga Al-Ghalib

Effat Undergraduate Research Journal

The theory of self-talk is important to human nature and has the capacity to enhance person's life. In addition, self-esteem plays a major role in mankind life, either in a positive or a negative way. This work was done to analyze the relationship between self-talk and self-esteem among university students. This work was carried out based on quantitative method. For this work, the sample population was university students and the sample size used was 100 students. Data collection was done using survey method. Furthermore, the scales that were used are the Self-Talk Scale development, Factor Analysis, and Validation and self-esteem …

Personality, Self-Compassion, And Alcohol Use In College Students, Kristen Kay Ridgdell

Doctoral Dissertations

Substance use has been occurring throughout history, and most individuals have been impacted by substance use in one way or another (Durrant & Thakker, 2003). The individual using substances is not the only one who faces the consequences of their usage. Their families and communities also pay a price (Lander et al., 2013; McLellan, 2017). College students are in a unique role in their lives where they are fighting for autonomy, trying to fit in with their peers, and facing new stressors they have never experienced before. Previous research has demonstrated that certain personality traits, including conscientiousness and agreeableness, are …

Sleep, Emotion Regulation, And Relationship Satisfaction: A Moderation Analysis, Lakyn Boone

Doctoral Dissertations

Sleep plays a pivotal role in overall health and well-being, influencing mental health, cognitive abilities, memory, emotional balance, and physical well-being (Luyster et al., 2012; Mukherjee et al., 2015). Emotions constitute a natural and indispensable element of human existence but necessitate proper regulation, as any disruption in emotion control has been associated with various mental health disorders (Gross & Jazaieri, 2014; Kring & Gordon, 1998; Phelps, 2006). Furthermore, human connections and relationships are fundamental aspects of the human experience, contributing to emotional support, personal growth, a sense of belonging, and even influencing one's physical health outcomes (Baumeister & Leary, 1995; …

Assessing The Role Of Employees' Esg Perception On Turnover Intention: A Moderation Analysis, Michelle Leong

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the relationship between employees’ perceptions of their organization’s ESG performance and turnover intentions by drawing upon Social Identity Theory (SIT). SIT suggests that individuals internalize organizational values and beliefs through organizational socialization, which strengthens their identification with the organizations, leading to support for organizations that embody those values. This study also investigated whether ESG awareness is a better predictor than ESG perception. The research employed a cross-sectional survey design to examine whether age and political affiliation moderate the relationship between ESG perception and turnover intention. The findings suggest that employees’ perceptions of their organization’s ESG performance are …

Hardiness, Coping, And Well-Being In Trauma-Exposed College Student-Athletes, Kiara Scott

Doctoral Dissertations

College student-athletes (CS-As) face many stressors, such as adjusting to a university setting, academic pressures, and the demands of an elite athlete (e.g., battling at a high level during training and competition and managing mental struggles in their sport) (Barbayannis et al., 2022; Barnard, 2016). Some individuals are exposed to events that may be classified as traumatic, such as physical and sexual assault, natural disasters, and other related forms of human suffering (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Around 50%-80% of college students have been exposed to at least one traumatic event throughout their lifetime (Frazier et al., 2009; Read et al., …

Better Serving Those Who Serve: Supporting Psychological Wellness Of Lgb Military Personnel In The Post “Don’T Ask Don’T Tell” Era, Anne Neuweiler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Few studies have been able to explore lesbian, gay, and bisexual military personnel’s experiences in military mental healthcare settings. This study examined the experience of LGB servicemembers in military counseling environments, as well as how to support these servicemembers in military mental health and military communities. Six participants volunteered for the study and six semi-structured interviews were completed with LGB servicemembers who had contact with mental health. Three research questions guided the present study and a transcendental phenomenological frame was used to analyze the data and themes emerged. Research question one yielded three themes: 1) “I'm Definitely not Gay”: The …

The Multicultural Orientation Framework In Couple Therapy, Jasmine R. Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Couples’ cultural values and beliefs are important to their relational connection. Cultural values and beliefs can be sources of strength in relationships, but they can also lead to impasses. As such, clinicians and researchers could benefit from a cultural framework to inform conceptualization and treatment when working with couples. The Multicultural Orientation (MCO) framework has three pillars: cultural humility, cultural comfort, and cultural opportunities. The MCO framework is empirically supported for use in individual and group psychotherapy but has not been applied to couple therapy. This dissertation includes two parts. First, we outline a conceptual framework for the application of …

Why Jerk Bosses Stress Us: Burnout As An Evolved Appeasement Strategy, Hector A. Garcia, Jarad Reiss, Ray Garza

All Faculty Scholarship (Archived)

Burnout is a pandemic and costly public health problem. Studies link leadership and peer behavior to burnout, but explanations are constrained to proximate mechanisms. Evolutionary models describe depression as an ancient appeasement response to avert dangerous physical conflict with higher-ranking group members and coalitions. In turn, psychometric research consistently finds high construct overlap between burnout and depression. This shared phenomenology suggests that burnout in response to workplace social stressors reflects appeasement. The purpose of the current study is to test the relationship between rank and competition related variables and burnout.

There Is No Finish Line: The Ramps Framework – An Evolving Model For Working With Racial Identities In Sport And Performance Psychology, Dylan Vas

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

The field of sport psychology has persisted in its calls for action on increasing cultural competence, being more inclusive of underrepresented identities, and progressing towards social justice (AASP, 2024b; Bejar et al., 2022; Fisher et al., 2003; Martens et al., 2000; Quartiroli, et al., 2023; Ryba et al, 2013; Ryba et al., 2024). This work attempts to contribute to these calls by providing attention on racial identity – including the proposal of an actionable and novel model, The Racial Identity Model of Psychology in Sport (RAMPS) Framework. The proposed model incorporates publications from sport psychology, clinical psychology, and social justice …

A Phenomenological Study Of Caregivers For Sexual Minority Hospice Patients, Catherine H. Bianchi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals face disproportionate barriers in healthcare across the lifespan that persist and often intensify at the end of life. Despite hospice’s mission to provide comfort, dignity, and patient-centered support, it remains unclear whether these services equitably meet the needs of sexual minority patients. Seeking hospice care presents a unique conundrum for many LGB individuals: it necessitates inviting representatives of a historically exclusionary healthcare system into the privacy of their homes - spaces that often serve as sanctuaries of identity, safety, and autonomy. The already vulnerable experience of seeking care in one’s final days can be …

Chronic Pain: An Exploration Of The Experience Of Chronic Pain, Andrea Alzalde

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chronic pain is a pervasive public health issue within Western society today and amongst humans worldwide. Although chronic pain is something that many people have or will experience sometime in their life, it is a complex experience that does not have a simple universal solution or immediate cure. The causes of pain can be a multitude of things and the treatments that work for some may not work for others. The current research seeks to explore the experience of chronic pain to help fill gaps in the wider research of pain. This study pursues answers to two research questions including; …

Supervisee Barriers To Disclosure And The Supervisory Working Alliance, Rachel G. Hughitt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated barriers influencing supervisees’ willingness to disclose clinical errors in mental health training contexts, with a focus on the supervisory working alliance (SWA) as a potential moderating factor. Participants read two vignettes – one describing a clinical error and the other a client concern – and were asked to indicate which case they would discuss with their supervisor. They also completed the Brief Supervisory Working Alliance Inventory–Trainee Form (BSWAI-T) and the Supervisee Disclosure in Supervision Scale (SDSS), which assessed the quality of the supervisory alliance and perceived barriers to disclosure, including fear of negative evaluation, lack of confidence, …

Transgender Individuals’ Experiences Of Ruptures And Repairs In Group Psychotherapy, Gabrielle W. Kaufman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the political climate across the United States worsens for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals (Harmon, 2025), it has become increasingly important to attend to the mental health needs of this population (James et al., 2016). Group therapy is a widely used treatment modality that is often more accessible than individual therapy (Burlingame & Strauss, 2021) and provides unique interpersonal opportunities (Burlingame et al., 2016). While it is expected that TGD individuals face unique challenges in group therapy due to their gender identities (Chen et al., 2020), very little is actually known about the experiences of TGD individuals participating …

The Experiences Of School Psychologists Serving Students With Traumatic Brain Injuries: A Phenomenology, E. Grace Ritchie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a complex experience associated with a diverse constellation of symptoms and challenges. TBI scholars have extensively explored the varying needs of youth in the aftermath of a head injury. Likewise, recent literature details recommendations for school psychological services in support of these students. Such recommendations largely reflect insights drawn from broader TBI and disability research, integrated with the established scope of school psychologists’ practice (e.g., the National Association of School Psychologists Practice Model). Nevertheless, school psychologists’ perceptions of these students’ challenges have been inadequately examined. Such perspectives are likely valuable, given school psychologists’ unique training …

Trainee Countertransference And Competency In Bereavement Therapy: Strengths And Limitations Of The Wounded Healers, Meghan Paynter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Countertransference is a common experience in therapy, happening among clinicians of all stages of their career and the outcomes of this experience hinge largely on how countertransference is managed. Challenging topics, such as grief, only make countertransference harder to manage effectively and the management of this experience improves with practice and time—something trainees have not yet ascertained. Given the pervasiveness of grief as a human experience, also indiscriminate in nature, the experiences of trainees experiencing countertransference are important to understand, including what is experienced, how they experience it, and how it impacts their process and self-perception of confidence and competence …

A Guidance Practice Model: Reframing Prevention, Identification, And Treatment Of Trauma-Impacted Students With Intellectual Disabilities, Mark H. Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The experience and exposure of trauma among youth, especially continuous traumatic experiences, poses considerable risks of long-term effects. Moreover, untreated trauma and subsequently negative mental health outcomes, like anxiety and depressive disorders, can negatively impact the psychosocial and academic functioning of students. One population that is generally overlooked regarding mental health in schools are students with intellectual disabilities (ID). This is problematic as this population is at an increased risk of traumatic experiences, such as maltreatment and social exclusion.

Moreover, the comorbidity of trauma and internalizing disorders among students with ID can exacerbate already existing challenges and deficits with social …