Digital Commons Network^™

Between Guidelines And Guilt: Parenting Through The Chaos Of Screen-Time Discourse, Stephanie C. Milford

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Digital parenting today is shaped by shifting guidelines, moralised discourse, and often unstable institutional advice, leaving families navigating uncertainty without meaningful support. Drawing on governmentality theory and media studies, this piece examines how screentime discourse can position parents as primarily responsible for risks that are in part, produced by systems outside the home. Using the Australian policy reversal on YouTube as a case study, it highlights how inconsistent guidance can erode parental confidence and at times sustain cycles of shame and surveillance. Rather than consistently addressing structural factors such as platform design and algorithmic amplification, media and policy narratives displace …

We’Re The Aunties Now: Intersections Of Mourning Practices, Intergenerational Trauma, And Matrilineal Responsibility In Oneida Life, Marena Bridges

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation examines how Oneida and broader Haudenosaunee mourning practices, as I have lived and understood them, shape grief, healing, and matrilineal responsibility in my family. Using Indigenous autoethnography and storywork, I first present a crafted narrative, then return to that narrative through reflexive thematic analysis. The analysis identifies patterned meanings in how grief is structured, shared, and carried across closely stacked deaths in the maternal line. Mourning practices function as community infrastructure that organizes time, redistributes labor, transmits knowledge, and sustains continuing bonds with the dead. At the same time, repeated loss produces a form of matriarchal ascension, concentrating …

Between Self, Family, And Becoming: Mindfulness And The Transition Experiences Of Latinx Clinical Counseling Graduate Students, Orlando R. Alvarez

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Latinx graduate students transitioning into their first semester of clinical counseling master’s programs often navigate substantial challenges as they embark on their academic journeys. While transitions into any new role can be difficult, the changes that accompany the beginning of a graduate program have been associated with increased role and identity strain, anxiety, depression, and feelings of fraudulence and imposterism, negatively impacting student success, performance, and attrition rates (Halladay et al., 2019; Murphy, 2021; Vidic & Cherup, 2019). Although mindfulness practices provide benefits for graduate student wellbeing, there is no current scholarship that has examined how mindfulness practices support Latinx …

The Effect Of Paternal Engagement On The Sexual Self-Concept Of Black Female Adolescents, Amelia Flynn

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Black women in the U.S. continue to experience disproportionately high rates of unintended pregnancies, with a 64% rate reported in 2011 (Finer & Zolna, 2016). Positive sexual self-concept (SSC) is linked to healthier sexual behaviors, yet research on SSC development has largely overlooked the role of fathers and systemic influences, particularly within Black families. Grounded in an ecological framework, this study examines the impact of father-daughter engagement on SSC among Black female adolescents, considering paternal residential status and socioeconomic class as key contextual factors. The study revealed that when middle class father-daughter engagement is high, daughters’ sexual self-esteem is lower. …

The Phenomenon Of Church Growth Through Authenticity: How African American Gen Z Christians Are Sharing The Gospel Of Jesus Christ Without The Program Structure Of The Black Baptist Church, Devin E. West

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation examines the perspectives of Black Generation Z Christians regarding factors within the Black Baptist church that may limit their full engagement. In this study, the Black Baptist church refers to congregations with predominantly Black membership led by Black pastors. Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, is forming its religious identity within a rapidly changing cultural and institutional environment. Historically, the Black Church has served as a central institution in African American communities, functioning as a place of worship as well as a source of social support, leadership development, identity formation, and justice advocacy (Lincoln & Mamiya, 1990). …

Adverse Childhood Experiences Of Individuals Charged Or Convicted Of Homicide In Their Youth, Marcus Krodel

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) represent a collection of distressful events occurring during childhood and have been shown to have a negative impact on future functioning. ACEs were utilized in the current study to increase our understanding of a unique population among court-involved individuals: juveniles charged or convicted of homicide. Court decisions have established that juveniles convicted of homicide are both distinct from their adult counterparts and present with dissimilar risk and protective factors. The current study explored a sample of 66 individuals who were charged or convicted of homicide while in their youth. Each participant was retroactively assigned an ACEs …

I Am Still Concerned About Them: Grandmother Kinship Caregivers And The Challenge Of Abuse By Children In Their Care, Hajara Bentum, Vicki Banham, Kwadwo Adusei-Asante

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Research evidence has shown that adverse occurrences within the kinship caregiving environment, such as the grandparents' experiences of violence and abuse, may introduce new stressors or exacerbate existing aged-related challenges, leading to adverse impacts on grandparent kinship carers. Yet no research has explored the impact of abuse and violence experienced by grandparent kinship caregivers from children in their care. This study involved narrative interviews with 31 grandmother kinship caregivers in Ghana to explore the adverse effects of the abuse they have experienced from children in their care. The study findings revealed the following impacts on grandmothers: (1) high blood pressure, …

Science Sojourners: The (Un)Making Of Women Scientists From China To America, Jane Jia-Yin Wang

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Science is often imagined as a borderless profession in which knowledge, careers, and talent circulate freely across national boundaries. Yet scientific careers remain embedded within institutions that correspond to immigration regimes, geopolitical tensions, and unequal social structures. Drawing on 32 in-depth interviews with early-career Chinese women scientists trained in the U.S., this dissertation examines how globally mobile scientists navigate decisions about careers, migration, and everyday life between China and the U.S.

Rather than treating migration as a series of discrete decisions driven by labor markets or state policies, this dissertation argues that career and life orientations are fundamentally intertwined through …

"If I Knew Then What I Know Now": Analyzing Online Narratives Of Regretful Parents, Marina Binti Mohd Hamdan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This exploratory study seeks to understand the extent to which parenthood affects individual self-actualization by identifying the trade-offs, compromises, and sacrifices that parents make within the context of family life. Using a thematic analysis of 221 archived posts from the Reddit community r/regretfulparents, this study examines how social pressures surrounding parenthood may be related to experiences of parental regret. Specifically, it identifies two domains: pressures to be parents, including social norms, familial coercion, and interpersonal conflict, and pressures of parenting, including issues of labor, number of children, and challenging children. Across these domains, this study explores how tensions between personal …

Accessing Campus Mental Health Services In A Nigerian Southwestern University: Barriers To Academic Success, Caroline Dada

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mental health disorders are a significant health concern among higher education institutions in sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria. A substantial treatment gap exists in the Nigerian healthcare system, and this gap is further worsened by cultural and religious barriers, which reinforce stigma that discourages students from seeking professional help. This qualitative narrative inquiry explored the barriers students encountered when accessing mental health services at a university in Southwestern Nigeria, to increase service access. Qualitative semistructured interviews were conducted with seven professional mental health providers at a university counseling center between March and April 2025. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify …

Paradox Mindset In Working Parenthood: Linking Dual-Role Enrichment To Pursuit, Success, And Satisfaction, Tengjiao Huang, Xiaoyu Dai, Chi-Ying Cheng, Angela Leung

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Managing the simultaneous demands of career and parenthood often generates tensions—particularly for women, who have historically been expected to take primary responsibility for caregiving. These gendered expectations persist, even as men increasingly express a desire to engage more actively in caregiving while maintaining their professional roles. Drawing on paradox mindset theory and work-family enrichment literature, this research investigated whether a paradox mindset—a cognitive tendency to embrace and value tensions—is positively associated with an aspiration for enrichment between work and parenting roles. In turn, this aspiration is hypothesized to predict intentions and outcomes related to dual-role pursuit. Three cross-sectional survey studies …

Do Lineage-Based Inheritance Norms Matter In Kinship Care Arrangements? Exploring Inheritance Paths In Grandparent Kinship Care Practice In Ghana, Hajara Bentum, Alhassan Abdullah, Vicki Banham, Kwadwo Adusei-Asante

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Kinship lineage and inheritance norms in Ghana play a significant role in shaping family decisions. Research has shown that kinship lineage and inheritance norms determine kin membership for children by specifying whether they belong to their maternal or paternal family, as well as whether they can inherit properties of their biological father or mother. The notion of kinship membership has shaped parenting and child welfare practices in Ghana, including child maintenance payments and parental neglectful behaviours. This research explored whether kinship-based inheritance norms could influence decisions about selecting a grandmother (maternal vs. paternal grandmother) as a child’s caregiver. We interviewed …

Fishing For Father Relationships: Motivations, Successes, And Barriers To Participating In A Community-Based Program, Jordan A. Arellanes, Kyle Miller, Travis Hicks, Ryan J.S. Liew, Earl Kloppmann

Faculty Publications – Psychology

Fathers who participate in community programs experience a range of positive outcomes, including improved relationships with their children. However, many community programs struggle to gain fathers’ attendance at local events. To counteract this, we utilized Community-Based Action Research in collaboration with local and state agencies to develop a father-specific community program that capitalized on the traditionally masculine parenting activity of fishing. The program educated families on the basics of fishing and then provided them with all the necessary materials. Over the course of three years of data collection, 48 fathers participated in interviews, designed to gain a deeper understanding of …

“I Know How To Identify And Communicate My Needs”: A Qualitative Study Of The Self-Perceived Strengths Of People In Polyamorous Relationships, Alexander K. Tatum, Sharon M. Flicker, Nawar Albarak, Jessi M. Schroeder, Ash Moomaw, Idil Ugurluoglu, Alex Whitman, Alysse Wiggins, Danielle Davis, Robyn Fisher

Faculty Publications – Psychology

Little empirical research has adopted a strength-based approach to examine strategies that help offset challenges (e.g., discrimination, internalized stigma) faced by people in polyamorous relationships. The current qualitative study assessed the self-perceived strengths of 63 US-based, adult participants who reported present or former engagement in at least one polyamorous relationship. Participants' responded to the open-ended question, “What particular characteristics do you have that help you navigate the challenges of polyamory?” A thematic analysis identified strengths across eight broad themes: personality traits, a willingness to challenge mononormative socialization, ability to manage difficult emotions, experiencing compersion and/or low levels of/well-managed jealousy, strong …

And Then Covid Happened: The Impact Of The Pandemic On Transition Temporalities For Mobile Youth, Anita Harris, Giulia Marchetti, Loretta Baldassar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This article explores how the COVID-19 pandemic affected mobile young people’s experiences of the temporality of transitions to adulthood. Young people are today the most mobile population globally, and mobility has necessarily become integral to youth-to-adulthood transitions. By adopting transition temporalities as an analytical key, we consider the impact of pandemic immobility on the transition experiences of young movers who, when the pandemic hit, found themselves stuck not only in place but also in time. Drawing on in-depth interviews undertaken during the pandemic with transnationally mobile young people (aged 18–30) who left Australia for abroad or moved to Australia from …

Beyond The Pandemic: How Covid-19 Highlighted The Need For Cross-Sector Healthcare Solutions For Young Australians Living With Adversity, Ennur Erbasi, Shannon Muir, Karen Mclean

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

We explored the perceived impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on health and healthcare access among young people living with significant adversity in Victoria, Australia, using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. Guided by a pragmatism epistemology, fifty-seven purposively sampled Victorian adolescents aged 15–19 years with lived experience of adversity completed a primarily quantitative online survey, and eight also participated in semi-structured interviews. Descriptive quantitative results indicated that a greater proportion of participants rated their mental health as fair or poor during COVID-19 (69%) compared to before the pandemic (40%). Similarly, more participants rated their physical health as fair or poor during …

Exploring Cultural Values In Alcohol And Other Drug Use Among African Australian Youth: A Qualitative Study, Abraham Kenin, Justine Dandy, Kwadwo Adusei-Asante, Sonam Pelden

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The heritage cultural values of Sub-Sahara African (SSA) migrants in the Australian sociocultural context could offer insights into understanding the problem of Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) use among SSA Australian youth. This study explored the conceptualization of SSA cultural values in Australia, and to establish how they relate to AOD use among SSA Australian youth. Utilizing convenience sampling, one-on-one interviews were conducted with a total of 18 SSA Australians. The participants comprised 9 youth (aged 18–30; 4 females, 5 males), and 9 community leaders (aged 35–74; 4 females, 5 males). Based on a reflexive thematic analysis of the data, …

Providing Help In Europe: Are In-Household Care And Outside-Household Support Associated With Grandparental Child Care?, Roosa Maria Savela, David A. Coall, Mirkka Danielsbacka, Antti O. Tanskanen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Grandparental child care is a vital form of social support that can enhance family well-being. Prior studies have found that older adults who provide support to one individual are more likely to offer help to others within their families and social networks. However, little research has examined whether helping others is associated with grandparental child care. Using data from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe, covering 27 countries, and using multinomial regression models, we show that (a) support provided to individuals outside the household is associated with increased grandparental child care, whereas (b) family care provided within …

Sustaining Caring Mobilities In Immobility Regimes: Adaptive Strategies Of Vietnamese Migrant (Grand)Parents In Australia, Hien Thi Nguyen, Catriona Turnbull, Loretta Baldassar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

(Grand)parents are increasingly traveling internationally to visit and spend time with their transnational families. This mobility is essential to provide informal, unpaid care, driven by globalisation as family members relocate for study and work. However, governments in receiving countries like Australia are implementing restrictive measures, defined in the literature as ‘immobility regimes’, to control the movement of older migrants into their territories, including overseas (grand)parents. Drawing on the lived experiences of 22 Vietnamese migrants (11 (grand)parent visitors and 11 adult migrants who host their (grand)parent visitors), this paper explores the relationship between transnational mobility and institutional migration policies in the …

Young Motherhood In Crisis: Multidimensional Childcare Challenges In Accra’S Old Fadama And African Eleven Slums, Portia Nana Ama Brempong, Victus Gyambiby, Gladys Aboagye Asamoah, Kingsley Saa-Touh Mort, Margaret Mensah, Florence Akosua Agyemang, Abena Oforiwaa Ampomah

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Young mothers in urban slums face multifaceted challenges in raising their children due to poverty, limited access to basic services, and weak social support systems. However, limited qualitative research in Ghana has specifically examined their lived experiences within their ecological contexts.

Objectives: This study aimed to address these gaps by exploring the multidimensional challenges young mothers face in raising their children in the Old Fadama and African Eleven slums in Accra, Ghana.

Methods: A qualitative research design utilising Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was employed to explore the multidimensional challenges faced by young mothers in the Old Fadama and African …

Intergroup Relationship Attitudes Among Multicultural Adolescents In South Korea: Friendship, Dating, And Marriage, Jeewoo Shin

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

This dissertation asks how multicultural adolescents in South Korea develop their attitudes toward crossing group boundaries in social and intimate life—whom they would accept as a close friend, a romantic partner, and a spouse—and what factors shape these attitudes. Korea’s immigrant population has grown more than seventyfold since 1990, largely through marriage migration, and the children of those unions are now reaching adulthood. Research on these adolescents has focused on how well they adjust, leaving open how they themselves come to view relationships across group lines.

Using eight annual waves of the Multicultural Adolescent Panel Study (N = 1,112), which …

“Do We Play By The Same Rules?”: Exploring The Involvement Of The Magic Circle In Navigating Relationships In Popular Multiplayer Video Games, Nathan Toshihiro A. Villanueva, Julianne Margaret M. Lao, Thea Juliana Alvarez Jocom, Liezl R. Astudillo

Sinaya: A Philippine Journal for Senior High School Teachers and Students

Just like leveling up in a game, dating has transcended the physical world into the realm of multiplayer games where individuals are able to communicate and interact with one another within the virtual third space, the magic circle–the boundary that separates life from play. Within these immersive environments, players create shared experiences that often extend beyond the screen, blurring the line between in-game interactions and real-life emotions. This blurring can lead to emotional spillovers and identity challenges as players navigate the complexities of digital intimacy in world and relationship formation. To define the fluidity of the magic circle, the study …

“Blessings Or Burdens”: Perceived Values And Disvalues Of Children Among Married Filipino Millennials, Althea Jeanne S. Asuncion, Martin Oliver G. Cabalona, Elijah De Guzman, Randelle Kirsten Hipolito, Stella P. Go

Sinaya: A Philippine Journal for Senior High School Teachers and Students

Children are perceived to carry meanings that either enrich or burden the lives of their parents, but limited studies have examined the perceived values and disvalues of children in the contemporary Filipino context. To address this gap, a survey was conducted among a hundred married Filipino millennials recruited through various social media platforms. The study investigated whether there were significant differences in child-related values and disvalues based on marital role (husbands or wives), parental status (with or without children), and parenting efficacy (moderate or high). Hotelling’s T2 results revealed no significant differences between husbands and wives in their combined scores …

Student Loan Debt And Higher Education Disruptions During Covid-19, Arielle Kuperberg, Danny Turkson, Joan Maya Mazelis, Katherine Fredricks, Anurag Pant

Journal of Student Financial Aid

We collected and analyzed a survey of 1,018 undergraduate students enrolled at a public regional university in Spring 2021, examining pandemic disruptions to education, living situations, and finances in the first year of the pandemic, and their relationship to loan presence and reports of taking out more loans as a result of the pandemic. Over half of students had student loans, and over one-third of them reported that they increased loan debt due to the pandemic. Results revealed pandemic-related academic and financial disruptions increased student debt for some. Students with loans were also more likely to have moved out of …

Flowers Of Petra: The Identification Of Floral Motifs On Nabataean Painted Fine Wares, Jacob Samuel Blood

Theses and Dissertations

The Nabataeans are notable for their eggshell-thin fine ware pottery on which they often painted plant motifs. Since the discovery of these painted fine wares, several archaeologists have attempted to identify some of the plants depicted on the vessels. However, these attempts have often been incidental and not explicitly systematic. The purpose of this study is to apply the principles of plant taxonomy to identify eleven flower motifs that are depicted on Nabataean fine wares and to then determine what significance these flowers held for the Nabataeans. By using the principles of plant taxonomy, this thesis was able to confidently …

My Research Journey Into Family Domestic Work: Methodological Reflections Of Conducting Research With Sister-Maids And Sister-Madams In Limpopo, Percyval Bayane

The Qualitative Report

Research has been conducted on domestic work in South Africa with studies focusing on domestic workers’ conditions during Apartheid and examining the little to no changes post-Apartheid. Domestic work in post-Apartheid South Africa involves the hiring of family and friends as domestic workers, and this is an under-researched area. As a young black man researching family domestic work, I was confronted with methodological challenges relating to negotiating access and conducting interviews with older black women hiring relatives and those working for family members as domestic workers. This reflexive paper reflects on my personal journey and experiences of conducting qualitative research …

Karanasan Ng Piling Pamilyang Pilipino Sa Panahon Ng Pandemya: Alaala Ng Enhanced Community Quarantine Sa Metro Manila, Glenda D. Salorsano

Social Sciences and Development Review

The global spread of COVID-19 has become a worldwide phenomenon. Every country faced different challenges brought by the pandemic in which highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of each nation in combating the virus. It not only became a widespread blow to the health sector but also paved the way for the revelation of other social aspects that need attention. This occurrence allowed the concrete identification of other deficiencies in crucial sectors of society that are associated with pandemic response. These include infrastructure, public transportation, public safety, human rights, and access to sufficient and proper food for every family, and financial …

Family Cohesion As A Mediator Of The Impact Of Internal Locus Of Control On Students' Career Maturity: A Path Analysis, Rina Sangadah, Dwi Yuwono Puji Sugiharto, Heru Mugiarso

Buletin Konseling Inovatif

This study investigates the function of family cohesion as a mediator between internal locus of control and career maturity among vocational high school students. The primary aim of this study is to examine how individuals' ideas regarding their power over their life (internal locus of control) affect their preparedness to make career decisions and the degree to which familial harmony and support mediate this relationship. This study employs a quantitative methodology via a survey approach. Data were gathered from 381 twelfth-grade vocational high school students in Purbalingga Regency, Indonesia, selected through purposive sampling methods. The utilized instruments included the internal …

Three Case Studies Of Transformative Learning In A Service-Learning Anthropology Course, Elizabeth S. Schulte

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the processes of personal transformation of three students enrolled in a service-learning based course that I taught at Brigham Young University. Informed by my observations as instructor of the course, in the analysis below I draw upon these students' weekly personal reflection essays to describe the process of individual transformation of these three students across the semester. This accounting provides insight into aspects of and contributing factors to that growth. I propose that a service-learning based course design with a framework of anthropological theory is a good way to facilitate transformational educational experiences. Aspects of service-learning such …

The Other Side Of The Wall: A Study On The Impact Of Paternal Incarceration On African American Children, Chance M. Wideman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative dissertation explores the long-term psychological, relational, and systemic impacts of paternal incarceration on adult children. Guided by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Theory, Attachment Theory, and Family Process Theory, this study examines two research questions:

(1) What types of childhood trauma are associated with paternal incarceration?

(2) How does the childhood trauma associated with paternal incarceration impact one in adulthood?

The study draws on three in-depth narrative interviews with adults who experienced paternal incarceration in childhood. These interviews, framed as dialogic and reflexive spaces, illuminate the deep and layered consequences of incarceration across the lifespan.

Five central findings emerged: …