Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Barriers And Bridges: Exploring Factors That Shape Mental Health Service Utilization In Rural America, Margaret Wiwuga

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Despite disproportionately higher suicide mortality rates and comparable prevalence of mental illness across urban and rural communities in the United States, rural populations across the nation experience significantly lower access to and utilization of mental health services, naturally leading to worse comprehensive outcomes. This literature review examines multifaceted factors shaping mental health service use in rural America, taking note of both barrier and enabling factors that impede or enable these unique populations’ willingness and ability to access and use mental health services. Ten articles published prior to September 9, 2025, were selected from the James Madison University Libraries’ Psychology and …

Black Maternal Mental Health: Counseling Considerations For Prenatal Depression And Anxiety, Morgan Renee Williams

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

The maternal mortality rate of Black women in the United States is four times higher than white women (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). The CDC defines a maternal death as “the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy… but not from accidental or incidental causes” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024, para. 1). This statistic is a consequence of the inequality within and outside of the American healthcare system (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2020). For the purposes of this research, Black women are defined as any women …

Neurodiversity In Counseling: Counseling Strategies For Supporting Neurodiverse Clients, Emily R. Plowright

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Neurodiversity recognizes the natural differences in human functioning, including the unique ways that individuals think, learn, and process information. The neurodiversity movement views these differences as valuable, challenging historical beliefs that label them as deficits. Despite growing awareness of neurodiversity, counseling research and practice have largely overlooked the unique needs of neurodiverse clients, resulting in barriers to accessing mental health care. This paper addresses the concept and models of disability to provide context for understanding neurodiversity. Neurodiverse identities, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), specific learning disorders (SLDs), and tic disorder, are explored through their diagnostic criteria …

What’S Behind The Mask: The Diagnostic Divide In The Female Autism Phenotype, Shelley Gies Alston

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by differences in social communication and restrictive, repetitive behaviors; however, women are diagnosed at significantly lower rates than men. This study examined whether DSM-5-TR diagnostic practices may contribute to the underdiagnosis and delayed identification of ASD in individuals assigned female at birth (AFAB), with attention to masking behaviors, gendered social expectations, and clinician interpretation of symptoms. Grounded in the Female Autism Phenotype (FAP), a retrospective mixed-methods study surveyed 12 AFAB individuals aged 18–24 who self-identified or were formally diagnosed with ASD. Participants completed a 44-item online survey including Likert-scale and open-ended …

Signs Of Belonging: Community Identities Of Deaf Elders In Central And Coastal Massachusetts, Nelia Eaddy

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

This study focuses on shared experiences and themes of community identities within the elder Deaf community of central and coastal Massachusetts. Lived experiences and linguistic journeys shape our overall senses of belonging and identities; subsequently, they profoundly affect our relationship to our communities (Eastaugh, 2019). This research study discusses how concepts of belonging shift as individuals age within their community and how that impacts their sense of belonging and experiences with language. Communities where individuals feel a sense of belonging encourage identity development. The experiences of elders who identify as “Deaf” (due to their language preference and cultural influences) within …

Inflation, War Bonds, And Voter Backlash In The 1950s, Gillian Brunet, Eric Hilt, Matthew S. Jaremski

Economics: Faculty Publications

We study the role of war bonds and inflation in post-WWII federal elections. During WWII, the federal government conducted aggressive campaigns to convince Americans to invest their savings in war bonds. After the war, major bouts of inflation in 1946-48 and 1950-51 depressed the bonds’ real returns, provoking widespread frustration. In a difference-in-differences framework, we find that counties with higher war bond purchases shifted their votes towards the Republican Party in the postwar presidential elections. To address concerns related to the endogeneity of war bond purchases, we use an instrumental variables design, and obtain similar results. We also find that …

Psy 1100 Writing Intensive Syllabus, Jos Khan

Open Educational Resources

This is an ZTC/OER syllabus for a PSY 1100 writing intensive course at Kingsborough Community College.

Bibliotech, May 2026, Jennie Tobler-Gaston

BiblioTech

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

Underlying Mechanisms In The Relationship Between Ptsd And Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Jillian B. Heymann

Dissertations

Current bodies of knowledge support the relationships between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), pain catastrophizing and PTSD, and pain catastrophizing and IBS. However, much less is known regarding how pain catastrophizing influences the relationship between PTSD and IBS. Additionally, while correlations between some demographic and trauma-related symptomatology have been elucidated in the relationship between PTSD and IBS, their impact as potential moderators on the relationship between PTSD and IBS has yet to be fully examined. Examining a student sample from a large midwestern university, the present study aimed to investigate the potential mediating and moderating roles …

Identity And Intervention: United States' Foreign Policy Toward The Dominican Republic, Eileen Ledesma

College Honors Program

Constructivist theory provides a framework for understanding United States foreign policy toward the Dominican Republic during the U.S. occupation (1916-1924), the rise and consolidation of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo’s dictatorship, and the regime’s eventual political isolation during the Cold War. This thesis argues that U.S. foreign policy was shaped by identity narratives and political culture, also identified through historically constructed understandings and the repeated performance of legitimacy and order. By situating U.S.-Dominican Republic relations within broader debates in international relations theory, this thesis highlights the explanatory value of constructivism in understanding the evolution and contradictions of U.S. policy in Latin America. …

Local And Indigenous Knowledge, Innovation, And Sustainable Development: Creating Sustainable Futures Amidst Crisis Conditions At The Community Level, Carlos Andrés Arias

Dissertations and Theses

In 1987, the Brundtland Commission's Our Common Future (1987) made clear the need to reject longstanding development processes and focus on sustainable development. The Commission stressed that actual sustainable development integrates three elements: social development, economic development, and environmental protection. Though developed nations have achieved economic growth through conventional and extractive development practices, these practices have intensified natural disasters driven by climate change, increased food insecurity, and deepened poverty. This has acutely impacted Indigenous and local communities, many of whom face crisis conditions, such as war, terrorism, civil disorder, and their aftermath. Even so, many of these communities successfully implement …

Upjohn Regional Economic Outlook, Iryna V. Lendel, Chloe Wieber, Sevrin Williams, Gerrit Anderson, Lee Adams, Emily Petz

Reports

No abstract provided.

Talking Climate: Does Peer Anxiety Amplify Or Alleviate Climate Change Worries?, Emma Tupone

Student Theses

As the climate crisis intensifies, climate change anxiety (CCA) has become increasingly common, yet it remains unclear whether discussing climate concerns with peers alleviates or amplifies distress. This study examined how climate conversations related to daily climate change anxiety, optimism, and pro-environmental behavior (PEB), as well as whether the perceived emotional tone of conversation partners shapes these associations. Using an 8-day daily diary design (N = 121), participants reported their daily climate-related emotions, engagement in private and public PEBs, and perceptions of peers’ climate anxiety and optimism following climate-related conversations. Results indicated that engaging in climate conversations was associated with …

The Greater Good?: Tradeoffs Between Social Connection And Status In Decision-Making Scenarios, Jonah M. Dratfield

Student Theses

Strong social relationships have consistently emerged as predictors of well-being in the psychological literature. However, research has not distinguished between the intrinsic social value derived from these relationships and the status derived from them. We constructed the novel Relationship Orientation Scale to explore this gap, utilizing binary decision-making scenarios in which individuals were forced to pit these two goods against one another. Across two studies, we found that individuals displayed a significant, but by no means universal, preference for intrinsically rewarding social relationships. We found, also, that social media use and comparison orientation were negative predictors of relationship orientation, whereas …

Comparative Environmental Jurisprudence: A Multi-Country Analysis Of Rights Of Nature Applications, Lillian C. Johns

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

This thesis examines three distinct cases, Ecuador, the United States, and India, in their conceptualization and implementation of the Rights of Nature and environmental jurisprudence. Although the Rights of Nature have gained global traction as a response to accelerating ecological degradation and as a potential legal mechanism for addressing it, issues with implementation and enforcement consistently arise. The outcomes in each case are largely shaped by institutional design, political context, and legal cultures. Ecuador’s constitutional recognition of the Rights of Nature, the United States multilevel recognition, and India’s judicial assertions of ecological personhood represents divergent pathways for articulating environmental rights. …

Pipeline Politics: A Comparative Analysis Of Environmental Justice Movements In The United States And Canada, Grace Treml

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Using theoretical frameworks from social movement theory, this study describes and comparatively analyzes the emergence and outcomes of the environmental justice movements against the development of the Coastal GasLink pipeline by people of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in Canada and the Keystone XL pipeline by environmental activists in the United States over the past two decades. By using social movement theory to evaluate movement emergence in terms of mobilizing structures, framing, and political opportunity structure, and movement outcomes in terms of representation, policy outcomes, and cultural discourse, a more inclusive argument for future environmental justice movements emerges. Findings synthesized from …

Perceived Parental Favoritism And Disfavoritism: Associations With Depression And Entitlement In College Students, Emma S. Hren

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Research consistently shows that children’s perceptions of differential treatment can have negative and lasting impacts on their well-being. Suitor and colleagues (2017) examined perceptions of favoritism among adult children in the form of emotional closeness, disappointment, conflict, and pride. The current study builds upon prior research by adding fathers, entitlement, and dimensions of practical and financial help. At James Madison University, 235 undergraduate students completed an online survey, which measured depression, entitlement, and social comparison in relation to perceptions of parental treatment. Results indicated associations between perceptions of differential parenting across emotional closeness, disappointment, conflict, pride, and financial and practical …

Treatment Of Different Non-State Actors In Detention: A Legal, Moral, And National Security Analysis, Alison P. Raedel

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

This thesis analyzes state behavior regarding the treatment of non-state actors through three major frameworks: international law, ethical theory, and national security. Two cases are compared: the treatment of al-Qaeda detainees by the United States after the attacks of September 11th, 2001, and the treatment of the Angolan liberation movements by the Portuguese during the Angolan War of Independence. These cases were chosen to assess how the three frameworks apply across different non-state actors, which include terrorist organizations and liberation movements. International law provides a baseline for rights and protections, but it is often selectively interpreted. Just war theory gives …

Cultivating Trauma Competency: Counselor Development Through Education And Experience, Kayla Bryant

Dissertations, 2020-current

This dissertation explored the development of trauma competency. Considering the prevalence of trauma and the ethical demand for counselors to work within their scope of competence, it is necessary they have skills to work with trauma. The intent of this dissertation was to contribute to the literature by providing strategies for counselor educators aiming to support counselors-in-training in their trauma development. Grounded in attachment theory, these articles acknowledge the personal lived experiences of counselors and their professional needs. The first article, a conceptual manuscript, provides strategies for counselor educators to integrate trauma competencies at the master’s level. Using both experiential …

Exploring Play: Counselor Education Strategies, Online Community Fantasy Play, And Sexuality In The Counseling Space, Nattalie Wolff-Tseng

Dissertations, 2020-current

This dissertation examines the ways that play is constructed and understood in a variety of settings. Using Relational Cultural Theory as a guiding theoretical influence, each portion examines how play influences relationships and how engagement in play and conversations about play can enhance student–teacher relationships, social connection, and the therapeutic relationship. The first section of this dissertation, the conceptual article, explores how play can support counselor education as it encourages creative engagement and discourages perfectionism, which is often noticeable in novice counselors. Play may take many forms in the classroom and offers counselor educators the opportunity to tailor activity to …

The Impact Of Free Vs. Fixed Factor Correlations On Parameter Recovery In Multidimensional Irt Models, Stephanie Leroy

Dissertations, 2020-current

This dissertation investigated how cross-loading specification and factor-correlation treatment influence parameter recovery in multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) models. Two simulation studies extended Hosseinzadeh and Cole (2024) by examining whether freely estimating factor correlations improves recovery of item parameters, factor correlations, and latent traits. Study 1 used a compensatory multidimensional two-parameter logistic (M2PL) model with two correlated dimensions and 20 dichotomous items. Manipulated conditions included cross-loading specification (correctly specified vs. ignored), proportion of cross-loaded items, magnitude of cross-loadings, true factor correlation, and factor-correlation treatment during estimation (freely estimated vs. fixed to zero). Study 2 extended the design to a multidimensional …

Quality Care For Neurodivergent Youth, Emily V. Bogaev

Dissertations, 2020-current

Neurodivergent youth are becoming increasingly present in counseling settings, yet many counseling approaches have historically been shaped by deficit-oriented frameworks that conceptualize neurodivergence as something to be corrected. These perspectives may overlook the lived experiences and strengths of neurodivergent individuals. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine neurodivergence in counseling through three complementary manuscripts addressing conceptual foundations, youth perspectives, and counselor preparation. The first manuscript is a conceptual article that explores neurodivergent-affirming counseling and contrasts affirming frameworks with traditional deficit-based approaches. The second manuscript utilized a qualitative narrative inquiry design to explore neurodivergent youths’ perceptions of neurodivergence and the …

Professional Dispositions In Counselor Education: Building Consensus, Examining Lived Experience, And Advancing Relational Gatekeeping, Jina Yang

Dissertations, 2020-current

The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate how Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)-accredited programs identify, implement, and assess essential professional dispositions among master’s-level counselors-in-training (CITs). The dissertation includes three components that examine conceptual, experiential, and consensus-based perspectives on professional dispositions within counselor education. The first component presents a conceptual framework for implementing gatekeeping practices that reflect the values of the counseling profession. Drawing on Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT), the article proposes gatekeeping strategies that emphasize mutuality and connection while accounting for sociocultural contextual factors and fostering psychological safety within the hierarchical dynamics inherent in evaluative …

Enhancing Access Through Integrated Behavioral Healthcare: Expanding Counselor Identity And Social Determinants Of Health Competency, Tiffany N. Snow

Dissertations, 2020-current

Abstract

The counseling profession has historically differentiated its identity by emphasizing a wellness-oriented approach. However, this has often led to the exclusion of counselors from integrated behavioral healthcare (IBH). With the 2024 enactment of the Mental Health Access Improvement Act, counselors now have unprecedented opportunities to serve as behavioral health providers in federal medical settings. This three-manuscript dissertation explores the intersection of counselor professional identity, social determinants of health (SDoH) competency, and interprofessional collaboration within IBH.

Manuscript 1 presents a conceptual framework for reconciling traditional counselor identity with the "medical model" of Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH), arguing that this …

Discussing Barriers And Solutions To Address Student Accommodation And Support Services, Anna K. Garst

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Accommodation and support services are essential for fostering academic achievement and positive well-being among college students with disabilities, yet many students delay or avoid seeking support. The present study used an explanatory mixed-methods design to examine disability and mental health service utilization among college students with disabilities, while also exploring the prevalence and intersecting experiences of basic needs insecurity. Quantitative survey data were collected from 275 students with diagnosed disabilities at a large public Mid-Atlantic university. Results indicated that perceived lack of need for support was the most frequently reported reason for not using services, followed by self-stigma, lack of …

You Say Data, I Say Data: Let’S Show The Whole (Oer) Thing Off, Marc Jaffy, Timothy Sandusky

All Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Bowling Green State University and Franklin University have created data dashboards highlighting the use of open educational and/or free library etextbooks at their institutions. This presentation explains the purpose behind these dashboards, what information is collected, and how the information is collected. It then highlights each institution's dashboard and concludes by discussing planned changes and lessons learned.

“Like Taking Your Armor Off:” Examining The Communication Challenges Faced By Lgbtq+ Liaison Officers, Emily P. Nicholson

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Policing has been and remains one of the most significant issues facing society in the United States. One response to this issue which has seen a rise in the last decade is the presence of liaison officer programs, which are designed to help improve police relations with vulnerable groups by forging connections with local, identity-aligned organizations and practicing identity-first policing. This study sought to understand what the challenges faced by liaison programs are and what organizational tensions are experienced by police officers in LGBTQ Liaison positions. Following an inductive approach to analysis, participants in the study engaged in a semi-structured …

The Impact Of Partner Quality On Female Perception Of Ovulation Cues During Pregnancy, Zoe Michelle Hannabass

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Human ovulation is largely concealed, yet subtle fertility-related cues, including facial and vocal changes, may influence mate selection and intrasexual competition (Thornhill & Gangestad, 2008; Haselton & Gildersleeve, 2016). These cues are thought to “leak” across the menstrual cycle and shape social perception in ways that are not always consciously detected. Pregnancy represents a unique context in which reproductive priorities shift, as women become increasingly dependent on partner resources for maternal and fetal well-being. As a result, traits signaling physical attractiveness, signaling genetic quality, become less important while those signaling partner investment may become more important among pregnant females. This …

Relationships Between A Neurotypical And Neurodivergent Sibling Dyad: Teaching Reciprocal Skills, Emily Weinberg

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The purpose of this study was to implement an effective social skills curriculum in the clinic setting with an individual in home setting to determine the effects on interfering behaviors and appropriate skill use with a sibling. An ABA design was utilized to allow for comparison of effects between control and treatment conditions. The independent variable was the social skills curriculum implemented using the Behavioral Skills Training (BST) model. There were four dependent variable measures. These were the effects on interfering behaviors and the three reciprocal skills targeted: initiating conversations, asking questions, and sharing. There are not enough data to …

The Effects Of An Autism Community Member Feedback-Based Training On Increasing Positive Interaction Skills, Francis Gary Powers Iii

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The current study examined the effects of a behavioral skills training (BST) on the frequency with which participants engaged in positive interaction skills that could be used when interacting with individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The behaviors for which the BST sought to increase were identified through a study that interviewed the members of a local autism community and first responders regarding actions that can be taken to foster more positive interactions when both specifically first responders and individuals with autism are at an emergency scene. A multiple baseline across behaviors design was used to assess the effect of …