Comparing The Effectiveness Of Mother-Focused Interventions To That Of Mother-Child Focused Interventions In Improving Maternal Postpartum Depression Outcomes: A Systematic Review, Divya Kumar, Waqas Hameed, Bilal Iqbal Avan

Community Health Sciences

Background: Most empirically researched interventions for postpartum depression (PPD) tend to target mothers' depression alone. Harmful effects of PPD on physical and mental health of both mother and child has led researchers to investigate the impact of interventions on PPD and child outcomes together. So far, the evidence is limited regarding how these interventions compare with those focusing only on mothers' depression. This review compares the effectiveness of PPD-improving interventions focusing only on mothers with those focusing on mother and child together.
Methods: Nine electronic databases were searched. Thirty-seven studies evaluating mother-focused (n = 30) and mother-child focused interventions (n …

Collaborative Decision Making Improves Interpersonal Psychotherapy Efficiency: A Randomized Clinical Trial With Postpartum Women, Scott Stuart, Rebecca L. Brock, Erin Ramsdell, Stephan Arndt, Michael W. O’Hara

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Background: Randomized controlled trials of Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) and other psychotherapies for depression have required strict adherence to protocol and do not allow for clinical judgment in deciding frequency of sessions. To determine if such protocols were more effective than allowing therapists to use their clinical judgment, we compared “Clinician-Managed” IPT (CM-IPT), in which clinicians and patients with postpartum depression were allotted 12 sessions and determined collaboratively when to use them, to a once weekly 12 session protocol (“Standard IPT”). We hypothesized that CM-IPT would be more efficient, requiring fewer sessions to reach an equivalent acute outcome, and that …

Social Media & Mental Health: An Examination Of Tiktok & Mental Health Outcomes, Jessica Maddox

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The goal of this research study was to examine the relationship between amount of Tiktok use and the results of various mental health scales. The hypothesis was that increased Tiktok use would be correlated with a decrease in self-esteem, and an increase in depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and overall loneliness. Participants were recruited on Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and paid a small monetary benefit in exchange for completion of the study. There were a total of 285 participants. Correlations and linear regression analysis were used to determine statistical significance; results showed no statistical significance and none of the hypotheses were …

Editorial: Resilience, Quality Of Life And Psychosocial Outcomes Of Cancer Patients And Their Caregivers, Nida Zahid, Nargis Asad, Ashraf El-Metwally

Department of Surgery

No abstract provided.

Examining The Evidence Base For Burnout, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Schonfeld

Publications and Research

Burnout has elicited growing interest among occupational health specialists in recent decades. Since 2019, the World Health Organization has characterized burnout as a syndrome resulting from chronic, unmanageable workplace stress. Accordingly, three symptoms define the entity: (i) feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; (ii) increased mental distance from one’s job or feelings of negativism or cynicism towards one’s job; and (iii) a sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment. We call into question the definition of burnout embodied in the Maslach Burnout Inventory and incorporated into the ICD-11. We draw stakeholders’ attention to the fact that burnout’s symptoms and etiology …

Examining The Evidence Base For Burnout, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

Burnout has elicited growing interest among occupational health specialists in recent decades. Since 2019, the World Health Organization has characterized burnout as a syndrome resulting from chronic, unmanageable workplace stress. According to the ICD-11, three symptoms define the entity: feelings of exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job, and a sense of ineffectiveness at work, all of which correspond to the structure of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The ICD-11 includes burnout among the factors that influence health status. This paper calls into question that conceptualization based on a number of lines of evidence. The evidence includes the following: burnout was …

Development, Line By Line: An Introspective Case Study On Narrative Identity And Development Through Poetry, Milla Miller

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Situated at the intersection of creative writing and psychology, this project analyzes the author’s adolescent poetry alongside her current work to explore psychosocial and narrative identity development. Specifically, the work contrasts poems written about developmental stages in process with those written in reflection of previous stages in order to reveal how the understanding of self evolves. In addition to the complexities revealed by these temporal differences, structural elements unique to the poems provide further levels of understanding: choice of form and figurative dexterity show cognitive and narrative advancement; themes reveal psychosocial conflicts; and repetition across a poetic lifespan identifies the …

Mixed Method Approach Towards The Life Of University Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Raihan Khan, Andrew White, Tony Jehi

Department of Health Sciences - Faculty Scholarship

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the higher education system. This mixed-methods study aimed to assess COVID-19 fear, anxiety, and stress among Shenandoah Valley college students.

Methods

An online survey was fielded and completed by n=680 students. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 students.

Results

The mean participant age was 22.14±5.48 years, and primarily White (81.9%), women (80.4%), and undergraduate (78.0%) students. Approximately 41% were enrolled in health-related majors (41.4%). Women students had significantly higher anxiety, depression, and fear of contracting COVID-19 than men. Undergraduate students had significantly higher depression than graduate students. Qualitative analysis revealed several major themes: …

Lgbtq+ Identity-Related Abuse During Childhood And Associations With Depression And Suicide Behavior: Role Of Adulthood Cisheterosexism And Expressive Suppression, Ruby Charak, Ines Cano-Gonzalez, Roman Ronzon-Tirado, Rachel M. Schmitz, Jennifer Tabler, Sidsel Karsberg, Ayleen Flores, Julian D. Ford

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Exposure to minority stressors specific to LGBTQ+ individuals, such as heterosexism and cissexism (or cisheterosexism) is not covered under the traditional adverse childhood experiences framework. This is important because childhood identity-related abuse by a parent/caregiver can lead to mental health challenges in later life through the adoption of maladaptive coping mechanisms.

Objective: The present study aimed to examine the role of cisheterosexism and expressive suppression as serial mediators in the associations between identity-related abuse and depressive symptoms and suicide behavior.

Participants and setting: Participants included 563 LGBTQ+ identifying adults between 18 and 64 years (M = 30.02, SD = …

How Did Latinxs Near The U.S.-Mexico Border Fare During The Covid-19 Pandemic? A Snapshot Of Anxiety, Depression, And Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, Bianca T. Villalobos, Juventino Hernandez Rodriguez

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduction: The current study documented levels of anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress, and COVID-19 fears and impacts among Latinxs living near the U.S.-Mexico border during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Participants of this cross-sectional study were 305 Latinx adults living in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) who completed an online survey between June and November 2020.

Results: About half of participants scored above the cut-off for anxiety (50.2%; GAD-7 scores ≥10) and depression (48.8%; PHQ-9 scores ≥10), and more than a quarter of participants showed clinical levels of posttraumatic stress (27.3%; PCL-5 scores ≥31). Latinxs reported on average 22 types of negative …

The Impact Of Beliefs About Emotions On Emotion Regulation & Psychological Health, Sarah Brock

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study examined the effects of different beliefs about emotions (controllability vs. control value) on emotion regulation strategies and psychological health, specifically depression. Little research has examined how different types of beliefs about emotions may interact to impact the emotion regulation strategies they implement, whether that be cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression, or acceptance. Online questionnaires measuring beliefs about emotion controllability, emotion control values (i.e., whether emotions should be controlled), emotion regulation, psychological health, and coping strategies were completed by 164 participants (117 females; 42 males; 4 non-binary). The participants ranged from 18 to 33 years old. The study found evidence …

Collaborative Decision Making Improves Interpersonal Psychotherapy Efficiency: A Randomized Clinical Trial With Postpartum Women, Scott Stuart, Rebecca L. Brock, Erin Ramsdell, Stephan Arndt, Michael W. O'Hara

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Background: Randomized controlled trials of Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) and other psychotherapies for depression have required strict adherence to protocol and do not allow for clinical judgment in deciding frequency of sessions. To determine if such protocols were more effective than allowing therapists to use their clinical judgment, we compared “Clinician- Managed” IPT (CM-IPT), in which clinicians and patients with postpartum depression were allotted 12 sessions and determined collaboratively when to use them, to a once weekly 12 session protocol (“Standard IPT”). We hypothesized that CM-IPT would be more efficient, requiring fewer sessions to reach an equivalent acute outcome, and …

Can I Count On You? Social Support, Depression And Suicide Risk, Christiana Silva, Christopher Mcgovern, Stephanie Gomez, Eleanor Beale, James Overholser

Student Scholarship

Objectives: Interpersonal factors play an important role in the etiology and treatment of depression. Social support derives from compassionate words and helpful actions provided by family, friends or a significant other. The present study was designed to examine various sources of social support as they relate to the severity of depressive symptoms, hopelessness and suicide risk in adult psychiatric outpatients. Method: Participants were recruited through mental health clinics at a veteran's affairs medical centre. A total of 96 depressed patients were assessed using a diagnostic interview and self-report measures of depression severity, hopelessness and social support. Among these depressed adults, …

From Rags To Riches: Examining Teacher Perceptions Of The Influence Of Financial Literacy On The Psychological Well-Being Of Military-Connected Students In Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve, Cynthia Fletcher Davis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine teacher perceptions as related to the influence of financial literacy on the psychological well-being of military-connected students in kindergarten through grade twelve. Financial literacy among students serves a vital function in the development of financially literate adults. A lack of financial resources has been linked to depressive symptoms, marital discourse, and suicide. Financial literacy includes the knowledge and skills required to make enlightened and effective decisions with money. The theory guiding this study was Constructivism as formulated by Jean Piaget. Constructivism provides for the incorporation of new information within existing constructs …

Psychological Impacts Of The Covid-19 Pandemic In A Hispanic Sample: Testing The Buffering Role Of Resilience And Perceived Social Support, Michiyo Hirai, Laura L. Vernon, Elizabeth N. Hernandez

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The current study examined the effects of specific COVID-19 stressors (i.e., family member’s death due to COVID-19, COVID-19 infection, and school/financial stressors) on stress, anxiety, and depression and the potential buffering roles of resilience and perceived social support in the association between COVID-19 stressors and psychological symptoms in a Hispanic university student sample (n = 664). Participants were classified in three stressor groups: those reporting a family member’s death due to COVID-19 (15.7%), those reporting their own or a family member’s COVID-19 infection but no COVID-19 death (35.5%), and those reporting only school and/or financial stressors due to the …

Self‑Objectification During The Perinatal Period: The Role Of Body Surveillance In Maternal And Infant Wellbeing, Lauren M. Laifer, Olivia R. Maras, Gemma Sáez, Sarah Gervais, Rebecca L. Brock

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Pregnancy represents a unique time during which women’s bodies undergo significant physical changes (e.g., expanding belly, larger breasts, weight gain) that can elicit increased objectification. Experiences of objectification set the stage for women to view themselves as sexual objects (i.e., self-objectification) and are associated with adverse mental health outcomes. Although women may experience heightened self-objectification and behavioral consequences (such as body surveillance) due to the objectification of pregnant bodies in Western cultures, there are remarkably few studies examining objectification theory among women during the perinatal period. The present study investigated the impact of body surveillance, a consequence of self-objectification, on …

The Relationship Between Bipolar Disorder And Epilepsy: Challenging The Dichotomy Of Mental And Physical Health, Mia A. Dawbin

Psychology and Community Studies | Student Scholarship

Abstract

The body of literature associating epilepsy with mood disorders is vast and can be traced as far back as Hippocrates. The comorbidity of the two is notoriously high. The prevalence of depressive symptoms among people with epilepsy has been widely reported for decades, though these symptoms may not be considered or treated as successfully in people with epilepsy as they are in their non-epileptic counterparts. More recently, evidence has been found suggesting that psychiatric symptoms may serve as a precursor to epilepsy. The episodic nature of the illnesses and their congruent model of progression suggest a possible connection. The …

Differences In Resilience And Mental Health Symptoms Among Us First Responders With Secure And Insecure Attachment, Donna Schuman, James Whitworth, Jeanine Galusha, Jose Carbajal, Warren Ponder, Kathryn Shahan, Katelyn Jetelina

Faculty Publications

Objective: This observational study aimed to determine whether attachment style predicted first responders' mental health and resilience. Method: Data were from a treatment-seeking sample of first responders (N = 237). Each participant completed six assessments measuring attachment, resilience, generalized anxiety, depression, suicidality, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Results: On the attachment assessment, 25.3%were categorized as secure, 19.0%as dismissive, 25.3% as preoccupied, and 30.4% as fearfully attached. As predicted, securely attached participants had the lowest scores for generalized anxiety, depression, suicidality, and posttraumatic stress disorder and the highest scores on the resiliency measure, followed by dismissive, preoccupied, and fearfully …

Exploring The Connections Between Craving, Depression, Sleep & Alcohol Use In Emerging Adults, Katie Moskal

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Alcohol use among emerging adults is a public health concern as it has been associated with negative consequences, such as accidental injury (Hingson et al., 2009). Given the negative consequences experienced for emerging adults, there is a need to identify factors contributing to alcohol use to determine ways to reduce these consequences. Poor sleep has been associated with higher alcohol-related consequences (Miller et al., 2016), and alcohol use has been associated with poor sleep (Goodhines, Gellis, Kim, et al., 2019), however there may be other factors contributing to this relationship, such as alcohol craving and depression. Higher alcohol craving has …

The Contribution Of Self-Compassion To Anxiety And Mood In Daily Life, Yamini Pant

Honors Scholar Theses

Self-compassion, the act of being kind and understanding towards oneself, has been shown to have positive impacts on mental health. Depression and anxiety are both common mental health disorders that can interfere with an individual’s ability to function in daily life. Several studies have shown that self-compassion correlates with depression and anxiety at a cross-sectional level and across longer periods of time (e.g., several months). In the present study, we examined the fluctuations and the directionality of self-compassion, depression, and anxiety on a day-to-day basis over the span of a week. We also examined the ways that worry and rumination …

Mental Health And Academic Experiences Among U.S. College Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Michael E. Roberts, Jillian Meyer '23, Elizabeth A. Bell

Psychology and Neuroscience Faculty Publications

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, U.S. college students reported increased anxiety and depression. This study examines mental health among U.S college students during the subsequent 2020–2021 academic year by surveying students at the end of the fall 2020 and the spring 2021 semesters. Our data provide cross-sectional snapshots and longitudinal changes. Both surveys included the PSS, GAD-7, PHQ-8, questions about students’ academic experiences and sense of belonging in online, in-person, and hybrid classes, and additional questions regarding behaviors, living circumstances, and demographics. The spring 2021 study included a larger, stratified sample of eight demographic groups, and we added scales to …

College Students' Perceptions Of Depression Among College Students And Non-College Students, Hafsa Ali

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Abstract

Depression is a serious mental illness which is becoming increasingly prevalent among college-age individuals and the general public. Depression and other mental illnesses have come under increasing concern in the United States overall and on college campuses in particular. Given concerns regarding depression among college students, it is important to examine college students’ perceptions of depression among college students versus non-college students. The current study examined and compared college students’ perceptions of depression among college students versus non-college-attending individuals. Participants viewed an online survey which included one of two versions of a vignette which described “Sam,” a “hardworking individual” …

Dismantling Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System Of Psychotherapy: A Pilot Study To Identify The Active Ingredients, Lee R. Long

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Chronic depression affects approximately 6% of the world’s population, and according to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual – Fifth Edition, chronic depression is a disorder known today as persistent depressive disorder. It presents with a chronic clinical course of greater than 2 years and exhibits at least two of the following symptoms: appetite increase or decrease, insomnia or hypersomnia, low energy or fatigue, low self-esteem, poor concentration or difficulty making decisions, and feelings of hopelessness. The negative effects of chronic depression and the need for an effective treatment for patients with a persistent depressive disorder are important …

Adjustment And Social Media Use During And After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Alexis Banner

Honors College

Adolescents are highly susceptible to developing depression, given the wide range of social and biological changes that happen during this developmental period. Many late adolescents transition to college, and this experience is associated with more responsibility, higher academic demands, and gains in independence from family, which have been associated with higher levels of depression. Most adolescents today use social media, and this has been linked to many positive effects, such as exploring one’s identity and staying in contact with peers. However, social media use also has been associated with negative effects, such as body-image issues and increased depression levels. The …

Gender As An Environmental Stressor In Individuals Genetically Predisposed To Mood Disorders: A Preliminary Analysis, Kara West

Audre Lorde Writing Prize

Given the recent ‘epidemic’ of mental health disorders, we urgently need to better understand who is suffering and how. One aspect of this that research has come closer to identifying is where symptoms and diagnoses are missed in certain individuals, especially based on gender. However, if certain genders are actually more likely to deal with certain disorders we need to understand why and where that comes from. There is a general consensus in the medical field that some individuals are simply genetically predisposed to various disorders based on sex, but there is limited evidence that sex actually determines genetic predisposition. …

The Relationship Among Depression, Motivational Factors, And Diabetes Management In Emerging Adults With Type 1 Diabetes, Sahar Elmenini, April Idalski Carcone, Deborah Ellis

Medical Student Research Symposium

Self-determination theory (SDT) posits intrinsic motivation arises from fulfilling three psychological needs – autonomy, self-efficacy, and relatedness. SDT is useful for understanding the challenges emerging adults (EA, age 18-30) living with a chronic illness, like type 1 diabetes (T1D), face including developing independence, autonomy and new relationships while parental support and involvement decrease. This places EAs at risk for sub-optimal health. Depression can further decrease motivation. The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that depressive symptoms are associated with motivation (autonomy and self-efficacy) which are associated with diabetes management (DM) in EAs with T1D. Participants (N=52) were …

Replacing Adjunctive Medications For Treatment-Resistant Depression Using Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: Case Report, Anita Vaishampayan Bs, Bassem Saad Md, Daniel Amarasinghe Bs, Carly Brin Lmsw, Richard Balon Md, Nicholas Mischel Mdphd

Medical Student Research Symposium

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an effective treatment for depression. As the left prefrontal cortex activity is linked to depression, rTMS induces blood flow in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Long acting psychostimulants are sometimes prescribed as an adjunctive antidepressant treatment throughout rTMS therapy. We used rTMS to treat resistant depression in a middle-aged male patient over a twelve month period where a psychostimulant medication was also discontinued. He had been consistently taking duloxetine 60 mg BID, clonazepam 0.5 mg BID, and dextroamphetamine-amphetamine extended release 30 mg once daily prior to the onset of rTMS treatment. The patient …

Affective Depression Mediates Ptsd To Suicide In A Sample Of Treatment-Seeking First Responders, James Whitworth, Jeanine Galusha, Jose Carbajal, Warren Ponder, Donna Schuman

Faculty Publications

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the associations of comorbid

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), affective or somatic depression, and

suicide among first responders (FRs). Method: We used baseline data from

FRs (N = 232) who sought services at a nonprofit mental health agency specializing

in treating trauma exposed FRs. We conducted two PROCESS simple

mediation models with PTSD as the predictor, affective depression and somatic

depression as the mediators, and suicidality as the dependent variable.

Results: Affective depression significantly mediated the relationship between

PTSD and suicidality, whereas somatic depression did not. The direct effect …

Experiences Of Covid-19-Related Racism And Impact On Depression Trajectories Among Racially/Ethnically Minoritized Adolescents, Sabrina R. Liu, Elysia Poggi Davis, Anton M. Palma, Hal S. Stern, Curt A. Sandman, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose

In 2020, racially/ethnically minoritized (REMD) youth faced the “dual pandemics” of COVID-19 and racism, both significant stressors with potential for adverse mental health effects. The current study tested whether short- and long-term trajectories of depressive symptoms from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic differed between REMD adolescents who did and did not endorse exposure to COVID-19-era-related racism (i.e., racism stemming from conditions created or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic).

Methods

A community sample of 100 REMD adolescents enrolled in an ongoing longitudinal study of mental health was assessed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were 51% girls, mean …

The Moderating Effects Of Perceived Social Support And Perceived Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Psychopathology Symptoms In Young Adults With A History Of Childhood Maltreatment, Sophia K. Majerske

College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Publications

Childhood maltreatment places individuals at greater risk for developing psychopathology in adulthood. Social support has been shown to moderate mental health outcomes. The Coronavirus of 2019 (COVID-19) resulted in a pandemic that created an environment that increased isolation through quarantine rules, therefore decreasing opportunities to socialize and receive social support. The relationship between social support, the perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, depression, anxiety, and PTSD during the first year of the pandemic was explored in a sample of young adults with and without childhood maltreatment. It was hypothesized that social support and the perceived impact of the pandemic moderated …