Individual & family studies

Many middle-class families, according to Whiteman (2023) find it challenging to manage unless both parents contribute financially through employment. I chose to become a professional because I'd wanted better employment options. My academic research interests soon had me wondering what working-while-parenting experiences were like for other professionals. The overarching topic of my master's thesis was working-while-parenting. The study broadly explored how working experiences affect the parenting goals and/or family well-being of securely employed Trent faculty and/or staff.Trent working parents shared the experiences that working interferes with parenting; and that parents have specific work-life balance needs; they also shared the perspective that parenting accessibility is a working parent right. Trent working parents indicated that success in fulfilling their parenting goals, needs and responsibilities, requires priority, presence and at times, childcare. It was recommended that specific Trent Working Parent Representation be more broadly interpreted and purposefully approached.

Author Keywords: Family well-being, Parenting accessibility as a right, Parenting goals, Presence and childcare needs, Work-life balance, Working-while-parenting

Children may be spending less time outdoors in nature than in previous generations, with one potential reason being parents in their role as 'gatekeepers' to the outdoors. This study investigated how families are spending their time during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how parents may influence children's outdoor nature experiences. Parents (N = 121) from across Canada completed measures related to their family's activities as well as their own connection with nature, attitudes about nature, and childhood nature contact. Results suggest that having easy access to nature, a greater connection with nature, believing in the importance of outdoor experiences, and doing outdoor activities in childhood may be associated with more current family time outside in nature. By understanding the reasons behind parental decisions regarding where and how families spend time outside, strategies can be developed to help parents increase their children's nature time in the future.

Author Keywords: children, family, nature, nature-relatedness, outdoors, parents

A mixed-methods' approach was designed to explore the marital impacts

following weight-loss surgery (WLS). In Phase 1, ten individual interviews with spouses

of five couples were conducted; two of the couples had the wives preparing for WLS, two

of the couples consisted of wives who had WLS, and one couple had both received the

surgery. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a combination of interpretive

phenomenological and grounded theory techniques. Findings demonstrated that WLS

does have impacts on marriage regardless of where couples are in their journey. All

couples discussed food as a possible source of conflict in their relationship. Interviews

also reveled that self-esteem is a major factor contributing to their relationship and

support is necessary throughout. In Phase 2 an online survey was developed to

quantitatively explore the important constructs deemed important from the participants in

Phase 1. Relationships between relationship satisfaction, sexual conflict, self-esteem,

depression and body image were examined in 54 participants. Results demonstrate that

higher levels of support and self-esteem and lower sexual conflict relate to a more

satisfactory relationship in individuals post- WLS.

Author Keywords: marital satsifaction, mixed-methods, qualitative, relationship satisfaction, weight-loss, Weight-loss surgery