The Lived Experiences Of Female Informal Caregivers For Individuals With Young-Onset Dementia, Hailey A. O'Neil

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Abstract

Objective: Informal CGs for individuals with dementia experience an increased risk of compromised health. However, CGs of individuals with young-onset dementia (CGs-YOD) are more likely to have longer caregiving durations, less social support, and heavier caregiver burdens than those caring for people with LOD (Arai et al., 2007). Further, there are limited resources available to CGs-YOD, increasing their likelihood of negative health outcomes associated with CGs roles. This qualitative study investigated the experiences of female informal CGs-YOD specifically examining the effect of providing informal care on CGs overall health and well-being.

Methods: The theoretical orientation used to guide the …

The Avian Hippocampal Declarative Memory System, Chelsey C. Damphousse

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Across Mammalia, memory has long been dissociated into multiple component systems specialized to process specific facets of experience. Among these segregated systems, declarative memory is processed by the hippocampus and surrounding structures, which have collectively been referred to as the hippocampal declarative memory system (HDMS). The HDMS, in turn, can be further divided into parallel streams dedicated to the processing of spatial versus object identity based information, commonly discussed as the ‘what’ and ‘where’ streams. While we know that the organization of the HDMS is conserved in humans, nonhuman primates, and rats, evidence outside Mammalia is lacking. Here HDMS homology …

Psychological Resilience In Student-Athletes During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Henley Lapid

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the psychological resilience process in student-athletes during the unique adverse context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study sought to answer the following research questions guided by Fisher et al.’s (2019) heuristic framework: (1) What resilience mechanisms, (2) promoting factors, and (3) resilience outcomes were experienced by participants in their resilience demonstrations? and (4) How does the resilience process unfold over time across adverse contexts including the COVID-19 pandemic? Nine student-athletes from Wilfrid Laurier University were interviewed on their experiences demonstrating resilience within and outside of the pandemic. A thematic analysis (Braun …

An Analysis Of Collective Efficacy As A Predictor Of Gun Violence In Toronto, Carly Richards

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

There has been a 42% increase in gun violence in Canada since 2013, largely due to increases in Toronto (Statistics Canada, 2022a). To gain a better understanding of this phenomenon, this study evaluated collective efficacy as a predictor of gun violence. Seven correlates of collective efficacy were identified including, low economic status, ethnic diversity, mobility, family disruption, employment rate, low educational attainment, and youth percentage in a population. This study included data from the City of Toronto’s Open Data Portal and the 2016 Canadian Census. The data were pulled from various datasets and then were reorganized into one file, which …

Femme Ex Machina: Sex Robots, Embodiment, And Posthuman Subjectivity, Julia A. Empey

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Andrea Dworkin warned in her 1974 book Woman Hating that men would soon develop the technology to “create the sex objects that will gratify them” (199). This dissertation investigates one of those technologies: sex robots, as mediated through science fiction film and literature. While the sex robot is still an emerging technology, its embodiment, particularly when female-rendered, has been imagined and negotiated for centuries. Men creating women in a specific, desired image is not new, but the sex robot is currently being transformed from imagined representation to embodied subject. This dissertation traces a pattern of representation that has allowed us …

God's Story, Our Story: Telling, Re-Telling, Re-Storying, Kara Carter

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Shifting trends within and beyond the walls of the church are reshaping Christianity in our present context. Many Christian denominations are in the midst of a paradigm shift as great as or greater than the 16th century Reformation. Because the way forward looks nothing like the path the church has journeyed, church leaders, theologians, and scholars recognize the need for innovative and adaptive leadership expertise to meet the opportunities and challenges of the present time. For more than two decades, Mennonite Church Canada congregations have been on a journey of development, learning, and growth, transitioning theologically and experientially to a …

Three Essays On Improving Patient Access To Specialized Services, Amin Mahmoudian Dehkordi

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation studies how patient access to specialized services in referral networks can be improved. The first study focused on optimizing and coordinating referral and scheduling decisions in a centralized referral network. I proposed a bi-level optimization model which enables the referrer to make optimal decisions for different scenarios based on available capacity in the network and operational competency levels of surgeons. First, I derived optimal scheduling policies for each surgeon in the network. Next, optimal referral decisions for the central referrer were derived for each capacity scenario. Finally, I studied how incorporating fairness in referral decisions can impact patient …

The Hidden Side Of Work-Family Boundary Management: Uncovering The Role Of Cognitive Boundary Work And Boundary Context, Victoria Daniel

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Work-family life is becoming increasingly complex for the modern-day working parent, making boundaries that define the physical, temporal, and psychological aspects of work and family domains evermore important in how people choose to structure and manage the interface. However, the literature on boundary management has predominantly studied the enactment of certain boundaries and treated these boundary constructs as stable (e.g., general preferences and tendencies to behaviourally integrate or segment work and family). This research has also largely been conducted in contexts where the environment naturally created a way to organize the interface without the employees having to do as much …

“The System Is Not Set Up For Individuals With Fasd”: Lived And Caregiver Perspectives Regarding Current And Ideal Housing Supports For Canadian Adults With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Siann Gault

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Past work has demonstrated adults with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) often require lifelong support with daily life activities. However, very little is understood regarding daily living supports for adults with FASD, and current research has heavily relied on proxy-reports rather than lived experiences. To promote self-determination in the provision of support for adults with FASD, the current study highlights both the perspectives of Canadian adults with FASD living in a variety of arrangements as well as caregivers who support adults with FASD to examine: 1) current ways adults with FASD are supported with daily life activities, and 2) ideal …

Impact Of Inducing Self-Compassion On The Use Of Safety Behaviours In Social Situations, Kamila Szczyglowski

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Safety behaviours are commonly used in an attempt to decrease anxiety experienced in social settings. These behaviours, however, have been found to maintain anxiety. Self-compassion has shown promise for reducing anxiety and post-event rumination. The aim of the present studies was to examine the impact of a self-compassion induction on safety behaviours. It was hypothesized that inducing self-compassion would lead to lower safety behaviour use compared to control conditions. For the first two studies, participants were randomly assigned to complete self-compassion inductions or control writing prompts in relation to imagining a pre-determined social situation. Study 3 followed a similar procedure …

The Role Of Ovarian Hormones In Appetite-Regulation: Examining The Post-Exercise Appetite Response In Pre- Vs Post-Menopausal Females, Jessica A.L. Tucker

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

INTRODUCTION: Appetite fluctuates across the menstrual cycle, suggesting ovarian hormones are involved in the regulation of appetite hormones and energy intake. Exercise is another regulator of appetite with higher intensity exercise generating a greater and more consistent suppression. Considering there is limited evidence investigating the role of ovarian hormones in appetite regulation, menopause represents a stage of life where ovarian function declines, thus providing an opportunity to further explore the role of ovarian hormones in the appetite-regulatory response to exercise. PURPOSE: To examine the role of ovarian hormones on appetite-regulating hormones in pre- and post-menopausal females following a …

The Intersection Of Proactivity Behaviours And Socialization Tactics On Athletes’ Perceptions Of Group Cohesion And Role Clarity, Charlotte Revell

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Socialization is a process in which newcomers learn the behaviours and attitudes to become productive working members of a team (Van Maanen, 1978). Organizations (e.g., sports teams) can engage in socialization tactics to help newcomers onboard efficiently within the new group (Van Maanen & Schein, 1979). Furthermore, these socialization tactics influence the way athletes perceive cohesion as well as execute their roles (Leo et al., 2020). However, individuals’ proactivity behaviours can impact the effects of socialization tactics on outcomes because they play an active role in the process of socialization by influencing their interpersonal relationships and social interactions (Reichers, 1987). …

Strengthening Respeakers’ Training In Spain: The Research-Practice Connection, Nazaret Fresno, Pablo Romero-Fresco

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

After countless petitions and complaints from end users, live subtitling quality is slowly attracting the attention of broadcasters, regulators, the subtitling industry and scholars working in Media Accessibility. These stakeholders share an interest in providing better live subtitles, but their quality assessment is a thorny issue. Although quality studies are still scarce, the research undertaken so far has proven valuable in identifying the weaknesses of live subtitles in several countries. This article presents the main findings of the pilot project that preceded the first national quality assessment in Spain, which is currently underway. By focusing on this case study, we …

A Grounded Theory Exploration Of The Changing Dynamic In Mission Among Pentecostals In Ontario: The Emergence Of Humanitarianism., Todd Manuel

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Abstract

This dissertation explores the changing nature of mission among Pentecostal churches in Ontario. The findings of this grounded theory qualitative research project suggest that mission in those Pentecostal churches in Ontario under review have switched the priority of the juxtaposed foci of salvific and humanitarian such that the latter is now their primary means for expressing mission.

Christianity is a mission-oriented faith tradition. Throughout history, it is the case that the church’s understanding and expression of mission has adjusted and adapted according to the context and culture it has found itself in. In the ever changing religious and cultural …

Benedicto Sáenz 'Libera Me': Occidentalisms In Latin America Nineteenth-Century Sacred Music, Andrés R. Amado

School of Music Faculty Publications

This article uses concepts of Occidentalism and the musical analysis of a funerary responsory by nineteenth-century Guatemalan composer Benedicto Sáenz (1807-1857) to examine possible reasons why music from nineteenth-century Latin America remains relatively neglected in the region and beyond, unlike the better explored repertoires from colonial times and from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Based on Latin American postcolonial notions of Occidentalism as the construction of the Western Hemisphere by Western Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and analysis of Sáenzs responsory Libera Me within the context of changing political, social, and musical trends in nineteenth-century Guatemala, I argue …

Examining Harm Reduction In Housing First For Youth Experiencing Homelessness And Concurrent Mental Health And Substance Use Issues, Victoria Rozycki

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Purpose: Housing First for Youth (HF4Y) is a youth-focused adaptation of the well-established Housing First (HF) program model to housing and service provision for individuals experiencing homelessness. Given that the experience of youth homelessness is associated with an increased likelihood of substance use issues, a central tenet of the HF4Y framework is the use of a harm reduction approach to substance use and addictions. However, research on HF4Y programming has yet to examine how harm reduction is specifically being implemented in these settings. The purpose of this thesis was to examine how the principles and philosophies of harm reduction are …

Impression Management Among Municipal Employees As A Barrier To Engagement: An Explorative Study, Alicia Bevan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

As municipalities adapt to the climate crisis through mitigation and adaptation strategies it is important that all citizens are meaningfully included in local-level planning and decision-making. Authentic, long-term relationships need to be built between municipal actors and citizens so that municipal development benefits all citizens and is informed by a diverse array of perspectives that truly represents the local context and those within it. There are, however, barriers to fostering genuine relationships and meaningful engagement between municipal governments and their citizens; one such barrier is ‘organizational impression management’ – that is, presenting an ideal or overly positive impression of the …

How Narcissism Relates To (Non-) Cooperation, Christopher Chinn

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Cooperative behaviour is integral to modern society. Individuals who are high in trait narcissism have personality traits that appear inconsistent with cooperation, such as selfishness, competitiveness, and antagonism. Research has yet to determine whether these individuals, when given the opportunity, are less likely to engage in cooperative behaviour, to the detriment of others. The present studies investigated the effect of several distinct expressions of trait narcissism on cooperation in social dilemmas and potential underlying causes of non-cooperation in narcissistic individuals. In Study 1, participants (N = 355) were randomly assigned to one of three prisoner’s dilemma conditions (control, low …

The Impact Of Social Media Influencers On Emerging Adults, Avnee Sharma

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Social media influencers (SMIs) (defined as individuals who have 10,000 or more followers) are a group of people who garner attention and who seem to have an impact on thought and behaviour change on social media platforms. To date, it is unclear how much social media influencers influence emerging adults. Given that emerging adulthood is a developmental stage that includes exploration of self and offers more autonomy from one’s parents and is a time where social media is frequently used, it is important to explore how social media informs their decisions and choices. To explore this relationship, this research consists …

Exploring Climate, Wellbeing, Resilience, And Resistance In 2slgbtq+ Leisure Spaces: A Mixed Methods Study To Advance Inclusion, Tin Vo

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Participating in queer sports groups, rainbow choirs, trans virtual discussion groups and other Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexually and gender diverse (2SLGBTQ+) leisure activities can offer participants safety from societal heterosexism and cisgenderism and opportunities for community connection and peer support, as well as foster their overall wellbeing. Yet, transgender/gender nonconforming (TGNC), racialized, and/or disabled individuals, and those with other diverse identities are often marginalized in these spaces. Though researchers have studied exclusion within 2SLGBTQ+ leisure spaces, relatively little is known about how the climate of these spaces shapes social and mental health outcomes. Connected to …

The Kepler Problem On Complex And Pseudo-Riemannian Manifolds, Michael R. Astwood

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The motion of objects in the sky has captured the attention of scientists and mathematicians since classical times. The problem of determining their motion has been dubbed the Kepler problem, and has since been generalized into an abstract problem of dynamical systems. In particular, the question of whether a classical system produces closed and bounded orbits is of importance even to modern mathematical physics, since these systems can often be analysed by hand. The aforementioned question was originally studied by Bertrand in the context of celestial mechanics, and is therefore referred to as the Bertrand problem. We investigate the qualitative …

Adaptive Capacity And Mobility In The Bahamas: Examining The Social Costs Of Displacement In Response To Hurricane Dorian, Kearney Coupland

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In 2021, over 30 million people were displaced by disasters, most of which were weather related and nearly half of which were the result of storms. While research on disaster displacement has provided broad observations of post-hurricane human mobility and the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics that influence displacement, few studies examine the factors that influence household mobility decisions after a disaster. My dissertation uses a primarily qualitative research approach to empirically investigate the relationship between mobility and the capacity of displaced households to cope and adapt to the impacts of hurricanes through a detailed examination of Hurricane Dorian displacement in …

B-Sure (Bereavement Support Research): The Differential Experiences Of Peer And Professional Support In Grief, Andrea Crowley

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Abstract

The project aimed to investigate the differential experiences of those who have received peer or professional support for grief and bereavement. Although much is known with regards to the perceived impacts of peer and professional support in general, there is little research surrounding these support types in the context of grief and bereavement, the potential for these support types to be complementary, and how the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted the experiences of those receiving these forms of support. The main goal of this project was to address a significant gap in the literature by investigating the following questions: …

Fifth-Dimensional Warfare And National Security In Canada: Situating Microdeviation Theory Within C-59: An Act Respecting National Security Matters, Hayden Slight

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In an era of rapid technological change, the growing threat environment in the cyber dimension will continue to influence how a sovereign nation contends with attacks that can occur from any corner of the world. The growing adaptation and expansion of technology belonging to the Internet of Things (IoT) and the increasing prevalence of social media (Facebook, Twitter) has also influenced the spreading of attack surfaces that can become victim to exploitation by motivated parties including foreign states and terrorist groups. Against this backdrop, Canada’s own efforts to modernize and reinforce its own national security agencies resulted in the developing …

Exploring Individuals’ Views On The Malleability Of Their Moral Self-Concept, Steven Hertz

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Drawing on work by Carol Dweck, Moral Self-Theory was conceptualized as describing lay views of the moral self-concept as either malleable (incrementalist view) or fixed (entity view) in order to better capture the goal-achievement aspect of morality. To this end, research into the areas of implicit theories of intelligence and personality were drawn upon to explore the possibility that lay views of morality could help inform our understanding of moral behaviour. Three studies were designed to: 1) examine individuals’ perceptions of their moral self-concept over time for evidence of change and assess participants’ opinions towards that change, as well as …

“What If This Happiness Doesn’T Last Forever?”: Stressors Faced By Racialized Sogie Refugees, Moni Sadri-Gerrior

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Racialized refugees with diverse SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression) experience the unique intersection of racism, homo- and/or transphobia, and anti-refugee sentiments. As a result, this group (herein: racialized SOGIE refugees) often face poor mental health and well-being. The purpose of this study is to identify stressors faced by racialized SOGIE refugees in Ontario through the lens of Meyer’s Minority Stress Theory and Crenshaw’s intersectionality theory. The interviews from ten racialized SOGIE refugees and two service providers living in Ontario were taken from a larger study looking at the life trajectories of SOGIE refugees. Participants identified both explicit and …

Diversity And Evolution Of Inflorescences In Cuscuta, Morgan Glofcheskie

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Cuscuta (dodder) includes ca. 200 species of plant obligate stem parasites with both ecological and economical significance. Inflorescences have been historically used in Cuscuta for species descriptions and identification keys, but no comprehensive study exists to date. The main objective of this study was to survey the diversity of inflorescences, and to understand their evolution and possible form-function relationships. The inflorescence architecture of 132 Cuscuta taxa was analyzed using herbarium specimens, and eight species were grown to study their inflorescence development. Inflorescence traits were mapped into a genus phylogeny obtained from a combined analysis of nuclear ITS and plastid trnL-F …

Relationships Between Executive Functioning, Memory, And Source Judgements On Children’S Responses To Online Advertising, Samantha Barbosa

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Children’s understanding of online content is a topic of interest, yet little is known about how children distinguish distracting and often misleading information (e.g., advertisements) from relevant information. Our aim is to measure the relationship between executive functioning, memory and source monitoring in a population that has heavy internet usage and are also the most at risk for mistakenly recalling false or irrelevant information. Children aged 7-12 years old (N = 30), with no known developmental or cognitive disorders, were recruited for the study. In an online session, the children viewed two novel online media sources (i.e., a website …

An Exploration On The Barriers To Accessing Mental Health Services Among South Asian Youth, Oeishi Faruquzzaman

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Research in Canada and the United States has found that South Asians routinely underutilize mental health services, however research on the barriers experienced by South Asians is limited, especially research regarding the experiences of South Asian youth (Inman et al., 2014; Islam et al., 2017; Karasz et al., 2016). Through a series of semi-structured interviews (N=20) with South Asian youth between the ages 16 to 27 in the Greater Toronto Area, the present study explores South Asian youths’ experiences accessing mental health services and the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and service use. Thematic analysis of interview data reveal …

Air Quality: Assessment Of Pollutant Levels And Chemistry In Kitchener, On Using Multisensor Pods, Wisam Mohammed

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Air quality is a growing concern amongst governmental bodies worldwide. A large number of scientific studies accumulated over the past 25 years suggest that poor ambient air quality is attributed to adverse health effects, especially in vulnerable communities that exhibit pre-existing conditions. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported around 600 000 deaths globally in children under the age of 5 as a result of acute lower respiratory infections caused by poor air quality. With the current statistics on air quality impacts, it is clear that more needs to be done. This MSc work aims to put into perspective the …