Evaluating the effectiveness of workshop interventions on contraceptive use among first-year college students

This study tested the effectiveness of 4 interventions designed to affect contraceptive knowledge, attitudes, and use among first-year Syracuse University students in New York State in the US. Pre- and post-tests obtained data on demographic characteristics, sexual behavior, contraceptive knowledge, sexual opinions, contraceptive attitudes, and contraceptive progress on a 5-step scale. Group 1 (79 students) received contraceptive information (CI) only. Group 2 (76) received CI and a cognitively oriented intervention. Group 3 (73) received CI and an experience-oriented intervention. Group 4 (77) received a combined cognitively and experience-oriented intervention with CI. The control group included 57 people. 78% on the pretest, and 84% on the post-test, had engaged in sexual intercourse for the first time in high school. 200 indicated previous intercourse in the past 3 months. Groups varied significantly in their knowledge, beliefs, and practices. All groups had greater contraceptive knowledge than control groups. Greater behavior beliefs about contraceptive use occurred in Groups 1 and 2. Groups 3 and 4 showed greater increases in positive attitudes toward use. All intervention students showed greater increases in positive attitudes toward a contraceptive process. Greater increases in the intention to use birth control occurred in Groups 3 and 4. Groups 2, 3, and 4 showed greater increases in reported use of birth control. Group 4 intervention was the most effective for males. Females were influenced by all interventions. Findings affirm the importance of including attitudinal components in sexuality and contraception workshops.     

Childhood maltreatment associated with adult personality disorders: findings from the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study

Adverse childhood experiences such as abuse and neglect are frequently implicated in the development of personality disorders (PDs); however, research on the childhood histories of most PD groups remains limited. In this multisite investigation, we assessed self-reported history of abuse and neglect experiences among 600 patients diagnosed with either a PD (borderline, schizotypal, avoidant, or obsessive-compulsive) or major depressive disorder without PD. Results indicate that rates of childhood maltreatment among individuals with PDs are generally high (73% reporting abuse; 82% reporting neglect). As expected, borderline PD was more consistently associated with childhood abuse and neglect than other PD diagnoses. However, even when controlling for the effect of borderline PD, other PD diagnoses were associated with specific types of maltreatment.     

Universal sex differences in the desire for sexual variety: tests from 52 nations, 6 continents,and 13 islands

Evolutionary psychologists have hypothesized that men and women possess both long-term and short-term mating strategies, with men's short-term strategy differentially rooted in the desire for sexual variety. In this article, findings from a cross-cultural survey of 16,288 people across 10 major world regions (including North America, South America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Middle East, Africa, Oceania, South/Southeast Asia, and East Asia) demonstrate that sex differences in the desire for sexual variety are culturally universal throughout these world regions. Sex differences were evident regardless of whether mean, median, distributional, or categorical indexes of sexual differentiation were evaluated. Sex differences were evident regardless of the measures used to evaluate them. Among contemporary theories of human mating, pluralistic approaches that hypothesize sex differences in the evolved design of short-term mating provide the most compelling account of these robust empirical findings.     

Socioeconomic status and executive function in early childhood: Exploring proximal mechanisms

Although there is substantial evidence that socioeconomic status (SES) predicts children's executive function (EF), the mechanisms underlying this association are poorly understood. This study tested the utility of two theories proposed to link SES to children's EF: the family stress model and the family investment model. Data came from the Midwestern Infant Development Study (N = 151). To measure SES, parental education and income were assessed during pregnancy, and income was also assessed when children were 6 and 36 months old. Children's EF, operationalized as working memory/inhibitory control (WMIC) and self‐control, was assessed at 36 months of age, along with potential mediators including maternal psychological distress, harsh parenting, and cognitive stimulation. Using structural equation modeling, we tested simultaneous pathways from SES to EF: (a) via maternal psychological distress to harsh parenting (family stress model) and (b) via cognitive stimulation (family investment model). Of the SES measures, lower education predicted poorer WMIC directly and indirectly via greater maternal psychological distress. Lower education also predicted poorer self‐control via greater maternal psychological distress. This effect was partially suppressed by an indirect path from lower education to better self‐control via greater psychological distress and increased harsh parenting. Cognitive stimulation did not act as a mediator. Income was not directly or indirectly associated with EF. These findings provide partial support for the family stress model and suggest that family functioning is an important proximal mechanism for children's EF development. This study also highlights the importance of considering SES as a multidimensional construct.     

Changes over time in teenage sexual relationships: comparing the high school class of 1950, 1975, and 2000

This study investigated the sexual attitudes and experiences in adolescence of 242 individuals who graduated from the same high school in the northeastern United States over a 50-year period. Specifically, a survey was mailed to members of the class of 1950, the class of 1975, and the class of 2000 to examine changes over time. Overall findings suggest a significant change in sexual attitudes and experiences when comparing the class of 1950 to the class of 1975 and 2000.     

The accuracy of lay integrity assessments in simulated employment interviews

Two studies were conducted to determine if lay judges could accurately assess another individual’s integrity level when using overt and covert integrity inventories. In Study 1, participants took part in simulated employment interviews and then both the participants and lay interviewers completed an overt integrity test comparable to the Reid Report integrity survey [Reid London House. (2004). Abbreviated Reid Report. Minneapolis, MN: NCS Pearson]. Self-lay judge agreement and peer-lay judge agreement were used as the criteria for accuracy. In Study 2, participants took part in either a simulated structured, unstructured or informal employment interview format and completed both overt and covert integrity inventories. The results suggest that lay judges (as well as acquaintances) are fairly accurate in assessing others’ integrity levels based upon a very brief 10-min interaction with an individual, when using either an overt or covert integrity inventory. The findings also suggest that the informal interview format can significantly enhance the accuracy of a lay-judge’s assessment of the participant’s integrity level when a covert measure of integrity is used.     

Relation of perinatal risk and early parenting to executive control at the transition to school

Executive control (EC) develops rapidly during the preschool years and is central to academic achievement and functional outcome. Although children with perinatal adversity are at known risk for EC impairments, little is known about the underlying nature of these impairments or the mechanisms that contribute to their development over time. Drawing on a cohort of 110 high‐risk children born very preterm (VPT; < 33 weeks / < 1500 g) and 113 healthy full‐term children, this study examined the implications of perinatal adversity and early parenting for children's EC as they transitioned to formal schooling. Parent supportive presence, intrusiveness, and parent–child synchrony were observed during a series of problem‐solving tasks at ages 2 and 4 years. At age 6, children completed a comprehensive battery of EC tasks. Academic outcomes were assessed at age 9. The VPT group showed global EC impairments at age 6, although the unitary factor that best characterized the structure of EC was the same in both groups. High‐risk dyads were characterized by more intrusive and less synchronous parent–child interactions in early childhood, which in turn predicted poorer child EC at age 6. EC partially mediated the relation of risk status to poorer academic achievement at age 9. Findings demonstrate the cumulative effects of perinatal adversity on children's EC in the crucial transition to schooling. They also highlight the importance of the parent–child relationship as a target for intervention efforts to help mitigate these effects.     

Validation de l’inventaire des facteurs de résilience (IFR-40)

Bekaert, Masclet and Caron's inventory of resilience factors (IRF-40) is a French measurement scale which measures the protection factors combining to bring about resilience in adolescents. This three-dimension measurement instrument has been worked out on the basis of a literary review aiming at identifying all the protection factors reported in the research studies. An exploratory factorial analysis with oblimin rotation carried out on a sample of 299 adolescents enabled to underline the three-dimension structure (familial protection factors: personal protection factors; extra-familial protection factors) including 40 items. The study of the internal consistency reveals high coefficients for the whole scale (0.91) as well as for the different dimensions (0.77 to 0.91). The examination of the convergent validity shows significant correlations with the life satisfaction scale (r = 0.61) and the psychological well-being scale (r = 0.72). As for the temporal stability (n = 73), a measure of 0.92 was obtained. The present research aims at completing the evaluation of the psychometric properties of the IRF-40 on a sample of adolescents. With the intention of bringing to light the structure of the instrument, a confirmatory factorial analysis (CFA) was carried out on 414 adolescents (average age = 14.96). The analyses carried out approve of the three-dimension structure of the scale. The study of the divergent validity (n = 123) has brought to light a high and significant correlation (r = –0.757) between the IRF-40 and Berndt and Kaiser’ s composite depression scale as well as a significant correlation between the IRF-40 and the under scale of the MDI-C (r varies between –0.294 and –0.563). In addition, the IRF-40 enables to differentiate the adolescents exposed to a traumatism and who have depression scores to those who experience no depression. Indeed, the participants not experiencing depression obtain significantly higher scores on the IRF-40 (U = 282.5; P = 0.001) in comparison with the participants experiencing depression. What is more, it appears that the latter score lower familial protection factors (U = 443.5; P = 0.001), personal protection factors (U = 390; P = 0.001) and extra-familial factors (U = 629; P = 0.001) than those who do not experience depression. As a conclusion, the results of the present study show a very probant image of the psychometric qualities of the IRF-40 and support its use on a population of adolescents.