Current sociopolitical climates for LGBTQ+ individuals in South Asian countries are hostile, and South Asian communities within America will often reflect similar beliefs. Likewise, there might be an unfavorable atmosphere for LGBTQ+ individuals at faith-based institutions. As such, for South Asian college students enrolled in Christian institutions, their religious context and South Asian cultural practices and values might combine to shape their attitudes towards LGBTQ+ people. To explore this understudied topic, I utilized semi-structured interviews with South Asian students at a Christian institution. Thus far, I have interviewed four participants and intend to complete at least eight interviews to meet the qualitative analysis standard. Preliminary examination reveals our participants’ tendency to avoid conversations about the LGBTQ+ community, and they connected this tendency to South Asian culture. In contrast, they noted that LGBTQ+ topics were actively discussed on their Christian campus. Our study hopes to expand on the research surrounding intersectional identities and their impact on the individual.

People have avoided art therapy for a long time due to the belief that they cannot use it to cope with their mental health problems if they do not have artistic ability. Luckily, people can use this form with or without art skills. In Europe, this type of therapy originated in the 1940s. During a tuberculosis outbreak, art therapy helped patients cope with their illness. It is safe to assume that anyone can benefit from art therapy based on that information alone. A number of studies have examined people's mental health symptoms before and after sessions. That raises the question: How can art therapy affect others in the long term in the mental health field? In a variety of studies, they reported significant symptom improvement after art therapy interventions. It was not only people’s symptoms that improved but it was also shown that their self-esteem was positively oriented. This literature review will help identify the stigma surrounding this form of therapy. It will also help identify how art can be a healthy way to cope and express themselves. 

When discussing ways to alleviate the effects of poverty, the focal point of policy decisions tend to center on improving material poverty. However, there is a growing recognition that poverty includes temporal constraints as well as material. Time poverty is defined as the lack of discretionary time available for rest, socialization and leisure once accounting for time spent at work and during necessary, committed activities. This study was designed to identify a relationship between time poverty and wellbeing in college students, as well as if race could be a suitable predictor for time poverty. I hypothesized that students with higher perceived and actual time poverty will report lower scores in wellbeing, and that this disparity will also be seen with students of colour. Through a Qualtrics questionnaire, 161 participants completed a modified version of the national American Time Use Scale (ATUS) designed to understand how people spend their daily time. They then answered questions about their perceived general wellbeing, then questions centering their perceived time poverty. The results from a regression analysis suggested that only perceived time poverty (M = -.0068, SD = .64919) negatively predicted wellbeing, R^2 = .325, F(5,150) = 14.41, p < .001, where higher scores predicted lower wellbeing (β = .564, p < .001). Actual time poverty and race were not found to predict well being, nor was there a significant interaction between race and time poverty on wellbeing.​ The results of this study likely stem from low reliability of the materials and indicate a need to create a smaller-scale measure for time poverty in specific demographics (e.g. college students). However, the effect subjective time poverty has on wellbeing supports past literature, and reinforces the importance of improving time constraints.

A primary stressor of college students is financial insecurity. Research estimates that 36% of college students are food insecure, 36% lack reliable housing, and 9% experienced homelessness in 2018. Sources of financial stress for college students typically include housing, tuition and other academic expenses, credit card debt, familial responsibilities, and employment status. Furthermore, research has also shown that psychological stress correlates with decreased sleep quality. During periods of intense stress, an individual may have more frequent disturbances during sleep, sleep for fewer hours, and adopt later waking times (Galambos et al., 2013). This study investigates the relationship between financial insecurity and sleep quality of students attending a 2-year college in Washington state. More specifically, this study aims to determine the impact of a sleep wellness workshop on the sleep quality of college students. Data collection will occur through an online Qualtrics survey before and after the sleep wellness workshop. The Qualtrics survey includes modified Sleep Quality Scale questions, the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). It is hypothesized that experiencing financial insecurity will positively correlate to poorer sleep quality. It is predicted that this relationship is mediated by stress and that the sleep wellness workshop will improve sleep quality in college students. Understanding factors that contribute to poor sleep quality is vital as sleep plays a key role in maintaining proper cognitive functioning. The results of this study are intended to improve current resources, as well as implement new resources, concerning sleep quality and stress of college students.

Research, and evolutionary theory, demonstrates that romantic relationships and platonic friendships fulfill different needs and are necessary for survival and critical for reproductive success. These relationships can be highly gendered with different dynamics. Usually, women’s same and cross-sex friendships are more fulfilling and richer. However, there is limited research looking at romantic relationships and platonic friendships and the individual differences and characteristics within these relationships. The current research explores how gender, sexuality, and heteronormativity impact the assessment, comparison, and characteristics between platonic and romantic relationships. We explore which individuals break out of traditional gendered friendship norms and seek similar interactions within their platonic friendships and romantic relationships. 194 Participants answered a questionnaire measuring the different characteristics desired in platonic friendships and romantic relationships. This survey was answered twice, once while thinking about a platonic friend and again for a romantic partner. Relationship characteristics were measured by scales, created by the researchers, that looked at emotional intimacy, physical intimacy, quality time, action affection, verbal assurance, and relationship perception. Romantic relationships had no difference between genders or sexualities for any of the scales. However, there were significant differences between genders and sexualities found in platonic relationships. Non-heterosexual women and non-binary individuals had higher engagement and support and had the highest overall assessment ratings within their platonic relationships. Heterosexual men and non-heterosexual women differed the most in their ratings for all platonic relationship characteristics, heterosexual men having lower scores on average. This supports previous research that men have less fulfilling relationships than women.