Willingness to Engage in Collective Action After the Police Killing of an Unarmed Black Man: Differential Pathways for Black and White Individuals.

This cross-sectional survey study examined the underlying psychosocial constructs of Black (n = 163) and White (n = 246) university students' willingness to endorse racially motivated collective action. Consistent with the defensive motivation system model, we expected the police shooting of an unarmed Black American to activate concerns about personal safety, thereby eliciting negative affect, lack of forgiveness of the perpetrator, and motivation to engage in collective action. This path model was expected for both Black and White participants, with stronger associations among Black participants. In the full model, Black participants identified more with the victim and indicated greater personal threat, which led to (1) more negative affect and greater endorsement of collective action and (2) greater avoidance of the shooter and greater endorsement of collective action. In the Black participants model, collective action was explained by identifying with the victim and feeling personally threatened. In the White participants model, collective action was explained by three pathways stemming from identifying with the victim and personal threat, including negative affect, seeking avoidance, and seeking revenge. The results indicate different mechanisms to explain Black and White individuals' motivation to endorse collective action to prevent police-involved shootings of unarmed Black Americans.

LGBTQ-Related Individual Differences Predict Emotional Reactions to the Pulse Nightclub Shootings.

This study examined, among 232 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning (LGBTQ) participants, the association of identity centrality and public regard with negative affect about the Pulse nightclub shootings in Orlando, Florida. Identification with victims and perceived threat to personal safety were sequential mediators. Identity centrality was associated with greater identification with the shooting victims. In turn, identification with the victims was associated with greater perceived threat, followed by more negative affect. Low public regard was associated with greater perceived threat that, in turn, was associated with more negative affect. The results support the notion that LGBTQ-related individual differences increase distress about anti-sexual/gender minority hate crimes, especially for individuals with a strong LGBTQ identity and who believe that the majority, heterosexual society devalues sexual/gender minority persons.

Implicit Sex Guilt Predicts Sexual Behaviors: Evidence for the Validity of the Sex-Guilt Implicit Association Test.

Self-report measures of sexuality may be influenced by people's conscious concerns about confidentiality and social desirability. Alternatively, non-conscious measures (e.g., implicit association tests; [IATs]) are designed to minimize these validity concerns. We constructed an IAT measure of sex guilt using 154 male and female university students. The sex-guilt IAT demonstrated convergent validity as it correlated with various sexual behaviors and incremental validity as it improved the prediction of several sexual behaviors beyond that provided by the Brief Mosher Sex Guilt Scale. We conclude that a non conscious measure of sex guilt may complement the use of self-reports in studying sexual behaviors.

What motivates individuals with sickle cell disease to talk with others about their illness? Reasons for and against sickle cell disease disclosure.

This interview study documented how individuals with sickle cell disease make decisions about who to talk with concerning their illness based on psychological and interpersonal issues that are important to them. Reasons for sickle cell disease disclosure to specific persons were self-related (receiving support, venting feelings), other-related (educating others about sickle cell disease, forewarning others about sickle cell disease-related problems, someone asked for information about the disease), or situational (mostly focusing on another person being physically close or available to talk to). Reasons for sickle cell disease nondisclosure to specific persons were self-related (fear of rejection, being stereotyped, maintaining privacy) or other-related (lack of support, not worrying someone).

Individual differences in the impact of vicarious racism: African American students react to the George Zimmerman trial.

OBJECTIVE: This research focused on how race-based rejection sensitivity (RS-Race) and components of racial identity intensify negative psychological reactions to an incident of vicarious racism. We examined how these individual difference variables directly and/or indirectly predicted African American students' reactions to the trial of George Zimmerman in the killing of the African American teenager, Trayvon Martin. METHOD: In Study 1, 471 African American students completed measures of RS-Race, thought intrusions about the Zimmerman trial, and outcome variables (negative affect about the Zimmerman trial and forgiveness for Mr. Zimmerman). In Study 2, 304 African American students completed measures of racial identity (centrality, private regard, and public regard), thought intrusions about the Zimmerman trial, negative affect, and forgiveness. RESULTS: In Study 1, higher RS-Race was either directly and/or indirectly (via thought intrusions) related to more negative affect and lower forgiveness. In Study 2, high racial centrality and low public regard either directly and/or indirectly (via thought intrusions) predicted more negative affect and lower forgiveness. CONCLUSIONS: RS-Race and specific components of racial identity are likely to sensitize African Americans to incidents of racism that happen to other African Americans, leading to negative psychological reactions when these events occur. (PsycINFO Database Record

How patients' self-disclosure about sickle cell pain episodes to significant others relates to living with sickle cell disease.

OBJECTIVES: This cross-sectional study examines to whom and how fully sickle cell disease (SCD) patients talk to others about sickle cell pain, how helpful it is to talk with others about these pain episodes, and the association between talking to others about sickle cell pain episodes and patients' psychological adjustment and coping strategies in managing the disease. METHODS: A convenience sample of 73 African American patients with SCD (30 men and 43 women), were recruited from two SCD clinics at the time of routine medical visits. Most participants had been diagnosed with hemoglobin SS, and they reported an average number of 8.61 pain episodes in the previous 12 months. Participants were asked to whom, how fully, and how helpful it was to talk to significant others about SCD pain episodes experienced in the last 12 months. Patients also completed measures of their psychological adjustment as well as how they would manage a future sickle cell pain episode. Self-report ratings were made on Likert-type scales. RESULTS: Based on paired samples t-tests, participants talked significantly more fully about their thoughts and feelings concerning pain episodes to God and to their primary medical providers than to either their parents, siblings, or an intimate partner/close friend. Bivariate correlations indicated that amount and helpfulness of talking about pain episodes to God and to parents were significantly associated with better psychological adjustment on selected measures. Also, bivariate correlations indicated that helpfulness in talking with siblings, intimate partner/close friend, and primary medical providers was positively related with willingness to go to a physician in the event of a future pain episode. CONCLUSIONS: The results document to whom and how helpful it is to talk with others about SCD pain episodes and how SCD disclosure is related to strategies for managing this disease.

Disentangling reactions to HIV disclosure: effects of HIV status, sexual orientation, and disclosure recipients' gender.

This experiment examined how reactions to HIV disclosure by a male stimulus person are influenced by the discloser's HIV status and sexual orientation as well as the disclosure recipient's gender. Participants (152 male and female college students) disclosed more intimately about themselves (revealing highly personal facts and personal feelings) when the man's HIV test result was positive versus negative. The effects of HIV status disclosure on participants' self-disclosure and social support were also moderated by the man's sexual orientation and participants' gender. The results document circumstances when HIV disclosure may lead to positive reactions instead of avoidance and exclusion.

Still stressful after all these years: a review of lesbians' and bisexual women's minority stress.

This article reviews the conceptualization of, and empirical literature on, lesbians' and bisexual women's sexual minority stress. In much of the early research, the experiences of sexual minority women and men were considered together (or women's experiences were inferred from men's), obscuring important differences. There is empirical and theoretical justification to consider the experiences of women and men separately and to develop and evaluate comprehensive models of sexual minority stress for women. Existing conceptualizations of sexual minority stress that include assessment of discrimination, victimization, harassment, concealment, internalized homonegativity may be applied, and perhaps adapted, to facilitate understanding of the unique stressors associated with women's sexual minority status. Future research must include mediators of the relationship between stressors and outcomes such as individual (e.g., coping and resilience) and group (e.g., social support, identification with a sexual minority community) resources. It is also essential to understand what factors may buffer the deleterious effects of these stressors.

Inmates with HIV, stigma, and disclosure decision-making.

Seventeen male, former inmates with HIV were interviewed about their experiences with HIV in a jail or prison in the southeastern region of the United States. Participants reported that stereotypes and prejudicial attitudes about HIV/AIDS were widely held by other inmates, and that concerns about HIV/AIDS stigma affected their decisions about HIV disclosure. The results suggest the need to better educate inmates and institutional staff about HIV/AIDS stigma and to increase privacy protection for inmates with HIV, especially in the context of providing medical care and dispensing medications.

Minority stressors and dual identities: an analysis of lesbians' expressive writing journals.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the content of the expressive writing journals of female sexual minorities. In addition, the relationship between the content of expressive writing journals and mood and perceived stress measured two months later was examined. Journal content was also examined as a function of demographic characteristics. Thirty-nine participants each wrote a total of six journal entries about significant stressful or traumatic events or recurring problems they have experienced as lesbians. Topics that participants wrote about were differentness, leading a double life, coming out, discrimination, rejection, fears of rejection and safety, self-acceptance, and same- and opposite-sex intimate experiences. Themes of feeling different, negative coming out experiences, and negative same-sex intimate experiences were associated with more psychological distress two months after the expressive writing exercise. Occupational level was associated with themes related to leading a double life and negative same-sex and coming out experiences. These results are considered in light of the unique minority stressors experienced by lesbians as well as the difficulties inherent in lesbians having ties to both lesbian and heterosexual cultures.

AIDS stigma among inmates and staff in a USA state prison.

We examined AIDS stigma among male inmates and male and female staff at a state prison in the southern region of the USA. Inmates and staff rated people with AIDS more negatively than someone with other diseases (diabetes, cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure). Inmates and staff were concerned about being treated differently if they tested seropositive. They also described AIDS stigma as a barrier to seeking HIV testing. Both instrumental (inaccurate beliefs about casual contact causing transmission of the virus) and symbolic factors (negative attitudes about injection drug use) predicted AIDS stigma. Negative attitudes about homosexuality predicted AIDS stigma among Caucasian prison staff and inmates, but not among African American staff and inmates. The results indicate the need to address HIV/AIDS stigma in developing HIV treatment, care and prevention programs in the prison environment.

Social comparison activity in coping with HIV.

Taylor and Lobel's (1989) model of social comparison processes under threat predicts that upward affiliation (a social activity) may be useful to improve the skills and to find inspiration in coping with HIV, whereas downward evaluation (a cognitive activity) may assist someone to feel better by comparing oneself to a less fortunate person. Participants with HIV were randomly assigned, using a 3 x 3 factorial design, to read one of nine vignettes about someone whose HIV medical prognosis and psychological adjustment were described as good, poor or unspecified. Participants desired upward affiliation with a target doing well physically, but they wanted to avoid a target doing poorly psychologically. Participants also evaluated their own physical condition as better than a target coping poorly physically with HIV. The results may be useful in understanding the impact of various role models in coping with HIV.

Daily events and mood state among individuals living with HIV: examination of the within-persons approach to data collection using daily diary methodology.

Studies examining the link between stressful events and coping with HIV have relied on a between-persons approach focusing on how individuals differ on some characteristics. Although the between-subjects approach has yielded important information, our goal was to use a within-persons approach, making repeated measurements of the same persons over many days, to examine the impact of changing circumstances on the mood states of those with HIV. A second goal was to determine if asking participants to report their daily experiences via a computerized interactive voice system is a viable way to collect such information. This study collected a variety of trait measures for seven HIV patients and subsequently used a computerized telephone system to collect information regarding daily events and mood states over 21 consecutive days. Several daily measures, including self-esteem, optimism, and positive social interactions were significantly related to daily mood states. Trait measures, with the exception of symptom distress, were ineffective in predicting variations in daily mood states. It was concluded that a computerized telephone system is a viable means of collecting information from HIV patients on a daily basis and within-persons methodology may provide useful information about daily events affecting mood states beyond that generated by a between-persons approach.

Close relationships and social support in coping with HIV: a test of sensitive interaction systems theory.

This study tested sensitive interaction systems theory, and examined how persons with HIV seek and receive social support in relationships with peers versus parents and the association between different kinds of support-receiving behaviors and depressive symptoms. The participants were men and women with HIV in southeastern Virginia who completed a self-administered questionnaire about their relations with parents, an intimate partner, and a close friend. Participants reported using more Ask behaviors (a direct form of support seeking) with a friend and an intimate partner than with parents. They also reported receiving more Approach (Solve/Solace) forms of support from a friend and an intimate partner than from parents and less Avoidance (Escape/Dismiss) from a close friend than from parents. As a support-seeking behavior Ask was most likely to be associated with Approach forms of support providing from all types of relationship partners. Avoidance from parents, an intimate partner, or a friend was positively associated with depressive symptoms. Counselors should discuss with clients the social support process and how different forms of support seeking and support providing may be more or less useful in coping with HIV.

Perceived HIV-related Stigma and HIV Disclosure to Relationship Partners after Finding Out about the Seropositive Diagnosis.

The present study examined how perceived HIV-related stigma (how much HIV-infected persons believe that the public stigmatizes someone with HIV) influences both reasons for and against HIV disclosure and self-reports of HIV disclosure to a friend, intimate partner and a parent. The research participants were 145 men and women living with HIV. They were asked to recall when they first learned about their HIV diagnosis. Then they indicated how much specific reasons might have influenced disclosing or not disclosing about the HIV diagnosis to a friend, intimate partner and a parent. Findings, based on the total sample, indicated that perceived HIV-related stigma was associated with the endorsement of various reasons against disclosing to a friend and a parent, including concerns about self-blame, fear of rejection, communication difficulties and a desire to protect the other person. Perceived HIV-related stigma was not associated with the endorsement of any reasons for disclosing to a friend, intimate partner or a parent, including catharsis, test other's reactions, duty to inform/educate, similarity and a close/supportive relationship with the other. In addition, perceived HIV-related stigma predicted self-reports of disclosure to a parent but not to a friend or intimate partner. Specific reasons for and against self-disclosure predicted HIV disclosure based on the type of relationship with the potential disclosure recipient. The data analyses were also stratified by gender; these results were, with some exceptions, consistent with the findings with the total sample. The research introduces scales that quantify individuals' reasons for HIV disclosure and/or nondisclosure.