Browsing by Author "Maxine Thompson, Committee Chair"

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Caregiver Well-being & Household Composition
(2007-07-23) Kalmar, Kimberly Jean; Feinian Chen, Committee Member; Maxine Thompson, Committee Chair; Edward Kick, Committee Member
Formal caregiving is simply unaffordable for some families. Consequently, a significant portion of people with disabilities are cared for at home by relatives and friends. Household composition, therefore, matters because it signifies potential for caregiver integration and interaction with others. It follows that some interactions are more negatively influenced by the caregiving experience than others. Using the National Survey of Families and Households, Wave II (19921994), this study examines the association between caregiving and household composition within the context of the stress process theoretical framework. Particular attention is paid to how the norm of obligation among family members shapes interactions between members of different household types. Specific effects of household composition on wellbeing of caregiving adults who occupy multiple roles and social supports are also considered. Results indicate that singleparent and spouse/ partner households have lower subjective health scores compared to nonrelated households. Singleparent households, disabled caregivers, and caregiverswho are parents also have lower life satisfaction scores relative to nonrelated households and persons who do not occupy these roles. Generally, as the number of persons within the household increases, life satisfaction decreases. However, married caregivers have higher life satisfaction scores, better subjective health, and fewer days with symptomatic depression than unmarried caregivers. In addition, emotional support has a statistically significant effect on decreasing the number of days that depression is experienced and increasing life satisfaction. Instrumental support also increases life satisfaction. Lastly, age, race and education have mixed effects of caregiver wellbeing.
Does It Matter if You're Black or White? Skin Color and Psychological Well-being Among Middle-school Youth
(2006-08-02) Williams, Zaynah Ayisha; Maxine Thompson, Committee Chair; Melvin Thomas, Committee Member; Michael Schwalbe, Committee Member
The purpose of this research is to examine how dissatisfaction with skin color, as a component of perceived physical attractiveness, is associated with adolescent depression and self-esteem, controlling for skin color, beliefs toward skin color, gender, socioeconomic status, perceived discrimination, and peer and teacher stressors. Using a diverse sample of 388 middle-school students, I employ ordinary least squares regression to test hypotheses about the gender-specific and skin color specific effects of dissatisfaction with skin color on adolescent depression and self-esteem. The results show that dissatisfaction with skin color is positively related to depression and negatively related to self-esteem among adolescents. However, black or brown-skinned African American youth who are dissatisfied with their skin color experience higher levels of depression in comparison to white youth who are dissatisfied with their skin color. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Perpetuating Color-Blind Ideology: Middle School Children and Their Understanding of Race
(2008-08-08) Bellota, Angella A.; Michael Schwalbe, Committee Member; Barbara Risman, Committee Co-Chair; Maxine Thompson, Committee Chair
Race, Gender, and Bullying Behavior: The Role of Perceived Stereotypes
(2006-08-18) Farrar, Brandy Deneen; Maxine Thompson, Committee Chair; Michael Schwalbe, Committee Member; Feinian Chen, Committee Member
In recent years, bullying among middle-school youth and adolescents has become a serious problem in American schools (Nansel et al. 2001). Researchers from a variety of different disciplines attempt to identify factors associated with bullying in order to develop effective intervention programs. However, many findings in relation to race, gender, and bullying are largely inconclusive. The present study employs a social constructionist framework to understand race and gender differences in adolescent bullying. Specifically, I explore how the meanings associated with race and gender in the form of popular stereotypes influence bullying behavior. The findings reported here are from the Gender and Middle School study conducted among 535 adolescents attending middle school in the southeast. The results of the analyses show significant relationships between race, gender, and bullying. Black students (compared to white and other minority) and male students (compared to female) reported higher frequencies of bullying. Further, perceiving that others stereotype you increases the frequency of participating in bullying behavior and explains the relationship between race and bullying. Lastly, the stereotype influence is greater for black males in the study than the effect for white males. These findings have implications for education officials as well as theory on the influence of stereotypes on adolescent behavior.