Family, Life Course, and Society Commons^™

Las Prescripciones De Alimentación En La Cultura Mapuche, Suzanne Block

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research Question: How do the traditional norms and customs within the Mapuche culture impact their diet? Objective: To determine to if a relationship exists between the philosophy of the Mapuche and their diet. Background: Within their understanding of the world there exists guidelines that are followed in order to preserve the equilibrium of all forms of life that exist in within the universe, Waj Mapu. Within Waj Mapu there are distinct dimensions that contain energy, newen, which all interact to create a circular movement between them. Thus, due to the interaction of the dimensions, when there …

Indicadores De Maduracion Sexual Y Su Relacion Con Indices De Masa Corporal (Imc) Y Habitos De Alimentacion En Escolares Femeninas De Arica, Chile, Melissa Colden

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The basis of this investigation came from recent evidence that the age of puberty, specifically with respect to young girls, has fallen notably in the past decade. This trend exists in Chile, as well as other countries such as the United States, and has presented itself alongside a portentous epidemic of obesity and malnutrition. Knowing the risks of both disorders, and how their affects have already been manifested in the adolescent population in Chile and the city of Arica, this study sought to develop a relationship between body mass index (BMI) and pubertal development, including the appearance of secondary sexual …

How Pescadores Become Produtores: Gender, Family, And Sustainable Living On Brazil’S Northeast Coast, Wren Brennan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The familial structure of a Brazilian fishing community is explored through participant observation and eight in-depth ethnographic interviews conducted over the course of three weeks of emersion with a family of pescadores artesanais (artisanal fishermen) that now call themselves catadores de algas (seaweed collectors). Previous research suggests that the sexual division of labor in this community, along with coastal environment in which the community exists, is in a state of transition. This project explores the emerging the practice of communal seaweed cultivation as a form of work that exemplifies changing gender relations in conjunction with a changing coastal environment. It …

Connecting Cultures: Msmcbj’S Alternative Methods To Mental Health Therapy Within The Aldeia Indigenous Reserve And The Bom Jardim Favela, Emily Rasowsky

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For my Independent Research Project I observed how community integration and connecting individuals back to the indigenous cultural idea of community work together to improve upon the mental health of individuals in the Favela of Bom Jardim, Fortaleza and the Pitaguary Indigenous Reserve or Aldeia. I examined how the Movimento de Saude Mental Comunitara do Bom Jardim (MSMCBJ) organization provides individuals within Bom Jardim a space to build a supportive community, based in indigenous ideals, while simultaneously providing professional and social opportunities for the Pitaguary tribe to create a sense of cultural valorization and how both of these aspects lead …

Discourses Around Social Welfare Grants As Antipoverty Policy: Effectiveness And The Potential For Reform, Sarah Maniates

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In a South Africa where many still live in poverty, the government has chosen an extensive system of social grants as one of the primary methods by which it attempts to reduce this poverty. Research has generated substantial quantitative evidence that the system is successful, but there has been little analysis of public opinion around this costly policy, its effectiveness, and the need for its reform. This study explores discourses around the grants, both within government and among everyday people, in order to gain insight into such opinions. This insight is important in a South Africa that is now democratic, …

Social Capital And Violence Across Racial And Ethnic Samples Of Adolescents, Darlene R. Haff, Kevin M. Fitzpatrick, H. H. Floyd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Using a national sample of adolescents, results of this study demonstrate the important role family and school social capital plays in protecting both White and selected non- White students against violent outcomes. For example, parent-child relationship was associated with reduced violence for Black and White adolescents but not for Hispanics. School affiliation was significant in models for Hispanic and White adolescents but not in models for Black students. Sports participation was associated with greater violence among Hispanics and Whites, but not Blacks. Interestingly, club participation was significant for Whites, but, like sports, it was associated with greater violence. Parental monitoring …

Does This Marriage Make Me Look Fat? Marital Quality As A Predictor Of Body Weight, Activity Level, And Eating Habits, Lori C. Schade, Jonathan Sandberg, Dean Busby

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Survey data from married couples (N=374) was analyzed for effects of marital quality on weight as a problem in the marriage, activity level and eating habits. Results indicate that wife marital quality was positively associated with weight being a problem for wives, while husband marital quality was negatively associated with weight being a problem for both husbands and wives in the relationship. Wife marital quality was also positively associated with husband activity level, while husband marital quality was negatively associated with husband activity level. Implications of findings are discussed.

Sexual Satisfaction And Differentiation, Anthony A. Hughes, James Harper

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Using questionnaires, self report, and partner report of spouse, this investigation examined the relationship between differentiation of self and sexual satisfaction of each partner for a sample size of 681. The data was collected from a large northwestern city and was part of the Flourishing Families Project. Actor and partner effects were both examined. Findings showed that both husbands and wives were impacted by both actor and partner effects of differentiation of self. The latent variable of differentiation of self measured the lack of differentiation, while the latent variable of sexual satisfaction measured the lack of sexual satisfaction within the …

Wandering In The Wilderness: A Grounded Theory Study Of The Divorce Or Reconciliation Decision-Making Process, Tamara A. Fackrell

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, I present grounded-theory analyses of the decision-making process surrounding divorce or reconciliation based on in-depth interviews with 31 individuals thinking about divorce. The overall model of the divorce decision-making process included negative experiences leading to a bad relationship or an unsustainable marriage, the wilderness crossroads, the vast wilderness, and a development of an exit strategy. Repair attempts that were made are what helped the couple move towards a sustainable marriage or closer to divorce. The findings of the present study suggest that the decision-making process to divorce or reconcile can be a chaotic and confusing one—a wilderness—yet …

The Effects Of Parentification, Attachment, Family-Of-Origin Dysfunction And Health On Depression: A Comparative Study Between Gender And The Ethnic Groups Of South Koreans And Caucasian Americans, Sunnie Giles

Theses and Dissertations

Parentification is a process where children or adolescents assume adult roles before they are emotionally or developmentally ready, which, in turn, disrupts the development of healthy, secure attachment in childhood. Using 1,001 men and women from South Korea and the United States with equal division between males and females and multiple group comparison technique in structural equation modeling, this paper examined the relationship between parentification during childhood and depression during adulthood. It explores the cross-sectional long-term effects of parentification into adulthood, using a retrospective survey technique. This study also confirmed previous research findings that attachment, physical health and family-of-origin dysfunction, …

Family Implicit Rules, Child Self Regulation, And Observed Child Emotional Responsiveness To Parents, Mark J. Mauzy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how implicit family process rules are related to observed child emotional responsiveness with child self regulation as a possible mediating variable. Data from Wave 1 of the Flourishing Families project was used and included 337 two parent families and a target child between the ages of 10 and 13. Mother and father perception of family implicit rules were used to measure family implicit rules; child and mother report of the child's self regulation were used to measure self regulation, and child's emotional responsiveness to mother and father were taken from coding data. …

Research Brief: "The Children Of Military Service Members: Challenges, Supports, And Future Educational Research", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief summarizes an analysis on how the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have led to concerning psychological, behavioral, and academic outcomes for children in military families.

The Changing Meaning Of Marriage: An Analysis Of Contemporary Marital Attitudes Of Young Adults, Nicole Margaret Kay

Theses and Dissertations

An interesting paradox in the literature about marriage is that despite the substantial changes to marriage over the last half century, young adults remain committed to the ideal of marriage. While changes to marriage as a social institution have been well documented, research concerning the contemporary attitudes of young adults about marriage has been limited. Even less research has focused on how these contemporary attitudes may cluster young adults into groups that have different perceptions of marriage. This study explores young single adult attitudes about marriage, and group differences in these attitudes. A quota sample (n=700) of 18-35 year-old young …

Youth At Risk: Part 1, 2012 Massachusetts Family Impact Seminar, Lisa M. Jones, Ramon Borges-Mendez, Janis Wolak, Denise Hines, Michelle E. Collett, Lillian Denhardt, Lindsay A. Evans, Rashmi Nair, Stephanie L. Nguyen

Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise

The youth of Massachusetts are of primary concern to legislators and citizens. This briefing report features three essays by experts – Lisa Jones, Ramon Borges-Mendez, and Janis Wolak – who focus on three aspects of youth wellbeing: youth victimization and other indicators of psychological health, youth unemployment, and online sexual predators of youth. Although youth well-being is of primary concern, the worrisome stories about crimes against children that regularly fill the media have unfortunately obscured some more positive news from statistical reports on these same issues. Child victimizations of various types – i.e., child sexual abuse, witnessing domestic violence, child …

Family Structure And Family Instability: Evaluating Their Influence On Adult Outcomes, Hsin-Yao Chiu

Theses and Dissertations

Family structure is a widely used independent variable. However, in recent years researchers have questioned its predicting power. They also strive to improve its use. This study drew on Holman's (2001) theoretical model and examined the association between the family structure independent variables (Family Structure, Family Instability, and Parental Romantic Partners) and the outcome variables (Coming to Terms, Self-esteem, Maturity, and Depression). The analysis was conducted with a sample of 3,705 individuals (2,316 females and 1,389 males) randomly selected from the entire population that completed the Relationship Evaluation Questionnaire (RELATE). Results showed that Family Instability was a stronger predictor than …

An Exploratory Analysis Of Factors Associated With Participation In Self-Directed And Traditional Marriage And Relationship Education, Shelece Mcallister

Theses and Dissertations

Although self-directed marriage and relationship education (MRE) has the potential to reach a larger or different audience than traditional MRE, little has been done to examine the characteristics of those who access self-directed materials. This study examined individual, couple, family, and sociocultural context variables that predicted participation in both self-directed and traditional MRE programs. A series of logistic regressions were conducted using SPSS 19.0. Different factors predicted participation for each intervention. For self-directed programs, those who were older, more educated, more religious, less materialistic, whose partners were more neurotic, who had been dating for a shorter amount of time, and …

Don't Worry....Be Happy: The Influence Of Parental Anxiety On Adolescent Self-Esteem, Holly Olson Coutts

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to explore the direct and indirect influences of both paternal and maternal anxiety on adolescent self-esteem as mediated by parental criticism and autonomy allowance. Participants included 331 parent-child triads with a child between the ages of 12 and 15 from the Flourishing Families Project. Findings suggested that maternal anxiety had a significant negative influence on adolescent self-esteem while paternal anxiety did not. Also, the influence of maternal anxiety on adolescent self-esteem was carried directly rather than indirectly through autonomy allowance and parental criticism; however, this influence was only significant prior to adolescent gender …

Knowledge And Financial Management In Households: An Examination Of Married Women’S Perspectives In Chadbourn, North Carolina, Hmoud Fanash Al Surikhi

Capstone Collection

This paper attempts to explore women’s perceptions about married women’s involvement in household financial decision-making in Chadbourn, North Carolina. The purpose of this research paper is to acquire knowledge and insights about women’s role in their families, in particular the husband-wife relationship with respect to financial decisions within households. Since the research’s purpose is to examine the relationship between women’s knowledge represented by level of education, and what role knowledge plays in the financial decision process in households, I have chosen interviewees with different levels of education.

During the interviews, women spoke honestly about their situations and what challenges they …

Lithium Treatment Of Appswdi/Nos2−/− Mice Leads To Reduced Hyperphosphorylated Tau, Increased Amyloid Deposition And Altered Inflammatory Phenotype, Tiffany L. Sudduth, Joan G. Wilson, Angela Everhart, Carol A. Colton, Donna M. Wilcock

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Lithium is an anti-psychotic that has been shown to prevent the hyperphosphorylation of tau protein through the inhibition of glycogen-synthase kinase 3-beta (GSK3β). We recently developed a mouse model that progresses from amyloid pathology to tau pathology and neurodegeneration due to the genetic deletion of NOS2 in an APP transgenic mouse; the APPSwDI/NOS2-/- mouse. Because this mouse develops tau pathology, amyloid pathology and neuronal loss we were interested in the effect anti-tau therapy would have on amyloid pathology, learning and memory. We administered lithium in the diets of APPSwDI/NOS2-/- mice for a period of eight months, followed by water maze …

The Mother-Love Myth: The Effect Of The Provider-Nurturer Dichotomy In Custody Cases, Kalie Caetano

The Macalester Review

This paper is a discursive analysis that evaluates the effect of gender stereotypes relating to parenting roles and how they have influenced custody cases. Specifically it looks at the historically gendered distinction between the provider (typically the father) and the nurturer (typically the mother) and speculates as to how those identities may have initially formed in US society, what changes they have undergone and how these stereotypes still affect family court outcomes in cases of divorce. Particular focus is given to an article appearing in Working Mother magazine entitled “Custody Lost,” detailing a new trend in custody cases, which allegedly …