In this cross-sectional study, we examined age-related differences in anxiety sensitivity (AS), experiential avoidance (EA), and mindfulness among younger adult students (N=426; M age=20.1 years) and community-dwelling older adults (N=85; M age=71.8 years). Participants anonymously completed the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Geriatric Anxiety Scale, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Independent t tests indicated that younger adults reported significantly higher levels of AS and EA, whereas older adults reported significantly higher levels of trait mindfulness. Correlational analyses demonstrated that AS and EA were significantly associated with each other and with anxiety-related symptoms. However, trait mindfulness was significantly inversely related to AS, EA, and to trait and state anxiety. To date, these three factors have yet to be examined simultaneously within the context of age differences, and the present study illuminates these differences as well as their relationships. AS, EA, and low mindfulness appear to be significant correlates for anxiety-related symptoms in younger and older adults.
Previous research has identified trauma-related shame as a mediator of the association between negative social reactions to sexual assault disclosure and psychological distress, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. However, few studies have considered protective factors that may mitigate the effects of trauma-related shame. This study evaluated trauma-coping self-efficacy and trauma-related shame as mediators of the association between negative reactions to sexual assault disclosure and PTSD symptoms. It was hypothesized that both trauma-coping self-efficacy and trauma-related shame would mediate this association. One hundred thirty-two psychology undergraduates, who reported experiencing sexual assault and had disclosed the sexual assault to at least 1 other person, completed self-report measures of history of sexual assault, negative social reactions, trauma-related shame, trauma-coping-self-efficacy, and PTSD symptoms online. The hypothesized mediation model was evaluated via a series of regressions and included gender and history of sexual assault as covariates. Participants reported significant histories of sexual assault and elevated symptoms of PTSD. Both trauma-related shame and trauma-coping self-efficacy significantly mediated the association between negative social reactions and PTSD symptoms. Trauma-coping self-efficacy and trauma-related shame are significant intervening variables with regard to the association between negative social reactions and PTSD symptoms. These malleable points of therapeutic intervention warrant additional research and highlight the need for clinical practice that explicitly addresses shame and enhances coping self-efficacy among undergraduates who disclose sexual assault. (PsycINFO Database Record
Objective: Recovering from Intimate Partner Violence through Strengths and Empowerment (RISE) is a brief, variable-length (1-6 sessions), modular, individualized psychosocial counseling intervention for women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV). Pilot findings demonstrated the potential helpfulness, acceptability, and feasibility of RISE; however, a randomized clinical trial (RCT) is needed to support program effectiveness. Methods: This RCT enrolled 60 women who experienced
Sexual risk behavior (SRB) is associated with impulsivity, but it is not clear whether different aspects of impulsivity are uniquely related to SRBs in adults. Unmarried adults ages 18 to 30 (N = 296; 41.0% male) recruited from the community reported their frequency of SRBs over the past six months using the Sexual Risk Survey (SRS; Turchik & Garske, 2009) and completed three behavioral measures of impulsivity: insensitivity to delayed consequences (delay discounting [DD]), insensitivity to probabilistic consequences (probability discounting [PD]) and response inhibition (stop signal task [SST]). SRS total scores were significantly related to both DD and PD but not SST. These findings suggest that insensitivity to delayed and probabilistic consequences, but not response inhibition, are meaningfully associated with SRBs in young adults. This may be important for the development of strategies to prevent or reduce sexual risk behaviors.
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