<p> This phenomenological study explored how cancer impacted female patients or survivors while striving for personal work-life balance. Since female cancer patients and survivors encounter unique stressors, challenges, and experiences related to their cancer journey, this study examined the narratives of 10 women identified as having cancer and a comparison group matched on age via random sample for the birth year. The 20 narratives were a subset of the larger Weber (2011) sample collected by Digital Women's Project research team. The foundational theoretical framework is provided by Giele's (2008) life story method, which analyzed narratives through the lenses of identity, relationship style, drive and motivation, and adaptive styles of women.</p><p> However, this study focused on the following two themes: drive and motivation and adaptive style. The personal experiences of the ten diverse women, who received a cancer diagnosis (Group A), described ways that cancer changed their lives. The comparative sample of women without cancer diagnoses (Group B) were also analyzed along these themes. The findings reveal the differences between Group A and B with their outlook, lifestyles, and how work-life balance was navigated. Successful strategies of navigating work-life balance for the two groups were explored: faith, support systems, healthy lifestyle, resources, therapy, and hobbies.</p>

<p> There is a dearth of literature focusing on domestic violence within the Jamaican culture. This study addresses the paucity of literature related to physical abuse of females in intimate heterosexual relationships in Jamaica. This qualitative, transcendental, phenomenological study was designed to gain insight into the abusive worlds of these women based on their stories told in their own voices. Identification of their reasons for remaining in their abusive contexts was also explored. Eleven women, no longer in their abusive relationships, participated. Results revealed four major themes: (a) faith, (b) hope, (c) poor judgment, and (d) secrecy. A strong call to address faith teachings and application of scriptures related explicitly to abuse within intimate partner relationships emerged from the results.</p>

<p> The study sought to examine the relationship between witnessing verbal marital conflict as a child and behavioral anger responses in adulthood. An underlying premise for the study was that verbal marital conflict could be an underlying cause of developmental and behavioral problems in adults who witnessed verbal marital conflict as a child. Previous studies focused on marital conflict in regards to physical conflict, leaving out verbal conflict. One hundred participants, who acknowledged witnessing verbal marital conflict as children, completed the Novaco Anger Scale (NAS; Novaco, 1994, 2003) and the Children's Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale (CPIC; Grych et al., 1992). Participants showed average anger responses and sometimes low anger responses, which did not show significant correlation with exposure to parental verbal marital conflict as children. The findings provided implications for future research which included conducting another study with the same research question, but using a qualitative approach to provide in-depth knowledge on exposure to verbal marital conflict as a child and behavioral anger responses in adulthood, while also using a quantitative approach to examine the behavioral effect. It further suggested identifying the need for person-centered intervention, and enhancing models of skill training for handling anger and relationships.</p>

<p> This year-long research investigated fathers' involvement in 1 public elementary school in southern California that served an ethnic diverse and lower socioeconomic population. This case applied Epstein's 6 typologies to analyze the perceptions of 112 fathers and 132 mothers utilizing a 35-item validated questionnaire, followed by long interviews of fathers, school administrators, and teachers in addition to researcher's field notes. </p><p> Compared to prior studies, findings revealed that fathers and mothers reported that fathers' involvement in parenting and home learning was high. Responding to "all the time" and "sometimes," 91% of the fathers indicated they attended extracurricular activities; 87% participated in PTA activities; 86% attended parent-teacher conferences; 82% monitored or assisted with homework; 82% offered study space; 81% regularly purchased supplies; 75% provided computer and technology equipment; and 80% celebrated academic achievement. Utilizing 2 chi-square analyses to survey data, these findings applied to fathers who were employed (71%) or unemployed (29%) as well as to higher-educated fathers (community college degree and above) and fathers with a high school diploma or less (<i>p</i> > .05). </p><p> Applying a chi-square analysis to survey data, fathers' and mothers' perceptions were similar (<i>p</i> > .05) except volunteering, fathers indicating higher involvement. However, 88 to 100% fathers responded to "not at all" or "a few times" on the items in this typology, a low level of involvement. All groups of respondents reported fathers' low involvement in school decision-making and community collaboration activities. </p><p> Regarding communication, fathers indicated that they desired direct communication from the school such as e-mail blasts, text messages, and focused notices related to their child. Since fathers indicated that 32.0% were divorced or separated and almost half of the participating mothers were single, targeted communication to fathers as well mothers is necessary to encourage father involvement. School personnel reported communication is primarily sent to one set of parents as accurate 2-parent information is difficult. </p><p> The study provides recommendations to stimulate father engagement, such as staff should connect with fathers during child pick-up and after-school activities. Also, staff should create a father-friendly school environment and offer focused, task-oriented opportunities to involve fathers as well as social activities that attract mothers. </p><p> <i>Keywords:</i> father involvement, parent-school communication, family involvement, parenting.</p>

<p> The number of immigrants in the United States will increase by a projected 18.4 million per year. In Orange County, immigrants are the fastest growing segment with an estimated population of983,000. If immigration levels continue to increase and immigrant parents and children continue to live in poverty, then they are expected to demonstrate higher crime rates, parent-child relationship problems, child disciplinary or behavioral problems, lower academic performance, severe mental health issues, and more discrimination and prejudice. </p><p> The proposed program will provide education (for parents), counseling (for all participants), and mentorship (for adolescents, children, and transitional-aged youth). These culturally sensitive services will aim to: (a) alleviate the conflict within immigrant families, (b) mitigate the challenges and issues of acculturation and assimilation, and (c) empower positive life choices that enable them to maximize their potential. The actual submission of the proposal was not a requirement of the thesis.</p>

<p> Interest in the commons, a concept that extends back to antiquity, has peaked in recent years as alarming resource depletion and intellectual property restrictions have caused international concern, while the Internet has increasingly linked people globally, creating a robust platform for common action. Generally conceived of as shared resources, communities that create, use, and/or manage them, social protocols that govern their usage, and a sense of mutuality, commons include natural resources and well as created resources such as knowledge and information. This study examined the commons by employing a grounded theory approach that sought to discover a theory regarding the processes underlying this phenomenon. Grounded theory initiates research by asking the question, "What is going on here?" <i>Commoning</i> emerged as the core variable and hence the grounded theory of the commons. Commoning is a complex social and psychological process that commoners engage in when they are establishing and managing commons. Commoning entails supplanting the market paradigm, based upon maximizing self-interest and assigning value based on price, with a paradigm that maximizes communal well-being. Through commoning, commoners gain a sense that they are the protagonists of their own lives. They gain this sense by forming a communal identity, seeing themselves as part of the ecological system, and taking control of resources that they feel the state and market have failed to effectively manage. In commoning, commoners are driven from their inner purpose and authentic self. Living this way resonates to society as a whole, creating a society that reflects more abundance, harmony, peace, social justice, respect for future generations, and sustainability. </p><p> <i>Key words</i>: commons, commoners, commoning, grounded theory, post-capitalism</p>

This thesis is a study of language use and language socialization practices in Northern Quebec. The focus is on families with children between 9 and 24 months of age, particularly bilingual families, living in predominantly Inuit communities. Interviews with 11 families were examined to determine the major issues concerning language use, beliefs, and relationships. Two bilingual families were then examined in-depth over one year to gain a clearer understanding of their language behaviours and how they related to the cultures present in the homes and communities. Results of the study indicate that there is variation across bilingual families in many aspects related to language. Syncretism and dissociation of language and culture and their effects on the Inuit, educators, and speech-language pathologists are discussed.

The purpose of this cross-sectional, correlational comparative study was to explore the relationship between selected features of the maternal chronic pain experience and the health of the adolescent family member. Twenty-seven adolescents living with mothers who had persistent chronic pain were matched on age, gender and maternal education with 26 adolescents whose mothers had no chronic illness. The two groups of adolescents completed questionnaires measuring their levels of depression (Beck Depression Inventory), life satisfaction (Cantril Ladder) and perceived level of maternal support (Maternal Support Questionnaire). Mothers completed questionnaires measuring pain intensity (VAS), pain distress (VAS), disability (3 item questionnaire) and depression (Beck Depression Inventory). / The two adolescent groups did not differ in terms of depression, life satisfaction or perceived maternal support. Maternal support, however, was demonstrated to be related to the level of depression and life satisfaction for adolescents whose mothers had chronic pain. The results of this study demonstrated that the health status of the adolescent whose mothers had chronic pain was comparable to those adolescents whose mothers had no chronic illness. / Possible explanations for the results may be related to the sample, measurement issues or the age of the adolescents. The study extends current research findings by considering maternal support to be associated with the maternal chronic pain experience and the adolescent health status.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between a family's use of normalization and the psychosocial adjustment (personal adjustment, role skills, and perceived competence) of children with chronic physical disorders (CPD). Seventy-six mothers and their CPD children participated in the study. Families' use of normalization was related to CPD child's psychosocial adjustment. Specifically, mothers' perceptions that their families and other people perceived their family and CPD child as normal were strongly related to overall high personal adjustment, better peer relationships, and better productivity in the CPD child as well as less reported anxiety and depression, less dependence, less withdrawal, and less hostility. However, a family's use of normalization was not related to the CPD child's perception of self-competence in this study.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-06, Section: A, page: 2675. Adviser: Jasna Jovanovic. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-72) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.