The reliability and validity of the Perceived Stigmatization Questionnaire (PSQ) and the Social Comfort Questionnaire (SCQ) among an adult burn survivor sample.

In this study, 361 adult burn survivors completed the Perceived Stigmatization Questionnaire (PSQ), the Social Comfort Questionnaire (SCQ), and other measures. Both the PSQ and SCQ had good internal consistency indices. Factor analysis of the PSQ yielded 3 factors (absence of friendly behavior, confused/staring behavior, and hostile behavior). The SCQ had 1 factor. Conjoint factor analysis with measures of related constructs (body esteem, body-esteem importance, depression, social support) suggested that PSQ and SCQ measure distinct constructs. Correlations with the related psychosocial constructs and burn characteristics suggested the PSQ and SCQ have good convergent and discriminant validity. Limitations of the study are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

食品添加剂的“污名化”现象与风险交流对策探讨

污名化是一种典型群体极化现象,也是风险交流者最难处理的问题之一.本文分析了食品添加剂污名化及其特征和成因,并以此为基础提出了针对性的对策,用于食品安全领域的风险交流实践.     

The role of accent as a work stressor on attitudinal and health-related work outcomes.

Previous research has indicated that perceived discrimination can be a powerful work stressor influencing employees' outcomes beyond well-documented work stressors such as role ambiguity and role conflict. However, the incremental predictive validity of perceived discrimination based on foreign accent as a work stressor remains poorly understood. It was proposed that perceived discrimination based on accent influences employee outcomes such as job satisfaction and work tension above and beyond role ambiguity and role conflict. Data from 114 Hispanic employees who speak English with an accent supported this prediction. The moderating roles of group identity, self-efficacy, and perceived control in the process were examined. None of the proposed coping mechanism buffered the impact of perceived discrimination based on accent on employee outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of the other-directed stigmatization produced by legal and illegal forms of affirmative action.

Recent studies have begun to show that the stigma of incompetence sometimes directed toward the beneficiaries of affirmative action may be significantly reduced as the preferences granted to women and minorities become more moderate. The author examined whether the stigmatization of African Americans would differ under hiring policies that represented legal and illegal levels of racial preference according to federal regulations. Participants were 178 students and 161 corporate employees who rated fictitious Black and White target employees working under (a) an illegal policy of selection of unequal candidates, (b) a legal policy of selection of comparable candidates, or (c) equal opportunity. Participants rated Black targets' achievement-related traits lower than White targets only under the illegal policy. Under the legal policy, no such stigmatization was observed. Additional dependent measures and theoretical implications were explored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Childhood gender noncomformity remains a robust and neutral correlate of sexual orientation: Reply to Hegarty (2009).

In this issue, P. Hegarty (see record 2009-09998-015) comments on an article by G. Rieger, J. A. W. Linsenmeier, L. Gygax, and J. M. Bailey (see record 2007-19851-006) that compared videos of homosexual and heterosexual people from childhood and adulthood. The current authors claim it is reasonable to treat masculinity–femininity as a bipolar scale and present justification for the approach used in the earlier study. Measures used by Rieger et al. (2008) yielded large differences between homosexual and heterosexual participants, and these differences are likely to be more meaningful than the low and nonsignificant within-group correlations on which Hegarty chose to focus. The authors address his suggestion that they are working within a paradigm detrimental to the well-being of homosexual and gender-nonconforming individuals and suggest that greater openness to research such as theirs could have beneficial consequences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stigma, obesity, and the health of the nation's children.

Preventing childhood obesity has become a top priority in efforts to improve our nation's public health. Although much research is needed to address this health crisis, it is important to approach childhood obesity with an understanding of the social stigma that obese youths face, which is pervasive and can have serious consequences for emotional and physical health. This report reviews existing research on weight stigma in children and adolescents, with attention to the nature and extent of weight bias toward obese youths and to the primary sources of stigma in their lives, including peers, educators, and parents. The authors also examine the literature on psychosocial and physical health consequences of childhood obesity to illustrate the role that weight stigma may play in mediating negative health outcomes. The authors then review stigma-reduction efforts that have been tested to improve attitudes toward obese children, and they highlight complex questions about the role of weight bias in childhood obesity prevention. With these literatures assembled, areas of research are outlined to guide efforts on weight stigma in youths, with an emphasis on the importance of studying the effect of weight stigma on physical health outcomes and identifying effective interventions to improve attitudes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

涉核项目的“污名化”现象及对策研究

核电本身具有安全、清洁、高效的特点,但是由于核能的专业特殊性,以及部分公众核能相关知识的欠缺,导致涉核项目“风险的社会放大”,同时“邻避现象”加剧了涉核项目易被“污名化”这一现象。笔者分析了核安全和辐射防护学科中的一些基础数据,对比核能风险与其他风险,提出了扩大多层次的核科普教育领域,完善核科普教育形式,建立长期的核科普教育机制,合理调整涉核项目利益分配以及强化信息公开平台能力建设等建议。     

Perceived stigmatization and social comfort: Validating the constructs and their measurement among pediatric burn survivors.

Objective: The current study implemented a four-step process to evaluate the measurement properties of the Perceived Stigmatization Questionnaire (PSQ) and the Social Comfort Questionnaire (SCQ) among long-term pediatric burn survivors. Methods: First, a series of confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) compared the hypothesized four-factor model—3 perceived stigmatization factors (absence of friendly behavior, confused and staring behavior, and hostile behavior)—and one social comfort factor to three other models. Second, we tested the measurement invariance of the instruments between pediatric and adult burn survivor samples. Third, possible differences in structural parameters across groups were tested. Fourth, we tested whether the three perceived stigmatization factors and the social comfort factor loaded on one second-order factor. Participants included 369 pediatric and 347 adult burn survivors. Results: The four-factor model was superior to the comparison models. The PSQ and SCQ demonstrated measurement invariance. Factor variance, factor covariance, and the latent means of the PSQ did not vary across groups. The adult group had a significantly lower latent mean on the SCQ than the pediatric group. The three factors of the PSQ and the one-factor SCQ loaded on one second-order factor. Conclusion: The results of this study lend support to both the construct validity of perceived stigmatization and social comfort and the potential value of the PSQ and SCQ for studying the social experience of people with visible differences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Recommendations for Family Interventions Following a Suicide.

Consistent with a culturally competent, developmentally informed, and gender-sensitive integrative model of family therapy, this article provides a framework for therapists working with families following the suicide of a loved one. Recommended clinical interventions are provided and organized around commonly encountered themes: addressing psychological distress and painful affects, understanding denial as a protective coping strategy, appreciating and managing concerns about family disintegration, helping families deal with stigmatization, and creating a suicide story. Clinical vignettes highlight common challenges faced by families in response to a loved one's suicide. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Childhood sexual abuse, stigmatization, internalizing symptoms, and the development of sexual difficulties and dating aggression.

Potential pathways from childhood sexual abuse (CSA) to subsequent romantic intimacy problems were examined in a prospective longitudinal study of 160 ethnically diverse youth with confirmed CSA histories. Participants were interviewed at the time of abuse discovery, when they were 8-15 years of age, and again 1-6 years later. Stigmatization (abuse-specific shame and self-blame) and internalizing symptoms (posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms), more than abuse severity, explained which youth with CSA histories experienced more sexual difficulties and dating aggression. Stigmatization was found to operate as a predictive mechanism for subsequent sexual difficulties. Internalizing symptoms were not predictive of romantic intimacy problems, although they did show correlational relations with sexual difficulties and dating aggression. Early interventions such as trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy that target stigmatization may be important for preventing the development of sexual difficulties in CSA youth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)