Improving Predictions of Condom Behavioral Intentions With Partner-Specific Measures of Risk Perception

Inconsistent findings regarding the predictive validity of perceptions of risk for a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and HIV may be related to the use of nonspecific measures. The objective of this study was to determine whether more specific measures of perceptions of risk for SI Ds and HIV are associated with intentions to use a condom. We interviewed 490 male and female adolescents, 14 to 19 years old, from a free municipal STD clinic. Controlling for whether a condom was used at last sex, the association between perceptions of risk for an STD and HIV with a casual sex partner and intentions to use a condom with a casual sex partner was significant (β_HIV= 14, p < .01, and β_STD=.20, p < .01), as was the association between perceptions of risk for an STD and HIV with a main sex partner and intentions to use a condom with a main sex partner (β_HIV= .31, p <.001, and β_STD= .32, p < .001). This supports the continued inclusion of this construct in models of sexual and other health-related behaviors.     

A test of an interactive model of bulimic symptomatology in adult women

An interactive model of bulimic symptom development, first suggested by Vohs et al. (1999), was tested in adult women (mean age = 45.19). The following hypothesis was examined in a longitudinal design over 2.5 years: Women high in perfectionism, low in self-esteem, and who perceive themselves as overweight would be the most likely to experience an increase in bulimic symptoms. Results supported the model with regard to maintenance and exacerbation, but not onset, of bulimic symptoms. Furthermore, the interactive model was tested to see if it showed specificity to bulimic, versus depressive or anxious, symptoms. Some support for the model's specificity to bulimic symptoms was observed; however, the increase of anxious symptoms was also observed. Clinical and theoretical implications are discussed.     

Sexual Harassment Severity: Assessing Situational and Personal Determinants and Outcomes1

The current study bridges literatures on sexual harassment, person‐environment systems, and stress and appraisal processes. Conventional wisdom equates severity of sexual harassment with type of harassment. We test this notion empirically and posit a more comprehensive model that examines both person‐ and situation‐level variables. Data came from 13,743 U.S. Armed Forces women responding to survey questions about a significant experience of sexual harassment. Multiple regression results indicate that pervasiveness of sexual harassment relates outcomes better than does type of sexual harassment. Pervasiveness and type interact to predict subjective appraisal of harassment. Additionally, according to multiple‐group structural equation models, appraisal mediates relations between pervasiveness and outcomes. Results further suggest that relations among sexual‐harassment antecedents and outcomes are consistent, regardless of the type of sexual harassment. These findings highlight the importance of examining both persons and situations when assessing sexual harassment severity.     

Characteristics of the rhythmic organization of vocal babbling: implications for an amodal linguistic rhythm

Vocal babbling involves production of rhythmic sequences of a mouth close–open alternation giving the perceptual impression of a sequence of consonant–vowel syllables. Petitto and co-workers have argued vocal babbling rhythm is the same as manual syllabic babbling rhythm, in that it has a frequency of 1 cycle per second. They also assert that adult speech and sign language display the same frequency. However, available evidence suggests that the vocal babbling frequency approximates 3 cycles per second. Both adult spoken language and sign language show higher frequencies than babbling in their respective modalities. No information is currently available on the basic rhythmic parameter of intercyclical variability in either modality. A study of reduplicative babbling by 4 infants and 4 adults producing reduplicated syllables confirms the 3 per second vocal babbling rate, as well as a faster rate in adults, and provides new information on intercyclical variability.     

Multi-limb coordination and rhythmic variability under varying sensory availability conditions in children with DCD

Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) have sensory processing deficits; how do these influence the interface between sensory input and motor performance? Previously, we found that children with DCD were less able to organize and maintain a gross motor coordination task in time to an auditory cue, particularly at higher frequencies [Whitall, J., Getchell, N., McMenamin, S., Horn, C., Wilms-Floet, A., & Clark, J. (2006). Perception-action coupling in children with and without DCD: Frequency locking between task relevant auditory signals and motor responses in a dual motor task. Child: Care, Health, and Development, 32, 679-692]. In the present study, we examine the same task (clapping in-phase to marching on a platform) under conditions involving the removal of vision and hearing. Eleven children with DCD (mean=7.21, SD=0.52 years), 7 typically developing (TD) children (mean=6.95+/-0.72 years), and 10 adults performed continuous clapping while marching under four conditions: with vision and hearing, without vision, without hearing, and without both. Results showed no significant condition effects for any measure taken. The DCD group was more variable in phasing their claps and footfalls than both the adult group and the TD group. There were also significant group effects for inter-clap interval coefficient of variation and inter-footfall interval coefficient of variation, with the DCD group being the most variable for both measures. Coherence analysis between limb combinations (e.g., left arm-right arm, right arm-left leg) revealed that the adults exhibited significantly greater coherence for each combination than both of the children's groups. The TD group showed significantly greater coherence than the DCD group for every limb combination except foot-foot and left hand-right foot. Measures of approximate entropy indicated that adults differed from children both with and without DCD in the structure of the variability across a trial with adults showing more complexity. Children with DCD are able to accomplish a self-initiated gross-motor coordination task but with increased variability for most but not all measures compared to typically developing children. The availability of visual and/or auditory information does not play a significant role in stabilizing temporal coordination of this task, suggesting that these are not salient sources of information for this particular task.     

Side-to-side differences in overuse running injury susceptibility: a retrospective study

Despite the number of studies examining factors associated with overuse running injury, little is known about why an individual gets injured on a particular side of the body. Abnormal levels of several strength, structural, kinetic, and kinematic factors have been attributed to injury susceptibility. However, while most studies have compared the injured limb of injured runners to an arbitrary limb of healthy controls, there is some evidence to suggest that injury risk is related to characteristics on both sides of a runner. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate how bilateral characteristics of strength, structural, kinetic, and kinematic factors relate to overuse injury. The first purpose was to compare these factors between the injured and uninjured limbs of runners with a history of injury on only one side of their bodies. The results showed that hip internal rotation range of motion and peak tibial acceleration were both elevated on the side with a history of injury. The second purpose was to compare asymmetry levels between the injured runners and runners who had never sustained a running-related injury. Asymmetry levels were similar between groups for all variables, which suggests that some level of asymmetry is normal. The final purpose of the study was to compare bilateral values of these factors between the injured and uninjured runners. The results showed that hip internal rotation range of motion, as well as the deviation from normal arch height index, were bilaterally elevated in the injured runners. Although peak tibial acceleration was different between sides of the injured runners, it was not bilaterally elevated compared to the uninjured runners. These results support the notion that injury risk may be related to risk factors on both sides.     

The Implementation of Modified Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Youth with Separation Anxiety Disorder

Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is the most prevalent anxiety disorder experienced by children, and yet empirical treatment studies of SAD in young children are virtually nonexistent. This paper will describe the development and implementation of an innovative treatment for SAD in young children. First, we will highlight the rationale for developing interventions specifically for SAD in young children. Second, we will describe an existing empirically supported treatment, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT; Brinkmeyer, M. Y., & Eyberg, S.M., (2003)), that may have particular applicability to very young children with SAD and their parents. We present how results from 10 pilot participants were utilized to modify PCIT to better address the needs of children with SAD and their families. The benefits and challenges of implementing this modified version of PCIT are reviewed, along with potential directions for future research in this area.     

Structure and continuity of intellectual development in early childhood

We evaluated over 200 participants semiannually from 12 to 48 months of age on measures of intellectual (Bayley Scales, Stanford–Binet Scale) and verbal (MacArthur–Bates Inventory, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test) status. Structural equation modeling and hierarchical linear (growth curve) analyses were applied to address the nature of development and individual differences during this time. Structural analyses showed a strong and robust simplex model from infancy to the preschool period, with no evidence of qualitative reorganizations or discontinuities. Growth-curve modeling revealed significant associations between level factors across the early and later measures of cognition, providing further evidence of continuity; the growth trajectory from the Bayley through 24 months predicted growth in a nonverbal factor, but not in a verbal factor. Altogether, the findings reveal continuous and stable development in intellectual function from late infancy through the preschool years. Additionally, the high level of continuity demonstrated across these ages was observed to be largely independent of growth in vocabulary.     

African-American Women’s Conceptualizations of Health Disparities: A Community-Based Participatory Research Approach

Health disparities among African-American families represent a significant social problem. Nationally, African-American infants have dramatically worse birth outcomes than other racial and ethnic groups. A Community-Based Participatory Research approach was utilized to engage community residents. This study examined participants’ definitions of infant mortality, views on the community impact of infant mortality, and strengths and vulnerabilities in the health care service delivery system. Qualitative data were gathered in a rural North Florida community where health education groups are conducted. Eight focus groups were arranged with African-American women (n = 46), ranging in age from 14 to 35, who were pregnant, parenting children under the age of two. Respondents poignantly described personal experiences of loss associated with infant mortality. They indicated awareness of problems related to lack of accessibility and availability of medical and social services. The use of social-ecological theory and implications for policy and social justice are discussed.