PUBLICATIONS
2021
GREGUS, S.J., HERNANDEZ RODRIGUEZ, J., FAITH, M.A. & FAILES, E. (2021). PARENTING AND CHILDREN’S PSYCHOLOGICAL ADJUSTMENT DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) has greatly impacted parents of school-age children. The current study used correlational/descriptive methods to explore COVID-19 impacts on parenting behaviors and children’s adjustment to the pandemic. Participants were 595 United States parents (69.2% non-Latinx White, 12.1% Black/African American) recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk in May 2020. Overall, parents of color, parents with lower income, and parents of elementary school children reported a greater number of negative COVID-19 impacts. Parents who encouraged hygienic behaviors and promoted children’s social connection reported their children engaged in more virus safety behaviors and experienced less virus-related impairment. Parents who limited children’s access to COVID-19 information reported their children demonstrated more fear, impairment, and safety behaviors. Positive parenting predicted fewer negative COVID-19 family functioning impacts, whereas parents’ inconsistent discipline was related to greater negative COVID-19 family impacts. Findings suggest clear demographic trends and links between parents’ COVID-19 responses and children’s adjustment. Recommendations for how practitioners and schools can support parents during the pandemic are provided.
2020
GREGUS, S.J., CRAIG, J.T., & CAVELL, T.A. (2020). TOWARD EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS FOR CHRONICALLY BULLIED CHILDREN: CANDIDATE MECHANISMS AND POTENTIAL STRATEGIES. EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE IN CHILD & ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH.
Current anti-bullying interventions are designed to reduce the overall prevalence of bullying and victimization. Systematic reviews document the efficacy of these programs, but emerging evidence suggests that chronically bullied children are less likely to benefit and possibly experience increased problems following program implementation. Recent investigations into processes contributing to chronic peer victimization help explain the limited impact of anti-bullying programs. We drew from that literature to offer a working model of the plight of chronic victims. This framework emphasizes social exclusion as a pivotal pathway to peers’ moral disengagement and involvement in what Thornberg (2015a) calls the collective action of bullying. We propose that chronic victims of school bullying require intervention strategies that can counter the prevailing narrative of social exclusion. We suggest effective interventions will be those that target the following candidate mechanisms: a) quality contact between chronic victims and peers, b) contingencies that govern social exclusion of chronic victims, and c) contingencies that govern social bids by chronic victims. We present five existing school-based interventions that have the potential to alter one or more of these mechanisms: Social Skills Training with Peer Group Experiences; The Good Behavior Game, Making Socially Accepting Inclusive Classrooms, Cooperative Learning and Lunch Buddy mentoring. We highlight features shared by these interventions and discuss implications for future research.
2020
MAPES, A.R., SOURK, M.J., MUTINAGI, L.M., HERNANDEZ RODRIGUEZ, J., PASTRANA, F.A., GREGUS, S.J., CRAIG, J.T., & CAVELL, T.A. (2020). LIKED BY PEERS OR LIKED BY TEACHERS: DIFFERENTIAL PATTERNS OF BULLYING OVER TIME. JOURNAL OF SCHOOL VIOLENCE.
We examined the tendency for high status children to bully their classmates. Children liked by peers only (LPO), liked by teachers only (LTO), liked by both (Both), liked by neither (Neither), and children with average peer and teacher liking (Average) were compared on self-, teacher-, and peer-reported bullying. Participants were 676 fourth-grade children (50.7% girls). Children in the Neither group evinced the highest level of bullying, which increased significantly from fall to spring. We found little evidence that children in the Both group differed from other groups or that their bullying increased over time. Self-reported physical bullying increased for boys in the LPO and Average groups and for girls in the LTO and Neither groups. Gender-specific findings have implications for researchers and practitioners.
2019
HERNANDEZ RODRIGUEZ, J., GREGUS, S.J., CRAIG, J.T., PASTRANA, F.A., CAVELL, T.A. (2019). ANXIETY SENSITIVITY AND CHILDREN’S RISK FOR BOTH INTERNALIZING PROBLEMS AND PEER VICTIMIZATION EXPERIENCES. CHILD PSYCHIATRY AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT.
In this study, we examined the degree to which children's level of anxiety sensitivity (AS) was a precursor to both internalizing problems and peer victimization experiences. Participants were 581 fourth-grade children (M age = 9.31; 51.8% girls; 42.3% Hispanic/Latinx) and their teachers. Measures of AS, internalizing problems, and peer victimization were collected across a single academic year (Fall, Spring). Structural equation modeling and logistic regression analyses indicated AS predicted future internalizing symptoms as well as self- and teacher-reports of peer victimization. Also, children with heightened AS were 2.70 times more likely to reach elevated levels of self-rated peer victimization and 11.53 times more likely to have clinically elevated internalizing problems. This is the first study to examine prospectively the link between AS and children's peer victimization experiences. We discuss implications of the findings for developing preventative interventions for children at risk for peer victimization and internalizing difficulties.
2019
GREGUS, S.J., STEVENS, K.T., & SEIVERT, N.P., TUCKER, R.P., & CALLAHAN, J.L. (2019). STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF MULTICULTURAL TRAINING AND PROGRAM CLIMATE IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY DOCTORAL PROGRAMS. TRAINING AND EDUCATION IN PROFESSIONAL PSYCHOLOGY.
The current investigation assessed clinical psychology doctoral student perceptions of their program’s multicultural training and program climate regarding multiculturalism. The study employed an online mixed-methods, cross-sectional design, with graduate student participants from American Psychological Association (APA)-accredited clinical psychology programs across the United States. Participants (N = 397) completed self-report quantitative and qualitative measures of perceptions of their program’s multicultural training and program climate regarding multiculturalism. Results demonstrated that perceptions differed by important demographics (e.g., lower perceptions of multicultural training and program climate among self-identified Black students compared with non-Hispanic White students) and program characteristics (e.g., higher scores in those aware of a program-specific diversity committee). Qualitative data indicated important areas of growth for their programs, including integrating diversity training throughout the curriculum, recruiting and retaining underrepresented students and faculty, expanding experiential opportunities to gain exposure to multiculturalism, and reducing the variability among faculty in their responsiveness and willingness to address student concerns regarding multiculturalism.
2018
CAVELL, T.A., GREGUS, S.J., CRAIG, J.T., PASTRANA, F.A., & HERNANDEZ RODRIGUEZ, J. (2018). PROGRAM-SPECIFIC PRACTICES AND OUTCOMES FOR HIGH SCHOOL MENTORS AND THEIR MENTEES. CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES REVIEW, 89, 309-318.
We conducted secondary analyses of program evaluation data involving six high school (HS) mentoring programs. All programs used one-on-one matches but differed in a) how mentors were recruited (voluntary vs. mandated due to class requirement), b) how mentees were referred (individual student referral vs. whole class participation), and c) the goals of mentoring (e.g., improved peer relationships, academic achievement). Variability in program practices suggested three program types or clusters: voluntary mentor/individual student referral/limited goals (Vol/Ind/Ltd), voluntary mentor/whole class referral/peer relationship goals (Vol/Whl/Per), and mandatory mentor/whole class referral/academic achievement goals (Mnd/Whl/Acd). Child, mentor, and teacher data collected pre- and post-mentoring were available for 253 mentor-mentee matches. Results revealed significant differences for mentees across program types: Children matched with HS mentors in Vol/Ind/Ltd and Mnd/Whl/Acd programs had similar outcomes and fared significantly better than mentees in Vol/Whl/Per programs. For mentors, those in mandatory mentoring programs (Mnd/Whl/Acd) reported significantly lower levels of academic, community, and diversity engagement compared to HS mentors in voluntary programs. Discussed are the implications these findings have for program practices involving HS mentors.
2018
PASTRANA, F.A, CRAIG, J.T., GREGUS, S.J., BRIDGES, A.J., HERNANDEZ RODRIGUEZ, J., & CAVELL, T.A. (2018). IDENTIFYING CHILDREN REPEATEDLY VICTIMIZED BY PEERS: A PRELIMINARY STUDY. JOURNAL OF SCHOOL VIOLENCE, 18 (2), 259-271.
Repeated victims of school bullying are at risk for maladjustment and could potentially benefit from selective intervention. However, selective intervention requires a practical method for accurately identifying members of the targeted group. We examined the extent to which the global victimization item from the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire accurately identified children repeatedly victimized by peers. From a sample of 654 fourth-graders, we categorized 63 (9.7%) as repeated victims based on elevated reports of victimization from the same informant (self, teacher, peer) across two time points within an academic year. Logistic regression and ROC curve analyses examined the predictive utility of the recommended global item cutoff and more stringent cutoffs. Results indicated that the global victimization item offered limited utility as a means of identifying children categorized as repeated victims. We discuss possible reasons for the findings and potential implications for future research and practice.
2017
GREGUS, S.J., HERNANDEZ RODRIGUEZ, J., PASTRANA, F.A., CRAIG, J.T., MCQUILLIN, S.D. & CAVELL, T.A. (2017). TEACHER SELF-EFFICACY AND INTENTIONS TO USE RECOMMENDED ANTI-BULLYING PRACTICES AS PREDICTORS OF CHILDREN’S PEER VICTIMIZATION. SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW.
Teachers are key players in efforts to address school bullying and peer victimization. Recent studies found that teachers' responses to peer victimization can vary based on their beliefs and attitudes. We examined relations among teacher self-efficacy, teachers' intentions to use recommended antibullying practices, and peer victimization as rated by teachers and students. In Study 1 (N = 79), we examined the internal structure, reliability, and initial validity of the Teacher Efficacy for Antibullying Scale (TEAS), a new measure of teachers' self-efficacy regarding school bullying and peer victimization. In Study 2, we used data from elementary school teachers (N = 34) and their students (N = 654) to test whether the interaction between teacher self-efficacy and intentions to use recommended antibullying practices predicted children's peer victimization. We also tested whether the relation between teacher self-efficacy and children's peer victimization was curvilinear. Using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), we found support for a curvilinear relation between teacher self-efficacy and children's peer victimization that was moderated by teachers' intentions to use antibullying practices; except in classrooms where teachers held very strong intentions to use best practices, children's peer victimization was greater in classrooms where teachers reported either very low or very high self-efficacy relative to classrooms where teachers had more moderate levels of self-efficacy. Discussed are the research and practice implications of these findings for teacher-based antibullying training and intervention.
2017
BRIDGES, A.J., CAVELL, T.A., OJEDA, C., GREGUS, S.J., & GOMEZ, D. (2017). DOCTORAL TRAINING IN INTEGRATED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE: DIPPING A TOE OR DIVING IN. THE BEHAVIOR THERAPIST, 40 (5), 169-179.
The goal in writing this paper was to help training faculty move forward on an issue that appears to be increasingly important for students they are currently training and will be training in the future. Authors have argued that to compete in the changing climate of U.S. health care, psychologists must be health service providers whose work is not limited to mental health specialization. Nowhere is this more evident than in the recent funding for and increased focus on psychologists’ role within integrated behavioral health care. Doctoral training faculty can survive being “late adopters” in the IBHC marketplace, but their students will be aided and grateful for training that prepares them for newer roles in health service delivery. Doctoral psychology training programs will vary in their eagerness to incorporate IBHC-related training activities, but even programs ready to add some level of IBHC training might lack useful information to begin a shift in that direction. Offered here is a conceptual framework that can be used to guide programs considering a shift, however slight, toward IBHC training. Described are potential pathways that programs can use when making minimal, moderate, or major investments in IBHC training. At each level of investment, programs have a range of options across key program domains and can even stagger newer training efforts across these domains. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)
2017
BRIDGES, A.J., VILLALOBOS, B.T., ANASTASIA, E.A., DUEWEKE, A.R., GREGUS, S.J., CAVELL, T.A. (2017). NEED, ACCESS, AND THE REACH OF INTEGRATED CARE: A TYPOLOGY OF PATIENTS. FAMILIES, SYSTEMS, AND HEALTH, 35 (2), 193-206.
This paper is a report on a study exploring a potential typology of primary care patients referred for integrated behavioral health care (IBHC) services. We considered whether primary care patients could be grouped into meaningful clusters based on perceived need for behavioral health services, barriers to accessing care, and past-year service utilization. We also described the development of a working partnership between our university-based research team and a federally qualified health center (FQHC). Method: A total of 105 adult primary care patients referred for same-day behavioral health appointments completed a brief self-report questionnaire assessing past-year behavioral health concerns, service utilization, and perceived barriers to utilization. Results: Hierarchical and k-means cluster analyses revealed 3 groups: (a) Well-Served patients, characterized by high perceived need for services, high service use, and low barriers to service use (40%); (b) Underserved patients, characterized by high perceived need, low service utilization, and high barriers to service use (20%); and (c) Subclinical patients, characterized by low perceived need, low service use, and low barriers to service use (20%). Clusters were reliably differentiated by age, primary language, insurance status, and global functioning. Discussion: We found primary care patients could be grouped into 3 categories and that 60% (Underserved and Subclinical) represented groups less commonly seen in traditional mental health (MH) settings. IBHC may be a promising approach for extending the reach of MH care, and partnerships between FQHCs and university-based research teams may be a promising approach for conducting research on the IBHC service-delivery model. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)