Family, Life Course, and Society Commons^™

Real-Time Adaptable Residential Kitchen: A Plug-In Standard, Rachel Fuelberth

Masters in Architecture Program: Theses

This thesis looks at how a real-time adaptable standard could be put in place within the modern kitchen to allow for equitable use of the space by numerous members of the household and their differing physical characteristics. The residential kitchen is a fundamentally exclusionary architectural construction designed around able-bodied, average-height adults. This excludes children, the elderly, anyone outside of the average height, and people with mobility differences. The kitchen has never been a place of equity. It has been designed to be used by an average-height female, and it does not account for the discomfort of those outside this norm. …

The Illusion Of Absence, Abraham K. Ali

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Illusion of Absence is a collection of thirty poems with a critical introduction that examines the poetic legacy of paternal absence and the reconfiguration of family in Africa and diasporic narratives. I grew up in Nigeria without my father. His absence has shaped my understanding of love, silence, manhood, and home. This manuscript is an exploration of the lasting legacy of my father’s absence and its place within an exploration of masculinity within the broader context of the African and diasporic experience. My mother became the focal point within the home as she brought cohesion and unity within the …

Redefining The Mother Wound: Marianism, The Church, And Communal Mothering In Las Madres: Latinas In The Heartland Who Led Their Family To Success, Maria R. Loya-Pérez

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis reconsiders the restrictive role assigned to Mexican mothers that is perpetuated by the Church and Marianism, and how those restrictions are liberated by communal mothering. In examining how a Mexican mother is expected to act based on cultural expectations, I analyze the stories of three real mothers from the familial autobiography Las Madres: Latinas in the Heartland Who Led Their Family to Success. I analyze three mothers, the matriarch Candelaria, her daughter Rafaela, and her daughter Irene to better understand how the Church and Marianism has restricted them based on the experiences of Candelaria. These restrictions when placed …

Beneath The Northern Sky: A Family’S Story Of Faith, Work, And Loss In 19th Century East Friesland. A Generational Narrative For Descendants Of East Frisian Immigrants., Derek M. Heeren

Genealogy Resources

Beneath the Northern Sky traces the quiet endurance of one East Frisian family as they live, labor, and worship along the lowlands of northwest Germany in the early nineteenth century. At the center of the story stands Wessel Heeren, a farmer and shipmaster whose days move between the ledgers of the farm, the rhythms of the Gulfhaus, and the waterways that connect his village to the wider world for trade. Alongside his wife Foske and their growing family, Wessel navigates a life defined by faithful attention to land, to kin, to church, and to a tradition of self-governance known …

Communication And Privacy Management Between Female Veterans, Their Military Voluntary Kin, And Biolegal Family Members, Carol Lee Tschampl-Diesing

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

Military voluntary kin (MVK) refer to relationships between Service members and/or Veterans that they consider to be “like family,” despite lacking blood or legal ties. The purpose of this qualitative/interpretive communication study was to explore how female Veterans, who are the largest growing population of U.S. Veterans, discursively construct MVK relationships, navigate communication, privacy management, and boundary turbulence with their MVK and biolegal families (BLF). The researcher undertook in-depth interviews with nine female U.S. Veterans who reported having at least one MVK. The researcher posed four research questions, engaging in an interpretive analysis.

Participants described three ways they navigated interactions …

Adolescent Online Leisure, Media Literacy, Online Victimization, And Multifaceted Well-Being During Covid-19: The Role Of Parental Support, Yunqi Wang

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

The rapid advancement of the internet and digital technology has provided opportunities for adolescents to conduct leisure activities online on a daily basis. However, research on adolescent technology use and mental health often highlights negative effects without carefully examining the specific mechanisms, which overlooks the complexity of effects of online behaviors on adolescent well-being and the importance of developing adolescents’ media literacy skills. Moreover, despite the crucial role of family dynamics in adolescent development, research on how parental support and involvement might affect adolescent technology use and well-being is still limited. The current study retrieved data from Programme for International …

Intergenerational Family Dynamics Among Caregivers And Children’S Social-Emotional Development In China, Weiman Xu

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

The early years of a child’s life are pivotal for social-emotional development. While extensive research has explored the role of family settings in fostering children's social-emotional development (Bornstein, 2005), the impact of grandparental involvement, particularly the caregiving dynamics between generations, remains less well understood. This study aims to fill this gap by examining two critical aspects of intergenerational dynamics among caregivers (i.e. parent-grandparent coparenting and parent-grandparent relationship quality) and their associations with children’s social-emotional development (i.e. social skills and problem behaviors). Two specific aims were delineated: 1) examine the unique contribution of parent-grandparent coparenting, especially the power and authority domain …

“Self-Compassion Has To Be The Heartbeat Of How I Move Through Life”: A Mixed Methods Study Of Family Caregiver Emotional Well-Being, Sarah O. Rasby

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

Often referred to as “hidden patients,” family caregivers endure numerous physical, emotional, psychological, and social hardships due to the demands of caregiving, which often results in their own needs going unmet. With the projected 61.3 million of the baby boomer generation entering the long-term care phase by 2029 along with a mass shortage of professional caregivers post-pandemic, more and more family members are expected to fill in for the role of care without sufficient access to support services (Pollard & Scommegna, 2014; Smith & Chang, 2016). An exploratory, mixed-methods study using a three-group intervention design was utilized to investigate the …

Exploring Racial Identity Among East And Southeast Asian Transracial Adoptees In The United States Through Communication Theory Of Identity, Brooke Marie Hoá Hornberger

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to understand how East and Southeast Asian transracial adoptees (ESATA) in White adoptive families conceptualize and communicate their racial identity. ESATAs endure various challenges surrounding race that makes it important to understand how ESATAs understand their racial identity, the tensions they might experience, and how they management the tensions surrounding racial identity. Using the theoretical framework Communication Theory of Identity (Hecht, 1993), 25 ESATAs were interviewed about different frames of identity and potential identity gaps they experience surrounding racial identity. In addition, ESATAs were asked about how they communicatively manage identity gap tensions mapping …

A Quantitative Examination Of The Sexual Health Of Aging Black Men In Rural South Africa, Esihle Lupindo

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

This dissertation uses survey data primarily from Wave 1 of the Health and Aging in Africa: Longitudinal Study of In-depth Community in South Africa (HAALSI) which was collected in 2015 to study the sexual health of Black men in rural Mpumalanga, South Africa. Broadly speaking, I examine aging men’s sexual health as it related to HIV, well-being, loneliness, social networks and disclosure. The definition that I use for sexual health was coined by MacPhail and Campbell (2001) who define it as “not only sexual practices but also what people know and believe about sex, particularly what they think is natural, …

Enhancing The Eden Alternative Model With Well Standards: A Case Study Analysis, Mariah Stoner

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

This thesis investigates the potential for improving the Eden Alternative Model, a person-centered approach to elder care that emphasizes creating a homelike environment and meaningful relationships, using WELL Standards, a building certification system focused on enhancing human health and well-being through improvements in environmental quality. Through a mixed-methods approach involving quantitative data analysis and qualitative case studies, this research examines how WELL Standards, which cover aspects such as air quality, water quality, lighting, and thermal comfort, can improve environmental quality and resident satisfaction within the Eden Alternative Model. This research introduces a tailored approach to elder care by combining these …

Addressing Structural Violence In Eastern Nebraska Through The Assessment Of Mortality Profiles, Victoria M. Pate

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

Humanitarian forensics has recently expanded to include the examination of forensic casework demographics within the medicolegal community. Additionally, it is proposed that research and data collection should look beyond the individual case report to address public health, crime vulnerabilities, and marginalization at local and national levels to advocate for policy changes protecting against institutionalized violence. With the utilization of quantitative and qualitative methods, 294 case reports provided by Nebraska police departments, between the years of 2014-2024, were analyzed to conceptualize mortality vulnerabilities and the ways in which forensic anthropologists can aid in community action. Pearson’s Chi-Square and one-way Analysis of …

Exploring The Nexus Of Adverse Childhood Experiences And Illicit Substance Misuse Among Midwestern Adults, Anika R. Eisenbraun

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The positive association between illicit substance misuse and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) has been widely examined in prior literature. Yet, there is limited understanding of the varying factors, such as social support, depressive symptoms, or sexual victimization, that may impact the relationship between substance misuse and ACEs. As such, the purpose of the current study is to examine the relationship between ACEs (i.e., physical and emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect) with illicit substance misuse and to investigate indirect pathways of social support, depressive symptoms, and sexual victimization. Private, secondary data from the second cohort of a larger, longitudinal rural health …

Men’S Fertility Beliefs, Intentions, And Contraceptive Use, Meagan Kunitzer

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

Despite advancements in reproductive technology, gender-inclusive approaches remain limited, and research on men’s reproductive health is scarce. Specifically, little is known about how men conceptualize reproductive health and how perspectives vary by race and social class. As such, the purpose of this study is to further the field’s understanding of men’s reproductive health, including fertility beliefs, intentions, and behaviors. Guided by the theory of conjunctural action, this study uses survey-driven narrative construction to explore how 35 men think about their reproductive health and how this varies by race and class. The main benefit of using this method is that it …

The Ballad Of The Wheel, John Kosch

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

The Ballad of the Wheel is a piece for voice, percussion, and electronics that examines the cyclical nature of humanity. It draws texts from existential literature that spans almost all of recorded history, from antiquity to present day. In this work, a single narrator poses the same concerns about the nature of existence in different texts, revealing that questions about the meaning of life transcend boundaries of time and space. The prevalence of the theme of reincarnation also suggests that each movement of the piece presents a different manifestation of a single being. The Ballad of the Wheel implies a …

Familismo And Family Achievement Guilt In Latine College Students: Relationships With Psychopathology And Wellbeing, Abril Rangel-Pacheco

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

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the relations between familismo, family achievement guilt, subjective wellbeing, and anxious and depressive symptoms in a sample of Latine young adults enrolled in college in the United States. Familismo has previously been linked to educational success and psychological and behavioral health. On the other hand, family achievement guilt has been linked to low self-esteem and internalizing symptoms. However, it is unclear how these factors interact to impact the psychopathology (i.e., anxious and depression symptoms) and psychological wellbeing (i.e. subjective wellbeing) of Latine young adults in college. Data were collected from 83 Latine …

Coming Back To Bite: Reflecting On Constructs Of Adolescence And Girlhood In Young Adult Vampire Media, Gwendolyn Grace Klinkey

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The YA vampire genre has experienced a great amount of success throughout the past two decades with titles including Joss Wheadon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy. Within this group, two of the most widely successful examples are Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight Saga and the CW’s The Vampire Diaries, both of which have had a significant impact on Western popular culture. In this thesis, I use these two texts to explore the constructs of adolescence and girlhood that manifest as a result of the literary moves the writers seem to make in an effort to invite …

Giving Voice To Student Grief: Using Community-Based Participatory Research To Develop And Pilot A Translational Storytelling Intervention For Bereaved College Students, Cassidy Rae Taladay-Carter

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this dissertation was to employ community-based participatory research (CBPR, Wallerstein et al., 2018) methods to attend to a pressing issue in the community. In partnership with one local grief center, we identified the need for enhanced grief support for current emerging adult undergraduate students in our area. Nearly 50% of U.S. emerging adults enrolled in four-year residential universities experience the death of an important figure (Cox et al., 2015; Cupit et al., 2021), at a time when they are developing important facets of their narrative identity. Without the coherence and meaning structures provided by narrative identity, students …

Profiles Of East Frisian (German) Pioneers Who Settled The Prairie In Turner County, South Dakota, Derek M. Heeren

Genealogy Resources

Summary

Hundreds of East Frisian Pioneers from northwest Germany came to the Lennox-Chancellor East Frisian settlement in southeastern South Dakota at the end of the nineteenth century. Their ethnic heritage and pioneering spirit are illustrated with stories of the Plucker, Carlson, DeNeui, and Heeren families. The events of the 1870s, 1880s, and 1890s are highlighted with a focus on the Pioneer Generation (born between 1840 and 1869). This genealogy paper is written primarily for descendants of East Frisians who are studying family history, but it may be of interest to anyone who wonders what life was like for the Pioneers …

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 …

Exploring The Dynamics And Outcomes Of Family Engagement In Child Welfare Services: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach, Jianchao Lai, Michelle Graef, Todd Franke

Center on Children, Families, and the Law: Faculty Publications

Background: Engaging families effectively in child welfare services remains a persistent challenge, shaped by complex interactions between agency practices and family circumstances. While existing research has explored this issue, it has predominantly relied on data from agency and caseworker perspectives, often overlooking the crucial viewpoint of the families. Objectives: This study investigates families’ subjective experiences and perceptions within the child welfare system, focusing on their satisfaction with child welfare workers and overall engagement. Methods: The study draws on data collected through an evaluation of the implementation of Alternative Response in a Midwestern state. Agency administrative data is integrated with additional …

The Overlooked Dynamics Of Sibling Violence: Sociological Perspectives And Intervention Strategies, Rowland Edet

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Sibling violence (SV) represents a pervasive yet underexplored dimension of family violence, encompassing physical, emotional, and psychological abuse. This paper critically examines the intersection of gender dynamics, societal norms, and family structures in shaping SV behaviors. Using social learning theory (SLT) as a foundational framework, the analysis explores how gendered expectations and traditional roles influence the prevalence and forms of aggression, with boys more likely to exhibit overt physical aggression and girls engaging in relational aggression. The paper critiques the deterministic tendencies of SLT, highlighting the agency of individuals in rejecting modeled behaviors, and incorporates intersectionality to address the interplay …

Social Determinants Of Health And Aging In Africa: Structural Inequality, Vulnerability, And The Future Of Care, Aremu Umor Lukman, Sunkanmi Folorunsho, Abdulrauf Olaitan Taofeeq

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Population aging is accelerating across Africa yet remains underrepresented in research, policy, and public health planning. This review critically examines how social determinants shape aging experiences across the continent, focusing on health, care systems, and structural inequalities. While traditional African societies have historically valued older adults, modernization, migration, and economic hardship have eroded support systems, leaving many to face old age with limited resources. Older Africans, particularly women and rural residents, contend with lifelong disadvantages including low education, informal labor, poverty, and gendered caregiving roles that contribute to poor health and social vulnerability. Health systems remain poorly equipped to address …

Collaborative Pedagogy: Teaching (With) The Grateful Dead On Tour, On Campus, And Online, Rebecca G. Adams

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

This essay describes my experiences teaching with the Grateful Dead “on tour” in 1989, on campus in the early 2000s, and online in 2019. Using a life course framework, I discuss how my own development as a teacher, Deadhead, and Grateful Dead scholar and the changing context over time shaped these experiences and how teaching with the Grateful Dead opened a pedagogical space for experimentation that allowed the students and me to take risks and to collaborate despite status differences. Rather than unpacking these experiences entirely, my goal here is to focus on how these three experiences of teaching with …

Unmasking Male Voices In Woman Hollering Creek: Contributions To Pedagogy And Masculinity Studies, Ramón Javier Guerra, Joan Latchaw

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

In teaching Sandra Cisneros’ Woman Hollering Creek to undergraduates, we have developed a sociocultural and historical framework, beginning with the theoretical work of Gloria Anzaldúa’s Borderlands and the concept of transfrontera feminism. With incidents of seduction and sexual abuse of women, spousal abuse, and patriarchal family structures, the collection of stories strongly indicates the oppressive representation of machismo. Scholars and teachers have drawn important critiques of Cisneros’s work based on destructive sociocultural forces on women. However, in rereading the text with an intended focus on the representations of male characters, we have surmised that Cisneros structured the stories in the …

Waking Up Before We Die: Aging And Spirituality, Marcelline Hutton

Zea E-Books Collection

In retirement, I have more time for prayer and reflection, to rest in the Lord, and hence to have my spirit renewed. We choose how we interpret our situations. Positive, spiritual aging ideas enhance our sense of well-being. Of course, the loss of loved ones decreases our sense of self-worth at times, but the Spirit can renew us. As Genesis reminds us, God was still working in the lives of Sarah and Abraham in old age, and they can serve as models for us. Indeed, Sarah laughed at the angels and shows us how humor exists even as we age. …

How To Communicate Your Estate Plan To Family When Dividing Assets Unequally, Anastasia Meyer

Cornhusker Economics

Provides a guide on how to effectively approach estate planning conversations with family members.

Effectively communicating an estate plan with unequal division of assets can be challenging, but approaching it with honesty, clarity, and empathy can help prevent misunderstandings and family disputes. Open, respectful dialogue—paired with thoughtful explanations and transparent documentation—ensures that your family understands your intentions and feels valued, even when tough decisions are involved.

Ultimately, your goal isn’t just to pass down financial assets, but also to preserve family harmony and, where applicable, secure the future of a viable business. By fostering open communication, you can create a …

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 …

Tsunami Exposure And Mental Health Consequences: Protective Role Of Cultural Coping Strategies, Thulitha Wickrama, Michael J. Merten, K. A.S. Wickrama, Amanda Terrell

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

There is a knowledge gap regarding the link between disaster exposure and adolescent mental health problems in developing countries. This study examines the case of Sri Lanka to investigate (a) the immediate and long-term mental health impact of the 2004 tsunami disaster on adolescents and (b) the potential moderating effects of unique cultural and family practices that prevail in Sri Lanka. This study used a random sample of 160 adolescents (ages 12–19) and their mothers who were exposed to the tsunami disaster while living in a southern Sri Lankan village and provided prospective data immediately after the disaster (2005) and …

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 …