Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Heterogeneous Effects In The Prospects Of Upward Mobility Hypothesis: The Roles Of Risk And Political Beliefs., Nathaniel Badalov

Theses and Dissertations

I test for heterogenous effects in the Prospects of Upward Mobility (POUM) hypothesis framework. This framework suggests that individuals who are poorer than average but expect to become richer than average support less redistribution. Using a survey of households in primarily transition economies - Life in Transition Survey (LiTS2) and ordered logistic regression, I test whether the POUM effect is influenced by the riskiness of the individual's environment or political beliefs. The results suggest that the POUM effect holds independent of the riskiness of the environment but is conditional on political beliefs. The prospects of upward mobility decrease redistributive support …

The Impact Of Couple Minority Stress And Perceived Relationship Equity On Relationship Satisfaction Of Women In Same-Gender Relationships, Rebekah Malott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to test two hypotheses (H1: relationship satisfaction will mediate the relationship between perceived relationship equity and potential relationship dissolution in women in same-gender relationships. H2: Relationship satisfaction will mediate the relationship between perceived minority stressors and potential relationship dissolution in women in same-gender relationships). Participants who met the demographic profile and consented to the study were asked to complete five questionnaires: relationship equity (Kurdek, 1998), couple minority stress (Neilands et al., 2019), relationship satisfaction (Funk & Rogge, 2007), potential relationship dissolution, and demographics. The results showed that relationships satisfaction was a partial mediator between …

Affordable Housing Policies In The Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area, Olivia Personeni

Honors Thesis

Affordable housing for many is a right; for others, it is an unjustified public expense. Each country, state, and city have their own policies with merits and demerits. The provision of affordable housing can offer numerous benefits, including improved access to safe housing, reduced homelessness and housing insecurity, and economic and social well-being. However, there are also significant challenges associated with affordable housing policies, including financial sustainability, inadequate supply, segregation, and the concentration of poverty. This thesis investigates the affordable housing policies in the metropolitan area of Washington D.C. It discusses their effectiveness, inclusiveness, and sustainability, and how these policies …

Brilliant And Driven: 19-Year-Old Nigerian Earns College Degree, Mark D. Weinstein

News Releases

Most college students start school at the age of 18 and graduate four years later. But for one Cedarville University senior majoring in computer science, he’s getting a major head start.

Cedarville Vs. Findlay, Cedarville University

Baseball Programs

No abstract provided.

Self-Care In Mental Health: A Study On The Effectiveness Of Self Care For Overall Mental Wellbeing, Amy C. Branson

Honors College Theses

Studies have shown that self-care can be very effective in the treatment of different mental health issues. The purpose of this study is to test the effectiveness of three common self-care techniques (sleep, diet, and exercise) on the overall mental health and wellbeing of college students. This research consists of two surveys that collect data on self-care habits and current mental health, interposed by a two-week period of implementing positive changes to one of the self-care methods. This study used voluntary response sampling. The survey was be administered online to students at Georgia Southern University. The survey data was collected …

The Effects Of Peers For Young Adults On Anxiety And Quality Of Life For Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Alysha Cecile Dagg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social skills deficits as well as comorbid anxiety are two characteristics commonly experienced by people with Autism Spectrum Disorder - Level 1 (ASD-1; American Psychiatric Association, 2013). These characteristics are also both contributors to a lower quality of life for young adults (Smith et al., 2019). The current study aimed to identify how the quality of life and anxiety are affected by social skills intervention, specifically the PEERS® for Young Adults program (Laugeson, 2017). PEERS® for Young Adults is an evidence-based social skills intervention intended to support individuals with ASD-1 (Laugeson, 2017). Prior research has demonstrated its success in both …

Ouachita Students Earn Top Honors In Governor's Cup Competition, Addie Woods, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Students from Ouachita Baptist University’s Hickingbotham School of Business placed first and second in the small business division and first in the elevator pitch competition during the 23rd annual Arkansas Governor’s Cup Collegiate Business Plan Competition on April 7 in Fayetteville, Ark.

Jillian Woodruff, a senior business administration/management major from Hope, Ark., placed first overall in the Winrock Automotive Small Business Division and won a $10,000 cash prize with Waderbuddy, a product designed to help users remove duck hunting waders quickly and safely. She was advised by Dr. Chris Brune, professor of finance and George Young Chair of Business at …

Ouachita Senior Joshua Spiva Publishes Research Paper In "Polymers", Addie Woods, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Joshua Spiva, a senior biomedical sciences and chemistry double major from Magnet Cove, Ark., published a research paper in the scientific journal, “Polymers.”

The paper, titled “Electrospinning Drug-Loaded Alginate-Based Nanofibers towards Developing a Drug Release Rate Catalog,” details the results of Spiva’s research on creating a catalog to help biomedical scientists understand how drugs release from certain materials. He worked for more than 2 ½ years on the project with Dr. Sharon Hamilton, associate professor of chemistry at Ouachita, to complete research that Hamilton began with students at Delta State University, where she was an assistant professor of chemistry before …

Adverse Effects Of Early Exposure To Pornography And The Utilization Of Art Therapy, Meghan Potts

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

Pornography is not a new phenomenon in our culture or world. With the expansion of the affordability, accessibility, and anonymity of pornography, demand and consumption rates have also escalated, along with the adverse impact associated with this growth (Coopersmith, 2006 as cited by Dines, 2017). This two-year grant proposal seeks to focus its efforts on serving children, the population being exposed to this widespread phenomenon (Wright, Paul, et al., 2021). The full-time art therapist will carry out trauma-informed prevention and intervention methods to advocate for the mental and physical health of children in individual, relational, and community contexts. This will …

Professional Shame As Experienced By Pre-Professional Accountants, Grant R. Countess

Honors Theses

While the role of shame in professions is an emerging area of research, it has not been thoroughly studied in accounting’s professional or educational settings. Shame has been explored in engineering and nursing education with powerful implications regarding well-being and learning. This study is primarily driven by the research question, “How do pre-professional accountants experience professional shame?” Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), I interviewed three pre-professional accountants to further understand the lived experiences of shame as accounting interns. I demonstrate the insights from the analysis of these transcripts, which characterize the experience of locating identity as pre-professionals, navigating expectations, experiencing …

Social Connectedness As Experienced By Black Christian Women At A Predominantly White University, Halle Christina Miller

Honors Theses

This study examines the lived experiences of Black women attending a predominantly white Christian university and explores how they navigate social connection and belonging in this context, highlighting identity relevant experiences and intersectionality in layered identities. Literature demonstrates, social connection and belonging is an important aspect of well-being. This study serves to advance or extend theories relating to social connection and belonging by examining in particular the role that identity plays in belonging, specifically considering intersectionality and layered identities. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), the researcher conducted in-depth interviews with three Black women who were currently enrolled in the university. …

What Drama Therapy Core Processes Can Be Observed In A Timeslips Session With Residents In Dementia Care Units?, Saverina Scopelleti

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Despite the arrival of the person-centered movement in dementia care, biases continue in caregiving around ageism, cognitive disability, and pharmacological interventions to mitigate behavior issues. This paper underscores the efficacy of drama therapy as a non-pharmacological intervention in dementia care practices, directing focus on drama therapy core processes and how to utilize them to meaningfully engage with persons with dementia. In this phenomenological study, run over a four week period, I facilitated group interventions using TimeSlips with residents from two memory care units at separate assisted living facilities in New England. TimeSlips is an established program, specifically created for persons …

Prescribing Music To Forensic Settings: A Literature Review, Sydney A. Bouchard

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Though prison is inherently musical, evidence-based forensic music therapy is rather understudied. This thesis critically reviews musical experiences in forensic environments and synthesizes its intersection with inmates' psychological distress. Additionally, the literature explores how forensic music therapy can act as a health and social resource for the incarcerated and their communities. Engaging in this work is vital because healthier correctional systems mean healthier communities (Hopwood, 2021). This review synthesizes relevant literature to inform better practices in music therapy, counseling, and healthcare and seeks to popularize discussion around an otherwise unpopular population, incarcerated folx. Emerging themes include (1) incarceration breeds negative …

“Staged Combat”: A Literature Review On The Potential Advantages Of Drama Therapy Over Traditional Talk Therapy With Veterans, Christopher Mcneill

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

There is an ongoing disconnect between military veterans and mental health with a vast majority of veterans either unable or unwilling to seek therapy. This may be a result of traditional talk therapy being ineffective with the veteran population; drama therapy may be a recourse that can better bridge the gap between veterans and therapy. Veterans experience trauma not just through means of combat overseas, but via training and transitioning out of the military as well, all culminating in a psychological regression. With the given population, emerging adulthood would be the period that veterans regress to as it is when …

How Art Therapy Can Be Used To Teach Queer Inclusive Sex Education To Queer Youth: A Literature Review, Olivia Souza

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review examines the potential of art-making as a tool to educate and inform queer youth about queer sexual experiences. Many queer individuals lack information about safe and healthy sex due to the exclusion of queer experiences in sex education programs. Current sex programs solely focus on abstinence and heterosexual experiences, leaving queer youth in the dark about what to expect from future sexual experiences they may have and how to practice safe queer sex. Through a search of the literature, it was discovered that there is a gap in research using art therapy in this specific context. Through …

Can Psycho-Social Benefits Be Observed In Those With Intellectual Disabilities During Dmt?, Hannah Johnson

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Often training and learning opportunities ignore the unique needs of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Helping this population cope with problems that will occur in their lives could increase their feelings of well-being and might decrease feelings of isolation. This workshop used the techniques from Mary Starks Whitehouse’s practice of Authentic Movement (Whitehouse et al., 1999) to support paticipants’ emotional self regulation during training for a new job at an apple orchard. The use of Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) as an intervention for individuals with intellectual disabilities could increase coping skills, which could create greater opportunities for them to increase their …

Playing With Policy: What Insights Arise From Transgender Adults After Participating In A Legislative Theatre Exercise, Skylar A. Stratemeyer

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The transgender community is underrepresented in the current body of academic research, underserved in the current clinical model of healthcare services, and legislatively oppressed on a state and federal level in the United States. As of March 2023, more than 400 anti-LGBTQI laws have been introduced on a state level in 2023 alone (ACLU, 2023). In response to the hostile Western sociopolitical climate, this thesis will focus on what insights arise from transgender adults and cisgender allies (N = 12) after participating in a dramatherapeutic group therapy session that explored current anti-trans legislation and highlighted the legal needs of …

Connecting With Our Roles Through Post Traumatic Growth After Experiencing Medical Trauma, Marie Angier

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper explores the combination of drama therapist, Robert Landy’s (1993), Role Theory and the psychological concept of Post Traumatic Growth (Tedeschi, 2018). The author created a protocol that involved psychoeducation surrounding the five domains of Post Traumatic Growth and a role card sort involving the drama therapeutic process of role theory. A young adult client experiencing significant medical trauma participated in these processes during a three session intervention. Results indicated that the client viewed negative experiences as potentials for growth toward furthered resilience and future hope and optimism. The sample size was limited to one person and further search …

Fiber Art Circles, Belonging, And Mental Health In The Queer Community: A Community Arts Based Project, Sage Hess

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis explores the role of community and chosen family for queer belonging. The queer community is in a mental health crisis, with substance abuse, high suicide rates, anxiety, depression, personality disorders, and complex post-traumatic stress disorders being pervasive in the community. Current therapeutic services and medical services often enact more harm than good and that mutual aid and chosen family has been a cornerstone to support chronic illnesses. To better understand these complexities, a community arts project was held to explore how it might support these theories. This research was facilitated at a local queer owned Boston fiber shop. …

Culturally Centered Eco-Art Therapy Practice For Self-Awareness: Development Of A Method, Venita Figueroa

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Research shows an overwhelming need for holistic mental health care in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. Its “wide-ranging social, psychological, and economic impact” further exasperates symptoms of psychological and developmental distress (Kopytin, 2021, p. 35). Contemporary art therapy literature highlights how art therapy with natural materials (eco art therapy) cultivates human resilience, as well a great source of healing and has made a resurgence since the pandemic (Kopytin, 2021). An ecological art therapy (EaT) method was developed to address the pervasive issue of disconnection and difficulties with self-awareness. This method utilized natural materials with special attention to culturally competent …

Art Therapy And Chronic Pain: Exploring Pain Tolerance, Body Sensations And Emotions, India Brown

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Over four weeks, topics of emotion, physical and body sensation, and chronic pain using art therapy were explored. The therapy provided a foundation for practicing mindfulness, increasing awareness, and expressing various symptoms such as somatic discomfort and emotional dysregulation. I co-facilitated a group consisting of individuals between the ages of 23 and 70 identifying as male or female, with a mix of white and black clients from the middle-class bracket. The group participated in art therapy and mindful meditation sessions in an outpatient program. Through this experience, I discovered that many individuals dissociate from their pain and emotional well-being. While …

Art Therapy And Parts Work In The Treatment Of Complex Trauma: A Literature Review, Amy Patel

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

In recent decades, there has been an ever-expanding interest in addressing the effects of trauma. Additionally, more attention is being focused on the insidious and compounding effects of complex trauma. Within the context of this increased spotlight, a range of therapies have been born to address these effects. Art therapy is one example of a modality that uses art materials to externalize. Parts work is a group of theories that addresses the intrapsychic relationships that govern our thoughts, feelings, sensations and actions. Two parts work theories, structural dissociation and internal family systems, are explored in this thesis. This literature review …

Applying Self Care Methods: Burnout Prevention For An Art Therapist In Training, Hannah Marshall

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper explores the literature and the relationship between burnout and self care. Though a range of resources are investigated, the primary focus is on mental health clinical intern graduate students. Specifically, using a burnout tracker and self reflective data, I examine my own relationship to burnout and self care as a clinical intern while sustaining a full time job and final semester graduate level coursework. Using an individualized method of data collection and analysis, I can understand my own relationship to self care and burnout. This journey of both self discovery and evidence based research provides insight into burnout …

How Drama Therapy Interventions May Enhance The Psychological Health Of Astronauts: A Literature Review, Mackenna Wysocki

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Astronauts may encounter a number of psychological challenges throughout their space missions. Crew members often suffer from a disrupted circadian rhythm, thus altering their sleep patterns. Prolonged disrupted sleep has been linked to a decline in executive functioning, concentration, and decision making, all of which are crucial to the duties of an astronaut. Additionally, crews are required to stay in cramped living quarters with the same group of people for an extended period of time, leading to an increased possibility of interpersonal conflict. There are no open spaces in which to escape when trying to decompress, there is limited contact …

The Phenomenon Of Dissociation With The Application Of Expressive Arts Therapy: A Literature Review, Katherine Alexander

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

As a symptom of pathological disorder, dissociation is commonly seen as detrimental; yet dissociation is also frequently referenced as a typical occurrence for most people on a regular basis. This paper aimed to investigate and clarify definitions of dissociation as a phenomenon in mental health counseling treatment, and to examine the application of the modality of expressive arts therapy where dissociation is present. Dissociation was found to be widely regarded as a spectrum of phenomena within the subjective experiences of an individual, ranging from average to debilitating in severity. Research and expressive arts therapies were found to reflect theory informing …

Post Covid-19 Self-Care Of The Therapist: A Community Project, Alexandra Graf

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The continuous COVID-19 pandemic has brought new expectations and higher demand in the field of mental health counseling. Many individuals began seeking therapy during this time which is a good thing however, the therapists are facing a higher risk of burnout syndrome and compassion fatigue. Therapists have not shifted their focus as much on themselves through acts of self-care during this time despite the world around them shifting. In graduate counseling programs there is discussion and perhaps a dedicated week of course material to self-care however, it is not taught the importance to implement and discover what acts of care …

Dance Movement Therapy And Families With Children With Disabilities: Working And Moving Together: A Literature Review, Gabriella Cohen

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Dance/movement therapy is an evidence-based therapeutic treatment that is available to a vast variety of populations. Research proves that children under the age of 12 diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience challenges with communication and social skills, abnormalities in body language and regulation, repetitive motor movements (fidgeting), difficulties in play or social activities, and sensitivity to sensory inputs. While literature suggests that dance/movement therapy can provide an effective reduction of the related symptoms seen in developmentally disabled children (ASD/ADHD), there is less emphasis on how dance/movement therapy can offer similar relief for the …

Caring For Former Caretakers: Utilizing Collage To Explore Transition, Development Of A Method, Noelle Leblanc

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Older adulthood often comes with a variety of challenges both emotional and physical. The transition to an assisted living program can be challenging to cope with. Older adults may face isolation and loneliness, while grappling with changes in their identity as result of factors like decline in health, loss of an ability, or changes in social support. Arts based interventions were administered individually among a group of older adults to test if collage could be utilized to explore themes of role shift, transition and identity. Clinical observations along with post-session reflective artwork is included. Assisted living residents participated in a …

Enacting Stories: Discovering Parallels Of Narrative And Expressive Therapies, A Literature Review, Zoe Reddig

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review will analyze the use of narrative therapy (NT) techniques, dance/movement therapy (DMT) techniques, and expressive therapy (ET) techniques in an effort to distinguish where theoretical parallels exist between these methods of counsel. Narrative therapy is a postmodern framework of counseling that assists clients in resisting damaging stories that have been embedded through bioecological systems of exposure throughout development. Narrative therapy structures its philosophy through processes of externalization and deconstruction, and encourages the process of reframing or re-authoring one’s personal self-narrative. At their core, DMT and ET already utilize components of foundational NT practices, through processes of enactment, …