Unpredictable Paths Into Care: Examining Hiv And Ms Care Relationships In Southern Ontario, Melissa Popiel

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In Canada, we often speak of caring for others as more than a social obligation; it is part of how we conceptualize ourselves and our humanity. Family/friend relationships can become strained, however, when providing care and support for people with complex and unpredictable chronic episodic illnesses, here termed episodic care. Relational impacts may be understood as influences and impacts directly related to the relationship between the carer and family member/friend. The purpose of this study is to create a middle-range grounded theory of episodic caring based on the relational impacts of carers for people living with HIV and MS. …

Who Is The Stranger Really? A Reluctant Autoethnography Of The Strange Situation Procedure, Tara Yazdani

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This paper aims to review the cross-cultural application of attachment theory as a western model of thought and practice. That is, this research aimed to recognize and question how embedded attachment theory has become in programming and education within North American academic and practical arenas. In applying the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) to a limited sample of Eritrean dyads, important considerations and questions arose regarding the cross-cultural application of this protocol. The aims of this research shifted toward further exploring these considerations and questions, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the new research aim emphasized how to inform future …

The Hold Me Tight Program For Couples Becoming Parents: A Mixed Methods Study, Debbie Wang

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

ABSTRACT

Attachment theory has made substantial contributions to the understanding of close relationships. The purpose of this study was to inquire whether an attachment-informed psychoeducational program is a feasible and effective intervention for couples expecting their first child. The overarching question was: Is an attachment-informed relationship enhancement program, such as Hold Me Tight^® (HMT), helpful to couples in strengthening their relationship and increasing their confidence in becoming first-time parents? The research question was addressed using a mixed-methods approach.

In the first phase, the Hold Me Tight^® program developed by Dr. Sue Johnson was modified for use with couples …

Uncovering The Processes And Consequences Of Egyptian Immigrant Parental Involvement In Their Children’S Education: Bridging Cultural Differences, Hend Shalan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Abstract

For more than a decade, researchers have concluded that immigrant parents face several barriers to becoming involved in their children’s education. All studies agree that language and cultural differences are the most significant barriers to immigrants’ involvement in their children’s education, yet we know little about what these cultural differences are and how these cultural differences influence the school involvement of immigrant parents. This study integrates theories of cultural differences, acculturation, and culture shock and the corresponding literature to investigate the lesser involvement of immigrant parents in school-related activities.

A focused ethnographic design was employed and a thematic analysis …

Attachment Representations In Mothers Of Young Children With Developmental Delay: Relations With Concurrent And Later Maternal Depression, Mary Catherine Hutchinson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Despite the importance of early parent-child attachment and maternal depression to child development and the vulnerability of children with developmental delay, maternal attachment representations and their relation to depression have not been studied in this population. In this study, I examined attachment representations (i.e., internal working models) in 47 mothers of 4- to 8-year-old children with developmental delay and explored the relation between these attachment representations and maternal depression assessed concurrently and again one and two years later. The Working Model of the Child Interview (WMCI) was used to classify representations as balanced (i.e., secure) or non-balanced (i.e., disengaged or …

A Qualitative Study Examining The Experiences Of Children Living In A Residential Treatment Program, Elisabeth Robson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this research project was to gain an understanding of the child's experience living in residential treatment and to explore the child's understanding of treatment and the therapeutic process. Limited information on this topic has been found in the research literature, therefore this study was also an attempt to add qualitatively to the body of knowledge on residential treatment, incorporating the child's perspective. Six children living in a residential treatment centre in Southwestern Ontario were interviewed. Their interviews were audio-taped, transcribed and analyzed using the grounded theory techniques of Strauss and Corbin (1998). Demographic information and treatment goals …

Self Appraisal In Later Life: Comparison Orientation And Well-Being, Angela Marie Pye

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study explores the relation between different comparison orientations, use of coping strategies and well-being in later life (N = 95; M = 76 years). Past research has identified individual differences in people's preference for comparison standards: some rely on social comparisons (to other individuals or groups), others use temporal comparisons (to the self at various points in time), a variety of both comparison types, or none at all. Mixed method analysis revealed that, although older participants generally preferred temporal comparisons to social comparisons, many people reported relying heavily on both standards and a considerable number relied on neither standard. …

Humour And Marital Quality: Is Humour Style Associated With Marital Success?, Melissa Johari

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Humour has been postulated to be an important variable contributing to success in romantic relationships. Most past research has tended to view humour as a unitary construct with invariably beneficial relationship effects (e.g., Hampes, 1992). However, if used maladaptively, humour may be a detriment to relationship success (Cohan and Bradbury, 1997). The purpose of the current study was to determine the relationship between adaptive/positive and maladaptive/negative styles of humour and quality of marriage. It was expected that positive humour is associated with higher marital quality, while negative humour is associated with lower marital quality. A secondary goal was to examine …

Learning, Earning And Parenting (Leap) Directive 39.0 Of Ontario Works: A Policy Analysis, Tracy Anne Smith-Carrier

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Learning, Earning and Parenting (LEAP) is a policy directive under Ontario Works that outlines three specific components to ‘assist’ teenage parents complete their high school education and garner important employment and parenting skills while receiving social assistance. According to the Government of Ontario, the three components addressed in the directive include: first, Learning—involves offering particular benefits to teenage parents to facilitate their completion of high school. Financial supports are purportedly allocated to LEAP recipients to ‘enable’ them to attain their Ontario Secondary School Diploma. Second, Earning—focuses on the acquisition of employment skills through training courses and employment opportunities. Third, Parenting—requires …

Emerging Strong From A Difficult Adolescence: A Qualitative Study Of Resilience, Vivian Horovitch

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight, second and third year university students who self-identified as having emerged intact from a difficult adolescence. Questions were asked with regard to stress, protective factors, resources, and coping strategies during adolescence, as well as about how they achieved a sense of well-being. Themes derived from qualitative analysis are highlighted in a chronological life story for each participant. Common themes for participants’ coping during adolescence included distraction and avoidance strategies, such as keeping active with sports, extracurricular activities, religion, or arts. More “mature” coping strategies emerged as participants neared early adulthood. These included strategies …

Professional Interventions With Parents At The Time Of The Sudden Death Of A Child, Linda Susan Charlotte Maxwell

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The sudden death of a child is likely the most traumatizing event a parent can experience. Traumatic death, and particularly the death of a child, increases the risk of a complicated grieving process in mourners. Little has been written with respect to the interventions of professionals with parents at the time of a sudden death of a child. The present study examines the experiences of parents with a variety of professionals from the time of death notification through the funeral. Twenty parents who were involved in Bereaved Families of Ontario participated in this study. The purpose was to examine the …

Restaging The Welfare Diva: Case Studies Of Single Motherhood And Social Policy, Iara Lessa

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The single mother has been an enduring and representative character in the development of social welfare. Casted as the embodiment of the various crises of the family which Western democratic nations have experienced throughout the twentieth century, she is the representative of what is outside the foundation of a desirable life: an economically dependent family unit without a male head. Nevertheless, the single mother is also an actual woman raising children alone struggling for survival under very adverse circumstances. In its materiality, it is this body, not the allegorical character, who is the subject of studies and interventions concerned with …

As If Born To: The Social Construction Of A Deficit Identity Position For Adopted Persons, Lise M. Beauchesne

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Many adopted persons report experiencing ongoing problems with identity, often resulting in feelings of personal deficiency to imprison their sense of self. The dominant position of the literature eon adoption individualizes and problematizes “identity” issues by locating the source of difficulties to individual traits of the adopted person and his/her adoptive family. Consequently, the struggle associated with the identity “adopted” is typically constructed as an individual struggle.

Drawing on my own lived experience as an adopted women, I have been engaged in a critical inquiry of the traditional view of adoption in order to understand the problem of identity not …

Supervised Access: A Qualitative Programme Evaluation, Bonnie Ann Gagne

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This qualitative evaluation examined the custodial and noncustodial parents' and children's experiences of using a supervised access programme. There were a total of forty-three interviews completed using open-ended questions. Both custodial and noncustodial parents clearly reported that if supervised access was not available, the child(ren) would not have contact with the noncustodial parent. In general, parents were grateful for the service being offered. Unfortunately, in some cases, the parents stated that the programme acted as an obstacle in allowing the family to progress. With respect to the children, even though custodial and noncustodial parents attempted to lessen the impact of …

Adaptation During The Transition From High School To University: An Examination Of Selected Person, Environment And Transition Perception Variables, Sheldon Jacob Birnie-Lefcovitch

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Drawing on conceptual knowledge regarding normative life transitions and primary prevention and using a panel-design survey methodology, this study investigates factors that continue to student adaptation during the move from high school to university. All participants were first-time, full-time, first-semester students enrolled in biological or environmental science programs at a mid-size publicly funded university located in southwestern Ontario. Participants were surveyed twice: once prior to university entry and a second time following completion of their first-semester. The study determined that the vast majority of students view this transition as a normative life event, with most feeling ownership for the decision …

Coping And Support Needs Of Family Caregivers Of Older Adults With A Developmental Disability, Caroline Cochrane

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Due to the policy of deinstitutionalization there is a population of adults with a developmental disability who are aging in the community and who are living with their aging parents as caregivers. This study used a phenomenological, qualitative approach to gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences of these aging family caregivers of aging adults with a developmental disability. A literature review indicated that some sources of support and service needs have been identified for this population of caregivers, and that planning for the future of their adult child with a developmental disability was important to these caregivers. Six caregivers, …

Hearing Metaphor: A Study Of Clients' Use Of Language In A Family Therapy Situation, Christopher Allen Whynot

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Metaphor is defined as a central function of language by which different realms of experience are conjoined and which operates at the nexus of internal and social processes. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used in an exploratory study of metaphor use by families in therapy. Significant differences were found in quantity of metaphor use along gender and generational axes. Content analysis also identified some suggestive differences with respect to issues of agency and imagery along lines of gender and parenting status. Categories nominated from the identified metaphors are also suggestive of the differential dilemmas faced by the clients. The study …

An Investigation Of The Ability Of Elementary School-Aged Children To Learn Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Concepts, Leslie Maureen Tutty

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The current research was designed to investigate a wide range of variables which could affect the ability of elementary school children to learn and to remember child sexual abuse prevention concepts. The major questions posed for the study were: how much do the children know about child sexual abuse before participating in a prevention program, do children learn the prevention concepts after participating in the program and do they remember the concepts over time (five months). Age was considered a critical variable, so three age groups were delineated: Grades 1, 3 and 6. A smaller sample of kindergarten children were …