Getting Ahead or Losing Ground: Economic Mobility in America

Combines earlier research to present a comprehensive analysis of relative mobility, absolute mobility, and changes in income inequality. Focuses on intergenerational mobility, immigrants, comparisons by gender and race, and the role of education

Kids' Share 2010: Report on Federal Expenditures on Children

Examines 1960-2009 trends in federal spending and tax expenditures on children, including food stamps, tax credits, and Head Start. Analyzes the effects of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding, projected funding through 2020, and implications

A GROUNDED THEORY MODEL OF MOTHER ROLE DEVELOPMENT WHILE IN THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

When a woman discovers that she is pregnant, she begins a process of internal work to develop her mother role. This process has been outlined in the literature for the delivery of a healthy full-term baby, however little is known about the process for mothers of medically fragile babies. A threatened pregnancy and subsequent delivery of a medically fragile baby involves a different process of internal work by the mother to prepare for her role. Mothers with a baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) experience stress, uncertainty, and anxiety potentially causing a permanent impact on the successful development of her role. It is the purpose of this dissertation to explore the process of mother role development among those first-time mothers having a baby in the NICU. This study was conducted using a qualitative grounded theory method. Data collection consisted of personal journals, in-person interviews, researcher notes and observation. The specific aims include (1) describing the disruption in the individual’s preconceived idea of being a mother, (2) exploring specific strategies that support the mother in the development of her role while in the NICU, (3) describing the mother’s perception of her role during physiologic changes in her baby, (4) examining the mother’s evaluation of her mother-role success, (5) developing a deeper understanding of the process of developing the role of mother while in the NICU, and (6) constructing a theoretical model to illustrate the process of becoming a mother while in the NICU

How Targeted Are Federal Expenditures on Children? A Kids' Share Analysis of Expenditures by Income in 2009

Analyzes the distribution of government spending on children by family income; category, such as health, social services, and education; and program, such as Medicaid; and the extent to which it is targeted to low-income children. Considers implications

Evaluation of the quality of systematic reviews critiqued by clinical assistants in-training

Conduct an overview of systematic reviews (SRs) reviewed by clinical assistants (CAs) in-training. SRs relating to clinical procedures and theoretical concepts, critiqued by CAs were included. Review authors independently screened the results of the requested SRs and evaluated these using the AMSTAR-1 checklist and AMSTAR-2 tool. Differences regarding study outcomes were resolved by consultation. Articles (N=37) submitted to the researcher included 35 reviews published in accredited journals. Of the reviews, only 18 were SRs as stated in their titles and these were of mixed designs and quality; and 17 were either non-structured and biased literature or critical reviews. SR topics reviewed in-training varied; and included temporo-mandibular disorders, implants and implant-supported prosthesis. AMSTAR-1 scores were favourable; scores were low for most SRs using AMSTAR-2, including those with randomized controlled trials only, with the exception of one review that had no randomized controlled trials but fulfilled the critical domain criteria. Students’ misconceptions regarding what constitutes good SRs which are translatable into clinical practice are emphasized, impacting their learning. CAs lack of appraisal skills related to SRs which may influence clinical practices are highlighted