Ethnicity-Related Sources of Stress and Their Effects on Well-Being

Early research on ethnicity focused on the stereotyped thinking, prejudiced attitudes, and discriminatory actions of Euro-Americans. Minority-group members were viewed largely as passive targets of these negative reactions, with low self-esteem studied as the main psychological outcome. By contrast, recent research has increasingly made explicit use of stress theory in emphasizing the perspectives and experiences of minority-group members. Several ethnicity-related stressors have been identified, and it has been found that individuals cope with these threats in an active, purposeful manner. In this article, we focus on ethnicity-related stress stemming from discrimination, from stereotypes, and from conformity pressure arising from one's own ethnic group. We discuss theory and review research in which examination of ethnicity-related outcomes has extended beyond self-esteem to include psychological and physical well-being.     

A diathesis-stress conceptualization of expressed emotion and clinical outcome

A sizeable body of research has demonstrated that expressed emotion (EE) predicts clinical relapse in a number of distinct psychiatric disorders. These findings have provided the impetus for the development of interventions that attempt to reduce patients' relapse rates by modifying aspects of the family environment believed to be associated with high levels of EE. Despite the efficacy of these treatments, however, we know little about how EE develops in relatives of psychiatric patients or about the mechanisms through which high EE leads to relapse. Moreover, there is not a coherent theory that attempts to integrate findings concerning the impact of high EE on relapse in different disorders. The purpose of this article is to elucidate a diathesis-stress conceptualization of EE to explain both the development and manifestation of high EE in relatives of disordered patients and the impact of high EE on the course of patients' disorders. In this context, we use a diathesis-stress perspective to examine why EE predicts symptom relapse and poor clinical outcome in schizophrenia, depressive disorders, and borderline personality disorder. We conclude by discussing treatment implications of the diathesis-stress perspective and by outlining what we believe are fruitful directions for future research.     

Effects of preference on performing a self-care skill among children with autism spectrum disorder

In this study, four children with autism were assessed to determine their preference choices for toothbrushes and toothpastes included during self-care skills teaching sessions. For two of the children, the presence of high-preference (HP) materials was associated with improved independent tooth brushing when compared to the presence of low-preference (LP) materials. There was no difference in independent tooth brushing between HP/LP conditions for the other two children. These findings suggest that preference and choice of materials alone can be a helpful instructional strategy for care providers serving children who have neurodevelopmental disorders and skill deficits.     

Conversation: The challenges of teaching in a “nano department”

A panel at the 2016 American Academy of Religion conference staged, taped, transcribed, and edited this conversation about the challenges and opportunities of teaching in a “nano department” – an undergraduate religion or religious studies department (or combined religion and philosophy department) with only one, two, or three faculty members. Two things quickly become evident: one is the impossibility of coverage of the full religious studies curriculum, and the other is the necessity for collaboration with other departments. Neither of these is unique to nano departments, but there exists an intimacy between students and faculty in small departments, a necessary freedom to rethink the place of the study of religion in the liberal arts curriculum, and a disruptive value in what can be critiqued and contributed from a marginalized position. Arguably, nano departments are the canaries in the academic coal mine, charting the future of the humanities that cannot be discerned from the vantage point of Research‐1 contexts.     

Antecedents of Trust among Citizens and Non-citizens in Qatar

Utilizing new survey data on social capital, we examine the determinants and locus of generalized trust among citizens and immigrants in Qatar, a small, heterogeneous, wealthy, and non-democratic country in which immigrants far outnumber citizens. Scholars of social capital have explored the development of generalized trust in many countries. Most of this attention has focused on the Western world, and little is known about how trust forms in other contexts. Our findings show that important insights resulting from research in developed democracies apply and have explanatory power in some of the very different environments present in Qatar, that these insights do not apply and have explanatory power in some of the other environments present in Qatar, that circumstances and experiences that characterize this array of environments can be identified and described in terms of variable attributes, and that linkages can be established between these attributes and particular antecedents of generalized trust.     

Assessment of Emotional Avoidance in Adolescents: Psychometric Properties of a New Multidimensional Measure

Emotional avoidance—which includes cognitive and attentional processes that function as means of avoiding or dampening emotional experiences—may be a transdiagnostic risk and maintenance factor for emotional disorders. However, existing measures generally assess separate aspects of emotional avoidance, and few multidimensional measures exist for adolescents. The aim of the current study was to establish the psychometric properties of a new multidimensional measure of emotional avoidance for adolescents--the Emotional Avoidance Strategy Inventory for Adolescents (EASI-A; Fairholme et al. 2008)--employing an exploratory structural equation modeling framework. Analyses yielded a three-factor structure for the EASI-A, including subscales measuring Avoidance of Emotion Expression, Avoidance of Thoughts and Feelings, and Distraction. Moderate correlations were observed between the EASI-A and a measure of thought suppression, and the EASI-A was significantly associated with anxiety and depression symptoms. The EASI-A is a new, psychometrically sound measure that will aid in the assessment of avoidance as a vulnerability factor for psychopathology and as an outcome and mechanism for treatments of emotional disorders in adolescents.     

Employment issues of women in jail

This study examines the recent employment history and needs of 110 women held in 2 urban county jails in Ohio. Those who had worked recently were more likely to have a high school education, to have a skill, to have a driver's license with access to a car, and to have dependents. Women who had worked recently were less likely to have a drug or alcohol problem, a chronic medical condition, or a mental disorder. Results indicate that women in jail are more motivated to engage in employment counseling provided that housing and social service needs are addressed.