Caucasian Students Research Articles

Depressive Realism and Attributional Style: Replication and Extension

The concept of cognitive bias is embedded in cognitive-behavioral theorizing, and treatment, of depression. Moore and Fresco (2007) were the first to examine this issue in the context of the etiology of depression by studying the accuracy of attributional style. One hundred and five predominantly Caucasian students from the Midwestern U.S. and 105 predominantly African American students from the Southern U.S. completed measures assessing attributional style, dysphoria, and attributional accuracy. Results partially replicated the work of Moore and Fresco (2007). Both samples found evidence of bias in those at risk for depression, consistent with Moore and Fresco (2007). However, the two samples were not consistent with regard to participants who were not at risk for depression and in dysphoric participants. Future work is clearly needed, but the available evidence suggests that pessimistic bias in those at risk for depression is a generalizable phenomenon.

Rates and Patterns of Comorbidity Among First-Year College Students With ADHD

The purpose of this study was to examine rates and patterns of non–attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (non-ADHD) psychiatric diagnoses among a large group of 1st-year college students with and without ADHD. A total of 443 participants, including 214 men and 229 women ranging in age from 18 to 22 years of age (M = 18.2), were recruited from 9 colleges involved in a large-scale, multisite longitudinal investigation. Non-Hispanic Caucasian students represented 67.5% of the total sample. A comprehensive multimethod assessment approach was used in conjunction with expert panel review to determine both ADHD and comorbidity status. Significantly higher rates of overall comorbidity were found among college students with well-defined ADHD, with 55.0% exhibiting at least one comorbid diagnosis and 31.8% displaying two or more, relative to the corresponding rates of non-ADHD diagnoses among Comparison students, which were 11.2% and 4.0%, respectively. These differences in overall comorbidity rates were, in large part, attributable to the increased presence of depressive and anxiety disorders, especially major depressive disorder (active or in partial remission) and generalized anxiety disorder, among the students with ADHD. Within the ADHD group, differential comorbidity rates were observed as a function of ADHD presentation type and gender but not ethnic/racial diversity status. The current findings fill a gap in the literature and shed new light on the rates and patterns of comorbidity among emerging adults with ADHD in their 1st year of college. Implications for providing clinical and support services to college students with ADHD are discussed.

A Longitudinal Study of Sexual Entitlement and Self-Efficacy among Young Women and Men: Gender Differences and Associations with Age and Sexual Experience.

Many scholars have called for an increased focus on positive aspects of sexual health and sexuality. Using a longitudinal design with two assessments, we investigated patterns of entitlement to sexual partner pleasure and self-efficacy to achieve sexual pleasure among 295 young men and women aged 17–25 years attending one Australian university. We also tested whether entitlement and efficacy differed by gender, and hypothesized that entitlement and efficacy would be higher in older participants and those with more sexual experience. A sense of entitlement to sexual partner pleasure increased significantly over the year of the study, whereas, on average, there was no change in self-efficacy over time. At Time 1 (T1), young women reported more entitlement than young men. Age was positively associated with T1 entitlement, and experience with a wider range of partnered sexual behaviors was concurrently associated with more entitlement and efficacy and was also associated with increased entitlement to partner pleasure and increased self-efficacy in achieving sexual pleasure at T2 relative to T1. A group with the least amount of sexual experience was particularly low in entitlement and efficacy when compared to groups with a history of coital experience. There was no evidence that any association differed between young men and young women. Limitations of the study include a sample of predominantly middle class, Caucasian students at one university and the possibility that students more interested in sex and relationships, and with more sexual experience, chose to participate.

Powdered alcohol: Awareness and likelihood of use among a sample of college students.

In March 2015, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau approved the sale of Palcohol, the first powdered alcohol product to be marketed and sold in the U.S. Powdered alcohol is freeze-dried, and one individual-serving size packet added to 6 ounces of liquid is equivalent to a standard drink. This study assessed awareness of powered alcohol and likelihood to use and/or misuse powdered alcohol among college students. Surveys were administered to a convenience sample of 1,841 undergraduate students. Only 16.4% of respondents had heard of powdered alcohol. After being provided a brief description of powdered alcohol, 23% indicated that they would use the product if available, and of those, 62.1% also indicated likelihood of misusing the product (eg, snorting it, mixing it with alcohol). Caucasian students (OR = 1.5) and hazardous drinkers (based on AUDIT-C scores; OR = 4.7) were significantly more likely to indicate likelihood of use. Hazardous drinkers were also six times more likely to indicate likelihood to misuse the product. These findings can inform upstream prevention efforts in states debating bans on powdered alcohol. In states where powdered alcohol will soon be available, alcohol education initiatives should be updated to include information on the potential risks of use and be targeted to those populations most likely to misuse. This is the first peer-reviewed study to assess the awareness of and likelihood to use and/or misuse powdered alcohol, a potentially emerging form of alcohol.

Sexual health among female Aboriginal university students in the Maritime Provinces of Canada: risk behaviours and health services use.

Background Young Aboriginal Canadian people are at increased risk of negative sexual health outcomes, including sexually transmissible infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancy. Associations between Aboriginal ethnicity and sexual risk behaviours and related health services use among sexually active female university students in eastern Canada were examined. A secondary analysis of online survey data collected from sexually active female university students under age 30 years from eight post-secondary institutions in the Maritime Provinces of Canada was carried out (N=5010). Students were asked about their ethnic backgrounds, health services use and sexual health behaviours. Logistic regressions were used to compare Aboriginal students to Caucasian students regarding their sexual health behaviours and services use. In adjusted analyses, Aboriginal students were seen to be more likely to not have used a condom (OR 2.37; 95% CI 1.34-4.18) or any form of effective contraception (OR 3.05; 95% CI 1.75-5.31) at last intercourse. They also were more likely to report any lifetime testing for pregnancy (OR 5.81; 95% CI 3.07-10.99) and STIs (OR 2.95; 95% CI 1.11-7.82). Aboriginal students accessed university health services as often as their Caucasian counterparts. Aboriginal women attending university in the Maritime Provinces of Canada engage in greater sexual risk taking than Caucasian women and report more related testing. Health services providers working with university students should be aware of these lower rates of barrier protection and use of contraception among Aboriginal women, and use healthcare visits as opportunities to engage these women in reducing their sexual risk taking.

Social Work Students’ Perceptions of Team-Based Learning

This study sought to examine social work students’ perceptions of Team-Based Learning (N = 154). Aside from looking at overall student perceptions, comparative analyses examined differences in perceptions between BSW and MSW students, and between Caucasian students and students of color. Findings for the overall sample revealed favorable perceptions. The majority of students felt that Team-Based Learning effectively relayed content while teaching higher order cognitive skills. No differences emerged between MSW and BSW students; however, there were significant differences between students of color and Caucasian students, with the former feeling more isolated and singled out. Implications for practice are discussed.

Narratives of African-American Students: Bringing Diverse Voices into Classrooms

Diverse learners may experience barriers to school success and/or be inappropriately placed in special educationprograms due to the traditional reliance on the deficit-based interpretation of their culture-based language use anddiscourse styles. This study focuses on early adolescents’ narrative discourse, one of the critical linguistic factorslinked to school success. Specifically, it compares personal and fictional narratives of African-American andCaucasian students from two narrative perspectives, one consistent with the prevalent classroom narrativeexpectations (Episodic Analysis) and the other congruent with culturally based narrative styles (High Point Analysis).By broadening the scope of narrative analysis beyond the conventional school-based approach, this study aims atproviding a more culturally appropriate portrayal of narrative skills of African-American students and interpret it incongruence with culturally-based narrative styles. The participants were 82 students of varying levels of academicachievement and socio-economic backgrounds. Narrative performance is analyzed in terms of length, structuralorganization, and overall coherence, followed by examples of specific narrative patterns. The results indicate thatwhen narratives are analyzed using High Point Analysis, African-American and Caucasian students demonstratecomparable performance in terms of the narrative length, structural organization and coherence. In contrast, theresults of narrative analysis using Episodic Analysis that focuses on episodic organization promoted within theconventional school narrative expectations indicate several differences across the groups. The results may supporteducators in their attempts to encourage and facilitate diverse narrative voices in their classrooms, as well asmaximize intellectual and socio-emotional benefits of narrative exchanges for African-American students.

Predictive Variables of Success for Latino Enrollment in Higher Education

It is necessary to better understand the unique variables that serve as predictors of Latino students’ postsecondary enrollment and success. Impacts of various variables were examined among 850 Latino and Caucasian students (76% and 24% of the sample, respectively). Gender, ethnicity, perceived affordability, high school grade point average, and high school credits earned served as significant predictors. Yet the highest mathematics class taken by the 11th grade was not significant, and Latino students’ negative perceptions of college affordability may have hindered students’ postsecondary enrollment aspirations, despite their having access to a guaranteed scholarship.

Differential Benefits of Attending Supplemental Instruction for Introductory, Large-Section, University U.S. History Courses

We investigated students’ academic achievement in three high-enrollment, introductory-level history sections at a large, public, Hispanic-serving university. Using a conditional indirect-effects model, we analyzed supplemental instruction (SI) attendance and class absences as predictors of course success, after accounting for sex, ethnicity/race, and SAT/ACT scores. Results suggested a positive direct effect of SI attendance on course success and a negative direct effect of absences. A significant interaction effect between ethnicity/race and SI suggested that Hispanic students reaped stronger benefits from SI than Caucasian students, and that the course achievement gap between these groups was smaller when students attended more hours of SI. Our study contributes new findings to research supporting the effectiveness of SI by examining mediation and moderation effects and controlling for confounding variables.

Factors Related to Homophobia Among Nursing Students

A convenience sample of 90 nursing students participated in an online survey measuring homophobia or sexual prejudice. Significantly higher scores were seen among those who endorsed the belief that being gay was a matter of personal choice, did not have a friend or family member who was gay or lesbian, and endorsed religiosity. A significantly higher level of sexual prejudice was seen among those who identified as non-Catholic Christians when compared to other religions. Asian/Pacific Islanders showed significantly higher scores on the scales compared to non-Hispanic Caucasian students. Nursing education should focus on those aspects of homophobia amenable to change.

EMG and peak force responses to PNF stretching and the relationship between stretching-induced force deficits and bilateral deficits.

[Purpose] The aim of the present study was to investigate the possibility of an interaction between stretching induced deficit (SFD) and bilateral deficits (BLD) during maximal voluntary isometric hand flexion under PNF stretch and no-stretch conditions through measurement of EMG and force production. [Subjects and Methods] Ten physically active male Caucasian students (age, 24.1±2.38 years; body mass, 79.48±11.40 kg; height, 174.15±0.8 cm) volunteered to participate in this study. EMG and force measurements of the subjects were recorded during either unilateral or bilateral 3-second maximal voluntary isometric hand flexion (MVC) against a force transducer. The paired sample t-test was used to examine the significance of differences among several conditions. Pearson product-moment correlation was used to evaluate the associations between different parameters. [Results] Stretching-induced deficits correlated with bilateral deficits in both force (r=0.85) and iEMG (r=0.89). PNF stretching caused significant decrements in the bilateral and unilateral conditions for both the right and left sides. [Conclusion] Since both force and iEMG decreases were observed in most measurements; it suggests there is a neural mechanism behinnd both the BLD and the SFD.

Not just black and white: peer victimization and the intersectionality of school diversity and race.

Although bullying is a prevalent issue in the United States, limited research has explored the impact of school diversity on types of bullying behavior. This study explores the relationship between school diversity, student race, and bullying within the school context. The participants were African American and Caucasian middle school students (n = 4,581; 53.4% female). Among the participants, 89.4% were Caucasian and 10.6% were African American. The research questions examined the relationship between school diversity, student race and bullying behaviors, specifically race-based victimization. The findings suggested that Caucasian middle school students experience more bullying than African American students generally, and specifically when minorities in school settings. Caucasian students also experienced almost three times the amount of race-based victimization than African American students when school diversity was held constant. Interestingly, African American students experienced twice the amount of race-based victimization than Caucasian students when in settings with more students of color. The present study provides insight into bullying behaviors across different contexts for different races and highlights the need to further investigate interactions between personal and environmental factors on the bulling experiences of youth.

Effective, Sustained Inquiry-Based Instruction Promotes Higher Science Proficiency Among All Groups: A 5-Year Analysis

Student’s performance in science classrooms has continued to languish throughout the USA. Even though proficiency rates on national tests such as National Assessment of Educational Progress are higher for Caucasian students than African-Americans and Hispanics, all groups lack achieving desired proficiency rates. Further, the Next Generation Science Standards detail a new higher benchmark for all students. This study analyzes a professional development (PD) project, entitled Inquiry in Motion, designed to (a) facilitate teacher transformation toward greater quantity and quality of inquiry-based instruction, (b) improve student achievement in science practices and science concepts, and (c) begin to narrow the achievement gap among various groups. This 5-year PD study included 11 schools, 74 middle school teachers, and 9,981 students from diverse, high minority populations. Findings from the quasi-experimental study show statistically significant gains for all student groups (aggregate, males, females, Caucasians, African-Americans, and Hispanics) on all three science Measure of Academic Progress tests (composite, science practices, and science concepts) when compared to students of non-participating teachers. In addition to an increase in overall performance for all groups, a narrowing of the achievement gap of minority students relative to Caucasian students was seen. When combined with other studies, this study affirms that, when facilitated effectively, inquiry-based instruction may benefit all students, for all demographic groups measured.

Sexual Hookups and Alcohol Consumption Among African American and Caucasian College Students: A Pilot Study

ABSTRACTThis study investigated college students’ sexual hooking up and its associations with alcohol consumption for men and women; furthermore, potential differences related to ethnicity were investigated. Students at a midsized southeastern university who identified as Caucasian or African American (N = 227) completed a survey assessing sexual behavior, demographics, and alcohol consumption. Heavy drinking was associated with ever hooking up, number of hookup partners, hookup frequency, and level of sexual contact during hooking up for Caucasian students, but not for their African American peers. Among Caucasians, moderate drinking men reported more intense sexual contact during hookups than their female peers who were moderate drinkers; sexual contact levels were more similar for men and women who were either nondrinkers or heavy drinkers. Limitations and strengths are discussed, as are ideas for future studies on hooking up and for educational efforts to protect against potentially negative outcomes of hooking up.

Nonsuicidal self-injury in Asian versus Caucasian university students: who, how, and why?

The correlates of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) among Asian and Caucasian university students; differences in the rates, frequency, forms, severity, and emotional contexts of NSSI among self-injuring students; and whether Asian students who are highly oriented toward Asian culture differed from those less oriented toward Asian culture in NSSI characteristics were investigated. University students (N = 931), including 360 Caucasian students (n = 95, 26.4%, with a history of ≥ 1 episode of NSSI) and 571 Asian students (n = 107, 18.7%, with a history of NSSI), completed questionnaires assessing NSSI, acculturation, and putative risk factors for NSSI. Caucasian students were more likely to report NSSI, particularly cutting behavior, self-injured with greater frequency and versatility, and reported greater increases in positively valenced, high arousal emotions following NSSI, compared to Asian students. Among Asian students, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, experiential avoidance, and anger suppression increased the likelihood of reporting a history of NSSI. Among Caucasian students, lack of emotional clarity and anger suppression increased likelihood of NSSI. Finally, some tentative findings suggested potentially important differences in rates and frequency of NSSI among Asian students who were highly oriented toward Asian culture compared with those less oriented toward Asian culture.

A Review of Absenteeism and Truancy: Interventions and Universal Procedures

Implementing and utilizing functional behavioral assessments (FBAs) for truancy and chronic absenteeism grew in acceptance in the 1990s in an attempt to better understand why students choose to miss school (Lauchlan 2003). As Lauchlan notes, the primary rationale for utilizing FBAs is to identify a primary cause or causes for missing school and subsequently focusing on this perceived cause for the individual student as a means to construct programs to reduce truancy. This method serves as the basis of the book, which also includes a section on intervention procedures that may reduce truancy school-wide. Studies examining early interventions have found that implementing school-wide interventions among at-risk students significantly reduces truancy and absenteeism (Marvul 2012). There are also some studies supporting community or group interventions at reducing absenteeism over individualized treatments (Fantuzzo et al. 2005). Similarly, interventions that include the family as well as the student suggest lower rates of truancy than other comparable individualized interventions (Skola and Williamson 2012). Clearly, by combining the options of both individualized and group treatments, a majority of students can experience reductions in absenteeism. Behavioral treatment packages aimed at reducing truancy have also been found to be relatively effective (Enea and Dafinoiu 2009). This indicates that, for students who do not demonstrate a specific cause of truancy, a combination of treatments may be effective at reducing absenteeism. Other factors such as race may also be associated with the reasons why students are absent from school. Thomas et al. (2011) found that individualized treatments were most effective with Caucasian students, so the group- or family-style treatments may be best suited for minority students. Thus, race can be another factor to consider as practitioners select treatments for students and develop new packages and procedures.

COMT Val(158)Met genotypes differentially influence subgenual cingulate functional connectivity in healthy females.

Brain imaging studies have consistently shown subgenual Anterior Cingulate Cortical (sgACC) involvement in emotion processing. catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158 and Met158 polymorphisms may influence such emotional brain processes in specific ways. Given that resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI) may increase our understanding on brain functioning, we integrated genetic and rsfMRI data and focused on sgACC functional connections. No studies have yet investigated the influence of the COMT Val158Met polymorphism (rs4680) on sgACC resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in healthy individuals. A homogeneous group of 61 Caucasian right-handed healthy female university students, all within the same age range, underwent rsfMRI. Compared to Met158 homozygotes, Val158 allele carriers displayed significantly stronger rsFC between the sgACC and the left parahippocampal gyrus, ventromedial parts of the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and the nucleus accumbens (NAc). On the other hand, compared to Val158 homozygotes, we found in Met158 allele carriers stronger sgACC rsFC with the medial frontal gyrus (MFG), more in particular the anterior parts of the medial orbitofrontal cortex. Although we did not use emotional or cognitive tasks, our sgACC rsFC results point to possible distinct differences in emotional and cognitive processes between Val158 and Met158 allele carriers. However, the exact nature of these directions remains to be determined.

Ethnic and Gender Differences in First-Year College Students’ Goal Orientation, Self-Efficacy, and Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation

ABSTRACTCritical ethnic and gender gaps exist in college retention and graduation rates. Early achievement motivation may play an important role in student persistence. A sample of undergraduates completed surveys tapping motivation at the beginning (n = 591) and end (n = 232) of their first semester in college. African American and Caucasian students were more academically self-efficacious than Asian American students. Self-efficacy increased over the semester and was higher for male than female students at both time points. African American and Asian American students were initially more extrinsically motivated than Caucasian students; however, by the end of the semester, all ethnic groups were similar on extrinsic motivation. Female students were more extrinsically motivated and mastery oriented than male students who were more performance oriented. Performance goal orientations were negatively associated with grade point average whereas mastery orientation, intrinsic, and extrinsic motivation were positively associated with academic performance. Implications for higher education are discussed.

Teaching Critical Thinking Skills: Ability, Motivation, Intervention, and the Pygmalion Effect

Using a Solomon four-group design, we investigate the effect of a case-based critical thinking intervention on students’ critical thinking skills (CTA). We randomly assign 31 sessions of business classes (N = 659 students) to four groups and collect data from three sources: in-class performance (CTA), university records (ACT, GPA, and demographic variables), and Internet surveys (learning and motivational goals). Our 2 × 2 ANOVA results showed no significant between-subjects differences. Contrary to our expectations, students improve their critical thinking skills, with or without the intervention. Female and Caucasian students improve their critical thinking skills, but males and non-Caucasian do not. Positive performance goals and negative mastery goals enhance and decrease improvements of their CTA scores, respectively. ACT and age are related to pre- and post-test. Gender (male) is related to pre-test. GPA is related to post-test. Results shed light on the Pygmalion effect, the Galatea effect, ability, motivation, and opportunity as signals for human capital, and business ethics.

The Prevalence of White Guilt Among American High School Students

After the election of the nation’s first African-American president, it has been asserted that America is evolving into a post-racial society and the younger generation has fewer reservations about race and ethnicity. To test this hypothesis, a group of students were given a survey that was paired with a slide show that contained a quote, a statistic, a fact, and an image. All elements of the presentation showed information pertaining to racial relations between Caucasians and people from minority groups. The quote and the image presented information on racial relations in the past while the statistic was relevant to modern racial inequalities in society. Students were asked to report whether they experienced emotions of shame, anger, gratefulness, or any combination of the three while looking at the slides. The goal of the survey was to determine if Caucasian adolescents still harbored white guilt, defined as feelings of shame and embarrassment for discrimination applied to peoples of color by their ancestors, and the advantages they still receive in society as a result. From these tests, Caucasian students reported feelings of shame when presented with slides that pertained to past racial relations, but reported feelings of anger when presented with slides that pertained to current racial relations. These results suggest that there are still vestiges of white guilt among adolescents today and that Caucasian students recognize current inequalities in society.