University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Department of Sociology

Students of a south central university provide data for this study investigating knowledge of self-injury (SI), experiences with those who self-injure, and perceptions of SI. This study proposes that college peers of those who self-injure have higher levels of SI knowledge than professionals who work with individuals who self-injure. In addition, the study proposes that individuals who have experience with others who self-injure have higher levels of SI knowledge than individuals who do not have experience with others who self-injure. An additional purpose of this study is to explore information regarding experiences people have with others who self-injure and their perceptions of self-injurious behavior. A convenience sample of 495 members solicited from psychology courses at a south central university completed the survey, which consisted of four sections including the following: demographics, knowledge of SI, experiences with SI, and perceptions of SI. The knowledge section of the survey contains a 20-item measure previously used by Jeffrey and Warm (2002). A knowledge score was created based on participants responses to these 20 items. This score was used in the analysis of both hypotheses one and two. Results indicate that participants have a poor understanding of SI, based on their mean knowledge score. In addition, results reveal that the current sample’s mean SI knowledge level is lower than seven of the seven groups' mean knowledge scores. Mean knowledge scores are significantly greater for individuals indicating experience with others who self-injure than individuals reporting no experience with others who self-injure as assessed through independent t tests. Descriptive information indicates that participants do not reject those who self-injure, but rather are supportive in peer relationships with others that engage in the behavior. However, participants indicate considerable confusion surrounding the behavior and are generally not accepting of the behavior, choosing to encourage cessation of the behavior. Limitations discussed include sample demographics, possibility for misinterpretation of survey items, and potential social desirability bias.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 97-98). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 97-98). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2003. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 66-77). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

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Today’s youth grow up in a world riddled by HIV/AIDS and its devastating effects. In order to prevent HIV infection in youth, there is an ongoing need to understand the influences that place them at risk in order to develop programmes to mediate these influences towards healthy outcomes. Sexual risk behaviors are influenced by various factors ranging from intrapersonal to social normative and contextual/environmental factors. This study focuses on the social normative contextual influences on adolescent sexual risk behaviours in an attempt to understand sexual behaviours, in a sample of school going adolescents from grades nine, ten and eleven, in the Durban Metropolitan area (N=259). This study aimed to examine the relationship, if any, between protective peer norm influences and adolescent sexual behaviour, including sexual risk-taking behaviours, measured by the dimensions of condom use at last sexual encounter, number of sexual partners and age of sexual debut. The findings showed no significant difference in levels of protective peer norms between those who have never engaged in sexual intercourse (primary abstinence) and those that had. The findings did, however, show significantly higher levels of protective peer norm influence regarding safe sexual practices, particularly condom use, among those who reportedly used condoms at their last sexual encounter, confirming that those who practiced safer sex had higher levels of protective peer norm influence. The findings of this study suggest the need for lifeskills programmes to empower youth to challenge social norms that place youth at risk of HIV infection, and further to include interventions to facilitate the renegotiation of peer norms towards health enhancing alternatives, to protect adolescents against sexual risk behaviours. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

Thesis (DPsych in Psychology (Counselling Psychology)) -- School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, 2003. / Submitted for the partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctorate in Psychology (Counselling Psychology), School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, 2003. Includes bibliographical references (p. 192-200).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wollongong, 2005. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references: leaf 219-237.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of Psychology, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 56-64).