Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Impact of Family Dynamics on Health in Low Income Communities Undergoing Rapid Socioeconomic Change

康涅狄格大学博士生玛丽A。Brault，在Stephen L. Schensul将研究家庭动态对婚姻的影响，以及经历快速社会经济变化的低收入社区年轻妇女的结果。这项研究将在印度孟买的少女（15-25岁）中进行，与中低收入环境中初潮后不久结婚的6亿少女一样，这一群体在教育、社会流动性、获得健康知识和医疗保健方面往往受到限制。该项目的目的是：描述年轻妇女的出生家庭动态和婚前社交网络及其对她们的流动性和婚前知识的影响;研究年轻妇女的出生家庭经历如何影响她们向丈夫和姻亲的过渡及其与丈夫和姻亲的关系;确定社会文化和生物因素如何影响全球化城市社区的健康。该项目将采用定性（与年轻妇女和主要信息提供者的深入访谈、内容分析和社会网络分析）和定量（调查和生物标志物）方法。多层次的视角和独特的方法将提供个人，社会文化和全球因素的理解，影响通过青春期和婚姻的背景下，快速的社会经济变化的过渡。获得的数据将提供博士生的培训以及演示文稿和出版物，可以阐明在印度和其他地方已婚青少年的挑战的基础，并为改善他们的生活质量做出贡献。研究结果将传达给印度的研究人员，为在全国传播研究成果提供机会。研究结果也将在研究社区中公布。因此，研究将传播给多个受众。

University of Connecticut doctoral student Marie A. Brault, under the guidance of Dr. Stephen L. Schensul will undertake research on the impact of family dynamics on marriage and outcomes for young women in low income communities undergoing rapid socioeconomic change. The research will take place among adolescent women (ages 15-25) in Mumbai, India, a group who, like the 600 million adolescent girls who marry soon after menarche in low- and middle-income settings, are often limited in their education, social mobility, access of health knowledge and health care. The aims of this project are to: describe young women's birth family dynamics and pre-marital social networks and the impact of these on their mobility and knowledge before marriage; examine how young women's birth family experiences impact transitions to and relationships with their husbands and in-laws; and identify the ways sociocultural and biological factors impact health in a globalizing urban community. The project will employ qualitative (in-depth interviewing with young women and key informants, content analysis, and social network analysis ) and quantitative (survey and biomarker) methods. The multi-level perspectives and unique methodological approaches used will provide an understanding of the individual, socio-cultural, and global factors impacting the transition through adolescence and marriage in the context of the rapid socioeconomic changes.The data obtained will provide the basis for a doctoral student's training as well as presentations and publications that can elucidate the challenges for married adolescents in India and elsewhere, and contribute to improving their quality of life. Results will be communicated to researchers in India, providing the opportunity for national dissemination of research results. Findings will also be presented in the study communities. Thus, research will be disseminated to multiple audiences.