Rachel Fouladi - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Rachel Fouladi

Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 2006

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods, 2002

This study examines the performance of eight methods of predictor importance under varied correla... more This study examines the performance of eight methods of predictor importance under varied correlational and distributional conditions. The proportion of times a method correctly identified the dominant predictor was recorded. Results indicated that the new methods of importance proposed by Budescu (1993) and Johnson (2000) outperformed commonly used importance methods.

In recent years many researchers, clinicians, and testing companies have shifted from paper-and-p... more In recent years many researchers, clinicians, and testing companies have shifted from paper-and-pencil to computer administrated tests of psychological measures. This paper explores the feasibility of using the Internet to collect data from the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), the Negative Mood Rating Scale (NMRS), and the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS) to assess psychological functioning. Data were collected from college students (N=164) in upper division elective courses at a large southwestern university. The online sample consisted of 234 subjects between the ages of 19 and 30. The psychometric, distributional, and factor analytic results evidenced some differences between the respondents but in general, the results showed adequate internal consistency and construct validity of the scale scores for both modes of assessment. Findings are in congruence with other research and suggest the viability of administering psychological questionnaires via computer technology and the Internet. The results open doors for researchers and counselors to use information obtained from online

Covariance structure analytic techniques have become increasingly popular in recent years. During... more Covariance structure analytic techniques have become increasingly popular in recent years. During this period, users of statistical software packages have become more and more sophisticated, and more and more researchers are wanting to make sure that they are using the "best" statistic, whether it be for small sample considerations or for issues of nonnormality. At present, none of the confirmatory structure analytic programs include small sample modifications such as the k-factor Bartlett multiplier (1950) or the Swain multiplier (A, Swain, 1975). They do however include modifications to address distributional nonnormality. EQS offers the Satorra-Bentler scaled statistics (A. Satorra and P. Bentler, 1988, 1989); it does not yet offer the Satorra-Bentler adjusted statistic. AMOS, on the other had, offers a bootstrap alternative, however, it does not yet offer either of the Satorra-Bentler modified statistics. This Monte Carlo study addresses whether resampling-based procedures provide improved Type I error control over the modified test statistics such as the k-factor Bartlett modified, Swain modified, Satorra-Bentler scaled, and Satorra-Bentler adjusted test statistics. The study provides evidence on the relative performance of the Beran-Strivastave bootstrap procedure and demonstrates that this procedure does not provide as good control of Type I error under conditions of extremely mild distributional nonnormality as the 0-factor Bartlett or Swain modified maximum likelihood procedure. It does show improved Type I error control over the standard maximum likelihood procedure. (Contains 7 tables, 6 figures, and 42 references.) (Author/SLD)

Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology, 2003

An accumulating body of research suggests that psychological factors can affect physiological par... more An accumulating body of research suggests that psychological factors can affect physiological parameters. We assessed the association between the perceived risk of prostate cancer, prostate cancer-specific worry, and cancer-related symptoms and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels or the findings from digital rectal examination (DRE) in a large sample of men undergoing a free prostate cancer screening. Participants (n = 1635) completed a background questionnaire and a questionnaire that assessed their prostate cancer history, screening behavior, perceived risk of prostate cancer, and prostate cancer worry. PSA levels were then determined, and a DRE was conducted. A PSA level of >or=4.0 ng/ml was considered abnormal. The sample size for the multivariate analyses was reduced because of missing data on certain items. Participants who had an abnormal PSA level reported a significantly higher perceived cancer risk (P = 0.02), cancer worry (P = 0.004), and a greater percentage indica...

Substance Use & Misuse, 2006

Racial/ethnic differences in the determinants of smoking cessation could have important treatment... more Racial/ethnic differences in the determinants of smoking cessation could have important treatment implications. The current study examined racial/ethnic differences in smoking cessation, prospective predictors of cessation, and whether the predictive ability of these factors differed by race/ethnicity. Participants were 709 employed adults recruited through the National Rural Electric Co-op Association or through natural gas pipeline corporations. Data were collected in 1990 and 1994. Although race/ethnicity was not predictive of abstinence, Hispanic, African American, and White smokers displayed differential on tobacco-, alcohol-, and work-related variables. These racial/ethnic differences highlight the specific factors that should be considered when providing smoking cessation treatment to specific populations. Limitations are noted.

Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 2000

... Requests for reprints should be sent to Rachel T. Fouladi, Department of Educational Psycholo... more ... Requests for reprints should be sent to Rachel T. Fouladi, Department of Educational Psychology, SZB 504, University of Texas at Austin ... conditions of multivariate nonnormality (eg, Chou, Bentler, & Satorra, 1991; Curran et al., 1996; Harlow, 1985; Henly, 1993; Hu, Bentler, & ...

Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 2004

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in sexual attitudes and quality of life of W... more The purpose of this study was to examine differences in sexual attitudes and quality of life of White and African-American men who have undergone radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer. Respondents included 1,112 White and 118 African-American men. Response rates differed by race, with 51% of White men and 28% of African-American men returning the questionnaire assessing demographics, medical history, sexual functioning, attitudes about seeking help for sexual problems, sexual self-schema, and health-related quality of life. African Americans were more likely than Whites to have undergone radiation therapy (p < .0001) and were more likely to indicate that a desire to maintain sexual functioning influenced their treatment choice (p < .0001). African-American men also had more positive attitudes than did White men toward seeking help for sexual problems and were more likely to report seeking past help and intending to seek future help. African-American men reported more problems with sexual desire (p = .0003), although their sexual function scores did not differ significantly from those of Whites. African-American men may be more at risk for distress when prostate cancer treatment causes sexual dysfunction.

Journal of School Health, 2008

Background-The purpose of the present analysis is to examine changes in rural children's asthma s... more Background-The purpose of the present analysis is to examine changes in rural children's asthma self-management after they received Lay Health Educator-delivered classes. Methods-Elementary schools were randomly assigned to the treatment or attention-control condition and their participating students received either asthma education or general health promotion education, respectively. The tri-ethnic sample was composed of 183 children (46% Hispanic, 29.5% non-Hispanic White, 22% African American, 2.6% other categories) who had a mean age of 8.78 years (s.d. = 1.24). The time frame from baseline to post-intervention was 12weeks. Results-Repeated measures ANOVA analyses found main effects in changes in scores for children's asthma knowledge, asthma self-management, self-efficacy for managing asthma symptoms, and metered dose inhaler technique, and significant group interaction effects for the treatment intervention on the measures of children's asthma knowledge, asthma self-management, and metered dose inhaler technique. Conclusions-The delivery of an asthma health education intervention by trained lay health educators to school-age children was an effective means for improving children's knowledge and skills in asthma self-management.

Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 2010

A common assumption about school-aged children is that they are basically healthy. However, recen... more A common assumption about school-aged children is that they are basically healthy. However, recent evidence suggests that children under the age of 5 years are healthier than those between 5-17 years (Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, 2003). Health behaviors (i.e., health-promoting and health-risk behaviors) of school-age children and early adolescents originate at the intersection of genetic, environmental, and social variables. Some behaviors can protect and promote healthy bodies, quality social relationships, mastery of life's tasks, meaning and purpose in life, and resilience to stress and change (Institute of Medicine, 2001). However, not all children engage in healthpromoting behaviors and, by the time they reach adolescence, their health behaviors are often better described as health-risk behaviors including poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, smoking, drinking alcohol and using non-prescribed drugs, having unprotected sex, and carrying weapons or fighting (Brindis, Park, Ozer, & Irwin, 2002). In their review of national data sets, researchers at the National Adolescent Health Information Center (Ozer, Park, Paul, Brindis, & Irwin, 2003) provided ample evidence that health-risk behaviors increase from grades 8-12 and in the lower grades, such behaviors are highest among Hispanics. Researchers have shown that health-risk behaviors tend to increase with age (Cartland & Ruch-Ross, 2006) and are related to male gender (Wu, Rose, & Bancroft, 2006), ethnicity (Ozer et al., 2003), and family structure (Brener & Collins, 1998; Rouse, Ingersoll, & Orr, 1998). Several health-risk behaviors that vary by ethnicity and gender have been identified in school-age children and early adolescents, including disordered eating and aggression in young Hispanic females (McLaughlin, Hilt, & Nolen-Hoeksema, 2007). At present, very little is known about the development of health behaviors in children and early adolescents, particularly among the growing population of Hispanics. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe the health behaviors, both health-promoting and health-risking, of school-age children and how they differ by grade level, gender and ethnicity. A second purpose was to determine how health behaviors are related to factors that may either promote or impede health.

Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 2002

To describe the sexual health practices of homeless adolescents, examine relationships among vari... more To describe the sexual health practices of homeless adolescents, examine relationships among variables in a conceptual model of sexual health practices, and determine direct and indirect effects of population characteristics, cognitive-perceptual factors, and behavioral factors on sexual health practices among homeless adolescents. Design and Methods: Descriptive exploratory design. A survey was administered to a convenience sample of 414 homeless young men (244) and young women (170) aged 16-20 years, the majority of whom were Anglo American. Findings: Thirty-five percent reported homosexual or bisexual orientation, and sexual orientation was reported as a reason for leaving home. Over half reported a history of sexual abuse and nearly one in four had been treated for gonorrhea. Safe-sex behaviors were related to age, time away from home, assertive communication, social support, future time perspective, connectedness, perceived health status, intentions to use condoms, and condom self-efficacy. A parsimonious model with good fit indicated that the only direct paths to safe-sex behaviors were future time perspective, intentions to use condoms, and self-efficacy to use condoms, and the direct paths to sexual self-care behaviors were from assertive communication, social support, and self-efficacy to use condoms. Conclusions: As in other studies of homeless youth, respondents reported a high incidence of sexual abuse and homosexual and bisexual orientation. Their safe-sex behaviors were surprisingly similar to those of university students, were modestly related to cognitiveperceptual variables in the sexual health model, and might be amenable to brief culturally relevant interventions.

Journal of Nursing Measurement, 2006

Computer-assisted administration of surveys is gaining popularity among many researchers, but the... more Computer-assisted administration of surveys is gaining popularity among many researchers, but the equivalence of this method to more traditional approaches such as using paper and pencil has not been determined for many commonly used questionnaires, particularly among school-age children. This study examined systematic differences in the responses of 4th, 5th, and 6th graders to measures of stress, coping, and humor among three modes of assessment: paper-and-pencil questionnaires, computer-assisted self-interviewing (CASI), or a combination of paper-and-pencil and CASI. Participants were 1,245 ethnically diverse children enrolled in public schools in the central region of the United States. Psychometric and score distribution characteristics were examined using item analyses and analyses of mean and covariance structure as a function of mode of assessment. Differences in response patterns, primarily at the scale score level, were documented on some of the key measures. In general, C...

Journal of Health Psychology, 2007

Homeless youth face various health challenges. The effectiveness of a short intervention to promo... more Homeless youth face various health challenges. The effectiveness of a short intervention to promote sexual health in 572 homeless 16—23-year-olds ( M = 19.467+1.89) was conducted using a quasi-experimental repeated measures design. Data collected at three time points (pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention and follow-up) via laptop computers were analyzed using multivariate general linear mixed models. A significant condition by time interaction was found for self-reported AIDS/STD knowledge; intervention participants had higher scores at first post-test. Females scored significantly higher on cognitive and behavioral outcomes while males reported significantly more sexual risk-taking behaviors. Findings support gender-specific interventions.

Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 2008

A total of 111 rugby players underwent comprehensive testing to determine the impact of self-repo... more A total of 111 rugby players underwent comprehensive testing to determine the impact of self-reported concussion exposure. Reliable estimates of concussion exposure were associated with an increase in postconcussion symptoms (PCS), but not diminished neurocognitive functioning. Importantly, the effects of concussion exposure on PCS varied as a function of player status. More specifically, extent of concussion exposure was associated with increased memory complaints and overall PCS endorsements in a dose-dependent manner for retired and older recreational players, but not for those who were younger and playing at more competitive levels. Future work should systematically evaluate the constituent participant factors that may influence differential concussion outcomes.

Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 2003

To assess home asthma management among rural families with a schoolage child who has asthma. DESI... more To assess home asthma management among rural families with a schoolage child who has asthma. DESIGN AND METHODS. Exploratory analysis O f baseline data of a tri-ethnic sample of rural families with school-age children who have asthma. RESULTS. Parents and children enact a moderate amount of asthma management behaviors.

Communications in Statistics - Simulation and Computation, 2004

There is no general exact analysis for the class of generalized mixed models, and asymptotic proc... more There is no general exact analysis for the class of generalized mixed models, and asymptotic procedures are widely used. Importantly, under small sample conditions equivalent asymptotic procedures can yield conflicting inference when applied to the same data set [Aubin, E. C. Q., Cordeiro, G. M. (2000). Bartlett-corrected tests for normal linear models when the covariance matrix is nonscalar. Commun. Statist.—Theory

Cognitive Therapy and Research, 2007

This study examined coping styles and attributions for negative events among chronically depresse... more This study examined coping styles and attributions for negative events among chronically depressed outpatients to determine whether these variables mediated differences in depression treatment outcome between combined nefazodone and cognitive behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy (CBASP), versus nefazodone and CBASP alone. Chronically depressed outpatients (N = 517) who completed the initial 12-week treatment phase were included in the analyses. Attributional style and

Cancer, 2004

for her helpful editorial comments and Rachel Boone for her assistance with data collection. They... more for her helpful editorial comments and Rachel Boone for her assistance with data collection. They are grateful to Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche for his intellectual support and keeping this study true to the tradition in which these practices are imbedded.

Cancer, 2007

Although the prevalence of smoking is lower among Hispanics than among the general population, sm... more Although the prevalence of smoking is lower among Hispanics than among the general population, smoking still levies a heavy public health burden on this underserved group. The current study, Adiós al Fumar (Goodbye to Smoking), was designed to increase the reach of the Spanish-language smoking cessation counseling service provided by the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service (CIS) and to evaluate the efficacy of a culturally sensitive, proactive, behavioral treatment program among Spanish-speaking smokers. Adiós was a 2-group randomized clinical trial evaluating a telephone-based smoking cessation intervention. Spanish-speaking smokers (N ¼ 297) were randomized to receive either standard counseling or enhanced counseling (EC). Paid media was used to increase the reach of the Spanish-language smoking cessation services offered by the CIS. The Adiós sample was of very low socioeconomic status (SES), and more than 90% were immigrants. Calls to the CIS requesting smoking cessation help in Spanish increased from 0.39 calls to 17.8 calls per month. The unadjusted effect of EC only approached significance (OR ¼ 2.4, P ¼ .077), but became significant after controlling for demographic and tobacco-related variables (OR ¼ 3.8, P ¼ .048). Adiós al Fumar demonstrated that it is possible to reach, retain, and deliver an adequate dose of treatment to a very low SES population that has traditionally been viewed as difficult to reach and hard to follow. Moreover, the findings suggest that a proactive, telephone-counseling program, based on the

Cancer, 2002

BACKGROUND. The objectives of this survey were to describe the prevalence of using a treatment fo... more BACKGROUND. The objectives of this survey were to describe the prevalence of using a treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED) among men after therapy for localized prostate carcinoma and to construct models explaining the variance in trying a treatment, treatment success, and adherence to treatment. METHODS. A postal survey was sent to 2636 men in The Cleveland Clinic Foundation's Prostate Cancer Registry who were treated initially with either definitive radiotherapy or prostatectomy for localized prostate carcinoma. The survey asked about demographic items, past and current sexual functioning, and the partner's sexual function. Men were asked about their current and intended use of medical treatments for ED. Standardized questionnaires included the Sexual Self-Schema Scale-Male Version, the International Index of Erectile Function, urinary and bowel symptom scales from the Los Angeles Prostate Cancer Index), and the Short-Form Health Survey. RESULTS. The return rate was 49%. Differences between men who returned the questionnaire and men who did not respond suggest that the sample was weighted toward men who were more interested in staying active sexually. ED was a problem for 85% of men, and 59% of this group used at least 1 treatment for ED. Only 38% of men found that a medical treatment was at least somewhat helpful in improving their sex lives, however, and 30% of respondents still were using at least 1 treatment at the time of the survey. Factors that were associated with the efficacy of treatments for ED and with their continued use included having a sexual partner, younger age, choosing a treatment for prostate carcinoma that was more likely to spare some sexual function, and not having had neoadjuvant or current antiandrogen therapy. Men who tried a greater number of treatments for ED were more likely to find one that worked. Men were more likely to continue using treatments for ED that produced greater improvements in sexual function. CONCLUSIONS. The success of medical treatments for men with ED among longterm survivors of prostate carcinoma is limited. Men prefer noninvasive treatments, although invasive treatments are more effective. Sexual counseling for men and their partners is recommended, because it may increase the use of medical therapies for ED. Creating more realistic expectations in both partners also may