Family, Life Course, and Society Commons^™

Sibling Relationship Quality And Its Link To Flourishing Among Emerging Adults, Shannon P. Lummer-Aikey

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Sibling relationships are one of the longest lasting, close relationships individuals have over the life span. Common in emerging adulthood (ages 18-25 years), life transitions (such as college, marriage, and parenthood) can greatly impact the dynamics within the sibling relationship, and may cause a shift in the relationship trajectory. Individuals who have a sibling living with a chronic illness or developmental disability may experience greater difficulty in adjusting to new life transitions because they often worry about their sibling’s needs and future accomplishments. The current study explored the relationship between flourishing and sibling relationship quality among emerging adults who have …

Leaders Of The New School: Exploring The Origins Of Leadership Qualities In First Generation Black Male College Students, Rahjaun J. Gordon

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative study explored the origin of leadership qualities in Black male first generation college student leaders at a Predominately White Institution. The participants were identified as student leaders in various leadership roles on their college campus. The study explores the participants pre-college experience to identify any influences, primarily in their family, peer relationships, and communities to identify how their leadership qualities formed and originated. Analysis of 12 individual interviews highlighted 5 themes: 1) leadership qualities defined and utilized, 2) self-awareness, 3) family influences, 4) mentorship, 5) the importance of exposure. This work has implications for the exploration of the …

Learning About Healthy Relationships And Sexuality For Adults With Disabilities, Vanessa Karjack

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities receive little to no sex education; as a result, they often struggle to have fulfilling and healthy relationships, experience limitations in physical interactions, and are at risk of being taken advantage of by others. Sommaro et al. (2019) explained that individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) and developmental disabilities (DD) are often placed into one of two categories: they are treated as either eternal children or sexual deviants. These ideas are based on old knowledge and are known to be inaccurate. However, current systems of care struggle to move forward from these notions. A …

It’S Not All Aces: The Role Of Negative Parental Influences And Criminal Thinking In Juvenile Offending Behaviors, Branna Humphrey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and criminal thinking in causing criminal behavior has been explored extensively in criminal justice research. Based on the concepts of ACEs and the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Scale, the negative parental influences and criminal thinking styles of 1,354 juvenile offenders were examined to establish that negative parental influences and criminal thinking are separately associated with juvenile problem and offending behavior, and that criminal thinking mediates the relationship between negative parental influences and juvenile problem and offending behavior. Analyses showed support for criminal thinking as a pathway from negative parental influences to juvenile …

The Value Of Education Between Two African American Male Populations In A Rural Southern Community, Quentin R. Tyler, Stacy K. Vincent, Tiffany C. Monroe

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

This study identified perceptions of education by low performing and college track African American males in a rural town in Southern Kentucky. Through the lens of Critical Race Theory and Symbolic Interactionism, the researchers explored how 16 young men value a secondary and postsecondary education. Selected by their administrator at two high schools, the males were identified as college track or low performing. The findings revealed that both groups identify racial relations as a barrier to educational achievement; however, college track males believed education would assist in overcoming racial divides. Additional findings highlight a difference in perception based upon the …

From Deficit To Strength: The Educational Influence Of Single Black Mothers On Their Sons’ Academic Achievement, Tyre’ D’Vallion Jenkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experience of single Black mothers’ in supporting their sons’ academic achievement and to better understand their overall success. Historically, research that has been conducted on single Black mothers is viewed from a deficit lens (Copeland, 1977; Grier & Cobbs, 1968; Karon, 1958; Moynihan, 1965; Pettigrew, 1964). The role of single Black mothers has been grossly misunderstood, insinuating that they would be economically poor, uneducated, and lacked effective parenting skills. This study incorporated phenomenological and narrative methodologies, such as semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and observational field notes to capture the participants’ …

Examining Spatial Inequality In Covid-19 Positivity Rates Across New York City Zip Codes, Tse-Chuan Yang, Seulki Kim, Yunhan Zhao, Seung-Won Emily Choi

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

We aim to understand the spatial inequality in Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) positivity rates across New York City (NYC) ZIP codes. Applying Bayesian spatial negative binomial models to a ZIP-code level dataset (N = 177) as of May 31st, 2020, we find that (1) the racial/ethnic minority groups are associated with COVID-19 positivity rates; (2) the percentages of remote workers are negatively associated with positivity rates, whereas older population and household size show a positive association; and (3) while ZIP codes in the Bronx and Queens have higher COVID-19 positivity rates, the strongest spatial effects are clustered in Brooklyn and …

Greater El Paso Jewish Demographic Study, Karla Martinez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Although the history of the Jewish community in Greater El Paso has been documented, there is a lack of understanding of the basic demographic structure of the Jewish population in this region. This study aims to develop a demographic portrait of the local Jewish community through an online survey (n=448). The results show that the Jewish community in Greater El Paso (El Paso TX, and Las Cruces, NM) is experiencing population aging, and many community members have resided in the region for over twenty years. More than half of respondents self-identify as Reform. The Jewish community in Greater El Paso …

The Effects Of Perceived Racism And Discrimination On The Mental Health Of Mexican And Mexican American Social Work Students, Karina Duque Sierra

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Research has shown that experiencing discrimination and racism can have significant and negative effects on people’s mental health. Among those affected are Mexicans and Mexican Americans in the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine if there was a relationship with self-reported mental health of Mexican/Mexican American social work students and self-reported experiences with racism and discrimination. This quantitative study surveyed 101 participants who (a) identified as Mexican and or Mexican American, (b) were 18 years or older (c) enrolled in college, and (d) identified as either a BASW or MSW student. This study utilized a Qualtrics …

Book Review: The Twenty-Something Soul: Understanding The Religious And Secular Lives Of American Young Adults, Shaya Aguilar

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

The Twenty-Something Soul: Understanding the Religious and Secular Lives of American Young Adults, by Tim Clydesdale and Kathleen Garces-Foley. New York: Oxford University Press, 2019. 242 pages, $31.00.

Grief And Spiritual Coping: The Practices Of Three Generations Of Faith, Ron Bruner, Dudley Chancey

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

Among the more important tasks of ministry is assisting congregants dealing with the grief that permeates life. This project seeks to discover and describe spiritual coping practices, positive and negative, among three-generation families within Churches of Christ. This qualitative work reviews relevant literature, defines research questions for this research, details the methodology used to obtain data, describes the sample from which these data were obtained, and reports the results. Thematic analysis of narratives obtained in this qualitative study provides an enriched understanding of spiritual coping with life stressors that is useful for practitioners of clinical and pastoral counseling.

Children Are Human, Kim Pearson

Texas A&M Law Review

There are great benefits to be had should the United States, one of the global leaders in economic strength and political power, ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (“CRC”). The mystery of the United States’s ultimate reluctance to ratify the CRC, despite the nation’s central role in the drafting process, has been interrogated for years. Scholars and policy- makers have developed compelling narratives regarding obstacles to the United States’s ratification and implementation of the CRC. However well- reasoned the arguments for ratification are, there has been little progress in persuading the United States to ratify …

Reflecting On Our Terrain: How People And Places Create A Spirit Of Home, Meagan E. Harkins

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the nature of home. It situates the idea of home, both as a physical place and a spiritual state, where the subjects of these stories find belonging. Fourteen interviews were conducted, from December 2020 through February 2021, resulting in a series of longform stories. Eight interviews were recorded with immediate family and childhood friends in my hometown, the suburbs of Orlando, Fla. The balance of the stories derived from Zoom interviews, culminating in a 1,200-mile road journey to South Carolina, for the remaining ones.

What emerged from these oral history interviews and ensuing longform pieces are three …

The Perception Of Motherhood Through The Smiles And The Spit-Up, Sydney M. Forsythe

Honors College Theses

This research examines how motherhood is viewed by women, particularly mothers, in the southeast of the United States today. The treatment of women compared to men in women's studies has been a popular topic, but there is less research on mothers. This qualitative study is designed to hear personal stories from mothers and potential mothers, both employed and unemployed, describing how they feel mothers are perceived in the southeast of the United States. Facing the overwhelming literature that describes motherhood as associated with numerous negative impacts on women’s lives, this study explores the weight of joy or the paucity of …

A Nonhuman Primate Model Of The Out Of Africa Theory Utilizing Chinese- And Indian-Derived Rhesus Macaques (Macaca Mulatta), Jacob N. Hunter

Theses and Dissertations

Evidence suggests that certain genotypic variants associated with novelty-seeking and aggressiveness, such as the 7-repeat dopamine D4 receptor variant (DRD4-7R), short (s) allele of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT), and the low-activity variant of the MAOa promoter (MAOa-L), are more prevalent in human groups that radiated out of Africa than human groups that remained in Africa. Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), like humans, are a widespread species of primates that needed to adapt to different regional environments with one group, Indian-derived rhesus macaques, largely occupying predictable and resource-rich environments, while the other group, the Chinese-derived rhesus macaques, has come to occupy less …

Cultural Bereavement And Resilience In Refugee Resettlement: A Photovoice Study With Yazidi Women In The Midwest United States, Julie A. Tippens, Kaitlin Roselius, Irene Padasas, Gulie Khalaf, Kara Kohel, Elizabeth Mollard, Izdihar (Vianne) Sheikh

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

This study explored how ethnic Yazidi refugee women overcome adversity to promote psychosocial health and well-being within the context of U.S. resettlement. Nine Yazidi women participated in two small photovoice groups, each group lasting eight sessions (16 sessions total). Women discussed premigration and resettlement challenges, cultural strengths and resources, and strategies to overcome adversity. Yazidi women identified trauma and perceived loss of culture as primary stressors. Participants’ resilience processes included using naan (as sustenance and symbol) to survive and thrive as well as by preserving an ethnoreligious identity. Findings suggest that women’s health priorities and resilience-promoting strategies center on fostering …

Tessellated Pictures And Traditional Piety, Matthew K. Higham

Theses and Dissertations

Nearly 300 years before the rise of a ‘Christianized,’ Eastern Roman Empire, generations of inhabitants in the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East had witnessed a considerable variety and evolution of religious thought. As a result of the expansion of Christian sects throughout the Near East and Mediterranean, in 325 CE, Emperor Constantine I convened a theological council to unite his vast kingdom in the East under a single religious creed. While revisions to the text of the first ‘Nicene Creed’ and subsequent councils would be organized, many dissenting factions refused to relinquish their long-held beliefs and traditions. Some of these …

We Exist Series 1: Family - Quotes, Lance Gibbs Phd

Series 1: Family - Quotes

In this section, we have selected quotes that represent how Black residents in Maine view their family life. The quotes are taken from transcripts of the oral history project “Home Is Where I Make It”: African American Community and Activism in Greater Portland, Maine.” The interview subjects are all native to Maine or are longtime residents of Maine. The original intent of the “Home Is Where I Make It” project was to highlight Black residents’ history and struggle for community in southern Maine in both their formal organizational memberships and day-to-day activities. The interviews, however, unearthed a wealth …

Remembering Postpartum Depression In Later Life: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Walker Ladd Phd

The Qualitative Report

Postpartum depression (PPD) occurs in as many as 1 in 7 women (Gavin et al., 2005). PPD remains underdiagnosed and largely untreated, contributing to high societal costs and increased maternal mortality. Despite the wealth of research reporting the adverse effects of PPD on childbearing women and their offspring, little is known about how women who have experienced PPD describe or interpret the meaning of the experience in later life. I conducted semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 10 women self-identifying as having had PPD a minimum of 13 years in the past. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) I identified …

Understanding Perceptions Of Quality Among Early Childhood Education Stakeholders In Tanzania And Lesotho: A Multiple Qualitative Case Study, Dawn Davis, Debra Miller, Dorothy Mrema, Moikabi Matsoai, Ntsoaki Mapetla, Abbie Raikes, Anna Burton

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

Recent global efforts around early childhood education (ECE) have led to increased investments and access, especially in low- and middle-income countries (UNESCO, 2019). As access grows, focus has shifted from enrollment to quality (Gove, 2017). This paper explores how ECE stakeholders in Tanzania and Lesotho define ECE quality. Findings show that stakeholders define quality in similar ways, highlighting the importance of trained teachers who implement specific teaching practices, strong partnerships with families and the community, critical infrastructure, and government support. However, review of the country contexts found that current conditions and support for these quality indicators were lacking.

Subsistence Practices At Nancy Patterson Village, Elizabeth C. M. Whisenhunt

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to gain an insight into the macrobotanical subsistence practices of Nancy Patterson Village and see how those practices fit in with the practices of the general Mesa Verde region by analyzing the burnt macrobotanical remains found in processed flotation samples. Previous work done at Nancy Patterson Village showed a shift in the faunal subsistence practices to a greater reliance on domesticated turkey during the Pueblo III period. However, the macro botanical analysis showed a higher richness of wild plant taxa in the Pueblo III period when compared to Pueblo II. The change to a …

Married Mothers' Multiple Roles: Implications For Cardiovascular Health, Tyler C. Graff

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, the traditional nuclear family, as defined by social role theory with mother at home and father in the workplace, is no longer the norm. Nearly three out of every four women with children under the age of 18 are part of the workforce. Mothers are frequently juggling multiple roles as well as most of the responsibilities that are inherent in these roles. The current project examined diurnal ambulatory blood pressure influences associated with the responsibility of having a greater number of roles. We investigate differences between a self-reported healthy population of 112 married stay-at-home and 112 married …

Relational And Mental Health Outcomes Of Trauma And Disaster: The Medicating Role Of Grit, Lacey A. Bagley

Theses and Dissertations

Current literature focusing on those exposed to disaster includes calls for more studies with populations who have regular exposure to extreme weather events. The current study reported on a secondary data analysis with a sample of 240 heterosexual couples living in or near coastal regions in the southeast US, who were at risk of experiencing disaster events during the 2019 hurricane season (June-December). An actor-partner interdependence model was fit to the dyadic data via path analysis to test the mediating effect of grit on the relationship dyadic coping (mental health and attachment behaviors) and disaster-related losses, accounting for trauma history. …

Five Love Languages: Assessment Of Marital Satisfaction In African American Couples, Freddricka C. Lee

LSU Master's Theses

This mixed-methods study examined marital satisfaction among five (n = 10) heterosexual, African American married couples. In particular, this study examined how acknowledging a partner’s love language (Chapman, 1995) can affect these couples’ level of marital satisfaction. The participants were native to the South and ranged from 26-55 years of age. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data revealed couples were satisfied with their marriages. Although only marginally significant, the findings also revealed acknowledging a spouse’s love language was positively related to higher levels of marital satisfaction. Seven themes emerged throughout the interviews, namely communication; financial stability; understand a spouse’s …

Global Studies Initiative Faculty Report: Interdisciplinary Collaborations, Dorie Geissler

Global Studies Initiatives in Social Sciences 2020 - 2021

No abstract provided.

Kesejahteraan Dan Ekologi Anak Angkat Warga Negara Indonesia Dalam Pengangkatan Anak Antarnegara (Intercountry Adoption) Menghadapi Negara Baru, Monica Sundawati Susanto, Johanna Debora Imelda

Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial

Adoption is currently one of the efforts chosen by several couples to have children. Adoption of children currently being processed in Indonesia is not only for prospective adoptive parents who are Indonesian citizens, but can also be processed for foreign citizens who wish to adopt Indonesian citizens (intercountry adoption) which has been regulated in the Government through Government Regulation Number 54 of 2007 concerning the Implementation of Child Adoption. In these regulations, children who can be adopted are neglected or neglected children. Therefore, adoption is carried out with the aim of protecting and improving the welfare of the child. The …

Connecting Care Chains And Care Diamonds: The Elderly Care Skills Regime In Singapore, Yasmin Y. Ortiga, Kellyn Wee, Brenda S. A. Yeoh

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Research on the globalization of care work often faces the persistent challenge of building meaningful connections between the movement of care labour at a global scale and place-based frameworks of care access and delivery. In addressing this gap in this article, we propose to take a closer look at how the care-migration nexus produces 'ideal' care workers through a skills regime. Based on the case of elderly care in Singapore, in this article, we demonstrate how state institutions and private agencies attempts to fill local labour needs by producing care workers among both Singapore citizens and migrant women. This leads …

How Many Ways Can You Vocalize Emotion? Introducing An Audio Corpus Of Acted Emotion, Logan Ricks Kowallis

Theses and Dissertations

Emotion recognition from facial expressions has been thoroughly explored and explained through decades of research, but emotion recognition from vocal expressions has yet to be fully explained. This project builds on previous experimental approaches to create a large audio corpus of acted vocal emotion. With a large enough sample size, both in number of speakers and number of recordings per speaker, new hypotheses can be explored for differentiating emotions. Recordings from 131 subjects were collected and made available in an online corpus under a Creative Commons license. Thirteen acoustic features from 120 subjects were used as dependent variables in a …

"I Thought That We Could Nurture The Nature Out Of Our Son": Making Meaning Of Parenting In The Narratives Of Parents Of Children In Residential Treatment, Jared V. Worwood

Theses and Dissertations

This study implements relational dialectics theory to explore the meaning of parenting from the perspective of parents who had enrolled a child in a residential treatment program. Contrapuntal analysis of six interviews revealed two discourses competing to make meaning of parenting. The Discourse of Demanding Parenting Ideals (DDPI) consisted of two themes: relentless sacrifice and complete responsibility, whereas themes of boundary-setting and acceptance compose the Discourse of Realistic Best Effort (DRBE). Discursive interplay between these discourses occurred in the forms of diachronic separation, synchronic interplay, and discursive transformation to make meaning of parenting and hold theoretical and practical implications.

"I Understand, Honey": Perceived Spousal Empathy's Moderating Influence On The Links Between Depression And Marital Satisfaction And Marital Satisfaction And Physical Health, F. Javier Celestino

Theses and Dissertations

An adapted version of the Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation model was used as a theoretical guide for this study, which proposes that adaptive processes exist and can moderate relationships between enduring vulnerabilities and different outcomes. Relationships of interest include the negative link between depression and marital satisfaction and the positive link between marital satisfaction and physical health. An adaptive process of interest is empathy, due to its well-researched positive impact on mental, relational, and physical health. This study examined whether perceived spousal empathy (i.e., the empathy perceived by one spouse coming from their spouse) had any moderating effects on the previously mentioned links. …