Corrine M. Williams

Resident advisors play an important role in student success by providing peer leadership in residence halls. However, limited information and instruments are available to measure RA perceptions about their abilities to fulfill this role. This study proposes a new instrument and process to optimize the measurement of RA self-efficacy using locally developed items sourced from RA duties established by the host institution. The Rasch model was used to provide validity evidence for inferences regarding RA self-efficacy based on a sample of 171 RAs from a large university in the southeastern United States. The proposed 23-item instrument produced reliable results across items and RAs to measure RA self-efficacy. The instrument could be used by other institutions to measure RA self-efficacy, assuming that the job duties align with those of the host institution. However, there is still room for improvement with the existing instrument such as optimizing the measurement of RAs with higher levels of self-efficacy. Insights from this procedure can guide higher education institutions interested in developing instruments for use with student housing staff to inform hiring, training, and intervention programs. Implications for practice and policy are also provided.

Objective: Previous research has found women who experience eight or more Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are 3.5 times as likely to be victims of adult IPV. This study examined the relationship between ACEs and IPV (physical violence, sexual violence, psychological violence, and stalking) among college students. Participants: This study was conducted among undergraduate students (N = 2,900) at two large, non-profit, public universities in the United States. Methods: Students completed a web-based survey addressing self-reported ACEs and violence that occurred within the current academic year. Chi-square tests and logistic regression models were used to evaluate the relationship between ACEs and violence. Results: College students with higher ACE scores were more likely to experience violence. Students with ACE scores of four or higher were between 1.9-4.9 times more likely to experience violence. A dose response relationship was found between ACE score and experiences of violence. Conclusions: Campus violence prevention programs may benefit from incorporating discussion of ACEs into programing.

Drugging (i.e., administering someone a drug or alcohol without their knowledge or consent) is a problem with substantial consequences for college students. Although sexual minorities face greater rates of drugging risk factors (e.g., greater rates of binge drinking have been identified among sexual minorities), no prior study has examined the prevalence or risk of drugging in this population. We sought to (1) describe rates at which heterosexual and sexual minority college students (separated by gender) have been drugged and to assess (2) sexual minority status and (3) illicit drug use as risk factors for drugging victimization for male and female college students. Results revealed that, controlling for established drugging victimization risk factors, male sexual minority college students were 72.9% more likely to report drugging victimization than heterosexual males. No significant differences in rates of drugging victimization were found between sexual minority and heterosexual women. However, both genders had greater drugging victimization among students who engaged in illicit drug use, binge drinking, and Greek life membership. These findings suggest that initiatives to promote the well-being of college students (e.g., sexual assault prevention) should include drugging as a focus, with outreach particularly to women and sexual minority men.

Background and Objectives: Home visitation programs are one of the numerous efforts to help reduce the rates of preterm birth and low birth weight as well as offering other improvements in maternal and child health and development. The Kentucky Health Access Nurturing Development Services (HANDS) is a voluntary, home visiting program serving first-time, high-risk mothers. This study’s objective was to evaluate the impact of HANDS on maternal and child health outcomes. Methods: HANDS administrative data, live birth certificate records and data from the Division of Child Protection and Safety were used in these analyses. We analyzed 2253 mothers who were referred to HANDS between July 2011 and June 2012 and received a minimum of one prenatal home visit (mean number of prenatal visits = 12.9) compared to a demographically similar group of women (n = 2253) who did not receive a visit. Chi square statistics and conditional logistic regression models were used to evaluate the impact of HANDS. Results: HANDS participants had lower rates of preterm delivery (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.61–0.88) and low birth weight infants (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.44–0.67). HANDS participants also were significantly less likely to have a substantiated report of child maltreatment compared to controls (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.43–0.65). HANDS participants also had an increase in adequate prenatal care and a reduction in maternal complications during pregnancy. Of particular important, outcomes improved as the number of prenatal home visits increased: among women receiving 1–3 prenatal home visits was 12.1%, the rate among women receiving 4–6 prenatal home visits was 13.2%, while the rate of PTB among those receiving 7 or more prenatal home visits was 9.4%. Conclusions: HANDS program participation appears to result in significant improvements in maternal and child health outcomes, most specifically for those receiving seven or more prenatal home visits. As a state-wide, large scale home visiting program, this has significant implications for the continued improvement of maternal and child health outcomes in Kentucky.

(1) Investigate the relationship between three specific positive parenting practices (PPP)—reading to children, engaging in storytelling or singing, and eating meals together as a family—and parent-reported risk of developmental, behavioral, or social delays among children between the ages of 1–5 years in the US. (2) Determine if a combination of these parenting practices has an effect on the outcome.

The Measure of Psychologically Abusive Behaviors (MPAB) was developed recently to improve on prior scales. Two nationally solicited samples of women were utilized to further validate the MPAB through the use of a criterion group, factor analysis, and designation of a threshold for accurate classification. MPAB scores were twice as high in the criterion group (M = 38.75 vs. M = 18.85; F = 22.17). Using a cutpoint of 1, the sensitivity and specificity for MPAB were .725 and .628, respectively. Cronbach’s alpha was .97 for both samples. These data provide additional evidence for the MPAB as valid and internally consistent.