A randomized study of the effect of anonymity, quasi-anonymity, and Certificates of Confidentiality on postpartum women's disclosure of sensitive information.

Background: Under-reporting of substance use and other sensitive information is a substantial threat to internal study validity, particularly during the perinatal period. Anonymous approaches are associated with greater disclosure but are incompatible with longitudinal follow-up. Alternative approaches include use of a U.

A randomized trial of the effects of anonymity and quasi anonymity on disclosure of child maltreatment-related outcomes among postpartum women.

Anonymity may facilitate disclosure of maltreatment-related variables among parents, particularly in the perinatal period. This study was conducted in order to (a) confirm the effect of anonymity on commonly used measures in the field of child maltreatment; (b) examine the extent to which quasi anonymity (in which identifying information is collected but not linked to research data) can also facilitate disclosure on maltreatment-related measures; and (c) examine potential explanatory mechanisms of any association between level of anonymity and disclosure. This study further sought to evaluate these associations in the perinatal period, a crucial point for intervention that is also a time when rates of disclosure may be particularly low.

Commission versus receipt of violence during pregnancy: associations with substance abuse variables.

The tendency for women to report both commission and receipt of violence is an understudied phenomenon. In particular, little is known about individual differences as a function of commission vs. receipt of partner violence among pregnant women.

Computer-based brief motivational intervention for perinatal drug use.

Computer-based brief motivational interventions may be able to reach a high proportion of at-risk individuals and thus have potential for significant population impact. The present studies were conducted to determine the acceptability and preliminary efficacy of a computer-based brief motivational intervention (the motivation enhancement system, or MES). In Study 1, quantitative and qualitative feedback from 30 postpartum women and 17 women in treatment for drug use were used to modify the software.

When grades determine self-worth: consequences of contingent self-worth for male and female engineering and psychology majors.

The impact of grades on daily self-esteem, affect, and identification with major was examined in a sample of 122 male and female students majoring in engineering and psychology. Self-esteem, affect, and identification with major increased on days students received good grades and decreased on days they received poor grades; basing self-esteem on academic competence moderated the effect of bad grades. Bad grades led to greater drops in self-esteem but not more disidentification with the major for women in engineering.