Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Understanding Perceptions Of Breast Health In A Southern Appalachian Community, Hannah Leigh Shinault

Doctoral Dissertations

Culture is central to how individuals perceive and understand health. Thus, the Appalachian culture impacts how Appalachian women perceive and maintain breast health. Using information about the broader Appalachian region and the Southern Appalachian sub-region, specifically, as well as the existing body of literature about cancer, culture, and communication theory, this qualitative study describes breast health from the point of view of women and health information providers in this region in order to better communicate about breast health maintenance practices.

Results from this study will allow individuals working with breast cancer patients and prevention to better understand how cultural identity …

Communication, Control, And Time: The Lived Experience Of Uncertainty In Adolescent Pregnancy, Elizabeth Dortch Dalton

Doctoral Dissertations

This study qualitatively examined the lived experience of uncertainty among pregnant adolescents. Utilizing a phenomenological approach, long interviews were conducted with 10 pregnant adolescent women between the ages of 15-18 years. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using the process of phenomenological explication. Data, emergent themes, memos, and a detailed audit trail were maintained using the qualitative data analysis package Nvivo 10 for Mac (beta version). Findings can be summarized with eight themes that underlie the essence of uncertainty in adolescent pregnancy: suspicion and denial, disclosure and reactions, controlling the flow of information, relational renegotiation, the emerging reality of pregnancy, information …