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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
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- Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences (27)
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Articles 1 - 30 of 50
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Exploring The Distinction Between Support And Enabling In Families With Substance Use Disorder, Krystal N. King
Exploring The Distinction Between Support And Enabling In Families With Substance Use Disorder, Krystal N. King
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
Substance use disorders (SUD) are a pervasive public health problem facing families in the United States. Although families are frequently urged to support loved ones who have SUD and cautioned against enabling them, there is a dearth of literature that distinguishes between supporting and enabling. Through qualitative interviews, this phenomenological study examined the experiences of eight parents with adult children with SUD who were currently in recovery. Five themes emerged from the data including: (a) living in despair, (b) addiction and recovery knowledge, (c) support group philosophy, (d) coping with addiction, and (e) differentiation. The results from this study suggest …
Foster Caregiving: How Interactions With The Child Welfare Agency Impact Foster Parent Satisfaction, Recruitment, And Retention, Ethan Engelhardt
Foster Caregiving: How Interactions With The Child Welfare Agency Impact Foster Parent Satisfaction, Recruitment, And Retention, Ethan Engelhardt
Theses and Dissertations--Social Work
Professionals of the child welfare system in Kentucky have continuously worked to retain and recruit new foster parents for the foster care system. Foster parents are uniquely placed in a surrogate caring position for children removed from their homes for reasons of abuse or neglect. Foster parents accept this role and step in to provide a safe and loving household for many children. There are more than 9,000 children placed in Out of Home Care (OOHC) on any given day in Kentucky, leaving many children in need of a loving and supportive household. Foster parents hang in the balance between …
Assessing 4-H And Its Circle Of Courage In A Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility: A Case Study, Elizabeth Steering
Assessing 4-H And Its Circle Of Courage In A Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility: A Case Study, Elizabeth Steering
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
This 4-H case study takes place in a psychiatric residential treatment facility (PRTF) in Kentucky. The PRTF provides clinical services to youth that are not able to be safely maintained in their homes due to having demonstrated unsafe or harmful behaviors. Youth admitted to the PRTF stay for an average of three to six months while they receive intensive therapeutic and psychiatric care as well as medical treatment and public schooling. The current case study incorporates programming from 4-H, which is the youth development program of the Cooperative Extension System (CES) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), …
The Isolated As The Revolutionary: How “Leftover” Men In China Challenge Heteronormativity, Ruwen Chang
The Isolated As The Revolutionary: How “Leftover” Men In China Challenge Heteronormativity, Ruwen Chang
Theses and Dissertations--Gender and Women's Studies
In contemporary China, demographers estimate that 30 million men are single because there are simply not enough women in the Chinese population, and the 2020 Chinese census shows that there are 34.9 million more men than women. These men are called guanggun, which can be directly translated to “bare sticks/branches,” a slur that indicates a lack of marriage and sex. In this project, I demonstrate that guanggun’s singlehood marks them as the marginalized at the intersection of heteronormativity, patriarchy, globalizing capitalism, and pronatalist governmentality. In a highly heteronormative and patrilineal culture, guanggun are branded as abnormal/incomplete. However, because …
The Influence Of Sociopolitical Factors On Adolescents’ And Youths’ Development, Banafsheh Aghayeeabianeh
The Influence Of Sociopolitical Factors On Adolescents’ And Youths’ Development, Banafsheh Aghayeeabianeh
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
Youths and adolescents are one of the major perpetrators of antisocial and deviant behaviors, which have deleterious consequences for both the perpetrators and society. Although there is extensive literature on youth and adolescent antisocial behavior, some correlates of youth antisociality are not known yet. As such, the present study is devoted to understanding the micro- and macro-level predictors of youth and adolescents’ antisociality in three contexts. Three empirical studies applying bioecological systems theory and analyzing data from the International Dating Violence database using Mixed Effects Models were conducted to investigate the ecology of the development of antisocial behaviors among youth. …
Longitudinal Dynamics Between Parenting And Adolescent Deviance: Direct Links And Underlying Mechanisms, Dan Liu
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
The current dissertation, based on three separate and yet closely related studies, tested the longitudinal dynamic relationships of maternal and paternal parenting factors with adolescent deviance, the direct links as well as underlying mechanisms. Study 1, based on longitudinal data collected from 570 early adolescents, part of the Brno Longitudinal Study of Youth (BLSY), used latent growth modeling and tested the development of three parenting measures, including parental solicitation, knowledge, and peer approval, and deviance during early adolescence, as well as the developmental (i.e., growth to growth) links of these three parenting measures with adolescent deviance over time. Results indicated …
Spiritual Mentoring During Emerging Adulthood: A Dyadic Perspective, Jeffrey L. Reed
Spiritual Mentoring During Emerging Adulthood: A Dyadic Perspective, Jeffrey L. Reed
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
Mentoring relationships have long been identified as a valuable means for supporting identity development in young adults and assisting these individuals in navigating life transitions. The guidance and stability afforded by mentoring relationships can be particularly beneficial to individuals undergoing transitions in their personal or professional lives, or both, and are thus well-suited to play a meaningful role in the lives of emerging adults. Emerging adults are also in a unique developmental stage in which they experience increased freedom and opportunity for exploration away from parents and guardians. While this freedom often results in increased risky behavior, it also allows …
Unboxing The Japanese Sojourning Mom’S Pediatric-Going Experience: A Phenomenlogical Study Of Culturally And Linguistically Appropriate Health Services, Carolyn Oldham
Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences
This study explores how twelve former Lexington-area Japanese sojourning mothers define culturally and linguistically appropriate services and how culture, gender and language shaped their health care beliefs, behaviors and experiences in pediatric settings. It is a naturalistic, pragmatic line of inquiry born in collaboration with Japanese sojourning moms across cups of matcha 末茶 and mugicha 麦茶. Framed by constructivist and intersectionality research lenses, this phenomenological study seeks to understand how study participants perceived the cultural and linguistic appropriateness of their interactions with Lexington-area pediatric offices and to begin to ascertain the meanings they created based on their subjective experiences. Its …
Exploring The Effects Of Colorism On Relationship Quality, Kara Burns
Exploring The Effects Of Colorism On Relationship Quality, Kara Burns
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
Many scholars have suggested that the division of enslaved Black people based on skin tone was one of the biggest factors that influence current intraracial tension and biases, referred to as colorism. The present study examined how colorism can affect romantic relationships through aspects of colorism, skin tone satisfaction, social comparison, racial awareness, and couples satisfaction. The present study used individual data from 46 middle income Black individuals residing in the South, who self-reported on colorism, racial identity, and relationship quality via online survey. Correlations between the key variables were examined. Correlations between colorism and skin tone satisfaction, a negative …
Birth Mothers’ Experiences Of Support Before, During, And After Adoptive Placement, Ciara Watkins
Birth Mothers’ Experiences Of Support Before, During, And After Adoptive Placement, Ciara Watkins
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
The current study explores the perceptions and experiences of support in a sample of birth mothers who relinquished parental rights though open or closed private adoption (e.g., religiously, and non-religiously affiliated private adoption agencies, adoption attorneys). Participants (N = 51) were birth mothers who placed a child for adoption at birth or within several months and who relinquished parenting rights 8 months to 50 years ago, with (M = 15.39) years since placement. A thematic analysis uncovered six overarching themes throughout the relinquishment process. Further, prevalence of themes in certain phases (i.e., pre-placement, during placement, post-placement) were shared among all …
A Qualitative Examination Of The Agency Of Women In Their 30s And 40s Who Use Dating Applications, Tera Buerkle
A Qualitative Examination Of The Agency Of Women In Their 30s And 40s Who Use Dating Applications, Tera Buerkle
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
The use of dating applications (apps) to find romantic and sexual partners is widespread across age groups, however, there is a paucity of research on dating apps with those in middle adulthood. Sexual script theory suggests that women’s agency (i.e. the ability to act in one’s own best interest) may be impacted by expectations from an inherently sexualized context, such as dating apps. Feminist theory contends that women’s agency is complicated by gender socialization due to the imbalance of power in society that greatly favors men. In this study seventeen women aged 30 to 49 completed in-depth semi-structured interviews, and …
The Development Of A Couple Observational Coding System For Computer-Mediated Communication, Martha S. Rackets
The Development Of A Couple Observational Coding System For Computer-Mediated Communication, Martha S. Rackets
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
Many romantic couples integrate text and computer-mediated communication (CMC) into their relationship dynamics, both for general relationship maintenance and for complex dynamics such as problem solving and conflict. Romantic couple dynamics are interactional, dynamic, and sequenced in nature, and a common method for studying interactions of this nature is observational analyses. However, no behavioral or observational coding systems exist that are able to capture text-based transactional couple communication. The main purpose of this dissertation was to develop an observational coding system that can be used to assess sequenced computer- mediated, text-based communication that takes place between romantic partners. This process …
The Relationship Of Self-Esteem On Pornography Viewership And Relationship Satisfaction In German Couples, Trenton Mcclure
The Relationship Of Self-Esteem On Pornography Viewership And Relationship Satisfaction In German Couples, Trenton Mcclure
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
The Relationship of Self-Esteem on Pornography Viewership and Relationship Satisfaction in German Couples. The current study aimed to examine the relationship between husbands’ and wives’ perceptions of self-esteem and relationship satisfaction as mediated through the frequency of pornography viewership at the individual and dyadic level. Using the VSA model, this study utilized the pairfam dataset, which is a nationally representative German sample. Data from 369 participants were analyzed using three structural equation models; a combined male and female anchor model, a male only anchor model, and a female only anchor model. This current study found that males’ and females’ self-esteem …
Social Networks, Identity, Health, And Quality Of Life Among Older Gay And Lesbian Individuals In Rural Environments, Marc Aaron Guest
Social Networks, Identity, Health, And Quality Of Life Among Older Gay And Lesbian Individuals In Rural Environments, Marc Aaron Guest
Theses and Dissertations--Gerontology
The goal of this dissertation was to explore aging lesbian and gay individuals living in rural communities, in terms of their social networks and the relationships between these networks, identity, health, and quality of life. Guiding the study were three overarching questions. Using a multi-method design, the research was grounded within a socio-ecological context and focused on how structural systems create pathways for health and are affected by social position (intersectionality). Participants (n=25) were recruited from Kentucky (n=20), West Virginia (n=3), and Tennessee (n=2). Thirteen participants self-identified as gay and twelve as lesbian. Findings highlight the complexity of the aging …
Retirement Planning Versus Family Support: What Drives Peoples` Decisions?, Radion Svynarenko
Retirement Planning Versus Family Support: What Drives Peoples` Decisions?, Radion Svynarenko
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
A slight majority of American households headed by 55–64-year-olds do not have any savings for retirement, and those who have retirement savings have a median of around $109,000 saved, which is equivalent to an inflation-protected annuity of $405 per month (i.e., well below the official poverty level). Among the main reasons cited for the lack of retirement savings among parents is a desire to provide financial support to their young adult children. Indeed, on the whole, parents spend twice as much on financial support of their adult children as they save for retirement (Merryl Lynch, 2018). Understanding the precursors and …
Mortgage Loans And Financial Security Among Middle-Aged And Older Americans, Qun Zhang
Mortgage Loans And Financial Security Among Middle-Aged And Older Americans, Qun Zhang
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
Mortgage loan debt is prevalent among middle-aged and older Americans. With higher average outstanding balances, many people are unlikely to pay off their mortgage debt by retirement. Meanwhile, as people age, health shocks are more likely to occur. Medical expenses may compete with mortgage payments and relate to financial insecurity in later years. In order to alleviate financial strain during times of financial hardship, senior homeowners may find reverse mortgage the solution they are looking for. Targeting American adults age 50 and older, this dissertation investigates mortgage loan debt and financial security using panel data from the Health and Retirement …
Maternal Relationships, Bullying, And Deviance: A Comparison Of Adolescents With And Without Medical Conditions, Kristina M. Hayes
Maternal Relationships, Bullying, And Deviance: A Comparison Of Adolescents With And Without Medical Conditions, Kristina M. Hayes
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
The purpose of the current study was to examine and compare the quality of the mother-adolescent relationship, the prevalence of bullying and cyberbullying perpetration and victimization, and the prevalence of externalizing behaviors, as well as the relationship among these constructs, in a clinical and a nonclinical sample of adolescents. It tested a series of hypotheses focused on group differences in the mother-adolescent relationship, peer victimization, and externalizing behaviors (i.e. deviant behaviors and bullying perpetration) for the clinical and nonclinical samples. It also tested the relationships between the mother-adolescent relationship and peer victimization, deviant behaviors, and bullying perpetration, and whether these …
A Study On The Determinants Of Childbirth In Primary Local Government Districts In South Korean ‘Do’ Metro Provinces, Seungmin Kim
A Study On The Determinants Of Childbirth In Primary Local Government Districts In South Korean ‘Do’ Metro Provinces, Seungmin Kim
MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects
Korea is experiencing a very serious low fertility rate. As of 2017, Korea has a fertility rate of 1.05, which is the lowest among the G20 countries. The low fertility rate can lead to pension burden problems and economic recession problems. In particular, the Primary Local Government Districts ((PLGDs) in "Do" Metro provinces in Korea may have a problem of a decrease in the agricultural population, and the reduction of organizational and administrative functions due to the reduction of fiscal income. To solve the low fertility rate, we need to identify factors that affect childbirth, and to engage in policy …
“Dad, Do You Want To Play With Me?” The Impact Of Fathers Who Make Time For Play, Michael S. Sitton
“Dad, Do You Want To Play With Me?” The Impact Of Fathers Who Make Time For Play, Michael S. Sitton
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
With an increase in the pace of life in the United States, there comes a recognition of the importance of prioritizing time, especially for fathers. Of the two-thirds of children who live with their father, only a percentage of them have fathers who report regular play time with their children. However, literature in the field does not explain specifically whether or not this play between father and child influences the child’s later risk taking behaviors in high school. Using data from the 2003 Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), waves 3, 4, and 6, this quantitative study sought to …
Exploring Factors Facilitating Sexual Self-Disclosure For Women, Caitlin Marie Grasson
Exploring Factors Facilitating Sexual Self-Disclosure For Women, Caitlin Marie Grasson
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
Sexual Self-Disclosure is an important part of a relationship, however, often times, women do not feel it is appropriate to engage in. Specifically, many women do not disclose their sexual preferences, or what acts they do or do not find satisfying, with their partner. This lack of sexual self-disclosure keeps women from being able to have their own sexual needs met. This phenomenological study aimed to understand the factors that facilitate sexual self-disclosure for women in relationships. The participants (n=8) were women between the age of 24-30 who were in a committed sexual relationship for more than three months, but …
Factors Impacting Parental Acceptance Of An Lgbt Child, Dani E. Rosenkrantz
Factors Impacting Parental Acceptance Of An Lgbt Child, Dani E. Rosenkrantz
Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology
Chrisler’s (2017) Theoretical Framework of Parental Reactions When a Child Comes Out as Lesbian, Gay, or Bisexual suggests that parental reactions to having a non-heteronormative child are impacted by a process of cognitively appraising information about their child’s identity and experiencing and coping with emotional responses, both of which are influenced by contextual factors such as a parent’s value system. However, some religious values can challenge parents in the process of accepting a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) child. The purpose of this study was to test a model that examines the influence of cognitive-affective factors (cognitive flexibility, emotional …
The Association Between Smartphone Use And Emotional Intelligence On Romantic Relationship Satisfaction Among Young Adults, Ellen Kaiser
The Association Between Smartphone Use And Emotional Intelligence On Romantic Relationship Satisfaction Among Young Adults, Ellen Kaiser
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
This study bridges the gap in the literature about the association between smartphone use and emotional intelligence on romantic relationship satisfaction. A sample of 161 undergraduate students between the ages of 18 and 26 at the University of Kentucky were recruited to complete an online survey about their smartphone usage, emotional intelligence, and romantic relationship satisfaction. Associations between smartphone usage and emotional intelligence, smartphone usage and romantic relationship satisfaction, and emotional intelligence and romantic relationship satisfaction were found. Specifically, productive smartphone usage was found to be positively associated with romantic relationship satisfaction, while problem smartphone usage was found to be …
Mom To Mom: Online Breastfeeding Advice, Jennifer D. Furkin
Mom To Mom: Online Breastfeeding Advice, Jennifer D. Furkin
Theses and Dissertations--Communication
Exploring online support groups has gained more and more popularity in the last decade. Investigating the type of support messages users send each other has broadened the already extensive social support framework built in the last forty years. Mothers utilize online support for various topics, and a very common topic is breastfeeding. The perception of breastfeeding has changed throughout history with shifting beliefs and societal norms coupled with solid facts about its importance in the sustaining of infants. Online breastfeeding support has been previously explored through the categorization of types of support and themes within the interactions. This study extended …
Pathways From Religiosity To Couple’S Satisfaction Through Relational Virtues And Equality In Two Cultures, Ilya A. Okhotnikov
Pathways From Religiosity To Couple’S Satisfaction Through Relational Virtues And Equality In Two Cultures, Ilya A. Okhotnikov
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
To explore relational processes of couple’s satisfaction this study drew on the relational spirituality framework (Mahoney, 2010) in order to test a relational religiosity model to evaluate the effects of public, private, ideological, intellectual, and experiential religiosity that were mediated by relational virtues of commitment, sacrifice, forgiveness, and sanctification and relational equality on couple’s satisfaction in two cultures. Data for this component used convenience samples of English-speaking respondents (hereafter American sample; n = 1,529) and Russian-speaking respondents (hereafter Russian sample; n = 529). Results provided evidence to partially support relational religiosity model; specifically commitment, while a statistically significant intervening element, …
Rape Myth Acceptance: A Vignette Approach, Alyssa M. Campbell
Rape Myth Acceptance: A Vignette Approach, Alyssa M. Campbell
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
The purpose of this study was to empirically examine the extent to which rape myth acceptance (RMA) varies according to four key contextual factors—race, the victim–perpetrator relationship, resistance strategies, and the decision to report—among those embedded within college and military cultures. Although sexual assault in a university context has been thoroughly investigated, it is typically in comparison to the general population that may not share the same high-risk elements that promote the environment for sexual assault. Therefore, comparisons of college, military, and a general population were sampled to better understand the attitudes that maintain RMA in these high risk environments. …
Body Image And Sex: How Women's Body Image Influences And Impacts Sexual Experiences, Sarah E. Christian
Body Image And Sex: How Women's Body Image Influences And Impacts Sexual Experiences, Sarah E. Christian
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
Body image, the subjective view about one’s own body and how others perceive it, has been shown to have numerous impacts on women in multiple facets of their lives, including sexual experiences. This study seeks to examine the specific impact that body image has on women using sexual relationships for self-validation. Findings suggest that the more likely a woman is to perceive herself as overweight, the higher the chance that she seeks out sex in order to validate her feelings with regards to her body. Parental involvement and comments about the participant’s body were also shown with the woman seeking …
Reducing Depression Among Older Adults: Informal Helping Versus Volunteering, Salih Salihoglu
Reducing Depression Among Older Adults: Informal Helping Versus Volunteering, Salih Salihoglu
MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects
Volunteerism is an unpaid productive activity that is exercised within a formal organization to benefit others that are not part of family or friends (Musick & Wilson, 2008). Alternatively, individuals could engage in informal helping which would be an activity undertaken outside a formal, structured organization. This paper addresses whether informal helping is also effective in reducing depression for older adults alongside volunteering. I hypothesize that informal helping is effective in reducing depression only when exercised for short durations. On the other hand, I hypothesize that volunteerism is only effective when exercised for long periods of time. I try to …
"Don't Have Sex, You'll Get Pregnant And Die!": Female University Students' Experiences With Abstinence-Only Education, Jillian Grace Norwick
"Don't Have Sex, You'll Get Pregnant And Die!": Female University Students' Experiences With Abstinence-Only Education, Jillian Grace Norwick
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
Based on the various changes in sexual education, many schools throughout the United States still teach abstinence-only education. There is a plethora of literature on the effectiveness of sexual education programs as well as adolescent sexual practices. However, there is a deep gap in literature on students' perspectives of their sexual education and the possible effects it has on their experiences while in college. Therefore, this phenomenological study aims to explore and describe the essence of the experience female university students have regarding the abstinence-only education they received during secondary schooling. The informants (n=12) were 19-22 year old female university …
Family Dinner Across Generations: My How Times Have Changed?, Dayna E. Parrett
Family Dinner Across Generations: My How Times Have Changed?, Dayna E. Parrett
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
In an effort to determine differences between family dinners across generations, this study examined typical family dinners of participants and how they have changed across the four generations addressed. Previous qualitative research has been conducted to determine communication frames that occur during family dinners and the effect of parenting styles on family dinners, but little research connecting generational differences to family dinners has been published. Data were collected from a homogeneous sample of twenty-four women living in three counties across the Commonwealth of Kentucky. By asking open ended questions during interviews, similarities and differences between family dinners across generations were …
College-Educated, African American Women's Marital Choices, Katherine M. Oliver
College-Educated, African American Women's Marital Choices, Katherine M. Oliver
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
This study explores the desire to marry, marriageable mate criteria, and marital choices/options as they pertain to college-educated, African American women within today’s society. A purposive, nationally based sample (N = 95) of never married, college-educated, African American women (i.e., 18 to 40 years of age) was gathered via an online survey accessed by an emailed link. A mixed methods approach was utilized within the survey design, followed by data analyses (i.e., frequencies, two-way analyses) interpreted through a theoretical framework of social exchange. Areas discussed include life goals of marriage, cohabitation, and career; romantic barriers; the perceived availability of …