Evaluating Agency and Responsibility in Gendered Violence: African American Youth Talk About Violence and Hip Hop

The results of this study provide insights into the ways that African American adolescents think about gendered interpersonal violence. African American high school students were invited to discuss images and incidents from contemporary urban music culture (events based on incidents with famous hip hop figures and lyrics from rap music) in a focus group format. We explored how African American youth perceived and responded to examples of gendered violence portrayed in vignettes and musical lyrics. The main analyses focus on the question of how youths’ perceptions of hip hop images, hypothetical stories, and lyrics were linked to their views of “normative” gender interactions and interpersonal relationships for their racial group.     

The Context of Caretaking in Rural Areas: Family Factors Influencing the Level of Functioning of Seriously Mentally Ill Patients Living at Home

After the deinstitutionalization of psychiatric hospitals, many families became primary caregivers for seriously mentally ill individuals. Mental health services became further reduced with the advent of managed care and reductions in health and mental health care. The dearth of community-care options often results in psychiatric patients being quickly stabilized in hospital units and discharged to live with their families. The lack of community resources is particularly acute in rural areas. Given these realities the current study sought to determine if family caretaking variables are related to patient outcomes. Family factors including the perception of burden, expressed emotion (EE), and primary caregivers’ social support were tested in a model of caretaking that examines the relationship between these factors and patients’ symptom expression and social and occupational functioning. The sample includes 49 predominantly African American families living in a rural area and with a chronically ill family member who had been previously diagnosed with a psychotic disorder. Primary caregivers and patients were interviewed using adapted measures of burden, EE, and social support. Patients were administered a revised version of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Results suggest less perceived burden, increased caregiver support and, to a lesser extent, EE explain approximately one-fifth of the variance in patient functioning. These results support previous research demonstrating the importance of family factors for seriously mentally ill patient outcomes. Results are discussed in terms of implications for assisting families in the current era of diminished resources.     

Racial Discrimination and Racial Identity as Risk or Protective Factors for Violent Behaviors in African American Young Adults

This study examined the influences of racial discrimination and different racial identity attitudes on engaging in violent behavior among 325 African American young adults. The contributions of racial discrimination and racial identity attitudes in explaining violent behavior during the transition into young adulthood while controlling for the influences of prior risk behaviors at ninth grade were examined separately for males and females. In addition, the buffering effects of racial identity attitudes on the relationship between racial discrimination and violent behavior were tested. Results indicated that experience with racial discrimination was a strong predictor of violent behavior, regardless of gender. The centrality of race for males and the meaning others attribute to being Black for both males and females were moderators of the influence of racial discrimination on violent behavior.     

THE FUNDAMENTALIST MINDSET: PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON RELIGION, VIOLENCE, AND HISTORY. Edited by Charles B. Strozier, David M. Terman, and James W. Jones, with Katharine A. Boyd. Foreword by Martin E. Marty. 274?pp. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010. $19.95

The following review essay explores the nature and characteristics of the fundamentalist mindset. The editors note that the fundamentalist mindset, wherever if occurs, is composed of distinct traits such as dualistic thinking, paranoia, and rage in a group context; an apocalyptic orientation that incorporates distinct perspectives on time, death, and violence; a relationship to charismatic leadership; and a totalized conversion experience. The review essay will explore these characteristics in brief, underscoring the major themes found in the authors?? exploration of fundamentalism and the psychological and historical underpinning of the pervading mindset.     

Nonsuicidal Self‐Injury among Adolescents: A Training Priority for Primary Care Providers

Primary care providers were surveyed to determine how prepared they feel to address nonsuicidal self‐injury (NSSI) among adolescents, their interest in training on NSSI, and factors associated with routinely asking about NSSI when providing health supervision. Participants included family medicine physicians (n = 260), pediatricians (n = 127), family nurse practitioners (n = 96), and pediatric nurse practitioners (n = 54). Almost 50% felt unprepared to address NSSI, and over 70% wanted training in this area. Overall, relative to other areas of mental health care, clinicians felt least prepared to address and wanted more training on NSSI. Just 27% reported they routinely inquired about NSSI during health supervision. Factors associated with routinely asking about NSSI were identifying as female (OR = 2.37; 95% CI = 1.25–4.49), feeling better prepared to address NSSI (OR = 1.51; 95% CI = 1.04–2.20), and more frequently using a psychosocial interview to identify adolescents in distress (OR = 1.23; 95% CI = 1.02–1.48). Teaching clinicians to assess NSSI within a psychosocial interview may increase screening for and identification of the behavior among adolescents in primary care.