Family, Life Course, and Society Commons^™

Nourishing Births: A Program Evaluation Proposal For Community-Based Nutrition Education, Food Access, And Garden Engagement Among Black Birthing People, Naa Deedei-Vera Hammond

Master's Projects and Capstones

Black birthing people in the United States continue to experience unequal maternal health outcomes, shaped in part by racism and barriers to nutritious food, culturally relevant health education, and supportive community spaces. While prenatal nutrition education and food assistance programs can provide important resources, information alone cannot address the challenges many people face when trying to access healthy and affordable food during pregnancy. The Nourishing Births Initiative is a proposed community-based maternal health program designed to respond to these needs by bringing together prenatal nutrition education, help connecting to food resources, community gardening, and peer support for Black birthing people …

A Journey To The Midwest For Migrant Farmwork: Women's Testimonies Examining Their Lived Experiences Using Autoethnography And Plática Research Methodologies, Yesenia G. Alcalá

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of my research was to share the stories of five women who experienced a yearly migratory routine from Del Rio, Texas, to work in farms and factories in the Midwest, and how that annual journey shaped and educated us. The women are four of my older sisters and me, all of whom traveled and worked in the Princeville, Illinois, migrant camp, where we experienced the lifestyle as children, teenage workers, and some of us as parents, chasing the benefits of seasonal migrant farmwork. Our stories were based on our experiences with migrant farmwork culture, memories of our yearly …

Beyond The Individual: Rethinking Public Health Approaches To Gambling-Related Harm, Rowland Edet, Lisa A. Kort-Butler

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Public health approaches to gambling‐related harm have increasingly shifted from individual pathology to population‐level frameworks. However, these approaches remain under strain, as they continue to individualize harm while attempting to address broader structural conditions. Here, we examine three dominant paradigms to show how they shape the framing of harm and the design of interventions. First, medicalization legitimizes gambling‐related harm within clinical systems but reinforces pathologized identities and professional authority. Second, stigma frameworks highlight processes of exclusion and barriers to help‐seeking but often remain insufficiently attuned to institutional and structural power. Third, structural perspectives situate harm within neoliberal governance, market expansion, …

Catfish Cultivation In Buckets For Blimbingsari Beach Fishermen As An Additional Source Of Income, Ali Wafa, Muhammad Faris Faisal, Iffan Gallant El Muhammady, Agung Wijaksono

Bhakti: Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat

Traditional fishermen on Blimbingsari Beach have experienced a decline in income since 2022. This is due to extreme sea weather and the high cost of fuel per voyage. This empowerment program aims to create additional sources of income in an effort to maintain welfare. Using a Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) approach, this activity was carried out productively for 4 months (July-October 2023), involving the Blimbingsari Beach fishermen's joint business group (KUB). This program is part of the 2023 PPK Ormawa maritime village scheme, with funding support of IDR 38,700,000. The empowerment results showed that the team's efforts resulted in the …

Likes, Lies, And Oversight: Problematic Social Media Use, Concealment, Parental Monitoring, And Adolescent Cyberbullying, Megan Gale, Katherine N. Alexander, Sarah E. Schwartz, Diana J. Meter, Sarah M. Coyne, Drew P. Cingel

Human Development and Family Studies Student Research

Introduction: The rapid expansion of social media has created new opportunities for adolescent connection but has also heightened risks of involvement in online aggression and cyberbullying. This study examined how problematic social media use, social media concealment, and parental media monitoring relate to cyberbullying victimization and perpetration among adolescents.

Methods: Participants include 686 adolescents ages 12–18 from 12 schools. Logistic generalized linear mixed models were used to account for the nested structure of students within schools.

Results: Results indicated that both problematic social media use and concealment from parents were significantly associated with greater odds of cyberbullying …

A Mediterranean Puzzle: Paternity Leave Divergence In Italy And Spain, Ricardo Camacho

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

In 2019, the European Union (EU) adopted legislation establishing the right to paternity leave for fathers and second parents, advancing the equitable distribution of caregiving responsibilities and gender equality in labor markets. This paper examines why Italy and Spain—two Southern European Member States with shared historical, cultural, and religious legacies—have diverged significantly in their paternity leave entitlements: Spain offers nineteen weeks of full-paid paternity leave, while Italy provides just two. This paper finds that Spain’s more expansive paternity leave policy reflects higher levels of descriptive representation, effective interest group dynamics, and positive policy framing, with institutional design and cultural norms …

Marital Status And Wellbeing Of Females In Egypt: Informing The Discourse And Exploring A New Framework, Hoda Rashad, Mohamed Hassan, Amr El Sayed, Rania Elsebaie

Faculty Books

Egypt is experiencing important changes in marriage formation and dissolution amid broader social, economic, and gender transformations. This study examines these changes by analyzing the recent patterns and social distribution of delayed and non-occurrence of marriage and divorce, their association with women’s empowerment, and their implications for women’s subjective wellbeing. Drawing on nationally representative quantitative data alongside exploratory qualitative evidence, the study also develops and investigates a “Conscious Decision Model” to examine how resources, agency, aspirations, and prevailing gender relations may shape women’s marital decisions and wellbeing. The analysis responds to public narratives that frequently attribute delayed marriage and divorce …

Firstdate: Why Looking For Love In Your Domain Makes Sense, Kenneth Tan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In a commentary, SMU Assistant Professor of Psychology Kenneth Tan said GovTech’s FirstDate could lower the “search costs” of finding a compatible partner, especially for time-starved Singaporeans. Shared professional backgrounds can create common ground through similar norms, pressures and values, fostering a “shared reality”. However, he stressed that this does not guarantee compatibility, which depends more on how couples handle conflict and align on family life

Women's Empowerment And Transformations In Marriage Formation And Dissolution: From Social Anxiety To Evidence-Based And More Responsive Policies, Hoda Rashad, Mohamed Hassan

Faculty Journal Articles

The central premise of this policy brief is that effective family policy in Egypt cannot be built on public perceptions, ideological assumptions or isolated demographic indicators. It must instead be grounded in robust evidence and a comprehensive understanding of the changing mechanisms through which women form, sustain and dissolve marital unions.

The study provides evidence-based findings that are inconsistent with the crisis and anxiety mode dominating the public discourse. The findings neither dismiss the public concerns nor support their dominant framing. Delays in marriage, the growing visibility of never married and divorced women, and the increasing occurrence of divorce represent …

The Stickiness Of Meritocratic Beliefs From Adolescence To Adulthood In Singapore, Yen Kiat Chong, Shin Bin Tan, Vincent Chua, Han Ei Chew

Research Collection Office of Impact

The belief in meritocracy has been rising over the past few decades in developed countries. While many studies have focused on the belief in meritocracy, its distribution across groups and its effects, much less is known about how beliefs may change as individuals age and undergo major life transitions. Using linear growth models on three waves of panel data from a national youth survey in Singapore, we found that the major life transitions to adulthood – progressing through the education system (e.g., completing tertiary education), transiting from full-time studies to full-time work, getting married and becoming a parent – predicted …

Disrupted Family Ecosystems: Intergenerational Estrangement, Nonnormative Events, And Perceptions Of Established Adults – A Case Study, Seth Wyncott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The issue of intergenerational family estrangement has gained increased exposure in research and popular literature; however, significant gaps remain in understanding the lived experience of adult-children who maintain separation from their parents. Complicating matters, the family is not a solitary unit but is intertangled within a macrolevel sociocultural ecosystem. This ecosystem includes normative and nonnormative stressors which are subject to diverse interpretations depending on the historic and evolving character of the family and its members. As such, it is important to examine the dynamic character of estrangement in familial and sociocultural context.

Utilizing a case study method with semi-structured phenomenological …

The Resilient Mother: Exploring Factors That Buffer The Influence Of Early Childhood Trauma On Maternal Self-Efficacy, Brigid Magdamo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Childhood maltreatment and toxic stress pose significant risks to both individuals and communities, yielding negative outcomes that can perpetuate across generations— a phenomenon known as intergenerational trauma. Early intervention is imperative to disrupt this cycle of adversity and promote positive outcomes. One promising approach involves leveraging protective and promotive factors that cultivate resilience. Individuals with higher levels of benevolent childhood experiences (BCEs) and greater social support tend to exhibit enhanced self-efficacy, thereby potentially buffering the detrimental effects of childhood trauma. Furthermore, the perinatal period presents a critical juncture where maternal well-being significantly impacts both mother and child. The current study …

Family Religious Socialization Index: Development And Preliminary Validation, Kaelie Rene Crockett

Theses and Dissertations

A key area of interest for religious scholars is how religious beliefs are passed across generations, or religious socialization. To expand this field of study, a theoretically grounded, validated measure of this construct is needed. This article describes the development and validation of the Family Religious Socialization Index (FRSI), a multi-informant, multidimensional assessment of the processes through which parents socialize religion and faith in their children. Based on Social Cognitive Theory and through a rigorous development and validation process, three subscales were developed to represent the primary processes of religious socialization. The FRSI consists of two parallel scales, a parent …

Identifying The Brain Circuits Involved In Religious Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Kiana Bunnell

Theses and Dissertations

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an often-debilitating psychiatric disorder involving a pattern of obsessive thoughts and compensatory compulsions. Symptoms tend to be chronic, leading to substantial emotional burden and significant impairment across multiple domains of daily functioning. Previous research has identified some consistency in the brain regions implicated in OCD. In particular, cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuitry has been linked to behavioral features commonly observed in OCD. Moreover, some studies suggest that distinct patterns of brain activation and functional connectivity may be associated with different OCD symptom dimensions, though findings have not been consistent. One symptom dimension of OCD (scrupulosity) is characterized by …

Is “No Change” Really No Change?: A Qualitative Analysis Of Clients With “No Change” On Routine Outcome Monitoring Who Report Improving In Therapy, Audrey Louise Stewart Parker

Theses and Dissertations

Routine outcome monitoring (ROM), the practice of tracking client progress in therapy by administering regular questionnaires to assess functioning, has demonstrated a significant positive effect on psychotherapy outcomes, especially for clients are who not improving as expected. However, some researchers argue the symptom-based measures and outcome classification criteria commonly used in ROM may not represent a complete picture of client change. A recent body of mixed-methods research has investigated these ROM-determined outcome categories to gain insight into client experiences and whether the category and client perception of therapy outcome align. In this investigation, researchers have found significant variety within outcome …

Media Emotion Regulation And Executive Function In Childhood: Associations With Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia, Lara M. Almeida

Theses and Dissertations

Media emotion regulation (MER), or the use of media to help children manage emotions, may influence children's development by shaping opportunities for practicing self-regulatory skills. Guided by the Dynamic, Relational, Ecological Approach to Media Effects Research (DREAMER) model, this study examined longitudinal associations between MER and executive functioning (EF) in early childhood and explored whether respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a physiological index of regulation, predicted developmental changes. Participants included 175 parent-child dyads assessed across two annual waves when children were approximately 4 and 5 years old. Structural equation modeling was used to test bidirectional associations between MER and EF while …

Physical Activity, Trauma, And Posttraumatic Stress: The Indirect Role Of Exercise Addiction, Anastasiia Rozumna

Theses and Dissertations

Exercise is often conceptualized as a protective factor for mental health, including for individuals exposed to trauma. However, less is known about whether exercise may relate to posttraumatic stress symptoms differently when it is accompanied by compulsive or addictive features. The present study examined whether volume and intensity of physical activity were associated with posttraumatic stress symptom severity indirectly through exercise addiction symptoms. This secondary cross-sectional analysis included 557 adults living in the United States who reported regular participation in sport or physical activity. Participants completed self-report measures of physical activity behavior, exercise addiction symptoms, trauma exposure, and posttraumatic stress …

A Systematic Review Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Hispanic Immigrants In The United States, Rashel Acireale

Theses and Dissertations

This study systematically reviews the literature on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Hispanic immigrants in the United States, a population exposed to cumulative trauma across the migration process. Stressors may occur before, during, and after migration and include violence, family separation, dangerous travel conditions, discrimination, and fear of deportation. Despite these risks, findings on PTSD prevalence remain mixed, and Hispanic immigrants are underrepresented in clinical research and culturally informed interventions. This review examines sample representation, types and timing of trauma, PTSD measurement approaches, and the inclusion of cultural and contextual factors such as acculturation and immigration-related stress. It also evaluates …

Trends And Disparities In Cardiometabolic Disease Prevalence By Physical Activity Among Us Adults: Nhanes 2007–2018, Zhijing Xu, Jinyu Hu Hu, Jackie Finik, Xiang Qi, Ruotong Liu, Yaguang Zheng, Bei Wu

Department of Family Science and Human Development Scholarship and Creative Works

Background: Cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) significantly contribute to U.S. morbidity. Physical activity (PA) is associated with lower CMD prevalence, yet trends in CMD prevalence by PA level and associated disparities remain underexplored.

Methods: We analyzed 2007–2018 NHANES data from 26,380 adults aged ≥20 years. CMDs included diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and chronic kidney disease (CKD; eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m² or ACR ≥30 mg/g). PA was categorized as no activity, some/irregular activity, or regular activity. Age-standardized prevalence and survey-weighted logistic regression estimated trends (reference: 2007–2008) and adjusted odds ratios (aORs).

Results: Diabetes prevalence increased, with higher odds in 2013–2014 (OR = 1.27; 95% CI: 1.01–1.60), 2015–2016 (OR = 1.41; 1.08–1.84), and 2017–2018 (OR = 1.45; 1.16–1.80) and an absolute increase of 2.49% (0.85 to 4.13). No significant trends were observed for CKD (absolute change: 0.11%; …

Parent Emotion Socialization And The Influence On Child Emotion Regulation In A Clinical Sample, Crystal Tracy

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to contribute to existing literature by examining parent emotion socialization (i.e., parent orientation to child emotion) and its influence on child internalizing symptoms. Prior research suggests that parent emotion socialization impacts child emotion regulation and internalizing symptoms; however, there is little research at present focused specifically on the influence of parent orientation to child emotion on child internalizing symptoms through child emotion dysregulation. This study adds to the literature by considering the association between parent orientation to child emotion and internalizing symptoms in a sample of children referred for an ADHD evaluation. Participants included 161 children ages …