Perceptions Of Maternal Satisfaction Over the Course of a Child’s Developmental Stages

Every motherhood experience comes with its own set of difficulties and experiences that might impact the level of life happiness for the women who inhabit it. Life satisfaction falls under the general heading of subjective well-being as it draws on comparison processes in which people assess how their present circumstances measure up to social norms and cultural ideals. This study aims to understand the changes in maternal satisfaction throughout the children\u27s developmental years to understand potential avenues for improvement in the maternal experience, as well as provide clinical providers with the knowledge they need to help women experiencing either extreme highs or extreme lows in their motherhood satisfaction. Using a qualitative heuristic phenomenological design, this study used semi-structured open-ended interviewing to understand the experiences of the co-researchers. NVivo will be used to create thematic narrative data, and the findings illustrate the common perspectives that provide a deeper understanding and appreciation of the defining attributes of satisfaction. The co-researchers elucidated the factors that contributed to their satisfaction across the developmental stages of their children. The co-researchers also discussed the challenges associated with motherhood. They discussed how their identities were formed and solidified through motherhood, and how their identities were changing since their children had become adults. The co-researchers expressed gratitude and pride when speaking about their children becoming productive citizens. Understanding the benefits and challenges of motherhood and understanding how mothers’ identities change over time could be useful for mental health practitioners counseling mothers during inevitable changes in their lives

Fuel for Motivation: The Impact of Empathy in an Educational Setting

Honorable Mention Winner According to Merriam Webster, empathy is defined as “the action of or capacity for understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of another.” While research related to empathy has mainly focused on the importance of teaching empathy to students, little is known about the relationship between instructor empathy and student outcomes. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of empathy on motivation and student outcomes in a sample of undergraduate and graduate students at the University of North Florida. Focus groups were conducted via zoom to investigate students’ perceptions of faculty empathy as well as their views of the impact of faculty empathy on student motivation. Nineteen students participated in the focus groups, 4 males and 15 females. Three major themes were identified from the focus groups: students were able to define empathy, empathy is personal, and students felt that empathy is extremely important in the classroom/virtual setting. Based on the assumption that people thrive in empathetic environments, an evidence-based correlation between faculty and student perceptions of empathy could be utilized to develop and improve upon pedagogical standards and student outcomes. The study findings will help to provide specific ways that empathy in an educational setting can drive motivation and improve student outcomes

The Giant X-Ray Flare of NGC 5905: Tidal Disruption of a Star, a Brown Dwarf, or a Planet?

We model the 1990 giant X-ray flare of the quiescent galaxy NGC 5905 as the tidal disruption of a star by a supermassive black hole. From the observed rapid decline of the luminosity, over a timescale of a few years, we argue that the flare was powered by the fallback of debris rather than subsequent accretion via a thin disk. The fallback model allows constraints to be set on the black hole mass and the mass of debris. The latter must be very much less than a solar mass to explain the very low luminosity of the flare. The observations can be explained either as the partial stripping of the outer layers of a low-mass main sequence star or as the disruption of a brown dwarf or a giant planet. We find that the X-ray emission in the flare must have originated within a small patch rather than over the entire torus of circularized material surrounding the black hole. We suggest that the patch corresponds to the ``bright spot'' where the stream of returning debris impacts the torus. Interestingly, although the peak luminosity of the flare was highly sub-Eddington, the peak flux from the bright spot was close to the Eddington limit. We speculate on the implications of this result for observations of other flare events.Comment: 25 pages, including 5 figure

Associations among impulsivity, adverse childhood experiences, and desirability of first sexual experience on substance use and sexual risk taking in justice-involved male adolescents

Adolescent substance use is a serious public health problem (Johnston et al., 2016). Notably in adolescents, adverse childhood experiences including unwanted sexual experiences (Wills et al., 2001; Negriff, Schneiderman, & Trickett, 2015) and impulsive sensation seeking (impulsivity) (Donohew et al., 2000; Fernández-Artamendi et al., 2016) are linked to adolescent substance use and high-risk sexual behaviors. Research also suggests delinquent youths are particularly vulnerable to substance use disorders and sexually risky behaviors (Pinto et al., 2015). Given the health consequences of both prolonged substance abuse and risky sexual behaviors, identifying additional risk factors is critical to help inform interventions for high-risk youth. Data from 314 males, recruited as part of a randomized clinical trial (N = 460) evaluating a theory-based intervention to reduce sexually risky behaviors among justice-involved adolescents, were used for this analysis. Participants completed assessments of adverse childhood experiences, impulsivity, sociosexuality, substance use histories, alcohol/marijuana problems and dependency, and sexual histories. Structural equational modeling (SEM) was used to examine the influence of impulsivity, adverse childhood experiences, sociosexuality, and desirability of first sexual encounter on sexual risk taking and substance use. The final structural equation model including desirability of first sexual encounter, adverse childhood experiences, and impulsivity as exogenous predictors revealed good model fit, χ2(28) = 37.758, p = 0.1031, RMSEA = .033 (90% CI [.000–.058]), CFI = 0.976, WRMR = 0.678. More adverse childhood experiences were associated with higher levels of substance use (β = 0.206, p = .002), greater desirability of first sexual encounter was associated with more sexual risk taking (β = 0.246, p = .007), and higher impulsivity was associated with higher levels of substance use (β = 0.464, p \u3c .001) and more sexual risk taking (β = 0.336, p = .001). Implications for future research and interventions for this vulnerable population are discussed

The RunSmart Training Program: Effect on Oxygen Consumption and Lower Extremity Biomechanics During Running

As recreational running continues to gain popularity, more individuals are seeking ways to improve running performance. RunSmart is a running intervention program designed to enhance a runner’s form. In addition to correcting flaws in a runner’s form, RunSmart offers the opportunity for runners to continue a regular regimen while slowly integrating changes in form. The purpose of this case series was twofold: to determine if the RunSmart program coincides with improvements in oxygen consumption (VO2), a variable often associated with better running performance times, and to evaluate the RunSmart program in regard to enhancing gait biomechanics. Five recreational runners volunteered to participate in this program. Subjects initially reported to the clinic for an initial submaximal VO2 treadmill test and lower extremity biomechanical analysis. After the initial testing session, each subject attended one session of one-on-one individualized RunSmart instruction per week for 6 weeks. At the first RunSmart session, subjects received a biomechanical analysis to determine their foot strike pattern and areas of muscular weakness and range of motion limitations. Throughout the 6-week run-ning program, participants ran 5 days every week for predetermined times each day; 2 runs every week were designated as interval training runs. Subjects then underwent a follow-up submaximal VO2 treadmill test and lower extremity biomechanical analysis at the end of 6 weeks. Descriptive statistics were used to assess data pertaining to VO2 and biomechanical analysis and compare initial and follow-up testing sessions. Following completion of the RunSmart program, subjects demonstrated improvements in VO2 and also improved several biomechanical factors related to the lower extremity running gait. Based on the results from this case series, the RunSmart training program may have the potential to change a runner’s form and improve VO2, thus resulting in improved distance running times. However, this is speculation given the nonexperimental nature of this case series. Future research on this topic should include a greater number of participants in randomized controlled trials on injury prevention and running efficiency

Implementation of a Human Trafficking Educational Module for College Students: Pre/Post Design

This research study aimed to implement an educational module and to determine the effectiveness of that module on increasing the awareness of human trafficking and risk factors for incoming freshman students at a medium-size, Southern university from September 2021 through November 2021. Two hundred students consented and participated in the study by completing the pretest and posttest to indicate their knowledge of human trafficking before and after being presented an online educational module. The pre and posttest included 10 questions with 24 possible responses. An average of 12.34 correct responses were provided on the pretest and 19.13 were correct responses on the posttest. This data indicates a 58.6% improvement in awareness of human trafficking risk factors. A one-tailed pair-wise student’s t-test and a single factor ANOVA were used to compare pretest scores with posttest scores both resulting in a p value of \u3c 0.001. The results of the study support the original hypothesis that students will have greater knowledge and awareness of human trafficking, as evidenced by a positive change in pretest to posttest scores, after completing the educational module on human trafficking. Limitations were found in the study as some students did not complete both the pre and posttest. The researchers believe this could be addressed through a stepwise testing module where one has to complete the first step to proceed to the next