Blame the System, not the Victim: Understanding the Lack of Advocacy for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

More than 5,000 Native American and Alaska Native women and girls go missing annually in the United States, and murder is the third leading cause of death for those aged 10 to 24. The current studies assess why, despite such statistics, individuals who are not Native American fail to advocate for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). The Pilot Study (N = 205) and Study 1 (N = 3,992) revealed that greater cognitive invisibility of contemporary Native Peoples (i.e., the absence of cognitive representations) was related to greater minimization of Native Peoples' experiences with racism. Racism minimization was associated with greater blaming of MMIWG victims and less blaming of societal contributors to the epidemic. These factors predicted greater apathy toward MMIWG and less MMIWG advocacy. The results suggest that the cognitive invisibility of Native Peoples affords attitudes and beliefs that allow non-Native individuals to deny, justify, and distance themselves from the MMIWG epidemic.

Stronger color evasive racial ideologies predict lower likelihood of open adoption placement with same-sex couples

Although the adoption rate among same-sex couples has been increasing, limited research has focused on factors influencing decision making related to placing children with such couples, particularly from the standpoint of birth mothers. Additionally, there is a gap in the literature regarding how biases may influence birth mothers' decision to place their child with a same-sex couple. This study sought to examine the association between birth mothers' racial ideologies and their decision to voluntarily place their children with same-sex couples (n = 29) or mother-father couples (n = 354) during the adoption process. Results indicated that birth mothers with stronger color evasive racial attitudes were significantly less likely to place their children with same-sex couples. The need for additional research about the intersections among various forms of bias in the adoption process and the effect of potential interactions between homophobia and racism are discussed. Suggestions for professionals wishing to minimize homophobic and racist bias are provided.

Colour-blind racial attitudes in entry-level dental hygiene students in Virginia

OBJECTIVE

Subscribing to colour-blind racial attitudes may contribute to inequities in the delivery of oral care and affect treatment of diverse patients. The purpose of this study was to survey all entry-level dental hygiene students in one state to determine colour-blind racial attitudes.

METHODS

After IRB approval, a convenience sample of 220 dental hygiene students in all entry-level programmes in Virginia were invited to participate in this cross-sectional study. The Colour-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale (CoBRAS), an effective, validated measuring instrument, was used to quantify unawareness of contemporary racist ideals. Three subscales (Racial Privilege, Institutional Discrimination and Blatant Racial Issues) were also measured by the survey. Descriptive statistics, separate one-way between-subjects ANOVA and independent samples t-tests were used to analyse the data.

RESULTS

One-hundred and sixty (n = 160) dental hygiene students completed the survey. Independent samples t-tests revealed statistically significant differences when comparing year in programme and programme type. Participants in their second year of dental hygiene education had significantly lower overall CoBRAS scores compared to those in their first year of education (M = 50.76, M = 59.13, respectively; p = 0.004). Participants enrolled in a baccalaureate dental hygiene (B.S.) programme had significantly lower overall CoBRAS scores compared to those enrolled in an associate (A.S.) programme (M = 50.53, M = 59.54, respectively; p = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

Participants possessed moderate levels of colour-blindness, suggesting a need for more awareness and training early in dental hygiene education to increase delivery of culturally competent oral healthcare.

The AMIGAS Model: Reconciling Prejudice Reduction and Collective Action Approaches Through a Multicultural Commitment in Intergroup Relations

Social psychology’s search for ways to address intergroup inequality has grappled with two approaches that have been considered incompatible: (a) the prejudice reduction approach, that argues that changing individual negative attitudes will undermine the basis for discrimination and lead to intergroup harmony; and (b) the collective action approach, that argues that social protest and activism can improve the position of disadvantaged groups. The problem is that efforts toward prejudice reduction may serve to suppress genuine efforts to change. We propose the Achieving Multicultural Integration of Groups Across Society (AMIGAS) model, in which a multicultural commitment is proposed as a driver of both improved intergroup evaluations and promotion of collective action for reduced inequality, especially in contexts where there are conditions for a respectful intercultural dialogue. The AMIGAS model is a theoretical advance in the field of intergroup relations and a basis for implementing effective egalitarian policies and practices.

Empathy, Social Self-Efficacy, Problematic Internet Use, and Problematic Online Gaming Between Early and Late Adolescence

This study aims to investigate the relationship between empathy, social self-efficacy, problematic Internet use (PIU), and problematic online gaming (POG) and to evaluate how such relationship varies according to the age of the participants. A sample of 1,585 Italian students, both genders, aged 12-20 years, were divided into three groups according to the age filled in these self-report questionnaires: PIU; Game Addiction Scale for Adolescents; Interpersonal Reactivity Index; Scale of Social Self-Efficacy; Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The results allow to confirm that in the Italian context the relationships between the examined constructs change across the three age groups considered in the study. PIU and POG, as well as prosocial behaviors and personal distress, tend to significantly decrease in late adolescence (age 18-20 years); 15-17 years adolescents reported more empathic concern compared with the other groups. PIU and POG are affected by empathy and social-self efficacy in different ways depending on age, suggesting that the two conditions have an at least partially different nature. The different components of empathy seem to play a different role in the development of either PIU or POG confirming the need to separate the components of empathy.

Frontline yet at the back of the queue – improving access and adaptations to CBT for Black African and Caribbean communities

This paper focuses on the Black minority ethnic population (Black British, Black African, Black Caribbean) and uses the term BME in reference to this group. Only 6.2% of BME people access psychological intervention for common mental disorders. In provision of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) the diversity in global majority populations1 requires culturally specific informed and responsive approaches. The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme needs to be accountable, culturally congruent and strategic, to ensure accessibility and improve outcomes for BME people. According to the Mental Health Foundation (2019), a higher percentage of Black, Asian and other minority ethnic populations (BAME) are diagnosed with common, severe and complex mental health disorders. Despite the weight of literature on this, little has changed. The NHS Implementation Plan outlines trajectories for increased access and reduced attrition within mental health services, addressing inequalities for BAME populations.

Evidence-based guidance and audits for provision of culturally sensitive and adapted therapies are presented in the pioneering (IAPT) BAME Positive Practice Guide (PPG). However, there are no funding arrangements or formal integrated frameworks to support implementation. The COVID-19 global pandemic and the high-profile death of George Floyd tragically exposed and highlighted the consequences of systemic racism. Understanding of the importance of service and clinical anti-racist practice is imperative for CBT therapists. Implementation of the BAME PPG audit tool ensures review of race equity in access, engagement, adaptation and workforce within IAPT and other mental health services. This could transform lives.

Key learning aims

(1)

Interrogating Whiteness in Community Research and Action

Community psychology is expressly concerned with social justice. Such concern necessitates attention to race. Yet, nearly absent from the field's literature is explicit and critical attention to whiteness. Thus, community psychology's contribution to promoting social justice remains incomplete. In this article, we examine how a critical construction of whiteness can be useful for community research and action. After a brief history of the construction of whiteness in the United States, and a summary of key insights from critical whiteness studies, we present a scoping review of the nascent body of community psychology literature that addresses whiteness. That work implicates whiteness in the emergence of the field itself, frames whiteness as social location, problematizes whiteness, addresses White supremacy and institutional racism, interrogates White privilege, and employs whiteness as a theoretical standpoint. We conclude with three propositions for scholars to broker the relationship between community psychology and critical whiteness studies: (a) community psychology should become more critically conscious of whiteness, (b) community psychologists should promote critical awareness of the ways that whiteness operates as a complex system, and (c) greater critical awareness of whiteness should be applied to the development of multilevel interventions aimed at dismantling whiteness as a system of domination.

Gender Differences in Empathy During Adolescence: Does Emotional Self-Awareness Matter?

Empathy refers to the capacity to experience emotions similar to those observed or imagined in another person, with the full knowledge that the other person is the source of these emotions. Awareness of one's own emotional states is a prerequisite for self-other differentiation to develop. This study investigated gender differences in empathy during adolescence and tested whether emotional self-awareness explained these differences. Two-hundred-eleven adolescents (108 girls and 103 boys) between 14 and 19 years completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) to assess empathy and emotional self-awareness, respectively. Overall, girls obtained higher scores than boys on IRI subscales like emotional concern, personal distress, and fantasy. Regarding emotional self-awareness, we found gender differences in TAS-20 scores, with girls reporting greater difficulty identifying feelings and less externally oriented thinking than boys. Difficulty identifying feelings explained the greatest personal distress experienced by girls. Lower externally oriented thinking accounted for girls' greater emotional concern and fantasy. These findings offer an insight into the role of emotional self-awareness-which is essential for self-other differentiation-as an account for gender differences in empathic abilities during adolescence. In girls, difficulty identifying feelings can impair the ability to differentiate between ones' and others' emotions, leading them to experience self-focused and aversive responses when confronted with others' suffering. Conversely, in boys, externally oriented thinking can mitigate personal distress when faced with others' discomfort.

Racial Discrimination Predicts Mental Health Outcomes Beyond the Role of Personality Traits in a Community Sample of African Americans

Despite a consistent body of work documenting associations between racial discrimination and negative mental health outcomes, the utility and validity of these findings have recently been questioned because some authors have posited that personality traits may account for these associations. To test this hypothesis in a community sample of African Americans ( n = 419, age: M = 43.96 years), we used bivariate relations and hierarchical regression analyses to determine whether racial discrimination accounted for additional variance in depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms beyond the role of personality. Bivariate relations between personality traits and racial discrimination were small and positive (i.e., rs ≈ .10). Regression results demonstrated that racial discrimination accounted for variance in depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress independent of personality traits ( ps < .01). These results suggest that personality traits do not fully explain associations between racial discrimination and negative mental health outcomes, further supporting the detrimental impact of racial discrimination on the mental health of African Americans.

The Muslimah Project: A Collaborative Inquiry into Discrimination and Muslim Women's Mental Health in a Canadian Context

Prior research in Europe and North America demonstrates that religious discrimination against Muslim people, commonly known as Islamophobia, results in many negative mental health impacts, including depression, anxiety, isolation, and feelings of exclusion (Awan & Zempi, 2015). In Canada, Muslim women face a unique form of discrimination based on their religious, racial, and gender identities (Helly, 2012; Zine, 2008). Grounded in feminist intersectional theory and practice (Hill Collins & Bilge, 2016), the present manuscript emerges from a community-based project centered on Muslim women's experiences of discrimination and resulting adverse mental health impacts. Through a series of five focus groups (N = 55), the research team engaged with Muslim women from diverse backgrounds in order to gain a more complete understanding of mental health inequities in Canada. Thematic analyses of focus group data revealed that Muslim women participants regularly experience Islamophobic discrimination and face multiple barriers when attempting to access culturally relevant and responsive supports. Results illuminate the potential of reciprocal, community-based research to investigate and respond to mental health disparities experienced by Muslim women in Canada.

Racial discrimination and posttraumatic stress: examining emotion dysregulation as a mediator in an African American community sample

Background: African Americans experience more severe and chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms compared to other racial groups, and thus it is important to examine factors that are relevant for the aetiology of PTSD in this population. Although racial discrimination has been implicated as an exacerbating factor in the development and maintenance of PTSD, relatively less is known about mechanisms through which this process may occur. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine one such mechanism, emotion dysregulation, in two independent samples of African American adults. Method: Trauma-exposed participants were recruited in a large, urban community hospital setting (initial sample n = 1,841; replication sample n = 294). In the initial sample, participants completed a unidimensional measure of emotion dysregulation and self-reported PTSD symptoms based on the DSM-IV. In the replication sample, participants completed a multidimensional measure of emotion dysregulation and a diagnostic interview of PTSD symptoms based on the DSM-5. Mediation analyses were used to test our hypotheses. Results: Across both samples, results indicated that racial discrimination was indirectly associated with PTSD symptoms through emotion dysregulation (even when trauma load was added as a covariate). Conclusions: Taken together, these results provide strong evidence that the association between racial discrimination and PTSD symptoms may be partially explained by the association between racial discrimination and worse emotion dysregulation. These findings elucidate the impact of racist incidents on mental health and identify modifiable emotion regulatory processes that can be intervened upon to enhance the psychological and social wellbeing of African Americans.

"Not to exclude you, but…": Characterization of pharmacy student microaggressions and recommendations for academic pharmacy

INTRODUCTION

Microaggressions are commonplace indignities that communicate slights to marginalized persons. Microaggressions have been shown to negatively impact student well-being and academic performance. We describe the experiences of students in relation to the occurrence of microaggressions within the learning environment of a college of pharmacy (COP).

METHODS

Students in a COP were interviewed regarding their experiences of microaggressions. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analyzed using a conventional content analysis method.

RESULTS

Thirteen pharmacy students participated in the study. Six (46%) identified as women. Six (46%) identified as Black, Asian, or multi-racial. Experiences were first-hand, witnessed, or stories they heard. Three themes arose from the data: (1) feeling othered; (2) power, pain, pollution, and pervasiveness of microaggressions; and (3) responsibility of academic community to mitigate microaggressions. Microaggressions were described based on race, religion, gender, sexuality, age, English proficiency, and others. Students expressed confusion with responding to microaggressions, microaggressions disguised as jokes, divisiveness related to the 2016 presidential election, unawareness of biases, dismissal of their concerns, hopelessness for change, and centering dominant groups in the curriculum. Recommendations from participants to address microaggressions included longitudinal cultural competency in the curriculum, cultural competency training for faculty, guidance on conflict management, and open discussions related to diversity and inclusion.

CONCLUSIONS

Students are unsure how to identify, address, and mitigate microaggressions. Actions are needed to reduce these incidents, facilitate healing of individuals who have experienced past microaggressions, and promote a diverse and inclusive learning environment.

Racial Colorblindness and Confidence in and Likelihood of Action to Address Prejudice

In this study, we examined the association between racial colorblindness and inaction to address prejudice. Conceptualized as a type of legitimizing ideology that maintains societal inequality, we hypothesized that colorblindness would be associated with less confidence in and lower likelihood of engaging in action to address prejudice. Our study examined the role of affective variables in explaining the link between colorblindness and inaction, as well as explored potential racial group differences. We used multigroup structural equation modeling analysis to test for measurement and structural invariance of our hypothesized model across White, Asian American, and Underrepresented racial minority (i.e., African American, Latinx American, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Native American, and Multiracial students from Underrepresented groups) college students. In Study 1 (n = 1,125), we found that greater colorblindness was indirectly associated with less confidence in action through affective variables (e.g., intergroup empathy, and positive and negative emotions during intergroup interactions). In Study 2 (n = 1,356), we found that greater colorblindness was indirectly related to less likelihood of action through intergroup empathy. In both studies, we demonstrated measurement and structural invariance across racial groups, indicating that our hypothesized model functioned similarly across White, Underrepresented, and Asian American students. Our findings have implications for future research and practice to challenge colorblindness and to promote engagement in actions to reduce prejudice.

Who’s Multiculturally Competent? Everybody and Nobody: A Multimethod Examination

This study was a social dominance theory-driven multimethod investigation of multicultural competence. Given the concerns with self-report, we examined the relationship between study variables and both self-report and performance-based multicultural competence. We also tested competing hypotheses regarding the relationship between the multicultural competence measures. We examined two samples: one of counselor trainees ( N = 93), and one of practicing therapists ( N = 107). The overwhelming performance floor effect in the context of self-report ceiling effects was striking and unexpected in its severity. Awareness of privilege was the most consistent predictor, and the only variable related to most multicultural competence measures. Results related to social dominance orientation, just-world beliefs, and empathy differed by sample. A key finding was the failure by a substantial proportion of participants in both samples to even minimally address clients’ sociocultural context. Thus, we focus our discussion on the implications of this result.

Ideology Matters: College Students’ Emotional Reactions to the Killing of Trayvon Martin

Building on previous theory and research, we explored the associations among race, intergroup ideologies and emotional reactions to the killing of Trayvon Martin and the acquittal of George Zimmerman among 298 Black and White college students. We also examined the indirect effect of ethnocultural empathy on the links between race, intergroup ideologies, and emotional responding. Using latent class analysis, we identified three latent intergroup ideological classes: Racial Hierarchy-Enhancing Ideology, Universal Hierarchy-Enhancing Ideology (i.e., above sample mean color-blind racial ideology and or social dominance orientation) and Critical Reflection Attenuating Ideology (i.e., above sample mean critical consciousness). Membership in the Critical Reflection Attenuating Ideology group was associated with greater prosocial emotional responding as compared to the two hierarchy-enhancing latent groups. Finally, ethnocultural empathy had an indirect effect on the links between race, latent intergroup ideological classes, and emotional responding.

Open to Diversity

Abstract. The present research examines the influence of personality on ideologies about diversity in society. In two studies ( N = 668), we test whether Openness to Experience predicts beliefs in multiculturalism and colorblindness, and whether these relationships are mediated by perspective-taking tendencies. In Study 1, Openness positively predicted multiculturalism but negatively predicted colorblindness through ethnic perspective taking – findings that were independent of empathy, age, gender, and race/ethnicity. In Study 2, we attempted to replicate and extend our findings by using different measures of multiculturalism and colorblindness and a more general, interpersonal operationalization of perspective taking. Results indicate Openness positively predicted both multiculturalism and colorblindness through interpersonal perspective taking (also independent of age, gender, and race/ethnicity), suggesting the pattern of findings varied as a function of perspective-taking type. Implications for the complexity of the Openness dimension and future research directions are discussed.

Racial-Cultural Events in Group Therapy as Perceived by Group Therapists

This qualitative study explored the nature of the retrospective experiences of helpful and difficult racial-cultural events in group therapy as perceived by eight White group therapists and six group therapists of color who had a minimum of 5 years of experience working in a variety of group therapy settings. Racial-cultural events are incidents, interactions, or processes in a therapy group that are interpreted as related to or influenced by visible racial dimensions, and any stereotypes and assumptions pertaining to those dimensions. Participants completed demographic questionnaires and in-depth, semistructured telephone interviews. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed, and then the transcriptions were analyzed using grounded theory, resulting in three main emergent themes: (a) helpful events, (b) mixed events, and (c) hindering events. Study findings provide insight into effective group therapy with multicultural populations and offer directions for future research.

Multicolored Blindfolds

Past studies have found that multicultural approaches to diversity can reduce prejudice and stimulate positive intergroup relations. The current research explored a possible negative side effect of multiculturalism: whether organizational diversity structures geared toward multiculturalism can conceal racial discrimination and delegitimize racial discrimination claims. Three studies found that, even when objective information was indicative of discrimination, both Whites and racial minorities perceived organizations which had diversity policies emphasizing multiculturalism as more fair toward minorities. This perception of (false) fairness led individuals to perceive less racial discrimination and to view claims of racial discrimination against that organization as less legitimate. Furthermore, we found that organizational multiculturalism and externally granted diversity awards both produced a (false) fairness effect. The results suggest an irony of multicultural diversity structures: They can create a false fairness effect that conceals and delegitimizes discrimination.

Culturally Competent Practice: A Mixed Methods Study Among Students, Academics and Alumni of Clinical Psychology Master's Programs in the Netherlands

This is the first research into preparation for multicultural clinical psychology practice in Europe. It applies the theory of multicultural counselling competency (MCC) to a case study in the Netherlands. It was hypothesized that cross-cultural practice experience, identification as a cultural minority, and satisfaction with cultural training was associated with MCC. The Multicultural Awareness Knowledge and Skills Survey was completed by 106 participants (22 students, 10 academics, 74 alumni) from clinical psychology masters’ programs. MANOVA detected a main effect of cross-cultural experience on MCC for all groups and universities. The data were enriched with exploratory qualitative data from 14 interviews (5 students, 5 academics, 4 alumni). Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis revealed three themes: limitations of clinical psychology, strategies for culturally competent practice, and strategies for cultural competency development. These outcomes suggest that cultural competency continues to require attention in master’s programs. The paper makes recommendations for further research enquiry related to training clinical psychologists to practice in Europe’s multicultural societies.

Do Color Blindness and Multiculturalism Remedy or Foster Discrimination and Racism?

This article offers insight from psychological science into whether models of diversity (e.g., color blindness and multiculturalism) remedy or foster discrimination and racism. First, we focus on implications of a color-blind model. Here, the literature suggests that while color blindness appeals to some individuals, it can decrease individuals’ sensitivity to racism and discrimination. Furthermore, the literature suggests that, with some exceptions, color blindness has negative implications for interracial interactions, minorities’ perceptions and outcomes, and the pursuit of diversity and inclusion in organizational contexts. Second, we examine circumstances under which a multicultural approach yields positive or negative implications for interracial interactions, organizational diversity efforts, and discrimination. The research reviewed coalesces to suggest that while multiculturalism generally has more positive implications for people of color, both models have the potential to further inequality.

Make It Personal: A Qualitative Investigation of White Counselors’ Multicultural Awareness Development

In this qualitative research study, we explored the multicultural awareness development of 12 multiculturally adept non-Latino White counselors. Using a grounded theory approach, we found that early personal experience with diversity was the most important contributing factor in developing understanding and empathy for oppression among White counselors. This factor appeared to lay the foundation for an ongoing personal initiative to develop multicultural awareness. Subsequently, counselors tried to maximize what they could learn from their culturally diverse clients, work environments, coursework, supervision, and mentoring opportunities. Their personal initiative also inspired them to persevere despite the difficult emotions and conflict inherent in this developmental process. Results suggest the need to incorporate personally transformative experiences in counselor training and to prepare counselors for the emotional challenges of multicultural awareness development.

Predicting aggression in adolescence: The interrelation between (a lack of) empathy and social goals

In an attempt to explain the inconsistent findings and overall weak relation between empathy and aggression, we focused on the role of emotional empathy (emotions of concern, compassion or sympathy toward a (potential) victim), agentic goals (the desire to be dominant during social interaction with peers) and their interplay (mediation or moderation) in the prediction of proactive aggression (learned instrumental behavior) in adolescence. Data were collected from 550 young Dutch adolescents, who filled out multiple questionnaires. Findings showed that the link between a lack of empathic concern and proactive aggression is partly mediated and moderated by agentic goals. The moderation analyses showed that the predictive value of a lack of empathic concern with regard to proactive aggression was greater when adolescents reported a stronger desire to be dominant in social situations with peers. In addition, the findings supported the assumption that the relation between empathic concern and reactive aggression (a hostile and angry response to perceived provocation) is not mediated or moderated by agentic goals. Findings were discussed in terms of their implications for future research. Aggr. Behav. 43:204-214, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Psychotherapy with a language interpreter: considerations and cautions for practice

We examine the extent to which psychotherapy can be successfully conducted with the aid of an interpreter. We propose that, even if we assume idealistic levels of training on the part of the interpreter and the therapist, and openness on the part of the client, there are still many challenges inherent in interpreter-assisted therapy. We focus on some of the characteristics common to client experiences of effective psychotherapy, as well as the characteristics and habits of effective therapists, and show how the insertion of an interpreter into the therapeutic relationship could affect both. Where the literature provides, we also note steps which could be taken to minimise the harmful impacts and maximise the positive contributions which the therapist–interpreter–client dynamic could yield. In South Africa, where informal interpreters play the invaluable role of facilitating essential communication between psychotherapists and their clients, it is imperative that informal interpreters, and clinicians working with interpreters, are aware of some of the complex issues at play in interpreted interactions. The issue of interpreting in mental health care is commonly addressed only in regard to the question of the competence of interpreters; we suggest that attitudinal and skill issues are equally important for clinicians. We conclude that successful therapy with an interpreter necessitates a consideration of the dynamic interaction between all parties involved.

Anxiety Disorders in Caucasian and African American Children: A Comparison of Clinical Characteristics, Treatment Process Variables, and Treatment Outcomes

This study examined racial differences in anxious youth using data from the Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study (CAMS) [1]. Specifically, the study aims addressed whether African American (n = 44) versus Caucasian (n = 359) children varied on (1) baseline clinical characteristics, (2) treatment process variables, and (3) treatment outcomes. Participants were ages 7-17 and met DSM-IV-TR criteria for generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, and/or separation anxiety disorder. Baseline data, as well as outcome data at 12 and 24 weeks, were obtained by independent evaluators. Weekly treatment process variables were collected by therapists. Results indicated no racial differences on baseline clinical characteristics. However, African American participants attended fewer psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy sessions, and were rated by therapists as less involved and compliant, in addition to showing lower mastery of CBT. Once these and other demographic factors were accounted for, race was not a significant predictor of response, remission, or relapse. Implications of these findings suggest African American and Caucasian youth are more similar than different with respect to the manifestations of anxiety and differences in outcomes are likely due to treatment barriers to session attendance and therapist engagement.

Interaction between oxytocin receptor polymorphism and interdependent culture values on human empathy

Recent evidence suggests that the association between oxytocin receptor polymorphism (OXTR rs53576) and emotion-related behavioral/psychological tendencies differs between individuals from East Asian and Western cultures. What remains unresolved is which specific dimension of cultural orientations interacts with OXTR rs53576 to shape these tendencies and whether such gene × culture interactions occurs at both behavioral and neural level. This study investigated whether and how OXTR rs53576 interacts with interdependence-a key dimension of cultural orientations that distinguish between East Asian and Western cultures-to affect human empathy that underlies altruistic motivation and prosocial behavior. Experiment 1 measured interdependence, empathy trait and OXTR rs53576 genotypes of 1536 Chinese participants. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed a stronger association between interdependence and empathy trait in G allele carriers compared with A/A homozygotes of OXTR rs53576. Experiment 2 measured neural responses to others' suffering by scanning A/A and G/G homozygous of OXTR rs53576 using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed stronger associations between interdependence and empathic neural responses in the insula, amygdala and superior temporal gyrus in G/G compared with A/A carriers. Our results provide the first evidence for gene × culture interactions on empathy at both behavioral tendency and underlying brain activity.

An ethnographic study of participant roles in school bullying

An ethnographic study in a 10th grade remedial class was undertaken in order to discern patterns of school bullying. Twenty 10th graders were observed over the course of one academic year as they interacted with their peers and teachers. The observations helped us identify dispositional and situational factors which influenced participant roles. In-depth interviews of students involved in school bullying showed how participants interpreted and explained their classroom behaviors. The analysis of the data gathered allowed the identification of four main actor roles recognized in the existing literature on bullying-the pure victim, the pure bully, the provocative-victim, and the bystander-as well as the differentiation between aggressive bullies and the bully managers. Most roles fluctuated according to specific circumstances and often appeared to be moderated by the teacher's management style and contextual variables. Some pupils assumed different roles in different contexts, sometimes changing roles within or between episodes. Teacher personality and style also had an impact on the frequencies and types of aggression and victimization. The use of an ethnographic research paradigm is discussed as an important supplement to positivistic studies of school bullying.

Influence of social class perceptions on attributions among mental health practitioners

OBJECTIVE

A vignette-based study assessed the influence of social class attributions toward a hypothetical client's difficulty.

METHOD

188 licensed mental health professionals who were recruited through professional listservs completed an online survey after reviewing one of two versions of a vignette describing a hypothetical client that varied based on social class cues.

RESULTS

As expected, this sample of licensed mental health practitioners detected social class differences based on the descriptors of the hypothetical client across the two vignettes. These perceived social class differences, however, did not impact participants' attributions toward the client for causing or solving her problems, level of Global Assessment of Functioning score ascribed to the client, or willingness to work with the client.

CONCLUSIONS

There was no evidence that participants differentially ascribed attributions based on social class. Implications and directions for future research are provided.

Exploring Clinicians Attitudes Toward the Incorporation of Racial Socialization in Psychotherapy

Racial socialization has been found to have a positive impact on the lives of African Americans. While most studies have focused on parental and caretaker racial socialization, none have examined this process in the context of the mental health practitioner-client relationship. Mental health practitioners may also serve as a socializing agent, providing African American clients with messages regarding race and racial barriers. The present exploratory study examined whether racial socialization messages are being incorporated in individual therapy by mental health practitioners who work with African American clients. Participants were 136 mental health providers solicited via electronic mailing lists from various divisions of the American Psychological Association, college counseling centers, and regional associations. Participants completed a survey on-line. Results indicated ethnicity was linked to the report of racial socialization focused on spiritual coping messages. Results also suggested an interaction between the ethnicity of the clinician and the age group of their clientele when examining messages focused on color-blind ideology.

A Person-Centered Approach to Multicultural Counseling Competence

This article examines current and historical trends in psychotherapy research and practice with racial/ethnic minority populations. Initially, research on Derald Sue’s multicultural counseling competencies is provided as a foundation to further examine the evidence regarding effective cultural adaptations to mainstream treatment approaches, such as cognitive-behavior therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy. Next, a brief outline of Carl Rogers’s psychotherapy research tradition is presented, with a focus on both past and present evidence suggesting that person-centered therapy may be effective across diagnoses, as well as cultures. Using psychotherapy evidence from both the latter half of the 20th century and the initial decades of the 21st century, cultural adaptations to previously hypothesized person-centered therapy mechanisms of change are proposed. In particular, this culturally adapted person-centered approach is suggested to provide a competent and effective treatment system for racial/ethnic minority clients and families.

Multikulturelle Überzeugungen

Zusammenfassung: In letzter Zeit wurden vermehrt Initiativen gestartet, Lehrende mit Migrationshintergrund zu gewinnen, unter der Annahme, dass sie über mehr Kompetenzen für das Unterrichten in kulturell heterogenen Kontexten verfügen. Jedoch ist empirisch ungeklärt, ob sich Lehrkräfte in ihrer professionellen Kompetenz für das Unterrichten von Kindern mit Migrationshintergrund unterscheiden und ob mögliche Unterschiede allein auf den Migrationshintergrund zurückzuführen sind. Ausgehend vom COACTIV-Modell der professionellen Kompetenz von Lehrkräften untersuchte die vorliegende Studie an 433 Mathematiklehramtsanwärter(inne)n mit und ohne Migrationshintergrund Selbstwirksamkeitserwartungen, Enthusiasmus und Vorurteile für das Unterrichten von Schüler(inne)n mit Migrationshintergrund vergleichend und testete, ob multikulturelle Überzeugungen (MKÜ) eine vermittelnde Rolle spielen. Ergebnisse aus Strukturgleichungsmodellen bestätigen letzteres: Lehramtsanwärter(innen) mit Migrationshintergrund berichteten ausgeprägtere MKÜ, die wiederum Selbstwirksamkeitserwartungen und Enthusiasmus positiv und Vorurteile negativ beeinflussten.