Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

Light Therapy Vs. Pharmacotherapy In Improving Quality Of Life In Seasonal Affective Disorder, Hitanshi Patel

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a pattern of depressive episodes triggered by seasonal changes. Light therapy involves exposure to artificial bright light by stimulating the production of serotonin. Pharmacotherapy primarily requires careful consideration of side effects and patient response times. Findings indicate that light therapy not only leads to significant improvements in depressive symptoms but also long-term enhancement in quality of life. Pharmacotherapy, while effective for some, often involves delays in response and potential adverse effects that can diminish overall satisfaction.

Worsening Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (Ocd) With New Onset Dementia, Melvin D. Ways Jr

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic psychiatric condition typically characterized by intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors with preserved insight. Dementia, a progressive neurocognitive disorder, is frequently associated with behavioral and psychiatric symptoms; however, its impact on pre-existing OCD is less well understood.

Subject of study includes evaluation of neurodegenerative processes to exacerbate pre-existing OCD symptoms. Evidence suggests that dysfunction in shared fronto-striatal circuits—particularly involving the orbitofrontal cortex and basal ganglia—may underlie this relationship. Additionally, cognitive impairment may reduce the ability to inhibit intrusive thoughts, further reinforcing compulsive behaviors. Emerging research also indicates a bidirectional association, with OCD linked to an …

Impostor Phenomenon In Healthcare: Prevalence, Implications, And Educational Responses, James Espinosa, Robin Lahr, Sergey Medlenov, Swet Patel, Nicholas Tomasello, James Lee, Neel Parikh, Alan Lucerna, Henry Schuitema

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

The impostor phenomenon describes persistent self-doubt and fear of being exposed as a fraud despite objective evidence of competence. The term 'impostor phenomenon' is preferred over the term "imposter syndrome" because it is not a psychiatric diagnosis and avoids pathologizing normal developmental uncertainty. The original authors used the term 'phenomenon' (Clance & Imes, 1978), and contemporary scholarship increasingly adopts this terminology.

First described by Clance and Imes (1978), the construct has since been studied across diverse professional domains, including medicine, nursing, and academic leadership. Subsequent research demonstrates that impostor experiences occur across genders, training levels, and healthcare roles (Bravata et …

I Lost My Number, Can I Have Yours? Body Image Satisfaction With Sexually Dimorphic Traits Is Associated With Men's Dating Anxiety And Confidence, David A. Frederick, Tania A. Reynolds, Nikoline L. Smart, Justin R. Garcia, David A. Puts

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Evolutionary scientists posit that sexual selection processes caused males to develop sexually dimorphic traits to aid them during intrasexual competition and increase their likelihood of being chosen as mates. Evolutionary social sciences have extensively examined women's preferences for traits such as muscle mass and voice pitch, reasoning that these traits serve as cues of men's ability to provide direct benefits (e.g., resources) and indirect (genetic) benefits passed on to offspring. At the same time, body image researchers have extensively focused on the social causes and consequences of men's dissatisfaction with their muscularity and body fat. We connected these two research …

Big Feelings, Fast Decisions: Emotion Regulation As A Moderator Of Impulsivity In Binge And Emotional Eating, Emma G. Folk

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Emotion-driven impulsivity and difficulties with emotion regulation are both associated with maladaptive eating behaviors, including binge eating and emotional eating. However, it remains unclear whether broader emotion regulation difficulties intensify the influence of impulsive responses to emotional states on these behaviors. This study examined whether emotion dysregulation moderates the relationship between emotion-driven impulsivity and maladaptive eating behaviors. Participants were 266 adults (ages 18–65) who completed measures of impulsivity, emotion regulation difficulties, binge eating, and emotional eating. Moderation analyses were conducted using PROCESS in SPSS, controlling for body mass index (BMI) and gender. Negative and positive urgency were significantly associated with …

Predictors Of Elevated Borderline Personality Disorder And Pai-Bor Scores: The Role Of Psychological, Trauma, And Treatment Factors, Isabel Avendano Gil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a complex and multifaceted mental health condition that significantly affects individuals' emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal functioning. BPD is characterized by impulsivity, emotional dysregulation, unstable relationships, and self-destructive behaviors, and often results in significant impairment across multiple life domains. Previous research has consistently identified Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), particularly sexual abuse (SA), as key contributors to the development of BPD. These early traumas are closely associated with core features of the disorder, including affective instability, identity disturbance, impulsivity, and maladaptive interpersonal patterns.

Psychotherapeutic interventions, such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), have …

Questionnaire For Eudaimonic Well-Being: Psychometric Validation Among Malaysian Youth, Mohd Ahsani A. Malek, Nurulwahida Saad, Suzana Mohd. Hoesni, Muhamad Ariff Ibrahim, Nurul Shafira Adi, Mohd Nazir Mohd Nazori

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: The rising prevalence of mental illness underscores the need to understand how individuals can live and flourish under such conditions. In Malaysia, research has largely emphasized diagnosis and treatment, with limited focus on positive psychology and few validated instruments. This study aimed to translate and validate the questionnaire for eudaimonic well-being (QEWB) among Malaysian youth.

Methods: The QEWB was translated into Malay using back-to-back translation and administered to undergraduates from four public universities through a cross-sectional survey design. Convenience quota sampling was used, resulting in 229 respondents completing the online form to measure sociodemographic characteristics, eudaimonic well-being, …

The Impact Of Stress On Dream Content, Tessa Duncan, Mason Trevino

Posters - 2026

• This research investigated how daily stress levels influence the intensity of dreams. The study aimed to clarify the relationship between stress and dream intensity, enhancing understanding of stress’s broader effects on mental health. • Building on Rush’s concept of a “goldilocks zone” in the stress scale, where moderate stress benefits well-being while too little or too much stress can cause harm (2024). The current study used the hallucination model of dreaming from Gillespie and Trakas (2024), which views dreams as vivid, perception-like experiences that can amplify emotions. Drawing on Gessert’s methods for measuring stress and nightmare frequency, stress is …

The Effects Of Sour & Spicy Food On Visual & Auditory Reflexes, Aditi Kumar, Alondra-Sophia Martinez, Magdalena E. Saad, Emma J. Welsch

Posters - 2026

• The reflex reaction time measures how quickly the nervous system can respond to a stimulus. • In the experiment, both visual and auditory reflexes were measured to evaluate differences in reaction time after the consumption of sour and spicy foods. • Spices and herbs produce different signals that interact with the nervous system. (McMullen 2024) • Comparing the response times from before and after consumption, this experiment allowed us to determine if different tastes affect reflex reaction times.

The Role Of Loneliness On College Freshmen Retention, Amy Berg

Libraries Undergraduate Research Award (LURA) Winners

What factors contribute to student retention, dropout, and success within the first semester? We hypothesized that persistent feelings of loneliness across the semester play a major role in a student’s intentions to continue enrollment, and a lack of social connection to the university mediates this relationship. We assessed this in a sample of n = 30 first semester freshman enrolled in a university success seminar across the Fall 2025 semester, of whom n = 8 completed Wave 1 and Wave 4 surveys of a four-wave study spanning the whole semester. We used the 20- item UCLA Loneliness Scale, the 24-item …

The Relationship Between Smartphone Screen Time Duration And Individual Chronotype: A Systematic Literature Review, Diego Sergio Giasia Lumbantobing, Thalia Altamilano Pramudya

Jurnal Epidemiologi Kesehatan Indonesia

The rapid increase in smartphone use over the past decade led to prolonged screen time across age groups, particularly during nighttime hours. Exposure to artificial light and pre-sleep digital activities was associated with circadian rhythm disruption and alterations in individual chronotype. This systematic literature review aimed to synthesize empirical evidence on the relationship between smartphone screen time duration and individual chronotype across all age groups and to identify key moderating factors influencing this association. The review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Literature searches were performed in PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect for studies published between 2015 and 2025. …

Anhedonia Underlies The Association Between Childhood Unpredictability And Adult Ptsd Symptoms: Evidence From Three Independent Longitudinal Cohorts, Christopher Hunt, Laura M. Glynn, Elysia Poggi Davis, Tallie Z. Baram, Caroline M. Nievergelt, Giovanni Castillo, Christian Cortes, Christine Y. Chang, Dewleen Baker, Victoria B. Risbrough

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Unpredictability in the child’s environment has recently emerged as a significant and unique form of early life adversity (ELA). Cross-sectional studies have linked childhood unpredictability with increased post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in adults; however, no prospective studies have tested the link between childhood unpredictability and PTSD risk in later life, nor what processes, such as increased anhedonia symptoms, might mediate such risk. Here, we leveraged three distinct prospective, longitudinal cohorts to test the hypothesis that unpredictability during childhood contributes to adult PTSD via worsening anhedonia symptoms.

Methods

Participants were male service members (n=314), adult females (n=170), and adolescents …

Nursing Practice In Cancer Treatment Decision Making Among Older Adults: A Scoping Review On Behalf Of The International Society Of Geriatric Oncology Nursing, Allied Health, And Scientists Interest Group, Fay J. Strohschein, Hanneke Van Der Wal-Huisman, K. Alix Hayden, Kristen R. Haase, Michelle Hannan, Cindy Kenis, Juan Li, Nikita Nikita, Sophie Pilleron, Tracy Ruegg, Heike Schmidt, Anke Steckelberg, Cassandra Vonnes, Martine Puts

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Cancer treatment decision making (CTDM) presents important challenges among older adults due to variation in health and functional status, presence of comorbidities, differing goals/values, quality and quantity of life considerations, and limited inclusion in clinical trials. Nursing standards and guidelines call for competence in supporting CTDM and nurses advocate for greater involvement. However, clear understanding of the existing evidence to inform nursing practice is lacking. We aimed to map and synthesize evidence that provides insight into nursing practice in CTDM among older adults, with attention to nursing roles, required skills and competencies, potential barriers and facilitators, and outcomes studied. …

Diagnostic Trends And Service Enhancements In Deaf Mental Health: A Longitudinal Analysis, Kent Schafer, Steve Hamerdinger, Frank Wu, Rie Sakai Bizmark, Charlene Crump

JADARA

A longitudinal study investigated mental health diagnostic trends and patterns among Deaf and Hearing individuals using a comprehensive dataset from Alabama Department of Mental Health spanning 2004-2024 (Deaf=4,547; Hearing=2,056,188). Chi-square analysis revealed significant proportional differences in diagnoses between the groups. Deaf individuals showed significantly higher proportions of psychotic (12.93% vs. 8.33% Hearing), mood (20.76% vs. 18.84% Hearing), and personality (0.58% vs. 0.43% Hearing) disorders. These findings suggest that increased access to specialized and competent mental health services for individuals who are Deaf, particularly following the increase of staffing patterns for the Office of Deaf Services in 2015,contributed to more accurate …

Requesting Less, Winning More: A Plaintiff Strategy To Eliminate Low-Value Anchors, Emily V. Shaw, Jade E. Larson

Mercer Law Review

Picture this: You are a plaintiffs’ lawyer representing a permanently injured client in a high-stakes lawsuit. You think you can earn millions of dollars for your client based on their injuries—but something is holding you back: your client’s past medical bills. To date, she has only had to pay around $20,000. You worry that this fact might make your request for several million dollars in non-economic damages seem excessive to a jury. So, you make a plan: on the eve of trial, you withdraw your request for economic damages and stick to only requesting non-economic damages in the millions. There …

Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Perceptions Among Noncollege Young Adults And Tiktok Influencers: Qualitative Study, Amelia Burke-Garcia, Dasha Afanaseva, Erin Cutroneo, Kayla Madden, Angela Sustaita-Ruiz, Estefany Rivera Sanchez, Amy Leader

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is a proven and effective tool for preventing several types of cancers, yet vaccination rates among young adults remain suboptimal, particularly among those not enrolled in 4-year colleges. This population can be more difficult to reach due to fewer established institutional touchpoints, limited engagement with campus-based health services, and greater variability in access to preventive care. At the same time, social media has become a dominant source of information for young adults, with TikTok (ByteDance) emerging as one of the most widely used platforms. Approximately 41% of TikTok's users are between the ages of 16 …

Mom Is Developing Too: Preliminary Evidence For The Reciprocal Effects Of Infant Sensory Reactivity And Maternal Behavior, Emily C. Sweiss, Vincent Berardi, Elysia Poggi Davis, Curt A. Sandman, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Caregiver sensitivity to infant cues is well-established as a predictor of child development. Infants also actively influence their social environment, especially their caregivers, even from their earliest days. Sensory reactivity, characterized as hypo- (under) and hyper- (over) responding to environmental stimuli, is one domain of development that is likely to influence caregiver-infant interaction, due to its role in regulating emotions and responses to both physical and social stimuli. Although sensory reactivity could be an important target for improving caregiver-child interaction, the longitudinal, reciprocal relations between infant sensory reactivity and caregiver behaviors are currently unknown. In the present proof-of-concept study, we …

Association, Affect, And Material Reading Practices Of Anna Laetitia Barbauld, Renee Harris

ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830

At the end of the eighteenth century, reading practice was shifting from an embodied, affective exercise to a detached cognitive one. This essay examines how debates about truth and knowledge diverged along disciplinary and gender lines during this critical transition. The essay traces the influence of association psychology—particularly the theories of David Hartley and Joseph Priestley—on Romantic-era poets including Anna Laetitia Barbauld and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Through Feminist Formalist Analysis attuned to affect and cognition, this essay demonstrates how Barbauld's poetic montages challenge the period's scientific discourse. Her "Inventory of the Furniture in Dr. Priestley's Study" and two "Hill of …

Dietary Flavonoid Intake And Psychological Well-Being – A Bidirectional Relationship, Alysha S. Thompson, Nicola P. Bondonno, Yan Lydia Liu, Farah Qureshi, Laura D. Kubzansky, Claudia Trudel-Fitzgerald, Julia K. Boehm, Eric B. Rimm, Aedín Cassidy

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background and aim

Methods

The Black Mother-Daughter Developmental Model: A Life Course Framework For Understanding Matrescence, Identity, And Attachment In Black Family Systems, Brianna A. Baker

Publications and Research

This study introduces the Black Mother-Daughter Developmental Model (BMDDM), a life course framework that theorizes the evolving relational, psychological, and cultural dynamics of Black mother-daughter relationships across generations. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 18 Black women aged 18 to 65 and analyzed to examine patterns of attachment, identity development, rupture, and relational repair over time. Findings yielded a five-stage developmental model: (1) Black Matrescence and Prenatal Conditions, (2) Initial Attachment, (3) Separation and Detachment, (4) Negotiation and Reattachment, and (5) Matrescence Redux and Grandmatrescence. Across stages, participants described how gendered racial socialization, maternal …

The Effects Of Expectancies And Attention To Placebo Relevant Sensations On The Open-Label Placebo Response, Miranda Connelly

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Placebo analgesia has shown promise in treating pain, but practitioners are reluctant to prescribe deceptive placebos. Open-label, or honestly prescribed placebos, offer an ethical alternative. Open-label placebos seem to work largely through experimenter-manipulated expectancy, as well as social/environmental factors. Additionally, verbally guided attention to relevant placebo sensations might bolster pain relief. In the present study, expectancy and attention were experimentally manipulated within a 2 (expectancy: high/low) x 2 (attention: high/low) between-subjects design with a no-treatment comparison group. Pain was experimentally induced in all five experimental groups using the well-established cold pressor task. The primary dependent variables were pain tolerance and …

Understanding Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (Asmr), Cecilia Zoutewelle

A. The Science of Sound

This 7-page report with illustrations and bullet-point summaries provides an introduction to the phenomena of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR). Also included is a brief discussion on the benefits of ASMR for interpersonal listening.

The Effects Of Childhood Maltreatment On Executive Functioning: The Difference Between Cumulative Trauma, Abuse Severity, And Neglect, Kelly Krehbiel

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Childhood maltreatment is prevalent in the United States with around 558,899 children being victims of abuse in 2022 (U.S Department of Health & Human Services, 2024). Neglect is the most common form of abuse with around 74 percent of abused children being neglected; however, neglect tends to be the least researched form of abuse. Childhood maltreatment has long-term effects on a person’s mental, physical, and cognitive health. Previous research suggests that childhood maltreatment leads to severe deficits in executive functioning skills such as working memory and cognitive flexibility. Executive functioning skills are important for almost every aspect of life including …

The Use Of Virtual Reality In Ptsd Research And Practice, Kenneth B. Abrams, Lindsay Okindo, Marta E. Bacon, Yiking Skylar Yu, Sofia Santamaria Germani, Malvika Malhotra, Nancy A. Cullen

Psychology Faculty Work

In the aftermath of traumatic events such as combat, sexual violence, or a natural disaster, individuals may develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Technological advancements in virtual reality (VR) over the past few decades have opened new avenues for improving the assessment, treatment, and understanding of PTSD. VR allows users to be immersed in interactive, computer-generated environments that simulate real-world scenarios, such as a warzone or assault location, that would be difficult or unsafe to reproduce using traditional methods. The present paper offers an overview of how VR technology has been employed in both clinical and research settings related to PTSD. …

Chatbot Therapy - Help Or Hindrance, Kadi Rae Smith

Anthós

Introduction

Generative artificial intelligence (Gen-AI) chatbots are complex computer programs designed to mimic human conversations using programming that incorporates large language models (LLM) and natural language models (NLM) to simulate human interactions that are being rapidly integrated into everyday life across an increasing amount of online platforms. This article explores the applications and efficacy of chatbots for mental healthcare, from self-directed chatbot interactions to clinician-supervised implementation of chatbot-based therapeutic tools, weighing the benefits and limitations of this ever-expanding technology.

Methodology/Taxonomy

A literature review was conducted primarily using Web of Science, accessed through Portland State University, and Google Scholar, with specifications …

Predicting Tilt In Esports: A Psychophysiological Approach To Understanding Player Emotional Regulation, Nathan Rhea

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Emotional regulation and stress management are important to both casual and competitive esports players. When players become dysregulated, they experience a phenomenon known as “tilt” within the gaming community, where they often lose control of their emotions and their performance declines. This study aimed to investigate whether a psychophysiological variable in heart rate variability could predict tilt in college-age esports players. Additionally, the relationship between heart rate variability and emotions predicted by the Tiltometer system with gameplay performance and winning or losing was tested.

This study used a quantitative correlational research design. Participants for this study were college-age players (N=23) …

Investigation Of Differences Between Perception Of Cell Phone Usage And Actual Cell Phone Usage Among Adolescents In Senior And Freshman Grade Levels, Benjamin Bouffard

UROP Posters

This study investigates the difference between the perception of cell phone usage and actual cell phone usage among teenagers in the ninth and twelfth grade levels. Existing literature focuses largely on the effect of screen usage on different aspects of health, including mental health and developmental changes in children. However, the relationship between the perception of screen time and actual screen time use has not been extensively studied. In this study, 111 freshmen and seniors at the Woodbridge Academy Magnet School in Woodbridge, New Jersey completed two online surveys. The first asked for their estimation of daily screen time over …

Resilience And Reactivity: The Relation Between John Henryism And Cardiovascular Responses To Laboratory Stressors In An Appalachian Sample, Emma Raycher Thompson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

John Henryism active coping (JHAC), named for folk hero John Henry, is defined as the perception that one can overcome stressors through hard work (James et al., 1983). This construct has been tied to numerous health outcomes, showing a negative influence on cardiovascular health (Bennett et al., 2004). Many researchers have examined the relation between JHAC and cardiovascular reactivity to stress, though findings are mixed. Further, despite the legend of John Henry occurring in Appalachia, and traits associated with John Henryism, such as resilience, being prominent within this region, no study has examined the relation between JHAC and reactivity in …

I Can't Stop: The Effects Of Psychological Climate For Overwork On Recovery Experiences, Jeffrey Drake Terry, Konstantin P. Cigularov

Psychology Faculty Publications

Recovery experiences are important for many health and well-being outcomes. One potential threat to an individual's recovery experiences in the workplace is psychological climate for overwork. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between psychological climate for overwork and recovery experiences. Using a multi-wave research design (N = 202), we found that psychological climate for overwork had direct effects on psychological detachment and indirect effects on psychological detachment and relaxation through cognitive workaholism and work-recovery guilt. These results suggest that psychological climate for overwork may contribute to an individual's experience of cognitive workaholism and work-recovery guilt, …

A Real-Time Examination And Comparison Of Differentiation Among Suicidal Thinking And Affect Items In An Adolescent Sample, Elizabeth A. Edershile, Kinjal K. Patel, Annabelle M. Mournet, Richard T. Liu, Catherine R. Glenn, Evan M. Kleiman

Psychology Faculty Publications

Suicide risk assessments require individuals to differentiate among types of suicidal thoughts (e.g., passive vs. active); yet most research relies on aggregate metrics that obscure this differentiation. Indeed, more severe forms of suicidal thinking are thought to involve the simultaneous experience of multiple forms of thoughts at high intensities. The present study draws on concepts from the affect differentiation literature to (a) examine different ways to operationalize differentiation in suicidal thinking and (b) compare differentiation in suicidal thinking with differentiation in affect. Adolescents (N = 200) recently hospitalized for suicidal thoughts and behaviors completed a 28-day ecological momentary assessment …