https://etd.auburn.edu/handle/10415/2 2026-06-27T09:48:12Z 2026-06-27T09:48:12Z Saxey, Matthew https://etd.auburn.edu/handle/10415/10423 2026-06-26T19:57:58Z 2026-06-26T00:00:00Z

Cushions and Conversations: Prevention Science Insights into Family Financial Resource Management Saxey, Matthew At the intersection of human development and family science, family systems theory, and prevention science lies the study of how families transcend challenges, with family financial resource management standing out as one of the most pervasive and consequential challenges across the lifespan. This two study dissertation examined two actionable leverage points that may help individuals, couples, and families navigate financial resource management more effectively: emergency savings and couple relationship skills. Study 1 used a large, representative sample of active-duty military personnel (N = 11,483) and insights from the Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response model (Patterson, 1988) to identify the levels of emergency savings most strongly associated with subjective financial well-being. Savings amounts ranged from no savings (reference group) to more than six months of savings. Linear regression models that were adjusted for meaningful contextual variables and Wald testing assessed associations in the overall sample and whether effects varied by rank, marital status, and budgeting behaviors. A clear incremental pattern emerged: except for having less than one month of savings, greater savings amounts were consistently linked with better financial well-being, with one to three months appearing “good,” four to six months “better,” and more than six months “best.” This pattern held across the socio-economic spectrum, with one exception, and these savings amounts appeared even more beneficial for those who were married and for those who followed a monthly budget or spending plan. Overall, these findings offer a deeper understanding of emergency savings among military families and underscore avenues through which education and policy efforts may support their financial well-being and, ultimately, mission readiness. Study 2 drew on longitudinal data from 1,192 socio-economically and racially diverse, different-gender couples to test whether improvements in three foundational relationship skills—relationship intentionality, shared connection, and conflict management—were associated with improvement in financial communication following participation in a relationship education program. Using data collected at two timepoints approximately one year apart, we first assessed within‑person change in the three relationship skills and financial communication. Guided by the Money and Sex Model (MSM) in romantic relationships (Leavitt & LeBaron-Black et al., 2025), we tested whether improvement in relationship skills was associated with improvement in financial communication for both men and women. Latent change score models, which were adjusted for meaningful contextual variables, revealed that developing each skill was related to developing better financial communication for both men and women. Building core relationship skills may be a meaningful approach to improving couples’ financial communication. Together, these studies underscore the value of attending to meaningful contexts, point to implications for education and policy, and identify directions for future research that may integrate constructs from both studies. We hope this work contributes to enhancing the lives of individuals, couples, and families in the years ahead.

2026-06-26T00:00:00Z Beane, Cambria https://etd.auburn.edu/handle/10415/10422 2026-06-22T14:53:29Z 2026-06-22T00:00:00Z

Midfrontal Theta Activity and Social Decision Making in Binge Drinkers Beane, Cambria Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) are highly comorbid, and their comorbidity is associated with worse outcomes for both disorders. Social avoidance behavior (SAB) influences the development of SAD and has also been associated with alcohol misuse. Further, EEG research has shown that the frontal midline theta (FMθ) is involved in approach-avoidance conflict and altered in people with AUD relative to healthy controls. Importantly, binge drinking is a known risk factor for the development of AUD; this risk is enhanced when combined with SAB. However, little is known about the neurophysiological underpinnings of SAB in people who binge drink. The current study used a community and undergraduate sample, placed into either an infrequent user control or binge drinking group. Drinking patterns and social anxiety were assessed at baseline, and FMθ activity and SAB were measured with a social approach-avoidance conflict task during an EEG session. There were no differences in FMθ activity, response time, or avoidance behavior between the infrequent user control and binge drinking groups in response to ambiguous and conflict face morph stimuli. As such, these results indicate that FMθ may not differ between those who engage in binge drinking and those who infrequently consume alcohol and that the neural and behavioral correlates of social conflict processing may differ from those of other conflict stimuli (e.g., financial risk).

2026-06-22T00:00:00Z Alathamneh, Shadi https://etd.auburn.edu/handle/10415/10421 2026-06-11T13:46:36Z 2026-06-11T00:00:00Z

Enhancing Preconstruction Education Through Applied Uses of Artificial Intelligence Alathamneh, Shadi This dissertation examines the intersection of Building Information Modeling (BIM)-based Quantity Takeoff (QTO), preconstruction education, and customized generative AI tools to address the growing need for digital upskilling in construction management (CM), industry skill gaps, and changing expectations for graduate competencies. The study was guided by three related research questions. First, a systematic review was conducted using the PRISMA method to examine the current state of BIM-based QTO research. The review found that BIM-based QTO can improve productivity, accuracy, and completeness in estimating tasks, while challenges remain related to professional skills, CM graduate competencies, and software functionality. Second, the dissertation developed and evaluated DrCGPT, a custom AI teaching assistant created in Microsoft Copilot Studio to support undergraduate students in construction estimating tasks. Student feedback indicated neutral-to-positive experiences and suggested that the AI agent was a useful learning resource, although students continued to value interaction with instructors and peers. Third, the dissertation examined the use of AI agents as primary instructional tools for asynchronous BIM-based QTO learning. Findings indicate that dialogue-tree-based AI agents, supported by controlled knowledge bases, successfully guided students through structured technical tasks and supported self-paced learning, while limitations remained in flexibility and contextual understanding. Overall, this dissertation provides a case-based framework for educators and industry professionals with limited programming experience to responsibly integrate AI agents into teaching and upskilling practices.

2026-06-11T00:00:00Z Preston, Thomas https://etd.auburn.edu/handle/10415/10420 2026-06-10T13:29:31Z 2026-06-10T00:00:00Z

Examination of Acute Stress on a Neurophysiological Indicator of Incentive Salience in Cannabis Users Preston, Thomas Cannabis is one of the most widely used illicit substances in the United States, in part due to recently increased accessibility and inaccurate perceptions regarding negative health effects associated with use. Rates of Cannabis Use Disorder are expected to increase, lending to more research determining markers of disordered use, which may be targeted for intervention. Broadly, chronic substance use is associated with neurophysiological alterations in reward processing, such that the relative motivational value of stimuli indicative of substance use is greater than benign or even naturally-rewarding cues. Further, repeated substance use is known to alter how the body responds to stress, impacting attentional engagement towards substance relevant and irrelevant cues, as well as substance-related craving. Despite a breadth of literature spanning this topic, there remains a dearth of research examining how acute stress impacts neurophysiological reward processing in people with Cannabis Use Disorder. The current study sought to address this gap by measuring a neurophysiological marker of early attentional engagement, the P300, to cannabis, naturally-rewarding, and neutral pictures after an acute lab-induced stressor. Results were partially consistent with models of addiction, whereby acute stress diminished P300 amplitude to neutral and naturally-rewarding images but did not affect P300 amplitude to cannabis images. These novel findings offer insight into how those with Cannabis Use Disorder react to various cues during acute stress induction and provide future avenues of potential intervention.

2026-06-10T00:00:00Z