Deep In The Shadows Of Loss: An Exploration Of Grief, Mourning, And Intellectual Disability, Cara Grosset

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This qualitative research project explores grief and mourning experiences of people labelled/with intellectual disabilities subsequent to the death of someone important in their lives. The primary research question was: in what ways do people labelled/with intellectual disabilities experience grief after the death of a significant person in their lives? The need for a project of this kind is grounded in the lack of research and social work practice literature related to better understanding grief, mourning, and support experiences after a death from the perspective of people labelled/with intellectual disabilities. The dual purpose of this research is to better understand (and …

I Am Queer And Asian: The Crossroad Of Race And Lgbtqia+ Identity Among Queer Asian Canadian Youth And The Impacts Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kenny Chee

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

LGBTQIA+ Asian youth face unique challenges due to their intersecting identities. Utilizing Asian Critical Race Theory and the Integration Model of Stress and Trauma in LGBTQIA+ Asians, LGBTQIA+ Asian youth are likely to experience detrimental mental health outcomes due to the stigmatization within their Asian culture and racial discrimination from the LGBTQIA+ communities. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing challenges because of the closure of community spaces and increased hate crimes against Asians. Nonetheless, research on the intersectional experiences of LGBTQIA+ Asians in Canada, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic is sparse. Thus, to address this gap, I …

Examining The Lived Experiences Of Families With Children With Developmental Disabilities Participating In Recreational Dance Programs, Isabella Seguin

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Objective

Families with children with developmental disabilities (DDs) experience effects on family functioning and will often turn to physical activity (e.g., dance) to mitigate these effects. This research examines the lived experiences of families with children with DDs participating in recreational dance programs to understand the myriad of effects on all participants: children with DDs, families, and dance instructors.

Methods

In order to fully understand the lived experiences of participants, phenomenology was used as the theoretical orientation to guide this research. Each case (5 cases, N=19) consisted of a primary parent, a child with a developmental disability, sibling(s) (if applicable), …

The Long-Term Effects Of Cannabis On Attention To Motion, Rachel Mccaig

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of the following study was to investigate the long-term effects of cannabis use on attention to motion.

Methods: Cannabis users, who varied in age of onset of use, were compared to control participants after abstaining from cannabis for at least 24 hours. One-hundred and ninety-seven participants engaged in a cognitive assessment followed by a motion discrimination task and an attention to motion task. The assessment consisted of a series of standard tasks that measured a range of cognitive processes such as attention, memory, and executive functioning. The motion discrimination task assessed the participants’ abilities in discriminating between various …

Distinctiveness And Similarity: How The Sub-Trait Facets Of The Big Five Self-Organize To Create Personality Types, Jonathan Thiessen

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The belief that people can be placed within a personality typology has persisted for millennia. At least as far back as Hippocrates (ca. 460 BCE–370 BCE) people were believed to be of a kind based on the four humors—blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. Since then, there have been many conceptions of personality typologies. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Enneagram of Personality are likely the most well-known personality typologies among the general public. Despite their wide public usage, neither typology boasts strong empirical support. However, psychology continues to investigate personality for evidence of a typology of personality. In …

Utilizing Ground-Penetrating Radar To Estimate The Spatial Distribution Of Snow Depth Over Lake Ice In Canada’S Sub-Arctic, Alicia Pouw

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

With the expected rise in air temperature, it becomes important to understand how snow will respond in different climate scenarios. The presence of snow over lake ice largely influences the ice thickness, and as Canada’s Arctic and sub-arctic regions are experiencing warming at twice the global rate, concerns rise as changes in the snowpack will significantly impact northern communities that rely on lake ice as a means of transportation, source for drinking water, and feeding their families. The distribution of snow depth is highly sensitive to changes in climate over time, as such a slight increase in air temperature or …

Examining The Effects Of Noise And Task Dependent Performance In Prosody Perception In Autistic Individuals, Zehranur Sasal

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

ABSTRACT

Objective: It is known that autistic individuals have enhanced abilities in pitch discrimination and tend to excel in low-level tasks requiring lower cognitive processing. On the other hand, noise is a distracting factor in many areas of life, including prosody perception. The studies presented in this thesis aimed to understand prosody perception through different levels of cognitive tasks and under the influence of speech background noise.

Methods: In total, 256 non-autistic and 39 high-functioning autistic adults participated in these studies. In the first study, participants were asked to listen to brief utterances conveying one of six universally accepted emotions …

The Contribution Of Phonological Overlap To The Cognate Effect: An Event-Related Potential Study Of Persian-English Bilinguals, Zahra Fotovatnia

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the contribution of phonological overlap to visual word recognition. More specifically, this study aimed at testing the phonological account of the cognate effect (i.e., faster and more accurate mental processing of cognates than noncognates) in visual word recognition in Persian and English, which are languages with different scripts. The phonological account attributes the cognate effect to the phonological similarity of cognates (form and semantically related words) in addition to the conceptual similarity that cognates and noncognates (semantically related words) have and to the degree of phonological similarity between cognates in two languages. …

Swimming Against The Tide: The Relational Praxis Of Social Justice In Social Work, Samantha Clarke

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Swimming Against the Tide: The Relational Praxis of Social Justice in Social Work

Abstract

This qualitative research study explores the praxis of social justice by social workers who identify as practising social justice–oriented social work in southern Ontario, Canada. The research is set against the backdrop of the evolution of social justice in social work, its practice in the current neoliberal environment, and its continued significance in the profession. The project draws on critical and liberal social justice philosophies to ask the question: “What does social justice praxis look like in the context of contemporary social work?” This is a …

Water Stories: An Exploration Of Human-Water Connectedness In Ontario And The Implications For Water Sustainability, Tracey Ehl

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Abstract

Water is the great connector. Water connects people, health, wellness, culture, spirituality, nature, and the economy. Clean, safe water (potable water) and sanitation were recognized over a decade ago by the United Nations General Assembly (UN) as a basic human right, and more recently the UN has also identified water sustainability and management as one of 17 sustainable development goals for all people in all countries. Water is inextricably connected to humans. Yet, in Ontario, Canada, a place with access to some of the largest freshwater reserves in the world, robust regulatory frameworks, involvement, some investment by all levels …

Transformations Towards Just Urban Sustainabilities: A Community Psychology Approach To Analyzing And Fostering Urban Changes, Bianca C. Dreyer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Cities are uniquely positioned to drive social change towards more just and sustainable futures. However, while discourses of ‘transformations towards sustainability’ have gained prominence, their focus on integrating equity and justice and tackling the root causes of current unsustainabilities is lacking. This document outlines a research endeavor aimed at analyzing and fostering urban sustainable transformations from a community psychology perspective. This research is based on the assertion that without radical change based in equity and justice considerations, transformative efforts fail. First, a theory of just urban sustainable transformations (JUST) is suggested that draws on urban transformations and just sustainabilities scholarship. …

Ethical Dilemmas And Moral Distress In Companion Animal Veterinary Medicine: Mental Health Implications, Bronwyn Dickson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Mental health concerns are a significant problem in the veterinary community, and studies suggest that veterinarians working in Western countries are at higher risk of suicide compared to the general population and other healthcare professionals (Bartram et al., 2009; Bartram & Baldwin, 2010; Platt et al., 2012). Additionally, veterinary medicine is an occupation inundated with complex ethical and moral dilemmas. However, current studies are limited in their ability to contextualize the risk and contributing factors fully; therefore, they offer limited insight into effective preventative and support strategies. Using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), eight companion animal veterinarians were interviewed about their …

Total Pit Bull Shit: Anomie And Breed Specific Legislation In Windsor, Ontario, Lauren Joy Sharpley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study employs Durkheimian sociology, anomie in particular, to examine breed-specific legislation in Windsor, Ontario. This thesis is unique in that it analyses breed-specific legislation (BSL) in a way that has not been done previously, by applying a rigorous, sociological theory perspective. Other than discussions on totemism and limited discussions of animals, previous applications of Durkheim’s theories on anomie, morality and law have not focused on human-animal relationships, especially the relationship between humans and companion dogs. Human animal studies (HAS) and critical animal studies (CAS) literature has not employed the Durkheimian concept of anomie to understand human-animal relationships and BSL …

A Vulnerability Approach To Irregular Migration And Modern Slavery In Australia, Jamal Barnes, Mostafa M. Naser, Joshua Aston

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

It is widely recognised that migrants and irregular migrants are at risk of modern slavery and slavery-like practices worldwide. As migrants and irregular migrants make their way across state borders, or reach their destination countries, they have been victim to practices such as forced labour, exploitation, wage theft, torture and inhuman treatment and sexual servitude, among other practices. Australia is no exception, with just under 300 cases of modern slavery reported to the Australian Federal Police between 2021 and 2022. Although Australia has acted to stop slavery and slavery-like practices, it has focused on a law enforcement response, ignoring the …

Afghan Immigrants In Western Australia: Divisions Within The Community And Integration Within The Society, Omid Rezaei, Vicki Banham, Hossein Adibi

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The integration process for immigrants is a multi-dimensional concept, influenced by a wide range of structural and individual factors, including social connections that immigrants make in the host society. An important part of this social connection can be developed with other co-nation immigrants within the immigrant community. However, this sometimes can be challenging due to the divisions that might exist within communities. Drawing on data with a mixed-method design, this study focuses on the Afghan community in Western Australia to understand, firstly, the relationship between Afghan immigrants’ social connections within their community and successful integration within Australian society, and secondly …

Gaze Behaviour, Body Image In Women And Online Apparel Shopping, Ross C. Hollett, Peta M. Panaia, Aimee H. Smart

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Online apparel shopping is popular among women, with possible negative body image consequences, particularly when the website imagery is body-focused. We investigated both correlational and experimental effects of online apparel shopping on women's (N = 113) explicitly and implicitly measured self-worth, appearance attitudes and body gaze behaviour. Self-reported online apparel shopping behaviour positively correlated with self-objectification and a tendency to value and compare one's appearance. Following a simulated online shopping activity, women who browsed a body-focused activewear website felt worse about their looks, when compared with women who browsed a non-body-focused casualwear website. The activewear condition also primed lower subsequent …

It's Quite Good Fun: A Qualitative Study Of A Singing/Songwriting Programme For People With Parkinson's Disease And Their Spouses, Deborah Hersh, Shi J. Kong, Jessica Smith

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: : Group singing for people with Parkinson's disease (PD) is an established intervention not only to improve voice and speech difficulties but also for emotional and social benefit. Less is known about the experiences of group singing on the couple—the person with PD and their spouse or partner together—and studies have not specifically tracked impact through time or in combination with songwriting. Aims: : To understand the impact of group singing/songwriting on couples (participants with PD and their spouses) to unpack whether this broader view might help explain why such interventions are reported as beneficial. Using a trajectory approach, …

Understanding The Identity Work And Aspirations Of Indigenous Males Navigating Elite Australian Higher Education, James A. Smith, Garth Stahl, Andrew Harvey, Braden Hill, Himanshu Gupta, Sam Moore, Jianing Wang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In Australia, there has been increased attention to attracting Indigenous peoples into higher education but, despite a recent growth in enrolment numbers, they remain severely underrepresented. This underrepresentation is particularly notable among Indigenous males, who are the least likely to attend. In this paper, we investigate the experiences of four Indigenous young men who attended an elite higher education institution. Aligned with other research on the experiences of Black and Minority Ethnic males in higher education, the article captures how their experience in privileged institutions compels them to reflect on their own positionality and the cultural interface between Indigenous and …

What Makes A Space Safe? Consumers' Perspectives On A Mental Health Safe Space, Lesley Andrew, Shantha Karthigesu, David Coall, Moira Sim, Julie Dare, Kathy Boxall

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The provision of community-based space for people experiencing a mental health crisis is regarded as a favourable alternative to the emergency department. However, the only non-emergency department safe spaces in Western Australia are located within hospitals or hospital grounds. This qualitative study asked mental health consumers in Western Australia with experience of presentation at the emergency department during a mental health crisis to describe what a safe space would look and feel like. Data were collected through focus groups and thematically analysed. The findings present the voices of mental health consumers through the framework of health geography and the therapeutic …

Walking Journeys Into Everyday Climatic-Affective Atmospheres: The Emotional Labour Of Balancing Grief And Hope, Petra Tschakert, Chantal B. Du Coudray, Pierre Horwitz

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The postapocalypse as a mobilising discourse for climate action operates largely out of anger over experienced and anticipated injustices as well as paradoxical hope that fuses loss and grief with freed-up solidarities in support of liveable futures. However, negotiating this emotional tension can be both draining and isolating. Here, we examine how white settler populations in Western Australia balance grief and hope in places they hold dear and the role emotions such as sadness, worry, disappointment, joy, and pride play in relational place making. Through an innovative in situ and mobile methodology we call Walking Journeys, we trace how participants …

Conversations With Rain: Proposing Poetic And Non-Linear Interpretation Strategies In The Art Gallery, Lilly Blue, Jo Pollitt, Mindy Blaise

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Conversations with Rain aims to disrupt conventional socio-constructivist and cognitive notions of the child familiar in museum settings by rethinking children’s relations with art objects and weather worlds. Our rationale suggests that poetic and non-linear interpretation strategies, combined with artist studio practices that heighten presence and attention, expand the potential of more porous entanglements for children with the world, and potentially transform our climate futures. Disrupting didactic Gallery programming and environmental ‘learning about’ practices, we propose responsive, participatory, multisensory, open-ended, and poetic opportunities that recognise the unfixed, iterative, and tacit knowledges of the child. Building a body of research through …

Invisible Women: Gender Representation In High School Science Courses Across Australia, Kathryn Ross, Shanika Galaudage, Tegan Clark, Nataliea Lowson, Andrew Battisti, Helen Adam, Alexandra K. Ross, Nici Sweaney

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The visibility of female role models in science is vital for engaging and retaining women in scientific fields. In this study, we analyse four senior secondary science courses delivered across the states and territories in Australia: Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, and Physics. We compared male and female representation within the science courses by examining the mentions of male and female scientists along with the context of their inclusions in the syllabuses. We find a clear gender bias with only one unique mention of a female scientist. We also find a clear Eurocentric focus and narrow representation of scientists. This bias …

An Artificial Therapist (Manage Your Life Online) To Support The Mental Health Of Youth: Co-Design And Case Series, Aimee-Rose Wrightson-Hester, Georgia Anderson, Joel Dunstan, Peter M. Mcevoy, Christopher J. Sutton, Bronwyn Myers, Sarah Egan, Sara Tai, Melanie Johnston-Hollitt, Wai Chen, Tom Gedeon, Warren Mansell

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: The prevalence of child and adolescent mental health issues is increasing faster than the number of services available, leading to a shortfall. Mental health chatbots are a highly scalable method to address this gap. Manage Your Life Online (MYLO) is an artificially intelligent chatbot that emulates the method of levels therapy. Method of levels is a therapy that uses curious questioning to support the sustained awareness and exploration of current problems. Objective: This study aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a co-designed interface for MYLO in young people aged 16 to 24 years with mental health problems. …

Bouncing Back From Covid-19: A Western Australian Community Perspective, Kiira K. Sarasjärvi, Paola Chivers, Ranila Bhoyroo, Jim Codde

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: This study explored the behavioral profiles of residing Western Australians during a COVID-19 lockdown period and transitions in behavior post-lockdown. Methods: A total of 313 participants (76% female, age: M = 50.1, SD = 15.7 years) completed behavioral and mental health questionnaire items ~2 months after a 3-month COVID-19 lockdown in October 2020, using a retrospective recall to assess their experience during the lockdown period. Latent transition analysis (LTA) was used to identify behavioral profiles and transitions. Indicators were identified by assessing during–post-lockdown group differences (Kruskal–Wallis, chi-square tests) and profiles described using qualitative open-ended questions. Results: Significant indicators included …

Conceptualising The Education And Care Workforce From The Perspective Of Children And Young People, Jennifer Cartmel, Susan Irvine, Linda Harrison, Lennie Barblett, Francis Bobongie-Harris, Leanne Lavina, Fay Hadley

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Children are significant stakeholders within education and care settings. Their views can be invaluable in thinking about what matters to conceptualising, assessing and improving quality in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) and Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) settings. As stakeholders, children’s views are rarely listened to by Australian policy makers to assess what constitutes quality and how the quality can be improved. In the process of updating two nationally approved Australian Learning Frameworks (ALFs): Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia 2.0 and My Time Our Place: Framework for School Age Care in Australia 2.0, …

Editorial: Sleep, Vigilance & Disruptive Behaviors, Osman S. Ipsiroglu, Gerhard Klösch, Rosalia C. Silvestri, Susan M. Mccabe, Georg Dorffner, Thomas C. Wetter, Luci Wiggs

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The Frontiers in Psychiatry Research Theme of Sleep, vigilance, and disruptive behaviors has two aims: first, to promote the understanding of the connections between vigilance and disruptive daytime behavior in the context of sleep deprivation and, second, to explore how naturalistic observations and pattern recognition can play a role in furthering our understanding of these connections. . . .

Feeling And Hearing Country As Research Method, Anne Poelina, Marlikka Perdrisat, Sandra Wooltorton, Edwin L. Mulligan

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper explains Feeling and Hearing Country as an Australian Indigenous practice whereby water is life, Country is responsive, and Elders generate wisdom for a communicative order of things. The authors ask, as a society of Indigenous people and those no longer Indigenous to place, can we walk together in the task of collectively healing Country? The research method uses experiential, creative, propositional, and practical ways of knowing and being in and with local places. Evidence may take many forms based upon engagement with an animate, sentient world. The research method can generate new meanings, implications and insights, and regenerate …

International Trauma-Informed Practice Principles For Schools (Itipps): Expert Consensus Of Best-Practice Principles, Karen Martin, Madeleine Dobson, Kate Fitzgerald, Madeleine Ford, Stephan Lund, Helen Egeberg, Rebecca Walker, Helen Milroy, Keane Wheeler, Amanda Kasten-Lee, Lisa Bayly, Angela Gazey, Sarah Falconer, Monique Platell, Emily Berger

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Recognition that schools should be responsive to children who are impacted by adversity and trauma is burgeoning internationally. However, consensus regarding the necessary components of a trauma-informed school is lacking. This research developed expert-informed and internationally relevant best-practice trauma-informed principles for schools. A four-phase methodology included (i) identification of school-relevant trauma-informed practice programs, (ii) inductive thematic analysis of the main concepts underlying programs, (iii) phrasing of draft Principles and (iv) Principle revision and finalisation via a two-round Delphi survey with international experts. Excellent agreement by experts on the importance of all Principles was achieved (round 1 ≥ 86.4%, 2 ≥ …

The Servant Of God As A Proactive Manager: A Team Service Solution Model For Meeting Covid-19 Challenges In Indonesia, Muner Daliman, Jonathan James

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life have died in Indonesia from Covid−19; work practices have been disrupted and various changes have occurred, including the sphere of service in churches, foundations, schools, and universities. The study aims to understand the concept of the proactive manager as a servant of God: a representative and spokesman for God who is obliged to plan, implement, and evaluate what he/she is doing in carrying out what God wills during the challenges of the Covid−19 era in Indonesia. The research method used was content analysis from secular and biblical texts. The results …

Cultural Capital And Underdevelopment In Less Developed Countries: The Case Of Northern Ghana, Jonas Quashie Klutsey, Kwadwo Adusei-Asante, Victor Fannam Nunfam

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Development paradigms under the sustainable development goals (SDGs) identify cultural capital as an indispensable asset for development in less developed countries. However, the phenomenon of culture and underdevelopment nexus has attracted little research attention in Ghana. The study used modernization theory and ethnographic research methodology to explore the role of cultural capital deficits in northern Ghana's underdevelopment. Our findings suggest a close correlation between cultural capital and underdevelopment relative to unethical attitudinal standards, value deficits, and an anti-development mindset. We recommend the inclusion of cultural reorientation in the design of development intervention programs to uphold high integrity standards. We further …