Tahany M. Gadalla

Stop Blaming the Victim: A Meta-Analysis on Rape Myths

Although male rape is being reported more often than before, the majority of rape victims continue to be women. Rape myths—false beliefs used mainly to shift the blame of rape from perpetrators to victims—are also prevalent in today’s society and in many ways contribute toward the pervasiveness of rape. Despite this, there has been limited consideration as to how rape prevention programs and policies can address this phenomenon, and there is no updated information on the demographic, attitudinal, or behavioral factors currently associated with rape myths. This research aimed to address this gap by examining the correlates of rape-myths acceptance (RMA) in published studies. A total of 37 studies were reviewed, and their results were combined using meta-analytic techniques. Overall, the findings indicated that men displayed a significantly higher endorsement of RMA than women. RMA was also strongly associated with hostile attitudes and behaviors toward women, thus supporting feminist premise that sexism perpetuates RMA. RMA was also found to be correlated with other “isms,” such as racism, heterosexism, classism, and ageism. These findings suggest that rape prevention programs and policies must be broadened to incorporate strategies that also address other oppressive beliefs concurrent with RMA. Indeed, a renewed awareness of how RMA shapes societal perceptions of rape victims, including perceptions of service providers, could also reduce victims’ re-victimization and enhance their coping mechanisms.

Cyber Bullying Behaviors Among Middle and High School Students

Little research has been conducted that comprehensively examines cyber bullying with a large and diverse sample. The present study examines the prevalence, impact, and differential experience of cyber bullying among a large and diverse sample of middle and high school students (N = 2,186) from a large urban center. The survey examined technology use, cyber bullying behaviors, and the psychosocial impact of bullying and being bullied. About half (49.5%) of students indicated they had been bullied online and 33.7% indicated they had bullied others online. Most bullying was perpetrated by and to friends and participants generally did not tell anyone about the bullying. Participants reported feeling angry, sad, and depressed after being bullied online. Participants bullied others online because it made them feel as though they were funny, popular, and powerful, although many indicated feeling guilty afterward. Greater attention is required to understand and reduce cyber bullying within childrens social worlds and with the support of educators and parents.

Co-occurrence of eating disorders and alcohol use disorders in women: a meta analysis.

SummaryThis meta analysis involved 41 studies published between January of 1985 and May of 2006, which examined the co-occurrence of eating disorders (ED) and alcohol use disorders (AUD) in women. Studies were reviewed and a quantitative synthesis of their results was carried out via the calculation of standardised effect sizes. Direction and strength of the relationships between AUD and specific disordered eating patterns were examined. Heterogeneity of reported results was also assessed and examined. Only 4 out of 41 studies reported negative associations between ED and AUD. The magnitude of the associations between eating-disordered patterns and AUD ranged from small to medium size and were statistically significant for any ED, bulimia nervosa (BN)/bulimic behavior, purging, binge eating disorder (BED) and eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS). No association was found between anorexia nervosa (AN) and AUD. The magnitude of the association between BN and AUD was the most divergent across studies and those between each of BED and dietary restriction and AUD were the most consistent across studies. Reported associations of different patterns of disordered eating and AUD were generally weakest and most divergent when participants were recruited from clinical settings and strongest and most homogeneous when participants were recruited from student populations.

Eating Disorders and Substance Abuse in Canadian Men and Women: A National Study

The objective of this study was to examine the co-morbidity between eating disorders and substance use in a large nationally representative sample of Canadian women and men while including varied measures of substance consumption and a wide range of substance classes. The research was based on secondary analyses of data collected, using multistage stratified probability sampling, by Statistics Canada in the Mental Health and Well-being cycle 1.2 of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). Data were collected mostly in face to face interviews using the Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing method. Data included the Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26), and modules of the short form of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI-SF) to assess alcohol and drug use, dependence and interference. Alcohol interference and amphetamine use were associated with the risk for an eating disorder in both women and men. In the women sample only, risk for an eating disorder was associated with illicit drug use, dependence and interference, as well as with the number of substance classes used. The study findings support the importance of developing assessment instruments and treatment strategies that address the co-occurrence of eating disorders and substance use for both women and men.

Comparison of Users and Non-Users of Mental Health Services Among Depressed Women: A National Study

ABSTRACT Risk factors for major depressive episodes (MDE), determinants of not seeking treatment for it and types of health care service accessed by women who received treatment for MDE were examined using data collected in the Health and Mental Health cycle of the Canadian Community Health Survey, 2002. Of the 1,186 women with MDE, 45% did not receive treatment for it. The highest rates of MDE were found among women under 30 years of age, single mothers with young children, low income women, those with chronic health conditions, high levels of daily stress and low levels of social support. The odds of not seeking treatment for MDE were highest for single mothers with adult children, women with low social support and those with little formal education. The type of mental health services accessed by women with MDE was strongly associated with their age, education, length of time in Canada, language skills, income adequacy, physical health, stress level and chronic health conditions. Our findings signify a need for screening women at high risk of depression, especially those identified as more likely not to seek treatment.

Impact of Marital Dissolution on Men's and Women's Incomes: A Longitudinal Study

This study adopted a longitudinal framework in examining economic consequences of marital dissolution for men and women. Data collected in the Survey of Labor and Income Dynamics from 1998 to 2005 were used to compare mens and womens incomes for up to 5 years during and after marital dissolution. Marital dissolution was defined as divorce or separation from a spouse or a common-law partner. Results revealed a dramatic drop in womens income and a slight drop in mens income during the dissolution year. One year later, womens income was 80% that of mens; 4 years past dissolution, it reached 85% that of mens. Gender differences in adjusted incomes were statistically significant for up to 3 years postdissolution. These findings suggest that the level of deterioration in womens economic well-being after marital dissolution has not improved in the last 2 decades.

Sense of mastery, social support, and health in elderly Canadians.

Objective: This study aims to examine the structural relationships among sense of mastery (SOM), income level, social support, physical health, and stress in older Canadians, while controlling for demographic characteristics. Method: This research uses data collected in the National Population Health Survey on Canadians aged 65 years and older (N = 1,399). Results: Higher income predicts better health and more social support, which, in turn, predicts higher SOM. The relationship between physical health and stress is fully mediated through SOM for both genders. The SOM fully mediates the relationship between social support and stress for men and partially mediates this relationship for women. Discussion: Findings confirm the importance of a network of social services targeting older persons with low income, diminished physical health, and/or those living alone.

Psychiatric Comorbidity in Women with Disordered Eating Behavior: A National Study

ABSTRACT This study used data collected by Statistics Canada in the Mental Health and Well-being cycle of the Canadian Community Health Survey (N = 20,211) to examine the associations between disordered eating behavior and selected mood, anxiety and substance use disorders in adult women grouped in three age groups. Significant associations between disordered eating behaviors and major depression, substance dependence and psychological distress were found for women in all three age ranges. Prevalence of specific classes of anxiety disorders in women who reported disordered eating behaviors differed according to their age. Having disordered eating behaviors was significantly associated with both 12-month and lifetime prevalence of social phobia for women above 25 years of age. Lifetime prevalence of agoraphobia was associated with disordered eating behaviors in women 15–44 years old, and the 12-month prevalence was associated with disordered eating behaviors only in women 15–24 years of age. Disordered eating behaviors were significantly associated with lifetime prevalence of panic disorder in women in all three age ranges and with 12-month prevalence of panic disorder in women in two age ranges, 15–24 and 45 and above. The findings highlight the importance of taking age into consideration when developing assessment instruments and treatment strategies to address the co-occurrence of eating disorders and other psychiatric disorders.

The Role of Mastery and Social Support in the Association Between Life Stressors and Psychological Distress in Older Canadians

Gerontological social workers and other health professionals are often dealing with older adults in psychological distress. Greater clarity on the relationship between stress and psychological distress will enhance the efficacy of outreach and treatment initiatives for older adults. This study explored the underlying causal structure of the relationships of common life stressors and psychosocial resources for Canadians 65 years and older (542 men and 835 women). Using structural equation modeling of data collected in the National Population Health Survey in 2004–2005 and 2002–2003, the roles played by socioeconomic conditions, physical health, chronic stress, sense of mastery, and perceived social support in the stress–psychological distress relationship were estimated and compared. Findings revealed that chronic stress was the strongest determinant of the level of psychological distress for both genders; however its effect was higher for men compared to women. Poor physical health played a more important role in determining womens psychological distress compared to men. Higher levels of mastery and perceived social support were associated with lower levels of psychological distress for both men and women. These associations were somewhat stronger for men compared with women. Socio-economic conditions played a minor role in the stress–mental health relationship for both genders.

Examining the Lag Time Between State-Level Income Inequality and Individual Disabilities: A Multilevel Analysis

State-level income inequality has been found to have an effect on individual health outcomes, even when controlled for important individual-level variables such as income, education, age, and gender. The effect of income inequality on health may not be immediate and may, in fact, have a substantial lag time between exposure to inequality and eventual health outcome. We used the 2006 American Community Survey to examine the association of state-level income inequality and 2 types of physical disabilities. We used 6 different lag times, ranging between 0 and 25 years, on the total sample and on those who resided in their state of birth. Income inequality in 1986 had the strongest correlation with 2006 disability levels. Odds ratios were consistently 10% higher for those born in the same state compared with the total population.