Family, Life Course, and Society Commons^™

Domestic Work, Sexual Abuse, And Exploitation In Tanzania, James K. Matheka, Elizabeth Shayo, Annabel Erulkar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Domestic work is characterized by excessive working hours, extremely low pay or no pay at all, and conditions that make the profession exploitive in many cases. Evidence is emerging that domestic work is a feeder profession for sex work. One study of more than 2,000 commercial sex workers in Ethiopia found that 42 percent were former domestic workers. However, little is known about transitions to commercial sex work or commercial sexual exploitation in Tanzania. The objective of the research detailed in this brief was to expand the understanding of child domestic workers and commercial sex workers/girls who are commercially sexually …

How Taiwanese Death Rituals Have Adapted For Families Living In The Us, Pei-Lin Yu

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Taiwanese people living in the United States face a dilemma when loved ones die. Many families worry that they might not be able to carry out proper rituals in their new homeland.

As a biracial Taiwanese-American archaeologist living in Idaho and studying in Taiwan, I am discovering the many faces of Taiwan’s blended cultural heritage drawn from the mix of peoples that have inhabited the island over millennia.

Treatment Engagement And Effectiveness Using An Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy At A University Counseling Center, Meredith S. Pescatello

Theses and Dissertations

Mental health disorders are a leading cause of disability and mortality worldwide. Mental health services do not meet demand due to accessibility issues, financial burden, and increasing needs. Technology can provide affordable, accessible mental health care and some research suggests internet-delivered Cognitive Behavior Therapy (iCBT) may be an effective treatment. In iCBTs, participants typically complete Cognitive Behavior Therapy modules and videos and are supported by a therapist. Advantages of iCBT over face-to-face therapy include lower cost, no travel time, easy access, no waitlists, and trackable progress. To our knowledge there have been no naturalistic studies of iCBT programs. Therefore, this …

Long Distance Interaction In Viejo Period Casas Grandes, Jaron Troy Davidson

Theses and Dissertations

This research addresses how interregional interaction changed between the Viejo period (AD 700-1200) and Medio period (AD 1200-1450) in northwest Chihuahua, Mexico. Non-locally procured or created artifacts, features, and iconographic elements are used as proxy evidence for past long-distance relationships. Data available in technical reports and other publications concerning these materials in Viejo period contexts and a sample of excavated Medio period sites are synthesized and presented. The data are used to create a geospatial dataset and distribution maps with quantities and contextual information for each of the nonlocal materials. I argue that interaction and social networks with long-distance neighbors …

Insomnia Symptom Severity Is Associated With Increased Suicidality And Suicide In A Psychiatric Sample, Zachary Alan Simmons

Theses and Dissertations

Insomnia is a risk factor for suicidal behavior including attempts and suicide. We investigated whether insomnia symptom severity predicted suicidality and suicide in an at-risk sample. The sample included deceased psychiatric patients seen at Weber Human Services since 2008 (N=180) who completed the Outpatient Questionnaire-45.2 (OQ) prior to death. Insomnia symptom severity was assessed using item 41 from the OQ. Manner of death was determined by death records and autopsy reports. History of suicidal ideation and prior suicide attempts were determined through review of electronic medical records. Cases were grouped into 4 categories: no history of suicidality (n = 30), …

Efficacy Of An Online Self-Compassion Training For Improving Well-Being And Body Image: A Randomized Waitlist-Controlled Trial, Lauren Benyo Linford

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the efficacy of the My Best Self 101 (MBS101) self-compassion module, an internet-delivered self-compassion training within a non-clinical general population sample. Using a randomized-waitlist control design, this study examined whether module participants experienced significant improvements in self-compassion, well-being, and body image compared to waitlist controls. Participants were 228 adults (mean age 30.3, 23.5% male and 76.5% female). At pretest and posttest, both groups completed self-report measures of self-compassion, subjective well-being, and body image. Repeated measures mixed model analyses revealed that compared to waitlist controls, participants who used the MBS101 self-compassion module reported significant improvements in self-compassion, well-being, …

Post-Birth Marriage, White-Hispanic Families, And Child Academic Achievement, Sadie Andrews Slighting

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decade, policymakers have promoted marriage as a pathway to improve child outcomes in single-parent households. However, previous research on single mothers who later married in the United States has failed to examine how the structural advantages and disadvantages of race influence post-birth marriages and the advantage they may confer. I investigate how white advantage—the human- and social-capital benefits that come from being a white individual—acts as a resource distributed differently across three couple configurations. I predict that having access to white advantage via a white parent will improve child academic achievement. Using the US Early Childhood Longitudinal …

How Receiving And Providing Relational Compensators And Religious Expectations Influence Religious Experiences, Elisabeth R. Kimball

Theses and Dissertations

Much research has been done on the concept of why people remain religious, formulating Rational Choice Theory. This involves the idea of compensators and religious expectations. In addition, other research and subsequent theories go into the duality of religious expectations and relational compensators—these relational compensators include love, support, forgiveness, and kindness from others. However, research has rarely explicitly explored what reportedly encourages individuals to stay in religious institutions despite religious demands. Through qualitative interviews with 198 highly religious families, this study analyzed the various expectations and demands individuals and families encounter, as well as the relational blessings they report receiving …

Baby On The Way, Sex Gone Away? A Dyadic Investigation Of Sexual Satisfaction In Pregnancy, David Brent Allsop

Theses and Dissertations

Research indicates that having high sexual satisfaction during pregnancy is difficult for couples. This negative trend is important considering that low sexual satisfaction can negatively affect both relationship satisfaction, psychological health, and child outcomes. However, there is evidence that this trend does not apply to all and different groups of couples exist in terms of their sexual satisfaction in pregnancy. Guided by family systems theory and the biopsychosocial model, the current study explored if different subsets of couples, composed of pregnant wives and husbands, exist in terms of their sexual satisfaction during pregnancy and what factors distinguish potential subsets. Using …

Developmental Predictors Of Adolescent Alcohol Intake: A Nonhuman Primate Model, Elizabeth Katherine Wood

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol abuse is one of the costliest human health problems in the United States. Studies assessing the etiology of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in adulthood suggest that these disorders are predicted by trait-like differences, such as low or impaired central serotonin or temperamental anxiety. Few studies, however, have assessed neonatal, infant, and adolescent characteristics that lead to alcohol abuse in adolescence. Given that the expression of AUDs is rooted in biological processes, the set of studies presented in this work investigate the early origins of excessive alcohol use in adolescence, with an overall goal of identifying risk factors that may …

Cross-National Associations Among Cyberbullying Victimization, Self-Esteem, And Internet Addiction: Direct And Indirect Effects Of Alexithymia, Sebastian Wachs, Alexander T. Vazsonyi, Michelle F. Wright, Gabriela Ksinan Jiskrova

Family Sciences Faculty Publications

The relationship among cyberbullying victimization, lower self-esteem, and internet addiction has been well-established. Yet, little research exists that explains the nature of these associations, and no previous work has considered the inability to identify or describe one’s emotions, namely, alexithymia, as a potential mediator of these links. The present study sought to investigate the indirect effects of cyberbullying victimization on self-esteem and internet addiction, mediated by alexithymia. The sample consisted of 1,442 participants between 12 and 17 years (M_age = 14.17, SD = 1.38, 51.5% male) from Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States. Results showed a direct …

Strengthening Couple's Relationships With Nature Recreation, Brock W. Sumner

Theses and Dissertations

Nature has been shown to be beneficial for numerous individual outcomes and this article investigates the link between of individual's nature recreation and couples' relationship satisfaction. First, we outline the theoretical underpinnings of nature recreation and couples' relationship satisfaction. Then we examine the following hypotheses: (1) nature recreation has a positive direct effect on relationship satisfaction, (2) there is a positive indirect effect of nature recreation on relationship satisfaction through the environmental effects, and (3) the relationship between nature recreation and relationship satisfaction will be moderated by the recreational factors. These were examined using data obtained from a cross sectional …

Stress And Performance Anxiety Intervention For Musicians:A Biofeedback And Compassion Focused Therapy Intervention, Tara Austin

Theses and Dissertations

Performance anxiety and stress are forefront problems for performers in the music industry. Within music training programs, these problems are particularly debilitating. These students are concerned both about performance situations and also their personal lives. The following study compared two treatments, heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) on the effects of cortisol and self-reported stress and mood before and after a required end of semester performance. Thirty students enrolled in a college music program participated in the five-visit intervention (14 in the HRV biofeedback group and 16 in the CFT group). Stress levels, measured by self-report, …

Reliability And Validity Practices In Randomized Controlled Trials: Current Trends And Recommendations, Jennifer A. Z. Romano

Theses and Dissertations

The verity of conclusions drawn from psychological research hinges on the reliability and validity of the measures used to collect the data. Any research conducted using measures with low reliability or validity is rendered essentially useless; thus, reporting reliability and validity evidence for measures employed in research is an essential component in creating rigorous, replicable research. Multiple reporting standards have been implemented and revised over the years with the intent to improve measurement and reporting practices within clinical psychology, though few guidelines have been suggested regarding adequate reporting practices for studies' measures. We reviewed a representative sample of randomized clinical …

Missing Piece Of The Puzzle: Creating A General Meaning Of Sex Measure, Veronica R. Hanna-Walker

Theses and Dissertations

The presence of and/or search for meaning has divergent and salient outcomes for individuals’ physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Although numerous domains of meaning have been examined, the literature on the meaning of sex is sparse and lacks a quantitative measure. In this study, I aimed to validate a general Meaning of Sex (MOS) Measure that captured the presence of (MOS-P) and search for (MOS-S) the meaning of sex that predicted salient relational and sexual outcomes (i.e., relationship stability and satisfaction and sexual satisfaction). The MOS measure was based off of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) created by Steger …

Father-Adolescent Relationship Closeness: A Path Analysis Of Family Factor Associates With Father-Adolescent Engagement And Relationship Quality, Mark H. Trahan, Richard H. Morely, Kevin Shafer

Faculty Publications

Father-adolescent child relationship quality has been identified as key to adolescent health outcomes. While factors have previously been identified associated with father-adolescent closeness, a comprehensive model of understanding the influence of these factors is needed. Using cross-sectional data from the Study of Contemporary Fatherhood (SCF), this analysis of father-adolescent relationship closeness evaluated responses of nine hundred (N = 900) father surveys to investigate historical factors, including own father relationship quality, biological fathering, family transitions, and ACEs along with current factors, including co-parenting, depression, parenting stress, knowledge of adolescent, warmth, and engagement, on father-adolescent relationship closeness. Path analysis results indicate that …

Do Shape And Volume Of Subcortical Neural Structures Involved In Reward Processing Correlate With Body Mass And Food Reward In Adolescent Females?, Kelsey K. Zaugg

Theses and Dissertations

Background: The prevalence of adolescent obesity has increased drastically in the last few decades, spurring research examining causes and consequences of this chronic health condition. Neuroimaging techniques are being used to determine possible neural correlates of obesity that could help inform research in this field. However, the research among adolescents is not as abundant and findings so far are contradictory. This study sought to examine the association of the shape and volume of subcortical brain structures involved in reward processing with weight status in adolescent females. Additionally, this study sought to determine if the shape and volume of these structures …

Aging-In-Place Organizations Are Key To Building Disaster Resilience For Older Adults, Claire Pendergrast

Population Health Research Brief Series

COVID-19 has tragically demonstrated the serious threat that pandemics and other disasters pose to older adults’ health, safety, and well-being. What role can senior centers and senior villages play in protecting older adults’ health and building their resilience during COVID-19 and other disasters?

Screen Media Use Is Higher Among Preschool Children From More Chaotic Homes, Jennifer A. Emon, Sara E. Benjamin-Neelon

Population Health Research Brief Series

Early childhood is a critical time for children’s growth and development. One factor that may impair healthy development during the preschool years is excessive screen media use. U.S children under the age of 5 average twice the amount of recommended screen time. This research brief shows that screen media use is higher among children from households with more chaos.

Participation In The Cacfp Ensures Availability But Not Intake Of Nutritious Foods At Lunch In Preschool Children In Child-Care Centers, Saima Hasnin, Dipti Dev, Alison Tovar

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

Background — The US Department of Agriculture Child and Adult Care Food program (CACFP) recently (October 2017) updated requirements for meal reimbursement and best practice recommendations for serving nutritious meals and beverages, and minimum age-specific serving sizes for five food groups. It is not known whether CACFPfunded child-care centers are meeting the updated meal pattern requirements and best practice recommendations, and whether children are meeting nutrition recommendations based on the current 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). Objective This study assessed whether the recruited CACFP-funded child-care centers in this study were meeting the updated (2017) CACFP requirements regarding foods served …