No description available.

In their review, Remedios and Snyder (2015) articulated how models of stigma fall short of explaining stigmatization of women of color, because they do not consider intersectionality of multiple stigmatized identities. Using the example of the intersection of race and gender, they reviewed literature on how targets of stigma detect and respond to prejudice (making prejudice attributions, the role of identity processes such as centrality), highlighting the complexity of these processes once multiple identities (namely non-prototypical categories of race and gender) are considered. In response, we provide more in depth discussion of the challenges to inclusion and intersectionality including current and traditional psychological science approaches and the perceived politicization of intersectional research, as well as the complexity of integrating multiple identities (social class, sexual orientation and gender diversity) into stigma research, including recruitment, measurement, and analysis. We offer practical suggestions in the areas of recruitment, measurement, and analysis, to facilitate more inclusive and intersectional research, given that such work would provide a more complete understanding of the experience of stigma.

No description available.

<p>Multi-faceted interventions that include some form of a clinical information system have been shown to improve primary care physicians' management of chronic diseases. The objective of this pilot study was to assess the feasibility of a cluster randomized controlled trial of a multi-faceted intervention, which includes a clinical information system, to improve the management of the chronic disease of tobacco use by physicians. Feasibility was assessed with respect to the use of a measurement tool (Smoking Status Identification Card) and use of a new smoking cessation management module in the clinical information system.</p> <p>Letters of invitation were sent out to the 65 primary care physicians (in 38 primary care practices) who were subscribed to the web-based clinical information system (P-PROMPT CDMS). Five physicians from 5 primary care practices agree.d to participate, who were stratified and then randomized to the intervention (2 primary care practices) or control group (3 primary care practices).</p> <p>Following the 12-week study period, SSIC completion reached the 90% threshold success criterion in 2 of the 5 primary care practices (one each from the intervention and control group). The intervention group demonstrated basic use of the new smoking cessation management module that reached 21.9% and 19.0% in each of the respective practices, which was below the 30% threshold success criterion. A preliminary evaluation of physician delivery of smoking cessation counselling demonstrated a trend to a higher percentage of Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) physician service billing codes submitted among the physicians in the intervention group, which may be indicative of greater smoking cessation counselling.</p> <p>It is concluded that a randomized controlled trial to test a multi-faceted intervention is not feasible with the current study design. Significant modifications to the current study design are required that can potentially be tested prior to progression to a larger trial.</p> / Master of Science (MS)

Background: Compared with typically developing children, children with special needs often struggle with academic and social aspects of school, though certain factors can improve their academic and social developmental trajectory. The objective of this investigation was to explore the association between the developmental health of children with special needs at school-entry, as measured by the Early Development Instrument (EDI), and neighborhood-level SES. To date, the EDI has only been validated for use in typically developing children. Hence, a secondary objective of this investigation was to explore the psychometric properties of the EDI for children with special needs. Methods: The data for this investigation were from the Pan-Canadian database of children’s developmental health at school entry. The psychometric properties of the EDI, including item and domain characteristics, factor structure, and construct validity, were tested for children with special needs. Hierarchical generalized linear models was used to model the association between EDI domain scores and a custom neighborhood SES index. Results: A total of 29,841 (69.8% male) and 29,520 (69.7% male) children with special needs were available for the investigation on the psychometric properties of the EDI and the relationship between EDI outcomes and SES, respectively. The psychometric performance of the EDI in children with special needs was similar to its performance in typically developing children. The EDI was subsequently used to explore the association between developmental outcomes and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES). All EDI domains were positively correlated with SES, indicating that children in high SES neighborhoods have better developmental outcomes at school entry than those in lower SES neighborhoods. Conclusions: The results of this investigation draw attention to the potential impact of contextual factors on children’s health and have implications for policy development and service planning. These results also indicate that the EDI performs similarly in children with special needs and typically developing children, thus enabling its more extensive use for this population. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Background: Compared with typically developing children, children with special needs often struggle with academic and social aspects of school, though certain factors can improve their academic and social developmental trajectory. The objective of this investigation was to explore the association between the developmental health of children with special needs at school-entry, as measured by the Early Development Instrument (EDI), and neighborhood-level SES. To date, the EDI has only been validated for use in typically developing children. Hence, a secondary objective of this investigation was to explore the psychometric properties of the EDI for children with special needs. Methods: The data for this investigation were from the Pan-Canadian database of children’s developmental health at school entry. The psychometric properties of the EDI, including item and domain characteristics, factor structure, and construct validity, were tested for children with special needs. Hierarchical generalized linear models was used to model the association between EDI domain scores and a custom neighborhood SES index. Results: A total of 29,841 (69.8% male) and 29,520 (69.7% male) children with special needs were available for the investigation on the psychometric properties of the EDI and the relationship between EDI outcomes and SES, respectively. The psychometric performance of the EDI in children with special needs was similar to its performance in typically developing children. The EDI was subsequently used to explore the association between developmental outcomes and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES). All EDI domains were positively correlated with SES, indicating that children in high SES neighborhoods have better developmental outcomes at school entry than those in lower SES neighborhoods. Conclusions: The results of this investigation draw attention to the potential impact of contextual factors on children’s health and have implications for policy development and service planning. These results also indicate that the EDI performs similarly in children with special needs and typically developing children, thus enabling its more extensive use for this population.

<p>Human atherosclerosis is a disease of the blood vessel wall caused by an interplay between inflammatory, thrombotic, and lipid factors. A contributing or causal role for infection in that inflammatory response was first proposed in the 19th century, and with the advent of more sophisticated diagnostic techniques, a new search for a microbiologic etiology of human atherosclerosis has been rekindled. In this thesis, I examine methods for investigating whether infections contribute to human atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. I explore three different technologies: serology (measuring antibody), inflammatory markers (as risk markers and as surrogates for infections), and the direct measurement of bacterial or viral DNA in the bloodstream. I examine three different study designs: cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort. Chlamydia pneumoniae , an obligate intracellular bacterium, is the primary focus of these studies. In addition, cytomegalovirus and other infections are included as controls, with the a priori expectation that these other infections would not be related to cardiovascular disease. We found a relationship between cardiovascular disease and C. pneumoniae antibody status in a small case-control study, but found no independent association in a large, prospective study. Inflammatory markers were measured in the prospective study, and were associated with cardiovascular events, yet no clear association between inflammation and infection was found. However, in developing methods for directly detecting bacterial and viral DNA in the bloodstream, we found that serology itself was not associated with current detection of bacterial DNA. Furthermore, we found a strong relationship between C. pneumoniae and smoking, and conclude that future studies need to examine the interaction between infection, inflammation, and smoking status.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p dir="ltr">In recent years, employers and business leaders have increasingly discussed the topic of college graduate job readiness. A recent survey found that approximately 60% of employers expressed concerns about college graduates' preparedness for today's workforce and cited issues with work ethic, professionalism, communication skills, and technological skills, particularly among Generation Z graduates (Behbahani, 2023; Daniels, 2023; Heubeck, 2023; Intelligent, 2023; Kelly, 2024). With the rise of generative AI technologies, hiring practices are shifting towards skill-based hiring rather than degree-based hiring. As a result, many college graduates are left wondering whether they are adequately prepared for the constantly evolving workforce (Cengage Group, 2023; Flaherty, 2024; Mowreader, 2023; Nietzel, 2023). With workplace and educational technology constantly changing, higher education institutions and educators should consider providing more support and guidance to better prepare students for working with technology and in fast-paced environments. That being said, innovative approaches should be considered for reforming existing college degree programs and developing new programs. One such approach that can be used for continuous improvement, program assessment, and as a pedagogical intervention in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) classrooms is the participatory action research method, photovoice.</p>

Too many students leave school without even the essential skills (ACT, 2011), and many others are so drained by the experience they lack a desire to continue on to a post-secondary education. Academic engagement has emerged as a construct representing students’ personal investment in school (Greenwood, Delquadri, & Hall, 1984), and may be a psychological variable which can be intervened on. However, interventions must occur as quickly as possible to maximize their efficiency (Heckman, 2007). Students’ peer groups may be a particularly potent venue of intervention, however several options exist for how to go about measuring their social networks. In this thesis, social networking data of the only middle school of a small town in the north-eastern United States is analyzed to determine the properties of two collection methods (self-reported networks and participant observations) and four network identification methods (probability scores, reciprocal nominations, factor-analyses, and rule-based). Analyses overwhelmingly supported participant observations as a more inclusive, less biased data collection method than self-reports. Meanwhile, hypothesis tests were somewhat mixed on the most inclusive, least biased network identification method, but after a consideration of the findings and the structural properties of each network, the probability score method was deemed the most useful network. Implications, future research, strengths, and limitations are discussed.

Landfills in British Columbia are reaching capacity; this has sparked renewed efforts to curb the output of household waste. Extending previous quantitative studies, I use a qualitative grounded theory approach to explore what influences the perception of waste and activates the intention to recycle and compost. Participants from Ucluelet, British Columbia, accumulated their refuse, recyclables, and compost during a four week period; simultaneously, I interviewed them about the meanings and feelings they associated with the process. My results suggest that participants' attitudes about waste are strongly influenced by what they see. Because garbage is regularly hauled away and dumped out of sight, participants were relatively unaware of how much they produce and its environmental impact. Increasing awareness appears to be a key factor in changing waste diversion intentions; incorporating small pro-environmental changes may lead to further changes. This reaffirms previous findings that adopting one environmental behaviour can empower further change.

It is 30 years after Post-Mao reforms, 20 years after Tiananmen Square demonstrations, and the next generation of “comrades” are emerging in China. They are called the Balinghou or “Post- 80s” generation, referring to the cohort born between 1980 and 1989. This study addresses an empirical gap by exploring the narrative resources Shanghai’s Post-80s young adults call on to construct their identities, given the historical situation in which they live. This exploration is achieved through qualitative empirical data by employing a combination of narrative analysis and ethnography. Data analysis uncovers narrative resources clustered around three common themes: generational identity, structural resources, and personal lives. Further refection reveals that the extent to which identity is narratively expressed can be culturally constrained. Although the Balinghou encounter unique external factors such as the One Child Policy and rapid economic growth and reform in China, their narrative identity resources are more related to their perceptions of life stages than unprecedented historical circumstance. Keywords: narrative, identity, life course, symbolic interactionism, China, Shanghai, Balinghou, Post-80s generation