Objectification in Action: Self- and Other-Objectification in Mixed-Sex Interpersonal Interactions

Although the process of sexual objectification is theorized to occur within interpersonal interactions, we believe this is the first study to examine sexual objectification and self-objectification in actual (nonconfederate) interpersonal encounters. Men and women were brought into the laboratory and interacted in mixed-sex dyads. We used dyadic analysis to detect whether partners’ objectification of each other affected state self-objectification, and the resulting feelings of comfort and authenticity during the interaction. After the interaction, participants completed a cognitive performance task, a measure of career aspirations, and a measure of relationship agency. Results showed that for women only, being objectified by their male interaction partner was associated with an increase in state self-objectification, and state self-objectification led to perceptions that the interaction was less comfortable and less authentic. Furthermore, for women but not for men, having authentic interactions was found to relate positively to relationship agency, career aspirations, and cognitive performance. This research shows that self-objectification is not only a self-process but an interpersonal process heightened by the real-time sexual objectification of a male interaction partner. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available to PWQ subscribers on PWQ\u27s website at http://pwq.sagepub.com/supplementa

Food Matters: Food Insecurity among Pregnant Adolescents and Infant Birth Outcomes

Objectives: The objectives of this study are to: (1) document prevalence of food insecurity among pregnant adolescents; (2) determine if food insecurity is associated with adverse birth outcomes (i.e., lower birth weight, earlier gestational age) among their newborns; and (3) examine whether depressive symptoms, anxiety, nutrition and/or weight gain mediate these associations. Methods: Pregnant adolescents (14-21 years old; N-881) in prenatal care at community hospitals and health centers in New York City completed a health and psychosocial survey during second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Birth weight and gestational age were recorded from medical records. Results: Over one-half of the adolescents reported food insecurity. Path analyses demonstrated that food insecurity was associated with lower birth weight and earlier gestational age. Depressive symptoms mediated these associations. Conclusions: Pregnant adolescents experience high rates of food insecurity. Those who were food insecure experienced more depressive symptoms, which in turn predicted adverse birth outcomes. Programs and policies should target these vulnerable children to stem the multi-generational effects of food insecurity

Translation and validation of the Spanish version of the Chronic Illness Anticipated Stigma Scale (CIASS) in Colombian patients diagnosed with chronic illnesses

Objective: Determine the psychometric properties of the CIASS scale for Colombian patients living with chronic diseases. Method: A Spanish version of the scale was distributed to a sample of 230 patients (33.2% male, aged 18–98 years) diagnosed with chronic diseases. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed using unweighted least squares to determine the scale’s structural validity, Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to determine the scale’s reliability, and correlations with related constructs were calculated to determine the scale’s convergent validity. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis suggested that the factor structure of the scale was a satisfactory fit to the proposed theoretical model (χ2 = 3133.26, df = 526, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.082, P-Value = 0.00, CFI = 1.00, root mean square residual [RMR] = 0.11). The internal consistency of the scale was strong (Cronbach’s α = .815), indicating that the scale was reliable. We found that the discrimination index of CIASS scale items were high (r =  .647–.870). Convergent validity was also supported, associations observed with lower coping and greater negative emotion scores. Conclusion: The CIASS scale is a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment of anticipated stigma in Colombian patients with chronic illnesses

The Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework: a global, crosscutting framework to inform research, intervention development, and policy on health-related stigmas

Abstract Stigma is a well-documented barrier to health seeking behavior, engagement in care and adherence to treatment across a range of health conditions globally. In order to halt the stigmatization process and mitigate the harmful consequences of health-related stigma (i.e. stigma associated with health conditions), it is critical to have an explicit theoretical framework to guide intervention development, measurement, research, and policy. Existing stigma frameworks typically focus on one health condition in isolation and often concentrate on the psychological pathways occurring among individuals. This tendency has encouraged a siloed approach to research on health-related stigmas, focusing on individuals, impeding both comparisons across stigmatized conditions and research on innovations to reduce health-related stigma and improve health outcomes. We propose the Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework, which is a global, crosscutting framework based on theory, research, and practice, and demonstrate its application to a range of health conditions, including leprosy, epilepsy, mental health, cancer, HIV, and obesity/overweight. We also discuss how stigma related to race, gender, sexual orientation, class, and occupation intersects with health-related stigmas, and examine how the framework can be used to enhance research, programming, and policy efforts. Research and interventions inspired by a common framework will enable the field to identify similarities and differences in stigma processes across diseases and will amplify our collective ability to respond effectively and at-scale to a major driver of poor health outcomes globally

Chronic Illness and Anticipated Stigma

Approximately half of U.S. adults have been diagnosed with at least one type of chronic illness (e.g., diabetes, heart disease, multiple sclerosis). With a diagnosis of chronic illness comes a mark of stigma, or social devaluation and discrediting due to the chronic illness. People living with chronic illnesses may come to anticipate stigma by expecting to be treated with prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping in the future because of their chronic illness. The current dissertation explores how anticipated stigma undermines the quality of life of people living with chronic illnesses and examines a strategy to disrupt this negative relationship. Study 1 evaluated the psychometric properties of the Chronic Illness Anticipated Stigma Scale, which measures anticipated stigma from friends and family members, employers, and healthcare workers. Results demonstrate that the CIASS is both reliable and valid. Study 2 used the CIASS to explore the relationship between anticipated stigma and quality of life in a cross-sectional survey of community members living with chronic illnesses. Results provide evidence that anticipated stigma from friends and family members, employers, and healthcare workers is associated with decreased quality of life. Results further suggest that increased stress and decreased social support act as partial mediators of the relationship between anticipated stigma and quality of life. Study 3 examined a strategy designed to disrupt the relationship between anticipated stigma and quality of life by alleviating stress associated with anticipated stigma. This strategy involved attempting to increase perceptions of resources with which to handle discrimination. Although the experimental manipulation failed to impact perceptions of resources or stress, additional analyses suggest that trait-level perceived resources to handle discrimination may contribute to decreased stress in certain contexts. Research that continues to explore chronic illness stigma and examine ways to alleviate its impact on people living with chronic illnesses is critical to improving the health of a substantial number of U.S. adults.

Exploring the acceptability of HIV partner notification in prisons: Findings from a survey of incarcerated people living with HIV in Indonesia.

Assisted HIV partner notification services provide a safe and effective way for people living with HIV (PLHIV) to inform their partners about the possibility of exposure and to offer them testing, treatment, and support. This study examined whether or not PLHIV in prison might be willing to participate in assisted HIV partner notification services and their reasons for and against disclosing their HIV-positive status to their partners. PLHIV (n = 150) recruited from Jakarta's two largest all-male prisons completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire collecting demographic and risk behavior data, and attitudes toward HIV disclosure and partner services. Among those who were sexually active and/or injecting drugs before incarceration, two-thirds (66.4%, 91/137) endorsed provider referral as an acceptable way to notify their sex partners, and nearly three quarters (72.4%, 89/123) endorsed provider referral to notify their drug-injecting partners. Only a quarter (25.1%) of participants reported that their main sex partner had ever received an HIV test. Participants with anticipated stigma were less likely to endorse provider referral for sex partners (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.35, 0.96) and drug-injecting partners (aOR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.29, 1.00). Relationship closeness was associated with higher odds of endorsing provider referral for drug-injecting partners (aOR = 2.08, 95% CI: 1.25, 3.45). Protecting partners from infection and a moral duty to inform were main reasons to disclose, while stigma and privacy concerns were main reasons not to disclose. Most incarcerated PLHIV have at-risk partners in the community who they would be willing to notify if provided with assistance. Assisted partner notification for prison populations offers a promising public health approach to accelerate diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of HIV infection in the community, particularly among women

Internalized stigma and HIV status disclosure among HIV-positive black men who have sex with men

Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) are severely affected by the HIV epidemic, yet research on the relationship between HIV stigma and status disclosure is relatively limited among this population. Within this epidemic, internalized HIV stigma, the extent to which people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) endorse the negative beliefs associated with HIV as true of themselves, can negatively shape interpersonal outcomes and have important implications for psychological and physical health. In a sample of HIV-positive BMSM (N = 156), the current study examined the effect of internalized stigma on HIV status disclosure to sexual partners, which can inform sexual decision-making in serodiscordant couples, and HIV status disclosure to family members, which can be beneficial in minimizing the psychological distress associated with HIV. Results revealed that greater internalized stigma was associated with less HIV status disclosure to participants’ last sexual partner and to family members. Findings from this study provide evidence that internalized negative beliefs about one’s HIV status are linked to adverse interpersonal consequences. Implications of these findings are discussed with regard to prevention and intervention efforts to reduce HIV stigmatization

Social-structural indices and between-nation differences in HIV prevalence

Research emphasises the role that social structures play in shaping national HIV prevalence. This study examined how social, economic, and political contexts that may represent the confluence of individual capabilities and environmental affordances or constraints are associated with national HIV prevalence. Based on social-ecological perspectives, we examined social-structural dimensions in relation to national HIV prevalence. The study identified six publicly available nation-level social, political, and economic indices and examined their associations with national 2009 HIV prevalence across 225 nations. National indices, (a) education expenditures, (b) unemployment rate, (c) homicide rate, (d) freedom of religion, and (e) women's social rights, altogether explained 43% of the variability in national HIV prevalence. Education expenditures, homicide rate, and freedom of religion were significant predictors of national HIV prevalence in the multivariate analysis. The present study identified nation-level factors that capture social, economic, and political contexts to explain between-nation differences in HIV prevalence. Findings extend current literature on the social-structural foundation of HIV-risk and the relationship between human rights and health. National safeguards that afford individuals the power to promote general quality of life and protection from structural violence may be most important to lowering overall rates of HIV transmission

Internalized stigma and HIV status disclosure among HIV-positive black men who have sex with men

Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) are severely affected by the HIV epidemic, yet research on the relationship between HIV stigma and status disclosure is relatively limited among this population. Within this epidemic, internalized HIV stigma, the extent to which people living with HIV/AIDS endorse the negative beliefs associated with HIV as true of themselves, can negatively shape interpersonal outcomes and have important implications for psychological and physical health. In a sample of HIV-positive BMSM (N=156), the current study examined the effect of internalized stigma on HIV status disclosure to sexual partners, which can inform sexual decision-making in serodiscordant couples, and HIV status disclosure to family members, which can be beneficial in minimizing the psychological distress associated with HIV. Results revealed that greater internalized stigma was associated with less HIV status disclosure to participants last sexual partner and to family members. Findings from this study provide evidence that internalized negative beliefs about one\u27s HIV status are linked to adverse interpersonal consequences. Implications of these findings are discussed with regard to prevention and intervention efforts to reduce HIV stigmatization. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC