Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons^™

The Effects Of Buddhist Psychological Practices On The Mental Health And Social Attitudes Of Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual People, Jessica Lynn Fritzges

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This non-experimental, quantitative study explored the effects of the Buddhist-derived practices of mindfulness and loving-kindness meditations on the wellness of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people. LGB people are at higher risk of mental illness and increased social isolation due to minority stress; Buddhist-derived mindfulness practices mediate these effects in other groups. Lazarus and Folkman's transactional model of stress and coping was the theoretical model explaining how positive cognitive appraisal induced by meditation can mediate effects of stress. This study examined whether mental health scores on the Emotional Symptoms Checklist (ESC), social attitudes measured on the Unjust World Views Scale, …

Attitudes And Behaviors Of South African Women And Psychosocial Determinants Of Gonorrhea, Takiyah White Ndwanya

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The incidence of gonorrhea had declined since the HIV epidemic in the late 1980s, but is now increasing globally due to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant forms of this disease. In South Africa, the incidence of gonorrhea is highest among Black women due to their high co-infection rates with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This study examined the psychosocial determinants of gonorrhea among Black women aged 18 - 35 in the Langa township in Cape Town, South Africa. All participants had reported at least one sexual experience and at least one positive test for gonorrhea in the past two …

Midcareer Women Leaving Information Technology: An Examination Of The Phenomenon, Susan F. Way

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Midcareer women are leaving the information technology (IT) career field at a much higher rate than are men. This attrition has contributed to a decreasing percentage of women in the IT field, hindering the creativity, innovation, and productivity that can result from a diverse workforce. This phenomenological study addressed a gap in the current research by examining the lived experience of women who have left the IT field. The conceptual frameworks of the study included Rhodes and Doering's integrated career change model based on traditional turnover theory, a model of gender and power in careers by Ragins and Sundstrom, and …

Women And Thyroid Disease: Treatment Experiences And The Doctor-Patient Relationship, Laura J. Mccormick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Thyroid disease, a chronic illness, affects nearly 200 million people worldwide and is more common among women than in men. Numerous factors make diagnosing and treating thyroid disease in women challenging. The standard blood test for diagnosing thyroid disease and determining treatment effectiveness is inconsistent in its accuracy. Many women with thyroid disease are misdiagnosed or struggle with symptoms even once receiving treatment. Although thyroid disease is highly prevalent among women and the doctor-patient relationship is known to influence treatment outcomes, there is a gap in the literature regarding the treatment experiences of women with thyroid disease and the doctor-patient …

Factors Relating To Underrepresentation Of Black American Women In Health Care Administration, Alquietta Lavayle Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a low representation of Black American women (BAW) in health care senior leadership. With the high level of health problems found among the Black community, diversifying the executive leadership with BAW may be instrumental in increasing provider trust and reducing discriminatory action. Using critical race theory as the conceptual framework, this study examined the experiences, perceptions, and influential or deterrent factors inhibiting advancement of BAW in the health care field. Inquiry centered on factors related to lack of advancement, experiences at different stages of career progression, and strategies impacting career advancement. A qualitative research design using a transcendental …

Women's Perspectives On Adequacy Of Screening And Treatment For Postpartum Depression, Gloria Marcia Watson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Postpartum depression affects some 10% to 20% of mothers. Its impact on the health and well-being of mothers and their infants is well documented. If not identified and addressed early, it can result in emotional burden, costly hospitalization and treatment, and, at worst, suicide and or infanticide. Empowerment theory was the conceptual framework for this hermeneutic phenomenological study. The purpose was to understand the lived experiences of the screening and treatment processes of 10 women from New York City experiencing postpartum depression and their perceived adequacy of the treatment received. In-depth interviews were used to investigate participants' lived experiences of …

Primary Factors Affecting Breastfeeding In African American Communities, Lowest Jefferson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prior research has shown that African Americans are less likely than are Hispanics and Whites to breastfeed their children. Compounding this problem is the scarcity of research that examines African American's culture, perceptions, and beliefs about breastfeeding. This study was conducted to gain a greater understanding of the phenomenon of breastfeeding through the perspectives of African American mothers. Guided by the theories of reasoned action and planned behavior, this ethnographic study elicited African American mothers' perspectives on breastfeeding by examining what influenced their decision to breastfeed or not. This study took place in Washington State. Ten women recruited through purposeful …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Migrant Women Farmworkers' A Qualitative Analysis Of Migrant Women Farmworkers’ Perceptions Of Maternal Care Management, Stacey A. Pilling

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine migrant women farmworkers' views of perinatal care management while working in the fields. Like men, women migrant farmworkers are exposed to many physical, chemical, and biological hazards that pose human health risks. However, women of childbearing age are at an increased risk of having reproductive health difficulties and adverse pregnancy outcomes, and the infant mortality rate among migrant farmworkers is estimated to be twice the national average. Perinatal care is a critical factor in reducing adverse outcomes for perinatal and newborn mortality. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 15 migrant women farmworkers …

Los Efectos De La Violencia Familiar Y Las Percepciones De Las Mujeres Afectadas: Un Estudio De Las Mujeres Victimas De La Violencia Familiar A Ahmauta / The Effects Of Family Violence And Perceptions Of Women Affected :A Study Of Women Victims Of Domestic Violence To Ahmauta, Catherine Oidtman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Violence against women is a social problem that demands much attention from society because it is a human rights issue and is damaging to the mental health status of women. The purpose of this investigation is to use an ethnographic approach to analyze the perceptions of women who have suffered from domestic violence to determine how perceptions of domestic violence impact subsequent mental health outcomes. Women (n=6) were recruited from the NGO Amhauta, an educational program that advocates for the rights of women and children in San Jerónimo, a district of Cusco, Peru. This analysis uses an ethnographic approach to …

Accessing Canal Pride: The Intersection Of Identities For Lgbt People With Physical Disabilities At A Global Event, Margaret Webb

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research is the study of the intersection between queerness and disability within the context of Amsterdam Gay Pride, specifically the Canal Parade. The study examines the intersection between LGBT identity and physical disability at the event and in surrounding organization and events within the Amsterdam LGBT community. The primary research question was: how does Amsterdam Canal Pride’s accessibility affect both the positioning of the LGBT and disabled identifying community in Amsterdam and the relevance of the event as a place of activism and celebration? Five interviewees identifying as lesbian or gay, possessing a physical disability, participating in activism within …

Women's Health And Abortion Culture In China: Policy, Perception And Practice , Naomi Bouchard

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Since China’s implementation of the Family Planning Policy in 1973, much research has been dedicated to analyzing the effects of a policy that strictly controls the reproductive lives of a population now comprisedof 1.35 billion people. Analyses focus on the rise of abortions in China, now at an annual rate of at least 13 million, but offer little insight into the perceptions of the population in regard to China’s new abortion culture. This study aims to shed light on current perceptions through a range of in-person, qualitative interviews conducted in Kunming, China. The study is limited to a sample size …

The Space I Own, Alison P. Lauro

SURGE

***TRIGGER WARNING: Eating Disorders***

I don’t care what anyone says—being a woman is hard. Being a young woman has its own set of complications–we experience a lot of pressure to look a certain way, to act a certain way, to have a specific friend group; to act as social butterflies and to live up to a set of socially constructed beauty standards. And there are too many girls—myself included—who have fallen victim to this impossible set of expectations. [excerpt]

Human Papillomavirus And The Gardasil Vaccine: Medicalization And The Gendering Of Bodies And Bodily Risk, Lauren Camara

Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts

No abstract provided.

Negotiating Masculinity: How Infertility Impacts Hegemonic Masculinity, Myscha Burton

Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts

No abstract provided.

“In Light Of Real Alternatives”: Negotiations Of Fertility And Motherhood In Morocco And Oman, Victoria E. Mohr

Student Publications

Many states in the Arab world have undertaken wide-ranging family planning polices in the last two decades in an effort to curb high fertility rates. Oman and Morocco are two such countries, and their policies have had significantly different results. Morocco experienced a swift drop in fertility rates, whereas Oman’s fertility has declined much more slowly over several decades. Many point to the more conservative religious and cultural context of Oman for their high fertility rates, however economics and the state of biomedical health care often present a more compelling argument for the distinct differences between Omani and Moroccan family …

Syrian Refugee Families’ Awareness Of The Health Risks Of Child Marriage And What Organizations Offer Or Plan In Order To Raise Awareness, Rachel Fowler

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The hypothesis of the study assumes: If Syrian refugee families understood the health risks involved with child marriage and the severity of these risks, they would be less likely to choose to marry off their daughter under the age of 18. If these families had more health educational programs and had more access to these programs, these programs would influence their decision towards avoiding child marriage for their daughter(s).

According to UNICEF, one-third of registered marriages among Syrian refugees in Jordan between January and March 2014 involved girls under the age of 18. Child marriage puts girls at risk of …

Breaking Barriers: The Influence Of Socioeconomic Status On Obesity Among Women In Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, Christina Camoriano

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Obesity in Brazil has grown rapidly within the past decade, however research is conflicting in terms of who carries the burden of this disease- the economic elite or the poor. Despite the lack of clarity towards the current distribution of obesity, many studies have come to the conclusion that in developing countries, obesity is growing more rapidly among those of lower socioeconomic status.¹¹ Therefore, the purpose of my research study is to examine how socioeconomic status influences the dietary and exercise habits of lower and lower-middle income women who are obese. This study is relevant because it seeks to …

“Work What You Got”: Political Participation And Hiv-Positive Black Women’S Work To Restore Themselves And Their Communities, Monica L. Melton

Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought

Black women’s rates of HIV/AIDS infection have skyrocketed in comparison to other racial and ethnic groups over the past thirty years. Despite these rates, HIV-positive Black women’s perspectives are rarely sought regarding best practices to eradicate and interrupt HIV/AIDS among African American women, even though historically Black women have often proved phenomenal agents of social change. HIV-positive Black women’s activism has been understudied and input from the community in crisis has rarely been deemed as valuable to public health officials in HIV/AIDS prevention and interventions. Through the narratives of thirty HIV-positive Floridian Black women, I present HIV-positive Black women’s political …

Her-Storicizing Baldness: Situating Women's Experiences With Baldness From Skin And Hair Disorders, Kasie Holmes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A general goal to my study was to promote an inclusive approach to baldness by sharing and centering women's experiences with baldness from skin and hair conditions, such as autoimmune alopecia areata conditions and monilethrix. Specifically, a main goal of my study was to her-storicize the lived experiences of women who are bald from skin and hair conditions by examining medical and cultural discourses surrounding these conditions, femininity, and female baldness. Additionally, my study considers strategies of accommodation and resistance that bald women perform in a given context, space, or time. For instance, I consider the ways participants manage their …

When Harvard Said No To Eugenics: The J. Ewing Mears Bequest, 1927, Paul A. Lombardo

Faculty Publications By Year

James Ewing Mears (1838-1919) was a founding member of the Philadelphia Academy of Surgery. His 1910 book, The Problem of Race Betterment, laid the groundwork for later authors to explore the uses of surgical sterilization as a eugenic measure. Mears left $60,000 in his will to Harvard University to support the teaching of eugenics. Although numerous eugenic activists were on the Harvard faculty, and who of its Presidents were also associated with the eugenics movement, Harvard refused the Mears gift. The bequest was eventually awarded to Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. This article explains why Harvard turned its back …

Transgender Patients: Communication Pearls For Pharmacists, Emmanuelle Schwartzmann, Thomas Kleyn

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Understanding the unique communication needs of transgender patients is critical in order to minimize health disparities and patient barriers to care. As this population gains more social and political acceptance, pharmacists must be equipped to provide medical acceptance through knowledge of how to appropriately communicate with these patients through active listening, empathy, and sensitivity, while maintaining a high standard of respect and privacy.

Illness Perceptions Of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Elizabeth Baker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a chronic illness that affects approximately five million premenopausal women in the United States and is associated with significant cosmetic, reproductive, metabolic, and psychological consequences. Despite its prevalence, few studies have explored the lived experiences and illness perceptions of women living with PCOS. Identifying illness perceptions of women living with (WLW) PCOS is important, because mounting research suggests that a person's perceptions of their chronic illness and its management determine that person's coping behaviors (e.g., adherence, self-management) and, consequently, illness outcomes.

In this dissertation, the Common Sense Model (CSM) is used as a framework to …

Desire And Fantasy: The Conditions Of Reality Between The Self And The Other, Raleigh M. Gardiner

Graduate School of Art Theses

The human condition is constituted by the fluctuating operations of desire and fantasy, which emerge in response to one's fundamental differentiation between 'Self' and 'Other.' As infants, we exist in an expansive realm of sensational “sameness” with the world around us; but as we develop, we quickly learn to differentiate between our internal and external worlds, and are forced to divide and organize our once primordial experience of unity on the basis of isolated exclusion of difference. As we slip into the structures of our social and cultural reality, we absorb language, and are taught to construct our own identities …

The Globalization Of Maternal Healthcare In Western Africa, Maura T. Magistrali

Celebration

Maternal healthcare is one of the most important global issues in today’s world, reflected in its inclusion in the Millennium Development Goals. Globalization, through increased acceleration and movement, has improved maternal healthcare in Western Africa, as observed through the spread of Westernized medicines and treatments and improved technology in prenatal and obstetric care. Another remarkable effect of globalization is the hybridity manifested in both women’s healthcare choices and in the pluralistic training of midwives. However, the same forces of movement and exchange can also bring negative consequences, visible through health-access inequalities, brain drain, and the exploitation West African countries.

History Of Women And Alternative Medicine, Megan Eineke

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Alternative medicine has been used all over the world for centuries. From meditation to hydrotherapy, both men and women practice these modalities. Alternative medicine is an important part of the history of medicine and women have played a crucial role in traditional medical and other healing-related careers. This research project examines health activism among feminists and how that has played a role in what alternative medicine has become today. Information gathered from journals, articles, books, and biographies will be used to create a timeline to share how and when specific events and women influenced the reemergence of alternative medicine and …

Acceptability Of Sexting In Same-Sex Relationships, Carly Shadid, Katherine M. Hertlein, Sarah M. Steelman

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

For individuals who identify as part of the LGB community, the Internet can be seen as a tool to take control of their lives, may promote self-esteem, and foster a sense of belonging. The purpose of the study was to learn about sexting practices on college campuses. It builds on the existing body of knowledge by attending specifically to sexting rather than the previous literature about engagement in sexual behavior online (see, for example, Daneback, Cooper, & Månsson, 2005). Findings indicated that sexting is viewed as more acceptable in same sex relationships as compared to heterosexual relationships.

Best Integrated Writing 2014 - Complete Edition

Best Integrated Writing

Best Integrated Writing includes excellent student writing from Integrated Writing courses taught at Wright State University. The journal is published annually by the Wright State University Department of English Language and Literatures.

Two Community Collaborations With Sexual Minority Women’S Ngos In Shanghai & Hong Kong, Connie Chan, Hsin-Ching Wu

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Based on research with sexual minority communities in the United States, Connie Chan, professor of public policy and public affairs, conducted comparative research with community groups in Hong Kong and Shanghai, China. She provided capacity building training and resources directly to the organization which provides outreach and service to sexual minority women and girls in Shanghai, China. Professor Chan also supported Queer Sisters – an NGO that provides advocacy and community outreach to sexual minority girls and women in Hong Kong – by co-creating a needs assessment survey and helping them to interview their membership in Hong Kong.

Connie Chan …

Schoolgirls’ Experience Of Menstruation Ss Expressed Through Body Mapping In A Quasi-Rural South African Village, Angela Zablotny

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The aim of this independent study project was to gain an understanding of menstruation as experienced by school aged girls in a quasi-rural village in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. Though a fact of life for roughly half of the world’s population, menstruation continues to be a taboo topic and has implications related to both traditional Zulu beliefs as well as expectations for females in a largely patriarchal society.

The qualitative research method of body mapping was used with teenage girls in an effort to facilitate both reflection and discussion on their lived experiences with their periods. Supplemental interviews …

An Exploratory Analysis Of Fruit And Vegetable Consumption In Black Men, Jacqueline Reiter

Open Access Theses

Objective: Multiple peer-reviewed studies have found an association between fruit and vegetable consumption and lower risk for diseases such as hypertension, stroke and cancer. In other related studies, education level, retail food environment, and fruit and vegetable consumption were also examined together to discover patterns and associations. Currently, Black males have a higher risk for poor health outcomes. Limited research has focused specifically on Black men's fruit and vegetable consumption. This study explored the association between education level, food store access (measured by proximity) and fruit and vegetable consumption in black African American men.

Design: The data for this study …