The Influence of Race/Ethnicity and Gender on Psychological and Social Well-Being

Abstract

Psychological and social well-being was investigated, using a sample of non-disadvantaged African American men and women, and White men and women. Three standardized scales, the Generalized Contentment Scale, the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale, and the Cohesion subscale of the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale were used to measure well-being. The data were analyzed through t-test, ANOVA, and regression statistical procedures.

An association between race, gender and well-being was supported. More importantly, race was found to be the most important single variable in predicting levels of well-being. These results may support the continuing significance of race in the lives of African American individuals and families.     

Religiosity as a Predictor of Successful Post-Treatment Abstinence for African-American Clients

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of religiosity as a predictor of post-treatment abstinence. A sample of 96 African-American clients receiving community-based outpatient alcoholism treatment were interviewed at treatment entry and three months later. Achieving complete abstinence was predicted from client gender and 17 other predictors, including 6 substance-related factors, 7 psychosocial and health variables, and 4 religiosity/spirituality measures. Bivariate analyses showed that abstainers drank less prior to treatment, had more prior formal treatment and AA involvement, practiced their religion more regularly, and scored higher on measures of both spirituality and extrinsic religiosity. In addition, women were more likely to achieve abstinence. Forward entry binary logistic regression revealed that, controlling for client gender and pre-treatment consumption, only regular practice of one's religion/faith significantly predicted abstinence. Recommendations include (1) the need for research to evaluate if the current findings can be generalized across race/ethnicity and religious affiliation and (2) directing more attention to clients' religiosity in alcoholism treatment.     

Development of the Sexual Sensation-Seeking Scale for African American Adolescent Women

ABSTRACT

We used data derived from two independent studies to examine the psychometric properties of a new scale to measure adolescents’ willingness to engage in sexual sensation-seeking behavior. In Study 1, the Sexual Sensation-Seeking Scale for Adolescents (SSSA) was administered to a sample of 715 African American adolescents ranging in age from 15 to 21 years. The SSSA demonstrated strong internal consistency, moderate stability, and satisfactory construct validity. In Study 2, the SSSA data from a subsample of African American adolescent women detained in youth detention centers were analyzed (N = 103). Strong internal consistency was demonstrated with this sample as well. The results indicate that the SSSA is a reliable and valid measure of sexual sensation seeking for African American adolescent women.     

Development and validation of an instrument to assess institutionalization of health promotion in faith-based organizations

Institutionalization of health promotion interventions occurs when the organization makes changes to support the program as a component of its routine operations. To date there has not been a way to systematically measure institutionalization of health promotion interventions outside of healthcare settings. The purpose of the present study was to develop and evaluate the initial psychometric properties of an instrument to assess institutionalization (i.e., integration) of health activities into faith-based organizations (i.e., churches). This process was informed by previous institutionalization models led by a team of experts and a community-based advisory panel. We recruited African American church leaders (N = 91) to complete a 22-item instrument. An exploratory factor analysis revealed four factors: 1) Organizational Structures (e.g., existing health ministry, health team), 2) Organizational Processes (e.g., records on health activities; instituted health policy), 3) Organizational Resources (e.g., health promotion budget; space for health activities), and 4) Organizational Communication (e.g., health content in church bulletins, discussion of health within sermons) that explained 62.3 % of the variance. The measure, the Faith-Based Organization Health Integration Inventory (FBO-HII), had excellent internal consistency reliability (α = .89) including the subscales (α = .90, .82, .81, and .87). This measure has promising initial psychometric properties for assessing institutionalization of health promotion interventions in faith-based settings.     

非洲反殖民传统的灯塔：埃塞俄比亚文化诸相略论

位于非洲东北部的埃塞俄比亚是非洲文明、语言、艺术和哲学的摇篮,也是非洲政治思想和文学思想的发源地和重镇。埃塞俄比亚独特的历史地位使它成为非洲人民心目中的一座文化丰碑和一面精神旗帜。埃塞俄比亚人坚持使用阿姆哈拉语,已成为当代非洲本土意识的一个重要表征。埃塞俄比亚运动具有宗教改革和政治革命性质,对近代非洲意识的觉醒和非洲崛起具有重要作用。埃塞俄比亚哲学是一种富有哲理性的智慧,典型地反映了非洲人的生存和思维方式。埃塞俄比亚的艺术是本土艺术与宗教艺术的结合、非洲传统工艺和欧洲现代工艺的结合。以“埃塞俄比亚之风”为代表的非洲音乐元素是美国非裔文学乃至整个欧美现代主义文学之中回荡的一种旋律,对它们的主题思想和艺术形式都产生了深刻影响。     

试论日本的常任理事国战略及其前瞻

早在上世纪70年代,日本便制定了常任理事国战略。但由于日本自身因素与国际环境的不成熟,日本成为常任理事国的愿望未能实现。尽管如此,日本争取成为常任理事国的决心并未改变。日本要想成为常任理事国,需要解决两个问题:(1)修改联合国宪章;(2)认真反省历史问题。     

Interorganizational influences on the founding of african american organizations, 1955–1985

This paper examines the relationship between traditions of social action and patterns of organizational development, using data on the formation of national African American protest, advocacy, and service organizations between 1955 and 1985. Following research in organizational ecology, Poisson regression is used to examine the association between organizational density and organizational formation across strategic forms. The results provide some support for the idea that interorganizational influences are important in shaping the contours of the African American social movement industry. Outside funding, internal organizational capacities and protest levels also play a significant role.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 1992 annual meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society.     

Tobacco control and smoking cessation efforts in an inner-city African American community

This paper describes the conceptual framework that guided the development and implementation of a large-scale, community-based health initiative to lower the prevalence of smoking in an urban African American community. This project developed culturally-sensitive approaches to reducing smoking in the community and to promoting tobacco control efforts developed and implemented by community members. A randomized clinical-trial methodology was used to test the efficacy of the culturally-sensitive, community-developed smoking cessation interventions in lowering smoking rates as compared with a self-help approach. Two theoretical models guided the intervention strategies: a macro-level model applicable to the community as a whole, and a psychological process model applicable to individuals. The community model was based on community systems theory and incorporated the Readiness for Change Model, which was applied in both the individual and organizational models. In addition, culturally-sensitive data collection methods were developed to improve the reliability and validity of project data, especially in determining the smoking prevalence rates and smoking behaviors of hard-to-reach, inner-city African Americans. Since the health of individuals is related to the health of their communities, smoking cessation and tobacco control activities that are integrated into the framework of the community (i.e., churches, city-council, housing developments, community organizations), and incorporate culturally-relevant and specific interventions can be effective methods for achieving behavioral and societal change.     

欧亚大陆人类的起源与现代居民的起源

现代人类起源是人类进化方面最基本的问题之一,主要有两种假设:非洲起源论和多地区起源论。大约在180—200万年前,猿人(直立人)第一次离开非洲家园,迁徙到非洲以外的地方,标志着第一次大迁徙开始。在距今约35—45万年前,第二次大迁徙浪潮从近东开始。欧亚大陆许多地区找到的考古学材料可以作为人类多地区起源论强有力的证据。     

Racial Differences Between African and White Americans in the Presentation of Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is commonly thought of as a disorder of White females. Despite evidence indicating similar prevalence rates across races and genders, no study has examined the experience of BPD among ethnic minorities and how this differs from Whites. The affective and behavioral symptoms of BPD were studied in 17 African Americans and 27 White Americans with the disorder. Results indicated that African Americans experience greater affective intensity and emotional dysregulation, fewer self-harming behaviors, and more thoughts of interpersonal aggression than Whites. Differences in affective symptoms were accounted for by group differences in substance use and receipt of inpatient services, whereas differences in behavioral symptomatology persisted after adjusting for potential confounders. These findings suggest that not only is BPD not a disorder exclusive to White females, but that the experience of the disorder may differ substantially across races. Implications for future research and directions for developing culturally relevant treatments are discussed.