<p> The purpose of this project was to locate a potential funding source and write a grant to implement a support group for women who have experienced pregnancy loss at the Mariposa Women and Family Center, Orange County, California. An extensive literature review regarding the theoretical frameworks surrounding pregnancy loss was performed in order to gain knowledge of prevalent risk factors among women after miscarriage. Pregnancy loss commonly occurs in 14%-20% of clinically recognized pregnancies during the first 20 weeks of gestation and it can cause psychological distress such as depression, anxiety, extended grief, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Women receive minimal emotional support from medical professionals, partners, and family members leaving them to cope in silence. If funded, this program would help provide awareness surrounding pregnancy loss and most importantly support women in managing their grief as they come to make meaning of their loss. Actual submission of this grant was not a requirement for this project.</p>

<p> Low levels of self-esteem have been supported by research as a predisposing factor to a number of negative outcomes. Female youth approaching adolescence have been supported as demonstrating the greatest risk for low levels of self-esteem. Low levels of self-esteem in adolescent females as indicated by previous research often manifests itself in devastating physical, mental, and social health issues such as depression, dating violence, substance use, as well as others. The purpose of this project was to write a grant proposal to potentially seek funds for a psychoeducation group focusing on the prevention of low levels of self-esteem. The groups are focused on identifying risk factors and engaging protective ones. The grant writer selected The Ueberroth Family Foundation as a potential funding source for the proposed project. The actual submission and/or funding of this grant were not a requirement for the successful completion of this project.</p>

<p> Previous research has confirmed that neighborhood level social factors (e.g. crime, safety) present chronic stressors that increase risk for depression in residents of economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. U.S. Latinos experience higher levels of poverty and thus are more likely to live in poor neighborhoods. In this study it was hypothesized that adult Latina women who reported (1) higher levels of worry regarding the general safety of their household children in the neighborhood, (2) higher levels of worry regarding influence of bad friends on their household children, and (3) higher levels of worry regarding their household children being exposed to drugs and alcohol, would also report higher levels of depression after controlling for the individual level characteristics of level of acculturation, education, age, income and marital status. This study used a cross-sectional survey design and a convenience sample of 136 Latina women. Depression was measured using the CES-D Spanish version. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the first step consisting of control variables was significantly correlated with depression, <i>R</i>² =.14, F (5,130) =4.261, p = .001. In step two, after entering the neighborhood level variables, the resulting <i> R</i>² increased significantly, <i>R</i>² = .21, F (1, 129) = 10.937, p &lt; .001. The relationship between depression and each CES-D subscale was also explored. Understanding both micro and macro level factors that contribute to depression is essential for developing complex multi-level explanatory models and designing effective interventions. This study contributes to an emerging critical framework that illustrates how public policy influences the more proximal mechanisms that contribute to mental health and health problems.</p>

<p> This quantitative research study examined the frequency of street harassment and women's responses to it in terms of emotional reactions and coping mechanisms. A self-administered survey was administered to 51 female graduate students. Frequencies and percents were reported, along with ethnic and age differences in the experience of street harassment. </p><p> Verbal/stalking harassment was found to occur frequently. In addition, many participants reported negative feelings (e.g., annoyance and anger). Women also reported restricting their mobility and changing their appearance in order to avoid harassment. </p><p> These findings highlight the utility of intervening to reduce street harassment to increase women&rsquo;s safety and comfort in public. As women experience oppression due to their gender, their mental health has significant implications for our communities. In short, women&rsquo;s lives matter.</p>

Purpose of the study. The main purpose of this study was to develop a transitional program framework that can assist homeless women with children to become self-sufficient. In order to create this framework, this study identified nine program areas containing a total of 58 components and four program outcome categories. The three goals of this study were to (a) identify, characterize, and analyze the current transitional programs for homeless women with children; (b) determine the current program areas and components, perceived component importance, and program outcomes; and (c) determine which program demographics, program areas, and components are related to successful program outcomes and important in effective transitional programs. Methodology. A descriptive research methodology was used for data collection. A survey questionnaire was sent to program directors of transitional shelter/housing programs for homeless women with children in the 29 continental United States cities that participated in the 1994 U.S. Conference of Mayors' annual 30-city survey. Results and recommendations. The majority of the participants were women with children between the ages of 20 and 34. The majority of the women (85.8%) were minority women with children. Most of the women were single. The most frequent reasons for homelessness were physical abuse; housing issues, such as eviction or the lack of affordable housing; lack of family support; and substance abuse. The average number of children in the homeless family was between two and three. Children five years or younger made up 58.8% of the children in the programs. The majority of the participants failed to graduate from high school or vocational technical school and were either unemployed or had never been employed when they entered a program. Nevertheless, program directors judged that 76.7% of the participants were probably or definitely employable. Recommendations were that transitional programs should be 5-10 individual living units in size and 24 months in length, with an additional follow-up period. Also, that transitional programs include the following important program areas: Permanent Housing Assistance, Children's Programs, Family and Independent Living Skills Education, Support Services, Family Health and Preservation, and of special importance, Adult Basic Education and Employment Training. Finally, in each of those seven program areas, 24 specific components were identified that should be included in transitional programs.

While XVII$\sp{\rm th}$ century France was fraught with wars, epidemics, never-ending riots, and famine, the name of Saint Vincent de Paul came to be associated with the notion of Charity. When Vincent became a priest at the age of 20, little did he realize the extraordinary role he would play in the history of the Counter-Reformation, with women as his principal allies. As a child, Vincent experienced the unique nurturing of his mother's love, and his devotion to the Virgin Mary would play a major part in his spiritual life. At 26, he established his first society of women to help the poor, known as Charite. Later on, he became the spiritual director of a young widow, Louise de Marillac. Their common love for the poor eventually led to the creation of the community of the Daughters of Charity. Unlike cloistered nuns, the members of this new secular community were for the most part peasant girls who were able to perform works of charity throughout France and abroad. A year after establishing the Daughters of Charity, Vincent was asked to form an assembly of aristocratic and bourgeois women in Paris to be given the name Ladies of Charity. These women helped finance most of his projects, and were the decision-makers in an effort to provide one of the first forms of social assistance to the entire country. As Vincent's notoriety spread far and wide, Anne d'Autriche and Louise-Marie de Gonzague, Queen of Poland, came to rely on his guidance for spiritual matters regarding their respective countries. Unlike many of his contemporaries, known for their anti-feminism, Saint Vincent de Paul had understood that women have an undeniable role to play as mediators in God's plan of love. The remarkable results of his collaboration with them mark an unprecedented phenomenon in the history of Catholicism and the promotion of women. This partnership is examined closely, along with its impact on the XX$\sp{\rm th}$ century.

It is estimated that anywhere from 600,000 to 3 million women are abused by intimate partners and former partners in the United States every year. The emotional and physical effects of this violence can be devastating. While services to assist women are enhanced, the abuse has increased over the past twenty years. Approximately 50% to 68% will return to their abusive partners after attempting to leave. Several studies have examined the reasons women stay in abusive relationships, but relatively few have focused on the process women go through in an effort to leave their abusers permanently. This study obtained interview data from ten women who left their abusive relationships and nine women who remain with abusive partners. Using qualitative analysis, seven themes emerged from the research. Those themes included (1) all the women had hope the relationship would work; (2) there was no set pattern in how the abuse occurred or when the women recognized that they were being abused; (3) other people knew about the abuse; (4) some women took steps to end the abuse while others did not and women who utilized existing systems had varied results; (5) support from family, friends, and professionals is important for a permanent ending; (6) there is no commonality in the reason or event that caused or would cause a woman to leave; and (7) the women experienced negative effects whether they left or stayed in the relationship. This information can assist professionals who work in the field of domestic violence to enhance their understanding of what women are experiencing in an effort to achieve safety and provide further areas of research.