Stresses of Mothers Caring for an Older Adolescent Diagnosed with Autism: A Phenomenological Exploration

A review of the literature provides ample research about caregiver stress in relationship to healthcare needs, aging, and mental illness. However, there is limited research about caregiver stress in regard to families that care for a child with disability. Further limited in scope is research about mothers who care for an older adolescent with diagnosed autism. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experience of six mothers caring for an older adolescent diagnosed with autism. The question about what causes stress resulted in findings: isolation, coping with their child\u27s challenging behaviors, and frustration with the establishment. The question about what helps to relieve stress resulted in findings: professional behavior or support teams, support from others, and church or spiritual connection. The question about what are the rewards or joys experienced resulted in finding: their child\u27s accomplishments. Implications of the present study are discussed in regard to recommendations for clinicians, advocacy groups, and organizations to create guidelines for services and intervention for mothers who care for an older adolescent diagnosed with autism. The electronic version of this dissertation is at OhioLink http://etd.ohiolink.edu

Stresses of Mothers Caring for an Older Adolescent Diagnosed with Autism: A Phenomenological Exploration

A review of the literature provides ample research about caregiver stress in relationship to healthcare needs, aging, and mental illness. However, there is limited research about caregiver stress in regard to families that care for a child with disability. Further limited in scope is research about mothers who care for an older adolescent with diagnosed autism. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experience of six mothers caring for an older adolescent diagnosed with autism. The question about what causes stress resulted in findings: isolation, coping with their child\u27s challenging behaviors, and frustration with the establishment. The question about what helps to relieve stress resulted in findings: professional behavior or support teams, support from others, and church or spiritual connection. The question about what are the rewards or joys experienced resulted in finding: their child\u27s accomplishments. Implications of the present study are discussed in regard to recommendations for clinicians, advocacy groups, and organizations to create guidelines for services and intervention for mothers who care for an older adolescent diagnosed with autism. The electronic version of this dissertation is at OhioLink http://etd.ohiolink.edu

Understanding pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality among young women in Rajasthan

This report is the result of an exploratory study of the pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality experiences of women who delivered in adolescence and adulthood in Rajasthan, undertaken by the Population Council with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

The impact of parent-created motivational climate on adolescent athletes' perceptions of physical self-concept

This is a preliminary version of this article. The official published version can be obtained from the link below.Grounded in expectancy-value model (Eccles, 1993) and achievement goal theory (Nicholls, 1989), this study examined the perceived parental climate and its impact on athletes' perceptions of competence and ability. Hierarchical regression analyses with a sample of 237 British adolescent athletes revealed that mothers and fathers' task- and ego-involving climate predicted their son's physical self-concept; the father in particular is the strongest influence in shaping a son's physical self-concept positively and negatively. It was also found that the self-concept of the young adolescent athlete is more strongly affected by the perceived parental-created motivational climate (both task and ego) than the older adolescent athlete's self-concept. These findings support the expectancy-value model assumptions related to the role of parents as important socializing agents, the existence of gender-stereotyping, and the heavy reliance younger children place on parents' feedback

Associations between Accommodative Facility, Age, and Refractive Errors in Early, Older Adolescent Myopes and Emmetropes

Background: Accommodative functions are known to differ between myopes and emmetropes. It is not known whether accommodative facility differs at near between younger adolescent and older adolescent myopes and emmetropes. Aim: To examine whether accommodative facility differs at near between younger and older adolescent myopes and emmetropes. Methods: 119 participants aged between 11–21 years were recruited. Refractive error was measured using cycloplegic retinoscopy. Near monocular accommodative facility was measured for 60 seconds, using a +2.00D/–2.00D handheld flipper and N6 print at 40 cm. Participants were classified into two age groups: (i) younger adolescents (range: 11–14 years) and (ii) older adolescents (range: 15–21 years). The criterion applied to define myopia was spherical equivalent refraction: ≥–0.50D) and spherical equivalent refraction: –0.25D to +0.75D) for emmetropia. Univariate Analysis of Variance was carried out to analyze the interaction of age groups and refractive groups on near accommodative facility. Results: Near monocular accommodative facility was significantly lower (p = 0.003) in younger adolescents (5.87 ± 3.72 cpm) compared to older adolescents (8.11 ± 4.11 cpm), indicating age as a significant main effect (F1,115 = 13.44; p = 0.0001). Younger adolescent emmetropes (4.77 ± 2.05 cpm, p = 0.005) and younger adolescent myopes (6.48 ± 4.12 cpm, p = 0.022) had significantly lower monocular near accommodative facility compared to older adolescent emmetropes (9.52 ± 3.27 cpm), but did not show any difference when compared to older adolescent myopes (p > 0.05). This indicates a significant association linking age and refractive error to near accommodative facility (F1,115 = 4.60; p = 0.03). Conclusion: Younger adolescent myopes and younger adolescent emmetropes had reduced monocular near accommodative facility than older adolescent emmetropes, but not when compared to older adolescent myopes

Validation of the portuguese version of the international physical activity questionnaire for adolescents (IPAQA)

Questionnaires have been broadly used to assess physical activity in adolescents, however validation studies, although essential, are not always performed. Objective: The present work aims to determine the validity of the Portuguese version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents against 3 axis Actigraph accelerometers. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted, with a sample of 222 adolescents, with a mean age of 15.6 years (SD=2.05). After translation and cross cultural adaptation, data obtained from the questionnaire was correlated to accelerometers data, using Spearman correlation coefficient. Percentages of agreement of physical activity tertiles obtained by each method were tested using Cohen’s Kappa. Statistical analysis was performed for the total sample, per sex and per age group. Results: A significant correlation between the questionnaire and accelerometer was found for older adolescent boys, for total physical activity (ρ=0.372; P<0.01), and for moderate to vigorous physical activity (ρ=0.428; P<0.01) No correlations were found for the younger adolescents and girls. A 42.3% agreement was found for the questionnaire and accelerometer tertiles of total physical activity. Conclusion: The concurrent validity proved that the questionnaire might be valid only for older adolescent boys. The authors consider that whenever available physical activity objective measurements should be used instead of questionnaires.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The representation of women in the family in Spanish television fiction

The rise of television drama in the late nineties challenged comedy as the most popular and resilient genre of fiction. The diversity of themes and growing complexity of new narratives have relegated family representations –key to comedy’s success- to contextualize sentimental and sexual relationships and, to a lesser extent, the work sphere of female characters. This article analyses the context and family relations of 709 female characters represented, with varying degrees of importance, in 84 programs of Spanish television fiction (series, serials, TV movies, miniseries and sketches) premiered in 2012 and 2013. The approach combines quantitative (SPSS coding) and qualitative (socio-semiotics and script theory) methods. The analysis reveals that Spanish television fiction offers a complex picture of family relationships, which mixes clichés and stereotypes, while trying to capture reality. Generational conflicts are the most common misunderstandings in everyday representations of female characters, although most of the women generally have the support of their families to address problems and difficulties of their exciting fictional experiences.El auge del drama televisivo, a finales de los noventa, le disputó a la comedia el protagonismo que la había convertido en el género más popular y resistente de la ficción a lo largo de más de cuatro décadas. La variedad de temáticas y la creciente complejidad narrativa de los nuevos formatos de ficción fueron relegando las representaciones de la familia, la clave del éxito de la comedia, al contexto de los avatares sentimentales, sexuales y, en menor medida, laborales de los personajes femeninos. Este artículo analiza el contexto y las relaciones familiares de los 709 personajes femeninos representados, con un grado variable de protagonismo, en los 84 programas de la ficción televisiva española de estreno (series, seriales, TVmovies, miniseries y sketches), emitidos a lo largo de 2012 y 2013. El método utilizado combina técnicas cuantitativas (codificación en SPSS) y cualitativas (socio-semiótica y script theory). El análisis revela que la ficción televisiva española proyecta una imagen compleja de la familia, en la que se mezclan tópicos y estereotipos, pero que intenta reflejar la realidad. Los conflictos generacionales representen las desavenencias más frecuentes de la vida cotidiana de los personajes analizados, aunque la mayor parte de las mujeres representadas en el contexto familiar suelen contar con apoyo de los suyos para afrontar los problemas y los conflictos de sus azarosas existencias de ficción.Este artículo ha sido elaborado en el marco del proyecto “La construcción social de la mujer en la ficción televisiva y la web 2.0: estereotipos, recepción y retroalimentación” (FEM2012-33411), financiado por el Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. En esta parte de la investigación han participado, además de las autoras, Deborah Castro, Mariluz Sánchez, Belén Granda, Tatiana Hidalgo, Elsa Soro y Karina Tiznado (investigadoras), y Marc Bellmunt, Germán Muñoz, Lucía Trabajo, Estitxu Garay y Amaia Nerecan (colaboradores)