Anger expression in Mexican American and White non-Hispanic adolescents.

This study explored aggressive anger expression in adolescents. A 3-factor model proved best (i.e., Expression through Verbal Assault, Physical Assault Toward People, and Physical Assault Toward Objects). These factors correlated positively with each other and with anger, anxiety, and depression. Correlations of aggressive anger expression styles with anger were larger than their correlations with anxiety and depression. Gender, ethnicity, and developmental effects were found; males reported more physical assault on people than females, and White non-Hispanic and older youths reported more verbal assault than Mexican American and younger, students. Both middle and high school students reported greater verbal assault than physical assault on objects which, in turn, was higher than physical assault on people. These findings suggest that adolescent aggressive anger expression is not unidimensional, but is more differentiated and meaningfully related to gender, ethnicity, and developmental status. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Delinquency, victimization, and substance use among adolescents with female same-sex parents.

The question of whether parental sexual orientation has an impact on human development has important implications for psychological theories and for legal policy. This study examined associations among family type (same-sex vs. different-sex parents), family and relationship variables, substance use, delinquency, and victimization of adolescents. Participants included 44 adolescents living with female same-sex couples and 44 adolescents living with different-sex couples, matched on demographic characteristics and drawn from a national sample. Analyses indicated that adolescents were functioning well and that their adjustment was not associated with family type. Adolescents whose parents described closer relationships with them reported less delinquent behavior and substance use, suggesting that the quality of parent-adolescent relationships better predicts adolescent outcomes than does family type. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality and physical correlates of bulimic symptomatology among Mexican American female college students.

Although eating disorders have been the focus of much research, the inclusion of minority populations in such investigations has been minimal. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine personality and physical correlates of bulimic symptomatology in a sample of Mexican American female college students. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that body mass and endorsement of U.S. societal values concerning attractiveness were related positively to bulimic symptomatology, accounting for a combined 38% of the variance. Age, body satisfaction, and acculturation level, however, were unrelated to bulimic symptoms. Implications for counseling interventions as well as directions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological maladjustment among Asian and White American college students: Controlling for confounds.

Differences in psychological maladjustment among foreign-born Asian-, U.S.-born Asian- and White-American college students were examined, after controlling for variables that have been confounded with ethnicity (i.e., demographics, response set, and personality style) in previous studies. Psychological maladjustment was measured in terms of both intrapersonal and interpersonal distress. Results indicated that foreign-born Asian-American students differed from White-American students on levels of social desirability, other-directedness, and extraversion. However, even after controlling for differences on these variables, greater levels of intrapersonal and interpersonal distress were found for foreign-born Asian-American students. The findings suggest (1) that for Asian-Americans there are ethnic differences in psychological maladjustment that covary with generation level, and (2) that these differences cannot be solely attributed to cultural variations in response or personality styles. Implications for counseling with Asian-American students are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

School self-acceptance among Canadian Indian, White, and Metis children.

Compared 334 Indian, 197 non-Indian, and 92 Metis students (aged 10–19 yrs) on an aspect of self-concept, school self-acceptance. A follow-up study was conducted several months later with 40 Ss. Attempts were made to overcome weaknesses in prior research by gathering validity data on the self-concept measure and controlling for extraneous factors such as social assets that could account for Indian/non-Indian differences. Support was found for the prediction that Indian Ss would have lower school self-acceptance scores than White Ss. Metis Ss resembled Indians in their school self-acceptance scores, acculturation level, and social assets, but scored closer to Whites in their childrearing scale scores. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the social assets variable was the most important predictor of school self-acceptance, although the ethnicity factor remained a significant predictor. (French abstract) (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parental attachment, self-esteem, and antisocial behaviors among African American, European American, and Mexican American adolescents.

This study examined the relation of mother and father attachment to self-esteem and self-reported involvement in antisocial behaviors among African American (n=488), European American (n=661), and Mexican American (n=434) high school students. The attachment dimensions of anxiety and avoidance were examined using self-report scales that were developed and validated with participants in the study. Findings indicated that adolescents from the 3 ethnic/racial groups did not differ greatly in their reported attachment to father and mother. Consistent with theoretical formulations, securely attached adolescents from the 3 ethnic groups had a more positive sense of self-esteem and reported less involvement in antisocial behaviors than their less securely attached peers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cigarette use among migrant and nonmigrant Mexican American youth: A socialization latent-variable model.

A self-report survey of cigarette use among 10th- and 12th-grade Mexican American students found no differences in rates of use by migrant status. Male students reported higher levels of lifetime, experimental, and daily smoking than female students, and 12th-grade students reported higher levels of daily smoking than 10th-grade students. A socialization model of cigarette use based on peer cluster theory was evaluated using structural equation methods, examining the effects of family strength, family tobacco use, school adjustment, religious identification, and peer tobacco associations. The basic latent-structure socialization model was supported in all groups, but final models including specific effects identified both unique and common relationships by gender and migrant status. Common patterns across groups suggest that completely different prevention programs may not be necessary for these youth. However, program elements based on subtle group differences may serve to tailor prevention efforts and make them more effective. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attributions of mental illness and judgments about help seeking among Japanese-American and White American students.

Perceived causes of mental illness and help-seeking preferences among Japanese-American and White American college students (72 men and 72 women in each ethnic group) were compared in order to investigate the reported underuse of mental health services by Japanese Americans. Results of a 2 (ethnicity of S)?×?2(severity of disorder)?×?2(gender of person with disorder)?×?2(gender of S) multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed that Japanese-American students were more likely than White American students to attribute mental illness to social causes, to resolve problems on their own, and to seek help from family members or friends or both. Possible barriers to use of services by this sample of Japanese Americans include both a preference for informal resources and the stigmatization of mental illness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family emotion socialization and affective distress in Asian American and White American college students.

This study examined the retrospective reports of family emotion socialization experiences and current affective distress among 23 Asian American and 31 White American university students with subclinical levels of distress. Results indicated that most of the Asian Americans interviewed recalled being socialized by their family to suppress their emotions, whereas more than half of White Americans recalled being encouraged by their families to openly express emotions. For Asian Americans, growing up in a family that valued emotional suppression was associated with greater emotional distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differences in familism values and caregiving outcomes among Korean, Korean American, and White American dementia caregivers.

Recent theories have suggested that burden and distress among dementia caregivers may be higher in American culture, which emphasizes individualism, and lower in cultures with higher levels of familism. However, immigrants may experience higher levels of burden because of acculturation with attendant values, conflicts and stresses. Forty-four Korean caregivers and 32 Korean American caregivers were compared with 54 White American caregivers on sociodemographic variables, familism, burden, anxiety, and depression. Familism was highest in Korean caregivers and lowest in Whites, with Korean Americans in the middle. Koreans and Korean Americans reported higher levels of burden. Koreans showed higher levels of depression and of anxiety than White American caregivers, with Koreans and Korean Americans higher than Whites on anxiety. These results suggest a need for greater specificity in theories about familism values, with attention to the specific meaning of familism in different cultures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interpersonal violence and mental health outcomes among Asian American and Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander college students.

In a cross-sectional survey of college students (N = 614), we studied interpersonal violence victimization, perpetration, and mental health outcomes in an ethnoracially diverse rural-based sample of Asian Americans (27%) and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islanders (25%), two groups vastly underrepresented in trauma research. High rates of interpersonal violence (34%), violence perpetration (13%), and probable psychiatric diagnoses (77%), including posttraumatic stress disorder, were found. Exposure to physical violence, sexual violence, and life stress all were predictive of psychopathology. Female participants were associated with higher likelihood of sexual violence victimization compared to male participants, and Asian American status (especially among males) was associated with lower likelihood of physical and sexual violence compared with European Americans. These data enhance our understanding of interpersonal violence and mental health outcomes among previously understudied minority groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The DSM-IV construct of cocaine dependence in a treatment sample of Black, Mexican American, and White men.

The unidimensionality of the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-lV) construct of cocaine dependence was examined among 263 Black, 212 Mexican American, and 256 White men admitted consecutively to 5 substance abuse treatment programs in the Bay Area of northern California. Interviews of about 1 hr were conducted in the programs' facilities by trained interviewers who used a standardized questionnaire. Results of the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) generally supported a unidimensional model of the 7 indicators of DSM-IV cocaine dependence across the men in all 3 ethnic groups. The results of the CFA, latent trait analysis, and latent class analysis suggested that the indicator representing health problems from cocaine use may not be as useful as the other criteria for identifying cocaine dependence. Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceptions of academic quality among students with a hearing loss in distance education.

There has been little research on the experiences of students with a hearing loss in mainstream higher education. This investigation compared perceptions of academic quality in 265 students with a hearing loss who were taking courses by distance learning and 178 students taking the same courses who had no declared form of disability. Students who were classified as hard of hearing (rather than deaf) produced significantly lower ratings of the appropriateness of their academic workload than did the students with no declared disability, but the ratings produced by students who were classified as deaf were not significantly different from those produced by the comparison group, In other respects, the students with a hearing loss were remarkably similar to the students with no declared disability in their perceptions of academic quality and their overall satisfaction with their courses, (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Age of onset of first alcohol intoxication and subsequent alcohol use among urban American Indian adolescents.

The objective was to assess the effect of early onset intoxication on subsequent alcohol involvement among urban American Indian youth. The data come from the American Indian Research (AIR) project, a panel study of urban Indian youth residing in King County, Washington. Data were collected annually from the adolescent and his/her primary caregiver from the 1988–89 school year to the 1996–97 school year, providing a total of nine waves of data. Early intoxication (by age 14) was related to delinquency, family history of alcohol abuse or dependence, poverty, broken family structure, less family cohesiveness, and more family conflict. The effects of these characteristics were, therefore, partialed out in testing effects of early intoxication on later alcohol involvement. Two-part latent growth models of alcohol use and alcohol problems were specified. Effects of early onset intoxication on these trajectories, as well as lifetime alcohol abuse or dependence by the transition to young adulthood, were examined. Findings indicate that adolescents who experienced their first intoxication early (by age 14), used alcohol more heavily from the ages of 16 to 18, experienced more problems related to the alcohol's use from the ages of 16 to 18, and were more likely to have a diagnosed alcohol disorder by the final wave of data collection. Congruent with similar studies in the general population, early intoxication appears to be associated with a deleterious course of alcohol involvement during adolescence and into the transition to young adulthood among urban American Indian youth. Implications for prevention are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reasons for drinking, alcohol use, and alcoholism among Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic Whites.

Estimated associations of subjective reasons for drinking with heavy drinking (HD), frequent drinking (FD), and alcohol abuse or dependence (AAOD). Respondents were 725 Mexican-American and 915 non-Hispanic White community residents who reported drinking at least once in the 6 mo before being interviewed. Each reason for drinking and number of reasons given for drinking were associated with HD, FD, or AAOD. However, multivariate models suggested that different reasons may be associated with different types of alcohol involvement. Cultural differences in alcohol involvement were typically not accounted for by cultural differences in reasons for drinking. Drinking to cheer up or to loosen up around people and drinking to induce sleep had different associations with HD and AAOD in different cultural groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A cross-cultural comparison of American Indian, Black, and White inpatients on the MMPI and presenting symptoms.

Studied personality differences among 97 Black, 454 White, and 36 American-Indian psychiatric inpatients, aged 16–70 yrs. Comparisons were made both on the total samples and on matched samples of Black–White and American-Indian–White patients according to SES. Data included presenting complaints, diagnoses, demographic information, and the MMPI. Results show that Black inpatients, in both representative and matched comparisons, had significantly higher scores than both other groups on the Validity, Paranoia, Schizophrenia, and Hypomania subscales of the MMPI. Results may reflect actual symptomatic differences between the groups rather than supporting the conclusion that the MMPI "overpathologizes" for Black patients. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Internal working models, self-reported problems, and help-seeking attitudes among college students.

A person's internal working models of close relationships (J. Bowlby, 1988) incorporate 2 discrete yet interrelated cognitive schemas: a self model containing perceptions of one's own worth and lovability and an other model embodying core expectations about the trustworthiness and dependability of intimate others in one's social world. This study tested hypothesized interrelationships, in a college-student sample, (a) between self-model differences and self-reported problems and (b) among other-model differences, problem levels, and help-seeking attitudes. As expected, students with positive self models reported significantly fewer problems than did students with negative self models. In addition, students' other-model grouping significantly interacted with their problem levels to predict their expressed willingess to seek counseling. Implications of the findings for counseling practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cultural commitment and attitudes toward seeking counseling services in American Indian college students.

Counseling attitudes were assessed for American Indian college students rating themselves as either strongly or weakly committed to both Tribal and Anglo cultures. Participants strongly committed only to Tribal culture displayed more negative attitudes toward seeking counseling, recognizing a personal need for counseling, having confidence in mental health professionals, and interpersonal openness than those strongly committed only to the Anglo culture or to both cultures. Strongly committed participants demonstrated more negative attitudes toward interpersonal openness than those weakly committed to both cultures. Women showed more positive attitudes toward these issues than did men. It is recommended that counselors consider cultural commitment in understanding the hesitancy among potential American Indian clients to use conventional psychological services. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Drug use, agency, and communality: Causes and consequences among adults.

Certain causes and consequences of drug use may be unique to young adults and might involve gender-role expectations that women are most directed toward communality issues, whereas men are concerned with agentic tasks. Failure in these gender-specific tasks would lead to an increase in future drug use and earlier drug use would hinder the development of these skills for men and women. Data were obtained in 1984 and 1988 from 391 women and 156 men in their early to mid 20s as part of a 12-yr longitudinal study of adolescent development and drug use. Analyses were conducted with structural equation models incorporating repeatedly measured constructs of polydrug use, communality, and agency. Results generally supported these expectations when both specific and general effects were considered. In addition, women's drug use also interfered with their agentic goals and men's drug use damaged their communal relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological and demographic correlates of early academic skill development among American Indian and Alaska Native youth: A growth modeling study.

Research regarding the development of early academic skills among American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) students has been very limited to date. Using a nationally representative sample of AIAN, Hispanic, African American, and White children at school entry, the authors used latent growth models to estimate the associations among poverty, low parental education, living in a rural location, as well as child attitudes toward learning and internalizing/externalizing behaviors, with mathematical and reading cognitive skill development across the 1st 4 years of school. Results indicate that AIAN children entered kindergarten with scores on both mathematical and reading cognitive tests that were comparable to their peers from other ethnic groups of color. Importantly, all children who entered kindergarten with lower cognitive skill scores also acquired skills more slowly over the next 4 years. Having a positive approach to learning at the start of kindergarten was associated with cognitive skill levels at school entry nearly 1 standard deviation above the population average. Results are discussed with reference to the shared early educational profiles observed between AIAN and other children of color. These findings provide a much-needed update regarding early academic development among AIAN children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)