Bullying Victimization and Use of Substances in High School: Does Religiosity Moderate the Association?

Alcohol, tobacco and other drug use continue to pose serious public health concerns among youth. Bullying victimization has been identified as a risk factor and religiosity a protective factor for adolescent substance use. No previous research has examined the potential moderating role of religiosity. We explore the association between bullying victimization and substance use in adolescents with low and high levels of religiosity. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a representative sample of high school students in greater Beirut. Binary and multinomial logistic models were used, adjusting for demographics, and stratified by level of religiosity. Of the 986 students responding to the survey, 65% were females; 48% had experienced some form of bullying; and 52% self-rated as low in religiosity. Between 10 and 30% were current users of alcohol or tobacco. Students of lower religiosity levels who had been bullied were more likely to use substances than those who self-rated as high religiosity. Religiosity may be a potential moderator of the association between being bullied and substance use, but the exact mechanisms and underlying reasons need further investigation.

     

Therapist Self-disclosure and Culturally Competent Care with Mexican–American Court Mandated Clients: A Phenomenological Study

Therapist self-disclosure (TSD) is a skill with numerous potential benefits and risks for the therapeutic alliance. While its effects have been established, little empirical research has examined the impact of TSD in cross-cultural treatment settings with court-mandated clients, a context with unique considerations. In an effort to help fill this gap, results of a phenomenological study examining the effects of TSD on Mexican–American men working with Anglo American therapists in a mandated treatment setting are presented. The results of this study indicate that TSD is a culturally competent intervention with several benefits for mandated clients, including strengthening the therapeutic alliance, normalizing client problems, lessening the therapist-client hierarchy, and modeling the acceptability of self-disclosure. Clinical and marriage and family therapy educational implications are also discussed.     

The stereotyped portrayal of men and women in British television advertisements

This study examined the portrayal of men and women in a sample of British television commercials, attempting to replicate and extend past investigations done in America, Britain, Canada, and Italy. The aim was to update British research and to compare findings across cultures. One hundred and eighty daytime and evening commercials were content analyzed by two white raters, one male and the other female, to check reliability. The attributes of each of their central figures, who were over 90% white, were classified into 11 categories: Gender, mode of presentation, credibility, role, location, age, argument, reward type, product type, background, and end comment. The findings were that sex role television stereotyping in Britain was more or less constant across time, compared to studies done 5 and 10 years ago, but were weaker than in Italy and comparable to North America. The implications of such findings for the maintenance of sex roles are discussed.