Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Developmental Sociology'

The unemployment rate for people with developmental disabilities is almost 7 times higher than the current national unemployment statistics. Research indicates that the majority of those with developmental disabilities do wish to work and moreover, have many skills and talents that organizations can benefit from. This paper aims to use common industrial and organizational psychological measures in a unique population--developmentally disabled adults. Specifically, the present study examines the job satisfaction, affective commitment, and turnover intentions of adults with developmental disabilities from the Harbor Regional Center and Regional Center of Orange in Southern California. This is the first research h that examines affective feelings about employment in the developmentally disabled population in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Results from the study show that adults with developmental disabilities had higher than expected job satisfaction and affective commitment towards their job. They also had lower turnover intentions than expected.

This project explores the historic, current and future services for individuals with developmental disabilities in New York State in a series of related studies presented in three chapters. The first chapter examines the history of how modern services for individuals with developmental disabilities were established. The second chapter examines the social, economic and political factors that are driving the first major changes in services for individuals with developmental disabilities since the early 1970's. The first two chapters will demonstrate similar trends that caused major changes in the 1970's and the major changes currently happening in service delivery. The final chapter examines the proposed services that will be offered to individuals in New York State, the implementation of the new services, potential barriers to implementation and both the intended and unintended consequences of the new services.

To gain an understanding of children’s social milieu, this study explored international children’s phenomenology about their social networks, stressors, and supports using the ecomap, a graphic tool that maps children’s social relationships and their appraisals of them. Specifically, it addressed the following two research questions using archival ecomap data collected from 816 school-aged children (ages four – 19 years) from 14 cities in 12 countries (Brazil – Manaus, Estonia – Tallinn, Greece – Athens, India – Mumbai, Italy – Padua, Mexico – Xalapa, Romania – Bucharest, Russia – Samara, Slovak Republic – Košice, Sri Lanka – Negombo, Tanzania – Arusha, and the United States – Boston, Massachusetts; Mayagüez, Puerto Rico; New Orleans, Louisiana): (a) What are the characteristics of international children’s social networks, and what cross-cultural patterns exist; and (b) Who and what do children consider their social supports and social stressors, and what cross-cultural patterns emerge? The nature of the ecomap drawings and their associated narratives allowed for a concurrent mixed methods approach to be used to identify cross-cultural phenomenological patterns about the structures (network size, embeddedness, and network composition), functions (stressor and support types), and evaluations (relationship appraisals) of children’s social worlds. Considerable diversity was found in the data, but a number of notable cross-site, cross-gender, and cross-age patterns were identified. In general, children in this sample reported a trimmed mean network size of 7.87 (SD = 3.61), with middle school students reporting the largest (M = 8.78). Embeddedness, measured as the balance of perceived stress and supports (Nastasi & Borja, 2015; Summerville, 2013), also was generally positive, suggesting that children generally perceive themselves to be connected to their social networks. Most commonly reported members included home parent/caregivers, friends/peers, extended family members, and siblings; and across grade levels, sites, and gender, network members were generally appraised positively. When asked about the ways that network members support or trigger distress, youth in this sample described over 50 stress and support themes, most of which related to interpersonal relationships and interactions. The results of the current study not only contributes to the literature on children’s stressors and supports, but also build on Nastasi and colleagues’ Promoting Psychological Well-Being Globally project (PPWBG; Nastasi & Borja, 2015), whose international team collected the ecomap data to understand children’s well-being and the culturally- and developmentally-unique factors that influence them.

The present study investigated the employment experiences of adults with mild developmental disabilities. The study's sample consisted of 45 participants with developmental disabilities who were over the age of 18. Participants were recruited from two Regional Centers in Southern California and either phone interviews or in-person interviews were conducted.

A structured interview protocol examined each participant's current work experience, along with several items exploring facilitators and obstacles to employment. Data from this qualitative investigation were organized into categories using inductive content analysis. Descriptive statistics were computed for quantitative items. Overall, it was discovered that: participants found money as the most rewarding aspect of employment, relied on outside support in obtaining and maintaining employment and found few obstacles of which to overcome, worked with others with developmental disabilities, and utilized workplace supports in entry level positions making an average wage of $8.92 a hour during a 20.72 hour work week.

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions of foster care support services providers about the most effective support services for transitioning wards from foster care to independent living. Set in a suburb of a large metropolitan area, the data for the study were from pre-interview questionnaires and audio recorded interviews of 10 foster care support services providers. Data collected underwent analysis using NVivo 9 software to identify emerging themes from the interview and to collate the common practices and most effective support services for transitioning from foster care to independent living. The five central themes resulting from 10 participants’ answers to interview and pre-interview questions included (a) beginning the emancipation process, (b) monitoring the emancipation process, (c) primary sources for a successful transition, (d) barriers hindering the successful transition, and (e) tactics developed to improve the transitional outcome. The study findings have implications for foster care support services providers’ leadership. Foster care agencies could hold collaborative meetings every month in a community facility such as a school, church, or hall, to maintain a visual on goal setting practices and to provide foster youth a sense of security and safety to improve the desire to succeed.

The purpose of this grant proposal was to develop and seek funding for implementation of an art therapy program for adults with developmental disabilities in Orange County, California. The clients of Westview Services' adult day programs located in Orange County will have an opportunity to participate in the proposed art therapy program.

Through a review of the literature on the needs and challenges as well as current services and interventions in place for individuals with developmental disabilities, the grant writer proposed and designed an art therapy program. This grant writer explored potential public and private funding sources, which yielded the Field Initiated Projects through the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research as the funding source with the most potential fitting the goals and objectives of this project.

The actual submission and/or funding of this grant were not required for the successful completion of this academic project.

Human sex trafficking is the harboring, recruiting, or transporting of a person for purposes of prostitution. Traffickers use social networking sites to lure victims in a process called "grooming." Past research suggests that sexual victimization online could be associated with online risky behaviors, offline risky behaviors (e.g., substance abuse), poor academic performance, and problems at home, among others. The purpose of this study was to identify those psychosocial constructs that increase an individual's likelihood of becoming a victim of online HST. The likelihood of victimization was estimated by examining participants' reactions to realistic vignettes representing messages from strangers. This study hypothesized that executive dysfunction, participation in offline and online risk behaviors, and poor self-esteem would predict the likelihood of victimization. The results from the 168 young, female participants showed that marijuana use, online risk behavior, and self-esteem were found to predict this outcome. Executive dysfunction did not predict victimization likelihood.

Common themes that arise in working with adolescent mothers are the lack of involvement from incarcerated adolescent fathers and the scarcity of services available for them. This grant proposal targets incarcerated adolescent fathers and their families to establish healthy, long-lasting relationships through the provisions of educational and parenting skills. Children with adolescent fathers who are incarcerated suffer the most consequences. Thus, efforts promoting father involvement intent to also ameliorate child abuse, neglect, and maltreatment. Parenting Skills for Young Dads in Detention (PSYDD), provides psycho-educational and supportive services through a 10-week program, along with a father-child relationship-building component to focus on improving the quality of relationships between the fathers, their children, and the mothers of their children. The proposed program will promote the strengthening of family ties. The actual funding and submission of this grant proposal were not requirements for the successful completion of this project.

Separate theories of leadership roles and parenting styles have been richly developed and explored, but the relationship between the two is an area in need of further research. The various skills garnered through leadership experience can be instrumental for parents in managing and resolving family conflict, thereby increasing family resiliency. The willingness to address conflict directly versus the avoidance of conflict has been summarized into specific patterns that all groups, including families, progress through; however, the degree to which parents initiate reconciliatory actions needs further detailed analysis. Additionally, insight on the importance of parents modeling positive coping strategies will be derived through proper conflict management as a learned adaptive behavior for children. The intent of this grounded theory qualitative study was to explore potential overlap between leadership roles and parenting styles, and how the use of constructive conflict management strategies develops family resiliency. Through the use of semi-structured interviews, this overlap between leadership, parenting, and conflict management was analyzed. Each participant provided a response to open-ended questions regarding their leadership experience, role as a leader in their family, and their perception of family conflict. Next they described how they would respond to hypothetical scenarios incorporating various degrees and approaches to conflict. All the responses were coded and analyzed for themes that resulted in a new theory on family resiliency based on parents' use of minor levels of conflict to teach children the life skills necessary to cope with greater confrontational situations, such as crises or potentially traumatic events.

The following research involves the experiences of mothers of adults diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. The researcher utilized a generic qualitative interview study to examine a snapshot of the lives of mothers and what their experiences have been raising a child with an autism spectrum disorder into their adult lives. There are limits in this type of research, especially qualitative study that examines this phenomenon. In this study, eight mothers were interviewed, and thematic analysis was utilized to construct and explore outcomes. Themes derived involved: the Selfless Journey; Cadre of Concerns and Opportunities, the Impact of Support, the Balance of Emotions, and the Road to Resilience. The exploration of these themes garnered rich and meaningful data that elucidated experiences that were diverse yet similar in nature. The data of this project were compared and contrasted with theoretical perspectives involving family systems, the concept of resilience, and the double ABCX model of stress and coping.

Parenting styles create different social environments in the lives of children within the home. Many studies have investigated the effects of parenting style on children's emotional development and behavior (Liem, Cavell, & Lustig, 2010; Pezzella, 2010; Schaffer, Clark, & Jeglic, 2009; Steward & Bond, 2002; Timpano, Keough, Mahaffey, Schmidt, & Abramowitz, 2010) as well as differences in parenting across cultures (Keels, 2009; Paulussen-Hoogeboom, Stams, Hermanns, Peetsma, & Wittenboer, 2008). Limited research has been conducted on parenting style and religion, however, and especially in Muslim families, and among Muslim American families in particular. There is also a lack of research that focuses on the effects of all four parenting styles (i.e. authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and neglectful) on child development in Muslim families. Most scholars focus on authoritarian and authoritative parenting styles in their studies and disregard the permissive and neglectful parenting styles (Mayseless, Scharf, & Sholt, 2003; Takeuchi & Takeuchi, 2008).

The present study focused on associations between parenting style and measures of emotional and behavioral problems in Muslim American children. No statistically significant differences were found in emotional and behavior problems between the various parenting groups. Consistency in parenting was also not associated with emotional and behavioral difficulty scores. Authoritative parenting was found to be the most frequent parenting style among Muslim fathers in the study sample, while authoritarian parenting was the most frequently reported parenting style among the Muslim mothers in the sample.

Keywords: parenting style, children emotional and behavioral, cross-cultural, Muslim

The purpose of this thesis project was to partner with a host agency, identify a potential funding source, and write a grant proposal for an educational support program for youth in foster care. A literature review was conducted in order to identify the educational needs and barriers to success faced by youth in care and identify methods to address this issue. A program was designed that utilizes individualized strategic tutoring and mentoring services to address the educational, social, and emotional needs of youth and facilitates collaborations between the education and child welfare systems to improve the educational outcomes of this population. A grant proposal narrative was completed for the Stuart Foundation in order to fund this program for secondary school students in foster care in the Garden Grove Unified School District. The actual submission or funding of this grant was not a requirement for the successful completion of the project.

Shame and guilt have been distinguished as two separate self-conscious emotions; the former depicts a global negative self-evaluation, whereas the latter describes the recognition of a specific problematic behavior. Current approaches to shame and guilt have linked proneness to shame and guilt with people's experiences of the parenting characteristics of their caregivers. Additionally, accumulating evidence has linked shame and guilt to identity development in the adolescent years. This study compared the relationship of perceived parenting behaviors to individuals' tendencies to experience shame and guilt. Partial correlations were used to separate the influence of shame and guilt, and results showed a consistent, positive relationship between positive parenting behaviors and levels of guilt-proneness. Similarly, a positive correlation emerged between shame-proneness and negative parenting behaviors, but a consistent relationship between shame-proneness and positive parenting behaviors did not emerge. Correlations also were conducted to examine whether participants' levels of shame— and guilt-proneness were predicted by their levels of individuation. Correlations between guilt-proneness and individuation were not consistent, but when significant correlations emerged, they were in the predicted direction of more guilt-proneness being linked to greater individuation. Shame-proneness negatively correlated with indivuation, and most strongly amongst older emerging adults. Finally, the relationship between parenting behaviors and guilt-proneness, but not shame-proneness, was moderated by individuation. These results emphasize the importance of separating shame and guilt in assessments of these two constructs. Additionally, they deepen an understanding of the role of socialization and developmental factors in shaping the experiences of shame and guilt.

I would like to think that I chose this study to add to the literature on human development in the prison system. However, I would have to say that the study chose me. It became a deep discovery of what is required for human beings to grow within the context of a prison setting and afterwards in the community. The study explored the life history of an Aboriginal woman once considered to be a volatile, violent, and unmanageable female prisoner by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC). Changing her life she became a valued volunteer within that prison system.

Human growth and development must be considered with attention to the exogenous influences of all the systems people have to negotiate. I walked with Lora for 14 years: 7 while in custody and 7 afterwards until her death in 2013. During that time she became a mother, a volunteer, peer researcher, cancer patient, and always a teacher.

Since the 1970s there has been a pervasive decline in recognizing rehabilitation potential in people with lives plagued by addictions and the crimes supporting them. I observed the opposite: hundreds of lives changed for the better. There are interventions that kindle the flame and support a fire in people to build a healthy, productive life. Society has a responsibility to fan that fire, rather than feeding the despondency and hopelessness so prevalent in our prisons.

Information was gathered from interviews with Lora, video and audio recordings, her journals and poetry. Interviews were also conducted with family to gain clarity of her childhood and complex trauma history and with people who walked with her after prison to elucidate her change process.

The study encompassed literature from modern, post-modern, and Aboriginal epistemology, integrating theory from multiple disciplines. What emerged was how powerful the deleterious influences of complex childhood trauma are, in all domains, over the life span. Counteracting this damage most significantly are the mechanisms of hope and the inspiration of believing in the possibility for successful and lasting change: This is the key-stone to the archway through which people re-enter the community from prison.

This study examined one mother's beliefs about reading, including the roles she assumed in the reading development of her three school-aged children, all of whom had diagnosed learning disabilities. The study focused on Lyn, a lower-middle class, suburban, Caucasian woman. Data collected from Lyn's children and five of Lyn's children's teachers broadened the perspective of Lyn's reading beliefs.

My role as portraitist in the study allowed me to develop intimate relationships with each of the study actors as I searched for meaning in data I collected over a period of 11 months from Lyn, each of Lyn's children, and five of Lyn's children's teachers. Data collection methods included in-depth interviews and ethnographic observations in multiple ecological environments. Collected artifacts, field notes, and conceptual memos further clarified the meaning of interview and observation data.

Analysis of data revealed that Lyn's beliefs were shaped by her early reading experiences in school. The reading beliefs Lyn developed as a child persisted into her adulthood and exerted substantial influence on the roles she assumed in her children's reading development. The completed portrait reveals tensions within and among the portrait actors' reading beliefs and reading behaviors.

Findings from the study demonstrate that a parent's beliefs may be the key that unlocks the door to a more comprehensive understanding of how her children develop as readers in multiple ecological environments.