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This article explores behavioral constructs derived from the Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction (Fishbein, 2009) that emerged from unsolicited, online stories from 30 mothers about their experiences with postpartum depression. Five constructs (i.e., social norms; severity; barriers to help-seeking; facilitators to, and cues to action for, help-seeking; and self-efficacy) were prevalent and were connected with help-seeking behaviors in the stories that were analyzed after a single data collection in March 2011. Recommendations are offered for how the findings can be integrated into postpartum depression-related health promotion interventions.

This qualitative study reflects an analysis of 50 stories told by Americans living with fibromyalgia, a chronic condition marked by widespread physical pain. Stories were randomly collected from The Experience Project, an online public forum, and analyzed using the communication theory of identity as a guiding framework. Thematic analysis was used to examine how the legitimacy narratives of people with fibromyalgia respond to the American discourse of hard work. Three narrative themes emerged from the data: The Personal Experience of Living With Fibromyalgia (personal layer of identity), the Struggle to Complete Everyday and Professional Tasks (enacted layer of identity), and a Limited Ability to Perform Gender Roles (relational layer of identity). Throughout their stories, individuals with FM strive to legitimate their condition and contest the notion that they are lazy. Stories reveal that people suffering from fibromyalgia experience significant personal (e.g. cleaning the house) and professional (e.g. extended sick leave) challenges, as well as serious relational challenges that are often tied to gender roles (e.g. being a good mother). Results provide a variety of implications and directions for future research.

Almost everyone experiences homesickness at some point in their life, regardless of their age. Given the deleterious outcomes associated with homesickness, this study explores what homesick individuals miss about their homes, what their homes mean to them, and how individuals seek support when they are homesick. Thirty-four in-depth interviews were collected, and results from a content analysis indicate that there are 12 distinct content areas that individuals miss about their homes. Results suggest that activities (100%), family (97%), feelings (100%), and places (97%) are the most salient for homesick individuals. Furthermore, a thematic analysis reveals that "home" is generally synonymous with a comfortable and safe environment. Although the majority of participants reported that they did not seek social support when they were homesick, those who sought support did so both directly and indirectly. Practical implications and directions for future research are discussed.

____________________________________________ Carolyn Colvin v when you were a baby and, naturally, it wasn't easy. But as your father says, if you put your boots and every day and work hard, good things happen. And when you are tired and don't think you can go on any further, take solace in the people who matter to you most. For me that is you, and I thank you for being such a wonderful, genuine little being. You are such a bright star and I am so lucky to be your mother.vi ABSTRACT Approximately 7.5 million people in the U.S. subscribe to a vegan diet and thus don't consume any animal products such as meat, fish, dairy, or eggs. Despite the considerable growth of veganism in the last decade, little is known about how people communicate about such a seemingly restrictive diet and what implications this might have for communication theory and the growing field of food studies. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore how vegans communicatively negotiate their identity through the lens of Hecht's (1993) communication theory of identity (CTI).I conducted phone interviews with forty vegans residing across the U.S. and completed thematic analysis to qualitatively analyze interviews. Four themes emerged to describe the ways vegans enact their identity (Facilitating Smooth Interactions, Wearing Symbols of Veganism, Vegan Food Preparation and Consumption, Education and Community Engagement), and three themes emerged to illustrate the relational identities that vegans co-construct with members of their social network (Accepted and Supported, Inconvenience to the Family, Happiest with a Vegan (Friendly) Partner). Vegans explained that they engage in a variety of communication strategies (e.g., focusing on the positive) to thoughtfully craft an identity that will be wellreceived by others. Additionally, participants explained that they are not only supported by members of their social network, but that this support is an integral part of their relational identity. Lastly, I analyzed participant accounts to see if any discrepancies (i.e., identity gaps; Jung & Hecht, 2004) emerged between the ways vegans negotiate their identity. Results indicate that some vegans experience or create up to four different identity gaps between different layers of identity (Personal-Enacted Gap, Relational-Enacted Gap, Enacted-Enacted Gap, Community-Personal Gap). Implications and directions for future research are discussed. vii PUBLIC ABSTRACTCurrent research estimates that approximately 7.5 million people in the United States subscribe to a vegan diet and thus don't consume any form of animal products such as meat, fish, dairy, or eggs. Additionally, the number of non-vegans who periodically consume vegan and vegetarian products (often termed "flexitarians") for various reasons has also grown considerably. Despite the growth of the vegan (a.k.a. plant-based) food industry, relatively little is known about how people talk about veganism. Scholarly research demonstrates that the way people talk about their diet can not only influ...