MA Thesis Defense

From Feeling Sick to Being Ill: How Young Women Experience Chronic Illness

Dunahay Pereyra
Department of Sociology, University of Connecticut

Committee Members
Dr. Nancy Naples (Chair)
Dr. Jane Pryma
Dr. Laura Mauldin

Friday, September 30, 2022 | 10:00 am EST
Zoom Link Below


For many years, chronic illness has been associated with old age, but there is a rising population of young people who receive diagnoses early in life and then must grapple with the prospect of illness for years to come, if not the rest of their lives. Due to wide-held beliefs about both their age and gender, young women in particular struggle to be diagnosed and get treatment for chronic illness (Cleghorn 2021; Conrad 1992). My thesis seeks to address gaps in the existing literature by investigating the experience of chronic illness for young women as they go through symptoms, diagnosis, and management stages. I draw on social construction of illness models (Brown 1995; Conrad and Barker 2010; Cooper and Gilbert 2017; Freidson 1970; Jutel 2009), as well as feminist health scholarship (Broom, et al. 2015; Dusenbery 2017; Duong 2019; Kempner 2014; Schalk and Kim 2020; Washington 2019), and disability studies (Garland-Thomson 2003; Mauldin and Brown 2021; Pryma 2017; Schalk and Kim 2020; Thomas 2012) in order to capture the full breadth of issues faced by young women with chronic illness. By combining these different approaches, my analysis makes connections between the micro-level interactions women have with healthcare workers and members of personal social networks, and women’s daily pain and illness management, as well as resources vital to this management. In this way, I generate findings that integrate feminist disability and health scholarship. My study utilizes data from twenty-one semi-structured, in-depth interviews with young women who self-identify as having a chronic illness. I found that the lack of medical certainty has led these women to develop strategies for dealing with both the physiological and social implications of their chronic illness(es).


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English Proficiency and Ethnic Disparities in Health among U.S. Asian Men and Women

Junlan Ren
Department of Sociology
University of Connecticut

MA Thesis Defense
Friday, September 30th, 2022
12:00 pm

Committee Members
Dr. Fumilayo Showers (Co-Chair)
Dr. Ryan Talbert (Co-Chair)
Dr. David G. Embrick

Abstract
As one of the fastest growing ethnoracial groups in the United States, much data indicate that Asian Americans on average experience similar or better levels of educational attainment, occupational prestige, and health as white Americans. Despite their seeming advantage across multiple social indicators, fewer studies have interrogated the degree of heterogeneity in health among Asian populations in the U.S. The present study draws insights from the fundamental cause perspective first to examine ethnic variation in health among U.S. Asian adults, and second, to identify the role of English proficiency in health stratification processes. Using nationally representative data from the National Latino and Asian American Study, this study examines three commonly used indicators of health including self-reported health, physical functioning, chronic health conditions for four ethnic groups of Asian men (n=989) and women (n=1,087) including Vietnamese, Filipino, Chinese, and others. Results from gender-stratified binary logistic models identify ethnic disparities in health, but patterns depend on how health is measured. Overall, Vietnamese and Chinese men and women experience poorer self-rated health than other Asian populations, but Vietnamese men are more likely to have full physical functioning than other Asian men. Both Filipino men and women are at higher risks of chronic conditions. Moreover, English language proficiency is associated with poorer health on average, but the relationship is dependent on ethnic group such that Vietnamese men with low English proficiency are less likely to benefit from language assistance compared to Filipino and Chinese adults. This study affirms the importance of examining heterogeneity within socially identified populations and incorporating multiple health measures to extend beyond potential health misclassification concerns. Moreover, it is important for studies identifying health stratification processes for racialized groups to focus on social determinants of health that are fundamental to the health status of that racialized group.

The Paradox of Diversity: A Case Study of Diversity Organization and Operation in Higher Education
Sujin Rhim
Department of Sociology
University of Connecticut

MA Thesis Defense
Friday, September 30th, 2022
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

Committee Members
Dr. Nancy A. Naples (Chair)
Dr. David G. Embrick
Dr. Fumilayo Showers

Abstract
Although universities and colleges today are embracing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) for numerous reasons, critics have argued that their efforts are inadequate to address the deep-seated institutional power and privilege of Whiteness. This study is an exploratory case study of a large, Public Research University in the Northeast (PRUN) to discover the larger contexts of diversity organization and operation in institutions of higher education that coordinate everyday diversity work. Through content analysis of the university’s online space as well as interviews with seven informants, I map PRUN’s diversity structure and explore the paradox of why diversity efforts have struggled despite general support and positive reception over the years.


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