Bereaved College Students: Social Support, Coping Style, Continuing Bonds, and Social Media Use as Predictors of Complicated Grief and Posttraumatic Growth.

Many college students experience the death of someone close to them and could be at risk for complicated grieving. Their primary sources of support may be unavailable as family members may live far away and their peers may be unprepared to respond to their grief. In addition, college students are exposed to a variety of stressors that could result in maladaptive coping. Furthermore, although most college-aged students use social media, little is known about its impact on grieving. The purpose of this study was to examine the degree to which social support, coping, continuing bonds, and social media use predicted complicated grief and posttraumatic growth in a sample of college students who had experienced an interpersonal loss. Participants (N = 258; 77.5% female, M age = 19.98, SD = 1.41) completed an online survey assessing the aforementioned constructs using Likert-type scales. Findings from two hierarchical regressions indicated that coping variables accounted for the greatest percentage of variance in grieving outcomes with avoidant-emotional coping being the most robust predictor of complicated grief and problem-focused coping accounting for considerable variance in posttraumatic growth (both were associated positively with the outcomes). As hypothesized, continuing bonds explained variance in both grieving outcomes with externalized continuing bonds and maintaining continuing bonds on social media predicting complicated grief and internalized continuing bonds contributing to posttraumatic growth (also all positively associated). Social support from family also was predictive of posttraumatic growth in the positive direction. Future research directions and implications for practice are discussed with the hope that this research might inform the development of interventions to assist college students who are grieving.

Evaluating a Recovery-Oriented Intensive Outpatient Program for Veterans at Risk for Suicide.

Background: Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and suicide risk is elevated among military veterans. Risk for suicide is inherently transdiagnostic, complex, and multifaceted, which means a comprehensive psychotherapeutic approach to risk mitigation is required. Aims: Our aims were to summarize findings from an evaluation of an interdisciplinary, recovery-oriented intensive outpatient program (IR-IOP) that includes evidence-based suicide prevention stategies for veterans with varying psychiatric diagnoses who are at risk for suicide. Method: Veterans completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation prior to and following their participation in the IR-IOP. Results: A significant decrease in the severity of suicide ideation was found between pre- and posttreatment. Limitations: This program evaluation utilized archival data and, as such, there was not a control group and posttreatment follow-up data were not collected. Conclusion: Preliminary findings suggest an IR-IOP for veterans with heterogenous psychiatric diagnoses utilizing a multifaceted psychotherapeutic approach to suicide prevention may be effective in reducing suicide ideation.

Is It Love or Is It Control? Assessing Warning Signs of Dating Violence.

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate the Relationship Red Flags Scale, a measure of ability to recognize warning signs of dating violence. The factor structure and psychometric properties of this measure were tested with independent samples of college women and men, and test-retest reliability was assessed with college women. Specifically, our first study examined the factor structure, validity, and reliability of the Relationship Red Flags measure with a sample of 433 undergraduate women. Confirmatory factor analyses provided support for a 25-item five-factor structure (i.e., Monitoring Behaviors, Controlling Behaviors, Demeaning Behaviors, Threatening and Aggressive Behaviors, and Jealous and Possessive Behaviors). Internal consistency reliability was adequate and the validity of the measure was supported for use with college women (negative correlations were found among measures of warning signs and acceptance of dating violence). Our second study replicated these findings with an independent sample of 330 college men. Finally, a third investigation found that the measure demonstrated adequate test-retest reliability with an independent sample of 47 college women.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Online Intervention to Educate College Students About Dating Violence and Bystander Responses.

The purpose of this study was to conduct a randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of STOP Dating Violence, an online intervention developed to educate students about dating violence and appropriate bystander interventions on college campuses. College students (N = 317) were randomly assigned to one of the three conditions: (a) the STOP Dating Violence intervention, (b) a website containing information about dating violence, or (c) a control condition. Participants completed pre- and posttest quantitative and qualitative measures to assess knowledge of warning signs and appropriate bystander behaviors, attitudes about intervening as a bystander, willingness to intervene, and self-efficacy regarding intervening. The results indicated that students who participated in the STOP Dating Violence intervention were the most knowledgeable about jealous warning signs of dating violence and appropriate bystander interventions, had the greatest intent to assist a victim of dating violence, and were the most confident in their ability to intervene in dating violence situations, when compared with participants in the website and control conditions. Those who participated in the intervention also demonstrated greater knowledge regarding appropriate bystander behaviors 1 month following the intervention. No differences were found in attitudes regarding helping someone in an abusive dating relationship or engagement in bystander behaviors at follow-up. Qualitative analyses provided further support for the efficacy of STOP Dating Violence in increasing knowledge of barriers to bystander intervention and appropriate bystander intervention strategies in dating violence situations. Overall, the STOP Dating Violence intervention has the potential to educate undergraduates about dating violence and bystander interventions on college campuses.

Multiple Losses: The Psychological and Economic Well-Being of Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence.

This study advanced knowledge regarding the mechanisms through which intimate partner violence relates to psychological and financial distress with a sample of diverse low-income women. Data were collected from 147 female domestic violence survivors who were abused by a male partner within the past 6 months. Three hierarchical regression analyses revealed that psychological, physical, and economic abuse were predictive of posttraumatic stress, depression, and economic self-sufficiency among survivors. Guided by the Conservation of Resources Theory, the loss of financial, work, and interpersonal resources also predicted these three outcomes, above and beyond abuse experiences (i.e., economically controlling behaviors, economic sabotage, and interpersonal resource loss were unique predictors). In addition, bootstrap mediation analyses showed that interpersonal resource loss partially mediated the relationship between psychological abuse and mental health outcomes. Together, these findings can be used to inform future interventions to promote the financial and psychological well-being of survivors.

Assessing women's career barriers across racial/ethnic groups: The Perception of Barriers Scale.

The purpose of the study was to examine the factor structure, measurement invariance, and psychometric properties of a commonly used measure of perceived career barriers (The Perception of Barriers Scale; Luzzo & McWhirter, 2001) with racially diverse college women. The results supported a 9-factor structure for the Perception of Barriers Scale; configural, metric, and scalar invariance for the 9-factors were found with Asian, African American, Latina, and White college women. All groups of women of color reported higher career barriers due to racism and higher educational barriers due to racial discrimination than White women. The results also demonstrated potential differences in salient barriers for women of color (educational barriers due to lack of confidence/skills for Asian women, career barriers due to sexism and racism for African American women, and educational barriers due to financial concerns for Latina women). The reliability estimates of the subscales were satisfactory and support for criterion validity was demonstrated. The results highlighted the importance of measuring and identifying salient barriers for college women of color. Future research and practice implications for assessing and ameliorating salient barriers for college women are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Racial identity invalidation with multiracial individuals: An instrument development study.

OBJECTIVES: Racial identity invalidation, others' denial of an individual's racial identity, is a salient racial stressor with harmful effects on the mental health and well-being of Multiracial individuals. The purpose of this study was to create a psychometrically sound measure to assess racial identity invalidation for use with Multiracial individuals (N = 497). METHOD: The present sample was mostly female (75%) with a mean age of 26.52 years (SD = 9.60). The most common racial backgrounds represented were Asian/White (33.4%) and Black/White (23.7%). Participants completed several online measures via Qualtrics. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analyses revealed 3 racial identity invalidation factors: behavior invalidation, phenotype invalidation, and identity incongruent discrimination. A confirmatory factor analysis provided support for the initial factor structure. Alternative model testing indicated that the bifactor model was superior to the 3-factor model. Thus, a total score and/or 3 subscale scores can be used when administering this instrument. Support was found for the reliability and validity of the total scale and subscales. In line with the minority stress theory, challenges with racial identity mediated relationships between racial identity invalidation and mental health and well-being outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight the different dimensions of racial identity invalidation and indicate their negative associations with connectedness and psychological well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record

Work, family, support, and depression: employed mothers in Israel, Korea, and the United States.

Our research revealed differences in work-family constructs for employed mothers in 3 countries, Israel (N = 105), Korea (N = 298), and the United States (N = 305). Although levels of work-family conflict were comparable, the Korean women had the lowest levels of work-family enrichment compared with the Israeli and American mothers. Moreover, Korean women reported the most depression and the least support from both spouses and employers. Spousal support mediated the relationship between work-family conflict and depression for employed mothers in Israel, Korea, and the United States. As hypothesized by conservation of resources theory (Hobfoll, 1989, 1998, 2001), threat of resource loss (operationalized as work-family conflict) was related to depression more strongly than was resource gain (i.e., work-family enrichment).

Work-family enrichment among dual-earner couples: can work improve our family life?

The extent to which resources generated at work and positive affect were associated with enrichment in the family domain among 107 dual-earner couples was investigated. Grounded in work-family enrichment theory (Greenhaus & Powell, 2006), this study examined the indirect effect of workplace organizational support on family satisfaction through positive affect at work. Organizational support for work-family management was associated with positive affect at work for both women and men, and positive affect at work was related to family satisfaction for women. One interpersonal effect emerged: women's positive affect at work was associated with family satisfaction for men. Implications for theory, practice, research, and workplace policy are discussed.

Synchronous telehealth technologies in psychotherapy for depression: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Many patients suffering from depression lack immediate access to care. The use of synchronous telehealth modalities to deliver psychotherapy is one solution to this problem. This meta-analysis examined differences in treatment efficacy for psychotherapy administered via synchronous telehealth as compared to standard nontelehealth approaches. METHOD: We located 14 articles that met inclusion criteria of the use of a synchronous telehealth modality for treatment compared to a standard nontelehealth modality comparison group. RESULTS: Overall, a statistically significant systematic difference between modes of delivery was not identified (g = 0.14, SE = 0.08, 95% CI = [-0.03, 0.30], P = .098, I(2) = 49.74%). Stratification methods and metaregression were used to analyze the contributions of type of comparison group, intervention modality, and targeted mental health outcome to moderation of effect size (ES) estimates and heterogeneity. Type of comparison group (face-to-face versus care-as-usual) had the strongest influence on observed heterogeneity and moderated the summary ES. The only detectable difference in efficacy was restricted to studies that used care-as-usual as the comparison group (g = 0.29, SE = 0.06, 95% CI = [0.16, 0.41], P < .001, I(2) = 5.14%). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, we found no evidence to suggest that the delivery of psychotherapy via synchronous telehealth modalities is less effective than nontelehealth means in reducing depression symptoms.

"Leaving before she leaves": considering future family when making career plans.

An instrument was developed to measure the extent to which people consider future children and romantic partners when planning for a career (i.e., the PLAN scale). Two independent factor-analytic studies of a total of 726 college women were conducted to assess the factor structure and psychometric properties of this measure. Results suggested that the PLAN represents a general Considering Future Family When Making Career Plans factor and 2 domain-specific factors: Considering Children and Prioritizing and Compromising for Partner. Suggestions for future research and practice using the PLAN scale are provided.

Challenges and resilience in the lives of urban, multiracial adults: an instrument development study.

Multiracial Americans represent a rapidly growing population (Shih & Sanchez, 2009); however, very little is known about the types of challenges and resilience experienced by these individuals. To date, few psychological measures have been created specifically to investigate the experiences of multiracial people. This article describes 2 studies focused on the development and psychometric properties of the Multiracial Challenges and Resilience Scale (MCRS). The MCRS was developed using a nationwide Internet sample of urban, multiracial adults. Exploratory factor analyses revealed 4 Challenge factors (Others' Surprise and Disbelief Regarding Racial Heritage, Lack of Family Acceptance, Multiracial Discrimination, and Challenges With Racial Identity) and 2 Resilience factors (Appreciation of Human Differences and Multiracial Pride). A confirmatory factor analysis with data from a second sample provided support for the stability of this factor structure. The reliability and validity of the measure, implications of these findings, and suggestions for future research are discussed.

An analogue study of the effects of asian cultural values and counselor multicultural competence on counseling process.

One-hundred-and-sixteen Asian American college students viewed analogue videotapes in which an actress portraying a European American female "counselor" expressed cultural values that were either consistent or inconsistent with Asian culture to an actress portraying an Asian American female "client." In addition, the counselor either acknowledged racial differences or did not acknowledge racial differences with the client. The results showed that when the counselor expressed values that were inconsistent with Asian culture, the counselor who acknowledged racial differences was perceived to be more cross-culturally competent than the counselor who did not acknowledge racial differences. Also, the results showed that observer-participants' adherence to the value of conformity to norms was positively associated with their ratings of counselor credibility and crosscultural counseling competence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).