Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Reintegration Experiences Of Post-Incarcerated Fathers In Southern California, Sheldon Smith

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The detention of fathers in penal institutions can challenge their involvement in the lives of their children and this experience can impact these relationships as well as the socio-emotional development of their children in the short and long term. Upon release, the reintegration experiences can be difficult, clumsy, and sometimes lost altogether. This present study explored the experiences of nineteen fathers as they sought to reconnect with their children after incarceration. Through the use of grounded theory and qualitative interviews, three major themes emerged from the data, which provided an explanation of participants’ reintegration experiences. These themes were participants’ ideology …

How Korean Couples Construct Marital Relationships: A Qualitative Study, Young Joo Kang

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

With increased economic and employment opportunities for women, South Korean couples are challenged by division of labor in the family. This qualitative study examined how marital partners maintain their relationships in light of rapid social change. The study employed social constructionism and feminist theory as conceptual frameworks. Through social constructionism, I sought to understand the interactive roles marital partners perform as they attempt to balance family needs and responsibilities within the context of evolving gender ideas. Feminist theory provided an additional lens to further understand the nuances of partners’ beliefs and expectations about their own gender and that of their …

Connected Families: Programs For Families Of Infants/Toddlers At Risk For Autism, Toni Carol Durnal Dunning

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Although children with secure attachment are known to have better outcomes, fostering secure attachment in an infant/toddler at risk for autism spectrum disorder is challenging. Some of the challenges stem from bi-directional, negative and ambiguous interaction sequences between the child and caregiver that cause emotional dysregulation and undermine caregiver confidence setting the stage for perpetual miscuing and misattunement— a pattern that can impact the entire family system leaving the child, caregiver, and family vulnerable to stress, anxiety, depression, and isolation.

Although the etiology of autism is a matter of intensive and ongoing research spanning many disciplines, there is converging agreement …