Student retention has become a difficult issue within higher education. As such, it is imperative to examine the causes, as well as provide educators with strategies to implement to improve retention rates. "Critical Assessment and Strategies for Increased Student Retention" is a pivotal reference source for the latest progressive…

Latent class analysis (LCA) is a statistical method used to identify subtypes of related cases using a set of categorical or continuous observed variables. Traditional LCA assumes that observations are independent. However, multilevel data structures are common in social and behavioral research and alternative strategies are needed. In this…

This study examined the relationship of internalized oppressions to the psychological distress of 304 lesbian and bisexual women. In addition, it investigated whether self-esteem and social support mediated the relationship between internalized oppressions and mental health. Results indicate that after controlling for education, internalized…

Introduces a special issue examining the effects of both gender and ethnicity on personal experience and cultural expectations. The issue focuses on ethnic minority women, upon whose lives these variables have the clearest impact. (DM)

Women health care professionals reporting a history of childhood psychological maltreatment (n=55) were compared to a nonabused group (n=55) on three dimensions of anxiety, depression, and dissociation. A significant discriminant function using the three measures as predictor variables was able to correctly classify 74.5% of the abused…

Black women have been described as being in "double jeopardy" due to the combined effects of racism and sexism. To explore the multiple effects of institutional discrimination and prejudice based on race and/or sex, the experiences of 52 highly successful older black women were examined, using tapes from the Black Women Oral History…

Alcohol studies, like most psychological studies, have traditionally focused on males. Several psychosocial theories have been used to explain male alcoholism, including dependency, the power drive, and sex role theory. This latter stance may provide a theoretical framework for the etiology of drinking which will apply to both sexes; however,…

To systematically test previous assumptions about grief in widows and divorcing women, 410 separated, divorced, or widowed women, between the ages of 23 and 76, with at least one child, completed the Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist, the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale, the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory--Form C, the Attachment Index, and the…

This study, using multivariate analysis and operationalized variables, examined possible risk factors for childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in 3,958 Australian women. The variables significantly associated with CSA were physical abuse, having a mother who was mentally ill, not having someone to confide in, and being socially isolated. Different…

Women (N=3,213) were interviewed initially, and again a year later, concerning childhood rape history, lifetime symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and lifetime alcohol use. Analysis found a history of childhood rape doubled the number of alcohol-abuse symptoms that women experienced in adulthood, suggesting that PTSD symptomatology…

It has been postulated that the result of the Mexican woman's inability to live up to the stiff requirements of her culture should show itself in depressive trends. These theories are often applied to the Mexican-American female as well. The aim of this study was to determine if acculturation is related to depression in Mexican-American females. A…

Understanding the dynamics of premature termination from treatment would be useful for practitioners working with clients requiring prolonged treatment. Compliance in weight management was examined in three studies in order to explore the broader issue of compliance. In study 1, a standard 10-week cognitive behavioral weight management program was…

Based on the assumption that differences in personal meaning and in the social significance of loss predispose widows and divorced individuals to different, specific vulnerabilities during grieving, 410 separated, divorced, and widowed women, aged 23 to 76 years, with at least one child, completed the Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist, the…

Investigates the effect of sex, age, intelligence, and sex role flexibility on prosocial behavior among preschool children. Finds a significant and positive correlation between sex role flexibility and prosocial behavior among boys but not among girls. (FMW)

In a study of eating problems in adolescent girls, researchers saw 193 White adolescent females and their mothers in the girls' middle school years and two years later. Examined was the emergence of eating problems as a function of pubertal growth, body image, personality development, and family relationships. (RH)