Drug‐assisted rape and sexual assault: definitional,conceptual and methodological developments

This paper reviews the limited literature on drug‐assisted rape (DAR) and develops definitions and constructs. A novel data gathering method, the multiple sorting task, was adopted to explore lay understanding of DAR. Participants (N = 8) were drawn from the general public. Each of the 21 stimulus cards used had the name of one sexual or romantic encounter printed on it. Participants completed one fixed sort in terms of the motivation of the male involved in the encounter. Data were analysed by means of multiple scalogram analysis (MSA). Findings show that the key factors for distinguishing sexual and romantic encounters are whether the behaviour is: consensual, contracted or forced; planned or impulsive; motivated primarily by the desire for sex or for a relationship. When motivation of the offender is considered, drug‐assisted rape and sexual assault is distinguishable from other consensual sexual behaviours but not from other types of rape. Findings are discussed in terms of the limitations of the present study, the need for further research and practical applications for assisting police enquiries. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Risk and protective factors at school: Reducing bullies and promoting positive bystanders' behaviors in adolescence

Identifying protective factors present at schools located in neighborhoods with high structural violence is fundamental to help prevent the perpetuation of violence . Therefore, the aim of this study was to observe how some school micro‐system variables, such as school environment and interpersonal relationships that adults establish with adolescents, may lead to bullying behaviors or, on the contrary, to positive bystander behavior in the bully‐victim dynamic. The sample was composed of 5,774 adolescents from 71 schools located in violent neighborhoods in Lima (Peru). 31.9 per cent of the sample experienced verbal violence and the prevalence of cyberbullying was 24.6%. Boys were more prone to experience both types of bullying than girls, although no differences were seen in the probability of becoming aggressors during early and late adolescence. The protective model showed that a positive atmosphere based on a supportive environment with clear rules encouraged adults at school to show more support and to provide more orientation in bullying situations, thus promoting a positive bystander behavior between peers. Opposite results were observed in the risk model. Actions at the micro‐system school level are discussed to enhance protective factors and reduce risk factors.     

Nonconscious goal pursuit and the surmounting of physical and social obstacles

The ability to overcome obstacles is widely regarded as a sign of motivation. Building on recent research on nonconscious goal pursuit, two experiments are presented that test whether activating the goal of helping outside people's awareness by exposure to social stereotypes causes them to overcome physical and social obstacles. Experiment 1 established that although overall participants were less inclined to pick up a tissue that was accidentally dropped on the floor by the experimenter when this tissue was dirty instead of clean, they were able to overcome their aversion toward picking up the physical object when they were primed with the mental representation of a social group (e.g., nurse) containing the goal of helping. Results were replicated in Experiment 2, in which participants had to overcome a social obstacle by providing feedback to a student of a negatively evaluated ethnic minority group, and explanations in terms of demand characteristics and mood were excluded. Implications for the literature on nonconscious goal pursuit are briefly discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Farage Quality of Life Measure for Consumer Products: Development and Initial Implementation

Despite the existence of numerous health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measures, few if any are geared to evaluating the impact of consumer products. We describe the development and initial implementation of the Farage Quality of Life (FQoL™) general questionnaire, a self-administered questionnaire to assess the potential impact of a variety of consumer products on overall well-being and HRQoL. We developed the 27-item FQoL™ measure, scored on a Likert scale and covering Overall Quality of Life (1 item), Well-Being (12 items), and Energy and Vitality (14 items), and a 3-item Menstrual Module for use with menstruating women. We assessed test-retest reliability by administering the items twice to a sample of 20 women 3 days apart, calculating mean absolute differences in responses. Then, in a study of 119 women ages 18–55 years who were randomly assigned to use a new brand of menstrual pad vs. their usual menstrual pads for 1 menstrual period, we administered the FQoL™ questionnaire 5–7 days before their menstrual period and 5–7 days after the start of their period. We compared changes in responses within groups and between groups pre- vs. during menstruation. Overall, test-retest reliability was good, with a mean (SD) absolute difference for the 27 general items of 0.51 (0.31). In the menstrual pad study, the mean (SD) age of responders was 35.3 (7.9) years; 59 (50%) were age 18–35 and 60 (50%) were age 36–55. Relative to the intervention group, the usual pads group reported worse HRQoL during vs. pre-menstruation on items addressing self-confidence, managing stress, energy, and fatigue (P ≤ 0.05 for each comparison). In subgroup analyses, relative to intervention patients, women age 18-35 in the usual pads group reported greater changes for the worse during vs. pre-menstruation in managing stress; energy; and fatigue, but relatively better work or school attendance during vs. pre-menstruation, and women age 36–55 in the usual pads group reported greater changes for the worse in self-confidence and in desire to go out in public (P ≤ 0.03 for each comparison). The general FQoL™ is a new measure of HRQoL applicable to consumer product evaluation. It has good test-retest reliability. The FQoL™ menstrual module detects changes in HRQoL during vs. before the menstrual period associated with menstrual pad use. Further research is needed to assess the construct validity of the HRQoL.     

An Examination of the Role of Mentees’ Social Skills and Relationship Quality in a School-Based Mentoring Program

Research on youth mentoring highlights the importance of the relationship quality between mentor and mentee; mentoring results in more positive outcomes when the mentee perceives the relationship as satisfying and trustworthy. Research on relationship quality shows that social skills are important for constructing new relationships. However, whereas improved social skills are often one of the main goals of youth mentoring, little is known about the importance of social skills for relationship quality in youth mentoring relations. In this study, we examined whether mentee's pre-intervention social skills were related to mentor–mentee relationship quality as perceived by the mentee, and in turn, if relationship quality was associated with post-intervention social skills. We additionally examined possible gender and age differences in these associations. Data were used from a two-wave study that assessed relationship quality and social skills before and after one semester of mentoring of 390 secondary school students in a school-based mentoring program. Results indicated that relationship quality was positively associated with post-intervention social skills. However, only for young mentees pre-intervention social skills were associated with better relationship quality. Moreover, only for young mentees, relationship quality mediated the association between pre- and post-intervention social skills.     

Improving Women's Self‐Compassion Through an Online Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The benefits of self‐compassion interventions have been well documented in the counseling literature. Despite these benefits, access to such interventions remains a considerable barrier for a range of populations. We addressed the issue of limited access by using a randomized controlled trial to evaluate an online, self‐guided course on self‐compassion specifically targeted toward women. Fifty‐seven women were randomly assigned to receive immediate or delayed access to a 10‐week course designed to increase self‐compassion and reduce self‐judgment, shame, and perfectionism. Analysis of the data revealed that participants in the treatment condition experienced significant increases in self‐compassion and decreases in self‐judgment, shame, and perfectionism compared with participants in the wait‐list group. Results provide evidence that self‐compassion can be fostered in a nonclinical population of women through participation in a self‐paced online course. Related findings and potential implications, including the use of such interventions to address accessibility concerns, are discussed within the existing literature.     

A Comparison of Paper and Computer Administered Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is one of the most widely used measures of young people’s mental health difficulties in research and clinical decision-making. Although the SDQ is available in both paper and computer survey formats, cross-format equivalences have yet to be established. The current study aimed to assess the measure’s equivalence across paper- and computer-based survey formats in a community-based school setting. The study examined self-reported measures completed by a matched sample of 11–14 year olds in secondary schools in England (589 completed paper version; 589 online version). Analyses demonstrate that the factor structure, although did not vary by survey format, resulted in poorly fitting models limiting the use of model based invariance testing. Results indicate that the measure does not operate similarly across different formats, with scale-level mean differences observed for the hyperactivity scale, which also affects the total difficulties score, with higher scores seen in the paper version. Responses to the impact supplement were also influenced by survey format, with higher impact in specific domains disclosed on the computer-based measure. Item-level differential item functioning was observed for four items in the measure; two from the prosocial scale where the DIF is large enough to affect the scale (DTF, ν² = 0.14). The inconsistency across survey formats highlights the need for more assessment of influences of different survey formats on young people, their perceived privacy and their mental health disclosures via different media. The findings also highlight the potential confounding effect of format when different methods of data collection are used, with a potentially substantive impact on cross-sample comparisons and within child clinical review.     

Aggression,defense, and coping in humans

One way of identifying emotional behaviors across species, language, and cultures is to describe the “instrumental” effects of each particular behavior. Since aggression and defense may be instrumental they also represent coping behavior. The term coping is being used partly to indicate whether or not the behavior is successful and partly to describe how a situation is being handled (coping strategies). This review deals with how these behaviors are observed and quantified in humans and how they are linked to physiological changes. The internal state of the individual is decided by the expectancy of the outcome of a given situation, but each behavior strategy may have specific links to particular brain mechanisms and particular physiological effectors. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.