Psycho-existential distress and problem behaviors: Gender, subsample, and longitudinal tests

Document Type

Article

Date of Original Version

1-1-1999

Abstract

Results from cross-sectional (602 college students) and longitudinal (545 community women) samples from New England converged to show multiple corroboration for a hierarchical factor model of Problem Behavior linking psycho-existential distress with alcohol temptations and use, drug use, and AIDS-risk behavior. The higher order factor model showed no significant gender differences for parameter estimates across cross-sectional subsamples of 401 female and 201 male college students, and it showed only minor differences (three factor loadings) across longitudinal subsamples of 321 wider community and 224 continuing-education women. Several longitudinal tests demonstrated strong evidence for stability of the higher order factor of Problem Behavior and of each of the four primary factors across a 1-year period, and demonstrated some support for psycho-existential distress preceding the remaining problem behaviors. Copyright © 1999 by Bellwether Publishing, Ltd.

Publication Title, e.g., Journal

Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research

Volume

4

Issue

2

Share

COinS