Women's Health Commons^™

Syndemics Of Severity And Frequency Of Elder Abuse: A Cross-Sectional Study In Mexican Older Females, Mireya Vilar-Compte, Pablo Gaitán-Rossi

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Background: Elder abuse is a common phenomenon with important effects on the health and well-being of older adults. There are important gaps in elder abuse measurement, as it is usually reported as the absence or presence of elder abuse, disregarding its severity and frequency.

Objectives: Identify different ways of measuring severity and frequency of elder abuse and assess whether different experiences of severity and frequency suggest syndemic relationships.

Methods: Through a sample of 534 non-institutionalized Mexican older women, we assessed how severity (i.e., number of abusive experiences and number of types of abuses) and frequency (i.e., if abusive experiences had …

Maternal Immune Activation (Mia) In Mice: A Study To Phenotype Asd-Related Communication Behaviors And Analyze Maternal Health Outcomes In The Us, Komalpreet Gulati

Honors Scholar Theses

Core symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) include deficits in social/communicative behaviors, and repetitive/stereotyped behaviors. Mouse models are a highly established paradigm used to study the phenotypic deficits that result from various inducible genotypic or environmental risk factors for ASD. Previous studies have demonstrated a link between maternal immune activation (MIA) and ASD-like behaviors in mouse models. In this model, the maternal immune system is activated during pregnancy by injecting the viral mimic poly(I:C). The resulting offspring are phenotyped and analyzed with regards to their communicative behaviors.

Previous studies have demonstrated that male pups born to dams with immune activation …

Measuring Novel Antecedents Of Mental Illness: The Questionnaire Of Unpredictability In Childhood, Laura M. Glynn, Hal S. Stern, Mariann A. Howland, Victoria B. Risbrough, Dewleen G. Baker, Caroline M. Nievergelt, Tallie Z. Baram, Elysia P. Davis

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Increasing evidence indicates that, in addition to poverty, maternal depression, and other well-established factors, unpredictability of maternal and environmental signals early in life influences trajectories of brain development, determining risk for subsequent mental illness. However, whereas most risk factors for later vulnerability to mental illness are readily measured using existing, clinically available tools, there are no similar measures for assessing early-life unpredictability. Here we validate the Questionnaire of Unpredictability in Childhood (QUIC) and examine its associations with mental health in the context of other indicators of childhood adversity (e.g., traumatic life events, socioeconomic status, and parenting quality). The QUIC was …

Trying To Cover The Sun With Your Thumb: A Critical Ethnography Of Maternity Care Provision In Rural Northern New Mexico, Abigail Reese

Nursing ETDs

Access to maternity care is disappearing for women across rural America. In the state of New Mexico, women often travel long distances to access hospitals and providers that offer childbirth services, as these resources are concentrated primarily in metropolitan areas. Although data on provider distribution is available, very few studies have explored the maternity care access crisis from the perspectives of the midwives and physicians who work in rural areas. The purpose of this critical ethnographic study was to explore barriers and facilitators to the provision of childbirth services from providers’ perspectives with the intent of informing policy debates around …

Protecting Science At Federal Agencies: How Congress Can Help, Jacobs Institute Of Women’S Health, The George Washington University, Climate Science Legal Defense Fund, Democracy Forward, Environmental Integrity Project, Environmental Protection Network, Government Accountability Project, Greenpeace, National Federation Of Federal Employees, National Partnership For Women & Families, Power To Decide, Project On Government Oversight, Union Of Concerned Scientists

Jacobs Institute of Women's Health

No abstract provided.

Maternal Postpartum Depression And Father Involvement Across The Transition To Parenthood, Katie Newkirk

Doctoral Dissertations

Maternal postpartum depression is a common complication of childbirth that affects the whole family. Fathers’ greater involvement in childcare can buffer children from the negative effects of mothers’ depression, and aid in mothers’ recovery, so it is important to understand under what conditions fathers become more or less involved when mothers are depressed. Prior research has supported both a compensation hypothesis, whereby fathers compensate for the effects of mothers’ depression on mothers’ parenting by being more involved in parenting, and a spillover hypothesis, whereby mothers’ negative emotionality causes fathers to pull back from family life and be less involved in …

“My Determination Is To Live”: Narratives Of African-American Women Who Have Lived With Hiv For 10 Or More Years, Sabrina Cherry, Kathleen Demarrais, Cheryl Keita, Marsha Davis, Joel Lee

The Qualitative Report

Exploring the experiences of African-American women who have lived with HIV for many years can inform public health practice on how to better serve high-risk populations along the care continuum. To understand the experiences of African-American women who are HIV positive, the researchers used a narrative approach to guide repeat interviews. Under a theoretical framework of Womanism, we interviewed six African-American women ages 48-66 (M=57) who have lived with HIV for 10 years or longer and conducted analyses of narrative to identify key themes. The primary themes were: recollecting early hardships, HIV infection, and diagnosis; embracing social support; surviving and …

Racial Disparities In Breast Cancer Survival: The Mediating Effects Of Macro-Social Context And Social Network Factors, Ganga Vijayasiri, Yamile Molina, Ifeanyi B. Chukwudozie, Silvia Tejeda, Heather Pauls, Garth Rauscher, Richard T. Campbell, Richard B. Warnecke

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

ABSTRACT

This study attempts to clarify the associations between macro-social and social network factors and continuing racial disparities in breast cancer survival. The study improves on prior methodologies by using a neighborhood disadvantage measure that assesses both economic and social disadvantage and an ego-network measurement tool that assesses key social network characteristics. Our population-based sample included 786 breast cancer patients (nHWhite=388; nHBlack=398) diagnosed during 2005-2008 in Chicago, IL. The data included census-derived macro-social context, self-reported social network, self-reported demographic and medically abstracted health measures. Mortality data from the National Death Index (NDI) were used to determine 5-year survival.

Based on …

Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome In India: A Socio-Cultural Perspective, Hannah Wickham

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examines the ways in which cultural determinants affect the health-seeking, diagnosis and treatment process of women with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) as well as the underlying socio-cultural causes of the illness. Often coined as a “lifestyle disease”, PCOS is becoming a growing concern of physicians and women alike as its prevalence is on the rise with no signs of slowing down. Lifestyle, stigmas/taboos, PCOS’s effect on identity, and quality of life are all areas that are examined throughout this paper. A mixture of patients’ and doctors’ perspectives on PCOS were gathered throughout a three-week time period in …

Discutiendo Desde El Interior: La Marginación De Los Hombres Trans Dentro Del Movimiento Por El Aborto Legal En Argentina / Arguing From Within: The Marginalization Of Trans Men Within The Movement For Legal Abortion In Argentina, Olivia Nichols

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En la actualidad, el color verde lleva con ello una asociación casi indudable al movimiento por el aborto legal en Argentina. A pesar de este alto perfil del movimiento conocido como la marea verde, una recorrida por la historia del movimiento revela una gran brecha en el diálogo en relación con la inclusión de personas que no son mujeres cis, como los hombres trans que también abortan.

Informada por entrevistas con activistas trans argentinos y la observación de un encuentro de la Campaña Nacional por el Derecho al Aborto Legal, Seguro y Gratuito, esta investigación considera la inclusión (o falta …

The Challenges Of India’S Rising Breast Cancer Epidemic, Brigette Stickney

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

India is currently undergoing rapid urbanization, which is greatly impacting Indian citizens’ health. One of the rising concerns due to the drastic lifestyle and environmental changes that are results of urbanization is the issue of breast cancer. Breast cancer diagnosis rates are rising exponentially, and breast cancer has moved its way up to be the most common cancer in India. Breast cancer mortality rates in India are also some of the worst in the world. This paper analyses the social, mental, economic, geographic, and physical challenges that are present for women diagnosed with cancer in India. It assesses how they …

Depression, Anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And A History Of Pervasive Gender-Based Violence Among Women Asylum Seekers Who Have Undergone Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: A Retrospective Case Review, Hazel Lever, Deborah Ottenheimer, Jimmitti Teysir, Elizabeth Singer, Holly G. Atkinson

Publications and Research

We sought to evaluate the frequency of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and any experiences of violence in women who had undergone Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) and were seeking asylum in the United States. We undertook a retrospective qualitative descriptive study of FGM/C cases seen in an asylum clinic over a 2-year period. Standardized questionnaires provided quantitative scores for anxiety, depression and PTSD. Clients’ personal and physician medical affidavits were analyzed for experiences of violence. Of the 13 cases, anxiety and depression were exhibited by 92 and 100% of women, while all seven women screened for PTSD had symptoms. Qualitative analysis revealed …

Barriers To Pregnancy Spacing In Women Living With Hiv: A Series Of Informational Interviews, Rachel K. Scott, Piyapa Praditpan, Patricia Tanjutco, Elizabeth Laidlaw, Regina Zopf, Manon M. Schladen

The Qualitative Report

For reproductive-age women living with HIV, birth spacing allows for optimization of maternal health and viral suppression to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. We conducted semi-structured informational interviews to explore use of contraception for birth spacing. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed. Audio files were reviewed to capture non-explicit data. We interviewed 18 multiparous HIV positive women. All described experiences with at least one contraceptive method. Six themes emerged: Burden of contraception, Failure of birth control, Impact of youth and lack of life experience, Community beliefs about birth control, Lack of partner cooperation, and Altruism. Women viewed birth spacing favorably. Young …

Baby's Best Start: Wic's Role In The Alleviation Of Childhood Obesity, Ashton Hutcheson

Public Health: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

In the past 50 years, obesity prevalence has risen to epidemic-like levels in the United States with an average of 25% of American children being classified as overweight or obese. Prevalence of obesity is significantly increased in socioeconomically disadvantaged income categories. This paper aims to discuss public health preventions/interventions that address childhood obesity such WIC, a supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children. It additionally aims to provide broad obesity-related research and begin to suggest preliminary answers to the question of why obesity is so prevalent as well as a brief overview of current treatment options for obesity-related diseases …

Pornography As A Public Health Issue: Promoting Violence And Exploitation Of Children, Youth, And Adults, Elisabeth Taylor

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The pornography industry is expanding exponentially as a result of ongoing technological advances. The ability to stream videos over the internet and the ubiquity of the smart phone have meant that pornography producers are able to use algorithms to target potential consumers, to cultivate new sexual tastes and to deliver content to a more diverse audience over mobile devices. The advent of virtual reality pornography with interactive sex toys and sex robots imbued with artificial intelligence promises to unleash a further step-change in the extent to which pornography influences ‘real-world’ sexual culture. The critical analysis of pornography undertaken over decades …

The Effects Of A Low Dose Of Caffeine On Bat Swing Performance In Fatigued And Non-Fatigued Female Softball Athletes 2018, Brianna Ferchen

Master's Theses

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if caffeine ingestion decreased time to contact (TTC), and increased peak hand speed (HS), peak bat barrel speed (BS), and power (P) during a softball bat swing by fatigued and non-fatigued female athletes from an NCAA Division III varsity softball team. Methods: A randomized, single blind counterbalanced design was used to determine if 200 mg of caffeinated gum produced an ergogenic effect on nine female softball players (mean ± SD; age: 19.4 ± 0.7 yrs; height: 169 ± 6 cm; weight: 76.85 ± 10.82 kg) during a softball swing after chewing …

Where Trying To Conceive Becomes A Community Effort: A Digital Ethnography Of Online Infertility Forums, Megan Burns

Sociology Honors Papers

Online forums for women using in vitro fertilization (IVF), or similar assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), provide a useful setting to further evaluate and understand women’s expectations of motherhood, the relationship infertile women have with physicians and biomedicine, and their interactions on the forums. Some critics of ARTs consider them a tool of oppression in a pronatalist state. The pressure and desire to become a biological mother leads the women with access to these technologies to use them regardless. Through digital ethnographic research on four online ART forums, this research examines the intersection of altruism and self-interest in the ways forum-users …

The Predictors Of Juvenile Recidivism: Testimonies Of Adult Students 18 Years And Older Exiting From Alternative Education, La Toshia Palmer

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive, qualitative study was to identify and describe the importance of the predictors of juvenile recidivism and the effectiveness of efforts to prevent/avoid juvenile recidivism as perceived by previously detained, arrested, convicted, and/or incarcerated adult students 18 years of age and older exiting from alternative education in Northern California. A second purpose was to explore the types of support provided by alternative schools and the perceived importance of the support to avoid recidivism according to adult students 18 years of age and older exiting from alternative education.

Methodology: This qualitative, descriptive research design identified …

The Medical Evaluation Of The Newly Resettled Female Refugee: A Narrative Review, Anne Duckles, Aba Barden-Maja, Julie Caplow

Journal of Refugee & Global Health

The number of forcibly displaced individuals worldwide is increasing each year, reaching 65 million persons by the end of 2015, half of which were women and children. As the population of displaced persons grows, it is every physician’s responsibility to understand these patients and their health needs. Refugee patients and the providers who care for them face many barriers to effective patient care, including language barriers, cultural differences, and systematic inequalities. Female refugees commonly experience gender-based violence, repetitive trauma, stigmatized mental illness, and cultural barriers to women’s healthcare. This review is intended to be a comprehensive guide for the provider …

Violencia Obstétrica: Los Derechos De Autonomía Reproductiva, Tratamiento Justo Y Accesibilidad En El Ámbito De La Salud Maternal En San Carlos, Salta / Obstetric Violence: The Rights To Reproductive Autonomy, Fair Treatment, And Accessibility Of Maternal Health Services In San Carlos, Salta, Emily Gleason

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In Argentina, there exists a national legislature (Ley N° 25.929 and 26.485) that is intended to ensure women’s rights to maternal and reproductive healthcare services free from obstetric violence; that is, the right to autonomy, fair treatment, and accessibility of maternal healthcare services. Women have the inherent right to receive fair and equitable maternal healthcare and receive humanized births, or partos humanizados. Despite the existence of these laws, however, there is still a rampant amount of obstetric violence that women in Argentina experience. Their rights to autonomous, accessible, and just maternal health services are often ignored or outright denied. …

Infant Mortality And Maternal Health In Hartford, Ct, Chelsea Armistead

Senior Theses and Projects

Infant mortality is the death of an infant within the first year of life. These deaths are measured annually as a rate per every 1,000 live births and is a key indicator about maternal and infant health in a society (CDC, 2018). The United States infant mortality rate is very high when compared to other equally wealthy nations. Black infants die at a much higher rate than other racial groups, including in Connecticut. The city of Hartford's Department of Health and Human Services has plans to reduce infant mortality by providing quality prenatal and postpartum care programs and services. In …

Participatory Development And Menstrual Health Management In South Africa: A Case Study Of Project Dignity, Natalie Geismar

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Menstrual health management (MHM) poses a significant public health concern in many South African communities. Though the national government is beginning to devote attention and resources to MHM, civil society organizations play a critical role in providing menstrual health products and education to female-bodied individuals who may otherwise lack access. This study examines the praxis and impact of Project Dignity, a nongovernmental organization which distributes washable, reusable sanitary pads and panties to students in public schools. The researcher collected qualitative data through participant observation as well as interviews and focus group discussions with Project Dignity’s staff and intended beneficiaries. Using …

Sans-Papiers, Sans-Santé: A Study Of Undocumented Migrant Women’S Access To Reproductive And Obstetric Health Care In Switzerland, Sarah Kinch

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In recent years, Switzerland has seen increasing numbers of foreign-born residents, making it one of the many countries affected by the European Migrant Crisis. Of these newly-settled migrants, many live in the country illegally, otherwise known as undocumented migrants or “Sans-Papiers.” While Switzerland grants its Sans-Papiers population a right to health, thus making medical insurance and care legal for the undocumented community, many still see increased adverse health outcomes among the population. As more than half of the Sans-Papiers living in Switzerland are female, women are therefore increasingly at risk for worse reproductive and obstetric health. This study sought to …

What To Expect When You’Re Expecting: The Impacts China’S Maternal And Child Health Care Law Has Had On Tibetan Birthing Practices In The Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Hannah Mishriky

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

While childbirth is universal, it is undeniable that class, culture, ethnicity, and the scientific and political state of medicine all influence how women experienced it. The Tibetan ethnic minority of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is a culture that exemplifies the uniqueness of each birth. Due to both their distinctive childbirth beliefs and practices, as well as the swift changes China has undergone, Tibetan birthing experiences are asking to be explored.

This study will focus on two major factors influencing Tibetan women's birthing experiences. To begin, research will be done to understand the Buddhist influences surrounding pregnancy and childbirth, …

Taking An Hpv Vaccine Research-Tested Intervention To Scale In A Clinical Setting, Suellen Hopfer, Anne E. Ray, Michael L. Hecht, Michelle Miller-Day, Rhonda Belue, Gregory Zimet, W. Douglas Evans, Francis X. Mckee

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Research tested interventions are seldom ready for wide spread use. Successful intervention adaptation to clinical settings demands an iterative process with target audience feedback. We describe the adaptation process of implementing an NCI research tested HPV vaccine intervention, Women's Stories, to a community clinic context (Planned Parenthood). Five phases are described for the adaptation of content and the development of a health kiosk intervention delivery system: (a) informant interviews with the target audience of young adult, predominantly African-American women, (b) translating HPV vaccine decision narratives into prevention messages, (c) health kiosk interface design, (d) conducting a usability study of the …

Findings From Post-Intervention Analysis Of Pre-Eclampsia/Eclampsia In Cross River State, Salisu Mohammed Ishaku

Reproductive Health

Maternal and newborn deaths due to pre-eclampsia and eclampsia (PE/E) are preventable, yet in Nigeria this is the most significant direct cause of maternal mortality. Following a landscape analysis to better understand the enormity of this problem across seven states in Nigeria, a cross-cutting intervention was implemented in Cross River, Ebonyi, and Kogi states. Researchers worked with primary healthcare (PHC) providers, policymakers, women’s groups, and community members to increase uptake of underutilized interventions and commodities for the prevention and treatment of PE/E in rural Nigeria. This brief presents study findings from Cross River State on post-intervention landscape changes in: programmatic …

Reducing Early And Unintended Pregnancies Among Adolescents, Francis Obare, Caroline W. Kabiru, Venkatraman Chandra-Mouli

Reproductive Health

Interventions to reduce unmet need for contraception and early and unintended pregnancies among adolescents should be critical components of family planning programs in developing countries. This evidence brief highlights evidence and provides research and program considerations for improving access to family planning and reducing unintended pregnancy. It describes the following five elements that must be in place in order to apply evidence to large-scale, national-level programs: collect, analyze, and use accurate and up-to-date data; formulate or revise national laws and policies; develop national adolescent sexual and reproductive health strategies; implement strategies with careful monitoring; and conduct periodic program reviews.

Accelerating Uptake Of Voluntary, Rights-Based Family Planning In Developing Countries, Kazuyo Machiyama, Francis Obare, Venkatraman Chandra-Mouli, Doris Chou, Mario Festin, Rajat Khosla, James Kiarie, Lale Say, Nandita Thatte

Reproductive Health

This brief summarizes evidence on the benefits of family planning for girls and women, their children, families, and societies. It also provides evidence on the cost-effectiveness of family planning programs; discusses reasons for unmet need for contraception and identifies ways to reduce unmet need and discontinuation; and describes progress in meeting FP2020 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To meet the FP2020 and SDGs, significant investments are required by countries and donors in the following priority areas: sustainable financing, reaching all adolescents, expanding availability of services to the poorest and hard-to-reach populations, improving the quality of services, increasing the range …

Using Evidence To Improve Quality Of Pharmacy-Delivered Medical Abortion, Katharine Footman, Nancy Termini Lachance

Reproductive Health

The goal of family planning and reproductive health operations research is to generate evidence that helps policies and programs maximize access to and quality of services for women and their families. Yet the crucial step of ensuring the utilization of that evidence often receives inconsistent or inadequate attention. The goal of this case study is to document an activity of Marie Stopes International (MSI) in Kenya, part of the STEP UP research program consortium, which resulted in successful evidence utilization. STEP UP research on quality of care for medical abortion, particularly on pharmacy provision of medical abortion, has provided the …

Dynamics Of Postpartum Iud Use In India, The Evidence Project

Reproductive Health

Evidence suggests that in India, compared to married women in general, postpartum married women have a much higher need for family planning that remains unmet. India’s postpartum IUD (PPIUD) program aims to help postpartum women space pregnancies and prevent mistimed or unwanted births. The majority of PPIUD users in this study were young, educated, and had one child. Most were involved in making the final decision about which family planning method to use after discussions with the provider, and most had spoken with a frontline health worker at least once about family planning methods in the three months preceding birth …