Dolores Frias-Navarro

Intimate Partner Violence in Self-Identified Lesbians: A Systematic Review of Its Prevalence and Correlates.

This article presents the first systematic review on intimate partner violence (IPV) in self-identified lesbians in same-sex couples. Studies published from January 1990 to December 2013 were analyzed. Of the 687 studies reviewed, 59 were preselected, of which 14 studies were selected that met the inclusion and methodological quality criteria. A summary is presented of the characteristics of the studies, the participants, the prevalence of IPV victimization and perpetration, and its correlates. All the studies were carried out in the United States and used a nonprobabilistic sampling method. The majority of participants were White with a high educational level. The results indicate that all the forms of violence occur, but the most prevalent is emotional/psychological violence. The correlates positively associated with IPV are certain personality characteristics, fusion, previous IPV experience, a family history of violence, and alcohol consumption. This review finds significant limitations in the analyzed literature. Methodological recommendations are made for future studies.

Beliefs about Children’s Adjustment in Same-Sex Families: Spanish and Chilean University Students

The main purpose of our study is to compare the beliefs of Spanish and Chilean university students about the effects that same-sex parents might have on their children. A total of 491 participants completed the study (208 Spaniards and 283 Chileans). The results indicate a kind of modern and subtle rejection based on hetero-normativity. Furthermore, the results indicated the effects of sex (men have a greater degree of rejection), traditional and sexist opinions linked to a greater rejection of same-sex parents, and the contact variable which inversely correlates with this rejection. The results show that the etiology of homosexual orientation also correlates with rejection of same-sex parents when it is believed that homosexuality is learned or can be changed.

Stress and neuroticism in Spanish nursing students: A two-wave longitudinal study†

The aim of this study was to clarify the direction of the stress-neuroticism relationship in a sample of 200 nursing students from three Spanish universities before their entry into the work force using a two-wave longitudinal design. The Stressful Life Events Scale and NEO-FFI Neuroticism subscale were administered at the beginning (T1) and end (T2) of nursing studies. Female students reported higher scores in both perceived stress due to life events and neuroticism than males. Older students scored higher in life events stress than younger ones. High neuroticism was associated with a high level of stress. Finally, neuroticism scores rose in the group in which stress increased from T1 to T2. Our findings partially support the stress causation interactionist model of stress in which life events can modify personality traits.

Interpretation of the p value: a national survey study in academic psychologists from Spain

BACKGROUND Incorrect interpretations of p values affect professionals’ decisions and jeopardize the quality of psychological interventions and the accumulation of valid scientific knowledge. This study analyzes the errors made by Spanish academic psychologists in interpreting p values. METHOD We surveyed academic psychologists about their interpretations of p values. The sample is composed of 418 academic psychologists from Spanish public universities. The mean number of years working as a university professor is 14.16 (SD = 9.39). RESULTS Our findings suggest that many academic psychologists do not know how to correctly interpret p values. The inverse probability fallacy presents the greatest comprehension problems. Methodology instructors also interpret the significance of the p value erroneously. CONCLUSIONS These results highlight the importance of the statistical re-education of professors.

Factorial Invariance of the Scale Beliefs About Children’s Adjustment in Same-Sex Families in Spanish, Chilean, and Hispanic University Students

This study examines the factorial invariance of the Scale on Beliefs About Children’s Adjustment in Same-Sex Families (SBCASSF) across countries in three samples: Chilean, Spanish, and Hispanic university students. The scale analyzes attitudes toward the consequences of the rearing and education of children by parents with a homosexual sexual orientation. The instrument consists of two subscales: Individual Opposition and Normative Opposition. The Spanish sample is composed of 199 university students, the Chilean sample is made up of 279 students, and the Hispanic sample consists of 114 students. The results provide empirical evidence for the reliability of the SBCASSF in the samples from the countries and its factorial invariance (strict invariance). Results are also provided about differences between countries and by sex. The SBCASSF could be a potentially useful measure for educators, psychologists, and other mental health professionals who wish to study beliefs about the child-rearing practices of same-sex parents.

Spanish Validation of the Polymorphous Prejudice Scale in a Sample of University Students

ABSTRACT The shortened version of the Polymorphous Prejudice Scale (PPS) analyzes new manifestations of prejudice toward gay men and lesbian women. Specifically, this instrument consists of 16 items distributed in four subscales: values gay progress, positive beliefs about gay men, positive beliefs about lesbian women, and resistance to heteronormative expectations. The aim of the current study is to add new evidence about the reliability and validity of the scale. The scale is administrated to 348 heterosexual university students from Spain with a mean age of 22.62 years (SD = 7.63). Reliability and factorial validity estimates are presented. A four-factor structure is supported using confirmatory factor analysis (short version). Our results can be useful in planning variables for intervention programs designed to foster the tolerance and normality of sexual diversity.

Perceived Statistical Knowledge Level and Self-Reported Statistical Practice Among Academic Psychologists

Introduction: Publications arguing against the null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) procedure and in favor of good statistical practices have increased. The most frequently mentioned alternatives to NHST are effect size statistics (ES), confidence intervals (CIs), and meta-analyses. A recent survey conducted in Spain found that academic psychologists have poor knowledge about effect size statistics, confidence intervals, and graphic displays for meta-analyses, which might lead to a misinterpretation of the results. In addition, it also found that, although the use of ES is becoming generalized, the same thing is not true for CIs. Finally, academics with greater knowledge about ES statistics presented a profile closer to good statistical practice and research design. Our main purpose was to analyze the extension of these results to a different geographical area through a replication study. Methods: For this purpose, we elaborated an on-line survey that included the same items as the original research, and we asked academic psychologists to indicate their level of knowledge about ES, their CIs, and meta-analyses, and how they use them. The sample consisted of 159 Italian academic psychologists (54.09% women, mean age of 47.65 years). The mean number of years in the position of professor was 12.90 (SD = 10.21). Results: As in the original research, the results showed that, although the use of effect size estimates is becoming generalized, an under-reporting of CIs for ES persists. The most frequent ES statistics mentioned were Cohens d and R2/η2, which can have outliers or show non-normality or violate statistical assumptions. In addition, academics showed poor knowledge about meta-analytic displays (e.g., forest plot and funnel plot) and quality checklists for studies. Finally, academics with higher-level knowledge about ES statistics seem to have a profile closer to good statistical practices. Conclusions: Changing statistical practice is not easy.This change requires statistical training programs for academics, both graduate and undergraduate.