<p> While the primary goal of the northwest Alaska Native village maternal transport program is safe deliveries for mothers from remote villages, little has been done to examine the impact of transport on the mothers and communities involved. I explore how present values (Western and I&ntilde;upiat cultural values) can influence the desire of indigenous women of differing eras and northwest Alaska villages to participate in biomedical birth practices, largely as made available by a tribal health-sponsored patient transport system. The work that follows portrays the varying influences on these women and their communities as they determine the level of importance for mothers to get to the hospital to deliver. I have enlisted viewpoints of Alaska Native families and women of different generations from various I&ntilde;upiat villages to help paint a picture of the situation. With this research, I ask, how do generations of mothers, transport situations, and villages compare in terms of experiences during the processes of these I&ntilde;upiat women becoming mothers? What gender, ethnicity, and power interplays exist in this dynamic helix of social and political elements (embodiment) during their periods of liminality? What are influences (biomedical and community) that contribute to a woman's transition to motherhood in this community? Moreover, how do women, families, and community members perceive the maternal transport policy today? I examine how the transport policy figures into stages of liminality, as these mothers and communities produce future generations. With theoretical frameworks provided by medical anthropology and maternal identity work, I track the differences concerning the maternal transport operation for I&ntilde;upiat mothers of the area. I compare the influences of cultural value systems present in each of the communities by birth era and location. Using content analysis to determine common themes, I found connections among presence of I&ntilde;upiat values, community acceptance of maternal transport, and expressed desire for community autonomy in maternal health care.</p>

Young people are often constructed in academic and lay explanations as an inherently risky population. They are the age group most likely to feature in public health statistics, especially those of intentional and unintentional injury. A common risk factor cited in these statistics is conflict within or breakdown of an inter-personal relationship, in particular intimate heterosexual relationships. Intimate relationships serve as markers of normal adulthood in New Zealand society, and many young people invest significantly in them for their emotional and material rewards. This study investigated the social processes and experiences that influence young adult New Zealanders' perceptions of their own and others' intimate relationships. It employed an inter-disciplinary framework of critical interpretive medical anthropology and a public health approach with a lifecourse perspective. A multi-interview method was used involving more than 90 people interviewed either in focus groups, as couples, or as individuals. Interviews focused on young people's ideas and experiences of healthy and unhealthy relationships, as well as the influence of families, friends, and popular culture on relationships. Intimate relationships are based on naturalised gender differences that work to construct men as masculine/active and women as feminine/passive and hide disparities based on gender within a discourse of equality. The ideal healthy relationship is based on ideas of individualism, emotional and material inter-dependence, and the addition of other social networks into a partner relationship. Families are primary sources of information about and models for relationships. Friends are significant in establishing an adult identity separate to one's parents. Both families and friends are emotional safety nets in times of relationship difficulties. Understandings of popular culture and its products are most commonly experienced through gendered romantic narratives. Because of their ubiquity and popularity, information produced by mass media is particularly influential for young people. Overall, young people reported that relationships are a considerable source of joy to them. However, when problems occur, they tend to revert to stereotypical and gendered cultural scripts rather than relying on individual knowledge. To mitigate the possible negative effects of these scripts, knowledge of the skills required to overcome relationships difficulties need to be made explicit and fostered by relevant public health and education policy and promotion activities. / Subscription resource available via Digital Dissertations only.

Young people are often constructed in academic and lay explanations as an inherently risky population. They are the age group most likely to feature in public health statistics, especially those of intentional and unintentional injury. A common risk factor cited in these statistics is conflict within or breakdown of an inter-personal relationship, in particular intimate heterosexual relationships. Intimate relationships serve as markers of normal adulthood in New Zealand society, and many young people invest significantly in them for their emotional and material rewards. This study investigated the social processes and experiences that influence young adult New Zealanders' perceptions of their own and others' intimate relationships. It employed an inter-disciplinary framework of critical interpretive medical anthropology and a public health approach with a lifecourse perspective. A multi-interview method was used involving more than 90 people interviewed either in focus groups, as couples, or as individuals. Interviews focused on young people's ideas and experiences of healthy and unhealthy relationships, as well as the influence of families, friends, and popular culture on relationships. Intimate relationships are based on naturalised gender differences that work to construct men as masculine/active and women as feminine/passive and hide disparities based on gender within a discourse of equality. The ideal healthy relationship is based on ideas of individualism, emotional and material inter-dependence, and the addition of other social networks into a partner relationship. Families are primary sources of information about and models for relationships. Friends are significant in establishing an adult identity separate to one's parents. Both families and friends are emotional safety nets in times of relationship difficulties. Understandings of popular culture and its products are most commonly experienced through gendered romantic narratives. Because of their ubiquity and popularity, information produced by mass media is particularly influential for young people. Overall, young people reported that relationships are a considerable source of joy to them. However, when problems occur, they tend to revert to stereotypical and gendered cultural scripts rather than relying on individual knowledge. To mitigate the possible negative effects of these scripts, knowledge of the skills required to overcome relationships difficulties need to be made explicit and fostered by relevant public health and education policy and promotion activities. / Subscription resource available via Digital Dissertations only.

Young people are often constructed in academic and lay explanations as an inherently risky population. They are the age group most likely to feature in public health statistics, especially those of intentional and unintentional injury. A common risk factor cited in these statistics is conflict within or breakdown of an inter-personal relationship, in particular intimate heterosexual relationships. Intimate relationships serve as markers of normal adulthood in New Zealand society, and many young people invest significantly in them for their emotional and material rewards. This study investigated the social processes and experiences that influence young adult New Zealanders' perceptions of their own and others' intimate relationships. It employed an inter-disciplinary framework of critical interpretive medical anthropology and a public health approach with a lifecourse perspective. A multi-interview method was used involving more than 90 people interviewed either in focus groups, as couples, or as individuals. Interviews focused on young people's ideas and experiences of healthy and unhealthy relationships, as well as the influence of families, friends, and popular culture on relationships. Intimate relationships are based on naturalised gender differences that work to construct men as masculine/active and women as feminine/passive and hide disparities based on gender within a discourse of equality. The ideal healthy relationship is based on ideas of individualism, emotional and material inter-dependence, and the addition of other social networks into a partner relationship. Families are primary sources of information about and models for relationships. Friends are significant in establishing an adult identity separate to one's parents. Both families and friends are emotional safety nets in times of relationship difficulties. Understandings of popular culture and its products are most commonly experienced through gendered romantic narratives. Because of their ubiquity and popularity, information produced by mass media is particularly influential for young people. Overall, young people reported that relationships are a considerable source of joy to them. However, when problems occur, they tend to revert to stereotypical and gendered cultural scripts rather than relying on individual knowledge. To mitigate the possible negative effects of these scripts, knowledge of the skills required to overcome relationships difficulties need to be made explicit and fostered by relevant public health and education policy and promotion activities. / Subscription resource available via Digital Dissertations only.

Young people are often constructed in academic and lay explanations as an inherently risky population. They are the age group most likely to feature in public health statistics, especially those of intentional and unintentional injury. A common risk factor cited in these statistics is conflict within or breakdown of an inter-personal relationship, in particular intimate heterosexual relationships. Intimate relationships serve as markers of normal adulthood in New Zealand society, and many young people invest significantly in them for their emotional and material rewards. This study investigated the social processes and experiences that influence young adult New Zealanders' perceptions of their own and others' intimate relationships. It employed an inter-disciplinary framework of critical interpretive medical anthropology and a public health approach with a lifecourse perspective. A multi-interview method was used involving more than 90 people interviewed either in focus groups, as couples, or as individuals. Interviews focused on young people's ideas and experiences of healthy and unhealthy relationships, as well as the influence of families, friends, and popular culture on relationships. Intimate relationships are based on naturalised gender differences that work to construct men as masculine/active and women as feminine/passive and hide disparities based on gender within a discourse of equality. The ideal healthy relationship is based on ideas of individualism, emotional and material inter-dependence, and the addition of other social networks into a partner relationship. Families are primary sources of information about and models for relationships. Friends are significant in establishing an adult identity separate to one's parents. Both families and friends are emotional safety nets in times of relationship difficulties. Understandings of popular culture and its products are most commonly experienced through gendered romantic narratives. Because of their ubiquity and popularity, information produced by mass media is particularly influential for young people. Overall, young people reported that relationships are a considerable source of joy to them. However, when problems occur, they tend to revert to stereotypical and gendered cultural scripts rather than relying on individual knowledge. To mitigate the possible negative effects of these scripts, knowledge of the skills required to overcome relationships difficulties need to be made explicit and fostered by relevant public health and education policy and promotion activities. / Subscription resource available via Digital Dissertations only.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, 1995. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-06, Section: B, page: 3449.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of California, Irvine, 2005. / (UnM)AAI3198395. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-12, Section: A, page: 4548. Chair: Belinda Robnett.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Anthropology, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Nov. 19, 2008). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-02, Section: A, page: 0619. Adviser: Anya Peterson Royce.

Thesis (Ph.D. in Nursing) -- University of Colorado Denver, 2007. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 173-183). Free to UCD affiliates. Online version available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations;

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-11, Section: A, page: 4236. Adviser: Daniel J. Walsh. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 161-169) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.