This qualitative autoethnographic study was the process by which I, a young Latina, was able to evocatively and therapeutically write about the incestual abuse and poverty experienced from age six until the age of 17. It was also the method by which I decided to disclose how I moved from being considered at-risk and became resilient. This study demonstrated the basic tenets of autoethnography and how by overcoming poverty and ending a cycle of abuse, I was able to embrace the spirit of forgiveness. Insight into the discourse of a dysfunctional family is shared, allowing me to offer a message of hope, and shatter stereotypes. The study concludes that autoethnography as a process permits me to tap into new-found autonomy. Autoethnographically, this study represents my life journey, but it can represent the life of many readers who have lived in the United States in impoverished conditions and/or have lived through physical, emotional, verbal and sexual abuse by family members or intimate others. This study legitimized and validated my story as a survivor. Consequently, the plot of the story focuses on the violent acts and conditions, not the people. Focusing on the acts and conditions, while incorporating dialogue permitted me to involve the reader more closely in the story. I leaned on my doctoral studies to expand my understanding of the abuse and poverty I experienced (Holt, 2003). I found that resiliency was central to my life story. Embracing resiliency empowered me to discover new ways of thinking about my life experiences, which included using a salutogenic approach, or a positive model that offered “alternatives to the deficits-based explanatory models of environmental determinants of health that have dominated the literature” to accept the raw and cruel encounters I was exposed to and turn my thoughts into a healthier way of thinking (Stewart & McWhirter, 2007, p. 490). Tugade and Fredrickson (2004, p. 320) would say that I obtained a psychological resilience to effectively cope and adapt, even though I faced “loss, hardship, or adversity.” Ultimately, I discovered that resilience is a “state, a condition and a practice” (Knight, 2007, p. 544).

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references.

The aim of this study is to explore the main contributors and obstacles to employee learning in the context of an alliance using the framework of a complex embedded multiple-case study. The two participant alliance partner organisations (APOs) are natural competitors that have joined to respond to urgent community needs of the city of Christchurch following the major earthquakes in September 2010 and February 2011. At the moment of the in-depth interviews, it had been about four years since those events occurred. There are continuous, unexpected circumstances that still require attention. However, the alliance has an expiry date, thus reinforcing the uncertain work environment. The main enablers found were participative, collaborative learning encouraged by leaders who embraced the alliance’s “learning organisational culture”. Employees generated innovations mostly in social interaction with others, while taking on responsibility for their learning by learning from mistakes. The main obstacle found is competition, as inhibitor of collaboratively sharing their knowledge out of fear of losing their competitiveness.

Southern Paiutes of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau have a deep connection to their environment. Since Creation, Southern Paiutes maintain that it is their duty to manage their environment to promote growth and sustainability within their ecosystem. They have developed numerous strategies and activities that have been integrated into their cultural system that increases biodiversity and biocomplexity throughout their homeland. The Southern Paiutes had a traditional leadership system that was responsible for the maintenance of social and ecological order throughout the Southern Paiute nation. The Southern Paiute leadership, more commonly referred to as the High Chiefs, was a multi-layered system that functioned on national, regional, and local levels. This essay examines the roles and functions the High Chiefs had traditionally in Southern Paiute culture and how it was used to maintain the Southern Paiute way of life and their environment.

The role of factors which influenced individual differences in post-trauma outcome were explored using a multi-method design, in response to recommendations in the literature that self-report data should be incorporated into studies of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In part 1, a psychophysiological study with process interviews was tested for feasibility and acceptability with a small-scale sample (n = 17) and found individual differences between how participants described responding to trauma-related picture stimuli. Five primary response types were identified: avoidance, acceptance, increased attendance, dismissal and confrontation. In part 2, resilient and recovered individuals (n = 11) were interviewed in depth about their experiences of coping with trauma and transcripts were analysed using an interpretative phenomenological approach. Themes identified were attitudes and beliefs, emotion regulation, narrative development, support and safety and recovery. Some resilient participants described initial use of avoidance as a coping strategy but moved from this position towards acceptance of their trauma in their recovery journey. Therefore avoidance may play a more helpful role than has previously been thought. The importance of specific attributes of factors positively associated with recovery from trauma and potential interactions between these factors was discussed.

Decades of research have convincingly linked parenting experiences to mood psychopathology in youth, yet scant research has carefully considered child, parent, observational measures of parenting behaviours to better elucidate these complex patterns of risk. The current study investigates the relations among various perspectives of key parenting behaviours of responsiveness and psychological control (youth-report, parent-report, and observational) and their associations with youth depression and emotional resilience to better understand parenting context in relation to youth mental health and well-being. Participants were 42 treatment-referred early adolescents and their parent, both of whom completed several parenting behaviour assessments. Youth also completed measures of depression symptoms and emotional resilience. Results suggest that use of different informants and measures of parenting notably impact the association with youth functioning and thus, should not be used interchangeably. Further, parents whose self-reports were most discrepant from their observed responsiveness and psychological control had children with higher depression symptoms. Results underscore the importance of considering various perspectives of the parenting context in research and clinical contexts. / Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council: Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Master’s Scholarship

Using an ecological framework, this study investigated how the resilience-related concepts of competence, adversity, and protective factors were defined by Colombian immigrant youth living in Canada. Ten Colombian immigrant youth, aged 14 to 19 years, were interviewed about their perceptions of ‘doing well’, the main challenges they experienced after arriving in Canada, and the factors that helped them overcome their major challenges. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to analyze the youth’s responses. Youth described how familism played a central role in the perceptions of competence and doing well. It was also found that the main challenges that were reported were general experiences of immigration and the difficulties of adapting into the new cultural environment and not to cultural discrepancies or clashes of values and beliefs. These youth talked about a range of protective factors, which included meaningful relationships (i.e., family, peers, God), individual factors (i.e., coping strategies, change in mindset, personal qualities, previous experiences, setting goals, and language brokering) and environmental factors (i.e., media, school environment, extracurricular activities, and community).