Athletes who are deaf form a unique cultural group within sport. Many have competed at of the highest levels of competition from the Deaflympics to professional sport and the Olympic Games. Although deaf athletes have competed at these elite, world-class levels, there have been few attempts to recognize and understand the psychological characteristics of persons who are deaf in the sport context. Therefore, the purpose of the present research was to translate a commonly used inventory for measuring psychological coping in sport – the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory-28 (ACSI-28) - for use with a group of world-class deaf athletes at the 2007 Winter Deaflympics. In order to achieve this objective the study was divided into three stages: (a) adaptation and translation of the ASCI-28 for use with deaf athletes; (b) investigation of the preliminary psychometric properties of the adapted and translated inventory through pilot testing, and (c) collection of data from a group of world-class deaf athletes in order to describe the types of coping skills used in deaf sport and to further extend the initial psychometric properties of the inventory. Results of the pilot study indicated there was initial reliability and validity to warrant the use of this new measure – the Deaf Athletic Coping Skills Inventory (DACSI-36) - in the main study. Subsequent data collection using the DACSI-36 revealed that deaf athletes in some sports used various coping skills significantly more often than athletes in other sports. The results are discussed in light of previous research and implications for future research are presented.

College Gameday is important and well-watched. It invents the perception of college football. It frames college football using four dominant themes—nostalgia, masculine identity, militarism and sports-as-corporation. All of these lead to its popularity and the reinforcement of ideas about college football. This study analyzes six episodes of ESPN’s College Gameday, which originally aired in the fall of 2006. The research questions are 1) based on Nauright’s work, how does College Gameday frame football in terms of nostalgia, national identity and masculine identity; 2) are there frames present that have not been identified by Nauright. College Gameday frames college football in terms of nostalgia by placing special emphasis on school rivalries, traditions, and general atmosphere. The traits of national identity are militarism and corporate capitalism, as defined in this research. Therefore, College Gameday frames college football in terms of militarism by using “sports-as-war” references. These include words such as trenches, bomb, attack and invade. Sports-as-corporation, a new frame identified in this analysis, is used to shape perception of football by comparing the game to the business world. Players are compared to stocks, references are made to business deals, and the job specialization of players and coaches are emphasized. This new frame is significant because it provides an avenue for future research. Further framing analysis should be conducted to confirm and advance this “sports-as-corporation” frame. The masculine identity frame is most often utilized. Players are labeled “heroes.” Their achievements are emphasized, and they are attributed with having ideal traits in character and physical aptitude. Players and coaches are criticized when their performance is deemed poor or when behavior in regard to character becomes an issue. The research questions are based on Nauright’s (1996) review article, which examines sports history books along with academic literature in an effort to determine football’s historical cultural significance. His findings identify several themes which include nostalgia, community identity, national consciousness and masculinity.

It is the thesis of this paper that there have been certain situations when historical research had an important bearing on the choices statesmen made and the policies they pursued. This will be illustrated by focusing on a group of historians known as revisionists and analyzing the impact of their work on one particular event, Britain's reaction to the re-militarization of the Rhineland.

Athletics are an important context for youth development, but research findings have been mixed in terms of how sports participation fosters identity development and character growth. Adolescents’ active processing of who they are and who they could become is an integral part of identity work and fostered by altruistic activities. Twenty-four youth were interviewed surrounding their participation in full- and half-marathons through a non-profit humanitarian organization. Thematic results describe their self-concept, how they framed their purpose for running, the role of struggle in identity work, and new perspectives that emerged from the physical and social marathon experience.

Adverse and traumatic childhood experiences (e.g., ACEs) are inversely linked to negative outcomes in adulthood, including lower couple relationship functioning. Clinical research and practice have incorporated implications of ACEs, however much less consideration of ACEs has been given in community-based couple relationship education (CRE). This study explores dyadic effects of ACEs and mindfulness, a potential resilience factor and modifiable skill, on couple relationship quality in a diverse sample of CRE study participants before program start. Results indicate actor and partner effects for ACEs and mindfulness on relationship quality. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Mindfulness research has historically focused on individual benefits (e.g., Brown & Ryan, 2003), yet more recently also has considered relational outcomes influenced by mindfulness, such as romantic relationship quality (e.g., McGill, Adler-Baeder, & Rodriguez, 2015) and parent-child relationship quality (e.g., Coatsworth et al., 2016). Overall, mindfulness research has assessed global measures of mindfulness and does not consider the distinct elements of mindfulness and their relationship with various outcomes. Based on the assumption that there are multiple components of mindfulness, Baer and colleagues (2006) delineated and validated a measure of five facets of mindfulness. With a growing trend of incorporating mindfulness into prevention programs for parents (Cohen & Semple, 2010), it is valuable to examine the relationship between parenting outcomes and facets of mindfulness. Specifically, our research questions are: Are facets of mindfulness related at baseline to parenting efficacy and do some facets of mindfulness have a stronger association with parenting efficacy than others? Does initial change in mindfulness dimensions (after exposure to relationship education) result in subsequent change in parenting efficacy? Does the age of the child(ren) affect these relationships? Parents (n=578 parents—308 mothers, 270 fathers) were recruited as part of a larger randomized control trial (RCT) examining the program effectiveness of couple relationship education programs. Measures utilized include the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (Gibaud-Wallston & Wandersmann, 1978) and three subscales—nonreactivity to inner experience, acting with awareness, and nonjudging of inner experience—from the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (Baer, Smith, Hopkins, Krietemeyer, & Toney, 2006). Analyses utilized three waves of data—baseline, 6-week and 6-month follow-up. We utilized linear regression to test for a relationship at baseline between the three facets of mindfulness and parenting efficacy for both mothers and fathers, separately. Level of parenting efficacy was predicted by nonreactivity to inner experiences for mothers (β=.184, p=.001) and fathers (β=.126, p=.03) and by acting with awareness for mothers (β=.192, p=.004) and fathers (β=.179, p=.009), accounting for other variables in the model. Nonjudging of inner experience marginally predicted level of parenting efficacy for fathers (β=.127, p=.058), but not for mothers (β=.053, p=.421), considering all other variables in the model. Path models were conducted using only the program participant group (n=370 parents). We tested with mothers and fathers separately whether initial change in three facets of mindfulness predicted change in parenting efficacy six months after couples relationship education intervention. Positive change in nonreactivity to inner experience for fathers after intervention was significantly (β=.150, p=.041) associated with positive change in parenting efficacy six months later. Our cross-sectional findings suggest that the facets of mindfulness are not equally predictive of parenting efficacy. The findings from our path models suggest that enhanced nonreactivity to inner experience promotes greater parenting efficacy six months after receiving relationship education for fathers. This is an important first step to discovering what aspects of mindfulness may be particularly important for educators to emphasize when teaching mindfulness to parents. Final analyses presented in March will test if the age of the child(ren) affects these findings.

Differential sentencing has been a reoccurring issue in the judicial system for decades. Sentencing disparity occurs when similar offenders (similar in offense type, age, gender, ethnicity, and SES) receive different sentences or when different offenders receive the same sentence (Spohn, 2009). Prior studies find a sex effect,where women tend to be treated more leniently than men (e.g., Daly, 1987a). Sentencing discrepancies are evident in crimes that are considered to be gendered. Certain types of crimes are more likely to be committed by females and receive more lenient sanctions than if a male were to commit these types of crimes. These crimes include shoplifting, petty theft, and forgery. On the contrary, certain types of crimes are more likely to be committed by males and receive more harsh sentences than if a female were to commit them. These crimes include aggravated assault, burglary, and homicide. Driving under the influence of alcohol was chosen to study here because in instances of DUI, individuals are initially apprehended due to perceived behaviors behind the wheel, and officers are unaware if the driver is male or female. This study examines whether discrepancies exist in DUI case sentencing in the state of Pennsylvania. The bivariate analyses performed found significant associations between variables. The ANOVA depicted significant findings among men and women. Overall, women were more likely to be treated more leniently than similarly situated men. The crosstabulations also depicted significant findings for the effects of the mitigating and aggravating circumstances on the different types of sanctions. The presence of aggravating circumstances was associated with more severe types of sanctions, whereas the presence of mitigating circumstances was associated with less severe sanctions. The multivariate logistic regression models show that women were nine times more likely than men to receive a license suspension, and .3 times less likely to receive a jail sentence. These findings suggest that the Pennsylvania sentencing guidelines are not preventing disparities like they are supposed to. This indicates that legislative reform needs to occur in order to prevent disparities among individuals.

The challenges associated with having a learning disability have been found to persist throughout the life course. A healthy sense of self, as well as family support, are pivotal factors that shape outcomes for youth with learning disabilities. Using data from 8,915 participations in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, the present study identified longitudinal links between adolescent learning disabilities and depressive symptoms during adolescence and young adulthood. Mother-adolescent relationships emerged as an important protective factor. Latent growth models are underway to determine whether adolescent human agency mediates the link between learning disabilities and mental health.

Strained relations between law enforcement and the American Black community has long been an issue of grave concern. A greater public light on the deaths of unarmed Blacks has heightened tensions, and increased fear among Black families that they are susceptible to experiencing separation and loss of relatives as a result of police violence. The present study explores existing fear among Black Americans as a socially learned behavior. A qualitative phenomenological approach with a sample of 20 parents representing Black families in Central Alabama was used to examine fear of police violence and separation, as well as perceptions regarding the potential for improved relations. Three overarching themes emerged to explain participant experiences including: Familial Solicitude, Police-Community Collaboration, and Religious Guidance and Adjudication. This research has important implications for policy and practice, and is a strong effort to support Black families and law enforcement agencies in bridging the people-police divide.

Couple relationships directly affect parenting practices, which in turn affect outcomes for children. More so, at-risk couples are more prone to exhibit conflictual relationships, elevated parenting stress, and behaviors that increase their children’s vulnerability to negative physical, emotional, and behavioral outcomes. Couples relationship education (CRE) programs have been found to positively influence couple functioning, which in turn has been linked to improved parenting behaviors. Supported by a federal grant, Project F.R.E.E.(www.ugaprojectfree.com) provides CRE to at-risk parents engaged in child welfare services in order to improve couple and co-parenting functioning. This presentation will share results from a study examining changes among a sample of married and unmarried couples in self-reports of coparenting quality, parenting stress and parenting behaviors. Variations in change based on parents’ gender, marital status, and developmental timing of program delivery will be explored.