Browsing by Author "Boynton, Heather"
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Item Open Access "It feels like we are aliens": A narrative inquiry of life stories told by women with ADHD.(2023-01-09) Merrick, Jennifer; Boynton, Heather; McLuckie, Alan; Climie, Emma; McLaughlin, Anne-MarieThere is a dearth of research on women with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and women’s voices and experiences of ADHD need to be better heard and understood. This qualitative inquiry aimed to better understand the lived and holistic experiences of women with ADHD in Alberta Canada, and how their experiences impacted identity and sense of self. A holistic perspective was chosen as it considers not only the mind, but the body and spirituality of the individual which are important to understanding self and experience. This study interviewed six adult women from Alberta, Canada using a narrative inquiry methodology. Themes presented from the narratives included 1) ‘feeling like an alien’ and experiences of alienation from self and social worlds; 2) differences in male and female experiences; 3) narratives of self-discovery, acceptance, and redefining success; 4) narratives on the importance of relationships; 5) narratives on identity and ADHD; 6) narratives on a holistic sense of self. This study presented an important perspective and insight into the worlds of women living with ADHD, and additionally exposed several gaps in the literature that would be important for further social work research and informing practice.Item Embargo Physically distanced yet digitally connected: A scoping review and thematic analysis on grief, social media, and COVID-19(2023-09-14) Sohal, Pooja R.; Wada, Kaori; Maroney, Meredith; Boynton, HeatherThanatechnology is a budding field that explores the nexus of technology within grieving rituals and experiences. Previous research indicates that social media has become part of our everyday communication, and has expanded to our grieving rituals. However, the pandemic acted as a catalyst to adapt the tools we had to cope with loss. This thesis comprised two studies to understand grief communication in digital spaces. In the first study, we conducted a scoping review to grasp what has already been reported on grieving on social media. We extracted 47 peer-reviewed articles based on our inclusion criteria. We were able to identify different domains of information including platform characteristics, the types of users, the transformation of the griever’s relationship to the deceased, community interactions, and functionalities of social media connection. Grieving online can provide a connection to other grievers and maintain a connection with loved ones. The scoping review created a foundation of knowledge in digital grieving prior to the pandemic. We then conducted a second study, a reflexive thematic analysis using naturally occurring data to understand the griever’s experiences during the pandemic. Five discussion threads were extracted from a grieving community on Reddit who lost someone because of the COVID-19 virus. We identified that users discussed the COVID-19 virus as an anthropomorphized “Evil Monster” that took away their loved ones. Other themes identified included unfairness from pandemic loss and restrictions, encountering losses despite extensive safety precautions, understanding of unique pain from COVID-19 loss, sharing the grieving experience online, and finding compassion with other members. This research provides a historic snapshot of the grief experience during the pandemic as our communication shifted. The results of this study are timely in relation to the introduction of artificial intelligence and allude to future directions for thanatechnology studies. Lastly, the ethical responsibility of using social media for data collection is addressed.Item Open Access Protocol for a rapid scoping review to examine child health and well-being indicator frameworks in OECD countries(2022-09-26) Roth, Christiane; Zwicker, Jennifer; Hagel, Brent; Boynton, Heather; Crowshoe, Lynden F.J.; Dimitropoulos, Gina; Exner-Cortens, Deneira; Metcalfe, Amy; Russell-Meyhew, Shelly; Schwartz, Kelly Dean; Thomas, Karen; Tough, SuzanneThe purpose of the rapid scoping review is to identify commonly recognized domains/dimension and indicators considered important to the measurement of child health and wellbeing of children and youth to inform the development of a wellbeing indicator framework. Understandings of the concept and importance of health and wellbeing has evolved in the recent decades to encompass wider determinants of health. The concept of wellbeing or quality of life in particular, has become increasingly relevant at the international and national policy levels as a measure for a country’s overall performance. Wellbeing or quality of life indicator frameworks can help monitor health and wellbeing over time in a given jurisdiction and guide the development of cross–sectoral wellbeing policies and strategies to improve overall wellbeing outcomes of the population. This protocol describes our approach to a scoping review, which will gather comprehensive data on how child health and wellbeing is defined and measured across the globe. The protocol is based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist, which will also guide its reporting. The scoping review will include peer-reviewed articles and information from a grey literature search of inter-governmental organizations and official documents of OECD countries. Data will be synthesized to showcase what child health and wellbeing is commonly comprised of (dimensions/domains/components) and which indicators and sources are used to measure the concept.Item Open Access Pulled from the Shoreline in Search of Spacious Spirituality: The Journeys of Women of Evangelical Christian Backgrounds(2023-01-05) De Vynck, Emma A.; Boynton, Heather; Burns, Victoria; Groen, Janet; Enns, RichardThis study explored the lived experience of spiritual distress (SD) from the perspective of four women aged 25-35 years from evangelical Christian (EC) backgrounds in Western Canada. Using a qualitative design, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) and semi-structured interviews, this exploratory study revealed SD to be a dynamic, tension-filled, ongoing journey. The journey is metaphorically characterized by four ocean-themed, non-linear phases: 1) inhabiting the familiar yet limiting shoreline of EC; 2) being pulled out to the expansive, unknown sea; 3) navigating the storm and contending with existential uncertainty, relational wounding, and traumatic experiences within EC; and 4) floating in an unfinished, yet more tenable and spacious spirituality. Importantly, all four phases were affected by two undercurrents: 1) ongoing tensions, and 2) isolation and loss. These findings illuminate an SD journey that pulled participants from the containment of EC to a more nourishing, spacious spirituality more aligned with their values and burgeoning self-authorship. This thesis hopes to honor oft-silenced stories of SD and encourage deeper awareness and understanding regarding SD in social work research, policy, practice, and education.