Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Socio-Demographic Risks Affect Executive Functioning, Brittny Rodgers, Nicole Shelley, Hannah B. White, Ph.D

Undergraduate Research Symposium

The goal of study 1 was to see if there was an association between average fixation durations in infants and socio-demographic risk. There were 102 infants (3.5 month old) that participated in the study. While infants were looking at stimuli, the researchers tracked their average fixation durations; their mothers took the socio-demographic risk scale (Rutter, 1979; Sameroff, 2000). This scale shows the mothers cumulative risk score by giving points to mothers based on their socio-demographic circumstances. Mothers received a point if they were, below median maternal education, below median estimated family income, or a racial minority. Results showed that the …

The Association Between Coping-Motivated Drinking And Alcohol-Related Consequences., Jacob D. Salser, Ian A. Mcnamara, Ryan W. Carpenter

Undergraduate Research Symposium

ABSTRACT. Background: College students’ alcohol use is an important topic of research. Past research indicates that people who drink to cope are at a higher risk for alcohol-related consequences compared to other drinking motives (i.e., enhancement, social, or conformity motives). This project aims to analyze drinking motives, specifically the subscales of coping-anxiety motives and coping-depressive motives, and their association with alcohol-related consequences in a unique population. In addition, the moderating effects of stress will be tested.

Methods: The data for this project was collected through a survey that was given to students (N=176) at the University of Missouri …

Hope For The Unhoused: Medical Treatment Access And Retention Among Unhoused Individuals With Opioid Use Disorder In The St. Louis Region, Allison Token

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Medical treatment for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) can be highly effective, but may be particularly difficult to access among individuals who are unhoused. This study investigated how experiencing insecure housing affects the receipt of and retention rates of MOUD among participants in the St. Louis region’s Engaging Patients in Care Coordination (EPICC)—a peer-based program designed to connect people with evidence-based OUD treatment. We hypothesized EPICC clients who were unhoused received MOUD less often than clients who were housed, and that EPICC clients who were unhoused were retained in treatment for shorter periods of time than EPICC clients who were housed. …

Telehealth Treatment For Opioid Use Disorder In Missouri’S Urban And Rural Areas Prior To And Since Covid-19, Aurora Rojo, Rashmi Ghonasgi, Zachary Budesa, Rachel Winograd

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a chronic health condition that can be adequately treated when individuals have access to needed services. Telehealth services can be delivered remotely through audio-visual technological communications rather than in-person visits, which can greatly improve care accessibility. Following the onset of COVID-19, there were swift clinical and policy adaptations to promote telehealth services across medical and behavioral health fields. This study aims to identify changes in the frequency of telehealth for OUD treatment in Missouri’s rural and urban counties prior to and since the onset of COVID-19. Chi-square tests and analysis of changes between years and …

Effects Of Foster Children’S Epigenetics In Abusive Environments, Shamika Ellis, Theresa Moore

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Abstract: Effects of Foster Children’s Epigenetics in Abusive Environments

Shamika Ellis, Theresa A. Moore, Hannah B. White, PhD

This presentation will review the literature on the epigenetics of abused foster children, and the subsequent acute, delayed, and long-term physiological, cognitive, and behavioral effects. One study experimentally investigated the effects of sexual and physical abuse on 150 foster children from 8 to 19 years of age and found post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was diagnosed in 64% of children who experienced sexual abuse and 42% of children who experienced physical abuse Further, of the foster children who had not experienced either form …

Psychopathy & Perceptions Of Control, Amy Kenny

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Psychopathy is a complex personality disorder characterized by egocentricity, antisocial tendencies, and emotionally insensitive behavior. One trait of psychopathy is a grandiose sense of self-worth, related to positive self-regard and egocentricity. A few studies have shown relationships between psychopathy traits and self-report measures of locus of control. However, less is known about how psychopathy traits, including grandiose self-worth, relate to perceptions of control in the moment using computer-based tasks. This study explored the correlation between psychopathy traits and perceptions of control in undergraduate students. We hypothesized that: (1) overall psychopathy scores would negatively correlate with perceptions of control, and (2) …

Covid-19 Effects On Adolescent Anxiety, Lyndsay Michelle

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Identify effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on adolescents mental health with a focus on anxiety

The Effect Of Caffeine On Bee Behavior: A Progressive Ratio Study, Kayle Cohen, Becky Hansis-O'Neill, Aimee Dunlap Dr

Undergraduate Research Symposium

This presentation focuses on the effect of caffeine on bee behavior using behavioral pharmacology methodologies. Researchers trained bumblebees to drink out of artificial flowers, then administered sucrose nectar or caffeinated sucrose nectar during a schedule of progressive and fixed ratios. The finding suggests that caffeine did increase the number of rewards during the fixed ratio, but not in the progressive ratio. However, research is still ongoing as bees continue to be tested..

The Fentanyl Crisis In The African American Community: Exploring Geographic Differences In Overdose In The St. Louis Region, Tanys Giles, Devin Banks, Rashmi Ghonasgi, Maria Paschke, Rachel Winograd

Undergraduate Research Symposium

The opioid overdose crisis in the United States has disproportionately affected the African American community. These increases are due in part to increased availability of fentanyl in the drug supply. However, little is known about the geographical characteristics of opioid overdose in the post fentanyl era and how it may vary based on neighborhood racial make-up. The current exploratory study investigates the geographic characteristics of opioid overdose in St. Louis City and County from 2016-2021. Data included geographical location of fatal opioid overdose among St. Louis residents (N=3,755). Analyses included examining hotspots (i.e., significantly high clustering) and cold spots (i.e., …

Exploring Best Practices In Umsl’S Collaborative Laboratory Internship And Mentoring Blueprint (Climb) Program, Dakota Warren

Undergraduate Research Symposium

The Collaborative Laboratory Internships and Mentoring Blueprint (CLIMB) was inspired by the University of Missouri–St. Louis and the Jennings School District’s desire to address the opportunity gap among minority students in the St. Louis region. Since its inception in 2015, CLIMB has expanded to meet the needs of local students to reduce the opportunity gap facing disadvantaged local school districts.

Externalizing Behavior Predicts Differential Patterns Of Substance Use Among Adolescents By Race, Andrea Palacios

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Externalizing Behavior Predicts Differential Patterns of Substance Use among Adolescents by Race

Early substance use is associated with negative developmental outcomes and chronic disease. Adolescent externalizing behavior (e.g., rule-breaking, lying, aggression) is a consistent predictor of adolescent substance use. However, the association between externalizing behavior and different substances (e.g., alcohol, cannabis, nicotine) is unclear. It is important to clarify these relationships by race as previous research has demonstrated that substance use risk factors for Black youth differ from those for White youth, with whom much research has been conducted.

Non-Hispanic Black (n=16) and White (n = 20) adolescents ages 14-18 …

The Relationships Between Perceived Social Support, Discrimination, Distress, And Alcohol Usage, Kylie Thorwardson, Ryan Carpenter, Melissa Nance

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Those who identify with a sexual minority identity are more likely to experience stress in day to day life due to their identity. Given that alcohol use has been a recorded outlet for stress release, it was hypothesized that the discrimination and distress in those with a sexual minority identity would be positively associated with alcohol consumption. Additionally, it was hypothesized that there would be a negative association between perceived social support and alcohol consumption in individuals who identify as a sexual minority. Regression analysis failed to support all three hypotheses. However, significantly associated correlations were found between: Sexuality and …

Analyzing The Variable Pain, Payton Ruediger, Ryan W. Carpenter, Melissa Nance

Undergraduate Research Symposium

This presentation is a thorough analysis of participant physical pain and physical impairment within the given study. This data was conducted through an EMA study. The smartphone apps TigerAware and Qualtrics were used to give participants surveys throughout the course of ten days. The participants were undergraduate students at UMSL who received extra credit for participating in the study. Out of the 126 participants, 13 were male and 113 female. The surveys focused on comparing the relationship between alcohol usage and other variables. These surveys had questions relating to alcohol usage, marijuana usage, mood, pain, and questions about daily functioning. …

Successful Women Majoring In Stem Have Higher Optimism And Lower Stigma Consciousness, Bridget Muise, Bettina Casad

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Women are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. We had 607 women majoring in STEM complete an online questionnaire reporting levels of coping, rejection sensitivity, stigma consciousness, and optimism and grade point average (GPA) was collected from school records. Results showed that higher rejection sensitivity predicts lower GPA even with higher coping skills. This indicates that even with good coping skills, higher fear of rejection for one's gender had a stronger effect on the academic performance of women in STEM. Additionally, higher optimism predicts higher GPA, but only for women with lower gender stigma consciousness. Optimism seems …

Resilience And Grit: Foundations Of Mindset Differences In Adult Children Of Alcoholics And Adult Children Of Non-Alcoholics, Christopher Vance

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Alcoholism is a destructive consequence of a combination of environmental, genetic, and social influences. While it is the choice of an individual to consume alcohol, their family is facing the consequences as well. Children of alcoholics (CoAs) face a unique set of challenges growing up with one (or two) alcoholic parents. This study seeks to investigate the presence of a difference in grit and resilience in adult children of alcoholics (ACoAs). Furthermore, the study aims to uncover the influence grit and resilience have on an individuals’ mindset; whether they maintain a growth or fixed mindset. A survey containing four different …

How Does Internet Delivered Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training Reduce Suicide Risk? Examining The Granularity Of Suicidal Ideation, Joseph Rameer, Chelsey Wilks

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Background: The gap between treatment need and treatment availability is troubling, and for people who endorse suicidal ideation and present with other complex behavioral dysfunction have more treatment barriers. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills training, which effectively targets behaviors associated with emotion dysregulation such as suicidal behaviors, provides a fitting model amenable to computerization. While DBT has considerable evidence indicating that it is effective at ameliorating suicidal behavior, including thoughts, it is unclear how suicidality is reduced within this population. This study is a secondary data analysis of a pilot randomized control trial evaluating the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of …

The Relationship Between Infant-Family Routines, Number Of Caregivers And Infant Basal Cortisol, Vanessa Newell, Hannah B. White

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Background: Family routines have been found to be related to child adjustment, marital satisfaction, and parenting competence (Fiese, 2002). Persistent stress, and the resulting frequent activation of the body’s stress responses, can result in excessive wear-and-tear on the body and brain known as allostatic load (McEwen, 2000). In infants, basal cortisol levels act as an instrument to measure allostatic load (White, 2020). To our knowledge, no existing work on the impact of routines on infant development has examined the role of family structure. In traditional and minority cultures it is common for caregiving responsibilities to be divided among multiple individuals. …

Paternal Parenting Stress During Middle Childhood: The Impact Of Covid-19, Vanessa Newell, Kathryn E. Cherry, Emily D. Gerstein

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Background: Parenting stress is the unpleasant psychological reaction to the demands of parenthood, including perceptions of competence at and knowledge of the day-to-day and long-term tasks of parenting (Deater-Deckard 2006). While most research has examined mothers, father parenting stress is also critical to children’s development, predicting increased problem behaviors (Cabrera & Mitchell 2009) and poorer cognitive skills (Harwood, 2017). The COVID-19 pandemic may increase parental stress in multiple ways, as parents are at home more with their children while fulfilling occupational and personal responsibilities. Parents have reported increased stress due to job loss, school closures, and other stressors (van Tilburg …

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Young Adults Regularly Using Alcohol And Opioids, Mimi Mead, Kylie Thorwardson, Ryan Carpenter

Undergraduate Research Symposium

The COVID-19 pandemic, via the need for social distancing, has had an enormous impact on how individuals use substances that we are only beginning to understand. Some factors (e.g., increased social isolation) may have led to increased substance use, while others (e.g., restrictions on access) may have made it harder to use. The impact of COVID-19 is particularly important to understand in individuals whose use puts them at high risk of overdose. Our study sought out how exactly substance use patterns changed due to the pandemic in young adults reporting regular use and co-use of alcohol and opioids. Participants were …

Maternal Depression And Infant’S Bias Towards Faces, Annie Ray, Hannah B. White

Undergraduate Research Symposium

This study was conducted to examine the relationship between maternal depression and infant bias toward faces. Three-month-old infants were shown faces and objects and their looking times were recorded. The results showed that there was a significant correlation between maternal depression and infant face preference. Specifically, infants who had mothers with higher depression symptomology showed longer looking times to the faces versus the objects. This finding suggests that maternal depression may shape the development of social information processing skills very early in life.

User Engagement And Usability Of Suicide Prevention Apps: Systematic Search In App Stores And Content Analysis., Chelsey Wilks, Carol Chu, Donggun Sim, Josh Lovell, Peter Gutierrez, Thomas Joiner, Ronald Kessler, Matthew Nock

Psychology Faculty Works

Background: People with suicidal thoughts are more inclined to seek technology-delivered interventions than in-person forms of treatment, making mobile apps for suicide prevention an ideal platform for treatment delivery. This review examines apps designed for suicide prevention, with a specific focus on user engagement. Objective: This study aims to update the literature and broadly evaluate the landscape of mobile health apps for suicide prevention; examine apps with key features and primary approaches to suicide prevention; and systematically evaluate the engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information of the apps. Methods: All apps related to suicidal thoughts and behaviors were identified in the …

Development, Acceptability, And Feasibility Of A Digital Module For Coping With Covid-19 Distress: Pragmatic Retrospective Study, Monica Wu, Jocelyn Lau, Chelsey Wilks, Connie Chen, Anita Lungu

Psychology Faculty Works

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the measures to help contain it have taken a significant toll on mental health. Blended care psychotherapy combining provider-led care with digital tools can help alleviate this toll. This study describes the development of digital activities designed to teach cognitive-behavioral skills for coping with COVID-19 distress, and evaluates initial acceptability and feasibility data.Materials and Methods: Using a pragmatic retrospective cohort design, data from 664 U.S.-based individuals enrolled in blended care psychotherapy were analyzed. Descriptive analyses summarized acceptability for the digital activities. Ordinal logistic regression analyses were conducted on a subsample (n = …

Introduction To Statistics In The Psychological Sciences, Linda R. Cote, Rupa Gordon, Chrislyn E. Randell, Judy Schmitt, Helena Marvin

Open Educational Resources Collection

Introduction to Statistics in the Psychological Sciences provides an accessible introduction to the fundamentals of statistics, and hypothesis testing as need for psychology students. The textbook introduces the fundamentals of statistics, an introduction to hypothesis testing, and t Tests. Related samples, independent samples, analysis of variance, correlations, linear regressions and chi-squares are all covered along with expanded appendices with z, t, F correlation, and a Chi-Square table. The text includes key terms and exercises with answers to odd-numbered exercises.

Psychology students often find statistics courses to be different from their other psychology classes. There are some distinct differences, especially involving …

Effects Of Chronic Stress On Infant Memory, Theresa A. Moore, Hannah B. White

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Chronically elevated baseline cortisol levels may be associated with memory impairment in infants. Studies have shown that acute elevated stress levels are linked to better overall cognitive performance and enhanced short-term memory, however, chronically elevated stress levels seem to have quite the opposite effect. Although infant data concerning chronic stress and memory is lacking, clinical research studies that have been conducted on adults suggest that chronically elevated cortisol levels may be associated with a plethora of cognitive deficits, including poorer episodic and spatial memory, disrupted learning ability, and difficulty with forming long-term memories. This study analyzed secondary data to examine …

Bold Signal Variability Patterns In Neural Correlates Of Reflection And Brooding Components Of Rumination, Katie Leutzinger, Carissa Philippi

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Researchers have established that rumination is a debilitating symptom that positively correlates with symptoms of depression. Rumination involves self-focused attention, often negative, as a means of coping with a depressed mood or sadness. The Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS) is a tool used to measure rumination severity that includes two subsets of rumination: brooding and reflection. Brooding rumination is related to passive and judgmental thoughts about one’s circumstances and is therefore associated with higher levels of past and current depression. Although brooding is thought to be a maladaptive response to feelings of depression, past studies suggest that the reflection subtype may …

Teletherapy Among Dialectical Behavior Therapy Clinicians And Associations With Treatment Of Patients At Risk For Suicide, Kevin Rebmann

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Title : Teletherapy among Dialectical Behavior Therapy Clinicians and Associations with Treatment of Patients at Risk for Suicide

Authors: Kevin Rebmann, Chelsey Wilks, PhD

University of Missouri—Saint Louis

Abstract Body:

Telemental health has emerged rapidly as a treatment delivery platform, although many clinicians who treat complex and high-risk suicidal patients have expressed concern in the implementation of this technological service. Despite this initial trepidation, the coronavirus pandemic of 2019 (COVID-19) upended the way that traditional evidence-based psychotherapy is being delivered, resulting in most outpatient treatment providers to deliver their treatment via telehealth. One such treatment which focuses on complex patient …

Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (Larcs) As Harm Reduction: A Qualitative Study Exploring Views Of Women With Histories Of Opioid Misuse, Stephani Stancil, Melissa Miller, Alex Duello, Sarah Finocchario-Kessler, Kathy Goggin, Rachel Winograd, Emily Hurley

Psychology Faculty Works

BackgroundThe sharp rise in opioid use disorder (OUD) among women coupled with disproportionally high rates of unintended pregnancy have led to a four-fold increase in the number of pregnant women with OUD in the United States over the past decade. Supporting intentional family planning can have multiple health benefits and reduce harms related to OUD but requires a comprehensive understanding of women’s perspectives of preventing unintended pregnancies. The purpose of this study was to comprehensively evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and experiences as they relate to seeking contraception, particularly LARCs, among women with active or recovered opioid misuse.MethodsIn-depth interviews and focus …

Balancing Need And Risk, Supply And Demand: Developing A Tool To Prioritize Naloxone Distribution, Claire Wood, Lauren Green, Anna La Manna, Sarah Phillips, Kimberly Werner, Rachel Winograd

Psychology Faculty Works

Background: Opioid overdose deaths continue to rise nationally. The demand for naloxone, the opioid overdose antidote, is outpacing the supply. With increasing naloxone requests, tools to prioritize distribution are critical to ensure available supplies will reach those at highest risk of overdose. Methods: We developed a standardized “Naloxone Request Form” (NRF) and corresponding weighted prioritization algorithm to serve as decisional aid to better enable grant staff to prioritize naloxone distribution in a data-driven manner. The algorithm computed raw priority scores for each agency, which were then separated into the predetermined quintiles. Historical naloxone distribution decisions were compared with agencies’ prioritization …

A Systematic Review Of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Mobile Apps For Content And Usability, Chelsey Wilks, Kyrill Gurtovenko, Kevin Rebmann, James Williamson, Josh Lovell, Akash Wasil

Psychology Faculty Works

BackgroundThe gap between treatment need and treatment availability is particularly wide for individuals seeking Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and mobile apps based on DBT may be useful in increasing access to care and augmenting in-person DBT. This review examines DBT based apps, with a specific focus on content quality and usability.MethodsAll apps referring to DBT were identified in Google Play and iOS app stores and were systematically reviewed for app content and quality. The Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) was used to evaluate app usability and engagement.ResultsA total of 21 free to download apps were identified. The majority of apps …

The Relationship Between Resilience, Stress & Ptsd, Hadeal Al-Hamdani Ms., Adam Runyan Mr, Carissa Philippi Mrs.

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by intrusive thoughts or memories of the traumatic event that hinder daily life activities of individuals with a PTSD diagnosis. Stress exposure has further been shown to exacerbate PTSD symptoms. Given that resilience has been shown to buffer levels of stress, the current study investigated whether resilience may moderate the relationship between stress and PTSD symptoms. Eighty-one participants over the age of 18 were recruited from the University of Missouri-Saint Louis and St. Louis community. Participants completed 3 self-report measures of resilience, exposure to stressful life events (e.g., Have you ever been in a …