The National University System Repository exists to increase public access to research and other materials created by students and faculty of the affiliate institutions of National University System. Most items in the repository are open access, freely available to everyone.
Recent Submissions
Item Evaluation and Acceptability of Generative AI Solutions in Online Product Information, Recommendations and Reviews(2025-11)This quantitative comparative experimental study assessed the performance differences between open-source Generative AI (GenAI) solutions in curating online product information. The research evaluated six Large Language Models (LLMs)—Llama-3, Mistral-3, FalconMamba-7B, Gemma-3, XGen-9B, and DeepSeek-R1—focusing on their capabilities to generate accurate and meaningful product descriptions. The evaluation utilized established Natural Language Processing (NLP) metrics: Recall-Oriented Understudy for Gisting Evaluation (ROUGE), Bilingual Evaluation Understudy (BLEU), Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT Score), Precision, and Recall (P/F1) scores. Secondary datasets from Amazon and Walmart provided the benchmark for assessing GenAI-generated content. Results indicate statistically significant performance variations among the models for most metrics, except BLEU. The study highlighted the efficacy of NLP metrics in evaluating GenAI content generation, offering insights for businesses seeking to adopt GenAI solutions for marketing and e-commerce. Recommendations for future research include expanding to multimodal GenAI applications covering text, images, and videos.Item Community Policing Perspectives: A Comparative Analysis Between Communities with Community Policing Initiatives(2025-11)The document is a dissertation exploring the differences in community policing practices between minority and predominantly white communities, focusing on their impacts and perceptions.Item From Screens to Souls: Parasocial Relationships, Mental Health, and Therapeutic Practice(2025-12)Parasocial relationships (PSRs) have become increasingly common. Although they remain under-explored in therapeutic practice, they have meaningful psychological functions. This capstone explores the development, benefits, and risks of PSRs through three theoretical lenses: Attachment Theory, Object Relations Theory, and Social Development Theory. I review the current literature that indicates PSRs can provide companionship, emotional regulation, identity exploration, and a sense of belonging, particularly for individuals experiencing loneliness or relational challenges. At the same time, research shows that PSRs can contribute to negative impacts such as unhealthy media use, body image concerns, social comparison, emotional distress during “parasocial breakups,” and blurred boundaries intensified by the newer interactive digital platforms. I will highlight the importance of recognizing parasocial bonds as a normal part of development. PSRs can offer important insights into clients’ attachment needs, internalized relational patterns, coping strategies, and identity formation. Recommendations highlight psychoeducation, CBT-informed approaches, improving media literacy and ways to manage loneliness while supporting clients in developing balanced offline connections.Item Experiences of shame among women diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood(2025-11-15)This counselling psychology research project examines the main question: How and in what ways do feelings and experiences of shame show up for women prior to being diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood, and how have chronic feelings of shame shaped their view of self and impacted their well-being throughout their development? To answer this question, a synthesis of the current and relevant research is conducted within this study as well as a presentation of the clinical recommendations needed to support this population therapeutically and within future research. Themes are created through a deductive thematic analysis of the literature, and a critique of the studies' methods and ethical approaches is conducted. Themes are found and highlighted such as the prevalence of shame experiences for women with latediagnosed ADHD throughout their development, the isolation and distress of chronic shame, and the infiltration of shame within multiple aspects of the women's lives were found. Additionally, shame seems to be the internalization of years of external judgment, character blaming, and ostracization for behaving outside of the gender and neurotypical norm. Mental health clinicians and researchers are recommended to be aware of and reflective upon this silent but common phenomenon within their work. It is advised that energy and effort it directed towards addressing the of experience of chronic shame in women with ADHD through researching and utilizing empirically supported treatment and diagnosis to curb the negative impacts shame can have on female-identifying individuals.Item The impact of delayed diagnosis on the self-perceptions of women with late-diagnosed ADHD: A review of recent literature and theoretical implications(2025-11-18)Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has been widely underrecognized in women due to the misconception that it primarily affected male children. Consequently, many women remain unaware of their neurodivergence for much of their lives, internalizing shame and self-blame for their difficulties. Growing awareness on gender differences in ADHD presentation has led to an influx in women being diagnosed with ADHD later in life, yet limited research has examined the role late diagnosis has on self-perception. This review seeks to answer the following question: How does a delayed ADHD diagnosis impact the self-perceptions of women with ADHD? A qualitative thematic analysis of peer-reviewed studies was conducted using academic databases, prioritized research that explored women’s lived experiences with late-diagnosed ADHD and its effects on self-concept, stigma, masking, and internalized ableism. Findings revealed that a diagnostic delay significantly impacts women's self-perceptions, leading to low-self-esteem, ongoing struggles to meet gendered and societal expectations, the use of masking strategies to conform to neurotypical norms, and the internalization of ableism and stigma that reinforce negative self-identities. However, receiving a diagnosis can serve as a transformative experience, enabling self-compassion, identity reconstruction, and empowerment, particularly when supported by neuro-affirmative approaches. The review concludes that clinicians can support late-diagnosed women with ADHD by implementing gender-responsive, neuro-affirmative approaches that promote positive identity reconstruction, self-understanding, and acknowledgement of strengths. Future research should examine intersectional factors including race, culture and socioeconomic status to inform more inclusive and equitable mental health practices.
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