Testing a model of suicide ideation in college students

This study examined several risk factors-negative life events (NLE), hopelessness, and depressive symptoms-believed to commonly precipitate suicide ideation in college students. A total of 345 undergraduates participated in the study. Students completed four self-report questionnaires. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to construct a risk model of suicide ideation. This study confirmed depressive symptoms and hopelessness as predictors of suicide ideation in college students; however, NLE impacted suicidal thoughts through hopelessness and depressive symptoms. Interestingly, depressive symptoms exerted a stronger influence on suicide ideation than hopelessness. Hopelessness served as a partial mediator in the relationship between NLE and depressive symptoms; however, depressive symptoms fully mediated the relationship between NLE and hopelessness. Clinical implications for understanding suicide risk in college students are discussed.     

Adolescent Attitudes About Death in Relation to Suicidality

This study examined psychiatrically disturbed adolescents' history of exposure to suicide attempts, completions, and other deaths in relation to attitudes about life and death. A primary goal of the study was to study the mediating processes involved in the impact of loss on suicidality. Adolescents who experienced the suicide of a friend or immediate family member reported a weaker attraction to life and stronger attraction to death than adolescents lacking this experience. Exposure to attempted suicide resulted in attitudes indicating a stronger attraction to death and repulsion by life. We conclude that a comprehensive history of loss and assessment of current attitudes toward death are important aspects of evaluation and subsequent treatment of at-risk adolescents.     

Just an anger synonym? Moral context influences predictors of disgust word use

Are verbal reports of disgust in moral situations specific indicators of the concept of disgust, or are they used metaphorically to refer to anger? In this experiment, participants read scenarios describing a violation of a norm either about the use of the body (bodily moral) or about harm and rights (socio-moral). They then expressed disgust and anger on verbal scales, and through facial expression endorsement measures. The use of disgust words in the socio-moral condition was largely predicted by anger words and only secondarily by disgust faces, whereas in the bodily moral condition the use of disgust words was predicted to a similar extent by disgust faces and anger words. Angry faces, however, never predicted disgust words independently of anger words. These results support a middle-ground position in which disgust words concerning socio-moral violations are not entirely a metaphor for anger, but bear some relationship to other representations of disgust. In the case of socio-moral violations, however, the use of disgust language is more strongly related to anger language, and less strongly to facial representations of disgust than in the case of bodily moral violations.     

Using Invariance to Examine Cheating in Unproctored Ability Tests

Despite their widespread use in personnel selection, there is concern that cheating could undermine the validity of unproctored Internet‐based tests. This study examined the presence of cheating in a speeded ability test used for personnel selection. The same test was administered to applicants in either proctored or unproctored conditions. Item response theory differential functioning analyses were used to evaluate the equivalence of the psychometric properties of test items across proctored and unproctored conditions. A few items displayed different psychometric properties, and the nature of these differences was not uniform. Theta scores were not reflective of widespread cheating among unproctored examinees. Thus, results were not consistent with what would be expected if cheating on unproctored tests was pervasive.     

Locating Potential Leverage Points In A Systems Thinking Causal Loop Diagram Toward Policy Intervention

Outcomes depending on various interacting and adaptive parts and actors in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world are challenging to analyze using traditional thinking. Hence, Systems Thinking (ST) can be applied as a tool to aid policy makers in designing interventions that anticipates various ways in which a system might react to policy changes through the practice of integrating multiple perspectives into a causal loop diagram (CLD). We formalize criteria for identifying potential leverage points (PLP) in a CLD. Identifying PLPs enable policy makers to apply ST tools to devise strategies that are capable of addressing VUCA problems.     

Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Suicide Anger Expression Inventory—28

We conducted 4 studies to develop and cross-validate scores on a multidimensional self-report measure of suicide and anger expression, the Suicide Anger Expression Inventory-28 (SAEI-28). The SAEI-28 evaluates Suicide Rumination, Maladaptive Expression, Reactive Distress, and Adaptive Expression with 7 content specific items each. Participants were between ages 14 and 47 years old. Study 1 developed a pool of content relevant and representative items for the new inventory. Study 2 explored potential domains of the SAEI-28 items, evaluating preliminary estimates of internal consistency reliability. Study 3 examined specific structures of the SAEI-28 items and scale reliability. Study 4 evaluated the fit of the oblique 4-factor model to 2 alternative solutions. Support was found for estimates of internal consistency reliability for the scales. Criterion-related validity and potential correlates for the SAEI-28 scales were also assessed.     

Center,Light, and Sound: The Psychological Benefits of Three Distinct Meditative Practices

Meditation has been a popular topic in counseling and psychological research in recent years. However, other meditative practices have been gaining exposure recently of which counselors may not be aware. The current article provides a brief overview of 3 meditative practices: centering prayer, jyoti meditation, and acem meditation. The purpose of this article is to provide counselors with introductions to alternative meditative practices that may be otherwise overshadowed.     

Differences in decision-making development between expert and novice invasion game players

This cross-sectional study investigated the differences between young expert soccer players' (n = 55) and novice players' (n = 74) decision-making ability during performance of invasion games (ages: 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, and 13-14 years). Decision-making ability was assessed in invasion games that were appropriately modified for age and expertise. Games were modified to meet the developmental needs and previous learning of the participants, so interference between motor execution and decision making was minimized. Game performance was videotaped, and measures of cognitive components were developed from observational analysis. Decision making was measured at two levels: (a) decision making restricted to the selection of the technical-tactical skills (passing, moving with the ball, getting free, marking, tackling, double teaming, and interception) and (b) decision making in the adaptation to the tactical context of the game. Expert players remained superior in decision-making ability when variation in skill execution was controlled. Decision-making differences between levels of expertise decreased with age with regard to the first level (skill selection) and increased with age in relation to the second level (tactical-context adaptation). Findings are discussed in terms of implications for instructional focus and task design.     

Colonial Mentality and Mental Health Help‐Seeking of Filipino Americans

Filipino Americans present with very low rates of mental health help‐seeking. Because of the colonial history between the Philippines and the United States, the authors examined how colonial mentality and internalized oppression, along with ethnic identity, acculturation, and social support, were related to mental health help‐seeking attitudes of Filipino Americans (N = 410). Furthermore, the authors investigated how colonial mentality affects the ethnic identity of Filipino Americans. Major findings included that colonial mentality was negatively related to ethnic identity development and social support, and higher levels of colonial mentality significantly predicted negative mental health help‐seeking attitudes above and beyond ethnic identity, acculturation, social support, and demographic variables. Implications for the counseling profession are considered.