Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Msw Portfolio: Becoming Political, Stephanie Herther

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio captures my transformation through the University of Montana’s Master of Social Work program, shaped by both academic study and years of living and working abroad in under-resourced communities. Over three years, I have come to see the personal as inseparable from the political, grounding my practice in trauma-informed care, culturally responsive engagement, and the power of narrative-therapy. Guided by systems theory, attachment theory, and Critical Race Theory, I have woven together direct practice, community work, and policy advocacy to challenge inequities and honor the dignity of those most impacted by them. Each competency reflects not only skill development …

Msw Professional Portfolio-Glue Players, Chelsea Lucille Solberg

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Msw Portfolio, Julia Marie Sweeney

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio reflects my personal and professional growth throughout the University of Montana’s MSW program. Grounded in lived experience, child advocacy work, and academic learning, it highlights my development across core competencies and advanced integrated practice.

Becoming A Social Justice Worker, Laura Curry

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of The Purity Culture Beliefs Scale And The Interaction Of Religiosity, Purity Culture Beliefs, And Pornography Use In A Census-Matched United States Sample, Kaelyn R. Griffin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The impacts of purity culture have been documented in the prevalence of abstinence-only sex education, perception of personal value tied to virginity, and shame and guilt related to sexual behavior. Similarly, models of moral incongruence often examine religiosity as a contributor of distress related to sexual behavior and pornography use, likely tapping into the influence of purity culture without directly naming its presence. This distinction is crucial due to the variety of religious beliefs and practices, some including purity culture and those without sexually restrictive beliefs and practices. Despite this, standardized measures for researching purity culture are limited. Ortiz (2018) …

The Speech-To-Song Illusion Across Development And The Effects Of High-Level Expectations, Rodica R. Constantine

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The typical listener can readily categorize auditory stimuli as either speech or song even though these structures share many acoustic similarities. These musical and linguistic categories may nevertheless take time to develop as children acquire language- and music-specific knowledge. In the Speech-to-Song (STS) illusion, multiple repetitions of a natural spoken utterance can give rise to a perceptual switch wherein the stimulus begins to sound song-like to the listener. While the STS illusion has been well-researched in adult listeners, it had yet to be investigated in children. In our study, we examined whether children experience the STS illusion by presenting participants …

Ecological Momentary Assessment Of Mood, Affect, And Perceived Criticism: Investigation Of Daily Patterns And Family Impact, Kayla Mcginty

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Perceived criticism (PC) is a component of expressed emotion (EE) that assesses an individual’s perceptions of the criticism that they are exposed to within their interpersonal relationships. PC is elevated among individuals with mood disorders, and mood and mood symptoms act as both a predictor and an outcome of PC. However, few studies have examined the relationship between PC and affect, a more momentary measure of emotion that can serve as a guide to underlying mood. Additionally, limited research has examined how PC within family relationships compares to other interpersonal interactions. Understanding the relationship between momentary affect and PC and …

Error Processing In Psychopathy: An Analysis Of Event Related Brain Potentials And Post-Error Task Behavior, Ananda Liz Peixoto Couto

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Performance monitoring and error processing are crucial for learning from mistakes, adjusting responses, and adapting to the environment. Individuals with psychopathy present with failures in performance monitoring, particularly a failure to learn from experience, and error processing deficits have been reported in this population. Error processing literature has investigated its underlying mechanisms via two prongs, namely behavioral measures and electroencephalography (EEG) indicators. Behaviorally, error processing literature has focused on post-error slowing (PES) and post-error accuracy (PEA). Meanwhile, EEG research has identified two components of error-related brain potentials (ERPs) in error processing: error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe). This study …

Development Of An Access Charge Framework For High-Speed Rail Incorporating Rail Replacement Costs And Dynamic Train Characteristics, Nitesh Kumar Yadav

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis develops a framework to determine track access charges for shared high-speed rail corridors, with a focus on rail replacement cost driven by train-induced loads. The method explicitly accounts for both static loads, resulting from axle weights, and dynamic loads that arise from train speed and track geometry, particularly curvature. Train characteristics such as axle load, operating speed, frequency of service, and number of wheels are integrated with track parameters, including curve radius, to calculate the total vertical load. These loads are used to estimate the cumulative tonnage threshold for rail replacement and the resulting service life of the …

Understanding The Role Of Drug Offenses And The Death Penalty In Iran, Cyrus Zarganj

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Since the 1979 revolution, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been governed by Islamic laws devised by Shia Muslim clerics, significantly influencing the nation's legal framework in both criminal and civil contexts. The death penalty in Iran covers a broad spectrum of offenses, many of which would not be considered capital crimes or even crimes globally. This extensive application of the death penalty is an instrument of social control during periods of political tension, indicating a direct relationship between the regime's stability and the enforcement of extreme punitive measures. Despite some reduction in the visibility of executions due to international …

The Impact Of Alternatives To Incarceration And The Motherhood Identity On Mothers And Their Children: A Qualitative Study, Chloe Blau

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The U.S. prison system population increasingly includes women, a significant proportion of whom are mothers, often incarcerated for non-violent crimes. Some research suggests that alternative to incarceration (ATI) programs can help these women to continue supporting their children while serving their sentences and receiving services that may decrease recidivism. However, few studies have explored the lived experiences of women in these programs. This dissertation investigates the impact of participating in ATI programs on mothers and their relationship to their motherhood identity, their ability to mother, and their relationship with their children. Using a qualitative approach to better understand how women …

Parent/Stakeholder, Practitioner, And Teacher Perception Of Applied Behavior Analysis As Influenced By Social Media, Brittany Hahn

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The current study was conducted to investigate individuals’ perceptions of ABA as influenced by social media. A survey that included videos selected from TikTok, a social media platform, was provided to parents/stakeholders of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), practitioners/employees of ABA (BCBAs, RBTs, etc.), and teachers. Participants were acquired using recruitment posts on TikTok and Facebook, through email, and by word-of-mouth/referral. 58 participants in total fully completed the survey. The survey was conducted using Qualtrics and included 32 questions and eight TikTok videos. The results showed that parents/stakeholders’, practitioners’, and teachers’ opinions of ABA were not influenced by the …

A Thematic Analysis Of The Perceived Impact Of Nil Policy On Athletic Identity, Career Maturity, And Black Male Student-Athletes’ Experience Of Transitioning Away From Football, Jesse Merise

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

In 2007 the NCAA launched the widely recognized slogan, “There are over 380,000 student-athletes, and most of us will go pro in something other than sports.” Today, that figure has risen to over 540,000 and continues grow. Among them, Black male student-athletes (BMSAs) comprise 40% of collegiate football participation across all three divisions, a notable increase from 36% in 2012. Since only a small percentage of college football players go on to play professionally, it means that a large number of Black student-athletes will eventually have to leave sports and pursue other career paths.

This study examined the perceived impact …

The Benefits Of Establishing Attending Behavior Prior To The Discriminative Stimulus During Discrete-Trial Instruction: A Systematic Review, Ruben S. Pereira

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Discrete trial instruction (DTI) is one of the most effective and commonly used instructional strategies for teaching individuals with autism. Researchers and professionals have informally promoted the importance of establishing attending behavior prior to initiating discrete trials. However, some researchers have reported a lack of literature analyzing the effects of establishing attending behavior, prior to instruction, on skill acquisition. Therefore, the benefits of establishing attending as part of DTI remain unknown. The goal of the current thesis was to conduct a systematic review using PRISMA guidelines to search for published studies where attending behavior was a primary independent variable within …

More Than A Feeling: A Mixed-Methods Examination Of Transgender Community Connectedness And Associations With Suicidality, Erin Rook

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Transgender adults experience significantly higher rates of suicidal ideation than the general population. A sense of transgender community connectedness (STCC) may reduce this risk, but predictors of STCC and its association with suicidal ideation are understudied. This cross-sectional mixed methods study examined STCC and past-year suicidal ideation in relation to dimensions of transgender community connectedness (TCC) at each level of the Social Ecological Model using data from a U.S. survey of transgender adults (n = 126). About half (52.4%) felt connected to the transgender community, and 27.0% reported past-year suicidal ideation. Hierarchical logistic regression models for both outcomes showed good …

The Cohort Space As Experienced By Latina Doctoral Students, Tiana Bierwert

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This phenomenological study explores how Latina Doctoral Students experience cohort spaces within graduate programs, focusing on the gendered and racialized challenges embedded in these environments. Utilizing pláticas as a culturally grounded method and guided by a Latina Feminist Phenomenological framework, this research examines how cohort models—which are often designed to foster support and collaboration—can instead exacerbate marginalization for students at the intersections of race and gender. Drawing on the conceptual frameworks of White Space and Counterspace, the study interrogates how cohort environments can operate as sites of exclusion and surveillance, where dominant norms are reproduced and where Latina Doctoral Students …

The Experience Of Posttraumatic Growth For Atheists, Savannah Miller

Doctoral Dissertations

Background - This study aimed to understand how atheists manage to make meaning and find growth after experiencing trauma. Posttraumatic Growth is a well documented point of research across qualitative and quantitative domains, and this project aimed to add meaningful findings to that research body. Atheists, however, are an understudied population, especially as it relates to their subjective experience of trauma and posttraumatic growth.

Methods - This study aimed to investigate the experience of posttraumatic growth for atheistindividuals. Semi-structured interviews adhering to the tenets of interpretive phenomenological analysis were conducted then transcribed, coded, and analyzed. Themes and subthemes emerged and …

Perkembangan Syarikat Bekerjasama Kedah Dan Perlis, 1926-1956, Nur Najwa Yusof

Student Works (2020-2029)

This study examines on the development of cooperative companies established in Kedah and Perlis between 1926 until 1956. The focus of this study is to make sure if this institution is capable to change the social economic status of its members and to elaborate the scenario of the farmers in Kedah and Perlis before the cooperative companies are fully established in these two states. This study also examines the forms of social cooperation that has been the practice of the Malay community before the British colonisation. Other than that, this study focuses on the governance and organisation of the cooperative …

Scientist Perspectives: A Correlation Analysis Of Translational Science Competencies Compared With Principles Of Engagement And Knowledge Integration, Rachel Wenzl

Theses & Dissertations

The competencies identified in the development of the “Fundamental Characteristics of the Translational Scientist” may not consider and fully integrate the concepts of knowledge integration and engagement, key components of the translational science spectrum. This gap may be widening and deepening the “valley of death” and exacerbating ongoing challenges in the field of translational science. This dissertation explored the association of knowledge integration, stakeholder engagement, and community engagement principles compared with translational science competencies.

Utilizing content review and a non-experimental, correlation study design, data were collected through a quantitative survey from adult research subjects all self-identified as a research investigator …

Analyzing Food Access: An Investigation Of Food Insecurity Amongst Latinos In Rural Nebraska, Natalia Santos

Theses & Dissertations

Background: Food insecurity is a public health issue in the United States, with disproportionately higher rates among Latino/Hispanic households. Rural communities face unique geographical, socioeconomic, and systemic barriers that often exacerbate food access disparities. Despite the growing Latino population in rural areas, particularly in Midwestern states like Nebraska, there remains a critical gap in comprehensive research that integrates both objective and subjective understandings of their food environments. Understanding these multifaceted influences is crucial for developing effective, culturally sensitive interventions.

Problem Statement: This dissertation aims to answer the central question: How does food access and food insecurity manifest amongst Latinos in …

The Dual Impact Of Moral Injury: Links To Ptsd Symptoms And Disinhibited Externalizing In U.S. Combat Veterans, Bianca S. Islas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Moral injury is an experience of psychological distress that occurs when a person’s morals are violated by themselves or others, including institutions and organizations. Such violations of morality can be impairing and have high rates of comorbidity with internalizing disorders (posttraumatic stress, depression, anxiety, suicidality), which may indicate that moral injury is a transdiagnostic construct. This study had four aims, which were accomplished using from a nationally representative, probability-based sample of 1,353 US military veterans. In the first aim, we created structural models of moral injury using the Moral Injury Events Scale (for which a bifactor structure with a specific …

Housewerk: How Drag Performers Engage In Emotional Labor While Navigating Community Care, Steph O. Landeros

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation examines drag performance as a form of service labor shaped by emotional labor, community care, and identity-based inequality. Drawing on interviews with drag performers shows how drag labor blends artistic skill, emotional regulation, interpersonal care, and entrepreneurial labor. While these demands mirror service sector roles in other industries, drag remains underrecognized and undervalued, particularly for performers who do not conform to white, cisgender norms. The study introduces Housewerk—an adaptation of Marlon Bailey’s concept of housework (Bailey, 2013)—to describe the mix of paid and unpaid labor drag performers engage in. Housewerk captures how performers must balance self-preservation (branding, income, …

Internalized Weight Stigma As A Mediator Between Past Weight Stigma And Current Healthcare Avoidance/Comfort In Seeking Medical Care, Shannon Joyel Sagert

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Research has found that medical providers such as physicians, nurses, and medical support staff may contribute to externalized weight stigma directed toward youth (Garcia et al., 2016; Gorlick et al., 2021). Individuals who have encountered weight stigmatization may internalize those experiences, leading to psychological, physical, and behavioral changes that reduce their quality of life (Palad et al., 2019; Romano et al., 2023; Tanas et al., 2022; Zancu & Diaconu-Gherasim, 2023). However, little is known about how historical externalized weight stigma from medical providers relates to future healthcare access behaviors. This study examined whether internalized weight stigma mediated two relationships: First, …

School Absenteeism In Children With Disabilities: An Analysis Of School Climate And Academic Mindset, Karolyne Bastos Stucki

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Students with disabilities (SWDs) are more likely to be chronically absent than general education peers (Anderson, 2021; Gee, 2018, U.S. Department of Education, 2016). Etiology for SWDs is complex with influencing factors spanning multiple ecological levels, but bolstering protective factors for SWDs may address attendance disparities. Multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) models have the potential to address absenteeism in SWDs via school-wide preventative and/or intervention efforts (Tier 1 & 2) aimed at increasing or decreasing influencing factors in students with disabilities. School climate and academic mindset may influence students with disabilities’ attendance. The purpose of the present study was to …

Assessing The Impact Of Cdbg And Home Block Grants On Housing Affordability In The Las Vegas–Henderson–Paradise Metropolitan Statistical Area, David Hasan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation aimed to analyze the impacts of aggregated federal funding from the CDBG and HOME block grants on temporal changes in the Housing Affordability Index (HAI Change). The temporal change in Housing Affordability between 2011–2015 and 2016–2020 was constructed as the dependent variable to measure the direct and indirect impacts of CDBG/HOME funding. Therefore, this dissertation seeks to identify the impacts of aggregated funding on changes in housing affordability and to explore spatial spillover effects through spatial dependencies that may influence housing affordability change as a dependent variable. The geographical area of this study is the Las Vegas–Henderson–Paradise MSA, …

Exploring The Processing Of Objects, Settings, And Global Properties In Natural Auditory Scenes, Margaret A. Mcmullin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Our auditory system has a remarkable ability to make sense of complex environments, allowing us to identify what we are hearing and where sounds come from. This process of auditory scene analysis is essential for situational awareness, decision-making, and effective communication in daily life. While much is known about how listeners segregate and identify individual sound sources (e.g., voices), less is understood about how global properties of a scene (e.g., openness, naturalness) contribute to perception. This dissertation examined how object- and setting-level information in natural auditory scenes are processed, and whether they rely on distinct or overlapping mechanisms. In Experiment …

Identifying Appropriate Clinical Cutoffs For Traumatic Dissociation In Maltreated Youth, Amanda L. Mraz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Maltreated youth who experience traumatic dissociation are at an increased risk for various severe psychopathological outcomes. Much is still unknown about the risk factors for traumatic dissociation in maltreated youth. The present study aimed to identify dissociation (e.g., dissociative amnesia, absorption and imaginative involvement, passive influence, and depersonalization and derealization) risk factors, via parametric statistical methods, in association with the appropriate clinical cutoff for the total and subscale scores from the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale (A-DES). Investigatory variables included demographic (e.g., age, race, and gender), cognitive (e.g., resiliency and posttraumatic cognitions), and psychological (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression …

Tractors On The Mall: Unraveling The New Deal, Political Shifts, And The 1980s Farm Crisis, Tracy M. Neblina

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In the 1980s, Midwestern farmers faced an economic crisis that rivaled the Great Depression. Agricultural policy in the 1970s and 1980s led to a boom and bust for many of the nation’s farmers, causing the decline in rural communities in the middle of the country. During this period, more efficient agricultural production, shifting federal policy, high inflation, and devalued farmland led farmers in the Midwest to face incredible economic hardships, loss of land, changes in their communities, and challenges to their sense of purpose and identity. The Farm Crisis of the 1980s furnishes an extraordinary opportunity to investigate a confluence …

Pedagogy Of Dialogic Communication: Becoming Aware Of Our Unconscious Belief, Leonard J. Shedletsky

International Journal of Transformative Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Norms of the classroom limit our learning about ourselves. Hidden scripts guide our behavior. Beliefs we are unaware of are often behind our responses to ideas. Unconscious beliefs are connected to our immediate, spontaneous responses, referred to as intuitions in social intuitionist theory. Intuition is what we believe and can access at high speed without being aware of what we believe, without being aware of our reasons for believing it, and without knowing how we came to this belief or how we access it in memory. We experience intuitions as knowing something all at once. We know what we like, …

Rooted In Resilience: Exploring Indigenous Economic Models And Sustainability On The Rocky Boy Indian Reservation., Dominique Nault

Capstone Collection

This study examines how traditional practices and cultural values of the Chippewa Cree shape the economic identity and sustainability of the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation. Using a mixed-methods approach that combined demographic surveys with culturally grounded interviews, the research reveals that economic development in the community is inseparable from traditional knowledge systems, collective well-being, and ecological stewardship. Rather than centering on financial accumulations, wealth is defined by family, community, and cultural continuity, placing traditional knowledge on par with land and monetary resources.

Three central themes emerged from the data: (1) the enduring role of traditional values and cultural knowledge in …