Perceptions of sexual harassment as a function of sex of rater and incident form and consequence

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in perceptions of two “severity dichotomies” present in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Guidelines on sexual harassment. Alale and female undergraduates (N = 198), from a predominately white midwestern university, were given one of four statements based on these guidelines, varying “form” (physical/verbal) and “consequence” (economic injury/hostile environment) of the behavior. Analysis of variance results showed females rated the incident as more definitely sexual harassment and as affecting perfonnance more than did males. Participants reading “economic injury” statements rated them as having more effect on the victim’s job status than did those reading “hostile environment” statements. A multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant “consequence” and “sex” effects on several factors: A significant three-way interaction showed that males rated statements less negatively than did females, especially when the statement described “physical” behavior with “hostile environment“ consequences. Cluster analysis results are also presented.     

College students with previous exposure to crime report more PTSD after 9-11-2001

A sample of 415 university students (52 Crime Victims, 363 Nonvictims) who experienced indirectly the 9/11/01 disaster through media exposure, were administered the Davidson Trauma Scale. Crime victims had significantly more PTSD symptoms related to 9/11 exposure.     

Responses to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks: experience of an indirect traumatic event and its relationship with perceived benefits

Little is known about how people might benefit from an indirectly experienced traumatic event. The authors examined the relationship between perception of benefit and trauma symptoms in response to a relatively severe, but indirectly experienced, traumatic event. The authors sampled from 2 colleges located in the southeastern United States (N = 136). Individuals responded to questionnaires that assessed perceived benefits and trauma symptoms 1-2 weeks after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and again approximately 10 weeks later. Participants did perceive benefits from witnessing this event, although their perception of benefit declined over time. Level of trauma symptoms correlated positively with perception of benefit, and experiencing a previous trauma also correlated positively with perceived benefits. Additional analysis indicated that level of trauma symptoms mediated the relationship between previous trauma and perception of benefit. These findings help to elucidate understanding of the development of perceived benefits in response to indirectly experienced events.     

Risk Factors for Community Violence Exposure in Adolescence

Community violence is recognized a significant public health problem. However, only a paucity of research has examined risk factors for community violence exposure across domains relevant to adolescents or using longitudinal data. This study examined youth aggressive behavior in relation to community violence exposure among a community epidemiologically defined sample of 582 (45% female) urban adolescents. Internalizing behaviors, deviant peer affiliation, and parental monitoring were examined as moderators of the association between aggressive behavior and exposure to community violence. For males with aggressive behavior problems and deviant peer affiliation or low parental monitoring, co-occurring anxiety symptoms protected against subsequent witnessing community violence. In contrast, males with aggressive behavior problems and co-occurring depressive symptoms were at increased risk for witnessing community violence. Implications of the findings for preventive interventions and future research are discussed.     

Impact of a System of Care on a Community's Children's Social Services System

Researchers and practitioners have questioned how the implementation of a system of care influences the broader context of children's social services within a community. We examined the impact that the Dawn Project system of care had on children's services in Marion County, Indiana. A series of semi-structured interviews were conducted in order to gain a broad understanding of stakeholder perspectives related to how system-level and other community leaders viewed system of care influences. Qualitative analyses uncovered several common themes including positive impact at the community level, challenges to implementation, and feelings of ambivalence related to program impact. Results were generally positive and suggested that most respondents saw core system of care principles beginning to emerge within the community related to the establishment of the care system. In addition, challenges to implementing the system of care also were uncovered, including some underlying resistance to system-level changes. Implications from our study highlight the importance of continuously working to enhance strengths and collaboration among systems, integrate and coordinate across systems and services, and authentically involve families at all levels.     

Racial reckoning,resistance, and the revolution: A call to community psychology to move forward

This article introduces a special issue of the American Journal of Community Psychology that features racial reckoning, resistance and the revolution in the context of a syndemic, the historical subjugation of communities of Color (COC) to racial hierarchies and the coronavirus (COVID-19). More specifically, this special issue underscores the need for community psychology and other allied disciplines to address this syndemic facing COC. The special issue delivers on the stories of the lived experiences from researchers and community members as it relates to COVID-19 and COC. Twelve articles are illuminated to challenge the field to create social change.     

Human papillomavirus vaccination intentions and uptake in college women

Objective: Using the health belief model (HBM) and theory of planned behavior (TPB) as theoretical frameworks, the objectives of this study were: (a) to identify correlates of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination intentions and (b) to explore differences between correlates of HPV vaccination intentions and uptake. Methods: Undergraduate women (N = 447) who did not intend to receive (n = 223), intended to receive (n = 102), or had received (n = 122) the HPV vaccine were surveyed. Logistic regressions were conducted to examine the correlates of vaccination intentions and uptake. Results: Negative health consequences of the vaccine, physician's recommendation, positive attitudes toward the vaccine, and subjective norms were significant correlates of vaccination intentions. When comparing correlates of vaccination intentions to correlates of vaccination uptake, physician's recommendation, subjective norms, and perceived susceptibility to HPV were unique correlates of uptake. Conclusion: Differences between correlates of vaccination intentions and uptake suggest that social influences of liked and trusted individuals may make an important and unique contribution in motivating young women to receive the HPV vaccine beyond other variables from the HBM and TPB. Future utilization of longitudinal designs is needed to understand which factors may cause individuals to decide to receive the HPV vaccine. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).     

Quantitative Media Literacy: Individual Differences in Dealing with Numbers in the News

A test of arithmetic aptitude was developed and validated. The consequences of individual differences in this aspect of quantitative literacy were then determined for attention to, and dependent recall of, numeric quantities embedded in printed news reports. It was found that persons of high arithmetic aptitude recalled frequencies and ratios more correctly, both in precise and approximate terms, than did persons of low arithmetic aptitude. This effect was consistent across gender of respondent. It was also consistent across commonly employed presentational formats of numeric quantities. The inferior processing of numeric quantities by persons of low quantitative literacy, especially the dependent estimation of risk and benefit likelihoods, is considered in terms of theories that project these persons' greater reliance on intuitive assessments of the incidence of occurrences.