Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1970, Graduate School

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2017, French and Italian

This dissertation reconstructs a narrative trajectory of French-Canadian girlhood in the twentieth-century through literature and film, revealing the French-Canadian girl as temporary sovereign of the contested borderland of her own body. In the works studied in this project, the girl-body emerges as a corps frontalier, a gendered borderland between childhood and womanhood, a space of no-longer/not-yet-ness that disrupts stable, traditional structures of identity and subjectivity. The girl herself, inhabitant of that body, is a troublesome subject-in-process, a figure marked by ambivalence, uncertainty, fluidity, and potentiality. She resists categorization as either child or woman, seeking instead to claim sovereignty over the territory of her body and her destiny as a girl. In many ways, she is like French-Canadian society, perpetually and actively en devenir, always working to define herself. Life in that unstable zone is at once exhilarating and exhausting, and appears untenable – but must this be the case? Or can a new conception of girlhood align with new conceptions of Quebecois(e) nationality to make it possible for both to retain the active potentiality of being mineur(e)? In order to better understand the relationship between feminine adolescence and French-Canadian identity, this project traces the evolution of girlhood as narrated in a set of literary and cinematic works. Chapter 1, a reading of Louis Hemon's Maria Chapdelaine (1913) and Gabrielle Roy's Bonheur d'occasion (1945), addresses the conflict between traditional notions of feminine destiny in French-Canadian culture and the more subversive individual desires of the girls expected to follow those notions, revealing the heavy expectation of almost literal self-effacement imposed upon girls as French-Canadian society prioritizes survivance. The second chapter brings together Anne Claire Poirier's film La fin des etes (1964) and Anne Hebert's novel Kamouraska (1970) to engage with the question (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1984, Graduate School

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Xavier University, 2011, Psychology

Studies on the relationship between high school students' participation in sports and structured activities and engagement in healthy and/or risky behaviors have resulted in mixed findings. In this study, students from 2 private, Catholic, single-sex high schools (N = 706) completed surveys about their participation in structured activities and health and risk behaviors. Whereas the amount of time spent participating in any type of structured activity was related to greater engagement in health behaviors and fewer risk behaviors, participation in sports (specifically) was associated with higher engagement in risk behaviors. Implications of these results in terms of sports participation as a "protective" activity in adolescence is discussed. General considerations and future research in this area are also discussed.

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Xavier University, 2006, Psychology

The purpose of the current study was to examine the number of reciprocated friendships, social self-efficacy, and depressive symptoms for a group of obese youth in comparison to non-overweight matched controls. In addition, the impact of having a reciprocated friendship on social self-efficacy and depressive symptoms was examined. Gender and race were also explored in relation to these variables. The data for this study were drawn from an existing data set of 78 children and adolescents, ages 8 to 16, seeking behavioral weight-management treatment, and 71 non-overweight classmates of the obese participants. The average body mass index (BMI [k/m2]) for the target group was greater than the 95th percentile (z=2.43). Control participants were not overweight (BMI ≤ 85th percentile, z=-0.02) and were the same gender, race, and closest in age to the target obese child. No significant differences were identified between obese and non-overweight youth in number of reciprocated friendships, levels of social self-efficacy, or levels of depressive symptoms. Further, the association of obesity status with depressive symptoms and social self-efficacy did not vary by whether or not the participant had a reciprocated friendship, or by gender or race. These findings indicate that obese youth who initiate weight management treatment are not experiencing more depressive symptoms or experiencing a lack of confidence to engage in social interactions relative to their non-overweight peers. Furthermore, despite the literature demonstrating that obese youth are less accepted by their peers, these children do not have fewer reciprocated friendships than their non- overweight classmates.

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2005, Psychology

Measuring positive youth development constructs has proven highly relevant to communities' efforts to create and implement appropriate, effective youth development initiatives. Various entities (e.g., Search Institute) have developed survey tools for creating school-wide profiles of the development-enhancing resources operative in students' lives. In this study of 215 mainstream middle school students and a number of early adolescents enrolled in alternative education programs, the current investigator introduced two major enhancements to asset-profile measurement techniques. First, most existing tools measure the assets provided by a relatively small number of “parent figures” in students' lives. Therefore, the current research gauged the assets provided to each student by numerous (from 3 to 10) important adults in their home and community. Second, youth development measures typically do not gauge youths' immediate, daily experiences of these assets. The current investigator, therefore, also developed and administered an electronic (Internet-based) utility that measures how pertinent adults in the young person's environment provide assets on a day-to-day basis. Tapping the assets provided by multiple adult targets was procedurally feasible and provided a rich depiction of the relationships in which youth have (or do not have) development-enhancing experiences. Factor analyses conducted separately for each type of adult revealed important similarities and differences, across adult-types, in how specific assets reduce to broader asset categories. For a limited number of specific assets, the depth of a student's experience of asset-provision—i.e. the average within-adult intensity and/or the across-adult redundancy of asset provision—appeared to be positively related to preliminary measures of salutary youth outcomes, such as academic success, positive friendships, and engagement in community service. Recruitment problems impeded substantial participation in the Inte (open full item for complete abstract)

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2025, Antioch New England: Environmental Studies

Adolescents with histories of trauma often experience disruptions to their emotional, social, and behavioral development. For those living in group home settings, supportive environments can play a key role in fostering healing and resilience. While nature interaction is increasingly recognized as a valuable way to support mental health and resilience, little research has explored its role in these settings. This study introduces an innovative methodology—the Interaction Pattern Approach (IPA)—to examine the role of nature interaction in coping and resilience for 12 adolescents with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) living in a youth group home. In this design, IPA integrates photovoice data with 22 months of participant-observation, employing a structured coding system to analyze meaningful adolescent-nature interactions. The analysis identified 62 distinct Level 3 Interaction Patterns (e.g., “experiencing periodicity of nature,” “seeing wildlife,” “seeking connection with animals”) that characterized how participants engaged with nature. These patterns were grouped into 7 Coping and Resilience Domains (e.g., self-regulation, autonomy, transcendence), each comprising numerous strengths (e.g., emotional regulation, perseverance, gratitude). The findings provide a foundation for developing a “nature language” that emphasizes the ontogenetic and phylogenetic significance of nature interactions. By demonstrating the diverse ways in which nature fosters coping and resilience, this study highlights the importance of prioritizing nature-based interventions in youth group homes and underscores nature's unique potential to support vulnerable populations. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Medicine: Clinical and Translational Research

Objectives: To determine proportions, patterns, and severity of hearing loss in adolescents with Down syndrome. To evaluate clinical factors and interventions associated with hearing loss in adolescents with Down syndrome. Study Design: Cross-sectional study Setting: Single tertiary care institution Methods: This study is a review of 599 adolescents with Down syndrome (ages 10 to 19 years old), with description of the presence, type, and severity of hearing loss based on most recent audiogram results. Those with most recent hearing audiogram completed in childhood (before 10 years of age) and those with most recent audiogram completed in adolescence (at 10 years of age or older) were compared. Clinical factors, including history of chronic otitis media, frequency of pressure equalization tube placement, and medical comorbidities, were compared between adolescents with and without hearing loss. Interventions for hearing loss were described. Results: The overall prevalence of hearing loss was 56% for individuals who completed a hearing test at the study institution. Among those who completed their audiogram in childhood, hearing loss was diagnosed in 49.7% (44.0% conductive hearing loss, 15.3% sensorineural or mixed hearing loss). Among those who completed their audiogram in adolescence, hearing loss was diagnosed in 63.0% (54.5% conductive hearing loss, 38.6% sensorineural or mixed hearing loss). There was a significantly higher proportion of sensorineural and mixed hearing loss among adolescents with hearing loss compared to those who were tested in childhood (p<0.0001). Conclusions: Hearing loss is common among adolescents with Down syndrome. Conductive hearing loss remains the predominant hearing loss type throughout adolescence; however, there is a higher prevalence of sensorineural and mixed hearing loss diagnosed in this age group as well. Additional studies are needed to evaluate long-term outcomes associated with hearing lo (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Ministry , Ashland University, 2024, Doctor of Ministry Program

The purpose of this project was to discover the extent to which students in U.S.-based Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE)-accredited programs had received training in trauma-informed care (TIC) pastoral practices for adolescents. Fifty-two surveys were completed by chaplains within various healthcare settings who had received ACPE training within the previous ten years. The results showed overall disappointment with the amount of TIC training received and a perceived lack of preparedness for providing pastoral care to traumatized adolescents. The results indicate a critical need for more research and training in TIC for this commonly overlooked population.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1962, Graduate School

Master of Social Work, The Ohio State University, 1963, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2006, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1970, Graduate School

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2007, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1965, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1966, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1968, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1961, Graduate School

Master of Social Work, The Ohio State University, 1963, Graduate School

Master of Social Work, The Ohio State University, 1963, Graduate School