Associations Between Ethnic Identity Commitment, Discrimination, and Sexism With Sexual Risk Among Latina College Students.

According to intersectionality theory, oppression predisposes individuals from disadvantaged groups to experience disparities in health. Such disparities are evident in the sexual health among college-aged Latina women living in the U.S., who tend to report significantly higher rates of sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies than their White peers. Guided by intersectionality theory, the present study examined sexual risk behaviors (i.e., inconsistent condom use, number of sexual partners) in relation to ethnic identity development and reported experiences of discrimination and sexism among 450 Latina college students (ages 18-26 years old). Notably, results indicated that Latinas who reported relatively lower levels of ethnic identity commitment had, on average, approximately five more sexual partners when they had reported greater lifetime experiences of sexism. Findings highlight how sexist experiences contributed to an increased number of partners among Latinas reporting relatively lower levels of ethnic identity commitment, demonstrating that strong ethnic identity commitment was protective against risk in accordance with past research. Results indicate a continued need for sexual health interventions with Latina college students.

Según la teoría de la interseccionalidad, la opresión predispone a los individuos de grupos desfavorecidos para experimentar las disparidades en la salud. Tales disparidades son evidentes en la salud sexual entre las mujeres Latinas de edad universitaria que viven en los Estados Unidos, que tienden a reportar tasas significativamente más altas de las infecciones de transmisión sexual y los embarazos no deseados en comparación con sus compañeras Blancas. Guiado por la teoría de interseccionalidad, el presente estudio examinó los comportamientos de riesgo sexual (i.e., el uso inconsistente de condón, el número de parejas sexuales) en relación con el desarrollo de la identidad étnica y las experiencias reportadas de la discriminación y el sexismo entre 450 estudiantes universitarias Latinas (edades de 18­26 años). Notablemente, los resultados indicaron que las Latinas que reportaron niveles relativamente más bajos de compromiso de identidad étnica tenían, en promedio, aproximadamente cinco parejas sexuales más cuando habían reportado más experiencias de sexismo de por vida. Los hallazgos resaltan cómo las experiencias sexistas contribuyeron a un mayor número de parejas sexuales entre las Latinas que reportan niveles relativamente más bajos de compromiso de identidad étnica, demostrando que un fuerte compromiso de identidad étnica era protector contra el riesgo de acuerdo con investigaciones anteriores. Los resultados indican una necesidad continua para promover la salud sexual de las estudiantes universitarias Latinas.

The chicken or the egg? Testing temporal relations between academic support, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and goal progress among college students.

This study was designed to examine the directionality of short-term temporal relations between academic support, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and goal progress, which are hypothesized as mediators that channel the effects of personality and affective variables on academic well-being. Using the random intercepts cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) approach, four temporal models were tested on data of 825 first-year students gathered at three time points as they began their college journey. Based on the entire sample, the retained model revealed bidirectional relations between support and self-efficacy, support and outcome expectations, and self-efficacy and goal progress in the second time lag. A similar pattern emerged for male students, demonstrating a full reciprocal link between self-efficacy and goal progress and mediational pathways from these two variables to support and outcome expectations over time. For students of color, the results identified academic support as the temporal precursor of self-efficacy and outcome expectations, and self-efficacy as the antecedent of outcome expectations and goal progress. On the other hand, data of female students and those of European American students yielded less conclusive temporal patterns. These findings shed light on how temporal relations between academic support, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and goal progress might vary as a function of one's gender and racial/ethnic backgrounds. They also offer practical implications for selecting and organizing intervention strategies designed to promote students' academic adjustment and well-being during their initial transition to college. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Testing the effectiveness of an SCT-based training program in enhancing health self-efficacy and outcome expectations among college peer educators.

Peer health education (PHE) is a widely implemented prevention approach among college populations. While social cognitive theory (SCT; Bandura, 2004) has been assumed to account for the underlying mechanisms of PHE, no studies have tested the utility of an SCT-based training program in improving health-related outcomes among peer educators. The present study developed, implemented, and tested the effectiveness of a 15-week, SCT-based wellness coaching training program in enhancing health self-efficacy (HSE) and outcome expectations (HOE) among undergraduate peer educators. The quasi-experimental design included an SCT training group (n = 39), alternative training group (n = 46), and no-treatment control group (n = 46) and gathered data from participants at pretest, posttest, and 6-week follow-up. Results of a split-plot multivariate analysis of variance revealed a significant interaction effect for group and time when considering HSE and HOE together. Follow-up analyses indicated that the interaction was significant for HOE, but not for HSE. The SCT group reported significantly lower HOE than the control group at pretest but showed no differences in HOE scores compared to the other two groups at posttest or follow-up. Findings also revealed significant improvements in the SCT group's HSE scores over time. The findings provide initial empirical support for the effectiveness of SCT-based training programs in promoting positive health-related beliefs and attitudes among peer educators. Further, this study demonstrates that the process of training peer educators may be utilized as a health promotion strategy in and of itself. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Meta-analytic path analysis of the social cognitive well-being model: Applicability across life domain, gender, race/ethnicity, and nationality.

The social-cognitive well-being model (SCWB; Lent, 2004) was designed to explain subjective well-being and other aspects of positive functioning within particular life domains. It has received a substantial amount of inquiry, especially in the context of academic and work satisfaction, in student and adult samples in the United States and other countries (Lent & Brown, 2006a, 2008). We present a meta-analysis synthesizing the empirical findings of 100 studies (154 samples) on the SCWB model that appeared between 2004 and 2017. The original model provided good overall fit to the data across all samples, and most of the predictors produced paths that were consistent with hypotheses. A culture-modified version of the model, which includes indicators of independent/individualistic and interdependent/collectivistic cultural orientations, also fit the data well, offering initial evidence for the incremental validity of these cultural variables in predicting well-being. Multigroup analyses showed that the model yielded acceptable fit in both academic and work domains. Within the academic domain, we also found adequate fit for the culture-modified model across gender, racial/ethnic groups, and U.S. and non-U.S. samples. At the same time, some group differences in parameter estimates were statistically and practically significant. Implications for the theory, its research base, and practical applications are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Predictors of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics choice options: A meta-analytic path analysis of the social-cognitive choice model by gender and race/ethnicity.

We tested the interest and choice portion of social-cognitive career theory (SCCT; Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994) in the context of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) domains. Data from 143 studies (including 196 independent samples) conducted over a 30-year period (1983 through 2013) were subjected to meta-analytic path analyses. The interest/choice model was found to fit the data well over all samples as well as within samples composed primarily of women and men and racial/ethnic minority and majority persons. The model also accounted for large portions of the variance in interests and choice goals within each path analysis. Despite the general predictive utility of SCCT across gender and racial/ethnic groups, we did find that several parameter estimates differed by group. We present both the group similarities and differences and consider their implications for future research, intervention, and theory refinement. (PsycINFO Database Record

Social cognitive predictors of academic and life satisfaction: Measurement and structural equivalence across three racial/ethnic groups.

Data of 306 Caucasian American, 284 Asian American, and 259 Latino/a American college students were analyzed in this study to test a modified version of Lent and Brown's (2006, 2008) satisfaction model in the academic context. In addition to the full set of variables hypothesized in the original model, the modified academic satisfaction model also included independent and interdependent self-construals to represent one's cultural orientations. Comparisons between the hypothesized model and 2 alternative models showed that direct paths from extraversion and emotional stability added significantly to the predictions of academic satisfaction and life satisfaction for all 3 racial/ethnic groups while those from independent and interdependent self-construals also had the same effects for Latino/a American students. The hypothesized model offered excellent fit to the data of all 3 racial/ethnic groups. Consistent with theoretical prediction, academic supports, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, or goal progress formed pathways that mediated the relations of personality traits and self-construals to academic satisfaction or life satisfaction across 3 groups. Although full measurement equivalence (configural invariance and metric invariance) was observed, 4 structural paths and 16 indirect effects differed significantly by race/ethnicity. Most of these differences in structural paths and indirect effects occurred between Caucasian Americans and Asian Americans. On balance, findings of the study provided evidence for the cross-racial/ethnic validity of the modified academic satisfaction model while identifying racial/ethnic differences that might have useful clinical implications. (PsycINFO Database Record

A dyadic study of multicultural counseling competence.

Using the Kenny, Kashy, and Cook (2006) one-with-many method, we investigated client and counselor reports of counselors' level of multicultural counseling competence (MCC) across 4 therapy sessions at a university counseling center. Specifically, we analyzed the association between counselor MCC and client psychological well-being among 133 clients of color receiving psychotherapy from 24 counselors. We found that both client and counselor perspectives suggested that some counselors possessed generally higher MCC than others. Counselors' self-assessments of MCC, however, did not relate with their clients' assessments of counselor MCC-replicating findings from past studies of MCC. On average, counselors whose clients generally perceived them as more multiculturally competent did not report improved psychological well-being at the fourth session. Likewise, counselors who generally reported more MCC did not have clients who improved more in psychological well-being than would be expected over 4 sessions. Notably, at the dyad-level, clients who rated their counselor more highly on MCC than their counselors' other clients tended to report greater improvement in well-being. Suggestions for future MCC research involving dyadic analytic designs are described. (PsycINFO Database Record

Well-being of Taiwanese and Singaporean college students: cross-cultural validity of a modified social cognitive model.

This study tested the cross-cultural validity of a modified version of Lent's (2004) normative well-being model. Data of 317 Taiwanese and 259 Singaporean college students were collected using the Mandarin and English versions of the survey and were analyzed using structural equation modeling techniques. Satisfactory fit showed that the modified model offered a reasonable representation of the relations among the constructs and accounted for substantial amounts of the variances in academic well-being and life satisfaction for both samples. Results of the bootstrapping procedure revealed that indirect effects of personality traits and self-construal variables on well-being outcomes were mediated mostly by pathways that involved academic self-efficacy, academic goal progress, and/or academic supports. Academic well-being also filtered the effects of other predictors on life satisfaction. Multigroup structural equation modeling analyses indicated the presence of measurement equivalence across these 2 groups. However, several structural paths differed significantly between the Taiwanese and the Singaporean samples. Overall, this study provides evidence for the applicability of the modified well-being model to college students in Taiwan and Singapore and suggests that students in these 2 Asian countries might pursue and maintain their well-being through different psychological mechanisms. Practical implications for interventions and outreach programs as well as directions for future research are discussed.

Multicultural counseling self-efficacy scale-racial diversity form: factor structure and test of a social cognitive model.

This study was conducted to gather evidence on the factor structure and concurrent criterion validity of the multicultural counseling self-efficacy scale-racial diversity form (MCSE-RD; Sheu & Lent, 2007). The MCSE-RD was designed to assess therapists' perceived capabilities in performing culturally relevant in-session behaviors in cross-racial counseling. Participants were 209 students in counseling-related graduate programs in the USA. Confirmatory factor analyses identified a bifactor structure in which responses to MCSE-RD items could be explained by one generic and three multicultural-specific counseling self-efficacy factors. Support was also found for a social cognitive model in which self-efficacy and interests in multicultural counseling mediated the effects of prior cross-racial client contacts and perceptions of multicultural training environments on intent to perform multicultural counseling in the future. Additionally, outcome expectations were predictive of multicultural counseling interests and choice goals. Implications for multicultural training and directions for future research are highlighted.

The self-efficacy-interest relationship and RIASEC type: Which is figure and which is ground? Comment on Armstrong and Vogel (2009).

Armstrong and Vogel (2009) proposed that the differences between self-efficacy and interests are a matter of measurement artifact rather than substance. In tests of this hypothesis, they conceived of self-efficacy and interest as observed indicators of larger RIASEC (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional) types and as response method factors. We revisit the authors' theoretical assumptions, measurement procedures, analyses, and interpretation of findings. When viewing this study in the context of the larger literature, we find ample support for the construal of self-efficacy and interests as distinct but related constructs. In addition, we examine the authors' reanalysis of earlier longitudinal findings, reaching different conclusions than they did about the nature of the temporal relations among the social cognitive variables. Ultimately, whether one wishes to highlight or minimize the differences between interest and self-efficacy may largely depend on whether one's purpose is explanation (e.g., how do people make career-relevant choices?) or classification (e.g., which RIASEC type does a person most resemble?).

Development and initial validation of the Multicultural Counseling Self-Efficacy Scale--Racial Diversity Form.

Drawing upon social-cognitive theory and the multicultural counseling competency literature, the Multicultural Counseling Self-Efficacy Scale-Racial Diversity Form (MCSE-RD) was developed to assess perceived ability to counsel racially diverse clients. Data were collected from 181 graduate students in counseling-related programs, 41 undergraduate psychology students, and 22 graduate students enrolled in a prepracticum course. Results of an exploratory factor analysis retained 37 items and identified three underlying factors: Multicultural Intervention, Multicultural Assessment, and Multicultural Session Management. MCSE-RD subscale and total scores produced adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability estimates. Initial validity findings indicated theory-consistent relations of MCSE-RD scores with general counseling self-efficacy, multicultural counseling competency, social desirability, therapist demographics, and educational/training variables. Participation in prepracticum was associated with positive change in MCSE-RD scores. Implications for training and future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

Multicultural competency in research: examining the relationships among multicultural competencies, research training and self-efficacy, and the multicultural environment.

Research on multicultural competencies has mainly focused on the practice dimension of psychology training and practice. Little theoretical or empirical research has examined multicultural research training and self-efficacy. In this study, 119 psychology graduate students filled out a Web survey focusing on the research training environment, research self-efficacy, multicultural competency, the multicultural environment, and social desirability. Results showed that multicultural competency, research training, and the multicultural environment were related to multicultural research self-efficacy. Hierarchical regressions showed that multicultural competency predicted students' research anxiety; social desirability predicted multicultural research utility, multicultural competency, and the research training environment; and multicultural competency predicted students' confidence in research and perceptions that their graduate training programs were multicultural. Implications are discussed.