A Comparison of Sexual Relationships Among Hispanic Men by Sexual Orientation: Implications for HIV/STI Prevention

Hispanic men experience high rates of HIV infection and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) when compared to non-Hispanic whites. Many factors contribute to HIV/STI risk among Hispanic men. Some researchers have suggested that primary relationships may be a source of HIV/STIs because some men engage in sexual relationships outside of the primary relationship. However, little is known about this among Hispanic men, and less is known about how sexual relationships differ by sexual orientation. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to determine if Hispanic men engage in sexual relationships outside of primary relationships; and (2) to compare sex outside of primary relationships by sexual orientation. Data for this study were obtained from a larger study that investigated health risks of Hispanic men residing in the U.S.–Mexico border community. Participants were recruited from agencies that provided services to Hispanic men. Participants completed a structured interview that included questions about primary relationships and sex outside of primary relationships. The sample consisted of 103 Hispanic men (50 heterosexual, 43 gay, and 10 bisexual Hispanic men), but two participants refused to answer relationship questions, resulting in a sample of 101 Hispanic men. About one-third of the participants (n = 29) reported sex outside of the primary relationship, but no differences were found between the gay/bisexual and heterosexual men, X ² (2, N = 101) = 9.91, p = .128. More gay/bisexual men reported sex with the primary partner and another person at the same time than heterosexual men, X ² (2, N = 101) = 13.32, p = .010. More gay/bisexual men reported open relationships when compared to heterosexual men, X ² (2, N = 101) = 17.23, p = .008, and more gay/bisexual men reported sex outside the primary relationship without the primary partner’s knowledge, X ² (2, N = 101) = 15.09. p = .020. However, more heterosexual men reported that condoms were not used for sex outside the primary relationship when compared to gay/bisexual men, X ² (2, N = 101) = 14.01, p = .029. Sex outside of primary relationships presents some implications for HIV/STI prevention among Hispanic men. Because gay/bisexual men experience higher rates of HIV/STI, more attention needs to be focused on all forms of relationships to prevent acquisition of HIV/STIs. Among heterosexual Hispanic men more attention needs to be given to reinforcement of safer sex practices both outside the primary relationship, and within the primary relationship if high risk sex is occurring outside the primary relationship. More research is needed on the reasons for sex outside the primary relationship among Hispanic men, as well as research to promote safer sex practices when sex occurs outside of the primary relationship.     

Development and Validation of the Knowledge of Parenting Strategies Scale: Measuring Effective Parenting Strategies

The current study aimed to develop and evaluate a measure of parenting knowledge, the Knowledge of Parenting Strategies Scale (KOPSS); specifically, to establish the scales internal reliability, ensure a clinically appropriate length, provide a community sample for future comparison, demonstrate adequate test–retest reliability and convergent validity, and to compare the scale to dysfunctional discipline styles. A total of n?=?865 parents were involved in the development and evaluation of the scale. In Study 1, data was collected from n?=?229 parents and Rasch analyses revealed seven items did not fit the measurement model. Study 2 involved a further sample of community families (n?=?346) and revealed the scale could be further shortened to 16 items. Study 3 revealed the scale has good test–retest reliability over a one-week period (r?=?.88, p?<?.001). Study 4 demonstrated convergent validity through a comparison to the Knowledge of Effective Parenting Scale (r?=?.583, p?=?.009). Study 5 utilised a sample of community families (n?=?190), revealing the scale was negatively correlated with hostile and lax discipline (r?=??.29, p?<?.001; r?=??.15, p?<?.05). Lastly, Study 6 showed scores on the KOPSS significantly improved following clinic-based and Internet-based Behavioural Parent Training. The KOPSS was found to be a valid and reliable measure of parenting knowledge of effective parenting strategies, which can be used to evaluate knowledge acquisition in parenting programs, and test the role of knowledge in behaviour change.     

Maltreated and Comparison Adolescents’ Recollections of Lifetime Residences: Relationship to Delinquency and Marijuana Use

This study of child welfare-affiliated maltreated youth (n?=?216) and comparison youth (n?=?128) from the same community (age M?=?18.21, SD?=?1.42) examined: 1. whether child/caregiver characteristics and maltreatment status were associated with lifetime number of residences; and 2. whether child/caregiver characteristics, residences, and maltreatment status were associated with delinquency and marijuana use. Maltreatment status, ever living with a nonparent caregiver, and being older were associated with more residences during childhood. More residences and male sex were associated with person offense delinquency and marijuana use. It is important to help caregivers who live in disadvantaged neighborhoods, especially families with child welfare involvement, understand the behavioral consequences of a high number of residences during childhood and adolescence and provide support for stable long-term housing.     

Sources of Care for Alcohol and Other Drug Problems: The Role of the African American Church

African Americans experience significant disparities in treatment access, retention, and quality of care for alcohol and drug use (AOD) problems. Religious congregations, often the first point of contact for help with AOD problems, can play an integral role in improving access to treatment. However, little is known about the role of African American churches in addressing AOD problems. We administered a survey to a faith-based collaborative of 169 African American churches in Los Angeles to examine how AOD problems are identified in congregations, the types of support provided, barriers to providing treatment referrals, and factors associated with the provision of treatment referrals. Seventy-one percent of churches reported caring often for individuals with AOD problems. AOD problems came to the attention of congregations most commonly via a concerned family member (55%) and less frequently through individuals with AOD problems directly approaching clergy (30%). In addition to providing spiritual support, a substantial proportion of churches reported linking individuals to AOD services through referrals (62%) and consultation with providers (48%). Barriers to providing treatment referrals included lack of affordable programs (50%), stigma (50%), lack of effective treatments (45%), and insufficient resources or staff (45%). The likelihood of providing treatment referrals was greater among mid-sized versus smaller-size congregations (OR 3.43; p < .05) and among congregations with clergy that had attended seminary (OR 3.93; p < .05). Knowing how to effectively coordinate informal sources of care provided by African American churches with the formal service sector could make a significant impact on AOD treatment disparities.     

Exploring the Relationships Between Maternal Mental Health Symptoms and Young Children’s Functioning in a Low-Income,Minority Sample

Poor maternal mental health, including depression and high stress levels, can negatively impact many domains of child development, particularly among low-income, ethnic minority families experiencing multiple stressors. Low-income minority mothers, particularly Hispanic mothers, are also at increased risk of experiencing exposure to community violence and other types of trauma. However, studies exploring the additional impact of maternal trauma symptoms on children’s functioning are rare. This study aims to address this gap by examining the impact of maternal trauma symptoms on young children’s functioning in a low-income, predominantly Hispanic sample through the mechanisms of maternal depressive symptoms, and mother’s experiences of parenting stress and strain. The sample consisted of 158 biological mothers (58% Hispanic, 13% African American, 5.7% White American) who were participating in community-based mental health treatment for their children (M_AGE?=?3.7, SD?=?1.2). Mothers completed questionnaires providing information on their children’s behaviors and their own mental health and stress levels at intake. Path analysis indicated that there was a significant indirect effect of maternal trauma symptoms on children’s behavior problems through maternal depressive symptoms and maternal stress in the parent-child relationship (β?=?0.09, p?<?0.01). In addition, there was a direct effect of maternal trauma symptoms on children’s behavior problems (β?=?0.32, p?<?0.001). The results suggest that maternal trauma symptoms, in addition to maternal depressive symptoms, contribute to poor maternal and child functioning.     

Substance concepts and personal identity

According to one argument for Animalism about personal identity, animal, but not person, is a Wigginsian substance concept—a concept that tells us what we are essentially. Person supposedly fails to be a substance concept because it is a functional concept that answers the question “what do we do?” without telling us what we are. Since person is not a substance concept, it cannot provide the criteria for our coming into or going out of existence; animal, on the other hand, can provide such criteria. This argument has been defended by Eric Olson, among others. I argue that this line of reasoning fails to show Animalism to be superior to the Psychological Approach, for the following two reasons: (1) human animal, animal, and organism are all functional concepts, and (2) the distinction between what something is and what it does is illegitimate on the reading that the argument needs.     

Patterns of Adolescents’ Romantic Activities: Associations with Psychosocial Adjustment

Using data on 15 year-old adolescents’ (N?=?770) romantic socializing, dating, and romantic relationships, we identified four clusters of romantic involvement: abstaining (9.2% of adolescents), socializing with relationships (20.3% of adolescents), socializing with dating (20.8% of adolescents), and socializing (49.7% of adolescents). We then tested if depressive symptoms, externalizing behavior, or social dissatisfaction differed between adolescents in the different romantic involvement clusters. Externalizing behavior and social dissatisfaction, but not depressive symptoms, differed between the clusters. Adolescents in the abstaining or socializing clusters reported less externalizing behavior than those in the other two clusters. Adolescents in the abstaining cluster reported greater social dissatisfaction than those in the other three clusters, which did not differ from each other. Finally, we found that gender did not moderate the associations between youths’ pattern of romantic involvement and their psychosocial adjustment.     

The Influences of Parent and Peer Attachment on Bullying

Individuals with secure attachments to parents and peers are less likely to be bullies and victims of bullying. The current study examined the interplay between gender, parent attachment, and peer attachment as factors related to roles (bullying involvement, defending a victim, and outsider) during bullying. One-hundred forty-eight adolescents (M age?=?15.68) completed surveys about parent and peer attachment and roles during bullying. Findings indicated that females were less likely than males to be involved in bullying and were more likely than males to defend a victim or be an outsider (ps?<?.05). Greater attachment security to parents and peers was associated with less involvement in bullying and greater defending of victims (ps?<?.05). Additionally, a significant three-way interaction demonstrated that greater peer attachment security predicted less bullying involvement for those with lower parent attachment security (p?<?.05), but not for those with higher parent attachment security (p?>?.05). However, this was only true for males (p?<?.01). These results indicate that having a secure attachment to peers may be a potential protective factor against bullying involvement for males with insecure attachments to parents. Future research should examine the possible mechanisms involved in the association between attachment and bullying, such as empathy, aggression, or social information processing.     

Effects of time and event uncertainty upon sequential information processing

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the psychological refractory period (PRP), a delay induced into the second of two reaction times (RT) when the interstimulus interval (ISI) is short. In Experiment1, time and event uncertainty were factorially varied by providing or not providing S with foreknowledge of the ISI and the order in which the two events would occur, respectively. ISIs of0, 50, 100, 200, and400 msec were used. Time and event uncertainty produced independent degradation of both RTs. Also, the second RT (RT ₂ ) was delayed at50 msec ISI when both time and event certainty were present. Experiment 2 attempted to replicate this latter finding using ISIs of0, 25, 50, 75, and100 msec. Delays in RT ₂ were found for the middle three values of ISI. These results were interpreted as supporting a modified single channel theory of the PRP.     

Antisocial Process Screening Device Subscales Predict Recidivism in an Australian Juvenile Offender Sample

The present study is the first to examine the psychometric properties of the self-report Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD-SR), and the predictive utility of its subscales for reoffending, among Australian juvenile offenders (N?= 308, M age = 17.00, SD?=?1.49). Exploratory factor analysis supported a modified three-factor structure in which four items loaded differently to prior studies. Total APSD-SR and modified subscale scores were positively associated with criminal history and mental health problems (e.g., internalizing and externalizing problems, alcohol and substance abuse/dependence). Survival analyses indicated that youth scoring high on the APSD-SR total score were faster to reoffend nonviolently (Hazard Ratio [HR]?= 1.31, p?=?.0003) and violently (HR?=?1.42, p?=?.0003) than those scoring low. Whereas the modified grandiose-manipulative subscale predicted faster time to nonviolent recidivism (HR?=?1.18, p?=?.026) as a single predictor, when all subscales were simultaneously entered into the model only callous-unemotional (CU) traits and impulsivity predicted nonviolent recidivism (HR?=?1.19, p?=?.026 and 1.22, p?=?.015, respectively), and only impulsivity predicted violent recidivism (HR?=?1.26, p?=?.014). Findings inform current understanding of the relative contribution of adolescent psychopathy dimensions to designating a particularly high-risk group of Australian youth in custody.     

Using Web-Based Instruction,Brief Workshops,and Remote Consultation to Teach Community-Based Providers a Parent-Mediated Intervention

Parent-mediated interventions for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are highly under-utilized in community settings. A challenge to the dissemination of these programs is that provider training protocols must teach both the intervention techniques, and the parent coaching strategies. The current study assesses the feasibility an innovative multimodal training protocol to teach community-based intervention providers Project ImPACT (Improving Parents as Communication Teachers). A total of 30 providers (90% female; 76% Caucasian, 13.3% Multiracial/Other, 3.3% Hispanic/Latino, and 3.3% Asian/Pacific Islander) participated in Phase 1, and 15 of these participants (80% female; 60% Caucasian, 33.3% multiracial, and 6.6% Hispanic/Latino) participated in Phase 2. In Phase 1, providers completed questionnaires and videotaped interactions before and after a web-based tutorial and interactive workshop focused on intervention techniques. In Phase 2, providers completed questionnaires and videotaped interactions before and after a second interactive workshop focused on parent coaching. Results from Phase 1 indicate that the addition of the workshop resulted in higher ratings of training satisfaction (p?<?.01), training adequacy (p?<?.01), and self-efficacy (p?<?.01) of the intervention techniques. Results from Phase 2 indicate the addition of the second workshop resulted in greater training adequacy of the parent coaching strategies, p?<?.01. These results suggest that use of this training protocol is a feasible way to increase access to high quality training in evidence-based intervention for providers working with children with ASD in the community; however, larger scale community-based trials of the training protocol are an important next step.     

Adult Recidivism in United States: A Meta-Analysis 1994–2015

In 2014, adult correctional systems supervised an estimated 6.8 million individuals in the United States with 1 in 36 adults (or 2.8%) being under some form of correctional supervision. Unfortunately, not only are the number of individuals connected to the correctional system and the outlined disparities based on minority status worrisome, there is also the persistent concern of repeat offending. Given the fact that the most recent comprehensive meta-analysis examining predictors of adult offender was published in 1996, a current systematic review and meta-analysis focusing on United States samples of all types of re-offense is necessary for identifying current predictors of adult recidivism with U.S. studies from 1994 through 2015. Specifically, the questions addressed in this meta-analysis include (a) which attributes predict general, sexual, and violent recidivism for adults in the American justice system, and (b) are some characteristics more influential than others? We determined the following domains are statistically significant predictors of recidivism: age (r?=?.02), antisocial personality scales (r?=?.13), criminogenic needs (r?=?.10), distress (r?=?.06), family criminality (r?=?.18), family rearing (r?=?.16), gender (r?=?.19), history of antisocial behavior (r?=?.12), risk scales (r?=?.17), social achievement (r?=?.05), and substance abuse (r?=?.07). Implications are provided.     

The Hidden Set-Theoretical Paradox of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tractatus</Emphasis>

We are familiar with various set-theoretical paradoxes such as Cantor's paradox, Burali-Forti's paradox, Russell's paradox, Russell-Myhill paradox and Kaplan's paradox. In fact, there is another new possible set-theoretical paradox hiding itself in Wittgenstein’s Tractatus (Wittgenstein 1989). From the Tractatus’s Picture theory of language (hereafter LP) we can strictly infer the two contradictory propositions simultaneously: (a) the world and the language are equinumerous; (b) the world and the language are not equinumerous. I call this antinomy the world-language paradox. Based on a rigorous analysis of the Tractatus, with the help of the technical resources of Cantor’s naive set theory (Cantor in Mathematische Annalen, 46, 481–512, 1895, Mathematische Annalen, 49, 207–246, 1897) and Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory with the axiom of choice (hereafter ZFC) (Jech 2006: 3–15; Kunen 1992: xv–xvi; Bagaria 2008: 619–622), I outline the world-language paradox and assess the unique possible solution plan, i.e., the mathematical plan utilizing ‘infinity’. I conclude that Wittgenstein cannot solve the hidden set-theoretical paradox of the Tractatus successfully unless he gives up his finitism.     

Decisional Procrastination: Assessing Characterological and Contextual Variables around Indecision

University students (n = 75; M age = 21.4 years old) and community adults (n = 55: M age = 36.6 years old) completed self-reported measures of decisional procrastination (indecision), character (life satisfaction, meaningful life, and need for cognition), context (place attachment, sense of community, and psychological home) and “cross-over” factors relating character and context (self-identity with possessions, people/thing orientation, and clutter), to provide an ecological understanding of persons who claim indecision. Controlling for social desirability tendencies, indecision was negatively related to all character but none of the context variables. Indecision also was related to both person and thing orientation and clutter. Multiple regression analysis indicated that only need for cognition significantly predicted (negatively) indecision among character, context, and cross-over variable sets. Subjective well-being also predicted indecision with low need for cognition among cross-over variables. Taken together, decisional procrastinators reported too much clutter (stuff), interfering with a positive quality of life and related to character over context and cross-over, ecological variables.     

Spacetime the one substance

What is the relation between material objects and spacetime regions? Supposing that spacetime regions are one sort of substance, there remains the question of whether or not material objects are a second sort of substance. This is the question of dualistic versus monistic substantivalism. I will defend the monistic view. In particular, I will maintain that material objects should be identified with spacetime regions. There is the spacetime manifold, and the fundamental properties are pinned directly to it.     

Recognition during recall failure: Semantic feature matching as a mechanism for recognition of semantic cues when recall fails

Research suggests that a feature-matching process underlies cue familiarity-detection when cued recall with graphemic cues fails. When a test cue (e.g., potchbork) overlaps in graphemic features with multiple unrecalled studied items (e.g., patchwork, pitchfork, pocketbook, pullcork), higher cue familiarity ratings are given during recall failure of all of the targets than when the cue overlaps in graphemic features with only one studied target and that target fails to be recalled (e.g., patchwork). The present study used semantic feature production norms (McRae et al., Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 37, 547–559, 2005) to examine whether the same holds true when the cues are semantic in nature (e.g., jaguar is used to cue cheetah). Indeed, test cues (e.g., cedar) that overlapped in semantic features (e.g., a_tree, has_bark, etc.) with four unretrieved studied items (e.g., birch, oak, pine, willow) received higher cue familiarity ratings during recall failure than test cues that overlapped in semantic features with only two (also unretrieved) studied items (e.g., birch, oak), which in turn received higher familiarity ratings during recall failure than cues that did not overlap in semantic features with any studied items. These findings suggest that the feature-matching theory of recognition during recall failure can accommodate recognition of semantic cues during recall failure, providing a potential mechanism for conceptually-based forms of cue recognition during target retrieval failure. They also provide converging evidence for the existence of the semantic features envisaged in feature-based models of semantic knowledge representation and for those more concretely specified by the production norms of McRae et al. (Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 37, 547–559, 2005).     

The Impact of Ethnicity,Language, and Anxiety on Quality of Life in Children with Cancer

Undergoing cancer treatment significantly impacts quality of life (QOL). This study evaluated the role of anxiety, ethnicity, and language on QOL in children with a cancer diagnosis. Participants included 156 parent–child dyads in 3 groups: English-speaking Hispanic, Spanish-speaking Hispanic, and English-speaking non-Hispanic White. Parents completed measures of self-reported anxiety and their children’s perceived QOL. Children completed self-reported measures of anxiety and QOL. Families in which parents primarily spoke English reported higher parent-reported generic-module QOL (p?=?0.0062), higher parent-reported cancer-specific QOL (p?=?0.004), lower parent trait anxiety (p?=?0.0005)), and lower child trait anxiety (p?=?0.013), compared to families in which parents primarily spoke Spanish. Regression analyses were strongly supportive of a mediational role of parent trait anxiety in the association of ethnicity/language and parent-reported QOL. The results of this study suggest that children of Spanish-speaking parents may be at greater risk of decreased quality of life, as a function of increased parental anxiety.     

Reasoning defeasibly about probabilities

In concrete applications of probability, statistical investigation gives us knowledge of some probabilities, but we generally want to know many others that are not directly revealed by our data. For instance, we may know prob(P/Q) (the probability of P given Q) and prob(P/R), but what we really want is prob(P/Q&;R), and we may not have the data required to assess that directly. The probability calculus is of no help here. Given prob(P/Q) and prob(P/R), it is consistent with the probability calculus for prob(P/Q&;R) to have any value between 0 and 1. Is there any way to make a reasonable estimate of the value of prob(P/Q&;R)? A related problem occurs when probability practitioners adopt undefended assumptions of statistical independence simply on the basis of not seeing any connection between two propositions. This is common practice, but its justification has eluded probability theorists, and researchers are typically apologetic about making such assumptions. Is there any way to defend the practice? This paper shows that on a certain conception of probability—nomic probability—there are principles of “probable probabilities” that license inferences of the above sort. These are principles telling us that although certain inferences from probabilities to probabilities are not deductively valid, nevertheless the second-order probability of their yielding correct results is 1. This makes it defeasibly reasonable to make the inferences. Thus I argue that it is defeasibly reasonable to assume statistical independence when we have no information to the contrary. And I show that there is a function Y(r, s, a) such that if prob(P/Q) = r, prob(P/R) = s, and prob(P/U) = a (where U is our background knowledge) then it is defeasibly reasonable to expect that prob(P/Q&;R) = Y(r, s, a). Numerous other defeasible inferences are licensed by similar principles of probable probabilities. This has the potential to greatly enhance the usefulness of probabilities in practical application.     

Distress Tolerance and Social Support in Adolescence: Predicting Risk for Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms Following a Natural Disaster

The purpose of the multi-measure, multi-wave, longitudinal study was to examine the interactive relation between behavioral distress tolerance (DT) and perceived social support (PSS) in 352 tornado-exposed adolescents aged 12–17 years (M = 14.44; SD = 1.74). At baseline, adolescents completed a computer-based task for DT, and self-report measures of PSS, depressed mood, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use, and interpersonal conflict. Symptoms also were assessed 4 and 12 months after baseline. Findings showed that lower levels of DT together with lower levels of PSS conferred risk for elevated symptoms of prospective depression (t(262) = ?2.04, p = .04; r_{effect size} = 0.13) and PTSD (t(195) = ?2.08, p = .04; r_{effect size} = 0.15) following a tornado. However, only PSS was significant in substance use t(139) = 2.20, p = .03; r_{effect size=}0.18) and conflict (t(138) = ?4.05, p < .0001; r_{effect size=}0.33) in our sample. Implications regarding adolescent DT, the transdiagnostic nature of PSS, and the clinical applications of our findings in the aftermath of a natural disaster are discussed.     

Evaluation of Breast Cancer Patients with Genetic Risk in a University Hospital: Before and After the Implementation of a Heredofamilial Cancer Unit

The identification of patients at risk for breast cancer by genetic testing has proven to reduce breast cancer mortality. In 2010, due to a lack of systematization in hereditary cancer assistance in our center, we implemented a multidisciplinary Heredofamilial Cancer Unit (HFCU). We analyze if the HFCU improved the rates of referrals and preventive management of breast cancer patients with genetic risk. We retrospectively compared family history records, referrals of high-risk patients to genetic counseling, and detection and management of patients with BRCA1/2 mutations in two cohorts of breast cancer patients diagnosed before (first period: 2007–2010) and after the creation of the HFCU (second period: 2010–2013). In the first period, 893 patients were included, and 902 were included in the second. Due to the inability to establish their genetic risk, 142 patients (15.9%) vs. 70 (7.8%) were excluded from analysis (p?<?0.001). Among the evaluable patients, 194 (25.8%) vs. 223 (26.8%) fulfilled one or more risk criteria (p?=?0.65). Family history documentation in patient’s medical records (92.4 vs. 97.8%, p?<?0.001) and referral rate (26.3 vs. 52%, p?<?0.0001) significantly increased in the second period. Eight BRCA1/2 mutations were detected among patients referred in the first period and 17 among those referred to the HFCU. The rate of preventive surgeries in patients with BRCA mutations significantly increased in the second period (25 vs. 76.5%, p?=?0.03). In conclusion, there was a clear improvement in family history records, referrals, and preventive surgeries in breast cancer patients with genetic risk after the implementation of the HFCU.