We tested the effect of contextual variables on the perceived supportiveness of help-intended behaviors. These variables included relationship closeness, spontaneity of support behavior, degree of correspondence between type of support desired and type obtained and gender of the help-provider. Subjects read descriptions of help-intended interactions, in which the contextual variables were systematically varied, then rated their helpfulness and supportiveness. Results showed significant effects for all contextual variables except gender of the support provider. Results suggest that not only the content of support-intended behaviors, but the context in which they occur are important determinants of perceived supportiveness.

Cross-cultural contact was found to be important in the development of multicultural counseling competencies (MCCs).The greater the prior crosscultural life experience, the higher were students' MCCs measured at the beginning of a multicultural counseling course. MCCs measured at the end of the course were significantly higher than MCCs measured at the beginning of the course. Theme analysis of students' journals suggested that cross-cultural contact, a major component of the course, was important in MCCs's development.Este estudio explora la relaci6n entre el contacto intercultural y el desarrollo de competencias de consejeria multicultural en un curso basado en este entrenarniento. El contacto intercultural result6 ser importante en el desarrollo de las Competencias de Consejeria Multicultural (CCMs). Estudiantes con altos niveles de experiencias interculturales en sus vidas previas a1 curso, tuvieron altos resultados en las CCMs medidas a1 fin del curso. Las CCMs medidas al fin del curso fueron significativamente mas altas que las CCMs medidas a1 principio del curso. Analisis de 10s temas en 10s diarios de 10s estudiantes sugiere que el contacto intercultural, un componente principal de este curso, fue importante en el desarrollo de las CCMs.

The Timeline Follow-Back (TLFB) is an interview technique for obtaining detailed retrospective self-reports of alcohol consumption with excellent reliability for various composite variables when both administrations are in person. Because the telephone offers practical advantages over face-to-face interviewing for follow-up assessments in longitudinal studies of problem drinkers, this study was undertaken to compare the test-retest reliability of a 12-week TLFB interview when the second administration was by telephone to that when the second interview was in person. In addition, because the reliability of the TLFB has been previously assessed using composite variables, we examined the reliability of the TLFB at the item level. Research participants were 30 adult medical patients who drank frequently, and 75 college students who were problem drinkers. Test-retest reliability as measured by intraclass correlation was generally high, 0.79 or greater for the number of days of drinking > 6 standard drinks, 0.90 or greater for the number of abstinent days, and 0.80 or greater for the greatest number of drinks consumed on any 1 day, in both the most recent 4-week interval and in the entire 12-week interval. Test-retest correlation coefficients for composite variables derived from the interview data were not systematically affected by whether the second interview was in person or by telephone. Furthermore, item-level correlations were also substantial. Findings support the use of the telephone for follow-up interviews, potentially reducing costs of longitudinal studies and facilitating multisite studies with centralized data collection, and lend further general support to the reliability of the TLFB.

The mental health effects of victimization of women comprise one of five priority research areas identified by the National Institute of Mental Health. However, little attention has been paid to this issue in counseling research. In this article, we review research on the prevalence and effects of three types of victimization of women: child sexual abuse, sexual assault, and sexual harassment. This research suggests that victimization is quite common among women and has serious detrimental effects on their mental health. We also present data indicating that victimization experiences are common among female counseling center clients. Several recommendations for counselor training in the area of victimization are offered.