Isiaah Crawford

The influence of dual-identity development on the psychosocial functioning of African-American gay and bisexual men.

To examine the influence of racial‐ethnic and sexual identity development on the psychosocial functioning of African‐American gay and bisexual men (AAGBM), 174 AAGBM completed questionnaire packets designed to assess their levels of racial‐ethnic and sexual identity development, self‐esteem, social support, male gender role stress, HIV prevention self‐efficacy, psychological distress, and life satisfaction. The results indicate that AAGBM who possess more positive (i.e., integrated) seif‐identification as being African American and gay reported higher levels of self‐esteem, HIV prevention self‐efficacy, stronger social support networks, greater levels of life satisfaction, and lower levels of male gender role and psychological distress than their counterparts who reported less positive (i.e., less well integrated) African‐American and gay identity development. Although higher levels of racial‐ethnic identity development were associated with greater levels of life satisfaction, sexual identity development was not.

Adolescent substance use: preliminary examinations of school and neighborhood context.

In considering the influences of microsystems on adolescent substance use, familial and peer contexts have received the most extensive attention in the research literature. School and neighborhood settings, however, are other developmental contexts that may exert specific influences on adolescent substance use. In many instances, school settings are organized to provide educational services to students who share similar educational abilities and behavioral repertoires. The resulting segregation of students into these settings may result in different school norms for substance use. Similarly, neighborhood resources, including models for substance use and drug sales involvement, may play an important role in adolescent substance use. We briefly review literature examining contextual influences on adolescent substance use, and present results from two preliminary studies examining the contribution of school and neighborhood context to adolescent substance use. In the first investigation, we examine the impact of familial, peer, and school contexts on adolescent substance use. Respondents were 283 students (ages 13 to 18) from regular and special education classrooms in six schools. Although peer and parental contexts were important predictors of substance use, school norms for drug use accounted for variance in adolescent use beyond that explained by peer and parental norms. Data from a second study of 114 adolescents (mean age = 15) examines neighborhood contributions to adolescent substance use. In this sample, neighborhood indices did not contribute to our understanding of adolescent substance use. Implications for prevention are presented.

Human Diversity and Professional Competence: Training in Clinical and Counseling Psychology Revisited.

Psychologists have increasingly recognized the need to appropriately train students to serve individuals from diverse groups. These groups have been characterized by racial-ethnic membership or defined by sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, gender, and physical ability. Recent reports have documented that many applied graduate training programs still do not provide courses and experiences specific to working with diverse populations. This study presents results from a survey of 259 graduates of counseling and clinical psychology programs. Respondents were asked about training and professional work experiences with diverse groups. Results indicate restricted opportunities for training with diverse clients. Training experiences reported to be most effective are presented. Findings are discussed in light of continuing efforts to promote appropriate services.

Sexual sensation seeking, reduced concern about HIV and sexual risk behaviour among gay men in primary relationships

Gay and bisexual men who indicated they were currently in a primary relationship with another man (N=230) completed measures of HIV treatment attitudes, sexual risk behaviour and sexual sensation seeking. Results indicate non-primary partner sexual activity is common in many gay relationships and men in non-exclusive relationships possessed greater levels of sexual sensation seeking and treatment-related reduced concern about the dangerousness of HIV than men in exclusive relationships. Results also suggest that individuals who were members of HIV-seroconcordant relationships were more likely to engage in unprotected sexual activity with their primary sexual partners than gay men who were members of HIV-discordant couples. A series of regression analyses revealed that reduced concern about HIV mediated the relationship between sexual sensation seeking and sexual risk behaviour. The next generation of HIV prevention interventions must address the attitudinal shifts that have occurred among some gay men regarding the seriousness of HIV and should be sensitive to the dynamics of gay relationships.

Ethnic identity and self-concept in Mexican-American adolescents: Is bicultural identity related to stress or better adjustment?

The relationships of ethnic identity to self-esteem and psychosocial discomfort were studied in 62 Mexican-American high school students in a large midwestern city. It was hypothesized that those with bicultural identities would demonstrate greater self-esteem and psychosocial well-being than those who identified primarily with Mexican or U.S. cultures. Results indicate that bicultural participants reported greater self-esteem, ability to socialize in diverse settings, and psychological well-being than their primarily U.S. or Mexican acculturated peers. These findings suggest that bicultural adolescents may be better adjusted, more flexible, and better able to mediate acculturative stress in culturally ambiguous circumstances.

Poverty and Depressed Mood Among Urban African-American Adolescents: A Family Stress Perspective

We examined the role of family stress as a mediator of the relationship between poverty and depressed mood among 1,704 low-income, inner-city African- American adolescents. Nearly half of participants (47%) reported clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms. Being female, reporting higher levels of family stress, and scoring higher on a poverty index were significantly associated with increased reports of depressed mood. Family stress significantly mediated the relationship between poverty and adolescent depressed mood, explaining 50% of the total effect. Sex-specific analyses revealed that this relationship only held for females, and there was no direct relationship between poverty and depressed mood for males. Results lend further support to family stress theory, although they suggest that the model may be more relevant for females than males. Implications for community-based preventive intervention and social policy are discussed.

Attitudes of African-American Baptist ministers toward AIDS

Results from a survey of the attitudes of African-American Baptist ministers (N = 92) toward acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) revealed that most of the clergy did not perceive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as being a significant risk to their communities. Ministers who had previous HIV prevention/education training felt more comfortable counseling a person with AIDS and were more likely to sponsor workshops and training sessions for their members than were ministers who had not had previous HIV training. Ministers who held professional or college degrees were more likely to not believe that AIDS was a punishment by God and that people with AIDS deserved their illness than were their counterparts with less formal education. Older ministers tended to hold more pejorative attitudes toward homosexuals, HIV, and individuals infected with the virus than did their younger peers.

ATTITUDES OF UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE STUDENTS TOWARD AIDS

This study examined attitudes about AIDS and the effects of those attitudes on the behavior of 131 undergraduate college students. Participants reported having minimal concern about contracting AIDS from their current or future sexual partners, and their rate of sexual activity had not changed from that of the previous year. of all participants 69% reported they did not use condoms during their sexual encounters. White students were more knowledgeable about AIDS than their peers from minority groups. Although all participants were aware they could not contract the AIDS virus through common social interaction, 80% reported they would feel very anxious if a classmate who had AIDS continued to attend classes. These findings suggest that these undergraduate students underestimate their risk of HIV infection and so jeopardize their health.

A multimedia‐based approach to increasing communication and the level of AIDS knowledge within families

The print and electronic media have been used effectively in the past to assist individuals in altering negative health behaviors and attitudes associated with obesity, stress, hypertension, and smoking. This article presents the use of a multimedia-based, health promotion strategy targeted toward AIDS prevention within the family unit. In November of 1988, for 6 consecutive days, 5- to 10-minute segments addressing AIDS and the family were televised on the noon and 9 p.m. news broadcasts of a major television station in the midwest. One hundred fifty-one 8th-grade students and their parents were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions. The intervention consisted of prompting participants to view the broadcasts and giving them printed material regarding AIDS and how the topic could be discussed within the family. This AIDS educational newspaper supplement paralleled the content of the daily telecasts. All participants completed questionnaires approximately 1 week prior to and after the media program. Controls were not given the prompt or provided the supplements. Children who were encouraged to watch the program viewed significantly more of the broadcasts, talked more about sexual issues within their families, and were more knowledgeable about AIDS than controls. Parents of children identified as at risk for HIV infection had more difficulty discussing AIDS with their children than parents of children not at risk.

Using Masturbation in Sex Therapy: Relationships Between Masturbation, Sexual Desire, and Sexual Fantasy

Abstract Masturbation may be useful in treating hypoactive sexual desire disorder. To examine this possibility, the current study examined the relationships between masturbation, sexual desire, sexual fantasy, and dyadic sexual activity. The relationships between masturbation and other constructs were also examined: overall sexual dysfunction, relationship satisfaction, life stress, and sexual attitudes. Mediational analyses suggest several causal pathways between masturbatory desire, masturbatory frequency, sexual fantasy, sexual desire, and sexual activity. Developing a model of masturbation may help illustrate its role in sexual functioning and highlight its potential role in sex therapy.