Associations of age, gender, cardiac procedure (coronary artery bypass grafting or percutaneous t... more Associations of age, gender, cardiac procedure (coronary artery bypass grafting or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty), risk stratification, and number of comorbidities with health‐related quality of life (HRQL) were examined among 217 men and 84 women (mean age, 63±11 years) consecutively enrolled in a phase II cardiac rehabilitation program. Female gender and high‐risk stratification were independently associated with impaired treatment gains in most areas of HRQL. Older age and having a greater number of comorbidities were also associated with impaired gains in specific areas. HRQL was generally lower at baseline but not post‐treatment in coronary artery bypass grafting vs. percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty patients. Cardiac rehabilitation patients also had lower HRQL scores than an agematched, normative sample at baseline (most areas) and post‐treatment (mainly on role physical). Findings reinforce the need for cardiac rehabilitation programs to tailor assessments and risk factor modification strategies to patient characteristics associated with low levels of HRQL, especially in women and those with higher risk stratification.
Research has shown that stressful life events can have short-and long-term effects on subjective ... more Research has shown that stressful life events can have short-and long-term effects on subjective well-being (Luhmann, Hofmann, Eid, & Lucas, 2012). Stressful life events are defined as discrete experiences that disrupt individuals' adaptive functioning (Folkman, 2013). Stressful life events precipitate the onset of psychopathology in adolescents, such as depression, anxiety, conduct problems, and substance use (Asselmann, Wittchen, Lieb, Höfler, & Beesdo-Baum, 2016; Low et al., 2012). Stressful life events are associated with long-term repercussions that persist into adulthood, including diminished educational outcomes, poor emotional health, and heightened risk-taking behaviors (Pine, Cohen, Johnson, & Brook, 2002; Skarbø, Rosenvinge, & Holte, 2004). In comparison to this research examining outcomes in adulthood, fewer studies have examined the association between stressful life events and life satisfaction in adolescent populations. Chappel, Suldo, and Ogg (2014) found that cumulative major life events were negatively associated with life satisfaction in a sample of middle school students. Similar findings were reported by Nevin, Carr, Shevlin, Dooley, and Breaden (2005) in a sample of Irish adolescents. McKnight, Huebner, and Suldo (2002) found an inverse relation between stressful life events and life satisfaction in a sample of middle and high school students, even when controlling for extraversion and neuroticism traits. Similar results were reported by Ho, Cheung, and Cheung (2008) in a sample of Hong Kong adolescents. Lyons, Huebner, and Hills (2016) explored the mediating effects of approach and avoidance coping behaviors on the relation between stressful life events and life satisfaction in a sample of early adolescents. They found a negative association between stressful life events and life satisfaction, but the relation was not mediated by approach or avoidance coping behaviors. Lent (2004) presented a theoretical framework for understanding how individuals restore their well-being when beset by stressful life events. The restorative model of well-being posits that the process is jointly influenced by innate traits (e.g., affective dispositions,
Addressing adolescent sexual risk behaviors in the STI/HIV prevention literature is well document... more Addressing adolescent sexual risk behaviors in the STI/HIV prevention literature is well documented; however, impacts from interventions on life satisfaction are relatively unexplored. This study examined data (n = 1658) from a randomized, multi-site, multi-level STI/HIV prevention intervention trial (Project iMPAACS) to determine whether increased protective and reduced sexual risk-taking behaviors associated with STI/HIV would also improve self-reported life satisfaction. Taking into account the nested study design and controlling for confounders, a mixed model ANOVA was performed where Total mean life satisfaction scores were analyzed at baseline and 3, 6, 12, and 18 months post-recruitment. Significance levels of 0.05 were used to determine significance and η2 was used to assess effect size. We hypothesized that as intervention participants engaged in the intentional activity associated with increasing protective behaviors and reducing sexual risk-taking behaviors associated with STI/HIV, life satisfaction reports would also improve over the course of the intervention. A significant main effect for sex was detected (F = 5.19, p = .02, η2 = .03), along with three interactions: between experimental condition and media intervention (F = 7.96, p = .005, η2= .04); experimental condition, sex, and media intervention (F = 6.51, p = .01, η2 = .04); and experimental condition, sex, assessment point, and media intervention (F = 3.23, p = .01, η2 = .02). With the exception of the control condition, female life satisfaction reports improved from baseline assessments to 18-months post-recruitment, whereas male reports decreased. Project iMPPACS was not designed with the intent on improving participants’ life satisfaction. However, study results suggest incorporating strategies to address subjective well-being into future adolescent STI/HIV risk-reduction interventions is beneficial for females and additional research is necessary for males.
This study evaluated a brief social self-efficacy (SSE) measure among 4,122 public middle school ... more This study evaluated a brief social self-efficacy (SSE) measure among 4,122 public middle school adolescents and its association with aggressive behavior. Data analytic procedures included calculating mean ratings, standard deviations in addition to inspecting the scale's reliability, internal structure, and relationships to demographic and aggressive behavior (physical fighting, being bullied, and avoiding school) variables. Results revealed acceptable evidence of internal consistency reliability, internal structure, and relationships to the demographic and aggressive behavior variables. Females reported significantly higher SSE than males, seventh grade students reported significantly higher SSE than eighth grade students, while White and Black students reported significantly higher SSE than Asian students. Significantly lower SSE ratings were also noted for those who reported aggressive behavior. Results suggest SSE may be an important component in the adolescent developmental process and this brief measure of social self-efficacy may further facilitate inclusion in more comprehensive assessments for early adolescents.
Preliminary normative data for the total score of the Brief Multidimensional Students' Life S... more Preliminary normative data for the total score of the Brief Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale were collected from 5,034 adolescents in Grades 9 through 12 at public high schools in South Carolina. The statistically significant mean differences by race were of small magnitude. Mean total scores did not differ by sex or grade in school.
Factors associated with the number of sexual partners were examined in a statewide sample of publ... more Factors associated with the number of sexual partners were examined in a statewide sample of public high school students (N=3,732) using the self report Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Since simple polychotomous logistic regression models revealed a significant race by gender interaction, multivariate models were constructed separately for each race I gender group. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated from polychotomous logistic regression of number of sexual intercourse partners (five mutually exclusive ordered categories) with their potential correlates. Results showed consistently stronger associations with other risk behaviors (alcohol, tobacco, aggressive and reckless behaviors) at higher levels of sexual risk-taking. An increased number of sexual intercourse partners appears to be correlated with a cluster of risk behaviors that place adolescents at increased health risks of premature morbidity and mortality. High levels of sexual activity among American adolescents are well documented (Centers for Disease Control, 1991; 1992; 1995a; 1995b). A recent study by the Alan Guttmacher Institute (1994) noted that 42% of teenagers have had sexual intercourse by the age of 16, and 71% by the age of 18. High rates of unprotected sexual intercourse result in high rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Eighty-six percent of all STDs occur in those aged 15-29 years (CDC-MMWR, 1992) and one in four teenagers becomes infected with an SID by age 21, leading to two and a half million cases (USHHS, 1990; CDC, 1989). Society feels these effects today, as well as years afterward, in the treatment of infertility resulting from untreated STDs, and in the care of adult AIDS patients who became infected during adolescence. Approximately one million Robert F. Valois is an associate professor of health promotion and education and family and preventive medicine at the University of South Carolina. His research interests focus on child and adolescent health, health promotion program planning, and program evaluation.
Objective:Understanding individual level factors associated with sexual risk behavior among Afric... more Objective:Understanding individual level factors associated with sexual risk behavior among African American adolescents remains an important public health priority. The current secondary data analysis examined the longitudinal association between a baseline assessment of depressive symptoms and sexual risk behaviors reported six-months later; the purpose was to determine whether the association of depressive symptoms to risky sex varies as a function of gender. A secondary aim was to examine self-efficacy for sex refusal and condom use assessed at a three-month follow-up as mediators of the depressive symptoms-sexual risk relationship.Methods:The sample consisted of 782 sexually active African American adolescents (M age = 15.3, SD = 1.08; 54% female) recruited to participate in a sexual health intervention trial. Data analyses focused on vaginal sex, and outcomes included: (a) sexual activity with two or more partners in the previous three-months; (b) the relative frequency of condom use in the previous three-months; (c) non-condom use at last occasion of sex; and (d) positive STI screening.Results:Depressive symptoms predicted sex with two more partners for female participants, but no other risk markers for the sample as a whole. However, there was a significant indirect effect of depressive symptoms on condomless sex via decreased condom use self-efficacy for both male and female adolescents.Conclusions:These findings have important implications for HIV/STI prevention, where behavioral interventions may benefit from modules that include a focus on the influence of mood on self-efficacy for safer sex practices.
Preliminary normative data for the Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (BMSL... more Preliminary normative data for the Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (BMSLSS) total score were collected from 2,987 South Carolina middle school students in Grades 6 though 8. Tests for gender and ethnicity (African-American vs. Caucasian) effects were non-significant. Statistically significant differences between grade levels were discovered, but the magnitude of these differences was quite small. Thus, a single set
The process and privilege of becoming an AAHE Scholar does not develop in a vacuum; the influence... more The process and privilege of becoming an AAHE Scholar does not develop in a vacuum; the influences are pluralistic.
Personality and Individual Differences, Oct 1, 2017
Extant research has focused on the consequences of individual differences in gratitude, especiall... more Extant research has focused on the consequences of individual differences in gratitude, especially among adults. We focused on addressing the antecedents of gratitude differences among early adolescents, which may be a critical time in gratitude development (Froh, Fan et al., 2011). Specifically, we examined the relations among personality variables (i.e., extraversion and neuroticism), social support (i.e., parents, teachers, peers), stressful life events, and gratitude in a sample of 647 middle school students from four middle schools in a Southeastern US state. Controlling for gender, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity, hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed statistically significant relations for the personality variables of extraversion and neuroticism. Furthermore, after controlling for demographic and personality variables, students' perceptions of social support contributed significance incremental variance to early adolescents' gratitude scores, with both parent and teacher support accounting for unique variance. Finally, stressful life events added significant variance after controlling for the demographic, personality and social support variables. Contrary to expectations, neither students' levels of social support nor neuroticism scores moderated the association between stressful events and gratitude. The results suggest implications for the development of more sophisticated theories of the antecedents of gratitude as well as the design of more comprehensive interventions.
Associations of age, gender, cardiac procedure (coronary artery bypass grafting or percutaneous t... more Associations of age, gender, cardiac procedure (coronary artery bypass grafting or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty), risk stratification, and number of comorbidities with health‐related quality of life (HRQL) were examined among 217 men and 84 women (mean age, 63±11 years) consecutively enrolled in a phase II cardiac rehabilitation program. Female gender and high‐risk stratification were independently associated with impaired treatment gains in most areas of HRQL. Older age and having a greater number of comorbidities were also associated with impaired gains in specific areas. HRQL was generally lower at baseline but not post‐treatment in coronary artery bypass grafting vs. percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty patients. Cardiac rehabilitation patients also had lower HRQL scores than an agematched, normative sample at baseline (most areas) and post‐treatment (mainly on role physical). Findings reinforce the need for cardiac rehabilitation programs to tailor assessments and risk factor modification strategies to patient characteristics associated with low levels of HRQL, especially in women and those with higher risk stratification.
Research has shown that stressful life events can have short-and long-term effects on subjective ... more Research has shown that stressful life events can have short-and long-term effects on subjective well-being (Luhmann, Hofmann, Eid, & Lucas, 2012). Stressful life events are defined as discrete experiences that disrupt individuals' adaptive functioning (Folkman, 2013). Stressful life events precipitate the onset of psychopathology in adolescents, such as depression, anxiety, conduct problems, and substance use (Asselmann, Wittchen, Lieb, Höfler, & Beesdo-Baum, 2016; Low et al., 2012). Stressful life events are associated with long-term repercussions that persist into adulthood, including diminished educational outcomes, poor emotional health, and heightened risk-taking behaviors (Pine, Cohen, Johnson, & Brook, 2002; Skarbø, Rosenvinge, & Holte, 2004). In comparison to this research examining outcomes in adulthood, fewer studies have examined the association between stressful life events and life satisfaction in adolescent populations. Chappel, Suldo, and Ogg (2014) found that cumulative major life events were negatively associated with life satisfaction in a sample of middle school students. Similar findings were reported by Nevin, Carr, Shevlin, Dooley, and Breaden (2005) in a sample of Irish adolescents. McKnight, Huebner, and Suldo (2002) found an inverse relation between stressful life events and life satisfaction in a sample of middle and high school students, even when controlling for extraversion and neuroticism traits. Similar results were reported by Ho, Cheung, and Cheung (2008) in a sample of Hong Kong adolescents. Lyons, Huebner, and Hills (2016) explored the mediating effects of approach and avoidance coping behaviors on the relation between stressful life events and life satisfaction in a sample of early adolescents. They found a negative association between stressful life events and life satisfaction, but the relation was not mediated by approach or avoidance coping behaviors. Lent (2004) presented a theoretical framework for understanding how individuals restore their well-being when beset by stressful life events. The restorative model of well-being posits that the process is jointly influenced by innate traits (e.g., affective dispositions,
Addressing adolescent sexual risk behaviors in the STI/HIV prevention literature is well document... more Addressing adolescent sexual risk behaviors in the STI/HIV prevention literature is well documented; however, impacts from interventions on life satisfaction are relatively unexplored. This study examined data (n = 1658) from a randomized, multi-site, multi-level STI/HIV prevention intervention trial (Project iMPAACS) to determine whether increased protective and reduced sexual risk-taking behaviors associated with STI/HIV would also improve self-reported life satisfaction. Taking into account the nested study design and controlling for confounders, a mixed model ANOVA was performed where Total mean life satisfaction scores were analyzed at baseline and 3, 6, 12, and 18 months post-recruitment. Significance levels of 0.05 were used to determine significance and η2 was used to assess effect size. We hypothesized that as intervention participants engaged in the intentional activity associated with increasing protective behaviors and reducing sexual risk-taking behaviors associated with STI/HIV, life satisfaction reports would also improve over the course of the intervention. A significant main effect for sex was detected (F = 5.19, p = .02, η2 = .03), along with three interactions: between experimental condition and media intervention (F = 7.96, p = .005, η2= .04); experimental condition, sex, and media intervention (F = 6.51, p = .01, η2 = .04); and experimental condition, sex, assessment point, and media intervention (F = 3.23, p = .01, η2 = .02). With the exception of the control condition, female life satisfaction reports improved from baseline assessments to 18-months post-recruitment, whereas male reports decreased. Project iMPPACS was not designed with the intent on improving participants’ life satisfaction. However, study results suggest incorporating strategies to address subjective well-being into future adolescent STI/HIV risk-reduction interventions is beneficial for females and additional research is necessary for males.
This study evaluated a brief social self-efficacy (SSE) measure among 4,122 public middle school ... more This study evaluated a brief social self-efficacy (SSE) measure among 4,122 public middle school adolescents and its association with aggressive behavior. Data analytic procedures included calculating mean ratings, standard deviations in addition to inspecting the scale's reliability, internal structure, and relationships to demographic and aggressive behavior (physical fighting, being bullied, and avoiding school) variables. Results revealed acceptable evidence of internal consistency reliability, internal structure, and relationships to the demographic and aggressive behavior variables. Females reported significantly higher SSE than males, seventh grade students reported significantly higher SSE than eighth grade students, while White and Black students reported significantly higher SSE than Asian students. Significantly lower SSE ratings were also noted for those who reported aggressive behavior. Results suggest SSE may be an important component in the adolescent developmental process and this brief measure of social self-efficacy may further facilitate inclusion in more comprehensive assessments for early adolescents.
Preliminary normative data for the total score of the Brief Multidimensional Students' Life S... more Preliminary normative data for the total score of the Brief Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale were collected from 5,034 adolescents in Grades 9 through 12 at public high schools in South Carolina. The statistically significant mean differences by race were of small magnitude. Mean total scores did not differ by sex or grade in school.
Factors associated with the number of sexual partners were examined in a statewide sample of publ... more Factors associated with the number of sexual partners were examined in a statewide sample of public high school students (N=3,732) using the self report Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Since simple polychotomous logistic regression models revealed a significant race by gender interaction, multivariate models were constructed separately for each race I gender group. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated from polychotomous logistic regression of number of sexual intercourse partners (five mutually exclusive ordered categories) with their potential correlates. Results showed consistently stronger associations with other risk behaviors (alcohol, tobacco, aggressive and reckless behaviors) at higher levels of sexual risk-taking. An increased number of sexual intercourse partners appears to be correlated with a cluster of risk behaviors that place adolescents at increased health risks of premature morbidity and mortality. High levels of sexual activity among American adolescents are well documented (Centers for Disease Control, 1991; 1992; 1995a; 1995b). A recent study by the Alan Guttmacher Institute (1994) noted that 42% of teenagers have had sexual intercourse by the age of 16, and 71% by the age of 18. High rates of unprotected sexual intercourse result in high rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Eighty-six percent of all STDs occur in those aged 15-29 years (CDC-MMWR, 1992) and one in four teenagers becomes infected with an SID by age 21, leading to two and a half million cases (USHHS, 1990; CDC, 1989). Society feels these effects today, as well as years afterward, in the treatment of infertility resulting from untreated STDs, and in the care of adult AIDS patients who became infected during adolescence. Approximately one million Robert F. Valois is an associate professor of health promotion and education and family and preventive medicine at the University of South Carolina. His research interests focus on child and adolescent health, health promotion program planning, and program evaluation.
Objective:Understanding individual level factors associated with sexual risk behavior among Afric... more Objective:Understanding individual level factors associated with sexual risk behavior among African American adolescents remains an important public health priority. The current secondary data analysis examined the longitudinal association between a baseline assessment of depressive symptoms and sexual risk behaviors reported six-months later; the purpose was to determine whether the association of depressive symptoms to risky sex varies as a function of gender. A secondary aim was to examine self-efficacy for sex refusal and condom use assessed at a three-month follow-up as mediators of the depressive symptoms-sexual risk relationship.Methods:The sample consisted of 782 sexually active African American adolescents (M age = 15.3, SD = 1.08; 54% female) recruited to participate in a sexual health intervention trial. Data analyses focused on vaginal sex, and outcomes included: (a) sexual activity with two or more partners in the previous three-months; (b) the relative frequency of condom use in the previous three-months; (c) non-condom use at last occasion of sex; and (d) positive STI screening.Results:Depressive symptoms predicted sex with two more partners for female participants, but no other risk markers for the sample as a whole. However, there was a significant indirect effect of depressive symptoms on condomless sex via decreased condom use self-efficacy for both male and female adolescents.Conclusions:These findings have important implications for HIV/STI prevention, where behavioral interventions may benefit from modules that include a focus on the influence of mood on self-efficacy for safer sex practices.
Preliminary normative data for the Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (BMSL... more Preliminary normative data for the Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (BMSLSS) total score were collected from 2,987 South Carolina middle school students in Grades 6 though 8. Tests for gender and ethnicity (African-American vs. Caucasian) effects were non-significant. Statistically significant differences between grade levels were discovered, but the magnitude of these differences was quite small. Thus, a single set
The process and privilege of becoming an AAHE Scholar does not develop in a vacuum; the influence... more The process and privilege of becoming an AAHE Scholar does not develop in a vacuum; the influences are pluralistic.
Personality and Individual Differences, Oct 1, 2017
Extant research has focused on the consequences of individual differences in gratitude, especiall... more Extant research has focused on the consequences of individual differences in gratitude, especially among adults. We focused on addressing the antecedents of gratitude differences among early adolescents, which may be a critical time in gratitude development (Froh, Fan et al., 2011). Specifically, we examined the relations among personality variables (i.e., extraversion and neuroticism), social support (i.e., parents, teachers, peers), stressful life events, and gratitude in a sample of 647 middle school students from four middle schools in a Southeastern US state. Controlling for gender, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity, hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed statistically significant relations for the personality variables of extraversion and neuroticism. Furthermore, after controlling for demographic and personality variables, students' perceptions of social support contributed significance incremental variance to early adolescents' gratitude scores, with both parent and teacher support accounting for unique variance. Finally, stressful life events added significant variance after controlling for the demographic, personality and social support variables. Contrary to expectations, neither students' levels of social support nor neuroticism scores moderated the association between stressful events and gratitude. The results suggest implications for the development of more sophisticated theories of the antecedents of gratitude as well as the design of more comprehensive interventions.
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