This study examines the mediational role of gender in the effects of two patterns of cognitive and self-regulatory strategy interventions in the writing self-efficacy calibration of students with learning disabilities (LD). 121 5th and 6th Primary grade students with LD (43 girls and 78 boys), ranging in age from 10 to 12 years old were randomly allocated either to one of the experimental intervention groups, (n = 48, 19 girls and 29 boys), and followed a intervention program based on the Self-Regulated Strategy Development Model, or they received training based on the Social Cognitive Model of Sequential Skill Acquisition (n = 31, 15 girls and 26 boys), or alternatively they were allocated to the ordinary instruction group (n = 32, 9 girls and 23 boys). Writing performance was assessed using two types of writing evaluation: a reader-based score concerned with structure, coherence and quality, and a text based score regarding productivity, coherence and structure. Writing self-efficacy beliefs were also assessed using a self-report scale including eight items about the students' confidence in completing a writing task and to gain specific writing skills. The results suggest that the miscalibration of writing self-efficacy in girls with LD was significantly modified to a more realistic calibration of their writing competence after experimental intervention. However, the findings do not confirm the same clear statement for boys.

This study examines the level of body satisfaction in adolescents, and its association with age, sex and body mass index. A non-clinical group was made up of 935 adolescents (484 boys and 451 girls), aged between 10 and 18 years. The body image was assessed by the Body Dissatisfaction scale within the Eating Disorder Inventory (Garner, 1998, 2004) and by the indirect indicator Ideal Body Mass Index. The results showed that the Body Mass Index is an important covariable in the study of body dissatisfaction. Body dissatisfaction mean values increased in the female sample. The males' values did not change throughout adolescence.

The objectives of this study were to determine the influence of various sociodemographic variables and estimate the impact of additional psychological factors (aggressive personality traits and the sexual double standard) on rape-supportive attitudes. A sample of 700 men and 800 women from El Salvador aged between 18 and 40 years completed the Social Desirability Scale, the Double Standard Scale, the Aggression Questionnaire, the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 and the Rape-Supportive Attitude Scale. Results show gender-based and age-based differences in rape-supportive attitudes, as well as an interaction between gender and age. They also highlight the importance of the sexual double standard and aggressive personality traits in explaining such attitudes.

Under the perspective of the Theory of Planned Behavior, the objective of this study was to know the gender differences in the variables involved in the use of effective preventive measures in sexual relations against HIV in a sample of university students from Spain and Portugal. Furthermore, it is examined whether these factors produce different predictions concerning the adoption of safe sexual behaviour for young man and women in each country. The sample consisted of 683 university students, 319 Portuguese (64% female and 36% male) from the University of Algarve and 364 Spanish students (51% female and 49% male) from the University of Huelva. Data were obtained by means of a questionnaire. The data revealed that there are gender differences which apply in both countries, highlighting that the young women have more positive attitudes, greater perceived behavioural control and intention of condom use than young men. However, they protect themselves less that their male counterparts: the percentage of females who say using condoms as a contraceptive method is less than the percentage of males, and especially with their steady partners. The results are discussed in relation to gender role norms, to have a steady partner or not, gender relations, the associated meaning to sexual relations for men and women and their implications for the design of sexual educational programmes for them.

In a historical revision of the achievement goal construct, Elliot (2005) recognized that there is little consensus on whether the term “goal” in “achievement goal orientations” (GO) is best represented as an “aim”, as an overarching orientation encompassing several “aims”, or as a combination of aims and other processes -self-regulation, etc.-. Elliot pointed also that goal theory research provides evidence for different models of GO. As there were no consensus on these issues, we decided to get evidence about the nature and structure of GO, about the role of gender differences in the configuration of such structure, and about relations between GO, expectancies, volitional processes and achievement. A total of 382 university students from different faculties of two public universities of Madrid (Spain) that voluntarily accepted to fill in a questionnaire that assessed different goals, expectancies and self-regulatory processes participated in the study. Scales reliability, confirmatory factor analyses, multiple-group analyses, and correlation and regression analyses were carried out. Results support the trichotomous model of GO, the consideration of GO as a combination of aims and other psychological processes, showed some gender differences and favour the adoption of a multiple goal perspective for explaining students' motivation.

The purpose of this study was to analyze self-concept, self-esteem, and other personality traits and psychopathological symptoms in subjects with and without visual impairment. The sample was made up of 90 participants aged 12 to 17: 61 with no impairment and 29 with visual impairment. The ANOVA showed that there were no significant differences in self-concept and self-esteem in the samples, but the visually impaired adolescents scored significantly higher in various psychopathological symptoms as well as in their capacity for kind behavior. The ANOVA revealed no gender differences in any variables in adolescents without visual impairment. However, women with visual impairment scored lower in self-esteem and higher in various psychopathological symptoms. Pearson coefficients revealed negative relations between self-concept/self-esteem and all the psychopathological symptoms, and neuroticism, as well as a positive relation with extraversion. Low psychoticism, high extraversion, and low hostility were identified as predictors of high self-concept.

Since the 1970s there has been a growing interest in analysing sex differences in psychological variables. Empirical studies and meta-analyses have contributed evidence on the differences between male and female individuals. More recently, the gender similarities hypothesis has supported the similarity of men and women in most psychological variables. This study contributes information on women's greater empathic disposition in comparison with men by means of a longitudinal design in an adolescent population. 505 male and female adolescents aged between 13 and 16 years were evaluated at two different moments (grade 2 and grade 3, lower secondary education). They completed the Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents by Bryant and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index by Davis. The results confirm a greater empathic response in females than in males of the same age, differences growing with age. The sizes of the effect estimated in the second evaluation (average age 14 years) are large for emotional empathy and medium for cognitive empathy.

In this study we analyzed gender differences in the intensity of habitual guilt, as well as those in interpersonal sensitivity and the tendency towards experiencing feelings of guilt with a high anxious-aggressive component. The 360 participants (adolescents, young adults and adults) were asked to relate one of the situations that most frequently caused them to experience guilt and to rank its intensity and that of 9 other emotions they may have experienced at the same time on a 7-point scale. These scales were used to obtain the scores for the anxious-aggressive component of guilt. Two interpersonal sensitivity measures were used: the IRI Empathic Concern scale and an ad hoc measure focusing on the guilt produced by interpersonal events (Interpersonal Guilt). Habitual guilt was found to be more intense in women than in men in all age groups. The results suggest that this difference is linked to differences in interpersonal sensitivity and the tendency to experience types of guilt with a high anxious-aggressive component.

We used an open-ended survey to elicit Spanish young adults' perceptions of the benefits and drawbacks of speeding and not wearing a seatbelt (or helmet).Around half of the sample reported past engagement in these two risky behaviors, although forecasted engagement was low. Past and forecasted risk taking were positively correlated. Participants provided more drawbacks than benefits of each risky behavior. Drawbacks typically referred to a combination of behavioral acts and social reactions (e.g., accident, punishment) that occurred during the journey. By contrast, benefits largely referred to personal effects (e.g., save time, comfort) that occurred after the journey had ended (speeding) or during the journey (not wearing a seatbelt/helmet). These findings contribute to our theoretical understanding of young adults' risk taking on the road, and to the development of road safety programs.

In this study, 148 Portuguese adults (M = 45.4 years) rated themselves and their children on overall IQ and on H. Gardner (1999) 10 intelligence subtypes. Men's self-estimates were not significantly higher than women's on any of the 11 estimates. The results were in line with previous studies, in that both sexes rated the overall intelligence of their first male children higher than the first female children. Higher parental IQ self-estimates correspond with higher IQ estimates for children. Globally parents estimated that their sons had significantly higher IQs than their daughters. In particular, parents rated their son's spiritual intelligence higher than those of their daughters. Children's age and sex, and parents' age and sex were all non-significant predictors of the overall “g” score estimates of the first two children. Participants thought verbal, mathematical, and spatial intelligence were the best indicators of the overall intelligence for self and children. There were no sex differences in experience of, or attitudes towards, intelligence testing. Results are discussed in terms of the growing literature in the self-estimates of intelligence, as well as limitations of that approach.

In the present study, an attempt has been made to investigate the complete ‘pattern’ of a suicide attempter (SA) within the set of Big Five traits. Two models were used: M1, which includes the five main dimensions of Big Five in the analysis; and M2, which includes facets of those dimensions which were identified as important in M1. The study consisted of a group of SA (men – 326, women – 299) and a group of healthy volunteers (HV) (men – 143, women – 190) with a similar age range. Discriminant analysis (DA) showed that the factors most significant in discriminating the personality pattern of a male SA are (in decreasing order): (E) Extraversion, (N) Neuroticism, (C) Conscientiousness and (O) Openness; and for a female SA these factors were (E) Extraversion, (C) Conscientiousness and (A) Agreeableness. In M2 for men, the largest contribution to pattern recognition is (N3) Depression. Moreover, in M2 for men significant characteristics were (in descending order): (E6) Positive Emotions, (O1) Fantasy, (E4) Activity, and also (N2) Angry Hostility, (C3) Dutifulness, (C4) Achievement Striving, (C2) Order and (O6) Values; and for women: (E4) Activity, (C6) Deliberation, (C2) Order, (A6) Tender-Mindedness, (E5) Excitement Seeking, (E6) Positive Emotions, (C4) Achievement Striving, (A2) Straightforwardness, (C5) Self-Discipline and (E1) Warmth. Analysis of the obtained data demonstrates that suicide attempts amongst males, can largely be associated with personality variables reflecting negative emotions; while female suicide attempts are primarily associated with variables regarding activity and self-regulation.

Los autores han investigado la frecuencia del uso de drogas ilegales y los síntomas de trastorno de angustia espontáneo y provocado por drogas en jóvenes húngaros. Se rellenó un cuestionario de autoinforme semiestructurado (con preguntas sobre el uso de drogas y la persistencia de algunos síntomas del trastorno de angustia del DSM-IV) en discotecas y clubes nocturnos, institutos de enseñanza media y universidades. Casi el 17% de la muestra total (n = 1.298) comunicó haber usado drogas ilegales al menos una vez en su vida, y esta tasa era significativamente más alta entre los varones. Conindependencia del uso de drogas ilegales, el 14,6% de la muestra total informó de cuatro o más síntomas del trastorno de angustia del DSM-IV, y esta tasa fue significativamente más alta entre las mujeres. Analizando los síntomas del trastorno de angustia sólo entre los usuarios de drogas (n = 219), la frecuencia de personas con cuatro o más síntomas de ansiedad era 14,1% antes del uso de las drogas y aumentó a 30,6% durante el período del uso (P < 0,001). Los hallazgos apoyan resultados anteriores que muestran (I) mayor prevalencia de los síntomas de ansiedad entre las mujeres, (II) una tasa más alta de uso de drogas ilegales entre los varones y (III) un posible efecto provocador de ansiedad de las drogas ilegales.

Los estudios sobre los efectos activadores de la nicotina sobre el rendimiento son normalmente exposiciones farmacológicas que utilizan fumadores varones sometidos a privación. Sin embargo, el género puede ser un factor que influya en los efectos de la nicotina/fumar sobre el procesamiento de la información. Investigamos las diferencias de género en la amplitud de la variación negativa contingente (VNC) en fumadores dependientes no sometidos a privación que realizaban un paradigma de tiempo de reacción “responder-no responder”. Las mujeres fumadoras no diferían de las no fumadoras en la VNC tanto temprana como tardía, mientras que los fumadores varones presentaban una VNC temprana y tardía mayor comparado con los varones no fumadores y una alteración en los procesos inhibidores responsables del desarrollo de la VNC en la condición “no responder”. De conformidad con los datos de diferencias de género en la sensibilidad a la nicotina/fumar, estos resultados preliminares ponen de relieve la necesidad de tener en cuenta el género en la investigación psicofisiológica de los efectos de la nicotina/fumar.

Se estudió la comorbilidad psiquiátrica en alcohólicos admitidos de manera voluntaria o forzada en un centro de rehabilitación. Un grupo de 104 alcohólicos (37 hombres admitidos de manera forzada y 35, voluntaría, y 21 mujeres admitidas de manera forzada y 10, voluntaria) con una edad media (DT) de 43 ± 8 años fue evaluado por medio de la Entrevista Clínica Estructurada según el Manual Diagnóstico y Estadístico (DSM) III- R (SCID). La entrevista tuvo lugar una media de 7 días después de la admisión. Las frecuencias de comorbilidad psiquiátrica previa y actual de los trastornos del eje I (excluidos los trastornos por uso de sustancias) fueron, respectivamente, 66 y 61%. Había presencia de dependencia de drogas en 41 y 39% de los casos, respectivamente. Treinta y siete por ciento de los pacientes tenía un diagnóstico vital de trastornos afectivos, y 33% tenía ese diagnóstico actual; 27 y 23% tenían los diagnósticos respectivos de trastornos por ansiedad y 20 y 13%, los de trastornos psicóticos no orgánicos. En una submuestra de 20 sujetos, se encontró que los síntomas depresivos fueron estables durante el curso del tratamiento. No se encontraron diferencias en la frecuencia de comorbilidad psiquiátrica entre los pacientes con admisión forzada y voluntaria (67 y 56%, respectivamente) o entre los hombres y las mujeres (65 y 52%, respectivamente). La combinación de comorbilidad psiquiátrica y dependencia de drogas tenía una representación alta entre los pacientes con admisión forzada (50 frente a 16%). Se concluyó que las frecuencias de comorbilidad psiquiátrica eran altas en el presente grupo. La presencia conjunta de dependencia de alcohol, dependencia de drogas y comorbilidad psiquiátrica era más frecuente entre los sujetos que recibían tratamiento forzado.