e-Publications@Marquette

There are currently 14.4 million Latinas in the U.S., many of which find ways to be resilient in spite of discrimination, prejudice, and anti-immigrant sentiment. Thirty Mexican American middle and high school girls (mean age = 13.4, 21.4% immigrant) were asked to discuss stress, coping and the influence of culture, gender, family, and school on well-being and goals for the future. Interviews from six focus groups (four to seven members each) were analyzed from grounded theory. Findings indicate that participants had negative experiences related to being Latina yet maintained a positive view of being Latina. The participants used both their family’s support and primary control strategies when coping with anger/anxiety. The aforementioned results suggest that the cultural context of Latinas’ lives is critical to understand when working with these youth.

Late adolescence is a developmental transition period in which social/cultural factors, interpersonal factors and psycho-behavioral factors may lead to the establishment and continuity of problematic alcohol use behavior from late adolescence to early adulthood. The longitudinal research suggests that problematic alcohol use during late adolescence has a negative impact on an adolescent’s level of functioning and potentially later functioning in adulthood. However, the research is limited, in part due to a limited understanding of how an adolescent’s alcohol use affects their level of functioning. The purpose of this study was to improve our understanding of the affect of alcohol use on late adolescent functioning across a range of behavioral domains. Ten adolescents completed an hour long individual interview. The interview asked participants to describe how alcohol affects level of functioning Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed for emergent themes. Results and their implications for measure development will be discussed.

Homelessness is a pervasive and problematic phenomenon. Unfortunately, programs designed to reduce or eliminate homelessness face a number of challenges. One such challenge involves difficulty engaging and retaining clientele who are experiencing homelessness in services. The literature suggests that one explanation for this difficulty involves the stigmatization experiences that individuals who are homeless accumulate over time. However, the relationship between stigmatization and the psychosocial functioning of individuals facing homelessness has rarely been investigated empirically, and it is unclear how well various theories of stigma apply to this unique population. The purpose of the current paper is to propose a grounded theory study of how a specific subgroup of the homeless population experiences and responds to multiple sources of social stigmatization: African American men experiencing homelessness and facing co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders.

That racially motivated conflicts occur in schools is an indisputable fact that becomes evident upon review of both academic literature and popular media. Events such as the Jena 6 incident (Maxwell & Zehr, 2007), school wide racially motivated riots (latimes.com), and court rulings (theithican.org) are distressing examples that racial barriers are real and potentially dangerous for many students in this country. However, little is written about the nature of racial conflicts, including the actual process school leaders engage in when determining how or even whether to intervene in racial conflicts, and the affect those racial conflicts have on the school climate and relevant stakeholders (e.g. directly involved students, other students, and school staff). To address this concern the current study is designed to provide insight into the decision-making process of school counselors in the intervention of racial conflicts that occur between students. The findings of this study will be pertinent and beneficial to all educational professionals as well as students. The following review provides context for understanding racial conflicts in schools, and addresses such issues as prevalence rates, causes, consequences, theories, and interventions to address such conflicts. Finally, the review concludes with a description of limitations in the research and a description of a proposed study.

Reports on rates of PTSD among women receiving treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs) ranges from 20% to as much as 59%. Research however has shown that fewer than half of women with SUDs will receive treatment that addresses their PTSD symptoms. Research over the past three decades has shown an increased interest in individuals diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using group psychotherapy. However, group psychotherapy approaches for co-occurring PTSD and substance use disorders are not as well developed. This proposal suggests the creation of a psychotherapy group for women suffering from SUDs with co-occurring PTSD symptoms. The group model will be based on the Seeking Safety model (L. M. Najavits) which is an empirically supported, manualized, cognitive behavioral psychotherapy intervention for substance abuse and trauma (PTSD). For the purposes of the Research Exchange, the poster I present will outline the Seeking Safety model as an effective group intervention for women experiencing co-occurring PTSD and SUDs. The poster will also outline proposed group objectives and suggested composition of the group, recruitment, clinician/facilitator selection, screening and selection processes, frequency and duration of the group, and suggestions for termination.

In response to several horror stories where students and other research participants were poorly treated and even died as a result of research practices of questionable ethics, a study was undertaken to learn what students understand about their vulnerability to research abuse. A survey was developed using examples from research practice. The instrument was administered to 109 college students. Factor analysis revealed 2 factors – (1) comfort being assertive, (2) motivation to participate. The follow-up MANOVA found a main effect for experience such that participants who had more experience being in research projects were more comfortable being assertive with the researcher than those with less experience.