The Intimate Partner Violence Stigma Scale: Initial Development and Validation

The stigma associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major challenge facing those in abusive and violent intimate relationships. This study explored the initial development and validation of the Intimate Partner Violence Stigma Scale, designed to measure stigma related to IPV. An exploratory factor analysis revealed four subscales including internalized stigma, anticipated stigma, perpetrator stigma, and isolation. The scale demonstrates evidence for clinical and research purposes to assess experiences of stigma related to IPV among survivors

Bodyweight Perceptions among Texas Women: The Effects of Religion, Race/Ethnicity, and Citizenship Status

Despite previous work exploring linkages between religious participation and health, little research has looked at the role of religion in affecting bodyweight perceptions. Using the theoretical model developed by Levin et al. (Sociol Q 36(1):157–173, 1995) on the multidimensionality of religious participation, we develop several hypotheses and test them by using data from the 2004 Survey of Texas Adults. We estimate multinomial logistic regression models to determine the relative risk of women perceiving themselves as overweight. Results indicate that religious attendance lowers risk of women perceiving themselves as very overweight. Citizenship status was an important factor for Latinas, with noncitizens being less likely to see themselves as overweight. We also test interaction effects between religion and race. Religious attendance and prayer have a moderating effect among Latina non-citizens so that among these women, attendance and prayer intensify perceptions of feeling less overweight when compared to their white counterparts. Among African American women, the effect of increased church attendance leads to perceptions of being overweight. Prayer is also a correlate of overweight perceptions but only among African American women. We close with a discussion that highlights key implications from our findings, note study limitations, and several promising avenues for future research

COMPASS identifies T-cell subsets correlated with clinical outcomes.

Advances in flow cytometry and other single-cell technologies have enabled high-dimensional, high-throughput measurements of individual cells as well as the interrogation of cell population heterogeneity. However, in many instances, computational tools to analyze the wealth of data generated by these technologies are lacking. Here, we present a computational framework for unbiased combinatorial polyfunctionality analysis of antigen-specific T-cell subsets (COMPASS). COMPASS uses a Bayesian hierarchical framework to model all observed cell subsets and select those most likely to have antigen-specific responses. Cell-subset responses are quantified by posterior probabilities, and human subject-level responses are quantified by two summary statistics that describe the quality of an individual's polyfunctional response and can be correlated directly with clinical outcome. Using three clinical data sets of cytokine production, we demonstrate how COMPASS improves characterization of antigen-specific T cells and reveals cellular 'correlates of protection/immunity' in the RV144 HIV vaccine efficacy trial that are missed by other methods. COMPASS is available as open-source software

Toward critical bioethics studies: Black feminist insights for a field reckoning with anti-black racism

In this essay, I draw on the ethical theory of state consequentialism to advance the argument that understanding the ethics that the United States practices, rather than focusing on what it preaches, offers a more dynamic path for informing and transforming a field seeking to reckon with anti-Black racism. With a specific focus on justice, I show how state consequentialism provides a potential starting point for understanding how the nation prioritizes its own social, political, and economic interests to the detriment of the very principles that are at the heart of bioethics

Contingencies of self-worth and appearance concerns: Do domains of self-worth matter?

Heightened body surveillance can have negative effects on physical and psychological well-being, but little is known about the factors that contribute to this chronic surveillance. The authors tested a model that examined whether staking self-worth in certain domains was associated with decreased or increased body surveillance and appearance satisfaction in a sample of 115 Black and 222 White college women. Results indicated that investing self-worth in appearance and approval from others was associated with increased body surveillance and reduced appearance satisfaction whereas self-worth based in academic competence, God\u27s love, and family support was associated with less body surveillance and more appearance satisfaction. Tests of racial differences revealed that our model operated similarly across race. However, the structural paths of appearance contingency to body surveillance, academic competence contingency to body surveillance, and family support contingency to appearance satisfaction were stronger for White than Black women. This work outlines potential strategies to counteract body surveillance and appearance dissatisfaction by emphasizing domains of self-worth that are not appearance based and are staked in love and support. Implications of these findings for building positive body esteem and reducing disordered eating symptomatology are also discussed. © The Author(s) 2012

The Intimate partner violence stigmatization model and barriers to help seeking

The intimate partner violence (IPV) stigmatization model identifies how three stigma components hinder IPV help-seeking behaviors: cultural stigma, stigma internalization, and anticipated stigma. Cultural stigma highlights societal beliefs that delegitimize people experiencing abuse. Stigma internalization involves the extent to which people come to believe that the negative stereotypes about those who experience IPV may be true of themselves. Anticipated stigma emphasizes concern about what will happen once others know about the partner abuse (e.g., rejection). We provide an integrative literature review that supports the IPV stigmatization model and its role in reducing help-seeking behaviors. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

Social dominance, sexual double standards, and violence against women in tight and loose cultures

Sexual double standards are associated with adverse consequences for women, including violence. However, little research examines sexual double standards across cultures that vary in tight or loose sexuality norms. Therefore, using social dominance theory, this study examined sexual double standards and violence against women in the United States of America (U.S., a loose culture) and Pakistan (a tight culture). We hypothesized that social dominance orientation is associated with violence against women via endorsement of sexual double standards for both the U.S. and Pakistan. We recruited 315 people in total from the U.S. (N = 169; women = 56.3%; Mage = 29 ± 5.6 years) and Pakistan (N = 138; women = 73%; Mage = 26 ± 5.3 years). After establishing measurement invariance for our measures, we used structural equation modeling to analyze our theoretical model in two cultural settings. Multigroup path models found support for social dominance theory’s proposition that people higher on social dominance orientation justify violence against women through their endorsement of sexual double standards in both countries, above and beyond more general attitudes toward women (i.e., ambivalent sexism). We also found that the processes (i.e., social dominance and sexual double standards) supporting violence against women are similar in the two countries. A sexual double standard is found to be strong predictor of justification of violence even after controlling for gender, ambivalent sexism, and cultural tightness/looseness for both countries. Discussion focusses on a sexual double standard may be a risk factor for violence against women in different parts of the world

Do objectification, gender beliefs, or racial stereotypes mediate associations between black adults’ media use and acceptance of intimate partner violence?

Objective: Although mainstream media consumption has been found to predict a greater acceptance of intimate partner violence (IPV), little is known about the specific mechanisms that connect these forces. Understanding this connection is particularly relevant for Black Americans, because heterosexual Black women report higher rates of IPV compared to women of other races, and Black Americans consume more media than the general population. The purpose of this study was to (a): investigate whether media exposure is associated with greater IPV acceptance in Black young adults; and (b) examine if three cognitions— traditional gender roles, sexual objectification, and two stereotypes about Black women—mediate the association between media exposure and IPV acceptance. Method: We surveyed 369 Black young adults (aged 18–40) using Qualtrics Panels, investigating their consumption of movies, music videos, and 52 popular television programs, their gendered cognitions, and their acceptance of IPV. Results: Path analyses indicated that greater exposure to television and music videos, but not movies, was indirectly linked to acceptance of IPV through greater endorsement of traditional gender roles, sexual objectification of women, and stereotypes about Black women. Popular television and movie exposure were directly associated with IPV acceptance. Conclusions: Understanding connections between media exposure and IPV acceptance can offer significant insight into an urgent public health issue. These results indicated that potential interventions such as critical media literacy programs might be useful for ameliorating media contributions to problematic relationship beliefs among Black young adults

Sources and components of stigma experienced by survivors of intimate partner violence

Previous research suggests that survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) experience stigma, which may affect their willingness to seek help and their recovery process following the end of the abusive relationship. This article presents the Integrated IPV Stigmatization Model, which integrates previous research on the components and sources of the stigma surrounding IPV. Content analysis procedures were used to examine the applicability of the model to qualitative data from an electronic survey with 279 survivors of past abusive relationships. The results demonstrated the most common components and sources of stigma experienced by the participants, as well as the patterns of which components were most common among the various sources of stigma. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed

Objectification in virtual romantic contexts: Perceived discrepancies between self and partner ideals differentially affect body consciousness in women and men

The current study examined whether exposure to sexually objectifying images in a potential romantic partner’s virtual apartment affects discrepancies between people’s perception of their own appearance (i.e., self-perceptions) and their perception of the body ideal that is considered desirable to a romantic partner (i.e., partner-ideals). Participants were 114 heterosexual undergraduate students (57 women and 57 men) from a northeastern U.S. university. The study used a 2 (Participant Gender) × 2 (Virtual Environment: Sexualized vs. Non-Sexualized) between-subjects design. We predicted that women exposed to sexually objectifying images in a virtual environment would report greater discrepancies between their self-perceptions and partner-ideals than men, which in turn would contribute to women’s body consciousness. Findings support this hypothesis and show that perceived discrepancies account for the relationship between exposure to sexually objectifying images and body consciousness for women but not men. We also found gender asymmetries in objectification responses when each component of perceived discrepancies, i.e., self-perceptions versus perceptions of a romantic partner’s body ideal, were examined separately. For men, exposure to muscular sexualized images was significantly associated with their self-perceptions but not their perceptions of the body size that is considered desirable to a romantic partner. For women, exposure to thin sexualized images was significantly associated with their perceptions that a romantic partner preferred a woman with a smaller body size. However, exposure to these images did not affect women’s self-perceptions. Implications for gender asymmetries in objectification responses and perceived discrepancies that include a romantic partner’s perceptions are discussed