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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Role Of Cortisol In The Development Of Post-Traumatic Stress And Dysphoria, Devi Jayan Oct 2021

Role Of Cortisol In The Development Of Post-Traumatic Stress And Dysphoria, Devi Jayan

Dissertations (1934 -)

Exposure to a traumatic event is a significant predictor for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Identification of specific risk factors for PTSD and depression after trauma exposure has been challenging due to comorbid and heterogeneous presentations of these conditions. Pre-existing research demonstrates reduced cortisol response (hypocortisolism) in chronic PTSD and an exaggerated cortisol response (hypercortisolism) in depression. The current longitudinal study examined cortisol response following a traumatic injury as a potential biomarker for deciphering specific risk for PTSD, depression, and PTSD depression comorbidity. Saliva samples for cortisol assay (post-injury cortisol) were collected from 172 trauma survivors …


Circulating Endocannabinoids And Prospective Risk For Depression In Trauma-Injury Survivors, Jacklynn M. Fitzgerald, Samantha Chesney, Tara Sander Lee, Karen J. Brasel, Christine L. Larson, Cecilia J. Hillard, Terri A Deroon-Cassini May 2021

Circulating Endocannabinoids And Prospective Risk For Depression In Trauma-Injury Survivors, Jacklynn M. Fitzgerald, Samantha Chesney, Tara Sander Lee, Karen J. Brasel, Christine L. Larson, Cecilia J. Hillard, Terri A Deroon-Cassini

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Biological mechanisms associated with response to trauma may impact risk for depression. One such mechanism is endocannabinoid signaling (eCB), a neuromodulatory system comprised of the CB1 subtype of cannabinoid receptors (CB1R), encoded by the CNR1 gene, and two primary endogenous ligands: 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and N-arachidonylethanolamine (AEA), hydrolyzed by monoacylglycerol lipase (gene name MGLL) and fatty acid amide hydrolase (gene name FAAH). Preclinical data suggest that eCB/CB1R signaling acts as a stress buffer and its loss or suppression increases depression-like behaviors. We examined circulating concentrations of the eCBs (2-AG and AEA) days and six months after a traumatic injury …


The Role Of Community Involvement In Ethnic Discrimination And Depression Symptoms Among Ethnic Minority College Students, Jaclyn Pachicano Apr 2021

The Role Of Community Involvement In Ethnic Discrimination And Depression Symptoms Among Ethnic Minority College Students, Jaclyn Pachicano

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Over the past two decades, there has been an increase in racial and ethnic minorities attending college (Davis & Fry, 2019). Unfortunately, racial and ethnic minority students are at higher risk for depression symptoms and are less likely to seek out services to address these symptoms (Hope et al., 2018). A possible contributing factor to elevated depression symptoms in this population is exposure to racial and ethnic discrimination, which has repeatedly been linked to increased depression symptoms (Araújo & Borrell, 2006; Chou et al., 2012). Previous literature suggests that community involvement may serve as a buffer or a pathway for …