Walking the Maternal Tightrope: Work and Family in America

In the last few decades, an unprecedented number of women with children have entered the U.S. workforce. The ability to negotiate the roles of parent and employee is important to the health and financial well-being of these women and their families, but institutional and social barriers impede the process. Using the empirical and theoretical literature on women and work, this article examines these barriers. The authors address the impact of cultural ideals, psychological processes, and public policy on the maternal work-family balance. Several changes that would help create an atmosphere supportive of balance are explored, including increased support for shared parenting and improvements to the Family and Medical Leave Act

Southeastern Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting

The 2009 SEAALL Annual Meeting was held in Athens Georgia, April 16-18, 2009

Tough or Tender: (Dis)Similarities in White College Students\u27 Perceptions of Black and White Women

Although intersectional theory and empirical evidence suggest that race impacts how women are perceived, there is a dearth of research on how the dominant culture stereotypes Black women compared to White women. The current study addresses this gap using an intersectional framework to investigate White college students\u27 stereotypes of Black and White women. How these stereotypes fit with stereotypic images found in theoretical/empirical literature was also examined. Analyses of data from 109 White college students revealed that Black women were perceived in ways consistent with the Matriarch/Sapphire stereotypic image (e.g., strong and domineering). This image stands in contrast to current and previous perceptions of (White) women as affective and communal. The impact of the Matriarch/Sapphire image on Black women is likely mixed. Internalizing the strength aspect of the Matriarch/Sapphire could help Black women cope with the negative effects of racism, sexism, and classism. Conversely, being perceived as innately strong and domineering could increase the blame attributed to Black women who are survivors of sexual assault and/or domestic violence, limiting avenues of support and justice available to these women. It could also lead to a minimization of Black women\u27s mental and physical health problems. Interventions that educate professionals about the Matriarch/Sapphire image could help reduce its negative impact

To blame or not to blame: How target race affects rape blame attribution

Previous research has established that Black and White rape survivors and perpetrators are viewed differently in our society. However, few studies have addressed the specific factors that may influence these differential attributions. This study attempts to bridge this gap by evaluating racist and sexist stereotypes that might contribute to the differential judgments of Black versus White perpetrators and victims, including the racist myth of the Black rapist of White women and the Jezebel and Matriarch stereotypes of Black women. Correlation analyses revealed a significant positive correlation between victim blame and victim resiliency and a significant negative correlation between victim resiliency and perpetrator culpability, supporting that being perceived as strong and resilient increases victim blame and reduces the accountability attributed to the rape perpetrator. Data also showed that, compared to female participants, male participants blamed Black rape survivors significantly more and viewed rape survivors, regardless of race, as more promiscuous. Contrary to predictions, male participants rated Black perpetrators as less culpable when their victims were White versus Black, and there were no significant differences found for resiliency (Matriarch subscale). Reasons for and implications of findings are explored.

Identification and Measurement of Core Competencies in Professional Psychology: Areas for Consideration

Professional psychology has begun shifting toward a competency-based model of training. The articles on the Competency Benchmarks and the Competency Assessment Toolkit in this issue of Training and Education in Professional Psychology provide important guidance to training programs on how to function successfully within this model. This article focuses on the benefits and areas for further consideration related to the benchmarks and toolkit, including how they balance existing and emerging needs within psychology and address sociocultural factors. The advantages and challenges of transitioning from a predominantly time-oriented training model to a competency-based training model are also explored

Coping With Racism: What Works and Doesn\u27t Work for Black Women?

Perceived racial discrimination (PRD) has deleterious effects on Black Americans. However, there is minimal empirical research on the influence of gender and coping on the relationship between PRD and mental health. This study posited that coping style (i.e., problem-focused coping and avoidant coping) would moderate the relationship between PRD and depressive symptoms in Black women. The sample included 91 Black women (mean age of 23.32 years) from an urban New England university. The Schedule of Racist Events, the Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced scale, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale were used to measure PRD, coping style, and depressive symptoms, respectively. Multiple regressions showed that problem-focused and avoidant coping significantly moderated the relationship between lifetime PRD and depressive symptoms. In addition, avoidant coping significantly moderated the relationship between recent PRD and depressive symptoms. The directions of these findings indicate that higher levels of problem-focused coping may buffer the effects of PRD on depressive symptoms, and higher levels of avoidant coping may exacerbate the effects. Implications for Black women’s resiliency and susceptibility to mental health distress are discussed

The Price of Strength: Black College Women\u27s Perspectives on the Strong Black Woman Stereotype

Black feminist scholars posit that the Strong Black Woman stereotype (SBW) is a compelling image that depicts Black women as strong, independent, and self-sacrificing. Research suggests SBW internalization is related to mental and physical health problems. This study asked Black college women open-ended questions on several SBW-related topics. Thematic analysis of approximately 90 participants revealed definitions of SBW, including, strong, independent, hardworking, and caring. Contrary to SBW’s positive perception, the majority of participants reported SBW’s negative effects on their health, highlighting SBW’s paradox. Findings increase awareness of the SBW stereotype for mental health professionals who work with Black college women

Explaining the Immigrant Paradox: The Influence of Acculturation, Enculturation, and Acculturative Stress on Problematic Alcohol Consumption

The present study explored the Immigrant Paradox (IP), generational differences in problematic alcohol use (alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences), among immigrants and US born groups from a number of ethnic minority backgrounds. Our approach separates group differences in problematic alcohol consumption in a counterfactual manner for immigrants and the US born to answer the following counterfactual question: “What would problematic alcohol use levels be for the US born had they been exposed to the alcohol use generation (or protective) processes of immigrants and vice versa?” Multidimensional measures of enculturation (involvement with heritage culture), acculturation (involvement with US culture), acculturative stress, and demographic covariates were used to statistically explain these differences. The sample consisted of Asian American (n = 1,153), Black American (n = 833), and Latinx (n = 1,376) college students from 30 universities. Results indicated significant generational differences in mean levels of alcohol consumption but not alcohol-related consequences. Differences in measured characteristics (endowments) marginally explained differences between immigrants and the US born. On the other hand, endowments significantly explained generational differences and represented an increase in alcohol consumption among immigrants if they had the endowments of the U.S. born. Results are discussed in light of cultural and social factors that contribute to the IP

Religiousness and Levels of Hazardous Alcohol Use: A Latent Profile Analysis

Prior person-centered research has consistently identified a subgroup of highly religious participants that uses significantly less alcohol when compared to the other subgroups. The construct of religious motivation is absent from existing examinations of the nuanced combinations of religiousness dimensions within persons, and alcohol expectancy valuations have yet to be included as outcome variables. Variable-centered approaches have found religious motivation and alcohol expectancy valuations to play a protective role against individuals’ hazardous alcohol use. The current study examined latent religiousness profiles and hazardous alcohol use in a large, multisite sample of ethnically diverse college students. The sample consisted of 7412 college students aged 18–25 (M age = 19.77, SD age = 1.61; 75 % female; 61 % European American). Three latent profiles were derived from measures of religious involvement, salience, and religious motivations:Quest-Intrinsic Religiousness (highest levels of salience, involvement, and quest and intrinsic motivations; lowest level of extrinsic motivation), Moderate Religiousness (intermediate levels of salience, involvement, and motivations) and Extrinsic Religiousness (lowest levels of salience, involvement, and quest and intrinsic motivations; highest level of extrinsic motivation). TheQuest-Intrinsic Religiousness profile scored significantly lower on hazardous alcohol use, positive expectancy outcomes, positive expectancy valuations, and negative expectancy valuations, and significantly higher on negative expectancy outcomes, compared to the other two profiles. The Extrinsic andModerate Religiousness profiles did not differ significantly on positive expectancy outcomes, negative expectancy outcomes, negative expectancy valuations, or hazardous alcohol use. The results advance existing research by demonstrating that the protective influence of religiousness on college students’ hazardous alcohol use may involve high levels on both quest andintrinsic religious motivation