1,720,979 research outputs found
Understanding How to Address Cervical Cancer Disparities in African American and Hispanic Populations
Full text linkCervical cancer rates have decreased significantly compared to previous years, however African American and Hispanic women face higher mortality rates than other racial groups. In 2016 the Texas Cancer Registry showed that Hispanic women had the highest incidence rate of late-stage cervical cancer and Non-Hispanic Blacks had the highest mortality rate. The Human Papilloma Virus, HPV, is a casual link in creating cervical cancer precursor lesions. HPV does not carry symptoms; therefore, comorbidities progress the infection and cancer is detected at an older age. The higher mortality rates in minority populations are due to screenings that detect late-stage cervical cancer. HPV vaccinations and Pap smear screenings are best used to avoid cervical cancer. Within the Houston area, predominantly African American and Hispanic communities have similar socioeconomic status, which alludes to similar health outcomes. This study focuses on understanding successful intervention elements that have the potential to decrease cervical cancer morbidity and mortality in African American and Hispanic women. In addition, research analyses of evidence-based interventions were synthesized to understand which study works best to address parental concerns, cultural beliefs, pap test knowledge, and completion of the HPV vaccination series. Many women did not receive a Pap smear within the recommended CDC guidelines of 3 years. Studies explained that the low adolescent uptake of HPV vaccinations are due to parental concerns of perceived sexual activity. Interventions that were culturally tailored and maintained partnerships with local institutions were successful in creating a positive impact on health beliefs and behaviors.Psychological, Health, and Learning Sciences, Department ofHonors Colleg
Refining STI Risk Prevention Messages That Yield Strong Intentions
No full textThe present study was a baseline illustration of pro-condom beliefs that may be amenable to minimal change through intervention, while engendering a sizeable impact on strong intentions. Intentions were related to actual condom use more so for participants who “strongly agreed” with condom use cognition. Future research might benefit by focusing on identifying messages related to strong intentions to use condoms for college students who already intend to use condoms.Psychological, Health, and Learning Sciences, Department ofHonors Colleg
Promoting Safer Sexual Behavior on the HBCU Campus through a Focus on Ethnic Identity
No full textBecause HIV disparity exists in African American populations, condom use is of public health significance. The present study was to identify whether ethnic identity is useful in predicting condom use among emerging adults attending a historically Black college/university (HBCU). Participants included 255 African American college students recruited from a HBCU in the south. Participants were surveyed on attitudes toward condom use, subjective norms about condom use, self-efficacy to use condoms, and ethnic identity. Logistic regression was used to construct a model of condom use behavior. Results indicated that ethnic identity and self-efficacy to use condoms were significant predictors of condom use (p<.05). However, self-efficacy and ethnic identity, together, were the strongest predictors of condom use. Additionally, participants who scored high on ethnic identity were 1.6 times more likely to use condoms than those who scored low on ethnic identity. Likewise, participants who scored high on ethnic identity and self-efficacy, together, were 2.8 times more likely to use condoms. These results imply that a focus on ethnic identity and cultural belonging may be worthwhile additions to university interventions and public health programs aiming to increase condom use behavior to reduce HIV/STIs on predominantly African American college campuses.Honors CollegePsychological, Health, and Learning Sciences, Department o
Gender Variation among Perceived Social Concomitants of Sexual Behavior in Emerging Adulthood
No full textThe decision to engage in sex may be associated with perceived social rewards and consequences, and are therefore referred to as social concomitants of sexual behavior. Likewise, such social concomitants may vary by gender. The present study examined gender differences regarding social concomitants of sexual behavior, and gender variation in social concomitants’ influence on the idea of having sex within the next three months. African American emerging adults (N=229; ages 18-21) completed an online survey. T-tests and moderated logistic regressions examined 10 social concomitants of sex. Women held greater endorsement that parents would be proud to know that they remained a virgin throughout high school (p<.001), perception that parents would be angry if they were having sex in college (p=.003), and the likelihood of AIDS with multiple partners (p=.008). Those who perceived that parents would be proud of their high school virgin status were 1.4 times more likely to think having sex would be a bad idea. Additionally, women who valued their mother’s opinion more were 1.9 times more likely to think having sex was a bad idea, compared to men. Parent influence and gender socialization are discussed as avenues for future research.Honors CollegePsychological, Health, and Learning Sciences, Department o
Interesting Associations Among Sexual Health Services Utilization and School Exposure to Sexual Health Information
No full textThe purpose of this study was to examine associations of school exposure to sexual health information and the utilization of sexual health services using Wave I and II from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult National Probability Study. The analytic sample included 4819 participants who were adolescents at the time of survey administration. Logistic regression analyses were performed between school exposure data in Wave I and sexual health utilization in Wave II. Students who learned about pregnancy were 1.5 times more likely to get testing or treatment for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) (p<.045) but were not more likely to receive family planning. Students who learned about AIDS were not more likely to get testing or treatment for STDs or receive family planning; neither were students who learned about where to receive health services. These associations were unexpected, as learning about pregnancy should theoretically positively influence the receipt of family planning. Likewise, learning about AIDS should theoretically positively influence the receipt of testing and treatment for STDs. These are important preliminary results that will serve as further inquiry for studies that examine the impact of school-based health-related knowledge on sexual health service utilization among adolescents.Honors CollegePsychological, Health, and Learning Sciences, Department o
Examining the theory of planned behavior applied to condom use: A comparison of the effect-indicator vs. causal-indicator models
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Psychology"December 2007."The theory of planned behavior was developed by Ajzen & Fishbein (1980) in an attempt to explain a number of health behaviors such as smoking, diet and exercise behaviors, diabetic management, and condom use (Glanz, Rimer, & Lewis, 2002). The theory of planned behavior asserts that actual behavior is a function of the intention to act. Intention, in turn, is a function of the weighted sum of attitudes toward the behavior, subjective norms about the behavior, and volitional control over the behavior. These global components were addressed, as well as their differentiated components. Two conceptually different augmentations of the theory, a causal-indicator model applied to the theory of planned behavior and an effect-indicator model applied to the theory of planned behavior were discussed and compared. Using the intent to use condoms as the extraneous dependent variable, both augmentations were evaluated by model fit indices in a structural model analysis. It was expected that the effect-indicator model would allow for the best-fitted explanation of the theory of planned behavior. The major hypothesis was supported through evaluation of the observed data. Thus, the effect-indicator model was found to be the most satisfactory conceptualization. Adolescent interventions that are driven by the theory of planned behavior may benefit from such a framework by focusing on behavior change with regard to the theory’s global and differentiated components as modeled by the effect-indicator model
The relationship between tentative drug and self-concept among rural african american children in four bucolic communities in southern Louisiana
Full text linkThis research contributes to the much-needed information on rural children in the South. While drug use plagues our society, research strives for answers to combat the destructive behavior. Very little research studies rural African American children and the effects these issues have on them. The present study (1) focuses on rural African American children\u27s overall self-concept. (2) focuses on rural African American\u27s children\u27s tentative drug use to commonly known drugs of abuse, and (3) seeks out a relationship between attitudes of tentative drug use of an self-concept as they pertain to these African American Children in Southern communities, majority impoverished and rural. This study consisted of sixty-four African American children, age twelve. Most were first born siblings. No other factors were considered. They were given two scales: a tentative drug use scale and self-concept scale in a group of scales. A Pearson correlation resulted in an r=0.001. The hypothesis was not supported. There is no relationship between self-concept and tentative drug use among these rural African American children in these southern communities. However, there were gender differences. Overall, rural African American children in the south have a high self-concept and are rather unsure of their feelings on whether to use drugs in the future, as suggested by the population sampled. The results have implications for more drug abuse presentation programs. This study contributes to the limited research in the subject area and encourages much more extensive research in the area
Navigating Gendered Racial Microaggressions: Exploring the Mediating and Moderating Pathways to Workplace Well-Being for Black Women
No full textBackground: The complex dynamics of racism and sexism in the workplace, particularly gendered racial microaggressions (GRMs), remain a critical concern for Black women. GRMs are subtle yet pervasive forms of discrimination that target individuals based on intersecting gendered and racial identities. These experiences can profoundly affect well-being and professional outcomes, yet the mechanisms through which GRMs influence workplace functioning remain understudied. Purpose: This study addresses gaps in the literature by examining the mediating roles of sociopolitical participation and identity shifting in the relationships between GRMs, workplace stress, and work engagement among Black women. It also explores whether gendered racial identity centrality (GRI) and perceived organizational justice (POJ) moderate these processes. Methods: Participants were recruited via Prolific, an online platform offering access to diverse samples of working Black women across various industries and professional roles. Model 1 tested mediation effects of sociopolitical participation and identity shifting on workplace stress and work engagement. Model 2 tested moderated mediation, introducing GRI and POJ as moderators. Analyses were conducted using Mplus with model fit indices and parameter estimates guiding interpretation. Results: Identity shifting significantly mediated the relationship between GRMs and workplace stress but did not mediate work engagement. Sociopolitical participation significantly mediated GRMs and work engagement but not workplace stress. GRI and POJ did not significantly moderate these paths. However, POJ was directly associated with lower workplace stress and higher work engagement, suggesting the importance of organizational fairness. Conclusion: This study enhances understanding of how GRMs impact workplace outcomes for Black women by identifying identity shifting as a stress-inducing mechanism and sociopolitical participation as a pathway to engagement. Although moderation hypotheses were unsupported, POJ emerged as a protective factor. Findings underscore the need for culturally responsive and equity-centered workplace practices that validate racial identity, reduce identity suppression, and encourage authentic sociopolitical expression
Modern Discrimination Still Hurts: Effects of Covert and Overt Racial-Ethnic Discrimination on Risky Behavioral Intentions and Sexual Risk-Taking
No full textRacial-ethnic discrimination contributes to adverse outcomes for people of color (POC), such as poor psychological well-being, illness, and risky behaviors (e.g., sexual risk-taking). However, it is still unclear if covert discrimination—subtle and often ambiguous acts of prejudice—is as harmful to POC as overt discrimination. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms for the association between racial-ethnic discrimination and sexual risk-taking are still not well understood. In the present study, I examined the effects of covert and overt discrimination surrounding English language use on risky behavioral intentions and sexual risk-taking using an experimental analog. The final sample was composed of 133 UH students. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental condition. All participants completed a challenging reading comprehension task adapted from a Graduate Records Examinations (GRE) General Test. After seven minutes, the experimenter interrupted them. In the neutral control condition, the experimenter made an innocuous comment. In the overt discrimination condition, the experimenter blamed participants’ English proficiency for them taking too long. In the covert discrimination condition, the experimenter “helpfully” asked if the participant struggled with reading English. Then, participants completed self-report outcome measures and two versions of a sexual delay discounting task. Overt discrimination had a stronger negative effect on perceived acceptance (basic psychological need satisfaction and interpersonal vulnerability) than covert discrimination. Only overt discrimination had an indirect effect through basic psychological need satisfaction to risky behavioral intentions. However, experiencing either covert or overt discrimination had indirect effects through basic psychological need satisfaction on ability to delay gratification while waiting for a condom. These results link racial-ethnic discrimination to yet another negative outcome, risky sexual behavior, and demonstrate the differential effects of both covert and overt discrimination on POC’s well-being. Addressing both covert and overt racial-ethnic discrimination is crucial in reducing social disconnection and health-risk behaviors among POC.Psychology, Department o
- …
