Addressing women's breast cancer risk and perceptions of control in medical settings

Many women with family histories of breast cancer deal with two distinct but related issues: their objective physical risk and the emotions this risk engenders. Studies indicate that approximately 70% of African American and white women are concerned about their chances of developing breast cancer someday and perceive themselves to be at risk. Health care providers, including psychologists, need to be aware of the special needs and psychosocial concerns of high-risk women with family histories of breast cancer, since perceptions of breast cancer risk influence screening practices. Providers need training in understanding the significance of specific family patterns of breast cancer, screening guidelines appropriate for women at risk, and the benefits and risks of available prevention options, including genetic screening. Delivering accurate information about both established risk factors known to elevate personal risk, such as age and family history, and factors which women associate with breast cancer, such as bumping and bruising a breast, smoking, and oral contraceptive use, is essential for promoting accurate risk perceptions and appropriate screening schedules.     

Women as cues for men's approach or distancing behavior: A study of interpersonal sexist discrimination

The purpose of this study was to investigate interpersonal sexist discrimination, operationally defined as distancing behavior. A heterogeneous sample of participants were approached at four train stations and completed two paper and pencil simulated seating measures, a sex role attitudes measure, and provided demographic information. It was predicted that in the neutral situations presented in the seating measures where there is a choice to sit either next to a man or a woman, men would more often choose to sit next to a man but women were not expected to make seating choices based on the gender of the person seated. Men's seating choices were found to be influenced by the gender of target persons whereas women's choices were not, but men either distanced from or approached women target persons. Self-reported sex role attitudes were found not to be related to distancing behavior.We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Alyson Andrews, Nicholas Geraci, Scott Marino, Stacy Schiff, Robert Victoria, and Lisa Zamara, seniors at the University of Rhode Island, who served as investigators in this study and also assisted in the coding of data. Portions of this paper were presented at the national conference of the Association for Women in Psychology in Oakland, CA, on March 6, 1994.Requests for reprints may be sent to any of the authors at the University of Rhode Island, Department of Psychology, Kingston, RI 02881.     

The effects of schematic and affective processes on metaphorical invention

This research predicted that greater knowledge, stronger affect, and positive attitudes concerning a topic would lead to the construction of laboratory-induced metaphorical statements. Subjects (n=45) were given a list of 13 politicians and instructed to create metaphors about several of their choosing. Politicians selected as the topics of metaphors were compared to those not selected. Respondents possessed more knowledge, had stronger feelings, and intended to vote for the politicians who were the topics of metaphors more than for those not selected. Future research should futher investigate the role of knowledge, prevailing mood, and attitudes on metaphorical invention, and examine spontaneously occuring metaphors.     

Social Support,Positive College Events,and College Satisfaction: Evidence for Boosting Effects1

On the basis of previous research on college satisfaction and Cohen and Wills'(1985) social support framework, we hypothesized that structural social support has a main effect on college satisfaction and that the effect of positive college events on college satisfaction is boosted by self-esteem and belonging functional social support. Analyses were based upon a convenience sample of 392 community college students enrolled in psychology courses. Structural social support had a main effect on college satisfaction, and positive college events interacted with self-esteem functional social support. The beneficial effect of positive college events on college satisfaction increased as the level of self-esteem functional social support increased.     

Marijuana use and risky sexual behavior among high-risk adolescents: Trajectories, risk factors, and event-level relationships

Adolescents involved with the juvenile justice system have a high incidence of risky sexual behaviors resulting in unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Substance use may be particularly important as a risk factor for unsafe sexual behavior for this group, and recent evidence suggests a possible association between marijuana use and risky sexual behavior. Adolescents (n = 728; 33% female) on probation were followed for 2 years, at intervals of 6 months, to explore the association of marijuana use and condom use longitudinally and at a specific intercourse occasion. Latent growth curve modeling indicated that greater marijuana use at baseline was associated with a steeper decline in condom use over the 2-year period of the study. In-depth analysis of the most recent intercourse occasion suggested that condom use was less likely if marijuana was being used by the participant or his/her partner and that this association was more pronounced if intercourse occurred with someone the participant had just met. Implications for the prevention of risky sexual behavior in this population are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).     

The influence of just-world beliefs on driving anger and aggressive driving intentions

Decades of research demonstrate that the extent to which one believes the world is just can have important interpersonal consequences. Unfortunately, most of the commonly studied consequences are negative in nature. Guided by previous research demonstrating the buffering effect of just‐world beliefs and anger, the present research explores how belief in a just world (BJW) may mitigate anger in the domain of driving anger and examines the limiting conditions of this effect. Study 1 demonstrated the expected negative relation between common measures of BJW and anger expression in a driving context. Study 2 found that the buffering effects of just‐world beliefs and driver aggression were greater when BJW was violated (vs. not). Study 3 replicated the effects on aggression and anger and established a mediational role of anger on the buffering effects of just‐world beliefs on thoughts and driver aggression. Aggr. Behav. 38:389‐402, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Child Involvement in Interparental Conflict and Child Adjustment Problems: A Longitudinal Study of Violent Families

This study examined whether child involvement in interparental conflict predicts child externalizing and internalizing problems in violent families. Participants were 119 families (mothers and children) recruited from domestic violence shelters. One child between the ages of 7 and 10 years in each family (50 female, 69 male) completed measures of involvement in their parents’ conflicts, externalizing problems, and internalizing problems. Mothers completed measures of child externalizing and internalizing problems, and physical intimate partner violence. Measures were completed at three assessments, spaced 6 months apart. Results indicated that children’s involvement in their parents’ conflicts was positively associated with child adjustment problems. These associations emerged in between-subjects and within-subjects analyses, and for child externalizing as well as internalizing problems, even after controlling for the influence of physical intimate partner violence. In addition, child involvement in parental conflicts predicted later child reports of externalizing problems, but child reports of externalizing problems did not predict later involvement in parental conflicts. These findings highlight the importance of considering children’s involvement in their parents’ conflicts in theory and clinical work pertaining to high-conflict families.     

State emotional clarity and attention to emotion: a naturalistic examination of their associations with each other,affect, and context

ABSTRACT

Despite emotional clarity and attention to emotion being dynamic in nature, research has largely focused on their trait forms. We examined the association between state and trait forms of these two constructs, and how they are related to affect intensity and two contextual variables: Social context and significant event occurrence. Seventy-nine adults recruited from the community reported eight times a day for a week on the extent to which they were clear about their emotions, attended to their emotions, levels of affect intensity, the number of people with whom they were interacting, and whether a significant event had occurred. State clarity and attention were positively associated, demonstrating a moderate relation similar to that of their trait forms. Trait and state attention, but not trait and state clarity, were significantly positively associated. Positive and negative affect were quadratically associated with clarity and attention, with the highest levels of affect intensity reported at high levels of clarity and attention. Clarity and attention were positively associated with increasing numbers of people with whom people were interacting. Attention and clarity were elevated when significant events occurred – especially during positive events. We discuss the findings in the context of functional adaptation theories of emotion.