Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Partnering With Social Media Influencers To Promote Hpv Vaccination In Diverse Communities, Amy Leader, Amelia Burke-Garcia, Dasha Afanaseva, Erin Cutroneo, Preethi Selvan, Kayla Madden, Joshua Banks, Angela Sustaita-Ruiz

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: While human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is one of the most effective ways to prevent HPV-related cancers, many children and adolescents remain unvaccinated. Resistance often stems from parental vaccine hesitancy and mistrust of the health care system, both of which may be higher in communities of color. Partnering with social media influencers may be an effective method for disseminating health messages. We tested the impact of HPV social media posts developed by influencers on outcomes of knowledge, attitudes, and intentions to vaccinate.

METHODS: Ten social media influencers who identified as African American or Hispanic created posts about the HPV vaccine. …

Impact Of Innovation On Firm Performance Via Corporate Entrepreneurship And The Role Of Information And Communication Technology Use, Amir Foroughi, Reihaneh Sadat Hajmirsadeghi, Reza Shokuh Saljoghi, Mina Kharzami

Arab Economic and Business Journal

This study aims to examine the moderating role of ICT and improve the analytical framework . The research employed a non-probability convenience sampling technique. Data was collected from 210 respondents and analyzed using partial least squares (PLS) methods. First, it addresses the under explored role of corporate entrepreneurship as a complementary factor in enhancing the impact of technological innovation on organizational performance, particularly in the context of ICT integration. Second, it provides empirical evidence from Iran, Third, the study introduces a refined analytical framework that highlights the moderating role of ICT.

Nonlinear Business Cycles And More, Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes:

• handwritten notes titled Non-linear theories of business cycles referencing Semmler (March 1985)
• a table titled Schemes of reproduction & forms of value (October 1990)
• handwritten notes titled Notes on Pasinetti's: Structural change... (November 20, 1981)
• handwritten notes titled Notes on Pasinetti's concerning stability in growth vs. cycles (April 10, 1983)
• handwritten notes titled John S. Chipman: The theory of intersectoral money flows & income formation (April 18, 1988)
• handwritten notes titled Aggregate production functions & the notion of capacity (September 12, 1993)
• a document by Willi Semmler titled Depreciation and replacement for extended reproduction (1982)
• the article …

Make A Little Wave [Book Review], Mc Brickell

Disability in LIS (DisLIS)

Kerry O'Malley Cerra's Make a Little Wave is an engaging book about thirteen year old Savannah (Sav) who begins a campaign for shark conservation. Along the way, she learns what it means to be an activist and the strength it takes to stick up for an unpopular cause.

Longitudinal Assessment Of Blast-Related Traumatic Brain Injury (Tbi): Impact On Structural Neuroimaging Correlates, Working Memory, And Processing Speed, Carmen Velez

Dissertations

The conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq led to a significant surge in blast-related traumatic brain injuries (bTBIs). However, our understanding of their lasting neurological impacts remains incomplete. To our knowledge, this is the first longitudinal study of its size to explore whether increasing levels of blast exposure predict neural atrophy or cognitive decline over time. We analyzed 149 baseline and follow-up data sets from service members categorized by blast exposure: blast naïve (n = 57), single blast (n = 70), and multiple blasts (n = 22). Participants underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and neuropsychological assessment.

All data were drawn …

Reimagining Discipline: Elementary School Counselors’ Experiences Implementing And Advocating For Restorative Practices As An Alternative To Exclusionary Discipline, Kim Kelly

Dissertations

School counselors are positioned as leaders and advocates within their school communities, playing a critical role in promoting equitable practices and systemic change. Despite decades of research indicating the harmful effects of exclusionary discipline, this approach continues to be implemented in schools across the United States. Emerging literature has indicated restorative practices as an alternative discipline approach that promotes equity, reduces disproportionality in school discipline, and fosters a positive school climate. This research focused on the experience of elementary school counselors advocating for and implementing restorative practices as an alternative to exclusionary discipline. Through a hermeneutic phenomenological and social constructivist …

The Movies That Make Us: A Qualitative Research Study On How People Interpret Messages In Movies, Ethan Taylor

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study, “All Movies Have Messages: A Qualitative Research Study on How People Interpret Messages in Movies,” was to analyze the relationship between an individual’s personal, political, or religious views and the way that individual interprets messages and agendas in film. Using Stuart Hall’s model of encoding and decoding, the researcher discovered how an individual’s personal beliefs affected the way a person interprets messages in movies. Focus groups and a survey were used to collect data. This study served to fill the gap in literature available on Hall’s model and reception theory. Most research conducted has not …

Rhetorical Nation-Building: A Close Textual Analysis Of Macarthur, Heuss, And Karzai As Agents Of Renewal, Josiah J. Mork

Masters Theses

Warfare has largely shifted from means of domination into a method of peacemaking. Nations increasingly utilize war to dismantle hostile nations and rebuild them with compatible political identities, which potentially creates more lasting peace than treaties or annexation. However, U.S. attempts at nation-building have varied success and, at times, prolong hostility. This study frames the nation-building process as an act of crisis communication and examines the role of rhetoric in this nation-building process. A close textual analysis was performed to examine discourse of renewal in two successful examples in Japan and West Germany, and in an example of failure in …

Words That Win: A Qualitative Phenomenological Analysis Of Rhetorical Techniques In Forensics, Lindsay Anton

Masters Theses

This study explores how different rhetorical techniques in collegiate forensics influence college students. Many people do not fully understand how two types of forensic speeches—oral interpretation and platform presentation—affect college students. Using a qualitative approach, this research examines which rhetorical techniques were most influential. A forensics showcase was held. Both an oral interpretation and a platform presentation were performed on the same topic to see how they influenced students. After watching, students answered survey questions about which techniques were most impactful. The results showed that emotional storytelling was the most memorable and persuasive. This study found that a storytelling approach …

Data Visualization Training And Support At The Uab Libraries, Ashley S. Mcguire

Libraries Professional Work

FDGP poster event, Alys Stephens center, April 18, 2025

Pilot Study For Examining The Physiological Effects Of Sustained Attention In A Structured Online Mindfulness-Based Course, Eve Barton

Theses and Dissertations

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBI's) and courses have emerged as widely recognized approaches for promoting mental health, improving cognitive functioning, and fostering overall well-being. This pilot study explored the effects of a 15-session, online, structured mindfulness course on sustained attention and subjective well-being, utilizing both objective and subjective measures. The study aimed to determine whether participants' sustained attention, assessed via a smooth pursuit eye movement (SPEM) task, improved after completing the online course. Subjective attention was measured using the Attentional Control Scale (ACS) and a single item from the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS), while subjective well-being was assessed using the Survey …

Deliberate Practice For Multicultural Orientation Training Novice Undergraduates, Eduardo E. Duran

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the efficacy of Multicultural Orientation (MCO) and Motivational Interviewing (MI) frameworks in enhancing undergraduates' ability to address cultural dynamics in therapeutic contexts through deliberate practice. Using a randomized control trial design, 59 participants were assigned to either an MCO as the experimental group or an MI workshop as the control group, each involving pre- and post-workshop video simulations and self-reported assessments. The workshops incorporated deliberate practice exercises with feedback to improve participants' responses to culturally rich client scenarios. Findings indicated significant improvements in cultural humility, comfort, and opportunities for the MCO group compared to the MI group. …

The Dark Lord And The Mafia Boss: A Comparison And Contrast Of Toxic Leadership In Darth Vader And Vito Corleone, Mya A. Garcia, Mikheil Makhviladze

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This project employs a qualitative media analysis to explore toxic leadership through a comparative study of two characters: Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith, from the Star Wars Franchise, and Vito Corleone, from the movie The Godfather. Both rule very strongly, but in a destructive manner to those who serve underneath them. From using the book Haslam et al.’s (2020) "The New Psychology of Leadership”, we can analyze how they rule toxically through manipulation, fear, control, and how the followers are affected by their rule. Darth Vader rules under the idea that centralized power brings order. Never taking …

Is There Strength In Vulnerability?: A Qualitative Review Of How Black Women Navigate Emotional Vulnerability, Cicely L. Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative, phenomenological study explored how Black women navigate emotional vulnerability. Utilizing semi-structured interviews, that examine their core beliefs, experiences, and historical views on vulnerability, the research aimed to uncover the different ways in which these women experienced and managed vulnerability, particularly in light of the Strong Black Woman Schema (SBWS). The study addressed three primary research questions: How do Black women living in rural areas describe their lived experience with emotional vulnerability within their personal, social, and cultural contexts? How do Black women living in rural areas describe their lived experience with the Strong Black Woman Schema? How do …

Multiple Platform Social Media Engagement Correlation With Perceived Depression, Anxiety, And Stress Among Active Church Members, Penny K. Hampton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Social media has remained an area that each person has related to in their everyday experiences. The growth of social media has continued and expanded to include a wide range of varying platform opportunities for users. Given the variances with social media engagements, everyone differs with their resulting overall mental health characteristics. This study explored the relationship between the user engagement on multiple social media platforms and self-reported depression, stress, and anxiety. The variables included the number of social media platforms and the self-reported responses to the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21 (DASS21). For this study, the participants included 117 individuals …

Navigating Gender And Equity In Education: Challenges, Personal Experiences, And Pathways For Change, Chloe Ballow

Honors Projects

This project examines how gender stereotypes influence the educational experiences of high school girls, focusing on the combined effects of gender, race, and socio-economic status. Using sources from feminist theory, educational research, and real-world examples, this study explores how societal expectations shape girls’ behavior in the classroom, their academic self-image, and their future goals. Special attention is given to African American girls and students from low-income backgrounds, who often face additional challenges due to both racial and gender biases.

The research draws on a mix of scholarly articles, reports from organizations like UNESCO and the OECD, and insights from a …

A Qualitative Exploration Of The Incorporation Of Nature Into Multilevel Social Work Practice, Tessa Palmer

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

Humans have an innate connection to nature, often referred to as biophilia. Besides providing the basic necessities for life, interacting with nature has been connected to lower rates of depression and hypertension, improved hospital outcomes, reduced stress, better cognition, and many other benefits. Conversely, increased urbanization is being linked to more chronic medical conditions than in the past due to social inequalities, lifestyle factors, and environmental degradation. People of color and lower socioeconomic status are being disconnected from nature through environmental racism that leads to higher exposure to toxins and pollutants, less access to clean drinking water, and lack of …

From First Draft To Final Frame: Exploring Storytelling Across Mediums, Lydia Cowan

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the creative adaptation of an original young adult novel into a two-part television screenplay. The story follows Bobbi, a sixteen-year-old girl who is institutionalized after a mental health crisis, as she navigates grief, trauma, and recovery through a voice that is sharp, self-aware, and darkly humorous.

The project consists of eight chapters of prose, totaling 36 pages, and two screenplay episodes comprising 87 pages. The work focuses on how character, tone, and internal voice shift between novel and screen formats. Key themes include mental health, loss, identity, and the use of humor as a survival mechanism. The …

Impact Of Witnessing Intimate Partner Violence For Elementary Age Children: Counseling Recommendations, Makayla Essington

Honors Theses

This literature review explores the significant impacts that witnessing intimate partner violence (IPV) has on elementary-aged children and presents evidence-based counseling interventions to support their healing. Children are not always direct victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). However, simply witnessing intimate partner violence (IPV) in the home has significant impacts on children, such as emotionally, physically, cognitively, and behaviorally. This literature review highlights the significant impacts of intimate partner violence (IPV) on children’s mental health, including risk of anxiety, emotional dysregulation, and PTSD symptoms. Witnessing intimate partner violence also impacts the physical health of children, including risk for sleep disturbances …

Immigration Federalism In The United States: Texas Case Studies, Kelly A. Atwell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the immigration federalism framework for public administrators in Texas border cities. This study aimed to explore the experiences and perspectives of public administration officials in managing immigration challenges and integrating immigrant populations into their communities. The guiding theory is Friedman’s immigration federalism framework, emphasizing state and local actor involvement in developing immigration policies (Friedman, 2022). Friedman’s framework explains why cascading effects of federal level actions are inapplicable at the local level and how a theory meeting communities’ needs is preferential to the removed policies instituted at higher levels of government. …

The Renal Social Workers' Perspective: Attitude, Behaviors, And Barriers To Sexual Health Inclusion, Sapphira L. Blount Murray

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Sexual health, an important factor of perceived wellness and quality of life, is adversely impacted by renal disease and treatment. The social worker is uniquely positioned on the renal clinical care team to address sexual health. There is a dearth of literature on renal care and sexual health, and no national study on whether or how sexual health is being addressed in renal care planning by the social worker. This qualitative case study was aimed at exploring the attitudes, behaviors, and perceived barriers based on the lived experiences of renal social workers in incorporating sexual health assessments into routine renal …

A Qualitative Inquiry Of People Experiencing Prolonged Unforgiveness In Connection To Christian Psychology, Josephine Agbons Fleming

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the qualitative study was to explore Christian women's experiences and understanding of prolonged unforgiveness from the perspective of people living with prolonged unforgiveness. Harboring unforgiveness leads to unhappiness, dissatisfaction, and increased bitterness. It also leads to negative emotional experiences and physical and psychological concerns. A previous study encountered a transparent narrative that it is not good to harbor bitterness toward others. Some researchers have explored the outcomes of unforgiveness that involve empirical analysis. Other studies have described the nature of unforgiveness and its effects without explaining what unforgiveness does to people if it is prolonged and strategies …

The Use Of Artificial Intelligence In The Clinical Supervision Of Counselors In Training: A Comparative Quantitative Study, Debra Ann Millman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

To address the need to improve the effectiveness of clinical supervision, this study compared the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to evaluate the counseling skills of counselors in training with evaluations completed by counseling professors. Counseling session transcripts obtained from the public domain were evaluated using AI by asking the chatbot to act as if it were a licensed mental health clinical supervisor and evaluate the transcript using the Counseling Competencies Scale Revised rubric. Counseling professors were asked to manually evaluate the sessions using the same rubric. Finally, doctoral students enrolled in a counselor education and supervision program were asked …

The Cultivation And Harvesting Of Parasocial Relationships For Evangelism: An Exploratory Multiple Case Study Of Pastors’ Use Of Video On Social Media, Larry D. Witzel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The digital transformation of society has resulted in people living much of their lives online. Some believe the command of Jesus to “go into all the world” necessarily includes entering the digital realm for evangelistic purposes, particularly as the effectiveness of traditional evangelistic methods has declined. This research explored the communication techniques used for digital outreach by seven pastors on social media to cultivate parasocial relationships and the calls to action they used to harvest these relationships evangelistically. This qualitative multiple case study analyzed public video communication and other social media, comparing these pastors’ online ministry with the known techniques …

Love Your Neighbor As Yourself: Examining The Lived Experience Of Christians Of Color Engaged In Advocacy, Monique Victoria Barber

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of Christians of Color (COC) engaged in advocacy work within the counseling profession. The study was guided by the allies integrative model, which asserts that God is the author of all truth, and that theology and psychology offer ways to understand His truth within human limitations. This framework provided a lens to examine how COC navigate their faith and racialized identity in advocacy. Seven licensed counselors participated in semistructured interviews, and their corresponding narratives were analyzed using thematic coding. Findings highlight the ways in which COC counselors …

Holistic Wellness In The Workplace, Tiffany Youngberg

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is a significant disconnect between the eight dimensions of wellness with employees and the workforce. Near the turn of the 20th century, there has been more focus on wellness in the workplace to increase productivity, with more of a push around the 1990s to improve health. Unfortunately, current research still has significant gaps. Most wellness programs focus on physical health, which does not address all wellness needs, as there are eight dimensions of wellness for working-age adults. Even holistic wellness programs are missing some crucial aspects; they focus on limited components of wellness with a heavy focus on physical …

Correctional Officer Stress: The Effects Of Supervising Mentally Ill Inmates, Samuel T. Akers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The work of correctional officers goes unnoticed and unappreciated even though the job is one of the most stressful and dangerous in the United States and worldwide (Pittaro, 2017). Correctional officers work with a population that has proven their propensity to commit offenses against others, such as assaults, rapes, and murders. Officers are on constant alert for threatened or realized personal attacks. Witnessing daily violence and mayhem causes work stress and adversity experienced by no other occupation, yet correctional officers’ occupation lacks research concerning stress on officers and how that stress negatively affects inmate supervision (Lambert et al., 2018). Without …

Examining The Relationship Of Neuroticism And The Three Dimensions Of Religious/Spiritual Doubt Through The Mediating Role Of Intolerance Of Uncertainty, Michael E. Mullins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Research on religious/spiritual (r/s) struggles, such as doubt, has increased over the past two decades and is important because of links between these struggles and negative holistic outcomes. The problem is there are Christian adults with r/s doubts that lead to negative outcomes, and there is a lack of research that examines how the personality trait factor of neuroticism and the dispositional factor of intolerance of uncertainty (IU) affect r/s doubt. The aim of this study was to examine the possible mediating influence of IU upon neuroticism and r/s doubt (including the three dimensions of r/s doubt: factual, emotional, and …

Raised Military: A Phenomenological Study On Military Upbringing And Recommended Military Parental Practices, Hannah L. Reed

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Military children face unique opportunities and challenges associated with their upbringing. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual effects of study participants who experienced a military upbringing and uses their insights to recommend the most effective parenting practices military parents might employ to provide optimal support for their child’s development. The research participants were individuals between 18 to 40 years of age who were raised in a military home in which at least one parent served active duty for a minimum of 20 years and relocated a minimum of three times between birth and 18 …

The Relationship Of Christian Spirituality And Sustained Recovery From Trauma-Related Substance Addiction, Carol Beatrice Bradley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation contains information regarding research that has been done on integrating spirituality into addiction recovery and trauma recovery. Research shows a strong relationship between addiction and trauma experiences and that when recovery counselors integrate spirituality into recovery the chances of relapse decrease. There is a need for additional research and education for recovery counselors and the support systems that help people to recover from addiction. This can help lead people to a life with purpose to prevent further addiction, relapse, overdose, and death. There has been some research that shows that integrating Christianity into recovery can help increase the …