Lily D. McNair

The Role of Alcohol Expectancies and Alcohol Consumption Among Sexually Victimized and Nonvictimized College Women

The present study investigated alcohol expectancies, alcohol consumption, sexual assertiveness, and the number of consensual sexual partners as potential risk factors for sexual assault among three groups of college women: nonvictimized, moderately victimized, and severely victimized. Women with severe victimization histories (attempted or completed rape), compared with nonvictims, reported more consensual sexual partners, less perceived assertiveness in their ability to refuse unwanted sexual advances, greater weekly alcohol consumption, and more positive outcome expectancies for alcohol including tension reduction, sexual enhancement, and global positive change. In addition, for both victimized and nonvictimized women, consumption of alcohol and expectancies of social enhancement following alcohol use independently accounted for a significant portion of the variance of sexual activity following alcohol consumption. Findings are discussed with respect to research aimed at reducing sexual assault among women who are at highest risk for sexual violence.

African American Women and AIDS: Factors Influencing Risk and Reaction to HIV Disease

African American women represent the fastest growing group of individuals infected with HIV in the United States. Social and contextual influences on HIV risk vulnerability in this group are discussed, with particular emphasis on risk behaviors related to heterosexual contact and injection drug use. Social factors associated with the sex-ratio imbalance and low rates of condom use in the African American community are addressed, as are contextual influences related to environmental stress and psychosocial issues. We describe interventions that directly address both social and contextual influences on African American women’s risk behaviors. Finally, mental health and psychological concerns are presented as a framework for better understanding women’s reactions to HIV/AIDS and for developing comprehensive programs and services that better meet their needs.

Gender differences related to heterosexual condom use: The influence of negotiation styles

The present study had three primary goals. The first was to identify gender differences related to negotiation styles associated with condom use. We hypothesized that women would report engaging in more negotiation behaviors associated with condom use than men. The second goal was to determine whether the relationships between intentions to use condoms and past condom use for women and men were moderated by negotiation behaviors. The third goal was to examine gender differences in responses to an open-ended question inquiring why participants did not use condoms. Male and female college students (N = 219) anonymously completed a series of measures. The results indicated that women and men have unique roles in the negotiation process; women play a more active role in negotiation of condom use, while men play a more reactive role. The relationship between intentions to use condoms and past condom use increased for men when their partners were more active in the process of deciding whether to use condoms. Responses to the open-ended item revealed that women identified perceptions of low risk as the most common reason for not using condoms, while men identified the inconvenience or unavailability of condoms as the most common reason. The implications of these results are discussed as they relate to health efforts to increase condom use.

Self-esteem, gender, and alcohol use : Relationships with HIV risk perception and behaviors in college students

The present study examined the confluence of alcohol use and self-esteem on risky sexual behavior and perceptions of risk for female and male college students. It was predicted that higher levels of self-esteem, female gender, and lower alcohol consumption would be associated with greater condom use and lower perceptions of risk for self and partner. Results indicated that for low drinking students, those with high self-esteem reported greater condom use. In addition, low rates of alcohol use were associated with greater frequency of past condom use. Women and students low in self-esteem indicated greater perceptions of risk for themselves and their partners. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for developing interventions aimed at reducing risky sexual behavior.

Evaluation of a treatment-appropriate cognitive intervention for challenging alcohol outcome expectancies

The current study evaluated an alcohol expectancy challenge (EC) that did not require alcohol administration and could therefore be implemented in a treatment setting. Participants in the treatment group directly challenged alcohol expectancies endorsed on an expectancy questionnaire. A total of 62 male and female undergraduates completed the study (32 control participants, 30 EC participants). Self-report questionnaires were collected pre- and post-intervention, and alcohol logs were kept during the study. The EC resulted in significant reductions in alcohol expectancies across multiple expectancy dimensions. Although the analysis for alcohol consumption was not significant, there was a trend toward better outcomes for male participants in the EC condition. In contrast to study hypotheses, women in the EC condition increased their alcohol consumption from pre to post-test to a greater degree than did control participants.

Couples Therapy with Gay and Lesbian Clients: An Analysis of Important Clinical Issues

This article reviews and critiques couples therapy research that has focused on gay and lesbian relationships. In conducting our examination, we felt that it was imperative to address the sociopolitical climate that affects same-sex couples and that historically impeded this area of research. Upon addressing the therapists role and comparing heterosexual relationships to same-sex relationships, this article presents the theoretical formulations and empirical findings that have informed gay and lesbian couples therapy research. We also present limitations of the current literature and suggestions for future research.

Effects of priming positive and negative outcomes on drinking responses

The purpose of this investigation was to study the effects of priming positive and negative expectancy outcomes on the drinking responses of college students. Men and women (N = 64) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 priming conditions: a positive expectancy outcome condition, a negative expectancy outcome condition, and a neutral (control) condition. Participants were exposed to a series of semantic primes corresponding to their condition and then asked to complete a beer taste-rating task. Planned comparisons revealed that the average ratio of beer consumed to body weight in the positive condition was significantly greater than the average ratio in the neutral condition, and the average ratio of beer consumed to body weight was significantly less in the negative condition than the average ratio in the neutral condition. These findings are discussed as they relate to cognitive models of alcohol use.

Alcohol Consumption and Expectancies Among Sexually Coercive College Men

This study investigated the relationship between college mens self-reported histories of coercive sexual behavior, alcohol consumption, and alcohol expectancies regarding sexual behaviors. Hypotheses were (a) history of sexually coercive behavior would be associated with more alcohol consumption, (b) sexually coercive men would hold greater alcohol expectancies for sexual behaviors, and (c) alcohol expectancies would moderate the relationship between alcohol consumption and sexual coercion. In addition, the authors hypothesized that alcohol expectancies would vary as a function of the method of sexual coercion used, such that men reporting that they had sexually coerced a woman by giving her alcohol would hold greater alcohol expectancies than would coercive men who used other methods. Results supported the first three hypotheses. However, men who used alcohol as a means of coercion did not hold significantly greater alcohol expectancies than did coercive men who used other means.

African american women and behavior therapy: Integrating theory, culture, and clinical practice

The utility of behavior therapy for the treatment of African American women is discussed, with particular attention to integrating cultural knowledge with assessment, conceptualization, and intervention strategies. Specific aspects of behavior theory that are compatible with assessing culturally-related variables are presented. These include a focus within behavior assessment on environmental, social, and cultural factors that influence learning. Cultural issues relevant to an accurate assessment of African American womens behavior are presented to illustrate ways in which a lack of cultural knowledge can lead to misinterpretation of behavior. Finally, guidelines for behavior therapists to consider when working with African American women are presented. It is suggested that integrating cultural factors with behavior therapy will result in greater flexibility for treating African American women as well as a range of diverse clients.

Pervasive and Persistent Risks: Factors Influencing African American Women's HIV/AIDS Vulnerability

This study focuses on the context of risk taking in a group of African American women. Correlates and predictors of risk-taking behavior in a sample of 278 African American women were examined to explore the nature of risk taking related to HlVinfection. It was hypothesized that increased riskforHIVinfection would be associated with engaging in a variety of risky behaviors across several domains. Results indicate that the women in this sample engaged in risky behaviors related not only to HIVbut also to other significant health risks, such as cigarette smoking and substance use. Risk for HIV infection, as measured by condom use, was predicted by individual and peer-related factors. The concept of pervasive risk is proposed to explain the behavior of individuals who are at high riskfor HIV/AIDS, yet continue to engage in risky behaviors.