Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Barriers And Facilitators Of Childhood Immunization: A Mixed Methods Assessment Of Health Care And Community Health Professionals’ Observations, Jenny Dong

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Childhood immunization has led to significant decreases in the burden of infectious disease morbidity and mortality. Despite these contributions, U.S. childhood vaccination rates have been declining in recent years, and updates to the federal immunization schedule have removed recommendations for several childhood vaccinations. Amid such an uncertain public health landscape, understanding how environmental conditions affect childhood immunization behaviors is crucial for ensuring that children receive the vital protections vaccines offer. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the barriers and facilitators of childhood immunization observed by Nebraska health care professionals (HCPs). This study utilized an online questionnaire and …

Cultural Influences On The Association Between Gender Typicality And Self-Perceived Competence In Adolescents Across Multiple Countries, Alexa Mcinerney

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Participants were early adolescents from Bogota, Colombia; Curitiba, Brazil; Montreal, Canada; and Shanghai, China. Correlations between gender typicality and social, cognitive, and physical competence were examined across cultural contexts. Gender typicality was strongly, positively correlated with social competence, and weakly, positively correlated with physical competence. Classroom-level collectivism and individualism were tested as moderators of the examined associations but did not significantly impact the relationships. Place and gender effects were analyzed. Three-way interactions between gender typicality, gender, and place were significant for social and physical competence. Gender typicality and social competence were distinctively weakly related among boys in Bogota. Gender typicality …

“Am I A Criminal?”: How College Students Conceptualize Misconduct And Crime, Talia J. Norby

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Institutions of higher education play a critical role in regulating student behavior; however, existing research has given limited attention to how students themselves interpret conduct addressed through campus disciplinary systems. The present study examined how college students differentiate institutional misconduct from crime in university settings and whether those judgments are associated with perceptions of institutional legitimacy. Data was collected through an online Qualtrics survey administered to 146 students at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Participants were presented with six vignette-based scenarios depicting campus-relevant behaviors and asked to classify each as criminal or non-criminal, rate its perceived severity, and identify …

Soft Skills In The Workplace: A Comparative Analysis, Meg Rothfuss

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Soft skills are defined as any non-technical ability related to how you do your work. While hard skills are commonly thought of first when it comes to job responsibilities, soft skills are increasingly important to the success of any role. Soft skills can be broken into the broad categories of cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal skills. The goal of this study was to define the soft skill profiles of different industries and compare the similarities and differences across industries. To do this, an interview and survey were conducted including employees from a variety of industries. The interviews compared the IT and …

Immigrants: Neighbors Or Strangers? An Analysis On Christian Thought And Immigration, Mariah G. Rivera

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This thesis examines the relationship between Christian thought and perspectives on immigration in the United States, particularly in the context of the current Trump administration, which is focusing heavily on restrictive immigration policies. It explores the historical relationship between religion and government through government commissions, as well as changes in key immigration policies such as the “sensitive locations” guidelines affecting enforcement at and near places of worship. Drawing on biblical scripture, the thesis identifies key themes of loving the stranger, assisting the vulnerable, and obeying governing authorities, all of which inform Christian interpretations of immigration.

Through analysis of national and …

Neutrophil Responses Are Substantially Prolonged And Robust Following Early Postnatal Chorda Tympani Or Lingual Nerve Transection, Jacquelyn M. Omelian, Andrew J. Riquier, Suzanne I. Sollars

Psychology Faculty Publications

While the mature gustatory and trigeminal systems are capable of regeneration following surgical nerve transection, transections occurring early in life result in permanent effects on innervated tissues. Converging evidence suggests that facilitators of the innate immune response, such as neutrophils, may contribute to these developmental differences in injury recovery. In the current study, Sprague-Dawley rats underwent transection of the trigeminal lingual nerve (LX) or gustatory chorda tympani nerve (CTX) at either 10, 25, or 65 days of age. Tongues were extracted 12, 24, or 48 h post-surgery, and MPO+ leukocyte (neutrophil) densities in the taste buds and surrounding muscle and …

The Heavy Crown, Shared Throne: How Coleadership Tempers Ego And Sustains Leader Well-Being, Sam T. Hunter, Ares Boira-Lopez, Alexis D'Amato

Psychology Faculty Publications

Mitchell and colleagues (Reference Mitchell, Haslam, Burke and Steffense2026) provide a well-reasoned, sound, and thought-provoking case for why HR practices can promote or discourage narcissistic tendencies in leaders. Acknowledging their contribution, we offer two points of pushback and one point of extension based on those areas of pushback. The first point of pushback is that counter to the authors, we contend that hypercompetitive selection methods that seek to identify the best leadership candidate, although not ideal, are necessary. Do such processes (e.g., head hunting, in-depth assessment centers) admittedly have the potential to inflate individual egos and promote narcissistic …

Hands Free Policy Brief, Ryan E. Spohn, Justin Nix, Sadaf Hashimi, Travis Carter, Seth Goldsmith, Nikolas Hahn

Reports

Owning a motor vehicle and a smartphone are modern conveniences that most Nebraskans were accustomed to by 2024. 1 The combination has, however, proven to be a modern challenge for roadway safety. Traffic crashes stemming from cellphone distractions have increased steadily since 2016, and traffic fatalities have fared no better since 2019. 2 Cellphone laws restricting the use of cellular devices while operating a motor vehicle may offer some relief. Although most states, including Nebraska, have text-messaging bans, others have begun instituting additional legislative mandates prohibiting cellphones while driving—often termed a hands-free policy (HFP). The purpose of this policy brief …

Love Data Week: 3 Presentations From Research Data Services, Omer Farooq, Jennie Tobler-Gaston, April Griess

Criss Library Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Join us in celebrating Love Data Week with a series of short, practical presentations led by the library’s Research Data Services team. Faculty, staff, and students are invited to join us on February 11 from noon to 1 P.M., either in person or via Zoom, for three focused sessions designed to support research, teaching, and data-informed scholarship.

Presentations

Omer Farooq: Stats Test Matchmaking: Finding the Right Statistical Analysis for Your Data

“What statistical analysis should I use?” is a common question among researchers. Selecting an appropriate statistical test can be challenging, especially when navigating unfamiliar methods. This presentation introduces …

Trauma-Informed Policing Training: Statewide Implementation And Outcomes, Ryan E. Spohn, Justin Nix, Sadaf Hashimi, Travis Carter

Reports

This report presents pre- and post-training survey results for Phase 1 of the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) grant. Law enforcement officers regularly interact with individuals who have experienced trauma. These encounters can be complex, unpredictable, and high stress. Trauma-informed policing training is intended to give officers practical tools to recognize trauma responses, communicate more effectively, and reduce unnecessary escalation during these interactions.

Bibliotech, January 2026, Dr. C.C. And Mable L. Criss Library, University Of Nebraska At Omaha Criss Library

BiblioTech

Criss Libraries' Digital Newsletter, BiblioTech, January 2026 Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library, University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Nebraska Insights 2026, Josie Gatti Schafer, Morgan Vogel, Tara Grell, Michael Lee, Mahmuda Akhter Nishu, Meagan E. Paez, Ignacio Ruelas Avila

Publications

Nebraska Insights is a collaboration between the Nebraska Chamber Foundation and the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Center for Public Affairs Research. The series provides a curated set of indicators that benchmark Nebraska’s demographics, economy, and quality of life against all U.S. states. Each webinar explores selected indicators from the guide and offers guidance on how Nebraska stakeholders can effectively interpret and apply the data.

Keeping The Beat: A Case On The Effects Of Communication In Musical Teams During Performances, Shane Christie

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This case study examined whether the effects of positive team affect and team communication quality on the performance quality, or taskwork quality, of teams comprised of musicians, and if team communication quality could further improve the taskwork quality of a group of musicians. It was believed that participants with higher positive team affect scores would perform at a higher taskwork quality than those with lower positive team affect scores. In addition, it was believed that participants that engaged in higher-quality team communication during performances would strengthen this relationship, further increasing taskwork quality. The participants were divided into teams, and the …

External Funding Bulletin July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025, Office Of Research And Creative Activity, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Sponsored Programs Bulletins

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents, Rory J. Conces Prof.

International Dialogue

No abstract provided.

Notes From The Editor, Rory J. Conces Prof.

International Dialogue

No abstract provided.

Works Of Love From Russia, Alisa Gorshenina

International Dialogue

This reflective artist’s statement by Alisa Gorshenina (Alice Hualice) intertwines autobiographical narrative with the creative context of four works produced during and after her politically forced displacement from Russia. Gorshenina recounts a lifelong pattern of resisting external pressures—from expectations to relocate for education and career advancement to demands that she flee Russia following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. She frames her continued desire to live in her hometown of Nizhny Tagil as an act of personal agency and a “new language of resistance,” grounded not in state loyalty but in an authentic, non-nationalistic love of place. Increasing censorship, denunciations, canceled …

Introduction And Letter To Firas And Ali, Joanna Zabielska

International Dialogue

In this deeply personal and politically charged epistolary essay, Joanna Zabielska reflects on the intersecting forms of erasure occurring within European cultural institutions and at the continent’s militarized borders. Framed as a letter to two men—Firas and Ali—whom the author met during the humanitarian crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border, the piece recounts their experiences of pushbacks, violence, detention, and survival, contextualizing their stories within a broader critique of European migration regimes. Zabielska juxtaposes this with her account of institutional censorship in Austria, where the names of the two men were removed from her VR installation Über das Neue at Belvedere …

Fragments, Najlaa Attaallah

International Dialogue

In Fragments (شظايا), Najlaa Attaallah offers a poetic, intimate, and devastating meditation on exile, trauma, and the unrelenting violence endured by Palestinians in Gaza. Written from Reykjavík yet emotionally tethered to her homeland, Attaallah narrates the psychic rupture caused by witnessing war from afar—the guilt of safety, the suffocating pull of memory, and the sense of existing as “a body without certainty.” Across lyrical vignettes, she explores the collapse of ordinary life under the weight of collective horror: sleeplessness, paralysis, obsessive monitoring of news, and the disintegration of routine maternal roles. The text moves between present anguish and childhood …

Political Discoveries In A Žižek Substack Project Critical Digital Studies, Edward Sankowski, Betty J. Harris

International Dialogue

This review essay analyzes Slavoj Žižek’s recent turn to Substack as a publishing platform, examining both his motivations and the philosophical and political implications of this medium for contemporary critical theory. Sankowski and Harris argue that Žižek’s Substack writings continue long-standing themes in his work—anti-capitalism, ecological crisis, updated Communism, and the cultural dimensions of ideology—while also revealing notable shifts, including heightened pessimism about historical progress and new reflections on environmental catastrophe. The authors assess the advantages and pitfalls of Substack for intellectual discourse, including its circumvention of traditional editorial “censorship,” its contribution to information glut, and its role in fostering …

Of The Freedom Famine In Palestine, Ibtisam Barakat

International Dialogue

In this searing essay, poet and author Ibtisam Barakat bears witness to what she names the “Freedom Famine” in Gaza—a deliberate, decades-long deprivation of basic human rights culminating in the catastrophic conditions of 2025. Writing from the United States while in conversation with Gazan author Omar Hammash, Barakat juxtaposes their drastically unequal realities: her safety and his daily encounters with death, displacement, and starvation. Through Hammash’s testimony—delivered amid constant bombardment and interrupted by news of a friend’s killing—Barakat documents the collapse of Gaza’s infrastructure, the mass targeting of aid workers, the lethal failures of international relief, and the killing of …

Dear Belvedere, Rabbya Naseer

International Dialogue

In this powerful open letter—originally delivered as a video message—artist Rabbya Naseer explains her decision to cancel her 2025 solo exhibition at Belvedere 21 after the museum refused to allow her proposed works addressing Palestine, colonialism, and contemporary violence. Framed as both personal testimony and institutional critique, the letter meditates on the ethics of waiting, perseverance (sabr), and the responsibility of artists amid geopolitical crisis. Naseer recounts months of stalled communication and escalating curatorial restrictions that ultimately rendered any engagement with the Israel–Palestine conflict “not possible.” Rejecting the museum’s demands for neutrality, depoliticization, and the substitution of existing …

Pathways To Aggression: Understanding Peer Victimization In Adolescence, Makenzie H. Clarken

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Insight into aggression among early adolescents is important to understanding its predictors and consequences. In adolescence, aggression is typically related to underlying issues. Addressing this is important, as unmanageable aggression progressing past early adolescence can result in involvement in the criminal justice system. Studies show that peer victimization is associated with increased levels of aggression. Aggressive adolescents may attract victimization from their peers, or those who are victimized may respond with aggression. The current study followed a sample of 182 fifth and sixth graders over the course of the school year. Constructs such as aggression, peer victimization, and social withdrawal …

The Participation Gap: Inequitable Speaking Times In Majority Women Classes, Cat Koenig

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This study examined the participation of men and women in majority women classes. The participation of men and women was recorded in three majority women communication classes from August through October. It was found that even in majority women classes and majors, men still participate and interrupt disproportionately more. This result raises important questions about the continued presence of the chilly climate in the university setting- even in areas traditionally dominated by women. Equitable participation in the university classroom still has a ways to go, but professors may well be the answer to this problem (Farago & Flora, 2022). Prompting …

Empowerment Or Imprisonment? The Line Between Sex Work And Sex Trafficking: A Comparison Of Law Enforcement And Academic Perspectives, Jocelyn Belcastro

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This research explores the line between consensual sex work and sex trafficking to gain a better understanding of the prevalence and pathways through which sex work may transition into sex trafficking. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with law enforcement professionals that work closely with survivors of sex trafficking to examine the pathways from consent to coercion. An interview with a former sex worker, now college professor, was also conducted to examine the lived experience and academic perspective. Both the law enforcement and academic perspectives were analyzed and compared to one another to form a nuanced understanding of the complex issue of …

Holistically Analyzing The Initial Athlete-Provider Interaction During Sports Injury Diagnosis, Tyler Baldwin

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Recovering from injury is crucial for an athlete’s health-related quality of life and mental health. A potentially significant moment that could influence an athlete’s mindset towards recovery is the interaction between the provider and athlete during initial diagnosis. To analyze this moment from both perspectives, this study performs a thematic analysis of five semi-structured provider interviews and ten athlete interviews. In this study, all five providers exemplified an understanding of this moment’s significance, expressing awareness of their potential impact on the athlete’s mindset, and emphasizing mutual understanding to ensure streamlined recovery. Meanwhile, all ten of the athletes expressed self-awareness regarding …

Happy Kids, Popular Kids? Life And School Satisfaction As Predictors Of Popularity In Early Adolescents, Chloe Mcbreen

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Sociometric popularity measures how well-liked a person is among peers. Life satisfaction has been positively related to self-perception and social functioning, whereas school satisfaction has been linked to stronger peer ties. This study examined how life and school satisfaction affected change in popularity over the course of a school year and how self-perception moderates said relationship. Participants included 182 fifth- and sixth-graders in Montreal, who completed 13 surveys over the school year. Popularity was measured via peer nominations at T1 and T13. Satisfaction variables and self-perception were measured via self-reports at T2 and T13, respectively. A hierarchical regression indicated that …

Notes For Contributors, Editors Space And Defense

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.

Review Article: International Relations: State Of The Field. Paul R. Viotti’S Kenneth Waltz: An Intellectual Biography (Ny: Columbia University Press, 2023)., Damon Coletta

Space and Defense

In this review essay, Damon Coletta examines Paul R. Viotti’s Kenneth Waltz: An Intellectual Biography (Columbia University Press, 2023), positioning it as both a tribute to and a reexamination of one of International Relations’ most influential theorists. Viotti, a former student of Waltz, reconstructs the intellectual development of structural realism—tracing its philosophical and methodological roots from Man, the State, and War (1959) to Theory of International Politics (1979)—while situating Waltz’s scholarship within the geopolitical and academic transformations of the Cold War era. Coletta highlights Viotti’s skillful balance between biography and disciplinary analysis, showing how Waltz’s systemic approach to international politics …

Review Article: Monetary Power And National Security. A 10th Anniversary Review Of Paul R. Viotti’S The Dollar And National Security: The Monetary Component Of Hard Power (Stanford, Ca: Stanford University Press, 2014), Ricardo Crespo

Space and Defense

In this ten-year retrospective, Ricardo A. Crespo reassesses Paul R. Viotti’s The Dollar and National Security (2014) as a foundational text bridging the fields of monetary policy and national security. Viotti’s central thesis—that military power ultimately depends on a stable and privileged monetary foundation—has only grown more relevant amid today’s weaponization of finance and the geopolitics of sanctions. Crespo highlights Viotti’s argument that sustaining the U.S. dollar’s global dominance requires cooperative security and international consensus, noting how historical parallels—from the sterling gold standard to Bretton Woods—illustrate the fragility of monetary hegemony under fiscal mismanagement or political fragmentation. The review situates …