Phyllis Bronstein (1939-2012).

This article memorializes Phyllis Bronstein (1939-2012). Bronstein was a feminist scholar, social and clinical psychologist, and activist for social justice. At the University of Vermont, she engaged almost 100 undergraduates in her research teams, mentored the research and professional development of 43 graduate students, and trained over 90 clinical psychology students in the feminist family therapy program she developed. Bronstein published over 45 chapters and journal articles, and three edited books. One stream of her scholarship focused on sociocultural factors in parenting, child and adolescent development, with studies conducted in the United States and Mexico. Bronstein is perhaps best known for two volumes on the integration of multicultural and gender issues into the psychology curriculum, coedited with Kathryn Quina and published by the American Psychological Association. Bronstein's third stream of scholarship addressed sexist, racist, and ageist practices in academic and clinical professions.

Assessing conduct disorder: a new measurement approach.

The Delinquent Activities Scale (DAS) was used to develop indicators of conduct disorder (CD) in terms of symptom severity and age of onset. Incarcerated adolescents (N = 190) aged 14 to 19 were asked about their delinquent behaviors, including age the behavior was first performed, as well as substance use and parental and peer influences. Assessments were performed for the 12 months prior to incarceration and at 3-month postrelease follow-up. Evidence supports the utility of the DAS as a measure of CD diagnosis, including concurrent incremental validity. Furthermore, CD severity (symptom count) was significantly associated with two peer factors: friend substance use and friend prior arrests, with medium to large effect sizes (ESs). Earlier age of CD onset was associated with earlier marijuana use. This study finds that the DAS is a useful instrument in that it is easy to apply and has adequate psychometrics.

Validation of the delinquent activities scale for incarcerated adolescents.

PURPOSE: This study examined the validity of the delinquent activities scale (DAS), based in part on the self reported delinquency (SRD) scale. METHOD: Participants were 190 incarcerated adolescents (85.8% male; average age 17 years) at a juvenile correctional facility in the Northeast. While incarcerated, they were asked about substance use and delinquent activities in the 1 year prior to incarceration, as well as parental, peer, and demographic information. They were tracked at three months post-release, given the DAS, and assessed for post-release substance use. RESULTS: Three factors of the DAS assess general, alcohol-involved, and marijuana-involved delinquent activities. Principal components analysis was used to develop subscales within each factor. Support was found for concurrent and predictive incremental validities of these factors and their subscales in predicting substance use, with stronger findings for the general and the alcohol-involved factors. Subscales related to stealing showed lower validity than those related to more aggressive behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: These analyses suggest that the factors and empirically derived subscales offer researchers and clinicians a psychometrically sound approach for the assessment of adolescent misbehaviors.

Motivated forgetting and misremembering: perspectives from betrayal trauma theory.

Individuals are sometimes exposed to information that may endanger their well-being. In such cases, forgetting or misremembering may be adaptive. Childhood abuse perpetrated by a caregiver is an example. Betrayal trauma theory (BTT) proposes that the way in which events are processed and remembered will be related to the degree to which a negative event represents a betrayal by a trusted, needed other. Full awareness of such abuse may only increase the victim's risk by motivating withdrawal or confrontation with the perpetrator, thus risking a relationship vital to the victim's survival. In such situations, minimizing awareness of the betrayal trauma may be adaptive. BTT has implications for the larger memory and trauma field, particularly with regard to forgetting and misremembering events. This chapter reviews conceptual and empirical issues central to the literature on memory for trauma and BTT as well as identifies future research directions derived from BTT.

Women's sexual identity patterns: differences among lesbians, bisexuals, and unlabeled women.

To better understand women with same-sex attractions who do not identify as lesbian or bisexual (i.e., unlabeled women), we examined differences and similarities among self-designated lesbian, bisexual, and unlabeled women. Two hundred eight non-heterosexual women ranging in age from 18 to 69 years (85% identified as White) completed an online survey examining indicators of sexual orientation and beliefs and self-perceptions associated with sexual identity. Compared to lesbians, unlabeled women reported the weakest collective sexual identities and, along with bisexuals, they were less likely to view sexual orientation as fixed, being more focused on the "person, not the gender." Unlabeled women reported the greatest likelihood that their sexual identity would change in the future. These findings highlight the complexity of women's sexual identities and question the adequacy of categorical approaches.

Through the bullet-proof glass: conducting research in prison settings.

A team of academic researchers, clinicians, prison administrators and undergraduate and graduate students came together to conduct an evaluation of a pre-release discharge planning program in a women's prison facility. This paper describes differences between academic and corrections systems, adaptations needed in order to work within the correctional system, pragmatic and ethical issues addressed by our team, and the joys and benefits we experienced doing the project. Team members who had not previously worked in a prison setting found it an extraordinary, transformative learning experience in spite of the challenges.

Applying the transtheoretical model to ethnically diverse women at risk for HIV.

The purpose of this study is to compare the reliability and predictability of transtheoretical model (TTM) constructs when applied to minority and White women at risk for HIV. Participants consisted of 332 women, including Blacks, Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans, other non-Whites, and Whites. The results supported the reliability and validity of the TTM variables for minority women as well as for White women. Hierarchical multiple regressions demonstrated that TTM variables were able to predict over and above demographic variables. Structural equation models indicate strong support for a mediational model in which the pros and cons predict condom stage of change and unprotected sex though the mediation of self-efficacy. This study provides strong support for TTM scales applied to minority as well as White women at risk for HIV. The authors discuss how these variables might be incorporated into interventions aimed at increasing condom use in minority women.