Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Early Adversity, Emotion Regulation, Object Relational Functioning, And The Moderating Effect Of Gender Identity: A Community Sample Study, Victoria Schilder

Dissertations and Theses

Introduction: Clinical and social psychological literature have long demonstrated group status, culture, and social support as equally integral and influential factors which contribute directly both to the quality of one’s lived experience, and to the development and experience of one’s sense of identity or selfness. For example, acceptable norms regarding behavior, dress, and emotional experience – particularly when an individual does not live up to societal standards – have been demonstrated to contribute to deleterious internalizations surrounding self-confidence, self-worth, and self-esteem. More specifically, the social and cultural implications of being identified as “female” versus “male” have been found to be …

Immigrant Risk, Self-Discontinuity, And The Role Of Nostalgia, Leila Talhouk

Dissertations and Theses

Background: There are conflicting theories and data about immigrants’ health in the host country (e.g., immigrant risk vs. paradox), which have encouraged researchers to examine more nuanced factors related to immigration to clarify these inconsistencies. This two-part study aimed to shed light on these discrepancies by investigating psychoanalytic concepts that have not yet been empirically tested. The study focuses on immigrant self-discontinuity, a migration- induced disruption in one’s sense of self-sameness and unconscious sense of going-on-being, manifesting in moments of disorientation, disorganization, or dissociative-like experiences. There is no adequate instrument to measure this construct; as such, Part 1 of the …

Examining Indigenous Engagement In The Formulation Of Nationally Determined Contributions (Ndcs): A Comparative Study Of Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, And Bolivia, Viviana K. Gonzalez

Dissertations and Theses

This study assesses the extent to which indigenous peoples have been included in the National Determined Contributions (NDCs) of four Latin American countries: Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia. By examining the consequences of their exclusion, the study highlights the political marginalization of indigenous peoples. In addition, the study explores avenues for voicing indigenous concerns through regional organizations such as the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (ICHR). By identifying lessons for Latin American states and advocating for regional cooperation, the research aims to strengthen the position of indigenous peoples in international climate negotiations …

Ukraine’S Quest For Justice: Accountability For Atrocities Committed In The Russia-Ukraine War, Tetiana Karpus

Dissertations and Theses

The Russian Federation's full-scale military invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, has been marked by numerous documented atrocities, potentially falling under the categories of war crimes and crimes against humanity. This thesis aims to explore whether these apparent human rights and humanitarian law violations merit international prosecution. It also assesses the suitability and feasibility of various mechanisms, such as establishing national courts, "internationalized" or "hybrid" tribunals, or resorting to the International Criminal Court (ICC), drawing insights from past experiences in transitional and retributive justice.

Non-Governmental Organizations And The Implementation Of The Convention On The Elimination Of All Forms Of Discrimination Against Women In Uzbekistan, Sayyora Khaydarova

Dissertations and Theses

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is a landmark international treaty aimed at promoting and protecting women's rights globally. Its implementation is monitored by a Committee of experts which, in so doing, relies extensively on the active engagement of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The purpose of this thesis is to highlight the role of NGOs in contributing to the implementation of norms of CEDAW in Uzbekistan. Thanks to their symbiotic relationship with governmental authorities and the Committee and as shadow reporters, information providers and advocates NGOs have significantly contributed to the country's noticeable but …

The Nexus Of Climate Change And Human Rights: An Examination Of How Social, Political, And Environmental Impacts Of Climate Change Jeopardize The Protection Of Human Rights In The African Sahel, Camden R. Malone

Dissertations and Theses

Climate change is a threat multiplier by its driving forces of environmental stress and scarcity. In the developing world, countries are hit hardest and most frequently by the effects of climate change, such as severe floods, droughts, and desertification. In this thesis, I argue that existing models for the umbrella-term of climate-security underemphasize dimensions of human security through exclusion of HR violations linked to climate such as subjection to food/water stress, compromised health, displacement, and violent conflict. Therefore, the climate-security paradigm should be recast to pay closer attention to its consequences related to human rights protection, which I refer to …

Unity Against Adversity: Examining The Moderating Effect Of A Sense Of Community Between Discrimination And Discrimination-Related Distress Among Racial And Ethnic Minoritized Adults, Kimberly Velazquez

Dissertations and Theses

Background: Racial and ethnic minoritized populations are significantly more likely to develop mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder, than White populations. Some of the predominant causes are rooted in the impact of discrimination, and other social determinants of health (SDOH), including adverse experiences. Studies found that discrimination can lead to a distinct form of anxiety described as discrimination-related distress, which has a higher negative association with poor mental health symptoms. It has been suggested that having a strong sense of community (SOC) –a collective sentiment shared by community members regarding their membership, feelings of belonging, …

Exploring Information Leakage In Historical Stock Market Data, Edison Hua

Dissertations and Theses

Information leakage is a major concern for traders who want to execute large orders without affecting the market price. In this paper, we explore the sources and effects of information leakage in historical stock market data using various methods and metrics. We first define information leakage as a pattern caused by a trader that would otherwise not occur without the trader’s activity. Using historical data, the direct impact of a potential large trade cannot be measured, but we consider a minimal impact large trade to be one that minimizes changes to the established trading data. We then analyze how information …

Interventions That Move: Characterizing The Language Of Therapist Responses To High Patient Arousal, Karen Tocatly

Dissertations and Theses

The Referential Process (RP) is defined as a set of functions (Arousal, Symbolizing, and Reflecting/Reorganizing) that describe the rendering of subsymbolic experience into verbal, symbolized form (Bucci, 2021). Movement through the RP — beginning with the subsymbolically-dominated Arousal function — has been tied to multiple theoretical and clinical understandings of therapeutic progress and personality change (Bucci, 2013; Mariani et al., 2013). The present exploratory study seeks to identify whether certain therapist language features are linked to the facilitation of patients’ movement from Arousal to Symbolizing. Using treatment transcripts from the RP Group Data Base, cases of high patient Arousal were …

Impact Of Social Media On The Mental Health Of College Student Athletes, Maria Blasco Maurici

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the influence of social media on the mental health of college student-athletes. With the adoption of social media platforms and the challenges faced by college student-athletes, understanding the implications of social media usage becomes a priority. This study examines the potential positive and negative effects of social media on the mental health of collegiate student-athletes and considers the role of social media in shaping their self-perception and identity. By comparing with existing research and conducting qualitative and quantitative analysis, this thesis aims to find answers on the relationship between social media and the mental health of college …

At The Intersection Of Identity: An Exploration Of Sense Of Belonging And Depression, Kalah Brown

CMC Senior Theses

Belonging is vital to our well-being, health, and identity. At the same time, belongingness is tied so closely to our identity, such that our specific identity may influence the extent to which we feel that we belong, as well as moderating the relationship between belonging and mental health. This present study investigates whether intersectionality, how and if a person is a minority, moderates the relationship between belonging and depression. College students were administered the Beck’s Depression Inventory II and the General Belongingness Scale. They also filled out demographic information to capture their identity and levels of intersectionality. Both belonging and …

Prosecuting Rape As Genocide: An Analysis Of The Legal Framework And Challenges In International Law, Anya Syed

CMC Senior Theses

Rape can be used to annihilate, control, and humiliate populations. Mass rape can have genocidal intent. Yet, thus far, the legal definition of genocide has failed to codify rape. These severe limitations in the definition of genocide create legal impunity and impede the rehabilitation of rape survivors. This failure also results in legal challenges, including the lack of basis to distinguish between rape during war and genocide. This paper seeks to provide readers with sufficient background to understand the legal challenges currently preventing the prosecution of rape as genocide. After presenting this information, the paper details past courts that have …

Cracking Down On Cutting Sleeves: A Historical Analysis Of “Homosexuality” In China As A Comparison To Present Day Lgbtq+ Rights, Thomas Falci

CMC Senior Theses

Over the past more than a decade of Xi Jinping’s leadership, the space for civil society in China has shrunk dramatically. One of the main, yet often overlooked, victims of this shift in policy has been China’s LGBTQ+ community. This thesis examines the current crackdown on LGBTQ+ peoples and organizations in China and attempts to place it within a broader context of China’s current state in the world order. The lenses of queer International Relations theory and the long history of “homosexuality” in China will both be applied to help contextualize the current state of Chinese LGBTQ+ rights. This analysis …

Understanding Financial Inclusion: A Comparative Analysis Of Financial Mechanisms In Uganda, Amari Huang

CMC Senior Theses

Financial inclusion is a critical means of empowering individuals to improve their own lives, and Uganda provides an excellent case study for examining various financial mechanisms in a developing country context. This thesis investigates four such mechanisms: formal banks, microfinance institutions, mobile money, and contribution clubs. The analysis is conducted using five criteria to evaluate their level of inclusion: (1) quantitative coverage, (2) standard of living, (3) gender, (4) education, and (5) social capital. The findings of this research suggest that the examined financial institutions can be seen as steppingstones, with each leading to the next, from contribution clubs to …

Using The Gravity Model To Determine The Impact Of Hallyu On International Students’ Decisions To Attend South Korean Universities, Sojeong Kang

CMC Senior Theses

This paper attempts to investigate the impact of Hallyu on international students’ decisions to attend South Korean universities using the gravity model. Specifically, the Poisson pseudo maximum likelihood (PPML) gravity model was used to study the effect of the Korean Wave. The data was collected in 195 countries from 1999 to 2019. The results show that Hallyu influenced international students’ decisions to choose a South Korean university at a statistically significant level. More specifically, the Korean Wave had a statistically significant impact on international students attending one of the top 5 Korean universities, as well as enrolling in universities located …

Autonomy, Influence, And Impunity: The Failures Of The Western Intelligence Institution, Ava Liao

CMC Senior Theses

Intelligence agencies have always suffered from internal inefficiencies. By nature, their opaqueness and deliberate ambiguity in what they bring to the table disincentivizes scrutiny or critique from other government entities and the general public. There is very little accountability to be had for intelligence agencies, even in Western liberal democracies: no amount of voting will change how they are structured or operated, and thus incentive to change usually does not arise from domestic pressures, but rather from large-scale failures. Methods used to obtain intelligence are often presented very objectively, without context or accounting for the ideological values influencing them. It …

The Effect Of Free Trade Agreements On Innovation: Evidence From Us Bilateral Free Trade Agreements With Australia, Chile, Singapore, And South Korea, Cameron Stevens

CMC Senior Theses

This paper combines two datasets to identify the effect of joining a bilateral Free Trade Agreement with the United States on innovation in four select countries: Australia, Chile, Singapore, and South Korea. Using an probability concordance developed by Lybbert and Zolas (2014), I map the number of patents recorded by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) into four digit North-American-Industry-Classification-System (NAICS) codes, which are then combined with industry level trade data from the US International Trade Committee (USITC). Using a difference-in-differences regression model, I estimate that joining an FTA increases the number of annual patent filings by 44 in a …

A Tale Of Two Cities: The Divergence Of Social Housing In Berlin And Vienna, Ben Eibl

CMC Senior Theses

The industrialization of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Berlin and Vienna led both cities to initiate a social housing program to create affordable housing for the masses moving into the cities. The cities share many characteristics and developed in similar directions at their early stages. Nevertheless, a century later, their social housing systems look far apart. While Vienna’s system continues to thrive and withstand pressures from the international and federal level, Berlin’s citizens showed their resentment towards housing in their city in a radical referendum demanding the expropriation of several real-estate companies. This thesis argues that we …

Guns And Fatal Police Shootings: Accuracy Of Firearm Prevalence Proxies In A Panel Data Analysis, Corin Elmore

CMC Senior Theses

This paper explores the relationship between gun prevalence and fatal police shootings in the United States. Specifically, the study assesses the validity of using FSS (Firearm Suicides Per Total Suicides) as a proxy for gun prevalence. It examines whether FBI background check data can be a more reliable alternative. Through a panel data analysis, the study provides moderate evidence that FBI background check data performs better than FSS as a proxy for gun prevalence and that the relationship between firearm prevalence and fatal police shootings is positive. Additionally, the study finds that instrumenting FSS with background check data to account …

Assessing The Health Effects Of Burn Ban Policy Implementation: Evidence From Texas Counties, Jatin Suri

CMC Senior Theses

I exploit county-level variation in burn ban policies to estimate the effect of burn bans on respiratory disease mortality rates in Texas counties from 2008 to 2020. Using a fixed effects regression model that controls for year and county fixed effects, as well as drought index, firefighting resources, and aging population, I find that burn bans decrease respiratory disease mortality rates by 7 people per 100,000 in the year when the policy is implemented and reduced mortality rates, due to burn ban implementation, persist over a 3-year period. This result is statistically significant (p-value <.05) and provides a novel contribution to an area largely overlooked in previous literature. While previous studies have mainly focused on the economic and environmental effects of burn bans, this research specifically investigates the health outcomes associated with county-level burn bans. Additionally, this study provides evidence of the persistence of the benefits of county-level burn bans over a 3-year period. This contribution to the literature sheds light on the sustained benefits of implementing and enforcing burn bans, which has not been previously explored in prior research.

Tiktok Made Me Buy It: Emotional Carryover Of Doomscrolling On Purchasing Decisions, Maria Gerges

CMC Senior Theses

“Doomscrolling,” defined as excessively poring through negative content on social media, has become increasingly prevalent over the past several years. Although recent research suggests that doomscrolling reduces positive emotions, even over relatively short exposure (< 5 min) times, the effect of doomscrolling on other behaviors remains unexplored. This question is especially relevant because exposure to sad movie clips has previously been shown to increase willingness-to-pay (WTP) for unrelated purchases, due to the desire to change one’s circumstances by seeking out higher rewards. In this experiment, we examined the effect of doomscrolling on purchasing decisions via exposure to video content from a popular social media platform (TikTok). Participants (N = 91) viewed 8-10 minutes of TikTok videos before choosing whether to purchase an unrelated consumer product (Apple AirPods). Participants were randomly assigned to view either content to induce sadness (thematically related to climate change) or neutral content (thematically related to nature appreciation). Relative to participants in the Nature Appreciation condition, participants in the Climate Change condition reported significantly higher levels of sadness, confirming that the emotion induction was successful. In addition, participants in the Climate Change condition had higher WTP for the AirPods. However, the results from the WTP analysis were not statistically significant, perhaps reflecting limited power due to the small sample size of this study. While methodological issues constrain the interpretation of these results, the successful replication of these findings could have practical implications for how consumers and technology companies structure decisions following extended exposure to negative content on social media.

Challenges Of Nutrition In Malaysia: Poverty, Land Appropriation, And Indigeneity, Jeanie Kim

CMC Senior Theses

Malnutrition, especially in the form of wasting, stunting, and obesity, is disproportionately harming the Indigenous communities in Malaysia. Under the current legal system, Indigenous people receive little to no recognition and protection. Their land is often appropriated by the oil palm and dam industries, resulting in higher incidences of malnutrition and poverty. In order to improve the nutritional status of Malaysia as a whole, potential policies and programs include food fortification, crop diversification, and social safety nets. For the most marginalized communities, indigeneity and land restitution are analyzed as avenues to improve their livelihood.

The Multi-Dimensional Relationship Between Immigration Policies And Mexican Migrant Women: A Cycle Of Violence, Vulnerabilities, And Sobreviviencia, Jasmine Perales, Jasmine Perales

CMC Senior Theses

Thousands of migrants have died at the United States/Mexico border. This paper analyzes how the current crisis at the border came to be, specifically focusing on the experiences of Mexican migrant women. An analysis of race, racial scripts, and illegality shows how these inform immigration policies and negatively impact migrants. Decades worth of draconian immigration policies have militarized the border and continued to reinforce negative racial scripts of migrants. By centering the testimonies of Mexican migrant women, their structured vulnerabilities come to the forefront as a direct result of immigration policies. Reform of the immigration system needs to occur to …

Recommendations For The Operationalization Of A Loss And Damage Fund, Caelyn Smith

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines the several facets of the operationalization of the abstract and broad proposal of a “Loss and Damage Fund” following the 27th Conference of the Parties under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that took place in November of 2022. It examines the current mechanisms in place for developed nations providing climate finance to developing countries that are on the front lines of fighting a crisis heavily caused by historic reliance on and consumption of fossil fuels by wealthier, better-off nations. It delves into various criteria regarding which counties should share the burden and how much …

The Stateless Agent: A Multidisciplinary Analysis Of Transboundary Air Pollution In The El Paso-Ciudad Juárez Region Of The U.S.-Mexico Border, Elizabeth Hernandez

CMC Senior Theses

The El Paso-Ciudad Juárez (EPJ) region has a history of nonattainment for ozone and particulate matter. Given transboundary air pollution in the EPJ region is not confined to the U.S.-Mexico border, it is important to implement a transnational response that accounts for the health and safety of everyone, including marginalized communities in EPJ. This thesis assesses the state of air quality and transboundary air pollution in the EPJ region through a multidisciplinary perspective that focuses on issues of data monitoring, environmental governance, and transnational environmental justice. Analysis of the quantity and placement of ambient monitoring stations reveals EPJ residents near …

Playing To Win: The Effects Of Implementing Gamification Strategies In Product Marketing, Sabrina Stone

CMC Senior Theses

Let’s play a game. What effect do you think video games have on twenty-first-century marketing? In this age defined by its nature of digitality, capturing the attention of consumers is an arduous competition. Through market segmentation, research, and the observable variables of consumer behavior, product marketing has turned to video games as a solution to appeal to younger demographics. Gamification is an increasingly applied product marketing strategy employed to increase favorable metrics. Of those key performance indicators (KPIs), boosted measures such as click-through rates, impressions, and engagement rates suggest that gamification is a strategic opportunity to persuade consumers to take …

Justice That Heals: Transforming Discipline In Schools Through Restorative Practices, Sophia Diomande

CMC Senior Theses

Discipline is not simply a tool but a weapon — one that American educators have wielded for generations to regulate children and enforce habits of self-control and accountability. In a world where institutionalized forms of discrimination continue to plague judicial and educational systems alike, vis-à-vis the school-to-prison pipeline, the question must be asked: When does discipline stray beyond its intended purpose and into the realm of punishment? This thesis discusses the historical and contemporary implications of punitive discipline and its effects on students, particularly students of color and disabled students. Retributive policies such as suspensions, expulsions, physical restraint, and seclusions …

The Legacies Of Exclusion: Asian Americans And The California Voting Rights Act, Melinda Ximen

CMC Senior Theses

A quiet revolution has spread throughout California. Since the California Voting Rights Act became law in 2001, 170 cities have transitioned from at-large to by-district elections, where voters in a geographic district elect one city council member. This thesis evaluates the effectiveness of the California Voting Rights Act on Asian American political participation and representation in local elections.

I begin by tracing the roots of discrimination against Asian immigrants and exploring the construction of the pan-Asian identity. I examine the legacies of exclusion on Asian political participation and representation in political offices. I analyze Section 2 of the Voting Rights …

Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia And Depressive Symptoms: Considering The Role Of Cultural Orientation And Fit, Akriti Poudel

CMC Senior Theses

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between cultural orientation, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and depression. Horizontal collectivism (HC) has been shown to be predictive of positive psychological adjustment (Oh, 2022; Schermer et al., 2023), but the extent to which the individual’s level of HC matches with the group is not well understood. RSA has traditionally been conceptualized as a measure of adaptive functioning; (Graziano & Derefinko, 2013; Qu & Leerkes, 2018, Hinnant et al., 2011) however, more recent research has proposed that RSA is better conceptualized as a marker of susceptibility to environmental influences (Sturge-Apple et …

The Implications Of Natural Gas And Oil Dependence On Nuclear Proliferation Efforts: A Case Study Of The 1970s Energy Crisis And The Beginning Of Opec’S Nuclear Ambitions., Luca Amrit Khalsa

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines the effects of the 1970s Energy Crisis on nuclear proliferation efforts in the Persian Gulf region. The OPEC oil embargo of 1973 shocked global energy markets and forced the Atlantic Alliance to fragment and engage in continuous cut-throat bilateral deals with oil-producing countries. What started as oil-for-arms deals quickly transitioned into oil-for-nuclear reactor deals once countries struggled to find new ways to remain competitive in the trade market. When France initiated the first transfer of nuclear infrastructure to Iran, the morality taboo of trading nuclear secrets dissipated. Countries were now encouraged to engage in their own nuclear …