Publications

Exposure to sexual violence is associated with deleterious mental health consequences, and survivors’ perceptions of self-blame can exacerbate these difficulties. Characterological self-blame (CSB) has been associated with negative outcomes (e.g., PTSD, depression, & anxiety). However, the underlying mechanisms that account for CSB’s negative impacts have not been explored despite the stigmatizing and blaming nature surrounding sexual violence. In the present study, we examined whether trauma-related shame would explain CSB’s association with depression and anxiety symptom severity. A sample of 197 women who reported prior exposure to sexual assault completed measures of self-blame, trauma-related shame, and depression and anxiety symptoms. A significant association was found between CSB and depression, r(197) = .380, p < .01, and anxiety, r(197) = .256, p < .01. Trauma-related shame significantly mediated the relationship between CSB and depression (B = .07, SE = .02, 95% CI [.03, .12]), and mediated between CSB and anxiety (B = .05, SE = .02, 95% CI [.01, .09]). Trauma-related shame may be a useful treatment target for survivors of sexual assault experiencing maladaptive blame and psychological distress.

Public health campaigns promote messages encouraging people to maintain a healthy weight and avoid obesity. Obesity messages are often presented with different framings (e.g., obesity as a disease, obesity as under personal control). In this work, we examined the potential consequences of framing obesity as a disease, versus controllable, on executing functioning. In two studies, participants who self-identified as having higher body weight (Study 1: N = 156 undergraduate students; Study 2: N = 253 U.S. adults) read an article framing obesity as a disease, an article framing obesity as controllable, or a control article about climate change, and then they completed an executive-function task. Additionally, in Study 2 only, participants completed self-report measures of perceived control, negative mood, stress, and situational self-awareness to test as possible mediators of observed framing effects. In Study 1, participants who reported that obesity was a disease performed significantly worse on the executive-function task than did participants in the controllable condition or the climate-change control condition. In Study 2, this result was replicated, and we tested perceived control, negative mood, perceived stress, and situational self-awareness as plausible mediators; no significant mediation was observed. Framing obesity as a disease may inadvertently decrease executive functioning among people who consider themselves to have higher weight.

Purpose

To assess gynecologic oncologists’ attitudes relating to palliative care referrals among advanced cancer patients.

Methods

Gynecologic oncologists were surveyed using validated measures to assess stigmatizing attitudes toward palliative care, anticipated stigma of palliative care, acceptance of palliative care, and willingness to refer to palliative care. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Analysis was performed using linear regression.

Results

1200 physicians received the survey and 108 (9%) completed it. Most were female (69.4%) and white (82.4%). Most practiced in academics (64.8%) in urban environments (71.3%). Respondents did not have anticipated stigma surrounding palliative care referral (mean score 1.89, range 1-7, higher score indicating more stigma), were accepting of palliative care (mean score 1.45, range 1-7, higher score indicating less acceptance), and were willing to refer patients to palliative care (mean score 5.75, range 1-7, higher score indicating more willingness to refer). Linear regression demonstrated females had less anticipated stigma surrounding palliative care (B = −.213, P = .04) and higher acceptance of palliative care (B = −.244, P = .01). Most surveyed derived satisfaction from work with advanced cancer patients (83%). Nineteen percent were depressed by managing advanced cancer patients. One fourth felt emotionally burned out by dealing with too many deaths.

Conclusions

Most gynecologic oncologists did not exhibit stigma surrounding palliative care and derive satisfaction from their work. Some gynecologic oncologists experience depression and burnout related to their profession. This close connection with patients as they transition to the end of life may take a toll on providers.

This study aimed to explore factors associated with perceived stress in adults with higher body sizes. An analysis of data from participants who self-reported higher body weight was conducted (n = 1716). The mean (standard deviation) age was 55.92 (15.94) years and 71.3% and 28.7% identified themselves as women and men, respectively. Gender differences in perceived stress, desire for weight loss, trust in physicians, body affirmation, and perceived weight discrimination were examined. Perceived stress and perceived weight discrimination were significantly higher in women than in men, while trust in physicians and body affirmation was higher in men than women. Trust in physicians and body affirmation were both negatively associated with perceived stress. Perceived weight discrimination and desire for weight loss were both positively associated with perceived stress. Trust in physicians, body affirmation, and perceived weight discrimination were examined as mediators of the observed gender differences between men and women. Trust in physicians, body affirmation, and perceived weight discrimination were significant mediators of the relationship between gender and perceived stress. These results suggest that a possible point of intervention for addressing gender differences in rates of perceived stress among higher body weight adults may be to increase trust in physicians, encourage body affirmation, and reduce weight discrimination.

Claims of discrimination made by high-status groups (e.g., White people, men) have become increasingly more common. To understand ingroup support for such claims, we examined perceivers’ group identification (GID) and perceived social costs as contributing factors. In addition, we examined the impact of the claimant blaming 'diversity' as a source of discrimination to see if this may influence perceptions of social costs and ultimately support. Across three experiments, we found that GID predicted support for the claimant among Whites and men when the claim blamed diversity, which was mediated by perceptions of group-level social costs, suggesting that mentioning diversity as part of their claim may influence support for the claimant. We found similar patterns of results for liking and behavioral intentions. Results suggest that it is important to examine aspects of the claim and perceivers’ perceptions of social costs when examining support for discrimination claimants.

Prejudice toward Muslims has been longstanding and has been on the rise in the U.S. To address Islamophobia, it is important to understand the associated underlying motivations. Intergroup Threat Theory (ITT) suggests that prejudice is motivated by the perceived symbolic and/or realistic threat a group represents. To date, the relationship between threat and Islamophobia has primarily been examined correlationally rather than experimentally. The current study aims to provide an initial experimental test of ITT to understand Islamophobia among U.S. Christians. Christian participants (N = 267) in the U.S. were randomly exposed to one of three news articles that elicited either realistic threat, symbolic threat, or no threat (control). Participants answered questions assessing Islamophobia and religious fundamentalism (RF). Results indicate that high levels of RF predict Islamophobia most strongly when realistic threat is salient. These results shed light onto the predisposing factors associated with Islamophobic attitudes and highlight the role of RF and perceived threat. 

As social policies have changed to grant more rights to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals, some Christians in the United States have suggested that LGBT rights impede Christians’ religious freedom. Across five studies, we examined the causes and consequences of zero-sum beliefs (ZSBs) about Christians and LGBT individuals. We demonstrate that Christians’ beliefs about conflict with sexual minorities are shaped by their understandings of Christian values, social change, interpretation of the Bible, and in response to religious institutions. In Study 1, heterosexual cisgender Christians endorsed ZSBs more than other groups. Christians reported perceiving that anti-LGBT bias has decreased over time while anti-Christian bias has correspondingly increased. In Study 2, Christians’ zero-sum beliefs increased after they reflected on religious values, suggesting that intergroup conflict is seen as being a function of Christian beliefs. Study 3 confirmed the role of symbolic threat in driving ZSBs; perceived conflict was accentuated when Christians read about a changing cultural climate in which Christians’ influence is waning. An intervention using Biblical scripture to encourage acceptance successfully lowered zero-sum beliefs for mainline but not fundamentalist Christians (Study 4). A final field study examined how ZSBs predict sexual prejudice in response to changing group norms. After a special conference in which the United Methodist Church voted to restrict LGBT people from marriage and serving as clergy, zero-sum beliefs became a stronger predictor of sexual prejudice (Study 5). We discuss the implications of Christian/LGBT ZSBs for religious freedom legislation, attitudes toward sexual minorities, and intergroup conflict more generally.

Discrimination towards fat individuals is pervasive in the United States, and perceptions of weight discrimination are associated with poor physical and mental health outcomes (e.g., low well-being). The rejection-identification model theorizes that perceptions of group-based discrimination may lead people to identify with their stigmatized group, subsequently helping them maintain well-being. We applied the rejection-identification model to weight discrimination to understand whether positively identifying as fat may mediate the impact of perceived weight-group discrimination on well-being. Across two samples (N = 739), fat-group identification, ingroup affiliation, and body affirmation were tested as mediators of the association between perceived weight discrimination and well-being. We also examined support for weight-related social change. Results showed that fat identification was a significant mediator, associated positively with discrimination but negatively with well-being; fat identification also was positively associated with greater support for weight-related social change. Body affirmation was a significant mediator of well-being and support for weight-related social change. Identifying as fat does not seem to provide the same benefits to well-being observed for other social identities (e.g., ethnicity); perceiving one’s own body positively, however, may be a potential pathway through which weight discrimination’s consequences can be reduced. Implications for well-being, identity, and the rejection-identification model are discussed.

This study evaluates whether the salience of discrimination and perceived stigmatization influence gay men’s financial risk tolerance (FRT). This evaluation is conducted using the FRT measure of Grable and Lytton (1999), a “two-study ruse” approach and a hierarchical linear regression model. The findings show that individuals with anticipated stigmatization, after being exposed to information about bias against their community, exhibited greater FRT. These results support the hypothesis that risk-taking behavior by members of stigmatized populations increases when they experience discrimination.