Physical and psychological aggression in dating relationships in Spanish university students

The presence of violent behaviors of a psychological and physical nature in dating relations was analyzed in a sample of Spanish university students between 18 and 27 years of age. The results indicate a high prevalence of both kinds of aggression in interpersonal relationships, revealing important typology differences between the sexes. Violent psychological behaviors (characterized by the presence of verbal aggression and coercive and jealous behaviors) and physical aggression were significantly higher in women, though the consequences of physical aggression were worse for the women's health. The implications of the results and their possible relation with more severe violent acts in more stable, emotional relationships are discussed.     

Some factors in condom use amongst first-year Nigerian University students and black and white South Africans

A questionnaire was administered to 213 sexually active first-year Nigerian university students and 150 Black and 150 White South African adults. Nigerian students gave 90% correct answers on 6 of the 10 items of a measure of condom knowledge (M = 6.1). The most common mistakes with respect to condom use were ignorance about putting a condom on just before ejaculation (37%), the use of an oil-based lubricant with a condom (29%), and when to take off a condom (28%). For the South African sample utility of the Health Belief Model and Theory of Reasoned Action for HIV prevention could be confirmed by intention to use condoms. Race and preventive benefits were predictive for current condom use. Findings have relevant implications for developing culturally diverse HIV intervention programs if confirmed with larger diverse groups.     

Finnish and American university students compared on a verbal aggression construct.

232 Finnish and 145 American university students showed no significant differences on Infante and Wigley's measure of verbal aggressiveness. In keeping with general stereotypes, the men of both cultures (88 Finns, 86 Americans) were more verbally aggressive than were the women (144 Finns, 59 Americans).     

The role of positive and negative affect on well-being amongst Swedish and Iranian university students

The roles of positive and negative affect in well-being were studied in two different societies, namely the Iranian and the Swedish. A total of 606 university students (296 Iranian and 310 Swedish) participated in the study. The results showed that, whereas there was no difference between Iranian and Swedish participants in their general level of life satisfaction, differences with regard to positive and negative affect were found. Swedish participants had more positive affect, whereas Iranian participants had more negative affect. In the Swedish sample, the most predictive factor of flourishing was positive affect, while there was a balance affect (between positive and negative affects) in the Iranian sample. The results are discussed from a individualistic–collectivistic perspective.     

A follow-up study on students attending a university counselling service in Northern Italy

The aims of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness of a university counselling service in Northern Italy, to assess the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of students who used counselling service, and to assess the psychological conditions of the students who ended the counselling after a 4 month follow-up period. The study involved 100 students, who filled out the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), the Brief COPE Inventory, and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R). The results showed that who received counselling were positively affected by this experience. The areas of benefit were psychological well-being, coping behaviours, ability to positively reframe problems and less sense of guilt. Additional studies are needed to identify which factors influence the outcomes of university counselling services in Italy. These studies would be important to evaluate the services rendered, upgrade the skills of counsellors and visualise priority areas of need.     

Promoting positive body image among university students: A collaborative pilot study

The purpose of the present study was to pilot a prevention program designed to promote positive body image among university students. Thirty-seven undergraduate students from three Canadian universities were recruited to participate in the study. They were selected from a pool of students enrolled in a peer health education program facilitated by the university-based health promotion staff. Borrowing from the tenets of the non-specific vulnerability stressor model and the disease-specific social cognitive theory, the intervention focused on media literacy, self-esteem enhancement strategies, stress management skills and ways to recognize healthy versus unhealthy relationships. Separate ANOVAs revealed that participants reported significant improvements in body satisfaction and reductions in the internalization of media stereotypes between the baseline and post-program period. The program received a favorable response from the participating students, who appreciated the face-to-face format of the intervention, and from the university staff who expressed interest in embedding the strategies into their routine peer mentoring training activities. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Schedule-induced aggression in humans and animals: A comparative parametric review

Studies of animal and human aggression induced by schedules of reinforcement are reviewed. Parameters reviewed include: schedules, characteristics of induced aggression, subject variables, target variables, and the control or modification of schedule-induced aggression. With the exception of temporal locus of schedule-induced attack, the parameters identified with animal subjects are remarkably similar to those identified with human subjects.     

A study of professional attitudes amongst architects

Professional attitudes can be studied as expressed in the individual's opinions of conventional and more recent professional stereotypes. It was hypothesized that these opinions, together with their stability and change, depend mainly on the degree of professional identification, a higher degree of which inspires a more sew-reliant and independent approach to professional work and thinking. The study was carried out with 58 young architects, exploring the differences between and changes in their images of the anticipated actual, empirical actual, and ideal architect. The results support the hypothesis concerning the role of professional identifcation and are in agreement with Tajfel's analysis of manifold social Junctions of stereotypes.     

Motives to study and socialization tactics among university students

The authors focused on the period following students' admission to university and examined the effects of students' motives to study and socialization tactics on their academic achievement and academic satisfaction. The authors hypothesized that socialization tactics would mediate the relation of motives to study to academic achievement and satisfaction. The findings confirmed the hypotheses and highlighted the importance of students' socialization tactics in the university setting. In addition, the research provided a typology to distinguish different types of socialization tactics.     

Personality disorder in university students: a multitrait-multimethod matrix study.

The present study examined the prevalence of personality disorders (PDs) in a sample of first-year university students. The three self-report measures used to assess personality disorders were the (a) Coolidge Axis II Inventory (CATI); (b) Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II (MCMI-II); and (c) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Personality Disorder Scale (MMPI-PD). The prevalence of PD was estimated by including the number of participants above the cut-off scores selected for each of the three PD instruments. The results indicate prevalence in the range of 0% to 16% for the males, and approximately 1% to 26% for the females. These findings generally confirm the prevalence range of 5% to 15% reported in other investigations of nonpatient samples. With few exceptions, the three tests are generally consistent in their estimates of PD prevalence of all the 11 personality disorders. The multitrait-multimethod matrix reveals that the disorders are generally positively correlated with each other on all the three tests, suggesting considerable construct overlap. Specifically, passive-aggressive and schizotypal disorders produce the most convergent correlations. On the MMPI-PD, however, schizoid is a relatively more discriminant disorder.     

师范院校贫困生与非贫困生防御方式比较

本研究采用防御方式问卷（DSQ）中译本,对师范院校168名在校本科生进行问卷调查。分析结果显示：1.师范院校贫困生与非贫困生一样,都能较多地使用成熟的防御方式,表现出整体较高的成熟倾向,他们之间没有明显的差异;2.师范院校贫困生与非贫困生使用的防御方式在各年级间的差异并不显著;3.师范院校贫困生对三种防御方式的使用存在着非常显著的差异,成熟防御方式高于中间型防御方式,不成熟防御方式使用得最少。     

A behavioral technology for producing concept formation in university students

Three experiments analyzed the effectiveness of a textbook incorporating "concept programming" in producing concept formation in university students. The concept programming portion of each lesson requires students to determine which concept is illustrated by each of 20 short fictional stories about everyday behavioral situations. The stories are selected to illustrate and contrast the concepts of that lesson. Student responses are heavily prompted during the initial stories of each lesson. The first experiment demonstrated that students generalize to entirely novel examples from the examples in the textbook. The second experiment demonstrated that the concept programming portion of the textbook is a critical component in producing generalization. The third experiment demonstrated that the amount of concept formation produced by the concept programmed textbook is greater than that produced by a widely used standard textbook.     

Sexual harassment of university students

The sexual harassment of junior, senior, and graduate student women and men by male and female professors, graduate assistants, and staff was investigated to determine students' personal experiences in the classroom, outside the classroom, and in job-related settings. Usable survey responses were returned by 393 students, and incidents were detailed by 38 women and 9 men who noted their responses to the harassment and its effects. Attitudes toward and acceptance of sexually harassing behaviors were measured by a 10-item Tolerance for Sexual Harassment Inventory (TSHI). The frequency of initiation of sexual behaviors was also assessed. More women than men reported being sexually harassed. Male and female perceptions of classroom behaviors were in agreement for most items. Men and women differed significantly on the TSHI, with men more tolerant of sexual harassment than women, and highly significant age differences were found, indicating a greater acceptance of sexual harassment by younger students. There was little difference between male and female students in the frequency of their initiating sexual behaviors. The TSHI was assessed; reliability coefficients and a factor analysis are presented.This research was supported by a grant from the College of Arts and Sciences. We are grateful to Betty Jones and Joan Bentley for their secretarial assistance.     

A longitudinal study of relational aggression, physical aggression, and children's social-psychological adjustment

Although great strides have recently been made in our understanding of relational aggression and its consequences, one significant limitation has been the lack of prospective studies. The present research addressed this issue by identifying and assessing groups of relationally aggressive, physically aggressive, relationally plus physically aggressive (co-morbid), and nonaggressive children during their third grade year in elementary school and then reassessing them a year later, during fourth-grade (N = 224, 113 girls). Two aspects of social-psychological adjustment were assessed during both assessment periods including internalizing difficulties (i.e., withdrawal, depression/anxiety, and somatic complaints) and externalizing problems (i.e., aggressive behavior, delinquency). It was revealed that the strongest predictor of future social-psychological adjustment problems and increases in these problems from third to fourth was the combination of relational and physical aggression. Relational aggression also contributed unique information, relative to physical aggression, in the prediction of future maladjustment. Implications of these findings for future research and prevention efforts, particularly for aggressive girls, are discussed.     

Conceptual systems of open university students

The Personal Opinion Scale was applied to 237 Open University and 42 York University students. The distribution of Conceptual Systems was found to be normal in the smaller sample but Open University students comprised fewer System 1 authoritarians and more System 4 problem-solvers than do comparable samples. This may have paedagogic implications. For example it suggests any authoritarianism which may be inherent in a distance-learning approach must be combatted.