Browsing by Author "Youngblood, Jessica"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Adapted Physical Activity Camps: Family Experiences and Implications for Family Relationships
    (2021-07-12) Youngblood, Jessica; McDonough, Meghan; Emery, Carolyn; Condliffe, Elizabeth; Legg, David
    Children with disabilities tend to be less active than typically developing children and barriers to participate in activities may cause strain on family relationships. Families caring for a child with a disability face higher levels of stress, burnout, and feelings of isolation. The purpose of this thesis was to better understand family members’ perspectives regarding family relationships as they relate to participation in an adapted summer camp for children and adolescents living with a disability. This thesis was informed by the Social Relational Model of Disability and Bowen’s Family Systems Theory. A constructivist epistemology and relativist ontology provided the foundation for two collective case studies examining interactions and relationships among families participating in adapted physical activity (PA) camps. The first study examined a camp where children and adolescents with disabilities have the opportunity to participate in a variety of adapted sports. The second study focused on a camp where children and adolescents with disabilities have the opportunity to participate in physical activities with their parents and siblings. In both studies, focus groups were conducted with each family at one time point with questions regarding their perceptions of their family relationships as they related to participation in the camps and their perspectives regarding the suspension of these recreation programs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify themes and examine similarities and differences in the families’ reported experiences. While experiences in the two contexts varied, themes included family members’ perspectives regarding what the child living with a disability is able to achieve, conversations surrounding disability, support for managing daily stressors, an understanding of one another, shared experiences and memories, sibling bonding, and pride in the child with a disability. Families also noticed that the confidence and independence experienced by the child living with a disability was meaningful for interactions within their families. The loss of the camps due to COVID-19 was associated with families experiencing isolation, worry, and frustration. The findings from these studies can be used to better understand family members’ experiences regarding adapted PA as it relates to family relationships.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemEmbargo
    “We’re stronger as a family”: Family experiences and relationships in an adapted physical activity camp
    (Elsevier, 2023-11-30) Youngblood, Jessica; McDonough, Meghan H.; Condliffe, Elizabeth G.; Legg, David; Emery, Carolyn A.
    Adapted recreation programs involving the entire family may offer ways to enhance relationships in families with a child living with a disability because they enable participating together in new and potentially empowering experiences. This study examined family members’ perspectives on their lived experiences with their relationships within their family and how they perceived they were affected by their participation in an adapted summer camp for families with a child living with a disability. We conducted a collective case study with five families who participated in a week-long camp. A focus group was conducted with each family and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Participation in the camp impacted family relationships by reducing isolation for mothers; alleviating stress and anxiety which helped families bond; providing shared experience which led to mutual understanding, communication, and support; improving independence and confidence of the child living with a disability; facilitating sibling bonding and parent comfort with giving siblings more responsibility; and enhancing families’ confidence to participate in family activities beyond the camp. These findings elucidate how participation in this type of program can impact relationships in families that include a child living with a disability and inform future program design.