Family, Life Course, and Society Commons^™

Associations Among Shopping Methods, Diet Adherence, And Nutrition Knowledge Of Employed Primary Grocery Shoppers In Households With Children, Baylee Schneider

Master's Theses

Obesity is a prominent risk factor for chronic disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States. Obesity and chronic disease rates continue to rise, requiring a need for prevention and intervention efforts. The future role of dietetics is to provide treatment and prevention through holistic approaches, by understanding individuals’ habits that contribute to the onset of disease, specifically their food choices, grocery shopping methods, and influences that waver these selections. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between grocery shopping methods (online or in-store), Mediterranean diet adherence, nutrition knowledge, and food purchase patterns …

Feasibility And Acceptability Of The Mazi Umntanakho Digital Tool In South African Settings: A Qualitative Evaluation, Catherine E. Draper, Caylee J. Cook, Elizabeth A. Ankrah, Jesus A. Beltran, Franceli L. Cibrian, Kimberley D. Lakes, Hanna Mofid, Lucretia Williams, Gillian R. Hayes

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

To address the need for interventions targeting social emotional development and mental health of young children in South Africa, the Mazi Umntanakho (‘know your child’) digital tool was co-designed, and piloted with caregivers and 3–5-year-old children involved in home visiting programmes promoting early childhood development. The aim of this study was to qualitatively evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of this tool in four urban and four rural low-income communities, from the perspective of home visitors and caregivers. Focus groups were conducted with home visitors (n = 117) and caregivers (n = 72). Issues relating to the feasibility of …

Promoting Caregiver-Child Attunement: Social Emotional Wellness Through Yoga, Gianna R. Delfino

Entry Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Projects Class of 2025

This doctoral capstone program, Social-Emotional Wellness Through Yoga: Promoting Caregiver-Child Attunement, aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate a family-centered occupational therapy (OT) program designed to enhance emotional connection, co-regulation, and wellness in caregiver-child dyads at a pediatric outpatient clinic. This project was guided by a systematic review of literature on the effects of yoga on the mental health of children 3-10 years old, which suggests that yoga has positive outcomes on the mental health and wellbeing of children (Khunti et al., 2022). Grounded in neurodiversity-affirming, trauma-informed, and strengths-based care, the 10-week group was designed for children ages 3–11 and their …

Access To And Utilization Of Dental Care Services By Older Adults In Nigeria: Barriers And Facilitators, Sunkanmi Folorunsho, Victor Ajayi, Munirat Sanmori, Medinah Suleiman, Raji Abdullateef, Abdulazeez Abdulganiyu

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Aims: Nigeria’s rapidly aging population presents urgent challenges for the healthcare system, particularly in oral health, which remains an overlooked aspect of well-being. While older adults are especially vulnerable to dental issues such as tooth loss, periodontal disease, and oral pain, access to care remains limited due to systemic, economic, and cultural barriers. This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of older Nigerians in accessing and utilizing dental care, with the goal of identifying key barriers, facilitators, and policy-relevant insights.

Methods: Fifteen participants aged 50–83 years were purposively selected from urban and peri-urban areas of Ilorin, North- Central …

“I Learned To Bottle Up My Feelings From A Young Age”: A Narrative Analysis Of Latina Young People’S Family Mental Health Socialization, Jenn M. Lilly

Social Service Faculty Publications

Latina young people report high levels of mental health problems and low levels of helpseeking

compared with their white peers, but little research has examined factors influencing

their mental health views. Inductive analysis of 25 participants’ narratives revealed that Latina

young people described three stages in the development of their mental health-related beliefs,

attitudes, and behaviors: undergoing a process of family mental health socialization, suffering

in silence, and attaining a new perspective. Within each of these phases, participants shared

stories that attest to their agency and resilience. This research uncovers a novel theoretical

construct, “family mental health socialization,” which elucidates …

Factors Affecting The Joy Of Life In Old Age: A Scale Development Study, Yalçın Karagöz, Yusuf Karaşi̇n, Mustafa Filiz, Mehmet Ateş

Adultspan Journal

This study aims to introduce a measurement tool into the literature that can reveal the factors affecting the joy of life in older adulthood. Participants included 266 individuals aged 55 and over living in Izmir, Turkey. The process of developing the scale includes the following stages: problem identification, item pool creation, expert opinion, form shaping, pilot application, and finalizing the scale. The exploratory factor analysis revealed that the scale consists of 6 different dimensions, and the variance explained by these dimensions was found to be 65.184%. The acceptable values for the scale's fit indicators are as follows: χ²/df0.90, IFI > 0.90, …

The Geography Of Care: Rural Versus Urban Caregiver Perspectives On Community Resources For Parkinson’S Disease Management, Rebecca Jones

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study investigated the experiences and perceptions of caregivers for individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) in rural versus urban settings, with particular emphasis on their access to and utilization of community resources. Through semi-structured interviews with 30 caregivers, the research explored how geographical location impacts caregiving challenges, support systems, and resource accessibility. Using Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use as a theoretical framework, the study revealed both universal caregiving challenges and location-specific barriers. While all caregivers reported significant emotional burden and healthcare system navigation difficulties, rural caregivers faced distinct challenges related to resource accessibility and specialized care availability. …

Black Birth Work As Radical Praxis: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Inquiry Of Leadership Among Black Birth Workers, Lesa C. Clark

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This hermeneutic phenomenological study explores the leadership experiences of Black birth workers (BBWs), revealing critical insights into leadership dynamics within maternal healthcare. Through a theoretical framework integrating African feminism, Black feminism, and anti-racist feminism, the research examines how BBWs conceptualize and enact leadership through embodied, relational, and liberatory approaches. This study addresses a significant gap in leadership literature, particularly regarding generational knowledge and practices of BBWs, which remain understudied despite their vital role in Black maternal healthcare. This study reveals distinct leadership perspectives and methodologies through in-depth interviews with eight BBWs and a detailed interpretive analysis. The findings contribute to …

The Impact Of Socioeconomic Status On Substance Use Amongst The Hispanic Maternal Population, Emily C. Olivo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Aim: To explore and synthesize existing research that focuses on the relationship between socioeconomic status and the use of substances amongst the maternal Hispanic population. By examining research and these factors, interventions can be identified to lower reported substance use rates amongst Hispanic mothers of childbearing ages.

Background: Minorities such as Hispanic women deal with a myriad of struggles, especially during motherhood. Socioeconomic status and substance use can contribute to a large part of the struggles faced by this population. Hispanic and Latina will be used interchangeably throughout this review of literature.

Method: A comprehensive electronic review of 3 databases …

Formation, Operation, And Maintenance Of A Community Advisory Board For Research With Lgbtq+ Parents, Aubrey Jones, Olivia S. Yinger, Rachel H. Farr, Keisa Fallin-Bennett, Sabrina Beiring, Cassi Crouse, Carolyn Greenstrom

Transforming Communities

Community-engaged research is becoming increasingly popular to promote health equity. Objective: The purpose of this paper is to describe the formation, operation, and maintenance of a community advisory board (CAB) of LGBTQ+ parents and healthcare providers who work with LGBTQ+ parents. Method: Using Newman and colleagues outline, we describe the formation, operation, and maintenance phases of our CAB process. Inclusion criteria for CAB members is as follows, CAB members must be 18 years of age or older, live in the U.S., and (a) self-identify as LGBTQ+ and have had a child in the NICU more than five years prior to …

¿Qué Dijo El Médico?: Creating A Procedural Preparation Booklet For Spanish-Speaking Patients And Families In The Pediatric Hospital Setting, Caitlyn Bockbrader

Honors Projects

The purpose of my Honors Project is to demonstrate the need for and creation of a resource that supports Spanish-speaking children’s ability to cope through commonly stressful medical procedures. In developing this project, I conducted a literature review on the efficacy of preparation booklets in lessening pre-procedural anxiety, cultural considerations for the Hispanic community, and current barriers to equitable language access in healthcare settings. My final product was designed to answer the following question: How can the psychosocial outcomes of Spanish-speaking children in U.S. hospitals be improved through the use of Child Life procedural preparation materials? In answering this question, …

Alternatives To Screen Time Given In Parenting Advice, Emma Romeo

Undergraduate Research Symposium Lightning Talks

Screen time within the last decade is an area of rising interest, especially in a "Post-Covid" world. Despite a diversity of opinions being written and research being done on screen time, what is being presented as an alternative is lesser known. In this research, the aim is to identify types of activities that are presented to parents as alternatives' to screen time in parenting websites and blogs. This study uses qualitative content analysis of over 240 articles from 2019-2023 mentioning media use or screen time from two regularly consumed and popular parenting websites, Sheknows.com and Parents.com. The data so far …

Negara Hukum Kesejahteraan Di Batas Pantai: Paradoks Perlindungan Negara Terhadap Masyarakat Pesisir Di Tengah Perubahan Iklim, Aji Baskoro

Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial

Climate change poses significant challenges to vulnerable coastal communities in Indonesia. As a welfare state, the Indonesian government is expected to safeguard these vulnerable groups through policies that promote their welfare and sustainable livelihoods. However, current policies create a paradox. This article explores this paradox: on the one hand, Indonesia adheres to the welfare state principle, which demands that all government actions be grounded in law, ensuring public safety and welfare. On the other hand, the policies focus on exploiting natural resources, exacerbating the vulnerabilities of coastal communities, particularly in the face of climate change. The article employs a normative …

Providing End-Of-Life Counseling: A Narrative Inquiry, Carol Hecht, Sibyl West

Adultspan Journal

This qualitative study aimed to address the gap in the research related to end-of-life counseling by exploring the experiences of counselors working with clients at end of life. While counseling literature and education are lacking regarding end of life, many counselors will work alongside clients approaching death. The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to better understand the nuanced experiences of counselors providing end-of-life counseling and (b) to explore the supports and preparations helpful for counselors to provide end-of-life counseling. A narrative approach, using the Listening Guide (Gilligan, 2015), was employed to analyze and present the stories of three …

Considerations Of Medicare Telehealth Services With Older Adults, Sonah Kho, Amanda Dediego

Adultspan Journal

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic set in motion a rapid expansion of mental health services offered via telehealth. With this rapid expansion came the need to examine how policy and practice should be shaped in a future where telehealth is considered common in counseling practice. For counselors to understand how to support older adult clients in using telehealth services, they must understand telehealth policy. Following the eligibility of licensed counselors to participate in Medicare, counselors need to stay abreast of regulatory changes regarding restrictions and regulations on use of telehealth for mental and behavioral health services, including video and …

How Do Older Adults Define A Good Death? A Scoping Review, Ellen L. Csikai, Quentin R. Maynard

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

A scoping literature review of the concepts of ‘good death’ and ‘dying well’ among older adults was conducted. The purpose was to identify aspects that older adults specifically considered important in defining a ‘good death’. The search revealed five articles published between 2005 and 2019 that met inclusionary criteria for the review. Primary among the views of the older adults in these studies of a ‘good death’ was the desire to avoid being a burden to families; done so by dying pain-free/peacefully (preferably in sleep) and preparing in advance by involving family in decisions and funeral/estate planning. Family support throughout …

Infertility’S Impact On Couples’ Functioning, Elizabeth Sanders

Dissertations

Historically, infertility has been a taboo topic of discussion and is often avoided in conversation because of the stigmatization of the diagnosis. According to the World Health Organization (2022), infertility affects 186 million individuals globally. However, there seems to be a gap in the research as it pertains to the psychological well-being and treatment of men and women diagnosed with this condition. While it has become less of a feared topic, it still is not discussed or researched enough, thus further exacerbating the gap in research on mental health and treatment options. The following dissertation completed a critical review of …

Leveraging The Science Of Early Life Predictability To Inform Policies Promoting Child Health, Laura M. Glynn, Sabrina R. Liu, Candice Taylor Lucas, Elysia Poggi Davis

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Addressing the tremendous burden of early-life adversity requires constructive dialogues between scientists and policy makers to improve population health. Whereas dialogues focused on several aspects of early-life adversity have been initiated, discussion of an underrecognized form of adversity that has been observed across multiple contexts and cultures is only now emerging. Here we provide evidence for “why unpredictability?”, including: 1. Evidence that exposures to unpredictability affect child neurodevelopment, with influences that persist into adulthood. 2. The existence of a translational non-human animal model of exposure to early life unpredictability that can be capitalized upon to causally probe neurobiological mechanisms. 3. …

Enhancing Co-Occupation Of Play For Families Experiencing Homelessness, Vienna Vargas, Susan Macdermott

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

The presentation covers program development for families residing in transitional housing with the opportunity to engage in healthy play activities to promote health and wellness.

Maternal Decision Making And Children’S Nutritional Status: Evidence From Indonesia, Nadia Roswita, Teguh Dartanto

Jurnal Ekonomi Kependudukan dan Keluarga

Indonesia is encountering consecutive health problems caused by malnutrition. The latter poses long-term effects on children’s development. As this issue continue its prominence, using linear regression and binary logistic with time lag to analyze data from Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS) in 2007 and 2014 shall support the analysis of issue. Previous results from the models indicated that maternal decision-making in their share of food expenditure has a weak correlation for stunted children's experience. However, this study revealed different results. It suggested that involvement in from men in nutritional knowledge, skills, and financial backing to advance women's roles contributes to …

Pengaruh Karakteristik Rumah Tangga Terhadap Kejadian Kematian Maternal Di Pulau Papua, Intan Putri Utami, Yuliagnis Transver Wijaya

Jurnal Ekonomi Kependudukan dan Keluarga

Maternal health and life during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period are very important in determining the growth and future development of the birth generation. SDG indicators express the global seriousness of this effort, aiming to reduce the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030. However, according to the Long Form SP2020, Indonesia still has 189 deaths per 100,000 live births. Papua and West Papua are the two provinces with the worst MMR achievements, with 565 and 343 deaths per 100,000 live births, respectively. Therefore, this research will provide general overview and identify …

Parenting Identity And Parental Mental Health In Chinese Parents In Mainland China, Zhenqiao Yang

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

In the modern context of mainland China, parents of young children face unique parenting stressors, making parental mental health during the early stages of parenting a significant public concern. Increasing awareness of the role of self-concepts in mental health underscores the importance of exploring the relationships between parenting identity concepts, parenting stress, parental mental health, and familial factors. This study aims to examine the relationship between parenting identity and parental mental health, specifically depression and anxiety, in the context of early childhood parenting stress. Data were collected from 456 parents at four daycare centers and public spaces in an Eastern …

How Did Cognitive Status Impact Health Care Use Among Older Adults During The Covid-19 Pandemic?, Katarina Sako, Janet Wilmoth

Population Health Research Brief Series

Physical distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the lives of older adults. Older adults experiencing dementia and other forms of cognitive decline have impaired executive functioning that made it even more difficult to contend with these disruptions. This brief presents findings from research that used data from the 2021 Health and Retirement Study to examine differences in health care delays and health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic among a nationally representative sample of U.S. older adults (ages 50+) with versus without cognitive decline. Results show that most older adults did not delay getting health care and did not experience …

Determining Factors For Improved Uptake Of Harm Reduction Services In The United States: A Study Of Inclusive, Culturally Sensitive Messaging, Lauretta Ekanem Omale

Dissertations

Harm reduction refers to public health policies and programs aimed at decreasing the adverse consequences associated with drug use. While harm reduction services (e.g., syringe exchange programs) can mitigate health risks, marginalized groups face barriers to service access and utilization, partially due to ineffective messaging approaches that fail to align with cultural values and experiences. A one-size-fits-all approach to messaging can negatively impact service utilization, health outcomes, and health disparities. Ineffective communication can lead to poor adherence to treatment, poorer health outcomes, and increased adverse events.

Culturally insensitive communication contributes to stigma, mistrust, and lack of perceived relevance, discouraging service …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Well-Being In Cancer Survivorship: Implications For Counselors, Hallie M. Sylvestro, Lindsey K. Umstead, Heather Delgado, Christopher Lawrence, Keith Mobley, Kelly L. Wester, Andrew Wood

Adultspan Journal

Adult cancer survivors represent an important–and growing–population that could benefit from counseling services. This study employed consensual qualitative research to examine the well-being experiences of eight cancer survivors. Findings suggest a broad range of changes to individual well-being following cancer diagnosis and treatment, and indicate counseling can provide an ideal setting for processing such changes. Recommendations for counseling practice and future research are provided.

Impact Of The Department Of Defense Maternity Leave Policy Change On Retention And Postpartum Depression And The Air Force Postpartum Physical Fitness Policy Change On Physical Readiness Outcomes, Minette S. R. Herrick

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Understanding the implications of health policy is paramount to support continued execution and further wide-spread distribution. The Department of Defense has made many recent family friendly policy changes in effort to improve the health and morale of the force. Two such policies were analyzed in this study. The first was the change in maternity leave, in 2016, from allotting women six weeks time off to twelve weeks time off in the postpartum period. The second was executed by the Air Force to permit postpartum women a longer duration for their required physical fitness assessment (an increase from six months to …

A Trauma-Informed Socially Just Approach To Working With Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth Utilizing Expressive Arts Therapy, Ciara Carr

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Youth involved with the juvenile justice system often have a history of trauma and oppression resulting from their positionality and circumstances. Most juvenile justice-involved youth are boys, youth of color, low-income, LGBTQIA2S+, disabled, and traumatized. This literature review explores the history of the juvenile justice system, issues with the present-day model, and trauma-informed and transformative justice approaches to practice. The implementation of socially just, trauma-informed expressive arts therapy programs is proposed as a more equitable practice to replace commonly used punitive practices across the United States. More research is needed to understand the impact of such programs on this population …

Emotion Regulation Strategies And Perceived Emotional Intelligence: The Effect Of Age., Iwanna Sepiadou

Adultspan Journal

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between perceived emotional intelligence and the reported use of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. We also investigated the possible effects of age on the aforementioned variables. The total sample consisted of 379 people (158 men, 220 women, 1 unreported). Across participants, 273 were young (20-39 years old) and 106 were middle-aged (40-65 years old). We found statistically significant positive correlations between the dimensions of perceived emotional intelligence and the reported use of cognitive reappraisal and negative primarily correlations between the dimensions of perceived emotional intelligence and the reported use of …

Evaluating A Short Duration Relationship And Marriage Education (Rme) Event Across Time And Format: 8 Years Of Learning, Pamela B. Payne, Naomi Brower

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

The COVID-19 pandemic changed how short-term relationship and marriage education (RME) reached participants for events such as the Utah Marriage Celebration Conference. This article examines participant-perceived relationship knowledge from an annual marriage conference that began prior to the pandemic and has continued through the disruption (from 2015 through 2022). Results indicate this short-duration marriage conference does improve participant-perceived knowledge across years [t(2381) = 59.84, p = .001]. Further, results indicate that online participants rate their perceived relationship knowledge as higher than in-person participants at both pre [F(1, 2752) = 153.0, p = .001] and post [F(7, 2594) = 25.14, p …

Breaking The Rule Of Silence: Childbirth And Gendered Power In Efuru And The Joys Of Motherhood, Sunday Elliott Uguru

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study examines the thematic preoccupation of childbirth in the formative period of feminist discourse in African literature through a critical study of selected novels of Igbo women of southeastern Nigeria. The novels studied represent the earliest published African texts in English by women. The period under focus falls within the emerging stage of Nigerian literary tradition in its written form with a dominant presence of men. This study investigates the women novelists' perspective toward the failure of male authored works to represent women's childbirth experience. Through a critical reading of Flora Nwapa's Efuru and Buchi Emecheta's The Joys of …