Jurors and Social Loafing: Factors That Reduce Participation During Jury Deliberations

The American jury system rests on the fundamental assumption that jurors will engage in a thorough analysis of facts and robust debate to ensure that verdicts are reliable. Research demonstrates, however, that this expectation is rarely met. All jurors do not participate equally in deliberations. This may be explained in part by social loafing, or the withdrawal of effort that may occur when an individual works in a group relative to when the individual works alone. Despite evidence that jurors do not participate equally during jury deliberations, an analysis of factors contributing to participation, or the lack thereof, has not been conducted in this context. Thus, in this review the author examines the social loafing literature in the context of jury deliberations and discusses implications and suggestions for preventing jurors from losing motivation to participat

How the “Black Criminal” Stereotype Shapes Black People’s Psychological Experience of Policing: Evidence of Stereotype Threat and Remaining Questions

Cultural stereotypes that link Black race to crime in the U.S. originated in and are perpetuated by policies that result in the disproportionate criminalization and punishment of Black people. The scientific record is replete with evidence that these stereotypes impact perceivers’ perceptions, information processing, and decision-making in ways that produce more negative criminal legal outcomes for Black people than White people. However, relatively scant attention has been paid to understanding how situations that present a risk of being evaluated through the lens of crime-related stereotypes also directly affect Black people. In this article, I consider one situation in particular: encounters with police. I draw on social psychological research on stereotype threat generally as well as the few existing studies of crime-related stereotype threat specifically to illuminate how the cultural context creates psychologically distinct experiences of police encounters for Black people as compared to White people. I further consider the potential ramifications of stereotype threat effects on police officers’ judgments and treatment of Black people as well as for Black people’s safety and wellbeing in other criminal legal contexts and throughout their lives. Finally, I conclude with a call for increased scholarly attention to crime-related stereotype threat and the role it plays in contributing to racial disparities in policing outcomes, particularly with regard to diverse racial, ethnic, and intersectional identities and personal vulnerability factors and the systemic changes that might mitigate its deleterious effects

The Effects of Revictimization on Coping and Depression in Women Sexual Assault Victims

On two mail surveys completed 1 year apart, 555 women reported their experiences of sexual assault, the strategies they used to cope with those experiences, and feelings of depression. Path analyses controlling for baseline coping and depression revealed that victims who were revictimized during the study reported using more maladaptive and adaptive coping strategies than did victims who were not revictimized. Further, women who were revictimized reported more depression than others. This effect was explained in part by revictimized women’s increased maladaptive coping. Implications for understanding coping and recovery in women who experience multiple sexual assaults in adulthood are discussed

Vulnerability and Protective Factors for Sexual Assault

Approximately 1 in 5 women experience sexual assaults in adulthood during their lives (see Post, this volume, for review), including experiences of unwanted sexual contact, sexual coercion, attempted rape, and completed rape that result from threat, force, or incapacitation from alcohol or drugs (either willingly or unwillingly consumed)

Alcohol-Related Help Seeking in Problem Drinking Women Sexual Assault Survivors

Correlates of alcohol-related help seeking were studied in women sexual assault survivors who were current problem drinkers (N = 526) in a large metropolitan area in 2002-2003. Volunteer participants completed several valid and reliable instruments, which assessed alcohol use and misuse and related help seeking (i.e., the TWEAK, GFM, and MAST). Data were analyzed using logistic regression models. Results suggest that correlates of women survivors’ alcohol-related help seeking vary depending on the specific source. Limitations and implications are noted and recommendations for future research are made. This study was funded by the National Institutes on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Prospective Changes In Attributions Of Self-Blame And Social Reactions To Women’s Disclosures Of Adult Sexual Assault

The present longitudinal study examined relations between self-blame attributions and social reactions to disclosure in a community sample of adult sexual assault victims (N = 555). Cross-lagged panel analyses showed that neither characterological self-blame nor behavioral self-blame related to negative social reactions over the 1-year follow-up period. In contrast, characterological but not behavioral self-blame predicted fewer positive reactions over time. Although positive reactions did not reduce self-blame, negative reactions led to greater characterological, but not behavioral, self-blame during the course of the study. Thus, relations between self-blame and social reactions were not reciprocal but rather quite complex. The effects of victims’ coping strategies and sexual revictimization were also assessed. Implications for research, treatment, and intervention are discussed

Correlates of Serious Suicidal Ideation and Attempts in Female Adult Sexual Assault Survivors

Relations between (a) serious suicidal ideation and attempts and (b) demographics, trauma history, assault characteristics, post-assault outcomes, and psychosocial variables were examined among female adult sexual assault survivors. Younger, minority, and bisexual survivors reported greater ideation. More traumas, drug use, and assault disclosure related to greater attempts, whereas perceived control over recovery was related to fewer attempts. Child sexual abuse and some assault characteristics predicted suicidal behavior. Depression was related to suicidal behavior until psychosocial variables were accounted for. Specifically, using substances to cope and self-blame predicted greater ideation, whereas receiving aid/information support was related to less ideation. Implications for research and treatment are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved

The Effects Of Revictimization On Coping And Depression In Female Sexual Assault Victims

To examine the effects of being revictimized, 555 women completed 2 mail surveys 1 year apart, reporting their experiences of sexual assault, the strategies they used to cope with those experiences, and feelings of depression. Path analyses, controlling for baseline coping and depression, revealed that those who were revictimized during the study reported using more maladaptive and adaptive coping strategies than did those who were not revictimized (β = .11 and β = .16, respectively). Further, women who were revictimized reported more depression than others (β = .15). This effect was explained in part by revictimized women\u27s increased maladaptive coping. Results are consistent with other research showing that all of women\u27s traumatic experiences must be taken into consideration to understand fully how sexual assault influences women\u27s coping and recovery

Prospective Effects of Sexual Victimization on PTSD and Problem Drinking

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and problem drinking are common and often co-occurring sequelae experienced by women survivors of adult sexual assault, yet it remains unclear whether survivors drink to cope with PTSD symptoms or whether PTSD symptoms are exacerbated by drinking. Thus, we used a cross-lagged panel design with a large (N = 555), ethnically diverse sample of women assault survivors to determine whether PTSD prospectively led to problem drinking or vice versa. We also examined whether cumulative sexual victimization experiences related to greater PTSD and problem drinking. Structural equation modeling revealed that child sexual abuse was associated with greater symptoms of PTSD and problem drinking and intervening sexual victimization was associated with greater symptoms of PTSD and problem drinking 1 year later. We found no evidence, however, that PTSD directly influenced problem drinking over the long term, or vice versa. Rather, experiencing revictimization during the study predicted survivors’ prospective PTSD and problem drinking symptoms. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed

Women, Alcoholics Anonymous, and Related Mutual Aid Groups: Review and Recommendations for Research

Recent literature reviews and meta-analyses have supported the effectiveness of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) in helping members stop drinking and maintain sobriety. Despite the extensive body of research on AA, less attention has focused on differences in the efficacy of the program for and experiences of women as compared to men. Such a focus is warranted given that there are significant gender differences in the development and progression of alcoholism, impact of drinking, and response to treatment. This review synthesizes results of extant research on women in AA and similar mutual aid groups focused on problem drinking to describe the state of knowledge and make suggestions for future research. Critiques of the ability of AA and 12-step programs to address women’s needs are also reviewed, as are attempts to respond to those critiques. Understudied issues, including the role of victimization histories (which are more prevalent in women who abuse alcohol), are also discussed