Jill M. Meyer

Internalized Heterosexism: Measurement, Psychosocial Correlates, and Research Directions

This article provides an integrated critical review of the literature on internalized heterosexism/internalized homophobia (IH), its measurement, and its psychosocial correlates. It describes the psychometric properties of six published measures used to operationalize the construct of IH. It also critically reviews empirical studies on correlates of IH in the areas of sexual identity formation and the coming-out process; mental, psychosocial, and physical health; substance use; sexual risk-taking behavior; intimate relationships; parenting and family issues; gender roles and feminism; race and ethnicity; religion; career issues; and counselor—client interactions and treatment interventions. Last, it discusses limitations of the body of research and provides suggestions for future research throughout the review.

Internalized Heterosexism: Clinical Implications and Training Considerations

This article focuses on implications of empirical research on the construct of internalized heterosexism (IH) in lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals. First, suggestions for practice with LGB clients are provided using the framework proposed by Goodman et al. for social justice work at micro, meso, and macro levels. Second, ideas for the training of counseling psychologists on the construct of IH are presented. Ways in which counseling psychologists can train students beyond the traditional micro-level approach are included.

The Well-Being of Women Who Are Late Deafened

The main purpose of this study was to examine potential within-group differences in well-being in individuals who experienced postlingual, late deafness between the ages of 13 and 65 years old. Two related issues were also examined: (a) the psychometric qualities of 2 popular measures of well-being when used with this sample and (b) the well-being of individuals who are late deafened compared to normative data on well-being. A sample of 138 women who were late deafened completed an online survey. The results indicated internal consistency and validity (convergent and partial discriminant) of the 2 well-being measures with this sample. Well-being in this sample was significantly lower than that in samples from the general population. Investigation of within-group differences indicated that individuals from lower socioeconomic groups reported lower levels of well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

Well-being of individuals with late-deafness.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between disability factors and psychosocial outcomes in a sample of individuals with acquired hearing loss, specifically late-deafness (loss after age 12). METHOD Participants (N = 277) completed the following measures at a single point in time: the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults, the Reactions to Impairment and Disability Inventory, the Ways of Coping Questionnaire, the Psychological Well-Being scale, and a demographic questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was conducted to determine whether coping style mediated the relationships between disability factors (i.e., age of onset, perceived severity of disability, and perceived adaptation to disability) and psychological well-being. RESULTS Emotion-focused coping partially mediated the relationships between perceived severity of hearing loss and psychological well-being, and between perceived adaptation to disability and psychological well-being (B = -.36), and problem-focused coping partially mediated the relationship between perceived adaptation to disability and psychological well-being (B = .49). The model was a good fit for these data (comparative fit index and incremental fit index = .94; Tucker-Lewis index = .92; root mean square error of approximation = .09). CONCLUSION Perceived adaptation to disability and perceived severity of disability acted as direct predictors of psychological well-being, and as indirect predictors through their relationship with coping. Implications for the process of adaptation and counseling for individuals with acquired hearing loss are discussed.

Career Interests of Incarcerated Men: The Influence of Generational Differences

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between career interests and generational characteristics of incarcerated males using Hollands Self Directed Search (SDS). Participants (n = 132) were male offenders incarcerated at two medium security prisons. Each participant voluntarily reported his age and completed the SDS. The SDS codes were examined based on generational affiliation. Results indicated significant differences in career interest by generational group. Implications related to the career interests of incarcerated adult males and employment exploration are provided.

Counseling Self-Efficacy On-Campus and Distance Education Students

The purpose of this study is twofold: (a) to examine the relationship between counseling skills techniques training and self-perception of counseling skills for graduate level rehabilitation counselors, over a semester course; and (b) to examine whether class platform (on-campus vs. distance) has a significant relationship with students’ self-perception of skills acquisition. The Counseling Self-Estimate Inventory (COSE), developed through Bandura’s theory on self-efficacy, was used to evaluate students’ perception of counseling skills. The participants were 39 master’s level students in an accredited rehabilitation counseling program. All participants received counseling skills training and completed the COSE pretest during the first class of the semester and the posttest during the last week of the semester. The results demonstrated significant change during the semester, showing an increase in reported counseling skills over the 16-week time period. There were no differences detected between on-campus and distance education students, demonstrating that the platform of the educational program did not influence outcomes in reported counseling skills in this sample of rehabilitation counseling students.

Emerging Adulthood: Resilience and Support.

Purpose: This article provides an overview of emerging adulthood, recentering, and resilience of youth with disabilities. Emerging adulthood is a developmental period during which individuals experience delays in attainment of adult roles and social expectations. Recentering is a process that emerging adults experience as they make distinct shifts from adolescence to adulthood. Successful recentering is a result of supports, opportunities, and available choices. In addition, resilience is a psychological construct that manifests when positive experiences come out of adverse situations and is a key factor in one’s ability to recenter. This article also provides an overview of identified aspects of resilience within the emerging adulthood framework. Method: A computer search of ERIC and PsycINFO was used to locate studies published between 1990 and 2013. This timeframe was selected because the genesis of emerging adulthood came about in the early 1990s (Arnett, 2006). Results: The authors explored various factors such as social supports, self-determination, agency, adaptation, and coping that are linked to resilience and an emerging adult’s ability to recenter. Conclusions: Important connections with evidence-based practices and considerations for professional development are discussed in assisting consumers who are emerging adults in the recentering process. There is great diversity among individuals’ supports, opportunities, and choices, and there is a need for research investigating emerging adulthood and individuals with disabilities.

Teaching Fraction Concepts Using the Concrete-Representational-Abstract Sequence

Understanding related to fraction concepts is a critical prerequisite for advanced study in mathematics such as algebra. Therefore, it is important that elementary students form conceptual and procedural understanding of fractional numbers, allowing for advancement in mathematics. The concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) instructional sequence of instruction has been shown to be an effective means of teaching conceptual understanding of fractional numbers. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of CRA with remedial multitiered systems of support (MTSS) Tier 2 instruction for teaching fraction concepts. Thirty-one fifth-grade students participated in two different Tier 2 interventions; one group received typical Tier 2 instruction with their general education teachers and the other received CRA instruction with the researchers. The researchers measured student performance using a pretest and posttest and found significant differences in progress favoring the CRA group. Results and implications are discussed.

Two Revised Measures of Coping for Individuals With Late-Deafness

Two of the more commonly known measures of coping in rehabilitation and counseling are the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ; Folkman & Lazarus, 1988; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) and the Brief COPE (BC; Carver, 1997). Purpose: The present study had two goals: (a) to examine the revised structures of these measures to determine the reliability and validity when used in a sample of individuals with latedeafness, and (b) to examine differences in coping style in individuals with late-deafness across race, ethnicity, gender, age, socioeconomic status (SES), level of hearing loss, communication style, and employment. Methods: An online, quantitative survey was used to collect data from participants (N = 277) who completed the WCQ, the BC, measures of life satisfaction, and a demographic questionnaire. Results: The two revised factors from the WCQ correlated as expected with life satisfaction, demonstrating convergent validity. However, discriminant validity was not found with this measure. Four of the six revised factors of the BC correlated as expected with life satisfaction, indicating acceptable convergent validity. In addition, discriminant validity was found with this measure. A few differences in coping were found on the basis of age, SES, and gender. Conclusion: The results suggest that the BC, with the revised factors, is a solid measure of coping in individuals with late-deafness.

Coping and Late-Deafness: An Examination of Two Measures.

Purpose: To examine the psychometric properties of two measures of coping in a sample of individuals with acquired hearing loss, specifically late-deafness. Methods: Using a quantitative descriptive design, coping of participants (N = 277) with late-deafness was measured to examine the reliability and validity of the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ) and the Brief Coping with Problems Experienced (Brief COPE). Results: Internal consistency estimates were adequate. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the hypothesized factor structures were not supported. Exploratory factor analyses revealed that three factors best fit the WCQ data. For the Brief COPE, 6 factors best fit the data. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the utility of the Brief COPE when working with individuals with late-deafness as an appropriate measure of coping.