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Rape myths play a role in rape denialism, in which individuals deny the prevalence and severity of sexual assault. This project aimed to address two common rape myths: that rape is uncommon and its effects are exaggerated. To test these claims, we explored two archival samples consisting of undergraduate women. Study 1, a 5-year chart review of university counseling center intake forms (n = 883), demonstrated that 30.2% of clients had experienced "sexual violence," "sexual contact without consent," or both. Study 2, a re-analysis of an emerging adulthood resilience survey dataset (n = 359), demonstrated that 20.6% of subjects had a history of sexual assault, and that those women reported lower life satisfaction and more severe psychological symptoms than those who did not. These findings are in line with previous literature debunking harmful rape myths that contribute to the perpetuation of rape culture. Our data help validate these rape notions as mythical; rape is indeed common and devastating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terror management theory (TMT) places death anxiety in an explanatory role in cognition, affect, and behavior, spanning mental health to cultural trends. We aimed to connect TMT to trait death anxiety, and propose an additional component: "life acknowledgement" (life awareness, lived experience connection, liveliness engagement) which yields "vitality salience" when conscious. Participants (n = 156) were randomized to mortality, neutral, or vitality salience conditions, and completed assessments of self-esteem, generalized anxiety, and death anxiety (death and dying separately). Results indicated that death anxiety was independent of demographic factors; that death anxiety was correlated with generalized anxiety (r = 0.18 and r = 0.32) and self-esteem (r = -0.35 and r = -0.38); and that salience groups did not differ on the outcome measures. We concluded that existential salience priming operates separately from trait self-report. Findings supported trends in current literature, and prompted further questions regarding TMT and vitality salience.

College and university counseling centers are facing increasing demand for services, increasing severity of psychopathology, and decreasing funding – thus college counseling is a strained system. Group psychotherapy is a flexible and impactful treatment format which addresses these challenges and suits the population well. We review literature on group counseling in higher education and present four studies examining its appropriateness. Study 1 is a mathematical proof showing group therapy is efficient. Studies 2 and 3 are archival survey data analyses of client feedback and student interest, showing group therapy is effective and enticing. Study 4 is an analysis of clinic staffing data showing group therapy is essential. Three recommendations are offered to counseling center staff and directors: design groups with a focus on ethics and appealing structure, promote groups both to prospective clients and within staff (i.e., "why not group?"), and apply affective process-dimension clinical skills in group delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we draw on the theoretical and empirical literature to name what appear to be core dimensions of successful young adult development. We also describe some possible indicators and measures of those dimensions and sketch the kinds of developmental relationships and opportunities young people need in adolescence to effectively transition to a successful young adulthood, as well as the developmental relationships and opportunities young adults need for continued well-being. We name eight social, psychological, behavioral, educational, occupational, health, ethical, and civic dimensions of successful young adult development, and suggest that only a minority of adolescents are well-prepared to make a transition to successful young adulthood. The goal of the article is twofold: to contribute to the articulation of and consensus on the dimensions of successful young adult development, and to lay the groundwork for subsequent research to empirically validate both those core dimensions, as well as developmental indicators of progress toward attainment of these proposed dimensions of well-being.

In this article, we evaluate the appropriateness of the developmental assets model for college emerging adults and introduce the Young Adult Developmental Assets Survey (YADAS). Constructed as communication tools for adolescent resiliency, Search Institute's developmental assets are reformulated here as 40 characteristics of university lifestyles promoting success and buffering risk for emerging adults. We investigated the YADAS' reliability (via temporal consistency and internal consistency) and validity (via construct convergence and clinical criterions), and generally found evidence of strong psychometrics. The YADAS' global assets score had a test-retest coefficient of r = .89 and a coefficient alpha of [alpha] = .90, and was also statistically significantly correlated to the majority of the thriving indicators (e.g., positive emotionality and spiritual wellbeing) and risk indicators (e.g., substance abuse and anti-social behavior) studied here. The global assets score also displayed meaningful links to mental health, with a coefficient of r = .50 with life satisfaction and r = -.35 with symptomatology. We conclude by discussing support for the use of the developmental assets model with this age range and life context, describing the YADAS' strengths and limitations, and proposing strategies for utilizing the assets model in university contexts., Author(s): Travis J. Pashak [sup.1] , Paul J. Handal [sup.2] , Peter C. Scales [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (Aff1) 0000 0001 2178 1836, grid.262914.a, Department of Psychology, Saginaw Valley State University, [...]

This brief report assesses the validity of applying the adolescent-based developmental assets model to emerging adults. Developmental assets are specific constructs which predict future success, including positive individual characteristics and environmental resources. The researchers developed a self-report survey based on a subset of the assets and outcome behaviors most applicable to emerging adults. Correlational analyses revealed significant relationships of moderate strength between the perceived level of developmental assets and thriving behaviors r = 0.40, p < 0.01), risky behaviors r = -0.36, p < 0.01), and academic success r = 0.28, p < 0.01). Furthermore, a path analysis yielded significant coefficients wherein assets influenced thriving, risk, and collectively, academic success. Results suggest that the developmental assets framework applies to emerging adults and warrants further investigation.

A self-report measure of service-mindedness was designed in order to fill in a gap in the literature and evaluate a potential link between spirituality and satisfaction with life. A sample of 133 undergraduate students at a Catholic university in the Mid-west completed the Service-Mindedness Scale (SMS), along with the Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scale (SIBS) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). The sample consisted of 45 males (33.8%) and 88 females (66.2%), whose ages ranged from 18 to 24 (M = 19.03, SD = 1.24). Results indicated that the SMS has strong internal consistency as measured by Cronbach's Alpha ([alpha] = 0.934), and that service-mindedness acts as a significant mediator between spirituality and life satisfaction (R[squared] = 0.111). Implications involve increasing service-oriented motives in Jesuit education programs to further align with spiritual goals and increase student life satisfaction. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)

The sample consisted of 1,306 college students from four universities in the Midwestern United States. Participants' reported counseling status (never been in treatment or currently in treatment) was used to designate individuals as 'well' or 'ill' in calculating sensitivity and specificity. Results revealed that a Langner Symptom Survey (LSS) cutoff score of 5 was optimal regarding both sensitivity (0.76) and specificity (0.70) in identifying distressed individuals, rather than a score of 4, as established in adolescents and adults. The LSS' reliability was supported, with an internal consistency of 0.76 as measured by Kuder-Richardson 20. Additionally, those with no child abuse history scored significantly below those with a child abuse history. Further, those without an abuse history scored below the cutoff score of 5, while those with an abuse history scored above the cutoff, lending additional support for the use of 5 as the new cutoff score with the college population., Author(s): Paul J. Handal[sup.1] , Andre Peri[sup.2] , Travis J. Pashak[sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) Clinical Psychology, Saint Louis University, 3700 Lindell Blvd., Morrissey Hall, 63103, St. Louis, MO, USA (2) [...]

In this argumentative literature review, we advocate an existentially-informed clinical psychology. Many of today's challenging societal issues would benefit from the lens of existentialism, and our field has seen an emergence of interest lately in topics such as death anxiety as a transdiagnostic construct. We see this context as opportune for an existential-psychological confluence of ideas and praxes. We identify and review here four relevant ongoing streams of literature (core existentialism philosophy, existentially-oriented psychotherapy, death anxiety psychometrics, and terror management theory) and argue in favour of their increasingly intertwined integration with one another and with the broader field of clinical psychology. We propose methods for both academics and practitioners alike to more fully embrace an existentially-informed mindset, culminating in a set of ten recommendations for clinical psychology across applied clinical work, research/scholarship, and pedagogy/supervision. Examples include increased use of qualitative data via case study and mixed-method approaches in our science, enhanced incorporation of existential themes (including but not limited to death anxiety) into psychotherapy, and adoption of a student-focused freedom-enhancing existential mindset in teaching. Our field has made great strides in deepening the understanding of how life's ultimate concerns inform mental health and functioning in recent years, and we support an even more robust endorsement of existential frameworks in clinical psychology to continue such progress. KEY POINTS What is already known about this topic: Existentialism is a humanistic philosophy, emphasizing choice, responsibility, authenticity, and acceptance of limitations in life. Scholarship in psychotherapy, psychometrics, and other psychological topics benefits from influences of existential philosophy. Death anxiety is a transdiagnostic etiological variable and therapies involving existential themes are empirically supported. What this topic adds: (1) Existentialism has many clinically useful lessons to offer psychology, across its teaching, research, and psychotherapy. (2) Areas of clinical psychology involving death anxiety, mortality salience, meaning-making, and others should be better integrated. (3) We advocate the adoption of an existentially-informed clinical psychology and offer suggestions for moving forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College and university counseling centers are facing increasing demand for services, increasing severity of psychopathology, and decreasing funding – thus college counseling is a strained system. Group psychotherapy is a flexible and impactful treatment format which addresses these challenges and suits the population well. We review literature on group counseling in higher education and present four studies examining its appropriateness. Study 1 is a mathematical proof showing group therapy is efficient. Studies 2 and 3 are archival survey data analyses of client feedback and student interest, showing group therapy is effective and enticing. Study 4 is an analysis of clinic staffing data showing group therapy is essential. Three recommendations are offered to counseling center staff and directors: design groups with a focus on ethics and appealing structure, promote groups both to prospective clients and within staff (i.e., “why not group?”), and apply affective process-dimension clinical skills in group delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]