SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIMS' ACKNOWLEDGMENT STATUS AND REVICTIMIZATION RISK

How a victim of rape characterizes her assault has potential implications for her postassault experiences and revictimization risk. Prior research has identified several potential benefits to not conceptualizing one's experience as a form of victimization. The current study sought to identify whether there are costs to not acknowledging rape as well, specifically whether unacknowledged victims are at elevated risk of revictimization. The revictimization risk behaviors of 334 acknowledged and unacknowledged female college rape victims were compared. Unacknowledged victims reported more hazardous alcohol use and were more likely to report that they continued a relationship with the assailant after the assault. A subsample of 105 victims completed a 6-month follow-up survey regarding sexual victimization during the follow-up period. Unacknowledged victims were nearly twice as likely to report having experienced an attempted rape during the 6-month follow-up period. Implications of the results for future work evaluating rape acknowledgment, rape recovery, and revictimization are discussed.     

The effect of mirrored environments on self-presentational efficacy and social anxiety in women in a step aerobics class

ObjectiveThe present study examined the influence of mirrors on self-presentational efficacy (SPE) and state social anxiety (SSA) in a group exercise class in female undergraduate students.MethodFifty-one female university students completed measures of SPE and SSA prior to and following a step aerobics class. Twenty-nine participants completed the class in front of a mirror, while 22 participants completed the class without a mirror.ResultsA repeated measures MANOVA indicated no differences in SPE or SSA based on the presence or absence of mirrors. Regardless of the presence or absence of a mirror, SPE increased and SSA decreased following exercise.ConclusionsThe results suggest that, for this population, completing an exercise session may be more important than the presence or absence of mirrors in influencing self-presentational concerns.     

Parental Experiences of Having a Child with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Associations with Clinical Characteristics and Caregiver Adjustment

We examined parental experience of having a child with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in 62 parent–child dyads. Youth with a primary diagnosis of OCD and their parent(s) were administered the CY-BOCS jointly by a trained clinician. Parents completed several measures about their child’s OCD-related impairment and accommodation, emotional and behavioral functioning, parental distress, caregiver stress, and parental experiences of having a child with OCD. Results indicated that parents of children with OCD are considerably distressed about their child’s condition. As expected, negative parental experiences (e.g., anxiety about child’s condition, uncertainty about their future) were directly related to OCD symptom severity and impairment, as well as child internalizing and externalizing problems, family accommodation of symptoms, and caregiver strain. The presence of emotional resources was negatively related to most outcomes, although some of these relationships did not achieve statistical significance. The presence of internalizing symptoms mediated the relationship between parental experiences and parental distress. Given these findings, addressing parental experiences as part of a family based cognitive-behavioral treatment program for pediatric OCD may help reduce parental distress and improve patient prognosis.     

Genetic Counseling Practice Analysis

The American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) performed a genetic counseling practice analysis (PA) to determine the content of the certification examination. The ABGC-appointed PA Advisory Committee worked with psychometricians to develop a survey which was distributed to 2,038 genetic counselors in the United States and Canada. The survey was also accessible on the ABGC website. Multiple criteria were used to establish the significance of the tasks included in the survey. A total of 677 responses were used in the analysis, representing a 37.1% corrected response rate. Five major content domains with 143 tasks were identified in the PA. New certification test specifications were developed on the basis of PA results and will be used in developing future examination forms. In keeping with credentialing standards, ABGC plans to conduct a PA on a regular basis so that the content of the examination reflects current practice.     

Experiments as Politics

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the political nature of laboratory experiments. Such experiments can be construed as paradigms of power, open to construction and debate, where different agents and interests are involved in a process of struggle over both (re)presentation and substance. Experimenters should take a reflexive perspective on their own role and power in producing results, and they should recognize that participants in experiments take into account power relations and accordingly modify behavior that is visible or accountable to powerful others (the "panopticon"). This argument is illustrated by recent research on intergroup behavior, which suggests that biases often taken at face value reflect strategic responses to the situation that balance social reality with social resistance.     

Predictors of Teens' Attitudes Toward Condoms: Gender Differences in the Effects of Norms

Using data collected from a telephone survey of adolescents aged 15 to 19, we studied predictors of condom attitudes. Analyses were conducted on a sample of 348 sexually active teens. Multiple regression revealed that holding other variables constant being females, African American, perceiving that more of their friends were using condoms (i. e., perceived normative behavior). and stronger perceived normative pressure were significantly associated with favorable condom attitudes. Furthermore, significant interaction effects pointed to gender differences in the association between two types of norms and attitudes toward condoms. Perceived normative behavior had a greater effect on the attitudes of female adolescents. Perceived normative pressure had a greater effect on the attitudes of male adolescents.     

Magnitude: An Important Dimension of Self‐Efficacy1

According to Bandura (1977a. 1977b). self‐efficacy for a particular task varies along 3 dimensions: magnitude, strength, and generality. Although the magnitude of a task influences one's degree of self‐efficacy, researchers have seldom tapped this dimension. We explicitly examined the magnitude dimension, and whether magnitude and confidence represent operationally distinct dimensions. A sample of undergraduates (n= 221) rated how confident they were that they could perform 22 behaviors comprising 3 domains of protective sexual behaviors (refusing sexual intercourse, questioning potential sexual partners, using condoms). Each participant also rank‐ordered the difficulty of performing each item within each domain. Data analyses revealed considerable overlap between the dimensions of confidence and magnitude, but also substantial differences. Thus, researchers may want to include this dimension when including self‐efficacy.