Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms Commons^™

Feasibility And Acceptability Of Perioperative Application Of Biofeedback-Based Virtual Reality Vs Control For Pain And Anxiety In Children And Adolescents Undergoing Surgery: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, Anna Lin, Brenna Rachwal, Lindsey Asti, Zandantsetseg Orgil, Isabela Santiago, Lili Ding, Susmita Kashikar-Zuck, Christopher King, Sara Williams, William Black, Peter Minneci, Vanessa Olbrecht

Department of Anesthesiology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The impact of biofeedback-based virtual reality (VR-BF) on pain and anxiety in pediatric surgical patients remains unexplored.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of perioperative VR-BF use in children and adolescents.

METHODS: We performed a single-blind, 2-arm, randomized pilot trial. Children aged 12 to 18 years undergoing surgery with expected moderate-to-severe postoperative pain and more than 1 overnight admission were randomized (1:1) to the intervention or control group. Participants in the intervention group received VR-BF using ForeVR (functional outcome response to engaging virtual reality [VR]), a novel, gamified digital intervention that integrates …

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 …

Association Between Climate Change Awareness And Depression & Anxiety: Findings From A U.S. Sample, Stanley Nkemjika, Colvette Brown, Henry Onyeaka, Srikanta Banerjee, Jennifer Oliphant

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Exploring the connection between climate change awareness and overall well-being is crucial, particularly in how it impacts both the environment and mental health. The mental health consequences of climate change and its awareness have not been thoroughly examined, especially in the U.S. In this study, the relationship between awareness of climate change and depression or anxiety among U.S. adults was explored. Similarly, the role of climate change awareness has not been explored in relation to mental health concerns.

METHODS: Based on the HINTS-6 dataset, a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey conducted by the National Cancer Institute, a variety of statistical …

Exploring Young Adults' Experiences And Beliefs In Asthma Medication Management: Pilot Qualitative Study Comparing Human And Multiple Ai Thematic Analysis, Ruth Ndarake Jeminiwa, Caroline Popielaski, Amber King

College of Pharmacy Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Young adults take their asthma maintenance medication 67% of the time or less. Understanding the specific needs and behaviors of young adults with asthma is essential for developing targeted interventions to improve disease self-management. Artificial intelligence (AI) has demonstrated its utility in summarizing and identifying patterns in qualitative research and may support or augment human coding efforts. However, there is pause literature to support this assertion.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to begin to explore the medication management-related needs of young adults with asthma via a pilot feasibility study. We aim to understand how to best assist …

Demographic Characteristics, Perinatal Smoking Patterns, And Risk For Neonatal Health Complications Among Pregnant Smokers In The United States Who Begin Using Electronic Cigarettes During Pregnancy: A Descriptive Study Using Population-Based Surveillance Data., Hui Nian, Rachel Odland, Samantha Mindlin, Lin Ammar, Hilary Tindle, Angela M Miller, Kelli K Ryckman, Ethan Xie, Tina V Hartert, Brittney M Snyder, Steven M Brunwasser, Pingsheng Wu

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

INTRODUCTION: Health agencies have called for research evaluating e-cigarette (EC) use in supporting prenatal smoking cessation. This study aimed to describe (1) the characteristics of smokers who begin using electronic cigarettes (ECs) during pregnancy, (2) how frequently smokers reduce or eliminate pre- and post-natal combustible cigarette (CC) use, and (3) the risk for neonatal health complications among smokers who initiate ECs during pregnancy.

AIMS AND METHODS: Pregnant women using CCs exclusively during prepregnancy, who participated in a U.S. surveillance study, were classified by their reported late-pregnancy smoking behavior as CC-exclusive users, EC initiators, or quitters. EC initiators were further subclassified …

Sex-Dependent Gene Expression Alterations In Social Defeat Stress Model Of Major Depression Disorder, Juan Diego Torres, Javier Vargas Medrano, Anapaula Themann, Elias Arellano Villanueva, Nina Mourao, Megan W. Szobody, Tori Sayers, Sriya Gullapalli, Tyler Torres, Sridhar Srinivasan, Anesu Karen Murambadoro, Kory Deshawn Punch, Kevin Valdez Garcia, Nikhilesh Anand, Kelsey Baker, Sergio Iniguez, Bharathi Shrikanth Gadad

Research Colloquium

Introduction: Major Depression Disorder (MDD) is a prevalent, recurrent, and chronic disorder that represents a leading cause of disability worldwide. Millions are affected with symptoms that go from constant sadness to even suicidal thoughts. In the U.S., major depression and fatal suicide have increased by 57.4% among adolescents and young adults. Myelin and inflammation-related genes have been found to play a role in individuals with MDD.

Methods: Adolescent males and females C57BL/6 mice underwent a vicarious defeat stress (VDS) procedure in which a mouse witnessed a conspecific being defeated. VDS and control (CON) mice underwent the Social Interaction (SI) test. …

Evaluating Sbirt In A Behavioral Health Urgent Care, Christina L. Williams

Dissertations

Background: Adolescent substance use (SU) is a major health concern. Most youth who engage in alcohol and other SU do not meet criteria for SU disorder (SUD). Nonetheless, evidence shows SU during adolescence impacts cognitive, social, and emotional development, increases risk of physical injury, and may progress to SUD in adulthood. Only half of clinicians properly screen adolescents for SU; those identified with SUD often receive no intervention. Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an evidence-based intervention to address this problem. The purpose of this project was to evaluate implementation of SBIRT using CRAFFT 2.1+N, a SU …

Values Engagement As A Predictor Of Eating Disorder Severity In Female Adolescents With Eating Disorders, Julie M. Petersen, Jennifer L. Barney, Tyson S. Barrett, Tera S. Lensegrav-Benson, Benita Quakenbush-Roberts, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Student Research

Values are freely chosen life directions and/or qualities of being that can motivate behavior change. There is nascent support for the utility of values work as a part of the therapeutic process across treatments, particularly in third wave therapy approaches (e.g., acceptance and commitment therapy). However, therapeutic values work is underresearched in clinical samples of youth. The aim of the present study is to examine the role of the two distinct values processes (engagement and obstruction), body image inflexibility, alongside other common comorbid symptoms of eating disorders (anxiety, depression) in a sample of female adolescents with eating disorders attending a …

Nonsuicidal Self-Injury, Suicide Planning, And Suicide Attempt Among High-Risk Adolescents Prior To Psychiatric Hospitalization, Christina M. Sellers, Antonia Díaz-Valdés, Andrew C. Porter, Catherine R. Glenn, Adam Bryant Miller, Adeline Wyman Battalen, Kimberly H. Mcmanama O'Brien

Psychology Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to understand the trajectories of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicide plans (SP) in the 90 days prior to inpatient hospitalization, understand the role of NSSI and SP in predicting suicide attempts (SA) on a given day, and to test the interaction between NSSI and SP in predicting same-day SA. Participants included 69 adolescents (77% female, 65% white, 77% Non-Hispanic/Latinx, Mage = 15.77 SDage = 1.00) from an inpatient psychiatric unit. Past 90 day NSSI, SP, and SA were measured using the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale and Timeline Follow Back. First, mixed effect models …

Physical Aggressiveness And Gray Matter Deficits In Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex, David S. Chester, Donald R. Lynam, Richard Milich, C. Nathan Dewall

Psychology Faculty Publications

What causes individuals to hurt others? Since the famous case of Phineas Gage, lesions of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) have been reliably linked to physically aggressive behavior. However, it is unclear whether naturally-occurring deficits in VMPFC, among normal individuals, might have widespread consequences for aggression. Using voxel based morphometry, we regressed gray matter density from the brains of 138 normal female and male adults onto their dispositional levels of physical aggression, verbal aggression, and sex, simultaneously. Physical, but not verbal, aggression was associated with reduced gray matter volume in the VMPFC and to a lesser extent, frontopolar cortex. Participants …

Pathway Of Protection: Ethnic Identity, Self-Esteem, And Substance Use Among Multiracial Youth, Sycarah Fisher, Tamika C. B. Zapolski, Chelsea Sheehan, Jessica Barnes-Najor

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Fifty percent of adolescents have tried an illicit drug and 70% have tried alcohol by the end of high school, with even higher rates among multiracial youth. Ethnic identity is a protective factor against substance use for minority groups. However, little is known about the mechanisms that facilitate its protective effects, and even less is known about this relationship for multiracial youth. The purpose of the present study was to examine the protective effect of ethnic identity on substance use and to determine whether this relationship operated indirectly through self-esteem, a strong predictor of substance use for among adolescent populations. …

A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial Of N-Acetylcysteine For Cannabis Use Disorder In Adults, Kevin M. Gray, Susan C. Sonne, Erin A. Mcclure, Udi E. Ghitza, Abigail G. Matthews, Aimee L. Mcrae-Clark, Kathleen M. Carroll, Jennifer S. Potter, Katharina Wiest, Larissa J. Mooney, Albert Hasson, Sharon L. Walsh, Michelle R. Lofwall, Shanna Babalonis, Robert W. Lindblad, Steven Sparenborg, Aimee Wahle, Jacqueline S. King, Nathaniel L. Baker, Rachel L. Tomko, Louise F. Haynes, Ryan G. Vandrey, Frances R. Levin

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Background—Cannabis use disorder (CUD) is a prevalent and impairing condition, and established psychosocial treatments convey limited efficacy. In light of recent findings supporting the efficacy of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) for CUD in adolescents, the objective of this trial was to evaluate its efficacy in adults.

Methods—In a 12-week double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial, treatment-seeking adults ages 18–50 with CUD (N=302), enrolled across six National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network-affiliated clinical sites, were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to a 12-week course of NAC 1200 mg (n=153) or placebo (n=149) twice daily. All …

Examining The Protective Effect Of Ethnic Identity On Drug Attitudes And Use Among A Diverse Youth Population, Tamika C. B. Zapolski, Sycarah Fisher, Devin E. Banks, Devon J. Hensel, Jessica Barnes-Najor

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Ethnic identity is an important buffer against drug use among minority youth. However, limited work has examined pathways through which ethnic identity mitigates risk. School-aged youth (N = 34,708; 52 % female) of diverse backgrounds (i.e., African American (n = 5333), Asian (n = 392), Hispanic (n = 662), Multiracial (n = 2129), Native American (n = 474), and White (n = 25718) in grades 4–12 provided data on ethnic identity, drug attitudes, and drug use. After controlling for gender and grade, higher ethnic identity was associated with lower past month drug use …

Social Rejection Magnifies Impulsive Behavior Among Individuals With Greater Negative Urgency: An Experimental Test Of Urgency Theory, David S. Chester, Donald R. Lynam, Richard S. Milich, C. Nathan Dewall

Psychology Faculty Publications

Impulsivity is a multifaceted trait with substantial implications for human well-being. One facet of impulsivity is negative urgency, the tendency to act impulsively in response to negative affect. Correlational evidence suggests that negative affect magnifies impulsive behavior among individuals with greater negative urgency, yet causal evidence for this core pillar of urgency theory is lacking. To fill this gap in the literature, participants (N = 363) were randomly assigned to experience social rejection (a situation shown to induce negative affect) or acceptance. Participants then reported their subjective negative affect, completed a behavioral measure of impulsivity, and reported their negative …

Comparing Adult Cannabis Treatment-Seekers Enrolled In A Clinical Trial With National Samples Of Cannabis Users In The United States, Erin A. Mcclure, Jacqueline S. King, Aimee Wahle, Abigail G. Matthews, Susan C. Sonne, Michelle R. Lofwall, Aimee L. Mcrae-Clark, Udi E. Ghitza, Melissa Martinez, Kasie Cloud, Harvir S. Virk, Kevin M. Gray

Center on Drug and Alcohol Research Faculty Publications

Background—Cannabis use rates are increasing among adults in the United States (US) while the perception of harm is declining. This may result in an increased prevalence of cannabis use disorder and the need for more clinical trials to evaluate efficacious treatment strategies. Clinical trials are the gold standard for evaluating treatment, yet study samples are rarely representative of the target population. This finding has not yet been established for cannabis treatment trials. This study compared demographic and cannabis use characteristics of a cannabis cessation clinical trial sample (run through National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network) with three nationally …

Psychosocial Factors Related To The Intergenerational Transmission Of Externalizing Behaviors In Early Midlife, Chenshu Zhang, Judith S. Brook, Neo K. Morojele, Mario De La Rosa, Carl G. Leukefeld, David W. Brook

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Background: To study the intergenerational transmission of externalizing behaviors. Methods: Participants came from a community-based random sample of residents in two upstate New York counties (N = 548). Data were collected from mothers at mean age 40 and from their children from adolescence (mean age = 14, SD = 2.8) to early midlife (mean age = 43, SD = 2.8) at seven time points. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to study the psychosocial factors as related to externalizing behaviors in early midlife. Results: First, maternal externalizing behaviors were indirectly associated with the offspring's externalizing behaviors …

The Juvenile Justice Behavioral Health Services Cascade: A New Framework For Measuring Unmet Substance Use Treatment Services Needs Among Adolescent Offenders, Steven Belenko, Danica Knight, Gail A. Wasserman, Michael L. Dennis, Tisha Wiley, Faye S. Taxman, Carrie B. Oser, Richard Dembo, Angela A. Robertson, Jessica Sales

Sociology Faculty Publications

Overview—Substance use and substance use disorders are highly prevalent among youth under juvenile justice (JJ) supervision, and related to delinquency, psychopathology, social problems, risky sex and sexually transmitted infections, and health problems. However, numerous gaps exist in the identification of behavioral health (BH) problems and in the subsequent referral, initiation and retention in treatment for youth in community justice settings. This reflects both organizational and systems factors, including coordination between justice and BH agencies.

Methods and Results—This paper presents a new framework, the Juvenile Justice Behavioral Health Services Cascade (“Cascade”), for measuring unmet substance use treatment needs to …

Alcohol Use And Strenuous Physical Activity In College Students: A Longitudinal Test Of 2 Explanatory Models Of Health Behavior, Heather A. Davis, Elizabeth N. Riley, Gregory T. Smith, Richard S. Milich, Jessica L. Burris

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: To help clarify the effect of gender on the bidirectional relationship between alcohol use and strenuous physical activity in college students. Participants: Five hundred twenty-four (52% female) college students recruited in August 2008 and 2009 and followed up in April 2009 and April 2011, respectively. Methods: Participants reported their alcohol use and strenuous physical activity on 2 occasions (baseline and follow-up) spaced approximately 1 or 2 years apart. Results: For females, alcohol use quantity at baseline was associated with increased strenuous physical activity at 1- and 2-year follow-ups, and alcohol use frequency at baseline was …

Circumcision Status Is Not Associated With Condom Use And Prevalence Of Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Young Black Msm, Richard A. Crosby, Cynthia A. Graham, Leandro Mena, William L. Yarber, Stephanie A. Sanders, Robin R. Milhausen, Angelica Geter

Health, Behavior & Society Faculty Publications

This study investigated whether intact young Black MSM differed from their circumcised counterparts regarding condom use behaviors and perceptions and HIV/Chlamydia/gonorrhea. Young Black MSM completed a self-interview, including a pictorial item assessing circumcision status and measures of condom use. Twenty-seven percent of 388 participants reported not being circumcised. With one exception, no associations tested approached significance. The mean frequency of unprotected insertive anal sex for circumcised men was about twice as high compared to those intact (P = .04). Intact young Black MSM did not differ from circumcised men relative to prevalence of STIs (including HIV) or condom use behaviors …

Ambivalence: Prerequisite For Success In Motivational Interviewing With Adolescents?, Sarah W. Feldstein Ewing, Timothy R. Apodaca, Jacques Gaume

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The exploration and resolution of ambivalence play an essential role in motivational interviewing (MI) theory. However, most adolescent MI studies have not examined ambivalence as a contributor to behaviour change. This paper reviewed research findings on the role of ambivalence in the adolescent change process.

METHODS AND RESULTS: We undertook a narrative review of the published empirical and theoretical literature on ambivalence and mechanisms of change in MI for adolescents and found that current MI evaluations appear not to have access to reliable and valid measures of ambivalence in adolescence or neuroimaging methods to evaluate the mechanisms …

The Behavioral Addiction Indoor Tanning Screener (Baits): An Evaluation Of A Brief Measure Of Behavioral Addictive Symptoms, Jerod L. Stapleton, Joel J. Hillhouse, Rob Turrisi, Katie Baker, Sharon L. Manne, Elliot J. Coups

ETSU Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Juvenile Justice—Translational Research On Interventions For Adolescents In The Legal System (Jj-Trials): A Cluster Randomized Trial Targeting System-Wide Improvement In Substance Use Services, Danica K. Knight, Steven Belenko, Tisha Wiley, Angela A. Robertson, Nancy Arrigona, Michael Dennis, John P. Bartkowski, Larkin S. Mcreynolds, Jennifer E. Becan, Hannah K. Knudsen, Gail A. Wasserman, Eve Rose, Ralph Diclemente, Carl G. Leukefeld, Jj-Trials Cooperative

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Background: The purpose of this paper is to describe the Juvenile Justice—Translational Research on Interventions for Adolescents in the Legal System (JJ-TRIALS) study, a cooperative implementation science initiative involving the National Institute on Drug Abuse, six research centers, a coordinating center, and Juvenile Justice Partners representing seven US states. While the pooling of resources across centers enables a robust implementation study design involving 36 juvenile justice agencies and their behavioral health partner agencies, co-producing a study protocol that has potential to advance implementation science, meets the needs of all constituencies (funding agency, researchers, partners, study sites), and can be implemented …

Similarities And Differences In Sexual Risk Behaviors Between Young Black Msm Who Do And Do Not Have Sex With Females, Richard A. Crosby, Leandro Mena, Angelica Geter, Demarc Hickson

Health, Behavior & Society Faculty Publications

The objective of this study is to determine whether young Black MSM who also have sex with females report similar levels of sexual risk behaviors as those not having sex with females. YBMSM (N = 400) were recruited from an STI clinic, located in the Southern U.S. Men completed an audio-computer assisted self-interview and donated specimens for STI/HIV testing. Forty-three percent recently engaged in penile-vaginal sex. They were less likely to report having concurrent partners (P = .01), unprotected fellatio (P = .04), multiple partners as a bottom (P < .02), any unprotected anal sex as a bottom (P < .013), and any anal sex (P = .007). They were equally likely …

The Visual Priming Of Motion-Defined 3d Objects, Xiong Jiang, Yang Jiang, Raja Parasuraman

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

The perception of a stimulus can be influenced by previous perceptual experience, a phenomenon known as perceptual priming. However, there has been limited investigation on perceptual priming of shape perception of three-dimensional object structures defined by moving dots. Here we examined the perceptual priming of a 3D object shape defined purely by motion-in-depth cues (i.e., Shape-From-Motion, SFM) using a classic prime-target paradigm. The results from the first two experiments revealed a significant increase in accuracy when a "cloudy" SFM stimulus (whose object structure was difficult to recognize due to the presence of strong noise) was preceded by an unambiguous SFM …

Adolescent Bereavement, Leslie Robin, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Depending on cognitive and emotional development, an adolescent may grieve very differently than a child or an adult. While mature enough to understand death's irreversibility, adolescents may not fully comprehend the enduring consequences of a loved one's death. As the desire to separate from their families and forge new intimate relationships with peers assumes increasing priority, adolescents can seem egocentric in their reaction to death, a response which often frustrates and perplexes adults. Because volatile behavior is characteristic of adolescence, health providers struggle to differentiate between normal and complicated bereavement. Here we review the commonly-accepted characteristics of normal and complicated …

The Flexible Fairness: Equality, Earned Entitlement, And Self-Interest, Chunliang Feng, Yi Luo, Ruolei Gu, Lucas S. Broster, Xueyi Shen, Tengxiang Tian, Yue-Jia Luo, Frank Krueger

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

The current study explored whether earned entitlement modulated the perception of fairness in three experiments. A preliminary resource earning task was added before players decided how to allocate the resource they jointly earned. Participants' decision in allocation, their responses to equal or unequal offers, whether advantageous or disadvantageous, and subjective ratings of fairness were all assessed in the current study. Behavioral results revealed that participants proposed more generous offers and showed enhanced tolerance to disadvantageous unequal offers from others when they performed worse than their presumed "partners," while the reverse was true in the better-performance condition. The subjective ratings also …