William P Evans
Biographic Data
| ID | 100015 |
|---|---|
| NAME | William P Evans |
| GIVEN NAMES | William P |
| FAMILY NAME | Evans |
| SIGNATURE | EVANS W P |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Nevada, Reno |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5878-611X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 21 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 94 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 21 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1999 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Young adults' perceptions of morality‐based messages from parents about sex
Trickle down Registration
is perhaps even more challenging. We present here our defining moments of recruiting and surveying partners of persons registered as sexual offenders for our research on courtesy stigma. The challenges and successes of our journey are described within the larger hypothesis that close relationships are an important source of social support associated with adjustment and well-being outcomes for people involved in the justice system as well as their…
Parent communication about sexual and relationship violence
Evaluating stakeholder engagement in collaborative research
This study describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of an initial stakeholder engagement experience designed to facilitate knowledge co-production. The engagement experience is part of a collaborative research framework (CRF), which facilitates iterative interactions among diverse researchers and stakeholders around the topic of enhanced climate resilience. Here, we describe the: (1) need for and development of a CRF as it relate…
Before and After Prohibition
Researchers have begun examining changes in recreational marijuana use among emerging adults (EAs), however, no studies have examined the influence of parents on EA children’s marijuana use due to legalization. We sought to address this gap by using a 2019 cross-sectional online survey of 404 EA students (18–25 years; M = 20.7, SD = 1.9) about their behavioral observations and conversations with parents regarding recreational marijuana legalizati…
Relationships, health, and stress
Although all romantic relationships experience stress, some thrive when faced with adversity while others are unable to manage the inevitable relationship ups and downs. Rather than seeing stress as a risk factor, this study applied a Salutogenic framework, which posits that stress is a naturally occurring and potentially beneficial part of relationships, to develop a new measure of relationship health and well‐being. In Study 1, we created and t…
Experimental Effects of a Call-Center Disclaimer Regarding Confidentiality on Callers' Willingness to Make Disclosures Related to Terrorism
Utilizing a sample drawn to represent the general U.S. population, the present study experimentally tested whether a call-center’s disclaimer regarding limits to caller confidentiality (i.e., that operators would be required to refer calls to law enforcement if callers were to discuss anyone who was a danger to themselves or others) affected disclosures related to a third party’s involvement with terrorist groups, gangs, or such party’s commissio…
Expansion and replication of the theory of vicarious help-seeking
Gatekeepers are those in a position to recognize, in others, potentially problematic presenting issues, and who are willing and able to connect those persons to relevant service providers. In the domain of violence prevention, they represent a network of those who can serve as ‘first responders’ with respect to helping those in need. Therefore, it is important to understand both the facilitators and inhibitors of gatekeeper intervention, or what …
Using Single‐case Designs to Evaluate Components of Tribal Home‐visitation Programs
Single‐case designs are typically used in classroom and clinical settings to assess the behavioral impacts of an intervention with an individual child. Using two illustrative case studies, this article describes the extension of this model to home‐visitation programs serving tribal communities and examines the lessons learned throughout the process of adapting this approach. Our experience suggests that the benefits of using this design outweigh …
Migration experience, resilience and depression
The challenges of migration can jeopardize mental health, but also can provide opportunities for growth. This study investigated the association between levels of depression and socio-demographic and migration variables, and the role of resilience as a mediator between these features. A cross-sectional study was conducted of 182 Iranian immigrants living across Australia who completed an online questionnaire. Higher levels of depression were foun…
Family Background and Propensity to Engage in Infidelity
The current study explored how a variety of family-of-origin experiences are related to individuals' infidelity history. A survey was completed by 294 participants and we found that parental infidelity, parental marital status, parental conflict, and parental marital satisfaction were associated with the likelihood of offspring having ever engaged in infidelity. When considered together, parent infidelity and parent satisfaction were uniquely rel…
The critical role of friends in networks for countering violent extremism
Who would be the first to notice, and able to intervene, with individuals considering acts of violent extremism? Study 1 found evidence that those best positioned to notice early signs of individuals considering acts of violent extremism might be those individuals’ friends: perhaps more so than school counselors, clergy, or family members. Furthermore, participants indicated that the predominant reason underlying individuals’ reluctance to reach …
A prototype analysis of infidelity
The current research tested whether the concept of infidelity is prototypically organized and whether laypeople's conceptualizations of infidelity are consistent with how researchers have operationalized this construct. Across 4 studies, results indicated that infidelity is indeed prototypically organized as individuals are able to list and rate how central certain features are to the infidelity construct. Furthermore, there was evidence that the…
Developing the public attitudes about addiction instrument
Using a series of three studies, this project developed an addiction attitudes instrument for use in the general population and completed a preliminary analysis of the moderators of addiction attitudes. The final 54-item instrument has five subscales representing five models of addiction theory: Moral Model, Nature Model, Psychological Model, Sociological Model, and Disease Model. These models differ in beliefs about abuse and addiction aetiology…
Indigenous Mexican culture, identity and academic aspirations
The Latina/Latino population is the largest minority group in the United States and has the highest high school dropout rate of any ethnic group. Nationally, just over one-half of Latina/Latino students graduate on time with a regular diploma, compared to nearly 80% of Whites. Because of the growing population and the wide achievement gap, there is utility in understanding factors, strategies and programs that facilitate the academic performance …
Someone to Listen
A multi‐method evaluation was conducted to assess the TextToday pilot program, the nation's first crisis line with the capacity to accept text messages. Objectives of the evaluation included how successful the system was in meeting the needs of underserved youth and how effectively the social marketing campaign reached the target population with information about the texting crisis service. The service was found to increase youth help‐seeking beh…
Promoting adolescent sense of coherence
Sense of coherence (SOC) is a dispositional trait that has been linked to well‐being in a broad range of populations and contexts. Little is known, however, about the factors associated with SOC development and maintenance across the lifespan. Conceptualized as a condition of resiliency, SOC in adolescents was explored via measures of risk and protection as reported on by 8th and 10th grade students ( N = 1619). Employing cumulative indexes of pr…
Risk and Protective Factors Predictive of Sense of Coherence during Adolescence
This brief report presents a study undertaken to better understand the factors that are related to sense of coherence (SOC) levels among youth. Middle school students ( N = 1619) reported on risk and protective factors across ecological domains. Analyses revealed that social support, anger expression, family conflict and neighborhood cohesion were predictors of SOC for both males and females. Community views regarding gang membership was a predic…
Adolescent Victimization
The present study examined how risk and protective factors were associated with adolescent victimization by testing four competing models from resiliency research—the compensatory, risk-protective, protective-protective, and challenge models. Models were tested separately by gender. The data for this study were based on a multistate project that surveyed 992 eighth-grade students between the ages of 12 and 15 years (54% female, 54% White) in at-r…
Extracurricular Activity and Ethnicity
A youth’s sense of connection to school has been theorized by several traditions to be an important predictor of school success and student behavior inside and out-side of school. Using a diverse sample of adolescents (N =1,755), this study focuses on the relationship between youth participation in extracurricular activities and a greater sense of school connection, particularly for non-European American students. In addition, we examined differe…
Are Rural Gang Members Similar to their Urban Peers
This study investigated factors associated with gang involvement among rural and urban adolescents. The data were derived from a large self-report survey (N = 2,183) of 7th through 12th grade Nevada students. Surprisingly, there was no significant difference in gang membership or pressure to join gangs between the rural and urban samples. There were differences, however, on other gang and violence indicators between the rural and urban settings. …
Extracurricular Activity and Ethnicity
A youth’s sense of connection to school has been theorized by several traditions to be an important predictor of school success and student behavior inside and out-side of school. Using a diverse sample of adolescents (N =1,755), this study focuses on the relationship between youth participation in extracurricular activities and a greater sense of school connection, particularly for non-European American students. In addition, we examined differe…
Adolescent Victimization
The present study examined how risk and protective factors were associated with adolescent victimization by testing four competing models from resiliency research—the compensatory, risk-protective, protective-protective, and challenge models. Models were tested separately by gender. The data for this study were based on a multistate project that surveyed 992 eighth-grade students between the ages of 12 and 15 years (54% female, 54% White) in at-r…
Risk and Protective Factors Predictive of Sense of Coherence during Adolescence
This brief report presents a study undertaken to better understand the factors that are related to sense of coherence (SOC) levels among youth. Middle school students ( N = 1619) reported on risk and protective factors across ecological domains. Analyses revealed that social support, anger expression, family conflict and neighborhood cohesion were predictors of SOC for both males and females. Community views regarding gang membership was a predic…
Are Rural Gang Members Similar to their Urban Peers
This study investigated factors associated with gang involvement among rural and urban adolescents. The data were derived from a large self-report survey (N = 2,183) of 7th through 12th grade Nevada students. Surprisingly, there was no significant difference in gang membership or pressure to join gangs between the rural and urban samples. There were differences, however, on other gang and violence indicators between the rural and urban settings. …
The critical role of friends in networks for countering violent extremism
Who would be the first to notice, and able to intervene, with individuals considering acts of violent extremism? Study 1 found evidence that those best positioned to notice early signs of individuals considering acts of violent extremism might be those individuals’ friends: perhaps more so than school counselors, clergy, or family members. Furthermore, participants indicated that the predominant reason underlying individuals’ reluctance to reach …
Indigenous Mexican culture, identity and academic aspirations
The Latina/Latino population is the largest minority group in the United States and has the highest high school dropout rate of any ethnic group. Nationally, just over one-half of Latina/Latino students graduate on time with a regular diploma, compared to nearly 80% of Whites. Because of the growing population and the wide achievement gap, there is utility in understanding factors, strategies and programs that facilitate the academic performance …
Family Background and Propensity to Engage in Infidelity
The current study explored how a variety of family-of-origin experiences are related to individuals' infidelity history. A survey was completed by 294 participants and we found that parental infidelity, parental marital status, parental conflict, and parental marital satisfaction were associated with the likelihood of offspring having ever engaged in infidelity. When considered together, parent infidelity and parent satisfaction were uniquely rel…
Promoting adolescent sense of coherence
Sense of coherence (SOC) is a dispositional trait that has been linked to well‐being in a broad range of populations and contexts. Little is known, however, about the factors associated with SOC development and maintenance across the lifespan. Conceptualized as a condition of resiliency, SOC in adolescents was explored via measures of risk and protection as reported on by 8th and 10th grade students ( N = 1619). Employing cumulative indexes of pr…
Migration experience, resilience and depression
The challenges of migration can jeopardize mental health, but also can provide opportunities for growth. This study investigated the association between levels of depression and socio-demographic and migration variables, and the role of resilience as a mediator between these features. A cross-sectional study was conducted of 182 Iranian immigrants living across Australia who completed an online questionnaire. Higher levels of depression were foun…
Expansion and replication of the theory of vicarious help-seeking
Gatekeepers are those in a position to recognize, in others, potentially problematic presenting issues, and who are willing and able to connect those persons to relevant service providers. In the domain of violence prevention, they represent a network of those who can serve as ‘first responders’ with respect to helping those in need. Therefore, it is important to understand both the facilitators and inhibitors of gatekeeper intervention, or what …
Someone to Listen
A multi‐method evaluation was conducted to assess the TextToday pilot program, the nation's first crisis line with the capacity to accept text messages. Objectives of the evaluation included how successful the system was in meeting the needs of underserved youth and how effectively the social marketing campaign reached the target population with information about the texting crisis service. The service was found to increase youth help‐seeking beh…
Experimental Effects of a Call-Center Disclaimer Regarding Confidentiality on Callers' Willingness to Make Disclosures Related to Terrorism
Utilizing a sample drawn to represent the general U.S. population, the present study experimentally tested whether a call-center’s disclaimer regarding limits to caller confidentiality (i.e., that operators would be required to refer calls to law enforcement if callers were to discuss anyone who was a danger to themselves or others) affected disclosures related to a third party’s involvement with terrorist groups, gangs, or such party’s commissio…
Using Single‐case Designs to Evaluate Components of Tribal Home‐visitation Programs
Single‐case designs are typically used in classroom and clinical settings to assess the behavioral impacts of an intervention with an individual child. Using two illustrative case studies, this article describes the extension of this model to home‐visitation programs serving tribal communities and examines the lessons learned throughout the process of adapting this approach. Our experience suggests that the benefits of using this design outweigh …
Are Rural Gang Members Similar to their Urban Peers
This study investigated factors associated with gang involvement among rural and urban adolescents. The data were derived from a large self-report survey (N = 2,183) of 7th through 12th grade Nevada students. Surprisingly, there was no significant difference in gang membership or pressure to join gangs between the rural and urban samples. There were differences, however, on other gang and violence indicators between the rural and urban settings. …
Extracurricular Activity and Ethnicity
A youth’s sense of connection to school has been theorized by several traditions to be an important predictor of school success and student behavior inside and out-side of school. Using a diverse sample of adolescents (N =1,755), this study focuses on the relationship between youth participation in extracurricular activities and a greater sense of school connection, particularly for non-European American students. In addition, we examined differe…
Adolescent Victimization
The present study examined how risk and protective factors were associated with adolescent victimization by testing four competing models from resiliency research—the compensatory, risk-protective, protective-protective, and challenge models. Models were tested separately by gender. The data for this study were based on a multistate project that surveyed 992 eighth-grade students between the ages of 12 and 15 years (54% female, 54% White) in at-r…
Risk and Protective Factors Predictive of Sense of Coherence during Adolescence
This brief report presents a study undertaken to better understand the factors that are related to sense of coherence (SOC) levels among youth. Middle school students ( N = 1619) reported on risk and protective factors across ecological domains. Analyses revealed that social support, anger expression, family conflict and neighborhood cohesion were predictors of SOC for both males and females. Community views regarding gang membership was a predic…
Promoting adolescent sense of coherence
Sense of coherence (SOC) is a dispositional trait that has been linked to well‐being in a broad range of populations and contexts. Little is known, however, about the factors associated with SOC development and maintenance across the lifespan. Conceptualized as a condition of resiliency, SOC in adolescents was explored via measures of risk and protection as reported on by 8th and 10th grade students ( N = 1619). Employing cumulative indexes of pr…
Indigenous Mexican culture, identity and academic aspirations
The Latina/Latino population is the largest minority group in the United States and has the highest high school dropout rate of any ethnic group. Nationally, just over one-half of Latina/Latino students graduate on time with a regular diploma, compared to nearly 80% of Whites. Because of the growing population and the wide achievement gap, there is utility in understanding factors, strategies and programs that facilitate the academic performance …
Someone to Listen
A multi‐method evaluation was conducted to assess the TextToday pilot program, the nation's first crisis line with the capacity to accept text messages. Objectives of the evaluation included how successful the system was in meeting the needs of underserved youth and how effectively the social marketing campaign reached the target population with information about the texting crisis service. The service was found to increase youth help‐seeking beh…
A prototype analysis of infidelity
The current research tested whether the concept of infidelity is prototypically organized and whether laypeople's conceptualizations of infidelity are consistent with how researchers have operationalized this construct. Across 4 studies, results indicated that infidelity is indeed prototypically organized as individuals are able to list and rate how central certain features are to the infidelity construct. Furthermore, there was evidence that the…
Developing the public attitudes about addiction instrument
Using a series of three studies, this project developed an addiction attitudes instrument for use in the general population and completed a preliminary analysis of the moderators of addiction attitudes. The final 54-item instrument has five subscales representing five models of addiction theory: Moral Model, Nature Model, Psychological Model, Sociological Model, and Disease Model. These models differ in beliefs about abuse and addiction aetiology…
The critical role of friends in networks for countering violent extremism
Who would be the first to notice, and able to intervene, with individuals considering acts of violent extremism? Study 1 found evidence that those best positioned to notice early signs of individuals considering acts of violent extremism might be those individuals’ friends: perhaps more so than school counselors, clergy, or family members. Furthermore, participants indicated that the predominant reason underlying individuals’ reluctance to reach …
Migration experience, resilience and depression
The challenges of migration can jeopardize mental health, but also can provide opportunities for growth. This study investigated the association between levels of depression and socio-demographic and migration variables, and the role of resilience as a mediator between these features. A cross-sectional study was conducted of 182 Iranian immigrants living across Australia who completed an online questionnaire. Higher levels of depression were foun…
Family Background and Propensity to Engage in Infidelity
The current study explored how a variety of family-of-origin experiences are related to individuals' infidelity history. A survey was completed by 294 participants and we found that parental infidelity, parental marital status, parental conflict, and parental marital satisfaction were associated with the likelihood of offspring having ever engaged in infidelity. When considered together, parent infidelity and parent satisfaction were uniquely rel…
Expansion and replication of the theory of vicarious help-seeking
Gatekeepers are those in a position to recognize, in others, potentially problematic presenting issues, and who are willing and able to connect those persons to relevant service providers. In the domain of violence prevention, they represent a network of those who can serve as ‘first responders’ with respect to helping those in need. Therefore, it is important to understand both the facilitators and inhibitors of gatekeeper intervention, or what …
Using Single‐case Designs to Evaluate Components of Tribal Home‐visitation Programs
Single‐case designs are typically used in classroom and clinical settings to assess the behavioral impacts of an intervention with an individual child. Using two illustrative case studies, this article describes the extension of this model to home‐visitation programs serving tribal communities and examines the lessons learned throughout the process of adapting this approach. Our experience suggests that the benefits of using this design outweigh …
Experimental Effects of a Call-Center Disclaimer Regarding Confidentiality on Callers' Willingness to Make Disclosures Related to Terrorism
Utilizing a sample drawn to represent the general U.S. population, the present study experimentally tested whether a call-center’s disclaimer regarding limits to caller confidentiality (i.e., that operators would be required to refer calls to law enforcement if callers were to discuss anyone who was a danger to themselves or others) affected disclosures related to a third party’s involvement with terrorist groups, gangs, or such party’s commissio…
Relationships, health, and stress
Although all romantic relationships experience stress, some thrive when faced with adversity while others are unable to manage the inevitable relationship ups and downs. Rather than seeing stress as a risk factor, this study applied a Salutogenic framework, which posits that stress is a naturally occurring and potentially beneficial part of relationships, to develop a new measure of relationship health and well‐being. In Study 1, we created and t…
Before and After Prohibition
Researchers have begun examining changes in recreational marijuana use among emerging adults (EAs), however, no studies have examined the influence of parents on EA children’s marijuana use due to legalization. We sought to address this gap by using a 2019 cross-sectional online survey of 404 EA students (18–25 years; M = 20.7, SD = 1.9) about their behavioral observations and conversations with parents regarding recreational marijuana legalizati…
Trickle down Registration
is perhaps even more challenging. We present here our defining moments of recruiting and surveying partners of persons registered as sexual offenders for our research on courtesy stigma. The challenges and successes of our journey are described within the larger hypothesis that close relationships are an important source of social support associated with adjustment and well-being outcomes for people involved in the justice system as well as their…
Parent communication about sexual and relationship violence
Evaluating stakeholder engagement in collaborative research
This study describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of an initial stakeholder engagement experience designed to facilitate knowledge co-production. The engagement experience is part of a collaborative research framework (CRF), which facilitates iterative interactions among diverse researchers and stakeholders around the topic of enhanced climate resilience. Here, we describe the: (1) need for and development of a CRF as it relate…
Young adults' perceptions of morality‐based messages from parents about sex
Psychology (20 works) · Social Psychology (14 works) · Developmental psychology (9 works) · Medicine (8 works) · Political science (8 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Criminology (6 works) · Social Psychology (6 works) · Psychiatry (5 works) · Clinical Psychology (4 works)