Jennifer G. Bohanek’s research while affiliated with University of Missouri and other places

Down syndrome (DS) is the most prevalent chromosomal condition, affecting one in every 733 babies born annually in the United States. Grounded in the communication theory of resilience (CTR;), the present analysis was conducted to evaluate mothers’ communicated resilience in narratives about the birth and diagnosis of their child with DS. In so doing, we sought to refine the theory by clarifying the conceptualization of CTR resilience processes (i.e. putting alternative logics to work, foregrounding productive action, maintaining and using communication networks, crafting normalcy, and affirming identity anchors). Qualitative analyses revealed all five CTR resilience processes along with novel nuances that expand existing perspectives and refine CTR concepts. Our findings suggest that foregrounding productive action should be analyzed separately from backgrounding negative feelings, and we revisit crafting normalcy with respect to disability. Opportunities for practical application to support families are provided.

Pregnancy and childbirth are uncertain experiences that become even more so when parents receive an unexpected medical diagnosis for their child. In the present study, we document sources of uncertainty and the tools used to manage uncertainty in 44 mothers’ narratives about the birth and diagnosis of their child with Down syndrome (DS); we also explore variability in the sources of uncertainty and uncertainty management tools as a function of whether mothers received a prenatal or postnatal diagnosis of DS for their child. Across our sample, thematic analysis revealed four sources of uncertainty in mothers’ narratives: navigating dissonance between parents and providers during diagnosis, managing disclosure of the diagnosis to others, anticipating child-centered challenges and adjusting developmental expectations, and anticipating family-centered challenges and adjusting familial expectations. Analyses also revealed four ways that uncertainty was managed: finding balance between parents and providers during diagnosis, reducing knowledge gaps by seeking information, pursuing support and building positive interpersonal relationships, and pursuing support and building positive relationships in DS communities. These findings, along with potential nuance based on whether mothers received a prenatal or postnatal diagnosis of DS for their child, have important implications for healthcare providers and medical professionals regarding how to best communicate DS diagnoses to families as a means of understanding and ultimately reducing the uncertainty they experience.

Previous research has examined parents' reflections on their child's Down syndrome diagnosis based on whether the diagnosis was provided prenatally or after birth, revealing few significant differences; by comparison, few studies have examined parents' reflections on the birth of the child in relation to the timing of the diagnosis. This study was conducted to examine whether mothers differentially reported on and rated the diagnosis, birth, and most recent birthday of their child with DS based on when the diagnosis was provided. Forty‐four American mothers of children with DS discussed the birth of their child, when they learned of their child's DS diagnosis, and their child's most recent birthday with a researcher. Participants also completed online questionnaires on which they rated the events and indicated how they felt about the events at the time of their occurrence and at the time of the study. The results revealed that participants who received a prenatal diagnosis of DS for their child reflected differently—and seemingly more positively—on their child's birth relative to participants who received a postnatal diagnosis. These differences were evident when considering participant ratings, emotion language used when discussing the events, and feeling states characterizing how participants felt about the events at the time of their occurrence and at the time of the study. Given these group differences, medical professionals should carefully consider the conditions under which they provide mothers with diagnostic information and support services after a child is born.

After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Polish people were tasked with making sense of war in close proximity while supporting millions of Ukrainian refugees fleeing to Poland. In times of distress, such as war and refugee crises, intergenerational storytelling helps people make sense of their experience. Interviews with 28 Polish adults during the first five months of the war revealed that intergenerational family storytelling prompted them to: cope with war, connect with Ukraine, and help others. These narrative functions were informed by various levels of culture, as proposed by ecological systems theorizing. Findings expand communication narrative sense-making theory by accounting for sociohistorical influences in intergenerational family storytelling and highlighting how family storytelling can motivate action during crisis.

The current study focused on familism-related content that emerged in a primarily qualitative analysis of U.S. Mexican mother-child conversations about sibling conflicts (Mage = 10.55; English = 43 (24 female); Spanish = 43 (19 female)). The study’s goals were to (1) describe how familism, a central Latinx value, is conveyed to children in late middle childhood, (2) uncover signs that children at this age actively or passively accept or reject mothers’ observations and expectations, and (3) determine if there are differences in conversation content based on language preference, child gender, or birth order. During discussions about sibling conflict, mothers’ and children’s comments revolved around four pillars of familism: establishing and maintaining harmony and devotion, recognizing the specialness of family ties (in this case sibling ties), accepting role obligations, and developing other-orientation. These values were expressed more implicitly than explicitly by a majority of the dyads. Most children accepted at least some of mothers’ statements, but resistance was also high. Chi-square tests indicated no gender-of-child or birth order differences in the content of the discussions, but dyads who spoke Spanish during the conversations were more likely than those who spoke English to speak in explicit familistic terms and to point to the specialness of the sibling tie. Our study is strengths-based as we demonstrate that in U.S. Mexican families, children’s conflicts with their siblings may serve as catalysts for “teaching moments” during which parents impart culturally relevant values.

Individuals create both personal and culturally shared meaning through narratives; however, sparse research has explored the specific ways in which individuals might use such cultural narratives in creating meaning from developmentally important experiences. In this study, we examine how emerging adults narrate positive romantic relationships, both because emerging adulthood is critical for the development of intimacy and because romantic relationship narratives are pervasive in cultural media. Thematic analysis of 31 narratives from mostly European-descent students attending a private liberal arts university in the Southeast US (mean age 19; 16 self-identified females) revealed three major narrative arcs, Love Grows, Firecrackers and Fairytale , which varied in coherence, coda, and mutuality of the relationship, but did not differ by gender. Further examination and discussion of these narratives suggest how emerging adults are making sense of their first romantic relationships in ways that inform efforts to educate and intervene to promote healthy and positive relationships.

Introduction: This study explored Latino Migrant Farmworker (LMFW) youths' perceptions regarding access to health care in the United States (U.S.). Methods: Twenty semi-structured audio-voice recorded interviews were conducted with LMFW youths (aged 15-20 years old) in Georgia and Florida. Thematic analysis was used to explore whether, and how, LMFW youths would seek health care in the U.S. as well as their personal views toward health care. Results: Five distinct perceptions regarding accessing health care were delineated: (1) cultural-related views and attitudes toward health care, (2) transportation dependency, (3) English language as a barrier for communication, (4) lack of knowledge of available resources, and (5) embracing the obligation, and the necessity, of work. Conclusions: Some of LMFW youths' perceptions of seeking access to health care in the U.S. point to barriers related to social determinants of health. These barriers suggest the need for significant reform within the U.S. health care system to include farmworker youths' health needs and to promote cultural responsiveness among clinicians and rural health providers to better serve this vulnerable population.