UMD Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3
New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a given thesis/dissertation in DRUM.
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Item Cutting Edge Injury Prevention(2024) Boland, Margaret Kenneday; May, Lindsey; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The growing childcare crisis in the United States leaves many families without access to quality, affordable care. This crisis is not just a matter of statistics but a deeply emotional experience for those who find themselves torn between professional responsibilities to sustain their households and proper care for their children. This thesis explores the design of physically and emotionally safe spaces for children and their caregivers that catalyze a positive transformation in the country’s childcare infrastructure. Focused on the relationship between architecture and childhood development, this work explores innovative design solutions that consider functionality, the scale of a child, and the well-being of both children and their caregivers. Through a synthesis of research, case studies, and innovative design solutions, this work aspires to create architectural spaces that consider the unique needs of children. In doing so, it promotes a new narrative where the American dream encompasses not just economic success but also the well-being of children, the most significant investment in the nation’s future.Item Examination of Racial (In)variance in the Effect of Father Involvement on Delinquency among Urban Adolescents in the US(2022) Situ, Xinyi; Jacobsen, Wade; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Many prior studies have focused on how different types of paternal involvement contribute to adolescent delinquency. Yet, a relatively limited number of studies research the potential variations of paternal involvement’s influence on adolescent delinquency across different ethnic-racial groups. The present study explored whether various types of paternal involvement functioned similarly for white and racial minority adolescents, and whether paternal involvement had any racialized effect on adolescent delinquency. Using data from Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study and Poisson regression models, the present study found limited evidence that various types of paternal involvement function differently for the same group. In addition, only certain kinds of paternal involvement showed differential impacts across racial groups. Limitations and implications for future research are also discussed.Item INEQUALITY AND THE HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY(2018) Pepin, Joanna; Sayer, Liana; Cohen, Philip; Sociology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Intrahousehold finances offer a window into the crossroads between the market domain’s emphasis on self-reliance and the family domain’s emphasis on interdependence. Modern couples confront tensions between ideals of mutual family interests and values of individualism, a departure from fitting themselves into culturally expected family arrangements of the past. How these social changes impact progress towards gender equality is not well understood. The dissertation aims are to: (1) identify mechanisms associated with different types of money arrangements in families, and (2) examine the association between financial arrangements and gender inequality in families. To meet these aims, I used data from two sources. First, I used multinomial modeling of 2012 International Social Survey Programme data to show cohabiting couples in countries with greater gender equality partially integrated their money instead of keeping it separate. Married couples pooled money regardless of country-level gender equality. Findings suggest that different cultural logics operate in married and cohabiting partnerships across gendered contexts, rather than cohabitation functioning as a weaker form of marriage. Second, I devised a novel survey experiment to collect the first nationally representative sample of U.S. adults’ attitudes about income sharing in families. Results challenge the notion that marriage distinctively encourages support for financial integration in families. Findings also revealed that respondents believed higher-earning partners ought to hold back a greater absolute value of their earnings for personal use, allowing inequality in labor market rewards to perpetuate unequal conditions within families. I also used this data to disentangle the mechanisms associated with perceptions of decision-making authority. Findings indicated higher relative-earners within families were not regarded as entitled to the final word in decisions. Whether respondents considered earnings individually or community owned did not explain the lack of association between relative earnings and decision-making clout. Instead, findings showed a significant association between the fictional decider’s gender and respondents’ perceptions of fairness. Specifically, when women were presented as the decider over monetary family choices, unilateral decision making about monetary items was viewed more favorably. Collectively, these findings suggest gender socialization theories are essential to explaining persistent gender inequality in families.Item Harbor(2011) Young, Martha A.; Plumly, Stanley; English Language and Literature; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The speaker confronts both her ambiguous relationship with her father and becoming a parent herself, moving from fear and anger to a tentative reconciliation. Specific topics also include motherhood, the author's younger sister and brother, her son and daughter, as well as miscarriage, strokes, and death.Item "They're my kryptonite but they also empower me": The double-edged sword of familismo(2016) Goldthrite, Antoinette Marie; O'Neal, Colleen R; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The objective of this study is to examine the relations of familismo to academic functioning and mental health among non-citizen Latina/o college students. The study utilizes both quantitative self-report surveys to explore attitudinal family obligations, and qualitative interviews to explore behavioral family obligations. One hundred and eighty citizen students (M = 21.30, SD = 2.92) and 84 non-citizen students (M = 21.13, SD = 2.98) completed surveys. Correlational analyses found that family obligation attitudes were linked to academic emotional engagement for non-citizen students only (r = .305, p = .005, n = 84). Cluster analyses revealed risk, resilience, and protected clusters from stress and family obligation groupings. Twenty-one non-citizen students also completed interviews. Narrative analysis of the interviews revealed that family obligation behaviors may be linked to motivation and stress. Overall, this study illustrates the complex nature of family obligations and achievement in the lives of non-citizen Latina/o college students.Item The emotional well-being of mothers of transgender and gender non-conforming children(2015) Allen, Samuel H.; Leslie, Leigh A; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)In recent years, mental health professionals have reported an upsurge in the number of referrals relating to transgender identities among children. While controversies exist among clinicians over treatment for these children, a growing number of practitioners are encouraging parents to accept their children's gender expressions. This practice, however, may be challenging for parents to embrace for a number of reasons, resulting in a vulnerable mental state. Using a combined theoretical framework of decentering heteronormativity within Meyer's minority stress theory (2003), the present study seeks to determine the association between various factors--gender non conformity, gender role beliefs, and child misbehavior--and the anxiety and depression in mothers of transgender and gender non-conforming children. Data were taken from Wave 1 of a longitudinal study of transgender and gender non-conforming children and their parents. Results indicated that only child misbehavior was significantly associated with maternal anxiety, and social support did not moderate this relationship. Complete findings and their implications are discussed, for both future research and further deconstruction of gender in the social sciences.Item IMPACT OF CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENT CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS ON EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT(2013) Champaloux, Steven; Young, Deborah R; Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)BACKGROUND: Youth with chronic health conditions face challenges that may prevent them from achieving their educational goals. PURPOSE: This dissertation examined whether children and adolescents with chronic health conditions were more likely to have poor educational attainment compared to youth without chronic health conditions. It examined the impact of type and onset of chronic health conditions as well as youth limited by chronic health conditions on educational attainment. The potential influences of mediating and moderating factors were also investigated. METHODS: Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth - Cohort 1997, multivariate logistic regression models were fit to examine the associations between type, onset of chronic health conditions, as well as youth limited by chronic health conditions and their impact on educational attainment. The cohort's sample size was 8,984 and participants were followed up through 2009. Chronic health conditions were defined by the 1997 parent questionnaire and the 2002 youth questionnaire. Educational attainment was defined by completion of high school by 21 years of age. Academic, psychosocial, neighborhood and school factors were examined and potential mediators and effect modifiers were identified. RESULTS: The odds of poor educational attainment for youth who reported ever having a chronic health condition were significantly higher compared to youth who never reported a chronic health conditions, OR: 1.47 (95% CI: 1.22 - 1.76). Specifically youth with cancer, diabetes or epilepsy had the highest odds of poor educational attainment, OR: 1.96 (95% CI: 1.13 - 3.37). There were similar associations for youth limited by a chronic health condition, OR: 1.76 (95% CI: 1.33 - 2.34) and for youth with early onset of a condition, OR: 1.61 (95% CI: 1.29 - 1.99). Academic and psychosocial variables attenuated these associations and mediators were present. Interactions with school-level factors and chronic health conditions were also found. CONCLUSIONS: Youth with chronic health conditions, specifically those with cancer, diabetes or epilepsy, youth limited by or have early onset of a chronic health condition are at particular risk of poor educational attainment. There are strategies that may mitigate these associations such as depressive symptoms screenings and support services in school.Item Military Fathers and Families: Experiences Across Contexts, Space, and Time(2013) Jones, Nicolle Buckmiller; Roy, Kevin M; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)There are approximately 1.8 million U.S. children with at least one parent in the military (Department of Defense, 2010). Maintaining an all-volunteer military force has led to an increase in older, career military members that are more likely to have children (RAND, 2010). Due to extended military commitments and recent deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, the need to understand the impact of deployment and military work commitments on children and family relationships has come to the forefront. While a number of studies have explored the influence of deployment and a military lifestyle on children and families, few have explored the impact of military employment and deployment on father-child relationships from the perspective of fathers. This study explored the experiences of fathers as they negotiated the contexts of family and military life, created relationships with their children across physical spaces and over time, and strategized how to foster nurturant father-child relationships. Qualitative interviews with 23 Active Duty, National Guard, and Reserve Army fathers were used to address these exploratory areas. Among these fathers, 15 were from the enlisted ranks and 8 were officers. Fathers varied in terms of age, race, and socio-economic status but in order to better capture strategies, challenges, and fathering experiences, military fathers had at least one child during at least one deployment, had been deployed at least once, and were married or had been in a committed relationship. Approximately 90-minute interviews were used to capture and explore father's experiences, as well as field notes of observations detailing site visits and interactions with staff serving military fathers and families. The discussion of the resulting themes explores the relationship between work and family roles and identity and fathering, expands the view of how Army fathers manage mental health needs through compartmentalization and decompression and personal intervention as well as by being attentive to family needs, and emphasizes how Army fathers may be doing more than simply "making up for" implications related to their deployment but deliberately designing fathering to address the needs of their children in response to deployment and occupational demands. The theoretical lenses of situated fathering and symbolic interactionism are used to frame and interpret the recorded experiences of military fathers as they navigated the fields of fatherhood and military. The theoretical concepts of ambiguous loss, ambiguous presence, and ambiguous absence are also used to connect the theories of situated fathering and symbolic interactionism, and enhance the exploration of military men's fathering.Item The Ramparts Sublime: A Novel(2012) Zadig, Heather Marlene; Norman, Howard; Creative Writing; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The prevailing concerns throughout this work of fiction are the questions of Who is family? and Where is home? It is a narrative which explores questions of identity in the context of modern American cultural mobility, wherein the boundaries of identity have been variously blurred, blended, and occupied by the forces of modernity and globalization. The narrative seeks to examine the usefulness of such boundaries within individual human relationships and, in particular, explores the potential for the blues as an art form to foster human relationships that are familial in nature, not in spite of its historical context but rather because of it. That the narrator himself is uncomfortably self-conscious of his own narration is representative of the novel's preoccupation with the problems of white discourse on race and cultural identity and the limits of language in general in attempts to explore and transcend such issues.Item Women's Apostate Narratives and the Fate of the Family in Antebellum America(2012) Berman, Cassandra Nicole; Lyons, Clare; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis explores women's apostate narratives in antebellum America, focusing on best-selling literature castigating Shakers, Catholics, and Mormons. The narratives I analyze were also associated with mob activity against these religious communities. I argue that the narratives and their attendant mob activity did not function primarily as commentary against non-mainstream religious communities. Rather, they were fundamentally concerned with the fate of the patriarchal Protestant family. The texts depicted communities on the fringe of society, and their authorship was attributed to women who could not claim full rights as American citizens. In many ways these groups were relatively powerless, as were the female apostates who criticized them. In the antebellum period, however, these religious communities and the women who wrote against them became vehicles for profound commentary on the patriarchal family, an institution seen as central to maintaining social order and forging national identity in the newly United States.