SLEEP TRACKING AS A STRESSOR: EXPERIENCES FROM SMART RING USERS

Lack of sleep hygiene is a widespread problem that drives the demand for sleep-tracking technologies. Prior research discussed the dark side of self-tracking technologies, but research specifically on sleep-tracking technologies is scarce. This study explores what potential stressors users attribute to sleep tracking executed through a smart ring. We conducted 38 semi-structured interviews and used thematic analysis to identify eight potential stressors in the context of sleep tracking. These stressors include complexity, invasion, inaccuracy, unreliability, data-feelings discrepancy, the pursuit of perfect data, vague guidance and interpretations, and overload with multiple self-tracking technologies. We further theorize these potential stressors using the person-technology fit model. The paper contributes to the nascent IS research on technostress in the context of sleep tracking

Increasing positive sleep behaviors in young children who are blind : the significance of auditory sleep association stimuli.

Research has confirmed that individuals with blindness have an increased risk of developing sleep problems; this is especially problematic for families with young children who are blind. Not only does the lack of sleep impact the growth and development of the child, but it also directly affects the entire family. A single-subject A-B-A-B research design was implemented with three young children having visual acuities of light perception or no light perception that were having sleep problems. At the start of study, none of the children had any other major medical diagnosis other than their visual impairment. The intervention (B phases) consisted of a bubble tube activated at bedtime and turned off in the morning serving as an auditory zeitgeber (time cue) and positive sleep association. Although light is typically the primary zeitgeber, research indicates that until the age of three to four-years-old, children are stilling developing their sleep patterns and may be amenable to learning other zeitgebers that help them establish an appropriate 24-hour sleep cycle. Sleep patterns were measured using an ActiGraph monitor worn continuously throughout the study, in addition to information provided by caregivers in a daily sleep log. Although there were some positive effects noted, the investigation failed to show a functional relationship between the independent variable, the use of the bubble tube, and the dependent variables of sleep latency, nighttime awakenings, daytime naps, and total time slept per a day. However, caregiver perceptions on the effectiveness were much higher than the actual data and all of the participants continued to use the bubble tube post study. The research also reinforced the importance of parental education on bedtime routines and good sleep hygiene within the context of early intervention services

Facilitating health behavior change with wearable technology

Modern day health problems, such as sedentary behavior, inactivity, and poor sleeping habits are challenging the lives of both individuals and health care systems around the world. Wearable technologies, which use sensor technology to track various health parameters, provide new ways for monitoring personal health. Ideally, the use of wearables would mitigate these health issues. However, while the popularity of wearable devices has increased rapidly during the past years, little attention has been paid to the health effects of using the technology. Thus, this thesis studies the perceived health benefits of using wearable technology to analyze whether wearables are used for simply recording information or, in fact, changing health behavior. The empirical part of the thesis was conducted as a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews, to understand the users’ experiences of using wearable technology. The interview data were analyzed thematically with the help of an analytical framework that was developed for the thesis. The findings suggest that the use of wearable technology increases the users’ awareness of their current health status and habits, which further results in changes in health behavior, provided that the users are motivated to change their behavior. The perceived health benefits of wearable technology use include increased activity, better sleep, and smarter training and recovery behavior

The Student-Teacher Romance Film Genre: Hollywood\u27s Historical Representation of Abuse of Power

Despite vast literature analyzing films that depict romantic and sexual relationships between young students and their teachers, scholarship has yet to explicitly call this category of films and television a genre. The purpose of the present thesis is to define the student-teacher romance film genre and identify patterns that make it up as a means of illuminating the genre’s exploration of abuse of power in the classroom. I use a historical-generic methodology and gaze theory as a framework to conduct this analysis. I identify three distinct eras of the genre and analyze films from each time period. The first era (1920s-1960s) defined abuse of power and outlined the parameters of what behavior was and was not acceptable during that time. The second era (1970s-1990s) exploited the sexuality of both female students and teachers. The third era (2000s-2020s) became more aware of the abuse of power; some films called out abuse, while others sensationalized it. I conclude that student-teacher romance is an abuse of power and should be presented as such in film and television

The Student-Teacher Romance Film Genre: Hollywood\u27s Historical Representation of Abuse of Power

Despite vast literature analyzing films that depict romantic and sexual relationships between young students and their teachers, scholarship has yet to explicitly call this category of films and television a genre. The purpose of the present thesis is to define the student-teacher romance film genre and identify patterns that make it up as a means of illuminating the genre’s exploration of abuse of power in the classroom. I use a historical-generic methodology and gaze theory as a framework to conduct this analysis. I identify three distinct eras of the genre and analyze films from each time period. The first era (1920s-1960s) defined abuse of power and outlined the parameters of what behavior was and was not acceptable during that time. The second era (1970s-1990s) exploited the sexuality of both female students and teachers. The third era (2000s-2020s) became more aware of the abuse of power; some films called out abuse, while others sensationalized it. I conclude that student-teacher romance is an abuse of power and should be presented as such in film and television

Catalytic Resilience Practices: Exploring the Effects of Resilience and Resilience Practices through Physical Exercise

Resilience is of increasing interest to researchers and practitioners as the organizations where they work have become increasingly complex and dynamic. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has only magnified its importance. COVID-19 provides a unique opportunity to study how people navigate challenges and face adversity to be resilient both at home and at work. The main question organizations, teams, and employees are asking is how individuals gain and sustain resilience. To that end, theory and research has suggested a vast array of practices or strategies that individuals can engage in to build resilience to be better prepared to overcome adverse situations or challenges. However, the number of practices can be overwhelming and determining which practices should take precedence is unclear. The purpose of this study is to investigate a subset of the most promising resilience practices (i.e., physical exercise, sleep, active coping, growth reframing, use of social support, and applied mindfulness) to determine which are most likely to act as catalysts for other practices and ultimately be related to higher resilience. Growth reframing, exercise, and active coping were shown to be significant catalysts for other resilience practices strengthening the spillover model

Indecent foodie : a mini trilogy : streamed essays in memories.

The eighteen essays in Indecent Foodie: a Mini Trilogy speak of how alone and ashamed, a promiscuous woman deprives herself of healthy attachments, healthy intakes, and healthy perspective. She devours the world and hides her obesity. Her coming of age transforms her from a curious, good girl into a dirty, slam pig before she can find a way to balance the two. Good food, good family, and just a little bit of danger stabilize this promiscuous girl and give her the courage to love an over-the-top man and conquer her guilt-ridden past. The first section of essays touches on the dangers--perceived or real--present in the narrator's life. Their intent relies on the creation of a neurotic persona, one that both seeks and fears dangerous situations. Control seems to heighten her panic and damage her perception of herself, her actions, and those she allows herself to associate with. These ideas leak into the next mini memoir--showing the dangers of love. The second section touches on several faucets of love--the fun, the new, and the difficult, for the self, for subjects and hobbies, for sharing. These essays are the most diverse, as love often proves the case. A direct correlation is shown between new love and established love--or the realistic portrayal of marriage, as the narrator shows can be a constant battle to maintain and understand. As the section continues, the narrator demonstrates a love for culture--family culture, food culture, and a fascination of popular culture. Yet, "I Can't Believe It's Not God," begins another transition of awareness of self and again hitting on the idea of control. However, the overarching theme, which connects the beginning and ending mini memoirs, demonstrates this search for love through means outside the self as unhealthy as a means of coming to terms with one's past. Finally, the last of the mini memoirs focuses on reflection of family and the past. The narrator takes on the persona of her parents in order to understand their behavior and her turbulent childhood home and family. An exploration of memory ends the section, and the fear resurfaces, leaving the reader with both growth and an inability to move beyond one's past. Limitations are real for this narrator, and her stories show an attempt to come to terms with past rather than redeeming herself and taking on the freedom of a new personhood

Findings and understandings of \u27home\u27: an Ethnographic study of how homeless people and displaced persons negotiate the word \u27home\u27.

This dissertation is an ethnographic study of various meanings of the word ‘home’ and how the word ‘home’ is used by homeless, evicted, and displaced persons, and by the researcher of the study, to negotiate boundaries and relations of power to achieve goals, both moral and material.Scholarly research on home in urban studies and sociology has produced many definitions and meanings of the word ‘home’ and concepts of home, but often neglects to consider the way the word itself is experienced, personally, by individuals and how to make sense of the way these personal experiences relate to official meanings of ‘home’. This dissertation takes the question of this relationship as a point of departure: while the word ‘home’ and concepts of home are certainly bound to official meanings of the word, this ethnography demonstrates how ‘home’ is a personal experience, one that is related to societal and cultural meanings, but also bound to individual experiences. The word ‘home’ and concepts of home are linked to memories, and memories are linked to connections we have with both emotions and physical places. In chapter four, I draw on the tools and techniques of autoethnography to write analytically about memories from my past, memories of “home”, and methodologically to connect that analysis to my own experiences of “home” and how I negotiate the meaning of the word “home.” As a person who identifies with people who also seemed to me to be without a “home,” writing about my own life experiences with ‘home’ can produce new questions and offer new insights about broader social and cultural phenomena. In chapter five, I show how the ‘homeless’ conceptualize the word ‘home’ which, in turn, shows how personal experiences of ‘home’ are bound up with a person’s particular experience of ‘home.’ This chapter also examines the politics surrounding public and private spaces as they relate to the homeless and shows how the ‘street homeless’ negotiate their ways through various obstacles to their livelihood. The research for this chapter was ethnographically conducted within several homeless camps throughout the city of Louisville and two prominent shelters. Much of this research was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic and after mandated closures. In this chapter, I uncover several themes that show how ‘homeless’ peoples’ understandings of the words ‘home’ and ‘homeless’ often contradict institutionalized meanings and values of these words. Chapter six employs Ribot and Peluso’s (2003) theory of access approach to studying mechanism by means of access to housing to understand the multiple mechanism at play within pandemic politics, mechanisms not limited to property alone. Using the theory of access approach, this chapter examines how other mechanisms of access, such as access to technology, capital, labor and labor opportunities, knowledge, and social identity and relations also affected the ability or inability for low-income renters facing eviction to remain in their residences during the pandemic. The stories presented in this chapter show how people facing eviction navigated their way through pandemic politics to secure their housing needs, or not

"Becoming a mother is nothing like you see on TV!": a reflexive autoethnography exploring dominant cultural ideologies of motherhood

Mothers in contemporary American society are bombarded with images and stereotypes about motherhood. Dominant cultural discourses of motherhood draw from essentialist and socially constructed ideologies that are oppressive to women. This study uses autoethnographic research methods to explore the author's experiences becoming a mother. Feminist theory is utilized to analyze the themes, the silences, and the absences in the autoethnographic stories. Using a feminist theoretical lens allows the author to deconstruct the hegemonic ideologies that shape the experience becoming a mother. I examine the role of dominant ideologies of motherhood in my own life. I explore the practices of maternal gatekeeping paying particular attention to the role of attachment theory in shaping the ideology of intensive mothering. I argue that autoethnography as a research method allows writers and readers to cross borders so long as they practice deep reflexivity and allow themselves to be vulnerable. This research is similar to Van Maanen's (1988) confessional tale, where the researcher writes about the process that takes place behind the scenes of the research project. In this project, I write an autoethnography and then I describe the process of analysis, vulnerability, and reflexivity while examining the themes and silences within the data

Alice and Me, Myself, Little David, and the Right Side of My Brain

This is an honest and open memoir of David Cohen’s life as it fits into the 13 years of therapy with Alice. The story is of David learning about his inner child and making a deal with him through non-dominant-hand writing. The result is for David to quit drinking and for the adult part of him to finally take control of his life. The narrative reviews key experiences of his past that influence the current issues. The background research includes concepts from five key books that support Alice, the therapist’s, theories that have over 30 years of experience have developed into her philosophy. A transcribed interview with Alice and quotes from her copious session notes make sure Alice’s thoughts are reflected very accurately. Within the manuscript, are writings by David Cohen that were significant in his process, which includes writings generated by his non-dominant hand and his original poetry