Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

How Does The Reauthorization Of The Farm Bill Impact Snap?, Colleen Heflin, Camille Barbin

Center for Policy Research

From 2021 to 2023, food insecurity in the United States increased from 10.2% to 13.5%, and food inflation rose to nearly 20%. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - the largest food assistance program, in the U.S. is funded and governed by the Farm Bill – a multi-year federal omnibus bill that provides agriculture and nutrition program funding. The 2018 Farm Bill expired on September 30, 2024, and while funding for SNAP has been extended through a Continuing Resolution, program reauthorization is needed. Negotiations on a new Farm Bill have included SNAP proposals to limit state discretion on work requirements …

Trauma-Informed Supervision In Substance Use Treatment Agencies, Janice Ruesler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is limited research from supervisors' perspectives on the use of trauma-informed supervision practices when supervising substance use counselors. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explore the process of licensed professional counselors who are clinical substance use supervisors using trauma-informed supervision. The research question was: How do substance use counselor supervisors engage in trauma-informed supervision? Participants included eight licensed professional counselor substance use supervisors who met the inclusion criteria of more than five years of clinical experience, utilized a trauma-informed supervision model, and supervised one or more supervisees. Following grounded theory methodology, a bottom-up coding approach was …

How To Communicate Your Estate Plan To Family When Dividing Assets Unequally, Anastasia Meyer

Cornhusker Economics

Provides a guide on how to effectively approach estate planning conversations with family members.

Effectively communicating an estate plan with unequal division of assets can be challenging, but approaching it with honesty, clarity, and empathy can help prevent misunderstandings and family disputes. Open, respectful dialogue—paired with thoughtful explanations and transparent documentation—ensures that your family understands your intentions and feels valued, even when tough decisions are involved.

Ultimately, your goal isn’t just to pass down financial assets, but also to preserve family harmony and, where applicable, secure the future of a viable business. By fostering open communication, you can create a …

Crime Against The Homeless Population: Barriers And Strategies From Washington, Dc Housing Services Case Managers, Stephanie Strianse

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Homelessness is a widespread concern across the United States, especially in Washington, DC. The homeless population experiences victimization at alarming rates compared to their housed counterparts; however, these instances of crime against this population are often unreported. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore the barriers to reporting crime against the homeless population and the strategies to reduce those barriers from the perspective of housing services case managers in Washington, DC. Lenoir’s social exclusion theory was the theoretical framework for this study. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with 11 housing services case managers who work with …

Enhanced Lithological Mapping In Arid Crystalline Regions Using Explainable Ai And Multi-Spectral Remote Sensing Data, Hesham Morgan, Ali Elgendy, Amir Said, Mostafa Hashem, Wenzhao Li, Surendra Maharjan, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Lithological classification is essential for understanding the spatial distribution of rocks, especially in arid crystalline areas. Artificial intelligence (AI) recent advancements with multi-spectral satellite imagery have been utilized to enhance lithological mapping in these areas. Here we employed different AI models namely, Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest Classification (RFC), Logistic Regression, XGBoost, and K-nearest neighbors (KNN) for lithological mapping. This was followed by the application of explainable AI (XAI) for lithological discrimination (LD) which is still not widely explored. Based on the highest accuracy and F1 score of the previously mentioned models, RFC model outperformed all of them, and …

The Need For Accurate [And Respectful] Depictions Of Mental Illness In Fiction, Jacequlyn L. Mills

Masters Theses

This thesis seeks to address the ongoing misrepresentation of mental illness in popular media, specifically within film, television, and literature. The power of the media is instrumental in public perception, and the ongoing negative misinformation and inaccuracy of mental illness those who are affected by it in media is instrumental in spreading harmful stereotypes and stigma. This affects not only the way that the general public views mental illness but also the way those with mental illness view themselves as well as their desire to seek help. I use these forms of media to showcase both the negative and positive …

Moral Injury In Military Corrections, Jeremy Ryder Meyers

Masters Theses

Over the past thirty years moral injury has been a topic of concern regarding the behavioral and spiritual health of military members. Part of that work has given a voice to Vietnam veterans and the events they faced while in combat. Some of these events were acts of betrayal at the hands of another military member or their own. This act led to an injury to their moral code. Military chaplains may have morally injured soldiers in need of pastoral care as they serve. This includes soldiers working the military prisons like the United States Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth. …

The Eco-Agency Problem And Sustainable Investment, Moran Ofir, Tal Elmakiess

BYU Law Review

In times of heightened environmental consciousness and a global call for urgent action, corporations are playing a critical role in addressing pressing environmental challenges. As concerns about climate change, resource depletion, and ecosystem degradation intensify, businesses are under mounting pressure to align their strategies with sustainable practices. Despite that, there is strong evidence of underinvestment in sustainability and environmental efforts by corporations. In this Article, we first define the eco-agency problem—the special conflict of interest between the corporate officers who focus on short-term profitability and the other stakeholders who seek long-term profitability and sustainability—and then discuss existing coping measures, such …

Absent Fathers And The Propensity Of Criminal Behaviors Among Children Later In Life, India Kewanna Holmes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of the qualitative phenomenological research was to investigate the experiences of young adults raised by one caregiver and how the lack of fathers in the household impacted their decision-making processes concerning engaging in criminal behaviors. The following inquiry guided the research: What are the effects of fatherlessness on decision-making in young adults, and how is it related to criminal behavior? Semi-structured interviews of 15 participants, aged 18 to 26, were used as the primary data collection method. The interview instrument consisted of ten items, and responses were analyzed using coding and thematic analysis. The study's findings revealed several …

Exploring The Barriers Colleges Face Implementing Positive Psychology Interventions To Reduce Depression, Anxiety, Or Stress In College Students, Margaret U. Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative collective case study was to understand the barriers that colleges face implementing positive psychology interventions (PPIs) to reduce depression, anxiety, or stress (DAS) in college students. The problem was the lack of utilizing PPIs to reduce DAS in college students, despite increased reports of symptoms among this population. Several research studies have supported the use of PPIs to reduce. DAS in college students. However, no prior research was identified regarding barriers to initiating these interventions. The three research questions that guided this study were fueled by previous empirical studies that revealed three barriers to implementing …

The Relationship Between Parental Regard And Youth Athlete Performance And Contingency Of Self-Worth, Alysia M.K. Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Youth athletic participation is important for the socioemotional development of children, such as lowering the risk of antisocial behaviors, increasing prosocial behaviors, improving physical and mental health, and lowering the risk of obesity. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to explore the relationship between the youth athletes’ perception of how their parents regarded them and their self-worth and perception of their athletic performance, which was explored from the perception of the former youth athlete. The variables were operationalized by utilizing the following instruments: the Parental Conditional Positive Regard Scale (PCPRS), the satisfaction of sporting experience using Turman’s (2006) …

Exploring Attitudes Within Legal Precedents Related To Police Use Of Force, Jazmine L. Garcia

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Policing is a dangerous profession: Data from the National Institute for Occupational Safety revealed that policing is the second highest in occupational homicides (White et al., 2019). Fifty-nine police officers were killed in the line of duty from January 1, 2021, to September 30, 2021, which is a 51% increase compared to results found in 2020 (FBI, 2021). Therefore, officers must-read situational cues, communicate effectively, and make decisions to choose the best actions for a situation whether that be de-escalation or escalation, all within fractions of seconds. These decisions are rarely black and white with each situation being different and …

Identifying Effective Leadership Styles Among Winning College Head Football Coaches: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Valin Kattoula

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to discover and interpret the successful leadership styles of winning college head football coaches (HFC) in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The theory that guided this study is Bass’s (1995) transformational leadership theory. The central question asked, “What are the lived experiences of winning college HFCs leadership initiatives?” The study used a hermeneutic phenomenological design where HFCs participated in interviews and a focus group and submitted a writing prompt response to obtain the lived experiences about proven winning leadership styles. The study’s findings identified sixteen themes and five sub-themes. The sample …

The National Fund For Children In Kazakhstan, Aytakin Huseynli, Li Zou, Michael Sherraden, Jin Huang

Center for Social Development Research

The government of Kazakhstan officially launched the National Fund for Children, a Child Development Account (CDA) policy, in January 2024. The policy represents a long-term commitment to investing in Kazakhstan’s future generations and to building a new post–fossil fuel economy. This brief documents what has occurred.

Because He Lives: Exploring The Resurrection Of Jesus As The Root Belief In Theologically Conservative Christians' Resistance To Climate Policy, Roger E. Prather

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this dissertation is to contribute to the ongoing and constantly evolving investigation into Christian attitudes about environmental issues generally and skepticism about climate change and climate policy specifically. This purpose is achieved primarily in two ways. First, it seeks to distinguish and disambiguate between skepticism about climate change among theologically conservative American Christians and skepticism about climate change policy. The study contributes to the academic literature by synthesizing two bodies of literature: that dealing with American Christians’ beliefs and climate change and that dealing with the nature of climate skepticism. Using the insights of Niklas Luhmann’s Social …

Conforming To The Image Of Christ: Addressing Spiritual Immaturity Utilizing Strategic Bible-Based Pastoral Counseling In A Rural Church Context, Leonard Carpenter Iii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Strong and healthy churches are made up of strong and healthy disciples. The ministry context for this qualitative action research project was the Saint Mark Missionary Baptist Church, a predominately Black congregation located in the Pea Ridge community of Brewton, Alabama. The problem was some members at Saint Mark engaged in spiritually immature actions that evoked immature reactions which yielded unhealthy relationships. To address the problem, the researcher developed and implemented the “Strategic Bible-Based Pastoral Counseling Program” (SBPCP), a strategic Christian ministry that provided participants one-on-one pastoral counseling opportunities for the purpose of building up spiritually healthier Christians. SBPCP consisted …

Developing Resiliency Body Armor Through Psychological And Spiritual Means: How U.S. States' Icac Personnel Cope With Secondary Traumatic Stress, Jameson Lee Denagel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Global online child sex abuse and exploitation is rising due to the immense accessibility of the internet, and it takes specially trained and devoted investigators to combat the problem. However, combating these heinous crimes can create traumatic events for investigators, resulting in secondary traumatic stress. This quantitative correlative study examined the psychological and spiritual coping strategies to develop a resiliency body armor concerning Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force personnel (ICAC-TF) working on child sexual exploitation investigations. The theoretical framework combined the concepts of Resiliency Theory, psychology body armor, and spiritual body armor to create resiliency body armor. The study …

A Qualitative Study Of Federal Employee Whistleblowing And Reprisal For Whistleblowing, Bruce S. Mclean

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Federal employee whistleblowing is essential to holding government officials accountable. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) was established in 1979 to provide a secure channel for federal government employees to report wrongdoing while protecting them from reprisal. More statutory protections were enacted with the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA) in 1989; however, deficiencies in the WPA led to the eventual passage of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act in 2012. The problem is that the literature on whistleblowing fails to distinguish the OSC as the Executive Branch whistleblower protection agency nor recognize its annual reports and surveys as the only known …

The Relationship Between Meaning, Basic Psychological Needs, And Motivation At Work: A Self-Determination Perspective, Cory Anne Trevena

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In the following dissertation, I explored the predictive influence of meaning in life on autonomous motivation at work and psychological well-being in the presence of the three basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness identified by self-determination theory. The first hypothesis for this correlational study was that meaning in life would distinctly predict autonomous motivation at work beyond autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The second hypothesis for this study was that meaning in life would distinctly predict psychological well-being beyond autonomy, competence, and relatedness. I conducted a multiple regression analysis on the data collected from 94 working adults recruited using …

A Phenomenological Study Of Challenges Faced By Pastors’ Kids; Effects On The Children And The Pastor, Comfort Kanco-Ackep

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The goal of this phenomenological study is to identify the challenges faced by pastors' children and understand their repercussions. The phenomenon of pastor's children deviating from the faith and straying from religious beliefs is a prevalent issue. The Bible shows that priests like Eli and Samuel had children who disobeyed the Lord, in the Old Testament. God's children have had their children wander from moral or religious ways many times. This is due to the many obstacles they face. The pastor's children have numerous expectations and challenges. This study examines how these problems affect pastors' children and pastors. Felitti and …

Comparison Of Redevelopment Policies, Gentrification, And Disparate Impact In Tallahassee, Dallas, And San Diego, William Dorsey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Previous studies found that the economics of poverty are closely tied to property values, education, and employment. Racial disparity in income also exists today. Part of this is attributed to mass gentrification through Urban Renewal Administration programs that legally displaced entire Black neighborhoods under the purview of the Housing Act of 1954 prior to the Fair Housing Act of 1968. For example, Harlem Park was vacated and redeveloped using eminent domain. Critical Race theorists claim that these programs continue today using colorblind policies and secondary discrimination. This dissertation sought to develop a theoretical understanding of the impact ideology has on …

Using Situational Leadership To Disciple And Develop Men For Spiritual Leadership In The Home, Christopher N. Andrews

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

God has designed the family to be the primary source of faith and spiritual formation, commanding all parents to pass along the faith and teach the commandments to their children. Scripture teaches that men hold a special role as the spiritual leader of the home. For men to fulfil this God appointed role they need to be trained and mentored. At the time of this research there was no formal ministry dedicated to the spiritual development of men at FBC Brandenburg. The purpose of this research was to test the Situational Leadership Model in a discipleship program designed to train …

The Relationship Between Servant Leadership Attributes / Behaviors And Congregant Commitment Among United Pentecostal Church International Churches, Corey D. Driggs

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Research regarding servant leadership has grown and resulted in positive results supporting the potential benefits for organizations to adopt a servant leadership culture among leaders (Neubert et al., 2008; Walumbwa, Hartnell, and Oke, 2010). Most prior research has focused solely on the development of a working construct model (Barbuto and Wheeler, 2006; Dennis and Bocarnea, 2005; Ehrhart, 2004; Hunter, et al. 2013, Liden, Wayne, Zhao, and Henderson, 2008; Parolini, Patterson, and Winston, 2009; Sendjaya, Sarros, and Santor, 2008; van Dierendonck, 2011). Studies have also shown that there is a significant relationship between servant leadership attributes and behaviors with organizational commitment …

Leadership Diversity In The Technology Industry, Renee' Y. L. Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Diversity is a relevant topic in the modern workplace. This research is an exploration of diversity in the workplace from a leadership perspective. Specifically, this research includes the lack of leadership diversity in the technology industry and its impact on employee turnover and operational costs. The purpose of this research was to contribute to the extant body of knowledge by understanding the issue and determining factors to mitigate the issue. This study utilized a flexible design and qualitative research methodology, specifically a case study. A constructivist paradigm aligned with my Christian worldview. The study included interviews, surveys, and documents as …

Building Hope In Outreach Ministry, Preston W. Boerner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Churches and faith-based organizations may discover their role in fulfilling the Great Commission seems to be overshadowed by their efforts to provide other forms of relief and support. Central Florida, like many different regions in the United States, is facing an epidemic of homelessness and addiction. Natural and manmade disasters also present urgent and existential threats. The researcher believes that building true and lasting hope in Jesus is key to facing these challenges in the long term. He hypothesized that intractable barriers may create hopelessness and shift the focus of ministry away from inspiring hope. He conducted purposive interviews and …

Character Challenges American Christian Business Leaders Face In The Secular Digital Age, Kevin J. Kennedy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In the digital age, Christian business leaders are a minority who are commonly expected to change their leadership priorities to fit within the secularized culture. These expectations for change in their leadership principles can generate character challenges to the very core of a Christian business leader’s beliefs forcing them to make decisions which pit the practice of their proclaimed faith against a secularized business practice. In these workplace challenges, the Christian business leader’s faith, freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion compete with secularized practices accepted in today’s American culture. This research documents the insufficient understanding of …

Relationship Between Use Of Online Dating Apps And Mental Well-Being In Young Adults, Kyndal A. Burdin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Technology and social media use are steadily becoming the preferred way to form and maintain relationships. A large majority of young adult populations investing time and energy into dating applications to meet romantic partners. Research has identified that there are many benefits, but also many risks, to using technology. It is important to identify the potential negative outcomes that dating app users may face and inform mental health professionals who can create proper preventive measures and treatment plans when working with clients. This study addresses the gap in the literature about some of the potential relationships between negative mental health …

An Ethnically Balanced Male Perspective Towards Police Officers Seeking Mental Health Counseling: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Arturo Parra

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study will aim to understand an ethnically balanced male perspective toward police officers seeking mental health counseling. Police Officers are routinely exposed to stressful and traumatic events, leading to acute and chronic disorders, mental illnesses, suicide ideation, and suicide, as research has indicated. Mental health counseling can play an essential role in intervention into mental health illness, providing critical tools to police officers to handle stress and potential mental illness. However, reluctance among the police community to seek mental health counseling continues to be prevalent. Possible cause for this reluctance are suggested through research as a direct result …

Exploring The Mediating Effects Of Beliefs Toward Mental Illness On The Relationship Between Religiosity And Self-Stigma Of Seeking Help, Grace-Ann Gibby

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

It is well-known that mental health concerns are common worldwide. Despite the increased research and strategic programs designed to improve mental healthcare systems, there are still persistent gaps in the accessibility and utilization of these services globally. The struggle to improve mental healthcare is even more difficult in developing countries. As a developing country, Bahamian society has insufficiently addressed mental healthcare. Mental health concerns have been categorized as a number one priority for The Bahamas, and a strong effort for the detection, prevention, and treatment of mental health is highly recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2017). Statistics show …

Leadership In The Age Of Advanced Technology, Matthew Brancatelli

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Invention has been the catalyst for societal advancement, altering human occupations, changing the business world, and bringing geographically separated societies closer. This case study research looked at the impact of advanced technologies on business leadership—digital transformation reshaping every aspect of the business world, including the people, processes, and platforms. An interview guide (Appendix A) was used with open-ended questions to gain insights into the problems and issues faced in manufacturing related to technology's impact on business leaders and the actions and behaviors an organization can develop to be better prepared to address emerging technology. The insights gathered in this study …