Contrary to an earlier report, this study showed that life satisfaction of 56 institutionalized elderly women was associated with internality. Satisfaction was inversely related to their perception of institutional constraints, its most powerful determinant. (Author)

The present study investigated locus of control, and performance in a biofeedback situation where the goal was to increase EEG alpha rhythm. Subjects with an internal locus of control were better able to use feedback to increase their alpha activity than external subjects. (Author)

Compared the effects of assertiveness training, power-base training, and a discussion-control group on manifest and latent power dimensions in college women (N=39). Results suggest that direct behavioral training in assertive or power-based responses does not increase the latent power of women, but does increase manifest power. (Author/JAC)

The analysis of in-depth interviews with 40 divorced women provides some insight into these women's experiences of the bargaining and negotiating process, both in the divorce and with child support and alimony payments after the divorce. One study has shown that the average woman's standard of living declines by 72 percent 1 year after divorce,…

Making a promise involves a self-conscious, self-commitment to undertake an obligation in the future and involves a personal sense of control. To study promises and self-focused attention, 72 women completed measures of self-focused attention and locus of control, a questionnaire, and were asked to promise to return postcards. As predicted,…

Identification of factors contributing to the timing of first contraceptive use by girls is an important consideration in structuring primary prevention programs to reduce teenage pregnancies. Interviews with 120 girls aged 12-19 in a study of sexual, contraceptive, and pregnancy decision making covered six areas: (1) demographic information; (2)…

The relationship between women's perceptions of rape controllability and their fear, worry, concern, and perceived risk associated with rape is examined from in-person interviews with women (N=58) in Chicago, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. Women's response to descriptions of the "typical rape" were used to divide them into those with high rape…

The potential for feelings of hopelessness and depression in the aged is well documented. Although studies have examined the role of perceived control in ameliorating depression in the institutionalized elderly, no research has actually measured the perceived causal attributions among depressed, hopeless and/or institutionalized elderly…

The reformulated learned helplessness model for the prediction of depression has been investigated extensively in young adults. Results have linked attributions made to undesirable, controllable events to depression in this age group. This reformulated model was investigated in 97 elderly women and was contrasted to the original learned…

According to the major attributional hypotheses, egotism and expectancy confirmation, people tend to make internal attributions when successful and external attributions when they fail. In order to investigate the effect of manipulation on egotistical and expectancy confirmation attributions, 190 female undergraduates participated in two series of…

The Internal-External (I-E) Locus of Control scale (Rotter, 1966) was administered to 185 male and 185 female university students. The resulting scores were factored, producing two factors for males and four for females. The male factors were the generally-accepted "luck" and "powerful others"; for women, however, the "powerful others" dimension…

Efforts to understand mediating and maintaining factors associated with dysfunction of alcoholics have produced competing explanations and conflicting, overlapping constructs. To clarify the relationship between mental health and attributional patterns among women, the attributional patterns of alcoholic, depressed, and control females in response…

Assessed adolescent females' perceptions of control over acquisition of a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and its emotional impact. No differences were found in coping strategies by age group or STD history. Subjects used numerous coping strategies--those viewing the future acquisition of a STD more negatively used more strategies. (RJM)

This study was designed to examine the effect of perceived control in a non-clinical college student population that had experienced victimization (childhood molestation) and to examine predictor variables representing different types of controls. Subjects were 866 female undergraduates of whom 523 were identified as Adults Molested as Children…

Research has found that differential attributional styles exist between depressed and nondepressed populations. Depressed (N=32) and nondepressed (N=32) undergraduate female students were selected on the basis of scores on the Beck Depression Inventory and Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist. Participants performed a key press task where the…