Women’s Readiness To Engage In Risky Sexual Behavior: The Effects Of Interpersonal Violence Victimization And Social Rejection

The current study explores the role of psychosocial factors in women’s likelihood to engage in risky sexual behavior (RSB). Social rejection is particularly relevant as it is linked to a wide range of negative outcomes including engagement in self-reported RSB; however, its causal role has been rarely studied in a systematic manner. Furthermore, interpersonal violence victimization has been associated with RSB, but the processes underlying this relationship are largely unknown. This study aimed to: 1) test the impact of social rejection on women’s tendency to engage in RSB; 2) understand victimization as an individual vulnerability for engaging in RSB; and 3) explore the mechanisms underlying this relationship. Results suggest that social rejection and victimization predict physiological stress reactivity, and that social rejection also predicts psychological stress. However, these factors and their interactions did not have a significant effect on readiness to engage in RSB. Despite some inconclusive results, this research raises several new questions to be addressed in future research and emphasizes importance of assessing social factors that contribute to RSB

Predictors Of Positive And Negative Affect Following Casual Sex

The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of positive and negative affect following a recent casual sex experience in a sample of 585 men and women using a cross-sectional design. Structural Equation Modeling analyses identified sexual satisfaction, sexual assertiveness, belief in traditional gender roles, impulsivity, alcohol use, sex-related alcohol expectancies, and peer approval of casual sex as significant predictors of positive and negative affect. Support for hypotheses regarding gender differences were found: men reported greater positive affect and sexual satisfaction, and some predictors were significant for one gender but not the other. Practical implications for emotional and sexual risk reduction as well as suggestions for future longitudinal research are discussed

On the fifth anniversary of the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index: what have we learned about subjective wellbeing?

Department of Rehabilitation SciencesRefereed conference pape

An Examination of Discrimination on Stress, Depression, and Oppression-Based Trauma During the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Racial Awakening of 2020

Background Discrimination is a pervasive societal issue that monumentally impacts people of color (POC). Many Black, Asian, and Hispanic/Latinx individuals report experiencing race-based discrimination in their lifetime. Discrimination has previously been linked to adverse health outcomes among POC, including stress, depressive, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. These health disparities are posited to have become exacerbated by COVID-19 and the racial awakening of 2020. The current study examined the short- and long-term effects of discrimination on stress, depression, and oppression-based trauma among POC. Methods Participants were (n = 398) who identified as Black, Indigenous, Hispanic/Latinx, and Asian completed an online self-report survey assessing discrimination, depression, stress, and oppression-based trauma collected at 3 time points: (T1) beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (May 2020), (T2) 6 weeks later during the racial awakening of 2020 (June 2020), (T3) one year later (June 2021). Results Significant positive paths were revealed from T1 discrimination to T2 depression, T2 stress, and T3 oppression-based trauma. The association between T1 discrimination and T3 oppression-based trauma was partially mediated by T2 depression, but not by stress; total and total indirect effects remained significant. The final model accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in T3 oppression-based trauma, T2 depression, and T2 stress. Conclusion Findings are consistent with prior research linking discriminatory experiences with mental health symptomatology and provide evidence that race-based discrimination poses harmful short-and long-term mental health consequences. Further research is necessary to better understand oppression-based trauma to improve the accuracy of clinical diagnosis and treatment of POC

Stability and variability of motivation to change in anorexia nervosa

Resistance to treatment is common among anorexic clients. Three studies indicated that although readiness to change and self-efficacy are applicable to this population, there is a large degree of variability and stability between symptoms. Multi-dimensional, continuous measures of readiness to change and self-efficacy may provide a more accurate, informative assessment

College students’ experiences of dating app facilitated sexual violence and associations with mental health symptoms and well-being

Dating app facilitated sexual violence (DAFSV) includes behaviors such as unwanted sexual comments/harassment, unsolicited sexual photos, and gender/sexuality-based harassment – and could extend to sexual violence when meeting partners face-to-face. The effects of sexual violence on mental health are well-established, however, research on DAFSV is limited. The goal of the current study is to understand college students’ experiences of DAFSV and investigate cross-sectional associations with indicators of mental health (i.e., depression and anxiety symptoms) and well-being (i.e., self-esteem, loneliness, perceived control). Participants were college students in the United States who used dating app (N = 277) and identified primarily as women (64.6%) and heterosexual/straight (74.0%). Most participants (88.4%) self-reported at least one instance of DAFSV. Women (vs. men) and sexual minority (vs. heterosexual/straight) individuals experienced more frequent DAFSV. Regression analyses indicated that DAFSV frequency was associated with higher depression and anxiety symptoms, higher loneliness, lower self-esteem, and lower perceived control. This study highlights the importance of DAFSV for a broad range of well-being indicators. Given that dating apps are one of the most common means of meeting partners, research is needed to better understand these initial interactions, prevent DAFSV from occurring, and mitigate the impact of DAFSV on health outcomes

Problem drinking is associated with intimate partner cyber abuse perpetration but is buffered by high relationship satisfaction

Purpose: Intimate partner cyber abuse (IPCA) is a prevalent form of intimate partner violence (IPV) that has detrimental effects on victims’ well-being. Although research has documented associations with other forms of IPV perpetration, additional research is needed to identify IPCA perpetration risk factors. One of the most common risk factors for offline IPV is perpetrators’ alcohol use; however, less is known about how this translates to online contexts. There is also a need to identify protective factors that mitigate the effects of alcohol. Methods: This study evaluated associations between drinking, relationship satisfaction, and IPCA perpetration via self-report questionnaires within a longitudinal framework. Participants included 544 adults in an intimate relationship (n = 296 at T2). Results: Results indicated that relationship satisfaction buffered the effects of problem drinking on IPCA perpetration at T1, but not at T2. Further, 20.2% of individuals who perpetrated IPCA at T1 drank alcohol during at least one incident, and these individuals reported more problem drinking and more frequent IPCA perpetration compared to those who reported IPCA without alcohol. Conclusions: Results from this study provide insight into both risk and protective factors for IPCA perpetration among adults and have the potential to guide concurrent prevention strategies that target intersections between problem drinking, IPCA, and offline IPV, and promote healthy and satisfying intimate relationships

Development of readiness to change and self-efficacy in anorexia nervosa clients: personal perspectives

Objective: Anorexia nervosa is a significant cause of physical andpsychological morbidity. The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) isfrequently used to conceptualise the process of intentionalbehaviour change. Instability and inconsistency of the TTM stagesof change exist across anorexia symptom dimensions. The currentstudy qualitatively explored readiness for change and self-efficacyin relation to six related but distinct anorexic symptomdimensions. Method: Fifteen individuals currently diagnosed withor recently recovered from anorexia participated in a semistructuredinterview. Findings: Participants in the central stages ofthe TTM reported variability and instability in their readiness tochange and self-efficacy across the six dimensions. Participantswere most prepared to address cognitive/emotional issues andleast prepared to alter their weight and avoidance of specificfoods. Discussion: These findings extend previous quantitativeresearch to suggest readiness for change and self-efficacyresemble motivational states rather than stages. The implicationsfor clinicians are discussed