The Relationship Between Bipolar Disorder And Epilepsy: Challenging The Dichotomy Of Mental And Physical Health, Mia A. Dawbin

Psychology and Community Studies | Student Scholarship

Abstract

The body of literature associating epilepsy with mood disorders is vast and can be traced as far back as Hippocrates. The comorbidity of the two is notoriously high. The prevalence of depressive symptoms among people with epilepsy has been widely reported for decades, though these symptoms may not be considered or treated as successfully in people with epilepsy as they are in their non-epileptic counterparts. More recently, evidence has been found suggesting that psychiatric symptoms may serve as a precursor to epilepsy. The episodic nature of the illnesses and their congruent model of progression suggest a possible connection. The …

Adjustment And Social Media Use During And After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Alexis Banner

Honors College

Adolescents are highly susceptible to developing depression, given the wide range of social and biological changes that happen during this developmental period. Many late adolescents transition to college, and this experience is associated with more responsibility, higher academic demands, and gains in independence from family, which have been associated with higher levels of depression. Most adolescents today use social media, and this has been linked to many positive effects, such as exploring one’s identity and staying in contact with peers. However, social media use also has been associated with negative effects, such as body-image issues and increased depression levels. The …

Effects Of Rumination And Co-Rumination On The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy And Depressive Symptoms, Evelyn G. Clement

Honors College

Depressive symptoms have far-reaching and negative implications on both an individual and societal level, with college students generally considered to be a particularly vulnerable population in terms of risk for depressive symptoms. Two internal cognitive processes, self-efficacy, and rumination, as well as the interpersonal form of rumination, co-rumination, have all been uniquely linked to depressive symptoms. The literature linking these four constructs is not nearly as extensive as it is with any of the constructs uniquely relating to depressive symptoms. Rumination is related to lower levels of self-efficacy, but the interaction of self-efficacy and co-rumination as well as the effects …

Tabletop Roleplaying Games, And Depression, And Social Anxiety, Noelle B. Ott

Honors College

Tabletop roleplaying games are a form of in-person, multiplayer games structured around group interaction, set rules of gameplay, strategic group decision-making, and active character roleplaying. While such games have existed in some form for thousands of years, more recent and modern versions such as Dungeons & Dragons and Call of Cthulhu have increased attention not only to their use as a form of entertainment, but as a potential extension of play and drama therapies in a clinical setting (Henrich & Worthington, 2021). Research into therapeutic roleplaying, both with and without gameplay supervision, has shown a promising association with increased understanding …

S5e2: How Can We Address Mental Health Needs In Rural Maine?, Ron Lisnet, Jeff Hecker, Sandy Butler, Emily Haigh

The Maine Question

Many people nationwide are experiencing a decline in their mental health. Rates of anxiety, depression, and substance abuse are rising, more so in rural areas. Ten out of 16 Maine counties have a shortage of mental health professionals. Only about half of the state population receives the services they need.

At UMaine, a major effort is underway to recruit more mental health care providers to serve in rural areas. Using federal funding, researchers from the Psychology Department and School of Social Work are working with other experts to increase the number of psychologists, social workers and substance abuse professionals in …

The Impact Of Emotion Regulation On Adhd And Depressive Symptoms In Emerging Adults, Hannah Meidahl

Honors College

The present thesis describes a study examining the process of emotion regulation (ER) and its connections to symptoms of two forms of psychopathology, attentiondeficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression, both separately and comorbidly. ER can be characterized as the processes and components that make up a person’s ability to express, experience, and control his/her emotions. It is theorized to be an important component of a variety of psychological disorders, including ADHD and depression. ER has been found to play a vital role in the development of both of these disorders and there has been speculation that ER may explain some of …

The Relations Between Anxiety Symptoms And Friendships In Adolescence, Phoebe Welcome

Honors College

Anxiety symptoms can often be experienced as a silent struggle in adolescence, as many anxious adolescents do not exhibit outward symptoms. Identifying adolescents who are struggling with subthreshold anxiety symptoms can be even more difficult. As adolescence is a time where friendships become primary sources for emotional support, youth who experience anxiety symptoms and associated distress may have trouble navigating close relationships with peers. The current study aims to investigate the relations between adolescents’ anxiety symptoms and their friendship functioning, as well as the impact of their anxiety symptoms on friends’ emotional adjustment. Data were taken from a larger project …

The Relationship Between Juvenile Alcohol Abuse, Depression, And Violence, Julianna Ferguson

Sociology School Student Scholarship

Fortunately, the prevalence of serious violent crime among juveniles (ages 17 and under) is very small. Most offenses committed by juveniles are minor offenses, including larceny-theft, liquor law violations, and petty drug offenses (Regoli et al., 2017). These types of minor offenses make up the bulk of all juvenile delinquency. However, the small percentage of serious juvenile crime and violence is what concerns law enforcement, the federal government, and sociologists the most. Research shows that crime is very common and even perceived as being normal for individuals during adolescence (Leal and Mier 2017; Tibbetts and Daigle 2008). Crime typically associated …

Risk And Resilience: Interpersonal And Intrapersonal Factors Influencing Adolescent Peer Rejection And Depression, Tyler Hicks

Honors College

This study aimed to examine James C. Coyne’s (1976) interpersonal theory of depression, which supposes that individuals with depression engage in aversive behaviors, causing those around them to reject the relationship in a group of adolescents aged 11-18 (N = 82). Data from the North Yarmouth Academy Peer Project, collected by Dr. Rebecca Schwartz-Mette was used to assess the effect of peer rejection on adolescent depressive symptoms. Participants were surveyed on a number of scales rating emotional adjustment, psychosocial function, internalizing problems, and friendship behaviors. Moderator variables, including three interpersonal behaviors (excessive reassurance-seeking, negative feedback-seeking, conversational self-focus) and one social-cognitive …

Obesity And Depression: Examining An Adult Age Subset In The United States, Haleigh Moran

Sociology School Student Scholarship

Obesity within the United States has been a topic of increasing national concern since the spike of its prevalence among the population. Its growing presence in American society sparked governmental attention around the early 1980s (NCBI). This relatively recent phenomena in the scope of American history has generated the need for research around the economic, medical, and societal implications of this emergent epidemic. While research has been conducted by medical experts, there is a missing analytical perspective from the field of sociology in the national discussion of obesity. More often than not, sociological understandings and evaluations are absent from nation-wide …

Investigating The Odd-Person-Out Principle: Socioemotional Adjustment Of First-Year College Students In Double Vs. Triple Living Scenarios, Alex Gilbert

Honors College

Previous research has determined that tripling college students in dorm rooms that are considered “overcrowded” can have a negative effect on students’ academic performance and quality of roommate relationships. In addition, students who are beginning their college careers are more vulnerable to depression and anxiety. The present retrospective study examined depression/anxiety levels, overall academic performance and roommate relationship quality when comparing doubled and tripled students’ experiences during their first semester of their undergraduate program. Students at a state university who accepted admission after the deadline and had been assigned to triple vs. double rooms for their first year in college …

Challenging The “Jolly Fat” Hypothesis Among Older Adults: High Body Mass Index Predicts Increases In Depressive Symptoms Over A 5-Year Period, Peter J. Dearborn Ma, Michael A. Robbins Ph.D., Merrill F. Elias Ph.D., Mph

Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Papers

Several investigators have observed lowered risk of depression among obese older adults, coining the “jolly fat” hypothesis. We examined this hypothesis using baseline and a 5-year follow-up body mass index, depressive symptoms, and covariates from 638 community-based older adults. High objectively measured body mass index and functional limitations predicted increased future depressive symptoms. However, symptoms did not predict future body mass index. Self-reported body mass index showed similar associations despite underestimating obesity prevalence. Results did not differ on the basis of gender. Results for this study, the first longitudinal reciprocal risk analysis between objectively measured body mass index and depressive …

The Associations Between Reflective Rumination And Related Constructs, Bryanna P. Plummer

Honors College

According to the Response Styles Theory, the way in which an individual responds to depressed mood influences the duration and severity of one’s depressed mood (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991). In particular, a ruminative response, or tendency to repeatedly think about the causes and consequences of one’s depressed mood is hypothesized to worsen depressed mood (Nolen-Hoeksema, Wisco & Lyubomirsky, 2008). Research examining the measure of rumination using the Ruminative Response Scale (Nolen-Hoeksema & Morrow, 1991), Treynor, Gonzalez and Nolen-Hoeksema (2003) has yielded two distinct subtypes of rumination: brooding and reflection. Brooding was conceptualized as a maladaptive form of rumination, while reflection was thought …

Correlates Of Disability In The Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study, Grace Avakian

Honors College

The present study is designed to address disability. Disability is examined in relation to such mental health variables as depression, anxiety, and general well-being. Data is analyzed from the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study (MSLS); a 38 year study conducted by Dr. Merrill Elias and Dr. Michael Robbins. In the MSLS, symptoms of depression are measured by the Center for Epidemiological Depression Scale and the Zung Depression Scale, symptoms of anxiety are measured by the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and general well-being is measured by the General Well-Being Adjustment Scale. Disability is assessed by a self report questionnaire pertaining to common activities …

Depression, Emotional Eating And Food Choice, Jhen-Da Prince

Honors College

The prevalence of depression has been steadily growing throughout the years, especially among college students. Depression has been rated third amongst the presenting problems in college counseling centers (Drum & Baron, 1998) and studies have indicated that as much as 80% of college students say they have experienced some form of depression throughout college (Westefeld & Furr, 1987). Not only does depression affect college students, but positive affect does as well. Evidence that suggests that those with a history of depression may get the most benefit from having positive affect, given a negative relationship between positive affect and depressive symptoms …

Perceptions Of A Dating Couple Conflict Resolution Interaction And Relationship Quality As Predictors Of Depressive Symptoms In A College Student Sample, Annie M. Ledoux

Honors College

This study examines how perceptions of a conflict resolution interaction are related to measures of relationship quality and adjustment in a college student sample. Participants included 152 college students involved in a romantic relationship. All participants completed questionnaires to assess features of their romantic relationship and to measure depression. Couples participated in a recorded conflict resolution discussion, and used a video-recall procedure to assess their subjective perceptions of the interaction. Analyses revealed that depressive symptoms were significantly correlated with both low levels of positivity and high levels of negativity during the interaction and in the relationship generally. A stepwise multiple …

Depression: Family Fact Sheet #2, Eastern Agency On Aging, University Of Maine Center On Aging, Aroostook Area Agency On Aging, Senior Spectrum, Rosscare, Norumbega Medical, Horizons Health Services, Indian Township Tribal Health Center, Bucksport Regional Health Center

Maine Center on Aging Service and Consultation

Caregiving does not cause depression, but some may experience it, as many sacrifice their own physical and emotional needs in order to provide care to others. Symptoms of depression may include a change in eating habits, sleep patterns, feelings of constant exhaustion, loss of interest in things that once brought you pleasure, thoughts of suicide, among others. If any of these symptoms persist for more than two weeks, it is important to recognize and get help with these issues. Depression is a highly curable illness with appropriate medical care.