Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Case Report, Anju Abraham, Kishor M, Bhawna Sharma

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests in both childhood and adulthood. It is characterized by core symptoms such as inattention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness and impairment persisting into adulthood. Adult ADHD often coexists with other disorders including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders, which complicate its diagnosis. Adults with ADHD may struggle with difficulties in focusing, organization, planning and impulsivity making it hard to sit still during exams or complete tasks efficiently. Restlessness, verbal outbursts and intrusiveness can strain relationships. These challenges impact academics, interpersonal relationships and daily functioning. Thus, there is a need …

Havana Syndrome: A Scientific Review Of An Unresolved Medical Mystery, Aishik Dutta

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Background

Since 2016, U.S. and Canadian officials have reported Anomalous Health Incidents (AHIs), or "Havana Syndrome," characterised by a strange sensory experience followed by chronic neurological, cognitive, and vestibular issues. The cause is intensely debated, with primary hypotheses pointing to either psychosocial factors or a directed-energy weapon, creating a significant medical and geopolitical puzzle.

Methods

This review critically assesses the current evidence by analysing peer-reviewed clinical studies and major institutional reports.

Results

The findings are deeply contradictory. A 2020 NASEM report identified directed, pulsed radiofrequency energy as the most plausible mechanism for a core set of symptoms. Conversely, comprehensive 2024 …

Self-Inflicted, Non-Sexual, Non-Masturbatory Penile Fracture Case Report - An Atypical Presentation, Sajan Sehgal, Vijayakumar R, Sachin Dharwadkar, Amruthraj G. Gowda

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Background: Traumatic injuries to the genitalia are uncommon due to the mobility of the penis and scrotum. Penile fracture is a relatively rare condition arising from disruption of tunica albuginea with rupture of the corpus cavernosum. In order to ensure that such an injury is not missed, it is necessary to have a high index of suspicion to diagnose this condition.

Result: Patient underwent an emergency repair of penile fracture.

Conclusion: We hereby, report a rare case of accidental, non-masturbatory, self-inflicted penile fracture which was diagnosed promptly based on clinical assessment, confirmed radiologically and managed surgically, resulting …

Case Series On Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry In Pain Abdomen With School Refusal Among Children, Jatin Kumar, Aditya Takiar, Kishor M, Sudhamshu K.C, Anil Kumar M.G., Prashanth S.N

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Chronic abdominal pain is one of the most common causes of school refusal in children often leading to multiple hospital visits and expenses. This study was done to assess the psychiatric morbidity underlying functional gastrointestinal complaints in children presenting to paediatric surgery unit. We conducted a prospective case series (N=11; ages 8–13) of children referred from Paediatric Surgery between June and December 2025. All these children presented with idiopathic abdominal pain and a significant period of absence from school. These children were evaluated for any organic causes through the use of various investigations including imaging studies and were referred to …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Vertical Integration In Training Undergraduate Medical Students Under Competency Based Medical Education Curriculum, Pratham Mehta, Yashika Sharma, Kishor M, Arun M

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Background: The National Medical Council in the Indian Medical Graduate guidelines to enhance learning, recommends Vertical and Horizontal Integration. Vertical integration may be defined as a curricular strategy that aligns para-clinical and clinical teaching across time with a view to enhancing relevance and application of knowledge. The present study is an attempt to test whether vertical integration of Forensic Medicine and Psychiatry is associated with greater short-term learning gains and improved student perceptions compared with conventional didactic lectures.

Methods: With Institutional and Ethics Committee clearance, a two-phase quasi-experimental study was performed across two consecutive academic cohorts (Phase 1, …

New Insights Into The Mechanisms Of Electroconvulsive Therapy In Treatment-Resistant Depression, Ana C Ruiz, Abdul Haseeb, William Baumgartner, Edison Leung, Giselli Scaini, Joao Quevedo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) remains one of the most effective interventions for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), particularly in cases involving severe symptomatology, suicidality, or psychotic features. Despite advancements aimed at enhancing the safety and cognitive tolerability of ECT, concerns about cognitive side effects continue to limit its broader acceptance. A deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying ECT is therefore critical for refining its use and maximizing clinical outcomes. Through a narrative review of recent literature, this paper synthesizes current evidence comparing the efficacy of ECT, ketamine, and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in the treatment of TRD. Then, the review delves into …

The Effect Of Need For Cognition & Need For Affect On Human Reliance And Artificial Intelligence Interactions, Aliyah Mcgowan

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Abstract

With the increased use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) automations in fields like medical diagnoses and mental health queries, there are concerns regarding an individual’s trust and reliance on the technology. Reliance on AI output may lead an individual to accept inaccurate or incorrect information without further analysis. Trust may influence reliance and trust formation may be a product of affective processing. This study investigated the relationship between Need for Affect (NFA), Need for Cognition (NFC), and trust and reliance on AI interactions. Participants were assessed on the NFA scale for willingness to approach or avoid emotional stimuli, the NFC …

Tandem Virtue Development: Latent Growth Trajectories Of Welcoming Accountability, Patience, And Courage In Goal Pursuit, Robert J. Ridder, Hiroko Matsuo, Charlotte [email protected], Anne Jeffrey, Karen K. Melton, Perry L. Glanzer, Sarah A. Schnitker

Funded Scholarship

Informed by philosophical virtue theory, we tested developmental trajectories of welcoming accountability to other people in tandem with patience and courage. We sampled 870 US undergraduates pursuing personally-identified goals (N = 1,996 goals) across four timepoints in two years. Multi-level bivariate latent growth curve modeling disaggregated between-person patterns from within-person goal-level patterns for the three virtue measures. All three virtues’ slopes were nonsignificant, meaning virtues showed no uniform patterns of change for the sample. The slope of welcoming accountability was associated with the slopes of patience and courage so closely at the between-person level that a combined slope parameter was …

Home-Based Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Treatment For Major Depressive Disorder: A Fully Remote Phase 2 Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial, Rachel D Woodham, Sudhakar Selvaraj, Nahed Lajmi, Harriet Hobday, Gabrielle Sheehan, Ali-Reza Ghazi-Noori, Peter J Lagerberg, Maheen Rizvi, Sarah S Kwon, Paulette Orhii, David Maislin, Lucia Hernandez, Rodrigo Machado-Vieira, Jair C Soares, Allan H Young, Cynthia H Y Fu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been proposed as a new treatment in major depressive disorder (MDD). This is a fully remote, multisite, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized superiority trial of 10-week home-based tDCS in MDD. Participants were 18 years or older, with MDD in current depressive episode of at least moderate severity as measured using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (mean = 19.07 ± 2.73). A total of 174 participants (120 women, 54 men) were randomized to active (n = 87, mean age = 37.09 ± 11.14 years) or sham (n = 87, mean age = 38.32 ± 10.92 …

Groundbreaking Insights On Trauma And Justice: A Review Of Sexual Violence, Dissociation, And Inequality: A Guide To Understanding Traumatic Memory By Muriel Salmona, Kate Rose

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Suicide Phenotyping From Clinical Notes In Safety-Net Psychiatric Hospital Using Multi-Label Classification With Pre-Trained Language Models, Zehan Li, Yan Hu, Scott Lane, Salih Selek, Lokesh Shahani, Rodrigo Machado-Vieira, Jair Soares, Hua Xu, Hongfang Liu, Ming Huang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Accurate identification and categorization of suicidal events can yield better suicide precautions, reducing operational burden, and improving care quality in high-acuity psychiatric settings. Pre-trained language models offer promise for identifying suicidality from unstructured clinical narratives. We evaluated the performance of four BERT-based models using two fine-tuning strategies (multiple single-label and single multi-label) for detecting coexisting suicidal events from 500 annotated psychiatric evaluation notes. The notes were labeled for suicidal ideation (SI), suicide attempts (SA), exposure to suicide (ES), and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). RoBERTa outperformed other models using binary relevance (acc=0.86, F1=0.78). MentalBERT (F1=0.74) also exceeded BioClinicalBERT (F1=0.72). RoBERTa fine-tuned with …

Evaluating The Emotional Accuracy Of Ai-Generated Facial Expressions In Neurotypical Individuals, Antonio Pagán, Katherine A Loveland, Ronald Acierno

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This study examines the ability of generative artificial intelligence to produce facial expressions representing basic emotions in a neutral context using black-and-white cartoon imagery. Mentalization, the capacity to recognize and interpret one’s own and others’ mental states, is critical for social interaction and emotional regulation. We explored the emotional validation of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated images by assessing the agreement between human interpretations of emotions and those generated by an AI model. Thirty-four participants evaluated images depicting six basic emotions: sadness, anger, happiness, surprise, fear, and disgust. Our findings revealed significant variability in human agreement, with higher concordance for sadness, anger, …

Sleep Discrepancy And Cognitive Function In Community-Dwelling Older Adults, Nadia Soh, Stephanie R. Rainey-Smith, James D. Doecke, Rodrigo Canovas, Romola S. Bucks, Melissa Ree, Michael Weinborn

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This was the first study to use cluster analysis to characterise sleep discrepancy (the discordance between self-reported and objective sleep) across multiple sleep parameters, in community-dwelling older adults. For sleep efficiency, negative discrepancy (the tendency to self-report worse sleep than objectively-measured) was associated with poorer memory, independent of insomnia severity, depressive symptoms and objective sleep. This suggests a unique role for sleep discrepancy as a possible risk factor for future cognitive decline, and warrants the need for further research.

Anhedonia Links Sleep Problems And Suicidal Thoughts: An Intensive Longitudinal Study In High-Risk Adolescents, Kinjal K. Patel, Jaclyn C. Kearns, Dan Foti, Wilfred R. Pigeon, Evan M. Kleiman, Catherine R. Glenn

Psychology Faculty Publications

Growing research indicates that sleep problems are a robust independent risk factor for suicidal thoughts and behaviors among youth. However, relatively little is known about how this risk is conferred. This study used an intensive longitudinal design to investigate anhedonia as a mechanism linking sleep problems and next-day suicidal thoughts in a clinically high-risk sample of adolescents. Adolescents (N = 48; M_age=14.96; 77.1% white, 64.6% female) completed an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study design for 28 days following discharge from acute psychiatric care for suicide risk. Daily sleep diaries were used to assess prior night total sleep …

Approval Of Parent-Child Aggression As A Mediator Of Intergenerational Child Abuse Risk: An Evaluation Of Racial Differences, Casie H. Morgan, Christina M. Rodriguez, Doris F. Pu, Zoe O. Elkins

Psychology Faculty Publications

Purpose

Personal history of parent-child aggression (PCA) can predict future parenting behavior, but some effects may differ between racial groups. Black parents in the U.S. are more likely to encounter discrimination and personally experience and approve of PCA, which may account for previously reported group differences. This study examined whether personal PCA history predicted later parental child abuse risk mediated by PCA approval across the transition to parenthood, and whether effects differed by race.

Methods

Expectant parents (non-Hispanic White sample: 95 mothers with 86 fathers; Black sample: 94 mothers with 85 fathers) participated in a prospective longitudinal study, assessed prenatally …

Exploring Differences In Cannabis Use And Harm Perceptions Among Sexual Minority And Heterosexual Females: A Brief Report, Sarah J. Ehlke, Samantha A. Fitzer, Kendra Rigney

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: Sexual minority women (SMW) have higher rates of cannabis use compared to heterosexual women, which may be partially attributed to lower harm perceptions. However, no study has examined if the association between harm perceptions and cannabis use is stronger for SMW than heterosexual women. This study examined if sexual identity (SMW vs. heterosexual woman) moderated the association between harm perceptions and past 30-day cannabis use among a sample of female young adults (18-25 years old). Method: Participants were 949 (29.8% SMW; Mean age = 24.33; 92.1% non-Hispanic White) females (99.3% cisgender) recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk who reported weekly …

Using Mindfulness To Manage Moral Injury In Veterans: Feasibility And Satisfaction Of A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, Michelle L. Kelley, Adrian J. Bravo, Elizabeth E. Burgin, Susan A. Gaylord, Christine Vinci, Megan Strowger, Jeffrey M. Gabelmann, Joseph M. Currier

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective

The present study assessed program feasibility and satisfaction among recent-era veterans who participated in Mindfulness to Manage Moral Injury (MMMI), a live facilitated web-based 7-week mindfulness-based program targeting moral injury among veterans.

Method

In total, 56 post-9/11 veterans were recruited with 28 randomized to the MMMI condition and 28 to the Education and Support (ES) condition. Most participants identified as being White (71.4%), male (66.1%), and had a reported mean age of 41.50 years (Median = 39.50, SD = 9.26).

Results

Among the 56 participants, 82.1% attended at least one treatment session and 44.6% completed all seven sessions. There …

Pregnant Adults' Interest In Physical And Mental Health Behavior Change Interventions Using Mobile Technology, Natalie M. Yarish, Cassidy M. Sandoval, Alicia Moulder, Meredith I. Turner, Danielle Symons Downs, Kristin E. Heron

Psychology Faculty Publications

Improving the health and well-being of pregnant adults is an important public health priority in the USA, and mobile health (mHealth) interventions may provide a scalable strategy to disseminate behavior change programs to pregnant adults. This study assessed pregnant people’s use of mobile technology, interest in making health behavior changes during and after pregnancy, and their willingness to use mHealth interventions. Participants were 133 pregnant adults (M_age = 27.86; 81% White) living across the USA recruited from social media to complete an online survey. Measures assessed mobile technology use and beliefs about improving mental/physical health in pregnancy and postpartum …

Evaluation Of A 20-Item Version Of The Trauma-Related Drinking To Cope Questionnaire, Sage E. Hawn, Lauren Smith, Kaytlin Armitage, Selah Ball, Cathy Lau-Barraco, Abigail Powers, Ananda B. Amstadter

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objectives: This study sought to develop and psychometrically evaluate an expanded version of the Trauma-Related Drinking to Cope (TRD) scale, a four-item self-report tool, which was developed to address a crucial gap in self-medication research. Before the development of the TRD, no measures existed which assessed alcohol use for coping with symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) specifically. Previous work showed that the TRD has strong psychometric properties and clinical utility in its ability to identify individuals with PTSD who may be at risk for developing comorbid alcohol use disorder (AUD). The aim of the present study was to develop …

Vagally Mediated Heart Rate Variability Modulates The Association Between The Perceived Workload And The Stroop Effect On Behavioral Performance, Xiao Yang, Michael Gazzanigo, Fang Fang, Spencer House

Psychology Faculty Publications

Vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) reflects top-down cognitive processes involved in emotion-cognition integration. Using cognitive control can be effortful and increase negative affect. However, this intrinsic affective component of cognitive control has not been well studied, and the role of vmHRV in the association between subjective experience in using cognitive control and behavioral performance remains unknown. The current study aimed to examine the relationship of vmHRV with cognitive control and perceived workload in a cognitive task. Eighty-one participants performed the Stroop interference task. Participants rated subjective workload using the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) scale for congruent and incongruent …

The Perceived Internalized Sexual Stigma Measure (Prissm): A New Sexual Stigma Measure For Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Individuals, Miguel A. Padilla, Lacey M. Schlappi, Evelyn S. Chiang

Psychology Faculty Publications

Society has long held negative beliefs and attitudes, in the form of sexual stigma, towards sexual minorities (e.g., lesbian, gay, and bisexual; LGB). Sexual stigma can be adopted and internalized by LGB individuals as their own beliefs and attitudes. In LGB individuals, internalized sexual stigma can result in psychological distress such as low self-esteem, depression, shame, and feelings of rejection. However, an instrument to assess internalized sexual stigma specifically developed for LGB individuals is lacking. The present study focuses on the development of a new instrument, the Perceived Internalized Sexual Stigma Measure (PrISSM), that is inclusive of LGB individuals who …

A Multilevel Framework For The Promotion Of Maternal Mental Health And Well-Being During The Perinatal Period, Jenn A. Leiferman, Jessica Walls Wilson, Charlotte V. Farewell, Chelsea Walker-Mao, James F. Paulson

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Depression and anxiety are prevalent in the perinatal period and may contribute to adverse maternal and child health outcomes. A focus on multilevel protective factors may be effective in promoting well-being and increasing quality of life (QOL) in the perinatal period while simultaneously reducing or preventing depression and anxiety symptoms. We tested a conceptual model that posits specific personal, social, and community factors affecting depression, anxiety, and QOL among pregnant and postpartum individuals.

Methods: Four hundred and thirty-eight pregnant or postpartum individuals completed a 121-item cross-sectional survey composed of validated tools that assessed multilevel protective factors, health behaviors, and …

How Marriage And Family Therapy Graduate Programs Awaken, Develop, And Teach Clinical Intuition: A Hermeneutic Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Jessica Fountas

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This research explored how marriage and family therapy graduate programs awaken, develop, and teach clinical intuition. Using criterion-based sampling and snowball sampling, six licensed marriage and family therapists participated in a two-step hermeneutic phenomenological study consisting of individual semistructured interviews and a follow-up focus group. Requirements for participation were licensed marriage and family therapists who were in clinical practice, had experienced the phenomenon of clinical intuition and awakening of clinical intuition, and used clinical intuition in therapy with clients and in systemic supervision with supervisees. The research findings highlighted 14 themes: Reflection of the Experience of Clinical Intuition; Bodily Knowing, …

Childhood Aggression: A New Conceptualization, Hannah G. Harrison

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Childhood aggression is a frequently observed behavioral phenomenon, yet lacks a precise
definition in both the DSM-5-TR and current research literature. Definitional ambiguity and
construct enmeshment continue to create construct confusion for researchers, clinicians, and
informants. This empirical review of the current literature and diagnostic criteria examines how
childhood aggression has been historically conceptualized, defined, and described. The primary
aim was to identify and clarify inconsistencies in current definitions and to address knowledge
gaps to improve diagnostic clarity. Through a thematic synthesis of recent literature, several key
issues emerged: the absence of a precise definition of childhood aggression; reliance on …

Investigating Protective And Risk Factors And Predictive Insights For Aboriginal Perinatal Mental Health: Explainable Artificial Intelligence Approach, Guanjin Wang, Hachem Bennamoun, Wai Hang Kwok, Jenny Paola Ortega Quimbayo, Bridgette Kelly, Trish Ratajczak, Rhonda Marriott, Roz Walker, Jayne Kotz

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Perinatal depression and anxiety significantly impact maternal and infant health, potentially leading to severe outcomes like preterm birth and suicide. Aboriginal women, despite their resilience, face elevated risks due to the long-term effects of colonization and cultural disruption. The Baby Coming You Ready (BCYR) model of care, centered on a digitized, holistic, strengths-based assessment, was co-designed to address these challenges. The successful BCYR pilot demonstrated its ability to replace traditional risk-based screens. However, some health professionals still overrely on psychological risk scores, often overlooking the contextual circumstances of Aboriginal mothers, their cultural strengths, and mitigating protective factors. This highlights …

Psychotropic Polypharmacy In Dementia: A Retrospective Analysis For People With Neuropsychiatric Symptoms Referred To An Australian Dementia Support Service, Mustafa Atee, Andrew Stafford, Daniel Whiting, Ya Ping Lee, Christopher Morrow, Guillaume Nyakaboyi, Ella Warnes, Thomas Morris

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background and Objectives: Despite their limited benefits and serious adverse effects, psychotropics remain frequently prescribed for neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) of dementia. Psychotropic polypharmacy, the use of two or more concomitant psychotropic medications, is therefore not recommended for people with dementia. The objectives of this study were to investigate the prevalence of psychotropic polypharmacy in Australians living with dementia whose caregivers sought external NPS support from Dementia Support Australia (DSA; the national provider of NPS support) and the association of psychotropic polypharmacy with their demographics and NPS characteristics. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study of a subset of DSA referrals at baseline …

Alexithymia And Impulsivity In Combat Sports – A Tale Of Three Measures, Craig A. Harms, Oliver R. Barley

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The purpose of this study was to compare the psychometric properties of two measures of alexithymia – the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ) – as well as the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale 11 measure of behavioural impulsivity because the psychometric properties of these scales have not been established in athletes. As part of a larger study, 298 participants completed an online survey that included the TAS-20, PAQ, and BIS 11, as well personal- (age and gender) and sport-specific (primary combat sport and level of competition) demographic measures. A unidimensional model was retained for the TAS-20. A …

Effects Of High-Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation On Impulse Control Disorders In Patients With Parkinson’S Disease On Dopamine Replacement Therapy, Katherine Muksuris

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder that causes motor deficits, cognitive impairment, and depression. The mainstay treatment for motor symptoms is dopamine replacement therapy (DRT). DRT takes the form of levodopa or dopamine receptor agonists (DAs) and can be associated with impulse control disorders (ICDs). Currently, the approach to mitigating these side effects is to decrease or stop DRT, which may cause motor symptoms to return, making the management of the disorder more difficult. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a noninvasive neuromodulation treatment for multiple disorders, including its approved use for smoking cessation. It has also shown …

Exploration Of Coping And Mental Health In West Virginia Farmers, Jodi Meadows Richmond

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Compared nationally, West Virginia currently ranks lowest for life expectancy, highest for drug related deaths and 35^th for access to adequate health (WV DHHR Organization Assessment & Strategic Plan, 2022). The state also ranks first in the nation for depression with one in four adults experiencing some form of depressive condition each year (CDC, 2020). The rurality of the state may limit social interaction and availability of medical treatment facilities (Brew et al., 2016).

The situation is even more dire for those in farming-related occupations. Farmers often struggle with management stress, utilizing appropriate coping strategies, and accessing mental health …

The Gut-Brain Axis: Investigating The Effects Of Diet, Physical Activity, And Prior Adversity On Anxiety Via Autonomic Nervous System, Jenna L. Pennella

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous literature has highlighted a bidirectional relationship between the gut and brain called the gut-brain axis (de Punder & Pruimboom, 2015; Hill et al., 2008; Leistner & Menke, 2020). The current study aimed to investigate directional relations between different stressors (e.g. poor diet, vigorous activity, and prior adversity) and anxiety and how interactions with gut issues and autonomic dysfunction may impact these relationships. Based on previous literature, we examined (a) physical activity and diet as moderators of stress and anxiety as well as stress and GI symptoms, (b) GI symptoms as a mediator between various predictors (i.e., diet, stress, physical …