Social Psychology and Interaction Commons^™

Sense Of Belonging And Student Success Among College Students, Sriram Tandri Mr

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Abstract

A sense of belonging and self-efficacy are vital needs of college students, both shown to be significant predictors for student success. Thus, our study will focus on academic performance and the contributing factors that might have a significant influence on overall student success rates. The purpose of the present project is to build upon prior research by developing a new measure in the field of social psychology, investigating the relationship between college students’ sense of belonging, combined with individual factors such as self-efficacy, and how they contribute to student success and academic performance. This study consists of a quantitative, …

Moderators Of Peer Influence Effects For Adolescents’ Smoking And Vaping Norms And Outcomes In High And Middle-Income Settings, Jennifer M. Murray, Sharon C. Sánchez-Franco, Olga L. Sarmiento, Erik O. Kimbrough, Christopher Tate, Shannon C. Montgomery, Rajnish Kumar, Laura Dunne, Abhijit Ramalingam, Erin L. Krupka, Felipe Montes, Huiyu Zhou, Laurence Moore, Linda Bauld, Blanca Llorente, Frank Kee, Ruth F. Hunter

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

Background: Peer influence is central to adolescent smoking initiation, yet its impact varies depending on individual and contextual factors. Understanding which moderators (personality, contextual, cultural, and environmental traits) shape these processes can inform more effective prevention strategies. We investigated hypothesized moderators of peer influence for adolescent smoking/vaping norms and other smoking-related outcomes in high and low-middle-income countries (LMICs): Northern Ireland and Bogotá.

Methods: Across 12 schools (n = 1,344, age 12–13 years), participants completed novel behavioral economics experiments measuring social norms, and self-report surveys, before and after school-based prevention interventions (ASSIST and Dead Cool). We examined how peer influence …

The Link Between Intergenerational Social Mobility Of Cohorts And Individual Self-Rated Health: A Multi-Country Analysis., Jacinth J. X. Tan, Gregory T. H. Hng, Faith A. Wee

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This research examined the potential health consequences of increased opportunities for social mobility. Specifically, we used indices of intergenerational social mobility of cohorts—the average level of change in economic status relative to one’s parents experienced across individuals within a cohort—as proxy measures of individuals’ exposure to opportunities for social mobility and investigated links to their self-rated health (SRH). We combined recent multi-country data on cohort social mobility from the World Bank with multi-country individual SRH data from the World Values Survey waves six (Ncountries=44, Nrespondents=48,955) and seven (Ncountries=41, Nrespondents=37,051). Multilevel modeling analyses revealed that at the aggregate, SRH had negative …

Community-Engaged Research For Gulf Resilience, Devon Brenner, Brenna Jungers, Katerina Sergi

Publications

The Gulf Coast faces complex environmental, economic, and cultural challenges, often resulting in conflicting community interests. Community-Engaged Research (CEnR) offers a collaborative approach where researchers and community members co-design and implement studies to address these issues. By involving communities from the onset, CEnR fosters trust, respects local knowledge, and ensures research outcomes are beneficial and equitable. This method is particularly vital in the Gulf region, where diverse interest group needs must be balanced to maximize positive impact and minimize harm.

Perceived Neighborhood Cohesion And Well-Being During The Covid-19 Pandemic In The U.S., Jennifer W. Robinette, Brooke Jenkins, Nicole-Marie Duran, David A. Frederick

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

The U.S. entered a “second pandemic” characterized by depression and loneliness after the initial outbreak of COVID-19. These psychological consequences have driven researchers to identify protective factors during this crisis. The present study tested whether perceived neighborhood cohesion, or that neighbors trust and count on one another, related to fewer depressive symptoms and less loneliness as the pandemic unfolded. Two waves of data were collected online from the same adults in April and October, 2020 (N = 1,928). People who reported greater neighborhood cohesion had fewer depressive symptoms (b = −1.01, p <  0.001) and were less lonely (b = −0.20, p <  0.001), even when considering other pandemic-related risk factors. The association between cohesion and loneliness was even stronger 6 months into the pandemic (b = …

9th Gsep Research Symposium - 2025

GSEP Research Symposium

The Ninth Annual GSEP Research Symposium, themed "Building Bridges to Elevate Humanity: Innovations and Insights in Education and Psychology", was hosted by the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) on June 19–20, 2025, at the historic Château d’Hauteville in Switzerland and virtually via Zoom.

This hybrid symposium convened a vibrant global community of students, alumni, faculty, and scholars to share research that addresses real-world challenges, advances scholarly inquiry, and builds pathways for inclusive collaboration and leadership. Spanning a wide array of topics—from artificial intelligence and mental health to trauma-informed practices, educational equity, social justice, and cross-cultural leadership—the …

Creating Intergenerational Connections: A Multilevel Approach For Enriching Lives And Addressing Vital Community Issues, Matthew S. Kaplan, Nancy Z. Henkin

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

This article presents an overview of intergenerational programs and practices as an interdisciplinary field of inquiry and practice that fosters open communication, support, and civic engagement across generations. Numerous examples of how intergenerational programs and practices harness age diversity to improve the human condition are presented. This includes initiatives to promote healthier lifestyles, reduce social isolation and loneliness, strengthen families, enrich education and lifelong learning, enhance community quality of life, and transmit cherished cultural traditions and values. This article highlights Extension’s longstanding contributions to intergenerational programming, showcasing notable examples across program areas and exploring opportunities for deeper engagement, co-leadership, and …

It Just Means More: The Cultural Bond Between The South And Sec Football, Ryan Stinson

Senior Theses

With the success of programs like Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech in the early 1900s, college football quickly became means of establishing Southern superiority over the northern U.S. Their success continued into the 20th and 21st centuries with the creation and rise of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). During and prior to the existence of the SEC, rivalries, traditions, and pageantry developed and thrived in communities across the southeast. These aspects created a unique environment that drew in fans of college football across the region. This resulted in a unique bond between fan, university, team, and community that has thrived within all …

Life Course And Cohort Patterns In Screen Time Among School-Aged Children In The United States, Ashley W. Kranjac, Dinko Kranjac

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

Objective

Study design

Results

A Content Analysis Of Prison/Custodial Suicide In Bangladesh, Anisur Khan, Rasel Hussain

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Suicide is the leading cause of death in prisons and custodial settings globally. International studies have consistently shown that prisoners and detainees are at a higher risk of suicide compared to the general population. Despite Bangladesh having a large prison population, there is no scholarly work on suicide within these settings. Against this backdrop, this study explored online newspaper content analysis capturing the characteristics of prison and custodial suicide in Bangladesh from 2014–2024. A total of 20 suicide cases were identified during this period. The data were arranged based on year-wise trends, age, sex, type of custody, nature of criminality, …

Black Somatic Liberatory Practices: The Africanist Aesthetic In Psychotherapeutic Movement Observation, Ebony Nichols

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

This critical ethnographic qualitative study explored Black body-based healing practices and coping strategies used to resist and titrate the impact of racism and oppression. It also examined how Black individuals use their bodies to regulate their nervous systems to heal and cultivate liberatory practices. Grounded in theoretical frameworks such as Black Psychology, African Indigenous Healing Systems, Liberation Psychology, and Critical Race Theory, this research investigated the intersections of Black Aesthetics, Psychology, and the body through the lens of the Africanist Aesthetic. The study employed interaction analysis and reflexive thematic analysis to analyze non-verbal and verbal data collected from two focus …

At Stake In Each Other’S Company: A Systems View Of Compassion Fatigue In Mental Health Work, Susan S. Standen

Journal of Conscious Evolution

Traditional research on the phenomenon of compassion fatigue (CF) in mental health work tends to include recommendations for workers to build skills in psychological detachment and self-care. This puts the burden of coping with vicarious trauma on the individual caregiver, not on the systems they operate within. Alternatively, a transformative systemic perspective suggests that Western cultural assumptions about care-giving and individual resilience need to be reassessed. By broadening the exploration of CF and comparing it with human reactions to overwhelming crises across fields and disciplines, new questions can be asked, and new solutions can be proposed. This essay details how …

2+2 Doesn't Always Equal 4: A Mixed Methods Approach To U.S.-Born Children Of Immigrants' Cultural Identities And Belonging, Teriin Lee

Dissertations

Within the next generation, one in five adults born in the United States will be a child of immigrants. Despite this, research on children of immigrants is limited. Specifically, the scholarship on this growing demographic limited their experiences to cultural identity, as it pertains to belonging. Simply put, the literature supposes that children of immigrants’ cultural identities define their sense of belonging. Moreover, the literature lacks insight into the lived experiences of children of immigrants, despite the increasing prevalence of this population.

This study aimed to address how children of immigrants experience cultural identity and belonging. A mixed methods research …

Hiv And Sti Testing Service Utilization Among Youth Experiencing Homelessness: A Multi-Method Inquiry, Alexander A. Ochs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Youth experiencing homelessness (YEH) face disproportionately high risk for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), yet rates of testing remain low. This dissertation examines the individual and social network level factors that influence HIV/STI testing behaviors among YEH. Guided by insights from multiple theoretical frameworks, this three-paper dissertation integrates quantitative and qualitative approaches to better understand how personal relationships and social context shape HIV/STI testing decisions in this population.

Paper 1 presents a secondary data analysis of the Homeless Youth Risk and Resilience Survey (HYRRS), which includes 1,426 YEH across seven U.S. cities. Logistic regression models identified geographic variation in …

Underlying Causes Linking Foster Care And The Criminal Justice System, Marcia D. Wheeler

Master of Arts in Human Services

This research expands on the ongoing statewide crisis within the foster care system that needs to be properly addressed to benefit future and current foster youth. Research has found a connection between foster care and prison, often referred as the “foster-care-to-prison-pipeline.” This study aimed to explore the impact of trauma experienced by current and former foster youth through a life course lens looking at crucial areas of development using a mixed methodology supported by theoretical theories that explored the connection between foster care and the criminal justice system. The results showed that current and former foster youth face many adversities …

Increasing Implementation Of The Comfortable Cafeteria Program To Promote School-Age Children’S Mental Health And Well-Being, Reinecka Mondesir, Angela Labrie Blackwell Phd, Otr

Summer 2025 OTD Capstone Symposium

Every Moment Counts (EMC) is a positive mental health promotion initiative that offers several initiatives to create inclusive environments that support student participation and emotional well-being throughout the school day. Comfortable Cafeteria, part of EMC, fosters positive mealtime experiences supporting peer interaction, emotional regulation, and inclusion. Many SBOT practitioners lack the resources to implement Comfortable Cafeteria, despite its benefits. This capstone project addresses the need for practical tools to help school-based occupational therapy (SBOT) practitioners integrate the Comfortable Cafeteria program into daily practice. Using the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework, the project developed and disseminated an interactive, evidence-based video …

How Beliefs Shape What We Consider When Choosing What To Eat, Christopher Gustafson

Cornhusker Economics

What determines which foods we consider? One factor, certainly, is what we like to eat, and if liking what we eat were the sole relevant outcome of food consumption, there would be little to say about incomplete consideration. However, diet quality has important, well-documented effects on health outcomes (as well as other important considerations, such as differential environmental impact). Close to 75 percent of American adults are overweight or obese, which increases the likelihood that the individual will experience one or more serious non-communicable diseases. A food’s healthiness is an important consideration for many people when making food choices, but, …

Arts & Literature: The Destruction Of Smyrna In 1922: A Conversation With Petros Pourliakas, Author Of Salty Silk, Petros Pourliakas

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

In 1922, the once-cosmopolitan city of Smyrna—modern-day Izmir—was engulfed in flames, marking the end of a centuries-long Hellenic presence in Asia Minor. The catastrophe, which followed the Greco-Turkish War and occurred amidst the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands and the displacement of hundreds of thousands more. In his 2022 book Salty Silk, Greek author Petros Pourliakas recounts the tragedy, focusing on the humanitarian heroism that emerged in the midst of horror. I spoke with Pourliakas about his research, the moral complexities of recounting a national trauma, and the legacy of a …

Synthesizing Co-Reading Behaviors: Insights From Graduate Students’ Experience And A Rapid Scoping Review, Watcharasak Sudla, Wannee Kaemkate

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: Collaborative reading of research articles is essential for graduate students to develop academic reading skills through peer engagement in knowledge sharing, reflection, and feedback. However, limited information exists about the behaviors indicative of co-reading practices. This study aims to identify behavioral indicators and social participation in students’ co-reading of research articles.

Methods: In this study, we integrated key behavioral indicators of co-reading based on data from interviews with 23 graduate students and a rapid scoping review. The collected data were then subjected to content analysis and data visualization.

Results: The findings categorize individuals involved in co-reading into six groups: …

Temporal And Generational Changes In Depression Among Young American Adults, Ashley W. Kranjac, Dinko Kranjac, Valentine Chung

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

The prevalence of depression among young American adults has risen significantly over the past two decades, but the mechanisms that underlie the population-level changes in depressive symptoms severity remain unclear. We used data from the 2005–2023 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and hierarchical age–period–cohort (HAPC) analysis to examine developmental (i.e., age), life stage (i.e., period), and generational (i.e., cohort) distribution of depressive symptoms among American adults aged 20–30 years old over an 18-year period. Our model results indicate that the probability of either mild, moderate, or severe depression increased among young adult females and males between 2005 and …