Can Attitudes Serve as Proxies for Behavioral Outcomes of Dating Violence Prevention Programs? Broader Lessons From a Pilot Evaluation of the Relationship Education Project.

Teen dating violence (TDV) is a prevalent problem in the United States. Although research indicates that prevention programs have favorable effects on TDV knowledge/attitudes, there is limited evidence of meaningful effects on behavior. This is important, as researchers often measure the former as a proxy for the latter. The present study uses pre-posttest data from students participating in the Relationship Education Project, a TDV prevention program implemented in 19 middle and high schools in South Carolina, to examine associations between changes in TDV attitudes and TDV behavior. Findings indicate favorable changes in attitudes toward controlling and supportive dating behaviors were associated with lower incidents of some TDV behaviors. Implications for measuring TDV program effects and preventing TDV by fostering attitude change are discussed.

Effects of March of Dimes Supportive Pregnancy Care on Maternal and Infant Health Across Diverse Patient Populations: a Quasi-Experimental Multi-Site Pilot Study.

Group prenatal care may be a promising alternative to traditional one-on-one care. However, research on its effects has produced inconsistent findings and raises questions about effectiveness across different patient populations. This pilot study evaluated the effects of March of Dimes Supportive Pregnancy Care (SPC) on maternal health and behavior across six diverse healthcare sites. Analyses of a propensity score-matched medical record dataset aggregated across sites (N = 1950) indicated significant unfavorable effects on gestational age at delivery (b = - 0.34, p < .05), birthweight (b = - 94.55, p < .05), and low birthweight (OR = 1.10, p < .05). However, these findings did not hold up to sensitivity analyses. Significant favorable aggregate effects were observed for postpartum visit attendance (OR = 1.68; 95% CI [1.12, 2.53]), breastfeeding at delivery (OR = 1.84; 95% CI [1.20, 2.83]), and breastfeeding at follow-up (OR = 3.82; 95% CI [1.46, 9.97]). These findings remained largely consistent across sensitivity analyses. In addition to these aggregate effects, significant site-level effects were observed, but only for two sites. Both were racially homogenous, serving White and African American patient populations, respectively. Future research should determine whether these effects can be generalized to women receiving care in racially heterogeneous settings or whether they are limited to White and African American women receiving care in racially homogenous settings. Efforts to roll out SPC should be accompanied by a continual accrual of research assessing the effects of this program on maternal and infant health across a range of geographic settings and patient profiles.

Does the Gendered Approach of Bystander Programs Matter in the Prevention of Sexual Assault Among Adolescents and College Students? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Sexual assault is a significant problem among adolescents and college students in the U.S. One promising strategy for preventing sexual assault is the implementation of bystander programs, which encourage young people to intervene when witnessing incidents or warning signs of sexual assault. The evidence base for the effectiveness of bystander programs appears to be promising, but we know little about which programs are most effective in preventing sexual assault. This is a significant oversight, as bystander programs vary in content, particularly in their gendered framing of sexual assault. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we synthesized high-quality research examining the effects of bystander programs on (1) bystander intervention and (2) self-reported perpetration of sexual assault. Paying special attention to a gendered approach as a moderator of program effects, we synthesized data from 14 independent studies (N = 7881). Twelve studies were randomized controlled trials and two used high-quality quasi-experimental designs. Findings indicated that bystander programs have a significant, desirable effect on bystander intervention, but no significant effect on sexual assault perpetration. Despite calls for sex-segregated implementation of sexual assault programs, we found no evidence that method of implementation (i.e., individual, single-sex group, mixed-sex group) moderated the effect of bystander programs on bystander intervention. Additionally, we found no evidence that gendered framing of sexual assault (i.e., portraying sexual assault as a gender-neutral problem or a gendered problem overwhelmingly affecting young women) moderated the effect of bystander programs.

The Effects of Bystander Programs on the Prevention of Sexual Assault across the College Years: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Research on sexual assault prevention programs implemented with young people has largely failed to examine program effects between age groups. This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesizes data from 15 high quality studies (N= 6104) examining the effects of sexual assault prevention bystander programs on bystander efficacy, intentions, and intervention across the college years. Findings indicate bystander programs have a significant, desirable effect on all three outcomes. Effects on bystander intentions were significantly stronger among students in their first two years compared to those in their later years of college. There was no evidence of a significant difference in effects on bystander efficacy or intervention between these two groups. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Gay-Straight Alliances are Associated with Lower Levels of School-Based Victimization of LGBTQ+ Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Gay-straight alliances (GSAs) are school-based organizations for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth and their allies that often attempt to improve school climate for sexual and gender minority youth. This meta-analysis evaluates the association between school GSA presence and youth's self-reports of school-based victimization by quantitatively synthesizing 15 primary studies with 62,923 participants. Findings indicate GSA presence is associated with significantly lower levels of youth's self-reports of homophobic victimization, fear for safety, and hearing homophobic remarks, and these results are robust, controlling for a variety of study-level factors. The findings of this meta-analysis provide evidence to support GSAs as a means of protecting LGTBQ+ youth from school-based victimization.

Reluctance to Make a "Blind Faith Jump": LGBTQ+ College Students' Perspectives on Allies' Barriers to Preventing Sexual Assault.

Campus sexual assault is a significant problem across the United States, and research has indicated LGBTQ+ students are at a greater risk of victimization than their straight-cisgender peers. Furthermore, LGBTQ+ students face unique barriers to help-seeking following an assault, including fear of stigmatizing the LGBTQ+ community. We propose that straight-cisgender allies may act as vigilant bystanders who notice signs of sexual assault and offer assistance to prevent assault from happening to LGBTQ+ students and/or to offer support after an assault occurs. Yet, research on the role of bystanders in preventing and alleviating sexual assault has largely overlooked experiences and perspectives of LGBTQ+ students. In this study, we explored LGBTQ+ students' perceptions of the roles straight-cisgender allies may play in alleviating the problem of sexual assault of LGBTQ+ students. We conducted group interviews with 30 LGBTQ+ college students from 19 campuses across the United States, paying attention to what they perceived as barriers to allies' help. Findings illustrate ways that boundaries between LGBTQ+ insiders and outsiders can leave both groups reluctant to make a "blind faith jump" to seek or offer help. We propose suggestions for how sexual assault prevention programming may bridge this gap between LGBTQ+ students and straight-cisgender allies.

Effects of Campus Sexual Assault Prevention Programs on Attitudes and Behaviors Among American College Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The US Campus Sexual Assault Violence Elimination (SaVE) Act of 2013 mandates that all higher education institutions receiving federal funds offer incoming students primary prevention and awareness programming addressing sexual violence. Yet, there is no thorough and up-to-date quantitative synthesis of the effects of campus sexual assault prevention programs on sexual assault attitudes/knowledge and behaviors. Thus, we conducted a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis of experimental and high-quality quasi-experimental research examining effects of college sexual assault prevention programs on sexual assault attitudes and behaviors. Our synthesis of 385 effect sizes from 80 eligible studies disseminated between 1991 and 2021 indicates campus sexual assault programs have a more pronounced effect on attitudes/knowledge than on violence. Effects on sexual assault victimization were significant but small (g = 0.15) and effects on sexual assault perpetration were nonsignificant. Moderator analyses indicate programs that use a risk reduction framework are associated with less favorable outcomes than programs that do not use a risk reduction framework. Considering the limited effect of campus sexual assault prevention programs on violence, we recommend programming efforts move beyond a focus on individuals and, instead, adopt an ecological perspective targeting individuals, social relationships, community factors, and societal factors.

Hooking Up and Pairing Off: Correlates of College Students' Interest in Subsequent Hookups and Romantic Relationships With Other-Sex and Same-Sex Hookup Partners.

Contrary to popular media claims that college hookup culture has made romantic relationships obsolete, research indicates many college students see hookups as a pathway to relationships. However, relatively few college hookups actually produce relationships. This study used a sex market framework to explore correlates of college students' interest in future hookups and relationships with hookup partners across other-sex and same-sex hookup markets. Using Online College Social Life Survey data (N = 10,141) we explored variables classified in the following contexts that may shape choices in a sex market: demographic characteristics, the hookup dyad, the hookup event, post-hookup reactions, attitudes toward hookup partners, and hookup opportunity structures. Logistic regression analyses indicated post-hookup reactions (e.g., satisfaction, emotional responses) explained the highest percentage of variance in interest in a subsequent hookup (56% to 61% across markets) and interest in a relationship (35% to 45% across markets). Although past research suggests there are different markets for other- and same-sex hookups, these findings suggest similarity in contexts that may shape interest in relationship formation among other-sex and same-sex hookup markets. Suggestions for fostering positive relationship development on campuses are discussed.

Effects of March of Dimes Supportive Pregnancy Care on Social Support and Postpartum Depression.

PURPOSE: Group prenatal care, which integrates medical care with patient education and empowerment in a group setting, has the potential to build social support among pregnant women and reduce the risk of postpartum depression (PPD). Past research on group care's effects on social support or PPD has produced inconsistent findings. Studies have tended to (1) examine direct effects on social support or PPD and (2) treat group care participation as a dichotomous variable. This study tests the hypothesis that group care has an indirect effect on PPD through its effect on social support. It uses both a dichotomous measure of group care participation and an ordinal measure of social contact with group members. METHOD: This study used survey data from 199 women at two Tennessee health care sites who participated in traditional care (TC) or Supportive Pregnancy Care (SPC), a new group program developed by March of Dimes. Path analysis was employed, estimating standardized path coefficients with propensity score weighted multilevel modeling. RESULTS: The study found no evidence of an indirect relationship between SPC and PPD symptoms when modeling the dichotomous measure. Modeling the ordinal measure revealed more favorable PPD outcomes among women reporting high group member contact (compared with TC) and adverse outcomes among women reporting low group member contact. CONCLUSION: SPC may be useful for preventing PPD symptoms among women socially engaged with other group care patients. Given the adverse effect among women who do not engage with other group members, group facilitators should encourage women to interact outside of scheduled sessions.

Initial factor exploration of disability identity.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE: This article describes the initial factor exploration of disability identity and preliminary psychometric characteristics based on an adult self-report tool. Disability was defined broadly, and the sample included individuals with visible and/or hidden disabilities across many disability groups (i.e., physical, intellectual, learning, mental illness). METHOD: Items were developed (n = 102) and a pilot measure was administered to a sample of adults with disabilities (n = 566). An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using the mean and variance adjusted weighted least squares (WLSMV) estimator was conducted. The resulting items were sent to expert reviewers for evaluation. RESULTS: Following the exploratory analyses, 37 items were retained that made up four factors: internal beliefs about own disability and the disability community, anger and frustration with disability experiences, adoption of disability community values, and contribution to the disability community. The pilot measure aligned well with the theoretical framework that guided its development. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: This factor exploration is a contribution to a growing body of literature supporting, and investigating, disability identity development. This work presents a more comprehensive understanding of disability identity development. Armed with a better understanding, this will serve as a basis to inform future scale development and validation. After this validation work is completed, there is the potential to apply findings to tailor interventions and clinical work, so that psychologists and rehabilitation professionals may be better prepared to meet the developmental needs of disabled clients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

The Pathways for African American Success: Does Delivery Platform Matter in the Prevention of HIV Risk Vulnerability Among Youth?

PURPOSE: Technology provides new possibilities for disseminating effective prevention programming to underserved families, such as those residing in rural communities. The present study is an evaluation of a technology-delivered HIV risk prevention program designed for rural African-American families, Pathways for African American Success (PAAS), to determine its promise for increasing access to evidence-based youth risk prevention programs among those in the greatest need. METHODS: Four hundred and twelve parent/youth dyads were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) in-person facilitator-led PAAS small group, (2) self-directed PAAS technology, or (3) a literature control with home-mailed educational materials. RESULTS: Compared with families in the literature control condition, families assigned to the PAAS technology or small group conditions demonstrated significantly stronger intervention induced parent-child protective processes (e.g., enhanced discussion quality, clearly articulated norms, and parental expectations about risk engagement) and lower youth intentions to engage in risky behaviors 6 months postintervention. Although some important nuances were noted, this study suggests that the PAAS technology-delivered modality is just as efficacious as the in-person facilitator-led, small group modality in dissuading HIV-related risk behaviors among rural African-American youths. CONCLUSIONS: Implications for having a menu of service delivery models that address the diverse needs and contexts of families are discussed, including the promise of technology as an alternative modality for reaching populations often characterized as difficult to reach and to engage in family-based preventive interventions.

What's Gender Got to Do With It? Sexual Double Standards and Power in Heterosexual College Hookups.

Although college hookups are typically enjoyable for both men and women, heterosexual hookups often involve inequitable power dynamics that privilege men (e.g., women perform sexual acts to please partners and/or succumb to pressure for intercourse). Some scholars have attributed this power imbalance to the traditional double standard. However, recent studies have indicated college students typically endorse egalitarian standards-and some endorse a reverse double standard in which they negatively judge men more than women for engaging in the same sexual behavior. Using Online College Social Life Survey data (N = 11,077) I examined relationships between endorsement of double standards and power in hookups. Because contemporary students often believe double standards exist in society but not in their own minds, I also examined relationships between feeling negatively judged for hooking up and power. Most respondents endorsed egalitarian standards, but women were more likely than men to feel judged for hooking up. Feeling judged was a significant predictor of power disadvantages for women and men; endorsing a double standard disparaging one's own gender was significant among men. Findings suggest contemporary relevance of the traditional double standard and highlight differences between women's and men's endorsement of double standards disparaging their own gender.

(Im)perishable Pleasure, (In)destructible Desire: Sexual Themes in U.S. and English News Coverage of Male Circumcision and Female Genital Cutting.

Under what conditions do sexual pleasure and desire get addressed in news coverage of sexual health issues like female genital cutting (FGC) and male circumcision (MC)? In this study we employed an embodied ethnosexuality approach to analyze sexual themes in 1,902 items published from 1985 to 2009 in 13 U.S. and 8 English newspapers and news magazines. Journalists' discussions of sexual pleasure, desire, control, problems, and practices differed in quantity and quality depending on the practice and nation to which they pertained. News coverage in both nations presented FGC as impeding female sexual pleasure, desire, and activity in ways that reinforce (hetero)sexist understandings of sexuality. The English press depicted MC as diminishing male sexuality, whereas U.S. papers showed it as enhancing male sexuality. These patterns are influenced by, and serve to reinforce, cultural norms of embodiment and ethnosexual boundaries based on gender, race, and nationality. They may, in turn, shape public understandings of FGC and MC as social problems.

Reading Playboy for the articles: the graying of rape myths in black and white text, 1953 to 2003.

This longitudinal investigation analyzes the manner in which rape myths are conveyed through textual material published in Playboy. Results indicate that Playboy (a) portrays rape as a gender-neutral issue, ignoring patriarchal roots of sexual violence against women, and (b) promulgates ambiguous discourse, which is equally likely to endorse and refute rape myths. Interestingly, readers' contributions are most often the source of refutations of rape myths. Overall, findings suggest that little progress has been made over time in deconstructing rape myths promulgated to men, as this particular men's publication has consistently painted a gray picture in which refutations have remained unsuccessful in disempowering rape myths.

Teen magazines as educational texts on dating violence: the $2.99 approach.

This study analyzed the portrayal of dating violence in teen magazines published in the United States. Such an investigation is important because previous research indicates that dating violence is a serious problem facing adolescents, teen magazines overemphasize the importance of romantic relationships, and teens who read this genre frequently or for education/advice are especially susceptible to its messages. Results indicated that although teen magazines do frame dating violence as a cultural problem, they are much more likely to utilize an individual frame that emphasizes the victim. Results were discussed as they apply to the responsibilities of professionals working with adolescents.