This dissertation incorporates three essays related to youth’s health and human capital outcomes. The first two essays investigate the impacts of important public policies on adolescents’ mental health and risky behavioral outcomes. Essay three examines the effects of mothers’ non-cognitive skills on children’s home environment qualities and their cognitive and behavioral outcomes. Domestic violence is a large public issue in the United States. Chapter 1 investigates the effectiveness of warrantless arrest laws enacted by states for domestic violence incidents on multiple youth mental and behavioral outcomes. Under these laws, police officers can arrest a suspect without a warrant even if they did not witness the crime. Although young women remain at the highest risk of victimization of domestic violence, children ages 3 to 17 years are also at elevated risk for domestic violence. Further, over 15 million children witness domestic violence in their homes every year in the United States. Exposure to domestic violence is associated with various social, emotional, behavioral, and health-related problems among youth. Using variation in timing of implementation of the arrest laws across states, I utilize differences-in-differences analyses in multiple, large-scale data sets of nationally representative samples of youth population to study the impact of the laws on a number of youth mental and behavioral outcomes. Results indicate the presence of heterogeneity with respect to the impact of states’ arrest laws on the outcomes studied. The study is useful for policymakers as it provides important evidence on the effectiveness of state measures designed to reduce domestic violence. The estimates obtained in the analyses are robust to multiple sensitivity checks to address key threats to identification. Chapter 2 empirically examines the effects of state cyberbullying laws on youth outcomes with respect to measures of school violence, mental health, and substance use behavior. Electronic form of harassment or cyberbullying is a large social, health, and education issue in the United States. In response to cyberbullying, most state governments have enacted electronic harassment or cyberbullying law as a part of their bullying prevention law. The analysis uses variation in the timing of implementation of cyberbullying laws across states as an exogenous source of variation. Using nationally representative samples of high-school teenagers from national and state Youth Risk Behavior Surveys, the study finds evidence of a positive relationship between adoption of cyberbullying laws and students’ reporting of certain experiences of school violence, mental health problems, and substance use activities. Regression analyses also study the effects of some important components of state cyberbullying laws. Finally, this study examines the sex-specific impacts of cyberbullying laws and its components on youth. The causal estimates are robust to the inclusion of multiple sensitivity checks. This study provides evidence on the efficacy of public measures designed to address cyberbullying among school-age children. Chapter 3 utilizes matched data from National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth (NLSY79) and Children and Young Adults (NLSY79 CYA), to estimate the impact of mothers’ self-esteem on young children’s home environment qualities that enhance early childhood cognitive functioning and extend better emotional support. The estimates suggest that mothers with higher self-esteem provide better home environment to their children during early stages of childhood. The results are robust across different estimation methods, empirical specifications, and demographic groups. This study also finds that mothers with higher self-esteem are more likely to engage in parental practices that support young children’s cognitive and emotional development. Further analysis shows that mothers' self-esteem has a causal relationship with cognitive and behavioral outcomes of school-age children. The results obtained in this study indicate that early childhood development policies directed towards enhancement of non-cognitive skills in mothers can improve children’s human capital outcomes. / Economics

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health emergency and due to the often-hidden nature of IPV, it is not readily apparent who is a victim. However, a large proportion of victims are economically disadvantaged, and the emergency department is the first place where many patients present, whether it be for related or unrelated concerns. IPV is difficult to detect, and unfortunately, physicians are also notoriously poor at predicting who is a victim, especially in the emergency department. Because IPV is lethal, it is imperative to improve detection of victims and to intervene when they come forward. This paper seeks to elucidate future sustainable improvements in IPV detection and intervention in the emergency department. Findings indicate that universal computer screening in the emergency department followed by immediate intervention and contact with an IPV-specific advocate is a necessary step to start combating IPV. / Urban Bioethics

Bakgrund: Våld i nära relation är ett problem som drabbar människor globalt. Sjuksköterskor är ofta de första inom vården som möter patienter med erfarenheter av våld i nära relation, att kunna identifiera dessa patienter är därför en central del i sjuksköterskans arbete.  Syfte: Syftet är att beskriva sjuksköterskors upplevelser av identifieringen av patienter utsatta för våld i nära relation.  Metod: Studien är en allmän litteraturstudie baserad på Polit och Becks niostegsmodell. Tio stycken originalartiklar analyserades enligt Graneheim och Lundmans kvalitativa innehållsanalys och kvalitet granskades med hjälp av SBU:s modell.   Resultat: Studiens resultat innefattar två kategorier: Betydelsen av ett aktivt lyssnande och att etablera en relation med patienten samt vikten av kunskap och erfarenhet. Dessa två kategorier framtogs från de fem underkategorierna.  Slutsats: Slutsatsen är att sjuksköterskors möjlighet att identifiera patienter som är drabbade av våld i nära relation är begränsad, på grund av tids- och kunskapsbrist. Att möjliggöra tid för identifiering samt erbjuda sjuksköterskor utbildning inom ämnet skapar en miljö som bidrar till enklare identifiering, bra bemötande och god omvårdnad för patienter drabbade av våld i nära relation.

A multi-method study investigating incarcerated women’s experiences of rage towards their intimate partners was conducted. The sample was drawn from a Philadelphia prison's recovery unit for women. Phenomenological and feminist critical theory perspectives guided the study; these combined approaches captured the essence of rage, while also offering a critical analysis for understanding complexities involved in the cultivation of rage. Three primary forms of data collection methods were used: (a) the Aggression Questionnaire, which was completed by 60 inmates; (b) a Demographic Worksheet, which was completed by 46 inmates and used to screen for subsequent interviews; and (c) in-depth interviews, which was completed by 37 women. Focus groups were used to debrief participants at the completion of the study. Results indicated rage as a distinct experience from anger. Past sources of emotional pain, embedded within shame and trauma, were revealed as fueling current actions of rage. Links between women's social location, their experiences of rage, and their involvement within the criminal justice system were revealed. / Ph. D.

Violence against women has been acknowledged both nationally and internationally as a violation of women's basic human rights, an issue which weakens the overall development of women globally. India enacted the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act in 2005 in order to address the issue of domestic violence. This work examines the impact of the law and women's education and economic status on reported cases of dowry deaths and cruelty by husband and his relatives in 28 states of India between the years 2001 to 2016. My study hypothesizes that the states' female literacy rate and female workforce participation are negatively associated with the rate of reported cases of dowry deaths and cruelty by husband and his relatives. This study supports the ameliorative hypothesis that higher literacy rates and advanced economic and political status help reduce the victimization of women. Also, variations are seen among the 28 states for the cases of reported dowry death rates and cruelty by husband and his relatives' rates, suggesting that rates of dowry death are significantly higher in the eastern region and rates of cruelty by husband and his relatives are significantly higher in the south and the west (compared to the north). / Master of Science / Domestic violence is a global issue. It can be understood as arising from patriarchal values and gendered norms which relegate women to a subordinate position to men. India is the world’s largest democracy, and India is a place where crimes against women are highly prevalent. India enacted the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act in 2005 in order to address the issue of domestic violence. This study examines the impact of the Act after 14 years of its passage. Domestic violence takes different forms ranging from physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological violence. This study focuses on two forms of domestic violence: dowry deaths and cruelty by husband and his relatives against the wife. It focuses on the analysis of reported cases of the two crimes. In this study, data from various Indian governmental websites have been collected and analyzed to demonstrate rates of domestic violence for all the states of India. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of women’s status—operationalized as female literacy rate and female workforce participation—on the number of reported cases of domestic violence in Indian society from 2001 to 2016. This study supports the ameliorative hypothesis, which argues that places in which women have higher status report lower rates of victimization.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine the suitability of using Bowlby'­s attachment theory as a lens to study intimate partner violence. Extant data from thirty couples self-reporting violence in their relationship, was used. Individual audiotaped interviews from a study unrelated to attachment were transcribed. Ten interviews (five couples) were selected for coding. Applying the modified analytic induction method, as outlined by Gilgun, the data fell into thematic categories that provided a foundation for a narrative about each dyadic system. Representative constructs such as internal working models, adult attachment, caregiving, automatic arousal and abandonment, emerged naturally from the data. The iterative nature of the methodology demanded continual refinement and refocusing. The participants'­ words painted the picture of violence in their relationship. Direct quotes authenticated the research and gave it an experiential aspect. Results demonstrated that attachment theory is an excellent lens through which to study intimate partner violence, suggesting it be embraced in future family systems research. / Master of Science

[pt] O presente estudo tem como objetivo conhecer as famílias com histórico de violência intrafamiliar praticada contra crianças e adolescentes acompanhadas pelo Centro de Referência Especializado de Assistência Social (CREAS) do município de Mesquita/RJ, em termos de sua composição, suas relações e vínculos e sua dinâmica interna. Para tal, realizamos uma pesquisa quantiqualitativa, através da análise de 55 prontuários de casos de famílias com histórico de violência intrafamiliar contra crianças e adolescentes acompanhados pelo CREAS de Mesquita, no período compreendido entre maio de 2009 e junho de 2011. As conclusões apontam para a necessidade de uma nova visão e compreensão das famílias na atualidade, considerando seus múltiplos arranjos, recursos e redes de relações, nos processos que visam à proteção e à responsabilização em casos de violência intrafamiliar. / [en] The present study aims to know the families with history of intrafamilial violence practiced against children and adolescents accompanied by the Social Assistance Specialized Reference Center (CREAS) from the city of Mesquita/RJ, in terms of their composition, their relations and bonds and their internal dynamics. For this, a quanti-qualitative research has been made, through the analysis of 55 medical records from cases of families with history of intrafamilial violence practiced against children and adolescents accompanied by the CREAS of Mesquita, in the period between May 2009 and June 2011. Conclusions indicate the need of a new vision and understanding of families nowadays, considering its multiple arrangements, resources and relationships’ networks, in the processes aimed at protecting and indicate responsibility in cases of intrafamilial violence.

This qualitative research project examined health experiences of female agricultural workers in central Florida. Specifically, this study identified the most common physical and mental health illnesses and issues reported by female agricultural workers, their health-related decision-making processes, methods used to access health-related information, and the challenges they encounter when attempting to access health-related information, support, and services. In total, 21 interviews were conducted with women who had worked for at least one year as an agricultural worker in central Florida. The data was analyzed for emergent themes based on a codebook developed using the IDEA model as a theoretical framework. The results revealed that female agricultural workers realize the relevance and impact of key physical and mental health issues and actively seek information about them and help to treat, as well as prevent them. However, the results also revealed a level of distrust for some medical providers and other information sources, as well as challenges in understanding health-related information due to language and health literacy barriers. They also identified several challenges that hinder them from getting the medical help they needed. These include, for example, financial constraints, immigration status, fear of deportation, and fear of losing their children and their jobs. Finally, this study confirmed the utility of the IDEA model as a framework for examining interview data provided by underrepresented populations regarding health-related topics and issues. It also identified recommendations and ideas for future research that, if carried out, would continue to raise awareness about the community's health communication constraints.

In this literature study, the topic of domestic violence against women with disabilities have been highlighted. The purpose of this study is to investigate and analyze how the domestic violence against women with disabilities takes form and what challenges and needs that have been expressed by the concerned women. The way of explaining and highlighting this matter has gone through the process of acquiring empirical knowledge from different databases that are applicable to the subject. Theories that have been applied to this scientific paper are empowerment and the process of normalization. The conclusions after the findings are that the women are in an extra vulnerable position linked to their disability, and also that there is a gap of knowledge and resources within the area. The findings also show that the services available for these women do not fulfill their needs and therefore do not help the women in the most efficient way possible.

Within the last few decades, many of the efforts aimed at preventing domestic violence and helping victims have focused on violence against women. In fact, in social and legal venues, domestic violence is often exclusively considered a women's issue. However, domestic violence, particularly intimate partner violence, does not discriminate on any basis, including gender. This research focuses on male victims of domestic violence in order to show that domestic violence is a human issue, not a gender issue. Only when all victims of violent crime are acknowledged and treated fairly can society begin to solve the problem of domestic violence victimization. The intent of this thesis is to explore the incidence of victimization, the legal and societal representations, and legal treatment of male victims of intimate partner violence. Through the analysis of case law and statutes, quantitative statistics, domestic violence resources, popular culture, and anecdotal evidence, this thesis evaluates the treatment of male victims of intimate partner violence in the legal system. Evidence shows that gender bias exists and can affect battered men in numerous ways. Male petitioners seeking protective injunctions, prosecution of their violent partners, and resources, such as treatment, counseling, or shelter, often face discrimination against men. By raising awareness to domestic violence committed against men, this thesis aims to contribute not only to the legal discipline but also to solving the domestic violence epidemic in society-against all people.