Judgments of Hate Speech: The Effects of Target Group, Publicness, and Behavioral Responses of the Target

Judgments of offensiveness and accountability of hate speech as a function of contextual factors of the speech and characteristics of the observers were examined. A sample of 212 college students and 53 community participants responded to 12 scenarios describing incidents of hate speech. The within-subject variables manipulated in the scenarios were the target of the speech (ethnic groups, women, and gays), the publicness of the speech, and the behavioral response of the target. Ethnic speech was rated more offensive than gender-or gay-targeted speech; public speech was rated more offensive and more accountable than private speech; and public speech was rated more offensive and accountable when a response occurred and private speech was rated more offensive when a response did not occur. The gender and ethnicity of the raters moderated the effects of the experimental variables, as well as showing main effects. The findings of this study suggest that responses to hate speech are complex and contextual.     

Gender and survival vs. death in slasher films: A content analysis

The content of slasher films was examined, focusing on what portion of the violence is directed toward and committed by women vs. men and the survival rates, the juxtaposition of sex and violence for male and female victims, and differences between male and female survivors vs. nonsurvivors. Five student coders analyzed 56 slasher films (474 victims). Female and male victims were portrayed equally frequently in these films. Male characters were as likely to die as female characters as a result of the attack; however, more female than male characters survived the attacks. The slashers were primarily men. Sexiness was paired with nonsurvival of female victims, whereas male nonsurvivors were portrayed as possessing negative masculine traits. The reinforcement of the good vs. bad woman dichotomy and the portrayed cost of unmitigated extreme masculinity in men in slasher films are discussed.The authors wish to thank four coders — June Cline, Susan Malinowski, Camille Mayers, and Misty Sherman — for their work in coding the slasher films.     

Is valentine still doubtful? A workshop model for children of divorce

We present this eight-session structured workshop format aimed at school-aged children of divorce who are considered psychologically healthy by family and teachers, in which we review the situations most frequently encountered by these families.In the workshop we offer an understanding vision of divorce while providing the children with the experience of working with therapists who are able to deal with highly troublesome issues in a caring atmosphere.Acknowledgements are expressed to Bernardita Cruz, school counselor, and Ilana Meler and Patricia Tahl, child psychologists.     

Sexual,body-image,and personality attitudes in anorexia nervosa

Assessment of adolescent females with anorexia nervosa was carried out at the time of hospitalization and again at discharge. Findings were compared to those from a normal weight control group. The anorexic subjects at the start of treatment indicated significantly negative attitudes about sexual issues. They also reported a significantly poorer self-evaluation of their body, personality, and social skills than was evident in the comparison group. An improvement in attitude regarding these issues was demonstrated by the end of treatment. The function of weight loss in dealing with these problem areas was discussed.     

MEDICAL PERCEPTIONS OF MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS

Thirty-five physicians in family practice or gynecology, 43 practicing nurses, and 35 menopausal or postmenopausal women rated the frequency, severity, and causality of 15 menopausal symptoms commonly reported in the literature. Subjects also rated their degree of preference for four possible menopause treatments (counseling, estrogen therapy, mood-altering medication, and no treatment) and answered an open-ended question asking them what they saw as the major factor in determining whether a woman would experience difficulty at menopause. The results overall suggest that medical persons see menopausal symptoms as more pathological than women who have experienced or are experiencing menopause and that physicians, relative to menopausal women, adhere to a more psychogenic model in which psychological causality and symptoms are given greater emphasis than menopausal women give them.     

Therapist Judgments of Clients' Sex-role Problems

Thirty therapists belonging to the Michigan Society of Consulting Psychologists rated the bipolar adjectives of the Sex-Role Stereotypes Questionnaire as to which pole was a problem for their average male and female clients. Female clients were viewed as too feminine on both socially desirable and socially undesirable adjectives. The problems of male clients were not viewed in sex stereotypic ways on the specific stereotypes. Asked directly, therapists reported that sex-role expectations create problems for both male and female clients. The findings contradict the hypothesis that therapists see the problems of women in therapy as nonconformity to the feminine stereotype.     

Hospitable Hospitals in a Diverse Society: From Chaplains to Spiritual Care Providers

The chaplain’s role in health care services has changed profoundly within the contexts of managerial and fiscal constraints, and increasingly pluralistic and secularized societies. Drawing from a larger study that examined religious and spiritual plurality in health care, we present findings regarding the contributions of chaplains or spiritual care providers (SCPs) as they are referred to more recently, in Canadian institutional health care contexts. Qualitative analyses of interviews with 14 employed SCPs and 7 volunteers provided insights about legitimizing and crafting the role of SPCs, becoming part of the health care team, and brokering diversity. Implications are discussed in relation to role clarification and policy development for truly hospitable health care.     

Reciprocal Associations Between Depressive Symptoms and Disordered Eating Among Adolescent Girls and Boys: A Multiwave,Prospective Study

Symptoms of depression and eating disorders increase during adolescence, particularly among girls, and they tend to co-occur. Despite this evidence, there is meager research on whether depression increases the risk of future eating pathology, or vice versa, and we do not know whether these processes are different for adolescent girls and boys. Accordingly, this study explored the prospective reciprocal associations between depressive symptoms and disordered eating at different time points from preadolescence to mid-adolescence and tested the moderator effect of gender on these associations. A community-based sample of Spanish youth (N?=?942, 49 % female) was assessed at ages of approximately 10-11 (T1), 12-13 (T2), 14-15 (T3), and 16-17 (T4) years. The bidirectional relationships between depressive symptoms and disordered eating were estimated in an autoregressive cross-lagged model with latent variables. A unidirectional, age-specific association between depressive symptoms at T1 and disordered eating at T2 was found. No other significant cross-lagged effect emerged, but the stability of the constructs was considerable. Gender did not moderate any of the links examined. Regardless of gender, the transition from childhood to adolescence appears to be a key period when depressive symptoms foster the development of disordered eating. These findings suggest that early prevention and treatment of depression targeting both girls and boys may result in lower levels of depressive symptoms and disordered eating in adolescence.