Munyi Shea

A Latent Class Regression Analysis of Men's Conformity to Masculine Norms and Psychological Distress.

How are specific dimensions of masculinity related to psychological distress in specific groups of men? To address this question, the authors used latent class regression to assess the optimal number of latent classes that explained differential relationships between conformity to masculine norms and psychological distress in a racially diverse sample of 223 men. The authors identified a 2-class solution. Both latent classes demonstrated very different associations between conformity to masculine norms and psychological distress. In Class 1 (labeled risk avoiders; n = 133), conformity to the masculine norm of risk-taking was negatively related to psychological distress. In Class 2 (labeled detached risk-takers; n = 90), conformity to the masculine norms of playboy, self-reliance, and risk-taking was positively related to psychological distress, whereas conformity to the masculine norm of violence was negatively related to psychological distress. A post hoc analysis revealed that younger men and Asian American men (compared with Latino and White American men) had significantly greater odds of being in Class 2 versus Class 1. The implications of these findings for future research and clinical practice are examined.

Exploratory Studies on the Effects of a Career Exploration Group for Urban Chinese Immigrant Youth.

Two studies evaluating a school-based, culturally responsive career exploration and assessment group for low-income, urban Chinese immigrant youth are described. Mixed qualitative and quantitative methods compared the treatment (CEDAR group) versus the control group (no intervention). In Study 1, CEDAR group participants reported a significant decrease in career indecision; increases in academic, career, and college help seeking; and career decision-making self-efficacy at posttest compared to the control group. In Study 2, CEDAR group participants reported a significant increase in career decision making; decreases in career counseling stigma and value, collective self esteem, and affirmation and belonging in ethnic identity at posttest compared to the control group. Qualitative data from Study 1 and 2 revealed that participants had experienced an increased sense of social support, self-regard, self-knowledge, and learned practical career skills after participating in the CEDAR group. Implications for future research in career assessment and program development are discussed.

Toward a Constructionist Perspective of Examining Femininity Experience: The Development and Psychometric Properties of the Subjective Femininity Stress Scale

The social constructionist perspective has become a useful framework for understanding women’s psychological experiences. However, tools for examining how women construct meanings of their experiences as female in relevant social situations remain limited. Over two studies, our article describes the development and psychometric properties of the Subjective Femininity Stress Scale (SFSS), which assesses women’s stress associated with their subjective experiences of being female. Participants (N = 468) described their personal experiences of what it means to be a woman by completing the sentence “As a woman…” 10 times; participants then rated how often each of the femininity experiences was stressful for them. Participants’ qualitative responses were coded based on 20 dimensions of femininity experiences, and their relationships with SFSS scores were examined. Study 1 provided evidence for test–retest reliability, convergent, and discriminant validity of the SFSS. Study 2 demonstrated concurrent and incremental validity of the SFSS. Several dimensions of femininity experiences were significantly correlated with women’s stress appraisal. The open-ended nature of the SFSS is easy to administer in clinical and organizational settings. The dual qualitative/quantitative aspects of the SFSS enable clients to create personally relevant meanings for their femininity experiences while also providing a stress index for exploring links with health outcomes.

Mexican American women's perspectives on a culturally adapted cognitive-behavioral therapy guided self-help program for binge eating.

The prevalence of bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED) among Latinas is comparable to those of the general population; however, few interventions and treatment trial research have focused on this group. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the treatment of choice for binge eating related disorders. CBT-based guided self-help (CBTgsh)-a low-cost minimal intervention-has also been shown effective in improving binge eating related symptom, but the effectiveness of the CBTgsh among ethnic minority women is not well understood. Cultural adaptation of evidence-based treatments can be an important step for promoting treatment accessibility and engagement among underserved groups. This qualitative study was part of a larger investigation that examined the feasibility and efficacy of a culturally adapted CBTgsh program among Mexican American women with binge eating disorders. Posttreatment focus groups were conducted with 12 Mexican American women with BN or BED who participated in the intervention. Data were analyzed with the grounded theory methodology (Corbin & Strauss, 2008). Three themes emerged from the data: (a) eating behavior and body ideals are socially and culturally constructed, (b) multifaceted support system is crucial to Mexican American womens treatment engagement and success, and (c) the culturally adapted CBTgsh program is feasible and relevant to Mexican American womens experience, but it can be strengthened with increased family and peer involvement. The findings provide suggestions for further adaptation and refinement of the CBTgsh, and implications for future research as well as early intervention for disordered eating in organized care settings.

How many therapists? Practical guidance on investigating therapist effects in randomized controlled trials for eating disorders.

OBJECTIVE An important question in implementation/dissemination research is whether the efficacy of a given treatment varies in part based on the therapist delivering the treatment. This study sought to provide practical guidance to researchers in the field of eating disorders for building measurement of therapist effects into the design of a typical, relatively small randomized controlled trial (RCT). METHOD Using assumptions based on past trials of eating disorder treatments, Monte Carlo simulations were used to examine 12 different scenarios based on crossing the number of therapists (between two and five) and the estimated therapist effect size (small, medium, and large). Patient sample size and study design were held constant. RESULTS There was reasonable power (≥70%) to detect the therapist effect with three or four therapists and a large effect size. DISCUSSION Several practical implications for testing therapist effects in RCT are discussed.

Aggression, Grief, and Conflict in a Patient with Psychosis: An Integration of Psychodynamic and Cognitive-Behavioral Perspectives

Mr. V∗ is a 56-year-old, single, heterosexual, unemployed, domiciled Caucasian male of mixed European descent. English is his first and only language. He has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia since early adulthood. Currently, he is receiving individual psychotherapy and psychopharmacology at a community mental health center, as well as rehabilitation at a day treatment program. Mr. V has been living in a group home since the early 1980s. At this time, Mr. V’s chief complaint is: “I am a paranoid schizophrenic. People don’t like me, because they know my history of violence. They want to put me in jail. I am very an-