Dissertations and Theses
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Publication WHEN THE COUCH IS NOT JUST THE COUCH—GAY MEN THERAPISTS’ EXPERIENCES IN THE EROTIC TRANSFERENCE/COUNTER TRANSFERENCE MATRIX: A REFLEXIVE THEMATIC ANALYSIS(2025-04-25) Burner, Christopher A.; Carter, Carter J.,Minimal research has explored the erotic transference-countertransference matrix when both therapist and client identify as the same gender and sexual orientation (Davies, 1994; Sherman, 2002). In an effort to interrogate how therapist and client might be interacting in the intersubjective space, the purpose of this study was to explore the following question: What are the experiences of therapists who are gay men in working with erotic transference-countertransference dynamics with gay men patients of a different race? I conducted a reflexive thematic analysis (RTA)—within the relativist variation of TA—typified by a recursive and iterative process and composed across six phases for seven (n=7) participant interviewees. In answering the research question, the findings show that homoerotic transference and counter transference dynamics serve a function, that racialized transferences and counter transferences were harder to reconcile than those of the erotic, how Whiteness creates impasses in the therapeutic relationship through racialized fetishizations and direct prejudicial attacks, and how the participants navigate a process of using their own anxiety to construct dyadic boundaries, in addition to sublimating the racialized and erotic into more socially acceptable modes of positive counter transferences. This study’s results suggest that social workers engage in advocacy and social justice efforts for those voices that are absent, discouraged, rejected, and even contested, for it is precisely these voices that help generate knowledge that informs our practices, teaching, and research. Key words: erotic counter transference/transference, limit consent, normative unconscious processes, minority stress theory, sexual racism, intersectionalityPublication Validation of the Chinese Version of the Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (PASS-C) among Perinatal Chinese Immigrant Women(2025) Su, Grace Shixin; Xiu, ZiyiObjective: Despite the prevalence of perinatal anxiety and the maternal health crisis, underdiagnosis is an ongoing issue as women are not being properly screened for anxiety at their perinatal health visits. Asian immigrant mothers may be at higher risk for untreated perinatal mental health issues, including perinatal anxiety, due to the lack of perinatal screening tools developed specifically for this population. The Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (PASS) has been shown to be an acceptable measure for detecting anxiety disorder symptoms. While the PASS had been translated into Simplified Chinese and validated against a group of perinatal mothers in China, it had not been tested for validity and reliability for perinatal Chinese immigrant mothers in the U.S. The current study examined the validity and reliability of the adapted Chinese version of the PASS (i.e., PASS-C) when used among Chinese-speaking perinatal mothers aged 18-45. Methods: This study used a combination of cross-sectional and longitudinal designs. Data was collected twice, two weeks apart (Time 1 and Time 2), through participant self-reporting via an online survey through Qualtrics. A sample of N = 255 completed Time 1 survey and n = 85 completed Time 2 survey. All participants were U.S.-based first-generation and 1.5-generation ethnic Chinese immigrant women between 18 to 45 years of age, able to read either Simplified or Traditional Chinese, and between 20 completed weeks of gestation and up to 1 year after childbirth. The Time 1 survey included the adapted PASS-C, a set of sociodemographic questions, and additional measures, including translated Chinese versions of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) for convergent validity and the Hypomania Checklist 32 (HCL-32) for discriminant validity. The Time 2 survey included only the PASS-C and was used to assess the scale's test-retest reliability. Results: Findings showed the PASS-C to be an acceptable measure in identifying perinatal anxiety symptoms among Chinese-speaking perinatal mothers. The PASS-C demonstrated very good test-retest reliability in both antenatal and postnatal mothers and across both Traditional and Simplified Chinese language versions. Results demonstrated good internal reliability of the PASS-C in both Traditional Chinese (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.95) and Simplified Chinese (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.97) language versions. Further, the PASS-C and its Acute Anxiety and Adjustment subscale demonstrated very good convergent validity with the overall DASS-21 and DASS Anxiety scores. Results demonstrated acceptable convergent validity with the remaining PASS-C subscales: Excessive Worry and Specific Fears; Perfectionism, Control and Trauma; and Social Anxiety. The PASS-C also demonstrated good discriminant validity with the HCL-32 across all its subscales. Conclusion: The development and validation of culturally and linguistically responsive mental health screening tools are necessary to address mental health disparities and increase access to care for Asian immigrant mothers and their families. The validation of the PASS-C is a step toward increasing health equity and resources for Chinese immigrant mothers who may be at risk of underdiagnosis and untreated perinatal anxiety.Publication An Iron Age in the Philippines?: A Critical Examination(1988) Eusebio Zamora Dizon; Pigott, Vincent C.Based on the limited evidence of iron artifacts and the associated pottery, it has been argued that a ’’Philippine Iron Age” began sometime between ca. 500 - 200 B.C. This study employing current archaeological and anthropological methods and metallurgical techniques analyzes the evidence for iron in the Philippines. It addresses whether the term "Iron Age” is viable in the Philippine context. The appearance of iron in certain areas of the Old World is surveyed to provide information on how iron technology developed and was adopted elsewhere. The presence of an Iron Age can imply a complex social organization which assumes a political machinery and economic institutions that deal with the control, distribution and redistribution of resources. Technology is also a system that operates within this complex whole, providing the science and technical knowledge to manipulate resources for the society. Philippine ethnographic and ethnohistorical records document that iron was supplied by Chinese traders in exchange for forest products, gold, salt, beads, etc. and that local blacksmiths processed iron for agricultural and household implements. Surpluses were traded to other groups, promoting the continuous diffusion of iron. Ten iron samples from the Philippine National Museum and 75 samples from the Guthe-Michigan collection were examined metallographically. Microhardness testing was done for qualitative and quantitative analysis. Descriptive and exploratory statistics were used to construct a generalized typology. The Guthe collection showed treatment variability in morphology, metallurgical treatment and function, projecting a pattern of regional variation among artifact types. The metallography suggested an improvement in iron technology over time. There are no indications of mass or standardized production of iron implements, suggesting local production on a small scale. This study concludes that there is no real Iron Age in the Philippines but that there were iron-using societies in certain areas beginning ca. 370 B.C. Finally, the study of iron technology constitutes a mechanism by which an improved understanding of the socio-cultural complexity of pre- and proto-historic cultures in the Philippines and Southeast Asia might be achieved.Publication Swazi Indigenous Medicine: Beliefs, Practices, and Epistemes(2024) Aiyana Nosizwe Mate; Moore, KatherineSwazi Indigenous medicine has long played a vital role in the culture and care practices of the Kingdom of Eswatini, and has evolved under the influence of processes such as colonialism, globalization, and the expansion of biomedicine. This thesis explores Swazi perspectives on the embodiment and knowledge-making practices of Swazi traditional healing. It draws from ethnographic interviews and participant observation, conducted across Eswatini and virtually. Building upon African relational research paradigms and postcolonial frameworks, the study findings reflect a vast ontological diversity in healing practices, encompassing healing that is embodied both physically and metaphysically. Similarly, Swazi medical epistemologies are diverse and encompass both human and more-than-human knowledge bases, including dreams, ancestors, and visions. The lived experiences of Swazi people illustrate the dynamic ways in which Indigenous healing practices synergize with and diverge from biomedical healthcare, and suggest possibilities for the integration and transformations of Indigenous medicine in changing contemporary contexts. Swazi Indigenous medicine is identified as experiencing colonial epistemic violence: aware of these harms, many study interlocutors work directly to combat epistemic and ontological erasure.Publication Family Character Strengths Curriculum: A Positive Psychology Intervention To Set Well-Being Habits In(2024-08-09) Kezya Castellano; Gillham, JanePositive psychology's foundation goal was to teach well-being skills to young people so they could enjoy a flourishing life. Successful advances have been made to reach children in academic settings but have neglected the natural teaching role of families. This paper emphasizes the importance of practicing and nurturing well-being through the practice of character strengths, rather than simply seeking or achieving it. It emphasizes the importance of increasing diverse opportunities to practice character strengths and set tendencies and habits early on in life. This paper proposes a practical and simplified solution for families: creating a curriculum rich in evidence-inspired strengths-based positive psychology interventions for every member to perform individually and collectively throughout the child’s development.