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Papers by Michelle Stock

Research paper thumbnail of The Relationship Between Young Adult Smokers' Beliefs About Nicotine Addiction and Smoking-Related Affect and Cognitions

Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education, Jan 24, 2015

Risk beliefs and self-efficacy play important roles in explaining smoking-related outcomes and ar... more Risk beliefs and self-efficacy play important roles in explaining smoking-related outcomes and are important to target in tobacco control interventions. However, information is lacking about the underlying beliefs that drive these constructs. The present study investigated the interrelationships among young adult smokers' beliefs about the nature of nicotine addiction and smoking-related affect and cognitions (i.e., feelings of risk, worry about experiencing the harms of smoking, self-efficacy of quitting, and intentions to quit). Smokers (n = 333) were recruited from two large universities. Results showed that quit intentions were associated with feelings of risk, but not with worry or self-efficacy. Furthermore, higher feelings of risk were associated with lower beliefs that addiction is an inevitable consequence of smoking and with lower beliefs that the harms of smoking are delayed. This suggests that it is important for health messages to counter the possible negative effec...

Research paper thumbnail of Ethnic and Gender Differences in Sun Protections

Research paper thumbnail of Necessary considerations for a life course perspective on discrimination and health

Social Science & Medicine

Research paper thumbnail of It only takes once: influence of sexual risk status, social comparison, and a Public Service Announcement on absent-exempt cognitions

Research paper thumbnail of Racial exclusion causes acute cortisol release among emerging-adult African Americans: The role of reduced perceived control

The Journal of Social Psychology

, S. (2016). Past racial discrimination exacerbates the effects of racial exclusion on negative a... more , S. (2016). Past racial discrimination exacerbates the effects of racial exclusion on negative affect, perceived control, and alcohol-risk cognitions among Black young adults.

Research paper thumbnail of Combining a UV photo intervention with self-affirmation or self-compassion exercises: implications for skin protection

Journal of Behavioral Medicine

The current study tested whether self-affirmation or self-compassion exercises, shown to increase... more The current study tested whether self-affirmation or self-compassion exercises, shown to increase message acceptance, could maximize the benefit of a UV photo intervention on skin protection cognitions. College women (N = 167) were randomly assigned to: (1) view a UV photo or Black and White (no-UV) photo of their face and (2) write a self-affirmation, self-compassion, or neutral essay. Participants who saw their UV photo reported healthier cognitions, including greater perceived vulnerability and intentions to protect skin. Within the self-compassion condition, participants who saw their UV photo were also more likely to take the sunscreen packets offered. However, neither self-affirmation nor self-compassion enhanced the effect of the UV photo. Within the UV condition, women who completed these exercises had similar (and occasionally less healthy) cognitions and behavior as those who wrote a neutral essay. The benefits of self-affirmation and self-compassion in conjunction with health messages may be limited to higher risk groups who experience more message defensiveness than the current sample.

Research paper thumbnail of The Impact of Recreational Marijuana Legislation in Washington, DC on Marijuana Use Cognitions

Substance use & misuse, Jan 13, 2018

There is little published research that tests the effect of recreational marijuana legislation on... more There is little published research that tests the effect of recreational marijuana legislation on risk-related cognitions and how individuals respond immediately after legislative approval. The objective was to test whether learning about the passage of Initiative 71, a voter referendum that legalized recreational use of marijuana in the District of Columbia, would lead individuals to adopt more favorable marijuana cognitions than they had before the Initiative was passed. Undergraduate students (N = 402) completed two web-based questionnaires in 2014. The first questionnaire was completed prior to the referendum vote and the follow-up questionnaire was completed after voters approved Initiative 71. Attitudes, perceived norms, intentions, prototypes, and willingness were measured at time 1 and time 2. Study hypotheses were tested using repeated-measures analysis of covariance. Results showed that attitudes, intentions, perceived norms, and willingness to use marijuana were more favo...

Research paper thumbnail of Stomaching rejection: Self-compassion and self-esteem moderate the impact of daily social rejection on restrictive eating behaviours among college women

Psychology & health, Jan 5, 2017

The present study examined whether having high self-esteem or a self-compassionate perspective he... more The present study examined whether having high self-esteem or a self-compassionate perspective help mitigate the impact of daily social rejection on negative affect and restrictive eating behaviours. Following a baseline survey assessing self-esteem and self-compassion, 121 college women completed online daily diaries for one week. Negative affect and restrictive eating behaviours. On days when women reported more rejection, they also reported higher restrictive eating behaviours and greater negative affect. Effects were moderated by self-esteem and self-compassion, such that the lower participants were in self-esteem or self-compassion, the stronger the positive relation between rejection and negative affect and restrictive eating. However, only the common humanity/isolation dimension of self-compassion significantly moderated daily effects of rejection when controlling for self-esteem. Mediated moderation results reveal different mechanisms by which self-esteem and self-compassion...

Research paper thumbnail of Racial (vs. self) affirmation as a protective mechanism against the effects of racial exclusion on negative affect and substance use vulnerability among black young adults

Journal of Behavioral Medicine

Affirming one's racial identity may help protect against the harmful effects of r... more Affirming one's racial identity may help protect against the harmful effects of racial exclusion on substance use cognitions. This study examined whether racial versus self-affirmation (vs. no affirmation) buffers against the effects of racial exclusion on substance use willingness and substance use word associations in Black young adults. It also examined anger as a potential mediator of these effects. After being included, or racially excluded by White peers, participants were assigned to a writing task: self-affirmation, racial-affirmation, or describing their sleep routine (neutral). Racial exclusion predicted greater perceived discrimination and anger. Excluded participants who engaged in racial-affirmation reported reduced perceived discrimination, anger, and fewer substance use cognitions compared to the neutral writing group. This relation between racial-affirmation and lower substance use willingness was mediated by reduced perceived discrimination and anger. Findings suggest racial-affirmation is protective against racial exclusion and, more generally, that ethnic based approaches to minority substance use prevention may have particular potential.

Research paper thumbnail of Racial Socialization Scale--Modified

Research paper thumbnail of Past racial discrimination exacerbates the effects of racial exclusion on negative affect, perceived control, and alcohol-risk cognitions among Black young adults

Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 2016

Racial discrimination is associated with alcohol use and risky sex cognitions and behaviors, whic... more Racial discrimination is associated with alcohol use and risky sex cognitions and behaviors, which are risk factors for negative health outcomes, including human immunodeficiency virus infection. The current study investigated the causal impact of racial discrimination on alcohol and sexual-risk cognitions while exploring potential mediators that might help explain this relation: negative affect, perceived control, and meaningful existence. We also examined if past discrimination impacts the strength of (moderates) these effects. Participants were 287 Black/African American young adults aged 18-25. They were randomly assigned to be excluded or included by White peers via the game Cyberball. Racial exclusion (vs. inclusion) predicted greater: perceived racial discrimination, negative affect, alcohol use willingness, and reduced perceived control and meaningful existence. Furthermore, excluded participants who experienced more past racial discrimination reported the lowest perceived control, and greatest negative affect and alcohol-risk cognitions. The findings suggest that past racial discrimination exacerbates the harmful health effects of immediate experiences of discrimination.

Research paper thumbnail of The Impact of African American Parents' Racial Discrimination Experiences and Perceived Neighborhood Cohesion on their Racial Socialization Practices

Journal of youth and adolescence, 2016

Parental racial socialization is a parenting tool used to prepare African American adolescents fo... more Parental racial socialization is a parenting tool used to prepare African American adolescents for managing racial stressors. While it is known that parents' racial discrimination experiences affect the racial socialization messages they provide, little is known about the influence of factors that promote supportive and communal parenting, such as perceived neighborhood cohesion. In cohesive neighborhoods, neighbors may help parents address racial discrimination by monitoring youth and conveying racial socialization messages; additionally, the effect of neighborhood cohesion on parents' racial socialization may differ for boys and girls because parents socialize adolescents about race differently based on expected encounters with racial discrimination. Therefore, the current study examines how parents' perception of neighborhood cohesion and adolescents' gender moderate associations between parents' racial discrimination experiences and the racial socialization m...

Research paper thumbnail of It only takes once: Influence of sexual risk status, social comparison, and a public service announcement on absent -exempt cognitions

Research paper thumbnail of Need to Belong, Not Rejection Sensitivity, Moderates Cortisol Response, Self-Reported Stress, and Negative Affect Following Social Exclusion

The Journal of social psychology, Jan 15, 2015

The present study examined if the traits need to belong (NTB) and rejection sensitivity (RS) diff... more The present study examined if the traits need to belong (NTB) and rejection sensitivity (RS) differentially moderate the impact of experimentally manipulated social exclusion on stress and affect. Participants (N = 132) completed a survey measuring NTB and RS, and then were randomly assigned to be included or excluded during a game of Cyberball. A second survey then assessed perceived stress and negative affect, and a cortisol sample was taken. Controlling for gender and baseline cortisol levels, excluded participants high (vs. low) in NTB had significantly higher postexclusion cortisol levels, and reported greater perceived stress and negative affect. The moderating effect for RS was not found, however, and NTB and RS were not correlated. Findings suggest that the NTB moderates psychological and physiological responses to exclusion.

Research paper thumbnail of Impact of sexual risk status and social comparison processes on health cognitions

Research paper thumbnail of It only takes once: The absent-exempt heuristic and reactions to comparison-based sexual risk information

Journal of personality and social psychology, 2015

Three studies (N = 545) investigated the effects of social comparison on the "absent-exempt&... more Three studies (N = 545) investigated the effects of social comparison on the "absent-exempt" (AE) heuristic (feeling exempt from future risk). Study 1 examined how comparison with an infected peer (comparison target) who was similar or nonsimilar in terms of sexual risk (number of partners, lack of condom use), influenced willingness and intentions to engage in sex without a condom, and conditional perceived vulnerability to an STD. Participants generally reported lower willingness and higher conditional vulnerability if they compared with a similar-risk level target. However, high-risk students who compared with a low-risk target engaged in what appeared to be AE thinking, reporting the highest willingness and lowest conditional vulnerability. Intentions to have sex without a condom were not influenced. Study 2 included a direct measure of AE thinking and compared the impact of a low-risk comparison target with a Public Service Announcement (PSA) stating that negative out...

Research paper thumbnail of Coping with Discrimination: Consequences for Responsiveness to Health Information

Research paper thumbnail of Predicting Avoidance of Skin Damage Feedback Among College Students

Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, Jan 18, 2015

Showing people a personal ultraviolet (UV) photograph depicting skin damage can be an effective m... more Showing people a personal ultraviolet (UV) photograph depicting skin damage can be an effective method for changing sun protection cognitions and behaviors. We examined whether people opt not to see their UV photograph if given a choice. We also examined predictors of avoidance of skin damage feedback. College students (N = 257) completed questionnaires, viewed example UV photographs, and received the opportunity to see a UV photograph of their face. Over one-third of participants opted not to see their UV photograph. Greater perceived risk of sun damage and having fewer coping resources corresponded with greater avoidance, particularly among participants who reported infrequent sun protection behavior. The health benefits of UV photography are realized only if people are willing to view the photograph. Our findings suggest the need for interventions that increase receptivity to viewing one's UV photograph.

Research paper thumbnail of Racial identification, racial discrimination, and substance use vulnerability among African American young adults

Personality & social psychology bulletin, 2011

Two studies examined racial identity (RI) as a protective factor against substance use cognitions... more Two studies examined racial identity (RI) as a protective factor against substance use cognitions among African American young adults who either envisioned or experienced racial discrimination. In Study 1, participants envisioned a discrimination or nondiscrimination scenario, and then their willingness to use drugs and an indirect measure of substance use were assessed. Discrimination was associated with higher levels of use cognitions among participants with low levels of RI. In Study 2, participants were excluded or included in an online game (Cyberball) by White peers and then engaged in an RI-affirmation or control writing task. Participants attributed this exclusion to racial discrimination. Excluded participants who did not affirm their RI reported the highest levels of substance use cognitions, especially if they had engaged in higher levels of previous substance use. These findings highlight the importance of RI among Black young adults and the impact of discrimination on h...

Research paper thumbnail of Adolescent alcohol use: Social comparison orientation moderates the impact of friend and sibling behaviour

British Journal of Health Psychology, 2014

Research has indicated that both peers and siblings influence adolescents&amp... more Research has indicated that both peers and siblings influence adolescents' alcohol use (e.g., Windle, 2000, Appl. Dev. Sci., 4, 98). The present two studies examined whether social comparison orientation (SCO) moderates the effects of perceived friend and sibling alcohol use on adolescents' alcohol use cognitions and behaviours. Two studies examined the role of SCO as a moderator of social influence (perceived friend alcohol use in Study 1 and both perceived friend use and sibling-reported alcohol use in Study 2) on prototype perceptions and willingness to drink alcohol (Studies 1 and 2) as well as actual alcohol consumption (Study 2) among early adolescents. In Study 1, cross-sectional results indicated that SCO moderated the effect of perceived friend alcohol use on favourable images of drinkers and willingness to drink. Study 2 found that SCO moderated the effects of perceived friend use and sibling use on favourable images of alcohol users, willingness to use alcohol, and change in alcohol use over 3 years such that adolescents who reported engaging in social comparison more often reported greater willingness, more favourable images, and increases in alcohol use when perceived friend use or sibling use was high. These studies highlight the importance of SCO as a moderator of susceptibility to the social influences of friends and siblings and may hold important implications for adolescent alcohol use prevention programmes and models of health risk behaviour. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? The prevalence of adolescent alcohol use continues to be a public health concern and research has indicated that alcohol use during adolescence is often influenced by the behaviour of friends and siblings. What does this study add? Results add to the literature on the importance of examining person-level moderators such as of peer and sibling influence on alcohol use cognitions and behaviour according to the prototype/willingness model. Results suggest that considering social comparison orientation as an individual difference variable that may influence adolescents' decisions to engage in alcohol use can potentially increase the efficacy of existing alcohol use programs.

Research paper thumbnail of The Relationship Between Young Adult Smokers' Beliefs About Nicotine Addiction and Smoking-Related Affect and Cognitions

Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education, Jan 24, 2015

Risk beliefs and self-efficacy play important roles in explaining smoking-related outcomes and ar... more Risk beliefs and self-efficacy play important roles in explaining smoking-related outcomes and are important to target in tobacco control interventions. However, information is lacking about the underlying beliefs that drive these constructs. The present study investigated the interrelationships among young adult smokers' beliefs about the nature of nicotine addiction and smoking-related affect and cognitions (i.e., feelings of risk, worry about experiencing the harms of smoking, self-efficacy of quitting, and intentions to quit). Smokers (n = 333) were recruited from two large universities. Results showed that quit intentions were associated with feelings of risk, but not with worry or self-efficacy. Furthermore, higher feelings of risk were associated with lower beliefs that addiction is an inevitable consequence of smoking and with lower beliefs that the harms of smoking are delayed. This suggests that it is important for health messages to counter the possible negative effec...

Research paper thumbnail of Ethnic and Gender Differences in Sun Protections

Research paper thumbnail of Necessary considerations for a life course perspective on discrimination and health

Social Science & Medicine

Research paper thumbnail of It only takes once: influence of sexual risk status, social comparison, and a Public Service Announcement on absent-exempt cognitions

Research paper thumbnail of Racial exclusion causes acute cortisol release among emerging-adult African Americans: The role of reduced perceived control

The Journal of Social Psychology

, S. (2016). Past racial discrimination exacerbates the effects of racial exclusion on negative a... more , S. (2016). Past racial discrimination exacerbates the effects of racial exclusion on negative affect, perceived control, and alcohol-risk cognitions among Black young adults.

Research paper thumbnail of Combining a UV photo intervention with self-affirmation or self-compassion exercises: implications for skin protection

Journal of Behavioral Medicine

The current study tested whether self-affirmation or self-compassion exercises, shown to increase... more The current study tested whether self-affirmation or self-compassion exercises, shown to increase message acceptance, could maximize the benefit of a UV photo intervention on skin protection cognitions. College women (N = 167) were randomly assigned to: (1) view a UV photo or Black and White (no-UV) photo of their face and (2) write a self-affirmation, self-compassion, or neutral essay. Participants who saw their UV photo reported healthier cognitions, including greater perceived vulnerability and intentions to protect skin. Within the self-compassion condition, participants who saw their UV photo were also more likely to take the sunscreen packets offered. However, neither self-affirmation nor self-compassion enhanced the effect of the UV photo. Within the UV condition, women who completed these exercises had similar (and occasionally less healthy) cognitions and behavior as those who wrote a neutral essay. The benefits of self-affirmation and self-compassion in conjunction with health messages may be limited to higher risk groups who experience more message defensiveness than the current sample.

Research paper thumbnail of The Impact of Recreational Marijuana Legislation in Washington, DC on Marijuana Use Cognitions

Substance use & misuse, Jan 13, 2018

There is little published research that tests the effect of recreational marijuana legislation on... more There is little published research that tests the effect of recreational marijuana legislation on risk-related cognitions and how individuals respond immediately after legislative approval. The objective was to test whether learning about the passage of Initiative 71, a voter referendum that legalized recreational use of marijuana in the District of Columbia, would lead individuals to adopt more favorable marijuana cognitions than they had before the Initiative was passed. Undergraduate students (N = 402) completed two web-based questionnaires in 2014. The first questionnaire was completed prior to the referendum vote and the follow-up questionnaire was completed after voters approved Initiative 71. Attitudes, perceived norms, intentions, prototypes, and willingness were measured at time 1 and time 2. Study hypotheses were tested using repeated-measures analysis of covariance. Results showed that attitudes, intentions, perceived norms, and willingness to use marijuana were more favo...

Research paper thumbnail of Stomaching rejection: Self-compassion and self-esteem moderate the impact of daily social rejection on restrictive eating behaviours among college women

Psychology & health, Jan 5, 2017

The present study examined whether having high self-esteem or a self-compassionate perspective he... more The present study examined whether having high self-esteem or a self-compassionate perspective help mitigate the impact of daily social rejection on negative affect and restrictive eating behaviours. Following a baseline survey assessing self-esteem and self-compassion, 121 college women completed online daily diaries for one week. Negative affect and restrictive eating behaviours. On days when women reported more rejection, they also reported higher restrictive eating behaviours and greater negative affect. Effects were moderated by self-esteem and self-compassion, such that the lower participants were in self-esteem or self-compassion, the stronger the positive relation between rejection and negative affect and restrictive eating. However, only the common humanity/isolation dimension of self-compassion significantly moderated daily effects of rejection when controlling for self-esteem. Mediated moderation results reveal different mechanisms by which self-esteem and self-compassion...

Research paper thumbnail of Racial (vs. self) affirmation as a protective mechanism against the effects of racial exclusion on negative affect and substance use vulnerability among black young adults

Journal of Behavioral Medicine

Affirming one's racial identity may help protect against the harmful effects of r... more Affirming one's racial identity may help protect against the harmful effects of racial exclusion on substance use cognitions. This study examined whether racial versus self-affirmation (vs. no affirmation) buffers against the effects of racial exclusion on substance use willingness and substance use word associations in Black young adults. It also examined anger as a potential mediator of these effects. After being included, or racially excluded by White peers, participants were assigned to a writing task: self-affirmation, racial-affirmation, or describing their sleep routine (neutral). Racial exclusion predicted greater perceived discrimination and anger. Excluded participants who engaged in racial-affirmation reported reduced perceived discrimination, anger, and fewer substance use cognitions compared to the neutral writing group. This relation between racial-affirmation and lower substance use willingness was mediated by reduced perceived discrimination and anger. Findings suggest racial-affirmation is protective against racial exclusion and, more generally, that ethnic based approaches to minority substance use prevention may have particular potential.

Research paper thumbnail of Racial Socialization Scale--Modified

Research paper thumbnail of Past racial discrimination exacerbates the effects of racial exclusion on negative affect, perceived control, and alcohol-risk cognitions among Black young adults

Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 2016

Racial discrimination is associated with alcohol use and risky sex cognitions and behaviors, whic... more Racial discrimination is associated with alcohol use and risky sex cognitions and behaviors, which are risk factors for negative health outcomes, including human immunodeficiency virus infection. The current study investigated the causal impact of racial discrimination on alcohol and sexual-risk cognitions while exploring potential mediators that might help explain this relation: negative affect, perceived control, and meaningful existence. We also examined if past discrimination impacts the strength of (moderates) these effects. Participants were 287 Black/African American young adults aged 18-25. They were randomly assigned to be excluded or included by White peers via the game Cyberball. Racial exclusion (vs. inclusion) predicted greater: perceived racial discrimination, negative affect, alcohol use willingness, and reduced perceived control and meaningful existence. Furthermore, excluded participants who experienced more past racial discrimination reported the lowest perceived control, and greatest negative affect and alcohol-risk cognitions. The findings suggest that past racial discrimination exacerbates the harmful health effects of immediate experiences of discrimination.

Research paper thumbnail of The Impact of African American Parents' Racial Discrimination Experiences and Perceived Neighborhood Cohesion on their Racial Socialization Practices

Journal of youth and adolescence, 2016

Parental racial socialization is a parenting tool used to prepare African American adolescents fo... more Parental racial socialization is a parenting tool used to prepare African American adolescents for managing racial stressors. While it is known that parents' racial discrimination experiences affect the racial socialization messages they provide, little is known about the influence of factors that promote supportive and communal parenting, such as perceived neighborhood cohesion. In cohesive neighborhoods, neighbors may help parents address racial discrimination by monitoring youth and conveying racial socialization messages; additionally, the effect of neighborhood cohesion on parents' racial socialization may differ for boys and girls because parents socialize adolescents about race differently based on expected encounters with racial discrimination. Therefore, the current study examines how parents' perception of neighborhood cohesion and adolescents' gender moderate associations between parents' racial discrimination experiences and the racial socialization m...

Research paper thumbnail of It only takes once: Influence of sexual risk status, social comparison, and a public service announcement on absent -exempt cognitions

Research paper thumbnail of Need to Belong, Not Rejection Sensitivity, Moderates Cortisol Response, Self-Reported Stress, and Negative Affect Following Social Exclusion

The Journal of social psychology, Jan 15, 2015

The present study examined if the traits need to belong (NTB) and rejection sensitivity (RS) diff... more The present study examined if the traits need to belong (NTB) and rejection sensitivity (RS) differentially moderate the impact of experimentally manipulated social exclusion on stress and affect. Participants (N = 132) completed a survey measuring NTB and RS, and then were randomly assigned to be included or excluded during a game of Cyberball. A second survey then assessed perceived stress and negative affect, and a cortisol sample was taken. Controlling for gender and baseline cortisol levels, excluded participants high (vs. low) in NTB had significantly higher postexclusion cortisol levels, and reported greater perceived stress and negative affect. The moderating effect for RS was not found, however, and NTB and RS were not correlated. Findings suggest that the NTB moderates psychological and physiological responses to exclusion.

Research paper thumbnail of Impact of sexual risk status and social comparison processes on health cognitions

Research paper thumbnail of It only takes once: The absent-exempt heuristic and reactions to comparison-based sexual risk information

Journal of personality and social psychology, 2015

Three studies (N = 545) investigated the effects of social comparison on the "absent-exempt&... more Three studies (N = 545) investigated the effects of social comparison on the "absent-exempt" (AE) heuristic (feeling exempt from future risk). Study 1 examined how comparison with an infected peer (comparison target) who was similar or nonsimilar in terms of sexual risk (number of partners, lack of condom use), influenced willingness and intentions to engage in sex without a condom, and conditional perceived vulnerability to an STD. Participants generally reported lower willingness and higher conditional vulnerability if they compared with a similar-risk level target. However, high-risk students who compared with a low-risk target engaged in what appeared to be AE thinking, reporting the highest willingness and lowest conditional vulnerability. Intentions to have sex without a condom were not influenced. Study 2 included a direct measure of AE thinking and compared the impact of a low-risk comparison target with a Public Service Announcement (PSA) stating that negative out...

Research paper thumbnail of Coping with Discrimination: Consequences for Responsiveness to Health Information

Research paper thumbnail of Predicting Avoidance of Skin Damage Feedback Among College Students

Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, Jan 18, 2015

Showing people a personal ultraviolet (UV) photograph depicting skin damage can be an effective m... more Showing people a personal ultraviolet (UV) photograph depicting skin damage can be an effective method for changing sun protection cognitions and behaviors. We examined whether people opt not to see their UV photograph if given a choice. We also examined predictors of avoidance of skin damage feedback. College students (N = 257) completed questionnaires, viewed example UV photographs, and received the opportunity to see a UV photograph of their face. Over one-third of participants opted not to see their UV photograph. Greater perceived risk of sun damage and having fewer coping resources corresponded with greater avoidance, particularly among participants who reported infrequent sun protection behavior. The health benefits of UV photography are realized only if people are willing to view the photograph. Our findings suggest the need for interventions that increase receptivity to viewing one's UV photograph.

Research paper thumbnail of Racial identification, racial discrimination, and substance use vulnerability among African American young adults

Personality & social psychology bulletin, 2011

Two studies examined racial identity (RI) as a protective factor against substance use cognitions... more Two studies examined racial identity (RI) as a protective factor against substance use cognitions among African American young adults who either envisioned or experienced racial discrimination. In Study 1, participants envisioned a discrimination or nondiscrimination scenario, and then their willingness to use drugs and an indirect measure of substance use were assessed. Discrimination was associated with higher levels of use cognitions among participants with low levels of RI. In Study 2, participants were excluded or included in an online game (Cyberball) by White peers and then engaged in an RI-affirmation or control writing task. Participants attributed this exclusion to racial discrimination. Excluded participants who did not affirm their RI reported the highest levels of substance use cognitions, especially if they had engaged in higher levels of previous substance use. These findings highlight the importance of RI among Black young adults and the impact of discrimination on h...

Research paper thumbnail of Adolescent alcohol use: Social comparison orientation moderates the impact of friend and sibling behaviour

British Journal of Health Psychology, 2014

Research has indicated that both peers and siblings influence adolescents&amp... more Research has indicated that both peers and siblings influence adolescents' alcohol use (e.g., Windle, 2000, Appl. Dev. Sci., 4, 98). The present two studies examined whether social comparison orientation (SCO) moderates the effects of perceived friend and sibling alcohol use on adolescents' alcohol use cognitions and behaviours. Two studies examined the role of SCO as a moderator of social influence (perceived friend alcohol use in Study 1 and both perceived friend use and sibling-reported alcohol use in Study 2) on prototype perceptions and willingness to drink alcohol (Studies 1 and 2) as well as actual alcohol consumption (Study 2) among early adolescents. In Study 1, cross-sectional results indicated that SCO moderated the effect of perceived friend alcohol use on favourable images of drinkers and willingness to drink. Study 2 found that SCO moderated the effects of perceived friend use and sibling use on favourable images of alcohol users, willingness to use alcohol, and change in alcohol use over 3 years such that adolescents who reported engaging in social comparison more often reported greater willingness, more favourable images, and increases in alcohol use when perceived friend use or sibling use was high. These studies highlight the importance of SCO as a moderator of susceptibility to the social influences of friends and siblings and may hold important implications for adolescent alcohol use prevention programmes and models of health risk behaviour. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? The prevalence of adolescent alcohol use continues to be a public health concern and research has indicated that alcohol use during adolescence is often influenced by the behaviour of friends and siblings. What does this study add? Results add to the literature on the importance of examining person-level moderators such as of peer and sibling influence on alcohol use cognitions and behaviour according to the prototype/willingness model. Results suggest that considering social comparison orientation as an individual difference variable that may influence adolescents' decisions to engage in alcohol use can potentially increase the efficacy of existing alcohol use programs.