Gender and temporal differences in identifying sources of stress

Much of the methodology in stress research focuses on stress manifestation and organismic reactions to life’s crises. In contrast, the present study sought to identify the major sources of stress and the nature of those sources. The results revealed a consistent pattern in high and low stressors throughout the 3-year period of the study, and differences only of intensity between males and females, not type of stress. Except for individuals’ temporal variations in critical events, the highest stressors for the groups were external, primarily financial and time management. Internal sources, such as personal relationships and self-absorption, were typically the lowest concerns. Everyday problems arising from current life styles seem to be significant sources of stress.     

Le stress des mères monoparentales en relation avec l'agressivité de l'enfant d'âge préscolaire

Dans cette étude, nous avons décrit la relation existante entre le stress parental des mères vivant avec ou sans conjoint et le niveau d'agressivité de l'enfant vis-à-vis de ses pairs. De plus, nous avons observé les comportements des mères en situation de jeu avec leur enfant. Notre échantillon se compose de 32 mères monoparentales et de 43 mères biparentales ayant des enfants de trois ou quatre ans évalués au QECP comme étant agressifs (n = 47) et non-agressifs (n = 28). Nos résultats démontrent: (1) le niveau de stress parental est similaire pour les mères monoparentales et biparentales, sauf si l'enfant est agressif; (2) en contrôlant statistiquement le revenu financier, il existe un lien très clair entre le stress des mères monoparentales et l'agressivité de l'enfant en garderie; (3) le niveau de scolarisation de la mère est la variable la plus reliée au stress maternel; (4) l'agressivité de l'enfant est reliée au faible revenu financier des mères; plus les mères sont pauvres, plus l'enfant est agressif; (5) en situation de jeu avec l'enfant, les mères monoparentales sont plus contrôlantes et moins positives que les mères biparentales, et le négativisme de l'enfant augmente avec le niveau de stress de la mère.     

The use of structural equation modeling in generative research: Toward the design of a preventive intervention for bereaved children

Describes a generative study of processes which may lead to symptomatology in children who have experienced the death of a parent. Based on existing literature, four putative mediating variables were identified: parental demoralization, family warmth, negative family events, and positive stable family events. Structural equation modeling techniques were used to compare several potential causal models involving these variables. The results were most consistent with a model in which bereavement was not directly related to the child symptomatology, but rather its effects were transmitted through these four mediational mechanisms. The implications of the results of the structural modeling for the design and evaluation of preventive interventions are discussed briefly.     

Ambient Sexual Harassment: An Integrated Model of Antecedents and Consequences

Research on sexual harassment as a prevalent job stressor has focused primarily on outcomes for the direct targets of harassment; the antecedents and consequences ofindirectexposure to sexual harassment have not been explored. Ambient Sexual Harassment is proposed as an assessment of indirect exposure to sexual harassment. Ambient Sexual Harassment is defined as the general or ambient level of sexual harassment in a work group as measured by the frequency of sexually harassing behaviors experienced by others in a woman's work group. The integration of Ambient Sexual Harassment into the model of sexual harassment developed by Fitzgerald, Drasgow, Hulin, Gelfand, and Magley (1997) proposes that indirect exposure to sexual harassment will have similar antecedents and job-related, psychological, and health outcomes as direct exposure. An empirical test of the model, using samples of female employees from a public utility company (N= 455) and a food processing plant (N= 194), generally supports predictions.     

Reinforcement effects on intrinsic interest: A classroom analog

The potential undermining effects of a reinforcement program were examined in two studies with kindergarten-first grade children. The procedures were designed to provide an analog to typical classroom incentive programs. In one study, the subjects' initial interest in the target activity (coloring) was low, whereas in the other study it was reasonably high. In neither case was an undermining effect evident in follow-up observations.     

Telemetry provides new insights into entrainment of activity wheel circadian rhythms and the role of body temperature in the development of ulcers in the activity-stress paradigm

Two methods of monitoring the circadian rhythm of activity in rodents: (1) an activity wheel cage, which detects the number of wheel revolutions, and (2) an internal radio transmitter, which records gross motor activity (GMA) of the animal, were compared in both normal circadian cycles and during the development of activity-stress ulcers. Rats were implanted with a biotelemetry transmitter that detected GMA and body temperature (BT) and placed in activity wheel cages. A 12 hour/12 hour light/dark cycle was maintained throughout the experiment. Subjects were subdivided into two groups: (1) unlimited access to activity wheel (AW) cages and (2) locked activity wheel (LW) cages. Following an ad-libitum habituation period, animals were allowed food access for 1 hour/day during the light. In the habituation period, the animals showed higher GMA and BT during the dark phase when housed in AW cages than in LW cages. Both GMA and number of wheel revolutions increased dramatically after the onset of food restriction for the AW animals. There was a deleterious drop in BT in AW animals as the food-restricted period continued and a significant correlation existed between severity of ulcerations and BT. The findings of this experiment demonstrate that the activity wheel imposes an alternation of the circadian cycle, which, in turn, influences rhythmicity through reentrainment. Additionally, in the activity-stress paradigm, a significant drop in BT correlates with severity of ulcerations. A disrupted circadian cycle, involving hypothermia, is proposed as the mechanism underlying the demise of animals in the activity-stress paradigm.     

Including Manual Signing as Nontargeted Information When Using a Constant Time Delay Procedure to Teach Receptive Identification of Packaged Food Items

This investigation extends the constant time delay research base by embedding nontargeted information in the task direction when teaching communication skills. Specifically, instructors taught receptive identification of packaged food items to 4 secondary students with moderate to severe disabilities and evaluated generalization to the community. In addition, instructors included the manual sign for each food item. The instructional strategy was a constant time delay procedure using a 5-s delay interval. The intervention, conducted within a multiple probe design across behaviors replicated across students, resulted in the acquisition and generalization of receptive identification of packaged food items by 3 out of 4 of the students. In addition, the students acquired the nontargeted manual signs with an average of 60% percent in the final probe session.     

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.