An Exploration of the Contributions of Parenting Styles and Peer Relationships on the Emotional Expression of Second-Generation Indian-Americans

This dissertation used a qualitative analysis methodology to study the contributions of parenting styles and peer relationships on the emotional expressivity of second generation Asian Indian-Americans. Seven participants participated in a 60 - 90 minute long semi-structured interview and the content was analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Most previous research regarding this topic has been conducted on White American or European individuals and does not take into consideration the many intersectionalities that second-generation Indian-Americans hold. Many participants discussed the lack of direction they experienced in regards to learning about their emotions and disclosed that college and young adulthood provided most with corrective emotional experiences. Participants additionally talked about how their parents immigration journey to the United States greatly influenced how they parented the participants. Most participants showed an ability to both understand their parents parenting approaches while also describing a yearning to have emotionally focused conversations. Participants identified the need for more openness about emotions and mental health within the larger South Asian community and shine a light on the mental health stigma they experienced throughout their childhood. They described hoping that the narrative regarding emotional expression, regulation, and disclosure continues to change. It is important to remember that though there are many similarities between these participants, there are significant differences in their experiences. As the South Asian population is one of the largest and quickly growing minority groups in the United States, increasing clinician awareness and understanding regarding potential difficulties with emotional vocabulary and emotional processing that this group may experience is essential. Additionally, due to the negative attitudes towards mental health utilization that exist within this community, clinicians must understand the resiliency required for these individuals to pursue services and the stigma of seeking mental health treatment they might experience both within themselves and from their community. Furthermore, it is imperative that clinicians understand the impacts of immigration on this population and how to best tailor treatment goals to serve these clients

Female Biology

Over twenty years ago I developed a course for the upper- level biology major at the University of San Francisco called Female Biology. This was from what I perceived as a gap in the undergraduate biology curriculum- students were not learning about the evolutionary aspects of being female and studying the specific health-related issues unique to women. The information in the most widely used general biology textbooks written from a male perspective, focuses on research gained from male models by work conducted in male-led laboratories. There still exists a problem with a lack of adequate representation of women in biomedical research. The focus of the course is the unique biological aspects of the female sex. There is also an emphasis on the inequities experienced by female scientists. Topics covered include evolution and genetics of sex, gender identity, sexuality, reproduction, anatomy, and physiology. Additionally, an effort is made in this course to recognize disparities in healthcare across marginalized female and transgender populations. Book available for free download in PDF and epub format - compatible with most eReaders. Female Biology Copyright © 2023 by Jennifer A. Dever is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.https://repository.usfca.edu/faculty_books_all/1102/thumbnail.jp

AN EXPLORATION OF ADULT CHILDREN’S ATTACHMENT TO THEIR PARENTS ACROSS TWO CULTURAL GROUPS: INDIANS IN INDIA AND INDIANS WHO IMMIGRATED TO THE UNITED STATES

Typically, attachment theory has been studied and explored with western populations. Individuals seeking mental health treatment within the United States include western and nonwestern cultural groups and research, theories and interventions that apply to diverse populations are necessary. Attachment relationships are often a part of, or reasons for clients to seek therapy either overtly or covertly, thus allowing research on attachment to better inform treatment plans and practice. An attachment relationship between a parent and child can be influenced by several factors and may change over the course of development, but little is known about this process among Indians who reside in India and Indians who immigrated to the United States. Through exploratory semi-structured interviews, the present study aimed to explore the change and maintenance of attachment relationships from childhood to adulthood from perspectives and narratives of the adult child population. Further, the study aimed to identify the factors that contribute to the change or maintenance of these relationships over time. This study focused on cross cultural differences between Indians in India and Indian migrants living in the United States, to identify between and within group differences. Hypothesized factors such as immigration, religion, career decisions as well as newly identified factors that participants shared were synthesized and analyzed using thematic analysis. Common themes (factors) that impact attachment relationships were identified through data analysis. These themes included immigration experiences, religion, family values, and the impact of siblings on an attachment relationship. An important finding in the study was that individualism and collectivism were not concrete concepts to each group as each participant’s narratives provided insight into how the sample group and population at large may not be entirely individualistic or collectivistic, allowing for a cohesion in values and preferences. The findings from the present study have potential to contribute to future studies on factors impacting attachment relationships, and also provide more insight for clinicians to develop interventions that focus on the impact of family systems, acculturation, migration, religion, communication and other factors on an attachment relationship. Also, the study’s findings are intended to further support clinical interventions and providers to accurately recognize the cultural variations between the two groups, and better serve the two groups in clinical settings

Female Biology

Over twenty years ago I developed a course for the upper- level biology major at the University of San Francisco called Female Biology. This was from what I perceived as a gap in the undergraduate biology curriculum- students were not learning about the evolutionary aspects of being female and studying the specific health-related issues unique to women. The information in the most widely used general biology textbooks written from a male perspective, focuses on research gained from male models by work conducted in male-led laboratories. There still exists a problem with a lack of adequate representation of women in biomedical research. The focus of the course is the unique biological aspects of the female sex. There is also an emphasis on the inequities experienced by female scientists. Topics covered include evolution and genetics of sex, gender identity, sexuality, reproduction, anatomy, and physiology. Additionally, an effort is made in this course to recognize disparities in healthcare across marginalized female and transgender populations. Female Biology Copyright © 2023 by Jennifer A. Dever is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted

An Examination of Contemporary Fundraising Trends and Support for a Sustainable Shift to Full-Cost Funding

For decades, nonprofit organizations have faced immense challenges securing adequate funding that will not only run their programs, but cover all operational and overhead costs. Traditional funding models often restrict funds to specific projects or services, leaving nonprofits with financial instability, and potentially hindering their ability to fully deliver on their missions. Recently, there has been a shift in the philanthropic landscape that challenges these more restrictive fundraising models. As this conversation has grown, the concept of “Full Cost Funding” has gained traction, which calls for a more comprehensive funding approach that covers the full costs of running an organization, including indirect costs such as overhead, infrastructure, and fundraising costs. This study seeks to provide an in-depth examination of the challenges and influences that affect nonprofit fundraising. A comprehensive understanding of these issues is crucial for nonprofits to enhance their fundraising strategies, and for funders to better align their funds with the real needs of the organizations they support. Further, this study aims to contribute a recommendation to the Full Cost funding discussion by proposing a Sustainable Full-Cost Coalition Philanthropy Framework. This framework envisions a collaborative approach to Full Cost Funding, involving a coalition of major funders working collaboratively with nonprofit organizations. This analysis and framework are presented in hopes of offering a potential recommendation to enhance Full Cost funding support and strengthen the sustainability of the nonprofit sector

THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN UNCERTAINTY, REPRODUCTIVE DISTRESS, AND AVOIDANCE IN ASSIGNED FEMALE AT BIRTH ADOLESCENT AND YOUNG ADULT (AYA-F) CANCER SURVIVORS

Family building and fertility is a complex component of survivorship for assigned female at birth Adolescent and Young Adult’s (AYA-F’s), often accompanied by a mix of cognitive uncertainty, emotional uncertainty, reproductive distress, and avoidance. These psychological components present in survivorship for AYA-F’s can impact coping, identity development, and individualized care plans throughout survivorship. This novel examination of data from a cross sectional study shed light on the associations between reproductive distress, uncertainty, and avoidance and how they are experienced differently by various subgroups within the sample. Results demonstrate that reproductive distress fully mediated the association between emotional uncertainty and avoidance, while no association was demonstrated between cognitive uncertainty either directly or indirectly through reproductive distress. When controlling for age, age at diagnosis, education level, household income, and decisional self-efficacy, the mediation between emotional uncertainty and avoidance through reproductive distress was no longer observed (although emotional uncertainty and reproductive distress were still associated) and no other significant associations were found amongst the main psychological variables of interest. However, there were significant findings between age at diagnosis, household income and self-efficacy with reproductive distress as well as between self-efficacy and avoidance. These results implicating decisional self-efficacy with avoidance adds to existing literature on avoidant behavior predictors for AYA-F’s specifically. By better understanding these associations, survivorship experiences and individualized fertility related support needs are now better understood and the standard of care for AYA-F’s in survivorship can be better tailored to the nuanced psychosocial needs identified within this study

Community Microgrids as an Equitable Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy in California

Climate change summons more extreme and frequent weather events that threaten communities’ access to power. Without power, businesses lose revenue, essential services are limited, people are exposed to extreme temperatures, and lives are lost. California has adopted microgrids as a solution to costly power outages, electrification needs, and renewable energy goals. This work evaluates the adoption of microgrids as an equitable climate resilience and adaptation strategy through a geospatial analysis of California’s resilience investment needs, a case study analysis of 9 existing tribal and rural microgrids, and a gap analysis of California and federal policies and incentive programs. Programs like Electric Program Investment Charge demonstrates that it is possible to identify and prioritize environmental justice (EJ) areas. It is recommended that California expands incentives and technical assistance to EJ communities. Additionally, this work found that Rule 218 is a major barrier to microgrid adoption. It is recommended to first modify the rule to allow community-owned microgrids under the own-use doctrine and second to exempt microgrids from public utility status to mobilize innovation and commercialization, aligned with SB 1339’s goals. Furthermore, the current utility model impedes progress towards climate adaptation. Investor-owned utilities have failed to provide reliable electricity and prevent wildfires. This work recommends shifting to a performance-based utility model that rewards resilience and reliability. Other actions that are needed to mobilize equitable microgrid adoption include raising high-voltage network rates for industrial users and investing in workforce development. Mobilizing microgrids through these actions equips California for equitable climate resilience and adaptation

The Embedded Emissions Impact of Food and Food Waste and Potential Bay Area Local Government Action

Consumption-based emissions offer a different perspective on emissions accounting by attributing embedded emissions to the consumer of a good or service, rather than to the manufacturer or exporter (Stanton et al., 2011). This is the lens used to examine the impact of our food system and food waste in this paper: the food system is responsible for an estimated 34% of global emissions, and an estimated 32% of edible food never makes it on to anyone’s plate (Lipinski et al., 2013). By examining the consumption-based emissions inventories, waste characterization studies, and zero waste programs of three Bay Area jurisdictions, this paper compares the footprint of food and food waste in San Francisco, Marin County, and Oakland. An analysis of the different programs and strategies utilized in each municipality to achieve zero waste and climate change goals is conducted, and themes such as the relationship between wealth and emissions footprint are discussed. Finally, recommendations are made to local governments on how to reduce the consumption-based emissions footprint of food, including edible food recovery, composting, food date labeling, consumer education, and regional cooperation

Optimizing Sepsis Management Through Enhanced Protocol Compliance in the Emergency Department

Problem: This quality improvement project aims to enhance early sepsis management and sepsis bundle compliance among Emergency Department nurses to reduce the risk of sepsis-related deaths as well as hospital length of stays. Context: A microsystem assessment, in the emergency department (ED) unit, was performed in Hospital A located in the Greater San Francisco Bay area by Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) students. This ED unit cares for a variety of critical care patients ranging from urgent to life-threatening conditions. Intervention: An intervention was not implemented in the ED unit due to time constraints and limitations; however, CNL students provided recommendations so stakeholders could further investigate and implement them. The recommended interventions include increasing sepsis bundle training frequency, refining intravenous placement skills through training and readily available resources, establishing a standardized sepsis protocol, providing nurses badge buddies, and revising the current charting system. Measures: CNL students collected data to evaluate current sepsis care management and the rates of sepsis-related complications at the ED. The pre-intervention survey highlighted areas of improvement where proposed recommendations could help nurses utilize and adhere to sepsis bundle care more effectively. Results: The most relevant pre-intervention questionnaire results revealed that 42% of ED nursing staff recommend protocol revision, 24.4% claim to not have attended any sepsis training with another 4.9% reporting rarely attending, and 46.3% reported there is no debriefing, or follow-up training, when sepsis bundle compliance is failed to be met. In addition, nurses identified barriers to meeting compliance such as difficult IV access or “hard sticks”, standing orders, and knowledge gaps. Conclusions: A pre-intervention questionnaire given to ED nurses at Hospital A reveals gaps in knowledge and barriers to current sepsis management. Implementing a standardized sepsis protocol and offering nurses’ frequent sepsis bundles and intravenous training is recommended. The implementation of these recommended resources will hopefully improve nurses’ sepsis care management, improving patient outcomes and care quality. Keywords: Sepsis, Emergency Department, Sepsis Bundle Compliance, Sepsis Management, Quality Improvement Project, Microsystem, Sepsis Trainin