Dissertationen zum Thema „Social sciences -> sociology -> woman studies“

This secondary data analysis utilized pre-existing data from the 2007 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) to explore associations between knowledge, awareness and attitude of Hispanic women on Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection. The study also analyzed the relationship between demographic factors (age, poverty level, and duration of stay in the United States) and their knowledge, awareness and attitude of HPV infection. The study sample consisted of 351 Hispanic women ages 18 to 26 years old. The findings revealed that women who administered the Pap smear test are more likely to decrease their risk of contracting HPV infection and cervical cancer. In addition, findings showed that knowledge, attitude and awareness on HPV encouraged women to administer the HPV vaccine.

As the rates of breast cancer continue to increase, researchers and medical professionals struggle to give a definitive cause of the disease or find a cure. Unfortunately, it seems that the chance of having a cancer diagnosis within one's lifetime is only increasing. Since breast cancer is somewhat unpredictable, the medical field has taken the pathway of attempting to minimize the risk of mortality through regular screening mammograms. Even with multiple initiatives to increase mammogram utilization, multiple demographic factors such as race, income status, and insurance coverage continue to be underserved. The present study will focus on income status and insurance coverage as barriers to regular screening mammograms. It is hypothesized that those women with low-income status and no insurance coverage are less likely to receive regular screening mammograms than those women with higher income and some type of insurance. After completing a statistical analysis, both hypotheses were supported.

BACKGROUND: Though significant gains have been made in preventing cervical cancer over the past 30 years, it continues to cause morbidity and mortality among women in the United States, particularly among those women who are screened infrequently or not at all. More than half of cervical cancer deaths in the U.S. are among immigrants, and the incidence and mortality from cervical cancer is increasing among foreign-born women. Arab and Hispanic women living in the U.S. continue to have cervical cancer screening rates that are lower than the general population. Understanding what factors influence their cervical cancer screening practices and what new screening options may overcome their barriers to preventive screening may be effective in reducing disparities in the disease burden of cervical cancer.

HPV DNA testing has taken on a larger role in cervical cancer screening, and there is increasing evidence and support for the use of HPV testing alone as a primary cervical cancer screening test. Novel health screening devices have been developed that allow women to self-screen for HPV, which may offer opportunity to simplify the cervical cancer screening protocol and reach women who are not receiving recommended cervical cancer screening services.

OBJECTIVE: Because self-administered screening devices are not yet available and most women have not had exposure to them, there are limited quantitative and qualitative assessments of women's attitudes towards and likelihood to use such devices, particularly in the U.S. This study informs the development of culturally appropriate interventions and policies intended to improve cervical cancer screening rates among Arab and Hispanic women in the United States, and discusses implementation challenges and policy implications associated with incorporating self-administered HPV testing into the cervical cancer screening protocol in the U.S.

METHODS: A paper-based survey (n = 476) and individual interviews (n = 31) were used to explore Arab and Hispanic participants' screening behaviors, their likelihood to use HPV self-administered tests to screen for cervical cancer, their perceived self-efficacy in using self-screening tests, and the major concerns they have about self-screening.

RESULTS: Participants who were 1) uninsured, 2) knowledgeable about HPV and cervical cancer, 3) had high self-efficacy in their ability to use a self-screening test; and 4) had no concerns about the self-screening test were significantly more likely to use a self-screening test. Hispanic participants (74.0%) were significantly more likely than Arab participants (43.8%) to report they would be likely to use a self-administered cervical cancer screening test if it were available. Approximately half of uninsured (52.7%) and underscreened (47.1%) participants reported they would be more likely to get screened for cervical cancer if an at-home self-screening test were available.

CONCLUSIONS: A majority of participants responded positively to the option for HPV self-testing as a cervical cancer screening option, suggesting that it may an effective screening modality to reach women who are not accessing routine screening. More research is needed on implementing a self-screening option, particularly among underscreened populations.

The Susan B. Anthony Recovery Center (SBARC) in Pembroke Pines, Florida is a residential center where women live with their children while receiving treatment for a variety of co-occurring substance abuse and mental health issues and while participating in mandatory parenting classes. Unlike most women's residential treatment centers, which address only the woman and her problems, SBARC treats the mother-infant/child dyad. I designed and created a database to examine the data previously available only in the paper client records of over 800 women who received treatment at SBARC from 1995 through 2010 in a previous project. This nonexperimental, retrospective explanatory study (Johnson, 2001; Johnson & Christensen, 2014) analyzed that newly digitized historical data to examine the efficacy of the SBARC treatment with respect to three key variables: dyadic attachment, maternal anxiety, and maternal depression (N = 268). Correlational analysis (MANOVA) of the three variables showed significant results, which suggest that reductions in maternal anxiety and maternal depression may be related to increases in the quality of the dyadic attachment. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) found significant increases in dyadic attachment and decreases in maternal anxiety and maternal depression. The results of this nonexperimental study support the need for future research via controlled studies to determine the relationships among these key treatment variables. Grossmann, Grossmann, and Waters (2005) and others claim that improvement in dyadic attachment improves outcomes for children. Dodge, Sindelar, and Sinha (2005) and others also believe that reductions in maternal depression and maternal anxiety may result in better outcomes. The results of this study suggest that there is value in combining these two perspectives so that measurements of dyadic attachment, maternal anxiety, and maternal depression inform future program offerings and treatment plans. The multi-disciplinary foundation of attachment theory and its rich offering of systemic and relational therapy approaches provides what I believe may be an effective blend of treatment options supported by useful empirical measures that can greatly enhance and expand professional competencies of Marriage and Family Therapists involved in clinical practice with similar at-risk populations.

This study examines the development of first-generation African American and Latino college students' sociopolitical consciousness in the context of their learning of sociology as a component of their liberal education studies. Given the paucity of research on how college students develop sociopolitical consciousness, this study addresses: (1) the nature of first-generation undergraduate African American and Latino students' sociopolitical consciousness at point of entry to college-level study of introductory sociology, (2) college students' sociopolitical consciousness prior to (or early in) their interaction with sociological ideas, (3) changes that may occur in these students' sociopolitical consciousness as they interact with sociological ideas, (4) classroom activities that may be related to changes experienced by the students, and (5) acts, reflective of sociopolitical consciousness, in which the students engage.

Conducted at an urban university with high racial and ethnic diversity, the study featured documentation and analysis of 18 focal students' learning in two sections of a sociology class. The study relies on interviews with the focal students about their learning and thinking in and out of class, interviews with instructors and administrators, class observations, analysis of students' written work and other class materials including textbooks, and review of institutional and curricular documents.

Study findings portray undergraduates' sociopolitical consciousness as comprised of awareness and understanding of sociopolitical forces. Students' awareness and understanding may vary by degree (amount of) and topic. College students enter the classroom already in possession of some sociopolitical consciousness which may be viewed as part of their prior knowledge. Study findings indicate that students' sociopolitical consciousness intensifies and at times is transformed as students encounter sociological subject matter. Two aspects of the classroom may contribute to developing undergraduates' sociopolitical consciousness: (1) in-class discussions and (2) professors offering examples during their teaching relevant to students' interests. The study suggests that students' acts of analysis and/or critique, and their acts of involvement, can contribute to their sociopolitical capacity—an amalgamation of consciousness and acts. Implications and ideas for future research follow.

The purpose of this project was to locate a potential funding source and write a grant to support funding for the Emergency Response Team (ERT) program. The ERT will use solution-based practices within the Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency to support family stabilization. An ERT would enable children and families to access multidisciplinary team services, including mental health and alcohol/drug services, immediately after a referral to Child Protective Services. This approach will allow families to address their needs for stabilization and ensure streamlined support, thus reducing the potential for children to be removed from the home or shorten the duration of the removal. Ultimately, this approach will ensure families access to appropriate levels of mental health and alcohol or drug service supports to enhance the well being of children, families, and the community. The actual submission and/or funding of this grant were not a requirement for the successful completion of this project.

The purpose of this thesis was to write a grant to obtain funding for a comprehensive transitional patient care program and family caregiver support services. Through process analysis, the grant writer developed the Next Step Hospital to Home Caregiver Support Program (NSHCP). This program was developed to bridge the gap in the delivery of services of transitional patient care and family caregiver support services.

California Healthcare Foundation (CHCF) was identified as an appropriate funding agency. Their focus on ideas and innovations that improve quality medical care, increase efficiency, and lower the costs of medical care is compatible with the mission of the NSHCP. In collaboration with CHCF and Anaheim Regional Medical Center, the grant writer developed the NSFCP in an effort to provide quality transitional care and caregiver support services. The actual submission and/or funding of this grant was not a requirement for the successful completion of this project.

The purpose of this prospective quantitative study was to examine primary caregivers' perceptions on the potential dangers of secondhand marijuana smoke on children and their knowledge of the health consequences of marijuana smoke. The sample included 33 primary caregivers in Los Angeles and Orange County, California. The online survey consisted of 25 multiple-choice questions.

The results revealed that 87.9% of the participants felt secondhand marijuana smoke is potentially dangerous to children. However, despite this high percentage of concerned caregivers, 90% of participants were in the low-knowledge category on the health consequences of marijuana. These findings suggest the need to provide better education to the public on the health risks for direct users of marijuana and cast light on the need to conduct further research on the potential dangers to children from secondhand marijuana smoke.

This study was designed to explore how the experience of past parental alienation and current estrangement from adult child(ren) affected aging alienated parents particularly in the domains of depression and life satisfaction. This study also explored the link between past parental alienation and late-life estrangement from adult child(ren). The sample of 65 participants responded to an online survey after responding to a recruitment flyer posted on Craig's List.

The results showed mild to moderate levels of depression and moderate dissatisfaction with life among the study participants. Higher levels of parental alienation were significantly associated with higher levels of depression and greater dissatisfaction with life. Participants also overwhelmingly reported that past parental alienation had contributed to their current estrangement from their adult child(ren).

Further research is needed on the impact of parental alienation on the well-being of aging parents.

The purpose of this project was to develop a program to assist parents and caregivers of youth experiencing schizophrenia to address the needs and challenges of this population. The function of this grant proposal was to target a funding resource in order to implement a psychoeducational support group at The Guidance Center in Long Beach. The presence of schizophrenia symptoms in youth can create additional challenges to parenting and thus has a recognizable impact on families. The goal of this proposed program is to provide social support, education, coping skills, and decrease the stress of parents and caregivers of youth with schizophrenia to ultimately improve the lives of impacted youth and their families. The California Wellness Foundation was identified as a potential funder for this proposed program. The actual submission and/or funding of this grant proposal were not a requirement for the successful completion of this project.

The current study sought to examine the role of traditional values in China and the United States as one of the important social psychological mechanisms through which romantic relationships affect mental health. The work is guided by the Social Structure and Personality framework, focusing on the meaning construction dictated by traditional values in the stress process, while also addressing the structural and cultural origins of meanings. Specifically, I used path models to examine how those internalized values moderate the impacts of romantic relationships on the mental health of Chinese and American college students and also compared the effects across gender and nations with Multi-group SEM method. The results show that traditional values work as a major social-psychological mechanism influencing Chinese students only by exacerbating the impacts of breakups on their depression. In terms of gender and national patterns, the most important finding is that the unconditional main effect of traditional values differs across gender and nations and Chinese women are mostly harmed by those values. The results partially support the theoretical construction and also add to both the meaning studies in the stress process and the substantive research of romantic relationships and mental health.