Previous research has indicated few victims of dating violence seek help for abuse or violence experienced at the hands of a dating partner, a failure that has led to rising healthcare costs and unreported crime. Attachment theory and the social support network orientation model have been used in understanding differences in attachment style and help-seeking behavior among individuals seeking help for medical and psychological problems, but the differences in these variables among victims of dating violence have not been examined. The purpose of this quantitative web-based study was to examine differences in type of abuse or violence experienced, attachment style, and help-seeking behavior between collegiate male and female victims of dating violence in heterosexual and same-sex relationships. A sample of 149 collegiate males and females involved in heterosexual and same-sex relationships completed the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2), the Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ), and the General Help Seeking Questionnaire (GHSQ)/Actual Help Seeking Questionnaire (AHSQ) to measure the effect of the independent variables, gender and sexual orientation, on the dependent variables, type of abuse or violence experienced, attachment style, and help-seeking behavior. The results of the MANOVA and chi-square analyses revealed: (a) no significant effect between one's gender and sexual orientation and type of abuse or violence experienced and style of attachment, (b) male and female victims of dating violence in same-sex relationships were less likely to seek help from formal sources than male and female victims in heterosexual relationships, and (c) type of actual help secured is independent of help-seeking behavior. The results of this study demonstrate a need for social change in the way victimization by dating violence is perceived and may aid helping professionals in developing culturally sensitive screening tools to identify and assist a population who might not otherwise seek help.

A comparison of two processes for the control of mentation was undertaken. I compared externally mandated thought suppression to more internally motivated mood management to clarify the mechanisms whereby insulted men regulate and repair their angry mood state. The one hundred and eight male undergraduates completed the Beck-Depression Inventory and the Vengeance Scale, then volunteered for a one-hour study about 'Education and the Job Market.' The men were assigned randomly to one of six treatment conditions of a 2 (Suppression Relevance: suppression of an anger-relevant word vs. suppression of an anger-irrelevant word) x 3 (Retaliatory Motivation: insult-retaliation vs. insult-no retaliation vs. no insult-no retaliation) factorial design; Stimulus Word Valence (affectively angry stimulus words vs. affectively neutral stimulus words) served as a within-subject variable I predicted that when insulted men not anticipating retaliation were told to suppress an anger-relevant word, they would generate word associations higher in anger-related content and respond faster than their baseline controls. Marginally supportive findings indicated that this enhanced accessibility of anger-related word associations occurred when the men gave their second response to angry stimulus word prompts, but not when responding to neutral ones. Methodological limitations and improvements are offered, and findings are discussed by comparing the thought suppression paradigm of Wegner and Erber (1992; Wegner, Erber, and Zanakos, 1993) to the mood management model of Zillmann and Bryant (1985; Taylor, 1992) / acase@tulane.edu

Background. Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the United States and of the estimated 4 million cases that occur annually, 90% of cases occur in persons less than 25 years old. Up to 85% of chlamydia infections in women and 40% of infections in men are asymptomatic; as a result they may go undetected. Provider referral partner notification is routinely used as a technique in the control of chlamydia requiring the naming of recent sex partners by index cases in order for them to be notified by the public health service for testing and treatment. In order for provider referral to work, sex partners must be named; however, predictors of compliance with partner naming requests have not been formally determined, nor has the general acceptability of provider referral to adolescents Objective. To identify the determinants of female index case compliance to provider referral requests for partner names and locating information; to reveal adolescent perceptions of provider referral Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted examining the socio-demographic and sexual history of 222 women ages 14--24 and their 241 partners. Bivariate analysis was performed to identify predictors associated with provider referral compliance. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with chlamydia positive adolescent women, at-risk men ages 18--24 and disease intervention specialists (DIS) Results. Almost all index cases (93%) named at least one partner; 58% of these partners were located for treatment. Two partners were named by 16% of index cases. Partners were an average of 2.7 years older than index cases. Bivariate analysis failed to demonstrate an association between hypothesized predictors and provider referral compliance. Qualitative research revealed that while both men and women were concerned with potential violence and loss of relationship in response to notifying a partner of chlamydia infection, a sense of responsibility encouraged provider referral compliance. Interviews with DIS confirmed these findings Conclusion. The majority of named partners were located and treated and qualitative data suggest that the potential of violence and loss of relationship as well as a sense of responsibility influence the decision to name partners / acase@tulane.edu

This empirical investigation compared the attributional styles of depressed, aggressive, and mixed depressed and aggressive latency-aged children. It was hypothesized that there were significant differences in the manner in which the three diagnostic groups explain good and bad events utilizing the attributional dimensions of controllability, locus, stability, and globality The outpatient clinical sample consisted of 30 youngsters ages 7 through 12, 10 depressed, 10 aggressive, and 10 mixed depressed and aggressive. Diagnostic classification was made utilizing the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (1981, 1983) and the Children's Depression Inventory (1988). Attributions were measured using the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale (1973) and the Kastan-Revised Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire (1978, 1988). Social competency, demographic, and family data were also obtained. Results pertaining to hypotheses were analyzed by one-way ANOVA comparing attributional differences among diagnostic categories. Correlational statistics were utilized in a more exploratory analysis of the relationship between depression and aggression and the attributional dimensions and included family and social competency data The results indicated that the Aggressive group viewed themselves as having significantly more control over events in their lives as compared to the Depressed group. The Mixed group did not differ substantially from either of the other two groups on controllability. On the other attributional dimensions, significant differences were found only between the Aggressive and the Mixed groups. The Mixed group had a more overall depressive attributional style, attributed fewer positive events to internal causes, and viewed negative events as more global than did the Aggressive group. Social competency was positively correlated with Depressed group membership and negatively correlated with Mixed group membership. Youngsters in the Mixed group were also more likely to have suffered abuse and neglect. The results suggest that controllability is an important attributional dimension in understanding the thinking of both depressed and aggressive youngsters; that there is more than one attributional pattern in youngsters exhibiting clinical depression; and that social competency and abuse/neglect play a role in the development of both depression and aggression in children / acase@tulane.edu

This dissertation examines the potential dark side of organizational identification, by showing how identification by organizational members can interact with members' social dominance orientation (SDO) to predict mistreatment of constituents outside of an organization. I present a theoretical model, explaining why I expect organizational identification and SDO, above and beyond their main effects, to interact to produce derogation of out-group members. I then test this model empirically, using an in-basket exercise with a sample of Bogota, Columbia police officers. While the hypothesis were not supported with regards to behavioral mistreatment, mixed support was found with regards to out-group evaluations / acase@tulane.edu

There has been extensive research conducted on the constructs of role ambiguity and strain at the individual level of analysis (cf. Jackson & Schuler, 1985). Although theoretical justification exists for considering these constructs at the group level of analysis, the literature has not adequately addressed role ambiguity and strain as group level phenomena. This study attempted to increase the understanding of strain and role ambiguity as group level phenomena. A model was posited which suggested that group role ambiguity would lead to both group strain and lower group effectiveness, and that these relationships would be mediated by interpersonal cohesion and task cohesion, respectively. Another purpose of the present study was to investigate the moderating influence of task interdependence on the posited model. The model was expected to be more strongly supported in work groups that are high in task interdependence than in groups that are low in task interdependence. Results reveal partial support for the hypothesis that the model of consequences of group role ambiguity would be moderated by task interdependence. Although the model did not fit the data well in either the high or low task interdependence conditions, it did fit the data better in the high task interdependence condition than in the low task interdependence condition. Because of the failure of the model to adequately fit the data in both low and high task interdependence groups, a post-hoc exploratory analysis was conducted. Specifically, the model of the consequences of group role ambiguity was modified by adding a direct path between group role ambiguity and group performance. Analyses revealed that the overall fit of the model in both task interdependent groups could be improved by adding a direct path between group role ambiguity and group performance. Additionally, results revealed that the model fit the data well in the high task interdependent condition but not in the low task interdependent condition. These results provide a support for the notion that the revised model of the consequences of group role ambiguity may be moderated by task interdependence. Implications of these findings for theory and practice are discussed / acase@tulane.edu

Fifth and Sixth grade males were identified as High Achievers (n = 37) or Low Achievers (n = 34) based upon school test scores and grades. Students from both achievement levels were given either five solvable (success treatment) or five unsolvable (failure treatment) number or word problems. Initial expectancy was measured by students' estimate of the number of treatment problems they would correctly answer and by the persistence time of students who received unsolvable problems. Causal attributions were assessed by: (1) asking students to rate the similarity of the contrived success or failure to their typical performance in the same and the other academic subject area (domain), and to the perceived performance of classmates and (2) by asking students to attribute their performance to ability, effort, task difficulty, or luck. Expectancy measures were obtained for additional tasks in the same and other domains and solvable (test) number and word task were administered. No differences due to achievement level were found for initial expectancy or persistence measures. For both High and Low Achievers, expectancy for same domain tasks increased following success and decreased after failure. Generalization of treatment based expectancy to other domain tasks was found only for High Achievers. High Achievers rated success as more stable than failure and Low Achievers rated success as due more to external factors than failure. High Achievers also rated overall outcomes as more global than did Low Achievers, and students of both achievement levels rated success as more global than failure. Attributional choices did not correlate significantly with attributional ratings, and were not found to vary as a function of achievement level or treatment condition. Although the hypothesized difference in dispositional expectancy as a function of achievement level was not found, a predicted differential sensitivity to success and failure was shown. High Achievers perceived failure as arising from temporary, limited factors and success as due to lasting, comprehensive factors. Low Achievers viewed their overall performance as relatively situation-specific, with success resulting more from external factors and failure from relatively internal factors. Implications of these findings for educational remediation efforts with low achieving students were discussed / acase@tulane.edu

This study identifies sets of beliefs predicted by length of time of sobriety for recovering alcoholics. One hundred and nineteen subjects, with varying times of remittance from mood-altering substances were recruited from local Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Each subject completed three questionnaires measuring general belief dimensions: (1) the Coping Response Inventory, (2) the Ego and Discomfort Anxiety Scale and (3) the Rational Behavior Inventory. A linear combination of beliefs instrumental in relapse and recovery processes were selected from these instruments and regressed on to length of time of remittance for all 119 subjects and for white males over 30. A trend, approaching significance for the combination of all beliefs (p $<$.19) was found for all white participants (n = 93). White males over 30 (n = 53) demonstrated two beliefs dimensions significantly predicting length of time of remittance (p $<$.05). They were seeking guidance and support and inertia and avoidance. This study demonstrates that specific cognitions, measured by sets of beliefs, are predictive of the maintenance of on-going sobriety for problematic substance abusers / acase@tulane.edu

Despite recent reports that juvenile crime has leveled off, the rates and types of offenses committed by juveniles continue to be of concern In particular, rates of aggressive offenses perpetrated by juveniles continue to be astounding. Researchers have a long history of examining juvenile delinquency in an attempt to determine which factors might put children at risk. Typical factors examined include ethnicity, family variables, history of substance abuse, intellectual abilities, and academic achievement. Delinquency has been measured in numerous ways including self-reports to determine the number and type of delinquent acts committed and official records of delinquency, such as legal history. Unfortunately, most studies have analyzed their data using delinquents as a homogeneous group, without examining possible differences in risk factors based on the level or seriousness of the acts involved. The current study examined samples of aggressive and non-aggressive juvenile offenders in an effort to develop a prediction model of offending. Developmental level and gender were among the variables considered. No single variable was found to predict aggression reliably within the total sample of offenders. A combination of four individual factors (substance-related diagnosis, age at first offense, drugs sold, and impulse control disorders) explained a significant amount of variance, however, they were found to have poor predictive value. A total risk variable was compiled by simply adding together the total number of known risk factors for each participant. This procedure resulted in correct prediction of aggression for one-third of the available sample. Subsamples of offenders were also examined. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed / acase@tulane.edu

Qualitative and quantitative methodology was used to investigate racial identity in a sample of 116 White American college students at a Southern university. Qualitative analysis of the participant responses to questions relevant to a multidimensional model resulted in the identification of 22 reliably identified themes. Cluster analysis of the themes across participants indicated two groups: one describing the White identity as related to biological ability and upbringing and the other emphasizing the social construction of race and minimizing racial differences. Membership in the ability and upbringing cluster was associated with less time in college and lower reported quality of interracial social interactions. Significant differences were found between the clusters on a quantitative measure of White racial identity; however, the clusters did not differ in reported self-esteem or depression / acase@tulane.edu