Repository logo
 

Introducing a critical approach to studies of uncertainty: engaging uncertainty with Hispanic adults in Colorado during the COVID-19 health crisis

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorCalderón González, Jesús A., author
dc.contributor.authorParks, Elizabeth S., advisor
dc.contributor.authorAoki, Eric, committee member
dc.contributor.authorIshiwata, Eric, committee member
dc.date.accessioned2022-01-07T11:28:44Z
dc.date.available2022-01-07T11:28:44Z
dc.date.issued2021
dc.description.abstractExisting scholarship on the communicative experience of uncertainty revolves primarily around understanding intrapersonal and interpersonal processes for engaging with uncertainty. After its beginning with Berger and Calabrese's (1975) work on Uncertainty Reduction Theory, multiple advances in conceptualizing how the study of uncertainty is approached have been theoretically developed such as that of Babrow's (2001) development of Problematic Integration theory and Afifi and Weiner's (2004) introduction of the Theory for Motivated Information Management. These theories primarily look inward at how individuals process information at an intrapersonal level when deciding whether and how to engage uncertainty in their lives. In sum, existing theories of uncertainty are adept at exploring how uncertainty is processed; however, they offer very few insights into the factors that determine what kinds and how uncertainty comes to be experienced by particular individuals. This thesis aims to expand our understanding of the experience of uncertainty by shifting our attention into the sociocultural sphere, specifically looking into how introducing the critical/cultural concepts of culture, subjectivity, and power into studies of uncertainty has the potential of enhancing awareness of the multilayered and interconnected nature of uncertainty. This research engages the study of uncertainty and health communication through the lens of the Hispanic community in Morgan County, CO, to answer the research question: What uncertainties have Hispanic adults in Morgan County encountered during the COVID-19 health crisis and how have these uncertainties been communicatively engaged by this specific community? Using a mixed methods approach through an online survey and virtual focus groups, I adopt a critical perspective to interpersonal communication in the study of uncertainty as a needed step in arriving at more holistic understandings of its experience. In collecting survey data, I utilized two scales: Diener et al. (2010) Scale of Positive and Negative Experiences, and Grimmelikhuijsen and Knies (2017) scale for Citizen Trust in Government Organizations. I used these instruments alongside a set of qualitative prompts that served the purpose of gaining general insights about the overall perspectives of the Hispanic community in Morgan County regarding the COVID-19 health crisis. Focus group discussions involved collecting more detailed data about participant experiences throughout the duration of the COVID-19 health crisis. A thematic analysis of the data collected was conducted through the application of the hermeneutic circle as presented by Dibley et al. (2020) complemented by Tracy's (2018) phronetic approach to data analysis. Both of these approaches prioritize engaging with data in deep and structured manners that allow for the research question to guide analysis. Five themes emerged from the data analysis: 1) uncertainty about employment and financial stability, 2) fear of infection based on sociocultural factors, 3) disagreements about social behavioral expectations, 4) concern for children's well-being, and 5) acceptance of risk of infection in uncertainty management strategies. Each of these themes carry with them sociocultural factors outside of the individual that can only begin to be understood through a critical perspective on uncertainty that pays specific attention to how culture, subjectivity, and power impact how Hispanic adults faced uncertainties emerging from the COVID-19 health crisis. Results point not only to how individuals engage with uncertainty once they experience it, but also give insight into sociocultural sources of uncertainty that may be overlooked when utilizing existing theoretical approaches to uncertainty. They also show how Hispanic adults in Morgan County engaged diverse strategies for addressing uncertainty in a manner that resisted behavioral expectations set by public health guidelines in order to reduce intrapersonal, interpersonal, and sociocultural uncertainty related to the COVID-19 health crisis.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediummasters theses
dc.identifierCalderon_colostate_0053N_16887.pdf
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10217/234172
dc.languageEnglish
dc.languageSpanish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.language.isospa
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartof2020-
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.subjectculture
dc.subjectpower
dc.subjectuncertainty
dc.subjectHispanic
dc.subjectcritical interpersonal communication
dc.subjectsubjectivity
dc.titleIntroducing a critical approach to studies of uncertainty: engaging uncertainty with Hispanic adults in Colorado during the COVID-19 health crisis
dc.typeText
dcterms.rights.dplaThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
thesis.degree.disciplineCommunication Studies
thesis.degree.grantorColorado State University
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Arts (M.A.)

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Calderon_colostate_0053N_16887.pdf
Size:
503.88 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download

Collections

2020-
Theses and Dissertations