Sexual Risk Taking Intentions Under the Influence of Relationship Motivation, Partner Familiarity, and Sexual Arousal.

Condom negotiation is typically a dyadic process, influenced by a host of factors that can impact sexual health decision-making. The current paper investigated the influence of sexual arousal, relationship motivation, and partner familiarity on sexual risk taking intentions in women and men. In Study 1, 331 participants were recruited online and responded to items assessing condom use intentions. Participants higher in relationship motivation were more likely to consider perceived partner desire for condom use when considering initiating condom negotiation. In Study 2, 169 undergraduate students participated in a sexual arousal manipulation and responded to scenarios depicting sexual encounters with more or less familiar hypothetical partners. Participants reported greater sexual risk taking intentions with more (vs. less) familiar hypothetical partners. Men (vs. women) showed greater risk taking intentions overall. Higher sexual arousal was associated with increased sexual risk-taking intentions, regardless of gender. With less familiar partners, participants higher in relationship motivation showed somewhat greater concern that insisting on condom use would interfere with the sexual encounter, though concern was greatest among men for both more and less familiar partner types. These findings offer some support for the notion that a stronger orientation toward forming long-term relationships can facilitate sexual risk taking behavior.

Comparing the relative fit of various factor models of the self-consciousness scale in two independent samples.

Research shows that using highly self-aware participants yields studies of higher reliability, validity, and statistical power; dispositional self-awareness is commonly measured using the Fenigstein Self-Consciousness Scale (Fenigstein, Scheier, & Buss, 1975). This study used confirmatory factor analysis to compare various factor models that may underlie that scale. Two independent student samples (296 from Bernstein, Teng, & Garbin, 1986, and 350 from a large Canadian university) completed the scale. Using 6 fit criteria, results from both samples supported the Burnkrant and Page (1984) 4-factor model, namely, that self-consciousness consists of 3 principle scales: Social Anxiety, Public Self-Consciousness, and Private Self-Consciousness (divided into Internal State Awareness and Self-Reflectiveness). We discuss the psychometric implications of enhancing scale reliability, validity, and self-awareness.

Differential prediction of maladjustment scores with the Snyder Hope subscales.

The present study examined the relation between two Synder Hope subscales (Agency: goal motivation; Pathways: goal planning) and adjustment problems (a composite of seven MMPI-2 clinical scales). Each of 354 university students completed both the Hope Scale and the MMPI-2. Whereas scores on Hope, Agency, and Pathways subscales were each negatively related to the maladjustment composite score, the relation was significantly stronger for the Agency than for the Pathways subscale. For individual clinical scales, the Agency subscale offered better prediction than the Pathways subscale for all selected clinical scales except Hysteria and Psychopathic Deviate. The Agency subscale also offered better prediction than the Hope Scale for Psychaesthenia and Schizophrenia. Applications for health professionals and directions for research are discussed.

Comparing three new MMPI-2 randomness indices in a novel procedure for random profile derivation.

This study compared three new validity indices; /F-Fb/, VRIN+/F-Fb/, and F+Fb+/F-Fb/; to the F, back-F, and VRIN according to their effectiveness in detecting degrees of profile randomness. Participants completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2; Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, and Kaemmer, 1989) according to standardized instructions. All profiles starting at Items 142, 284, or 426 were substituted with computer-generated random responses to produce 75%, 50%, and 25% random profiles, respectively. Twenty-five profiles were derived using 100% computer-generated items. Finally, one unaltered set of profiles was designated as 0% random. This generated five groups of MMPI-2 profiles, differing according to the degree of profile randomness (i.e., 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%). Results showed that the F and /F-Fb/ indices were unable to distinguish authentic from all degrees of randomness, whereas the F+Fb+F-Fb scale could reliably distinguish all levels of randomness. The actuarial analysis found back-F and F+Fb+/F-Fb/ misclassified the least number of profiles, suggesting the latter index should be included in the evaluation of MMPI-2 profile randomness.

The effects of description clarity and disorder type on MMPI-2 FAKE-BAD validity indices.

Simulation research indicates that the MMPI-2 validity scales easily detect faked-bad profiles that follow vague, but not specific, instructions. The present study compared the fake-bad validity scales (i.e., F, F-Back, F-K, Fake-Bad Scale, critical items, and O-S scales) for differences among one authentic and four simulation (fake-bad) groups. The simulation groups differed according to the type of disorder simulated (neurotic or psychotic) and the clarity of the behavioral descriptions they received (clear or unclear descriptions). Results indicated that the validity scales together could discriminate (a) clear from unclear description profiles; (b) neurotic from psychotic simulation profiles; and (c) authentic from simulated profiles. Actuarial analyses indicated that participants given clear character descriptions were more likely to escape detection than were participants given unclear character descriptions. Future research on incentive and punishment is considered.

Neuropsychological aspects of primary affective depression.

This study compared the neuropsychological functioning of 50 primary affective depressives and a like number of normals on the complete Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery. Psychiatric diagnosis was based on Research Diagnostic Criteria. Comparison of the Wechsler subtests seen to measure right and left hemispheric functioning revealed a relative deficit for depressives on those tasks shown to be most sensitive to right hemispheric functioning. Profile similarities (rp) between groups on the combined Wechsler and Halstead-Reitan variables indicated normal similarity on left hemispheric tests and a significant dissimilarity on right hemispheric measures. Impairment ratings for each Halstead-Reitan measure indicated that depressives were significantly impaired when compared to normals on right hemispheric tasks, while they were within normal limits and did not differ from normals on left hemisphere impairment ratings. The potential of neuropsychological measures as diagnostic markers of psychiatric illness was examined.

Unresolved conflicts entail opportunity costs.

There is an increasing need to better manage conflict in health care settings. The need arises from three factors: Recognition that employee concerns and frustrations within the work environment, if not addressed and resolved, can have an adverse effect on productivity, morale, and most important, patient care. The fact that, in today's litigious society, problems in the workplace not quickly addressed may result in costly lawsuits. The fact that unresolved conflicts affect the organization's ability to maximize each employee's contribution to the enterprise. To the extent that conflict represents efficiency and effectiveness opportunities and remains unaddressed or unresolved, the organization incurs significant opportunity costs that will impede its competitiveness.