Testing a Moderated Mediation Model of Objectification Theory among Black Women in the United States: The Role of Protective Factors

Recent studies find that Black women experience rates of eating pathology and body dissatisfaction comparable to those of White women. Abundant research suggests that objectification theory could help explain the development and maintenance of eating disorder (ED) symptoms among diverse women. However, research on the applicability of objectification theory to ED symptoms in Black women is equivocal. Specifically, some have suggested that body surveillance might operate differently for Black women. Thus, the current study examined ethnic-racial identity (ERI) commitment and body appreciation as moderators of the mediated associations among body surveillance, body shame, and ED symptoms. Black women (n?=?175) in the United States completed measures of body image, ERI commitment, and ED symptoms. Consistent with objectification theory, body shame mediated the association between body surveillance and ED symptoms. Contrary to our hypothesis, ERI commitment did not moderate the link between body surveillance and body shame. However, body appreciation was a significant moderator, such that the strength of the relation between body surveillance and ED symptoms via body shame was weakened at high levels of body appreciation. Future work should consider interventions that foster body appreciation in Black women.

     

Dimensional Personality Traits Broadly and Selectively Associated with Normative Externalizing Behavior

This study aimed to distinguish personality traits that are widely associated with several types of externalizing behaviors from personality traits that are more selectively associated with one or only a few specific types of externalizing behavior. A wide range of externalizing behaviors (e.g. alcohol and drug use, risky driving, aggressive acts, sexual promiscuity and relationship infidelity, academic misconduct) typical among an undergraduate population (N?=?257) were examined along with a range of personality traits measured using the Section III personality model for the DSM-5. We found that externalizing behavior was best associated with the domain level trait Antagonism and, to a lesser degree, Disinhibition. Antagonism’s association with problematic behavior was primarily accounted for by the facet trait Deceitfulness. Deceitfulness was found to be associated with a wide range of behaviors including relationship infidelity, theft, aggressive acts, and drug and alcohol use. Associations between Disinhibition and problem behavior, especially risky driving and poor work or school performance, were best accounted for by the Irresponsibility facet, as opposed to the Impulsivity or Distractibility facet traits. This comprehensive multivariate approach is important for a more complete understanding of the complex relationship that exists between personality traits and externalizing behavior. A better understanding of factors precipitating externalizing behavior could ultimately lead to an increased ability to target interventions to individuals most susceptible to engage in problematic behavior.     

Decision deadlines and uncertainty monitoring: the effect of time constraints on uncertainty and perceptual responses

The behavioral uncertainty response has grounded the study of animal metacognition and influenced the study of human psychophysics. However, the interpretation of this response is debated—especially whether it is a behavioral index of metacognition. The authors advanced this interpretation using the dissociative technique of response deadlines. Uncertainty responding, if it is higher level or metacognitive, should depend on a slower, more controlled decisional process and be more vulnerable to time constraints. Humans performed sparse–uncertain–dense or sparse–middle–dense discriminations in which, respectively, they could decline difficult trials or positively identify middle stimuli. Uncertainty responses were sharply and selectively reduced under a decision deadline, as compared to primary perceptual responses (i.e., “sparse,” “middle,” and “dense” responses). This dissociation suggests that the uncertainty response does reflect a higher-level, decisional response. It grants the uncertainty response a distinctive psychological role in its task and encourages an interpretation of this response as an elemental behavioral index of uncertainty that deserves continuing research.     

Understanding the Association Between Spirituality,Religiosity, and Feelings of Happiness and Sadness Among HIV-Positive Indian Adults: Examining Stress-Related Growth as a Mediator

This study examined the role of stress-related growth as a mediator of the associations between spirituality, religiosity, and feelings of happiness and sadness in a sample of 178 HIV-positive Indian adults. Results indicated that spirituality, but not religiosity, was associated with feelings of happiness and sadness. Subsequent mediation analyses indicated that stress-related growth fully mediated the relationships involving spirituality and feelings of happiness and sadness. Overall, our findings point to the importance of facilitating greater spiritual development among HIV-positive Indians, as well as promoting strategies that help them develop and apply stress-related growth coping methods in their lives.     

An Emerging Field in Religion and Reproductive Health

Separate from scholarship in religion and medicine, a burgeoning field in religion and population health, includes religion and reproductive health. In a survey of existing literature, we analyzed data by religious affiliation, discipline, geography and date. We found 377 peer-reviewed articles; most were categorized as family planning (129), sexual behavior (81), domestic violence (39), pregnancy (46), HIV/AIDS (71), and STDs (61). Most research occurred in North America (188 articles), Africa (52), and Europe (47). Article frequency increased over time, from 3 articles in 1980 to 38 articles in 2008. While field growth is evident, there is still no cohesive “scholarship” in religion and reproductive health.     

Increased Error-Related Brain Activity in Six-Year-Old Children with Clinical Anxiety

Anxiety disorders are the most frequently diagnosed form of psychopathology in children and often result in chronic impairment that persists into adulthood. Identifying neurobehavioral correlates of anxiety that appear relatively early in life would inform etiological models of development and allow intervention and prevention strategies to be implemented more effectively. The error-related negativity (ERN), a negative deflection in the event-related potential at fronto-central sites approximately 50 ms following the commission of errors, has been consistently found to be larger among anxious adults. The current study sought to extend these findings to even younger individuals: the ERN was elicited by a Go/NoGo task in 48 six year-old children with a clinical anxiety disorder assessed by diagnostic interview and 48 age-matched controls. In addition to child anxiety disorder, the ERN was examined in relation to maternal history of anxiety disorder, which was previously related to a smaller ERN. Anxious children were characterized by a larger (i.e., more negative) ERN and maternal history of anxiety disorder was associated with a smaller ERN. Thus, the relationship between an increased ERN and clinical anxiety is evident by age 6, and this effect appears independent from an opposing influence of maternal anxiety history on the ERN. These findings support the ERN as a promising neurobehavioral marker of anxiety, and implications are discussed.     

Cumulative Index Volumes 1–30 (1968–1997) of Man and World

Continental Philosophy Review -     

Student gender and the probability of referral for counselling in a college of further education

A small pilot study was carried out to investigate whether college tutors' perceptions of students' counselling needs were dependent on the gender of the student. Twenty-five tutors were asked to read six vignettes describing composite case-studies of students showing overt distress. The vignettes were constructed to represent two of each of three types of problem (anxiety, depression and aggression). One of each clinical type depicted a female student and the other a male. The tutors were asked to evaluate each of the six vignettes along a visual analogue scale, according to the perceived urgency of the problem and its long-term nature. The results were then analysed using two-factor within-subjects anovas and unplanned multiple pairwise comparisons to establish whether there existed any differences on these dimensions. Of the analyses computed, it was found that depressive vignettes were considered to be in more urgent need of referral than were anxious or aggressive vignettes; that males were generally considered to have a more urgent need for referral than were females; that anxiety was construed as a less enduring problem than was depression or aggression; and that male aggressive vignettes were considered to be a longer-term problem than were females, anxious or depressive clients. These results indicate that some sex-role stereotyping exists with respect to psychological problems. This is discussed in terms of equal opportunities and access to student support systems.     

Easy-to-hard effects in perceptual learning depend upon the degree to which initial trials are “easy”

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review - Starting perceptual training at easy levels before progressing to difficult levels generally produces better learning outcomes than constantly difficult training...     

The Caregivers of Stroke Patients: An Investigation of Factors Associated with Depression

Caregivers of the elderly and infirm are often under more stress and report lower life satisfaction than matched groups of noncaregivers. Forty caregivers of stroke patients (usually a spouse) were interviewed an average of 9 months poststroke to determine the factors associated with poorer caregiver adjustment. Four classes of variables were expected to be related to depression in caregivers: level of functioning of the patient, caregiver perceptions of increased work and burden due to the stroke, the quality of the patient-caregiver relationship, and caregivers' interpretations of their situation. Background characteristics were also measured. As predicted, variables in each class were significantly related to depression. Multiple regression analysis showed three significant independent predictors of caregiver depression. Caregivers are more depressed if the patient is more physically impaired, if caregivers report disharmony in the family, and if they have lesser perceptions of hope Ways to apply these findings to the development of interventions to ameliorate caregiver depression are discussed.