Places like nightclubs or pubs are frequently visited in order to find partners for love, sex and relationships. This study examins behavioral patterns and trends among young adults in these environments. A computer-based questionnaire has been implemented on entertainment establishments - two studentclubs, one youth club and three nightclubs - in Malmoe and Lund in southern Sweden. The emprical material contains at most 149 answers, and at least 109. Sex, love and relationships are less important than expected, but are still some of few big reasons for visiting nightclubs. Expectations of meeting somebody for sex are medium, the sexual encounter is expected to take place within the next 24 hours, in one of five cases directly on site, containing primarily intercourse, kissing and petting, and resulting in love or a ”fuck-buddy”-relationship. Most of the respondents are looking forward to see their new sexual partner again, while the sex is expected to feel less positive one week later, especially among the regular visitors. Most of the respondents assume they will be able to influence the type of sexual actitvity, and most of them consider reducing risks of STI transmittion. Still, many respondents never consider reducing risks, and quite few think they are not going to reduce the risks, or don´t know how to reduce them. Disinterest and lack of knowledge are the main reasons not knowing how to reduce the risks. The theoretical frame consists of Goffmans ”The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life”.

No description available.

No description available.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to discover how college students conduct dinner groups and students' perceptions of the benefits and difficulties of participation. Design: Qualitative study conducted with seven focus groups. Setting: A university campus. Participants: Thirty-six college students participating in dinner groups. Dinner groups were defined as a group of ≥3 people cooking for each other (or together) and eating together ≥4 times a week. Analysis: The focus groups were recorded, transcribed, coded, and reconciled. NUDIST® NVivo software was used in identifying themes and subthemes. Results: Dinner groups were composed of roommates and/or other students living nearby. They rotated who made each dinner. Benefits identified included social interaction, increasing confidence in cooking, saving money and time, and eating more varied and healthier foods. Difficulties were mentioned but were much less common. They included increased time spent on days the student cooked and stresses related to cooking on a schedule. Students found that the benefits far outweighed the difficulties and universally wanted to continue in a dinner group. Conclusions and Implications: College students enjoy dinner groups and promoting them may be an option for improving college students' eating habits. Nearly all students felt that they ate better in a dinner group but research is needed to assess actual intake.

Background: Many adolescents and young adults (AYAs) aged 15-39 years describe struggling with cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) after treatment. CRCI (e.g., memory, concentration, and learning difficulties) often causes distress, diminishes quality of life (QoL), and impedes young adults' participation in academic, recreational, and social experiences. Yet, CRCI is poorly understood in AYAs and options to prevent or treat this burdensome side effect are lacking. Based on growing evidence suggesting that physical activity (PA) may enhance cognitive function in older adults, individuals with diseases of cognition, and breast cancer survivors, research exploring links between PA and CRCI in AYAs is warranted. Thus, the purpose of this observational, mixed methods thesis was to explore how AYA cancer survivors experience and cope with CRCI, taking into consideration potential predisposing factors (i.e., medical, psychological), interventional strategies (i.e., PA), and outcomes (i.e., QoL). Methods: Over a nine-month period, 90 AYAs who had completed primary cancer treatment self-referred; 49 were eligible and enrolled into the study. Of these, 46 participants (M_age=31.4±5.4; 91.3% female; 39.1% blood cancer) completed an online survey and three web-based neuropsychological tests; semi-structured interviews were conducted on a rolling basis with a sub-set (n=16) who reported clinically meaningful CRCI. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively and qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Results: Overall, participants were active based on their self-reported moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA (MVPA; M=27.3±20.6) and relative to scale ranges, they reported moderate levels of depressive symptoms, stress, fatigue, and quality of life (M=12.1±5.5; M=21.1±7.2; M=25.2±11.5; M=68.8±18.3, respectively). On average, participants reported clinically meaningful CRCI (M=44.7±17.4), and as compared to normative values, their neuropsychological test scores indicated poor executive functioning and processing speed, but not working memory. Bivariate correlations between cognitive function (self-reported and objective) and medical characteristics (i.e., time since diagnosis, cancer stage, chemotherapy exposure) had small-to-moderate effect sizes. Small-to-large correlations were observed between cognitive function and psychological factors (i.e., depressive symptoms, stress, fatigue, QoL). Finally, correlations between cognitive function and MVPA were favourable, though effect sizes were small. Moreover, qualitative data provided insight into how AYAs experience and cope with their cognitive impairment, which was summarized within four themes: (1) descriptions and interpretations of the CRCI phenomenon, (2) effects of CRCI on day-to-day life and QoL, (3) cognitive-behavioural self-management strategies, and (4) recommendations for improving care. Conclusion: Results confirm that cancer can impact AYAs' cognitive function and have detrimental effects for their daily life and overall QoL. AYAs reported using various cognitive-behavioural self-management strategies, including PA; taken together with quantitative data, findings suggest that PA may be a promising strategy to cope with CRCI. However, high-quality experimental research is needed to confirm this association, test the processes by which this may occur, as well as to determine optimal PA dosages/contexts for managing CRCI.

No description available.

My findings imply that homeless LGBTQ young adults are very limited in where they can go to find LGBTQ-accepting services. Even though all the shelters that were interviewed claimed they did not discriminate against LGBTQ persons, they do not provide and are not affiliated with services or programs that are considered to be LGBTQ- accepting. Based on the research, shelters would rather have clients conform to their pre-existing structure rather than the shelters conforming to the specific needs of the clients.; The goal of this research is to explore what programs and services are being provided at various homeless shelters in the South Florida area that would appeal to homeless clients who self-identify as a member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer/questioning (LGBTQ) community, if staff and faculty are trained on how to better address LGBTQ specific issues, how often staff receive LGBTQ sensitivity training, what demographic information is being recorded upon client intake and whether or not homeless LGBTQ young adults would feel safe using their facility when receiving social services. Data for this research was collected through brief, confidential telephone interviews with staff members at twenty-five various social service providers throughout the Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties of South Florida. Short interviews were also conducted with two major LGBTQ advocacy groups in Broward and Miami-Dade County. As a result of completing my research, I have found that no shelters in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade County provide programs or services that are identified as LGBTQ-friendly. There are a few shelters that are affiliated with the local LGBTQ advocacy groups and will refer LGBTQ clients to these groups for services. Training on cultural diversity is required of all staff members of each social service provider, however in these cultural diversity training sessions, LGBTQ issues are just reviewed and not the main focus of the sessions. In addition to a lack of direct focus on LGBTQ specific issues, these training sessions are infrequent. This research also shows that social services are taking into account demographic information such as race and sex but not really focusing on sexual orientation or gender identity, leaving us with a severe lack of data on where this specific population is going to receive social services.

This study examined the effects of gender, ethnicity, social support, and acculturation on depression-stigma in college communities; specifically targeting the racial groups of African Americans and Whites. Undergraduates of various ages and class standings were given surveys within their demographics pertaining to: acculturation, social support, stigma, and depression. The above factors were compared to ethnicity. The results supported that African Americans have a higher level of depression-stigma overall, especially those who have been enculturated into their traditional culture; none of the additional hypotheses were supported by the research.

Using a grounded theory approach, this study examines the reasons why Millennials from conservative Christian backgrounds stop attending church. The purpose is to understand why attendance attrition is at an all time high for those in the Millennial generation, ages 18 to 29. Data from 18 semi-structured interviews with former attendees demonstrate that this phenomenon is not due to a simplistic list of reasons but is actually a result of a complex development involving varying interrelated processes. The primary processes at work are cognitive and spiritual disconnection and disengagement for personal wellbeing

As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continues to rise, large numbers of individuals with ASD are estimated to be entering young adulthood each year. While exploring factors that support success in adulthood, some studies have found that higher expectations of a parent, a teacher, and a student with ASD may predict more positive young adulthood outcomes for students. Additionally, summer transition programs have recently emerged as a means of providing services to transition-aged youth with ASD, to support their entering adulthood. Yet, little research has been done to understand how future expectations for a student with ASD are formed, specifically as they relate to participation in a summer transition program. A qualitative case study was conducted to better understand how a student with ASD, a parent, and a teacher described the student’s abilities and expectations for his future, before and after participating in a summer transition program. Although the student’s perspective did not change over time, both his parent and teacher shifted their understandings of his abilities and expectations for his future, becoming more nuanced in their descriptions and optimistic about the student’s future. Further research is needed to better understand the impacts and maintenance of these shifted understandings, as well as to identify specific transition program features that contributed to these shifts. / 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z