The Association between Self-Rated Health and Health Self-Management Ability of Healthcare Undergraduates: The Chain Mediating Roles of eHealth Literacy and Resistance to Peer Influence

Health self-management is important for healthcare undergraduates who are at the late adolescent or early adulthood stage, and will play an important part in health promotion for the general population. Previous research has shown that perceived health status affects health self-management. However, few studies have uncovered the mechanism between self-rated health and health self-management among healthcare undergraduates. Based on social ecology theory and Pender's health promotion model, this study aimed to explore the associations between health self-management ability, self-rated health, eHealth literacy and resistance to peer influence of healthcare undergraduates, with a focus on identifying the mediating effects of eHealth literacy and resistance to peer influence. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 515 healthcare undergraduates in Eastern China between July and September 2021. Serial mediation analysis was performed using Haye's Model 6 PROCESS macro to examine the mediating effects. The study found that health self-management ability was significantly and positively correlated with eHealth literacy, resistance to peer influence and self-rated health. Self-rated health had a direct and positive predictive effect on health self-management, with a direct effect value of 0.654. eHealth literacy and resistance to peer influence played both an independent mediating and a chain-mediating role in the mechanism of self-rated health affecting health self-management among healthcare undergraduates, with indirect effect values of 0.085, 0.101, and 0.013, respectively. The results suggest that eHealth literacy and resistance to peer influence could be intervention targets in programs for improving these students' health self-management ability.

The association between social network members sharing alcohol-related social media content and alcohol outcomes among college student drinkers

BACKGROUND

College-aged young adults (e.g., 18 to 29-year-olds) use social media more than any other age group. An emerging body of literature shows that higher exposure to alcohol-related social media content is associated with greater alcohol consumption among college students. However, most studies assess exposure to peer drinking on social media using global measures, rather than measuring the exposure to alcohol-related posts of identified specific close peers. We examined whether having a higher proportion of important peers (i.e., social network members) who post alcohol-related social media content is associated with greater alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences. We also investigated the extent to which the qualities of network members who share alcohol-related content are associated with participants' alcohol outcomes.

METHODS

Participants were 130 college students (86.2% female, 56.9% White) with an average age of 23.39 years (SD = 5.63) who had consumed at least one alcoholic drink in the past week. Participants completed measures of their social media use, alcohol consumption, alcohol-related consequences, and characteristics of important peers in their social network, including their alcohol-related social media posting.

RESULTS

Having a higher proportion of social network members who post alcohol-related social media content was positively related to participants' drinks per week and peak number of drinks. Higher network proportions of drinking buddies posting alcohol-related content were also associated with a greater frequency of alcohol use. Having a higher proportion of friends who post alcohol content and from whom the participants seek advice was linked to more alcohol-related consequences.

CONCLUSIONS

Having more important peers who post alcohol-related content on social media is associated with alcohol outcomes among college students. Harm-reduction focused alcohol interventions delivered on college campuses that incorporate information about the influence of viewing and sharing alcohol-related content could help to reduce alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences among students.

The Neural and Psychological Processes of Peer-Influenced Online Donation Decision: An Event-Related Potential Study

With the rapid development of information and communication technology (ICT), social media-based donation platforms emerged.¹ These platforms innovatively demonstrate peer information (e.g., number of donated peers) on the donation page, which inevitably brings the peer influence into donors’ donation decision process. However, how the peer influence will affect the psychological process of donation decisions are remained unknown. This study used the number of donated peers to examine the effects of peer influence on donors’ donation decisions and extracted event-related potential (ERP) from electroencephalographic data to explore the underlying psychological process. The behavioral results indicated that the number of donated peers positively influenced donors’ willingness to donate. The ERP results suggested that a larger number of donated peers might indicate a higher level of conformity and greater perceived emotional rewards, as a larger P2 amplitude was observed. Following the early processing of emotional stimuli, cognitive detection of decisional risk took place, and the donors reckoned a smaller number of donated peers as a high potential risk, which was reflected by a larger N2 amplitude. In the later stage, the larger number of donated peers, which represented a higher magnitude of prospective emotional rewards, led to a higher incentive to donate, and reflected in a larger amplitude of P3. Additionally, implications and future directions were discussed.

To Buy or Not to Buy? A Research on the Relationship Between Traceable Food Extrinsic Cues and Consumers' Purchase Intention

With the prevalence of traceability technology in the turbulent Internet age, traceable food has become an important tool in addressing food safety issues. Under the combined effect of frequent food safety problems and sustainable development of traceability industry, the research on traceable food consumer behavior has become more extensive. However, it is still not fully understood how the multiple information brought by traceability affects consumers' purchase decision. This study proposes the effects of traceability knowledge, traceable information quality and traceable certification credibility on traceable food purchase intention via the mediation of perceived risk and perceived value, and integrates the moderating effect of peer influence in the context of Internet age into a research framework. The analytical results indicate that traceability knowledge, traceable information quality, and traceability certification credibility indirectly affect consumers' traceable food purchase intention through perceived risk and perceived value, while traceability knowledge, perceived risk, and perceived value directly affect "traceable food purchase intention." Furthermore, peer influence was found to be a significant moderator in the relationship between perceived risk (perceived value) and "traceable food purchase intention." Finally, based on the research results, traceability companies are suggested to focus on cultivating the traceable consumption habits. Meanwhile, although traceable food quality is the top priority, companies should also attach importance to the communication and interaction with consumer.

Measuring peer influence susceptibility to alcohol use: Convergent and predictive validity of a new analogue assessment

Research on peer socialization rarely examines individual differences in adolescents' susceptibility to peer influence, perhaps because few theories or methods have elucidated how susceptibility is operationalized. This study offers a new analogue measure of peer influence susceptibility in adolescence that is adapted from sociological theory. A preliminary examination of this new paradigm included the study of individual differences in susceptibility to peer influence, convergent validity correlates, and predictive validity by examining decision-making on the task as a moderator of the prospective association between friends' and adolescents' engagement in one form of real-world risk taking. Participants included 714 adolescents (54% female; 46.1% White, 20.9% Black, 24.2% Hispanic/Latinx, 6.2% mixed race or other) aged 15-18 years (M=16.1). Participants completed the Peer Analogue Susceptibility Task, peer nominations, and self-report measures at Time 1, and repeated an assessment of their own alcohol use one year later. Participants' friends also reported their own alcohol use. Results indicated concurrent associations with peer influence susceptibility, rejection sensitivity, perceived importance of peer status, peer-nominated popularity, and self-reported resistance to peer influence. Furthermore, among adolescents demonstrating average and high levels of peer influence susceptibility on the task, greater perceived alcohol use among friends was associated with their own alcohol use one year later. Findings offer preliminary evidence for the convergent and predictive validity of a new approach to study peer influence susceptibility.

Peer Factors as Mediators of Relations Between Exposure to Violence and Physical Aggression in Middle School Students in a Low-Income Urban Community

Objective

Although prior research has demonstrated that peers influence both physical aggression and exposure to violence during adolescence, few studies have investigated the extent to which peers play a role in relations between physical aggression and violence exposure. This longitudinal study examined peer pressure for fighting, friends' delinquent behavior, and friends' support for fighting as mediators of relations between exposure to violence through witnessing and victimization, and adolescents' frequency of physical aggression.

Method

Participants were 2,707 adolescents attending three urban middle schools (Mage = 12.4; 52% female; 79% African American, 17% Hispanic/Latino). Participants completed measures of their frequency of physical aggression, witnessing community violence, victimization by violence, and negative life events, and peer variables at four waves within the same school year.

Results

Cross-lagged analyses indicated that the role of peer variables as mediators varied as a function of the type of exposure and the direction of effects. Whereas peer pressure for fighting mediated relations between witnessing violence and changes in physical aggression, friends' delinquent behavior mediated relations between physical aggression and changes in witnessing violence and victimization. In contrast, violent victimization was not associated with changes in any of the peer factors when included in the same model as witnessing violence.

Conclusions

These findings highlight the role of peers as both a cause and a consequence of adolescents' aggressive behavior and exposure to violence. They suggest focusing on peer variables as targets for interventions to disrupt connections between exposure to violence and physical aggression during early adolescence.

The Influence of a School Social Network Intervention on Adolescent's Health Behaviors: A Gender-Specific Agent-Based Model

Introduction

Adolescence is a crucial stage for health behavior development, which is associated with health in adulthood. School closures caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have exposed adolescents to an increased risk of obesity due to a lack of physical activity. Although social network interventions provide an effective approach for promoting health-related behavior, current practices neglect gender differences in adolescent behavioral patterns and emotional preferences. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of centrality-based methods integrated with of gender contexts in a social network intervention to improve adolescent's health behavior.

Methods

We developed an agent-based model (ABM) that supports the small-world characteristics of adolescent social networks. Health-related data for junior middle school students (n = 234, 48% girls) were collected in November 2018, 2019 and 2020 in Tianjin, China. We simulated multiple network-based interventions with different criteria for influential agents (i.e., betweenness centrality, closeness centrality, eigenvector centrality, and PageRank) and a random condition. The rules for generating peer influence and accelerating behavioral changes were based on the diffusion of innovations theory, with gender specifications.

Results

After the school closures, there was a significant increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescents, with a greater increase in girls than in boys (+8.85% vs. +1.65%, p < 0.001). Simulations showed that centrality-based network interventions were more effective than the random condition (average 6.17% per tick vs. 5.22% per tick, p < 0.05), with a higher efficiency in girls than boys (average 3.68% vs. 2.99% per tick, p < 0.05). PageRank outperformed other centrality conditions at the population level (6.37% per tick, p < 0.05). In girls, betweenness centrality was the best method (3.85% per tick, p < 0.05), while in boys, PageRank still had the greatest efficiency (3.21% per tick, p < 0.05).

Conclusions

We found evidence for gender differences in the negative impact of COVID-19-related school closures and the potential for centrality-based social network interventions to affect adolescent health behavior. Therefore, we emphasize the importance of gender-specific targeting strategies to further promote health-related school programs in the post-pandemic era.

Using Fitbit data to monitor the heart rate evolution patterns of college students

ObjectiveTo investigate what social, psychological, personality, and behavioral factors affect overtime heart rate changes of college students. Participants: The daily heart rates of over 600 undergraduates at the University of Notre Dame were unobtrusively recorded via Fitbit devices from August 16, 2015, to May 13, 2017. Method: Latent Growth-Curve modeling strategy is utilized to examine how daily mean heart rate and its standard deviation change over time, and what foregoing factors predict observed changes. Results: The mean heart rate increased and its standard deviation stayed the same over the 637 days. Heart rate levels go up with that of social contacts, an indicator of peer influence. Both daily heart rate levels and changes are also affected by multiple external factors. Conclusion: Human heart rate is not only a physiological phenomenon but also a social-psychological one, as it is systematically affected by peer networks, social contexts, and human activities.

Peer and Community Influences on Adolescent Substance Use in the Context of Adverse Childhood Experiences

Both adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and peer influences consistently predict early tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use. However, less research considers how peer and community influences contribute to or modify the association between ACEs and early substance use. This study addresses these gaps in the literature by analyzing multilevel, longitudinal data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN; N = 1,912). Unstructured socializing and peer substance use largely explained the association between ACEs and drinking, smoking cigarettes, and illicit drug use in the past month. A history of ACEs magnified the association between peer substance use and the number of cigarettes smoked. Collective efficacy also shaped the associations between peer influences, ACEs, and substance use, but in different ways depending on the substance use outcome analyzed.

A brief report on peer influence in group mentoring: A source of peer contagion or prosocial behavior change?

Group mentoring programs foster supportive relationships and constructive feedback between mentors and peers. Given the power of peer influence to promote adaptive or harmful outcomes, it is important to evaluate peer influence in group mentoring. This study examined whether a history of negative behavior among peers in mentoring groups exacerbated individual participants' behavior problems. Using a sample of 239 ninth grade participants in a group mentoring program, multilevel regression assessed group-level influence on suspensions and truancy using school administrative data records. The association between exposure to peers with a history of problem behaviors and outcomes did not reach statistical significance for either outcome. The results suggest that grouping youth with a history of poor attendance and suspensions did not inherently increase the risk for either outcome. Further evaluation of potential peer contagion effects and publication of nonsignificant results will help build literature to determine the likelihood of harmful outcomes for group mentoring.

A laboratory study of the effects of men's acute alcohol intoxication, perceptions of women's intoxication, and masculine gender role stress on the perpetration of sexual aggression

BACKGROUND

Although research has established an association between alcohol use and sexual assault, few studies have examined how characteristics of the perpetrator may influence sexual aggression depending upon whether alcohol is consumed by the perpetrator and/or the victim. This laboratory-based investigation was designed to disentangle the effects of individual differences in masculine gender role stress (MGRS) and the perpetration of sexual aggression as a function of (1) men's acute alcohol intoxication and (2) whether a woman was consuming alcohol or not.

METHOD

A community sample of 156 men participated in two laboratory sessions, during which they completed a self-report measure of MGRS (Session 1) and a modified version of the sexual imposition paradigm after consuming an alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage (Session 2). In this paradigm, participants and a male friend were told that an ostensible female participant had consumed or not consumed alcohol. They were also told that she did not wish to view sexual content. Participants were then provided the opportunity to make the female confederate view a sexually or non-sexually explicit film. Sexual aggression was operationalized by selection of the sexually explicit film.

RESULTS

A hierarchical logistic regression showed that men higher in MGRS who were intoxicated were (1) more likely than sober men to select the sexually explicit film when the woman was intoxicated and (2) less likely than sober men to select the sexually explicit film when the woman was sober.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that the perpetration of sexual aggression is most likely among men with higher MGRS when there is concordance in drinking (i.e., when either the man and woman are both drinking or are both not drinking).

Influence of Vaccination Characteristics on COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Among Working-Age People in Hong Kong, China: A Discrete Choice Experiment

Background: Along with individual-level factors, vaccination-related characteristics are important in understanding COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. This study aimed to determine the influence of these characteristics on vaccine acceptance to formulate promotion strategies after considering differences among respondents with different characteristics.

Methods: An online discrete choice experiment was conducted among people aged 18–64 years in Hong Kong, China, from 26 to 28 February 2021. Respondents were asked to make choices regarding hypothetical vaccination programmes described by vaccination-related characteristics—the attributes derived from a prior individual interview. Subgroup analysis was performed to identify the differences in vaccination-related characteristics among respondents with different personal characteristics.

Results: A total of 1,773 respondents provided valid responses. The vaccine efficacy and brand were the most important factors affecting acceptance, followed by the exemption of quarantine for vaccinated travelers, safety, venue for vaccination, vaccine uptake of people in their lives, and recommendations by general physicians or government. Frequent exposure to vaccination information on social media has been associated with increasing vaccine refusal. Substantial preference heterogeneity for the attributes was found among people of different ages, incomes, chronic conditions, and previous acceptance of influenza vaccines.

Conclusion: The findings provided evidence to formulate interventions to promote vaccine uptake, including the provision of vaccination at housing estate or workplaces, involvement of general physicians and interpersonal communication in vaccine promotion and information dissemination, and exemption of quarantine for vaccinated people. Moreover, social media is a significant information channel that cannot be neglected in the dissemination of official information.

Toward understanding the functions of peer influence: A summary and synthesis of recent empirical research

Compelling evidence demonstrates that peer influence is a pervasive force during adolescence, one that shapes adaptive and maladaptive attitudes and behaviors. This literature review focuses on factors that make adolescence a period of special vulnerability to peer influence. Herein, we advance the Influence-Compatibility Model, which integrates converging views about early adolescence as a period of increased conformity with evidence that peer influence functions to increase affiliate similarity. Together, these developmental forces smooth the establishment of friendships and integration into the peer group, promote interpersonal and intragroup compatibility, and eliminate differences that might result in social exclusion.

Gender Differences in Peer Influence on Autistic Traits in Special Needs Schools-Evidence From Staff Reports

Children and adolescents with an intellectual disability (ID) and autistic traits often attend special needs schools where they are surrounded by peers with diverse characteristics. Given the role that peers can play in social development, we examined whether autistic traits development in students with ID and high levels of such characteristics are influenced by the level of autistic traits among the schoolmates they like most. Furthermore, we investigated the degree to which this peer influence susceptibility depends on students’ gender. A longitudinal design, with data collection points at the beginning and the end of a school year, was used. Staff reported on 330 students with high levels of autistic traits (20.6% girls; age 10.17 years, SD = 3.74) who attended 142 classrooms in 16 Swiss special needs schools. Results showed that students’ future individual level of autistic traits (T2) was not predicted by the autistic traits level of preferred peers (T1), controlling for individual autistic traits at T1, level of general functioning, gender, and age. However, the peer effect was significantly moderated by students’ gender, indicating that girls but not boys were susceptible to peer influence. These findings are discussed in terms of implications for understanding autistic traits development and directions of support for children and adolescents in their peer context.

Leveraging dynamic norms to reduce alcohol use among college students: A proof-of-concept experimental study

BACKGROUND

Norm-correcting interventions are an effective alcohol harm-reduction approach, but innovation is needed to increase modest effect sizes. Recent social psychology research shows that individuals may be influenced by social norms that are increasing in prevalence. Contrary to static norms that reflect the current state of normative behavior, dynamic norms reflect behavioral norms that are shifting over time. This proof-of-concept study tested the utility of dynamic norms messages within norm-correcting interventions.

METHOD

Undergraduate student drinkers (N = 461; Mage  = 19.97; 64.43% female) were randomly assigned to receive (a) dynamic norms messages highlighting a steady decrease over the past six years in heavy drinking among college students; (b) static norms messaging stating only the current norms; or (c) a control condition without normative information. Proximal outcomes assessed immediately following the experimental paradigm included intentions for total weekly drinks and heavy episodic drinking. Self-reported information on alcohol use behavior was collected at 1-month follow-up.

RESULTS

Following the experimental paradigm, participants in the dynamic norms condition estimated that future drinking norms would decrease, while those in the static norms and control groups estimated that future drinking norms would increase. Participants in the dynamic norms condition reported lower intentions for weekly drinks and heavy episodic drinking than those in the static norms and control conditions. No significant differences between conditions were found on alcohol use indices reported at the 1-month follow-up. However, dynamic norms messaging had a favorable indirect effect on heavy episodic drinking intentions mediated through lower perceived future drinking norms.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings provide proof-of-concept that dynamic norms messaging may be a prudent strategy for reducing alcohol use intentions, which can be integrated into or used alongside existing norm-correcting strategies.

Social Interaction With Relapsed Partner Facilitates Cocaine Relapse in Rats

Social factors strongly contribute to drug use and relapse, and epidemiological studies have found that members of peer groups influence each other to use drugs. However, previous animal models mostly failed to incorporate social factors and demonstrate the effects of social partners on drug addiction and relapse. In the present study, we investigated the transfer of relapse to cocaine seeking between drug-addicted partners in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were pair-housed and subjected to training and extinction of cocaine self-administration and conditioned place preference (CPP). 24 h after extinction test, the targeted rats interacted with a cocaine-primed (relapsed) partner or stranger, or saline-injected (unrelapsed) partner for 30 min, after which the targeted rats were tested for drug seeking behavior. We found that social interaction with a relapsed partner increased drug seeking behavior in cocaine self-administration and CPP models in rats, while social interaction with an unrelapsed partner or relapsed stranger had no effect on cocaine seeking. Moreover, the effect of social interaction on cocaine seeking could last for at least 1 day. Our findings demonstrate a facilitation effect of relapsed social partners on drug relapse in rats and provide a novel animal model for social transfer of drug relapse.

Moderators of the association between regular smoking exposure and motivation and attempts to quit: a repeat cross-sectional study

AIMS

To estimate the associations between regular exposure to smoking by other people and motivation and attempts to quit among current smokers. To examine whether socio-demographic and other factors moderate these associations.

DESIGN

A repeat nationally representative cross-sectional survey. Data were collected monthly between November 2014 and February 2019.

SETTING

England.

PARTICIPANTS

Current smokers ≥16 years of age from the Smoking Toolkit Study (n = 15 136).

MEASUREMENTS

Participants were asked whether other people regularly smoke in their presence, how motivated they were to quit and whether they had made a quit attempt in the past year. Moderators assessed were occupation-based social grade, housing tenure, urges to smoke, high-risk alcohol consumption, and disability. Adjusted analyses included moderators, socio-demographic (age/sex/ethnicity/sexual orientation/marital status/children in household) and seasonal (quarter/year) confounders.

FINDINGS

Current smokers who were regularly exposed to other people smoking in their presence were less likely to be highly motivated to quit (OR = 0.88 [95% CI 0.80-0.97]), but were no less likely to have made a quit attempt in the past year (OR 1.04 [0.97-1.13], Bayes Factor (BF) = 0.05). The inverse relationship between regular smoking exposure and motivation to quit was moderated by urges to smoke, such that exposure was only associated with a reduction in motivation among those without strong urges to smoke (OR 0.83 [0.75-0.93] versus OR 1.04 [0.86-1.26]; P = 0.048). None of the other factors significantly moderated the association with motivation to quit, and none moderated the relationship between regular smoking exposure and quit attempts. All non-significant interactions, except social grade (BF = 1.44) with quit attempts, had Bayes Factors that supported the hypothesis of no moderation (BF range: 0.12-0.21).

CONCLUSIONS

Among current smokers in England, regular exposure to other smokers appears to be associated with lower motivation to quit in people without strong urges to smoke, yet there appears to be no association with quit attempts in the previous year. Social grade, housing tenure, high-risk alcohol consumption and disability do not moderate these associations.

Correlates of Levels of Willingness to Engage in Climate Change Actions in the United States

While the majority of the American public believe climate change is occurring and are worried, few are engaged in climate change action. In this study, we assessed factors associated with the level of willingness to engage in climate change actions using an online, longitudinal US study of adults. Climate change action outcomes included the level of willingness to post materials online, take political actions, talk with peers about climate change, and donate to or help an organization. Predictors included climate change attitudes, environmental attitudes, political ideology, political party affiliation, and demographic variables. Most (72%) of the 644 respondents only talked about climate change with peers a few times a year or less, though 65% were very or extremely worried about climate change. Many respondents indicated a willingness to do somewhat or a lot more, from 38% willing to talk to peers to 25% for willing to take political actions. In multinomial regression models, the Climate Change Concern scale was strongly and consistently associated with willingness to engage in climate change action. These findings indicate a need to both identify those who are willing to act and finding activities that fit with their interests and availability.

Susceptibility to Ingroup Influence in Adolescents With Intellectual Disability: A Minimal Group Experiment on Social Judgment Making

Adolescents with intellectual disability (ID) experience challenges and uncertainty when making judgments about other people's intentions. In an attempt to achieve certainty, they might exhibit judgment tendencies that differ from those of typically developing adolescents. This study investigated social judgment making in adolescents with ID (n = 34, M age = 14.89 years, SD = 1.41 years) compared with chronological age-matched adolescents without ID (n = 34, M age = 14.68 years, SD = 1.15 years) and mental age (MA)-matched children (n = 34, M age = 7.93 years, SD = 0.64 years). Participants used a computer-based task to judge the hostility of persons (fictitious characters). Adolescents with ID were found to make more polarizing judgments (i.e., either positive or negative, as opposed to moderate judgments) and were more likely to be guided by the opinions of a fictitious peer ingroup (minimal group) compared with adolescents without ID. No such differences were found between adolescents with ID and MA-matched children. The results are discussed in terms of scientific and practical implications.

The Contribution of Peer Values to Children's Values and Behavior

Personal values have a key role in determining people’s perceptions, judgments, and behaviors. Only a handful of studies examined determinants of children’s values outside the family. We used longitudinal data on children’s values from 15,008 children in Grades 3 to 9, and homeroom teachers’ reports about the behaviors of 3,476 of these children. As predicted, peers’ values were positively correlated with the strengthening of children’s corresponding values. Moreover, with the exception of self-transcendence values, peer values had an indirect effect on corresponding child behavior, through children’s self-endorsed values. Girl peers had stronger effects on both girls’ and boys’ values. In addition, we found some evidence for stronger relationships between peer and children’s values among the older children, in particular among boys. These latter effects were even more prominent in an extended sample that included data from first and second graders. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.

Multicultural Adaptation of Mighty Girls for Widespread Dissemination: Pilot Study, App Development and Usability Testing, and Gauging Parent Support With Focus Groups

Background

Taking evidence-based interventions to scale is a challenge for prevention science. Mighty Girls is an evidence-based sexual health intervention program that combines classroom sessions with novel, cutting-edge technology (digital puppetry). The program was developed for 7th grade Latinas, but US school and community demographics rarely allow interventions targeting a single ethnic group. Additionally, digital puppetry is costly to scale up, and parent disapproval often prevents successful dissemination of adolescent sexual health programs. Intervening steps along the scaling-up pathway are needed to adapt the program prior to scaling up for dissemination.

Objective

The aims of this study were to create a multicultural adaptation of the Mighty Girls program using a mobile app that is less costly to disseminate and is acceptable to parents of 7th grade girls.

Methods

This study used a three-phase process to adapt Mighty Girls into Mighty Teens. All phases used purposive (nonprobability) sampling of low-income, multicultural, urban metropolitan groups (7th grade girls and their parents) within central Florida. Phase 1 involved two videotaped implementations of a multicultural adaptation of the classroom sessions, one involving focus groups (N=14) and the other serving as a single-group pretest-posttest pilot study (N=23). Phase 2 involved development of a narrative cell phone app prototype, which was subjected to usability testing (N=25). App usability and engagement were assessed qualitatively (observation, focus group, open-ended questions) and quantitatively. Phase 3 used focus groups to assess parent support for the program (N=6). Qualitative data were analyzed using descriptive content analysis. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired t tests.

Results

Qualitative findings supported classroom sessions being multicultural, and identified simple changes to improve engagement and learning. Quantitative findings from the second classroom session implementation pilot study indicated a significant pre-post difference in intention to delay sexual intercourse (P=.04). App usability and appeal were supported by a System Usability Scale score of 76 (exceeding 68 per the industry standard) and 83% (20/24) of participants agreeing they would recommend the app to friends. Parents (mothers) expressed only positive regard for program goals, and classroom session and app activities.

Conclusions

This study adapted Mighty Girls into an engaging, easier-to-disseminate, multicultural program, termed Mighty Teens, that uses a narrative-generating app to support behavior change, and is likely to be accepted by parents of 7th grade girls. This study also provides evidence of the preliminary effectiveness of Mighty Teens classroom sessions. The sampling method and sample size were appropriate for adaptation, but research involving a more representative US sample is needed to confirm multicultural fit, parent receptivity, and program effectiveness. Study implications include integrating app use throughout the classroom sessions to build narrative-generating skills across the program and increasing the number of narratives produced, which should in turn increase the program’s behavior change potency.

Peers' Choices Influence Adolescent Risk-taking Especially When Explicit Risk Information is Lacking

This study examines the impact of peers' previous cautious versus risky choices on adolescents' risk-taking depending on the level of information about the risk. Adolescents completed an adaptation of the BART that manipulated social influence (cautious and risky) and risk information (i.e., informed, noninformed). Results showed that social influence impacts adolescents' decisions on the noninformed BART but not on the informed BART. In the noninformed BART, the peers' cautious choices strongly decreased risk-taking and led to greater performance. The peers' risky choices increase adolescents' risk-taking, but this effect is limited to situations involving minimal risk. Thus social experience may be a specific social context that represents a valuable source of information during adolescence, especially in situations with high uncertainty.

Self-Control, Opportunity, and College Students' Bystander Intervention in Sexually Coercive Situations

This study examines students' bystander intervention opportunities and behaviors using survey data from a convenience sample of 226 college students from a university in the United States. We approach this study with theoretical concepts from the criminological literature on positive peer influence, self-control theories, and social control theories. Bivariate correlations and logistic analysis reveal, contrary to our predictions, that social and self-control have only minor predictive power on the likelihood of witnessing and intervening in sexually coercive events. However, we find strong support for some demographic characteristics, peer relationships, and behavioral characteristics (such as binge drinking) as predictive of witnessing a sexually coercive event and intervening in an event. Our study adds to the literature on bystander intervention behavior and aims to inform bystander intervention programming efforts by identifying student populations that are more likely to have the opportunity to intervene in sexually coercive situations and sexual assaults.

Selection and socialization accounts of the relation between fraternity membership and sexual aggression

OBJECTIVE

The current project aims to enhance our understanding of the well-established relation between fraternity membership and sexual aggression on college campuses. Most prior research has been cross-sectional and unable to distinguish selection and socialization accounts of the relation, and only one prior longitudinal study has simultaneously examined selection and socialization effects.

METHOD

Fraternity membership, sexual aggression, binge drinking, sociosexual attitudes and behaviors, and perceived peer sexual aggression were assessed for 772 male participants (n = 116 fraternity members) in a longitudinal survey study from the summer prior to college through Year 2 of college.

RESULTS

Longitudinal path analyses revealed three key findings. First, fraternity membership was prospectively correlated with sexual aggression in Years 1 and 2 of college (socialization effect), controlling for selection effects, when the two prospective paths were constrained to be equivalent. Second, more frequent binge drinking and sociosexual attitudes prior to college prospectively correlated with an increased likelihood of joining a fraternity (selection effect), and both selection variables indirectly correlated with future sexual aggression via fraternity membership. Third, fraternity membership was associated with increased binge drinking and perceived peer sexual aggression (socialization effects).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings identify critical targets for the prevention of sexually aggressive behavior that are linked to fraternity membership: Binge drinking and sociosexual attitudes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Peer Influence during Adolescence: The Moderating Role of Parental Support

Although many studies show that peers influence the development of adolescent internalizing and externalizing difficulties, few have considered both internalizing and externalizing difficulties in the same study, and fewer have considered the contributions of parents. Using a longitudinal sample of 385 adolescents, the contributions of best friends' internalizing and externalizing difficulties (as assessed in Grade 6; G6: M_age = 13.64 years; 53% female; 40% ethnic or racial minority) were examined as they predicted subsequent adolescent internalizing and externalizing difficulties (at G8); in addition, the moderating role of both maternal and paternal support (at G6) was explored. Structural equation modelling revealed that best friend internalizing difficulties predicted decreases, but that best friend externalizing difficulties predicted increases in adolescents' externalizing difficulties over time. Significant interactions involving both maternal and paternal support revealed that the negative impact of a G6 best friend having internalizing problems on later G8 adolescent externalizing problems was stronger at low levels of maternal and paternal support. The findings highlight the complex, and interactive, influences of friends and parents on the development of internalizing and externalizing symptomatology during adolescence, and underscore the importance of targeting both sources of social influence in research and clinical work.