This dissertation attempts to fill the gap in the sociological literature at the intersection of religion and community by examining how local, urban Catholic churches shape and nurture multiple models of community commitment based on differing public-private dimensions of ritual practice and moral calls to action. For this study, I conducted 41 interviews with young adults ages 22-36 actively involved in one of three organizationally distinct Roman Catholic churches in downtown Boston: a parish church, operated by the Archdiocese of Boston; a service church, operated by a religious order of evangelical missionaries; and a Eucharistic shrine, operated by a liturgical order of devout priests and brothers. My empirical findings show that young adult Catholics gravitate towards churches that align with their conceptions of how Catholicism should be practiced based largely on patterns of parental socialization. Young adults who grew up in dual-Catholic-parent households are more likely to attend St. Cecilia’s diocesan parish or St. Clement’s Eucharistic Shrine. Young adults from families with only one active Catholic parent were more likely to attend The Paulist Center. The collective identity of young adult Catholics emerges from patterns of Catholic identity which are activated in church settings and defined through meaningful role identities established by the organizational framing accomplished by local clergy leadership. Young adult commitment to local churches may be explained through the interaction between their socialization into Catholic faith and its expression in organizational practices that resonate cognitively and emotionally. Ritual memory is tapped through the interaction of collective identities and institutional offerings that guide decision-making around church choice and commitment. Each institutional setting and respective community adapts its own modes of interaction to communicate the resonant message via social practices that result in active religious belonging. In addition, as previous research has shown, participation in church activities and strong social connections within congregations contribute to greater voluntarism and commitment in the larger community. The example of local Catholic churches highlights the importance of multidimensional social networks that can align collective identities with bespoke calls to action amid the evolving needs and aspirations of multiple groups and constituencies.

Fältstudiens syfte har varit att analysera och beskriva jämställdhets effekter på den unga generationen i dagens Rwanda. Min uppsats utfördes med en kvalitativ ansats där intervjuer har varit centrala som metod för att samla in mitt material och data. Jag har intervjuat unga vuxna kvinnor som är entreprenör eller i ledare position. Mitt resultat erhålls genom deras berättelser och upplevelser om jämställdheten i Rwanda. Rwanda har haft en stor representation av kvinnor i parlamentet vilket har i sin tur påverkat dessa unga kvinnor. Genom mina intervjuer har jag kommit fram till att Kvinnor i Rwanda tar mer plats som aldrig förr. Sammanfattningsvis har Rwanda gjort en stor skillnad för deras kvinnor. Den stora representationen av kvinnor i höga positioner har haft en bra inverkan på nästa generation och har inspirerat dem att drömma stort. Även om Rwanda har kommit långt när det gäller jämställdhet, utmaningar finns fortfarande och hela arbetet är inte gjort.

The culture of the twenty-first century can be characterized by discontentment and hopelessness, especially among emerging adults or Millennials. They are generally lost in their orientation in life and are in search of who they are. There are many challenges to identity. Relativism has caused the loss of anchors in life; and individualism in neoliberalism promises freedom but does not deliver. Postmodernism also entails a paradigm shift in the demarcation of the human life cycle. This phenomenon prolongs the transition between adolescence and adulthood. Furthermore, people are suffering under the power of a neoliberal economic system. Men and women are stressed and exhausted by their everyday lived experience. For those who grew up in the immigrant Chinese church, the issue of identity is further complexified by culture and ethnicity. Many of them have chosen to leave the church where they grew up in search of a place of belonging, a home. How can the church be that home for young adults? This dissertation argues that the church can be the caring community where they belong. Caring is paramount to those who are transitioning into adulthood. However, caring is no longer the central narrative in many churches. Today pastoral care in the church has been displaced by institutional needs and a performance-driven mentality. Therefore, theological reflection on the praxis of care in generational ministry is necessary for the Canadian Chinese Church. The message of the holistic gospel speaks of life on earth as much as it does on life after death. Notwithstanding, salvation in Jesus Christ is still the grand-narrative. It is the bedrock of all that pastoral theology proposes. This research affirms that apart from the cross of Jesus, there can be no daily deliverance. The call to care for individual needs is not to preach another gospel but to fulfill it. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Many people may feel insecure if a place or an area have poor lightning. When darkness falls, it is a natural reaction to become cautious as control over seeing one's surroundings deteriorates. People are very dependent on lighting in urban environments. If the environments do not have enough lighting, limitations for the individual may arise from the fear of being exposed to a threatening situation. The purpose of this study is to analyze how young adults experience the lighting in Umeå's central city, from a safety perspective. The study also focuses on what improvements regarding lighting there are in Umeå according to the interviewees that they believe can increase their safety in an area. The study is based on 6 interviews with 3 men and 3 women between the ages of 20 - 30 who live in the Umeå regional center. In order to investigate the purpose further, coding of the collected interview material has also been done. After analyzing the material, it emerged that women's insecurity is based on the fear of being exposed to abuse or a threatening situation. While the men were more afraid of the dark due to poor visibility or the fear of being jumped on by an animal. There were also many suggestions for improvement opportunities regarding lighting in Umeå.

Gluten-related disorders (GRDs) refer to a group of conditions that are caused by the ingestion of the gluten proteins present in wheat, barley, and rye. The global prevalence of GRDs is estimated to range from 0.6% to 10.6% of the general population, making it a significant global health issue. Treatment of GRDs requires dietary gluten avoidance. In China, there is believed to be a growing number of people with GRDs associated with changing eating patterns, increasing awareness, and better detection methods of these conditions in China. However, there is a lack of research about how to help this population maintain a restrictive diet and navigate food and social environment. The main purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility and acceptability of a culturally adapted low-gluten diet intervention among young adults in southeastern China. This study was a pre-post study design to investigate whether the intervention is effective in helping participants maintain a low-gluten diet for eight weeks. Participants were 62 young adults living on campus in southeastern China. Image-based food records and questionnaires were used to assess their dietary adherence, dietary quality, satisfaction, knowledge, self-efficacy, and other related determinants of following a low-gluten diet. Results suggested good feasibility of this dietary intervention. Only 1.9% of the total items consumed during the intervention was high-gluten or likely-high-gluten items, such as processed meat, mixed dishes, and fried food, and traditional noodles, suggesting an overall good compliance to the low-gluten diet. Specifically, over 95% of participants were found to be compliant with the diet based on all adherence measures. Females had better compliance than males (p=0.005 based on frequency, p=0.039 based on grams of gluten intake). Results also suggested good acceptability of this dietary intervention. All participants found the dietary intervention to be satisfactory with group communication and reminders rated to be the most helpful components. The perceived difficulty level of maintaining the low-gluten diet was 6.34 out of 10 (10 being the most difficult). The most rated barriers were fewer food choices and change of eating habits. Participants reported having more perceived barriers at the end of study compared to the beginning of the study, mean (SD) 17.19 (5.82) vs. 16.13 (4.19) out of 32, p = 0.285. Motivation scores were significantly lower at the end of study compared to the beginning of the study, mean (SD) 11.66 (2.21) vs. 13.40 (2.37) out of 16, p < 0.001. Increased perceived barriers and decreased motivation may suggest that they experienced more challenges in maintaining the low-gluten diet at the end of this two-month intervention. During the intervention, participants had significantly lower calories, carbohydrates, and vitamin B1 (thiamin) intake compared to baseline (p <0.05). Participants’ average dietary diversity score had no significant difference compared to baseline, 7.68 (1.10) vs. 7.69 (1.35), p=0.96. Participants had increased objective knowledge (p<0.0001), subjective knowledge (p< 0.0001), and behavioral capability (p<0.0001) compared to baseline. However, univariate and multivariate regression analyses did not find significant predicting effects of any determinants on dietary adherence. Our dietary assessment method, the image-based food records, was shown to be a reasonably valid and reliable tool to estimate the dietary intake among Chinese young adults based on comparison to weighted food records with the Bland–Altman plot and inter-rater reliability test (Cohen’s kappa=0.875). These findings suggested that a culturally adapted low-gluten dietary intervention was feasible and acceptable among Chinese young adults. Improvement on long-term dietary adherence and more research on determinants is needed. This study may inform health practitioners and policy makers to provide better culturally tailored support to patients who need to follow a low-gluten diet in China.

The intent of this thesis is to explore the relationship between social media use and mental health in the young adult population. Current research indicates that there is a connection between increased social media use and deteriorated mental health. Unfortunately, young adults, the most active social media users, have a predominantly high risk for developing mental health issues, making this connection particularly concerning. At present, it is unclear how social media and mental health are connected; therefore this thesis explores the individual and social theories that may give reason for this connection. Theories that are discussed include: the impact of sedentary behaviors on mental health, displaced behavior, sleep interruption due to blue light exposure, social media's effects on romantic relationships, and social media's effects on platonic relationships.

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