Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Groove Goes The Distance: An Initial Inquiry Into Jazz Music In Egypt, Farida Gohar

Theses and Dissertations

Jazz music has been a historically contentious site of social, cultural, and political signification. From the violent subjugation that characterized its origins and aspirational freedom that animated its practice, to its transformation into a distinctly “American” music instrumentalized by the US State Department to counter Soviet influence, jazz’s capacity for the inscription of meaning is vast and regularly cause for debate. The particular configuration of jazz music in Egypt is no less complicated although seldom studied. This thesis ventures an initial mapping of the dynamics and negotiations that historically defined the initiation of “Egyptian” jazz, as well as the ones …

Lived Experiences Of Limited Sexual And Reproductive Health Education Among Egyptian Women, Nada Abdelhamid

Theses and Dissertations

In Egypt, sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education remains largely absent from national education and youth policy frameworks, reflecting a broader governance gap at the intersection of education, health, and gender policy. This qualitative study explores how the lack of formal sexuality education shapes women’s knowledge, perceptions, and sexual and reproductive experiences across the life course, drawing on in-depth interviews with twelve Egyptian women from diverse marital backgrounds. The findings point to persistent gaps in basic SRH knowledge, early exposure to shame and stigma, and reliance on informal and often unreliable sources of information, which participants linked to fear of …

Ichps Special Issue Introduction, Donna Coffman, Recai M. Yucel

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Spatial Abilities In Aging Adults With Down Syndrome, Yingying Jennifer Yang, Romal Bhullar, Sonia Conde

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

INTRODUCTION

People with Down syndrome (DS) have a higher likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). Deficits in spatial abilities could serve as early indicators of AD. We examined age effects on visuospatial construction and visuomotor integration in DS and whether spatial tasks could distinguish various extents of cognitive decline in DS.

METHODS

We used the Alzheimer's Biomarkers Consortium–Down Syndrome project dataset, where 376 DS participants completed a series of cognitive measures.

RESULTS

Age effects were found in visuomotor integration but not in visuospatial construction. Both abilities declined with AD progression. While both abilities showed relatively poor discrimination between cognitively stable …

Valentine's Day 2026 - U.S. Government Resources, Raquel Estrada

Library Display Posters

A collection of U.S. Government–produced materials celebrating Valentine’s Day. The poster features fun facts from the U.S. Census Bureau and includes links to Valentine’s Day cards created by various federal agencies, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA, the Department of Energy, and the National Park Service.

Valentine's Day 2026 - De-Stress Activities, Raquel Estrada

Library Display Posters

No abstract provided.

Integrating Future Factory-To-Factory (F2f) Manufacturing Through System Of Systems Engineering (Sose): A Framework For Capability Beyond Constituent Systems, Polinpapilinho F. Katina, Hengtao Tang Ph.D., Anouar Hallioui

Faculty Publications

System of Systems Engineering (SoSE) is an emerging discipline focused on the design, integration, and evolution of metasystems—composed of multiple autonomous yet interdependent systems. These systems of systems (SoS) offer capabilities that exceed those of any individual constituent systems by enabling synergistic coordination, interoperability, and dynamic adaptation across diverse operational contexts. This study pursued three primary objectives: (i) to examine the role of integration in enabling emergent capabilities beyond those of individual systems, (ii) to explore SoSE as a framework for orchestrating Future Factory-to-Factory (F2F) Manufacturing, and (iii) to assess the implications of SoSE to address volatile, uncertain, complex, and …

Evaluating Celebrity Influence On Brand Attention, Emotion, And Memory, Noela Michael, Thomas Zoega Ramsoy, Ian Michael

All Works

This study focuses on the growing trend of celebrities being used as influencers in marketing, with firms investing substantially in celebrity endorsements. The study examines the effectiveness of celebrity influencers in destination marketing, comparing their influence with that of non-celebrity influencers. Neuroscience tools and methods were used to understand how cognitive and emotional factors impact consumer decisions and their likelihood to travel. The results show that employing a celebrity does not always increase audience engagement and attention toward the destination. The average person perceives the celebrity as a whole rather than focusing on one specific feature. Moreover, there were no …

Navigating Care And Self-Care: Understanding Latina Caregivers’ Prioritization And Engagement In Self-Care Practices, Denise A. Longoria, John M. Gonzalez, Romeo Escobar, Nelda Rodriguez

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Introduction: Latina caregivers face significant physical and mental health risks due to the demands of caregiving. The decision to become a caregiver is often influenced by various factors including cultural values such as familismo and marianismo. It is essential that caregivers recognize the importance of self-care to prevent burnout. Without self-care, caregivers face an increased risk of stress, which can negatively affect physical and emotional health.

Methods: A qualitative approach using focus groups to explore Latina caregivers’ understanding and engagement in self-care.

Results: Findings suggested that participants understand the need for self-care; however, family and cultural needs were prioritized. When …

Crew Resource Management Analyzed In Guyana Military Accident, Kaylee Lall

Student Research Symposium (SRS)

"In December 2023, a Guyana Defence Force Bell 412EP helicopter crashed in mountainous jungle terrain near the Venezuela border, killing five of the seven personnel on board. Preliminary investigation findings indicate the probable cause of the accident was pilot error, rather than mechanical failure. Due to deteriorating weather conditions, the crew deviated from the standard route and elected to fly under visual flight rules (VFR) along the Mazaruni River. The combination of limited visibility, rising mountainous terrain, and potential spatial disorientation likely contributed to this controlled flight into terrain.

This case study applies the SHELL model to analyze the interactions …

Determinants Of Critical Thinking In The Ai Era: The Mediating Role Of Self-Efficacy In Digital Literacy And Students’ Social Interaction, Annisa Arrumaisyah Daulay, Atikah Asna, Devi Eka Yulita Br Tarigan

Buletin Konseling Inovatif

The importance of critical thinking in higher education has become increasingly prominent amid the rapid advancement of digital technology and artificial intelligence. This study aims to examine the effects of social interaction and digital literacy on students’ critical thinking skills, with self-efficacy serving as a mediating variable. Employing a quantitative approach with path analysis, data were collected from 650 university students during the 2024/2025 academic year and analyzed using SmartPLS. The results indicate that self-efficacy has a significant effect on critical thinking (β = 0.455, p < 0.001) and functions as a mediator linking digital literacy (β = 0.286, p < 0.001) and social interaction (β = 0.166, p = 0.001) to critical thinking ability. Furthermore, digital literacy exerts a significant indirect effect on critical thinking through the enhancement of self-efficacy (indirect effect = 0.234, p < 0.001). These findings underscore that strengthening digital literacy and social interaction within educational curricula, along with fostering students’ self-efficacy, can effectively enhance critical thinking skills, which are essential for addressing academic and professional challenges in the digital era.

What Is Happening In The World Today And Why: Humanity’S Evolving Consciousness And The Role Of Archetypal Energies As Guides During An Unfolding, Carroy U. Ferguson

Journal of Conscious Evolution

What is happening in the world today and why? Humanity is evolving its consciousness at individual and collective levels. Given these seemingly tumultuous times, as of this writing (January 2026), to make such a statement may sound like a strange thing to say. However, I suggest that if you are alive today and if you are reading these words, these are the very times for which you were born—to assist Humanity as it evolves its consciousness with your unique gifts, whatever they may be. That is, this period of our individual and collective human being-ness may be characterized as an …

Perspectives On Healthy Romantic Relationships In The Black Youth Community, Jharman M. Lightner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The perceptions of what constitutes a healthy romantic relationship impact relationship choice that, when unhealthy, has long term effects on mental and emotional wellbeing. This qualitative study explored how African American/Black adolescents ages 18–19 define, perceive, and experience healthy romantic relationships. Using focus group methodology, the study addressed four research questions concerning (1) definitions and perceptions of healthy romantic relationships, (2) influences on relationship beliefs, (3) essential components for maintaining relationship health, and (4) lived experiences with healthy romantic relationships. We conducted two focus groups in which data saturation was reached when no new codes, conceptual insights, or themes emerged …

The State Of Mental Health In The Mountain West, 2025, Cason Noll, Anirudh Polagani, Taylor Volk, Olivia K. Cheche, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Health

This fact sheet presents data on the mental health of youth and adults, as well as the availability of mental health care, across the five Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah in 2025. The data are derived from "The State of Mental Health in America 2025,” originally published by Mental Health America (MHA).

Encouraging Naturalization: The Broader Effects Of Daca On U.S. Immigration, Emily Battaglia, Thomas Pearson

Center for Policy Research

This paper examines how protection from deportation and work authorization affect immigration outcomes, focusing on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Using a difference-in-differences design exploiting geographic variation in exposure to DACA-eligible immigrants, we find that DACA significantly increased the number of naturalized citizens without increasing the number of noncitizens. This increase is driven by higher naturalization among prior noncitizens, most of whom are likely not DACA beneficiaries. We provide evidence consistent with DACA increasing incentives for, and reducing barriers to, naturalization by protecting undocumented DACA-eligible contacts, suggesting temporary protections can encourage longer-term commitments and permanent residence among existing immigrants.

Us Federal Budgets And Federal Employee Job Satisfaction, Nathan Favero, Carla Flink, Tingli Qu

Faculty Publications

Researchers have long studied how organizational budgets relate to performance, but how do employees themselves experience the effects of budgetary decisions? Given widespread attention to political dysfunction in US federal budgeting, conventional wisdom holds that employees are negatively affected by budgetary uncertainty (volatility, delays, and stop-gap measures). We test how budget size and uncertainty are associated with US federal employee attitudes using survey and archival data from 2005 to 2020. Results provide some evidence that employee job satisfaction improves with enhanced funds, but there is little to no support for the notion that budgetary uncertainty influences federal employees' job satisfaction.

Teaching Politics In An Age Of Democratic Erosion, Lauren Balasco, Emmanuel Balogun, Janet Lawler, Anna Kapambwe Mwaba

Government: Faculty Publications

Democratic erosion in the United States, and the global decline of support for democratic values and institutions, obliges us to reflect on how we introduce politics to undergraduate students in this challenging era. Recent attacks on democratic rights and academic freedoms on college campuses, as well as the undermining of rule of law and democratic norms in the United States and abroad, compels us to reconsider and reflect on how we introduce politics and civic engagement in the classroom to our students. In this essay, we reflect on how current global and national trends in populism and authoritarianism require us …

Powering Up Clinical Scholarship In Dental Journal Club On February 13, 2026, Evelyn Wang

HSLIC Faculty and Staff Instructional Resources

Instruction session for a dental journal club introducing common biases through critical appraisal of three article types: a systematic review (observer bias and blinding), a retrospective study (selection bias, information bias, and confounding), and a prospective pre‑post study (lack of a control group and residual confounding) in clinical research.

Burnout, Perceived Organizational Support, And Spirituality: In Msd Special Educators, Bianca Grider Fisher

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative correlational research study explored whether burnout (BO) is correlated with perceived organizational support (POS) in special education teachers (SETs) working with moderate to severe disabilities (MSDs) students during distress, and whether spirituality moderates the correlation. SETs working with MSD students face a heightened risk of BO, yet there is little literature exploring how organizational or spiritual resources help. Exploring these factors is necessary to strengthen SETs’ well-being. Guided by the Organizational Support Theory, theoretical frameworks on BO, Maslow's Theory on Spirituality and Hierarchy of Needs, the Cognitive Appraisal Approach, and biblical truths, this study explored how internal and …

The Employment Situation Of Veterans: January 2026, Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

The January 2026 BLS data show U.S. employment rose by 130,000, with unemployment holding at 4.3%. Veteran unemployment increased from 3.9% to 4.5%, and Post‑9/11 veteran unemployment rose to 5.8%. Trends varied by demographic group: young veterans (18–24) saw improvement, while veterans 45–54 experienced a sharp rise. Female veteran unemployment climbed notably to 5.8%. Black veterans saw unemployment rise to 8.3%, while Hispanic veteran unemployment dropped to 2.1%. Overall, veterans experienced greater volatility than nonveterans across age, gender, and racial groups.

Human Trafficking: A Phenomenological Analysis Of Indiana Law Enforcement Human Trafficking Training Effectiveness, Keeley Chelise Keasler Adams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Human trafficking is a rapidly growing, pervasive issue that threatens the fundamental human rights of every man, woman, and child across the globe. Human trafficking is one of the most lucrative illicit organized crime businesses in the world, and as the fueled demand for cheap labor, services, and commercial sex continues to reach stifling rates, law enforcement organizations are desperately seeking to identify ways to effectively combat this critical issue. Today’s advanced technology and transport systems have enabled human traffickers to expand operations to every country, including the United States. Although every state in the United States is affected, reliable …

Institutional Factors Contributing To Child Sexual Abuse In Independent Baptist Churches: A Phenomenological Study, Adam Stephen Pearlstein

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe childhood sexual abuse survivor’s within Independent Baptist Churches experiences reporting and engaging with church leaders about their abuse in the United States. While there is great variety within these churches, they typically share a similar style of church leadership and accountability structures for that leadership. Tragically, child sexual abuse within these churches is far too common, as is demonstrated both by scientific research and by stories reported by journalists. This study will seek to look into both the ecclesiology of the church structures of these Independent Baptist churches and into teachings …

The Vulnerabilities Of Smart Technology, Ryan R. Nolan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Smart technology is everywhere. In the last decade, an amazing digital transformation swept across the globe, changing how people interact and shaping the public sector interaction between the local government and the constituency. Public administrators must contend with a new communication method that will impact the constituency. Smart technology is making the world convenient, more accessible, and more connected; however, smart technology is making the United States more vulnerable to advisories that seek to harm the free world. When viewed holistically, the vulnerability of smart technology is a national security concern. The United States is not leading the smart technology …

The Missed Education Of Mtss: A Phenomenological Study Of Cross-Cultural Counseling With African American Students, Whitney L. Towns

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how secondary school counselors experience and implement cross-cultural counseling practices with African American students during the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) process. African American students disproportionately face systemic barriers that influence their academic, behavioral, and social-emotional outcomes, and counselors are often underprepared to provide culturally responsive and trauma-informed care within the constraints of MTSS. Guided by Ecological Systems Theory, Intersectionality Theory, and the Trauma-Informed Practice Framework, this transcendental phenomenological study examined how counselors understood and carried out their roles across MTSS tiers while navigating issues of trust, culture, trauma, and equity. …

The Role Of Forgiveness: Spirituality, Loneliness, And Depression In A Christian University, Elda Botello-Ramirez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

For university students, loneliness has harmful effects, like depression, but choosing to forgive and embracing spirituality can lead to better mental health. Yet, limited studies have examined these constructs among students enrolled in long-distance learning (LDL) courses. This is important because an increase in loneliness continues, and more students are taking LDL classes. Still, there is a paucity of work on mental health among students in Christian universities. Thus, this quantitative research study examined context-specific or transgression-specific forgiveness (state forgiveness) while considering the role of personality traits (i.e., trait forgiveness) related to forgiveness to investigate its impact on loneliness and …

The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence And Decision-Making, Nelson Fernandes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative phenomenological study explores how leaders with high emotional intelligence (EI) experience and describe decision-making in personal, organizational, and leadership contexts. Guided by Rational Choice Theory (RCT), Behavioral Decision Theory (BDT), and Moon’s (2021) emotional intelligence framework, the study integrates psychological perspectives with biblical principles to examine how self-awareness, emotional regulation, and interpersonal awareness contribute to ethical and effective decision-making. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten to fifteen purposively selected participants identified as possessing high levels of emotional intelligence. The findings indicate that leaders with high EI view emotions as informational resources rather than obstacles and intentionally integrate emotional …

School Social Workers In Practice: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study On Understanding Role Navigation And Providing Mental Health Support In Educational Settings, Jennifer J. Bowers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This transcendental phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of school social workers as they navigated their professional roles in supporting student mental health within educational settings. Grounded in Organizational Role Theory and Ecological Systems Theory, the study explored the meanings participants assigned to their roles, the challenges they encountered, and factors that supported or hindered their work. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit 11 licensed and unlicensed school social workers employed in the South Florida Tri-County area. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and analyzed using epoché, horizontalization, and thematic clustering. Findings revealed four interrelated themes: navigating roles and …

Childhood Emotional Abuse And Effects On Adult Behavioral Health, Motivation, And Resilience, Jonathan Pawson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Childhood emotional abuse (CEA) is a frequently overlooked form of maltreatment that disrupts attachment formation and increases vulnerability to depression, anxiety, and other internalizing symptoms in adulthood. Because the harm is relational and often invisible, its long-term effects can persist without recognition. This study examined how CEA related to adult internalizing behaviors, resilience, and motivation, and whether resilience and motivation moderated these relationships. Attachment theory guided the framework for understanding how early emotional deprivation shapes later functioning.

A quantitative correlational design was used with 249 adults who completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Short Form (CTQ-SF), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Generalized Anxiety …

Investigating The Impact Of Childhood Trauma On Marital Satisfaction: A Moderated Multiple Regression Analysis, Clarence Duff

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Childhood trauma and its negative impact on adult life is well documented as a growing global concern and has been a focus of research for many years. A growing body of literature has demonstrated its impact on psychological and physical health, as well as emotional and social well-being. However, research on how it affects marital satisfaction and variables that moderate this relationship is unexplored. Using the Adverse Childhood Experience questionnaire (ACE) and Pearson correlation, the study examined the relationship between childhood trauma and marital satisfaction. Furthermore, a linear multiple linear regression was used to examine whether Experience in Close Relationship …

Leading In The Unexpected: Adaptive Leadership And Time Management, A Phenomenological Study Of The Small Church Pastor, Simorrah J. Majors

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

One of the most challenging obstacles small church pastors face today may be managing their time. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of the use of time management within the scope of church leadership and administration, as perceived through the lens of pastors ages 35 to 80 who are either the senior or sole pastor or elder at small trinitarian Protestant churches in the United States Northeast Region. Time management is generally defined as organizing and planning how to divide time between different activities and functions. The theory guiding this study is Ronald Heifetz's (2009) Adaptive Leadership theory …