Family moderators of the relation between hassles and behavior problems in inner-city youth

Qualitative data from individual interviews with 18-29 year old African American men, who have sex with men (n = 76) were used to examine the relationship of negative attitudes toward homosexuality, self-esteem, and risk for HIV. Respondents perceived members of their communities as holding negative attitudes toward homosexuality, and many thought the African American community was less accepting of homosexuality than the white community. There was evidence that these negative attitudes are internalized by some of the young African American men themselves. Respondents mentioned several ways that negative attitudes toward homosexuality could lead to lower self-esteem and psychological distress in young gay and bisexual men. In addition, respondents articulated several mechanisms by which low self-esteem and psychological distress might be associated with sexual behaviors that put one at risk for HIV. We concluded that addressing and changing society's negative views of homosexuality are important components of a comprehensive approach to reducing the transmission of HIV, especially among young people in communities of color.     

White fears and native apprehensions: An integrated threat theory approach to intergroup attitudes.

Motivational and cognitive factors have been used to explain negative attitudes toward out-group members. According to the integrated threat theory of prejudice, negative intergroup attitudes are predicted by proximal factors consisting of perceived threats from out-group members; these threats, in turn, are predicted by distal factors such as perceived differences in group status or negative out-group contact. In the present study, White and First Nation people (adolescents and adults) completed measures assessing distal and proximal variables and attitudes toward members of the other ethnic group. Path analyses indicate that realistic and symbolic threats, intergroup anxiety, and negative stereotypes predicted negative out-group attitudes. Many of these threats, and in some cases ethnic attitudes, were associated with negative intergroup contact, strength of in-group identity, perceptions of intergroup conflict, and perceived status inequality. Theoretical and applied implications of these findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of a drinking event on behavioral skills and condom attitudes in men: Implications for HIV risk from a controlled experiment.

This study experimentally tested the effects of a drinking event on HIV-related behavioral skills and condom attitudes. Sixty unmarried, heterosexual men were assigned to 1 of 3 conditions (sober, placebo, or alcohol). Participants who consumed alcohol demonstrated lower skill to negotiate for condom use relative to sober controls. More negative condom attitudes were expressed by participants with stronger sex-related alcohol expectancies, especially when these expectancies were triggered by subjective intoxication. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that the experimental factors accounted for variance in behavioral skills and condom attitudes beyond that explained by known predictors of sexual risk. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dysfunctional attitudes are mood-state dependent.

To test the hypothesis that self-report of dysfunctional attitudes is mood-state dependent, dysfunctional attitudes were assessed in 43 women before and after they received a depressed or elated mood induction. As predicted, the mood induction produced reliable changes in mood and in dysfunctional attitudes, although the increase in dysfunctional attitudes following the negative mood induction was not large enough to be statistically significant. We also tested the hypothesis, from the cognitive theory of depression, that subjects with previous episodes of depression would report more dysfunctional attitudes than would subjects without such a history. As predicted, subjects who reported previous episodes of depression endorsed more dysfunctional attitudes than did subjects who did not report such a history. However, this effect occurred only for subjects who were in a negative mood state when their dysfunctional attitudes were assessed. These findings support the proposition of the cognitive theory that dysfunctional attitudes are traits but suggest that these traits are mood-state dependent. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Math = male, me = female, therefore math ≠ me.

College students, especially women, demonstrated negativity toward math and science relative to arts and language on implicit measures. Group membership (being female), group identity (self = female), and gender stereotypes (math = male) were related to attitudes and identification with mathematics. Stronger implicit math = male stereotypes corresponded with more negative implicit and explicit math attitudes for women but more positive attitudes for men. Associating the self with female and math with male made it difficult for women, even women who had selected math-intensive majors, to associate math with the self. These results point to the opportunities and constraints on personal preferences that derive from membership in social groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Disability and the law: Attitudes of police, lawyers, and mental health professionals.

A literature review on the attitudes of police officers, lawyers, and mental health professionals toward the disabled indicates that police officers' attitudes are related to the extent of their formal education and the amount of information they have about relating to persons with various types of disabilities. Lawyers who have disabled clients tend to be more knowledgeable and to have more positive attitudes than lawyers without such clients, but it is not easy to turn lawyers into advocates for disabled clients. Mental health professionals, who may be called on to provide advice to police officers or lawyers or to testify in court cases, have some negative aspects that may impair their helpfulness, but their attitudes are more positive than those of less educated persons. Data also indicate that the attitudes of psychologists are less negative than those of psychiatrists. It is concluded that rehabilitation psychologists need to undertake studies of the attitudes of these groups and to set up programs designed to change the attitudes of members of these professions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stability of cognitive vulnerabilities to depression: A short-term prospective multiwave study.

The stability of 3 cognitive vulnerabilities--a negative cognitive style, dysfunctional attitudes, and rumination--as well as depressive symptoms as a benchmark were examined to investigate whether cognitive vulnerabilities are stable, enduring risks for depression. A sample of adolescents (6th-10th graders) completed measures of these 3 cognitive vulnerabilities and depressive symptoms every 5 weeks for 4 waves of data across 5 months. Mean-level and differential stability were examined for the sample overall and by age subgroups. A negative cognitive style exhibited mean-level stability, whereas rumination and dysfunctional attitudes showed some mean-level change. Absolute magnitudes of test-retest reliabilities were strong for depressive symptoms (mean r = .70), moderately high for a negative cognitive style (mean r = .52), and more modest for rumination (mean r = .28) and dysfunctional attitudes (mean r = .26). Structural equation modeling showed that primarily enduring processes, but not contextual forces, contributed to the patterning of these test-retest reliabilities over time for a negative cognitive style and dysfunctional attitudes, whereas both enduring and contextual dynamics appeared to underlie the stability for rumination. Theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes of health care providers and students towards tattooed people

Attitudes of health care providers and medical and nursing students (n = 513) towards tattooed adults and adolescents were examined. No respondent group had mean scores reflecting a positive attitude towards tattooed persons. Overall, physicians (MDs) and registered nurses (RNs) rated tattooed people less positively than did students. Womens' attitudes were consistently less favourable than those of men, especially towards tattooed professional women. Attitudes towards tattooed adolescents were generally less positive than attitudes towards the adult groups. Research has found that negative attitudes impact patient care. This study suggests that tattooed persons, especially adolescents, may be at risk of being negatively perceived when they seek health care. Increased efforts are needed to assure that those with tattoos receive non-judgemental and sensitive care.     

Attitudes toward posthumous organ donation and commitment to donate.

Constructed and administered verbal attitude scales to 110 adults (aged 17–66 yrs), which resulted in reliable measurement of 2 independent dimensions, prodonation and antidonation. Cluster analysis revealed that the positive dimension involves belief in the humanitarian benefits of organ donation and feelings of pride experienced by the donor. The negative dimension reflects fears of body mutilation and of receiving inadequate medical treatment when one's life is at risk. Positive and negative scores in combination predicted willingness to sign a donor card. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant main effects for both positive and negative attitude. Ss with strong positive attitudes and weak negative attitudes were especially willing to sign donor cards. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nurses' attitudes about acquired immunodeficiency syndrome care: what research tells us

With the mounting incidence of human immunodeficiency virus infection not projected to peak until a decade into the next century, the question of nurses' willingness to engage in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) care remains important. Published data, however, do not support the frequently cited view that positive attitudes are exceptional. This analysis suggests reasons for misperceptions and also cautions that a continued focus on attitudes may not be useful unless we validate their influence on nursing action in clinical situations. Researchers must ask not only what differentiates the willing from the unwilling but also what alters the extent of nurses' willingness to engage. Even more important may be what influences how nurses engage, that is, what knowledge and skills they need to provide compassionate, effective care. The salience of these questions is especially apparent when we recognize how consistent the finding of positive AIDS-care attitudes has been through the last decade's plethora of studies. Without overlooking negative attitudes about, and some nurses' reluctance to participate in, AIDS care, research at this time should perhaps start with the premise that nurses want to nurse, and then focus on what they need to learn--cognitively, affectively, and technically--to do so competently and comfortably. In other words, the essential question is: What do nurses need to learn?     

Evidence for terror management theory: I. The effects of mortality salience on reactions to those who violate or uphold cultural values.

On the basis of terror management theory, it was hypothesized that when mortality is made salient, Ss would respond especially positively toward those who violate cultural values and especially negatively toward those who violate cultural values. In Experiment 1, judges recommended especially harsh bonds for a prostitute when mortality was made salient. Experiment 2 replicated this finding with student Ss and demonstrated that it occurs only among Ss with relatively negative attitudes toward prostitution. Experiment 3 demonstrated that mortality salience also leads to larger reward recommendations for a hero who upheld cultural values. Experiments 4 and 5 showed that the mortality salience effect does not result from heightened self-awareness or physiological arousal. Experiment 6 replicated the punishment effect with a different mortality salience manipulation. Implications for the role of fear of death in social behavior are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting negative spousal attitudes toward depressed persons: A test of Coyne's Interpersonal Model.

The utility of Coyne's (1976a) interactional model in predicting negative spousal attitudes toward depressed patients was examined. Eighty-nine couples with at least 1 member in treatment for depression were selected on the basis of semistructured diagnostic interviews. Overall, spouses living with a depressed patient reported significantly more distress than population norms. Consistent with prediction, patients' reassurance seeking and spouse' mood contributed to negative spousal attitudes. Additional analyses demonstrated that these effects persisted even after controlling for spouse marital adjustment, suggesting that negative spousal attitudes were more than a simple reflection of marital maladjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"If I don't do well tomorrow, there's a reason": Predictors of adolescents' use of academic self-handicapping strategies.

It has been suggested that some students procrastinate, fool around, reduce effort, and use other self-handicapping strategies so that if subsequent performance is low, these circumstances will be seen as the cause. Surveys were given to 112 8th graders. The handicapping items formed a single factor with good internal consistency. Handicapping was positively associated with self-deprecation, negative attitudes toward education, ego-oriented goals, and low grades. There was a significant interaction between race and both ego-oriented goals and negative attitudes. The relation between ego-oriented goals and handicapping was stronger for African Americans than for European Americans, whereas the relation between negative attitudes and handicapping was stronger for European Americans than for African Americans. Path analysis revealed that handicapping mediated the relationship between negative attitudes about education and grade point average. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Women's perceptions of personal versus sociocultural counseling interventions.

Two videotaped simulated counseling interventions focusing on weight and body-image concerns were shown to 79 female college students. One of the interventions portrayed the counselor as attributing the weight issues to external, sociocultural causes (i.e., society's unrealistic expectations of women), whereas the other intervention showed the counselor as attributing weight issues to personal causes (i.e., poor eating habits related to a negative self-image). The women's perceptions of and preferences for the intervention were hypothesized to vary as a function of (a) traditionality of sex role attitude, (b) severity of disturbance, and (c) concern for weight and body image. It was hypothesized that women with nontraditional sex role attitudes would prefer the sociocultural intervention, whereas women with traditional sex role attitudes would prefer the personal intervention. The results obtained were opposite those hypothesized. Women with nontraditional sex role attitudes (especially those with highly nontraditional sex role attitudes) preferred the personal intervention. Women with traditional sex role attitudes preferred the sociocultural intervention. This result was more dramatic with those women for whom weight concern was a salient issue. No results were found for severity of disturbance. The results are discussed with respect to feminist counseling and changing sex role expectations in society. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The stigma of overweight: Affective consequences of attributional ambiguity.

Attributing negative outcomes to prejudice and discrimination may protect the mood and self-esteem of some stigmatized groups. Thus, the overweight may be low in self-esteem because they blame their weight, but not the attitudes of others, for negative outcomes based on their weight. In an experiment, 27 overweight and 31 normal weight college women received either positive or negative social feedback from a male evaluator. Relative to other groups, overweight women who received negative feedback attributed the feedback to their weight but did not blame the evaluator for his reaction. This attributional pattern resulted in more negative mood for these overweight women in comparison with other groups. Dimensions of stigma that may account for differences in the tendency to attribute negative outcomes to prejudice, and implications of these findings for weight loss programs and psychotherapy for the overweight, are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Connecting the research and nursing processes: making a difference in baccalaureate students' attitudes and abilities

Student nurses are often intimidated by the research process. They also frequently have negative attitudes about working with the elderly, especially in long-term care settings. This article describes a clinical project designed to help students improve their attitudes, knowledge, and skills toward research and care of the elderly by connecting the research process and the nursing process. Students implement research-based clinical practice in a long-term care setting. Student evaluations indicate that project goals are achieved. Nursing staff evaluation data indicate that they find student projects interesting and useful in updating resident care plans.     

Attitudes toward depression among rehabilitation participants with acute stroke: Evidence of an age cohort effect.

Purpose/Objective: Depression is commonplace after acute stroke and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. No data exist regarding attitudes about depression among older persons with acute stroke and their potential impact on self-report of depressive symptoms. The objective of this study was to determine if attitudes toward depression affect depression symptom reporting. Research Method/Design: Cross-sectional using data from an inpatient rehabilitation unit. Seventy-two people with acute stroke were surveyed regarding their attitudes toward depression as part of a larger battery assessing their cognitive and emotional functioning. Results: Both age and cognitive status were significant predictors of attitudes toward depression. Older participants expressed significantly more negative attitudes about depression and seeking professional help compared with younger participants. Those with higher cognitive scores held more positive attitudes. However, attitudes about depression were unrelated to participants' responses on self-report measures of depression. Conclusions/Implications: Participants with stroke who were older were more likely to report negative attitudes about depressive symptoms than were younger participants. However, these attitudes do not appear to represent a barrier to their ability to accurately report the presence and severity of depressive symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rewards of entering podiatric medicine and attitudes toward older adults

This study examined the relationships between social and demographic characteristics (ie, gender, race, year in school, desired residency choice, and socioeconomic background), motivations for entering the profession of podiatric medicine (extrinsic and intrinsic rewards), and negative attitudes toward treating elderly patients. The study used ordinary least squares multiple regression models to analyze data from a random, national sample of 448 podiatric medical students. In particular, the ordinary least squares models were developed to determine the independent effect of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards on negative attitudes toward treating elderly patients. Consistent with the study hypotheses, after adjusting for social and demographic characteristics, the study found extrinsic rewards to have strong positive relationships with negative attitudes toward treating elderly patients, and intrinsic rewards to have strong negative relationships with negative attitudes toward treating elderly patients. The authors discussed the implications of the findings for podiatric physicians and educators training podiatric medical students.     

Relation of racial identity attitudes to self-actualization and affective states of Black students.

The relation between racial identity attitudes derived from W. E. Cross's (1971) model of psychological nigrescence, or Black self-actualization, and various affective states hypothesized to be relevant to the racial identification process, were investigated through multiple regression analysis. Cross proposed a model of how a person converts from Negro to Black, a process consisting of 5 distinct psychological stages characterized by different racial identity attitudes. Ss were 166 Black university students, who completed the Personal Orientation Inventory, a racial attitude scale, the SCL-90, and a personal-data information sheet. Both pro-White–anti-Black (preencounter) and pro-Black–anti-White (immersion) attitudes were associated with greater personal distress, as indicated by negative relations between these attitudes and mentally healthy self-actualizing tendencies and by positive relations to feelings of inferiority, anxiety, and hostility. Awakening Black identity (encounter attitudes) was positively related to self-actualization tendencies and negatively related to feelings of inferiority and anxiety. The possibility that cognitive and affective components of racial identity attitudes may evolve via different models is explored. Recommendations for delivery of psychological services to Black populations are discussed. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The general practitioner, the drug misuser, and the alcohol misuser: major differences in general practitioner activity, therapeutic commitment, and 'shared care' proposals

BACKGROUND: The primary care setting has been regarded in government policy and the scientific literature as an ideal setting for the work needed to meet the Health of the Nation drug and alcohol targets. Although studies have pointed to the negative attitudes held by general practitioners (GPs) towards alcohol- and drug-misusing patients, there has been no direct comparison of the work and attitudes of the GP towards these patients. AIM: To compare the work and attitudes of GPs towards alcohol- and drug-misusing patients. METHOD: All GPs in an outer London area (157 doctors) were surveyed, using an eight-page postal questionnaire, collecting clinical and attitudinal data alongside demographics and practice information. A response rate of 52% was achieved. RESULTS: General practitioners reported working with only 3.5 patients drinking above recommended guidelines in the previous four working weeks, and even fewer drug-using patients (0.75). While they viewed the alcohol-misusing patients negatively, the drug misuser elicited substantially more negative attitudes. The primary care setting was seen as appropriate to work with the alcohol-misusing patient but not with drug users. Training and support from local services would encourage substantially more GPs to work with alcohol misusers but not with drug misusers. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that there are some cautious grounds for optimism that GPs are willing to work with alcohol misusers; however, with regard to drug misusers, we find a GP workforce that is only minimally involved with this group and would not be greatly encouraged by the provision of additional training, support, or incentives. The Health of the Nation targets are not being met, and GPs are not detecting adequate numbers of the patients at whom these targets are aimed. Emphasis has been placed on the role of primary care, but the real achievements that can be made require detection of the less severe drinkers and injecting drug misusers.