Other Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Loss Of Pleasure (Anhedonia): A Sex-Dependent, Cross-Species Consequence Of Unpredictable Signals To The Perinatal Brain, Anna M. Zhou, Madison R. Tetzlaff, Laura M. Glynn, Curt A. Sandman, Hal S. Stern, Tallie Z. Baram, Elysia Poggi Davis

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Reward seeking is an essential component of human behavior. Anhedonia (reduced motivation for and pleasure in reward) is a core feature of several mental illnesses. Early life adversity associates with later impairments in reward behaviors and related psychopathology; however, specific aspects of early adversity that lead to disrupted reward behaviors are unknown. Capitalizing on evidence that unpredictable signals to the developing brain constitute adversity and influence neurodevelopment, we examined whether exposure to perinatal unpredictable maternal signals associated with diminished reward responsivity, and probed causality using experiments in mice. We analyzed a longitudinal human study (N=158 mother/child dyads) and a …

Supporting Recovery: Intersections Of Health, Belonging, And Help Seeking After A Campus Mass Casualty Event, Sharon Jalene, Jason A. Ciccotelli, Lauren Gatto, Christian Ison, James Carbajal, Andrew Hooyman

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Mass casualty events (MCE), such as campus shootings, can severely impact the mental health of students, faculty, and staff. This study examined the psychological effects of an MCE at a minority-serving institution and explored how sense of belonging, cardiorespiratory fitness, and treatment preferences influenced recovery. To measure the impact of the MCE on mental health an anonymous survey was administered four to five months post-MCE to university students, faculty and staff. Within the survey, participants were asked to retrospectively report their depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7) symptoms as they recalled them two weeks prior to the MCE, and as they …

Unpredictability Is A Childhood Adversity That Contributes To Mental Health Problems, Laura M. Glynn, Sabrina R. Liu, Charles Golden, Michael Weiss, Candice Taylor Lucas, Louis Ehwerhemuepha, Hal S. Stern, Tallie Z. Baram

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Although adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) increase risk for mental illness at the population level, existing ACEs screens are less helpful in forecasting individual outcomes, suggesting they may not capture significant elements of childhood adversity. We have previously identified unpredictable parental and household experiences as an ACE that portends poorer cognitive and mental health. However, the contribution of unpredictability to established ACEs in real-world settings is unknown. Here, leveraging existing ACEs screening in California, we added the five-item Questionnaire on Unpredictability in Childhood (QUIC-5) in 19 pediatric clinics spanning broad sociodemographic constituencies and compared in ~30,000 children the link of each …

Implementation Of Wellness Activities In An Experiential Rotation To Promote Pharmacy Student Well-Being, Neeloufar Fakourfar, Brenda Kilzi, Reza Taheri, Richard Beuttler, Hindu Rao

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Educational activity

Preliminary Evaluation Of A Dialectical Behavior Therapy-Based Skills Training Class For High School Students, Jared T. Izumi, Bethany Walczak, Jamie K. Elizalde, Matthew Hayes

Education Faculty Articles and Research

School mental health issues have become an increasingly important issue for our youth. Schools are a vital resource for providing prevention-based services to students. This study evaluated a pilot implementation of a dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) based skills intervention in a single high school in the Midwest. The sample included a convenience sample of 39 students from three different teachers across three trimesters. Social-emotional learning (SEL) skills, DBT skill use, dysfunctional coping, fidelity, and intervention attendance information were collected. We used a hybrid fixed effects/multi-level model to evaluate the effects of the intervention (McNeish, 2023). Students increased their use …

Community As Coping: Mental Illness And Homelessness Within A Tent Camp, Karen A. Snedker, Jennifer Mckinney

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

"Drawing from interview data with residents of Tent City 3, a sanctioned homeless camp, we illustrate the complex connections between mental illness and homelessness from the residents’ perspectives to understand how living in this tent city helps residents manage mental health."

Experiences Of Stigma And Barriers To Care Among Transgender And Gender Expansive Populations Seeking Mental Healthcare, Amanda Veldorale-Griffin, Elizabeth Banks, Elizabeth Patrick, Judith Cannon, Caidan Thomas Smith

Marriage and Family Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Transgender and gender expansive (TGGE) people experience increased risk for mental health issues and suicidality, as well as significant barriers to mental healthcare, due to stigma and discrimination, including from mental healthcare providers. A sample of 945 TGGE participants completed self-report surveys, measuring experiences of stigma and barriers to care, and counselor competence. Data were divided into two groups by age and analyzed through linear regressions and one-way ANOVAs. Across groups, participants (approximately 58% of younger participants and 49% of older participants) reported experiencing stigma from a healthcare provider, and all reported some barriers to care, with more than half …

Parentcoach: Designing An Mhealth Parenting App To Enhance Parental Involvement In Adhd Support, Franceli L. Cibrian, Nancy Herrera, Jesus A. Beltran, Lucas M. Silva, Mikaela Pulse, Kayla Anderson, Cassie Zeiler, Luc Rieffel, Daniel I. Lee, Sabrina E. B. Schuck, Kimberley D. Lakes

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction: Parents play a vital role in supporting self-regulation and managing behaviors in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, many face barriers to accessing consistent, evidence-based support. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies offer a promising way to deliver flexible, low-burden guidance for parents on best practices and strategies to support their children's self-regulation. However, designing them is non-trivial.

Objective: This paper introduces ParentCoach, a mobile application designed to support parents of children with ADHD through brief daily lessons, reflection prompts, and skill-building activities.

Methods: ParentCoach was developed in two phases: (1) secondary analysis of qualitative data from over 30 families …

Kind Kids, Healthy Teens: Child Prosociality And Fruit And Vegetable Intake, Farah Qureshi, Krista P. Woodward, Laura D. Kubzansky, Julia K. Boehm

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction

Methods

Temporal And Generational Changes In Depression Among Young American Adults, Ashley W. Kranjac, Dinko Kranjac, Valentine Chung

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

The prevalence of depression among young American adults has risen significantly over the past two decades, but the mechanisms that underlie the population-level changes in depressive symptoms severity remain unclear. We used data from the 2005–2023 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and hierarchical age–period–cohort (HAPC) analysis to examine developmental (i.e., age), life stage (i.e., period), and generational (i.e., cohort) distribution of depressive symptoms among American adults aged 20–30 years old over an 18-year period. Our model results indicate that the probability of either mild, moderate, or severe depression increased among young adult females and males between 2005 and …

Sex-Specific Effects Of Early-Life Unpredictability On Hippocampal And Amygdala Responses To Novelty In Adolescents, Elysia Poggi Davis, Bianca T. Leonard, Robert J. Jirsaraie, David B. Keator, Steven L. Small, Curt A. Sandman, Victoria B. Risbrough, Hal S. Stern, Laura M. Glynn, Michael A. Yassa, Tallie Z. Baram, Jerod M. Rasmussen

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Unpredictable childhood experiences are an understudied form of early-life adversity that impact neurodevelopment. The neurobiological processes by which exposure to early-life unpredictability impact development and vulnerability to psychopathology remain poorly understood. In the current study, we investigated the sex-specific consequences of early-life unpredictability on the limbic network, focusing on the hippocampus and the amygdala.

Methods

Participants included 150 youths (54% female). Early-life unpredictability was assessed using the Questionnaire of Unpredictability in Childhood (QUIC). Participants engaged in 1 or more task–functional magnetic resonance imaging scans between the ages of 8 and 17 (223 total observations) measuring blood oxygen level–dependent (BOLD) …

U.S. Young Adults’ Family-Building Intentions In The Event Of Infertility And Knowledge Of Associated Costs, Jean Marie Place, John Horowitz, Minh Nguyen, Maya Guinn, Brennan Peterson

Marriage and Family Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction: Infertility affects approximately 8.5% of married women in the United States, yet there is limited understanding of how young adults anticipate and prepare for potential barriers to biological parenthood. As reproductive planning increasingly intersects with social, medical, and financial considerations, it is important to examine how emerging adults perceive and approach family-building options. This study aims to explore college students' intentions regarding childbearing, their openness to non-traditional family-building methods, and their awareness of the associated financial costs.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered to undergraduate students (mean age = 20) at a Midwestern public university. Most participants had not …

Exploring The Association Between Self-Esteem And Blood Pressure: A Cross-Sectional And Longitudinal Investigation, Bijou C. Allard, Julia K. Boehm

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

High self-esteem is linked to favorable outcomes including better mental health and relationships, however, its impact on cardiovascular health is less understood. This study examined the relationship between self-esteem and blood pressure levels using data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study (M_age = 54.53; 57% women; 20% non-White). We hypothesized that higher self-esteem would be associated with lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure concurrently and 10 years later. Self-esteem was measured with the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and blood pressure was clinically assessed. Cross-sectional analyses included 1194 participants; longitudinal analyses included 566 participants. Contrary to expectations, …

Bibliography For "Mindfulness Reference Display", Isabella Piechota, Arianna Tillman, Annikah Carpio

Library Displays and Bibliographies

A bibliography created to support a display about mindfulness in May 2025 at the Leatherby Libraries at Chapman University.

Enhancing Holistic Patient Care Of Black Individuals Diagnosed With Hiv And Comorbid Chronic Conditions, Marc Fleming, Saharnaz Nejdat, Jon C. Schommer, Crystal K. Hodge

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Pharmacists can play a crucial role in delivering the holistic care model. Research suggests that HIV-positive African American patients particularly benefit from this approach compared to other communities. Typically, pharmacists in community pharmacy settings are limited in their access to a patient's medical record, preventing holistic care delivery.

Objectives

This study addressed the impact of access to medical records on a holistic patient care approach among pharmacists engaged in medication therapy management.

Methods

This was a sub-analysis of a randomized controlled trial of the impact of community pharmacist access to medical records during MTM for African Americans diagnosed with …

Infertility Stigma And Openness With Others Are Related To Depressive Symptoms And Meaning In Life In Men And Women Diagnosed With Infertility, Brennan Peterson, Orit Taubman‑Ben‑Ari, Bonnie Chiu, Douglas Brown, David A. Frederick

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Stigma is the experience of feeling different from socially accepted norms which can lead to personal devaluation or fear of disapproval from others. For men and women experiencing infertility, stigma has been associated with psychological distress, feelings of otherness in relation to people with children, and selective disclosure with others about their infertility challenges. However, there are few studies which examine how infertility stigma and being open with others are related to depressive symptoms and meaning in life for men and women diagnosed with infertility.

Methods

Participants experiencing infertility were recruited for this cross-sectional study during November 2023-January 2024 …

Feasibility And Acceptability Of The Mazi Umntanakho Digital Tool In South African Settings: A Qualitative Evaluation, Catherine E. Draper, Caylee J. Cook, Elizabeth A. Ankrah, Jesus A. Beltran, Franceli L. Cibrian, Kimberley D. Lakes, Hanna Mofid, Lucretia Williams, Gillian R. Hayes

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

To address the need for interventions targeting social emotional development and mental health of young children in South Africa, the Mazi Umntanakho (‘know your child’) digital tool was co-designed, and piloted with caregivers and 3–5-year-old children involved in home visiting programmes promoting early childhood development. The aim of this study was to qualitatively evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of this tool in four urban and four rural low-income communities, from the perspective of home visitors and caregivers. Focus groups were conducted with home visitors (n = 117) and caregivers (n = 72). Issues relating to the feasibility of …

1st Place Research Paper: Increasing The Accessibility Of Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Tf-Cbt) For Adolescents With Developmental Language Disorder: A Pilot Study, Lauren A. Fillet

Eric M. Scandrett Graduate Library Research Prize

Research has demonstrated that adolescents with developmental language disorder (AWDLD) perform more poorly compared to typically developing peers on measures of narrative production.This limitation may not only impact education and social life, but also possibly post-traumatic stress recovery, as Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) involves a Trauma Narrative production activity (D’Amico et al., 2022). A limited amount of research has been conducted on adapting TF-CBT for children with intellectual disability, developmental disabilities, and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (D’Amico et al., 2022; Anderson & Cook, 2015). However, there is currently no available research explicitly addressing how TF-CBT can be individualized to …

Young Children’S Mental Well-Being In Low-Income South African Settings: A Qualitative Study, Catherine E. Draper, Caylee J. Cook, Elizabeth A. Ankrah, Jesus A. Beltran, Franceli L. Cibrian, Jazette Johnson, Kimberley D. Lakes, Hanna Mofid, Lucretia Williams, Gillian R. Hayes

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

This qualitative study aimed to capture community perspectives of the risks and protective factors for social emotional development and mental health of young children in low-income South Africa settings, and was conducted as one component of a larger study with the ultimate aim of co-designing the Mazi Umntanakho (‘know your child’) digital tool. Twenty focus group discussions (n = 154, 97% female) were held with staff of community-based organisations (CBOs) and community health worker (CHW) programmes in urban and rural sites from four geographical regions. Data were analysed thematically, and grouped according to components of nurturing care (responsive caregiving, safety …

Digital Assessments For Children And Adolescents With Adhd: A Scoping Review, Franceli L. Cibrian, Elissa M. Monteiro, Kimberley D. Lakes

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction: In spite of rapid advances in evidence-based treatments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), community access to rigorous gold-standard diagnostic assessments has lagged far behind due to barriers such as the costs and limited availability of comprehensive diagnostic evaluations. Digital assessment of attention and behavior has the potential to lead to scalable approaches that could be used to screen large numbers of children and/or increase access to high-quality, scalable diagnostic evaluations, especially if designed using user-centered participatory and ability-based frameworks. Current research on assessment has begun to take a user-centered approach by actively involving participants to ensure the development …

Impact Of Covid-19 Pandemic On Emergency Department Visits For Opioid Use Disorder Across University Of California Health Centers, Matthew Heshmatipour, Ding Quan Ng, Emily Yi-Wen Truong, Jianwei Zheng, Alexandre Chan, Yun Wang

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction: Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) has had a devastating impact on mental health and access to addiction treatment in the United States, including in California, which resulted in the highest rates of emergency department visits (ED) for opioid poisoning in 2020. As California slowly returns to pre-pandemic normalcy, it remains uncertain whether the rates of opioid-related events have slowed down over time. We hypothesized that the number of opioid-related ED visits were exacerbated after the period of the COVID-19 pandemic and continue at a high rate in the present.

Methods: In this analysis we searched the University of California (UC) Health …

Mean Affect Moderates The Association Between Affect Variability And Mental Health, Brooke N. Jenkins, Lydia Q. Ong, Anthony D. Ong, Hee Youn (Helen) Lee, Julia K. Boehm

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Increasing evidence suggests that within-person variation in affect is a dimension distinct from mean levels along which individuals can be characterized. This study investigated affect variability’s association with concurrent and longitudinal mental health and how mean affect levels moderate these associations. The mental health outcomes of depression, panic disorder, self-rated mental health, and mental health professional visits from the second and third waves of the Midlife in the United States Study were used for cross-sectional (n = 1,676) and longitudinal outcomes (n = 1,271), respectively. These participants took part in the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE II), …

Co-Designing Situated Displays For Family Co-Regulation With Adhd Children, Lucas M. Silva, Franceli L. Cibrian, Clarisse Bonang, Arpita Bhattacharya, Aehong Min, Elissa M. Monteiro, Jesus A. Beltran, Sabrina E. B. Schuck, Kimberley D. Lakes, Gillian R. Hayes, Daniel A. Epstein

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Family informatics often uses shared data dashboards to promote awareness of each other’s health-related behaviors. However, these interfaces often stop short of providing families with needed guidance around how to improve family functioning and health behaviors. We consider the needs of family co-regulation with ADHD children to understand how in-home displays can support family well-being. We conducted three co-design sessions with each of eight families with ADHD children who had used a smartwatch for self-tracking. Results indicate that situated displays could nudge families to jointly use their data for learning and skill-building. Accommodating individual needs and preferences when family members …

Adolescent Marijuana Use And The Contribution To The Development Of Schizophrenia, Jocelyn Spandikow

Psychology Student Papers and Posters

Schizophrenia is an often debilitating mental condition that has become a popular topic of psychological research in recent years. Current research examines the correlation between drug use, genetics, and environment on the development of schizophrenia. Research looks at the structure of the brain in individuals with and without schizophrenia. However, research has failed to look at the specific correlation between marijuana use in adolescent youth and the developmental impact on the brain, including in the development of schizophrenia. The legalization of many recreational drugs, including marijuana, has come to fruition in recent years. This has raised concerns over adolescent access …

General Cognitive Ability In High School, Attained Education, Occupational Complexity, And Dementia Risk, Jimi Huh, Thalida Em Arpawong, Tara L. Gruenewald, Gwenith G. Fisher, Carol A. Prescott, Jennifer J. Manly, Dominika Seblova, Ellen E. Walters, Margaret Gatz

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

INTRODUCTION

We address the extent to which adolescent cognition predicts dementia risk in later life, mediated by educational attainment and occupational complexity.

METHODS

Using data from Project Talent Aging Study (PTAS), we fitted two structural equation models to test whether adolescent cognition predicts cognitive impairment (CI) and Ascertain Dementia 8 (AD8) status simultaneously (N_{Cognitive Assessment} = 2477) and AD8 alone (N_{Questionnaire} = 6491) 60 years later, mediated by education and occupational complexity. Co-twin control analysis examined 82 discordant pairs for CI/AD8.

RESULTS

Education partially mediated the effect of adolescent cognition on CI in the cognitive assessment aample and …

Infant Hedonic/Anhedonic Processing Index (Hapi-Infant): Assessing Infant Anhedonia And Its Prospective Association With Adolescent Depressive Symptoms, Jessica L. Irwin, Elysia Poggi Davis, Curt A. Sandman, Tallie Z. Baram, Hal S. Stern, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Anhedonia, an impairment in the motivation for or experience of pleasure, is a well-established transdiagnostic harbinger and core symptom of mental illness. Given increasing recognition of early life origins of mental illness, we posit that anhedonia should, and could, be recognized earlier if appropriate tools were available. However, reliable diagnostic instruments prior to childhood do not currently exist.

Methods

We developed an assessment instrument for anhedonia/reward processing in infancy, the Infant Hedonic/Anhedonic Processing Index (HAPI-Infant). Exploratory factor and psychometric analyses were conducted using data from 6- and 12-month-old infants from two cohorts (N = 188, N = 212). …

Associations Between Positive Affect And Physical Activity From Young Adulthood To Midlife: A 25-Year Prospective Study, Farah Qureshi, Laura D. Kubzansky, Ying Chen, Jackie Soo, Eric S. Kim, Donald Lloyd-Jones, Julia K. Boehm

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objective: Positive affect may influence health by promoting physical activity, but evidence evaluating this association is mostly cross-sectional and cannot discern directionality. This study used a counterfactual-based framework to estimate the causal effect of positive affect on physical activity patterns over 25 years, accounting for potential reverse associations. Method: Data were from 3,352 participants in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study. Repeated assessments of positive affect and physical activity were collected from 1990 to 2016. Longitudinal associations were evaluated in two ways: (a) using baseline positive affect in traditional linear mixed models that accounted for reverse causal …

The Role Of Organizational Messages About Mental Health In Disclosure And Support-Seeking Decisions Among First Responders: A Qualitative Investigation, Erin S. Craw, Michelle Miller-Day

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

First responders, especially those without adequate support, are at heightened risk for experiencing adverse mental health outcomes. Workplace mental health interventions for first responders are becoming more common. However, systematic research within the field of communication has not typically informed the development of these workplace interventions. The current study conducted interviews with 26 first responders to examine the messages they receive about mental health from their organizations and how those messages affect their support-seeking decisions. Analysis of the interviews revealed that first responders receive inconsistent messages from their departments about whether to seek support for mental health-related problems, creating confusion …

Prenatal Exposure To Maternal Mood Entropy Is Associated With A Weakened And Inflexible Salience Network In Adolescence, Robert J. Jirsaraie, Anton M. Palma, Steven L. Small, Curt A. Sandman, Elysia Poggi Davis, Tallie Z. Baram, Hal S. Stern, Laura M. Glynn, Michael A. Yassa

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Methods

Targeting Social Connection In The Context Of Trauma: Functional Outcomes And Mechanisms Of Change, Andrew J. Smith, David Pincus, Bernard P. Ricca

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

The current study presents and preliminarily tests a brief, theory driven intervention designed to target social connectivity as a transdiagnostic mechanism of health. We tested four hypotheses to examine whether and how explicitly targeting social behavior engagement (activating values-led behaviors towards specific network members) may improve other downstream aspects of social connectivity (i.e., social cognitions measured as loneliness, interpersonal closeness, perceived social support) and functioning (quality of life [QOL] and posttraumatic stress symptoms [PTS]). Methods. Participants included 15 patients (10 veterans, 5 firefighters) who completed the six-session intervention. Demographics: age (M = 46, SD = 17), 87% male, race (80% …