For this perspectives level course, I took MATH 307: Intro to Game Theory with Dr. Wears. Going into this class, it was not at all what I expected it to be, but it ended up being a very interesting class nonetheless. I expected it to be about games in the sense that many people now talk about games, whether that is board games or video games. Instead it was about the mathematical theory of games, which was very interesting. It ended up benefiting me greatly, as many of these games are used in business decisions to help along with figuring out what makes sense, and in international economics to see benefits vs drawbacks of trade. This class not only interested me from the start, but also has helped me in my new major with some of the major classes I am taking now.
I have included a PowerPoint I made and used in that class, and although it does not make much sense on its own, I will provide some context here. This project was about the correlation between a monetary incentive and the actual productivity of workers. This correlation is discussed briefly in the PowerPoint, and I discussed it in much more detail in a presentation in the class. It was a cool subject that did not yield the results I expected, and all are summarized in the PowerPoint.
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As we wrap up the fall semester, I wanted to share with you some dates and a few pieces of information that may be helpful. Spring semester will be here before we know it!
Important Dates
—The university will be closed beginning tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 18, and will reopen Monday, Jan. 4.
—Residence halls and other Longwood-managed housing will reopen beginning Saturday, Jan. 9. Check-in will be noon-5 p.m. on Jan. 9 and Jan. 10, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Jan. 11.
—Classes begin for undergraduates on Wednesday, Jan. 13.
—Spring break will be different this year due to public health and academic calendar considerations. Instead of 5 consecutive days off, students will have 5 days off spread throughout the semester. These days are: Monday, March 1; Thursday-Friday, April 1-2; and Tuesday-Wednesday, April 27-28.
—Martin Luther King Jr. Day—Monday, Jan. 18—is a Longwood holiday.
—The add/drop period ends at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 21.
—The last day of regular classes is Monday, April 26.
You can find the full spring academic calendar here.
Dashboard
The last Covid-19 daily update for the fall semester will be Dec. 17, when the university closes for winter break. We will restart daily updates when the university opens on Jan. 4. If there are any urgent public health matters to communicate to the campus community while the university is closed, we will do so.
Covid-19 Practices and Precautions
The precautions and practices that have served us well this past semester will remain in place. Later this month, more specific guidance will be shared with students about returning to campus and public health precautions next semester.
Covid-19 Testing
Over the course of the fall semester, the University Health Center increased its testing capacity and has generally been able to offer appointments for peace-of-mind testing in addition to testing for those who are symptomatic or contact-exposed. We expect to continue to be able to continue testing on this basis in the new year. The University Health Center will be closed Dec. 18-Jan. 3.
Longwood Magazine
Finally, by now you should have received the latest issue of Longwood magazine. I hope you enjoy seeing some of the academic and extracurricular activities that kept your students busy this fall. Faculty and staff really put their hearts into making this a good semester for your Lancers. If you didn’t receive a copy and would like one, just send your mailing address to browncs2@longwood.edu.
—Sabrina Brown
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I would like to talk about how has Covid-19 affected Families with Special Needs. We have heard how it has affected everyone as a whole and not on an individual level between each family or person.
Families with Special Needs
When a family finds out they are going to have a child they are filled with joy and happiness. When they are told that there might be something ‘different’ with their child their heart might skip a beat. They may not understand what that means, and before they even get to know their child they might have a bad outlook about the future. But as time goes on their outlook on life changes into something better. Having a child is stressful, but having a child with special needs comes with a whole different level of stress.
A parent with a child who has special needs has to think twice before making a decision. Depending on the type and severity of special needs the child may have, they could go multiple different problems that can range from financial to educational to developmental. They may have to put their life on hold for their child. These problems affect both the child with special needs and the parents differently. Parents depending on several different factors may choose to stay home with the child or have reduced hours at work. Families with Special Needs spend a great deal of time in different medical facilities they almost become their second home. The bulk of their information regarding the type of Special Needs their child may have come from health care professionals. It is important to stay updated with any new findings regarding the child’s Special Needs.
Parents have to see if the places they go are accessible, friendly, and safe. Especially when it comes to getting their child educated. Parents have to make sure when they drop their child off in the morning they are taken care of with the correct staff and accessibility.
Life during Covid-19
Life was challenging enough before Covid-19 was an issue, and now the everyday challenges became even more difficult. Families now have to be extra careful when going out in public during this pandemic. Kendall et al. (2020) Families with Special Needs are at higher risk of contracting Covid-19 because the amount of people they have to interact with on a daily basis.
Families with Special Needs may be stressed out and tensions higher than before because health care professionals are being stretched in multiple different ways with their patients. On top of that there also could be a shortage of healthcare professionals. Kendall et al (2020), mentions that people with Special Needs are “vulnerable” and “disposable.” Can you imagine hearing you are seen as a lesser because you have Special Needs? What makes someone’s life worth more than the next person?
Families with Special Needs have to fight harder than ever to make sure they get the care they need from health care professionals. And with a shortage of healthcare professionals they may not be trained in dealing with certain people with Special Needs. While no one was prepared for this pandemic to happen we have changed our lives upside down to fit into the new lifestyle Covid-19 introduced. But that lifestyle was for people without Special Needs.
Coping Stragties
Snell & Rosen (1997), family congruence, cognitive coping, defining boundaries, and external system management styles are different ways of coping for families with Special Needs. Having the whole family on the same page about what is going on is important. That way everyone knows what is going on, and they know how to handle a situation should one arise. It also helps reduce stress when everyone knows what is going on. It also helps when there is a positive outlook within families with Special needs. Families know they cannot control everything, but placing focus on the things they can control helps them to understand the Special Need a little bit more. Furthermore, it helps families learn to know what they can manage and what they cannot.
Having a good support system changes everything. That is where setting boundaries comes into play. Showing open arms to family members or friends who were there when things were tough and stayed through the hard times helps ease the stress. They are people to look too, and trust. They are the ones who are going to be there for the good and the bad and will help. Snell & Rosen (1997), knowing who is there and who is not helps ease the stress for families with Special Needs
Resources for Families
Families with Special Needs lean a lot on their child’s doctor for information and guidance. But that is just one source of support. There are support groups for families with Special Needs. Support groups offer real life advice or guidance instead of just having research based guidance.
Below are a couple of links you can click if you or a friend needs help finding support for Families with Special Needs.
Christine A. Price, Kevin R. Bush, & Sharon J. Price. (2017). Families & Change Coping With Stressful Events and Transitions(5th Ed.). Thousand Oaks, USA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Kendall, E., Ehrlich, C., Chapman, K., Shirota, C., Allen, G., Gall, A., Kek-Pamenter, J.-A., Cocks, K., & Palipana, D. (2020). Immediate and Long-Term Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic for People With Disabilities. American Journal of Public Health, 110(12), 1774–1779. https://doi-org.proxy.longwood.edu/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305890
Rev. Sean Martin. (July 4, 2018). Why we adopted nine children with special needs from foster care. LIVEACTION. Retrieved December 11, 2020.https://www.liveaction.org/news/adopted-nine-children-foster-care/
Sabatello, M., Burke, T. B., McDonald, K. E., & Appelbaum, P. S. (2020). Disability, Ethics, and Health Care in the COVID-19 Pandemic. American Journal of Public Health, 110(10), 1523–1527. https://doi-org.proxy.longwood.edu/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305837
Violence includes forms of physical, mental, emotional, or sexual harm towards someone else. Community violence involves different methods to inflict physical harm against someone else in the community- for example, a school shooting. Family (or domestic) violence is when there is a repetitive pattern of abusive behavior in an intimate or family relationhip where one member assumes a domineering role and strives to cause fear. This type of abuse takes many different forms whether it is physical, sexual, mental, emotional, economic, spiritual, or legal.
The coronavirus (called COVID-19) is a very contagious disease that originated in China. Eventually, it spread outside of China and affected other people and countries globally, causing a pandemic. However, alongside COVID-19 there has been another pandemic that may have affected others more: family violence. Given the fact that many schools, libraries, and businesses have shut down due to certain mandates, many children and families are likely facing their worst nightmare: being trapped inside the home with their abuser(s). Family violence is not the only type of stressor event that can affect children. Even if they are not experiencing violence at home, they could still be experiencing violence somewhere in their community. Statistics show that 25% of children exposed to community violence in America is aged between 2-17. This blog entry is help raise awareness on such issues, and address what can be done about it.
Though it is necessary to restrict travel, social distance, and stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic, this could limit victims’ escape plans. Additionally, in order to file a domestic violence report, most police precincts require an in- person visit. The research of Xue J., Chen J., Chen C., Hu R., & Zhu T. (2020) further claims that this is pandemic is likely to increase family violence. According to them, “The rates of family violence are rising fast, and women and children are disproportionately affected and vulnerable during this time” (Xue J, Chen J, Chen C, Hu R, & Zhu T, 2020, page 1) Around the world, many countries have already showed a dramatic increase in domestic violence cases being reported.
Yet, COVID-19 does not just encourage more violence in families; according to Campbell (2020) communities can be endangered too. He stated that, “Communities considering the mass release of prisoners to reduce their risk of spreading Covid-19 in confinement must weigh the potentially significant risk for victims and households if domestic violence or other violent offenders are among those released. This risk is likely to extend outside of the home as well…” (Campbell, 2020, page 1).
A stressor event is an occurance that causes an inconsistent amount of change in the family system. In this case that would be the violence that has taken place. This event is non-normative, meaning that it is unpredicted and not a normal part of life. It is also non-volititional, meaning that it is non-voluntary, or “forced” upon them.
It could be said that family or community violence is ambiguous because the perpetrators are physically present, but emotionally absent. Ambiguous stressors are difficult because the people involved do not usually know how to solve the problem, or if it will be permanent or temporary.
The duration of the stressor events varies. Community violence events, such as a school shooting, can be acute (meaning it does not persist), but they could have long-lasting consequences for both the perpetrators and victims.
The density of stressor events can vary, too. When stressful events occur unaccompanied by other stressful events they are called isolated stressors. When the event occurs when the family already has multiple stressors, or if the event itself is a stessor pile- up (causes many other stresses) then it is cumulative. Family or community violence is likely to be cumulative since the victims have their current situation, and then long-term consequences to deal with.
The many stresses of events can be classified different ways, too- they can either be positive, tolerable, or toxic. Positive stress is seen as a normal, essential part of healthy development. Tolerabale stress is seen as more severe, and can have long-lasting difficulties. The effects this type of stress can have on children can be moderated by having relationships with adults that help them adapt. Lastly, there is toxic stress. Toxic stress is when there is frequent exposure to strong, prolonged adversity without the proper support. Family or community violence is likely to inflict tolerable stress- as long as the victims have the support of friends or family members to moderate the stress. Otherwise, they are likely to experience toxic stress.
The Family Stress Theory states that each family member perceives the event differently. Research shows that witnessing or being victimized by violent acts affect children more than hearing about it on the news.
When it comes to preschoolers, exposure to community or family violence could lead to more problematic outcomes in childhood. The impact of the violence seems to have a “pathway influence” through the caregivers. The children often run to their mothers searching for answers or comfort, which is likely to increase maternal stress. This type of scenario often seems to be central throughout the whole process, as it is often the case that the child is in the mother’s company during community violence, and maternal distress in such situations is often thought to affect behavioral outcomes during childhood. For example, studies of high risk 3-5 year olds showed that community violence increased maternal distress, which as result increased the child’s hesitancy with their peers, decreased the way they cognitively functioned, and increased negative interaction with their peers.
Older children seem to especially depend on the different factors and resources that “buffer” or moderate the event. Social support has often been a prime example of this.
If families figure out positive ways to deal with the difficult times, then they could most likely look at the stressor event as a challenge that helps them grow into resilience- that is, the ability to withstand or recover from significant disturbances that threaten function or development. For example, families can develop different coping strategies that help them deal with such a traumatic stressor event. This could be thought of as another example of a resource. One example of coping is with direct actions such as seeking counseling or looking up information. Another example is dysfunctional coping, which includes using friends in a bad way, or turning to drugs or alcohol. Then there is intrapsychic coping- reframing the problem, and making it not seem as overwhelming.
The behavior of coping is developed over time through individual, family, and social resources and developing a positive attitude in response to stressors. For example, it is important to remember that, in times of distress, children often look towards their caregivers for support and safety. Psychologists advise parents to “…use the troubling news of school shootings as an opportunity to talk and listen to their children” (Palomares & Bufka, 2001, page 1). Having the support system that they need helps foster resilience in children, so being able to find a safe place with their friends or caregivers is necessary. If the stresses are not handled in a positive way with forms of resources, then the event could send the family members into a crisis.
In terms of the kind of crisis, although little is truly known the number of children exposed to violence, it is certain that different types of exposure can lead to internalizing effects such as anxiety and depression, and externalizing effects such as aggressive behavior. Finkelhor, D., Turner, H., Ormrod, R., Hamby, S., and Kracke, K. (2009) address how different forms of abuse could affect the future lives of children. They claim that while children could still show remarkable resilience, there is still the chance that they could experience long-lasting affects that they could send them into a crisis. According to their research, they often “…suffer from difficulties with attachment, regressive behavior, anxiety and depression, and aggression and conduct problems” (Finkelhor, D., Turner, H., Ormrod, R., Hamby, S., and Kracke, K., 2009, page 2). Children who experience trauma are more likely to be in an abusive relationship, become involved in the juvenile criminal justice system, and even become abusive parents themselves.
Studies show that recognizing the early signs and providing early intervention strategies as soon as possible. Friends, family members, pediatricians, policemen, child protection workers, mental health providers, domestic violence advocates all share that responsibility. The sooner the early signs are noticed, the sooner actions to intervene can occur.
In addition, it is absolutely necessary that victims know their options on seeking help. If you suspect that you are a victim of family violence, the following advice is provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
Formulate a safety plan, outlining ways to remain safe while you are in your current situation, planning to leave, or after you leave
Practice the act of self-care as much as possible
If it is safe, reach out for help and try to maintain social connections through texts, emails, phone calls, and social media platforms
Families experience stress from mental illnesses in different ways so below is a link for ways to cope with the stress that comes with COVID-19 and some resources that can be helpful for some people who are struggling.
Some in family coping mechanisms can be maintaining clear boundaries, communicating effectively, being flexible with rules, roles, and expectation, being committed to the family, maintaining a healthy marriage relationship, and maintaining family rituals and routines. These coping mechanisms are from Families & Change: Coping with Stressful Events and Transitions by Christine A. Price, Kevin R. Bush, and Sharon J. Price and they also talk about external resources. Some are integration in a social system and having social support from family friends, religious groups, the workplace, and community agents. Another resources could be the family as a while getting treatment.
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Something some may find a little close to home is that COVID-19 can lead to people having mental health problems. With COVID-19 comes a lot of stress from different sources of COVID from being worried about catching it to the increase amount of cases and how people were effected by it.
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When it comes to a family with a child that has a mental illness it is important for families to not just focus on the child with mental illness so parents need to find a balance. From the book Families & Change: Coping with Stressful Events and Transitions by Christine A. Price, Kevin R. Bush, and Sharon J. Price, they talk about a healthy families adaptive process. They say the process includes “(a) reorganizing and accessing resources as a family, (b) engaging in active coping (efforts to change the source of stress) and accommodating coping (efforts to adapt including reappraisal and positive thinking), (c) collaborating with medical professionals, (d) maintaining a positive outlook on life and hope for the future, and (e) providing emotional protection to the ill child.”
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According to KFF Tracking Polling their has been an increase in how people feel that COVID negatively affected their mental health. It went from 32% in March to 53% in mid-July. “Many adults are also reporting specific negative impacts on their mental health and wellbeing, such as difficulty sleeping (36%) or eating (32%), increases in alcohol consumption or substance use (12%), and worsening chronic conditions (12%), due to worry and stress over the coronavirus.”
