Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Holding On By Letting Go: Personal Agency As Maternal Activism, Amber E. Kinser

Amber E. Kinser

Despite the efforts of maternal advocates and feminists through 150 years or more, a great many mothers today feel dissatisfied, shortchanged, and/or inadequate in their own lives. Even those who have reckoned with the fact that standards for mothering are absurdly out of synch with the real lives that families are living in contemporary times, or have carved out comfortable personal and familial space for themselves just beyond, or far beyond, the margins of mainstream motherhood ideologies, often struggle nevertheless with a needling sense of unrest and lack of personal agency. Further, women who agree that maternal empowerment is an …

Mothered, Mothering & Motherizing In Illness Narratives: What Women Cancer Survivors In Southern Central Appalachia Reveal About Mothering-Disruption, Kelly A. Dorgan, Kathryn L. Duvall, Sadie P. Hutson, Amber E. Kinser

Amber E. Kinser

Informed by a mothering-disruption framework, our study examines the illness narratives of women cancer survivors living in Southern Central Appalachia. We collected the stories of twenty-nine women cancer survivors from northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia using a multi-phasic qualitative design. Phase I consisted of women cancer survivors participating in a day-long story circle (n=26). Phase II consisted of women cancer survivors who were unable to attend the story circle ; this sample sub-set participated in in-depth interviews (n=3) designed to capture their illness narratives. Participants' illness narratives revealed the presence of: (1) mothering-disruption whereby cancer adversely impacted the mothering role …

Book Review Of Mothers And Daughters: Complicated Connections Across Cultures, Amber E. Kinser

Amber E. Kinser

Excerpt: As both a daughter to a mother and a mother to a daughter, I have lived, and pushed against, and been formed by, the profound truth about mother-daughter relationships suggested by this book's title: it's complicated.

Our Family Functions: Functions Of Traditional Weddings For Modern Brides And Postmodern Families, Medora W. Barnes

Medora W. Barnes

In many ways the continued popularity of traditional weddings in the United States may seem surprising in light of the increased rates of divorce, cohabitation, and non-marital child-bearing in the latter half of the twentieth century, which have accompanied the rise of what has come to be called the "postmodern" family. This research draws upon in-depth interviews with twenty white, middle class women who recently had traditional weddings and explores the connections between the postmodern family context and the desirability of traditional weddings. Specifically, it examines how traditional functions of formal weddings are still relevant within contemporary society. Findings indicate …

Gender Differentiation In Paid And Unpaid Work During The Transition To Parenthood, Medora W. Barnes

Medora W. Barnes

The transition to parenthood may be especially difficult because relationships need to be largely reorganized to meet demanding new challenges. For scholars interested in gender inequality, the transition to parenthood is a critical time in which gender differentiation is generated by both economic and cultural forces. Although newly married childless couples tend to share both paid and unpaid labor rather equally, when men and women become parents, their patterns become increasingly differentiated by gender. Cultural beliefs that emphasize mothers as the primary parent and fathers as secondary reinforce unequal patterns in housework and childcare. Time availability models, bargaining perspectives, and …

The Potential Of Three Computer-Based Communication Activities For Supporting Older Adult Independent Living, Melinda Heinz, Jinmyoung Cho, Norene Kelly, Peter Martin, Johnny Wong, Warren Franke, Wen-Hua Hsieh, Joan Blaser

Johnny Wong

Technology has become an increasingly integral part of life. For example, technology allows individuals to stay in touch with loved ones, obtain medical services through telehealthcare, and enjoy an overall higher quality of life. Particularly for older adults, using technology increases the likelihood that they will maintain their independence and autonomy. Long-distance caregiving has recently become a feasible option where caregivers for older adults can access reports and information about their loved one’s patterns that day (e.g., food and medication intake). Technology may be able to offset age-related challenges (e.g., caregiving, accessing healthcare, decreased social networks) by applying technology to …

Sham Marriages, Ancillary Powers, And Moral Discourse: Toh Seok Kheng V. Huang Huiqun; Adp V. Adq, Siyuan Chen

Siyuan CHEN

Is marriage an institution (of public morality) or a contract (of private ordering)? In Toh Seok Kheng, the High Court concluded that it was unable to declare a “sham marriage” void just because the motives behind the marriage seemed improper. In ADP, the High Court held that since a void marriage meant there was no marriage to begin with, the “wife” was not entitled to maintenance, and there could not have been any “matrimonial assets” to be divided, unless she had a strong “moral” claim. This piece considers how the aforementioned moral-contractual dichotomy emerges in these cases.

Amendment Of The Abortion Law: Relevant Data And Judicial Opinion

John Noonan

No abstract provided.

Parental Leadership: The Mary Poppins Metaphor, Brad Van Alstyne

Brad Van Alstyne

Existing theories on leadership are usually based on efforts we are familiar with in which leaders are easily defined (work, war, sports, etc). Little analysis to date has been placed on the role of parents as leaders outside of the social sciences where the focus of the research is usually an offshoot of psychology or childhood development. The parent as leader is a unique focus in that there are several qualities of the parent role that are quite different from that of the typical supervisory roles we normally discuss, while at the same time it would be foolish to think …

Trojan Women And Devil Baby Tales: Jane Addams On Domestic Violence, Marilyn Fischer

Marilyn Fischer

In this discussion I will show how Addams used these bodies of knowledge in shaping a pragmatist-feminist analysis of the devil baby tales and of domestic violence. Pragmatists begin with people's concrete experience within specific, lived contexts and then return to experience to test their theories and concepts. Feminist pragmatists such as Addams give women's experiences central place. In her analysis of the devil baby tales and domestic violence, Addams presents the most marginalized women, not merely as victims, but as agents and artists in their own right.

New Hampshire Juvenile Sex Trafficking Survivor Urges Representatives To Vote Against Decriminalized Prostitution, Darlene Pawlik, Donna M. Hughes Dr.

Donna M. Hughes

Massachusetts Healthy Aging Data Report: Community Profiles, Elizabeth Dugan, Frank Porell, Nina Silverstein, Ruth Palombo, Stacey Mann

Nina Silverstein

The Massachusetts Healthy Aging Data Report: Community Profiles was created by researchers at the Gerontology Institute of the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston and commissioned by the Tufts Health Plan Foundation.

In this report, we have created a custom profile of nearly 100 healthy aging indicators for every city and town in Massachusetts including the 16 neighborhoods of Boston (367 Community Profiles). Each Community Profile is designed to help community residents, agencies, providers, and governments understand the older adults who live in their cities and towns – their ages, …

Massachusetts Healthy Aging Data Report: Community Profiles, Elizabeth Dugan, Frank Porell, Nina Silverstein, Ruth Palombo, Stacey Mann

Elizabeth Dugan

The Massachusetts Healthy Aging Data Report: Community Profiles was created by researchers at the Gerontology Institute of the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston and commissioned by the Tufts Health Plan Foundation.

In this report, we have created a custom profile of nearly 100 healthy aging indicators for every city and town in Massachusetts including the 16 neighborhoods of Boston (367 Community Profiles). Each Community Profile is designed to help community residents, agencies, providers, and governments understand the older adults who live in their cities and towns – their ages, …

Health And Safety Overregulation, Michael Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

The Resilient Self: Gender, Immigration, And Taiwanese Americans, Chien-Juh Gu

Chien-Juh Gu

Bits Of Belonging:Information Technology, Water, And Neoliberal Governance In India, Simanti Dasgupta

Simanti Dasgupta

India’s global success in the Information Technology industry has also prompted the growth of neoliberalism and the re-emergence of the middle class in contemporary urban areas, such as Bangalore. BITS of Belonging shows that this economic shift produces new forms of social inequality while reinforcing older ones. The study investigates this economic disparity by looking at IT and water privatization to explain how these otherwise unrelated domains correspond to our thinking about citizenship, governance, and belonging. The ethnographic study in this book shows how work and human processes in the IT industry intertwine to meet the market stipulations of the …

Breaking The Cycle Of Maltreatment: The Role Of Safe, Stable, And Nurturing Relationships, Terence P. Thornberry, Kimberly L. Henry, Carolyn A. Smith, Timothy O. Ireland, Sarah J. Greenman, Rosalyn D. Lee

Sarah Greenman

Purpose

We examine two research questions. First, does a history of child maltreatment victimization significantly increase the likelihood of maltreatment perpetration during adulthood? Second, do safe, stable, and nurturing relationships (SSNRs) during early adulthood serve as direct protective factors, buffering protective factors, or both to interrupt intergenerational continuity in maltreating behaviors?

Methods

Data come from the Rochester Youth Development Study that followed a community sample from age 14 to 31 with 14 assessments. Maltreatment victimization records covering birth through age 17 were collected from Child Protective Services records as were maltreatment perpetration records from age 21 to 30. Data on …

More Than A Babysitter: Exploring The Myths Of Male Parenting, Christian Thompson

Christian Thompson

Physician Orders For Life-Sustaining Treatment Form: Honoring End-Of-Life Directives For Nursing Home Residents, Judy Meyers, Crystal Moore, Alice Mcgrory, Jennifer Sparr, Melissa Ahern

Crystal Moore

The Physician Orders for LifeSustaining Treatment (POLST) form provides choices about end-of-life care and gives these choices the power of physician orders. The POLST form assures end-of-life choices can be implemented in all settings, from the home through the health-care continuum. The use of the POLST form was evaluated in a pilot study in nursing homes in two eastern Washington counties. Chart reviews and template analysis of interviews revealed the POLST form accurately conveyed end-of-life wishes in 19 of 21 cases. An informed consent process was evidenced in 16 of 21 cases, and the POLST form was congruent with residents' …

Analysis Of The Cdf Early Learning Community Trust Process Phase I, Sherrill W. Hayes

Sherrill W. Hayes

The Impact Of Adolescent Risk Behavior On Partner Relationships, Terence P. Thornberry, Marvin D. Krohn, Megan B. Augustyn, Molly Buchanan, Sarah J. Greenman

Sarah Greenman

Friendships Of Children With Disabilities In The Home Environment, Cheryl Geisthardt, Mary Jane Brotherson, Christine Cook

Christine C. Cook

Friendships are a valued aspect of life. Understanding the family and home aspects of friendships can help special educators to develop a broader understanding of issues supporting friendships for young children with disabilities. In this exploratory study, family interviews and home observations were used to examine friendships of children with disabilities (3 to 10 years old) at home. Results suggest many children with disabilities spend limited time with friends or peers in the home environment. In this sample, children with the greatest amount of contact with friends had disabilities that were mainly physical in nature, while children with behavior problems …

A Client-Based Description Of Reflecting Team-Work In Family Therapy , David Brown

David C. Brown

Though the practice of reflecting team-work has a strong theoretical base there has been little research examining its actual use. What has been written is primarily based on the therapist's and/or supervisor's experience, rather than the client's. This dissertation describes clients' perceptions of two different strategies of reflecting team-work that emerged from interviews conducted and analyzed using a moderately structured ethnographic interview methodology. The primary results suggested that reflecting team-work was helpful in providing clients with different perspectives; that in-room teams should be used sparingly during early therapy; that teams should reflect at least twice in-session; and that a three-person …

Gop Denying Women Basic Economic Rights, Alev Dudek

Alev Dudek

Medical, Developmental, And Mental Health Considerations, Heather Forkey, Linda Sagor

Heather Forkey

Citation: Forkey, H., Sagor, L. Medical, Developmental and Mental Health Considerations: Adoption from Foster Care (Chapter 7). In M. Henry (ed.) Adoption in the US: A Reference for Families, Professionals and Students. Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books, 2009. Link to book on publisher's website

The Complexity Of Role Balance: Support For The Model Of Juggling Occupations, K Evans, J Millsteed, Janet Richmond, M Falkmer, T Falkmer, S Girdler

Janet E Richmond PhD

Objective: This pilot study aimed to establish the appropriateness of the Model of Juggling Occupations in exploring the complex experience of role balance amongst working women with family responsibilities living in Perth, Australia. Methods: In meeting this aim, an evaluation was conducted of a case study design, where data were collected through a questionnaire, time diary, and interview. Results: Overall role balance varied over time and across participants. Positive indicators of role balance occurred frequently in the questionnaires and time diaries, despite the interviews revealing a predominance of negative evaluations of role balance. Between-role balance was achieved through compatible role …

Digital Australia 2016 (Da16), Jeffrey Brand, Stewart Todhunter

Jeffrey Brand

Digital Australia 2016 is the sixth iteration of empirical studies about demographics, self-report behaviours and attitudes around digital games. The current research is based on 1,274 households and 3,398 individuals of all ages living in those households. Adult participants responded to 80 questions about themselves and on behalf of all members of their households. The result reveals that 68% of the Australian population plays, although the proportion varies by age group. Predictably, 91% of children aged 5-14 play. However, the proportion of older adults aged 65 and over who play is as great as young children between ages of one …

Denial And Concealment Of Unwanted Pregnancy: "A Film Hollywood Dared Not Do", Susan Ayres, Prema Manjunath

Susan Ayres

The actual cases and two films examined in this essay challenge stock narratives of mothers who deny or conceal unwanted pregnancy as a monster, or a victim, and also challenge "legal norms, logic and structures" pertaining to unwanted pregnancy and neonaticide. This essay draws on films because of their influential power to "reach enormous audiences by combining narratives and appealing characters with visual imagery and technological achievement, ... stir deep emotions and leave deep impressions." For these reasons, Orit Kamir asserts that films are more compelling than "theoretical legal texts or even judicial rhetoric." The two films examined -- Stephanie …

Family Portraits: Past And Present Representations Of Parents In Special Education Text Books, Dianne L. Ferguson, Philip M. Ferguson, Joanne Kim, Corrine Li

Philip M. Ferguson

This paper analyses the descriptions of families of children with disabilities as contained in introductory special education texts over the last 50 years. These text books are typically used in pre-service teacher education courses as surveys of the education of ‘exceptional children’. The textbooks reflect the mainstream professional assumptions of the era about topics such as disability, special education, inclusion, and family/school linkages. However, they also shape the assumptions of the next generation of educators about these same topics. The paper summarises the results of a qualitative document analysis of a sample of these textbooks from two different eras. The …

Anticipatory Socialization Of Pregnant Women: Learning Fetal Sex And Gendered Interactions, Medora Barnes

Medora W. Barnes