Development, Reliability, and Validity of the Beliefs Toward Mental Illness Scale

The present study describes the development of a new scale to measure Beliefs toward Mental Illness (BMI), which was designed to measure cross-cultural differences in such beliefs as well as to predict treatment-seeking behavior among different cultural groups. A total of 216 students participated in this study (114 Asian students and 102 American students). A series of factor analyses examining construct validity for the BMI revealed that the BMI has three dimensions, including dangerousness, poor social and interpersonal skills, and incurability. Examination of the reliability estimates for each factor revealed moderate to high internal consistency of the BMI. Comparisons between American and Asian students revealed the expected cultural differences in their beliefs toward mental illness and treatment preference.     

Meaningful Engagement in Research: Community Residents as Co-creators of Knowledge

Community psychologists have contributed significantly to the body of literature on community-based participatory research (CBPR) and its application in understanding and addressing health and community participation disparities. At the core of CBPR are mutually beneficial partnerships with communities, whereby community members’ voices are heard and they become co-researchers, helping guide the research process. In this article, I argue that for community psychologists to change the landscape of community participation, health, and well-being disparities experienced by many vulnerable populations who often face multiple forms of oppression, CBPR needs to be transformative and emancipatory. Stakeholders must be meaningfully involved as co-creators of knowledge and promoters of social justice embracing a human rights agenda. Drawing from work conducted with Latinx immigrant families with youth who have disabilities, I propose the following strategies moving forward: promoting meaningful participation of community members as co-creators of knowledge; promoting meaningful conversations that matter to communities; promoting civic engagement, activism, and advocacy; promoting an assets- and strengths-based approach to research; and promoting culturally relevant interventions. Community psychologists have the opportunity to make significant contributions to addressing disparities when community residents’ knowledge is valued and recognized.     

The Understanding and Treatment of Immigrant Trauma Survivors: Finding the Right Mix

This paper reviews attempts by three authors to describe psychoanalytic conceptualizations and treatment of torture victims. It argues that because the transference-countertransference configuration with immigrants who have not suffered torture is very similar to that of torture survivors, that no special diagnostic categories, theories, or treatment methods are needed to work with torture survivors. Second, the paper contends that newer psychoanalytic paradigms such as Hoffman's Social Constructivism may assist clinicians to capture the richness and complexity of clinical work with torture survivors better than do traditional analytic conceptions such as neutrality. Via an analysis of the three papers in this volume, I conclude with a consideration of the strengths and the weaknesses of the field of cross-cultural psychotherapy in general.     

Anti-fat prejudice among children: The “mere proximity” effect in 5-10 year olds

Research has shown that average-weight individuals are derogated when viewed next to overweight background individuals, rather than next to average-weight background individuals (Hebl, M. R., & Mannix L. M. (2003). The weight of obesity in evaluating others: A mere proximity effect. Personalilty and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 28-38). The aim of the present investigation was to determine whether this mere proximity effect would be obtained among children, and to determine how participant gender, target character gender and size, and background character size affect this finding. Eighty-nine children between 5 and 10 years old indicated whether they would like to be friends with a target character, who was either male or female and average-weight or overweight. The target was presented with four other background characters of the same gender, all of whom were either average-weight or overweight. The results showed that overall, overweight targets were liked significantly less than average-weight targets, though this effect was moderated by target gender. Furthermore, participants liked average-weight female targets significantly less when they were presented with overweight background characters, and liked overweight female targets significantly less when they were presented with average-weight background characters. This was not the case for male targets. These findings support the mere proximity effect for female targets and demonstrate that this effect is present in children as young as five years of age. The implications are discussed with regards to obesity stigma.     

The role of social norm clarity in the influenced expression of prejudice over time

Social influence has been shown to be a powerful, but underexamined, tool in altering prejudice-related attitudes. Most notably, hearing one person condemn or condone discrimination can influence another person to do the same (Blanchard, Crandall, Brigham, & Vaughn, 1994). The current study assesses a potential underlying mechanism that may determine the extent to which participants are socially influenced to alter their prejudice-related beliefs: the clarity of the social norm regarding the expression of prejudice. In addition, the study assesses longer-term effects of social influence (see Stangor, Sechrist, & Jost, 2001). Results from 270 participants revealed that the extent of social influence was predicted by the clarity of the social norm for displaying prejudice and that participants were influenced both immediately and one month later by others’ opinions. We discuss the theoretical implications of the finding that one person can produce lasting change in another person’s prejudice-related belief system.     

现代世界观中的意识及其哲学难题

人是具身心智的存在者,其存在方式独特性在于:他既依赖于物理形态的身体,又有存在论上不可还原性的主观性。因此如何在现代世界观中一致且完备地解释和理解人遂成了心智哲学的大问题。如果坚持现代世界观的基本立场一致性,那么对意识的解释和理解不可避免存在着"难问题"所界定的不完备性。人们大致从三个进路来处理不完备性的局面。然而,原则上它们都无法实现一致且完备的要求,因为这里存在一个根本的局限,即不可能通过认识论的方法在两种存在论形式(无和有)之间实现等价转换。尽管在认识论上这是一个悲观的结局,但另一方面它又是积极的,因为它显示了个体经验在存在论上是独一无二的。     

The fight against prejudice in older adults: perspective taking effectiveness

Inhibition of prejudice appears to be more problematic for older adults, hence the need to develop programs to reduce intergroup bias at later stages in life. Perspective taking was analyzed in this study, as one of various cognitive strategies that have been shown to reduce such bias. Data on a sample of 63 Spanish participants with a mean age of 64.1 years was gathered after an intervention based on mental imagery, aimed at reducing explicit prejudice. A wide array of variables was measured (personality traits, values, empathy, and attribution) which may moderate effectiveness in perspective taking. Despite no main effect was found, effects due to interaction of perspective taking found in OLS regression analysis revealed that perspective taking based intervention was effective for some older adults, particularly those who had low scores on agreeableness, empathy, and universalism, and high scores on conformity. The conclusions suggest that perspective taking might be successfully applied to some profiles of older people albeit it is not as strong and transferable strategy as it used to be thought.     

The relationship between anti-gay prejudice and the categorization of sexual orientation

A relatively large literature has demonstrated that sexual orientation can be judged accurately from a variety of minimal cues, including facial appearance. Untested in this work, however, is the influence that individual differences in prejudice against gays and lesbians may exert upon perceivers’ judgments. Here, we report the results of a meta-analysis of 23 unpublished studies testing the relationship between anti-gay bias and the categorization of sexual orientation from faces. Aggregating data from multiple measures of bias using a variety of methods in three different countries over a period of 8 years, we found a small but significant negative relationship between accuracy and prejudice that was homogeneous across the samples tested. Thus, individuals reporting higher levels of anti-gay bias appear to be less accurate judges of sexual orientation.     

Toward a Culturally Responsive Model of Mental Health Literacy: Facilitating Help‐Seeking Among East Asian Immigrants to North America

Studies have consistently found that East Asian immigrants in North America are less likely to use mental health services even when they experience levels of distress comparable to Euro‐Americans. Although cultural factors that may prevent East Asian immigrants from seeking mental health care have been identified, few studies have explored ways to foster appropriate help‐seeking and use of mental health services. Recent work on mental health literacy provides a potential framework for strategies to increase appropriate help‐seeking and use of services. This paper reviews the literature on help‐seeking for mental health problems among East Asian immigrants living in Western countries to critically assess the relevance of the mental health literacy approach as a framework for interventions to improve appropriate use of services. Modifications needed to develop a culturally responsive framework for mental health literacy are identified.     

Older adults’ perceptions of ageing and their health and functioning: a systematic review of observational studies

Many older people perceive ageing negatively, describing it in terms of poor or declining health and functioning. These perceptions may be related to older adults’ health. The aim of this review was to synthesise existing research on the relationship between older adults’ perceptions of ageing and their health and functioning. A systematic search was conducted of five electronic databases (ASSIA, CINAHL, IBSS, MEDLINE and PsycINFO). Citations within identified reports were also searched. Observational studies were included if they included perceptions of ageing and health-related measures involving participants aged 60 years and older. Study selection, data extraction and quality appraisal were conducted using predefined criteria. Twenty-eight reports met the criteria for inclusion. Older adults’ perceptions of ageing were assessed with a variety of measures. Perceptions were related to health and functioning across seven health domains: memory and cognitive performance, physical and physiological performance, medical conditions and outcomes, disability, care-seeking, self-rated health, quality of life and death. How ageing is perceived by older adults is related to their health and functioning in multiple domains. However, higher quality and longitudinal studies are needed to further investigate this relationship.