Browsing by Author "Arbona, Consuelo"
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Item Adult Sexual Assault as a Moderator Between Religiosity and Sexual Risk Taking Among College Women(2013-08) Tran, Jana K. 1982-; Coleman, M. Nicole; Dao, Tam K.; Arbona, Consuelo; Menefee, Deleene S.Sexual risk taking among college women is a major public health concern, as it leads to negative health consequences, such as sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancies (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, 2010; Finer & Henshaw, 2006). Policy makers have become increasingly interested in collaborating with religious organizations to create faith-based education efforts to address these sexual health problems (Whitehead & Ooms, 1999). Religious teachings often endorse restrictive sexual scripts that exert social control on sexual behavior (Rotosky et al., 2003). However, findings regarding the relation of religiosity to sexual risk taking have been mixed within the college student population. One potential moderator that may help explain these inconsistencies is adult sexual assault (ASA), which has consistently been associated with increased engagement in sexual risk tasking. The purpose of the current study was to use archival data to examine ASA as a moderator of the relation of religiosity to sexual risk taking among college women, while controlling for social desirability bias and race. Participants included 181 undergraduate women, with ages ranging from 18 to 44 years (M = 22.22, SD = 4.53). Regarding racial identification, 28.7% were European American/White, 20.4% were African American/Black, 20.4% were Asian American/Asian, 19.3% were Latino-a/Hispanic, 5.0% were bi-racial or multi-racial, and 6.1% reported “Other.” Regarding religious affiliation, 37.6% were Catholic, 34.3% were Protestant, 8.4% reported other religious affiliations, 10.5% reported being Agnostic, and 4.4% reported being Atheist. A questionnaire collected a range of relevant demographic information, the Religious Commitment Inventory–10 (Worthington et al., 2003) measured religious commitment, the Sexual Experiences Survey - Short Form Victimization (Koss et al., 2007) measured ASA, and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (Crowne & Marlowe, 1960) measured social desirability. As a preliminary analysis, MANOVAs were conducted to examine group differences on the dependent variables across socioeconomic status, marital status, dating status, and sexual orientation, the bivariate correlations of the variables were calculated, and an assessment of multicolinearity was performed. The current study examined three main research questions: 1) to what extent religiosity is associated with the two sexual risk taking variables (i.e., sexual risk taking with uncommitted partners and risky sex acts), 2) to what extent ASA is associated with the two sexual risk taking variables, and 3) whether ASA moderates the relationship between religiosity and the two sexual risk taking variables. Two separate hierarchical regression analyses were run and revealed that, after controlling for social desirability, race, and dating status, religiosity, adult sexual assault, and the interaction effect did not contribute a significant amount of unique variance to engagement in sexual risk taking with uncommitted partners. Asian American/Asian and Latino-a/Hispanic race contributed a significant amount of unique variance to this criterion. Results also indicated that dating status and adult sexual assault contributed unique variance to engagement in risky sex acts. Religiosity and the interaction between religiosity and adult sexual assault did not contribute unique variance to this criterion. Implications of the findings regarding the relation of religiosity, adult sexual assault, and sexual risk taking among college women are discussed.Item Associations among Perceived Stress, Stress Coping, and Eating Behaviors(2018-12) Posada, Alexandria; Wiesner, Margit F.; Arbona, Consuelo; Hein, Sascha D.; Olvera, Norma E.; Tolar, TammyBackground: Given the combined high prevalence of overweight and obesity (27%) among college students in the United States, particularly women, there is a need to study the risk factors associated with overweight and obesity in this population. Although some biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors have been investigated, limited research has examined perceived stress, coping, sweet intake, and emotional eating among racially/ethnically diverse college women. Purpose: The present cross- sectional study’s research aims were: 1) to investigate the relationship between perceived stress and sweet intake, 2) to examine the relationship between perceived stress and emotional eating; and 3) to determine if coping strategies moderated these relationships. The following hypotheses were proposed: 1) higher levels of perceived stress would be associated with greater sweet intake; 2) higher levels of perceived stress would be associated with increased emotional eating; and 3) the relationships among perceived stress, sweets intake and emotional eating would be moderated by avoidant coping. That is, a stronger relationship between perceived stress and sweet intake and emotional eating would be observed among students with a higher use of avoidant coping. Methods: The sample consisted of 572 racially/ethnically diverse (30% Hispanic, 29% Asian, and 11% African American) undergraduate college women. Participants completed an online demographic survey and measures of dietary intake, emotional eating, perceived stress, and stress coping. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the factor structure of all latent constructs before study hypotheses were tested. Structural equation modeling indicated that perceived stress factors and avoidant coping did not significantly predict sweet intake. However, perceived stress factors such as perceived helplessness (β = .39, p = .005) and lack of stress self-efficacy (β = -.12, p = .002) were significantly associated with emotional eating. Furthermore, avoidant coping was significantly associated with emotional eating (β = .27, p < .001). Further, avoidant coping was not a significant moderator of the relationships among perceived stress, sweet intake, and emotional eating. Conclusion: Higher levels of perceived helplessness and avoidant coping were related to greater engagement in emotional eating in undergraduate women. Conversely, reporting less stress self-efficacy (i.e., more stress) was related to less engagement in emotional eating. Future research interventions should focus on reducing feelings of perceived helplessness and encouraging alternative coping styles which could lead to a reduction of emotional eating behaviors in undergraduate women.Item Caregiver Traits, Attachment Styles, and Patient Outcomes in a Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program(2020-12) Sciulli, Samantha Anne; Schwartz, Jonathan P.; Arbona, Consuelo; de Dios, Marcel A.; Zgaljardic, Dennis J.Background: Acquired brain injuries (ABI) are a critical health concern, as they disrupt brain activity and impact individual functioning. Presentations vary, and injuries are inherently unpredictable. Injured persons can experience an array of significant impairments and difficulties in physical, cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and social functioning, as well as activities of daily living. Following injury, patients can achieve improvements in functioning across domains through evidence-based comprehensive post-acute brain injury rehabilitation programs (PABIR) which specialize in community integration. Family members and caregivers are essential to this recovery process by providing necessary social and emotional support. Purpose: Previous research suggests that caregiver mental health and functioning influence the quality of care and mood of the brain injured individual. Caregiver engagement promotes better quality of life and buoy of mood, but little research has investigated the caregiver factors which promote or inhibit functioning and rehabilitation progress in brain injured persons. Personality traits, which shape affect, cognition, and behavior, may account for differences in individual caregiving and thereby patient functioning. Furthermore, attachment styles drive variability in relationship closeness and security. Because caregiving represents an essential relationship in recovery, differences in caregiver attachment styles may impact patient progress. This study aims to examine the influence of caregiver personality traits and attachment styles on patient trajectories and outcomes. It is hypothesized: (1) that caregiver agreeableness will promote increased functioning and treatment gains and (2) that patients with caregivers who have an insecure attachment style will see limited treatment gains compared to patients with securely attached caregivers. Methods: Data was collected at a post-acute brain injury rehabilitation programs in the state of Texas. Fifty-nine pairs of caregivers and ABI patients were assessed. Caregivers completed demographic questionnaires, and self-report measures of personality factors and attachment styles. Rehabilitation staff assessed patient ability, adjustment, and participation at the beginning and end of treatment to measure patient trajectories. Results: Pearson’s correlation and a hierarchal multiple linear regression analysis were used to examine the relationships between caregiver personality factors and attachment styles and patient rehabilitation gains. Secure attachment and anxious attachment styles, as well as caregiver intensity and duration of rehabilitation were significantly correlated with patient rehabilitation gains. However, attachment styles and personality traits did not predict patient outcomes over caregiver intensity and duration of rehabilitation. Conclusion: Caregiver intensity was the best predictor of rehabilitation followed by duration of rehabilitation treatment. Caregiver intensity also correlated with agreeableness, conscientiousness, and direct in-person contact hours. Limitations, future directions, and clinical implications are discussed.Item Childhood Obesity Prevention: Acculturation and Feeding Practices of Low-Income Latino Families(2021-12) Thompson, Yuridia Peralta; Arbona, Consuelo; Olvera, Norma E.; Fan, Weihua; Hughes, Sheryl O.Background: Latinx children are disproportionately affected by obesity in the United States, with second- and third-generation Latinx children having higher levels of obesity than first-generation immigrants. Parental feeding practices in response to children’s hunger and satiety cues have been associated with children’s weight status and may offer one possible explanation for these rising obesity rates among Latinx children. Purpose: The extent to which parental acculturation relates to feeding practices among low-income Latino families is not well documented. The proposed study examined to what extent maternal acculturation moderated the effects of a seven-week family-based childhood obesity prevention program (Strategies for Effective Eating Development) on parental feeding attitudes and behaviors. Methods: Participants (208 low-income Latina mothers and their preschool children) were part of a randomized control trial conducted in a large urban area in the Southern U.S. and a medium-sized town in the rural, Inland Pacific Northwest of the U.S. The study used a validated measure of English acculturation (the Bidimensional Acculturation Scale) and a comprehensive measure of feeding practices (the Food Parenting Inventory). Five separate two-way analysis of covariance (2-way ANCOVA) were implemented to test the moderating effect of English acculturation on the effect of the 7-week childhood obesity prevention program on components of parental feeding attitudes and practices (Family Meals, Structure, New Foods, External Control, and Responsiveness). Results: Results indicated that the intervention was effective in increasing mother’s feeding attitudes and practices in the area of Responsiveness (to children’s internal cues of hunger and fullness), only among mothers reporting higher levels of English acculturation. Conversely, the reduction of the use of excessive parental pressure/coercion or indifference/lack of involvement while feeding their children (i.e. External Control) only appeared to be effective among mothers endorsing low levels of English acculturation. The intervention was equally effective regarding the secondary goals of increasing exposure and acceptance of New Foods, increasing the Structure and predictability of how meals are prepared and served at home, and increasing the regularity and consistency of mealtimes and parental involvement in determining child’s portion size (Family Meals) among mothers reporting both high and low levels of English acculturation. Conclusion: These findings provide evidence of successful childhood obesity prevention efforts in four out of five components of examined maternal feeding attitudes and practices. Results highlight the possible shortcoming of the SEEDS prevention program in effectively and equitably targeting mothers reporting lower levels of maternal English acculturation as related to the parental feeding practice of Responsiveness.Item Death Anxiety and Proximal Defense Strategies Among Female College Students During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic(2023-08) Harvey, Laura M; de Dios, Marcel A.; Allan, Blake A.; Arbona, Consuelo; Whitaker, RachaelBackground: During the COVID-19 pandemic, young adults, including college students, had the lowest rates of compliance with public health recommendations aimed at reducing the spread of the virus. The COVID-19 pandemic likely heightened awareness of mortality and had the potential to increase individuals’ death anxiety. Terror Management Theory and the Terror Management Health Model have both demonstrated that individuals cope with conscious thoughts of death by engaging in a) health-promoting behaviors (e.g., masking) or b) patterns of thoughts or behaviors that facilitate avoidance (e.g., drinking to cope). Examining how female college students cope with death anxiety in the context of COVID-19 may yield findings that can inform public health efforts. Purpose: The current study examined the association between death anxiety, avoidance of death anxiety, mask use, and alcohol use frequency during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The association between these variables were examined longitudinally in a sample of female college students who used alcohol. Methods: A sample of 157 female college students completed a baseline survey that occurred prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and included measures of death anxiety, avoidance of death anxiety, and alcohol use frequency. Participants completed a follow-up assessment during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and reported their mask use, as well as levels of death anxiety, avoidance of death anxiety, and alcohol use frequency. Cross-lagged panel modeling was used to examine whether baseline death anxiety predicted mask use and alcohol use frequency at follow-up. Findings: This study found that 1) baseline death anxiety did not predict follow-up mask use either directly or indirectly (through avoidance of death anxiety) and 2) baseline death anxiety also did not predict alcohol use frequency at follow-up directly or indirectly (through avoidance of death anxiety). Relatively strong correlations were observed among the independent variables, which could have decreased the ability to detect the hypothesized associations. A series of post hoc analyses were conducted to further elucidate the association between key variables of the study’s primary model. The results of these additional analyses did not yield results supporting the hypothesized associations. Descriptive and exploratory analyses revealed that alcohol use frequency decreased in the study sample from baseline (pre-COVID-19) to follow-up (first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic). Furthermore, racial/ethnic group differences were observed in mask use, such that white women in the sample reported more frequent use of masks as compared to women who identified as Hispanic/Latinx. Conclusions: Participants in the current study did not report an increase in death anxiety from baseline (pre-COVID-19 pandemic) to follow-up (first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic). The absence of this expected increase in death anxiety raised questions about the applicability of the theorized model as well as the measurement approach that was employed within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, it is also possible that young adult women experienced less-than-expected concerns regarding death during the COVID-19 pandemic because they were not members of an age group identified as having a heightened risk for hospitalization or death as a result of COVID-19.Item Denial and Antisocial Traits in Sexual Offenders(2012-05) Sanders, April 1971-; Arbona, Consuelo; Watson, Margaret; McPherson, Robert H.; Hickey, ScottIt is typically assumed that denial is related to negative outcomes among sexual offenders and significant, life changing decisions are made regarding adjudicated sexual offenders based on their denial of sexually abusive behaviors. However, little empirical evidence supports this wide-spread belief The Criminogenic model of denial proposes that sex offenders who deny their offenses tend to exhibit higher levels of antisocial traits than offenders who accept their offenses while the Adaptational model proposes that deniers and admitters do not differ in antisocial traits (Rogers & Dickey, 1991). Research findings also suggest that offenders of non-children victims tend to be more antisocial than offenders of children (e.g. Ahlmeyer et al., 2003; Whitaker et al., 2008). The purpose of this study was to test the predictions of the Criminogenic and Adaptational models by examining the relation of admission status and victim age to antisocial traits while controlling for response bias. Participants were 371 post-conviction, non-incarcerated, adult male sex offenders assessed before receiving psychological treatment. The questions addressed included: (1) Are there mean differences in faking good and faking bad response biases among sex offenders who admit and deny their sexually abusive behaviors? Are there mean differences in antisocial traits among (2) admitters versus deniers and (3) offenders of children versus non children? and (4) Does victim age (child versus non-child) moderate the relation of admission status to antisocial traits ? An ANOVA and a MANCOVA were used to examine the four research questions; the covariates were offender s’ age, years of education, and fake good and fake bad response bias. The MMPI-2-RF was used to assess fake good and fake bad response bias and antisocial tendencies (Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008)). Results indicated that as hypothesized, deniers provided higher levels of fake good responses than admitters; contrary to expectations, there were no differences between admitters and deniers in fake bad responses. Contrary to expectations, admitters scored higher than deniers in antisocial traits and there were no differences in antisocial traits related to age of victim. Finally, victim age did not moderate the relation of admission status to antisocial traits. Findings did not provide support for either the Criminogenic or Adaptational models of denial among sex offenders.Item Depression in South Asian Women: The Role of Cultural Values Conflict, Social Strain, and Social Support(2018-08) Noor, Nausheen; Arbona, Consuelo; Nutt, Roberta L.; Schwartz, Jonathan P.; Frankel, Leslie A.Background: South Asian values regarding gender roles and marriage are in contrast to the values espoused by the West. Thus among South Asian immigrants, the pressure to conform to traditional values and to adapt to the new culture is likely to result in cultural values conflict. Although cultural values conflict has been linked to depression, the differential contribution of the dimensions of cultural values conflict, sex roles expectations and intimate relations, and the role of social support and social strain in the relationship of cultural values conflict to depression has not been examined. Purpose: The present study examined four research questions: a) does social support moderate the relation of sex roles expectations to depressive symptoms? b) does social support moderate the relation of intimate relations to depressive symptoms? c) does social strain mediate the relation of sex roles expectations to depressive symptoms? d) does social strain mediate the relation of intimate relations to depressive symptoms? Methods: Participants were 179 women (M= 31 years, SD=11.54) of South Asian descent. Measures included a demographic questionnaire, Cultural Values Conflict Scale, Short form of the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and Test of Negative Social Exchange. Results: After controlling for marital status, social support did not moderate the association of conflict in sex roles expectations or conflict in intimate relations to depression. Social strain was found to mediate the relation of sex roles expectations to depression. Since conflict in intimate relations was not found to be associated to depression or social strain, the second mediation analysis was not conducted. Conclusion: When experiencing conflict in sex roles, strained familial relationships explained the presence of depressive symptoms among South Asian women. Even with greater social support, these women did not experience a reduction in their depressive symptoms when dealing with cultural values conflict.Item Development and Validation of the Work Capital Scale(2023-08) Kim, Taewon; Allan, Blake A.; de Dios, Marcel A.; Arbona, Consuelo; Kim, Han JoeBackground: Scholars in vocational psychology have called for greater attention to different forms of capital to better understand the vocational development of marginalized groups, such as immigrants, refugees, and people from lower social class backgrounds. However, previous research has had several conceptual and measurement limitations, such as using less inclusive frameworks; the overuse of categorical, dummy coded, and objective measures; and the exclusion of economically and socially marginalized samples. Given these limitations, researchers, career counselors, and policymakers cannot obtain data to improve work interventions for those lacking work capital. Purpose: The proposed scale development study aimed to (a) develop a subjective, continuous, and multidimensional work capital scale and (b) validate the new scale with a representative sample of working adults and job seekers across two studies. Methods: In Study 1, I developed and refined items to develop the Work Capital Scale (WCS), conducted exploratory factor analysis on the scale, and assessed its reliability. In Study 2, I compared factor structures and tested the validity of the new scale. Results: In Study 1, I finalized a 16-item, four-factor work capital scale. The four factors (i.e., Economic Work Capital, Human Work Capital, Social Work Capital, and Cultural Work Capital) significantly and positively correlated with one another and demonstrated good reliability. In Study 2, the correlational model fit best to the data, and the four subscales correlated with subjective social class, objective socioeconomic indicators, and existing measures of capital. Conclusion: The WCS is a valid and reliable scale measuring four forms of subjective work capital, which advances theory and research and provides a tool for practitioners to use in the community.Item Eating Disorder Attitudinal and Behavioral Symptoms Among a Diverse College Sample: The Role of Family Factors and Peer Influence(2012-08) Winters, Natalie F.; Arbona, Consuelo; Coleman, M. Nicole; Dao, Tam K.; Burridge, Andrea BackscheiderRecognition of the importance of the role of family factors to eating disorders dates back to 1873 when Lasegue highlighted the importance of family in the explanation of anorexia nervosa. A positive relationship between family dysfunction and disordered eating has been routinely cited in the literature; however, there are many studies that have been published in which family dysfunction is related to other psychiatric disorders as well (Fairburn et al., 1997). Thus, there is an emerging need to examine specific factors of the family that are associated with disordered eating. A significant relationship between maternal commentary about weight and shape and disordered eating among daughters has been cited in the literature (Annus et al., 2007). Family functioning and negative paternal commentary regarding body shape and eating have been associated with increased disordered eating and have been shown to fully mediate the relationship between family dysfunction and disordered eating. In addition to maternal commentary, influence from peers to be thin has also been found to be significantly related to eating disorders among females. Furthermore, peer influence has emerged as a stronger predictor of eating disorder symptoms among college women compared to family influence (van den Berg et al., 2002). Thus, it appears important to assess peer influence when examining eating pathology among college women. To date, numerous studies regarding disordered eating have been conducted among Caucasian women; however, the cultural make-up of college student populations is increasingly becoming more diverse (Snyder et al., 2005), underscoring the importance of examining predictors of eating disorder symptomatology among women from diverse racial and ethnic groups. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to examine the relation of general family functioning, negative maternal commentary regarding body shape and eating, and peer influence among Hispanic and Caucasian college women. The research questions are as follows: (1) To what extent does negative maternal commentary about body shape and eating mediate the relationship between general family functioning to behavioral and attitudinal eating disorder symptoms among Hispanic and Caucasian college women? (2) What is the relative contribution of peers and mothers’ messages regarding body shape and eating to Hispanic and Caucasian college women’s behavioral and attitudinal eating disorder symptoms? (3) Does peer influence moderate the relationship of mother’s commentary about weight and body shape to behavioral and attitudinal eating disorder symptoms? The sample will consist of approximately 300 Caucasian and Hispanic undergraduate women for the University of Houston. Students will be recruited through sororities and through university courses. Participants will complete a demographic questionnaire, the Family Assessment Device (measure of family functioning), the Eating Disorder Examination – Questionnaire (measure of eating disorder attitudinal symptoms and behavioral symptoms), the Peer Influence Scale (measure of cues from peers to obtain or attain a thin body shape), the Family Experiences Related to Food Questionnaire – Mother (measure of maternal commentary about body shape and weight), and the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican-Americans II (measure of acculturation to western culture). Four series of regression analyses will be conducted to assess the extent to which the relationship between family functioning and eating disorder attitudinal and behavioral symptoms is mediated by maternal commentary among Caucasian and Hispanic college women. Two additional hierarchical regression analyses will be conducted to examine the combined and unique contribution of negative maternal commentary and peer influence to eating disorder attitudinal and behavioral symptoms as well as the extent to which peer influence moderates the relationship between maternal commentary and eating disorder attitudinal and behavioral symptoms among Caucasian and Hispanic college women.Item Eating Disorder Symptomotology: The Role of Ethnic Identity in Caucasian and Hispanic College Women(2011-05) Avina, Vanessa; Arbona, Consuelo; Day, Susan X.; Armsworth, Mary; Olvera, Norma E.A relative large number of women on college campuses report experiencing eating afflictions. About 61% of college women indicated that they either occasionally or regularly used extreme measures to control their weight (Mintz & Betz, 1988). No clear consensus on the relative prevalence of eating disorder symptoms across ethnic groups has emerged (Franko et al., 2007). However, previous literature has accentuated the importance of BMI and the internalization of ideals for thinness as important predictive factors for eating disorder symptoms, and thus should be included in an analysis of symptomotology. Moreover, no studies were located that have taken into account ethnic identity when comparing the endorsement of eating disorder symptomotology among Caucasian and Hispanic women. The purpose of this study was to examine (a) to what extent college women from Hispanic and Caucasian ethnic groups differ in behavioral and attitudinal symptoms of eating disorders, respectively when controlling for BMI, (b) to what extent ethnic identity contributed to behavioral and attitudinal symptomotology, respectively, when controlling for BMI and the internalization thinness as a beauty ideal, and (c) whether ethnicity moderated the relation of ethnic identity to eating disorder behavioral and attitudinal symptoms. Participants in this study included 264 female students (45% Hispanic, N=119; 55% Caucasian, N=145) at a large urban university in the Southwest United States. The majority of the Hispanic participants identified themselves as second generation (N = 72, 62.2%, SD= 1.27), meaning they were born in the United States, and had one or both parents born in a Latin country. Participants completed Demographics questions, the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDEQ; Fairburn & Beglin, 1994), the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM; Phinney, 1999), and the Sociocultural Attitudes towards Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ; Heinberg, Thompson, & Stormer, 1995). Bivariate correlations showed that behavioral and attitudinal eating disorder symptoms were positively and highly correlated to one another for both ethnic groups. For Hispanics, both types of symptoms were positively correlated to BMI and internalization, and negatively correlated to ethnic identity. Results differed for the Caucasian group, with positive significant correlations between attitudinal symptoms to internalization and to BMI. Behavioral symptoms were only significantly correlated with internalization and not BMI. Among Caucasians there were no statistically significant correlations of ethnic identity to any of the variables included in the study. The MANCOVA analysis showed no statistically significant differences in symptomotology between the two ethnic groups. Hierarchical Linear Regressions showed that ethnicity does not moderate the relation of ethnic identity and eating disorder symptoms.Item Examining the Impact of Sexual Stereotyping in Black Women(2012-08) Butler, Ebony 1982-; Coleman, M. Nicole; Arbona, Consuelo; Horn, Catherine L.; Williams Jennings, ShearaAmong all women in the U.S., African American women are the most likely to experience denigration and sexualization (Eckert & McConnell-Ginet, 1999) due to being devalued as human beings and sexually objectified. The U.S. is plagued with a history of oppression of Black women based on their race, gender, and class. These intersecting forms of oppression have resulted in the devaluation of Black women and the promotion of negative stereotypes regarding their sexuality. The hip hop culture has been an outlet where the promotion of stereotypes of Black women has been normalized and accepted. Within this medium Black women are depicted as promiscuous, money-hungry, loud-mouthed, and manipulative individuals. Such widespread and culturally-accepted negative sexual stereotypes of Black women can have grave impacts on the way Black women view themselves and negotiate their sexual experiences. Black women with frequent exposure to the negative sexual stereotypes in the hip hop culture may internalize the negative images of themselves and develop cognitive sexual schemas based on those images. A large amount of hip hop videos depict women as having great sexual desire and as sexually uninhibited and these depictions serve as representations for how women should view themselves (Roberts 1996; Stephens and Few, 2007). Because risky sexual behavior and STIs are disproportionately prevalent among Black women, the current study explored the relations between internalized sexual stereotypes, Black women’s self-schemas and their self-reported risky sexual behavior. The study addressed two important research questions by examining two predictor variables (internalization of hip hop scripts and sexual self-views) and one outcome variable (risky sexual behavior). The internalization of hip hop scripts was assessed using the Hip Hop Explicit Racial-Sexual Stereotypes Scale (HHERSSS; Coleman et al., unpublished) and sexual self-views was assessed using the Sexual Self Schema Scale (SSSS; Andersen & Cyranwoski, 1994). The research questions were: (a) Is there a relationship between the internalization of hip hop sexual scripts and Black women’s self-views?; and (b) Is there a relationship between the internalization of sexual scripts and self-reported engagement in risky sexual behavior? Based on theory and the existing literature, the following hypotheses were formed: (a) Higher scores on the Freak, Gold Digger, and Baby Mama subscales of the HHERSSS will be related to more positive sexual self-schema scores; and (b) higher scores on the Freak, Gold Digger, and Baby Mama subscales of the HHERSSS and higher sexual self-schema scores will be related to higher risky sexual behavior scores. Results from 342 African American women who identified as consumers of the hip hop culture revealed a significant relationship between sexual scripting and sexual self-schema. However, results did not reveal significant relationships between higher hip hop sexual scripting scores and positive sexual self-schemas, as expected. Specifically, a significant relationship between women’s endorsement of the Baby Mama script and conservative sexual self-views emerged. These findings are inconsistent with the hypothesis that higher scores on the Freak, Gold Digger, and Baby Mama subscales are related to more positive sexual self-schema scores. With regard to women’s sexual behavior, analyses yielded a significant relationship between both the internalization of hip hop sexual scripts and sexual self-schemas and self-reported risky sexual behavior, which support the hypothesis that higher scores on the Freak, Gold Digger, and Baby Mama subscales and higher sexual self-schema scores are related to higher risky sexual behavior scores. Furthermore, Freak subscale scores and positive sexual self-schemas were found to significantly predict the variance in self-reported risky sexual behavior.Item Factor Structure and Validity of the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Knowledge and Attitude Scale for Heterosexuals (LGB-KASH)(2010-08) Summers, Bryce; Arbona, Consuelo; Burridge, Andrea Backscheider; Gaa, John P.; Backus, Margot G.Heterosexual attitudes toward Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) individuals have become the focus of recent research as sexual minorities and allies have advocated for LGB human rights issues and have subsequently captured the attention of the media (Rimmerman, 2001, 2008; Rimmerman, Wald, & Wilcox, 2000). Multiple influences shape heterosexual attitudes including gender socialization, individual sexual identity exploration, religious beliefs, and systemic prejudicial attitudes (Altemeyer & Hunsberger, 2005; Kilanski, 2003; Worthington, Savoy, Dillon, & Vernaglia, 2002; Worthington, Becker-Schutte, & Dillon, 2005). Worthington, Dillon, and Becker-Schutte (2005) and colleagues proposed that heterosexual attitudes toward sexual minorities are one aspect of the individual's sexual identity that is comprised of several dimensions. Worthington et al. developed an instrument titled the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Knowledge and Attitude Scale for Heterosexuals (LGB-KASH) to assess the proposed dimensions of heterosexual attitudes toward LGB individuals. Results of confirmatory factor analyses with primarily white college students and adults in the Midwest identified five factors that were consistent with the proposed dimensions. These factors were labeled: hate (violent homonegativity; avoidance of LGB people); LGB knowledge; attitudes toward LGB civil right issues; religious conflict (ambivalent and negative attitudes caused by religious beliefs); and internalized affirmativeness (degree of comfort of having friends who are identified as LGB; feeling comfortable of having feelings of attraction towards the same-sex). The LGB-KASH's five dimensions correlated in the expected direction with scales assessing traditional homonegativity and religiosity. No other study was located that examined the factor structure and the validity of the LGB-KASH subscales. The purposes of the proposed study was to examine (a) the factor structure of the LGB-KASH with an ethnically diverse college sample, and (b) the relation of the LGB-KASH dimensions to scales assessing modern-homonegativity and religious fundamentalism. It was hypothesized that the LGB-KASH five-factor structure would be confirmed with ethnically diverse college students. It was expected that modern-homonegativity would correlate positively with the hate and religious conflict subscales, and correlate negatively with the LGB knowledge, LGB civil right and internalized affirmativeness subscales. It was expected that religious fundamentalism would correlate positively with the hate and religious conflict subscales, and correlate negatively with LGB knowledge, LGB civil right and internalized affirmativeness subscales. Spirituality experiences of participants were also assessed expecting to find that experiences of spirituality would be unrelated to LGB-KASH subscales. This study surveyed 701 heterosexual identified volunteer participants. Participants represented several major ethnic groups including African-Americans, Latino/a, Asian-Americans, and European Whites. The instruments that were used in the study include: a demographic questionnaire, the LGB-KASH, the Modern Homonegativity Scale (MHS; Morrison & Morrison, 2002), the Religious Fundamentalism Scale (RFS; Altemeyer & Hunsberger, 1992), and FACIT-Spirituality Scale (Peterman, Fitchett, Brady, Hernandez, & Cella, 2002). A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted with an oblique rotation using AMOS 17.0 to examine the factor structure of the LGB-KASH. Several indexes of fit were computed to assess how well the model fit the data including the chi-square, goodness-of-fit index (GFI), adjusted goodness-of-fit index (AGFI), comparative-fit index (CFI), root-mean-square residual (RMR), incremental fit index (IFI), parsimony comparative fit index (PCFI), and root-mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA). The CFA results indicated that the five factor-oblique model had a mediocre fit, and a comparable fit to the results found by WortItem Factors influencing entry level Beck Depression Inventory scores of in- and outpatient populations : an archival study(1988) Marotta, Sylvia; Arbona, Consuelo; Vincent, Kenneth R.; Willems, Edwin P.; Cohn, CalThis exploratory study compared two groups of patients diagnosed with a major depressive disorder in a private psychiatric clinic: an inpatient group and a drug study research outpatient group. The two groups were found to be significantly different from each other in level of depression at intake as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory, with outpatients more depressed. There were significant differences between the groups in the proportions having insurance, with the inpatient group being 98% covered by insurance. Sociodemographics as predictors for level of depression revealed that only marital status in the inpatient group was a significant predictor of level of depression. Specific questions about future research were posed.Item Gender Role Identity, Gender Role Conflict, Conformity to Role Norms and Men’s Attitudes Toward Psychological Help-Seeking(2013-08) Schwartz Moravec, N. Margaret 1985-; Arbona, Consuelo; Nutt, Roberta L.; Schwartz, Jonathan P.; Watson, MargaretMen typically seek less help than women in a variety of domains, including health concerns and psychological distress (see Courtenay, 2000, for a review). In order to understand this disparity, men’s attitudes toward seeking psychological help have been examined in relation to men’s gender role constructs. Men’s conformity to traditional masculine gender role norms has been negatively associated with attitudes toward seeking psychological help (Good, Dell, & Mintz, 1989; Good et al., 2006). Men’s gender role conflict, or the negative intrapersonal conflict that results when men rigidly adhere to traditional gender roles, has also been negatively associated with help-seeking attitudes (see O’Neil, 2005, for a review). However, the relation of men’s gender role identity to gender role ideology and help-seeking attitudes has been largely ignored. The present study examined the relation of two dimensions of gender role identity: gender role exploration and gender role commitment (Marcia, 1966), to men’s gender role conflict and psychological help-seeking attitudes. Participants were 191 male college students, ranging in age from 18 to 58 years (M=24; SD=6.26). The sample was ethnically diverse, with 43.5% Caucasian/White participants, 20.4% Latino/Hispanic participants, 22% Asian American/Asian/Pacific Islander participants, 8.9% Black/African American participants, and 5.2% who identified as multiracial or “other.” Most participants had never engaged in psychological treatment, per self-report (78%). Measures included a demographic questionnaire, the Gender Role Conflict Scale (O’Neil, Helms, Gable, David, & Wrightsman, 1986), which assessed gender role conflict four domains (i.e., success, power and competition, restrictive emotionality, restrictive affectionate behavior between men, and conflict between work and family), the Gender Role Exploration and Commitment Scale (Schwartz et al., 2012), which assessed gender role identity, the Inventory of Attitudes toward Seeking Mental Health Services (Mackenzie, Knox, Gekoski, & Macaulay, 2004), which measured attitudes toward psychological help-seeking, and Conformity to Masculine Norms-46 (Parent & Moradi, 2009), which measured conformity to traditional role norms. The present study examined four research questions: (1) To what extent are gender role exploration and commitment scores related to levels of gender role conflict domains, when controlling for conformity to masculine role norms? (2) To what extent do gender role exploration and commitment moderate the relation between conformity to masculine role norms and gender role conflict domains? (3) What is the combined and unique contribution of gender role exploration, gender role commitment and four gender role conflict domains to attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help, when controlling for conformity to masculine role norms? (4) To what extent do gender role commitment and exploration moderate the relationship between the four gender role conflict domains and attitudes toward psychological help-seeking? Results suggest that, after controlling for men’s conformity to masculine role norms, gender role commitment was predictive of men’s gender role conflict in the areas of success, power, and competition and conflict between work and family, and was a protective factor for restrictive emotionality. Gender role exploration was not a significant predictor of gender role conflict, and neither gender role exploration nor commitment significantly moderated the relation of conformity to male role norms and gender role conflict. Results also indicated that conformity to masculine role norms was a better predictor of men’s negative attitudes about therapy than gender role conflict, gender role exploration, or gender role commitment. When controlling for previous therapy experience and conformity to masculine role norms, neither gender role conflict, gender role exploration nor gender role commitment were significant predictors of men’s help-seeking attitudes. Results also indicated that there was a weak interaction effect between gender role commitment and gender role conflict, when predicting men’s attitudes toward help-seeking.Item General Anxiety Disorder Symptoms and Alcohol Use Among Female College Students: A Moderated Mediation Model Using Alcohol Coping Motives and a History of Lifetime Sexual Assault(2023-08) Desrochers, Madeleine T.; de Dios, Marcel A.; Arbona, Consuelo; Smith, Nathan Grant; Schwartz, JonBackground: Previous studies have linked sexual assault with drinking behaviors. There are several psychosocial factors that contribute to a woman’s experience during and after a sexual assault. However, there is limited research examining the relationship between women’s sexual assault history, general anxiety disorder symptoms, and the use of alcohol as a form of coping. Examining such psychosocial factors and their unique impact may provide findings that can inform prevention and intervention efforts for young adult college women. Purpose: The current study examined the moderating role that sexual assault history may have on the mediational relationship of drinking coping motives on the relationship between general anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms and alcohol use. Methods: A sample of 147 young adult female college students, who identified as regular alcohol users, completed an online survey which included measures of GAD symptoms, sexual assault history, alcohol drinking motives and alcohol use days. A series of OLS models tested a moderated mediation model. Results: The hypothesized moderated mediation model was not confirmed by the data. A post-hoc alternative mediation model revealed drinking to cope motives to be a significant mediator of the association between sexual assault history and drinking days. Discussion: Both sexual assault history and drinking to cope motives significantly predicted 30-day alcohol use. Age, relationship status, and sorority status were found to be significantly associated with the variables of interest. Results were discussed in relation to the existing literature and potential implications.Item Global beliefs and types of assertiveness training as predictors of assertiveness(1988) Leroux, Marvin Douglas; Vincent, Kenneth R.; Arbona, Consuelo; Williams, Robert E.; Segal, Robert M.This experimental investigation examined the relationship between global beliefs and two types of assertiveness training in predicting assertiveness training outcome. Global beliefs, representative of an individual's beliefs system, is a composite of the Ellisonian irrational beliefs. It is conceptualized as a cognitive individual difference variable known to be related to assertiveness. By monitoring global beliefs and subjecting one group of assertiveness trainees to a behavioral-skills-only training program (BO) and a second group of assertiveness trainees to a cognitive-behavioral skills training program (CB), it was possible to ascertain the prediction of assertiveness from global beliefs with types of assertiveness training. College students volunteering to participate in an assertiveness training program were pretested on assertiveness and global beliefs using the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (Rathus, 1973) and the Irrational Beliefs Test (IBT) (Jones, 1969), respectively. Twentyeight college students described as nonassertive served as research subjects. Subjects were subsequently rank ordered according to pretest IBT scores and ranked pairs were randomly assigned to the two training groups. A modified randomized control group pretest-posttest research design was used to determine the prediction of assertiveness from global beliefs with types of assertiveness training. The data were analyzed using the general linear models procedures of the SAS statistical package (SAS Institute Inc., 1982). [...]Item Helicopter Parenting and College Self-Efficacy Among Latino College Students: The Moderating Role of Familism(2023-08) Rodriguez, Lycinda; Arbona, Consuelo; de Dios, Marcel A.; Fan, Weihua; Olvera, Norma E.Helicopter parenting has been defined as parents who over-step in solving their college students’ problems often providing unsolicited suggestions on how to handle college experiences and intervening to save their emerging adult from difficulties. College students’ reports of higher levels of helicopter parenting behaviors have been associated with lower levels of college self-efficacy. However, most studies have been conducted with White college students. Therefore, little is known about helicopter parenting among college students from racial and ethnic minority groups, including Latinos. Cultural values, such as familism are thought to inform parenting practices. Within Latino families, familism is a value that embraces the centrality of the family and emphasizes parenting practices that include high levels of parental warmth, monitoring, and control. Previous findings have indicated that higher endorsement of familism buffered the expected negative relation of parental control to self-esteem among Mexican American college students. Therefore, when thinking about helicopter parenting in the context of a Latino emerging adult, the inclusion of familism as a moderator helps to yield a more complete understanding of helicopter parenting. The present study’s goal was aimed at better understanding helicopter parenting within a Latino cultural context by examining to what extent familism endorsement moderates the relation of helicopter parenting to college self-efficacy. This cross-sectional, quantitative study utilized archival data collected from Latino college students who rated their parents’ helicopter parenting behavior, their level of familism endorsement, and their own college self-efficacy. A hierarchical multiple regression indicated that familism did not moderate the association, such that higher or lower endorsement of familism did not make a difference in the relation of helicopter parenting to perceived college self-efficacy. However, perceived helicopter parenting behaviors by mother and highest rated helicopter parenting by mother or father were negatively associated to Latino emerging adults’ perceived college self-efficacy. Parents are still important in an emerging adult’s life. Those who engage in helicopter parenting behavior may be limiting their emerging adult’s belief as they embark on new college demands.Item High School Students' Experiences of Classism and Postsecondary Educational Aspirations and Expectations(2016-08) Shellman, Alison; Arbona, Consuelo; Burridge, Andrea Backscheider; Day, Susan X.; McKinney, LyleEducation-related aspirations and expectations are strong predictors of postsecondary educational attainment, including college enrollment. A number of variables influence aspirations and expectations; chief among these is a young person’s social class background. While scholars historically have focused on class-related structural barriers inhibiting the development of college-going aspirations and expectations, a more recent body of research has argued that the structural conditions related to an individual’s class background must be tied to the ways in which social class is subjectively experienced and internalized, thereby influencing perceptions about opportunities and subsequent aspirations and expectations about the future. Social class-based discrimination, or classism, is one critical vehicle through which class is subjectively experienced. Although classism predicts a number of negative psychological and school-related outcomes, no research so far has considered the influence of classism on aspirations (Thompson & Subich, 2013). This study employed hierarchical multiple regression analyses to examine the relative contribution of three subdomains of classism (i.e., citational, institutionalized and interpersonal classism through discounting), measured by the Classism Experiences Questionnaire-High School (CEQ-HS; Langhout, Rosselli, & Feinstein, as adapted by Shellman, 2014), to variance in 300 10th graders self-reported educational aspirations and expectations. Data were drawn from a previous study, in which the CEQ-HS was adapted and validated among a sample of public high school students. Additionally, the mediating function of classism on the relations between students’ class background and aspirations and expectations was examined, utilizing Preacher and Hayes’s (2008) approach for evaluating and comparing indirect effects in mediation models. Results revealed that greater endorsement of experiences of citational classism significantly predicted a decrease in aspirations among the participants sampled, after controlling for social class background, grade point average (GPA), and academic curriculum track. Further, social class background had an indirect effect on aspirations through experiences of citational classism, after controlling for GPA and curriculum track, although this mediating effect appeared to degrade in subsequent tests of simple mediation. No significant findings were demonstrated related to the other domains of classism or the role of classism in predicting educational expectations. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed, with a focus on key directions for future research in this domain.Item Mental Health Profiles and Recidivism in Juvenile Justice-Involved Youths(2023-08) Dragomir-Davis, Andreea Maria; Arbona, Consuelo; Wiesner, Margit F.; de Dios, Marcel A.; Hein, Sascha D.Background: Youths with mental health disorders are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system (JJS) and at a higher risk for future JJS involvement (recidivism), compared to youths without mental health disorders. Youths with high mental health symptomatology tend to have a more extensive history of JJS involvement, but the relationship between different mental health profiles and future recidivism has been minimally examined. The literature on JJS-involved youths with mental health or substance use disorders suggests that interventions targeting these needs may decrease the risk of recidivism, but research documenting the effectiveness of mental health interventions in reducing recidivism rates among youth with mental health disorders is scarce. Purpose: The research questions addressed in this study are: (1) Can the youths in this sample be classified into distinct groups, based on their mental health symptomatology? (2) Are there any demographic differences in the distribution of mental health profiles? (3) Does mental health group membership predict whether a youth recidivates and the type of recidivating offense? (4) Is the relationship between mental health group membership and recidivism moderated by the completion of a mental health program? Methods: The data used in the study consisted of records of 9,694 JJS-involved youths, collected between 2017 and 2022 at a large urban juvenile department in Texas. The youths were 75.5% boys, 43.6% Hispanic, 44.8% Black, and 11.6% non-Hispanic White. The measures used in this study were the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-2 (MAYSI-2), two indicators of recidivism, one indicator of completion (or noncompletion) of a mental health program, and demographic information. Statistical analyses included (1) a latent profile analysis using the scores for the MAYSI-2 scales to identify groups of youths with similar patterns of mental health needs, (2) two logistic regression analyses predicting whether a youth recidivated and the type of recidivating offense, and (3) a logistic regression analysis examining the moderator role of completing a mental health program. Results: The results of the latent profile analysis showed that a model consisting of three classes of mental health needs fitted the data the best. The groups that emerged were a low (59.8%), moderate (26.6%), and high mental health needs group (13.7%). The youths in the moderate needs group were more likely to recidivate in general, compared to youths in the low and high needs groups and they were also more likely to recidivate with certain types of offenses (i.e., against person, drug, and weapon offenses). There was no association found between the completion of a mental health program and recidivism rates. Conclusion: The results supported an association between mental health needs and recidivism for the moderate needs group and revealed that this relationship is more nuanced for youths with high needs. The extant literature and present study have provided mixed or inconclusive results regarding the effectiveness of interventions in reducing mental health outcomes and recidivism rates for youths in the JJS.Item Perfectionism, Societal Messages, Gender and Race as Correlates of Male Body Image(2010-08) Grammas, Debbie; Schwartz, Jonathan P.; Arbona, Consuelo; Wiesner, Margit F.; Olvera, Norma E.Many men experience psychological distress as they try to obtain the ideal body as constructed by society (Pope, Phillips, and Olivardia, 2000). The number of articles focusing on men and muscularity has greatly increased since the year 2000 (Thompson & Cafri, 2007). Research indicates that body dissatisfaction is increasing in males and even young boys are experiencing body image dissatisfaction (Pope et al., 2000). Men with body image concerns are at risk for low self esteem, eating disorders, use of steroids, anxiety and depression (McCreary & Sasse, 2000; Cafri, Strauss, & Thompson, 2002; Olivardia, Pope, Borowiecki, & Cohane, 2004). Examining the predictors of body image distress is critical. Perfectionism and gender role socialization have been related to a drive for muscularity in men (Davis, Karvinen & McCreary, 2005; McCreary, Saucier, & Courtenary, 2005). In addition, viewing images of muscular men and reading fitness magazines have been linked to body dissatisfaction in men (Lorensen, Grieve, & Thompson, 2004; Morry & Staska, 2001). While the relationships between perfectionism, internalization of ideal standards transmitted by the media, and gender role conflict have been examined with body image dissatisfaction in men, no studies have linked these variables together in a single model. Investigating how these variables interact may lead to a greater understanding of the distress that men experience due to the socialization process of masculinity. The lack of racial diversity has been a limit of several research studies. The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between: 1) perfectionism and male body image dissatisfaction, and 2) internalization of societal messages and male body image, and to determine what role gender role conflict plays, if any in the hypothesized correlation. Data was collected from an ethnically diverse sample of 331 college men from a university in the southwestern United States. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses were conducted. Results indicated that identifying as an Asian American, socially prescribed perfectionism, and internalization of societal messages were significant positive predictors of muscle dissatisfaction. Higher levels of socially prescribed perfectionism and internalization of societal messages were related to higher levels of dissatisfaction with the amount of one’s body fat. None of the variables examined served as a predictor for height dissatisfaction. Gender role conflict did not serve as a moderator in the relationship between the variables and male body image dissatisfaction.
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