Parents’ perspectives on their children’s outdoor risky play (ORP) can influence their engagement in it and the risk-navigation strategies they adopt. Until now, the perspectives of parents who regularly navigate threats to their safety, such as military members in combat arms occupations (CAOs) in the Canadian Armed Forces, and who have second-hand information on war and combat, such as female partners of members in CAOs, have been excluded from research. Conducting research with members in CAOs and their female partners can provide important understanding for experiences with risk, danger, injury, traditional gender roles, and ORP perspectives. I thus recruited and conducted semi-structured interviews with military members in CAOs (female = 1, male = 6) in the Canadian Armed Forces and 16 female partners of members actively serving in CAOs. Individuals could participate if they had a child in the 4-12 age range. I selected this age range for the study due to it being important for children’s adoption of safety strategies. I addressed three questions in stand-alone papers in my thesis: 1) “Do experiences in the military influence members’ in CAOs perspectives on their children’s ORP?”; 2) “What are military mothers’ perspectives on their children’s outdoor risky play and how may these perspectives be shaped by their military experiences?”; and 3) “How do gender expectations for female partners of members in CAOs influence their perspectives on children’s ORP?” I used risk and sociocultural theory to inform my approach to research questions 1 and 2 and conducted a reflexive thematic analysis. The results of my study addressing research question 1 were twofold: 1) Members in CAOs believe ORP provides children with opportunities that challenge excessive safety restrictions promoted in Canadian society; and (2) the work experiences of members in CAOs in the Canadian Armed Forces influenced their distinction between children’s ORP and dangerous play-related injuries. In response to research question 2, I found that female partners believed (1) ORP in close physical proximity to strangers and cars is dangerous for children; (2) ORP should not result in children experiencing serious injuries; and (3) outdoor risky play can teach children to assess and manage risks. I employed poststructural feminist theory, feminist methodologies, and critical discourse analysis to address question 3. My results were twofold: (1) Military mothers resist discursively produced pressures to subscribe to overprotective parenting during their children’s ORP; and (2) traditional gender discourses in Canadian society shape military mothers’ feelings of responsibility for their children’s ORP safety. The results from my research suggest that exposure to information on war and combat can influence parents’ perspectives on their children’s ORP. Further, they suggest that societal values, such as gender role expectations and pressure on mothers to engage in overprotective parenting, can influence parents’ fears for their children’s safety and the ORP they encourage and restrict.

abstract: Depressive disorders are common among the general populations but are present at an even higher rate among college students. Some research suggests that new stressors during the transition to college may place young adults at increased risk of depressive disorders. In addition, depression in college students has been linked to a variety of risky behaviors such as alcohol use and risky sexual activity. Fortunately, research suggests that religiosity may act as a buffer and lead to lower levels of depressive symptoms and risky behavior. Current research has not adequately examined the relationship between religiosity, depression, and risky behavior among college students. In this study, depressive symptoms were measured using the 20-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale, while risky behaviors were measured using the section on risky sexual behavior from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance survey and the section on alcohol consumption from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey, both developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Four questions frequently used in literature to measure critical behaviors and attitudes were used to assess participants' religiosity. It was predicted that engagement in risky behaviors would be associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms while increased religiosity would be associated with lower levels. Additionally, increased religiosity would be associated with lower levels of engagement in risky behavior. Multiple regression analyses revealed that risky behavior were not significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms, while higher church attendance was associated with lower depressive symptoms. Although not considered a risky behavior, ever being forced to have sex was associated with higher depressive symptoms. Linear regression analyses revealed that increased religiosity was associated with increased engagement in risky behavior. These findings suggest that while depressive symptoms and risky behaviors are prevalent among college students, religiosity may act as a buffer and lead to lower levels of depression and risky behavior. Limitations, implications, and future research are discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Psychology 2014

MMed, Epidemiology and Biostatistics,University of the Witwatersrand, 2009 / Background: South Africa is one of the countries with the highest Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevalence in the world. The main mode of transmission in South Africa is via heterosexual intercourse. Thus there is the need to identify factors associated with HIV high risk sexual behaviour to inform future intervention programmes. Objective: To determine the association between alcohol consumption and high risk sexual behaviour in South African adults in 2006. Methods: Secondary data analysis of cross sectional study involving 1544 adult males and females, between 16-65 years interviewed in the Soul City National Survey. A multi-stage, stratified and clustered probability sampling technique was used. Univariate and multivariate analysis was done using student t test, chi square test and logistic regression models. Results: The prevalence of alcohol consumption in the week prior to the survey was 24.4% (95%CI: 22.2-26.6). The prevalence of heavy episodic drinking in last one month was 17.5% (95%CI: 15.5-19.4). There was an association between broad socioeconomic conditions and sexual behaviour particularly age, sex and race (P<0.05). The mean age at sexual debut was 17.13 (SD 2.61) years in the males and 17.91 (2.45 SD) years in females (P<0.001). Of the sexually active respondents, 12.7% and 4.2% of the men and women respectively had multiple partners currently (P<0.001). Generally consistent condom use was more in men although, only 10.3% of the men and 5.6% of the women used the condoms consistently with their casual partners (P=0.28). Multivariate regression showed that alcohol use predicted having multiple partners (AOR 2.37; 95%CI 1.19-4.69 and AOR 4.15; 95%CI 1.37-11.97) for moderate and problem drinkers respectively. Also, heavy episodic drinking predicted having multiple partners by three times (AOR 3.21; 95%CI 1.69-6.39). There was a significant dose response relationship for having multiple partners (P<0.05). As regards unprotected sexual intercourse, although not significant, female drinkers were found to be protected from inconsistent condom use with a casual partner. Male drinkers on the other hand, were found to be at a higher risk of having unprotected sex with casual partners. Perceptions of susceptibility to HIV (AOR 0.31; 95%CI 0.17-0.56), and alcohol related harm (AOR 0.17; 95%CI; 0.22-0.71) influenced consistent condom use with casual partners. Also regards gender differences, women who drank alcohol (AOR 9.68; 95%CI 1.31-17.45 vs. 1.17; 0.28-4.89) or were heavy episodic drinkers (AOR 4.45; 95%CI 1.46-3.55 vs. 2.43; 1.03-5.92) had a higher probability of having multiple partners than men. Conclusion: There is a strong association between risky alcohol use and high risk sexual behaviours. HIV prevention programmes need to address reduction in alcohol intake and changes in drinking pattern. Further research to disentangle the relationship between condom use and alcohol use is needed.

Expecting to become pregnant or to get someone pregnant in the near future separates adolescents in terms of both their current circumstances and future experiences. Drawing on life course, social control, and reasoned action perspectives, this study examined the predictors and outcomes of adolescents’ pregnancy expectations in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, emphasizing non-linearity in the meaning and implications of such expectations during a critical period when youths’ future plans begin to change from hypothetical ideas to actual realities. The results suggested that the number and type of risky behaviors during adolescence were associated with an increased level of pregnancy expectations that, in turn, predicted later childbearing. Importantly, risky behaviors also moderated the link between pregnancy expectations in adolescence and fertility in young adulthood, with childbearing more likely to follow split expectations when youth also engaged in risky behavior. These patterns did not vary substantially by gender. / text

Impulsive behavior can be viewed as selecting the less beneficial option when multiple choices are presented. This type of sub-optimal decision-making behavior has been demonstrated to be a basic behavior process that is not unique to humans. In recent years, a large body of research has surfaced analyzing the sub-optimal decision-making of animals, generating models that are analogous to impulsive human behavior. This literature attempts to investigate the factors that influence the choice-making of organisms and lead organisms to choose less reinforcement over more reinforcement in some circumstances. Research has shown that reinforcement contingencies alone do not account for all of the behavior produced, especially when organisms fail to optimize their receipt of reinforcement when given a choice. The current study sought to replicate the recent animal research on sub-optimal behavior with humans. Specifically, the current study investigated the choice-making behavior of three young boys with autism using a concurrent-chains schedule of reinforcement. Results replicated previous research with the finding that two of the three participants indicated an increasing preference for the least optimal choice while a third participant maximized his reinforcement throughout the study. Implications for future research are discussed.

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Orientador: Hélio Langoni / Banca: Jussara Marcondes Machado / Banca: Simone Baldini Lucheis / Banca: Silvio Arruda Vasconcellos / Banca: Maria das Graças de Lima / Resumo: A leptospirose é uma importante zoonose que tem como hospedeiros primários os animais silvestres, sinantrópicos e domésticos. Os seres humanos comportam-se como hospedeiros terminais e acidentais. A sua distribuição é mundial, no entanto, na América Latina, África e Ásia, as prevalências são maiores devido às condições ambientais de ordem físico-química, bem como sócio-econômico-cultural, que favorecem a persistência e a disseminação da infecção. A distribuição geográfica da leptospirose está fortemente relacionada à questão ambiental e ao processo de urbanização das cidades. A prevalência deste agravo depende do animal portador que dissemina leptospiras, da sua sobrevivência ambiental e do contato de pessoas susceptíveis. Vários animais infectados podem ser hospedeiros ou reservatórios, e cada sorovar tem um ou mais hospedeiros com diferentes níveis de adaptação. A permanência de focos de leptospirose se deve aos animais infectados, doentes e assintomáticos, considerados como fontes permanentes de contaminação ambiental. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi determinar áreas de risco e possíveis componentes ecológicos da infecção leptospírica em cães errantes e pacientes com diagnóstico de leptospirose, entre os anos de 2006 e 2008, no municípío de Maringá-PR. Foram estudados 335 cães errantes e 25 pacientes. Amostras de soro, tanto dos animais como dos pacientes, foram examinadas pela prova de soroaglutinação microscópica-SAM, para pesquisa de anticorpos anti-leptospíricos. Para determinar as áreas de risco e a distribuição espacial da doença, foram elaborados mapas temáticos e avaliados os indicadores ambientais e sociais por setores do perímetro urbano. Foram observados 41(12,2%) cães positivos para um ou mais sorovares de leptospiras, e os mais freqüentes foram: Pyrogenes (43,9%), Canícola (21,9%) e Copennhageni (19,5%)... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Leptospirosis is an important zoonosis which has as primary hosts savage, synantropic and domestic animals. Human beings behave as terminal and accidental hosts. Its distribution is worldwide, notwithstanding, in Latin America, Africa and Asia the prevalence is higher due to the environmental conditions either of physical-chemical or social-economical-cultural order, which favor persistence and dissemination of the infection. The geographic distribution of leptospirosis is strongly related to the environmental question and the process of the cities urbanization. This prevalence depends on the animal carrier which disseminates the leptospirosis, its environmental survival and the contact with susceptible host. Many infected animals may be a host or a reservoir and each serovar has one or more different hosts or reservoirs with diverse levels of adaptation. The persistence of the leptospirosis focus is due to the infected animals, sick or non-syntomatic, that are considered as sources of permanent environmental infection. The aim of this work was to determine the risky areas and the possible ecologic components of the leptospirosis infection in wandering dogs and patients with leptospirosis diagnosis between the years of 2006 to 2008 in Maringá city, Paraná state. 335 wandering dogs and 25 patients were studied. Either animal or patients serum samples were examined by the microscopic serum agglutination - MAT for search of the anti-leptospira antibodies. To determine the risky areas and the special distribution of the disease thematic maps were elaborated and the environmental and social indicators were evaluated by the urban perimeter sectors. In the study, 41 (12,2%) positive dogs were observed, with for one or more leptospirosis serovars and the most common were: Pyrogenes (43,9%), Canícola (21,9%) and Copennhageni (19,5%). For humans the positiveness was of 2 (8%)... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Road trauma is recognized as a major public health problem worldwide (particularly for younger drivers), and risky driving has been identified as an important contributor to road crashes. It is often assumed that similar factors influence all risky driving behaviours, although direct and systematic examination of the differences between risky driving behaviours in terms of precipitating factors is lacking. The present thesis sought to undertake a systematic investigation of relevant factors in the prediction of four key risky driving behaviours (speeding, drink-driving, driving while fatigued, and not wearing seat belts). Four versions of a Risky Driving Questionnaire were developed to assess beliefs, personality factors and behavioural intentions, in relation to each of the four behaviours. Four versions of the Implicit Association Test were developed to assess attitudes toward each of the four behaviours, without reliance on self-report (in terms of the relative strength of pairs of associations). Data were collected from a student sample (N=215: Study 1), as well as urban (N=587) and rural (N=422) general population samples (Study 2), and regression models were examined for each of the four behaviours, with interaction terms to assess moderations involving perceived risk. Mediations involving gender were also assessed. Results indicate that different risky driving behaviours are predicted by different factors. For example, in the urban sample, speeding was predicted by driver anger and illusory invulnerability, drink driving was predicted by peer influence, driving while fatigued was predicted by the perceived benefits of not driving while fatigued, and not wearing seat belts was predicted by the (sensation seeking x illusory invulnerability) interaction. Results also suggest that different predictors of risky driving behaviours are relevant for different driver populations. For example, speeding was predicted by authority rebellion in the urban sample, and by sensation seeking in the rural sample. Observed moderations of perceived risk suggest that relationships between perceived risk and risky driving may differ for males versus females, and for low versus high sensation seekers. Findings suggest that future road safety interventions should be based on research of the determinants of individual risky driving behaviours, and in specific driver populations.