Charisse Corsbie-Massay

Reducing shame in a game that predicts HIV risk reduction for young adult MSM: a randomized trial delivered nationally over the Web.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) often face socially sanctioned disapproval of sexual deviance from the heterosexual “normal.” Such sexual stigma can be internalized producing a painful affective state (i.e., shame). Although shame (e.g., addiction) can predict risk‐taking (e.g., alcohol abuse), sexual shames link to sexual risk‐taking is unclear. Socially Optimized Learning in Virtual Environments (SOLVE) was designed to reduce MSMs sexual shame, but whether it does so, and if that reduction predicts HIV risk reduction, is unclear. To test if at baseline, MSMs reported past unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) is related to shame; MSMs exposure to SOLVE compared to a wait‐list control (WLC) condition reduces MSMs shame; and shame‐reduction mediates the link between WLC condition and UAI risk reduction.

The Personality-Enabled Architecture for Cognition (PAC)

The Personality-enabled Architecture for Cognition (PAC) is a new modeling architecture designed to create Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVAs) with specific personality traits. PAC integrates theory and empirical data from personality psychology, social psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience to build a model of personality that is based on fundamental underlying human motivational systems.

Identity Conflict and Sexual Risk for Black and Latino YMSM

Young (aged 18–30) Black and Latino men who have sex with men are at a higher risk of contracting HIV than their White counterparts. In order to better understand the unique nature of sexual risk-taking, we examined the extent to which ethnic group, ethnic identity, and sexual pride predicted condomless anal sex with casual partners among 161 young men who have sex with men (YMSM) who identify as Black or Latino. Negative binomial regressions were conducted using a cross-sectional design. Sexual pride was a negative predictor of condomless anal sex across all participants, but this effect was moderated by ethnic exploration and ethnic group; the relationship between sexual pride and condomless anal sex was strengthened by greater ethnic exploration among Latino YMSM, and weakened by greater ethnic exploration among Black YMSM. Implications for intersectional identity, identity conflict, and HIV prevention among young gay men of color are discussed.ResumenLos hombres jóvenes (en edades de 18 a 30 años) negros y latinos que tienen sexo con hombres tienen mayor riesgo de contraer VIH que sus homólogos blancos. Con el fin de comprender mejor la naturaleza única de los comportamientos sexuales de riesgo, examinamos hasta qué punto el grupo étnico, la identidad étnica y el orgullo sexual predijeron quiénes de los que tuvieron sexo anal sin condón con parejas ocasionales, entre 161 hombres jóvenes que tienen sexo con hombres (HSHJ), se identifican como negros o latinos. Se realizaron regresiones binomiales negativas utilizando un diseño transversal. El orgullo sexual fue un predictor negativo de que el sexo anal sin condón se realiza a través de todos los participantes, pero este efecto fue moderado por la exploración y grupo étnico; la relación entre el orgullo sexual y el sexo anal sin condón fue reforzada por una mayor exploración étnica entre los HSHJ latinos, y debilitada por una mayor exploración étnica entre HSHJ negros. Las implicaciones para la múltiple identidad, los conflictos de identidad y la prevención del VIH entre los jóvenes homosexuales de color son discutidos.

Effectiveness of Choice Theory Connections: A Cross-Sectional and Comparative Analysis of California Female Inmates

In the past 30 years, the rates of incarceration and recidivism for women in the United States have increased dramatically. Choice Theory® Connections (CTC) is a gender-tailored pre-release intervention program based on Choice Theory® (Glasser, 1999), and designed to achieve meaningful and sustainable cognitive and behavioral change. This evaluation examines CTC among 96 female participants in a California state prison enrolled in an introductory (n = 58) or advanced (n = 38) course. CTC significantly improved perceived stress, mindfulness, emotion regulation, impulsivity, and well-being on completion; effects were stronger for the introductory cohort, but significant effects also emerged for the advanced cohort. In addition, participants in the advanced cohort reported better scores at baseline, demonstrating the effects of prolonged engagement with the intervention. Results suggest that CTC can improve incarcerated women’s well-being pre-release, a strong predictor of recidivism post-release. Further study and wider use of CTC are encouraged.

Book Review: Media in Society

Briggs’ most poignant advice for photographs online, ‘‘Don’t steal. If you want to use something that belongs to someone else, ask first’’ (p. 141). Throughout the book, Briggs highlights a newsroom innovator, such as Stokes Young, executive producer for MSNBC.com. Young explains since the average citizen posts pictures online, he encourages journalists to go beyond what the citizen photographer is doing and to ‘‘tell really great stories really well in order to stand out’’ (p. 169). Between Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram—storytelling has become fragmented and it is important we reiterate to journalists that the audience still needs them to fill in the blanks and to keep telling compelling stories that go beyond the chatter of one’s social media feed. Unit Three concentrates on editing and decision making. In Chapter 9, Briggs describes data and discusses how to manage data. Not only does he concentrate on how to incorporate data into stories, but he also manages to explain how not to become overwhelmed with personal data. For example, on page 237, Briggs helps journalists implement their own data management strategy, especially managing the email inbox. In Chapter 10, Briggs gives journalists wise advice concerning social media and how it can promote conversation. Briggs writes, ‘‘Like the telephone and e-mail before it, social media is the latest change in how people are connecting and communicating. But the change is purely tactical; the standards and value of journalism do not change’’ (p. 270). Briggs even explains the value to creating a community within an online news organization because it will help journalists build an online audience, which he explains in detail in the final chapter. Overall, the Briggs’ book is a good overview on how to use digital tools to create effective, quality journalism. Briggs takes the old school journalists and welcomes them to the 21st-century world of online journalism with real-world examples from newsrooms. Every journalist should have this book on their desk as a quick reference if one is or not familiar with the online world. This book is also a good supplement to any college journalism course. Today, the audience is craving good storytelling. Twitter and Facebook will never fill the social capital of the news audience. Briggs does a good job reiterating that just because a journalist is telling a story online does not mean a journalist has to sacrifice the quality of the storytelling.