A measurement model of women\u27s behavioral risk taking

The current study was designed to gain a better understanding of the nature of the relationship between substance use and sexual risk taking within a community sample of women (N = 1,004). Using confirmatory factor analysis, the authors examined the factor structure of sexual risk behaviors and substance use to determine whether they are best conceptualized as domains underlying a single, higher order, risk-taking propensity. A 2 higher order factor model (sexual risk behavior and substance use) provided the best fit to the data, suggesting that these 2 general risk domains are correlated but independent factors. Sensation seeking had large general direct effects on the 2 risk domains and large indirect effects on the 4 first-order factors and the individual indicators. Negative affect had smaller, yet still significant, effects. Impulsivity and anxiety were unrelated to sexual health risk domains

The Role of Women’s Alcohol Consumption in Managing Sexual Intimacy and Sexual Safety Motives

Objective: Two studies, based on an alcohol myopia model, were designed to understand the role of women’s alcohol consumption on vulnerability to sexual assault. We predicted that, in a high-conflict social situation, alcohol would make it more difficult to recognize sexual assault risk, lowering intentions to resist sexual advances. Method: In Study 1, women (N = 51) were recruited in bars and classified as having a high (.06 or greater) breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) or low BrAC. They were asked to project themselves into a hypothetical scenario that portrayed interest in establishing an intimate relationship and included mild sexual aggression. In Study 2. women (N = 101) were randomly assigned to an alcohol (target BrAC: .08%), placebo, or no-alcohol condition. They responded at two time points to a similar hypothetical scenario that described mild sexual aggression (Time 1) and serious sexual aggression (Time 2). Results: In Study 1, women with higher BrAC perceived less risk in the scenario and anticipated less resistance than women with low BrAC. In Study 2, similiar results were found but only following serious aggression. There were no placebo effects. Both studies suggest that effects of alcohol on resistance are partially mediated via risk perceptions. Conclusions: Alcohol appears in reduce intentions to resist sexual advances from an acquaintance while increasing intentions to pursue relationship-enhancing behaviors. Effects are not completely explained by an alcohol myopia perspective. Differences in findings between the two studies may reflect differences in methodology, context, or sample

Beyond Academics: A Model for Simultaneously Advancing Campus-Based Supports for Learning Disabilities, STEM Students’ Skills for Self-Regulation, and Mentors’ Knowledge for Co-regulating and Guiding

Learning disabilities are highly prevalent on college campuses, yet students with learning disabilities graduate at lower rates than those without disabilities. Academic and psychosocial supports are essential for overcoming challenges and for improving postsecondary educational opportunities for students with learning disabilities. A holistic, multi-level model of campus-based supports was established to facilitate culture and practice changes at the institutional level, while concurrently bolstering mentors’ abilities to provide learning disability-knowledgeable support, and simultaneously creating opportunities for students’ personal and interpersonal development. Mixed methods were used to investigate implementation of coordinated personal, interpersonal, and institutional level supports for undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students with learning disabilities. A one-group pre-test post-test strategy was used to examine undergraduate outcomes. Participants included 52 STEM undergraduates with learning disabilities, 57 STEM graduate student mentors, 34 STEM faculty mentors, and 34 university administrators and personnel as members of a university-wide council. Enrolled for 2 years, undergraduates were engaged in group meetings involving psychoeducation and reflective discussions, development of self-advocacy projects, and individual mentorship. Undergraduates reported improved self-efficacy (p = 0.001), campus connection (p < 0.001), professional development (p ≤ 0.002), and self-advocacy (p < 0.001) after two academic years. Graduate student mentors increased their understanding about learning disabilities and used their understanding to support both their mentees and other students they worked with. Council members identified and created opportunities for delivering learning disability-related trainings to faculty, mentors and advisors on campus, and for enhancing coordination of student services related to learning and related disorders. Disability-focused activities became integrated in broader campus activities regarding diversity. This research explicates a role that college campuses can play in fostering the wellbeing and the academic and career development of its students with developmental learning and related disorders. It offers an empirically tested campus-based model that is multilevel, holistic, and strengths-based for supporting positive outcomes of young people with learning disabilities in STEM. Moreover, findings advance the knowledge of supports and skills that are important for self-regulating and navigating complex and multi-faceted disability-related challenges within both the postsecondary educational environment and the young adults’ sociocultural context

Relationships between students' conceptions of constructivist learning and their regulation and processing strategies

The present study investigated relationships between students' conceptions of constructivist learning on the one hand, and their regulation and processing strategies on the other hand. Students in a constructivist, problem-based learning curriculum were questioned about their conceptions of knowledge construction and self-regulated learning, as well as their beliefs regarding their own (in)ability to learn and motivation to learn. Two hypothesized models were tested within 98 psychology students, using a structural equation modelling approach: The first model implemented regulation and processing variables of the Inventory of Learning Styles [ILS, Vermunt (Learning styles and regulation of learning in higher education - towards process-oriented instruction in autonomous thinking, 1992)], the second model of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire [MSLQ, Pintrich and de Groot (Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 33-40, 1990)]. Results showed that structural relations exist between conceptions of constructivist learning and regulation and processing strategies. Furthermore, students who express doubt with regard to their own learning capacities are at risk for adopting an inadequate regulation strategy. A three-tiered structure of conceptual, controlling, and operational level appeared valid for the MSLQ variables, but not entirely for those of the ILS

The Role of Sexual Precedence in Verbal Sexual Coercion

Experiences of verbal sexual coercion are common and have potential for negative consequences, yet are not well understood. This study used qualitative and descriptive statistics to examine verbal sexual coercion experiences among a community sample of 114 women and explored the role of sexual precedence in these experiences. Analyses revealed that sexual precedence plays an important role in determining how these experiences come about and why women acquiesce to unwanted intercourse. Verbal persuasion and persistence were the most commonly reported tactics. The valence of this verbal persuasion differed qualitatively according to precedence status, with those having a history of sexual precedence using negative persuasion (e.g., threats to relationship) and those with no precedence relying on positive messages (e.g., sweet talk). Most women used direct verbal resistance to indicate their unwillingness to have sex, regardless of precedence status. Women’s reasons for compliance and consequences differed qualitatively according to sexual precedence status

Using Self-Regulated Learning to Increase Native American College Retention

Using Self-Regulated Learning to Increase Native American College Retentio

Impact of Disabilities and Other Physical Health Issues on Academic Outcomes Among American Indian and Alaskan Native College Students: An Exploratory Analysis

Impact of Disabilities and Other Physical Health Issues on Academic Outcomes Among American Indian and Alaskan Native College Students: An Exploratory Analysi