Academic achievement orientation of West Indian American parents and adolescents

Literature addressing academic achievement orientation of Black adolescents in the United States often depicts poor school related attitudes and adaptation patterns, low academic achievement, and deficient family backgrounds. However, some researchers maintained that certain Black immigrant groups possessed positive academic achievement orientations and exemplary academic achievements (Ogbu, 1991; Gibson, 1991; Vernez, & Abrahamse, 1996). In this study, I attempted to combine qualitative data from multiple sources (surveys, interviews, observations, literature, and document analysis), using standard case study methodology and the constant comparative method of analysis to understand the relationship that existed between the academic achievement orientation of a select group of West Indian American parents and adolescents in Broward County, Florida. The sub-sample of 11 families, comprising 15 adolescents and 13 parents, was selected through maximum variation sampling from a pool of 23 families. The findings were presented as a single composite case study. The participants possessed specific, longstanding educational and career goals for the children. The parents were deeply involved and were knowledgeable of their children's schools and academic progress. While mothers were the parents most actively involved in the schools, fathers were strong authoritative figures. Families evidenced a strong moral religious base with set rules of behavior, firm parenting practices, and established chains of authority. Family members emphasized education over material things; reading over audiovisual or social activities; family cohesion over individual wishes; and academics over extracurricular activities. The parents' strong positive academic achievement orientation was communicated to the children and reinforced by relatives, family friends, and others. In turn, the adolescents possessed positive school-related attitudes and attributional styles. While they admitted their parents were somewhat strict, they voluntarily complied with the rules and were highly motivated to succeed because they believed their parents deeply cared for them and that education leads to success and upward mobility. Each adolescent was pursuing an academic track and planning for college and specific profession. The findings support Ogbu's cultural ecological model (1991). I recommend these findings to teachers, counselors, administrators, parents, and others working with West Indian American families. ^

The effects of parental nurturance and involvement on peer relationships and psychosocial functioning of young adults

This study examined peer relationships and psychosocial functioning as a function of maternal and paternal involvement and nurturance along with the moderating effects of gender, family form, and ethnicity. Prior research has shown the influence of mother’s involvement on peer relationship quality but not of fathers. Further, previous studies did not examine moderation by family form, gender, or ethnicity. The sample consisted of 1359 students who identified their biological mother and father as the most influential parental figures in their lives. Their ages ranged from 18 to 26; Sixty-one percent of the sample was Hispanic, 13% non-Hispanic Black, 25% non-Hispanic White; 76% female and 70% from intact families. The analytical strategy included using bivariate correlations and structural equation modeling to examine these relationships. ^ All dimensions of maternal and paternal nurturing and involvement were positively related to positive characteristics of peer relationships, self-esteem and life satisfaction consistent with the multicultural findings of PARTheory (Rohner, Khalique, & Cournoyer, 2005). A structural model was developed that was able to adequately account for the relationship between parental influence, peer relationships, and psychosocial functioning. These effects of both maternal and paternal influence were strongly moderated by culture, family form, and gender. Finally, a differential effect was found among parental influence with fathers having a greater influence on friendship quality and importance than mothers, despite greater maternal involvement. ^ These findings have theoretical, clinical, and social implications as they call for a socially based theoretical perspective within which to study these relationships. Such a perspective would better inform clinicians when using impaired social functioning as indicative of axial diagnosis, and for the implementation of social policy to encourage paternal involvement. ^

The influence of spirituality, race/ethnicity and religion on parent grief and mental health at one and three months after their infant's/child's death in the neonatal or pediatric intensive care unit

The death of an infant/child is one of the most devastating experiences for parents and immediately throws them into crisis. Spiritual and religious coping strategies may help parents with their loss. The purposes of this longitudinal study were to: (1) describe differences in bereaved parents' use of spiritual coping strategies across racial/ethnic and religious groups, mother/father dyads, and time—one (T1) and three (T2) months after the infant's/child's death in the neonatal (NICU) or pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), and (2) test the relationship between spiritual coping strategies and grief, mental health, and personal growth for mothers and fathers at T1 and T2. A sample of 126 Hispanic, Black/African American, and White parents of 119 deceased children completed the Spiritual Coping Strategies scale, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Impact of Events-Revised, Hogan Grief Reaction Checklist, and a demographic form at T1 and T2. Controlling for race and religion, spiritual coping was a strong predictor of lower grief, better mental health, and greater personal growth for mothers at T1 and T2 and lower grief for fathers at T1. The findings of this study will guide bereaved parents to effective strategies to help them cope with their early grief.

Temporal changes in immigration stress, adaptation, and the factors contributing to the immigration -adaptation process in newly immigrant parents

The adaptation process to a new land can be an arduous transition for families who migrate from their countries in an attempt to evade negative life conditions. Family-based immigration has been the cornerstone of immigration policy for the U.S. However, there has been a relative lack of attention given in immigration studies to the impact of immigration particularly on parents. Furthermore, little is known about their adjustment to their post-migration circumstances, particularly the initial phase of migration, where the psychological impact of immigration tends to be concentrated. It is even rarer that investigators have addressed longitudinally the dynamic process of parents' adaptation to a new ecology, which can shed a great deal of light on its mechanisms. In this dissertation, changes over time in levels of stress, adjustment (affect balance and life satisfaction), and the factors (social support, economic hardship, and discrimination) contributing to stress and adjustment were examined in newly immigrant parents from Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Haiti, and the West Indies. Moderating effects of gender and country-of-origin were examined as well. This study also aimed to investigate to what extent the contributing factors impacted stress and adjustment, not only concurrently, but also over the first three years of post-migration. Analysis of variance results showed that both affect balance and social support increased whereas life satisfaction decreased over time. There was no significant change in stress, however. Both gender and group effects were also observed. Mothers experienced higher stress whereas fathers experienced higher discrimination. Among groups, Haitians appeared at the greatest risk in terms of stress, discrimination, and economic hardship. A structural equation modeling analysis showed that the relative importance of contributing factors changed over time in the process of immigrants' adaptation. Yet, social support emerged as a powerful protective factor in that its effects carried over time, and discrimination was a primary mediator through which other predictors were related to stress and adjustment. These findings shed light on the "hows and whys" of the immigration-adaptation process, by demonstrating the significance of specific conditions of life change to psychological outcomes as newly immigrant parents adapt to their post-migration ecology.

The genetic and environmental effects of parental age on the expression of psychopathology in adoptees

Secondary analysis of 581 adoptees was utilized to determine if parental age is related, either genetically or environmentally, to the development of psychopathology. The significant results showed that proband adoptees (with psychopathology in biologic relatives) with younger birthparents had increased alcohol abuse and those with younger birthfathers had increased antisocial personality while adoptees with older birthparents had increased depression. Analyses on control adoptees (with background free of known genetic disturbances) showed that those with younger adoptive mothers had increased antisocial personality and drug abuse and those with younger adoptive fathers had increased antisocial personality while adoptees with older adoptive fathers had increased depression. Implications of these findings are that adoptees with both younger birth and adoptive parents are more likely to have externalizing symptoms, while adoptees with both older birth and adoptive parents are more like to have internalizing symptoms. This information is beneficial to those involved in adoption placement.

Vivências do pai/ acompanhante no processo da hospitalização do filho

The presence of the man with the hospitalized child is still insignificant and the relationships established in hospitals culminate in several situations that can to influence his experience. The study aimed to analyze the experiences of the parent / caregiver during the hospitalization of their child. In intention to develop the research, it was conducted an exploratory and descriptive qualitative research approach, developed with 11 fathers who accompanied sick childen at the Paediatric Hospital in metropolitan area of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. As inclusion criteria men should be aged 18 years; have favorable emotional conditions to answer the questions are be accompanying his child aged between one to five years old in clinical or surgical. Data collection occurred in March and April 2014, using an interview script. This step prior to the approval of the Health Department of state of Rio Grande do Norte, approved by Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte Committee on Ethics in Research by Certificate of Presentation and Ethics Consideration No. 22821513.1.0000.5537. The data treatment occurred following the content analysis method in thematic modality proposed by Bardin. According to statements the following categories emerged: "The presence of the father in the hospitalization of a child" and "Responsibilities and parental attitudes the hospitalization of a child”, which were analyzed and discussed based on the literature on the family in the hospitalization of the child and considerations about the care of the child. It was founded that the respondents the experienced institutionalization son were inserted in a context of active participation of tasks and sharing responsibilities. Thus it was considered in the study the need of enforcing rights of the father as a family entity in practice of them child care instead of social and gender issues that are still strongly rooted in contemporary society. Given this, it is necessary that the nursing staff consider the various situations faced by man during infant hospitalization with the first fruits of this approach to the care of the son process minimizing the sequelae stemming from being away from the family nucleus

Vernacular perceptions of masculinity and fatherhood among Newfoundland offshore workers and their families

My thesis is an ethnographic study of how offshore workers of Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as their families, express and reflect upon traditional Newfoundland constructs of fatherhood and masculinity through narrative and ritual. With a schedule that often involves a constant shift between home and away, offshore workers in the province take part in high-risk professions in order to provide for their families back home. These professions, and their associated lifestyles, involve the incorporation of routine strategies that allows family culture to maintain itself. At the same time, these professions largely carry on a tradition of hegemonically masculine practices, albeit in a newer context. Drawing on a blend of literary and ethnographic research based on the Avalon Peninsula, I utilize examples of current Newfoundland culture to describe how nostalgic memoirs of outport Newfoundland create models of hegemonically masculine fatherhood in the province. I go on to explain how those models manifest themselves in the experiences of current offshore workers, and how they affect their spouses and children. Furthermore, through examining how young adults with offshore-working parents describe their experiences of their fathers, it is possible to see how the effects of local hegemonic masculinities are manifested through narratives about fathers who worked away from home.

A Test of the Biogenicity Criteria Established for Microfossils and Stromatolites on Quaternary Tufa and Speleothem Materials Formed in the “Twilight Zone” at Caerwys, UK

Natural Resources Wales and Steven Griffiths are thanked for access to Caerwys quarry and permission to work on the site. Sebastiaan Edelman and Thomas Logeman assisted with fieldwork and provided some of the field photographs. Bouke Lacet (Sedimentology laboratory, VU University Amsterdam) prepared the thin-sections. Three anonymous reviewers helped to sharpen the manuscript, and Sherry Cady provided valuable editorial advice and assistance. A.T.B. was inspired by Martin Brasier. He dedicates this manuscript to his father’s memory.

A Test of the Biogenicity Criteria Established for Microfossils and Stromatolites on Quaternary Tufa and Speleothem Materials Formed in the “Twilight Zone” at Caerwys, UK

Natural Resources Wales and Steven Griffiths are thanked for access to Caerwys quarry and permission to work on the site. Sebastiaan Edelman and Thomas Logeman assisted with fieldwork and provided some of the field photographs. Bouke Lacet (Sedimentology laboratory, VU University Amsterdam) prepared the thin-sections. Three anonymous reviewers helped to sharpen the manuscript, and Sherry Cady provided valuable editorial advice and assistance. A.T.B. was inspired by Martin Brasier. He dedicates this manuscript to his father’s memory.

Das saudades que se tem: a representação paterna na escrita autobiográfica de Bartolomeu Campos de Queirós

In our work, we analyze some works of Bartolomeu Campos de Queirós that compose the “autobiographical cycle”, especially those ones that bring the image of father’s absence/presence, the relationship between life and writing, as well as the father’s figurations and his intermediates and substitutes. We especially investigated the aspect of repetition about how the family relations are articulated, highlighting those ones that happen between father and son and that appear in these texts. This problematic interested us as a research object, a priori, because the works of Bartholomeu Campos de Queirós are an exponent of literature for children field, as far as they show that the childhood is not always “colorful”, happy and perfect as several productions supposedly made “for children” seek to have us believe. In addition, the selected texts that have an autobiographical characteristic and put the issue of child suffering because of the father’s absence are configured as a very rich corpus for studies related to the relation between life/work and investigations in the dialogue between Literature and Psychoanalysis. These aspects will permit us to understand why the pain of missing father be repetitive and insistent in these books. Thus, we problematize, by the selected works for this study, the concept of literature for children and young people and the notion of literary reading. We also analyzed in the “statements” given by the author the relationship between life and writing and we investigated, based on psychoanalytic studies, the literary writing as a possibility of both unconscious development of memory marked by the father’s absence – remedy – as of a perpetuation of this same conflict – poison. Furthermore, we analyzed how the relationship between son and father are processed considering the mother’s absence, since the works that have this person’s presence, she seems to mediate such relationships in a certain way.

Men's liberation demonstration

General note: Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.

Men's liberation demonstration

General note: Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.

Men's liberation demonstration

General note: Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.

Men's liberation demonstration

General note: Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.

A Test of the Biogenicity Criteria Established for Microfossils and Stromatolites on Quaternary Tufa and Speleothem Materials Formed in the “Twilight Zone” at Caerwys, UK

Natural Resources Wales and Steven Griffiths are thanked for access to Caerwys quarry and permission to work on the site. Sebastiaan Edelman and Thomas Logeman assisted with fieldwork and provided some of the field photographs. Bouke Lacet (Sedimentology laboratory, VU University Amsterdam) prepared the thin-sections. Three anonymous reviewers helped to sharpen the manuscript, and Sherry Cady provided valuable editorial advice and assistance. A.T.B. was inspired by Martin Brasier. He dedicates this manuscript to his father’s memory.