The Lived Experiences Of Sandwich Generation Women And Their Health Behaviours, Allison Steiner

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Sandwich generation caregivers simultaneously provide care to their aging parents/in-laws and at least one child under 18 years living in the home (Sinha, 2013). In 2012, 2.23 million Canadians were considered sandwiched caregivers. This group is expected to grow as individuals are delaying marriage, resulting in delayed childrearing (Robinson, Barbee, Martin, Singer, Yegidis, 2003). Further, the government has been advocating for caregiving to move from formal to informal caregiving. Although this would help the government immensely, this creates challenges for middle-aged adults occupying multiple roles. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of sandwich generation women …

Bill 13 (The Accepting Schools Act): Ontario Legislation Mandating Support For Lgbt Students In Publicly-Funded Schools, Renato M. Liboro Jr.

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Twenty-six key stakeholders from schools in Waterloo Region, Ontario, participated in semi-structured, open-ended interviews for this dissertation. They included students, teachers, school board representatives in administrator and superintendent roles, trustees, and community service providers. This study explored the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth in publicly-funded schools, the effect of those experiences on their mental health and well-being, and the success of strategies, programs, and policies implemented by schools to address LGBT youth issues. It also examined the perspectives of participants on Bill 13, Ontario’s Accepting Schools Act, particularly strengths and weaknesses of the bill in terms …

A Living Wage For All Manitobans?: Perspectives From The Private Sector, Paul Campbell Sheridan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In response to the growing problem of working poverty around the world, a grassroots movement has emerged and spread internationally in the last two decades. This movement proposes the adoption of living wage policies and practice as part of a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy in the context of the neoliberal retrenchment of social safety nets. While successful at the local government level in the USA and the U. K., the movement has struggled to make inroads into the private sector, which is where the bulk of sub-living-wage jobs are situated. Using a qualitative methodology informed by critical theory, this study …

Dancing With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Mixed Methods Investigation, Nicole Reinders

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the most commonly diagnosed neurological disorder in children today, affecting an estimated 1 in 150 to 1 in 160 children in Canada (Health Canada, 2013). Children with ASD have reduced communication skills as well as restrictive and repetitive behaviours and interests (APA, 2014). Unfortunately there are few recreational activities available for the autistic population. Past research has shown dance/movement therapy to be beneficial for children on the spectrum, but there is a dearth of literature regarding recreational dance. Dance is a form of physical activity that fosters skill development, provides social opportunities, and can be …

"Where's The Support?": An Exploratory Study Of Supports For Primary Caregivers Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder In The Toronto Region, Nicole H. Siron

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The experience of being a caregiver of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is complicated and fraught with obstacles. Presently, we do not know how to support caregivers adequately. In this thesis, I explore the supports that exist for primary caregivers of children with ASD in the Toronto region, with the goal of examining caregiver experience when accessing supports. The literature that I reviewed highlighted the importance of examining the caregiver experience by acknowledging that caregivers of children with ASD experience elevated levels of stress. This review made it clear that by not addressing how to support caregivers, the …

The Felt Sense Of Interconnectedness: A Qualitative Analysis Of Perceptions On Finding Resilience In The Aftermath Of Trauma Using The Mind-Body Connections Of Yoga, Ashley Collette

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Members and veterans of the military are at an increased risk of exposure to traumatic experiences due to the very nature of their occupation. The most recent statistics on Canada’s deployment to Afghanistan show that 13.2% of the (Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members deployed have been diagnosed with a mental injury within a five year follow up period of redeployment from the theatre of operations. The present preliminary study was designed to examine Yoga as a therapeutic intervention for trauma in a population of CAF members and veterans. The author interviewed 4 service providers and 2 service users of Yoga-based …

Moral Identity Development In Adulthood, Lourdes Andrea Murua

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Abstract

Past research on moral identity development mostly focused on adolescence and early adulthood. As a consequence, little is known about developmental changes in moral identity in the adult years. The purpose of the present study was to broaden the research done on moral identity by investigating the changes in moral identity that individuals experience between adolescence and mid age. To this end, 252 participants were recruited. They ranged in age from 14 to 65 years, and were split into four age-groups: 14-18 years (N=67, 41 females) mean age 16.97; 19 to 25 years (N=52, 29 females) mean age 22.48; …

Exploring Daily Dietary Behaviour Through Examination Of The Food Choice Process, Ivy Dam

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

As obesity rates continue to rise, the negative health impacts associated with unhealthy food choice behaviour remain an issue of concern. Observing the connection between food consumption and weight gain alone is likely not sufficient to understanding people’s construction of food choices. More detailed examination of a novel concept, the overall food choice process (FCP), including food thoughts, plans, purchases, and preparation, leading up to food intake/consumption may contribute to an improved understanding of food choice behaviour.

This thesis explored the wider FCP that gives rise to observed food consumption by testing passive video recording technologies, …

Changing Theories Of Change: Strategic Shifting In Implicit Theory Endorsement, Scott Leith

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

People differ in their implicit theories about the malleability of characteristics such as intelligence and personality. These relatively chronic theories can be experimentally altered, and can be affected by parent or teacher feedback. Little is known about whether people might selectively shift their implicit beliefs in response to salient situational goals. We predicted that, when motivated to reach a desired conclusion, people might subtly shift their implicit theories of change and stability to garner supporting evidence for their desired position. Any motivated context in which a particular lay theory would help people to reach a preferred directional conclusion could elicit …

Exploring The Moments And Memory Of Tourist Experiences In Peru, Sarah Quinlan Cutler

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Tourist experiences offer anomalous and complex interactions between tourists and tourism places. The study of these experiences is the focus of this doctoral dissertation, which aims to explore subjective aspects of the tourist experience. This exploration involves the conceptualisation of tourist experiences and the development of a multi-phased research design that captures the perceptions of momentary in situ experiences and examines how these perceptions change over time.

The dissertation addresses under studied areas in tourism and answers calls for research into immediate conscious experiences and tourist centred methodology. This investigation into tourist experiences involves 21 participants who took an educational …

The Team Approach To The Psychological Rehabilitation Of Injured Athletes: What Is The Coach’S Role Anyway?, Leanne Smith

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to gain an understanding of the role of the coach in the recovery of injured youth athletes. Using qualitative methods, the experiences of 11 male coaches of male youth athletes (14-18 years) in competitive football, basketball, and hockey teams, in five Ontario communities were examined. Data were collected through a demographic questionnaire, interviews, and researcher field notes. Three themes emerged through analysis (communication, support and structure, and knowledge of the individual athlete) that suggested coaches contributed to both the physical and psychological recovery of their athletes, as part of a team that also …

Imagining Accomplishments From Differing Visual And Temporal Perspectives, Deanna C. Hall

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The current research examined the relationship between grammatical aspect (GA) (imperfective vs. past perfect) and accomplishment verbs in event representation in Experiment 1, and then investigated the influence of visual perspective taking on this representation process in Experiment 2. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded with slow cortical potentials (SCPs) acting as a measure of cognitive processing during the imagination period, and behavioural measure questionnaires provided ratings of vividness, temporal component, and importance of the imagined events.

It was hypothesized for Experiment 1 that imagining imperfective events would result in more negative SCP amplitudes than when imagining events with past perfect aspect, …

“Are The Girls Out To Bingo? And Is “Frenchie” Gettin Tipsy? On A Sudbury Saturday Night”: Gambling Among Older Francophones In North-Eastern Ontario, Éric R. Thériault

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Since its legalization, gambling has become a popular form of entertainment in Canada (e.g., Tepperman & Wanner, 2012). Despite this increase in popularity, little research has been done examining gambling among older adults, and even in this area of research there is a lack of attention to minority groups (e.g., Ariyabuddhiphongs, 2012; Munro, Cox-Bishop, McVey, & Munro., 2003). Tirachaimongkol and colleagues (2010) proposed a theoretical pathways model to help explain problem gambling risk in older adults. This model includes three “clusters” of risk factors, including individual vulnerability factors, social and environmental factors, and behavioural regulation factors. The second cluster is …

Exploring Interactions Between Police And People With Mental Illness, Krystle L. Shore Ms.

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Contact between people with mental illness (PMI) and police is on the rise. The current study analyzed a six-month period of official police data (N = 400 occurrences) to provide a description of the PMI that came into contact with police and the typical characteristics and outcomes of these encounters. Results indicated that these interactions were initiated by family members and are taking place at home. Police are most commonly resolving the situations formally with apprehensions under the Mental health Act (55%), however only half of the time these apprehensions result in the PMI being admitted into hospital care, …

Attitudes Toward Couple Therapy In Helping Profession Graduate Students, Laura Demoe

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

A core issue of couple therapy is the evident delay in help-seeking behaviours among distressed couples. This study had two main objectives. The first objective was to examine if there is a negative stigmatization associated with attendance at couple therapy and whether this is related to a person's willingness to attend. The second objective was to examine whether couple therapy is perceived as a resource to be used once distress levels are severe and other options have been exhausted. This study used a survey methodology with qualitative components and participants consisted mainly of graduate students enrolled in helping profession programs. …

Growth Potential In Relationships: A Promotion-Focus Perspective, Amanda E. Kohler, Justin Cavallo

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Relationship research has long emphasized the importance of felt security for interpersonal wellbeing, but has focused less on how opportunities for growth influence relationship well-being. The present research investigates whether people’s motivational states may influence the extent to which people value growth in their romantic relationships. Drawing on regulatory focus theory, which distinguishes between promotion (concerned with advancement) and prevention (concerned with security) self-regulatory orientations, it was hypothesized that promotion-focused individuals would be more satisfied with relationships that offered greater opportunity for growth than with those that offered greater opportunity for security. In three experimental studies, participants evaluated others’ (Study …

Critical Champions Or Careless Condemners? Exploring News Media Constructions In Cases Of Wrongful Conviction, Katherine Rozad

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Countless incidences occur throughout the world each and every day. However, only a few of these occurrences are deemed newsworthy by the media. One area of information quite often categorized as “newsworthy” is that surrounding crime. Within crime-related news coverage are occasionally cases of wrongful conviction – miscarriages of justice in which the innocent are labeled “guilty” and wrongly punished. Despite decades of research in both the areas of crime and media, as well as wrongful conviction studies, no research to date has examined the way that cases of wrongful conviction are constructed in the media from the beginnings of …

Social Factors Influencing Early Reading Development From Kindergarten To Grade One In English-Speaking Public Schools In Ontario And Quebec, Katherine Wood

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This research study examines the influence of providing parents with early literacy or socio-emotional instruction on their children’s performance in reading and social skill development. Parents were offered four interactive workshops designed to assist them in identifying everyday opportunities to reinforce either early reading skills or early social skills development. Two reading skills approaches were explored, traditional text reading and traditional text reading with computer-assisted learning opportunities. These two reading approaches were contrasted with a set of social development workshops derived from social-emotional learning models. Children’s performance was measured at three time intervals from early kindergarten to early in grade …

Defense Against Defensiveness: How Important Personal Values Can Promote More Adaptive Responses To Severe Environmental Threat, Kathryn Schuett

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

People respond defensively to threatening risk information about the future. For example, people may respond with denial to threatening information about environmental consequences, resulting in inaction which ironically increases the risk. The current thesis was designed to examine individuals’ responses to future climate change risk when under different types and levels of threat. We predicted defensive response under threat, but also sought to investigate a factor that might mitigate defensiveness: reflecting on personally important values. In Study 1 we sought to examine individuals’ responses to a climate risk message after they were induced to feel low or high personal control …

School-Based Supports For Trans Youth In Ontario, Charlie E. C. Davis

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Trans youth are some of the most marginalized youths in schools. In 2012, the Ontario Government passed two legislations, one of which was the Accepting Schools Act, strengthening supports for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) students in schools. The other was Toby’s Act, an amendment to the Ontario Human Rights Code including protection from discrimination on the grounds of gender identity and gender expression. The purpose of this thesis is to examine how these two acts have created a political context supporting trans youth in schools. A comprehensive mixed-methods approach was used to examine provincial trends of trans-specific …

Using The Oldest Military Force For The Newest National Defense, Brian Claus, Robin A. Gandhi, Julia Rawnsley, John Crowe

Journal of Strategic Security

The National Guard is establishing Cyber Mission Teams (CMT) that will fulfill a federal role to backfill active duty defending Department of Defense networks, but are also exploring how they could effectively fulfill state missions. The President, Council of Governors, and USCYBERCOM Commander have expressed concerns about U.S. critical infrastructure cyber network vulnerabilities and the increasing magnitude of threat our adversaries pose to those networks’ security. This article explores using this emerging National Guard capability in a state role for protection of critical infrastructure cyber networks. Most of the critical infrastructure is privately owned. Although current executive orders and policy …

Does Financial Literacy Contribute To Food Security?, Katherine Grace Carman, Gema Zamarro

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

Food insecurity, not having consistent access to adequate food for active, healthy lives for all household members is most common among low income households. However, income alone is not sufficient to explain who experiences food insecurity. This study investigates the relationship between financial literacy and food security. We find that low income households who exhibit financial literacy are less likely to experience food insecurity.

Undiscovered Meanings Of Minority Doctoral Students In Counselor Education Programs, Beronica M. Salazar

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

Higher education institutions aim at being more receptive to attract, recruit, and retain diverse students (“Diversity & the Ph.D.,” 2005). The increase of racial/ethnic diverse minority doctoral students in counselor education programs has created a need to understand their individual challenges. The dearth of research related to the in-depth experience of doctoral students in counselor education program affirms the need for exploration of minority doctoral student experience. This research proposal aspires to give voice to minority doctoral students’ stories of their challenging experiences, employing a reflexive process to discover the meanings connected to the experiences and identifying essential themes for …

Erikson’S Young Adulthood And Emerging Adulthood Today, Marilyn J. Montgomery, Jeffrey J. Arnett

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

No abstract provided.

How The Perception Of God As A Transcendent Moral Authority Influences Marital Connection Among American Christians, Toshi Shichida, David C. Dollahite, Jason S. Carroll

Faculty Publications

Dynamics that link individuals' perceptions of God as a transcendent moral authority and marital connection were analyzed in depth using qualitative data from a sample of 48 Christian spouses from California and New England. Thirsty-six individuals expressed their perception of God as a transcendent moral authority, and compared to 12 who did not, they conveyed three distinctive religious-marital dynamics. These were all processes to promote marital unity that engaged God, namely: (1) spouses modified their individual behavior in marriage with reference to their God model, (2) they shared as a couple the goal to obey God together, and (3) they …

Validation Of The Intermountain Patient Perception Of Quality (Ppq) Survey Among Survivors Of An Intensive Care Unit Admission: A Retrospective Validation Study, Samuel M. Brown, Glen Mcbride, Dave S. Collingridge, Jorie M. Buter, Kathryn G. Kuttler, Eliotte L. Hirshberg, Jason P. Jones, Ramona O. Hopkins, Daniel Talmor, James Orme

Faculty Publications

Background: Patients’ perceptions of the quality of their hospitalization have become important to the American healthcare system. Standard surveys of perceived quality of healthcare do not focus on the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) portion of the stay. Our objective was to evaluate the construct validity and internal consistency of the Intermountain Patient Perception of Quality (PPQ) survey among patients discharged from the ICU. Methods: We analyzed prospectively collected results from the ICU PPQ survey of all inpatients at Intermountain Medical Center whose hospitalization included an ICU stay. We employed principal components analysis to determine the constructs present in the PPQ …

At The Heart Of The Classroom: Teachers' Experience Of The Suffering And Success Of Students For Whom They Care, Randall Kenyon Bartlett Jr.

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The core of teaching is the relationship of care between the student and the teacher. A community can be created in the classroom that honors and respects the inherent worth of each individual and through such mutual respect students and teachers can experience success. The suffering and the successes that teachers experience are central to the way they care for their students. There is currently a great deal of focus on education and schooling in the United States and generally this focus ignores the necessity and vitality of the relationship of care. Teachers must daily support and care for students …

Alliance Expectations And Alliance As Predictor Of Therapy Engagement And Outcome, Daniel C. Greif

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Clients begin psychotherapy with expectations that may or may not be met during treatment. Discrepancies between pretherapy expectations and the therapy experience may influence client response to treatment. This naturalistic observational pilot study investigated whether the discrepancy between initial expectations of the working alliance and the experience of the alliance predicts early client engagement and outcome. Participants were adult therapy clients at a university training clinic. Each participant completed the Expected-Working Alliance Inventory before their first session and a shortened version of the Working Alliance Inventory after. We hypothesized that the difference between expected alliance scores and actual alliance scores …

Tapestry Of Tears: An Autoethnography Of Leadership, Personal Transformation, And Music Therapy In Humanitarian Aid In Bosnia Herzegovina, Alpha M. Woodward

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

In the fall of 2003 I was invited to lead a team of music therapists in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), a country that had been recently savaged by two brutal inter-ethnic wars. The program operated out of the Pavarotti Music Centre on the East side of Mostar, a divided city in the southwest region of BiH. My journey over the next four years was epically challenged by my immersion into the complexities of post-conflict recovery, and the cultural confusion that followed the atrocities of those wars. Transformation and change not only characterized the world in which I worked, but also …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of The Experience Of Parenting Half-Siblings Within A Blended Family, Nicole Josephsen

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Blended families are a growing population and encompass a diversity of characteristics and family types. Among the different types of blended families are those with both stepchildren and mutual children. Research on the complex experience of parenting a mutual genetic child and a stepchild within a blended family is minimal. To better understand the unknown experience of such parents, this phenomenological study was conducted to provide an in depth description of the experience of simultaneously parenting mutual children and stepchildren within a blended family. In this phenomenological study the researcher conducted interviews with six participants who varied by gender, socioeconomic …