Factors Influencing the Intention of Getting the HPV Vaccine among College Women: An Application of the Reasoned Action Approach

Purpose: Although at high risk for contracting HPV, less than half of college women have been vaccinated. The purpose of the current study was to examine underlying factors influencing college women’s intention to get the HPV vaccine using the Reasoned Action Approach (RAA). Methods: Data were collected from two different samples of college women at a large Mid-west university via two phases. In Phase 1, a salient-belief elicitation survey based on the RAA was utilized to collect quantitative and qualitative data from 43 college women. Phase 1 data were then utilized to create a quantitative closed-ended instrument, which was administered to a large sample (n=279) of female college students in Phase 2. Results: Results indicated that the perceived consequences of getting the vaccine, such as protection against HPV and cervical cancer, were primary determinants influencing intention to get the HPV vaccine. Participants perceived healthcare providers and mothers as salient referents influencing their vaccination decisions. Attitude towards the act and perceived norm were the major predictors of intention to get a vaccine. Conclusions: Results suggest the importance of attitudes and perceived norms (especially mothers and healthcare providers) in predicting intention to get the HPV vaccine. Utilizing theory-based approaches to design interventions may be beneficial to increase vaccination rates among college women. Such interventions could focus on the attitudes and perceived norms of college students’ regarding getting the HPV vaccine

Exploring Multi-Modal Communication Approach for Young Children with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a rare genetic disease affecting approximately 1 in 10,000 babies, yet it is the number 1 genetic killer of infants and toddlers. Individuals with SMA, especially the most serve type I, can face great challenges in communication, environment control, and learning knowledge. Since most hildren with type I SMA have extremely limit muscular functionality, they cannot use regular interactive devices. In this study, we propose a multi-modal communication approach and explore various sensors and switches for SMA users. Specifically, we propose a light-weight and wireless microcontroller to process electric signals from sensors and switches. It can be paired and used in any devices which supports Bluetooth. Moreover, an interactive game and a three-phase pilot study are designed for assessing usability of various input devices

“I just wasn’t thinking”: Strategic Ambiguity and women’s accounts of unprotected sex

Heterosexual university students continue to endorse sexual scripts that preference men’s desire and sustain gendered power imbalances in sexual relationships and encounters, leading women to risk pregnancy by engaging in unprotected sex. Because young women also endorse norms encouraging them to protect themselves and their partners from unintended pregnancy, women are caught in a bind between two often competing norms. We conducted semi-structured individual interviews with university women (n=45) to examine how they navigate these competing norms. We found that women explained risky contraceptive decisions by saying they “just weren’t thinking”, thus employing strategic ambiguity, or vague language used to maintain social status, to navigate between competing norms. Our findings suggest that women were actually thinking about risks and making calculated decisions in the moment which often privileged men, putting themselves at risk and sometimes causing distress. To save face, women presented the idea that they “just weren’t thinking” in different ways that conformed to traditional notions of romance and sexuality: being in the moment, love and trust for their partner, and deferring to the perceived or actual wishes of men. We conclude that there is a need to promote and achieve affirmative sexuality which includes women feeling empowered to express their own sexual needs --whether that be consent or refusal, contraception, pleasure, or all of these

Sexual consent perceptions of a fictional vignette: a latent growth curve model

Sexual consent can be conceptualized as a process of accumulating cues that build toward and continue throughout a consensual sexual encounter. How people perceive the cues of others during this process is an important aspect of consent. However, previous research has not investigated the trajectories of people’s consent perceptions throughout such a process. Using a novel staggered vignette protocol, we examined participants’ (N = 1218; 64.4% female) perceptions of fictional targets’ sexual consent at 11 time points. We tested latent growth curve models using multilevel structural equation modeling to examine trajectories in consent perceptions over the course of the vignette. We hypothesized that mean differences and rates of change would be associated with several constructs relevant to sexual consent. We found that initial consent perceptions and trends over the course of the vignette varied by whether the participant was a university student, by an alcohol manipulation in the vignette, by the fictional target’s sex, and by type of sexual behavior. Researchers should examine whether our findings on consent perceptions of a fictional vignette extend to people’s actual sexual encounters, including potential associations between the three primary aspects of sexual consent: perceptions, feelings, and communication

Love-bombing: A Narcissistic Approach to Relationship Formation

The current study examined the relationship between attachment style, self-esteem, and narcissism as they pertain to behavioral tendencies, termed love-bombing behaviors, among a sample of young adult millennials. Love-bombing was identified as the presence of excessive communication at the beginning of a romantic relationship in order to obtain power and control over another’s life as a means of narcissistic self-enhancement. Millennials have shown a drastic increase in narcissism compared to generations prior, and the need for psychological services on college campuses has also increased. This study sought to establish empirical evidence for the presence of love-bombing behaviors amongst millennials as a gateway for further research to address the problem facing young adult relationships today. The sample consisted of 484 college students from a large southern university who ranged in age from 18 to 30. Results indicated that love-bombing was positively correlated with narcissistic tendencies and insecure attachment styles (lack of trust or value in self and others), and negatively associated with self-esteem. Secure attachment was a positive indicator of love-bombing behaviors. Lastly, love-bombing was also associated with more text and media usage within romantic relationships. In conclusion, love-bombing was found to be a logical and potentially necessary strategy for romantic relationships among individuals with high displays of narcissism and low levels of self-esteem. This is the first study to empirically examine love-bombing behaviors; thus, future research should address the impact that these behaviors may have on young adult relationships. The potential for negative psychological impact on both love-bombers and the subject of their attacks are discussed

Doorways of Understanding: A Generative Metaphor Analysis

In this paper, we explore the use of a generative metaphor for analyzing qualitative interviews on abortion attitudes. U.S. abortion attitudes are notably complex and multidimensional, thus, requiring subtle, complex, and multidimensional tools of study. We used the generative metaphor of a "doorway" as an analytic tool to enable new understandings of abortion attitudes as expressed across 24 one-on-one semi-structured qualitative interviews with U.S. adults. The doorway metaphor gave us an understanding of the ways in which participants thought of their abortion attitudes as open to revision or change to some degree while also being closed to revision in other ways. This spectrum of openness and closedness does not come into view when examining abortion attitudes through the dichotomous framings. In this methodological paper, we thoroughly describe how we used the metaphor to explicate the complexities and multi-dimensionalities of a person's abortion attitudes.In diesem Beitrag wird die Verwendung einer generativen Metapher für die Analyse von qualitativen Interviews über die Einstellung zum Schwangerschaftsabbruch untersucht. Die Einstellungen hierzu sind in den USA ausgesprochen komplex und multidimensional und erfordern daher subtile Untersuchungsinstrumente. Wir haben die generative Metapher einer "Tür" als Analyseinstrument verwendet, um neue Erkenntnisse über die Einstellungen zum Schwangerschaftsabbruch zu gewinnen, wie sie in 24 halbstrukturierten qualitativen Einzelinterviews mit erwachsenen US-Bürger*innen zum Ausdruck kamen. Die Tür-Metapher vermittelte uns ein Verständnis für die Art und Weise, in der die Teilnehmer*innen ihre Einstellungen bis zu einem gewissen Grad als offen für eine Revision oder Veränderung ansahen, während sie in anderer Hinsicht für eine Revision verschlossen waren. Dieses Spektrum von Offenheit und Geschlossenheit wird bei der Untersuchung von Abtreibungseinstellungen durch dichotome Rahmungen nicht sichtbar. In unserem Beitrag beschreiben wir ausführlich, wie wir die Metapher verwendet haben, um die Komplexität und Multidimensionalität der Abtreibungseinstellungen unserer Gesprächspartner*innen zu verstehen

Gender and racial/ethnic disparities in rates of publishing and inclusion in scientific-review processes

Sexism and racism in academia have contributed to women and people of color being underrepresented at increasing levels of the academic hierarchy. We investigated whether people with socially marginalized identities experience disparities regarding rates of publishing and inclusion in the scientific-review process. Using a sample of academics in psychology departments at research-focused universities in the United States (n = 885), we found gender disparities for PhD holders and racial/ethnic disparities for graduate students. Specifically, female PhD holders and graduate students of color reported fewer publications and were less likely to be included in the scientific-review process compared with male PhD holders and White graduate students, respectively. Differences in research activity by gender and race/ethnicity in a contemporary sample of psychologists reflected a 'leaky pipeline' that persists in psychology department

Momentary versus retrospective reports of alcohol or cannabis use, sexual activity, and their co-occurrence

Objective: Comparing people’s momentary and retrospective reports of substance use and sexual activity can illuminate discrepant recall biases across these behaviors. Extant research suggests that people tend to underreport alcohol use on retrospective surveys and overreport sexual activity. We provided an updated account of these biases, extending previous work by looking at alcohol- and cannabis-involved sexual activity as well as potential gender differences in recall biases. Method: Using a sample of adults (n = 110; 58.2% women), we administered surveys three times a day for 28 days to measure momentary alcohol and cannabis use, sexual activity, and substance-involved sexual activity. At the end of this momentary assessment, participants completed a retrospective survey assessing how frequently they engaged in these behaviors during the 28-day period. Results: We compared participants’ momentary reports—which were scaled to account for compliance rates—and retrospective surveys. While there were no significant differences in momentary and retrospective reports of alcohol or cannabis use, participants reported higher rates of sexual activity and alcohol- or cannabis-involved sexual activity on the retrospective surveys than the momentary reports. Effect sizes for significant differences were medium to large (Cohen’s d: .26–.67). Conclusions: Alcohol- and cannabis-involved sexual activity tend to be overreported on retrospective surveys, and preliminary findings suggest that these recall biases may vary by gender. Researchers interested in the co-occurrence of substance use and sexual activity should be aware of this potential random error and consider how to reduce recall biases based on method of data collection