Cultivating Ethical Leadership In Middle Management: A Qualitative Study Of Formative Experience And Organizational Support, Cha Vang

Theses and Dissertations

Why is ethical leadership foundational for middle managers, especially in complex organizational settings? This study investigates the foundational factors that shape how ethical leadership emerges among middle managers. Through a qualitative phenomenological approach, cross-sector interviews revealed that ethical leadership is not defined by position but is shaped by identity, relational support, and experiential growth. Middle managers act as ethical interpreters, translating organizational values into action where ambiguity and pressure are highest. It is imperative that middle-management leadership cultivation is grounded in identity awareness, relational accountability, and intentional development, minimizing dysfunction and strengthening ethical resilience in complex organizational systems.

Mentorship: The Impact On Defining Identity For Women Veterans After The Military, Brenda V. Lemas

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the potential impact that mentorship can have on women veterans to achieve success and define their identity after the military. This study examined women's veteran stories: self-identity, personal narrative, challenges, personal and professional development, physical challenges, sources of motivation, and purpose by addressing their needs as they transition into the civilian sector. Interviews were conducted with a diverse group of 15 women veterans to gather data. This group of women veterans were in different life stages during their transition from the military. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed for further investigation and …

Current Trends In Assessment Training At Clinical Psychology Doctoral Programs, Darcy Perrin Darrell

Theses and Dissertations

Psychological assessment is a fundamental competency in clinical psychology doctoral training, yet inconsistencies persist in the content and structure of assessment education across programs. This study aimed to evaluate current trends in psychological assessment training at American Psychological Association (APA) accredited clinical psychology doctoral programs, with particular attention to the implementation of the APA Guidelines for Education and Training in Psychological Assessment in Health Service Psychology. Utilizing a nonexperimental, descriptive design, the study analyzed 85 syllabi submitted by 58 programs, as well as publicly available curricular information. A rubric was developed to assess the extent to which course syllabi reflected …

The Effects Of Exposure To War & Attachment Disruption On Children Of War Leading To Negative Mental Health Outcomes, Chantal Daley

Theses and Dissertations

Children of war tend to endure abuse, witness deaths, killings, and sexual violence, and are also often coerced into committing violent acts. They are subjected to exposure to war-related traumas and as a result often become displaced from their primary caregiver and attachment figure and this relationship is disrupted. The primary aim of this systematic review was to explore the negative mental health outcomes in children of war into adulthood following attachment disruption and exposure to war. It also aimed to examine what protective factors mitigated these negative mental health outcomes and whether outcomes and protective factors varied according to …

The Impact Of Decision-Making Autonomy, Sense Of Shared Identity, And Communications Strategy On Resource Retention Post-Merger And Acquisition, Randeep Rajwant Kaur

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the impact of decision-making autonomy, a sense of shared identity, and communication strategy on resource retention following mergers and acquisitions. Grounded in organizational development literature, the study examines employee experiences during post-integration periods. Using a qualitative methodology, ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with employees who remained with their organizations for at least twelve months following a merger or acquisition. The research utilizes thematic analysis to explore how autonomy constraints, leadership engagement, transparent communication, and cultural alignment influence retention decisions. The participant sample spans diverse industries such as software, healthcare, financial services, and others, with roles ranging from …

Navigating The New Normal: A Grounded Theory Study Of Lessons Learned About Leadership Practices Since The Pandemic In Multimodal Workplace Settings And The Future Of Work, Jessica Arriaza

Theses and Dissertations

The global pandemic has profoundly transformed leadership and the work landscape across multimodal workplace environments (onsite, virtual, and hybrid). As organizations navigated unprecedented disruption, leaders had to respond with agility, empathy, and innovation. This qualitative, grounded theory study explored the transformative impact of post-pandemic changes on leadership practices within the evolving workplace landscape and future work trends. The overarching research question guiding this study was to what extent, if at all, leadership practices have evolved since the global pandemic across onsite, virtual, and hybrid workplace settings, and what skills, strategies, and practices will future leaders need to navigate the future …

A Practical Theology Of Change: Community-Centered Leadership For Congregational Transformation In Evolving Contexts, Kevin W. Vanhook Ii

Theses and Dissertations

Communities worldwide have been dramatically and rapidly changing, with more of the world’s population expected to live in urban settings by 2030. Christian churches that failed to adapt to their communities’ mergent needs experienced stagnation and decline, while those that survived and thrived rethought their strategies for engaging with their respective communities. Research indicated that churches focusing on achieving and sustaining congregational health and vitality had the potential to defy the prevailing trends of church decline. However, there was a lack of research regarding best practices for doing so. Therefore, this study identified the practices used by ministers of Christian …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences And Leadership Perspectives Of Women Who Have Been Candidates For Elected Political Office, Angela M. Fentiman

Theses and Dissertations

Women’s underrepresentation in leadership is well-documented. Despite making gains in some leadership areas, underrepresentation persists in executive elected positions. Using a life course research framework that examines the life journey, along with leadership theory and literature explaining underrepresentation, this study goes beyond the numbers to explore the experiences of women who have run for executive elected office. Specifically, it includes the perspectives of 10 women who ran for governor during the 2022 U.S. midterm election. The participants demonstrate leadership approaches consistent with servant and authentic leadership and consider characteristics associated with those styles to be the ideal approaches for political …

Best Practices In Leadership In Probation, Ronamae Panganiban

Theses and Dissertations

Research indicates that leadership in law enforcement is a continuous learning process (Birzer et al., 2016; Davies & Heysmand, 2021; Niles et al., 2024; Roberts et al., 2016). Due to the complex structure and changing environment, leadership responsibilities fall upon multiple individuals in a chain of command (C. Davis, 2020; G. W. Garner, 2016; Sienkiewicz-Malyjurek, 2016). The research study aimed to identify best practices for leadership in law enforcement that leaders employ that make them successful. It used a phenomenological qualitative design and purposive sampling method to obtain a sample size of 15 participants. The study utilized a semi structured …

Evaluating The Clinical Effectiveness Of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Systematic Review Of Outcome Studies, Gregory Bendau

Theses and Dissertations

The present review systematically examined current outcome studies on psychodynamic psychotherapy to build a comprehensive understanding of its overall effectiveness. The review synthesizes 43 outcome studies, including randomized controlled trials (n = 26) and quasi-experimental designs (n = 17), across diverse durations, settings, and clinical presentations. The review included quantitative, peer-reviewed studies written in English and published between 2015 and 2024 that measured the treatment outcomes of psychodynamic psychotherapy. Results showed that 41 studies (95%) reported significant symptom improvements for psychological conditions and disorders, including mood, personality, anxiety, somatic symptom, trauma, eating, mixed disorders, and general psychological distress. Effect sizes …

Between "Hippies In Suits" And "Money Is The Name Of The Game": Farm Animal Advocates' Analyses Of Political Power In The Farm Bill, Jeff Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

The animal agriculture industry annually slaughters roughly ten billion land animals in the United States. What can be done to improve their welfare and lessen their suffering?

Over the past decade, the problem of farm animal welfare and suffering has drawn increasing interest from the effective altruism community, a loose movement of utilitarian advocates seeking technocratic solutions to social problems (Singer, 2015). As effective altruism has become a more potent driver of the animal welfare movement, an increasing number of nonprofits have begun engaging in political advocacy for farm animal welfare. Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz’ Open Philanthropy is the largest …

The Influence Of Gender Identity And Healthcare Delivery Experience On Hiv Screening, Delton Harris

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the roles of gender identity, healthcare experience, and practitioners' scope of healthcare services in the uptake of annual HIV screening among the understudied population of transgender individuals. Transgender individuals are about half as likely to have an annual HIV screening despite having similar risk profiles to men who have sex with men (MSM). The current HIV guidelines for MSM recommend annual HIV screening because of the risky sexual practice, anal sex with other men. Similar to MSM, transgender individuals who have anal sex with men are at higher risk than the general population for HIV acquisition because …

Guardians Of Their Own: Routine Activities, Risk Perceptions, & Self-Protection Among Police Officers In The Line Of Duty, Amy Clifton-Mills

Theses and Dissertations

This research illuminated how police officers perceive risks in the line of duty and whether police officers implement protective behaviors on duty. This was done by implementing two phases of data collection: focus groups (I) and self-report surveys (II). The focus groups (N = 21) were conducted to inform the self-protective behaviors instrument in the self-report surveys (N =143). Officers self-reported their risk of assault and injury in the line of duty in the next six months to be 33.86% (SD = 27.13) and their risk of felonious death to be 14.4% (SD = 18.1). Results show that …

Cannabis Use Among Cancer Survivors And The Impact On Cancer-Related Pain, Tiffanie A. Vargas

Theses and Dissertations

With a growing population of older adult cancer survivors—many of whom experience cancer-related pain—interest in medical cannabis as a pain management strategy has increased. This secondary analysis used data from the 2022 U.S. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to examine cannabis use behaviors among cancer survivors and assess associations with cancer-related pain. The study had three aims: (1) to describe 30-day cannabis use (prevalence, intensity, and administration routes) by chronic health condition and cancer diagnosis, focusing on non-melanoma skin cancer, melanoma, and other cancers; (2) to compare demographics, health characteristics, and tobacco use by cannabis use status among cancer …

The Bitch And The Boogeyman: Violence Against Women And Gendered Morality In American Slasher Films, Davis A. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This research examines the relationships between on-screen depictions of violence in American slasher horror films and depictions of gendered morality of victims. Slashers are a subgenre of horror film that arose out of the exploitation cinema movement of the 1970s that are characterized primarily by the presence of one or more human killers inflicting violence on a group of protagonists, typically through the use of bladed weapons. Data collected comes from a comprehensive set of thirty-six American slasher films that received a wide theatrical release, with exemptions for films whose primary genre is not slasher and only selecting three films …

Existing In The Context: A Conjunctural Analysis Of Kamala Harris Memes, Amaya Mcneal

Theses and Dissertations

Political memes have become a common way for people to express their political views online, helping politics reach young adults who weren’t previously interested. Consequently, politicians have begun sharing and creating memes themselves. The memeification of American politics has diminished debate about ideas, ideals, issues, and people’s vital interests, debasing voters by treating them not as citizens but as passive “consumers” and “spectators” of mediated politics. This paper helps make sense of this crisis, focusing on the example of former Vice President Kamala Harris. Vice President Kamala Harris' memeified presidential campaign during the 2024 U.S. election targeted voters through a …

Reply Stop To Stop, Molly A. M. Garrett

Theses and Dissertations

Over the course of 8 years working in progressive political strategy, 2015–2023, I became increasingly critical of the systems, formulas and tools we were using to communicate with voters. Reply STOP to Stop is documentation of my time at graduate school, of wrestling with ideas of political design, language, communication and distribution. I analyzed my past work — all the texts, emails, social media posts, print ads, web banners, videos and other miscellaneous scripted content — and wondered if we would all be better off without it. Would elections be fairer, would there be less fake news, more community building? …

Understanding The Experiences Of People Of Color Who Engage In Psychedelic Use, Amber B. Livingston

Theses and Dissertations

There is a growing body of research that supports the potential of psychedelic substances being used to support individuals with alleviating mental health symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and existential distress. Though it has been labeled that Western society is within a psychedelic renaissance, it should also be noted that many indigenous cultures have utilized plant-based medicines as a form of healing and connection. Despite the ever increasing amount of studies being conducted, a consistent deficit is the lack of representation of non-White individuals in research samples. Utilizing the theoretical framework of set and setting, the present study aims to …

Radical Hope Amid Generational Oppression And Puerto Rican Well-Being, Natalia Gomez Giuliani

Theses and Dissertations

Oppressive systems (e.g., colonialism, racism, capitalism) create a disparate distribution of power that, through various mechanisms, negatively impacts the health and well-being of members of the oppressed group. Boricuas have experienced over 500 years of oppression, with the island currently maintaining a colonial relationship with the United States. As these adverse effects of oppression are identified, the need for protective factors (e.g., hope) has emerged. This study explored how islander Boricuas practice radical hope, understand their history of oppression and resistance, and how they perceived it to impact their overall well-being. Utilizing a phenomenological qualitative approach, I conducted 15 semi-structured …

Health Equity In Times Of Crisis: The Impact Of Economic And Public Health Shocks On Access To Care Among Women In Zimbabwe And The United States, Vimbainashe Dihwa

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This dissertation examines health equity during times of national public health and economic crises by examining access to care among women of reproductive age. Papers 1 and 2 estimate the effects of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic in the United States (US). Paper 3 examines the potential effects of the 2008 hyperinflation and subsequent economic crisis in Zimbabwe.

Paper 1 assessed the role of health professional shortage areas (HPSAs) in the Covid-19 pandemic-related temporal trends in mental health access among women in the 18 to 44 years age group with self-reported anxiety and/or depression. The findings suggest decreased unmet prescription …

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between School Counselor Access And Latine Students’ College-Going Behaviors, Kristen Tuxbury

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationships between school counselor access and Latine students’ college-going behaviors using data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09). The study was guided by critical race theory and Yosso’s community cultural wealth model (2005). Binary logistic regression models, Chi-square tests of independence, and descriptive statistics were used to explore the associations between school counselor access, Latine student college-going behaviors, and caregiver expectations. The findings show stronger associations between caregiver expectations and Latine student college-going behaviors than school counselor access. Additionally, findings provide evidence that experiences of oppression are likely barriers to Bachelor’s degree programs …

Integration Of Phenotyping Into A Preliminary Investigation Of Stand-Alone Web-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Among A Non-Treatment Seeking Sample, Anna B. Parlier-Ahmad

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is the most common substance use disorder. However, most people with AUD do not receive treatment. Among those who do, it is only moderately effective largely due to the heterogeneity of people with AUD. Many of these individuals, particularly those with mild AUD, can reduce or cease alcohol use without specialized treatment. However, efforts to refer those with more severe AUD to community residential or outpatient programs have been largely unsuccessful, especially among women who often face practical barriers like lack of transportation and childcare. Technology offers innovative opportunities to make treatment more readily accessible to …

Narratives Of Illness Identity Development In Adolescents With Cancer, Rachel Holder

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Adolescence is a pivotal developmental stage characterized by the development of independence, autonomy, and identity. A diagnosis of cancer can be disruptive to this process (Grinyer, 2009; Hazen et al., 2008; Neylon et al., 2023). How one incorporates cancer into their identity, or illness identity, has been associated with clinical outcomes, including adherence, life satisfaction, psychosocial functioning, and health-related quality of life and could be a target for supportive interventions aimed at adolescents with cancer (Commissariat et al., 2020; Luyckx et al., 2008, 2018; Meyer & Lamash, 2020; Oris et al., 2016; Raymaekers et al., 2020). Prior literature has …

Associations Between Community Violence Exposure And Internalizing Outcomes: The Moderating Role Of Racial Identity, Kimberly S. Lazarus

Theses and Dissertations

Community violence continues to be an ongoing public health crisis, driven by structural inequities and systemic disinvestment. Due to historical discriminatory policies and ongoing systemic barriers, Black adolescents are disproportionately affected, placing them at heightened risk for adverse mental health outcomes, particularly post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and depressive symptoms. While existing literature highlights racial identity as a promotive factor linked to a lower likelihood of negative health outcomes, less is known about its protective role in buffering the mental health effects of adversity. There is an increasing call for public health researchers to consider racial-ethnic factors as potential moderators in …

Hyperreality Ain’T Really Real: Postmodernity, Social Media, & Blackness, Micah White

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examines the interplay between postmodernity, social media, and African American identity formation through focus group analysis and Grounded Theory methodology. The research investigates how social media’s postmodern features—fragmentation, hyperreality, commodification, and context collapse—shape identity development among African Americans, who historically navigate cultural disruption and systemic racism. Data from semi-structured interviews with two generational focus groups revealed that participants engaged in sophisticated identity curation to balance authenticity and protection in racially charged digital spaces. Key findings highlight the tension between empowerment and marginalization, as social media served as both a platform for racial affirmation and a source of …

A Multimethod Approach To Examining Racial Coping Socialization Among Black Adolescents, Rachel J. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Experiences of racial discrimination are pervasive in the lives of Black youth and result in race-related stress. Racial coping has been found to mitigate the negative physical and mental health effects of racial discrimination; thus, it is imperative that we understand the process that Black youth undertake to navigate racialized experiences by utilizing a person-centered approach. Additionally, parents socialize their Black youth to navigate racialized experiences, indeed, previous research has investigated racial and emotion socialization as separate phenomena, however, this does not reflect the integrated nature by which racial and emotion socialization processes are interconnected during parents’ and youths’ discussions …

Still An Athlete? An Exploration Of Athlete Identity, Body Appreciation, And Psychological Flourishing In Middle-Aged Former Collegiate Athletes, Kelly Furr

Theses and Dissertations

Collegiate athletes, upon retirement, are encouraged to develop other interests outside of sport to form a well-rounded identity. Yet middle-aged people often struggle to complete recommended strength training and exercise guidelines, and many continue to struggle with body appreciation and psychological well-being beyond adolescence and young adulthood. Using a cross-sectional survey design, 482 former NCAA athletes completed the Athlete Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS), Exercise Identity Scale (EIS), Body-Appreciation Scale (BAS-2), and Flourishing Scale (FS). The study used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to determine if athlete or exercise identity positively affects body appreciation and psychological flourishing through the mediating variable of …

A Mixed Method Case Study Of Leadership For Change: Authentic Transformational Leadership In A Local Baptist Church, Hui Sun

Theses and Dissertations

This convergent parallel mixed methods case study explores how a local Baptist church navigated organizational change during and after the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of authentic and transformational leadership. Grounded in organizational leadership and open systems framework of organizational change, the study examined two primary hypotheses: (1) RBC demonstrated an authentic transformational leadership paradigm in its change processes since 2020, and (2) this paradigm significantly and positively influenced perceived leadership effectiveness.

Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with six leaders (three pastors, one minister, one staff leader, and one deacon) and 11 raters (five lay leaders, five congregants, …

Exploring Western Clinicians’ Treatment Of Cultural Concepts Of Distress, Lisa Y. Chung

Theses and Dissertations

As the rates of diverse ethnic populations and therefore cultural concepts of distress continue to grow in the United States, it becomes critical to learn and understand how western-trained mental health professionals are selecting treatments and implementing them. However, there is a paucity of research on cultural concepts of distress as a whole and much less on the psychotherapy of cultural concepts of distress in the United States. This exploratory study aimed to explore the treatment plan of mental health clinicians in the United States when encountering the Korean cultural concept of distress, hwabyung. Ninety-eight clinicians were recruited from Arkansas, …

Profiles Of First-Year First-Generation Students’ Library Perceptions And Use: An Intersectional, Mixed Methods Study, Megan Hodge

Theses and Dissertations

To effectively support first-generation students, academic libraries must understand their needs. However, limited library research has been conducted into how these students, who often embody multiple structurally disadvantaged identities, perceive and use academic libraries or how their intersecting identities manifest in differing library needs. This study aimed to build understanding of first-year first-generation students’ perceptions and use of academic libraries. To do so, the researcher used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. First-year first-generation students at Virginia Commonwealth University were surveyed using Winkler and Sriram’s (2015) Academic Capital Scale and Anwar et al’s (2012) AQAK: Library Anxiety Scale for Undergraduate Students. …