Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Exploring The Needs Of College Students Experiencing Housing Instability, Sandy D. Dawoud

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative study explored the needs and experiences of college students who have aged out of the foster care system and facing housing instability at a large public institution. The study explores the participants' pre-college experiences and college journey to identify challenges they faced, sources of support, and unmet needs impacting their education. Analysis of 14 individual interviews highlighted key themes related to motivations, obstacles, and desired assistance across areas like finances, mental health, academics, and support systems. This work has implications for implementing tailored institutional support, community partnerships, transition programs, and advocacy efforts to promote resilience and success for …

Values Integration And The Professional Counselor, Rebecca Randall

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative study, informed by narrative inquiry, examined how counselors described the interplay of values in professional practice. Participant narratives highlighted the challenges they experience in the process of values integration, defined as counselors’ awareness and management of personal values in counseling processes. Participants often made value judgments that occurred rapidly and beneath awareness and only became aware as a result of discordance in the counseling relationship. They further struggled in skillfully working through values conflicts. These findings reveal that values integration is a developmental process that challenges counselors beyond the training years and thus requires an infrastructure that supports …

Beyond Coming Out And Queer Tragedy : How Julie Ann Peters, Becky Albertalli, Adam Silvera, And Aiden Thomas Navigate Through The Spectrum Of Queer Representation, Jacqueline Carey

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In recent years, readers, critics and activists have recognized the importance of more inclusive storytelling, especially in young adult literature. This thesis explores how Julie Peters, Becky Albertalli, Aiden Thomas, and Adam Silvera diversify queer representation within the realm of young adult literature. Drawing on literary analysis, queer theory, and sociocultural perspectives, this thesis will explore how queer representation manifests in each of these works to challenge and complicate representational norms. Ultimately, this thesis seeks to contribute to the ongoing conversations surrounding the importance of having diverse stories that foster a more inclusive literary environment.

Circadian Rhythmicity Of Mood : An Exploratory Study, Mara Ashley Cohen

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Human circadian rhythms are widely observed to fluctuate across the 24-hour circadian period, spanning cognitive, behavioral, and physiological domains. Circadian rhythm (CR) systems, particularly the sleep-wake cycle, are widely studied. Dysregulation of the sleep-wake cycle, common in shift work and mood disorders, diminishes mood regulation, resulting in increased negative mood or inappropriate mood responses. Although emotions have been investigated in the context of circadian variability in the sleep-wake cycle, circadian effects on emotional state per se have infrequently been examined. Previous studies suggest an increase in Positive Affect (PA) and decrease in Negative Affect (NA) as the day progresses, while …

Using Modern Motivational Theories As A Design Framework For Vr Gamification, Christopher Thomas Boardman

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Virtual reality has shown promise as a tool for organizational training. Implementing gamification, the use of game elements, has been shown to further improve learning outcomes. However, gamification has shown inconsistent results when applied to VR. To investigate this, we used motivational theory as a framework to select, justify, and implement game elements based on each theory to create different versions of a virtual grocery store training. Our results did not indicate any differences on performance, persistence, or error rate between each training condition, and exploratory analyses investigated the link between perceived competence and VR program quality. We discuss potential …

Understanding The Induction Experience Of Licensed Mental Health Counselors Working In New York City School Based Mental Health Clinics, Raymond Allen Blanchard Iii

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The mental health symptoms and diagnosis rates of children and adolescents is rising in the United States (Oliver & Abel, 2018). To support the growing mental health rates and offset the work being provided by school counselors, school social workers, and school psychologists, schools are contracting with community mental health agencies to provide mental health counseling services in the school setting (Weist et al., 2017b). For some community mental health agencies, they are opening school based mental health clinics (SBMHCs) to provide more comprehensive mental health counseling services to reduce families having to seek services in their community (Weist et …

Women Baby Boomers’ Experiences Of Personal Growth Through Later-Life Divorce After A Long-Term Marriage, Lisa Silva Mchale

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Later-Life divorce, occurring at age 50 or older, also referred to as gray divorce, has become increasingly common as the population ages (Brown & Lin, 2012; 2022). With gray divorce comes experiences that may differ from those faced by younger divorcees. The research demonstrates that divorce in laterlife brings unique challenges, especially for those who divorce after a long-term marriage (20 or more years, Sommerville, 2017). Few researchers have examined divorce in later life after a long-term marriage, and fewer yet when combined with a particular generational cohort. Additionally, there has been a lack of research exploring positive experiences and …

The Impact Of Acculturative Stress On Internalizing Problems Among Racially And Ethnically Minoritized Adolescents And Young Adults In The U.S. : A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Petty Tineo

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Due to demographic changes of the U.S. population in the past few decades, more attention has been placed on understanding the sociocultural factors that have an impact on racially and ethnically minoritized (REM) groups and mental health outcomes. One of the factors that has been gaining increased attention in the past few years is acculturative stress. Acculturative stress is associated with various mental health outcomes, such as depression, anxiety, psychological distress, and suicide ideation (SI). However, the magnitude of this association remains unclear. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to provide a comprehensive review of the impact of acculturative …

The Relationship Between Poverty And Behavior Problems : Examining The Role Of Family And Parental Factors From An Ecological Systems Perspective, Alaina Marie Wodzinski

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The large number of children from low-income households or living in poverty are at increased risk for a range of negative outcomes, including behavior problems. The Family Stress Model is a framework that can be used to describe how poverty may shape the development of behavior problems through its influence on family processes, including parental mental health, parenting, and household environment. While the Family Stress Model has been widely replicated, studies have rarely examined the context of infancy and toddlerhood, during which family-related processes tend to be more impactful in child development. Therefore, the present study evaluated two adaptations of …

An Examination Of Faith And Faith-Based Practices On Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Afro-Caribbean Immigrants In The United States, Shanta K. Pamphile

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This dissertation presents the findings of a qualitative study exploring the negotiation of faith among Afro-Caribbean immigrants regarding their decision to seek support with the stress of adjusting to the United States. The analysis revealed that Afro-Caribbean immigrants experience high-stress levels as they pursue economic, professional and social advancement in the United States. The persistence of these stressors, with long-lasting residual effects, warrants psychological support. Migrants, although relying heavily on their faith for support with this stress, are willing to seek support. However, they must work through worries of caution and trust and need to discern whether seeking support may …

A Qualitative Study Exploring The Lived Experiences Of At-Risk College Students Who Become Honors Students, Billie June Bailey

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative study explores the lived experiences of at-risk college students who become honors students. There is much quantitative research on the factors that influence or predict the path of at-risk students becoming honors students. What is less well established in literature is what personal transformation occurs in the lives of students placed at-risk who go on to become honors students. While many pre-freshman programs have the strategies to provide individual opportunity and increase economic prosperity by producing college graduates, it is less obvious what individual students do in their journey moving from underprepared to becoming an honors student. In …

Investigating Spinal Cord Injury At Different Locations On The Spinal Cord Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Haley Nauman

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The current study is derived from a larger study by Yao et al. (2019) that attempts to understand if Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) is a good diagnostic tool for distinguishing spinal cord injured (SCI) participants from healthy controls from a structural perspective. Additionally, the study aims to determine whether the DTI parameters and the clinical functional scores of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM) improve over time for SCI when rehabilitation is implemented. The current study has the same aims but takes Yao’s work further by dividing cervical SCI participants based on the exact location of injury (i.e., upper and …

A Quantitative Analysis Of Inner Speech Between Monolingual And Bilingual Speakers, Thomas Sears

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Inner speech is an individual’s silent, inner monologue; a growing amount of evidence indicates that inner speech is very common among both monolingual and multilingual speakers. Studies have shown that important cognitive functions are involved in inner speech pertaining to psychological development, however connections between inner speech and language acquisition/usage across speakers have been less of a focus. This study investigates the frequency and degree to which inner speech is used between monolingual English speakers and early-onset bilingual English/Spanish speakers by using a survey called the Revised-Varieties of Inner Speech Questionnaire (VISQ-R) by Alderson-Day et al. (2018). The aim of …

Daughters Of Depression : A Critical-Hermeneutic Phenomenological Examination Of Adult Black Women’S Experiences With Strong Black Woman’S Role When Mothered By Women With Perceived Depression, Christin D. Haynes

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Black American women are experiencing chronic depression at alarming rates. Major racial/sex disparities in disease prevalence indicates Black American women are at increased risk for depression onset due to exposure to poverty and traumatic life events. With the rise of single, female-headed households, children are at increased risk for exposure to maternal mental illness which is defined as an adverse childhood experience impacting their development through adulthood. Black American mothers have the additional burden of racially socializing all children to learn how to manage systematic racist structures embedded in American society, yet daughters require the additional socialization for gender biases. …

Parental Influences On Korean Youth Academic-And Career-Related Motivation During The Transition To Tertiary Educational Settings : A Situated Expectancy-Value Theory Approach, Jeanie Park

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Adolescence is a universal developmental stage where many changes occur (i.e., biological, social, and psychological) during the second decade of life. Emerging adulthood a subsequent development period between adolescence and young adulthood; during emerging adulthood individuals go through various transitions such as academic and career planning, navigating one’s identity, and fostering relationships. It is important to understand individual and familial factors with parents and adolescents that are related to academic outcomes during these developmental stages, since the final years in secondary school are critical for future academic and career development. Also, studies using a culturally situated approach investigating parent- youth …

Adult Age, Moral Foundations, And Moral Stereotyping, Peter Khalatian

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The main aim of the current thesis was to investigate the role of adult age in the moral stereotyping of moral foundations. The five core moral foundations of Moral Foundations Theory were measured through an online self-report survey, including the individualizing foundations of harm and fairness and the binding foundations of in-group loyalty, authority, and purity. Participants (n = 597; age range 19 to 85) were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions: the self-evaluation condition where participants completed the moral questionnaire as themselves, a condition where participants provided ratings as they believed a typical younger adult would answer …

Barriers To Treatment For Socially Anxious Black American Students In Urban Public Schools, Grace Martin

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Social anxiety is frequent and debilitating for Black adolescents with associated impairment (La Greca & Stone, 1993; Stein & Kean, 2000; Van Ameringen et al., 2003). Despite its prevalence and severity, Black adolescents are less likely to seek mental health treatment due to systemic and social barriers such as accessibility and social stigma (Bains, 2014; Lindsey et al., 2006; Lindsey et al., 2013). Barriers to seeking treatment, particularly for socially anxious Black adolescents, are mostly absent in the literature and thus require investigation. To understand culturally specific factors related to social anxiety symptoms as well as to investigate perceived barriers …

Exploring Lgbtq Latino/A/X Stories Of Chosen Families, Carlos A. Flores

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Latino/a/x Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) people may face rejection from their families upon coming out (Hailey et al. 2020; McConnell et al. 2018). In response to this rejection, some Latino/a/x LGBTQ people become part of chosen families that provide them with the support that would otherwise be provided by their family of origin (Carpineto et al., 2008; Horne et al., 2015; Hwahng et al., 2018; Kubicek, Beyer, et al., 2013; Kubicek, McNeeley, et al., 2013; Levitt et al., 2015; Muraco, 2006). Research exploring the experiences of LGBTQ Latino/a/x individuals experiencing rejection from their family of origin and …

Undocumented Young Adults Navigating Liminal Space To Carve Their Futures In The U.S., Ismat Abbas

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative interview study focuses on the challenges and barriers of 1.5 generations of undocumented young adults with their liminal status in carving their present and curating their future lives in the United States. The study focuses on how these 1.5 young emerging adults navigate their lives to pursue their life goals with the limitations attached to their impermanence status. The study used a qualitative in-depth, and constant comparative methodology to approach empirical findings. In addition, the life-course theory was utilized as a theoretical framework to study different milestones in the lives of these 1.5 undocumented young adults (Elder,1998). The …

“It Was Like Double Damage” : An Exploration Of Clergy-Perpetrated Sexual Abuse, Institutional Response, And Posttraumatic Growth, Krystal Lynne Woolston

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study examines the relationship between institutional responses to reports of clergy- perpetrated sexual abuse of adult women and the survivor’s level of posttraumatic growth, current spirituality, current religious commitment, well-being, and flourishing. The experience of adult women abused by clergy is not well-researched; this study seeks to highlight those experiences to the extent possible. This study utilized a mixed methods approach wherein surveys were collected from 108 participants, and follow up interviews were conducted with ten participants to further illustrate their experiences. All participants experienced some level of institutional betrayal which left lasting impacts on their ability to achieve …

Conversational Dynamics Between Caregivers And Children : The Role Of Elaboration And Autonomy Support On Children’S Memory Reports, Whitney L. Dartnell

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Maltreatment allegations most often arise during informal conversations between a child and a non-maltreating parent or caregiver. Due to the sensitive nature of these conversations, the ways in which parents respond and in turn question their children about the events they have experienced can take many forms. The conversational dynamics that occur between caregivers and their children during the subsequent dialogue that ensues can impact the accuracy and completeness of children’s reports, as well as children’s memory of the alleged maltreatment or abuse. Legal professionals and developmental psychologists have expressed concern regarding how such conversations may impact children’s later testimony. …

The Influence Of Community Trauma And The Behaviors Of Gang Members, Leshelle Franklin

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Although there is an abundance of research done on gang members, gang activity, and gang activity in low-income neighborhoods, there is not much research that focuses on the community trauma in low-income neighborhoods; and any relations it may have on or to gang members. Research pertaining to gang members usually focuses on how gang activity affects the lives of non-gang members living in the community. This research study aims to explore community trauma and the behaviors of gang members, from a gang member’s perspective. This research study gives insight into the minds of 10 male African American gang members, as …

Carrying The Weight : The Racialized Labor Of Multicultural Center Directors Of Color In Higher Education, Sherlene Iris Ayala

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Race-based cultural centers (e.g., Black Cultural Centers) were established on college campuses in the 1960s in response to the neglect experienced by Black students (Chessman & Wayt, 2016; Gorski, 2019; Gorski & Chen, 2015; Hurtado et al., 1998; Joseph & Hirshfield, 2011; Smith, 2008). During the multiculturalism movement of the 1980s, some institutions eliminated race- based cultural centers and established Minority Student Services (MSS) to support all historically marginalized students under a centralized center (Patton, 2011; Patton & Hannon, 2008). Since the establishment of these cultural centers, scholars reported that directors experienced institutional roadblocks (e.g., lack of funding) and resistance …

The Effects Of Traumatic Brain Injury On Empathy And Quality Of Life, Nicholas James Pek

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Physical, emotional, cognitive, and social problems can all result from a traumatic brain injury. The focus of this present research was to investigate individuals with moderate-to-severe TBI who lack empathy and how that lack in empathy might impact their quality-of-life. Individuals with moderate-to-severe TBI between ages 18 and 65 (N=39) completed questionnaires including the Quality of Life after Brain Injury (QOLIBRI) and Empathy Quotient (EQ) as part of a larger study. A correlational analysis was completed between the total scores on the EQ and total scores on the QOLIBRI before splitting the participants into groups. A relationship between total scores …

The Role Of Attentional Control And Social Influence In Risky Decision Making, Samantha Salernitano

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

People often are required to make decisions in a collaborative environment, including decisions that deal with risky or uncertain outcomes. The present thesis investigated the role of both social influence and individual cognitive factors (attentional control) in risky decision making. Two measures of attentional control (a Stroop task and a Go/No-go task) were completed by participants. Risky choice was then measured through a hypothetical monetary gambling task where participants made choices between a smaller-guaranteed reward or a larger-risky reward. Three blocks of the risky-choice task were completed. Participants in the individual condition completed all three blocks of trials individually. For …

The Language Of Mechanical Support In Children: Is It ‘Sticking’, ‘Hanging’, Or Simply ‘On’?, Julia Marie Hauss

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Research has found that children begin to differentiate in the terms they use to encode support. In English, BE on, the Basic Locative Construction (Levinson & Wilkins, 2006; “put on” in dynamic events) tends to encode support-from-below (e.g., cup on table), whereas lexical support verbs (e.g., hang, stick, tape, glue, etc.) tend to encode mechanical support. We see this differentiation in semantic space by six years of age (Johannes et al., 2016). Although this differentiation occurs, we can still use BE on to encode all types of support, just as we can use a variety of lexical verbs (e.g., the …

The Role Of Presentation Media And Perspective On Direction Giving, Rebeca Costa Do Nascimento

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Research on spatial cognition has tried to understand how perspective (route vs. survey) and media (visual vs. verbal) influence people's spatial cognition on different tasks (e.g., map drawing, navigation, semantic and distance estimation) when materials are presented simultaneously. However, less research has focused on how those spatial features influence people's direction giving when materials are presented sequentially, one piece at a time. In the present study, participants were presented with fragments of sentences and map segments. After learning the materials, they were asked to give directions using their own words or including cardinal terms. As hypothesized, participants provided more accurate …

A Survey Of Knowledge And Beliefs On Child Maltreatment, Brooke R. Stettler

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Child sexual abuse (CSA) remains a wide-spread problem and challenging to prosecute in a court of law for many reasons, among these being the manner in which children disclose abuse. A recent Supreme Court ruling decided upon the admissibility of expert testimony in cases of CSA, which raise important questions about how lay individuals think about different disclosure behaviors. As such, the current study investigated knowledge and beliefs about two common CSA disclosure behaviors—delayed disclosure and recantation—in a sample of jury eligible lay persons. The primary aims associated with this study were to characterize individuals’ knowledge and beliefs regarding the …

Language Switch Costs In Urdu-English Bilinguals : A Behavioral Study, Ranjeeta Mahraj

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study examines language switch costs, as there is a recent body of work showing that there are behavioral "costs" involved when bilinguals switch between their two languages. A particular point of debate concerns symmetry, regarding whether it is more costly (i.e., takes longer) to switch from one of a bilinguals’ languages to the other, or vice versa. In the current study, a partial replication of (Struck & Jiang, 2022), data was collected online from 90 Urdu- English bilinguals living in the US and Pakistan on a language background questionnaire, and a Lexical Decision Task (LDT), designed to measure the …

Using Path Modeling To Investigate The Impact Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Post-Traumatic Growth Through Meaning-Making, Resilience, And Ptsd Symptoms, Sowmya Kshtriya

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Background: Research has revealed an important relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and post-traumatic growth (PTG) through direct and indirect processes, involving three probable mediators, meaning-making, resilience, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. However, little is known about how these processes work together to shape PTG.

Aim: The current study examines the relationship between cumulative ACEs and PTG through meaning-making, resilience, and PTSD symptoms, in a comprehensive dynamic framework model using path modeling.

Method: A sample of 759 undergraduate psychology students (ages 18+) completed self- report measures through a 30-minute online survey that assessed their levels of ACEs, PTG, meaning-making, …