Angela J. Jacques-Tiura

Community violence: a meta-analysis on the effect of exposure and mental health outcomes of children and adolescents

Meta-analytic techniques were used to estimate the effects of exposure to community violence on mental health outcomes across 114 studies. Community violence had its strongest effects on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and externalizing problems and smallest impact on other internalizing symptoms. Victimization by community violence most predicted symptomatology compared to witnessing or hearing about community violence. Witnessing community violence had a greater effect than hearing about violence on externalizing problems, but both types of exposure had an equal impact on other internalizing problems. PTSD symptoms were equally predicted by victimization, witnessing, or hearing about community violence. Compared to children, adolescents reported a stronger relationship between externalizing behaviors and exposure, whereas children exhibited greater internalizing problems than did adolescents.

Risk factors for sexual aggression in young men: an expansion of the confluence model

There are many explanations for high rates of sexual aggression, with no one theory dominating the field. This study extends past research by evaluating an expanded version of the confluence model with a community sample. One-hour audio computer-assisted self-interviews were completed by 470 young single men. Using structural equation analyses, delinquency, hostile masculinity, impersonal sex, and misperception of womens sexual cues were positively and directly associated with the number of sexually aggressive acts committed. There were also indirect effects of childhood victimization, personality traits associated with subclinical levels of psychopathy, and alcohol consumption. These findings demonstrate the usefulness of the confluence model, as well as the importance of broadening this theory to include additional constructs.

Why Do Some Men Misperceive Women's Sexual Intentions More Frequently Than Others Do? An Application of the Confluence Model

Although many researchers have documented mens tendency to misperceive womens friendliness as a sign of sexual interest, few have examined individual differences in mens attitudes and past experiences that might predict their likelihood of making these types of misjudgments. We applied an expanded version of Malamuth, Sockloskie, Koss, and Tanakas (1991) Confluence model to predict frequency of misperception of womens sexual intent with a sample of 356 male college students. Using structural equation modeling, hostile masculinity, impersonal sex, and drinking in dating and sexual situations predicted mens frequency of misperception. Furthermore, the more risk factors men possessed, the more times they misperceived womens sexual intentions. Suggestions are made for theory development and future research incorporating situational as well as personality measures in longitudinal studies.

Sexual Assault Perpetrators’ Tactics: Associations With Their Personal Characteristics and Aspects of the Incident

Past theory and empirical research have consistently associated a number of risk factors with sexual assault perpetration. This study extends past research by considering if the tactics which perpetrators use to obtain sex are associated with these risk factors or with characteristics of the sexual assault. Audio computer-assisted self-interviews were completed with a community sample of young, single men. Few participants reported using physical force as a tactic to obtain sex, thus this article focuses on 457 participants who used verbal coercion ( n = 152) or the victim’s impairment (n = 39) to obtain sex or who were nonperpetrators (n = 266). Discriminant function analysis correctly classified 70% of participants. As hypothesized, analysis of covariance indicated that both groups of perpetrators scored higher than nonperpetrators on measures of negative attitudes toward women, positive attitudes about casual sex, personality traits associated with nonclinical levels of psychopathy, antisocial behavior, and alcohol problems. As compared to nonperpetrators describing their worst date, perpetrators knew the woman longer, used more isolating and controlling behaviors, misperceived her sexual intentions for a longer period of time, and engaged in more consensual sexual activities with the woman. Perpetrators who used impairment tactics did not usually consume more alcohol than other participants; however, they consumed much more alcohol during the incident. Although verbal coercion and taking advantage of an impaired victim are sometimes viewed as less serious tactics than the use of force, these findings demonstrate that perpetrators who use these strategies have personality, attitude, and experience profiles that distinguish them from nonperpetrators.

Disclosure of Sexual Assault: Characteristics and Implications for Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Among African American and Caucasian Survivors

Although the general trauma literature links disclosure of abuse to positive psychological and physical health outcomes, findings for sexual assault survivors are mixed. Supportive responses can reaffirm self-worth; however, negative responses can increase feelings of shame and isolation. This study examined the effects of disclosure in a community sample of Caucasian and African American sexual assault survivors who completed computer-assisted self-interviews. Among the 58.6% of survivors who had disclosed to someone (n = 136), 96% had disclosed to at least 1 informal and 24% at least 1 formal support provider. The experiences of African American and Caucasian survivors were similar in many ways. Participants received more positive than negative responses from others, although only negative responses were related to posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, and particularly so for African American participants. Regretting disclosure and disclosure to formal providers were also related to posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Suggestions are made for programs to decrease negative responses to disclosure.

Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART) to Construct Weight Loss Interventions for African American Adolescents

The purpose of this study was to develop an adaptive behavioral treatment for African American adolescents with obesity. In a sequential multiple assignment randomized trial, 181 youth ages 12–16 years with primary obesity and their caregiver were first randomized to 3 months of home-based versus office-based delivery of motivational interviewing plus skills building. After 3 months, nonresponders to first phase treatment were rerandomized to continued home-based skills or contingency management. Primary outcome was percent overweight and hypothesized moderators were adolescent executive functioning and depression. There were no significant differences in primary outcome between home-based or office-based delivery or between continued home-based skills or contingency management for nonresponders to first-phase treatment. However, families receiving home-based treatment initially attended significantly more sessions in both phases of the trial, and families receiving contingency management attended more sessions in the second phase. Overall, participants demonstrated decreases in percent overweight over the course of the trial (3%), and adolescent executive functioning moderated this effect such that those with higher functioning lost more weight. More potent behavioral treatments to address the obesity epidemic are necessary, targeting new areas such as executive functioning. Delivering treatment in the home with contingency management may increase session attendance for this population.

Predictors of Self-Reported Adherence to Antiretroviral Medication in a Multisite Study of Ethnic and Racial Minority HIV-Positive Youth

OBJECTIVE To test social cognitive predictors of medication adherence in racial/ethnic minority youth living with HIV using a conceptual model. METHODS Youth were participants in two descriptive studies by the Adolescent Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions. Minority youth ages 16-24 years who were prescribed antiretroviral medication were included (N = 956). Data were collected through chart extraction and/or laboratory testing and by Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interview. RESULTS 39% of youth reported suboptimal adherence. Path analysis was used to explore predictors of medication adherence. Higher self-efficacy predicted higher readiness and adherence. Greater social support predicted higher self-efficacy. Psychological symptoms and substance use were associated with several predictors and lower adherence. CONCLUSIONS The model provided a plausible framework for understanding adherence in this population. Culturally competent, but individually tailored, interventions focused on increasing self-efficacy to take medication and reducing risk behaviors (e.g., substance use) may be helpful for racial or ethnic minority youth with HIV.

Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Sexual Violence: Are There Unique Characteristics Associated With Making Partners Have Sex Without a Condom?

This study examined correlates of making an intimate partner engage in unprotected sex among perpetrators of sexual violence. Based on the Confluence Model, we hypothesized that power and impersonal sex motives would be higher among perpetrators who made a dating partner have unprotected sex. Among a subsample of 78 male college students, significant differences were found for acceptance of verbal pressure, positive attitudes about casual sex, frequency of sexual intercourse, and physical injuries to dating partners. These findings highlight the importance of integrating theories and interventions directed at sexual assault and sexual risk reduction.

Recruitment Strategies and the Retention of Obese Urban Racial/Ethnic Minority Adolescents in Clinical Trials: The FIT Families Project, Michigan, 2010-2014

Introduction The successful recruitment and retention of participants is integral to the translation of research findings. We examined the recruitment and retention rates of racial/ethnic minority adolescents at a center involved in the National Institutes of Health Obesity Research for Behavioral Intervention Trials (ORBIT) initiative by the 3 recruitment strategies used: clinic, informatics, and community. Methods During the 9-month study, 186 family dyads, each composed of an obese African American adolescent and a caregiver, enrolled in a 6-month weight-loss intervention, a sequential multiple assignment randomized trial. We compared recruitment and retention rates by recruitment strategy and examined whether recruitment strategy was related to dyad baseline characteristics. Results Of the 186 enrolled families, 110 (59.1%) were recruited through clinics, 53 (28.5%) through informatics, and 23 (12.4%) through community. Of those recruited through community, 40.4% enrolled in the study, compared with 32.7% through clinics and 8.2% through informatics. Active refusal rate was 3%. Of the 1,036 families identified for the study, 402 passively refused to participate: 290 (45.1%) identified through informatics, 17 (29.8%) through community, and 95 (28.3%) through clinics. Recruitment strategy was not related to the age of the adolescent, adolescent comorbidities, body mass index of the adolescent or caregiver, income or education of the caregiver, or retention rates at 3 months, 7 months, or 9 months. Study retention rate was 87.8%. Conclusion Using multiple recruitment strategies is beneficial when working with racial/ethnic minority adolescents, and each strategy can yield good retention. Research affiliated with health care systems would benefit from the continued specification, refinement, and dissemination of these strategies.

Young Men's Condom Use Resistance Tactics: A Latent Profile Analysis

Research suggests that many men have used a variety of tactics to avoid using condoms when having sex with women. Guided by previous work demonstrating that mens use of coercive condom resistance tactics was predicted by negative attitudes toward women, inconsistent condom use, multiple partners, and sexual sensation seeking, the current study used latent profile analysis (LPA) to determine whether similar constructs were associated with a variety of resistance tactics. A community sample of 313 moderate-drinking men participated, of whom 80% reported employing at least one condom use resistance tactic since adolescence. The LPA revealed three classes of men. In general, men with the least negative beliefs about women, low levels of sexual sensation seeking and impulsivity, and positive beliefs about condoms (Condom Positive/Low Hostility) reported less use of resistance tactics than men with moderate sexual sensation seeking and impulsivity, negative beliefs about condoms, and moderate (Condom Negative/Moderate Hostility) or high (Condom Negative/High Hostility) negative attitudes about women. The classes also differed in terms of their sexual behaviors. This study demonstrated that sexual risk behavior interventions should not only address the tactics through which men resist using condoms but also tailor these efforts to mens individual characteristics.