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Associations Between Religiosity And Perinatal Anxiety Symptoms Among Women Of Mexican Descent, Kayla M. Osman, Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo, Kimberly D'Anna-Hernandez

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Over half of pregnant women experience anxiety symptoms, however perinatal mental health disparities exist. Women of Mexican descent exhibit higher levels of anxiety symptoms which may be linked to sociocultural stressors. However, little is known about culturally relevant factors that may protect against anxiety in this fast-growing population, such as religiosity, an important facet of Mexican culture.

Methods

Pregnant women of Mexican descent (n = 197) were recruited from a local community clinic and followed into the postpartum period. Women completed surveys assessing religiosity, acculturation, acculturative stress, and anxiety symptoms.

Results

Higher levels of religiosity were associated …

Neural Impact Of Neighborhood Socioeconomic Disadvantage In Traumatically Injured Adults, E. Kate Webb, Carissa N. Weis, Ashley A. Huggins, Jacklynn M. Fitzgerald, Kenneth P. Bennett, Claire Maria Bird, Elizabeth A. Parisi, Maddy Kallenbach, Tara A. Miskovich, Terri A Deroon-Cassini, Christine L. Larson

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Nearly 14 percent of Americans live in a socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhood. Lower individual socioeconomic position (iSEP) has been linked to increased exposure to trauma and stress, as well as to alterations in brain structure and function; however, the neural effects of neighborhood SEP (nSEP) factors, such as neighborhood disadvantage, are unclear. Using a multi-modal approach with participants who recently experienced a traumatic injury (N = 185), we investigated the impact of neighborhood disadvantage, acute post-traumatic stress symptoms, and iSEP on brain structure and functional connectivity at rest. After controlling for iSEP, demographic variables, and acute PTSD symptoms, nSEP was …

Teachers’ Impact On Psychosocial Treatment For Latinx Youth With Adhd, Margaret Grace, Theresa Lauer Kapke, Alyson C. Gerdes

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

This study examined the impact of teacher engagement in a psychosocial treatment for Latinx youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Results revealed that teachers were equally engaged in treatment regardless of the source of the referral to treatment, indicating that teachers were motivated to work with students and families. Additionally, results indicated that referral source and teacher engagement in treatment were related to treatment outcomes. These findings indicate that higher-quality teacher intervention implementation is related to enhanced child and parent treatment outcomes in a Latinx sample. Results additionally revealed significant relationships among parental acculturation and treatment outcomes. Clinical implications are discussed.

Racial Discrimination Is Associated With Acute Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms And Predicts Future Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Severity In Trauma-Exposed Black Adults In The United States, Claire M. Bird, E. Kate Webb, Andrew T. Schramm, Lucas Torres, Christine L. Larson, Terri A. Deroon-Cassini

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

In the United States, Black residents exposed to a traumatic event are at an increased risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and experiencing more severe symptoms compared to their non‐Hispanic White counterparts. Although previous work has suggested a link between racial discrimination and PTSD symptoms, no studies have assessed this association in a sample of traumatic injury survivors. The current study investigated whether (a) past racial discrimination was associated with acute posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and (b) discrimination prospectively contributed to the prediction of future PTSD symptoms. African American and/or Black patients (N = 113) were recruited from an …

The Role Of Hostile And Benevolent Sexism On Women's Career Aspirations And Self-Doubt In Masculine And Feminine Majors, Mary Tait

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Women experience hostile sexism and benevolent sexism in various aspects of their lives and the effects of these experiences have been shown to greatly affect their performance in career-related domains. Researchers have posited that this reduction in performance is related to self-doubt (Dardenne et al., 2007; Kuchynka et al., 2018) which can affect women’s careers long-term. However, the effects of self-doubt on women’s careers may vary depending on the stereotyped context of the environment. The current study examined if the relationship between experiences with sexism and career aspirations is mediated by self-doubt. Further, it was examined if the relationships changed …

Role Of Cortisol In The Development Of Post-Traumatic Stress And Dysphoria, Devi Jayan

Dissertations (1934 -)

Exposure to a traumatic event is a significant predictor for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Identification of specific risk factors for PTSD and depression after trauma exposure has been challenging due to comorbid and heterogeneous presentations of these conditions. Pre-existing research demonstrates reduced cortisol response (hypocortisolism) in chronic PTSD and an exaggerated cortisol response (hypercortisolism) in depression. The current longitudinal study examined cortisol response following a traumatic injury as a potential biomarker for deciphering specific risk for PTSD, depression, and PTSD depression comorbidity. Saliva samples for cortisol assay (post-injury cortisol) were collected from 172 trauma survivors …

Intimate Partner Violence And Parenting: A Qualitative Study With Immigrant Latinas, Karina Tobon Loyo

Dissertations (1934 -)

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is widespread among women, including those that are mothers (Austin et al., 2017). The impact of experiencing IPV is considered a significant health problem for women and their children (Amerson et al., 2014). The deleterious effects of IPV on parenting have been documented, including less effective parenting, engagement, communication and greater harsh discipline and neglect (Chiesa et al., 2018). Despite being the second fastestgrowing ethnoracial group, IPV research on Latinas specifically has been sparse and represents a critical public health concern that requires empirical attention (Paat et al., 2017). Immigrant Latinas may be particularly vulnerable due …

Acute White Matter Integrity Post-Trauma And Prospective Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms, Carissa N. Weis, Ashley A. Huggins, Tara A. Miskovich, Jacklynn M. Fitzgerald, Kenneth P. Bennett, Jessica L. Krukowski, E. Kate Webb, Terri A Deroon-Cassini, Christine L. Larson

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Background: Little is known about what distinguishes those who are resilient after trauma from those at risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Previous work indicates white matter integrity may be a useful biomarker in predicting PTSD. Research has shown changes in the integrity of three white matter tracts—the cingulum bundle, corpus callosum (CC), and uncinate fasciculus (UNC)—in the aftermath of trauma relate to PTSD symptoms. However, few have examined the predictive utility of white matter integrity in the acute aftermath of trauma to predict prospective PTSD symptom severity in a mixed traumatic injury sample.

Method: Thus, the current study …

Stability Of Hippocampal Subfield Volumes After Trauma And Relationship To Development Of Ptsd Symptoms, C. N. Weis, E. Kate Webb, Ashley A. Huggins, Maddy Kallenbach, Tara A. Miskovich, Jacklynn M. Fitzgerald, Kenneth P. Bennett, Jessica L. Krukowski, Terri A Deroon-Cassini, Christine L. Larson

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Background

The hippocampus plays a central role in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) pathogenesis, and the majority of neuroimaging research on PTSD has studied the hippocampus in its entirety. Although extensive literature demonstrates changes in hippocampal volume are associated with PTSD, fewer studies have probed the relationship between symptoms and the hippocampus’ functionally and structurally distinct subfields. We utilized data from a longitudinal study examining post-trauma outcomes to determine whether hippocampal subfield volumes change post-trauma and whether specific subfields are significantly associated with, or prospectively related to, PTSD symptom severity. As a secondary aim, we leveraged our unique study design sample …

Remote Teaching Of Publication-Quality, Single-Case Graphs In Microsoft Excel, Robert K. Lehardy, Kevin C. Luczynski, Stephanie Hood, Ciobha A. Mckeown

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Microsoft Excel is ubiquitous, cost-effective, and can be used to create publication-quality single-case design graphs. We systematically replicated the GraphPad Prism video tutorial by Mitteer et al. (2018) to teach 24 master's students to create multiple-baseline graphs using Excel 2016. Students' mean accuracy on the multiple-baseline graph was 25% in pretraining, 86% with the video tutorial, and 96% with the review checklist. Next, students used the same video tutorial to create multielement and reversal graphs. Students' mean accuracy on the multielement graph was 93% with video tutorial and 94% with review checklist, and accuracy on the reversal graph was 82% …

Descriptive Assessment Of Conversational Skills: Towards Benchmarks For Young Adults With Social Deficits, Stephanie Hood, Britany M. Beauchesne, Tara A. Fahmie, Alexandra Go

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Descriptive assessments are necessary to identify social norms and establish a foundation for experimental analysis. Much of the social skills intervention literature involves goals that have been selected through interviews and direct observation of behavior without a reference to desired outcomes. The purpose of the current study was to extend research on descriptive assessments of conversations by including additional measures and examining conversational behavior across contexts. We conducted a descriptive assessment of social skills exhibited by 16 neurotypical young adults. Participants had 10-min conversations in groups and 1-on-1 with friends and novel individuals. We then assessed variability within and across …

Recommendations For Clinical Practice, Research, And Policy To Address The Effects Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Anxiety Symptoms In Immigrant And U.S.-Born Latina Mothers, Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo, Kimberly D'Anna-Hernandez, Amy L. Non

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Building Empathy Toward Community And Reducing Bias In A Chicago Police Sample: A Case For Perspective Taking And Reappraisal Within Virtual Reality, Sydney Timmer-Murillo

Dissertations (1934 -)

At the societal level, there is significant concern regarding police brutality towards Black individuals. Much of the research proposes implicit racial bias as a potential cause, yet, Intergroup Emotion Theory (IET) suggests that outgroup emotion and threat perception could also play a role. Interventions using perspective taking and counterstereotypical information often have a positive effect on implicit bias in predominantly undergraduate samples. The current study used perspective taking and counterstereotypical methods, incorporated with IET, to determine the ways emotion regulation promoted changes in empathy and implicit bias within a police sample. We examined the effects of a newly developed VR …

Developing And Testing A Brief Alcohol Intervention For Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, And Queer Populations, Lucas Anthony Mirabito

Dissertations (1934 -)

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people are disproportionately affected by alcohol and substance use disorders (SUDs). Meyer (2003) and Hatzenbuehler (2009) extended minority stress theory to lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations and introduced stressors unique to these identities to explain general mental health disparities. However, no cohesive theory has emerged to explain the specific pathways that lead to alcohol use disorders (rather than internalizing syndromes such as anxiety and depression). This study, drawing on research published since Meyer (2003), preventative intervention research, motivational interviewing based interventions (MIBIs), and existing LGBTQ-tailored interventions fills this research gap and proposes a model …

Building Empathy Toward Community And Reducing Bias In A Chicago Police Sample: A Case For Perspective Taking And Reappraisal Within Virtual Reality, Sydney Timmer-Murillo

Dissertations (1934 -)

At the societal level, there is significant concern regarding police brutality towards Black individuals. Much of the research proposes implicit racial bias as a potential cause, yet, Intergroup Emotion Theory (IET) suggests that outgroup emotion and threat perception could also play a role. Interventions using perspective taking and counterstereotypical information often have a positive effect on implicit bias in predominantly undergraduate samples. The current study used perspective taking and counterstereotypical methods, incorporated with IET, to determine the ways emotion regulation promoted changes in empathy and implicit bias within a police sample. We examined the effects of a newly developed VR …

The Process Of Healing From Opioid Addiction, James Edward Mcdonald

Dissertations (1934 -)

In the last several years, rates and concern about opioid addiction in the US have intensified. It is estimated that more than 130 people die every day from opioid-related drug overdoses (National Center for Health Statistics, 2017). Although there is increased attention on the lethal potential of opioid addiction, narratives about healing from opioid addiction are absent. The purpose of this study was to develop a biopsychosocial understanding of how people heal, not only maintain abstinence, from opioid addiction. Results show four overall phases of healing (i.e., Inactive Healing, Early Active Healing, Middle Active Healing, and Late Active Healing), four …

Reflective Functioning In Caregivers: Links To Adverse Childhood Experiences And Emotion Socialization Behaviors, Kristen Anne Yule

Dissertations (1934 -)

Caregivers with a childhood history of abuse and neglect are at a greater risk for the intergenerational transmission of maltreatment due to the reenactment of maladaptive caregiving behaviors learned from their caregivers. Some parents, however, are able to make sense of their childhood experiences and break this cycle by establishing secure and supportive relationships with their children. Theory and research suggest that reflective functioning (RF), the ability to understand and interpret one’s own and others’ behavior as an expression of thoughts, feelings, and intentions, offers a framework to understand how early experiences with caregivers play a role in the intergenerational …

Kicking In Diabetes Support (Kids) Intervention Effects: Parent Reports Of Diabetes Management, Jessica C. Kichler, Astrida S. Kaugars

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Objectives: The Kicking In Diabetes Support (KIDS) Project is a semistructured multifamily group therapy (MGT) intervention for adolescents who have type 1 diabetes (T1D) and their parents, which incorporates both peer support and family systems processes to improve diabetes management skills. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the clinical utility of this intervention by examining parent perspectives and health-related outcomes. Methods: Adolescents and their parents participated in the 8-session (6 core sessions and 2 booster follow-up sessions at 2 and 4 months) intervention in 1 of 8 waves of the group administration over a four-year period. Parents …

Circulating Endocannabinoids And Prospective Risk For Depression In Trauma-Injury Survivors, Jacklynn M. Fitzgerald, Samantha Chesney, Tara Sander Lee, Karen J. Brasel, Christine L. Larson, Cecilia J. Hillard, Terri A Deroon-Cassini

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Biological mechanisms associated with response to trauma may impact risk for depression. One such mechanism is endocannabinoid signaling (eCB), a neuromodulatory system comprised of the CB1 subtype of cannabinoid receptors (CB1R), encoded by the CNR1 gene, and two primary endogenous ligands: 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and N-arachidonylethanolamine (AEA), hydrolyzed by monoacylglycerol lipase (gene name MGLL) and fatty acid amide hydrolase (gene name FAAH). Preclinical data suggest that eCB/CB1R signaling acts as a stress buffer and its loss or suppression increases depression-like behaviors. We examined circulating concentrations of the eCBs (2-AG and AEA) days and six months after a traumatic injury …

Identifying Subtypes Of Trichotillomania (Hair Pulling Disorder) And Excoriation (Skin Picking) Disorder Using Mixture Modeling In A Multicenter Sample, Jon E. Grant, Tara S. Peris, Emily J. Ricketts, Christine Lochner, Dan J. Stein, Jan Stochl, Samuel R. Chamberlain, Jeremiah M. Scharf, Darin D. Dougherty, Douglas W. Woods, John Piacentini, Nancy Keuthen

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Body-focused repetitive behavior disorders (BFRBs) include Trichotillomania (TTM; Hair pulling disorder) and Excoriation (Skin Picking) Disorder (SPD). These conditions are prevalent, highly heterogeneous, under-researched, and under-treated. In order for progress to be made in optimally classifying and treating these conditions, it is necessary to identify meaningful subtypes. 279 adults (100 with TTM, 81 with SPD, 40 with both TTM and SPD, and 58 controls) were recruited for an international, multi-center between-group comparison using mixture modeling, with stringent correction for multiple comparisons. The main outcome measure was to examine distinct subtypes (aka latent classes) across all study participants using item-level data …

Five-Year Change In Body Mass Index Predicts Conversion To Mild Cognitive Impairment Or Dementia Only In Apoe Ɛ4 Allele Carriers, Kylie R. Kadey, John L. Woodard, Allison C. Moll, Kristy A. Nielson, J. Carson Smith, Sally Durgerian, Stephen M. Rao

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Background:

Body mass index (BMI) has been identified as an important modifiable lifestyle risk factor for dementia, but less is known about how BMI might interact with Apolipoprotein E ɛ4 (APOE ɛ4) carrier status to predict conversion to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction between APOE ɛ4 status and baseline (_bBMI) and five-year BMI change (ΔBMI) on conversion to MCI or dementia in initially cognitively healthy older adults.

Methods:

The associations between _bBMI, ΔBMI, APOE ɛ4 status, and conversion to MCI or …

Exercise Training-Related Changes In Cortical Gray Matter Diffusivity And Cognitive Function In Mild Cognitive Impairment And Healthy Older Adults, Daniel D. Callow, Junyeon Won, Gabriel S. Pena, Leslie S. Jordan, Naomi A. Arnold-Nedimala, Yash Kommula, Kristy A. Nielson, J. Carson Smith

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) are at an elevated risk of dementia and exhibit deficits in cognition and cortical gray matter (GM) volume, thickness, and microstructure. Meanwhile, exercise training appears to preserve brain function and macrostructure may help delay or prevent the onset of dementia in individuals with MCI. Yet, our understanding of the neurophysiological effects of exercise training in individuals with MCI remains limited. Recent work suggests that the measures of gray matter microstructure using diffusion imaging may be sensitive to early cognitive and neurophysiological changes in the aging brain. Therefore, this study is aimed to determine the …

Response Inhibition-Related Beta Power: Distinguishing Cognitively Intact Elders By Risk For Alzheimer’S Disease, Sarah Amelia Evans

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Current neuropsychological research demonstrates an association between the Apolipoprotein-E 4 allele (APOE 4) and poorer cognitive outcomes in older adults. However, there is a general lack of consensus regarding the effect the 4 allele has on executive functioning in cognitively intact older adults, and there is even less study of the effects the 4 allele has on specific executive function processes, such as response inhibition. While behavioral task performance may lack the sensitivity to detect subtle differences in cognitively intact, at-risk individuals, neural activity may better differentiate between individuals who are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Compensatory theories …

Having No Words For Feelings: Alexithymia As A Fundamental Personality Dimension At The Interface Of Cognition And Emotion, Olivier Luminet, Kristy A. Nielson, Nathan Ridout

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

This special issue brings together two important reviews and seven cutting-edge empirical papers concerning the influence of alexithymia on cognitive and emotional processing. Alexithymia is a multifaceted construct that is characterised by difficulties identifying one’s feelings; difficulties describing one’s feelings to others; and an externally focused, utilitarian cognitive style. In this paper, we begin by considering how emotion science has evolved in its understanding of personality traits, before highlighting the potential importance of alexithymia research for the field of cognition and emotion. After summarising the historical context of alexithymia research, we consider the contributions of the featured papers to the …

Event-Related Potentials, Inhibition, And Risk For Alzheimer’S Disease Among Cognitively Intact Elders, Kathleen Hazlett Elverman, Elizabeth Rose Paitel, Christina Marie Figueroa, Ryan J. Mckindles, Kristy A. Nielson

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Background:

Despite advances in understanding Alzheimer’s disease (AD), prediction of AD prior to symptom onset remains severely limited, even when primary risk factors such as the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ɛ4 allele are known.

Objective:

Although executive dysfunction is highly prevalent and is a primary contributor to loss of independence in those with AD, few studies have examined neural differences underlying executive functioning as indicators of risk for AD prior to symptom onset, when intervention might be effective.

Methods:

This study examined event-related potential (ERP) differences during inhibitory control in 44 cognitively intact older adults (20 ɛ4+, 24 ɛ4-), …

The Role Of Community Involvement In Ethnic Discrimination And Depression Symptoms Among Ethnic Minority College Students, Jaclyn Pachicano

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Over the past two decades, there has been an increase in racial and ethnic minorities attending college (Davis & Fry, 2019). Unfortunately, racial and ethnic minority students are at higher risk for depression symptoms and are less likely to seek out services to address these symptoms (Hope et al., 2018). A possible contributing factor to elevated depression symptoms in this population is exposure to racial and ethnic discrimination, which has repeatedly been linked to increased depression symptoms (Araújo & Borrell, 2006; Chou et al., 2012). Previous literature suggests that community involvement may serve as a buffer or a pathway for …

Ecological Momentary Assessment Of Anxiety, Daily Stress, And Daily Glycemic Control In Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes, Natalie Benjamin

Dissertations (1934 -)

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an increasingly common chronic illness in children and adolescents that can result in short- and long-term health complications. Adolescents with T1D represent a uniquely vulnerable population, as both physical and psychological disease outcomes tend to deteriorate during this period of development. Thus, among adolescents it is crucial to gain further understanding of what psychological and contextual factors promote optimal disease management. While traditional methods of assessment in this population involve one-time, long-term measurements of psychosocial factors and glycemic control, ecological momentary assessment (EMA), including daily diaries, are increasingly used to capture change processes both between …

Sacrifice And Redemption: A New Approach From Mimetic Theory, Nicholas Gregory Roumas

Dissertations (1934 -)

What is the meaning of theories of redemption, and what use do they have? This dissertation answers these questions from the vantage point of two ideas from Girardian Mimetic Theory: the hypothesis that human relationality is rooted in triangular structures of desire, and the hypothesis that the sacrificial death of Christ is what Girard calls a scapegoating event.For Girard, ritual sacrifice is a repetition of an original scapegoating event on which social cohesion depends. With the death of Christ, scapegoating has been denuded and sacrifice rendered inoperable, bringing humanity into a novel historical situation. Using Girard’s early seminal texts alongside …

Cognitive-Emotional Processing In Alexithymia: An Integrative Review, Olivier Luminet, Kristy A. Nielson, Nathan Ridout

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Alexithymia is a multifaceted personality construct characterised by difficulties identifying one’s feelings and distinguishing them from bodily sensations, difficulties describing one’s feelings to others, and an externally oriented cognitive style. Over the past 25 years, a burgeoning body of research has examined how alexithymia moderates processing at the cognition–emotion interface. We review the findings in five domains: attention, appraisals, memory, language, and behaviours. The preponderance of studies linked alexithymia with deficits in emotion processing, which was apparent across all domains, except behaviours. All studies on behaviours and a proportion of studies in other domains demonstrated emotional over-responding. Analysis at the …

Applying The Vulnerability Stress Adaptation Model Of Marriage To Couples Raising An Autistic Child: A Call For Research On Adaptive Processes, Hillary Katherine Schiltz, Amy V. Van Hecke

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Parents of children on the autism spectrum are particularly susceptible to strain in their romantic relationships due to unique risk factors. While some relationships deteriorate, however, others endure and thrive. The Vulnerability Stress Adaptation (VSA) Model of Marriage (Karney & Bradbury, 1995; Fig. 1) offers a framework to explain, not only poor marital outcomes, but also the process by which degradation of relationships occurs over time. The VSA Model posits that a combination of internal (within-person) vulnerabilities and external stressors influence relationship quality and, in turn, stability, by affecting couples' abilities to collaborate to adapt to stressors and solve problems …