African American women and the academy: Using career mentoring to increase research productivity.

The success of African American women academicians has been hampered by sex and racial discrimination. Difficulties with developing a successful research program are the primary reasons many are denied promotions and tenure. The majority of the mentoring literature details the benefits of receiving mentorship to assist African American women to cope with psychosocial difficulties, but the benefits of research mentoring are rarely discussed. This position article explores the sex- and race-related factors that directly and indirectly affect African American women faculty's research and provides suggestions for specific research mentoring at the predoctoral and postdoctoral levels to increase career advancement among African American women in research-oriented academic institutions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The professional preparation of African American graduate students: A student perspective.

Even though growth relationships include traditional aspects of academic mentoring, without emphasizing personal development, professional growth is incomplete. Most African American faculty are overloaded with teaching, research, and advising responsibilities and, therefore, are unable to adequately mentor African American graduate students without jeopardizing their careers. Non-African Americans can provide adequate mentoring to African American students; however, because of the lack of a common cultural context, obstacles exist in cross-cultural mentoring relationships. By portraying the growth relationships established between an elder and 2 young professionals, this study illustrates how the involvement of non-academic affiliated African American professionals with African American graduate students is beneficial and indeed essential in the students' academic and personal development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Searching for the second generation of American women psychologists.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 11(3) of History of Psychology (see record 2008-10736-005). The authors would like to indicate that Inez Beverly Prosser's academic degree was incorrectly listed as EdD in the Appendix. Prosser's correct degree is PhD.] As a consequence of the groundbreaking work of E. Scarborough and L. Furumoto (1987), the contributions of the pioneering first generation of American women psychologists are now well recognized within the history of psychology; however, the generation that followed the pioneers is less well known. The lack of recognition that most women psychologists of the interwar era experienced during the majority of their working lives resulted from sexism institutionalized through practices such as anti-nepotism rules that effectively excluded many married women from the academy, informal hiring practices operating in old-boy network fashion, and exclusion from certain key graduate training centers. Yet, many women were productive psychologists during this era and contributed to the growth and expansion of the discipline. Examination of published literature generated biographical information for 107 eminent women; C. A. Murchison's (1932b) Psychological Register provided a less detailed but more inclusive inventory to yield data on a total of 320 women. This article recounts our systematic search for this lost generation and emphasizes the extent and diversity of their contributions to psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Formal mentoring: Lessons learned from past practice.

Formal mentoring programs are often implemented to help early career professionals; however, research on these programs has found mixed support. The general literature on formal mentoring programs has shifted from early studies comparing informal and formal mentoring to studies of the program characteristics related to success. A pilot program for formal mentoring of early career psychologists is presented for case study. Although the program was small and matching mentors and mentees proved difficult, reactions from some participants indicated successful mentoring. Drawing on lessons learned from the program and the general literature on formal mentoring, the author focuses on the matching process, training and program resources, and program administration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The intentional mentor: Strategies and guidelines for the practice of mentoring.

How can faculty in professional psychology programs become more intentional and effective mentors? Many psychology graduate students are never mentored, and very few psychologists have ever received training in the practice of mentoring. This article briefly summarizes the nature of mentoring, the prevalence of mentoring in psychology, primary obstacles to mentoring, and some ethical concerns unique to mentoring. The article provides several strategies to enhance mentoring and guidelines for the profession, departments of psychology, and individual psychologists who serve as mentors. This article is designed to help readers take a more deliberate approach to the practice of mentoring. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Succeeding against the odds: An examination of familial influences on the career development of professional African American women.

In spite of racism, African American women have pursued career goals, entered the workplace, and maintained successful careers. This persistence by African American women can be connected theoretically to several phenomena—the most notable being the family experience. The purpose of this study was to describe how 14 African American women in the midpoint of their careers perceived their family's influence on their career development. Consensual qualitative research (C. E. Hill, B. J. Thompson, and E. Nutt-Williams, 1997) was used to analyze the interview responses of these women. The most salient variables related to career development included family emphasis on education, relationships with family members, and family's social and economic resources. Other variables that shaped the career development of this sample included family gender role socialization and values toward work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Searching for the second generation of American women psychologists": Correction to Johnston and Johnson (2008).

Reports an error in "Searching for the second generation of American women psychologists" by Elizabeth Johnston and Ann Johnson (History of Psychology, 2008[Feb], Vol 11[1], 40-72). The authors would like to indicate that Inez Beverly Prosser's academic degree was incorrectly listed as EdD in the Appendix. Prosser's correct degree is PhD. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2008-04777-003.) As a consequence of the groundbreaking work of E. Scarborough and L. Furumoto (1987), the contributions of the pioneering first generation of American women psychologists are now well recognized within the history of psychology; however, the generation that followed the pioneers is less well known. The lack of recognition that most women psychologists of the interwar era experienced during the majority of their working lives resulted from sexism institutionalized through practices such as anti-nepotism rules that effectively excluded many married women from the academy, informal hiring practices operating in "old-boy network" fashion, and exclusion from certain key graduate training centers. Yet, many women were productive psychologists during this era and contributed to the growth and expansion of the discipline. Examination of published literature generated biographical information for 107 eminent women; C. A. Murchison's (1932b) Psychological Register provided a less detailed but more inclusive inventory to yield data on a total of 320 women. This article recounts our systematic search for this "lost generation" and emphasizes the extent and diversity of their contributions to psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mentors' perceptions of negative mentoring experiences: Scale development and nomological validation.

Three studies were conducted to develop a psychometrically sound, multidimensional measure of mentors' perceptions of negative experiences with their protégés. In Study 1, items were developed, and content-related validity was established. In Study 2, CFA was used to establish the dimensionality of the new measure. Construct-related (convergent and discriminant) and criterion-related validity evidence were also obtained by using data from matched mentor-protégé dyads. Study 3 replicated the factor structure of the instrument and provided additional validity evidence by using a sample of female academic mentors. The findings are discussed in terms of broadening the scope of mentoring research to consider the mentor's perspective of relationship problems and dyadic processes in mentoring relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Phones, phonies, and psychologists: III. Professional problems and progress.

A table indicates the percentage of American Psychological Association (APA) members among individual listings in the classified telephone directories for 20 major cities from 1947 to 1962 as follows: 1947, 18.5%; 1949, 35.5%; 1953, 46.7%; 1957, 55.8%; and 1962, 76.9%. Problems considered involve listings by persons identifying themselves as hypnotists; dianetic auditors; those who promise memory power, marriage and tranquility development, relief from sexual problems, etc.; and organizations using display advertisements despite the APA Code statement that "Display advertising is not acceptable practice." The effects of certification are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A theory-based dual-focus alcohol intervention for preadolescents: The Strong African american Families program.

This study examined mediators of the Strong African American Families Program, a randomized, dual-focus prevention trial intended to delay the onset of alcohol use and reduce alcohol consumption among rural African American youths. More specifically, it demonstrated that changes in consumption 2 yrs after the intervention were mediated through 2 different paths, a social reaction path and a reasoned/intention path. The social reaction path provided evidence that relative to the control condition, the intervention decreased children's willingness to drink by making their images of drinkers less favorable. The reasoned/intention path provided evidence that the intervention influenced the children's intentions to drink by increasing targeted parenting behaviors related to alcohol. Furthermore, the data demonstrate that these changes in willingness and intentions were independently associated with alcohol consumption at the follow-up, and they suggest that a dual-process model approach that targets both intentions and willingness can be more successful than either approach alone. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Discrimination and unfair treatment: Relationship to cardiovascular reactivity among African American and European American women.

This study examined the relationship of cardiovascular reactivity to both interpersonal mistreatment and discrimination in a community-based sample of African American and European American women (N?=?363) in midlife. Subtle mistreatment related positively to diastolic blood pressure (DBP) reactivity for African American participants but not their European American counterparts. Moreover, among the African American participants, those who attributed mistreatment to racial discrimination exhibited greater average DBP reactivity. In particular, these women demonstrated greater DBP reactivity to the speech task, which bore similarities to an encounter with racial prejudice but not to a nonsocial mirror tracing task. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that racial discrimination is a chronic stressor that can negatively impact the cardiovascular health of African Americans through pathogenic processes associated with physiologic reactivity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mentoring women graduate students: A model for professional psychology.

There is much discussion about the importance of mentoring women graduate students but not an equal amount of practical research-based guidance about how best to do this. This article summarizes a mentoring model that was developed using a pilot survey of 55 women graduate students throughout the United States, followed by grounded theory research by conducting qualitative interviews with 8 eminent women psychologists. It augments current research on mentoring to provide an integrated set of hypotheses about the theory and practice of mentoring; an operational definition of mentor and mentoring; overarching assumptions about mentoring; strategies for forming, structuring, managing, and maintaining mentoring relationships; and the roles and functions of the mentor, the mentee, and the relationship. It describes examples of mentoring practices specifically for use with women mentees and discusses how mentoring relationships may end or change as they mature. While the mentoring model was developed based on research with women, many of the tenants can be applied to both men and women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The art and science of mentoring in psychology: A necessary practice to ensure our future.

Skillful faculty mentoring of graduate students is essential for producing the next generation of scholars. Unfortunately, the mentoring process is underappreciated and understudied. This article initially presents an overview of the extant literature. Subsequently,it borrows models from a related but more advanced field of study to stimulate the development of conceptual frameworks for guiding research on mentoring. Until the field progresses from its current state (i.e., an art) to a science, there will be few empirically informed answers regarding how to mentor effectively. Nevertheless, some suggestions are warranted and are offered in order to encourage effective mentoring. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of multiple attachments on well-being: A model for African Americans attending historically black colleges and universities.

Numerous studies have examined the relationship between attachment and well-being among college students. However, within this literature, at least two issues remain unaddressed. First, African American students have been inadequately sampled. Second, most of these studies have only examined the associations between parental attachment and well-being. The small variance in well-being for which parental attachment accounts suggests that there are additional factors, such as other forms of attachment, that are predictive of well-being. This study sought to determine the extent to which multiple types of attachment would predict emotional and social well-being among African Americans by examining the fit of a hypothesized attachment model. The model demonstrated a close fit to the data, and several significant paths were evidenced. The implications of the results are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depressive symptoms, stress, and weight concerns among African American and European American low-income female smokers.

The relationships between perceived stress, depressive symptoms, concern about weight gain and smoking dependence were examined among 83 European American and 175 African American female smokers bringing children to pediatric clinics serving a low-income population. Among African American women, but not European American women, greater stress and more depressive symptoms predicted greater smoking dependence, and less concern about weight gain predicted greater smoking dependence. Multivariate analyses confirmed the bivariate relationships among stress, depressive symptoms, and smoking dependence among African American women but reduced the relationship between weight concern and smoking dependence. The stronger relationships among stress, depressive symptoms, and smoking dependence among African American women may be indicative of smoking patterns more associated with affect regulation than are the smoking patterns of European American women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Grady Nia Project: A culturally competent intervention for low-income, abused, and suicidal African American women.

Background information is provided on the link between intimate partner violence and suicidal behavior, as this association sets the stage for interventions for this population. Attention then is paid to the theoretical components of an innovative culturally competent intervention for abused and suicidal, low-income African American women, entitled Grady Nia Project. The intervention is guided by the theory of triadic influence. Cultural competence components essential to implementing an intervention with this unique population and guided by this model are articulated. The Grady Nia Project is then described in detail, focusing on the context in which the intervention is conducted, the content of the 10 sessions, and treatment satisfaction and outcome data. Implications for culturally informed practice with abused, suicidal African American women are noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A literary guide for psychologists.

Recently, while visiting another science laboratory the author was given a glossary of phrases commonly used in scientific reports. Sure that all psychologists who read and write research reports are interested in maximizing "communication," the author cheerfully offers an abridged guide for use with psychological literature. Perhaps other psychologists can suggest additional definitions which will increase enlightenment. An example: What he said: "It has long been known that . . ." and what he meant: "I haven't bothered to look up the original reference but . . .." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Professional mobility for psychologists: Multiple choices, multiple opportunities.

This article details the roots of the mobility movement, including frequent difficulties psychologists encounter when applying for additional licenses and how these obstacles led credentialing organizations to encourage licensing boards to extend a mobility privilege to psychologists who meet certain national standards. The National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology advocates an inclusive approach to licensure mobility by encouraging psychological organizations and licensing boards to support and adopt multiple mobility mechanisms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)