Cross-Cultural Differences in Strategies of Peer Persuasion of Hebrew-Speaking and Arabic-Speaking Children

The purpose of the current research was to examine strategies of persuasion used by Arabic-speaking and Hebrew-speaking boys and girls to determine the relative contributions of culture and gender in determining communication styles. Children were asked to write a letter to a male or female peer asking for a gender-stereotyped or a gender-neutral gift. Four meta-categories were identified: formality, self-focus, other-focus, and gift-focus. For each meta-category except gift-focus, there were significant main effects and interactions. Language group was significant for formality and other-focus but not for self-focus. Importantly, there were several interactions between participant gender, target gender, and gender-stereotypy of gift, but these did not interact with language group. The results were discussed in the context of children’s socialization to the ethos of musayara and dugri in Arabic-speaking and Hebrew-speaking culture.

Trends in the Proportion of Women as peer reviewers in JAMA, 2009-2018

The achievement of gender equity by 2030 is one of the international Sustainable Development Goals adopted by United Nations member states. Peer review is crucial to academia and diverse perspectives add significant value by avoiding publication biases. We investigated the trend in female peer reviewers in JAMA, a globally influential medical journal, over the past decade. Based on publicly available data with a sample size of 33,745, we found an increased proportion of female peer reviewers from 23.9% in 2009, to a peak of 29.1% in 2018. Despite an increase in the proportion of female peer reviewers over the past decade, if we assume a linear trend, gender equity in peer reviewers for JAMA would not be reached until 2065, beyond the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal target.

Muscle Dysmorphia and the Perception of Men’s Peer Muscularity Preferences

Research suggests that peer muscularity norms preferences are related to men’s body image, but little information is known about how perceptions of specific peer group norms preferences are related to men’s body image disturbances and specific health behaviors. This study investigated how men perceived the muscularity preferences of male, female, close, and distant peers and whether the perceptions of specific peer preferences were related to muscle dysmorphia and steroid use. Data on muscle dysmorphia and the perceptions of peer muscularity norms were collected from 117 male college students. Results indicated that men perceived distant and male peers as having the most exaggerated preferences for muscularity and that those perceptions were not an accurate reflection of their distant male peers’ reported preferences. Results also indicated that perceptions of close female peer muscularity preferences were predictive of symptoms of muscle dysmorphia, but this relationship did not exist for other peer groups, suggesting that the perceptions of close female peer preferences may play a role in the development of muscle dysmorphia. No relationship was found between perceptions of peer muscularity preferences and steroid use.

Coping Strategies of Female Peer Leaders Participating in College Club Sports

Leadership positions on club sports teams can be valuable roles for undergraduate students, providing the opportunity to develop leadership skills, maintain healthy habits, build friendships, and foster organizational connections in the college setting. Nevertheless, involvement in club sports has the potential to create stress over and above the many demands that college students often experience. The purpose of this study was to identify and explore the ways in which female club sports peer leaders cope with perceived stress. Interviews were conducted with participants ( N = 7) using a semi-structured interview guide comprised of five questions grounded in the existing literature on stress and coping. The findings revealed that participants primarily used emotion-focused strategies to cope with stress; strategies such as seeking emotional social support and avoidance were used more frequently than seeking instrumental/information social support. Five specific coping strategies are examined and practical implications are discussed.

To Whom Do College Women Confide Following Sexual Assault? A Prospective Study of Predictors of Sexual Assault Disclosure and Social Reactions

A prospective methodology was used to explore predictors of sexual assault disclosure among college women, identify who women tell about sexual victimization, and examine the responses of informal support providers ( N = 374). Women most often confided in a female peer. Increased coping via seeking emotional support, strong attachments, and high tendency to disclose stressful information predicted adolescent sexual assault disclosure and disclosure over the 7-month interim. Less acquaintance with the perpetrator predicted disclosure over the follow-up, including experiences of revictimization. Victim and perpetrator alcohol use at the time of the assault also predicted disclosure over the follow-up. Implications are presented.