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PurposePeople consider food wasting behavior to be immoral. However, it is not clear whether people who consider food wasting behavior immoral waste less food. Building on previous qualitative studies, we conducted a large-sample quantitative study. We examined whether people who consider food wasting behavior immoral display food wasting behaviors less frequently and whether they waste less food in general. Furthermore, we explored the reasons that make people consider food wasting behavior immoral and whether they affected food wasting.Design/methodology/approachParticipants voluntarily (n = 562) completed a set of questionnaires that measured the frequency of their food wasting behavior, the amount of food wasted in the preceding week, and food wasting moral judgments, including scales, which explored the reasons for judging this behavior as immoral.FindingsWe found that people who regard food wasting behavior as immoral displayed food wasting behavior less frequently, but did not waste less food than people who did not consider food wasting behavior immoral. Furthermore, we found that there are two categories of reasons for moral disapproval of food wasting behavior: externally oriented (concern for the environment, social issues, and for future generations) and internally oriented (concern for ones’ financial situation, social approval, and going by traditional norms). However, only people whose moral judgments were motivated by externally oriented reasons wasted food less frequently.Originality/valueOur findings provide evidence that moral judgments influence food wasting behavior and highlight the importance of the content of moral beliefs for predicting behaviors.

Background: The legal status of cannabis is rapidly evolving, outpacing systematic research and educational efforts.Aims: We investigated knowledge of cannabinoid content and dosages among frequent...

Purpose: To compare cannabis enthusiasts’ knowledge about cannabis risks and effectiveness in treating medical conditions with existing empirical evidence. Design: A brief survey assessed cannabis use, information sources, and knowledge about risks and effectiveness. Setting: A cannabis advocacy event in April 2019 in a state with legal medical and recreational cannabis. Participants: Demographically diverse adults (N = 472) who frequently used cannabis; 85% used cannabis for health or medical purposes. Measures: Participants reported the sources of their cannabis information, health conditions they thought cannabis was effective in treating (n = 10), and health risks increased by cannabis (n = 6). Conditions and risks were based on ratings of evidence (ie, from substantial to insufficient) for therapeutic effects and risks identified in a review by The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM, 2017). Analyses: Chi-square tests examined the correspondence between participants’ knowledge and NASEM conclusions. Results: Most participants’ (95% confidence interval [CI]: 74%-81%) knowledge of cannabis was from their own experiences; 18% (95% CI: 14%-21%) received information from primary care providers. On average, participants’ beliefs matched NASEM conclusions for half of effectiveness (95% CI: 50%-53%) and risk items (95% CI: 55%-57%). Many (95% CI: 38%-42%) thought that cannabis use did not increase any risk. Contrary to NASEM conclusions, many thought cannabis was effective in treating cancer (76%), depressive symptoms (72%), and epilepsy (68%). Those who received cannabis information from their primary care providers had better knowledge of medical effectiveness. Medicinal cannabis use frequency inversely predicted knowledge of medical effectiveness and increased risks of adverse events. Conclusion: There were considerable discrepancies between cannabis users’ knowledge and available evidence, highlighting the need for more research and education (by physicians, caregivers, and dispensaries) on effectiveness and health risks, especially for users with specific health issues such as pregnant women and people with depression.

The present study examines the changes in the type and frequency of beverage consumption of Genesee County, Michigan residents before and after the Flint water crisis (FWC). Employing Speak to Your Health! Community Survey data of adults (N=1,825) and random-effects longitudinal ordered logistic regression, we examined between the frequency of daily soda, juice, and other sweetened drinks (OSD) intake in two subpopulations: respondents residing in ZIP codes affected and not affected by lead contamination. After the FWC, African Americans were more likely to consume all three beverage types compared with Whites. It should be noted that the context of the FWC made this a time when mistrust in local government messaging might have been a factor. Within the affected area, African Americans' likelihood of soda, fruit juice, and OSD consumption increased significantly by 156%, 146%, and 924%, respectively.

This article applies a life history model to advance the evolutionary understanding of poetry that inspired nineteenth-century Swedish National Romanticism. We show that the characters featured in two of Erik Gustaf Geijer’s poems, “The Viking” and “The Yeoman Farmer” (1811), display patterns of time perspective, mating effort, and parental invest­ment that are now recognized as central life history attributes: a fast strategy and a slow strategy, respectively. These patterns were identified by undergraduate participants (N = 427) who read excerpts of the poems that had been stripped of identifying information and mentions of romantic or sexual relationships. Participants read each poem and rated each character on validated scales of the life history dimensions of mating effort and paren­tal investment, relationship interests and attractiveness, characteristics of his developmen­tal environment, and physiological characteristics. Results are consistent with generally accepted associations in life history theory and also inform current theoretical develop­ments and debates. Geijer had an intuitive understanding of life history patterns, which he used to create recognizable characters for his Romantic depiction of Swedish history.

Purpose: Food insecurity is a psychosocial stressor with deleterious effects on mental health. This study examined whether the local food environment moderates the association of individual food insecurity with poor mental health. Methods: Cross-sectional survey data were collected from adult residents of Flint, Michigan (n=291), in 2015. Multivariate logistic models assessed whether quality of the local food environment moderated the relationship of food insecurity with poor mental health. A binary indicator of poor mental health was created. Participants were asked to rate their overall “mental or emotional health” using a 5-point Likert scale. Individuals were classified as having either good mental health (i.e., ratings of good, very good, or excellent) or poor mental health (i.e., ratings of fair or poor). Results: In fully adjusted models, food insecurity was associated with 3.2 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.6–6.2) times higher odds of poor mental health. However, increased proximate access to vegetables and fruits moderated this association. For example, those in the bottom 25th percentile of access to vegetables had 7.4 (95% CI: 2.7–20.5) times higher odds of poor mental health. In contrast, for those in the top 25th percentile of vegetable access, food insecurity was only marginally associated with poor mental health (odds ratio=2.2; 95% CI: 1.0–4.7). Conclusion: Greater proximate access to vegetables and fruits moderated food insecurity's association with poor mental health. Longitudinal evaluation of programs and policies that improve availability of nutrient-rich foods in food insecure communities is needed to determine whether they yield a mental health benefit.

Evolutionary psychologists propose that men’s conspicuous consumption facilitates mate attraction because it predicts resource investment in offspring. This article elaborates on the ultimate functions of men’s luxury displays based on Life History Theory. Three studies provide evidence for phenotypic mimicry, in which consumer product features mimicking male secondary sex characteristics indicate investment in mating competition, at the expense of paternal investment. Men owning shirts with larger luxury brand logos were rated higher on mating effort, lower on parental investment, higher on interest in brief sexual affairs, lower on interest in long-term committed romantic relationships, higher in attractiveness to women for brief sexual affairs, lower in attractiveness to women for long-term committed relationships, and higher in developmental environment unpredictability compared with men owning shirts displaying a smaller logo. Participants recognized the strategic use of luxury display properties across social contexts but did not consistently associate product properties with owners’ physiological characteristics.

Background People report using cannabis as a substitute for prescription medications but may be doing so without the knowledge of their primary health care providers (PCPs). This lack of integration creates serious concerns, e.g., using cannabis to treat medical conditions that have established treatment options. Methods We conducted an anonymous, cross-sectional online survey among patrons of a medical cannabis dispensary in Michigan (n = 275) to examine aspects of their relationship with their PCP and their perceptions of PCP knowledge related to cannabis. Results Overall, 64% of participants initiated medical cannabis use based on their own experiences vs. 24% citing advice from their PCP. Although 80% reported that their PCP knew they currently used medical cannabis, 41% reported that their PCP had not always known. Only 14% obtained their medical cannabis authorization from their PCP. Only 18% of participants rated their PCP’s knowledge about medical cannabis as very good or excellent and only 21% were very or completely confident in their PCP’s ability to integrate medical cannabis into their treatment. Although 86% had substituted cannabis for pharmaceutical medications, 69% (n = 134) of those who substituted reported some gap in their PCP’s knowledge of their substitution, and 44% (n = 86) reported that their PCP was currently unaware of their substitution. Conclusions Patients frequently substitute cannabis for prescription drugs, often without PCP knowledge. Although most participants disclosed cannabis use to their PCP, their perceptions of PCP knowledge ranged widely and many obtained medical cannabis licensure from an outside physician. Our results highlight the need for standardized physician education around appropriate medical cannabis use.

Although the associations between the consumption of alcohol, unhealthy foods, and obesity are known, there is no consensus on the mechanisms involved. Previous research demonstrates that the type of foods available during the peak times for alcohol consumption differ from those available at other times. Advertisements targeting college students indicate an awareness of increased cravings for “junk foods” following alcohol consumption, however there is no previous research on how alcohol consumption affects actual dietary choices differentially by type of food, in comparison to non-alcohol related food consumption. The current study demonstrates that college students’ food cravings increase, consumption of fruits and vegetables is lower, and consumption of junk foods is higher with alcohol consumption than at other times. Respondents reported eating something that they were craving the majority (57%) of the time; however, on average they ate something healthier than what they were craving 27% of the time. These findings help to clarify the behavioral mechanisms underlying the relationship between alcohol consumption, unhealthy dietary behaviors, and obesity.

Highlights • We assessed effects of COVID-19 related changes on people using cannabis. • 48.8% of participants were concerned about COVID-19 affecting cannabis access. • 32.3% of participants reported starting use of a medication or licit drug due to COVID-19. • 47.5% of participants reported increased use of a medication or licit drug due to COVID-19. • Nearly half of increased use was subjectively attributed to changes in ability to access cannabis., Background The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic strains the medical system, limiting access to healthcare services. Many people use cannabis medically for chronic health conditions and as a substitute for other medications. As such, changes in cannabis access associated with COVID-19 may result in increased non-cannabis drug use. Methods We recruited N = 353 individuals through Amazon Mechanical Turk who reported current medical cannabis use in April and May of 2020. We assessed the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on patterns of medication and substance use, as well as on cannabis use patterns. Results Over half of participants either started using or increased use of medications or substances because of the COVID-19 pandemic, most commonly alcohol and sleep aids. Over a third of participants increased cannabis use while 25% decreased cannabis use. Approximately 40% of participants who increased or started use of medications/substances (other than cannabis) reported doing so because of changed access to medical cannabis. Conclusion The reported increase in drug use among people using medical cannabis is concerning. Because the pandemic will likely continue for months (or even years), having a better understanding of why this is occurring is critical for developing effective harm-reduction strategies in this population.

We examined knowledge and practice of harm reduction strategies among people who use cannabis attending an annual public cannabis advocacy event. We also assessed the sources from which they glean information about cannabis. Participants ( n = 472) completed a brief survey assessing cannabis use, sources for information on cannabis, and harm reduction strategies. Participants’ knowledge of cannabis was based mostly on their own experiments and experiences rather than on information from health professionals. Participants generally had low accuracy in identifying effective harm reduction techniques and low rates of utilizing effective harm reduction techniques, using them at the same rate overall as techniques without empirical support. Results from this survey will be useful to public health professionals developing and implementing harm reduction educational strategies related to cannabis use.

Four studies tested the existence of a social norm that one cannot simultaneously support two competing groups or teams. Our evolved coalitional psychology should be sensitive to individuals expressing mixed loyalties between rivals, as they represent substantial threats for defection. Study 1 manipulated confederate attire and demonstrated that public displays of mixed loyalty provoked more attention and reactions than displays of consistent loyalty (n = 1327). Informants (n = 31) in the same population interviewed for study 2 agreed with the norm and cited the norm violation as the cause of reactions. Study 3 provided a more systematic and comprehensive assessment of affective and cognitive reactions to mixed and matching loyalty displays with an on-line survey of participants (n = 325) in the respective states of the rival universities. Study 4 examined naturalistic reactions (n = 318) to social media advertisements suggesting mixed loyalty to the two rival teams featured in the first three studies. These diverse methodologies provided convergent confirmatory evidence for the proposed social norm.

Long-term residence in neighborhoods is thought to promote the development and maintenance of supportive relationships and trust. These strong social ties may, however, be limited in communities in post-industrial cities characterized by high levels of vacant properties. This study aimed to examine the relationship between neighborhood vacancy and mental health with adjustment for length of residence and possible moderation by social (dis)integration in a sample of Flint, MI, residents. We found that short-term (but not long-term) increases in neighborhood vacancy were associated with poorer mental health, after adjustment for individual covariates. When considering neighborhood vacancy, length of residence and individual covariates, however, the only significant association detected was between higher social disintegration and lower wellbeing. This effect was direct and not mediated by other factors. In this way, it appears that the social conditions of neighborhoods may be important, particularly in places that have experienced declines in the built environment. In addition, we identified evidence that social integration moderates the relationship between neighborhood vacancy and mental health outcomes. The level of neighborhood vacancies had a weaker relationship to wellbeing among those with higher levels of social ties. But none of the independent variables in our study were able to predict social integration, highlighting some potential areas for future research. From these findings, we posit that establishing strong social connections can buffer residents against negative mental health outcomes, and health promotion efforts could usefully assist in maintaining social ties among neighbors.

Background and Purpose: Alcohol intoxication affects college students' eating patterns. Yet, little is known about dietary habits on the day after heavy alcohol consumption. The purpose of this study was to examine college students’ dietary choices during alcohol consumption and on the following day by gender and level of alcohol consumption (including none). Methods: Ethnically diverse undergraduates (N = 286; 52% male, 48% female, M age = 19, SD age = 1) at a public university in the Midwest completed an anonymous on-line survey. The survey included Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System nutrition items, items on consumption of "empty calorie foods," and open-ended response items on dietary choices that were coded by a nutritionist. Results: Participants reported differences in the likelihoods of consuming non-nutrient dense foods after drinking alcohol both before sleeping and the next day compared to at other times when they were not consuming alcohol. Conclusion: College students are more likely to eat after drinking alcohol and tend to consume less healthy foods. These dietary practices necessitate the need for customized interventions focusing on the dietary influences of alcohol consumption.

Sports are an excellent venue for demonstrating evolutionary principles to audiences not familiar with academic research. Team sports and sports fandom feature dynamics of in-group loyalty and intergroup competition, influenced by our evolved coalitional psychology. We predicted that reactions to expressions signaling mutual team/group allegiance would vary as a function of the territorial context. Reactions should become more prevalent, positive, and enthusiastic as one moves from the home territory to a contested area, and from a contested area to a rival's territory during active rival engagement. We also predicted that men would be more responsive than women based on sex differences in evolved coalitional psychology. The research team visited public places immediately prior to 2016-2017 collegiate football and basketball games. A male research confederate wore a sweatshirt displaying the logo of one of the competing university teams and vocalized the team's most popular slogan when he saw a fan displaying similar logos. Observers followed 5 m behind, recording reactions (N = 597) and response positivity/enthusiasm. Reaction tone was most positive in the rival territory, least positive in the home territory, and intermediate in the periphery and contested territory. Rates of "no reaction" were lowest in the rival territory but were highest in the periphery. Men had higher reaction rates and more positive and enthusiastic reaction tones than women. Reactions generally followed predictions based on expected signal value. This project provides evidence that coalitional psychology influences dynamics related to university sports team rivalries and that context matters for expressions of alliance.

Compared to women, men have a greater tendency to make conspicuous wealth displays and typically make greater contributions in non-somatic provisioning. Male resource displays often predict future paternal resource investments; however, some conspicuous displays may function as mating effort at the cost of investment potential. Men who tend to make such displays may have less interest in long-term relationship investment and commitment and greater interest in short-term sexual relationships. Undergraduates read descriptions of two men purchasing automobiles with the same budget. One man purchased a new car for the sake of reliability (frugal investment); the other purchased a used car and allocated the remaining funds to conspicuous display features (new paint, larger wheels, louder sound system). Participants rated each character on life history characteristics, relationship interests, and relationship attractiveness. Participants rated the man who invested in flashy display higher on mating effort, lower on parental investment, higher on interest in brief sexual affairs, lower on interest in long-term committed romantic relationships, higher in attractiveness to women for brief sexual affairs, and lower in attractiveness to women for long-term committed romantic relationships, compared to the man with a frugal investment strategy. Participants demonstrated an intuitive understanding that some male conspicuous displays can indicate faster life history strategies. Human male luxury displays associated with high mating effort life histories may mimic the properties of male secondary sexual characteristics across species, and these displays may be more prevalent in environments fostering faster life histories.

Life history theory (LHT) is a powerful explanatory framework examining how developmental environments and life experiences shape allocations of effort to fitness-promoting domains in nested sets of trade-offs. Time orientation is a central psychological aspect of human life history variation, representing the degree to which behaviors are oriented towards immediate versus future goals. Identifying critical sensitive periods for shaping life history variation and verifying the scope of life history plasticity are important issues for both theory and practical application. Many LHT frameworks propose sensitive periods from gestational development through middle childhood, though recent research suggests facultative adjustments may occur much later in the lifespan. The current study examines how experiences of poor tap water quality during the Flint water crisis, associated with toxic contamination and adverse health effects, may have affected time orientations. Degraded expectations for health and longevity may have affected psychological aspects of life history variation, with important consequences for health-related behaviors. Controlling for socio-demographics and other environmental factors associated with life history variation, those who experienced worse tap water quality had lower general tendencies for future planning. Tap water quality experiences predicted several health-related behaviors, independent of socio-demographics, some relationships were mediated through tendencies for future planning.

Cell phones are useful tools with both practical and social benefits. However, using them in the context of face-to-face conversations may be problematic. We consider this behavior a form of ostracism and test its effects on the satisfaction of basic psychological needs for belonging, self-esteem, control, and meaningful existence. In Study 1 participants who recalled a time in which a friend was checking a cell phone during a serious conversation reported feeling more ostracized (ignored and excluded), greater pain, and threat to basic needs than participants recalling a conversation without a cell phone interruption or a control event. Study 2 replicated and extended this effect: Cell phone-induced ostracism's effects were partially mediated by decreased feelings of relational evaluation, and threatened basic needs both in serious and casual conversation contexts. Findings from both studies also indicated that cell phone-induced ostracism hurts women more so than men.

We examined the relationship between perceptions of household tap water quality and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms during the Flint, Michigan, water crisis in 2015–2016. The Speak to Your Health Community Survey is a community-based participatory component of the health surveillance system in Genesee County, Michigan. Perceptions of household tap water quality was added to the 2015–2016 survey wave after inadequate official response to concerns over water quality after a change in Flint's municipal water supply. Respondents (N = 786) also completed a brief PTSD screening tool. We examined the relationships of perceived household tap water quality to PTSD symptomatology and positive screening criteria for PTSD, controlling for sociodemographics. Perceived tap water quality predicted PTSD symptomatology and positive screening criteria for PTSD, independent of sociodemographics. The adverse mental health impact of municipal toxic contamination may generalize to other similar environmental contamination incidents.

Background and Purpose: In April 2014, the municipal water source for Flint, Michigan was changed from Lake Huron to the Flint River. Although residents reported concerns about the quality of tap water and resulting health problems, officials insisted that the water was safe. This study examined relationships between self-reported tap water quality during the water crisis and health conditions among Flint residents. Methods: Participants from each residential Census Tract in the City of Flint were recruited via address lists, online social media, and community-based events. The survey included mental and physical health items from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and an item on tap water quarter quality experiences. Analyses were weighted to be demographically representative. Results: Participants (N = 277) rated their tap water quality (taste, smell, appearance) as Poor (57%), Fair (20%), Good (13%), Very Good (6%), and Excellent (3%). Controlling for age, gender, years of education, whether respondents were African American or Hispanic/Latino/a, and population demographics, lower perceived tap water quality was associated with worse mental and physical health across all indicators. Conclusion: This study demonstrates associations of tap water quality experiences with reported poor physical and mental health among adults in Flint during the Flint Water Crisis.

Within the evolutionary framework of life history approach, procrastination—the purposive delay of an intended task—is seen as a life history trait characterized by prioritizing immediate benefits with little regard for long-term consequences under particular environmental conditions. The present study proposes that environment cues indicating a low likelihood of future success may lead to greater procrastination, and temporal orientation may represent a mediator underlying this relationship between likelihood of future success and procrastination. A total of 252 undergraduate students completed the Probability Judgments Scale to assess likelihood of future success in their environments, the Future Orientation Scale to assess future orientation, and three scales to assess procrastination. Structural equation modeling indicated that, as predicted, lower likelihood of future success in the environments predicted greater procrastination, a relationship that exhibited both a direct pathway and an indirect pathway through future orientation. These results define the life history origin of procrastination. Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Cell phones are integral to the lives of contemporary university undergraduates in the USA. Observers documented cell phone use in public spaces within or immediately surrounding a large public university campus in the Midwestern USA. Individuals (N = 2013) were monitored from the time they entered a “waiting space,” either a line at a coffee shop or fast food restaurant, a bus stop, or an open area outside of a large lecture hall. Observers recorded whether individuals were using their cell phones when they arrived or began using their phones during the observation, recording the number of seconds between arrival and cell phone use. The majority of individuals (62%) were observed using their cell phones, 32% when they arrived, and 30% initiated use after arrival. The majority (55%) of the latter group initiated use within 10 s of arrival and 80% initiated use within 20 s of arrival. Women were more likely to use their phones than men and individuals engaged in a live conversation were less likely to use their cell phones. There was a weak trend for longer latencies in cell phone use for those in live conversations, although it did not reach statistical significance.

Konrad Lorenz (Zietschrift fur Tierpsychologie, 5, 234–409, 1943) proposed that pedomorphic characteristics (Kindchenschema) in infants and parental caregiving responses to these characteristics co-evolved in species with parental care. Previous research on Kindchenschema has generally utilized human infants and computer-generated or manipulated images of human infants as stimuli. A recent study provided the first evidence that humans perceived non-mammalian infants requiring parental care as more attractive and more dependent on parents and expressed greater caregiving intentions for them compared to non-mammalian infants not requiring parental care (Kruger, Ethology, 121, 1–6, 2015; Kruger and Miller, Human Ethology Bulletin, 31, 15–24, 2016). The current study is the first to demonstrate that ratings of attractiveness and dependency mediated both the relationship of species parental dependency with caregiving intentions and the relationship between class (avian vs. reptilian) and caregiving intentions. Individual differences in perceptions of attractiveness and dependency also predicted caregiving intentions. Thus, we provide a new form of empirical evidence consistent with Lorenz’ (Zietschrift fur Tierpsychologie, 5, 234–409, 1943) proposal for the convergent co-evolution of Kindchenschema and caregiving reactions.

Health-related research is broad, diverse, and fragmented theoretically, methodologically, and across disciplines. The understanding and improvement of human health would be accelerated by establishing a universal and deep framework integrating varied undertakings. This framework is evolutionary theory, the most powerful explanatory system in the life sciences and the only framework that can unify knowledge in otherwise disparate fields of human research. Darwinian medicine has already made considerable progress in the practical understanding of human physiology and other areas informing medical care. Within evolutionary theory, life history theory in particular holds the promise of promoting understanding of variation in behavioral patterns related to health and why they vary consistent with environmental conditions. This chapter describes the current state of research exemplifying an evolutionary approach to health-related psychology and behavior and outlines directions for future research and intervention efforts.

An evidence-based approach is needed to shape policies and practices regarding medical cannabis, thereby reducing harm and maximizing benefits to individuals and society. This project assesses attitudes towards and utilization of medical cannabis and the mainstream healthcare system among medical cannabis users. The research team administered brief hard copy surveys to 450 adults attending an annual public event advocating for cannabis law reform. Among usable responses (N = 392), the majority (78%) reported using cannabis to help treat a medical or health condition. Medical cannabis users reported a greater degree of use of medical cannabis and a greater degree of trust in medical cannabis compared to mainstream healthcare. In comparison to pharmaceutical drugs, medical cannabis users rated cannabis better on effectiveness, side effects, safety, addictiveness, availability, and cost. Due to the medical use of cannabis, 42% stopped taking a pharmaceutical drug and 38% used less of a pharmaceutical drug. A substantial proportion (30%) reported that their mainstream healthcare provider did not know that they used medical cannabis. Other issues identified included lack of access to mainstream healthcare, self-initiated treatment of health issues, little knowledge of psychoactive content, and heavy cannabis use.

Prior research has shown that immigration law enforcement contributes to poor health outcomes—including reproductive health outcomes—among Latinos. Yet no prior research has examined how immigration enforcement might inhibit reproductive justice and limit individual’s reproductive autonomy. We utilized data from an existing study that consisted of a partnership with a Latino community in Michigan in which an immigration raid resulted in multiple arrests and deportations midway through data collection. Using cross-sectional survey data (n = 192) where no one was re-interviewed, we used ordinal logistic regression to compare desired pregnancy timing of individuals surveyed prior to and after the raid to determine the impact of an immigration raid on desired timing of next pregnancy. We then used qualitative data—including 21 in-depth interviews and participant observation—collected in the community after the raid to contextualize our findings. Controlling for socio-demographic characteristics, we found that Latinos surveyed in the aftermath of the raid were more likely to report a greater desire to delay childbearing than Latinos surveyed before the raid occurred. Our qualitative data showed that an immigration raid has financial and psychological effects on immigrant families and that a raid may impact reproductive autonomy because people are fearful of these impacts. These finding suggest that current immigration enforcement efforts may influence reproductive decision-making, impede Latinos reproductive autonomy, and that family-friendly immigration policy reform is needed.

Empowerment-based strategies have become widely used method to address health inequities and promote social change. Few researchers, however, have tested theoretical models of empowerment, including multidimensional, higher-order models. We test empirically a multidimensional, higher-order model of psychological empowerment (PE), guided by Zimmerman’s (1995) conceptual framework including three components of PE: intrapersonal, interactional and behavioral. We also investigate if PE is associated with positive and negative outcomes among youth. The sample included 367 middle school youth aged 11–16 (M = 12.71; SD = 0.91); 60% female, 32% (n =117) white youth, 46% (n = 170) African-American youth, and 22% (n = 80) identifying as mixed race, Asian-American, Latino, Native American or other ethnic/racial group; schools reported 61–75% free/reduced lunch students. Our results indicated that each of the latent factors for the three PE components demonstrate a good fit with the data. Our results also indicated that these components loaded on to a higher-order PE factor (X2=32.68, df: 22, p=0.07; RMSEA: 0.04, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.06; CFI: 0.99). We found that the second order PE factor was negatively associated with aggressive behavior and positively associated with prosocial engagement. Our results suggest that empowerment-focused programs would benefit from incorporating components addressing how youth think about themselves in relation to their social contexts (intrapersonal), understanding social and material resources needed to achieve specific goals (interactional) and actions taken to influence outcomes (behavioral). Our results also suggest that integrating the three components and promoting PE may help increase likelihood of positive behaviors (e.g., prosocial involvement); we did not find an association between PE and aggressive behavior. Implications and future directions for empowerment research are discussed.

Negative postcoital emotions (NPEs) are understood as a disorder by some authors, but little is known about their evolutionary significance, etiology, and prevalence. We surveyed samples from the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Norway to test predictions regarding the following evolutionary hypot

Community attitudes toward the police are of increasing concern to scholars and practitioners. Although it is widely accepted that perceptions of procedural justice are influential in shaping citizens’ attitudes toward police, prior studies have not considered its relationship to crime density. To address this gap, we examined the relationship between crime density, perceptions of procedural justice, and intentions to report crimes to police using data from a demographically representative survey in an urban center widely known for exhibiting extremely high violent crime rates. We created a path model predicting perceptions of procedural justice, the likelihood of contacting police to report a crime, and the likelihood of socially interacting with police other than in relation to crime. The results indicate that independent of race and educational background, community members’ trust in police mediates the relationship between local crime density and their intentions report crimes to and otherwise interact with the police.

Researchers studying interpersonal relationships often distinguish between “sexual infidelity” and “emotional infidelity.” Yet, it remains largely unclear whether and how individuals actually conceptualize these constructs in their own lives, and how men and women vary, if at all, in their definitions and understanding of different types of infidelity. The current research used a mixed-methodology approach to explore the epistemological nature of sexual infidelity and emotional infidelity. In Study 1, 379 participants provided open-ended definitions of what they believe constitutes sexual infidelity and emotional infidelity. In Study 2, responses were then coded by a different group of outside raters to examine overall themes in the definitions provided and how prototypical these definitions were for each type of infidelity. Results identified and examined the definitions with the highest mean ratings in terms of how well they represented emotional infidelity or sexual infidelity. Overall, both men and women had more consistency in their definitions of what constituted sexual infidelity than on what constituted emotional infidelity, suggesting that emotional infidelity is a more vague and complex concept than sexual infidelity. Additionally, when asked to define sexual and emotional infidelity, many participants focused on specific behaviors (including deception), but when asked to consider the types of infidelity as distinct from each other, participants focused on feelings. By exploring how individuals actually define these constructs, these data provide a more accurate and rich depiction of how individuals define acts of infidelity than currently exists in the relationship literature.

Objectives After inadequate official response to community concerns over water quality following changes in Flint's municipal water supply, this study sought evidence for a relationship between water quality and community mental health. Design The Speak to Your Health Community Survey is a community-based participatory component of the health surveillance system in Genesee County, Michigan. This cross-sectional survey recruits participants from every residential Census Tract of the county and strives for demographic representativeness. Results Respondents (n = 834) rated their tap water quality (taste, smell, appearance) as poor (36%), fair (18%), good (20%), very good (17%), and excellent (10%). They rated their sleep quality as poor (12%), fair (28%), good (39%), very good (18%), and excellent (4%), and had an average (SD) sleep length of 408 (90) minutes. Controlling for age, sex, years of education, and whether respondents were African American and Hispanic/Latino/a, lower perceived tap water quality was associated with lower sleep quality and shorter sleep length. Conclusion Results indicate that adverse health conditions related to the water crisis extend beyond lead poisoning in children and include deterioration of sleep conditions among adult residents.

This study investigated the role of present and future time perspectives, and their relationships with subjective norms and beliefs regarding violence, in predicting violent behaviors among urban middle school students in the Midwestern United States. Although present time perspective covaried with subjective norms and beliefs, each made a unique prediction of self-reported violent behaviors. Future time perspective was not a significant predictor when accounting for these relationships. In addition, present orientation moderated the relationship between subjective norms and beliefs and rates of violent behaviors; those with higher present orientations exhibited stronger associations. We replicated this pattern of results in data from new participants in a subsequent wave of the study. Interventions that explicitly address issues related to time perspective may be effective in reducing early adolescent violence.

Research on neighborhood factors that influence health and crime often use neighborhood measures of geographic areas such as census tracts, wards, and postal sectors. These administratively defined areas, however, may mask the heterogeneity of neighborhood influences. In response to calls for more specific measures, we tested the reliability and validity of the Parcel Maintenance Observation Tool (PMOT)-a new measure of physical disorder on property parcels. The results included baseline assessments of 6134 parcels in 2 urban neighborhoods, inter-correlations, inter-rater reliability, and tests of concurrent validity. Most of the measures had high or adequate inter-rater reliability. The PMOT measures differentiated between (a) parcels with occupied and unoccupied buildings and (b) vacant lots included in a property maintenance program and no-program vacant lots. The discussion focuses on potential uses of the PMOT for understanding the effects of neighborhood physical disorder and for evaluating health promotion and crime prevention programs.

We examined the relationship between the cumulative presence of major disease (cancer, stroke, diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension), social support, and self-reported general and emotional well-being in a community representative sample of predominantly White and African American respondents (N = 1349). Across all ages, greater presence of disease predicted poorer reported general health, and predicted lower emotional well-being for respondents 40 and above. In contrast, social support predicted better-reported general and emotional well-being. We predicted that different types of social support (blood relatives, children, friends, community members) would be relatively more important for health in different age groups based on a lifespan or life stage model. This hypothesis was supported; across all ages, social support was related to better reported general and emotional health, but sources of support differed by age. Broadly, those in younger age groups tended to list familial members as their strongest sources of support, whereas older group members listed their friends and community members. As a whole, social support mediated the effect of disease on reported well-being, however, moderated mediation by type of support was not significant. The results are consistent with a lifespan approach to changing social ties throughout the life course.

Ethologists proposed the coevolution of pedomorphic characteristics in infants and caregiving responses to these features in parents. Human infants higher in pedomorphic characteristics are more likely to receive baby talk from adults and elicit stronger motivations for caretaking. Neotenous facial characteristics in human adults cue social approach and elicit helping. This study demonstrates generally strong differences in reactions to infants from non-mammalian species requiring parental care (semiprecocial) and superprecocial species within the same class. People perceive semiprecocial infants as more neotenous (cute, immature, and helpless), had greater desires to hold or pet them, thought they would have a greater appreciation of being held or pet, thought they would be less likely to survive on their own, and anticipated being more likely to adopt them compared to superprecocial infants. Both avian and reptilian infants elicited these patterns. There was a moderate degree of sex differences in ratings, women saw the infants as more neotenous and were more willing to adopt them than men.

Experiential learning is an important contributor to higher education. Incorporating experiential learning into a program of study helps provide a new avenue for the application of theory to practice. These activities are often in the form of volunteer services, which help students translate classroom learning into real-world solutions, address community needs, help students serve their neighbors, facilitate campus–community collaboration, and connect students with local organizations. This article describes an assessment of educationally relevant experiences at a student-run free health clinic. The majority of students believed that their clinic experiences fit well into their academic curriculum and schedule. They considered this a positive and worthwhile endeavor, both because of their own personal gain in knowledge, skills, and experiences and because of the direct benefit to the local community. Overall, the students’ experiences were very positive and were consistent with achieving the clinic’s and the university’s goals.

Although there has been a tremendous amount of research attention on differences in reactions to sexual infidelity and emotional infidelity, there is a lack of information available as to how the two constructs overlap with respect to actual behavior, how expectations for distress vary by behavior, and how sexual and emotional content influence expectations for distress. In order to address this issue, we asked participants to rate 50 behaviors on the extent to which each would constitute sexual infidelity and, separately, emotional infidelity. Participants also rated the degree to which they would be upset if their partner performed the behavior, which enabled us to determine the relationship between views of sexual infidelity, emotional infidelity, and anticipated distress. As predicted, ratings of sexual infidelity and emotional infidelity for the 50 behaviors were largely independent. In agreement with past research, ratings of emotional infidelity were stronger predictors of distress for women than for men, whereas ratings of sexual infidelity were overall stronger predictors of distress for men than for women. Furthermore, ratings of sexual infidelity were overall stronger predictors of distress than ratings of emotional infidelity for both women and men. However, ratings of sexual infidelity were overall stronger predictors of ratings of emotional infidelity for men than for women. The results generally support predictions derived from an evolutionary perspective, elaborating upon the existing understanding of sex differences in anticipated reactions to infidelity.

Introduction: This study characterizes the risk for unintended pregnancy among Latino men and women within a racially and ethnically diverse county in Michigan. Methods: Latino respondents aged 18 to 50 years who reported no intention to become pregnant in the next year and no contraception use were defined as “at risk” for unintended pregnancy. Any associations between risk for unintended pregnancy and sociodemographic factors was determined through multivariate logistic regression. Results: Risk for unintended pregnancy was higher among men (67%) than women (59%; P=0.046; n=341). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, English speaking ability was associated with lower odds for risk of unintended pregnancy (OR=0.73; P=0.004). Having a high school degree or less was associated with higher odds for risk of unintended pregnancy (OR=4.15, P