Family Strain Research Articles

A qualitative study of the impacts of having an infant or young child with achondroplasia on parent well-being

BackgroundCurrently, there is limited research on how having a child diagnosed with achondroplasia affects parents’ lives. The purpose of the study was to investigate the experiences of parents of infants and young children less than two years of age with achondroplasia.MethodsConcept elicitation interviews were conducted with parents of children less than 2 years of age with achondroplasia in the United States and Spain. Using grounded theory methods modified for health outcomes research, a qualitative analysis of interview transcripts was conducted. Based on the qualitative analysis, a preliminary theoretical model of the experiences of parents of infants and young children with achondroplasia was developed.ResultsFifteen parents, including 14 mothers and 1 father from 15 unique families, participated in individual or focus group concept elicitation interviews in the US (n = 9) and Spain (n = 6). The qualitative analysis identified four key parent impact domains, which included caretaking responsibilities, impacts on emotional well-being, having worries and concerns about their child, and impacts on daily well-being. Frequently discussed caretaking responsibilities among parents were managing child’s medical care/treatment (93%), obtaining adaptations/items for child (73%), and monitoring child to avoid complications of achondroplasia (67%). Emotional impacts included feeling stressed/overwhelmed (67%), depressed/sad (40%), and anxious/nervous (33%). Worries and concerns included worry/concern about the future (100%), concerns regarding child’s physical health (87%), worry about child’s social well-being (80%), concern for child’s emotional well-being (73%), and worry about child being able to function independently (67%). Daily well-being impacts included family strain (60%), missed work time (47%), and missed/limited social activities (33%). Based on the qualitative findings, a preliminary theoretical model depicting the experiences of parents of infants and young children with achondroplasia was created.ConclusionsThe study sheds light on the range of impacts that parents of infants and young children with achondroplasia may experience, including caretaking responsibilities, impacts on emotional well-being, worries/concerns regarding their child, and impacts on daily well-being. The theoretical model of parent experiences may provide a helpful framework for informing future research and clinical practice.

The Experience of Parenting Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Qualitative Content Analysis

ABSTRACT Objective The aim of this study was to explore the range of experiences encountered by parents and caretakers of children with autism spectrum disorder. Materials and methods An inductive conventional content analysis approach was utilized for this study. Twenty-four (N = 24) parent responses to open-ended questions about their experience parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder were analyzed. Results Based on content analysis of responses, five main categories emerged: emotional distress, growth and role change, perspective change, support or the need for support, and family strain. Within the main categories, 20 subcategories were identified. Conclusion Findings from this study show that families and caretakers of children with autism spectrum disorder endorse many emotions and complex experiences, both positive and negative. The implications from these data are great and include the need for support and resources for families impacted by autism spectrum disorder.

Incorporating fiber recruitment in hyperelastic modeling of vascular tissues by means of kinematic average.

We present a framework for considering the gradual recruitment of collagen fibers in hyperelastic constitutive modeling. An effective stretch, which is a response variable representing the true stretch at the tissue-scale, is introduced. Properties of the effective stretch are discussed in detail. The effective stretch and strain invariants derived from it are used in selected hyperelastic constitutive models to describe the tissue response. This construction is investigated in conjunction with Holzapfel-Gasser-Ogden family strain energy functions. The ensuing models are validated against a large body of uniaxial and bi-axial stress-strain response data from human aortic aneurysm tissues. Both the descriptive and the predictive capabilities are examined. The former is evaluated by the quality of constitutive fitting, and the latter is assessed using finite element simulation. The models significantly improve the quality of fitting, and reproduce the experiment displacement, stress, and strain distributions with high fidelity in the finite element simulation.

Social Support Source and Effectiveness Are Associated with Distress Among Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Survivors Experiencing Stress Due to Negative Life Events after Treatment

Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) survivors face a variety of stressful challenges in the months and years after treatment including risk for disease relapse, transplant failure, and late effects of treatment; chronic symptoms and complications; and the need to adhere to continuing medical management. Layered on treatment-related challenges are treatment- and non-treatment-related financial, family, work, or other psychosocial strains. Research suggests that these kinds of “life event stressors” can cause psychological distress, which in turn may influence survivors' health behaviors and clinical outcomes. Receiving effective social support from a caregiver has been associated with lower distress (main effects), and the effectiveness of caregiver support could also be an important determinant of whether the support mitigates or “buffers” adverse effects of life event stressors. We applied our Social Support Effectiveness framework to investigate whether: (1) the effectiveness of social support from a partner or non-partner caregiver was associated with survivor distress (main effect); (2) the effectiveness of caregiver support was associated with the association between life event stress and distress among survivors (buffering); and (3) whether buffering effects depended on the source of support (partners versus non-partner caregivers).As part of a larger study, 264 adults who had undergone HSCT 9 months to 3 years previously completed measures of caregiver social support effectiveness (SSE), distress, life event stress, and sociodemographic and medical variables. Life event stress was a count of negative life events experienced in the prior 6 months, measured with a validated scale and scored using recommended procedures. The SSE measure assesses survivors' appraisals of the extent to which social support they receive from their partner or non-partner caregiver generally approximates their needs in terms of its quantity (i.e., it is not too much nor too little) and quality (i.e., it is the right “type” of support, provided skillfully, is not hard to get or is provided without having to ask for it, and does not cause the survivor to feel bad for needing or getting it). SSE is theorized to be a stable feature of support in dyadic relationships (such as those with a partner or family member), with little change over time. Survivors in a committed romantic relationship reported the effectiveness of support received from their partner and those not in a committed relationship reported the effectiveness of support received from their most important transplant caregiver. Hierarchal linear regression was used to evaluate a three-way interaction between life event stress, caregiver SSE, and source of support (partner versus non-partner caregiver) on distress in these cross-sectional data.In models controlling for covariates, main effects revealed that having greater life event stress (B=0.04; 95% CI 0.04, 0.05; p <0.001) and receiving less effective caregiver support (B=-0.01; 95% CI -0.01, -0.003; p <0.001) were independently associated with greater survivor distress. These main effects were qualified by a 3-way interaction of life event stress, caregiver SSE, and source of support (B=-0.003; CI:-0.004, -0.002; p <0.001). When support was provided by a partner caregiver, higher life event stress was associated with greater distress when partner SSE was low (B=0.03, SE=0.01, p=0.02). There was no association between life event stress and distress when partner SSE was average (B=0.04, SE=0.01, p=0.26) or high (B=-0.003, SE=0.01, p=0.87). Among non-partnered cancer survivors, there was a positive association between life event stress and distress regardless of non-partner caregiver SSE. Thus, effective support from a partner caregiver buffered adverse effects of life event stress on survivor distress, but this salutary effect was not observed for non-partner caregivers.Our findings are consistent with evidence showing that the effectiveness of caregiver support is an important correlate of distress after HSCT. They extend that work by showing that effective support from a partner caregiver (but not a non-partner caregiver) can mitigate or “buffer” adverse effects of negative life events experienced after HSCT. Findings highlight a need for additional research among HSCT recipients who rely on caregivers other than a partner. DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Union, employer and compensation system gaps and failures: Workers with injuries perceptions.

Workers who suffered a workplace injury and submitted a claim with the compensation board in Ontario often faced economic and non-economic costs that provoked depressive feelings, family strain, financial strain, and feelings of diminished self-worth. This qualitative descriptive study aimed to understand the perceived gaps and failures associated with the support systems (e.g., union, compensation and employer) that were in place to assist some male underground workers in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, who had suffered a workplace injury and had a compensation claim. Twelve in-depth, in-person, individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted and data were transcribed verbatim and anonymized at the time of transcription. Data analysis followed Braun and Clarke's guidelines for thematic analysis. Themes that emerged include: unfair and inadequate recognition of an injury; limited communication with stakeholders involved with their claim, including claim adjudicators, challenges when returning to work, and compensation claim system barriers. Cooperation, collaboration, knowledge transfer, and decreased power imbalances could help to reduce the economic and non-economic strain felt by a worker with an injury. Additionally, a government-funded third-party advocate who knows the medical system, union contracts, the workers' compensation system, and employer policies and practices could act on behalf of an injured worker.

Associations of job strain and family strain with risk of major depressive episode: A prospective cohort study in U.S. working men and women

BackgroundStudies assessing sex differences in the associations of psychosocial strain with depression have shown mixed and inconsistent results. Our objective was to examine prospective associations of job strain and family strain with risk of major depressive episode (MDE) among United States workers, as well as assess potential effect modification by sex. MethodsUsing data from the nationally representative and population-based Mid-life in the United States (MIDUS) study with a prospective cohort design and a 9-year follow-up period, the effects of job strain and family strain at baseline on risk of MDE within the 12 months prior to the follow-up assessment were examined in 1581 workers (805 men, 776 women) who were free from MDE within the 12 months prior to the baseline survey, by multivariate Poisson regression analysis. ResultsAfter adjustment for relevant covariates, there was evidence for effect modification by sex for the association between job strain and MDE but not for the association between family strain and MDE. Indeed, high job strain was prospectively associated with the risk of MDE (RR and 95% CI = 2.14 [1.14, 4.03]) in men but not in women. Moreover, high family strain was prospectively associated with a higher risk of MDE (RR and 95% CI = 1.57 [1.05, 2.37]) in the whole sample. ConclusionFamily strain was associated with risk of MDE regardless of the sex of a person. In contrast, high job strain may involve an increased risk of developing MDE only in men but not in women.

Attitudes about paid parental leave: Cross-national comparisons and the significance of gendered expectations, family strains, and extant leave offerings

Using data on paid parental leave preferences from 35,488 adults situated within 26 different OECD countries, and multilevel modeling, this study examines public opinions about the provision of paid parental leave, some government funding of leave offerings, and preferred lengths of leave offerings. We consider how attitudes may be similar or different across social contexts and then focus upon the extent to which gender, gendered parenting role attitudes, family strains, and country-level institutionalized leave offerings are associated with leave preferences. The findings indicate that the vast majority of respondents are in favor of rather widespread and generous paid parental leave offerings; indeed, there are generally high levels of support for paid leave availability, relatively long paid leave offerings, and government funding of leaves. Gendered expectations and family strains are consistently associated with individuals’ leave preferences—even after accounting for country-level social contexts. Country-level offerings are also associated with leave preferences—yet, we find that the overwhelming majority of respondents express a desire for paid parental leave length offerings that are substantially different than the extant leave offerings in their country. Overall, this research complements previous work by newly documenting widespread public support for the provision of paid leave and some government funding of it. Also, it establishes that gendered expectations, family strains, and country-level practices are consistently associated with paid parental leave preferences in wealthy countries. Yet, substantial dissatisfaction with extant paid leave policies within countries seems to be commonplace.

Metallococcus carri gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel member of the family Dermacoccaceae isolated from an automotive air conditioning system.

Strain designated DB0510T was isolated from an automobile evaporator core collected in Korea. Cells are gram-stain-positive, aerobic, and coccoid. The strain grew at 15-45℃, pH 5.0-8.5 and 0-8.0% (w/v) NaCl. Growth occurs on R2A, trypticase soy agar, Luria-Bertani agar, and nutrient agar. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the strain belongs to the family Dermacoccaceae and strain DB0510T was distinctly separated from validly named genera of this family. Signature nucleotides in 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that the strain contained the Dermacoccaceae family-specific 16S rRNA signature nucleotides patterns. The major fatty acids were C17:0 and C17:1 cis-9. The only menaquinone was MK-8 (H4). The polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositol mannoside, and two unidentified lipids. The diagnostic cell-wall amino acid at position 3 of the peptide subunit was found to be lysine. The cell-wall peptidoglycan contained alanine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, lysine, and serine and thus the peptidoglycan type was concluded to be of A4α type with Lys-Gly-Ser-Asp interpeptide bridge. The genome size was 3.49 Mbp and G + C content of the genome DNA was 69.4mol%. On the basis of the phenotypic, genomic, and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain DB0510T is considered to represent a novel genus and species within the family Dermacoccaceae, for which the name Metallococcus carri gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Metallococcus carri is DB0510T (= KACC 19663T = NBRC 113349T).

Work-to-family conflict and firm performance of women entrepreneurs: Roles of work-related emotional exhaustion and competitive hostility

When entrepreneurs suffer from work-to-family conflict, it can affect firm performance. This article considers how emotional exhaustion experienced in the course of running a business mediates this link and how beliefs about competitive hostility invigorate that effect. Using survey data collected from 200 women entrepreneurs in Ethiopia, a country marked by culturally traditional gender role expectations, the empirical findings show that a sense of being emotionally overextended, due to the demands of running a firm, creates a conduit for the negative interference of the family upon the firm. This escalates into diminished firm performance. The results also demonstrate that this conduit is particularly prominent when entrepreneurs feel more threatened by hostile market environments. For entrepreneurship scholarship and practice, this article establishes two notable factors; a feeling of being ‘worn out’ by the business and adverse competitive markets. These factors clarify the complex link between work-induced family strain and business performance for women entrepreneurs, who might be particularly challenged when balancing time demands in gender-discriminatory environments.

Quality of life improvement in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder reduces family's strain: A structural equation model approach.

ObjectivesThe objective of the study is to analyse how the quality of life of children diagnosed with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) impacts the relationship between disease severity and family burden.MethodThe data collected by a longitudinal, observational study involving 1478 children with ADHD residing in 10 European countries (aged 6 to 18 years) were analysed to evaluate the relationships between ADHD severity, the children's quality of life and family burden.ResultsThe disorder's severity directly and indirectly affected the children's health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) and family burden. The degree of family burden was modulated by the children's HRQoL.ConclusionsOne of the primary causes of the stress experienced by parents of children with ADHD is their perception of the child's reduced HRQoL and not the symptom severity itself. Efforts to minimize symptom severity cannot alone reduce family burden.

Worker resilience during the COVID-19 crisis: The role of core beliefs challenge, emotion regulation, and family strain

It is crucial to understand how to promote workforce resilience to a crisis such as the COVID-19 outbreak. The main aim of this study is to examine the role of workers' core beliefs challenge in fostering their resilience. Core beliefs challenge is the constructive rebuilding of an individual's fundamental assumptions about life, the world, the self and others. The data were collected from 672 tourism employees during the pandemic crisis. The results revealed the positive association between workers' core beliefs challenge and their resilience. Cognitive reappraisal was detected as a mediator for the relationship between core beliefs challenge and resilience, while evidence was not found for the mediating role of expressive suppression for such a relationship. Family strain negatively moderated the links between core beliefs challenge and both emotion regulation strategies. Discussions on theoretical and practical implications are displayed.

Molecular characteristics of drug-resistance Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains isolated from extra pulmonary tuberculosis sites

ObjectivesChina is the second high tuberculosis (TB) burden country in the world. This article was to determinate the molecular characteristic of drug resistance Mycobacterium tuberculosis (DRTB) strains from extra pulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB). MethodsThe medical records of patients with EPTB were reviewed and collected from 2006 to 2016. The drug sensitivity of all samples was studied. All multiple drug resistance (MDR) and extensive drug resistance (XDR) strains were included. The detection of the deletion of region of difference 105 (RD105) and mycobacterial interspersed repetitive-unit variable-number tandem-repeat (MIRU-VNTR) were used to discriminate the molecular type of EPTB strains. Results162 DRTB isolates were from patients with EPTB including 104 male and 58 female. Beijing genotype had a significant correlation with the patterns of DR (P<0.05), re-treatment patients (P<0.05) and gender (P<0.05). The history of treatment had a statistically significant correlation with patterns of DR (P<0.05) and gender (P<0.05). Patterns of DR had no correlation with gender (P>0.05). Of 162 strains Beijing family strains represented 91.4%. The cluster rate was 17.9% and clustering ratio was 11.1%. Beijing family genotype is predominant in the patients with EPTB. The cluster rate and clustering ratio was low. ConclusionsBeijing family genotype is predominant and highly epidemic in the patients with drug resistance extra pulmonary tuberculosis (DR-EPTB). The cluster rate and clustering ratio was low. Genotype of re-treatment male patient with DR-EPTB is more likely Beijing family genotype.

Health, Work, and Family Strain - Psychosocial Experiences at the Early Stages of Long-Term Sickness Absence.

BackgroundKnowledge about the psychosocial experiences of sick-listed workers in the first months of sick leave is sparse even though early interventions are recommended. The aim of this study was to explore psychosocial experiences of being on sick leave and thoughts about returning to work after 8–12 weeks of sickness absence.MethodsSixteen individuals at 9–13 weeks of sick leave participated in semi-structured individual interviews. Data was analyzed through Giorgi’s descriptive phenomenological method.ResultsThree themes emerged: (1) energy depleted, (2) losing normal life, (3) searching for a solution. A combination of health, work, and family challenges contributed to being drained of energy, which affected both work- and non-work roles. Being on sick leave led to a loss of social arenas and their identity as a contributing member of society. Participants required assistance to find solutions toward returning to work.ConclusionEven in this early stage of long-term sick leave, sick listed workers faced complex challenges in multiple domains. Continuing sick leave was experienced as necessary but may challenge personal identity and social life. Those not finding solutions may benefit from additional early follow-up that examine work-related, social and personal factors that influence return to work.

Prediction of putative epitope-based vaccine against all corona virus strains for the Chinese population: Approach toward development of vaccine.

Currently, the whole world is facing the coronavirus disease-19 pandemic. As of now, approximately 0.15 million people around the globe are infected with the novel coronavirus. In the last decade, two strains of the coronavirus family, severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, also resulted in epidemics in south Asian and the Middle Eastern countries with high mortality rate. This scenario demands the development of a putative vaccine which may provide immunity against all current and new evolving coronavirus strains. In this study, we designed an epitope-based vaccine using an immunoinformatic approach. This vaccine may protect against all coronavirus strains. The vaccine is developed by considering the geographical distribution of coronavirus strains and host genetics (Chinese population). Nine experimentally validated epitopes sequences from coronavirus strains were used to derive the variants considering the conservancy in all strains. Further, the binding affinities of all derived variants were checked with most abundant human leukocyte antigen alleles in the Chinese population. Three major histocompatibility complex (MHC) Class I epitopes from spike glycoprotein and nucleoprotein showed sufficient binding while one MHC Class II epitope from spike glycoprotein was found to be an effective binder. A cocktail of these epitopes gave more than 95% population coverage in the Chinese population. Moreover, molecular dynamics simulation supported the aforementioned predictions. Further, in vivo studies are needed to confirm the immunogenic potential of these vaccines.

Social support and strain and emotional distress among Latinos in the northeastern United States

BackgroundUS Latinos report high levels of emotional distress. Having positive familial and friend social support buffers emotional distress among US Latinos, but thus far no research has been done on social support and ataque de nervios in that population, or on social strain and emotional distress.MethodsThis paper assesses social support and strain across three relationship types (partner, family, and friends) with three measures of emotional distress (depression, anxiety, and ataque de nervios). The sample for partner, family, and friend support included 508 Latino adults 21 and older. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the association of social support and strain with each outcome.ResultsAs all social support types increased, the odds of emotional distress symptoms decreased. Conversely, as each unit of partner and family strain increased, the odds of emotional distress symptoms increased. Increased friend strain was associated with greater odds of depressive and anxiety symptoms only.ConclusionSocial support in all three network types (partner, family, and friend) was associated with a decrease in the odds of emotional distress, assessed as symptoms of depression, anxiety, and ataque de nervios.

Raman spectroscopy for glutathione measurements in Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains with different antibiotic resistance

AbstractThe Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MbT) drug resistance remains a serious problem to global public health and usually leads to a lethal outcome in patients with such strain MbT. Precise and rapid identification of a specific MbT strain is vital for the appointment of anti‐tuberculosis therapy. We continue investigation of deactivated MbT strains of the Beijing family by Raman spectroscopy method and focus on glutathione (GSH) as a potential biomarker for strains identification. Strains under the study have different drug sensitivity: sensitive, multi, and extensively drug resistant. Samples were investigated by Raman spectrometry with He‐Ne (633 nm) laser excitation source in the “fingerprint” region. As a result, GSH vibrational bands for potential strain discrimination were determined. These differences can be described for drug‐sensitive and drug‐resistant strains taken of pulmonary and extra‐pulmonary forms of tuberculosis. We suppose that the obtained results can be useful for new diagnostic tools development for identification of different MbT strains in clinical medicine and research practice.

Decision Making Ability - Its Influence on General, Menstrual and Mental Health Status of Married Women - A Comparative Study between Employed and Unemployed Women

Freedom in decision-making is a significant aspect of an individual´s life. Male members generally take over the responsibility of deciding family matters. Women's autonomy in decision making contributes in their development and lowers family strain. The study aims (i) to determine the level of decision making ability of women and their involvement in family decisions (ii) to determine the factors affecting their decision making ability and (iii) to study the influence of decision making ability on the general, menstrual and mental health status, a cross sectional study conducted in Mysore city. Employed Women (EW) 400 and Unemployed Women (UEW) 272, educated and married, aged 25-40 years participated, self-reporting questionnaires were used to collect information regarding, demographic details, decision making ability, General Health Problems (GHP) and Pre-Menstrual Symptoms (PMS). Depression, anxiety and stress score questionnaire was used to assess the mental health. EW had better decision making ability. Family structure, number of dependants positively correlated with decision making among UEW and EW (p&lt;0.0001). Age had a positive influence on UEW (p=0.05%). EW independently took decisions for various household activities; UEW did along with their husbands. Higher percentage of women with limited involvement in decision making irrespective of their employment status were found to experience general health problems. EW and UEW involved in complete and limited decision making reported to experience menstrual problems. Mild and moderate forms of stress, anxiety and depression occurred in relatively higher proportion of employed women. However, a significantly higher percentage of UEW experienced severe stress, anxiety and depression. Freedom to make a decision is relaxing and helps develop confidence. Decision making ability of women is a major indicator of her family status. EW enjoy more freedom and are better decision makers, this has a positive influence on their general and mental health.

Childhood Allergies: The Role of Maternal Depression and Anxiety, and Family Strain.

Maternal mental disorder and a negative family emotional climate are a great source of stress for many children, yet their role in the childhood development or expression of asthma and allergies remains poorly understood, particularly beyond the first 1–2 years of life. The current study tested whether childhood allergy onset and symptomatology would be predicted by (1) perinatal and any time exposure to maternal depression or anxiety and (2) current family emotional strain (whole family, mother-child). UK mothers of children aged 2–12 years (N = 328) living with them completed an online survey of measures. Children exposed to maternal depression were almost twice as likely to be diagnosed and almost five times as likely to screen positive for an allergic disorder. Perinatal depression was linked to childhood allergies, but more moderately. Any anxiety exposure, and not specific to the perinatal period, predicted allergy status. Family emotional strain contributed independently to variance in concurrent child allergic symptomatology. All results were independent of potential confounders and current mental distress. The findings highlight the importance of maternal mental health and family function in the child’s neuro-immune development, and that these factors need to be addressed in the treatment of childhood allergic disorders.

Cross-national attitudes about paid parental leave offerings for fathers

Using cross-national data from the 2012 International Social Survey Programme (N = 33,273), this study considers institutional, self-interest, and ideational factors in analyzing public opinions about the provision, length, and source of paid parental leave offerings for fathers. We find substantial support for generous leave offerings. Multilevel regression results reveal that being a woman, supporting dual-earning expectations, and realizing more family strains lead to support for more generous leave offerings. Endorsing separate spheres and intensive mothering attitudes reduces support for more generous leave offerings; although, gendered attitudes interact with one another in predicting leave preferences, too. Finally, country-level indicators of female empowerment and father-specific leave offerings are positively associated with preferences for more generous leave offerings. Overall, public opinions about fathers’ leave offerings across OECD countries largely support policies that provide opportunities for more involved fathering, but preferences continue to be gendered and linked to family strains and country-level contexts.

“Squeezing the Life Out of Each Day”: Emerging Adult Women’s Work-Family Expectations in STEM

Work-family conflict can create challenges for women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers. Little is known, however, about how young women in STEM reason about future work-family conflict. The current study examines work-family conflict expectations among undergraduate and graduate women in STEM. Participants ( N = 156) responded to open- and closed-ended survey questions about work-family conflict and academic attitudes. Qualitative analyses revealed two orientations relative to work-family conflict. Women with a challenge orientation anticipated work and family strain, whereas women with an opportunity orientation anticipated that balancing work and family would enhance their lives. Women differed in the strategies they planned to employ to resolve future work-family conflict and in their levels of quantitative constructs such as STEM identity. Findings suggest avenues for improving STEM retention such as mentoring interventions with exposure to role models who are balancing work and family.