Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Are We Accurately Counting The Disabled Population In The United States?, Nastassia Vaitsiakhovich, Scott D. Landes, Bonnielin K. Swenor

Population Health Research Brief Series

Over 1 in 4 Americans are disabled (26.8%), yet health disparities for this subpopulation remain under-addressed. Tackling health disparities for people with disabilities requires effective public health and disability policies that cannot be developed without standardized and accurate disability data. The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) annually collects data on health outcomes for the non-institutionalized U.S. population, including those with disabilities. The questions to measure disability in the NHIS have changed over time, raising concerns about how these changes affect the accuracy of the count of people with disabilities in the U.S. This brief summarizes findings from a recent study …

Mothers Of Disabled Children Faced Numerous Challenges During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Amy Lutz, Sujung (Crystal) Lee, Baurzhan Bokayev

Population Health Research Brief Series

The COVID-19 pandemic changed life dramatically for most families, but particularly for families with a disabled child. Mothers of disabled children faced increased difficulties during the early months of COVID-19 compared to other families. Reduction in services, school closures, and managing paid work drastically impacted caregivers’ mental health. This brief summarizes results from a recent study on the challenges mothers of disabled children faced during the COVID-19 pandemic during the Spring of 2020 in Central New York.

In Rural America, Older Adult Vaccination Rates Were Higher In Counties With More Aging And Disability Services, Yue Sun, Danielle Rhubart

Population Health Research Brief Series

Aging and disability services (ADS) played an important role for older adults in the COVID-19 vaccination rollout, including sharing information, providing transportation, and serving as vaccination sites. Using data from the National Neighborhood Data Archive and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this data slice describes the relationship between county ADS availability and older adult (ages 65+) vaccination rates. It finds that rural counties with higher ADS density have higher older adult vaccination rates. Because of the high risk of COVID-19 mortality and hospitalization for older adults and the large shares of older adults in rural areas, rural county …

Physical Health Impacts Of Grandparenting Children With Disabilities, Ynesse Abdul-Malak, Madonna Harrington Meyer

Population Health Research Brief Series

Although caring for grandchildren with disabilities often brings substantial joy to grandparents, it can adversely impact grandparents' physical health. For many grandparents, caring for their grandchildren makes them feel younger, mostly because they are more physically active and maintain healthier diets.

Childhood Misfortune And Handgrip Strength Among Black, White, And Hispanic Americans, Natalie R. Smith, Kenneth F. Ferraro, Blakelee R. Kemp, Patricia M. Morton, Sarah A. Mustillo, Jacqueline L. Angel

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Objective: Although early-life insults may affect health, few studies use objective physical measures of adult health. This study investigated whether experiencing misfortune during childhood is associated with handgrip strength (HGS) in later life.

Method: Data on childhood misfortune and adult characteristics from the Health and Retirement Study were used to predict baseline and longitudinal change in HGS among White, Black, and Hispanic American men and women.

Results: Regression analyses revealed that multiple indicators of childhood misfortune were related to HGS at baseline, but the relationships were distinct for men and women. Over the study, having one childhood impairment predicted steeper …

22q Deletion Syndrome Awareness, Emily Cavarretta

Honors Projects

The final outcome of the 22q11.2 Deletion syndrome project is a brochure to be used for public awareness. The brochure can be used in physician offices, university health colleges, and classes for health students. Individual research and input from the interviews are included. It includes pictures of children with 22q Deletion and the categories "What is 22q," "What Everyone Should Know," "Who works with individuals with 22q," "Advice to Parents from Parents," and "Tips for Teachers." Lastly, there is a Resources section for further information and picture citations.

Aging Farmers With Disabilities: From Ommission To Belonging, Elizabeth Depoy, Stephen Gilson

Poster Presentations

This poster presents research investigating assets and unmet needs of aging farmers with disabilities, a diversity population that is often omitted from research, analysis, policy, and services. The session will detail the research and then, based on the findings, attendees will be guided through analysis and discussion of how AUCD can respond.

Families And Employment Of People With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities: Results From A Scoping Study, John Kramer, Jennifer Bose, Jean Winsor, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

Purpose: Recent policy changes expanding community employment for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) and awareness of the important role of family members as facilitators of these opportunities motivated this scoping review of the literature on family engagement with the IDD service system.

Methods: Researchers used Arksey and O’Malley’s six-stage scoping review methodology (2005) to map a wide range of literature to discover the resources and strategies available to families supporting people with IDD to find employment; the resources and strategies to support people with IDD and families to develop a vision of employment; and the resources and strategies to support …

The Good, The Bad, And The Indifferent: Physical Disability, Social Role Configurations, And Changes In Loneliness Among Married And Unmarried Older Adults, David F. Warner, Scott Adams, Raeda Anderson

University Library Faculty Publications

Objectives: To examine how social role configurations (SRCs)—combinations of the quality of spousal, family, and friend relationships—moderate the association between functional limitations (FLs) and loneliness among married and unmarried older adults and whether this differs by gender.

Method:Longitudinal data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project on married (n = 945) and unmarried (n = 443) older adults (aged 57-85 years). Latent class analysis was used to identify SRCs. Tobit regression models examined the associations between FLs, SRCs, and loneliness.

Results: Nine SRCs were identified. The effectiveness of SRCs for coping with FLs did not …

Life History From The Vantage Point Of A Cane, Elena Ford

Poster Presentations

According to Kaiser (2018) “Appearance style is a metaphor for identity”. And while the typical body can project the self through selecting, donning, and displaying fashion, the disabled body has been denied that critical mode of self-expression, until recently. Lack of clothing choice has prevailed due in part to benign and even intentional neglect and omission of disability from both fashion design and display. As a result of negative attitudes towards disability, expectations are perpetuated that function should trump any concern with aesthetics, and that attention to fashion and appearance is petty and frivolous. Yet, the increasingly omnipotent visual culture …

Prevalence And Trends In Morbidity And Disability Among Older Mexican Americans In The Southwestern United States, 1993–2013, Marc A. Garcia, Adriana M. Reyes

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This study examines the prevalence of morbidity and disability among older Mexican Americans using 5-year age groups. Twenty-year panel data from the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly are used to make detailed comparisons by nativity and gender. Results show that prevalence rates for most chronic conditions for both males and females do not vary by nativity. For disabilities, nativity is a significant predictor of increased instrumental activity of daily living disability for foreign-born females and reduced activity of daily living disability for U.S.-born males. Additionally, results show significant interactions between nativity and age cohorts, with …

Support Experiences Of Church-Going Christian Foster And Adoptive Families Of Children With Special Needs, Taylor Weaver

Senior Honors Theses

Much research is done on the populations of families of children with special needs, church-going Christian families, and foster and adoptive families, but little exists on the families who fall into all three categories. This thesis seeks to help remedy this problem by studying the support experiences of these families. Existing research on foster and adoptive families, families with special needs, and disability in the church is reviewed. A phenomenological study of five parents’ lived experiences was completed through interviews, where three main themes emerged: the importance of informal support, the need for formal support, and the integral role of …

Disability Imagery: A Bastion Of Social Change, Faith Perez, Renee Stronach, Class Of Dis 450 Disability: Population-Environment

Poster Presentations

In the visual and material culture of the 21st century, image is power. This inquiry used thematic analysis to examine the meanings of disability imagery on a continuum from tragedy to an inevitable and celebrated part of human diversity and provocateur of social change. Five themes emerged: disability as tragic (exclusion, isolation, fear); disability as inspiration porn (disabled people are brave or special just for living); close but not quite (some positive imagery segregation and impairment are foregrounded); and celebration of disability as human diversity (the goal for change).

A Mother's Spiritual Journey With Her Disabled Son: An Autoethnography, Margaret C. Higgins Edd

Dissertations

Abstract

This autoethnographic research delves into a mother’s experiences with her disabled son over thirty-five years. Beginning with a thick description of the crib accident that resulted in physical and cognitive disabilities that profoundly change the course of both mother and son’s life, this research chronicles the search for meaning, community, and healing as they negotiate the realms of medicine, education, career, family, and spirituality. Models of disability that seek to explain various ways in which society often views disability are examined, but none resonate with the researcher’s intimate experiences nor satisfies her deepest needs for insight and healing. Making …

The Dynamic Effect Of Disability On Marriage: Evidence From The Social Security Disability Insurance Program, Ling Li, Perry Singleton

Center for Policy Research

This study examines the dynamic effect of disability on marriage. Data on disability and marriage come from the New Beneficiary Survey, designed to characterize new beneficiaries of the Social Security Disability Insurance Program. Using an event-study model, the study finds that disability onset decreased marriage among beneficiaries, but only at younger ages. The study further examines whether the effect of disability on marriage is due to formation, dissolution, or both, and whether the effect varies by educational attainment and subsequent mortality. The results highlight the importance of marriage selection in the oft-cited relationship between marriage and better health.

Can Social Media Reduce Discrimination And Ignorance Towards Patients With Long Term Conditions? A Chronic Kidney Disease Example In The Uk And More Widely, Shahid N. Muhammad, Amy J. Zahra, Howard J. Leicester, Heather Davis, Stephen Davis

Patient Experience Journal

Long Term Conditions (LTCs) are increasing in prevalence and cost in Western healthcare. Patients with such conditions are often classed as “disabled”, because of impacts of self-care on “activities of daily life” or secondary consequences of conditions (impairments) affecting factors such as mobility, concentration and communications. Disability needs are often ignored in the design of services and treatment of individuals. It manifests as services which some find difficult to use and lack of personal respect (discrimination) often based on lack of understanding by the healthcare profession itself (ignorance). This paper explores how Social Media (SM), an example “Assistive Technology” in …

Research Brief: "Aging Well Among Women Veterans Compared With Non-Veterans In The Women’S Health Initiative", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This study analyzes a veteran status' effects on aging among women 80 years and older. For policy and practice, this research clearly states that mental health and healthy behaviors are important for aging women, and that the VA should continue research on health needs of aging female veterans. Suggestions for future research include studies to better understand special health risks among older female veterans, how self-resiliency among female veterans affects their health as they age, and how educational attainment relates to older female veterans' health.

Siblinghood Through Disability Studies Perspectives: Diversifying Discourse And Knowledge About Siblings With And Without Disabilities, Ariella Meltzer, John Kramer

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Research about siblings where one has a disability has historically focused on the psychological outcomes of siblings of people with disabilities and has very rarely asked people with disabilities about their sibling relationships. This research focus represents the common individualizing approach and under-representation of people with disabilities that disability studies has argued against. Tracing the history of research about siblings and disability through de/institutionalization and towards current broader theories in disability studies, this article suggests that a range of disability studies perspectives can usefully de-individualize and expand research about siblings where one has a disability. Through examples of how materialist, …

Physical Disability And Increased Loneliness Among Married Older Adults: The Role Of Changing Social Relations, David F. Warner, Scott A. Adams

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Examining the social context of disablement, we investigated how changes in social relations affect loneliness among married older men and women. With longitudinal data on 914 married persons from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), we found that changes in the quality of marital and nonmarital relations moderate the effect of disability on loneliness in unexpected ways. Increases in negative marital quality buffer the effect of physical disability, while increases in nonmarital support exacerbate it. Although not predicted by existing theory, these findings are consistent with some prior work suggesting that health-related stressors, like physical disability, condition …

Caregiving, Services, And Advocacy Among Siblings Of Individuals With Disabilities, John Kramer, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

In today’s presentation, we will make a case for how and why a critical disability studies perspective would deepen and strengthen our knowledge about the lifelong experiences of siblinghood. We have a wide range of goals today and will present for you some of our current thinking on this relatively small, but expanding interest in sibling-disability research. First, we highlight how sibling disability research has differed and been narrower in focus than other research about siblings where neither has a disability and trace the reason for this to institutionalisation and deinstitutionalisation. We then identify the impact of the overwhelmingly psychological …

Acculturation, Gender, And Active Life Expectancy In The Mexican-Origin Population, Marc A. Garcia, Jacqueline L. Angel, Ronald J. Angel, Chi-Tsun Chiu, Jennifer Melvin

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Objective—This study examines the potential effects of nativity and acculturation on active life expectancy (ALE) among Mexican-origin elders.

Method—We employ 17 years of data from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly to calculate ALE at age 65 with and without disabilities.

Results—Native-born males and foreign-born females spend a larger fraction of their elderly years with activities of daily living (ADL) disability. Conversely, both foreign-born males and females spend a larger fraction of their remaining years with instrumental activities of daily life (IADL) disability than the native-born. In descriptive analysis, women with low acculturation report higher …

Finding Childcare For The Disabled Child: The Process And Decisions Through The Primary Caregiver’S Lens, Misty Dawn Torres

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

In this qualitative, Grounded Theory study, the researcher examined the process that primary caregivers go through when selecting a childcare placement for children who have special needs. Data were collected through participant interviews with primary caregivers (n=10) who responded to recruitment notices posted on (1) listservs by organizations directly affiliated with early intervention and child care services; (2) local Internet classified sites; and (3) through word of mouth. The research demonstrated that caregivers who learned of their child’s disability in a prenatal diagnosis or prior to an adoption identified with having a greater sense of choice and control over their …

Impact Of Disability On Celebration Of Wedding Anniversaries, Emily Lemaster

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine how married couples observe their wedding anniversaries. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 couples (four of which one partner has a disability) to determine how they celebrate their wedding anniversaries. This data was compared to how having a disability within the couple affects anniversary celebrations. Several themes emerged that were common among all participants including: an exchange of items, participants, reminiscing about the past, change within the marriage and celebration (which encompasses ritual and tradition). Few differences were noted in the couples who are living with disability. The most prominent is being …

Widening The Social Context Of Disablement Among Married Older Adults: Considering The Role Of Nonmarital Relationships For Loneliness, David F. Warner, Scott A. Adams

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Utilizing the stress process and life course perspectives, we investigated the influence of non-spousal social support on the associations between marital quality, physical disability, and loneliness among married older adults. Using data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), we found that the association between physical disability and loneliness was partially accounted for by the fact that physical disability was associated with less supportive nonmarital relationships. While physically-disabled older adults in higher-quality marriages were buffered from loneliness, supportive non-martial relationships did not offset elevated loneliness among those in low-quality marriages. These associations were largely similar for men …

Understanding How Race/Ethnicity And Gender Define Age-Trajectories Of Disability: An Intersectionality Approach, David F. Warner, Tyson H. Brown

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

A number of studies have demonstrated wide disparities in health among racial/ethnic groups and by gender, yet few have examined how race/ethnicity and gender intersect or combine to affect the health of older adults. The tendency of prior research to treat race/ethnicity and gender separately has potentially obscured important differences in how health is produced and maintained, undermining efforts to eliminate health disparities. The current study extends previous research by taking an intersectionality approach (Mullings & Schulz, 2006), grounded in life course theory, conceptualizing and modeling trajectories of functional limitations as dynamic life course processes that are jointly and simultaneously …

Are We Responsible For Who We Are? The Challenge For Criminal Law Theory In The Defenses Of Coercive Indoctrination And "Rotten Social Background", Paul H. Robinson

All Faculty Scholarship

Should coercive indoctrination or "rotten social background" be a defense to crime? Traditional desert-based excuse theory roundly rejects these defenses because the offender lacks cognitive or control dysfunction at the time of the offense. The standard coercive crime-control strategies of optimizing general deterrence or incapacitation of the dangerous similarly reject such defenses. Recognition of such defenses would tend to undermine, perhaps quite seriously, deterrence and incapacitation goals. Finally, the normative crime-control principle of empirical desert might support such an excuse, but only if the community's shared intuitions of justice support it. The law’s rejection of such defenses suggests that there …

Nursing Home Ownership And Public Policy: An Historical Analysis, K. R. Kaffenberger

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

In the early days of the United States, care of the disabled elderly outside the home meant the public almshouse. By the 1920s, private, nonprofit homes for the aged were prevalent. More recently, private, for-profit facilities have grown to dominate the field.

For-profit ownership has been controversial. Underlying the controversy is the concern that quality might be lowered in order to enhance profit.

This study asks why most nursing homes are privately owned and why most privately owned nursing homes are operated for profit. It does so with reference to The Nonprofit Economy, in which Burton Weisbrod describes a …

Choice, Conscience, And Context, Mary Crossley

Articles

Building on Professor Michael H. Shapiro's critique of arguments that some uses of new reproductive technologies devalue and use persons inappropriately (which is part of a Symposium on New Reproductive Technologies), this work considers two specific practices that increasingly are becoming part of the new reproductive landscape: selective reduction of multiple pregnancy and prenatal genetic testing to enable selective abortion. Professor Shapiro does not directly address either practice, but each may raise troubling questions that sound suspiciously like the arguments that Professor Shapiro sought to discredit. The concerns that selective reduction and prenatal genetic screening raise, however, relate not to …

Maternal Responsivity To A Child With A Disability: A Comparison In Single- And Two-Parent Families, Kristin Bollwinkel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research was to examine the differences between mothers in single- and two-parent families as they interact with their child with a disability. The sample consisted of 240 children with developmental disabilities and their mothers. Maternal interaction behaviors were measured using the Maternal Behavior Rating Scale. Demographic information, child characteristic measures, and family functioning variables were also considered. Analyses of covariance indicated that there were no differences between interaction behaviors of mothers in single- and two-parent families. However, relationships between income, education, and family cohesion, and the types of interactions displayed between mother and child were found. …