Norms and Factorial Invariance of the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS)

This study examined the factorial invariance of the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS; Brewer, Van Raalte, & Linder, 1993) and developed norms for its future use. A sample of 2,856 participants was assembled from multiple administrations of the AIMS over the past 10 years. The total sample was divided into two samples: a derivation sample (n = 1,462) and a validation sample (n = 1,394). The samples were stratified to insure equivalence in gender and varsity athlete/non-athlete composition. No significant differences were detected between the derivation and validation samples in AIMS item mean scores or demographic variables (all ps>.10). Results indicated that a multidimensional model in which three highly correlated first order factors (social identity, exclusivity, and negative affectivity) are subordinate to a higher order athletic identity factor demonstrated factorial invariance across genders and athletic statuses. Confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) methods were performed on the derivation sample data to examine four AIMS models (the original uni-dimensional model and three multidimensional models, designated Models A, B, C, and D) that have been previously proposed and investigated in the literature. The results of these analyses, which are described in the Appendix, supported the development of a new higher-order model, Model E, which consists of seven items. The findings suggested that a 7-item composite AIMS score is appropriate for assessing athletic identity in both men and women. Applications of the AIMS with student-athletes were discussed

Bridging the Gap: Implementing Peer-Mentoring Programs for Counselors-In-Training

Counselors-in-training encumber a myriad of professional tasks. High prevalence of burnout in the helping professions (Testa & Sangganjanavanich, 2016) combined with overtasked novice counselors presents a conflict for the counseling profession, specifically at the counselor education stratification. Novice counselors may be unaware of the challenges they could face when entering the counseling profession. Peer-mentoring, as opposed to traditional, hierarchical mentoring, is explored as an option for increasing professional resilience. Wellness is explored as a construct conducive to peer-mentoring relationships in counselor education. Increasing resilience among novice counselors through peer-mentoring may serve to decrease burnout. Furthermore, peer-mentoring may increase wellness and self-care among novice counselors. The authors present peer-mentoring as a viable option for counselor education to implement in an effort to mitigate early counselor burnout. Design and implementation for a peer-mentoring program is introduced. The authors’ intention of the article is to call attention to the need of support for the deeper understanding and implementation of peer-mentorship in the field of counselor education

Developing a cultural competence assessment tool for people in recovery from racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds: the journey, challenges and lessons learned.

In 1997, Maryland implemented a new managed care mental health system. Consumer satisfaction, evaluation and cultural competency were considered high priorities for the new system. While standardized tools for measuring consumer satisfaction were readily available, no validated, reliable and standardized tool existed to measure the perception of people from minority groups receiving mental health services. The MHA*/MHP* Cultural Competency Advisory Group (CCAG) accepted the challenge of developing a consumer assessment tool for cultural competency. The CCAG, composed of people in recovery, clinicians and administrators used their collective knowledge and experiences to develop a 52-item tool that met standards for validity and reliability. Consultation from a researcher helped to further develop the tool into one possessing tremendous potential for statewide implementation within Maryland's Public Mental Health System. Recognizing the limitations of the study and the need for further research, this instrument is a work in progress. Strategies to improve the instrument are currently underway with the Mental Hygiene Administration's Systems Evaluation Center of the University of Maryland and several national researchers

Effects of Transferable Skills Workshops on the Career Self-Efficacy of College Student-Athletes

This study was designed to investigate the effects of two types of transferable skills workshops on the career self-efficacy of intercollegiate student-athletes. Participants were 79 college student-athletes (45 males [30 football players and 15 basketball players] and 34 females [14 softball players and 20 soccer players]) enrolled at a small NCAA Division III institution. Student-athletes (N=79) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) a control condition that involved viewing a video on sports nutrition, (b) an unaugmented transferable skills workshop that was based on the model suggested by Petitpas and Schwartz (1989), and (c) an augmented transferable skills workshop similar to the unaugmented workshop but including completion of a self-report inventory designed to help athletes identify sport-related skills that can transfer to other domains. All participants completed the Career Decision Self-Efficacy Short-Form (COSE-SF; Betz & Taylor, 200 I) before and after the workshops. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) with COSE-SF pretest scores as a covariate revealed that the augmented transferable skills workshop produced significantly greater increases in career self-efficacy than the unaugmented transferable skills workshop and the control condition. Paired samples t-tests indicated that both transferable skills workshops, but not the control condition, produced statistically significant gains in career self-efficacy. The results suggest that both transferable skills workshops can have a positive influence on the career self-efficacy of student-athletes and that a standardized transferable skills inventory can be a helpful tool in enhancing the ability of student-athletes to identify transferable skills that can increase their career self-efficacy. The career self-efficacy level of student-athletes who participated in the transferable skills workshops increased significantly compared to that of the control group. In addition, participants who completed the TSI as part of their transferable skills workshop showed higher levels of career self-efficacy than student-athletes who did not complete the TSI

Blending and Spending: Financial Influences Impacting Childfree Stepmothers’ Relationship Satisfaction

There exists a need to better understand how monetary factors impact the partnerships of childfree stepmothers in blended families. The present study examines the correlation of couples’ shared financial values and congruence in financial management behaviors with relationship satisfaction among these stepmothers. Participants included 104 childfree stepmothers in blended families. Findings indicated that perceived shared financial values positively predicted relationship satisfaction. In addition, while financial behavior congruence between stepmothers and their partners did predict relationship satisfaction, it did so through a weaker inverse association. Contrary to expectations, financial behavior congruence did not mediate the association between shared financial values and relationship satisfaction. These results reflect the complex role of financial factors in the well-being of childfree stepmothers within blended families and the need for nuanced psychological and financial support tailored to this oft-overlooked group of women

College Adjustment of Football Players: Predictors of First Semester Adjust to College among NCAA Division III Intercollegiate Football Players

This study examined predictors of first-semester adjustment to college among 48 first-year intercollegiate football players. Participants completed measures oflife stress, social support, quality of their relationship with parents, quality of their roommate relationship, sport satisfaction, athletic identity, and adjustment to college near the end of the first semester. The predictor variables accounted for 43% of the variance in adjustment to college, with quality of the roommate relationship and sport satisfaction emerging as significant (p < .05) predictors of adjustment. The results highlight the role of social and sport-related factors in how well first-year intercollegiate football players adjust to college. Recommendations for facilitating positive adjustment were provided. The more favorably participants perceived the relationship with their roommates and the more satisfied they were with their involvement in football, the better their adjustment near the end of the first semester of college. Contrary to the hypothesized pattern of results, however, factors found previously to relate to adjustment to college in the general student body (i.e., life stress, social support, and relationship with parents) were not associated with the football players' adjustment to college. Social support did not moderate the relationship between life stress and adjustment, and athletic identity did not moderate the relationship between sport satisfaction and adjustment. The failure of life stress, social support, and parent relationship to predict adjustment to college among first-year intercollegiate football players is surprising in light of research documenting associations between these variables and adjustment to college for the general student population (Compas et al., 1986; Holmbeck & Wandrei,1993; Prancer et al., 2000; Pratt et al., 2000; Wintre & Yaffe, 2000)

Corrigendum to “Effects of therapeutic hypothermia on the gut microbiota and metabolome of infants suffering hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy at birth” [Int. J. Biochem. Cell Biol. 93 (December) (2017), 110-118]

peer-reviewedCorrigendum Refers to: Watkins, C., Murphy, K., Yen, S., Carafa, I., Dempsey, E., O’Shea, C., Vercoe, E., Ross, R., Stanton, C. and Ryan, C. (2017). Effects of therapeutic hypothermia on the gut microbiota and metabolome of infants suffering hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy at birth. The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology, [online] 93, pp.110-118. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocel.2017.08.01

A new silicon detector for microdosimetry applications in proton therapy

A silicon-on-insulator diode array with a sensitive depth of 10 microns has been developed for microdosimetry in proton therapy. The detector was coupled to a radiation-hard charge sensitive amplifier with the probe assembly capable of measuring an LET down to 1.2 keV/μm. The device has been successfully tested at two proton therapy centers. The 230 MeV Northeastern Proton Therapy Center, Boston and the 250 MeV Proton Medical Research Center at Tsukuba, Japan. The device offers much improved spatial resolution compared with a proportional gas counter particularly in the critical high dose region around the proton Bragg peak. Due to its small cross-sectional area (0.04 cm2) measurements may also be made in facilities with short high intensity beams

Divorce and the Option Value of Marital Search

This work tests whether the introduction of divorce law changes the timing of marital search. Rational agents should adjust to the divorce risk by increasing the average search spell, whereas option value theory stresses the role of irreversible investments: in this case, the new exit option should result in shorter spells. Using a dynamic model of marital search, a new data set of retrospective individual Italian data, and two robust statistical specifications, we find strong evidence that the legal innovation actually lowered the age at marriage, thereby worsening the level of marital matching, and possibly reinforcing self-fulfilling prophecies of divorce