The Adolescent Attempter: Sex,Sibling Position,and Family Constellation

ABSTRACT: Data from 17 adolescents who attempted suicide and came to the attention of the Payne Whitney Suicide Prevention Clinic during the years 1968–70 were analyzed for information regarding sex, birth order, sex of siblings, and family constellation. The results indicated that there was a significant trend for firstborn females to be overrepresented among adolescent suicide attempters. In addition, father loss was frequently noted in their histories. A theoretical rationale for the investigation is presented with the results of the study.     

Validation of scales measuring attitudes and norms related to mammography screening in women veterans.

Validation of psychosocial measures for use in mammography screening research has been given inadequate attention in the literature. The authors report on the validation of 5 measures examining 4 attitudinal constructs (i.e., pros, cons, outcome expectations, and cancer worries) and 1 social influence construct (i.e., subjective norms) in a 22-item inventory. The study participants consisted of a national, randomly sampled population of women veterans (n = 2,910). After minor revision of scales, the authors found independent measures for 4 constructs: pros, cons, cancer worries, and subjective norms. The authors concluded that these scales have acceptable psychometric properties; support construct validity; and provide brief, reliable, and valid measures of attitudes toward and norms regarding mammography screening. These scales may be useful for intervention research.     

Men as Allies: The Efficacy of a High School Rape Prevention Intervention

This study investigated the effects of a Men as Allies‐based intervention on high school students' rape‐supportive attitudes and behaviors. As hypothesized at posttest, the male and female experimental groups demonstrated a significant decrease in rape‐supportive attitudes, which was maintained at follow‐up. Male participants viewed peers' attitudes toward sexual violence as significantly different (worse) from peers' pretest self‐ratings; after intervention, male and female experimental group participants' peer ratings were significantly more accurate.     

Gender Differences in Loneliness Across the Lifespan: A Meta‐Analysis

Different theoretical contentions on gender differences in loneliness exist, often including the emergence of gender differences in particular developmental periods. To explain those ideas, the current meta‐analysis synthesizes the available evidence on gender differences in loneliness across the lifespan. Three‐level meta‐analyses were conducted with 751 effect sizes, covering 399,798 individuals (45.56% males). Results showed a close‐to‐zero overall effect (g = 0.07). Most examined moderators were non‐significant, except for age, the scope of the sampling area, and year of publication. Most importantly, all effects were small, suggesting that across the lifespan mean levels of loneliness are similar for males and females.