Essays On Criminal Behaviour, Human Capital Formation, And Mental Health, Diego F. Salazar

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My thesis consists of three chapters that contribute to the study of some of the negative consequences of incarceration and their relation with the life-cycle choices of juvenile offenders.

Chapter 2 studies the causal relationship between incarceration and mental health problems. In this chapter, I use different matching estimators to identify the causal effects of incarceration over several dimensions of mental health using data from a survey of juvenile offenders, the Pathways to Desistance (PTD) survey. My findings show that being incarcerated for the first time, between 17 and 18 years old, increases depression by at least 0.18 standard deviations …

Timely Access To Maternal, Neonatal And Child Healthcare For Rural Communities In Rwanda: The Role Of Community Health Workers, Jean Bosco Bigirimana

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Abstract

Introduction: In Rwanda, although there has been some progress in health care delivery as expressed in the reduction in maternal and child mortality, rates are still high and geographically variable. Improving equitable access to quality healthcare services for maternal, neonatal and child healthcare (MNCH), community-based maternal, neonatal and child healthcare (CBMNCH) depends upon using “community health workers” (CHWs). Yet CHWs program faces difficulties that upset delivery of the quality of the comprehensive package of services. Unfortunately, little is known about CHWs` performance and job satisfaction in the provision of CBMNCH.

Goal: The study aimed to provide insight into …

Hardiness, Perseverative Cognition, Anxiety, And Health-Related Outcomes: A Case For And Against Psychological Hardiness, Christopher M. Kowalski

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The present study investigates the utility of psychological hardiness as well as the differences between rumination and worry. Undergraduate students completed questionnaires assessing hardiness, worry, rumination, mindfulness, neuroticism, anxiety, somatization, coping, and health. Correlations and partial correlations controlling for neuroticism were examined. Hardiness was negatively correlated with neuroticism, rumination, worry, and anxiety and positively correlated with mindfulness, coping, and health. When neuroticism was statistically controlled, the relationships between hardiness and rumination, health, and coping became nonsignificant, and the relationships between hardiness and worry, mindfulness, and anxiety although attenuated, remained significant. Rumination and worry positively correlated, but when neuroticism was statistically …

Mindful Resilience: Investigating Mindfulness And Resilience In Relation To A Broad Range Of Adversity, Aaron J. Halliday

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This dissertation research sought to establish a complex understanding of the relationships between adversity severity, resiliency, mindfulness (and its mediating mechanism components: reperceiving, values clarification, exposure, cognitive-emotional-behvioural flexibility, and self-regulation). Through one cross-sectional (N = 914) and one repeated-measures study (Time 1 N = 1891; Time 2 N = 990) these relationships are investigated using online questionnaire batteries and assessed via multiple regression analysis. Initial findings demonstrated an effective, reliable, and valid assessment of adversity severity was developed and that this variable contributes to the experience of adversity and the resiliency process. Additional findings indicated the majority of the …

The Impact Of Beauty, Body Image, And Health Discourses On Eating Disorder Risk In South Asian-Canadian Women, Nazia Bhatti

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This study explores socio-cultural influences that impact South Asian women’s self-perceptions and eating behaviours. The findings revealed that cultural gender ideologies played a substantial role in shaping the way women view themselves and their bodies. The analysis of interviews conducted with seven South Asian-Canadian women between the ages of 19-29 years, demonstrate that women’s perceptions of their own physical appearance is framed within the context of their South Asian cultural identity and cultural norms. This study was approached through the lens of post-colonial feminism by examining cultural factors that contribute to South Asian women’s increased risk for developing eating disorders. …

Rekindling The Flame: An Exploration Of The Relationships Between Health, Culture And Place Among Urban First Nations Men Living In London, Ontario, Cindy Smithers Graeme

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In this dissertation, I present the findings of a community-based participatory research project with the Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre (SOAHAC). Embracing a decolonizing methodology that draws upon strengths-based and intersectional approaches, I qualitatively explore the relationships between health, culture and place among urban First Nations men living in the city of London, Ontario.

Indigenous cultures are broadly defined as a “systems of belief, values, customs, and traditions that are transmitted from generation to generation through teachings, ecological knowledge and time-honoured land-based practices” (McIvor & Napoleon, p. 6). Culture is increasingly recognized as an important determinant of Indigenous health …

Probiotic Yoghourt For Health, Nutrition And Women's Empowerment In Kenya: A Community-Based Approach, Ellena Andoniou

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The dissertation aims to examine the impacts of probiotic yoghourt on health, nutrition and women’s empowerment within the context of HIV/AIDS in Kenya. Mixed methods that combine quantiative and qualitative approaches are used to understand the effects of probiotic yoghourt on the health, nutrition and quality of life for men and women. Results of the quantiative analysis (n=227) demonstrated that the probiotic yoghourt confers a variety of health benefits – physiological (fewer urogenital conditions and digestive problems; reduced dependence on medical treatment), and psychological (perceived improvements with bodily appearance, felt an increased meaningfulness with life). Results of the qualitative analysis …

Transnational Engagement And Immigrants’ Well-Being In Canada, Jonathan Anim Amoyaw

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After migration, most immigrants do not dissociate themselves from their relational networks in their homeland. Instead, they nourish, reproduce, and maintain ties with their non-migrant relatives and friends by engaging in various forms of transnational activities. Within the transnational paradigm, remittances are central to maintaining transnational relationships. Immigrants’ demonstration of affection and solidarity in the absence of physical propinquity and intimacy is highly contingent on their remittance transfers. Over the years, the motives, determinants, benefits, and consequences of these financial flows on the well-being of recipients in origin communities have been extensively studied. However, the existing literature is mainly informed …

Social Connectedness, Social Support And The Health Of Older Adults: A Comparison Of Immigrant And Native-Born Canadians, Natalie Iciaszczyk

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Considerable research exists on the influence of social relationships for health in old age. However, few studies have compared the associations of social connectedness and social support with the health of older adults. Using data from the CCHS-Healthy Aging, this study examines how these constructs are related to the self-reported health status of immigrant and native-born adults aged 65+. Results show that social connectedness and social support are differently associated with health in later life; whereas connectedness is linked to better health, social support is negatively related with health once levels of social connectedness are considered. Furthermore, these associations hold …

Essays On Human Capital Complementarities, Hiroaki Mori

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The thesis consists of three chapters that study the interplay between skills and health in shaping labour market outcomes. I focus on two distinct but related issues: i) the wage losses among older workers due to work-limiting health conditions, and ii) the long lasting effects of childhood health conditions on human capital formation. Chapter two studies how health conditions among older workers affect their wages depending on the characteristics of their occupations. The U.S. Social Security Act defines disability as the inability due to health conditions to perform physically or mentally demanding tasks. To examine the potentially task-specific nature of …

The Sixties Scoop Among Aboriginal Veterans: A Critical Narrative Study, Munira Abdulwasi

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This study explored the experience of Aboriginal Veterans adopted and/or fostered during the Sixties Scoop using critical narrative inquiry. The objectives were to: 1) understand the lived experience of Aboriginal veterans adopted and/or fostered during the Sixties Scoop, 2) explore any health needs expressed by Aboriginal veterans adopted and/or fostered during the Sixties Scoop, and 3) provide recommendations for the implementation of health services and programs to assist this group of Aboriginal veterans with their health needs. Eight individual interviews were conducted with participants in Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Vancouver. All interviews were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using …

Canadian Post-Secondary Students, Stress, And Academic Performance – A Socio-Ecological Approach, L. Nicole Versaevel

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The purpose of this integrated-article dissertation was to examine stress and health in Canadian post-secondary students. Data from the spring 2013 National College Health Assessment (NCHA) was utilized in study one and two. This dataset is comprised of 34,039 students from 34 self-selected Canadian postsecondary institutions who took part in the NCHA survey. Study one examined the impact of stress, identified stressors and predicted which students were more likely to experience stress. Stress was the most commonly identified impediment to academic performance and 57.6% of students reported more than average stress. Most frequently reported stressors include; academics, finances, and sleep …

Older Woman Workers: Met And Unmet Needs For Health And Wellbeing In The Workplace, Gillian Gorfine

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Older women workers report experiencing occupational injustices however the literature focuses on barriers faced rather than understanding the needs-based strategies empowering women as they age at work. This study engaged women aged 55 and older in a participatory action research project defining and examining strategies for older women workers’ health and wellbeing. In Phase 1, a key informant advisory group (N = 4) defined the problem and guided the design of an open answer survey conducted with 72 older women in work. Three categories emerged informing the fundamental, instrumental, and contextual needs of older women workers. Meeting fundamental needs may …

Return To Work After Retirement: Contributing Factors And Health Implications, Jason Settels

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An issue of mounting importance in many industrialized nations, including Canada, is that of population aging. Because of fears that this trend could result in labour force shortages, many national governments and international organizations have encouraged policies aimed at prolonging the working life. This thesis builds on work that has been done to identify factors relevant to the likelihood of involvement in post-retirement work by examining how interactions among various demographic variables impact this likelihood. Furthermore, we investigated how post-retirement work is related to three measures of health and well-being. As well as confirming results obtained by others, we have …

A Seat At The Table: A Nonconformist Approach To Grassroots Participation In The Articulation Of Health Standards, Leanne Bekeris

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This paper assesses the need to articulate standard protocol in regards to decision making and monitoring of biomedical and ecosystem health in Canadian Aboriginal communities. This is critical, as standards in Aboriginal communities are applied by external regulators. Absence of collaboration between the Aboriginal community, healthcare institutions, and the federal government has perpetuated the deterioration of health among Aboriginal people through structural violence. This thesis utilizes toxicity results from the University of Western Ontario’s Ecosystem Health Team’s biomonitoring study of Walpole Island First Nation, which reveals that the absence of community input regarding health standards, combined with a fear of …

“We Should Be Listening To Our Elders”: Evaluation Of Transfer Of Indigenous Knowledge Between Anishinabe Youth And Elders, Kassandra Kulmann

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Indigenous knowledge (IK) (knowledge held by Indigenous peoples regarding local environments, ways of life and culture) can potentially improve health and environment conditions. This thesis examines IK transfer between Anishinabe Elders and youth. A knowledge translation intervention was applied to address community concerns regarding decline of IK transfer between Elders and youth.

Youth were hired to participate in a summer school and interview Elders regarding environment and health issues. Qualitative interviews were conducted with youth before and after their internships to evaluate their experiences and IK uptake. The summer school and internships were effective for facilitating IK transfer between Elders …

Underemployment, Unemployment, And Mental Health, Heather L. Maddocks

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Inadequate employment, through unemployment or underemployment is expected to have consequences for the health and well-being of Canadians. This dissertation presents three studies centered on the relationship between underemployment and mental health. In the first study, ideal indicators for underemployment are described, and the stress process model is proposed as a theoretical framework for understanding the relationship between underemployment and adverse health outcomes. The second and third studies use data from a community-based survey conducted in London, Ontario, Canada in 1994/5 and 1996/7. Four indicators of underemployment are used including: lower income or benefits than in a previous job, involuntary …