The Expectancy Challenge Alcohol Literacy Curriculum (ECALC): A single session group intervention to reduce alcohol use

The Expectancy Challenge Alcohol Literacy Curriculum (ECALC) is a single session group-delivered program designed to modify alcohol expectancy processes and reduce alcohol use among children and young adults. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of the ECALC in reducing risky alcohol use among heavy drinking college men. Four fraternities at a large state university were randomly assigned to receive either the single session ECALC or a control presentation (2 fraternity houses per condition, n = 250). Alcohol expectancies were assessed before and immediately after program presentation. Results demonstrated significant changes on 5 of the 7 subscales of the Comprehensive Effects of Alcohol Scale (CEOA) among students who received the ECALC when compared with control participants. Alcohol use data were collected for 4 weeks before and 4 weeks after program presentation. Compared with those in the control condition, students who received the ECALC demonstrated significant reductions in all facets of alcohol use measured, including decreased mean and peak blood alcohol content (BAC), decreased mean number of days drinking per week, decreased mean drinks per sitting, and decreased number of binge-drinking episodes per month. This study represents 2 important advances. First is the significant reduction in risky alcohol use produced by a single session group-delivered program. The second important advance is the success in changing expectancy processes without using impractical elements common in previous expectancy challenge methods (e.g., a "barlab" environment and actual alcohol administration). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).     

Effects of Small-Group and One-on-One Reading Fluency Interventions with Second Grade, Low-Performing Spanish Readers

This study compared children’s Spanish reading performance across 2 reading intervention conditions: small group versus individual (teacher–student). Six second-grade Costa Rican students with low Spanish reading ability participated in the study. An alternating-treatments design was used to compare the relative effectiveness of the 2 interventions to each other and to a no-intervention control condition. Results showed that nearly all students benefitted from 1 or both of the reading interventions. Findings are consistent with previous research with English readers and suggest that delivering fluency-based reading interventions with fidelity (such as those described in the current study) to Spanish readers may be an effective way to improve Spanish-speaking students’ reading skills. Results are also consistent with past research on the comparable effectiveness of delivering a reading-fluency intervention to a small group versus an individual. Implications of these findings are discussed in terms of relative efficiency in the delivery of reading-fluency interventions, and with respect to educators in and out of the United States who work with students struggling with Spanish-reading fluency.     

A Qualitative Exploration of Sleep Habits and Intervention Needs Among Youth with Cystic Fibrosis

Evidence suggests that individuals with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) experience difficulties with sleep architecture and hygiene, although research is limited. There are currently no behavioral sleep interventions for youth with CF. The current study used qualitative methods to understand sleep needs and concerns among youth with CF, as well as to obtain feedback about potentially useful behavioral sleep intervention strategies. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with youth with CF between the ages of 11–17 and their parents. Themes were extracted from the data and will be used to inform the development of a brief behavioral sleep intervention for youth with CF. Youth and their parents described several CF-specific sleep concerns, often related to respiratory symptoms, and a number of strategies used to manage these concerns. They also described concerns that apply to the general population, including pervasive use of technology around bedtime. Many evidence-based behavioral sleep intervention strategies are acceptable to youth with CF, although modifications are appropriate to reduce time burden and address CF-specific needs. Youth with CF experience a number of disease-specific and more generalized sleep concerns which are likely amenable to behavioral intervention. Results from this study will be used to inform the development of a brief behavioral sleep intervention for youth with CF.

     

What Looks Like Sexism and Why? The Effect of Comment Type and Perpetrator Type on Women's Perceptions of Sexism

ABSTRACT. Sexist comments are not perceived equally in the eyes of women. We extend previous research by examining the degree to which multiple types of potentially sexist comments made by multiple types of men are perceived as sexist. Further, we examine the degree to which three possible mediators—prototypicality, perceived intent, and interdependence—explained these effects. Female undergraduate students (N = 248) were randomly assigned to read a scenario in which a hostile sexist, benevolent sexist, or objectifying comment was made by one of three types of men: a stranger, their boss, or their boyfriend. Results demonstrate that hostile sexism was perceived as more sexist than benevolent sexism or objectification. Comments made by boyfriends were also rated as less sexist than those made by bosses or strangers. Furthermore, perceptions of prototypicality of the comment or perpetrator and perceived intent to harm mediated the effect of study manipulations on perceptions of sexism.     

Psychometric Evaluation and Revision of Carver and White's BIS/BAS Scales in a Diverse Sample of Young Adults

The psychometric properties of the Behavioral Inhibition System and Behavioral Activation System (BIS/BAS) scales (Carver & White, 1994) were evaluated in a large, racially diverse sample of undergraduate students. Findings from this study indicate that the BIS/BAS scales work differently (i.e., are multidimensional and lack configural invariance) when assessing BIS and BAS in a diverse sample. Numerous model modifications were needed to obtain adequate fitting models for the total sample and individual racial groups. The findings suggest that this is due to items that assess multiple constructs differently across self-reported race categories. As part of this research, a revised version of the BIS/BAS scales was constructed that appears to be invariant across self-reported race category and simultaneously addresses the other psychometric concerns associated with the original scale. Caution should be used when applying the BIS/BAS scales as originally specified to assess behavioral inhibition and activation in a racially diverse sample. Researchers might want to use this revised version of the scale as an alternative.     

Treating Anti-social Behavior in Adolescents: A Comparison of Multi-modal and Psychodynamic Oriented Group Interventions

This study compared the efficacy of a multimodal intervention (MMI) and a psychodynamic oriented group intervention (POGI) on antisocial behavior among Nigerian adolescents. A pretest-posttest design was used. Forty-one adolescents drawn from the streets of a Nigerian city (N =20), and a state child correction facility (N=21) participated in the study. The children were randomly assigned to a MMI, POGI and waiting list control (WLC) groups. Ages ranged from 10 to 18 years (mean =14.5; SD=2.1). Data collected were analyzed using multiple group comparison procedures. Results showed that MMI significantly reduced self-reported antisocial behavior of the adolescents as compared to WLC and POGI, respectively. A multimodal intervention approach appears to be more effective in treating antisocial behavior in adolescents than a psychodynamic oriented group intervention.     

The influence of the fear facial expression on prosocial responding

Perceiving distress cues appears to be associated with prosocial responding. This being the case, it was hypothesised that the fear facial expression would elicit prosocial responding in perceivers. In Study 1, participants indicated that fear and sadness expressions would be associated with greater sympathy and willingness to help the expresser than would neutral expressions. In Study 2, participants were primed with fear or neutral expressions before reading vignettes featuring protagonists in mild distress. Fear-primed participants reported more sympathy and desire to help the protagonists than neutral-primed participants. Moreover, participants who recognised fear most accurately, as measured by a standard facial expression recognition task, showed the greatest increases in prosocial responding following fear expression primes. This corroborates the notion, supported by research as disparate as behavioural research on bystander intervention and clinical research on psychopaths, that exposure to and correct interpretation of certain distress cues may predict an individual's likelihood of behaving prosocially.     

Identifying Unmet Mental Health Needs in Children of Formerly Homeless Mothers Living in a Supportive Housing Community Sector of Care

This study reports psychosocial characteristics of a sample of 111 children (K to 2nd grade) and their mothers who were living in urban supportive housings. The aim of this study was to document the various types and degree of risk endemic to this population. First, we describe the psychosocial characteristics of this homeless sample. Second, we compared this homeless sample with a grade-matched, high-risk, school-based sample of children (n = 146) who were identified as showing early symptoms of disruptive behaviors. Third, we compared the parents in both samples on mental health, parenting practices, and service utilization. Results showed that children living in supportive housing were in the at-risk range and had comparable levels of externalizing problems, internalizing problems, school problems and emotional strengths with the school-based risk sample receiving prevention services at a family support community agency. Mothers in supportive housing reported significantly higher psychological distress, less optimal parenting practices and greater service utilization. These findings are among the first to provide empircal support for the need to deliver prevention interventions in community sectors of care.