Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

More Than Unreal : Clinicians' Practice Experiences With Clients Affected By Chronic Depersonalization And Derealization, Meghan E. Doherty

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Despite a growing awareness of their prevalence, depersonalization (DP) and derealization (DR) – the persistent or recurrent experience of consciously feeling detached from one's mental processes, body, and/or surroundings – are two types of dissociative experiencing that remain mysterious, if not unknown, to most clinicians and clinical researchers alike. This qualitative study was undertaken to explore how a particular group of experienced clinicians have conceptualized their clients' chronic depersonalization and derealization symptoms, and subsequently approached therapeutic treatment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 licensed clinicians that had specializations in treating trauma and/or dissociative disorders, and identified working with clients that …

Trauma-Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy : A Quantitative Study Of Intervention Effectiveness, Nakita Dziegielewski

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study uses a quantitative lens to examine if Natural Lifemanship's ® Trauma- Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy ™ (TF-EAP) model is effective in reducing the psychological, emotional, and/or behavioral problems in youth with a trauma history. Secondary data was collected on behalf of Spirit Reins, the organization that implements Natural Lifemanship's ® TF-EAP ™ model, and used to determine the effectiveness of their traumainformed treatment intervention. Through a pre and post-test research design, data analysis was conducted on 40 youths' Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS) total scores to determine intervention effectiveness. Findings suggest that Natural Lifemanship's ® TF-EAP …

Trauma, Criminalization, And Movements For Healing Justice : A Theoretical Study Of Relational Theory And Transformative Justice Interventions In The Treatment Of Juvenile Sexual Offending, Megan E. Shaughnessy-Mogill

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical thesis explores the etiology and treatment of juvenile sexual offenders from the perspectives of psychoanalytic relational theory and the emerging grassroots theory of transformative justice, drawing together the often-disconnected spheres of the individual and the systemic in the study and treatment of child sexual abuse. This study traces the concepts of dissociation and reenactment to examine the role of unconscious traumatogenic phenomena and the apparent parallel process across the individual and systemic dimensions of juvenile sexual offending. Engaging two theories from outside the mainstream treatment model, this study asks what clinical understandings and treatment possibilities may be foreclosed …

Who Does What? : Navigating Gender Roles In Early Parenthood, Annabel L. Lane

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study explores gender role dynamics between couples in early years of parenthood. Forty-nine individuals in heterosexual couple relationships participated in phone interviews where they described their experiences making decisions and resolving conflict with their partners about the division of family labor. The families in this study had participated in the Supporting Father Involvement Project in Alberta, Canada. Findings of this study confirm existing research that gender roles become more traditional among heterosexual couples after parenthood, with mothers carrying out the majority of household tasks. Participants described a complex and challenging set of internal and external factors that were …

Implications For Best Practices In Post-Abortion Emotional Care : Perspectives Of Clinicians Who Have Provided Post-Abortion Emotional Care And Experienced Abortion Personally, Abigail L. Reider

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study was undertaken to explore the factors that contribute to emotional distress postabortion and interventions used to mitigate such distress. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 12 clinicians who had provided professional emotional care to women post-abortion and who had had one or more abortions themselves. Clinicians described their personal experiences with abortion and their process of healing from associated emotional distress, as well as the experiences of their patients and interventions that mitigated distress for their patients. Factors that protected against emotional distress post-abortion were explored, as were clinical practice issues that arose for participants in their professional roles. …

Heavy Impact : The Experience Of Sustaining A Concussion As A College Athelete, Brittainy C. Johnson

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory study was undertaken to determine the extent to which college athletes access mental health services after sustaining concussions and their experience surrounding their recovery process. Using semi-structured interviews with college-level athletes, the study found that all nine participants were required to seek medical attention following their injury, while none were required or encouraged to seek mental health services such as counseling. Other emerging themes included the experience of Post Concussion Syndrome symptoms by all participants, the stigma surrounding mental health, the need for alternative methods of treatment, and the need for structure and support through the recovery process. …

Sex And Sexuality In Formerly Ultra-Orthodox Jews : Defining Sexual Health, Abigail R. Hurvitz-Prinz

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This is an exploratory, qualitative study of interviews with 11 individuals who selfidentify as formerly Ultra-Orthodox from the United States and Israel. It is an examination of the unique dynamics and difficulties faced by formerly Ultra-Orthodox Jews as they transition into the secular world, especially around sexual health. This thesis distills some of the specific ways in which formerly Ultra-Orthodox Jews understand their own sexuality, how they would define "healthy" and "unhealthy" sexuality, and what they thought of those experiences. This thesis offers guidance to practitioners so that they may better serve these clients with increased attunement to issues of …

Conceptualization Of Anorexia Nervosa : A Theoretical Synthesis Of Self-Psychology And Family Systems Perspectives, Molly E. Gray

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Anorexia nervosa is a life-threatening psychiatric disorder that has increased in diagnostic prevalence over the last century. Findings suggest that individuals at greatest risk are females between the ages of 15-22, who demonstrate heightened levels of perfectionism and a need for control. This theoretical thesis hopes to provide clinical social workers and other mental health professionals with a deeper understanding of the psychological, familial, and developmental factors contributing to the onset of the disorder in order to increase the effectiveness of future treatment. Self-psychology will be examined to offer a possible developmental and psychological framework for understanding the emotional challenges …

Origins Of Clinician Bias Against People Diagnosed With Borderline Personality Disorder, Lindsay K. Heightman

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

A growing body of literature confirms that bias exists and thrives in mental health settings among clinicians charged with the care of individuals who meet criteria for BPD as outlined in DSM V – TR and DSM V. This study explores the origins of such bias against individuals diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Second, this study examines the various sources of learning that shape student clinicians' attitudes about people with a BPD diagnosis. Study participants, all students in Master's-level clinical social work programs, responded to an anonymous online survey wherein they were asked to reflect on their learning experiences …

Sibling Relationships : Growing Up With A Sibling Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Its Influence On Perceived Family Cohesion, Attachment And Current Life Satisfaction, Laura M. Nordone

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

When there is a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in a family, the whole system is profoundly impacted. Little is known about the impact having a sibling with ASD has on the typically developing siblings within a family, as the research that exists on the topic has typically been conducted using parent-impressions of the sibling dyads, making it difficult to infer how the typically developing children themselves make meaning of their internal experiences (Petlas, Hastings, Nash, Hall, Joannidi, and Dowey, 2012; Tomney, et al., 2012). In a sample of 67 adult siblings of individuals with ASD, perceived attention in …

Voices Of Experience : The Mental Health Consumer And Psychiatric Survivor Movements And Their Implications For Ethical Clinical Practice, Sophia L. Zucker

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical thesis explores the origins of the modern concept of "mental illness" and traces the development of the mental health consumer and psychiatric survivor movements, modern social justice movements that work to change and/or dismantle the system of oppression that has long denied those labeled mentally ill the right to make basic decisions about their own lives. Working from a critical theoretical frame influenced by historical discourse analysis and post-structuralist theory, the thesis first examines the multiple constructions of madness and mental distress in the Western world since the Middle Ages, suggesting that the current biomedical model of mental …

Immigration And Depression : An Exploration Of Risks And Protective Factors, Lenissa Vilhena Barbosa

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The goal of this study was to explore whether immigration was a risk factor for the development of depression and which were the triggers and protective factors that contribute to the development of depression among a specific population (N = 51) of highly educated legal immigrants during their first years living in the US. Additionally, it sought to determine if the "immigration paradox" (Franzini, Ribble, and Keddie, 2001) could be found in this specific population as well. A quantitative exploratory method design was used, and participants were recruited using the snowball sampling technique, and participated in this research through an …

"Show Me The Face You Had Before Your Parents Were Born" : African-American New Thought Ministers And 'The Black Interior', Kaitlin N. Smith

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical research critically explores the phenomenon of contemporary African Americans seeking to cultivate individual identities that are not bound by the external demands inherent in a black racial identity. It examines the work and ideas of three African-American New thought ministers who articulate a vision of liberation that is predicated on the cultivation of an interior spiritual identity beyond the social world. This research employs two theoretical frameworks that may help to shed light on the reasons for and implications of contemporary African Americans constructing their identities in this manner. The first of these theoretical frameworks is sociologist Eduardo …

Responding To Infant Sleep-Related Crying : A Theoretical Exploration Of Caregiver Response From Attachment And Object Relations Perspectives, Casey L. Zandoná

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

How to respond to infant sleep-related crying is a ripe debate in much of the current parenting literature. This theoretical thesis explores how certain caregiver responses affect infants' psychological development. Particular attention is paid to the popular sleep-training technique—letting a baby "Cry It Out"—as there is an alarming lack of consideration within empirical and theoretical literature of the psychological impact of this parenting strategy on an infant. This thesis begins with an overview of current empirical research on infant sleep and crying behavior, and proceeds to include an in-depth look at attachment and object relations (mostly Winnicottian) theories, specifically in …

Vicarious Traumatization And Vicarious Resilience : An Exploration Of Therapists' Experiences Conducting Individual Therapy Of Refugee Clients : A Project Based Upon An Investigation At Family Health Center Of Worcester, Worcester, Massachusetts, Megan C. Welsh

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive study was to explore clinicians' experience of vicarious traumatization and/or vicarious resilience in working with refugee clients in order to gain a better understanding of vicarious trauma and the ways in which clinicians are effected by vicarious trauma. A second purpose of this study was to determine whether or not clinicians experience vicarious resilience in working with this client population, and what, if any, impact the vicarious resilience has on the clinician's treatment modalities, practice style, and personal life. Twelve face-to-face interviews were conducted at Family Health Center of Worcester with clinicians who had …

Differences In Negativity Bias Underlie Variations In Political Ideology, John R. Hibbing, Kevin B. Smith, John R. Alford

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

Disputes between those holding differing political views are ubiquitous and deep-seated, and they often follow common, recognizable lines. The supporters of tradition and stability, sometimes referred to as conservatives, do battle with the supporters of innovation and reform, sometimes referred to as liberals. Understanding the correlates of those distinct political orientations is probably a prerequisite for managing political disputes, which are a source of social conflict that can lead to frustration and even bloodshed. A rapidly growing body of empirical evidence documents a multitude of ways in which liberals and conservatives differ from each other in purviews of life with …

Brain Drain And Regain: The Migration Behaviour Of South African Medical Professionals (Migration Policy Series No. 65), Jonathan Crush, Abel Chikanda, Ivy Bourgeault, Ronald Labonté, Gail Tomblin Murphy

International Migration Research Centre

Since the end of apartheid, South Africa has experienced a significant outflow of health professionals. The out-migration of health professionals from the country is part of a broader global trend of health professional migration from the Global South to the Global North. In the health sector, this “brain drain” has led to a significant decline in the quality of care in affected countries. The costs of health professional migration for countries of origin are usually measured in terms of lost investment in training and the gaps in medical care left by their departure. One recent study, for example, estimated that …

Migrant Entrepreneurship, Collective Violence And Xenophobia In South Africa (Migration Policy Series No. 67), Jonathan Crush, Sujata Ramachandran

International Migration Research Centre

The remarkable growth of informal migrant entrepreneurship in South Africa since 1990 would have been much lauded had it not been for the striking detail that the actors in question are seen as “foreigners” or “outsiders”. As such, they are uniformly viewed as undesirable and disadvantaging poor South African citizens. The growing presence of migrants in the informal sector has created various tensions in South Africa, including in government circles, ignoring the fact that in the free market economy of South Africa, immigrants and refugees, like citizens and commercial enterprises, would otherwise enjoy the freedom to establish, operate and expand …

Exhume Cedaw From Its Grave: An Analysis Of The Actors Who Helped To Bury The Convention On The Elimination Of Discrimination Against Women In The United States, Kasie Durkit

Honors Projects

In November of 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed what was one of the most comprehensive women’s rights treaties of its kind: the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Authored by United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women, “CEDAW” was designed to galvanize states to take all appropriate measures to modify existing laws, regulations, customs and practices that constitute discrimination against women. As of April of 2014, 187 world countries have signed and ratified CEDAW, thereby adopting many of its principles. Yet, the United States is one of only seven countries (including Iran and Sudan no less) not …

Status Of And Future Recommendations For Country-Of-Origin Research, Katie Post

Honors Projects

This research investigates whether country-of-origin (COO) cues have an effect on consumer purchase intentions, based on a review of prior literature published in the EBSCO and Summon databases. The findings of these articles show that COO cues do not, on their own, have an effect on consumer purchase intentions; but do have some effect on consumer attitudes/feelings toward the product. Future research has much to offer in terms of identifying whether COO cues have an effect on consumers’ purchase intentions for specific products, or specific types of products.

Cedaw And Gender Violence: An Empirical Assessment, Neil A. Englehart

Political Science Faculty Publications

Does the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) reduce violence against women? CEDAW has the distinction of being an unusually effective human rights treaty: promoting women’s political rights in particular, having a modest effect on women’s social rights, but showing little or no effect on economic rights.1 However, unlike these other rights, the CEDAW Treaty does not explicitly mention violence. The CEDAW Committee interpreted the Treaty as covering gender violence after the fact. It issued General Recommendations in 1989 and 1992 mandating states to collect information and take action on the issue, respectively.2 The …

Student Scholarship In Institutional Repositories, Elizabeth Hertenstein

University Libraries Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION Research on institutional repositories (IR) has primarily focused on issues related to faculty scholarship. Thus far, little has been written on issues related to student scholarship. This lack is problematic for planners developing or extending their IR content who may be considering adding student scholarship. METHODS A 23-question survey of library professionals was conducted to explore size of institution, existence of an IR, IR software packages utilized, individuals involved in system management, levels of support for inclusion of student work in IRs, types of student work included, and workflow submission policies. RESULTS The findings present an environmental scan of …

Feeling Bad: Emotions And Narrativity In Breaking Bad, E. Deidre Pribram Ph.D.

Faculty Works: COM (1993-2016)

In an interview that took place in January 1984, five months before his death, Michel Foucault relates an anecdote to illustrate what he means by 'relations of power':

For example, the fact that I may be older than you, and that you may initially have been intimidated, may be turned around during the course of our conversation, and I may end up being intimidated before someone precisely because he is younger than I am. (292)

His is a simple, almost offhand anecdote but one that has lingered in my mind precisely because of the inadequate means we possess to explain …

The Impact Of Global Trends On Ilds, Beth Posner

Publications and Research

There are a variety of important developments in digital information, globalization, demographics, economics, education, technology and more affecting all aspects of 21st century life. These trends are also reflected in changes in new ways that libraries are facilitating the discovery and delivery of information. Using the 2014 New Media Consortium’s “Horizon Report: Library Edition” and the discussion draft of the American Library Association Policy Revolution! Initiative’s “Trends Report: Snapshots of a Turbulent World” this article examines several key trends and disruptions impacting libraries and the world and how these are likely to influence the ways libraries facilitate the discovery and …

Ciclos De Acaparamiento De Tierras En Centroamérica: Un Argumento A Favor De Historizar Y Un Estudio De Caso Del Bajo Aguán, Honduras, Marc Edelman, Andrés León

Publications and Research

La falta de perspectiva histórica en la mayoría de los estudios sobre la nueva ola de acaparamiento de tierras lleva a los investigadores a subestimar hasta qué punto las relaciones sociales preexistentes producen los espacios rurales donde suceden las actuales transacciones de tierras. Así, la historización del acaparamiento de tierras es esencial para entender los antecedentes, definir bases para poder calcular los impactos y devolver la “agencia” a las distintas clases agrarias en disputa. En Centroamérica, cada uno de los ciclos de acaparamiento de tierras –reformas liberales, concesiones bananeras y contrarreformas agrarias– tuvo un fuerte impacto en el período que …

Accounting For Accountability, Celina Su

Publications and Research

Review of the book Open Budgets: The Political Economy of Transparency, Participation, and Accountability, edited by Sanjeev Khagram, Archon Fung, and Paolo de Renzio.

Whose To Use? And Use As They Choose? Creative Commons Licenses In Wikipedia And Scholarly Publishing, Jill Cirasella

Publications and Research

Unlike traditional scholarly journals, Wikipedia and open access journals do not ask contributors to sign away their rights. Contributors to these venues retain the right to copy, distribute, and reuse their own words and works. This presentation takes a careful look at the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (used by Wikipedia) and the Creative Commons Attribution License (used by many open access publishers).

Talking About Open Access: Smash And Subtler Tactics, Jill Cirasella

Publications and Research

This slideshow covers different ways of answering the question “Why open access?” It reviews the knee-jerk reactions many people have when they hear about open access, describes the many benefits of open access, invokes @openaccesshulk’s strategy of SMASH, and discusses what arguments work best with different populations (students, faculty, administrators, etc.). Finally, it addresses why librarians should try to talk about open access without resorting to constant use of the term “open access” and describes a few ways to sneak open access advocacy into other conversations.

Interdisciplinary Perspectives On Corruption, David Jancsics

Publications and Research

Corruption has become one of the most popular topics in the social scientific disciplines. However, there is a lack of interdisciplinary communication about corruption. Models developed by different academic disciplines are often isolated from each other. The purpose of this paper is to review several major approaches to corruption and draw them closer to each other. Most studies of corruption fall into three major categories: (i) rational-actor models where corruption is viewed as resulting from cost/benefit analysis of individual actors; (ii) structural models that focus on external forces that determine corruption; and (iii) relational models that emphasize social interactions and …

Theorizing More Inclusive Cities: A Relational Model Of Boundary Transformation And Urban Research Agenda, Leigh Graham

Publications and Research

To generate more inclusive environments for marginalized urban communities of color demands a strategy that privileges symbolic boundary change and uses it as the inroad towards spatial changes. This paper theorizes a three step relational process of a) communicative democratic activism, b) "multicultural" capital brokers providing access to the policy making process, and c) practices of community building that reflect the role of cities as key sites for sociospatial boundary transformation. An emphasis on discursive and ideational change, relying on communicative democratic processes steeped in historical, comparative analysis opens up our minds towards different classification schemes for stigmatized groups. Participating …