Considerable attention---both within the research literature and popular media---has been devoted to the heightened risk of young, African American men for negative life outcomes such as early morbidity and criminal justice involvement. Much of the literature has focused upon various risk factors (such as poverty and low educational attainment) for negative life outcomes and is descriptive or quantitative in its analysis. The perspective and voices of the young men who experience this phenomenon has often been overlooked, and thus constitutes a significant gap in the literature This dissertation sought to address this gap in the literature through a qualitative research study which elicited the life stories of young African American men who are at risk for such outcomes. Spencer's (1995, 2006) phenomenological variant of ecological systems theory (PVEST) was the framework through which each participant's life story was analyzed, and enabled critical examination of the manner in which the manifestation of risk and protective factors influenced life stage outcomes. Results indicated that life stage outcomes were strongly influenced by an individual's net stress engagement (the manifestation of challenges and supports within various contexts), the reactive coping strategies they employed to negotiate life stressors, and identity development / acase@tulane.edu

Transcendental phenomenological research methodology was used to explore the disclosure of HIV seropositivity to the male sexual partners of African-American men who have sex with men (AAMSM). Very little research has been conducted that focuses on the serostatus disclosure process for AAMSM who are living with HIV. It is important to understand the social context within which AAMSM negotiate their sexual experiences Ten participants from Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Georgia, Shreveport, Louisiana, and New Orleans, Louisiana, were interviewed for this study. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using a transcendental phenomenological approach Analysis of the transcripts resulted in four themes related to intrapersonal, relational, societal, and contextual aspects of HIV disclosure. The identified themes were used as a framework to create stories that captured the co-researchers' experiences of HIV serostatus disclosure. A discussion of the results is provided, including implications for research and education and limitations of the study / acase@tulane.edu

A study was conducted comparing an Educational Support Group (N = 5) with a Waiting-List Control Group (N = 5) in the treatment of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). Subjects met diagnostic criteria for PMDD as outlined by the DSM-IV (1994). It was hypothesized that the educational support group would exhibit less severe symptoms of PMDD than the control group as a function of exposure to educational support. To measure changes between the groups, (across the one month pre-treatment, two month treatment, and one month post treatment phase) the Premenstrual Assessment Form, the Daily Record of Severity of Problems (content specific to the DSM-IV criteria for PMDD), and a Daily Monitoring Form were utilized The hypothesis that educational support would decrease PMDD symptoms was not supported by the results of this study. However, there appeared to be an advantage to participating in an educational support group as was determined by responses to a Final Questionnaire / acase@tulane.edu

The opposing cultural mandates to enact both affiliative female-role and dominant therapist-role nonverbal behaviors is examined through initial impressions of a female therapist. Client perception is assessed through therapist evaluations for the social meaning and influence of feminine smiling, masculine visual dominance, and an exploratory, combination, asymmetrical arm posture/hand gesture. Subject gender and analogue type (videotape versus role-play) were also hypothesized to be pertinent mitigators of perception. After 10-minute counseling sessions in a therapy setting, 125 male and female students evaluated the therapist highest with traditional female smiling, but subject gender interacted with other behaviors. Females showed an aversion to the nonresponsive visual dominance that males rated high, whereas males disliked the expansive arm posture/thinker gesture that females rated high. Therapist expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness ratings were also highly dependent on the medium of the message, with unique differences exhibited between observer and participant judgments / acase@tulane.edu

Adult Children of Alcoholics and Other Dysfunctional Families (ACOA/ACDF) were recruited from college campuses and the community (N = 57) to participate in a 20-week study to evaluate the usefulness of an 8-week cognitive, experiential therapy group. Participants in the treatment group (n = 35) and the comparison group (n = 22) were administered measures of shame and assertiveness at week 1, week 8 and at 3-month follow-up Elevated rates of abuse/addiction were reported. Findings indicated, over time, a decrease in shame scores for the treatment group and an increase in assertiveness scores for both groups. Those who received previous individual therapy, indicated lower shame scores, while those who received current individual therapy indicated higher shame scores. Age and gender difference were found to be non-existent This study provides empirical support for the usefulness of group treatment for the remediation of shame in the ACOA/ACDF population / acase@tulane.edu

This ethno-gerontological field study examined family caregiving in an aged colony of Latino immigrants from Cuba residing in the New Orleans Metro Area. Most of these families have been in this community for over three decades The empirical investigation based on five hypotheses compared caregiving burden among caregivers based on the effect of level of care, acculturation, traditional cultural value orientation, social support, and ethno-demographic aspects of the population. The study also examined caregiving impact, mastery, and satisfaction with the caregiving role; however, caregiving burden was the central variable of the study The sample consisted of 60 Cuban-American families caring for their dependent elderly (aged 65 and over) in a home environment. Caregivers were selected on the basis of assisting with at least three of the ten Activities of Daily Living (ADL's) (1989). Levels of caregiving were measured using the ADL's items. Data were obtained from caregivers regarding their level of acculturation utilizing the Behavioral Acculturation Scale (1978). Cultural value orientation related to person-nature, time, and relational orientations was measured utilizing items from the Intercultural Value Inventory (1990) and the original Value Orientation Scale (1961). Subjective burden along with other caregiving subjective experiences were measured using the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Caregiving Appraisal Scale (1989). Caregiver's social support was measured by various items examining enacted support, satisfaction with that support, and extent of the support network. The perception of emotional support was measured by a scale from the Caregiving Stress and Coping Study (1990). An ethno-demographic instrument was developed specifically for this sample based on Hernandez-Peck's (1980) study of elderly Cubans in Miami. The ethno-demographic instrument was used to measured the social history of caregivers and the elderly. Variables were measured utilizing t-tests and simple and stepwise multiple regression procedures The results indicated that the higher the level of caregiving the greater the subjective burden. Subjective burden was also intensified by emotional and/or personality problems of the elderly relative. Social support was a significant buffering factor on caregiving burden. Perceived social support revealed an even stronger positive effect on caregiving burden than the actual tangible support. Some traditional values also predicted a lesser subjective burden and more satisfaction with the caregiver role. Lower levels of behavioral acculturation (speaking more Spanish, expending more time among Hispanics, and preserving more Cuban-Hispanic family traditions) also revealed a lower subjective caregiving burden. Some demographic variables acted as positive mediators in the family caregiving process Additionally, this study conveyed qualitative information about the field experiences relevant to the theories and the empirical findings of the study / acase@tulane.edu

Male victims of sexual and physical abuse can experience adjustment, mental health, and/or addiction problems, but they sometimes display abusive behaviors themselves. The impact of abuse on families, organizations, institutions, and society has warranted immediate attention and intervention (Cohen, Miller, & Rossman, 1994). Research has been limited in examining differences among sexual offenders with respect to those with and without abuse histories. The need to define various psychological sequlae of physical and sexual abuse is necessary as diagnostic and treatment problems prevail for sex offenders. In addition, clinicians have typically had a tendency to view sex offenders as a homogenous group. These theories need to be evaluated from a pluralistic view which asserts that social science can both explain human action and interpret its meaning (Reamer, 1993; Pieper, 1989) The purpose of this study is to examine differences in mental health functioning among (1) male sexual offenders and male victims of abuse, and (2) male sexual offenders who were themselves victims of physical and/or sexual abuse. Study participants where from an inpatient hospital setting which focused on the treatment of sexual offending behavior and victimization at a large private urban facility. Participants completed a battery of tests and interviews measuring childhood maltreatment and trauma-related symptomatology within the first forty-eight hours of admission to the facility. A research assistant conducted a standardized interview and collected self-report instruments within seven days of admission It is first hypothesized that male sex offenders who experienced sexual or physical abuse will report significantly more characteristics and experiences consistent with diagnoses of PTSD, dissociation, and borderline personality while endorsing more trauma belief schema and global psychopathology than male sex offenders who did not report physical or sexual abuse. Therefore, abuse will be the mediating variable. The second hypothesis states that male sex offenders, who experienced physical or sexual abuse, will report experiencing fewer characteristics consistent with the diagnosis of PTSD, dissociation, borderline personality while endorsing fewer trauma belief schema and global psychopathology than male victims of sexual or physical abuse with no history of offending behavior The findings provide important contextual information about the differences in mental health functioning between the groups and further understanding on the impact of abuse on psychological functioning. The abuse offered more discrimination when comparing sex offenders and the offending status discriminated less when victimization was experienced. This warrants attention as the need to identify and recognize victimization in offenders may assist in guiding effective interventions that ultimately reduce recidivism. These findings contribute to a more in-depth understanding of the complex phenomena surrounding physical and sexual abuse and those commit more sexual abuse on others / acase@tulane.edu

The purpose of this study was to listen and present the points of view of mothers as experts on their own lives, a position largely overlooked in the child development, psychoanalytic, feminist, and cultural studies research. Utilizing a foundation in social constructionism, intersubjectivity, and narrative theory, this thesis explored maternal-child relationships from the woman's point of view asking the central question, 'How do women come to understand and create meanings from their experiences as mothers with young children?' Six open-ended questions, generated from the works of Daniel Stern (1995) and Carol Gilligan (1982), were presented to 23 mothers with one biological or legally adopted child between the ages of one and two. Results of the narrative analysis suggested that all of these women were in the process of redefining mothering from their own point of view separate from the traditional social and cultural roles assigned to women. Women constructed their own points of view and redefined self and identity within the contest of the traditional cultural expectations of maternal responsibility and competency; and the context of the increased opportunities and choices open to them in the present / acase@tulane.edu

This study explored the theoretical assumptions postulated by Gilligan (1982) that; (a) there exists two different moral decision-making orientations, the ethic-of-justice and the ethic-of-care, (b) that these orientations are gender related and c) that the face-to-face interview is sensitive to the context of the ethic-of-care as well as the ethic-of-justice. Thirty (15 males and 15 females) African-American college seniors participated in the study. The Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) and Gilligan's interview were utilized to explore the possible relationship between sex role and moral decision-making The findings affirm (a) that there exists two distinct moral decision-making orientations; negate (b) that these orientations are gender related and affirm (c) that the face-to-face interview is sensitive to the context of the ethic-of-care as well as the ethic-of-justice. The overwhelming preference for the ethic-of-care orientation for 25 subjects with only 5 subjects preferring the ethic-of-justice was supported by the unanimous classification of androgyny for all subjects on the BSRI. An unexpected finding suggests that moral decision-making orientation may be more related to the context of moral conflict being concerned with intimate or non-intimate relationships than gender or sex role for this population / acase@tulane.edu

To evaluate the interrelationship of parenting stress, marital violence, and child behavior, a sample (84% African-American) of 27 battered women and 28 nonbattered women having children aged 4 through 12 years underwent extensive and structured interviewing. Results indicated that as parenting stress increased, perceived child behavior problems increased, regardless of the battered status of the women. Battered women, however, reported experiencing significantly more parenting stress and perceived their children as having significantly more internalizing and externalizing behavior problems than did nonbattered women. Battered women perceived their sons as showing slightly more overall behavior problems and internalizing problems than their daughters, whereas daughters showed more externalizing problems. Parenting stress relating to child temperament and nonphysical abuse of battered women were the two significant predictors of child behavior problems. To improve parenting effectiveness among battered women, one must consider the sources of stress, intensity of physical and nonphysical violence, and accumulation of stressors / acase@tulane.edu