Communication electronic theses and dissertations (MU)
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The items in this collection are the theses and dissertations written by students of the Department of Communication. Some items may be viewed only by members of the University of Missouri System and/or University of Missouri-Columbia. Click on one of the browse buttons above for a complete listing of the works.
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Item "I was looking for answers" : identity gaps in transracial adoptees after direct-to-consumer DNA testing(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Kent, Jana; Warner, Colleen[EMBARGOED UNTIL 12/01/2026] Using the communication theory of identity and critical interpersonal and family communication as frameworks, this project explored the identity experiences of adult transracial adoptees (TRAs) who have taken a direct-to-consumer (DTC) DNA test. Transracial adoption--often involving White parents and children of color--creates a visible difference between parents and children which can create unique difficulties in identity development and belonging. To navigate these challenges, adoptees turn to DTC DNA testing to learn about their genetic background. However, there is little research within family communication about how DTC DNA testing influences TRAs identity. Therefore, twenty one adults TRAs who have taken a DTC DNA test were interviewed. The first research question explored motivations for taking a DTC DNA test and included two themes: personal motivations and relational motivations. The second research question examined how DTC DNA test results impacted TRAs identity gaps and included four themes: more than American, mom and dad, speaking the language, and phenotypic enactment. The final research question investigated how TRAs managed identity gaps that were brought about or highlighted by the DTC DNA test experience and included three themes: taking pride, adoptee community involvement, and boundary setting. This project contributes to family communication research as well and adoption and identity theorizing. Implications of this study expand understanding of the interdependent nature of identity layers, especially the enacted layer, as well as highlight the need to decenter the standard North American family in family communication research. Practically, findings offer guidance to TRAs considering taking a DTC DNA test, parents of TRAs, and members of the genetic testing industry.Item Digital belonging and online participation : increasing sense of belonging and facilitating online engagement among Chinese and Chinese Americans(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Cen, Xu; Riles, Julius[EMBARGOED UNTIL 12/01/2026] Chinese and Chinese Americans have faced heightened discrimination following the COVID-19 outbreak, contributing to diminished belonging in U.S. society. Digital technologies provide opportunities to connect locally and globally, potentially mitigating social isolation. This dissertation examines whether exposure to culturally valued content and Chinese-language in U.S. social media influences belonging, and how belonging affects emotional well-being and online civic engagement. Drawing on social identity theory and self-determination theory, the study also explores moderation by individuals' need to belong and differences by gender and native language. An online experiment (N = 242) used a 2 (cultural content: positive vs. negative) × 3 (language: Chinese, English, dual-language) + control design. Measures included belonging, well-being (happiness, self-esteem, anxiety, loneliness), and intentions for online participation. Results showed that short-term exposure had no direct effect on belonging, but belonging strongly predicted improved well-being and increased online participation, with anxiety partially mediating this relationship. Positive cultural cues encouraged constructive engagement, while negative or Chinese language cues prompted negative participation. Gender and language moderated some outcomes, with women showing higher participation intentions and bilingual contexts affecting well-being among native Chinese speakers. These findings highlight the behavioral influence of digital media on online engagement and the importance of cultural and language context in shaping experiences.Item Accepting the language of the lost : the development and validation of the Stigma Message Acceptance Scale for Substance Use (SMAS-SU)(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Hayes, Virgil Lee; Houston, J. Brian[EMBARGOED UNTIL 08/01/2026] The purpose of this dissertation was to develop and validate the Stigma Message Acceptance Scale for Substance Use (SMAS-SU), a novel instrument designed to measure attitudinal acceptance of others' use of stigma messages directed at people who use drugs. Grounded in Smith's Model of Stigma Communication (MSC), SMAS-SU captures acceptance of mark, label, peril, and etiology content--key components of stigma messaging. The study addressed the gap in existing social stigma measures, which largely rely on direct approaches that may be vulnerable to social desirability bias and fail to capture implicit attitudes. The validation process involved three studies. Study One established content validity through expert panel review, leading to refinement of scale items. Study Two used exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to identify the scale's factor structure, resulting in a four-factor solution aligned with MSC's content cues. Study Three employed confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to assess structural validity, as well as tests of convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity. The results demonstrated that SMAS-SU is a reliable and valid tool for assessing acceptance of stigma messages in both public and professional contexts. The development of SMAS-SU offers important contributions to stigma research, theory, and practice. It provides scholars, clinicians, and health communication practitioners with a means of assessing stigma communication acceptance that can inform intervention efforts, training programs, and future scale development for other stigmatized conditions.Item The influence of adolescent experiences on emerging adults' social media habits and well-being(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Lorenz, Emily Patricia; Behm-Morawitz, ElizabethThis dissertation seeks to explore several gaps related to social media experiences and well-being. First, while there is research demonstrating that active and restrictive parental mediation may have positive results for adolescents, there is a dearth of research seeking to understand whether these adolescent experiences relate to well-being and social media habits of emerging adults. Further, although active, communication-based mediation can have positive outcomes for adolescents, little research explores the content of this communication. This study seeks to explore memorable messages emerging adults remember hearing about social media as well as potential relationships with social media habits and well-being. Finally, while there is a body of research exploring parental mediation and how it influences adolescent social media habits, much less research seeks to understand how peer experiences, such as mediation and peer pressure, influence social media habits and experiences. This research project explores how adolescent experiences from both parents and peers relate to social media habits and well-being for emerging adults, who are experiencing increased mental health challenges. This project used a mixed methods approach to explore its aims. A survey was distributed in the fall of 2024. Participants (N = 402) were recruited from ResearchMatch, a program of the National Institute of Health, and from a large midwestern university. The survey included questions measuring parental and peer mediation, as well as a mix of problematic (e.g. social media addiction, mental distress, FoMO) and positive outcomes (e.g. well-being, media literacy, social capital) that could relate to these experiences. The survey also included two open-ended prompts to solicit memorable messages emerging adults remember hearing from parents and peers about social media. The results indicate that both parental and peer experiences regarding social media during adolescent years may have a lasting influence on emerging adults. Active parental mediation experiences were related to well-being, life satisfaction, and media literacy, whereas restrictive mediation predicted social media addiction, FoMO, and mental health challenges. Peer mediation predicted well-being, sense of purpose, social media addiction, and FoMO. Peer pressure predicted social media addiction, perceived digital overuse, mental health challenges, and FoMO. These results indicate that parents should be encouraged to continue active mediation, but more cautious about restrictive practices that may not be considered supportive. Further, peer experiences should not be overlooked, as they relate to emerging adults' social media habits and well-being and deserve further study. Memorable messages were analyzed using phronetic iterative qualitative data analysis (Tracy, 2013). Parental memorable messages focused on three primary themes: encouraging safe and responsible social media behavior (including subthemes be careful and protect your reputation), shaping evaluations of social media (including subthemes be critical and social media is negative), and influencing social media habits (including subthemes parental control, social media and connection, and no message). Messages that aligned with active mediation were correlated with support. Three primary themes also emerged when examining peer memorable messages: presenting and protecting yourself (including subthemes posting and presentation and warnings), emphasizing social benefits (including subthemes connection and join and FoMO), and understanding outside influences (including subthemes parental control, negative experiences, and no message). Several significant relationships emerged between the peer message subtheme recalled and outcomes. Join and FoMO messages predicted reduced FoMO, Warning messages from friends predicted reduced social media overuse, and receiving messages about posting and presentation predicted mental health distress. This indicates that exploring and comparing memorable messages from multiple sources -- in this case, from parents and peers -- can enhance understanding of emerging adults' socialization experiences. Overall, the findings from this dissertation demonstrate the potential long-term impact of both parental and peer communication about social media during adolescence. Given the links between social media use and mental health, future research should continue to explore peer experiences, memorable messages, and parental mediation and their relationships with social media habits and well-being over time.Item Persuasion in the era of distrust : the influence of evidence transparency and AI-assistance(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Kim, Go-Eun; Warner, Benjamin R.This study had two primary objectives: (1) to identify effective persuasive message strategies that reduce audience resistance stemming from distrust and preexisting biases, and (2) to examine the persuasive influence of author attribution. A between-subjects experiment (N = 1,435) employing a 2 (evidence type: demonstrative vs. testimonial) x 2 (author attribution: AI vs. human) plus a control condition design, evaluated persuasive effectiveness regarding climate change impacts in Miami. Drawing on the concept of evidence transparency, the research distinguishes demonstrative evidence, characterized by high transparency and detailed explanations of scientific processes, from testimonial evidence, characterized by lower transparency and reliance primarily on expert authority. Results indicated that demonstrative evidence significantly increased message acceptance compared to testimonial evidence, although it did not similarly enhance policy support. Author attribution (AI vs. human) alone showed no direct persuasive effects. However, mediation analyses revealed underlying mechanisms. Specifically, demonstrative evidence primarily enhanced persuasion by reducing perceptions of threat to freedom. Additionally, while author attribution had no direct impact, human-attributed articles indirectly improved persuasive outcomes by enhancing perceived message credibility. Overall, these findings highlight that demonstrative evidence, emphasizing transparent and detailed explanations of scientific methodology, is recommended as an effective strategy to improve persuasive outcomes, particularly among audiences characterized by distrust and skepticism.