Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Eyes Open In The Dark, Brittany A. Forrest

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

An unusual dissertation that presents a science fiction autobiographical narrative, following a trial of trauma and identity dysphoria. Through a trans-queer biological female lens, the vulnerable tone of the author invites the reader into wording that describes matters they will care for on a human level. This study probes the question of what lives within the silence of our perceptions by appraising reverberations between interactions that coerce the human condition. Interrogating memory is inevitable when questioning how defense mechanisms interrelate and adapt to human needs. This study penetrates the complexities of perception fabrications, power dynamics, sensory perceptions, systemic moralities, and …

"The Whole World Opened Up, There's No Better Word For It Than Euphoria": Experience Of Embodiment In Trans*Feminine Individuals, Sara M. Stanley

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The “experience of embodiment” is a construct that captures how an individual experiences the body in their socio-cultural context and has important implications for mental health and well-being. The construct was originally developed to explain the experiences of cis-gender girls and women, and has not been investigated in trans*feminine individuals. Grounded in social constructivism, and integrating the gender minority stress model and principles of intersectionality, the present study investigated trans*feminine experiences of embodiment. To expand our understanding of this construct, trans*feminine participants engaged in focus groups (n=28), a photo-elicitation task (n=25), and one-on-one semi-structured interviews (n=25). Using a combined inductive …

Secondary Students' Educational Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Evidence Synthesis, Hannah D. Litchfield

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The primary purpose of this qualitative evidence synthesis was to examine the literature pertaining to the educational experiences of secondary students, globally, during the COVID-19 pandemic. A secondary purpose was to explore the impact of these experiences on students’ psychosocial wellbeing. Database searches resulted in the inclusion of 41 studies. Thomas and Harden’s (2008) thematic synthesis approach was used, which revealed five descriptive themes (Challenging Online Learning Experiences, Benefits of Online Learning, Complexities Associated with Education-Related Disruptions and Transitions, Social Connections and Support, Emerging Educational Needs and Areas of Improvement) and 20 subthemes. Three analytical …

The Association Between Prenatal Maternal Stress, Infant Brain Volumes, And Temperament During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Amber L. Di Paolo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) is associated with altered trajectories of infant socio-emotional and brain development, including brain structures such as the amygdala and prefrontal cortex (PFC). During the COVID-19 pandemic, which was a major global stressor, PNMS was significantly elevated, yet the impact on infant neurodevelopment remains uncertain. The objective of the present study was to determine whether PNMS during the pandemic was associated with infant amygdala and PFC volumes as well as temperament. In addition, we examined whether social support and resilience during pregnancy were protective factors.

Participants were enrolled in the Canadian ‘Pregnancy during the COVID-19 Pandemic’ cohort …

Validation Of A Virtual Auditory Space, And Its Use To Investigate How Pitch And Spatial Cues Contribute To Perceptual Segregation Of Auditory Streams, Nima Zargarnezhad

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The human auditory system can decompose complex sound mixtures into distinct perceptual auditory objects through a process (or processes) known as Auditory Scene Analysis. Pitch and spatial cues are among the sound attributes known to influence sequential streaming (Plack 2018). In this project, the fidelity of a virtual acoustic space (the Audio Dome) in reproducing precisely located sound sources with a 9^th-order ambisonics algorithm was validated. The estimated horizontal Minimum Audible Angles aligned with previously reported values (Mills 1958) homogeneously across the space, and a robust low-frequency presentation was identified. Then, the Audio Dome was utilized to test …

Development And Validation Of The Pain Resilience And Optimism Scale (Pros), Wonjin Seo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Numerous self-report questionnaires have been used in pain research to explore patients' experiences. However, these questionnaires often employ negatively worded items that can potentially worsen patients' distress. In response to the emergence of positive psychology, this thesis aimed to develop a new questionnaire that adopts a positive and strengths-focused approach, incorporating resilience, to replace the negative items found in existing tools such as the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS). First, the effectiveness of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) in measuring resilience following trauma was assessed through a systematic review using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments …