The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between college student development and alcohol consumption patterns. Student development was investigated in the domains of moral development through the use of the Defining Issues Test, identity development through the use of the Erwin Identity Scale, and intellectual development through the use of the Scale of Intellectual Development. Alcohol consumption patterns were studied in terms of binge drinking frequency according to responses on the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey. All participants were classified into one of four drinking pattern categories: Abstainers, Drinkers, Bingers, and Frequent Bingers. The study also used a discriminant analysis to determine the linear combination of student developmental and demographic variables which best predicts student drinking category membership.;The study was conducted through a randomized mailing to 400 undergraduate students at the College of William and Mary. The 114 respondents were residential, traditionally-aged students. Results showed that there was a significant effect for the Commitment subscale of the Scale of Intellectual Development by alcohol consumption category. Students who were Non-Bingers were more likely to have higher scores on this measure of commitment to a value system and personal method of processing information. There was also a significant effect for Greek membership by alcohol consumption category, as Frequent Bingers and Bingers were more likely to be members of Greek organizations than were Drinkers and Abstainers. Commitment score and Greek membership were the strongest predictor variables in the discriminant function.

This study investigated the behavioral parameters of depression in children and adolescents. Demographic information, DSM-III psychiatric diagnosis, scores on the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), and admitting problem (POR) behaviors were obtained from an archival data pool collected at four different child psychiatric hospitals on 630 inpatient subjects 5 to 20 years of age.;Subjects were assigned to one of four research groups defined by psychiatric diagnosis (DSM-III) and/or by scores on the CDI, i.e., CDI only groups (high vs. low scorers), DSM-III only groups (depressed vs. conduct-disordered), DSM-III + CDI groups (depressed high scorers vs. conduct-disordered low scorers), and DSM-III only (depressed children vs. depressed adolescents). Forty POR behaviors previously identified as being symptoms or associated features of childhood depression were used in a discriminant function analysis for each research question.;There was no difference between groups on POR behaviors when separated only by CDI scores. Results supported some behavioral difference between psychiatrically diagnosed depressed and conduct-disordered youth. Sadness appeared to be the most powerful discriminating variable for predicting depression as separate from conduct disorder when depression was defined by DSM-III criteria alone and in conjunction with CDI cutoff scores of 11 or higher. Aggression was significant in predicting conduct disorder for the DSM-III only groups. Poor self-concept and school underachievement were also indicated as behavior variables having discriminating power when depression was defined by DSM-III only. Age differences in POR behaviors for DSM-III depressed children and adolescents were not significant.;Results were discussed in terms of trends in the data that may be useful for further investigative efforts. The presence of a number of behaviors in DSM-III and DSM-III plus CDI depressed groups supported findings of previous psychometric studies; support was also found for several overlapping behaviors between depressed and conduct-disordered groups as reported in the literature. It was concluded that further behavioral study is needed with depressed children and adolescents to confirm findings from previous psychiatrically and psychometrically based studies. Findings would ultimately be useful in formulating developmental refinements in the assessment criteria for childhood depression and aiding in the differential diagnosis of depression and conduct disorder.

No description available.

No description available.

In this study we sought to compare eating disorder attitudes and behaviors, and proneness to an eating disorder (“ED proneness”), between gay men, lesbian women, and transgender and non-conforming (TGNC) adults. A further aim was to identify and compare risk and protective factors, and examine a mediational model based on the interpersonal theory of eating disorders (IPT-ED), whereby the association between interpersonal factors and ED proneness would be mediated by psychological constructs pertaining to the self and negative affect. Data was obtained from a larger national study of health risk and protective factors among sexual minority and gender diverse populations. The sample included 97 gay men, 82 lesbian women, and 138 TGNC adults. Participants completed the National College Health Assessment, Eating Disorders Screen for Primary Care, Patient Health Questionnaire Depression scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 scale, Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form, Negative Social Exchange subscale of the Multidimensional Health Profile, Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire, and Perceived Stigma Scale. There was a significant difference between groups in ED proneness, with lesbian women (66.7%) having a significantly higher percentage than gay men (47.6%). There was also a significant difference between groups in weight-based self-worth, with the lowest percentage in gay men (63%) and the highest percentage in lesbian women (82%), as well as dissatisfaction with eating patterns, with the highest percentage in TGNC adults (69.8%) and the lowest percentage in gay men (47.7%). There was a low percentage of inappropriate compensatory behaviors, with no significant difference between groups. Logistic regression analyses showed that the predictor variables of ED proneness were depression, perceived stigma, and self-compassion in gay men; depression in lesbian women; and self-compassion in the TGNC adults. Mediation analyses showed that thwarted belongingness (i.e., an unmet to belong) and perceived stigma had an indirect association with ED proneness that was mediated by self-compassion and depression (for perceived stigma alone) in gay men, depression in lesbian women, and self-compassion in TGNC adults. The interpersonal theory of eating disorders therefore extends to sexual minority and gender diverse populations; however, the results suggest a broadening of theoretical models and intervention programs to include the role of stigma and self-compassion.

With the rise of modern humanism and its psychological progeny, humanistic psychology, an emphasis on self-actualization has been de rigueur across many fields of scientific exploration. In the last several decades, Positive Psychology, with its focus on eudamonia, or the factors contributing to a meaningful and fulfilling life, has assumed responsibility for propagating this line of thought. Indeed, it might be argued that positive psychology, as a modern philosophy of human aspiration, has permeated a broader range of techno-scientific pursuits than similar, past ideological stances, spawning a sub-culture of positive, yet sometimes anti-positivistic, endeavors. With cult-like status, positive psychological principles have been applied toward exploring mental (e.g., positive suicidology; positive psychiatry) and physical health (e.g., positive health psychology), understanding the brain (e.g., positive neuropsychology), and enhancing the outcome quality of human-technology interactions (e.g., positive computing; positive technology). Yet, criticisms of the evolution of homo positivus abound; for example, a singular focus on positive emotionality, a componential rather than wholistic perspective, a positivist-scientism emphasis, and adherence to Eurocentric cultural perspectives, are among the issues debated. Possibilities available to humankind. This warrants the question, as we move toward greater integration of man and machine. Can, and should, the growth-focused and resiliency-promoting tenets of positive psychology be applied to biotechnology, or will our Übermensch strivings have unintended consequences, such as biotechnological enhancements that allow transcendence of the existential concerns defining our humanity? A post-modern “Positive Biotechnology” paradigm is proposed, which integrates the evolving perspectives of Positive Psychology 2.0 and the rapidly-emerging transhuman biotechnological possibilities available to humankind.

The present study was designed to examine the extent to which perfectionism and social problem solving add to the prediction model of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), independent of suicide risk, in a sample of 386 ethnoracially diverse college students. Moreover, the authors were interested in whether social problem solving, beyond perfectionism, would account for additional variance in their prediction model. Results indicated that social problem solving did account for significant variance in the prediction model of NSSI, above and beyond perfectionism. Moreover, on controlling for suicide risk, a possible confound for NSSI behaviors, social problem solving was found to account for an additional 4.0 percent of unique variance in the prediction of NSSI, beyond that accounted for by perfectionism. The present findings have theoretical implications for the literature on perfectionism and social problem solving, specifically in relation to NSSI. In addition, the present findings have practical implications for social workers who work with college students engaging in NSSI behaviors.

No description available.

This study examined the factor structure of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) using secondary data drawn from 20 samples (N = 11,685)—7 English and 13 non-English—including 10 community, 6 student, 1 mixed community/student, 1 meditator, and 2 clinical samples. Self-compassion is theorized to represent a system with 6 constituent components: self-kindness, common humanity, mindfulness and reduced self-judgment, isolation and overidentification. There has been controversy as to whether a total score on the SCS or if separate scores representing compassionate versus uncompassionate self-responding should be used. The current study examined the factor structure of the SCS using confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) and Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) to examine 5 distinct models: 1-factor, 2-factor correlated, 6-factor correlated, single-bifactor (1 general self-compassion factor and 6 group factors), and 2-bifactor models (2 correlated general factors each with 3 group factors representing compassionate or uncompassionate self-responding). Results indicated that a 1- and 2-factor solution to the SCS had inadequate fit in every sample examined using both CFA and ESEM, whereas fit was excellent using ESEM for the 6-factor correlated, single-bifactor and correlated 2-bifactor models. However, factor loadings for the correlated 2-bifactor models indicated that 2 separate factors were not well specified. A general factor explained 95% of the reliable item variance in the single-bifactor model. Results support use of the SCS to examine 6 subscale scores (representing the constituent components of self-compassion) or a total score (representing overall self-compassion), but not separate scores representing compassionate and uncompassionate self-responding.

The extent to which individuals perceive stigma from others and internalize stigmatizing beliefs is increasingly recognized as a contributor to psychological and physical distress. Individuals in poverty may feel increasingly stigmatized as a result of financial hardship; however, little research has examined the linkage of financial stigma to health outcomes, nor the potential underlying explanatory mechanisms of such an association. According to self-determination theory, loss of social capital, which often occurs when a person is stigmatized, may deleteriously affect health outcomes, yet this premise has not been tested. We assessed the incremental impact of sociodemographic characteristics, and experienced and internalized financial stigma, on health-related quality of life (HRQL), as well as the mediating effect of belongingness, in a sample of 100 working, uninsured primary care patients. Results confirmed that experienced and internalized perceived stigma contributed additional variance, over the effects of sociodemographic factors, to poor HRQL, and belongingness was a significant mediator. Financial stigma may increase isolation, reducing opportunities for meaningful social connections, thereby deleteriously impacting mental and physical health outcomes. Therapeutically addressing stigma, and bolstering social connectedness, may improve HRQL in the underserved and impoverished.