Gail E Wyatt
Biographic Data
| ID | 138917 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Gail E Wyatt |
| GIVEN NAMES | Gail E |
| FAMILY NAME | Wyatt |
| SIGNATURE | WYATT G E |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of California, Los Angeles |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2630-1480 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 88 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 283 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 88 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1977 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 9 |
Increasing Urban African American Women's Readiness for Pre-exposure Prophylaxis
Strengths and challenges among Black and Latinx people living with HIV during Covid-19
30) were interviewed by telephone and completed demographic, mental health, alcohol and substance use, health literacy, and clinical measures in October and November 2020 in Los Angeles County. Rapid qualitative analysis, descriptive statistics, and mixed-methods merging were used to analyze the data. Qualitative results demonstrated that participants found HIV self-management strategies translated to aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic including hy…
Novel methodologies using history to document the effects of African American sexual trauma
This article describes the nearly half a century career of Dr. Gail E. Wyatt, PhD, and her development of novel methodologies and measures of sexual trauma, specifically the Wyatt Sex History Questionnaire and the University of California, Los Angeles, Life Adversities Screener. These approaches broke the silence around experiences of sexual violence, particularly among African Americans, identifying their effects on sexual functioning and mental…
Implications of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Interpersonal Violence Within Marginalized Communities
During the COVID-19 pandemic, reports of domestic violence across the United States increased from 21% to 35%. Stay-at-home orders, designed to protect the public against the spread of COVID-19, along with heightened societal stressors as a result of the global pandemic, inadvertently increased rates of illicit drug and alcohol use, job loss, and isolation, resulting in increased stress and nonphysical (e.g., psychological, emotional, economic, t…
Achieving Health Equity and Continuity of Care for Black and Latinx People Living With HIV
Women-Centered Program for Women of Color (WC4WC)
The Women-Centered Program for Women of Color, a culturally congruent sexual health intervention, was implemented in 2018 in Los Angeles County, California, according to the principles of community-based participatory research: enhancing community capacity, establishing sustainable programs, and translating research findings to community settings. Participants exhibited significantly increased knowledge of and interest in preexposure prophylaxis …
Mentoring to Dismantle Structural Racism
Does Gender Role Conflict Moderate the Relationship Between Lifetime Adversity and HIV Stigma in a Community Sample of HIV-Seropositive Black Men
Previous research highlights the need to better understand the complex relationships between factors marginalizing Black men who have sex with men and women (MSMW) living with HIV, including HIV stigma, trauma, and hegemonic masculinity. We examined associations between gender role conflict (GRC), trauma, and HIV stigma in Black MSMW living with HIV. 117 participants completed the UCLA Life Adversities Screener (LADS), measures of GRC, and HIV st…
Pre-displacement stressors, psychological morbidity, and PTSD symptoms among displaced women by Boko-Haram in North-East Nigeria
We utilised a cross-sectional survey design to examine the moderating roles of dimensional psychological capital (PsyCap) and pre-displacement stressors on the relationship between psychological morbidity and severity of PTSD symptoms among internally displaced (IDP) women from terrorist activity. Participants were 631 IDP women (mean age = 31.18 years, SD = 8.59 years) displaced by Boko Haram insurgents in North-East Nigeria. Structural equation…
Effectiveness of an HIV-risk reduction intervention to reduce HIV transmission among serodiscordant couples in Durban, South Africa. A randomized controlled trial
Lack of condom use by married or cohabiting couples in populations with high rates of HIV infection has become a significant public health issue. This study investigated whether an HIV risk-reduction intervention (RRI) would increase condom use when delivered to serodiscordant couples as a unit. Of the 62 couples that were screened, 30 serodiscordant couples were enrolled in the study, and randomized 2:1 to an immediate intervention-waitlist cont…
Mental health ramifications of the Covid-19 pandemic for Black Americans
Mental health clinicians and researchers must be prepared to address the unique needs of Black Americans who have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Race-conscious and culturally competent interventions that consider factors such as discrimination, distrust of health care providers, and historical and racial trauma as well as protective factors including social support and culturally sanctioned coping strategies are needed…
It Had a Lot of Cultural Stuff in It”
Couples at risk for HIV transmission benefit from strengthening skills and knowledge related to healthy sexuality. A behavioral intervention that aligns with cultural values and imparts culturally congruent sexual health information appeals to couples who seek ways to enhance their intimacy and sexual options while also reducing risk
Barriers to Testing for Sexually Transmitted Infections among HIV-Serodiscordant Couples
It is often women who are the gatekeepers for health seeking in families and the same may be for these couples. Experiences of discrimination may impede STI testing, and heighten several health risks, particularly among HIV-positive African American women in HIV-serodiscordant relationships. Addressing the impact of discrimination experiences may be important for STI prevention and treatment efforts in interventions promoting health care utilizat…
Racial/ethnic discrimination
500). Factor analyses revealed 4 dimensions: Social Rejection, Stereotyping, Direct Threats/Attacks, and Police Mistreatment. In multivariate analyses, full regression models were significantly related to PTS and depression symptoms. Among the individual predictors, Social Rejection and ethnicity (Latinx) uniquely contributed to PTS symptoms in men, whereas Stereotyping and Direct Threat/Attack were associated with PTS symptoms for women. In rega…
A hybrid effectiveness/implementation trial of an evidence-based intervention for HIV-serodiscordant African American couples
Couples-based behavioral HIV prevention interventions have demonstrated efficacy, but few are routinely available in community-based settings in the United States. The Eban intervention, designed for heterosexual African American serodiscordant couples and proven efficacious in a cluster randomized trial, was implemented in community-based HIV service organizations in two cities disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic. This article report…
A Cost and Cost–Threshold Analysis of Implementation of an Evidence-Based Intervention for HIV-Serodiscordant Couples
Mentoring the mentors of students from diverse backgrounds for research
This article defines and discusses 6 beliefs, attitudes, and practices that can erode or undermine self-esteem and self confidence in student-scholars from underrepresented and marginalized groups in academic settings. Specifically, the beliefs and practices are reactions to implicit bias, color blindness, imposter syndrome, internalized racism, stereotype threat, and code-switching. Mentors need to know how to discuss these reactions because the…
Establishing the foundation
This issue is a call for more culturally congruent mentorship training, support, and research on the effectiveness of mentoring strategies. The role of mentoring is fundamental to professional growth and success. Importantly, one size does not fit all. A repertoire of mentoring strategies and formats is necessary to include the talent, skills, and contributions of the next generation of diverse researchers in public health and biomedical sciences…
Mentoring the next generation of behavioral health scientists to promote health equity
Health inequities and disparities among various racial/ethnic minority, sexual minority, and rural populations are the focus of increasing national efforts. Three health problems disproportionately affecting these populations-HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, and trauma-deserve particular attention because of their harmful effects on health across the life span. To address these problems, our training program, the UCLA HIV/AIDS, Substance Abuse, and Tra…
Mozambican immigrants to South Africa
We explored Mozambican immigrants’ lived experiences of xenophobia and discrimination in South Africa. Informants were 15 Mozambican immigrants (female = 7, male = 8) living in an informal settlement in Zandspruit, Gauteng Province. They completed open-ended written narratives on xenophobic and discriminatory experiences. Following thematic analysis, we identified three themes to characterise the Mozambican immigrants’ experiences of xenophobia a…
Predictors of somatic symptom severity
Exposure to traumatic and adverse events (the LADS) was associated with somatic symptom severity. Furthermore, although PTSS and depressive symptoms partially accounted for the association between the LADS and somatic symptoms, the LADS remained significant, suggesting that both exposure to trauma and adversity and the resultant development of PTSS and depressive symptoms influence the development of somatic symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record
A longitudinal study of the aftermath of rape among rural South African women
These findings demonstrate the need for interventions that address the most pervasive effects of rape over time. These behaviors can increase risks for revictimization and reduce psychological well-being in the aftermath of rape. (PsycINFO Database Record
Trauma and mental health in South Africa
Provides an introduction to this special edition of Psychological Trauma. The papers included in this special section focus on aspects of trauma and the effects of trauma in a cultural context that pertains to the way of life in South Africa. These articles highlight the complexities of the effects of trauma and call for tailored interventions to address the lasting effects on health and mental health. (PsycINFO Database Record
Burnout, compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction among nurses in the context of maternal and perinatal deaths
This study investigated the prevalence and levels of burnout, compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction among nurses with exposure to maternal and perinatal deaths. A convenience sample of 83 nurses was selected for participation from six hospitals in Limpopo province, South Africa, comprising 98% females with an age range of 21 to 62 years, and 15 to 18 mean years of experience in maternal and perinatal care. The nurses completed the Profes…
Targeting the Sava (Substance Abuse, Violence, and Aids) Syndemic Among Women and Girls
OBJECTIVES: Multiple pathways link gender-based violence (GBV) to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections among women and girls who use or inject drugs. The aim of this article is to synthesize global literature that examines associations among the synergistic epidemics of substance abuse, violence, and HIV/AIDS, known as the SAVA syndemic. It also aims to identify a continuum of multilevel integrated interventions that target key SAVA synd…
Does a History of Trauma Contribute to HIV Risk for Women of Color? Implications for Prevention and Policy
Objectives. We investigated history of abuse and other HIV-related risk factors in a community sample of 490 HIV-positive and HIV-negative African American, European American, and Latina women. Methods. Baseline interviews were analyzed, and logistic regressions were used to identify predictors of risk for positive HIV serostatus overall and by racial/ethnic group. Results. Race/ethnicity was not an independent predictor of HIV-related risk, and …
Psychosocial issues among gay- and non-gay-identifying HIV-seropositive African American and Latino MSM
This qualitative study examined sociocultural and behavioral factors including sexual health, sexual identity, and sexual risk among HIV-seropositive African American and Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) who also have a history of sexual abuse. Twenty-three men participated in 4 focus groups, responding to conceptually organized questions regarding the relationship between histories of violence and sexual and drug-related HIV risk behaviors…
The Sociocultural Context of African American and White American Women's Rape
This paper examines historical factors related to African American women's rape and their disclosure patterns. It compares similarities and differences in incidents of attempted or completed rape in a community sample of 55 African American and White women. The possibility that African American women may not perceive themselves as rape victims or their experiences as meeting the criteria of “real rape” has implications for the disclosure of incid…
Child Sexual Abuse
As we move into the 21st century, information about sex is widespread and more accessible to the general public than ever before. This interest in sex also increases the focus on symptoms and patterns associated with sexual problems. However, the etiology of sexual dysfunction is multifaceted and poorly understood. One factor that has received growing attention is the role that early sexual abuse plays in sexual development and later sexual funct…
The Effects of Childhood Sexual Messages on African-American and White Women's Adolescent Sexual Behavior
To clarify the relationship between sexual communication and sexual behavior, multiple components of sexual messages recalled from childhood were examined in a community sample of 248 African-American and White women. Respondents were matched on a predesignated set of demographic variables and were interviewed using the Wyatt Sexual History Questionnaire. We anticipated that women's recollections of messages from parents and television would diff…
Factors Affecting HIV Contraceptive Decision-Making Among Women
Enhancing Cultural and Contextual Intervention Strategies to Reduce HIV/Aids Among African Americans
I describe 4 protective strategies that African Americans employ that may challenge current HIV prevention efforts: (1) an adaptive duality that protects identity, (2) personal control influenced by external factors, (3) long-established indirect communication patterns, and (4) a mistrust of “outsiders.” I propose the Sexual Health Model as a conceptual framework for HIV prevention interventions because it incorporates established adaptive coping…
Examining Patterns of Vulnerability to Domestic Violence Among African American Women
The study discussed in this article explored the relationship between child abuse and neglect, other traumatic events, background variables, and HIV status as they relate to the continuum of conflict in adulthood, specifically verbal conflict and physical abuse that can increase women's risk for domestic violence. The sample included 135 African American women, ages 19 to 61, of mixed HIV serostatus. Almost half of the women reported both physica…
Internal and External Mediators of Women's Rape Experiences
Internal and external factors are examined as mediational processes and/or coping strategies that link four aspects of women's rape experiences to the initial and lasting effects on their post-rape adjustment, attitude toward sex and intimacy, and lifestyle changes to prevent future assaults. Data are from a multiethnic community sample of 55 women who had been victims of rape or attempted rape. A measured or observed variable simultaneous path a…
The aftermath of child sexual abuse of African American and white American women
The Prevalence and Circumstances of Child Sexual Abuse among Latina Women
This study examined the prevalence and circumstances of child sexual abuse in a community sample of Latina women, 18 to 50 years of age. Chi-square tests of independence and t -test procedures were used to assess the prevalence, characteristics of the victim, assault, perpetrator, disclosure, and long-term effects. One in three Latina women reported incidents of sexual abuse, regardless of acculturation or citizenship status. More than one third …
Reexamining factors predicting Afro-American and white American women's age at first coitus
A Sexual Risk and Stress Reduction Intervention Designed for HIV-Positive Bisexual African American Men With Childhood Sexual Abuse Histories
Objectives. HIV transmission risk is high among men who have sex with men and women (MSMW), and it is further heightened by a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and current traumatic stress or depression. Yet, traumatic stress is rarely addressed in HIV interventions. We tested a stress-focused sexual risk reduction intervention for African American MSMW with CSA histories. Methods. This randomized controlled trial compared a stress-focused …
Risk Reduction for HIV-Positive African American and Latino Men with Histories of Childhood Sexual Abuse
Child Sexual Abuse and its Effects on Sexual Functioning
Kinsey revisited, part II
Reconceptualizing Issues That Affect Women's Sexual Decision-Making And Sexual Functioning
This paper addresses five existing societal myths and their underlying faulty assumptions about women's sexuality. The following myths are examined: (a) women possess adequate sexual knowledge to understand their sexual needs, (b) they know how to communicate about sex, (c) they engage in sex because they want to do so, (d) if they are sexually active, they enjoy sex, and (e) they use their knowledge of sex to protect themselves from sexually tra…
On the Outside Looking In
People of color are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS, yet African American HIV/AIDS researchers are in short supply. Complex historical, structural, sociocultural, and personal barriers can prevent African Americans from becoming well-trained biomedical, behavioral, and social HIV/AIDS researchers. Institutional factors that influence the numbers of African Americans conducting HIV/AIDS research include the limitation of early-career decis…
Examining Patterns of Vulnerability to Domestic Violence Among African American Women
Stolen women
REDEFINING OUR IMAGE. Stolen Women: Surviving Our History. The Price We Pay: Captive to the Stereotypes. UNDERSTANDING OUR SEXUALITY. Doctor-Nurse: The Role of Childhood Sex Play. Childhood Messages: Gaining Permission to Have Sexual Knowledge. Our Adolescent Development: Learning to Be a Lady. Ready or Not: Learning to Control Our Bodies. Becoming Women: The Role of Relationships in Our Adult Sexuality. Giving Our Love: Surviving Our Choices. TA…
Kinsey revisited, part I
The gynecological, reproductive, and sexual health of HIV-positive women
Correlates of First Intercourse Among Women in Jamaica
African American women's sexual satisfaction as a dimension of their sex roles
A hybrid effectiveness/implementation trial of an evidence-based intervention for HIV-serodiscordant African American couples
Couples-based behavioral HIV prevention interventions have demonstrated efficacy, but few are routinely available in community-based settings in the United States. The Eban intervention, designed for heterosexual African American serodiscordant couples and proven efficacious in a cluster randomized trial, was implemented in community-based HIV service organizations in two cities disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic. This article report…
A discussion of variables within medical centers which influence community involvement
This paper proposes that prior to developing community mental health programs in established medical centers it would be beneficial to examine the institution in which the programs must exist. Four variables which were found to be of particular importance are discussed with an emphasis placed on viewing each variable in its historical perspective. Two large medical complexes in the Los Angeles metropolitan area are compared on each of the four va…
The readjustment of black, high-risk adolescents to the community
This paper discusses three issues from a follow-up descriptive study of the referral of 22 black, ”︁high-riskl”︁ adolescents for psychiatric hospitalization, and their readjustment to the community. The first issue concerns the effects of labeling upon the adolescent's readjustment. We found differences between those labeled mentally retarded and those labeled as underachievers in their readjustment to the community. Second, several variables wer…
Ethnic minorities and tenure
Ethnic minorities and tenure
Parents' and medical student therapists' perceptions of child mental health services
The Afro-American Family
The sexual abuse of Afro-American and White-American women in childhood
Kinsey revisited, part I
Kinsey revisited, part II
Reexamining factors predicting Afro-American and white American women's age at first coitus
The aftermath of child sexual abuse of African American and white American women
Internal and External Mediators of Women's Rape Experiences
Internal and external factors are examined as mediational processes and/or coping strategies that link four aspects of women's rape experiences to the initial and lasting effects on their post-rape adjustment, attitude toward sex and intimacy, and lifestyle changes to prevent future assaults. Data are from a multiethnic community sample of 55 women who had been victims of rape or attempted rape. A measured or observed variable simultaneous path a…
African American women's sexual satisfaction as a dimension of their sex roles
Psychological Responses after Abortion
A review of methodologically sound studies of the psychological\nresponses of U.S. women after they obtained legal, nonrestrictive abortions\nindicates that distress is generally greatest before the abortion and that the\nincidence of severe negative responses is low. Factors associated with\nincreased risk of negative response are consistent with those reported in\nresearch on other stressful life events
Child Sexual Abuse and its Effects on Sexual Functioning
Examining predictors of sex guilt in multiethnic samples of women
Differential effects of women's child sexual abuse and subsequent sexual revictimization.
Psychological factors in abortion
The Sociocultural Context of African American and White American Women's Rape
This paper examines historical factors related to African American women's rape and their disclosure patterns. It compares similarities and differences in incidents of attempted or completed rape in a community sample of 55 African American and White women. The possibility that African American women may not perceive themselves as rape victims or their experiences as meeting the criteria of “real rape” has implications for the disclosure of incid…
Addressing psychology's problem with race
Sociocultural and Epidemiological Issues in the Assessment of Domestic Violence
This paper presents alternative models for the integration of multicultural issues in research on domestic violence. Issues are discussed that illustrate ethnic specific strengths, concerns; and weaknesses of ethnic families and communities. These issues need to be incorporated in future research that more thoroughly examines ethnic and cultural issues in violence research. Alternative strategies for future research are also suggested which call …
The sociocultural relevance of sex research
This article discusses six factors influencing research on sex and reproductive health: (a) the selection of grouping variables on the basis of race; (b) conceptual frameworks to examine sexual risk taking; (c) use of recreational rather than procreation-based models of sex; (d) research designed to control rather than to understand sexual behaviors; (e) use of a dominant, male perspective; and (f) the focus on women to minimize sexual risk takin…
The sociocultural relevance of sex research
The Effects of Childhood Sexual Messages on African-American and White Women's Adolescent Sexual Behavior
To clarify the relationship between sexual communication and sexual behavior, multiple components of sexual messages recalled from childhood were examined in a community sample of 248 African-American and White women. Respondents were matched on a predesignated set of demographic variables and were interviewed using the Wyatt Sexual History Questionnaire. We anticipated that women's recollections of messages from parents and television would diff…
Reconceptualizing Issues That Affect Women's Sexual Decision-Making And Sexual Functioning
This paper addresses five existing societal myths and their underlying faulty assumptions about women's sexuality. The following myths are examined: (a) women possess adequate sexual knowledge to understand their sexual needs, (b) they know how to communicate about sex, (c) they engage in sex because they want to do so, (d) if they are sexually active, they enjoy sex, and (e) they use their knowledge of sex to protect themselves from sexually tra…
Psychology (76 works) · Medicine (66 works) · Psychiatry (40 works) · Clinical Psychology (37 works) · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (36 works) · Sociology (34 works) · Social Psychology (33 works) · Clinical Psychology (32 works) · Ethnic group (27 works) · Poison control (26 works)