Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Understanding The Long-Term Ramifications Of Adolescent Marijuana Use And Its Effects On Educational Attainment, Trent Lebans

MA Research Paper

This paper examines the long-term effects of adolescent marijuana use. Using the U.S. National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1997 cohort, the study seeks to find whether marijuana use in adolescence creates difficulties in educational attainment in later life. It uses a life course lens, precisely that of cumulative inequality theory, to frame their questions and place their study within the context of their population's generation. To encapsulate period-specific cohort events, the backdrop of the war on drugs that took place in the U.S. in the late 1990s, is used to better understand macro-level conditions at play. Using a logistical regression, …

Assessing Homelessness Risk And Service Deprivation In London, Ontario, Jackie Tan

MA Research Paper

Despite the increasing prevalence of homelessness in small and mid-sized Canadian cities, research addressing this issue has been notably absent. As homelessness continues to become a more substantial problem within these communities, it is important to examine whether the trends and insights observed in larger cities apply to their smaller counterparts. Drawing on the 2021 Census and municipal data, this study explored the risk of homelessness in the mid-sized city of London, Ontario and investigated whether the spatial distribution of homeless services corresponded with the areas of greatest need. Results reveal that homeless risk and service provision concentrate within specific …

The Spatial Risk Of Assault On Police Officers In Toronto, Ontario, Stephanie C. Pongracz

MA Research Paper

Since September 12^th, 2022, nine police officers in Canada have been fatally assaulted in the line of duty. These officer deaths raise important questions concerning the nature of risks police face on duty, as well as the ways we can better understand those risks. Utilizing a Risk Terrain Modelling (RTM) approach, this study examined the risk of assault to police officers in Toronto, Ontario using Assault to Peace Officer data from January 1^st, 2022, to December 31^st, 2022. This study revealed that the risk of assault to police varies by the physical features present …

Pain Among Immigrants To Canada: Testing The Healthy Immigrant Effect, Marouna Gomes

MA Research Paper

In Canada, immigrants compose roughly one quarter of the population. The health of immigrants and their descendants is key to understanding the future health profile of all Canadians. Current literature on the health of immigrants often uses self-rated health and has produced mixed results regarding the healthy immigrant effect (HIE). Using data from the 2022 NEST survey, my study tests the HIE using chronic pain as a measure of population health to investigate the differences in pain experience among immigrants compared to the Canadian-born population. My results support the HIE: immigrants are 28% less likely to experience pain than Canadian-born …

Differences In Income For Foreign-Born Blacks Across Settlement Types In An Era Of Rising Anti-Immigration Sentiment, Sandra F. Weir

MA Research Paper

Traditional immigration patterns show immigrants in the United States settling in cities with a high density of co-ethnics called ethnic enclaves. There has been a shift in the last three decades where immigrants are moving to suburbs with a high density of one ethnic group called an ‘ethnoburb’ or mixed ethnicity suburbs. Partly reflecting the composition of migration flows, prior work has heavily focused on foreign-born Hispanics and Asians. Less attention has been paid to the settlement patterns of foreign-born Blacks. Furthermore, immigration has become more contested in the United States due to changing political discourse and it is unclear …

A Middle Ground: The Gendered Division Of Housework In Heterosexual Mixed-Nativity Couples, Rebecca Rayner

MA Research Paper

Little is known about how couples in mixed-nativity marriages divide household labor compared to their peers in mixed-nativity cohabitations. Using data from the Integrated Public Use Microdata (IPUMS) files of the American Time Use Survey, this paper asks: (1) how does the division of housework for heterosexual mixed-nativity couples, both married and cohabiting, compare to that of their same-nativity counterparts? and (2) how does the gendered division of housework for heterosexual cohabiting mixed-nativity couples differ from that of married mixed- nativity couples? Findings indicate that mixed-nativity unions operate as a “middle ground” between same-nativity unions. When stratifying by marital status, …

A Complex Disease With Complex Discourse: Exploring The Online Messaging Of Two Canadian Obesity Charities And The Implications For Weight Stigma, Caitlin E. Turnbull

MA Research Paper

Researchers warn that sizeism and weight stigma can prevent individuals from seeking health care, increase feelings of depression, and even contribute to weight gain and the worsening of negative health behaviours (Chrisler and Barney 2017; O’Hara and Gregg 2006; Puhl and Heuer 2009; 2010; Tomiyama 2014). The motivation for this study relates to a broader social problem of weight stigma and is premised upon evidence that suggests that stigmatizing content precipitates poor perceptions of obese individuals (Frederick et al. 2020; Puhl and Heuer 2010). Drawing upon the concept of biopedagogy, this case study qualitatively analyzes the online messages produced by …

Framing Diversity And Edi Practices: A Comparison Of Strategic Planning And Recruitment Materials In Two Canadian Universities, Michelle H. Robinson

MA Research Paper

Multiculturalism has been official Canadian policy since 1971. However, racial equity from this policy has not resulted as there continues to be persistent educational attainment gaps and underrepresentation among Indigenous and Black Canadians in higher education. Post-secondary credentials have become essential to success in knowledge economies. Given these attainment gaps, the purpose of this study was to explore how postsecondary institutions frame and promote diversity. I conducted a content analysis of strategic planning documents and viewbook recruitment materials from Canada’s two largest universities (University of Toronto and University of British Columbia) and sought out any available student racial composition data—a …

Comparing Chronic Pain In Urban And Rural Canadian Adults, Alyssa T. Jensen

MA Research Paper

Previous literature has found that rural Canadians are at a health disadvantage compared to their urban counterparts across a number of health outcomes. Less is known, however, about whether this pattern extends to chronic pain, especially in a Canadian context. Using a sample of 1820 Canadian adults aged 25 and older from the Recovery and Resilience COVID-19 Survey, this study explores the relationship between rurality and chronic pain. A series of nested negative binominal regression models were estimated. It was found that rurality is associated with significantly higher pain, though three measures of socioeconomic status explained some of rural disadvantage. …

“I Can’T Trust Anyone”: International Students’ Experience With Student Support Services In Canada, Cathlin Sullivan

MA Research Paper

The number of international students in Canada continues to rise. Out of the 642,480 international students in Canada, 60% of them want to immigrate to Canada permanently after completing their studies (CBIE, 2018). Using data from a qualitative research study, I will discuss the transition of international students to university at a research institution in Southwestern Ontario. This paper focuses on their transition to Canada through their engagement with on-campus support services. The findings suggest very different levels of support in accessing resources within the International Student Centre compared to other student service offices on campus. Within the purview of …

Nursing Homes And Loneliness Among Older Adults In The United States, Camila Iciaszczyk

MA Research Paper

Many studies have revealed that older adults experience varying rates of loneliness depending on their living arrangements, yet few have been measured in nursing homes. I assess rates of loneliness among aging adults across different living arrangements, including nursing homes. Analyzing nationally representative longitudinal survey data from the United States, I observe older adults in all living arrangements and whether the transition into nursing homes is linked with increased rates of loneliness. Findings indicate that older adults living in nursing homes are at a 3.0 higher odds of experiencing loneliness compared to those living independently. When controlling for demographic and …

The Practice Of Curation On Instagram: A Bourdieusian Approach, Eve S. Smerchinski

MA Research Paper

Social media has become a salient part of the social world. However, social media platforms are no longer solely for conversing with others; they have become a tool for self-presentation and the curation of self. This paper explores how previous social media research and scholars can be used to understand the intentionality displayed by Instagram users as they construct their online identities and profiles. Additionally, this paper aims to further understand this process by approaching it as a process of curation through a Bourdieusian lens. Bourdieu’s sociological lens will allow for a further understanding of the intentionality behind social media …

Racial And Ethnic Differences In Chronic Pain, Sarah M. Revie

MA Research Paper

Chronic pain literature consistently shows differences in the prevalence of chronic pain by race and ethnicity. However, these studies primarily focus on White, African American, and Hispanic respondents. This paper aims to examine differences in pain by race and ethnicity including most major racial categories as well as Asian, Native American, and multiple-race respondents. This study uses data from the 2017 and 2018 National Health Interview Survey (n=33,161). To determine the relationship between race and ethnicity and chronic pain, we conducted multiple nested logistic regression. The analysis found that African Americans [OR= 0.67, p<0.001], Hispanic [OR= 0.61, p<0.001], and Asian [OR= 0.42, p<0.001] respondents have lower odds of pain when compared to White participants while multiracial respondents have higher odds of chronic pain [OR = 1.28, p<0.05]. This study is important for future research as it shows the need for other scholars, as well as policymakers, to focus on expanding racial and ethnic categories commonly studied in chronic pain literature.

Labour Market Outcomes For Skilled Worker Immigrants And Non-Immigrants In Canada, Adam Mamudovski Mr.

MA Research Paper

Previous research on the experiences of immigrants within foreign labour markets produce mixed findings. In this study, I utilize the February 2020 Canadian Labour Force Survey to address three questions. First, does possessing a higher education ensure that individuals will earn higher weekly wages? Second, for early to middle-age workers is there a gap in weekly wages based on educational attainment between immigrants and non-immigrants.? Third, does higher education protect against precarious work equally for immigrants and non-immigrants? Findings suggest that as an individual’s highest level of educational attainment increases, so does their weekly wage earnings, on average. Furthermore, the …

How Are The Formal And Informal Online Supports Of Mental Health Accessible For Refugees And Their Children In Canada?, Maria Jose Gonzalez Sanchez

MA Research Paper

Refugees fleeing from extreme human rights violations are highly vulnerable and predisposed to a variety of mental health illnesses. The issue that this study addresses are the barriers refugees encounter when navigating mental health resources in Canada. Across the literature it has been found that refugees tend to underutilize mental health resources for a variety of reasons despite their poor mental health outcomes. Some factors of underutilization include, linguistic, religious, cultural, and economic (Chaze et al., 2015). To address this problem, the purpose of this study will be to evaluate the online accessibility of available resources. A content analysis on …

The Effects Of Race And Gender On Income And Workplace Position Of Professional Engineers In Ontario: Can Homophily Preferences Help Explain Barriers?, Jayzer E. Flores

MA Research Paper

Canada has an extensive history of anti-discrimination legislation to reduce inequality for minority groups, yet, they continue to experience disadvantage. Recent literature has suggested that barriers for minority groups into and within work persists in part because of subtle processes like homophily as individuals develop a preference for similar others. Studies of professions are important because previous studies suggest homophily preferences along dimensions of race and gender are high within professions, contributing to widening inequalities. Engineering provides an excellent case for analysis of homophily within professions, since Statistics Canada data suggests that engineering is among the most common professions for …

Social Isolation: Do Helpers Help Ward It Off?, Kirsten Young Brown

MA Research Paper

Social isolation is particularly relevant among elderly individuals who are more likely to need care and help with their physical and living needs. Little is known about whether receiving help correlates with social isolation in older adults living at home as often there is no focus from caregivers and helpers on older adults' social needs. Using data from the 2018 US National Health and Aging Trends Study, a sample of adults aged 65 plus on Medicare/Medicaid (N=4,321), I examine the relationship between social isolation and help. I estimate ordinary least squares regression models to test the association between receiving help …

The Life Satisfaction Of Immigrants In Canada: Does Time Of Arrival Matter?, Laura G. Monteiro

MA Research Paper

The subjective life satisfaction of individuals reveals valuable information about the overall well-being of a society. Furthermore, the large prevalence of international migration has led to the importance of studying the life satisfaction of immigrants within host-countries, including Canada. This study uses secondary data from the 2013 Canadian General Social Survey, Cycle 27, to assess the life satisfaction of immigrants in Canada in comparison to Canadian-born individuals, and to determine if immigrants’ year of arrival has a significant impact on their life satisfaction. Using bivariate and multivariate statistical models, the results reveal that the life satisfaction of immigrants does not …

On Unequal Terms: The Indigenous Wage Gap In Canada, Taylor N. Paul

MA Research Paper

Research has demonstrated that Indigenous peoples are economically disadvantaged relative to the rest of the Canadian population. However, research on the Indigenous wage gap specifically has received little attention until recently. In this article, I draw on data from the 2016 Canadian Census to investigate differences in wages between Indigenous peoples and White Canadians, and among Indigenous groups. First Nations face the widest residual gap in wages when compared with White individuals, followed by those with Indigenous ancestry. While Indigenous women experience an 11% to 14% wage gap, only registered First Nations men experience a wage gap of approximately 16%. …

The Mental Health Culture In Hockey: A Scoping Review, Lauren Dormer

MA Research Paper

In any major Canadian city, one can find hockey arenas, outdoor rinks, or a Tim Horton coffee shop on every corner. Between September and April, many Canadians will adorn their favourite players jersey or their favourite teams toque, exuding team pride, further strengthening the idea that Canadian culture is entangled within the world of hockey.

Due to hockey’s role within Canadian identity, this study conducted a scoping literature review in order to conceptualize what we know of mental health within hockey literature. There were three overarching research questions that guided this study: 1) How is mental health defined, measured, or …

Disability And Health Outcomes Of Eastern European Immigrants To The United States, Ina Palii

MA Research Paper

Eastern European immigrants are one of the largest groups of immigrants in the United States. However, little is known about their health outcomes after arrival to the US. This study addresses the importance of differentiating Eastern European immigrants as a distinct category of immigrants with health outcomes that may differ from those born in the US, or other immigrants. This study examined the health of Eastern European immigrants in the United States, by focusing on three measures of disability – ambulatory, independent living, and self-care difficulties – and comparing them to US-born Whites and to other immigrants. The study uses …

The Effect Of The Analyst-Officer Relationship On Crime Analysis: Experiential Knowledge Vs. Data-Driven Decisions, Emma Brown

MA Research Paper

This article examines the importance of the relationship between police officers and crime analysts in the production and application of analyst outputs. Using qualitative interview data on ten analysts and two officers from one province in Canada, we illustrate the role and responsibilities of analysts, the effects of their relations with officers on their work, as well as the intended objectivity of crime analysis within intelligence-led policing (ILP). Specifically, we analyze the use of experiential knowledge by police officers in their patrols resulting in the underutilization of analyst products. The rampant miscommunication between officers and analysts leads to a cycle …

Assessing The Impact Of Denizenship In The Making And Evaluation Of Temporary Foreign Worker Policies In Canada, Sihwa Kim

MA Research Paper

Despite the larger number of temporary foreign workers (TFWs) that are channelled through a long-standing Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), their experience with the program and, more broadly, within the Canadian society has been overlooked.

This study examines the ways in which a denizen status coupled with other social factors, such as race and amount of human capital, create marginalizing migratory experience for low-skilled TFWs in Canada. As denizens, these migrant workers are isolated in the geographical, economic, political, and social periphery of Canadian society. The longstanding inequality embedded in the structure of TFWP legitimizes differential entitlements and experiences of …

Personality Traits And Transition To First Marriage, Sumangala Sasudevan

MA Research Paper

Context: During the search for a potential partner, individuals emphasize personality as a key factor. The Big Five personality types (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness) have been commonly used in social psychology literature to analyse personality types in relation to marital satisfaction and relationship outcomes (Botwin, Buss and Shakelford 1997; Holland & Roisman 2008). Objectives: The purpose of this study is to 1) analyse the relationships between the big five personality types and the transition into first marriage; and 2) explore how childhood socioeconomic status moderates the relationship between childhood personality types to first marriage. Data and Methods: I …

The Impacts Of Housing Affordability On Immigrant Household Formation And Homeownership, Wanyun Cheng

MA Research Paper

Rising housing costs, in terms of both rent and ownership costs, have been posing challenges to the Canadian population in forming independent households and attaining homeownership, especially to immigrants who had lower homeownership rates since the 1980s. This paper investigates the impacts of housing affordability and the three elements of the housing pathways framework - economic resources, family composition, and cultural variations - on household formation and homeownership differences between the Canadian-born and five racialized immigrant groups. Using the Public Use Census data and the “double cohort” analytical approach, the study also assesses their housing progress from 2006 to 2016. …

In #Flatearth We Trust: The Danger Of The Self-Representation Of Flat Earthers On Twitter, Lauren Gomes

MA Research Paper

The Flat Earth movement has gained substantial online publicity over the last few years as demands for the ‘truth’ in an era of post-truth are increasingly centered on anti-government and anti-expert regulations of knowledge. More individuals are self-identifying as Flat Earthers, or those who believe the earth is flat, on social media applications, such as Twitter. Flat Earthers self-represent on their Twitter accounts as ‘truth seekers’ or uncorrupted by knowledge authorities endorsed by the government, but in representing themselves this way, they mislead the public and further aggravate the public mistrust of the government, experts, and science. Flat Earthers claim …

The Economic Integration Of Mexican Mennonite Immigrants In Canada, Marina Wiebe

MA Research Paper

With a rapidly shrinking proportion of Canadians that live in rural areas, there have been some attempts to settle immigrants in rural communities. With few exceptions, these attempts in Canada have been unsuccessful. Nevertheless, the Mennonite people are considered to be a population that maintains their retention in rural areas with some success. The literature regarding this specific immigrant group is limited and lacks context of the economic environment of Canada today. It is in the interest of government policy to have a working and current understanding of Mennonites’ economic outcomes and retention in rural communities. The integration patterns of …

An App A Day Keeps The Doctor Away: A Visual Case Analysis Of The Self-Optimization Ideologies Downloaded Onto Apple Users As They Download Applications, Ismahan Yusuf

MA Research Paper

This visually thematic qualitative case analysis seeks to advance cyber-sociology by analyzing the hyper-under-attended relationship between interfaces and discourses. Here, the interface under investigation is the Apple App Store, examined for the ways in which the platform is discursively encoded with particular ideologies, ideals, desires and narratives downloaded onto users as they download applications. Such is explored via a two-part research question inquiring: Which type of applications enjoy the most promotion on the Apple App Store and what cyber-architectural tools are herein used to optically exalt them? To investigate this, an iOS 11-operating iPhone was used to frequent the store’s …

Does Higher Education Make A Difference? The Influence Of Educational Attainment On Women’S And Men’S Employment Outcomes, Katelyn Mitri

MA Research Paper

Scholars agree that precarious employment is growing across and within all occupations and industries, but little is known on the educational attainment of precarious workers. Some studies suggest that recent graduates, women, and the less educated are more likely to be employed in precarious work. Other research contends that involuntary precarious employment is rising among all groups and educational levels. Using the May 2018 Labour Force Survey, this study explores whether higher education protects men and women from precarious employment, and if higher education has a protective effect on men’s and women’s wages within precarious employment. Findings suggest that women, …

Out Of The Closet And Into Sport: An Analysis Of Openly Lesbian Athletes, Rachel Fazzari

MA Research Paper

ABSTRACT. Coming out refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals disclosure of their sexual orientation. Coming out literature has often focused on the implications of coming out to family. Although there has been some research conducted on being out in sport, much of the research conducted on LGBT athletes has either been conducted before the twenty-first century or has been conducted solely on gay men. As a result, very little is known about the coming out experiences of lesbian athletes today. Since sport is rooted in masculine ideals and heterosexuality, it would be likely that lesbian athletes …