Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

Suicidality, Self-Neglect, And Medical Refusal In Advanced Illness: An Ethical Case Report, Austin Supak, Sarah Greene, Madeline Adelman, Whitney Snyders

Continental and Mountain Divisions GME Resarch Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Efficacy Of Zuranolone In The Treatment Of Postpartum Depression: An Evidence-Based Review, Shana-Kay Lambert-Johnson, Tasaduq Mir

North Texas GME Research Forum 2026

BACKGROUND: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common and potentially severe condition frequently managed in primary care, where delayed treatment adversely affects maternal and infant outcomes. Neuroactive steroid therapies targeting γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors represent a novel therapeutic class. Brexanolone, the first FDA-approved treatment for PPD, required prolonged inpatient administration and was withdrawn from the U.S. market in 2025. Zuranolone is currently the only FDA-approved medication specifically indicated for PPD, offering a short-course oral treatment suitable for outpatient use. This review evaluated the efficacy of zuranolone and its applicability in primary care practice.

METHODS: This evidence-based review was conducted in …

Harmonizing Healing: Examining Music Therapy As An Adjunctive Treatment For Mental Health, Shalin Patel, Karen Foote

MidAmerica Division GME Healthcare Symposium 2026

No abstract provided.

Felt Ambivalence Weakens The Attitude-Intention Pathway For Regular Leisure-Time Physical Activity In Chinese Adolescents: A Three-Wavee Prospective Study, Yaogang Han, Yubing Wang, Pan Li, Guohua Zheng

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Background: Favorable attitudes toward regular leisure-time physical activity may not always translate into intention if adolescents feel ambivalent about the behavior. This study tested whether felt ambivalence weakens the prospective attitude–intention association and the indirect effect of attitude on later behavior through intention. Methods: Chinese adolescents (N = 1714; Grades 7–12; mean age = 15.0 years) completed a three-wave survey at approximately two-week intervals. Wave 1 assessed attitudes toward regular leisure-time moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, felt ambivalence, and physical activity habit; Wave 2 assessed intention; and Wave 3 assessed leisure-time physical activity. Moderated mediation was tested in a structural equation model …

From Screens To Stress: Public Health Implications Of Cancer Worry In A Digitally Connected World, Shreya Mathur, Ethan Burns, Michael Pokojovy, Tzu-Liang Bill Tseng, Sunil Mathur

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Aims:

This study examines how digital information environments, genetic testing experiences, health behaviors, and psychological distress influence cancer-related worry among adults in the United States. It further considers the public health implications of elevated or reduced cancer worry for prevention and risk communication.

Methods:

Data were drawn from a nationally representative survey of 6,252 U.S. adults. Measures included reliance on social media for health decision-making, smoking status, history of genetic testing, and psychological distress. Multivariable analyses assessed associations between these factors and levels of cancer worry.

Results/Findings:

Reliance on social media for health decisions was associated with greater cancer worry, …

The Physiological And Psychological Effects Of Social Media Addiction: A Mixed Methods Study, Ella Roper

2026 Research Poster Competition

Social media is a worldwide phenomenon that has taken the world by storm; individuals, multimillion dollar companies, hospitals and universities alike are all similar in that there is a good chance they have a social media presence. Needless to say, there are many benefits of social media including connection and networking, however there are also consequences. My study focuses on one of the consequences, social media addiction, in hopes of enlightening individuals to the risks of social media and hopefully inspiring systematic change to make the future of social media a little less risky. I am using a scale from …

Comorbid Psychosis In The General Population, Mariam Sankoh

Theses and Dissertations

Psychosis is a complex psychiatric phenotype characterized by substantial heterogeneity in symptom presentation, psychosis diagnosis, comorbidity patterns, and genetic architecture across diverse populations in the general population. Despite advances in psychiatric epidemiology and genomics, important gaps remain in understanding how psychosis symptoms and psychosis-related diagnoses manifest across racial and ethnic groups and how evolutionary genomic factors may contribute to disease risk and cross-ancestry genetic prediction. This dissertation, Characterizing Comorbidity in Psychosis in the General Population, integrates epidemiological, psychometric, and evolutionary genetic approaches to examine psychosis across diverse populations.

Aim 1 examined racial and ethnic differences in psychosis comorbidity patterns …

Building Mental Health Literacy: The Impact Of Youth Mental Health First Aid On Emerging Youth Professionals, Burgin Rome

2026 Research Poster Competition

Nearly half of individuals in the United States will experience a mental health disorder during their lifetime, with many symptoms first emerging in childhood or adolescence. Adolescence is a critical developmental period characterized by emotional, social, and psychological changes that increase vulnerability to mental health challenges. Although public awareness of mental health has grown, stigma and societal taboos continue to limit open dialogue and delay intervention. As a result, many young people experience a significant gap between the onset of symptoms and receipt of professional support, which can worsen mental health concerns and contribute to long-term consequences that persist into …

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 …

Npd Winner's Circle: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome In New Clinical Specialties, Leanna Ross

Publications 2026-present

No abstract provided.

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) …

Psychometric Properties Of A Novel Affective Bias Task And Its Application In Clinical And Nonclinical Populations, Prathik Kalva, Kourtney Kanja, Brian A Metzger, Xiaoxu Fan, Brian Cui, Bailey Pascuzzi, John Magnotti, Madaline Mocchi, Raissa Mathura, Kelly R Bijanki

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

To mitigate limitations in self-reported mood assessments, we introduce a novel affective bias task (ABT). The task quantifies instantaneous emotional state by leveraging the phenomenon of affective bias, in which people interpret external emotional stimuli in a manner consistent with their current emotional state. This study establishes task stability in measuring and tracking depressive symptoms in clinical and non-clinical populations. Initial assessment in a large non-clinical sample established normative ratings. Depressive symptoms were tracked relative to task performance in a non-clinical sample, as well as in a clinical cohort undergoing surgical evaluation for severe epilepsy. In both cohorts, a stronger …

Prevalence Of Clinically Relevant Nightmares And Their Differences By Sex And Diagnosis In Psychiatric Inpatients, Katrina A Rufino, Michelle A Patriquin, Courtney B Worley, Michael R Nadorff

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Nightmares have been shown to be associated with numerous forms of psychopathology, but the vast majority of this research has taken place in the general population and very little is known about their relation with psychopathology in those requiring inpatient hospitalization. In a sample of 1170 voluntarily admitted psychiatric inpatients, this study explores the frequency of reported nightmares in psychiatric inpatients with the aim of examining the prevalence of psychiatric diagnosis in those with and without clinically relevant nightmares. Participants completed the Disturbing Dream and Nightmare Severity Index (DDNSI) and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders (SCID-5) at admission. …

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

Undergraduate Research 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 …

Multimodal Machine Learning For Alzheimer's Disease Classification Using Adni Biomarker Fusion, Hesameddin Mostaghimi, Hamid R. Okhravi, Bahar Niknejad, Daniel A. Cohen, Michel A. Audette, Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Despite ongoing advances, accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains challenging due to its multifactorial nature, comorbidities, and clinical heterogeneity. Accordingly, approaches that combine multimodal data may improve AD classification by integrating complementary information. To investigate this, we evaluated classification performance using a preprocessed ADNI-3 dataset comprising a shared set of clinical/cognitive features along with four imaging modality-based cohorts: trimodal (MRI + amyloid PET + tau PET), MRI + amyloid PET, MRI + tau PET, and MRI-only. We trained a range of supervised machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) classifiers using stratified five-fold cross-validation and evaluated performance using accuracy, …

Music Interventions For Critically Ill Patients: Evaluating Effects Of Music On Psychoemotional Symptoms In Critically Ill Patients Receiving Respiratory Support, Allyson Crighton

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Critically ill adults receiving respiratory support in intensive care units (ICUs) frequently experience psychoemotional disturbances such as agitation, anxiety, and delirium, which contribute to prolonged ventilation, increased sedative use, and adverse patient outcomes. While pharmacologic management remains standard practice, associated risks including oversedation and delirium highlight the need for safe, complementary interventions. Emerging evidence suggests that music-based interventions may offer a non-invasive, cost-effective strategy to reduce psychological or emotional distress in this vulnerable population. This integrative literature review examined the effects of music interventions, including passive music listening and structured music therapy, on agitation and related psychoemotional outcomes in critically …

Startle Habituation And Vagally Mediated Heart Rate Variability Influence The Use Of Emotion Regulation Strategies, Xiao Yang, Fang Fang, Angela Ximena Babb

Psychology Faculty Publications

Emotion regulation refers to the processes through which people modulate their emotional experiences and expressions, and difficulties in these processes underpin many forms of psychopathology. According to the process model, emotion regulation encompasses five classes of strategies, commonly grouped into antecedent-focused strategies (e.g., cognitive reappraisal) and response-focused strategies (e.g., expressive suppression). These strategies involve both explicit and implicit processes, which can be objectively assessed using physiological indices. The present study examined the effects of startle habituation and vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) on the use of cognitive appraisal and suppression. Forty-nine college-aged participants were recruited, and their resting heart …

Effect Of Antipsychotic Medication Use And Type On Mortality And Cardiovascular Risks In Nursing Home Patients With Dementia, Hamid R. Okhravi, Fang Fang, Melissa P. Hunter, Brynn E. Sheehan

Glennan Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology Faculty Publications

Introduction

Antipsychotic medication (APM) use in nursing home (NH) patients with dementia is common but carries risks. This study assessed the association between APM use and mortality, stroke, and myocardial infarction (MI) compared to non-use, as well as differences between first- and second-generation APMs.

Methods

A serial cross-sectional study using Medicare data examined outcomes from 2012 to 2015 in a national sample of 328,138 US NH residents aged 50 and older with dementia. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to analyze risk.

Results

APM use was associated with increased mortality in all years (odds ratio [OR] range: 2.39 to 1.23, all …

Racial Bias In Collateral Report Of Adhd Symptom Endorsement, Teresa Mejia

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most frequently diagnosed mental health condition among children in the United States. However, prevalence rates in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD are unequal across populations. Specifically, the literature has demonstrated consistent variability in symptom endorsements and diagnosis dependent on a child’s demographic factors (i.e., race, gender, age). A diagnosis of ADHD requires that the diagnostic criteria be met in at least two aspects of a child's life, usually the school and home environments. As such, teacher reports are commonly used in the assessment of ADHD for children and adolescents. Given the challenges in obtaining …

What’S Sleep Got To Do With It? A Mixed Methods Exploration Of The Feasibility, Acceptability, And Initial Outcomes Of Group Cbt For Insomnia In Parkinson’S Disease, Claire M. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is commonly associated with sleep disturbances, affecting up to 80 percent of individuals with Parkinson’s. Effective and accessible treatments for sleep problems in Parkinson’s disease remain limited. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi) is a well-established, non-pharmacological treatment for insomnia but has been minimally studied in Parkinson’s populations. This study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of a group-based CBTi intervention adapted for individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Participants engaged in a six-week group intervention that incorporated Parkinson’s-specific adaptations. Preliminary findings indicated that the adapted group CBTi intervention was generally feasible and …

Cb1 Allosteric Modulation: Preclinical Insights Into Therapeutic Potential And Misuse Liability, Mohammed A. Mustafa

Theses and Dissertations

Cannabinoid type-1 (CB1) allosteric modulators represent a promising approach to modulate CB1 receptor signaling by binding to distinct receptor sites, without producing adverse cannabimimetic and dependence-related effects associated with Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other CB1 agonists. This dissertation investigates the pharmacological, behavioral, and dependence-related profiles of CB1 allosteric modulators for their therapeutic potential and misuse liability. Presented here, the chiral CB1 positive allosteric modulator (PAM) ZCZ011 was resolved into its R- and S-enantiomers and characterized across in vitro and in vivo assays. Both enantiomers enhance CB1 agonist activity and produce intrinsic effects in vitro. Behaviorally, they produce antinociceptive effects in the …

Wilson’S Disease Psychosis In A Young Man With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case Report And Focus On Management, Landon C. Sowell, Barbara L. Gracious

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Introduction

Wilson's disease is a rare autosomal recessive disorder, affecting approximately 1 in 30 000 individuals and is characterized by abnormal copper accumulation in the body, primarily affecting the liver and brain. Psychiatric manifestations as a first presentation, particularly psychosis, are less commonly recognized resulting in failure to begin treatment early in the course of the disease. This case report highlights a patient that presented to the hospital with psychosis, who was later diagnosed with Wilson’s disease. This case underscores the importance of considering organic causes in first-episode psychosis.

Case Presentation

An 18-year-old man with a history of autism spectrum …

Mental Health And Beliefs About Abortion Access Following Changes To Reproductive Healthcare Laws In 2022: Findings From Oklahoma, Munjireen Sifat, Laili K. Boozary, Tina N. Le, Julia Mcquoid, Brittany Zaring-Hinkle, Sarah Tonkin, Lizbeth Benson, Bingjing Mao, Motolani Ogunsanya, Ruosi Shao, Amy M. Cohn, Allyson Shortle, Darla E. Kendzor

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: A secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data was conducted to characterize beliefs about abortion access in Oklahoma, measure stress associated with the overturn of Roe vs. Wade (2022), and evaluate the potential relationship between post-Roe stress (PR stress) and mental health.

METHODS: From August through September 2022, adult Oklahomans (N = 1793) were surveyed about their sociodemographic characteristics, beliefs about abortion access, frequency of past-month stress related to the overturn of Roe vs. Wade, and mental health. Beliefs about abortion access were characterized overall and within sociodemographic groups. The relationship between PR stress and mental health was evaluated, and …

Positive Psychology Interventions For Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd) Among Earthquake Survivors In Nepal, Niusha Karki, Melissa C. Henry, Mark M. Leach

Trauma Counseling and Resilience

Natural disasters produce both community and individual trauma; Nepal’s 2015 and 2023 earthquakes exemplify this enduring impact. Previous literature has discussed the effects of PTSD and other mental health concerns post-disasters, providing some context to the difficulties in providing counseling services to those in need. However, little is known about unique psychological, cultural, and contextual factors in Nepal and how their influence and understanding may result in modifying traditional PTSD counseling interventions found in much of the existing professional literature. The purpose of this conceptual paper is to propose a culturally responsive, strengths-based framework that integrates positive psychology interventions, positive …

Dementia In Downs Syndrome – A Case Report, Clarita Shynal Martis Ms, Elsa Sanatombi Devi Dr, Panambur Venkataraya Bhandary Dr

Manipal Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences

Down syndrome, is a chromosome 21-related genetic condition, frequently manifests as intellectual difficulty, growth retardation, and distinctive facial traits. People with Down’s Syndrome usually develop Dementia, a major cause of cognitive impairment, impaired judgment memory loss in their midlife. The present report describes a case study of a female diagnosed with dementia in Down’s Syndrome. The report explores the challenges her parents faced in securing appropriate care when diagnosed with dementia and Down's syndrome. It aims to inform caregivers about the best practices for home care in such cases. It follows the woman's history from birth until her dementia was …

Pattern Of Ultra Processed Food (Upf) Consumption And Mental Wellbeing Of Medical Undergraduates Of Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu, India – A Cross Sectional Study, Nithin C, Sumedha K, Murugan V

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Abstract:

Background: Nutrition plays a crucial role in the health and development of individuals. In recent years, the rise in ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption, especially among young adults, has been linked to various health issues, including mental health concerns. This study aims to assess the pattern of UPF consumption and its impact on the mental well-being of medical undergraduates in Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 384 medical undergraduates aged 18 years and above enrolled in three tertiary care teaching hospitals. Data was collected using a questionnaire, which included demographic details, lifestyle factors, a UPF …

Abnormalities In Sensorimotor Brain Function Are Related To Chronicity Of Low Back Pain, Jo Armour Smith, Rongwen Tain, Kelli G. Sharp, Laura M. Glynn, Linda R. Van Dillen, Jesse V. Jacobs, Steven C. Cramer

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Maladaptive plasticity in the brain may contribute to chronic low back pain (LBP) and underlie the altered postural control of the lumbopelvic musculature that is evident in some individuals with LBP. We recently described an MRI-compatible leg-raise paradigm to measure brain activity associated with lumbopelvic postural control. The objective of this study was to compare brain function in young adults with and without a history of LBP and to determine relationships between brain function, pain, and postural control characteristics. We recruited 55 participants with a history of LBP, who were asymptomatic when studied, and 30 healthy controls. Postural control during …

Exploring The Impact Of Inpatient Mental Health Care On Adolescents, Alexandria M. Mckahan

2025 Fall Honors Capstones Projects - Archive

Adolescent psychiatric hospitalizations continue to rise, yet there is limited research on which daily practices inside inpatient units genuinely support engagement and recovery. This project examined how structure, staff tone, and therapeutic programming influence adolescents’ participation and emotional stability within a real inpatient setting. The study focused on three questions: how structured routines affect recovery, what challenges staff face when supporting adolescents with complex needs, and how adolescents’ engagement patterns reflect their perception of care. Using a mixed-methods case study at Mesa Springs Behavioral Health Hospital, I conducted approximately twenty field observations, semi-structured staff interviews, and descriptive engagement tracking across …

Oral Ketamine For Treatment Resistant Depression: A Literature Review, Maeve Buni, Alanna Eisenbeiser

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Objective: Assess the efficacy and safety of oral ketamine as alternative therapy for those with treatment resistant depression (TRD). Design: Literature review. Methods: On November 14, 2024, a search was done in Pubmed and James Madison University’s EBSCO Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection for the terms “ketamine” and “treatment resistant depression,” excluding parenteral routes of administration and including only randomized controlled trials in adults published in 2018-2024. Results: Three randomized controlled trials that utilized evidence-based surveys to assess antidepressant effects were analyzed. Conclusion: The antidepressant effects of oral ketamine found in these RCTs were somewhat mixed. Oral ketamine did appear …

The Need To Incorporate Polysubstance Use In Neuropsychopharmacology Research: Biological Lessons And New Opportunities, Max E. Joffe, Susan M. Ferguson, Nick W. Gilpin, Melissa A. Herman, Lori A. Knackstedt, Patrick A. Randall, Abigail G. Schindler, Mary M. Torregrossa, Jennifer A. Rinker

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Critical evaluation and refinement of animal models is essential for neuroscientists to understand complex physiological and pathological processes related to psychiatric diseases. In general, preclinical studies modeling drug dependence and problematic substance use have been limited to the administration of a single substance; however, there is a growing appreciation that this approach has failed to capture the complexities of humans and has stifled translational efforts. Polysubstance use represents the overwhelmingly common patterns of alcohol and drug use in humans. For example, epidemiological studies generally determine that between 70–95 % of individuals with alcohol use disorder use tobacco daily, and upwards …