University of Massachusetts Boston
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A Critical Analysis of Women’s Experiences of Sport Participation in Saudi Arabia
No full textThis study investigates Saudi women\u27s experiences in sports participation within the context of the country\u27s evolving social reforms. It addresses a major research gap on participation and policy issues, alongside a dearth of in-depth empirical studies on women and sport in Saudi Arabia. Traditionally, cultural norms, policies, and conservative interpretations of Islam have restricted women\u27s involvement in sports in Saudi Arabia. However, recent reforms under Vision 2030, aim to enhance women\u27s participation in sport. Using an intersectionality framework, the study examines how age, socioeconomic status, and geographical location shape women\u27s sports experiences. Through semi-structured interviews with women in Riyadh and Jeddah, the research highlights generational differences, with older women facing more barriers and younger women benefitting from increased inclusivity. Findings indicate that policy, cultural shifts, social expectations, income and geographic factors significantly shape women\u27s engagement in sports
Melanoma Mortality Disparity in Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Communities in Massachusetts: A Systematic Review and Integrated Policy Analysis
No full textAbstract
Objective: This systematic review and integrated policy analysis examines the disproportionately high melanoma mortality rate in Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) populations with a focus on policy analysis, change, and equity in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The specific aim is to identify the systemic factors contributing to the late-stage diagnosis of Acral Lentiginous Melanoma (ALM) and to propose feasible, evidence-based policy and practice solutions.
Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, utilizing databases including PubMed and CINAHL. The search strategy focused on keywords such as melanoma mortality, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI), skin of color in dermatology, and Advanced Practice Provider training. Articles published between 2018 and 2024 were screened and synthesized thematically.
Findings: The review confirms that AAPI patients face a 27% higher melanoma mortality rate compared to non-Hispanic White patients due to diagnostic delays (Osman et al., 2024). These delays are attributed to three primary gaps: a lack of specialty-trained providers, a failure to integrate skin-of-color content into foundational medical curricula, and inadequate public awareness coupled with poor institutional data tracking.
Recommendations: Three policy recommendations are proposed: 1) Mandating support for standardized post-graduate APP specialty programs; 2) Requiring the adaptation of core medical and APP curricula; and 3) Mandating a public awareness campaign paired with enhanced late-stage diagnosis reporting requirements.
Conclusion: Closing the AAPI melanoma mortality gap requires a comprehensive, structural intervention targeting the provider workforce, foundational education, and public health accountability
Autistic Adults In-Session Experiences In Psychotherapy: A Qualitative Meta-Analysis Of Helpful And Harmful Factors From First-Person Perspectives
No full textAutistic adults face heightened mental health needs yet encounter significant barriers in psychotherapy. Research on psychotherapy has often emphasized quantitative trials of specific modalities, while little attention has been paid to autistic adults’ own perspectives about in-session therapeutic processes. There is a need for clinical guidance that foregrounds autistic clients’ lived experiences of therapy, with emphasis on identifying what they find helpful or harmful, to inform accessible and affirming practice. In the present study, I conducted a qualitative meta-analysis that investigates autistic adults’ first-person accounts of psychotherapy. Thirty-three studies were included in the analysis. I used critical-constructivist grounded theory to develop a hierarchy of categories representing patterns across studies to clarify processes, harms, and benefits reported by autistic clients. Results included one core category, five thematic clusters, and fifteen categories. Findings indicated that therapy was harmful when rooted in neuronormativity, pathologization, or clinician bias, which placed the burden of adaptation on clients and caused lasting psychological harm. Conversely, therapy was experienced as helpful when providers demonstrated autism knowledge, affirmed autistic identity and experiences, ensured accessibility through structured and practical approaches, and centered client agency through collaborative partnership. These findings culminated in a core category: transforming therapy from a site of pathology to a site of partnership requires affirming, responsive, and flexible care. These findings highlight the necessity of autism-informed, neurodiversity-affirming therapy and underscores implications for clinical training, practice, and future research to enhance mental health care for autistic adults
Beyond the Self in Self-Compassion: Interdependent Values as a Moderator in the Mediated Relation Between Social Support, Self-Compassion, and Mental Health
No full textPsychological research often does not include diverse samples or focus on the experiences of people of color (POC). Western interventions have been created through an individualistic lens and are often not culturally responsive to the needs of POC. Despite the inclusion of common humanity and interconnectedness in the construct of self-compassion, research on self-compassion interventions has predominantly focused on self-oriented processes. Thus, the present study examined the associations between self-compassion, social support, and mental health outcomes, as well as the moderating role of interdependent values, among a sample of individuals who identify as POC at a U.S. university. Specifically, the present study investigated whether self-compassion and social support predict better mental health outcomes. Further, the study assessed whether self-compassion mediates the association between social support and mental health. Lastly, the study explored whether the association between social support and self-compassion in the mediation model is stronger among participants who endorse a higher degree of interdependent values. Results revealed that self-compassion and social support both predicted better mental health outcomes. Self-compassion partially mediated the association between social support and mental health symptoms as well as the association between social support and well-being. The moderating effect of interdependent values on the association between social support and self-compassion was not statistically significant. These results contribute to the growing body of evidence demonstrating the benefits of self-compassion and social support in reducing mental health symptoms and promoting well-being among POC. The findings suggest that self-compassion may be a potential mechanism through which social support improves mental health outcomes; however, given the cross-sectional nature of this study, further research is needed to investigate these associations. The clinical implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed
Shaping the Landscape: Analyzing Enclosure Types, Farm Productivity, and Resource Use in Viking Age and Medieval Iceland
No full textEnclosure walls, constructed during the Viking Age and Medieval periods, were a common feature of early Icelandic agropastoral farmstead infrastructure. These walls divided the landscape and created discrete areas, often protecting grass grown in homefields. Harvesting grass for fodder was essential to support livestock, especially cattle, through the winter. Enclosure walls were built with various combinations of turf, stone, and grass sod, which were generally cut, gathered, or excavated close to the wall’s location. Data was collected for this project and combined with substantial previous archaeological work, which all take advantage of common volcanic tephra layers (including Hekla AD 1104), to outline and date wall and farmstead deposits with soil cores and small excavations. This thesis examines enclosure size, date, occupation status, and location-based variables (elevation, slope, aspect, and region) for a sample of 80 enclosures in Skagafjörður, North Iceland. In cases where there is data, enclosure size is also compared to farmstead area.
The results of this research indicate that most enclosures surround a contemporary farmstead occupation. There are also uninhabited enclosures without contemporary farmstead occupations. The distribution of enclosure size estimates has a multimodal distribution with modes at 0.5 and 1.7 ha. Enclosure occupation type, based on whether an enclosure has a contemporary occupation, has an impact on enclosure size. During the early part of the settlement sequence (~AD 870 to AD 1104), occupied enclosures are statistically more likely to be larger than uninhabited enclosures. After AD 1104, all enclosures tend to be similar in size. The presence of very small, occupied enclosures (\u3c 0.5 ha) both pre-AD 1104 and from AD 1104-1300 may indicate a different subsistence pattern than attested to in the 18th and 19th centuries. Before 1104, farmstead area and enclosure size are not related, suggesting that homefield fodder was only one part of a broader agropastoral package that also relied on extensive resources. The conclusions of this study suggest that, while there are some important differences between the pre- AD 1104 enclosures and those established 1104-1300, both groups were a part of a flexible agropastoral adaptation that used intensive and extensive resources
Foodways and Community: Shellfish Consumption at Sitio Drago in Bocas del Toro, Panamá
No full textFood-related practices provide marginalized groups with spaces for cultural exchange and asserting agency within colonial contexts, often leading to the formation of new communities and identities. Marine mollusks, due to their widespread accessibility, have a significant role in the cuisines of African Diaspora and Indigenous communities in Latin America. This thesis examines shellfish consumption at Sitio Drago in Bocas del Toro, Panamá, highlighting how shellfish harvesting and communal cooking fostered community expression through local food sources. The study includes analyses of spatial distribution of mollusk species, MNI counts across three temporal periods, and a size distribution of common gastropods. Findings indicate a decline in shellfish consumption around 1200 AD due to population decrease and overharvesting, followed by an increase in the post-Columbian period correlated with European and Afro-Caribbean migration. While there were shifts in mollusk preferences, particular species, such as ark clams, remained consistently relied upon. The research also shows ongoing shared cooking spaces between Indigenous and Afro-Caribbean groups, which facilitated cultural exchange and kinship, leading to a shared cultural identity known as Bocatoreño by the late 19th and early 20th centuries
Evaluating Fish Biodiversity in Response to Headwater Stream Restoration in Coastal Massachusetts: A Case Study at Tidmarsh Farms in Plymouth, MA
No full textThis dissertation evaluates ecological responses to process-based restoration in a historically altered coastal headwater system in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Using two years of pre-restoration data and two years of post-restoration data, the research integrates analyses of habitat structure, fish community composition, functional traits, and morphological variation in the fourspine stickleback, Apeltes quadracus. Results show that physical habitat complexity increased briefly but did not persist, reflecting slow geomorphic adjustment in legacy-impacted streams. In contrast, functional trait structure and organismal morphology exhibited post-restoration shifts, indicating earlier biological responses to restored hydrologic and habitat processes than are detectable through taxonomic composition alone. Collectively, the findings demonstrate that ecological recovery proceeds at different rates across structural, functional, and phenotypic dimensions, and underscore the value of multi-scale indicators for evaluating early outcomes of stream restoration
Summary of Statedata: The National Report on Employment Services and Outcomes Through 2021
Get PDFThis Data Note summarizes the findings from the National Report on Employment Services and Outcomes Through 2021. Overall, the findings suggest that across data sources, people with IDD experience greater levels of unemployment, underemployment, low wages, and poverty compared to those without disabilities and those with non-IDD disabilities
HACK24F: AlzCare AI Assist: Empowering Alzheimer\u27s Care
Get PDFAlzCare AI Assist is a groundbreaking solution that leverages the power of artificial intelligence to revolutionize Alzheimer\u27s care. By delivering personalized assessments, psychological support, and caregiver assistance, we aim to transform the lives of those affected by this debilitating condition