Circumplex Model of Marital Systems: An Empirical Study of Clinic and Non-clinic Couples

The interaction processes of twenty-five couples receiving marriage counseling were compared with a control group of twenty-five couples not receiving counseling. The study was a partial test of a circumplex model of marital and family systems. The major variable was adaptability. Creativity and support were also examined. The study also sought to evaluate the usefulness of the principal instrument, SIMFAM, as a behavioral indicator of marital adjustment and an assessment tool for marriage and family counselors. Under stressful circumstances, there was evidence that better adjusted couples have a more equalitarian leadership (relative control) pattern. A combination of high support and equalitarian leadership was especially characteristic of NC (non-clinic) couples. NC couples were significantly more creative, more supportive and more responsive to each other's attempts to influence each other (control efficiency) than clinic couples.     

Effect of Age,Initiator Status,and Infidelity on Women's Divorce Adjustment

Divorce can be a distressing event. Although various studies have been conducted to better understand this phenomenon, little research has focused on the combined effect of age, initiator status, spousal infidelity, and spiritual well-being on divorce adjustment. To determine the effect of these 4 factors on divorce adjustment, 133 divorced women in the United States were surveyed using the Fisher Divorce Adjustment Scale, Spiritual Well-Being Scale, and a participant questionnaire. Results indicate that initiator status, spousal infidelity, and spiritual well-being together can predict 38% of the variance in overall divorce adjustment for women. Spiritual well-being was found to be the strongest contributor. Recommendations for researchers and implications for clinicians are discussed.     

Disparities in Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Literacy and Vaccine Completion Among Asian American Pacific Islander Undergraduates: Implications for Cancer Health Equity

Abstract

Purpose: Low rates of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among young Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women need to be addressed, particularly given the high incidence of cervical cancer in this population. The current study aims to investigate predictors of HPV vaccination in young AAPI and non-Latina white (NLW) women. Methods: A secondary data analysis was conducted of a health survey administered to college-aged women (N = 2,270) at a large public university in the Midwest. Andersen's behavioral model of health services utilization guided the study theoretically, and hierarchical logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate research aim. Results: NLW women had a significantly higher rate of vaccine completion than AAPI women (NLW = 60.7%; AAPI = 38.6%). NLW women also scored higher on all 5 measures of HPV vaccine literacy than AAPI women. Both groups of undergraduate women reported that increasing age, knowledge about HPV, greater use of gynecological services, and knowing someone who had cancer were significant factors related to HPV vaccination completion. In the NLW group, father's income was also found to be a predictor of HPV vaccination completion. Conclusions: Rate and predictors of HPV vaccination completion vary between NLW and AAPI women. Greater promotion of HPV literacy and gynecological service use should be made to young AAPI women to increase their HPV uptake. Further research should examine sociocultural factors that could hinder or promote HPV vaccination in young AAPI women.     

When Mr. Right Becomes Mr. Wrong: Women’s Postdivorce Name Choice

ABSTRACT

Divorced women (N = 185) who had changed to their husband’s name responded to a survey about their postdivorce name choice, which included demographic questions, Ambivalent Sexism Inventory, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction in General Scale. Resumers were younger and had more education than women maintainers. Resumers were married for fewer years and had fewer children at the time of divorce. Gender attitudes were not related to postdivorce name choice. Bivariate results provided some support for the hypothesis that name choice would be related to well-being measures. Maintainers reported significantly higher levels of autonomy and competence, but there was no difference in relatedness and self-esteem. Further analysis showed these relationships were moderated by age. Higher levels of autonomy and competence were seen in maintainers, but only among younger women. Possible explanations and the need for further research are discussed.     

Perception vs. Circumstances of the Child Sexual Abuse Event in Relation to Depression and Post-traumatic Stress Symptomatology

The study examined the impact of the circumstances of childhood sexual abuse on post-traumatic stress symptoms and depression among female adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. The sample consisted of 225 Israeli women divided into two groups according to the identity of the perpetrator (nonfamily perpetrator versus a family member perpetrator). A self-report questionnaire was used consisting of the following scales: demographic variables, the Traumatic Events Questionnaire, Childhood Sexual Experiences Scale, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Scale, and Depression Scale. The findings indicated that the identity of the offender significantly differed between groups only if intercourse had occurred. Women who experienced coerced intercourse scored significantly higher on depression and post-traumatic stress compared to those who experienced other forms of childhood sexual abuse.     

Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Sexual Intent Scale

Men have been found to attribute more sexual meaning to cross-gender interactions than women do—a finding that has come to be known as the oversexualization effect. Despite the large body of research supporting the notion that men are more biased in their perceptions than women, researchers are moving beyond gender differences and examining personality variables to identify factors that can explain and predict the oversexualization effect. However, results have been mixed. Thus, the goal of this study was to develop a measurement tool, the Sexual Intent Scale, which assesses individual differences in attributing sexual intent. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the Sexual Intent Scale revealed the scale has three components we termed Sexual Facility, Friendship Facility, and Sexual Empathy. Temporal reliability and convergent and construct validity as well as norms and subscale correlations are presented. Results are discussed in terms of the scale's utility and directions for future research are explored.     

Sexual function and the menopausal woman: The importance of age and partner's sexual functioning

The aim of this study was to investigate age, menopausal status, and the male partner's sexual function on the sexual function of the menopausal woman. Sexual functioning of 304 women (120 premenopausal, 76 perimenopausal, 108 post‐menopausal) aged between 35 and 65 years from a community sample was investigated. Multiple regression analyses found that sexual satisfaction within the relationship was better predicted by age group than by menopausal status. Younger women were more likely to be satisfied with their sexual relationship than older women. Age group was also a better predictor than menopausal status of current frequency of intercourse, with younger women being likely to have more frequent intercourse than older women. Whether a female respondent had experienced a sexual dysfunction was better predicted by menopausal status than by age. Women who were menopausal were more likely to report a sexual problem such as lack of sexual interest, poor lubrication, and failure to have an orgasm. However, age group appeared to be a better predictor of whether the male partner had experienced a sexual dysfunction. Older men were more likely to have experienced failure to have an erection, for example. The findings of this study indicate that age and the sexual function of the partner are important factors to take into consideration when investigating the sexual function of the menopausal woman.     

Early Marriage,Rape, Child Prostitution,and Related Factors Determining the Psychosocial Effects Severity of Child Sexual Abuse in Ethiopia

This study was aimed at identifying factors that determine the psychosocial effects severity of child sexual abuse. Data were collected from 318 female children in Ethiopia using the Children's Impact of Traumatic Events Scale–Revised and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The results revealed that respondents who survived rape and child prostitution were more symptomatic than those who were married early. Respondents for whom less time had elapsed since their first experience of abuse demonstrated a significantly higher level of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, negative reactions by others, self-blame, and guilt than those for whom more time had elapsed since such an experience. The respondents in an intact marital relationship were found to be less symptomatic than their never married and divorced counterparts. Implications for intervention and further investigations are discussed.     

Intimate partner physical assault before and during pregnancy: how does it relate to women's psychological vulnerability?

Most studies of intimate partner violence tend to be behaviorally focused, with scant attention paid to women's perception of vulnerability in their relationships. Since past research has linked such feelings and cognitions to women's health problems, it is important to examine multiple aspects of relationships when studying partner violence. Therefore, this study examines women's perceptions of vulnerability as they relate to their experiences of physical assault by their partner before and during pregnancy. A sample of 86 prenatal care patients were interviewed. The women reported their experiences of partner physical assault using the Conflict Tactics Scale 2, and they reported their perceptions concerning their relationships using the Women's Experiences with Battering Scale. Bivariate and multivariate analyses found that experiencing intimate partner physical assault was highly predictive of women's perceptions of vulnerability and loss of control in their relationships, with women who have been in physically violent relationships for longer periods of time being the most likely to express such feelings. Given that previous research has found such perceptions tied to negative health outcomes, clinicians are urged to evaluate their female patients' feelings of vulnerability as well as their experiences of intimate partner physical assault.     

Development and Validation of the Sexual Contingent Self-Worth Scale

Sexual contingent self-worth (CSW) refers to self-worth that is dependent on maintaining a sexual relationship, and has not been studied previously. This novel construct may have implications for sexual, relationship, and psychological well-being, because it could affect the cognitions, affect, and behaviors of individuals in sexual relationships. The purpose of this study was to develop the Sexual Contingent Self-Worth Scale and examine its reliability and validity in community samples. Two separate online studies (N = 329 and N = 282) included men and women who were in committed, sexually active relationships. The Sexual CSW Scale was adapted from a validated measure of relationship CSW. In Study 1, participants completed the Sexual CSW Scale, whereas in Study 2, participants also responded to standardized measures of related constructs. In addition, participants completed the Sexual CSW Scale again two weeks later in Study 2. Factor analysis yielded two subscales: (a) sexual CSW dependent on positive sexual events in the relationship and (b) sexual CSW dependent on negative sexual events. Results indicated good construct validity, incremental validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability for the Sexual CSW Scale. This research contributes to the fields of both CSW and sexuality by introducing a novel domain of CSW.     

Women in Substance Use Treatment

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the differences between women with children in substance use treatment who are involved in Child Protective Services (CPS+) and those who are not involved (CPS-). Using a sample of all alcohol and other drug (AOD) clients (N = 6,023) receiving substance use treatment over a three-year period (1997-99), the study found that CPS+ women were more likely to be younger, have more children, have been arrested less often, be mandated to receive treatment, to have an unsatisfactory exit status or be transferred to another treatment program at discharge. CPS+ women were also more likely to have attended outpatient or day treatment for the AOD treatment. This study points out that there may be specific risk factors in place for a subgroup of women with children in AOD treatment.     

Life's predictable unpredictables and the career plans of youth

A review of the status attainment research failed to discover a model that takes into account possible effects of unforeseen, consequential life events on the career plans of youth. The present longitudinal study found that 30.4% of 536 respondents indicated that something major had happened to change their occupational or educational plans in an important way. Race and sex differences were discovered with respect to whether a major happening was perceived to have occurred and with respect to the nature of the event. White women were found to be peculiarly vulnerable to the impact of unforeseen events. About half of all respondents who indicated that a consequential event had occurred cited marriage or having a child as the event. Relatively few in the low‐income sample cited financial problems as unpredictable events. Respondents who reported any consequential event were found to be less satisfied with their jobs and less happy with their marriages. It would be desirable to include measures of unforeseen consequential events in future status attainment research.     

The Differences in Role Division Between Partners in Long-term Marriages and Their Well-being

The study aims were to examine the relationships of 128 elderly couples married longer than 45 years and the role division between the partners, including a comparison of their perceptions of their first 3 years of their marriage with today. The research hypotheses were (a) there will be a change in the couple's perceptions about the traditional roles at the time of their marriage as opposed to today, and (b) men and women who recognize a change in traditional role division will experience better mental well-being than those who do not. The results showed a change in the couple's perceptions about traditional role division during the years of marriage. It was also found that these changes showed a positive correlation to the couple's mental well-being in those couples who recognized the changes.     

Distress in response to relationship infidelity: The roles of gender and attitudes about relationships

According to the evolutionary model of psychology, biological influences may be a force behind many gender differences in relationship strategies and responses to relationship issues. For example, prior research has shown that males indicated more distress in relation to sexual infidelity, whereas females indicated more distress at the emotional infidelity of their partner. The current study attempted to replicate and extend this previous research by also examining relevant attitudinal factors possibly related to responses to infidelity. Participants (N = 156) were surveyed regarding probable responses to relationship infidelity (sexual vs. emotional infidelity), and measures of participants’ sexual attitudes and romantic beliefs were obtained. Results indicate a clear gender difference: Women were more likely to choose emotional infidelity as most distressing, while more men chose sexual infidelity as most distressing. For the men and women who did choose the same type of infidelity as most distressing, their ratings of the intensity of the distress did not differ. Sexual attitudes were found to be significant in predicting distress caused by either type of infidelity. Romantic beliefs were only significant in predicting distress due to emotional infidelity.     

Enrich marital inventory: a discriminant validity and cross-validation assessment

To assess the validity and clinical utility of the marital inventory ENRICH, a discriminant validity study was conducted using a national sample of 5039 married couples. The sample was randomly split in order to form a cross-validation group. ENRICH is a multidimensional scale and two types of analysis were conducted to assess the value of these various scales. Results from discriminant analysis indicated that using either the individual scores or couples' scores, happily married couples could be discriminated from unhappily married couples with 85–95% accuracy. These results were cross-validated with a second sample. Using regression analysis, it was clearly demonstrated that background factors account for little of the variance in discriminating happy from unhappily married couples compared to their relationship dynamics, i.e., scale scores. All ENRICH scales except equalitarian roles proved significant, indicating the validity of a multidimensional inventory.     

Predicting Career Adaptability From Positive Psychological Traits

This study investigated positive psychological traits as predictors of career adaptability in a group of emerging adults. A total of 415 undergraduate students (185 men, 230 women) from a large state‐funded university in Turkey responded to Turkish versions of the Career Adaptability subscale of the Career Futures Inventory (Rottinghaus et al., 2005 ), the Dispositional Hope Scale (Snyder et al., 1991 ), the Life Orientation Test (Scheier & Carver, 1985 ), and the Ego Resiliency Scale (Block & Kremen, 1996 ). Results indicated moderate to strong correlations among the variables and suggested that students who are more resilient, hopeful, and optimistic are more likely to perceive themselves as more adaptable in their careers. Simultaneous multiple regression analysis indicated that career adaptability was significantly predicted by hope, resilience, and optimism. In light of these results, when designing career interventions to enhance the career adaptability of emerging adults, counselors should integrate various strategies to foster hope, resilience, and optimism.     

Age at Entry into Prostitution: Relationship to Drug Use,Race, Suicide,Education Level,Childhood Abuse,and Family Experiences

This study seeks to explore factors related to age at entry into prostitution. Participants were 389 women arrested for prostitution who had attended a diversion program. Women who entered prostitution as minors were found to be more likely to be African-American; report having a family member with a substance use problem; have a history of attempted suicide; and not have completed middle or high school. The age at first drug use was found to significantly impact the reported age at entry. Key areas for intervention should include improving school connectedness and preventing adolescent substance abuse, specifically for African-Americans.     

Family environment in Hispanic college females with a history of childhood sexual abuse

This study sought to examine the family environments of a sample of Hispanic women who reported childhood sexual abuse. Eighteen women, taken from a larger college sample, were individually interviewed and administered the Family Environment Scale (FES; Moos & Moos, 1994). Cultural values and the relationship of family characteristics to the individual's experience of sexual abuse were explored. The abused women obtained significantly higher scores on the Achievement-Orientation subscale of the FES than the normative group. Qualitative data revealed some patterns in these families regarding sexual discussions and poor conflict resolution skills. Implications for treatment of Hispanic victims are discussed.