Genevieve Ames, M Ames, Ph.D. (original) (raw)

Papers by Genevieve Ames, M Ames, Ph.D.

This study assessed agreement level about the occurrence of past-year male-to-female partner viol... more This study assessed agreement level about the occurrence of past-year male-to-female partner violence (MFPV) and female-to-male partner violence (FMPV) among a sample of 897 blue-collar couples. Intimate partner violence (IPV) was measured with the Physical Assault subscale of the revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2). Agreement level was assessed with Cohen’s kappa statistic. Lower-bound estimates (based on couple agreement that an IPV event occurred) and upper-bound estimates (based on uncorroborated reports from either partner that an IPV event occurred) were calculated. Results indicated low agreement for most IPV behaviors (κ <.40). Estimated lower- and upper-bound rates for MFPV were 6.7 % and 21.2%, for FMPV, 7.1 % and 24.2%, and for any IPV, 10.1 % and 30.2%. Findings suggest that single-point IPV prevalence estimates are biased; lower- and upper-bound estimates using collateral reports should be calculated when possible. In addition, findings underscore the importance o...

Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2013

A body of research has established that lower socioeconomic populations, including blue-collar wo... more A body of research has established that lower socioeconomic populations, including blue-collar workers, are at higher risk for problem drinking and intimate partner violence. This study of married/cohabiting construction workers and their spouses/partners describes how work stressors, hazardous drinking, and couple characteristics interact to influence normative beliefs around partner violence and, thereafter, its occurrence. Our survey respondents from a sample of 502 dual-earner couples were asked about drinking patterns, past-year partner violence, normative beliefs about partner violence, work-related stressors, impulsivity, and childhood exposure to violence and other adverse events. We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with 81 workers on context of work stress, partner violence, and drinking. Analyses of data revealed that men's and women's normative beliefs about partner violence were positively related to maleto- female partner violence; female partner...

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2006

Sleep health, 2018

Sleep deprivation and sleep disturbance are pervasive among military personnel during and after c... more Sleep deprivation and sleep disturbance are pervasive among military personnel during and after combat deployment. However, occupational and other constraints often influence military workers to decline behavioral health services and prescription pharmaceutical sleep aids. This article, drawing on ethnographic interviews with National Guard veterans of combat deployment, demonstrates that soldiers with sleep disturbance frequently manage symptoms without medical supervision and by using ad hoc methods including alcohol use. Findings suggest the potential significance of further research into the sleep management practices of military populations, who face both high risk for sleep disturbance and occupational and cultural constraints in effectively managing these serious health concerns.

Alcohol research & health : the journal of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2011

The workplace offers advantages as a setting for interventions that result in primary prevention ... more The workplace offers advantages as a setting for interventions that result in primary prevention of alcohol abuse. Such programs have the potential to reach broad audiences and populations that would otherwise not receive prevention programs and, thereby, benefit both the employee and employer. Researchers have implemented and evaluated a variety of workplace alcohol problem prevention efforts in recent years, including programs focused on health promotion, social health promotion, brief interventions, and changing the work environment. Although some studies reported significant reductions in alcohol use outcomes, additional research with a stronger and integrated methodological approach is needed. The field of workplace alcohol prevention also might benefit from a guiding framework, such as the one proposed in this article.

Journal of Drug Issues, 1995

This article investigates the relationship between work team attitudes, drinking norms, and workp... more This article investigates the relationship between work team attitudes, drinking norms, and workplace drinking in a large assembly line factory in the Midwest. Respondents were asked whether significant persons at work (friends, team members, and supervisors) would approve or disapprove if they engaged in three types of work-related drinking (before work, at work, and at work to intoxication). Respondents were also asked whether they agreed or disagreed with several positive and negative statements about work teams–a new form of assembly line production introduced in the 1980s. Several items probing relations between union employees and supervisors were also included. Separate regression analyses were used to predict workplace drinking norms and workplace drinking. Using exploratory factor analysis and hierarchical regression, positive attitudes toward work teams significantly predicted less permissive drinking norms even when overall drinking and various background variables were c...

Transportation Research E Circular, Jun 1, 2009

Military Behavioral Health, 2016

This article addresses the conduct of qualitative research regarding sensitive or stigmatizing to... more This article addresses the conduct of qualitative research regarding sensitive or stigmatizing topics with military populations, and provides suggestions for implementing culturally responsive and effective data collection with these groups. Given high rates of underreporting of sensitive and stigmatizing conditions in the military, qualitative methods have potential to shed light on phenomena that are not well understood. Drawing on a study of U.S. Army National Guard personnel by civilian anthropologists, we present lessons learned and argue that the value of similar studies can be maximized by culturally responsive research design.

Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education, 2002

Alcohol health and research world

Considers the dimensions of the workplace that have been shown to influence alcohol use to clarif... more Considers the dimensions of the workplace that have been shown to influence alcohol use to clarify the relevance of culture to job-related drinking. These dimensions are discussed under 4 conceptual headings: normative regulation of drinking, the quality and organization of work, factors external to the workplace, and drinking subcultures. Based on a review of the literature and results from ongoing studies conducted in heavy machinery assembly industries, it is concluded that cultural dimensions of the work environment can play an important role in the development of drinking subcultures, in the etiology of heavier and problem drinking, and in the maintenance of work-related alcohol problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Elevated risk for intimate partner violence (IPV) is linked with work-related stress factors (e.g... more Elevated risk for intimate partner violence (IPV) is linked with work-related stress factors (e.g., unemployment; job strain), but few studies account for each partner's job stress, drinking, normative beliefs about aggression, and personal background characteristics (e.g., impulsivity; childhood maltreatment) in relation to likelihood of IPV among the couple. The objective of this study is to analyze the interrelationship of these factors to risk for male-to-female and female-to-male partner violence among a sample of dual-earner, blue-collar couples. In cooperation with a large construction union in Northern California, confidential data were obtained via telephone interview from 1,088 workers (53% response rate) and 927 of their spouses/cohabiting partners who voluntarily participated in a cross-sectional health behavior survey. The current sample (n=502 dual-earner couples) consists of male construction workers and their employed female partners. IPV was measured with the ph...

Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2008

Rates of cigarette smoking among active-duty U.S. military personnel remain elevated, ranging fro... more Rates of cigarette smoking among active-duty U.S. military personnel remain elevated, ranging from 23% among Air Force personnel to 38% among Army personnel. The purpose of this study was to estimate the contribution of occupational factors to current smoking and heavy smoking among a sample of Navy careerists (those with at least 7 years of military service), and to determine if gender moderates these associations. Participants in the study (n = 2,922) were randomly recruited within over-sampled strata of women and racial/ethnic minorities, and voluntarily completed confidential self-administered questionnaires on drinking, smoking, demographic, and occupational factors during 2001-2002. Approximately 23% of study participants reported current smoking; 9% reported heavy smoking. Multivariate logistic regression models were developed to estimate the contribution of occupational factors to current smoking and heavy smoking. The results indicated that careerists in the enlisted ranks were significantly more likely to be current smokers and heavy smokers compared with careerist officers. In addition, those who were deployed at sea were significantly more likely to report current smoking compared with those not currently deployed at sea. Mean daily ounces of alcohol were also significantly associated with likelihood of current and heavy smoking. Gender did not modify the association between occupational factors and smoking. Because aspects of the work environment are potentially modifiable, understanding the role of occupational factors vis-à-vis smoking can aid in smoking prevention and cessation efforts within the military.

Oxford Handbooks Online, 2014

National surveys in the United States and elsewhere reveal a wide range in rates of heavy drinkin... more National surveys in the United States and elsewhere reveal a wide range in rates of heavy drinking across occupations, with the highest in construction and lowest in educational industries. Young adults in the military have higher heavy drinking rates than their civilian counterparts, with the highest among Army and Marine personnel. Civilian and military heavy and binge drinking and drinking on the job have been linked to specific kinds of work-related problems of high consequences to employer, employees, and the military. In 1998, the estimated employment-related costs of alcohol abuse in the United States were $135 billion; the projected costs 15 years hence are much higher. Guided by theoretical advances, links between specific environmental factors and undesirable drinking behavior have been identified and explained in the context of work culture. Results of these research endeavors have provided guidelines for research and intervention focused on prevention of alcohol-related ...

American journal of preventive medicine

Social indicators for problem drinking among women are based on studies of women seeking treatmen... more Social indicators for problem drinking among women are based on studies of women seeking treatment for alcoholism or alcohol-related problems. Prior studies of risk factors have focused on life history, personality, genetic predisposition, and sociocultural factors. Virtually no attention has been paid to antecedents of drinking patterns in nonclinical populations of women. In this study of alcohol use among 31 industrial workers and their families, most of the wives clearly exhibited known sociocultural risk factors for heavy or problem drinking among women, yet most were light or moderate drinkers. Based on an ethnographic and case study research design, we propose four explanations for this anomaly in relation to cultural characteristics of working-class life. Beliefs, attitudes, and other social constraints that appear to significantly inhibit the development of problem drinking among women in this apparently high-risk population are identified.

Journal of rural social sciences, 2011

Latino combat soldiers report both higher prevalence and greater overall severity of post-traumat... more Latino combat soldiers report both higher prevalence and greater overall severity of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms than non-Hispanic Caucasians. However, these veterans face unique social and cultural barriers to accessing treatment for PTSD that distinguish them from their non-Hispanic white counterparts. Latino veterans who reside in rural settings face additional socio-cultural and structural impediments, in that they are likely to reside far from VA (Veterans Administration) medical facilities, have limited access to public transportation, and hold more conservative views toward mental health treatment than those residing in urban locales. However, little is known about the unique individual, sociocultural, and structural barriers to treatment faced by rural Latino veterans. This paper synthesizes the separate mental health and treatment-seeking literatures pertaining to Latinos, rural populations, and veterans, with the goal of identifying fruitful areas of con...

Military medicine, 2004

The purpose of this study was to assess changes in alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use after the... more The purpose of this study was to assess changes in alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use after the terrorist attacks of September 11 among a cohort of young military personnel consisting of 661 active duty Navy personnel, including 164 women. Paired sample t tests were computed to assess mean differences in substance use in the 30 days before and after September 11. Average daily alcohol consumption significantly declined in the 30 days after September 11 among enlisted personnel (n = 315) and officers (n = 360). Significant increases in the usual number of cigarettes smoked and in the number of days using prescription drugs after September 11 were observed among enlisted personnel, but not among officers. Increased use of cigarettes and prescription drugs among enlisted personnel after September 11 suggests that some sectors of the military may turn to tobacco and other substances to cope with traumatic circumstances such as the events of September 11.

This study assessed agreement level about the occurrence of past-year male-to-female partner viol... more This study assessed agreement level about the occurrence of past-year male-to-female partner violence (MFPV) and female-to-male partner violence (FMPV) among a sample of 897 blue-collar couples. Intimate partner violence (IPV) was measured with the Physical Assault subscale of the revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2). Agreement level was assessed with Cohen’s kappa statistic. Lower-bound estimates (based on couple agreement that an IPV event occurred) and upper-bound estimates (based on uncorroborated reports from either partner that an IPV event occurred) were calculated. Results indicated low agreement for most IPV behaviors (κ <.40). Estimated lower- and upper-bound rates for MFPV were 6.7 % and 21.2%, for FMPV, 7.1 % and 24.2%, and for any IPV, 10.1 % and 30.2%. Findings suggest that single-point IPV prevalence estimates are biased; lower- and upper-bound estimates using collateral reports should be calculated when possible. In addition, findings underscore the importance o...

Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2013

A body of research has established that lower socioeconomic populations, including blue-collar wo... more A body of research has established that lower socioeconomic populations, including blue-collar workers, are at higher risk for problem drinking and intimate partner violence. This study of married/cohabiting construction workers and their spouses/partners describes how work stressors, hazardous drinking, and couple characteristics interact to influence normative beliefs around partner violence and, thereafter, its occurrence. Our survey respondents from a sample of 502 dual-earner couples were asked about drinking patterns, past-year partner violence, normative beliefs about partner violence, work-related stressors, impulsivity, and childhood exposure to violence and other adverse events. We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with 81 workers on context of work stress, partner violence, and drinking. Analyses of data revealed that men's and women's normative beliefs about partner violence were positively related to maleto- female partner violence; female partner...

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2006

Sleep health, 2018

Sleep deprivation and sleep disturbance are pervasive among military personnel during and after c... more Sleep deprivation and sleep disturbance are pervasive among military personnel during and after combat deployment. However, occupational and other constraints often influence military workers to decline behavioral health services and prescription pharmaceutical sleep aids. This article, drawing on ethnographic interviews with National Guard veterans of combat deployment, demonstrates that soldiers with sleep disturbance frequently manage symptoms without medical supervision and by using ad hoc methods including alcohol use. Findings suggest the potential significance of further research into the sleep management practices of military populations, who face both high risk for sleep disturbance and occupational and cultural constraints in effectively managing these serious health concerns.

Alcohol research & health : the journal of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2011

The workplace offers advantages as a setting for interventions that result in primary prevention ... more The workplace offers advantages as a setting for interventions that result in primary prevention of alcohol abuse. Such programs have the potential to reach broad audiences and populations that would otherwise not receive prevention programs and, thereby, benefit both the employee and employer. Researchers have implemented and evaluated a variety of workplace alcohol problem prevention efforts in recent years, including programs focused on health promotion, social health promotion, brief interventions, and changing the work environment. Although some studies reported significant reductions in alcohol use outcomes, additional research with a stronger and integrated methodological approach is needed. The field of workplace alcohol prevention also might benefit from a guiding framework, such as the one proposed in this article.

Journal of Drug Issues, 1995

This article investigates the relationship between work team attitudes, drinking norms, and workp... more This article investigates the relationship between work team attitudes, drinking norms, and workplace drinking in a large assembly line factory in the Midwest. Respondents were asked whether significant persons at work (friends, team members, and supervisors) would approve or disapprove if they engaged in three types of work-related drinking (before work, at work, and at work to intoxication). Respondents were also asked whether they agreed or disagreed with several positive and negative statements about work teams–a new form of assembly line production introduced in the 1980s. Several items probing relations between union employees and supervisors were also included. Separate regression analyses were used to predict workplace drinking norms and workplace drinking. Using exploratory factor analysis and hierarchical regression, positive attitudes toward work teams significantly predicted less permissive drinking norms even when overall drinking and various background variables were c...

Transportation Research E Circular, Jun 1, 2009

Military Behavioral Health, 2016

This article addresses the conduct of qualitative research regarding sensitive or stigmatizing to... more This article addresses the conduct of qualitative research regarding sensitive or stigmatizing topics with military populations, and provides suggestions for implementing culturally responsive and effective data collection with these groups. Given high rates of underreporting of sensitive and stigmatizing conditions in the military, qualitative methods have potential to shed light on phenomena that are not well understood. Drawing on a study of U.S. Army National Guard personnel by civilian anthropologists, we present lessons learned and argue that the value of similar studies can be maximized by culturally responsive research design.

Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education, 2002

Alcohol health and research world

Considers the dimensions of the workplace that have been shown to influence alcohol use to clarif... more Considers the dimensions of the workplace that have been shown to influence alcohol use to clarify the relevance of culture to job-related drinking. These dimensions are discussed under 4 conceptual headings: normative regulation of drinking, the quality and organization of work, factors external to the workplace, and drinking subcultures. Based on a review of the literature and results from ongoing studies conducted in heavy machinery assembly industries, it is concluded that cultural dimensions of the work environment can play an important role in the development of drinking subcultures, in the etiology of heavier and problem drinking, and in the maintenance of work-related alcohol problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Elevated risk for intimate partner violence (IPV) is linked with work-related stress factors (e.g... more Elevated risk for intimate partner violence (IPV) is linked with work-related stress factors (e.g., unemployment; job strain), but few studies account for each partner's job stress, drinking, normative beliefs about aggression, and personal background characteristics (e.g., impulsivity; childhood maltreatment) in relation to likelihood of IPV among the couple. The objective of this study is to analyze the interrelationship of these factors to risk for male-to-female and female-to-male partner violence among a sample of dual-earner, blue-collar couples. In cooperation with a large construction union in Northern California, confidential data were obtained via telephone interview from 1,088 workers (53% response rate) and 927 of their spouses/cohabiting partners who voluntarily participated in a cross-sectional health behavior survey. The current sample (n=502 dual-earner couples) consists of male construction workers and their employed female partners. IPV was measured with the ph...

Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2008

Rates of cigarette smoking among active-duty U.S. military personnel remain elevated, ranging fro... more Rates of cigarette smoking among active-duty U.S. military personnel remain elevated, ranging from 23% among Air Force personnel to 38% among Army personnel. The purpose of this study was to estimate the contribution of occupational factors to current smoking and heavy smoking among a sample of Navy careerists (those with at least 7 years of military service), and to determine if gender moderates these associations. Participants in the study (n = 2,922) were randomly recruited within over-sampled strata of women and racial/ethnic minorities, and voluntarily completed confidential self-administered questionnaires on drinking, smoking, demographic, and occupational factors during 2001-2002. Approximately 23% of study participants reported current smoking; 9% reported heavy smoking. Multivariate logistic regression models were developed to estimate the contribution of occupational factors to current smoking and heavy smoking. The results indicated that careerists in the enlisted ranks were significantly more likely to be current smokers and heavy smokers compared with careerist officers. In addition, those who were deployed at sea were significantly more likely to report current smoking compared with those not currently deployed at sea. Mean daily ounces of alcohol were also significantly associated with likelihood of current and heavy smoking. Gender did not modify the association between occupational factors and smoking. Because aspects of the work environment are potentially modifiable, understanding the role of occupational factors vis-à-vis smoking can aid in smoking prevention and cessation efforts within the military.

Oxford Handbooks Online, 2014

National surveys in the United States and elsewhere reveal a wide range in rates of heavy drinkin... more National surveys in the United States and elsewhere reveal a wide range in rates of heavy drinking across occupations, with the highest in construction and lowest in educational industries. Young adults in the military have higher heavy drinking rates than their civilian counterparts, with the highest among Army and Marine personnel. Civilian and military heavy and binge drinking and drinking on the job have been linked to specific kinds of work-related problems of high consequences to employer, employees, and the military. In 1998, the estimated employment-related costs of alcohol abuse in the United States were $135 billion; the projected costs 15 years hence are much higher. Guided by theoretical advances, links between specific environmental factors and undesirable drinking behavior have been identified and explained in the context of work culture. Results of these research endeavors have provided guidelines for research and intervention focused on prevention of alcohol-related ...

American journal of preventive medicine

Social indicators for problem drinking among women are based on studies of women seeking treatmen... more Social indicators for problem drinking among women are based on studies of women seeking treatment for alcoholism or alcohol-related problems. Prior studies of risk factors have focused on life history, personality, genetic predisposition, and sociocultural factors. Virtually no attention has been paid to antecedents of drinking patterns in nonclinical populations of women. In this study of alcohol use among 31 industrial workers and their families, most of the wives clearly exhibited known sociocultural risk factors for heavy or problem drinking among women, yet most were light or moderate drinkers. Based on an ethnographic and case study research design, we propose four explanations for this anomaly in relation to cultural characteristics of working-class life. Beliefs, attitudes, and other social constraints that appear to significantly inhibit the development of problem drinking among women in this apparently high-risk population are identified.

Journal of rural social sciences, 2011

Latino combat soldiers report both higher prevalence and greater overall severity of post-traumat... more Latino combat soldiers report both higher prevalence and greater overall severity of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms than non-Hispanic Caucasians. However, these veterans face unique social and cultural barriers to accessing treatment for PTSD that distinguish them from their non-Hispanic white counterparts. Latino veterans who reside in rural settings face additional socio-cultural and structural impediments, in that they are likely to reside far from VA (Veterans Administration) medical facilities, have limited access to public transportation, and hold more conservative views toward mental health treatment than those residing in urban locales. However, little is known about the unique individual, sociocultural, and structural barriers to treatment faced by rural Latino veterans. This paper synthesizes the separate mental health and treatment-seeking literatures pertaining to Latinos, rural populations, and veterans, with the goal of identifying fruitful areas of con...

Military medicine, 2004

The purpose of this study was to assess changes in alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use after the... more The purpose of this study was to assess changes in alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use after the terrorist attacks of September 11 among a cohort of young military personnel consisting of 661 active duty Navy personnel, including 164 women. Paired sample t tests were computed to assess mean differences in substance use in the 30 days before and after September 11. Average daily alcohol consumption significantly declined in the 30 days after September 11 among enlisted personnel (n = 315) and officers (n = 360). Significant increases in the usual number of cigarettes smoked and in the number of days using prescription drugs after September 11 were observed among enlisted personnel, but not among officers. Increased use of cigarettes and prescription drugs among enlisted personnel after September 11 suggests that some sectors of the military may turn to tobacco and other substances to cope with traumatic circumstances such as the events of September 11.

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 1992

Culture may be the greatest risk to health issues. In this case, the strident, adversarial labor... more Culture may be the greatest risk to health issues. In this case, the strident, adversarial labor relations culture in a traditional auto plant blocked recognition of and proper remedies for alcohol problems of workers. Overlooking and playing down the significance of alcohol problems on the part of supervisors was one way this was accomplished.

In this study, Jenny Ames and I had the benefit of working directly with Anselm Strauss who we had hired as a qualitative research consultant. Meeting him in his home in San Franciso, Anselm Strauss aided us by helping to sift through interviews from auto plant employees and build a grounded theory of minimization of alcohol problems on the part of supervisors. We worked closely with the actual words and descriptions of the workers and supervisors and sketched concepts that remained integral to their depictions of events and interpretations of workplace alcohol policies.