Biomedical subjects

Jodie B Ullman

Publications and source records attributed to Jodie B Ullman.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

Impact of marriage on HIV/AIDS risk behaviors among impoverished, at-risk couples: a multilevel latent variable approach.

Studies among normative samples generally demonstrate a positive impact of marriage on health behaviors and other related attitudes. In this study, we examine the impact of marriage on HIV/AIDS risk behaviors and attitudes among impoverished, highly stressed, homeless couples, many with severe substance abuse problems. A multilevel analysis of 368 high-risk sexually intimate married and unmarried heterosexual couples assessed individual and couple-level effects on social support, substance use problems, HIV/AIDS knowledge, perceived HIV/AIDS risk, needle-sharing, condom use, multiple sex partners, and HIV/AIDS testing. More variance was explained in the protective and risk variables by couple-level latent variable predictors than by individual latent variable predictors, although some gender effects were found (e.g., more alcohol problems among men). The couple-level variable of marriage predicted lower perceived risk, less deviant social support, and fewer sex partners but predicted more needle-sharing.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed2006

Spontaneous cognition and HIV risk behavior.

Theories of cognitive processes and risk behavior have not usually addressed spontaneous forms of cognition that may co-occur with, or possibly influence, behavior. This study evaluated whether measures of spontaneous cognition independently predict HIV risk behavior tendencies. Whereas a trait-centered theory suggests that spontaneous cognitions are a by-product of personality, a cognitive view hypothesizes that spontaneous cognitions should predict behavior independently of personality. The results revealed that spontaneous cognition was an independent predictor of behavior tendencies in cross-sectional analyses. Its predictive effect was stronger than drug use, a frequently emphasized correlate of HIV risk behavior in the literature, and comparable with sensation seeking in magnitude. The results suggested that a relatively spontaneous form of cognition may affect HIV risk behavior.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Structural equation modeling: reviewing the basics and moving forward.

This tutorial begins with an overview of structural equation modeling (SEM) that includes the purpose and goals of the statistical analysis as well as terminology unique to this technique. I will focus on confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), a special type of SEM. After a general introduction, CFA is differentiated from exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and the advantages of CFA techniques are discussed. Following a brief overview, the process of modeling will be discussed and illustrated with an example using data from a HIV risk behavior evaluation of homeless adults (Stein & Nyamathi, 2000). Techniques for analysis of nonnormally distributed data as well as strategies for model modification are shown. The empirical example examines the structure of drug and alcohol use problem scales. Although these scales are not specific personality constructs, the concepts illustrated in this article directly correspond to those found when analyzing personality scales and inventories. Computer program syntax and output for the empirical example from a popular SEM program (EQS 6.1; Bentler, 2001) are included.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Classroom social experiences as predictors of academic performance.

A model linking children's peer acceptance in the classroom to academic performance via academic self-concept and internalizing symptoms was tested in a longitudinal study. A sample of 248 children was followed from 4th to 6th grade, with data collected from different informants in each year of the study to reduce respondent bias. A path analysis supported the model; a lack of peer acceptance in the classroom in 4th grade predicted lower academic self-concept and more internalizing symptoms the following year, which in turn, predicted lower academic performance in 6th grade. An alternative path with internalizing symptoms predicting declines in peer acceptance was tested and received some support as well. Implications of the findings for schools are discussed.

Achievement↗

PubMed2004

Factor structure of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire: examination of a method factor.

The Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) was originally designed as a unifactorial measure of pathological trait worry. However, recent studies supported a two-factor solution with positively worded items loading on the first factor and reverse-scored items loading on a second factor. The current study compared this two-factor model to a negative wording method factor solution among college students. A method factor model with all PSWQ items loading on a single worry factor and reverse-scored items loading on a negative wording method factor provided as good a fit as the two-factor model. This method factor alone did not predict a generalized anxiety disorder diagnosis. Finally, the psychometric properties of an abbreviated scale containing only positively worded items were examined. The PSWQ appears to measure a single unitary construct, but response patterns differ between positively worded and reverse-scored items. Theoretical implications for pathological worry and assessment-related issues are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

The impact of maternal depression on adolescent adjustment: the role of expressed emotion.

The present study evaluated the role of expressed emotion (EE) as a predictor of child symptomatology and functional impairment in a sample of nearly 800 adolescent children of mothers with varying histories of depression or who were nondepressed. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized associations in half of the sample, and all models were cross-validated on the other half of the study sample. Results indicated that EE criticism and degree of maternal depression both had independent predictive associations with youths' externalizing symptoms and functional impairment. In addition, high EE criticism served as an intervening variable between maternal depression and child functioning (externalizing symptoms and functional impairment). Results are discussed in terms of the mutual effects of depressed mothers and dysfunctional youths on each other.

Adolescent↗