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AbstractAggressive discipline strategies are related to negative outcomes for children. Understanding who might use aggressive discipline offers an opportunity for early prevention. Part of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) posits that attitudes and intentions to engage in a behavior predict engagement in the behavior. A partial TPB framework was applied to assess relations among attitudes and intentions to use aggressive discipline strategies in pre-parents. Participants’ (N = 247) experienced aggressive discipline, perceived acceptability of these strategies, and intention to use these strategies were assessed. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a two-factor model comprised of aggressive discipline experienced and aggressive discipline attitudes (i.e., acceptability and intentions), supporting the use of a partial TPB framework in this area. Results suggest that attitudes and intentions may not be empirically distinct for pre-parents speculating hypothetical situations. Moreover, results suggest that pre-parents may be a viable population for early prevention efforts for aggressive discipline.

Background Alcohol and drug use is overrepresented among individuals living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and is associated with poor health outcomes. Determining the extent to which substance use differs between demographic profiles of people living with HIV (PLWH) would determine at-risk groups that would benefit from intervention.Methods Cross-sectional screening data (N= 1307, Mage= 42.7 years, 66% male, 86% African American, 39% sexual minority) was examined from an HIV clinic in the southern U.S. largely treating underserved and low-income patients. Age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and their interactions were entered as predictors of substance use and related impairment in a series of zero-inflated negative binomial regressions.Results African Americans reported more drug use (p= 0.004) and drug-related negative consequences (p= 0.003). Notably, alcohol-related negative consequences of African American heterosexuals were much higher at younger ages, compared to sexual minorities (regardless of race) and White heterosexuals of all age groups (p= 0.04).Conclusions Among PLWH in the U.S. South, African Americans may be uniquely at-risk with for problems related to drug-related functional impairment. Specifically, young heterosexual African Americans are at high risk for alcohol-related impairment. Implications are discussed.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and perceived stress (PS) are linked to multiple deleterious physical and mental health outcomes in adulthood. ACEs are thought to contribute to PS, though studies to date have focused on risk factors underlying this connection as opposed to protective variables. The current work examined resilience as a promotive and protective factor of lowered PS when the influence of ACEs is also considered. Moreover, the present study sought to determine whether resilience evinced buffering effects across a cumulative ACE score and across individual ACE components. Participants were 5,183 college students attending a large university in the Southwest region of the USA. Findings identified resilience as a promotive factor for lowered PS when adjusting for cumulative and separate components of ACEs. However, in the presence of specific ACE components, high resilience did not attenuate the influence of these ACE components on PS. Results highlight the need for policy targeting the reduction of ACEs and access to resilience-promoting resources to reduce the impact on PS and later consequences.