Non-physical intimate partner violence (NPIPV) is the most pervasive type of abuse, yet literature has predominantly focused on physical IPV victimization. This study employed a mixed-methods design utilizing archival expressive writing data previously collected to identify the presence of NPIPV victimization. Participants wrote about their experience after a relationship dissolution using the expressive writing paradigm. They were asked to share their deepest thoughts and feelings across two sessions. A constructivist grounded theory approach established the theoretical framework for coding the presence of NPIPV acts between romantic partners. Four themes of NPIPV were established (degradation, isolation, control, and jealousy). Disclosure of NPIPV and other themes were also evident in these data. Quantitative analyses assessed changes in participants' psychological distress after completing a brief writing intervention. The intervention increased the likelihood of NPIPV victimization being mentioned from Time 1 to Time 2 writing sessions. This study increases clinical awareness regarding NPIPV by providing insights into this longest-sustained IPV subtype. All participants reported a reduction in avoidance symptoms after completing the writing intervention. Finally, gender continues to complicate this field as researchers must acknowledge both the existence of men's victimization experiences and the greater severity of women's victimization. Clinical implications demonstrate a strength …

Participants from earlier nationwide studies on predictors of internship match were contacted 7-10 years after obtaining their doctoral degree to gather additional data concerning their attained early career competencies and benchmarks (e.g., scores on the national licensing exam). In this sample (N = 190), licensure exam scores were significantly positively associated with scores obtained on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), family of origin socioeconomic status, and student debt load. However, obtained licensure scores were not found to be significantly associated with any pre-doctoral training variables (e.g., intervention/ assessment hours, number of integrated reports, number of publications, rank order of matched internship site) or most post-doctoral early career activities. Weak positive associations between licensures scores and engaging in teaching / supervision / consultation services were observed. Few self-reported early career competencies were found to be weakly positively associated with scores on the national licensing exam (i.e., integrity, seeking supervision, scientific mindedness, evidence-based practice). Significantly inverse associations were found between national licensing exam scores and self-reported competencies in the areas of management and systems change. Findings are discussed and implications for the national licensing exam considered.

The current study examined the nature and extent of endorsement of PMIEs, the nature and severity of MI symptoms related to endorsement of a PMIE, and the relations between extent of endorsement of PMIEs and MI symptoms. We hypothesized that (1) PMIEs perpetrated by others would be endorsed to a greater extent than PMIEs perpetrated by oneself; (2) medical professionals who endorsed a PMIE would report significantly greater severity on all MI symptoms compared to medical professionals who did not endorse a PMIE; (3) experiencing PMIEs (perpetrated by oneself and/or others) to a greater extent would predict higher levels of MI symptom severity, and MI symptom severity would specifically be most strongly predicted by PMIEs perpetrated by oneself. Hypotheses were examined using t-tests, Pearson's r correlations, and multiple multivariate regression analyses. First, the current study found that PMIEs perpetrated by others were endorsed to a greater extent than those perpetrated by themselves; second, greater exposure to PMIEs was associated with significantly greater severity of 10 of the 14 outcomes. Third, PMIEs perpetrated by oneself predicted more MI symptomatology than PMIEs perpetrated by others, indicating that while PMIEs perpetrated by others are more common, PMIEs perpetrated by oneself are more strongly …

Socioeconomic status (SES) has been shown to reliably predict parenting practices, family well-being, and psychological outcomes throughout the lifespan. The current study employed a cross-sectional, quantitative design in which adult participants (N = 336) completed an online survey measuring demographic variables, financial stress, attachment security, and psychological well-being. The study results suggest that (a) both current and family history of financial stress negatively predicted attachment security, (b) SES positively predicted general psychological well-being, although individual SES factors (e.g., income, subjective SES, financial stress) demonstrated nuanced relationships with well-being, life satisfaction, and resilience, (c) family history of financial stress and attachment security mediated the relationship between calculated social status and psychological well-being, and (d) the mediated relationship between calculated social status and psychological well-being via the pathway of attachment security was significant for racial/ethnic minorities, but not for White participants. The present findings contribute to the current literature by (1) including multidimensional measurements of SES, (2) addressing nuances in the relationship between SES and attachment, (3) emphasizing the role of financial stress on attachment security, and (4) providing initial cross-cultural considerations in the relationships among SES, attachment, and psychological well-being. Future researchers are encouraged to conduct longitudinal analyses, amplify sample recruitment …

In Miranda v. Arizona (1966), the Supreme Court of the United States required that custodial arrestees be informed of their constitutional and continuous rights to silence and to legal counsel. Moreover, the ruling mandated that waivers be considered valid only if they were made knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily. However, in the decades that followed, evidence from both caselaw and empirical scholarship clarified that, for many vulnerable populations, these rights are in jeopardy. Among these vulnerable populations, those with limited cognitive capacities (LCCs) have been functionally excluded from research which primarily focused on persons with intellectual disabilities. This thesis offers a novel exploration of the role of specific cognitive impairments on Miranda comprehension and reasoning, with a focus on verbal intelligence (VIQ). Using a large archival sample of pretrial defendants (N = 820), current results suggest that defendants struggled with Miranda abilities regardless of other, individual characteristics. However, verbal intelligence emerged as a very strong predictor of Miranda comprehension such that those with lower VIQ were considerably more vulnerable to impaired comprehension. More so, data suggest that several compounded vulnerabilities (i.e., minoritized racial/ethnic identity status, limited academic achievement, illiteracy) are essential to understanding the extent of vulnerability in the criminal legal …

To assess a wide range of stressors and traumas, we developed a trauma and stressors exposure checklist for adults to capture a wide variety of potential trauma exposure. This study details the extensive development and validation process of the Comprehensive Trauma and Stressors Checklist (CTSC). Study 1 consisted of item pool generation, review of existing trauma measures, content analysis, and expert review and input. Study 2 analyzed reliability and validity of the updated checklist. Participants were recruited from college and community samples (N = 200) and completed the CTSC along with five additional measures. The CTSC demonstrated high internal consistency (α =.96). Good temporal stability was established with a subset of participants (n = 28) who completed the survey twice for test-retest reliability (r = 0.86, p < .001). Significant correlations between scores on the CTSC and the Stressful Life Events Screening Questionnaire, Life Events Checklist for the DSM-5, Intersectional Discrimination Index, and Spiritual Abuse Questionnaire are evidence of strong convergent validity. Finally, the lack of significant correlations between CTSC scores and theoretically unrelated constructs supported the discriminant validity of the CTSC. This study provides preliminary evidence that the CTSC is a reliable and valid measure of exposure to traumas …

Research identifies male athletes as a subpopulation at risk for developing eating disorders and disordered eating (ED/DE). Petrie and Greenleaf's sociocultural model proposes that various correlates contribute to the etiology of ED/DE in athletes. Among the correlates, body satisfaction has been identified as a direct precursor to ED/DE symptomatology in male and female athletes. Recent research has noted self-compassion's utility in alleviating the outcomes of poor body image and ED/DE through several pathways. However, researchers have yet to examine self-compassion in relation to body satisfaction and ED/DE in male athletes or the temporal relationship between these variables. This study longitudinally examined the direct and indirect effects of self-compassion on body satisfaction and ED/DE symptomatology in a mixed-sport sample of 452 male collegiate athletes by testing the cross-lagged, temporal relationships among self-compassion, body satisfaction, and ED/DE symptomatology across a four-month time frame. Time 1 self-compassion was neither directly related to Time 2 body satisfaction (β = 0.02, p = .755), nor indirectly to Time 2 ED/DE (β = -0.002, 95% BCaCI [-0.028, 0.014]) when controlling for Time 1 scores. Recent research supports my finding and suggests that the effects of self-compassion on body satisfaction and ED/DE symptomatology may be dependent on …

Research has extensively documented the mental health disparities that exist for ethnic and racial minorities living in the United States. With respect to Latinos, such disparities are marked by less access to care and poorer quality of mental health treatment. Studies on Latino mental health have found differences in mental health service utilization among ethnic subgroups and among different generations of Latinos. However, empirical data examining specific attitudes and barriers to mental health treatment among different generations of Latinos are limited. This study explored the relationships between Latino generational status, mental health service utilization, psychological distress, and barriers to mental health treatment. An online survey (N = 218) included samples of first-generation (n = 67), second-generation (n = 86), and third-generation or beyond Latinos (n = 65). Results indicated first-generation Latinos had the lowest rate of mental health service utilization and reported greater linguistic and structural knowledge barriers, however, they had lower perceived social stigma of mental health services when age at migration was considered. Implications of these findings for research, mental health service providers and mental health policy are discussed.

Retirement from sport is a process that unfolds over time in which athletes have varied experiences, ranging from seamless transition to psychological distress. Researchers have sought to understand the variables (i.e., athletic identity, social support) that contribute to successful or unsuccessful transitions, with athletic identity being one of the most frequently mentioned. Athletes who strongly identify with the athlete role at the time of retirement are more at risk for adverse retirement outcomes (i.e., mental health concerns, identity concerns, substance use). To date, few studies have examined the moderating effect of coping resources, such as social support, on athletic identity at the time of retirement. The purpose of this study was two-fold. First, we found that student-athletes who graduated and retired had lower athletic identity, higher alcohol use, and less perceived social support than their peers who continued competing four months after graduation. Second, we longitudinally examined the relationship of athletic identity and social support to the psychological well-being (i.e., life satisfaction and binge drinking) of collegiate student athletes who retired from sport. Neither T1 athletic identity nor T1 social support, nor their interaction, were related to T2 life satisfaction or T2 alcohol use in the retired student-athletes after controlling …

This study explored how well specific socio-cognitive processes (i.e., interpersonal problems, empathy, hostile attributional biases, envy/jealousy) predicted the manifestations of both grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. Additionally, we explored the impact of both forms of narcissism on the presence of maladaptive social behaviors (i.e., the perpetration of psychological abuse). We found that domineering interpersonal behaviors and a propensity to fantasize predicted significant unique variance in grandiose narcissism; envy of others, hostile attributional biases, and a propensity to fantasize predicted significant unique variance in vulnerable narcissism. Additionally, while domineering interpersonal behaviors and hostile attributional biases predicted significant variance in psychological abuse perpetration, only vulnerable narcissism added significant unique variance to its regression model. Lastly, only domineering interpersonal behaviors, envy of others, and hostile attributional biases predicted significant unique variance in psychological abuse victimization; narcissism was nonsignificant. The results of our study will contribute to an increased understanding of the nature of both grandiose and vulnerable narcissism and the impacts these personality styles have on an individual's ability to function effectively in interpersonal relationships.

Sibling aggression is one of the most frequently occurring forms of aggression within the family and has been associated with socioemotional problems. Guided by the cultural context perspective and family systems theory, a conceptual model depicting the direct and indirect effects of cultural orientation values, traditional gender role attitudes, parental differential treatment, and parent-child conflict on sibling aggression and psychosocial functioning (i.e., psychological distress and interpersonal difficulties) was developed. It was hypothesized that perceptions of cultural values and gender role attitudes endorsed by primary caregivers would be associated with family dynamics factors (i.e., parental differential treatment and parent-child conflict) that contributed to sibling aggression and resulting impaired psychosocial functioning. A total of 272 participants completed the online questionnaire that measured the variables of interest. Structural equation modeling (SEM) methods were used to analyze the data. Findings of the final models lent clear support to the indirect effects of cultural values and gender role attitudes on sibling aggression and resulting psychosocial functioning through differential treatment and parent-child conflict although the results also yielded some unexpected nuances regarding the indirect effect paths. Specifically, lower levels of independent cultural values contributed to greater levels of sibling aggression and impaired psychosocial functioning through more …

The Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) is a requirement for licensure as a psychologist across the entire United States as well as in numerous territories and provinces. Despite many longstanding criticisms and findings of bias, the EPPP is being expanded (adding a second, putatively competency-based, portion to the overall exam) and rebranded as the Enhanced EPPP. A review of literature reveals strong skepticism surrounding these developments, particularly with respect to the issue of criterion validity. The current study sought to examine the criterion validity of the EPPP by (1) drawing archival competency assessment data from existing measures (convergent validity) and (2) gathering new neurocognitive and emotional intelligence data, along with demographic data (discriminant validity), with copies of EPPP score reports from individuals who have recently taken the EPPP. Competency ratings did not significantly positively correlate with EPPP scores and, instead, indicated the opposite trend. Analyses also revealed a significant relationship between ethnicity and exam scores, with White individuals scoring higher than other ethnicities. Finally, performance on neurocognitive tests significantly positively correlated with exam scores, indicating that general test taking abilities play a larger role than abilities and competencies unique to the psychology field. Given the gatekeeping role the …

While experiencing childhood maltreatment (CM) increases the risk for negative lifetime outcomes, protective factors can lessen the harmful impact of stressful experiences and contribute to one's overall resilience. Musical engagement may operate as a protective factor by facilitating creative expression, increasing feelings of mastery, and providing a sense of belonging. It may also present stressors due to the unique demands of music performance (e.g., time constraints, competitiveness, scarce career opportunities). Due to the limited current research looking at musicians that have experienced trauma, we used a constructivist grounded theory approach to understand how the experience of engaging in music education and performance as children influenced resilience among adult survivors of CM. We invited thirteen students from prestigious music performance programs to participate based on their demonstrated resilience to perform at elite levels, despite reports of severe CM. Participants reflected on their experiences with CM, music education and performance, their identities as musicians, and the concept of resilience. Our analysis of interview transcripts supported the positive influence of social support, self-efficacy, and time and space away from their primary perpetrators of CM. Participants also consistently noted challenges present within organized music education, including ineffective instructors, pressure to perform well, and music …

Coaches' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about mental health – the construct of mental health literacy (MHL) – affects teams' mental health (MH) climates and the early detection, referral, and treatment of athletes' MH concerns. Thus, assessing collegiate coaches' MHL, and the factors related to its presence, is critical. Using the Mental Health Literacy Scale, I surveyed 1,571 NCAA coaches (Mage = 37.5 years, SD = 11.8; 51.4% cisgender female; 85.9% White) regarding their MHL and related demographic and MH-experience factors, including their belief regarding MH and sport performance. Overall, 99.9% of the coaches believed that athletes' MH affected their sport performances. Through hierarchical regression analyses, I found that coaches' exposure to MH treatment, their perceived helpfulness of MH treatment, their gender (i.e., woman), number of years coaching (i.e., fewer years), and NCAA Division in which they currently coach (i.e., DIII) were related significantly to their MHL, explaining 15.5% of variance. Coaches' race/ethnicity was not related to MHL. These findings provide insight on hiring and educating coaches, and hiring appropriately trained and licensed MH and sport psychology professionals. Specifically, coach education should be focused and practical: signs and symptoms of common MH concerns disorders; the ubiquity of MH concerns among athletes; …

The purpose of the current study was to understand the lived experiences and perspectives of high-functioning survivors of moderate or severe childhood maltreatment (CM) as related to the role of athletic participation in the development of their resilience. We emailed and screened Division I student-athletes from universities across the U. S. who did not meet criteria for a traumatic stress disorder. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach and constant comparison methodology, we obtained and analyzed interview data from 13 participants. The pathways through which participation in childhood athletics supported their coping include receiving social support from coaches and teammates, being present and engaged in their athletic participation, feeling relatively safe in their athletic environment, and spending time away from the main perpetrators of the CM. After applying concepts from existing literature to our data, we developed hypotheses to explain the processes by which participation in youth sport fosters resilience. For example, sport participation may provide opportunities for corrective emotional experiences that help young athletes heal. In addition, based on self-determination theory, maltreated elite athletes may benefit from sport participation because it meets their three basic needs (i.e., autonomy, mastery, and relatedness). We conclude this study with suggested implications for researchers …

Graduate students in mental health service training programs are at risk of experiencing burnout. Using adult attachment theory as the guiding framework, this study examined a conceptual model which depicted the direct and indirect effect of attachment insecurity on burnout and the subsequent psychological distress via low self-compassion and emotion regulation difficulty with two cultural samples recruited from the U.S. and Taiwan, respectively. The final sample included 216 U.S. mental health graduate trainees and 201 Taiwanese trainees. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Findings from the final models best supported by the data revealed that in both cultural groups, attachment anxiety contributed to lower self-compassion which subsequently resulted in greater burnout and that emotion regulation did not play a mediational role in the models. Results also demonstrated cultural differences in several paths of the research model. For the U.S. sample, only higher attachment anxiety indirectly contributed to more psychological distress through low self-compassion and burnout was best positioned as an outcome variable similar to psychological distress, instead of being a mediator. For the Taiwanese sample, on the other hand, both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance demonstrated significant indirect effects on higher psychological distress through lower self-compassion and …

This investigation utilized data from a previous laboratory-based study to examine the interactive contributions of trait involuntary stress responses (ISRs, e.g., rumination) and perceived familial social support (SS) on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA; as indexed via salivary cortisol) response to acute stress in a sample of 128 adolescent girls ages 12 to 16. Participants completed a modified Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), and physiologic stress response was indexed via six salivary cortisol samples. Dimensions of ISRs and familial social support were entered into regression models to predict total cortisol circulation defined by area under the curve with respect to ground (AUCG; Pruessner et al., 2003) following the TSST. Neither ISRs or SS were associated with cortisol AUCG, nor was there an interactive effect of SS on relationships between ISRs and AUCG. Implications of present results and methodological recommendations for future investigations are discussed. This may be the first investigation to consider the interactive effects of ISRs and social support on adolescent girls' HPA responses. Greater understanding of these factors in this understudied demographic will improve translational science as well as inform risk assessment and intervention development.

Due to their influential roles in the lives of their players, understanding coaches' attitudes and perceptions toward LGBQ+ student-athletes is essential for assessing how safe collegiate sport environments are for LGBQ+ athletes. However, the research in this area has been limited. The present study aims to address this gap by investigating coaches' perceptions of LGBQ+ athletes to inform policy and education for promoting inclusive sport environments for these athletes. Participants were 1,533 collegiate coaches (Mage = 39.65 years; women = 41.3%; White = 83.7%; non-Hispanic = 86.4%; heterosexual = 74.9%) drawn from all three NCAA Divisions. In an open-ended, text response question, coaches were asked to identify the extent to which they would support and accept athletes on their teams being open about their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, and to describe the reasoning for their beliefs. Through reflexive thematic analysis, six higher order themes capturing coaches' rationales were identified: (a) levels of acceptance, (b) i coach, therefore i am…, (c) supportive environments are essential, (d) as a queer coach…, (e) limiting queerness, and (f) sexual orientation does not provide a competitive advantage. Analyses illuminate avenues for LGBQ+ athlete inclusion policies and training for coaches.

Since its emergence in the U.S., HIV has been a stigmatized illness. People living with HIV (PLH) are a minority and prone to psychological distress and poor mental health outcomes due to HIV-related stigma. PLH who identify with another minority group in addition to being HIV-positive (e.g., gay, African-American) experience multiple forms of oppression or layered stigma. Affirmative social support and resilience are negatively associated with HIV-stigma and are important coping resources for PLH. We used an explanatory sequential mixed methods design study involving a quantitative survey phase and a qualitative interview phase. We explored whether social support and resilience (Positive Psychological Resources) mediate or moderate the relationship between HIV Stigma and Psychological Distress among HIV-positive adults using partial least squares (PLS) path modeling and multiple regressions. Via PLS, we found Positive Psychological Resources partially mediated the relationship between HIV Stigma and Psychological Distress: the path between HIV Stigma and Psychological distress reduced (from t = 5.49, p = .000 to t = 2.39, p = .000) but remained statistically significant. Similarly, via regression, the Sobel test was significant (Sobel = .26, SE = .07, z = 3.63, p = .000). However, moderation was not found (HIV Stigma x Positive …

Concussions, attention-deficit disorder (ADHD), and learning disabilities can adversely impact learning and academic achievement, particularly with respect to attention, memory, and executive functioning; fortunately, cognitive training can be beneficial and remediating these weaknesses. One such program, strategic memory advanced reasoning training (SMART), utilizes a top-down approach to train individuals in executive, higher-ordered thinking strategies including strategic attention, integration, and innovation to facilitate information synthesis and enhance cognitive efficiency. Thus, the purpose of the study is to examine whether SMART improved performances on various neuropsychological measures tapping into attention, processing speed, memory, and executive functioning for college student-athletes with neurological conditions (e.g., concussions, ADHD, LD). Student-athletes were randomly assigned to the SMART program or a "wait-list" control group and were administered a neuropsychological battery at baseline, immediately following the intervention, and after a four-month delay. Results showed that participants benefited from SMART with respect to working memory immediately following the intervention after controlling for baseline scores. The benefits of working memory also persisted after four months. Additionally, SMART was beneficial for improving attention, but only after four months after the intervention. The findings of the current study were consistent with previous studies which showed positive effects of SMART on working memory …

Little is known about the current state of multicultural training within sport psychology master's programs. The study explored students' perceptions of their multicultural training and program climate. Importantly, differences in perceptions were investigated based on students' demographic factors, given that students with marginalized identities tend to report less favorable perceptions of and experiences in graduate training. Participants (N = 107) consisted of students and recent graduates of master's level sport psychology programs. Participants reported moderate levels of feeling safe, valued, and comfortable within their master's program, low to moderate levels of multicultural training integration within their curriculum and supervision, and low to moderate satisfaction with their multicultural training. Asian, Asian American, bi/multiracial, Black, African American, Hispanic, and Latino/a/e students, compared to their White peers, reported less satisfaction with their multicultural training, felt less safe, comfortable, and valued within their programs, and perceived less integration of multiculturalism into curriculum and supervision. A multiple regression analysis revealed that, for all students, perceptions of multicultural training integration and reports of feeling safe, comfortable, and valued was significantly related to students' satisfaction with their multicultural training. Discussion focuses on possible explanations for these findings, training implications, and future research directions.

Multiple contributors to neurocognitive impairment in individuals with sickle cell disease have been identified. Research indicates that a history of cerebrovascular accidents, such as silent infarcts and strokes are associated with greater cognitive decline among children with sickle cell disease. Additionally, disease effects such as hemoglobin and hematocrit levels significantly effect cognitive performance among this population and should be taken into consideration when examining neurocognitive impairment. Further, previous studies show a significant relationship between child behavior problems, family functioning, and cognitive performance in children with sickle cell, marking those as important targets for intervention among this population. While cognitive decline with increased age is not typically examined in healthy child populations, some research indicates the presence of age effects in those with SCD. A majority of the literature addresses cognitive impairment from a broad perspective, while a limited number of studies have begun to address effects among specific cognitive domains. Using archival data from the National Institutes of Health's Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease, results revealed that disease severity was negatively correlated with some aspects of cognitive functioning, including visual-spatial domains. Additionally, some measures of cognitive performance were inversely correlated with age. Consistent with hypothesized outcomes, family functioning was …