<p> The purpose of this experimental design was to analyze environmental factors influencing physical activity among low-income, minority mothers of young children participating in an intervention to increase physical activity. The women (n = 30) were randomized into experimental and control groups and were assessed at baseline and 3 months later. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews and self-report measures. </p><p> Independent samples t-tests were conducted to examine the effects of dichotomous demographic variables and group status on physical activity levels. Correlations were used to assess the effects of Daily Hassles, Self-Efficacy: Barriers, and Social Support for Exercise (both friend and family). The results did not yield any significant differences or correlations. </p><p> Further research is needed with a larger sample. This line of research is important to social work as it reflects the person-in-environment theory, which can assist in the development of exercise enhancement interventions aimed at underrepresented populations.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to locate a potential funding source and write a grant to create a mindfulness program for female survivors of sexual violence. The program will be hosted by the Long Beach Trauma Recovery Center, an agency which treats trauma survivors exclusively and is committed to the use of evidence-based interventions. The Ahmanson Foundation was selected as the potential funder. </p><p> The mindfulness program will aim to decrease trauma symptoms, improve coping skills, and increase mindfulness in survivors through mindfulness-based stress reduction courses in both English and Spanish. The program will be evaluated through the use of reliable and valid scales using a pre-test/post-test design. If funded, this program would give up to 200 survivors an opportunity to learn a practice that has been proven to improve quality of life and promote healing.</p>

<p> The purpose of this thesis was to explore the written accounts of women post-abortion, the experiences they faced associated with abortion, and how they found resolution through faith. The study included a content analysis of 15 women's published essays about the factors involved in making the decision to terminate their pregnancy, the effects of their abortion from a bio/psycho/social/spiritual model, and how resolution was achieved. A literature review was conducted to understand abortion from a systems perspective and to examine the history of the abortion movement, policies that have developed surrounding the topic of abortion, social stigma, and the possible negative effects and coping strategies for post-abortive women. This exploration will support social work professionals by providing an overview of possible abortion experiences and in turn, help them to provide improved care to clients, such as providing educational services to women with unplanned pregnancies and appropriate support for post-abortive women.</p>

<p> An increasing number of women are returning to school as nontraditional students to complete their bachelor&rsquo;s degrees. These women may have specific needs related to life transitions and re-entry into postsecondary education that traditional students do not. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the experiences of women who are nontraditional students, including their everyday supports and challenges. The guiding research question for this study was: Upon identifying the challenges for women at a branch campus, what changes can the university make to better serve the women? Study participants included 12 students currently enrolled in a bachelor&rsquo;s program in social work. Participants also included four university social work faculty and five campus administrators from the study site. A participatory action research methodology was used to collect data from multiple stakeholders. Interviews with social work faculty and university center and branch campus administrators were conducted. Data were coded using open and axial coding. NVivo 11 was employed to help facilitate the coding of the data for the study in order to assure accuracy in identifying common themes. The two main themes to emerge from this study were Experiences and Challenges. Participants&rsquo; experiences included personal and academic. Personal challenges that the women described included abuse, childcare, and health. The two forms of abuse described were substance abuse and domestic abuse, and the health subthemes included personal and family issues. Women&rsquo;s academic challenges included finances, academic writing, and class schedules. Study results may be used to raise stakeholders&rsquo; awareness of students&rsquo; needs, explore and change university processes, and develop workshops to assist nontraditional female students with career development and financial literacy.</p>

<p>Research has shown that the effects of maternal stress, alcohol use, and depression can have lasting effects on offspring. These effects can lead to negative outcomes with her daughter, specifically depression and substance use. These compounding issues can then lead to communication issues between the mother/daughter pair. This secondary data analysis study of a longitudinal community dyadic sample of 811 mothers and daughter pairs sought to determine the impact of these negative maternal effects on daughter depression, alcohol use, communication between the pair, and later risky sexual behavior. Using regression analysis with mediation, results indicated that a relationship exists between mother alcohol use and daughter risky sexual behavior only when daughter alcohol use was present. High communication with the mother lead to a decrease in daughter depression. Mother depression predicted daughter depression whereas mother alcohol use predicted daughter alcohol use and daughter depression. While a negative outcome, risky sexual behavior can be seen as a coping strategy for daughters? experiencing a difficult environment and this coping mechanism may bring them temporary feelings of love and importance.

<p> In this dissertation, I sought to give postpartum women their own voices so that they could help define the postpartum experience on their own terms. It fills important gaps within the literature on new mothers&rsquo; experiences. A phenomenological approach was used, emphasizing the lived experiences of the women, with an overlay of autoethnography, where the personal experience of the researcher becomes important primarily in how it illuminates the phenomenon being studied. Thus, my personal experience of pregnancy into early motherhood is interwoven throughout this dissertation. Forty-two women participated in the in-depth, face-to-face interview, followed by a questionnaire. The qualitative data was analyzed, specific themes became prominent, and were coded for this study. Little of the quantitative data obtained by the questionnaire was used for this study. The following are forefront in this study of understanding how do women learn to navigate the &ldquo;new world&rdquo; of motherhood. First, throughout pregnancy, labor, postpartum, and early motherhood women experience control in a variety of ways, specifically a lack of control. Secondly, women are often afraid of doing something wrong, during pregnancy, labor, birth, and motherhood, such as differing from the norms put forward by friends, family, and the medical field, leading to feelings of guilt. When things do go right, they can feel pride, but were not likely to express this in my study. The third area of study in this dissertation, is that mothers are judged in both appearance and motherwork. In a sense, two ideals, &ldquo;The Motherhood Mandate&rdquo; and &ldquo;Beauty Mandate,&rdquo; are fighting against one another, that of being and ideal mom in terms of mothering and of being an ideal woman in terms of beauty is intertwined. These three themes are discussed in relation to three sociological theories. Medicalization and Foucault&rsquo;s &ldquo;docile bodies&rdquo; thesis both aid in explaining women&rsquo;s thoughts and experiences, as well as constraints in the postpartum stage. The social constructionist approach of &ldquo;doing gender,&rdquo; is applicable as well, as a general framework under which women think and act.</p>

<p> Despite the significant participation of women in the workforce, the gender wage gap has failed to close. The policy analysis examines the Paycheck Fairness Act (PFA), a bill first introduced to Congress in 1963 and defeated on September 15, 2014. The PFA would help secure equal pay for equal work between males and females. The analysis of the PFA is based on a modified version of David Gil's framework. The analysis found that the gender gap persists across race and ethnicity, all levels of educational attainment, and careers. The PFA is the latest legislation addressing pay equity, following a succession of bills such as the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Lilly Ledbetter Act of 2009.</p>

<p> This study uses foodways theory to build knowledge about the lived experience of incarceration by analyzing women's narratives about prison food and eating. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 formerly incarcerated women in New Haven, CT. The interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed. Findings explain the different ways that inmates collect, prepare, distribute and consume food, and the centrality of these activities to incarcerated life. By shedding light on these daily routines, the world of prison life comes into greater focus. </p><p> Thematic analysis of the data further illuminates the prison experience by suggesting the positive and negative ways that food impacts inmate's perceptions of themselves, their social networks and the State. Negative foodways humiliated the women, accentuated their powerlessness, and reinforced their perceptions of the State as nonsensical and apathetic towards their needs. Positive foodways illustrated the inmates' capacity to resist State power, build/maintain relationships and construct positive self-narratives. Racialized foodways narratives began to reveal how food stories may be deployed to reinforce prison's racial character and construct the identities of self and other. </p><p> Foodways interventions to support the rehabilitative goals of correctional facilities are proposed. These data suggest that inmates want to build positive relationships and identities and that prison food systems could do more to help women realize these intentions.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to write a grant to fund a program to provide individual Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) to female veterans diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) at the Long Beach Veterans Administration Medical Center (LBVAMC) in Long Beach, California. An extensive review of the literature included a review of current treatment modalities endorsed and utilized by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In this literature review, IPT was identified as a promising treatment modality with positive outcomes in smaller sample sizes, and among different populations diagnosed with PTSD. The grant writer then designed a treatment program and wrote a grant to support a program to deliver IPT to female veterans diagnosed with PTSD. The actual submission and/or funding of this grant was not a requirement for the successful completion of this project.</p>

<p> The purpose of this thesis was to obtain a grant to develop a Somatic Therapy Program for at-risk Jewish female adolescents attending Camp Extreme for Girls, sponsored by Project Extreme of New York. This population has unique needs, is underserved in residential style programs, and has been found to respond positively with measurable changes. The goal of the Somatic Therapy Program was to reduce the effects of traumatic experiences through lowering trauma induced anxiety, enhancing emotional health, and supporting enduring personal growth.</p><p> The Henry and Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg Foundation was recognized as a suitable funding agency as this foundation supports youth development and promotes strategies that enhance positive results. The grant writer developed the Somatic Therapy Program in order to provide at-risk Jewish female teens quality, long lasting emotional changes within a therapeutic setting. The actual submission and/or funding of this grant was not a requirement for the successful completion of this project.</p>