Child Psychology Commons^™

Risk Factors For Executive Functioning Development In Preschool Children With Type 1 Diabetes, Victoria L. Ledsham

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Links between Type 1 diabetes (T1D) and decreased cognitive functioning in children are well documented, but research on executive functioning (EF) in this population is more limited. Multiple T1D-related risk factors (e.g., hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, glycemic variability, diabetic ketoacidosis) for EF have been established throughout the literature, but their individual effects have been difficult to determine given their interrelated nature. In result, cumulative risk has been proposed as a more robust predictor of EF differences in children with T1D. Moreover, despite the importance of early T1D onset as a risk factor for EF impairment, no studies have previously investigated EF in …

¿Qué Dijo El Médico?: Creating A Procedural Preparation Booklet For Spanish-Speaking Patients And Families In The Pediatric Hospital Setting, Caitlyn Bockbrader

Honors Projects

The purpose of my Honors Project is to demonstrate the need for and creation of a resource that supports Spanish-speaking children’s ability to cope through commonly stressful medical procedures. In developing this project, I conducted a literature review on the efficacy of preparation booklets in lessening pre-procedural anxiety, cultural considerations for the Hispanic community, and current barriers to equitable language access in healthcare settings. My final product was designed to answer the following question: How can the psychosocial outcomes of Spanish-speaking children in U.S. hospitals be improved through the use of Child Life procedural preparation materials? In answering this question, …

Digital Health Intervention For Children With Adhd To Improve Mental Health Intervention, Patient Experiences, And Outcomes: A Study Protocol, Nancy Herrera, Franceli L. Cibrian, Lucas M. Silva, Jesus Armando Beltran, Sabrina E. B. Schuck, Gillian R. Hayes, Kimberley D. Lakes

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most prevalent childhood psychiatric condition with profound public health, personal, and family consequences. ADHD requires comprehensive treatment; however, lack of communication and integration across multiple points of care is a substantial barrier to progress. Given the chronic and pervasive challenges associated with ADHD, innovative approaches are crucial. We developed the digital health intervention (DHI)—CoolTaCo [Cool Technology Assisting Co-regulation] to address these critical barriers. CoolTaCo uses Patient-Centered Digital Healthcare Technologies (PC-DHT) to promote co-regulation (child/parent), capture patient data, support efficient healthcare delivery, enhance patient engagement, and facilitate shared decision-making, thereby improving access to …

Young Children’S Mental Well-Being In Low-Income South African Settings: A Qualitative Study, Catherine E. Draper, Caylee J. Cook, Elizabeth A. Ankrah, Jesus A. Beltran, Franceli L. Cibrian, Jazette Johnson, Kimberley D. Lakes, Hanna Mofid, Lucretia Williams, Gillian R. Hayes

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

This qualitative study aimed to capture community perspectives of the risks and protective factors for social emotional development and mental health of young children in low-income South Africa settings, and was conducted as one component of a larger study with the ultimate aim of co-designing the Mazi Umntanakho (‘know your child’) digital tool. Twenty focus group discussions (n = 154, 97% female) were held with staff of community-based organisations (CBOs) and community health worker (CHW) programmes in urban and rural sites from four geographical regions. Data were analysed thematically, and grouped according to components of nurturing care (responsive caregiving, safety …

The Psychological Impacts Of Algorithmic And Ai-Driven Social Media On Teenagers: A Call To Action, Sunil Arora, Sahil Arora, John Hastings

Research & Publications

This study investigates the meta-issues surrounding social media, which, while theoretically designed to enhance social interactions and improve our social lives by facilitating the sharing of personal experiences and life events, often results in adverse psychological impacts. Our investigation reveals a paradoxical outcome: rather than fostering closer relationships and improving social lives, the algorithms and structures that underlie social media platforms inadvertently contribute to a profound psychological impact on individuals, influencing them in unforeseen ways. This phenomenon is particularly pronounced among teenagers, who are disproportionately affected by curated online personas, peer pressure to present a perfect digital image, and the …

Empowering Students Is “Perfectly Normal:" The Case For 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭 In Middle Schools, Caroline H. Peabody

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

In September of 2023, a middle school teacher wrote an open letter to the Lexington County, Virginia school board expressing outrage over the “graphic sexual content” included in the county middle school’s library. Swiftly following the letter, the school board removed two books from the county’s Lylburn Middle School library without due process and avowed to reconsider the guidelines for including books in the library. One of the two books in question was It’s Perfectly Normal, a non-fiction illustrated book intended to educate readers ten and up on sex, intercourse, and puberty. It’s Perfectly Normal and should be available …

How The Lockdown Of Covid-19 Influenced The Neurocognitive And Psychosocial Development Of Preschoolers, Kay Picson

Nursing | Student Research Posters

The COVID-19 pandemic instilled a new normal across the world. Businesses turned to take out services and faced financial struggle. Hospitals enacted a visitor policy, limiting contact with patients, their families, and their friends. Schools closed their classrooms and moved to online learning from home, isolating children from their teachers, peers, and an optimal learning environment.

The literature review consists of six articles pertaining to the influence of the COVID-19 lockdown on preschoolers neurocognitive and psychosocial development. Specifically, the influence of the lockdown on preschooler mental health, executive function, and social skills. According to the research, the results were differential, …

Early Intervention System Contextual Factors Contributing To Treatment Attendance And Clinical Outcomes, Anthony Eldridge

Theses and Dissertations

Early Intervention Programs (EI) are an established method of addressing and treating earlier childhood developmental problems that involves a system of complex processes which families must navigate to secure and maintain care. Extensive wait times and multiple service providers burdensome caregivers which may impact treatment engagement. Telehealth offers some clinical utility for improving EI service provision. However, little is known how system contextual factors predict a child’s Part B Eligibility and level of engagement with treatment. The primary aim of this study is to describe the effect that wait time, number of service providers, number of treatment services, and treatment …

Leveraging The Science Of Early Life Predictability To Inform Policies Promoting Child Health, Laura M. Glynn, Sabrina R. Liu, Candice Taylor Lucas, Elysia Poggi Davis

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Addressing the tremendous burden of early-life adversity requires constructive dialogues between scientists and policy makers to improve population health. Whereas dialogues focused on several aspects of early-life adversity have been initiated, discussion of an underrecognized form of adversity that has been observed across multiple contexts and cultures is only now emerging. Here we provide evidence for “why unpredictability?”, including: 1. Evidence that exposures to unpredictability affect child neurodevelopment, with influences that persist into adulthood. 2. The existence of a translational non-human animal model of exposure to early life unpredictability that can be capitalized upon to causally probe neurobiological mechanisms. 3. …

Subjective And Objective Sleep Quality Assessment In Adolescent Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Holly Breeden, Elizabeth Mcdonough, Amanda Glinky, Rebecca Wallace, Robbie Beyl, Colleen Leblanc

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Objectives: There is a link between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and poor sleep quality that is presumed to be multifactorial. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that impact sleep quality in this group including clinical disease activity, depression, anxiety, quality of life, and disordered social media use through questionnaires. Methods: This prospective study analyzed sleep quality in adolescent patients ages 13 to 18 with a diagnosis of IBD using objective data from wrist actigraphy and subjective report from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Additional screeners including the Short Pediatric Crohn's Disease Activity Index or Pediatric Ulcerative …

Five A Day, The Rainbow Way: A Nutrition Education Toolkit For Elementary School Aged Children, Sasha Menard

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

Learning Outcome: Develop a nutrition educational toolkit based on Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) for obesity prevention among elementary school-aged children by improving determinants of fruit and vegetable intake.

Background: Poor consumption of fruits and vegetables is a major contributing factor to childhood obesity, increasing the risk for chronic diseases later in life. There is a need for multicomponent nutrition educational tools to influence children to improve their eating behavior by increasing their awareness and self-efficacy. The current project describes the development of a 3-component toolkit for improving participants’ knowledge and values related to fruit and vegetable intake among 6-11-year-olds.

Methods: …

Self-Harm In Female Youth With Undiagnosed Adhd: Implementing American Academy Of Pediatrics Screening Guidelines, Roselie M. Woodard

Dissertations

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. If undiagnosed or untreated, ADHD can lead to severe psychosocial issues such as academic failure, substance abuse, unplanned pregnancy, and incarceration. The financial burden in the U.S. from diagnostic errors creates an immense, rising fiscal impact. Early diagnosis and management are crucial to prevent these complications.

Females with ADHD, particularly those with the inattentive subtype, often face diagnostic challenges due to symptom masking and over-compensation. This results in poorer cognitive functioning and self-esteem compared to males with ADHD. ADHD is linked to autonomic nervous …

The Role Of Positive Affect In Asthma Control And Symptom Severity In Adolescents, Brooke N. Jenkins, Logan T. Martin, Jill S. Halterman, Judith T. Moskowitz, Laura M. Glynn, Pornchai Tirakitsoontorn, Sunil Kamath, Zeev N. Kain

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction

We test the effects of positive affect and its arousal subscale components of calm, wellbeing, and vigor on asthma control and symptom severity in adolescents with moderate to severe asthma. Additionally, we test whether positive affect (and its arousal components) moderate how stress impacts asthma control and symptom severity.

Methods

Adolescents with asthma (N = 66, ages 12–17) completed brief surveys 4 times a day for 7 days reporting on their positive affect, stress, and asthma symptom severity and conducted a morning peak expiratory flow assessment each day. Asthma control and psychological asthma triggers were assessed at the …

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of The Psi-4-Sf In Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Paige Weir

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The factor structure of the Parenting Stress Index - Short Form (PSI-4-SF) was evaluated among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Two hypotheses were tested: (1) the original PSI-4-SF model would yield an unsatisfactory fit, and (2) a three-factor alternative model would improve fit compared to the original and other models. A sample of 205 parent-child dyads was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with the lavaan package in R Studio. Preliminary analyses included descriptive statistics, normality checks, and assessments of skewness and kurtosis. Results supported the first hypothesis, showing poor fit indices for the original PSI-4-SF model. …

Bridging The Gap: Psychopharmacologic Education And Side Effect Screening For Non-Prescribing Mental Health Professionals, Elaine Fitzgerald

Dissertations

Abstract

Problem: The United States is experiencing a growing demand for pediatric mental health support. Surges in mental health diagnoses and psychotropic medication prescriptions have occurred, compounded by a shortage of psychiatric providers. Non-prescribing mental health professionals are well-positioned to recognize psychotropic medication side effects. However, psychologists and counselors lack formal pharmacology education.

Methods: The quality improvement (QI) initiative was guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model. The evidence-based psychopharmacologic education for non-prescribers utilized a quasi-experimental pre- and post- test design. Data collected from clinicians included knowledge, confidence, and skill concerning psychotropic medications. The Psychotropic Medication Monitoring Checklist (PMMC) screen clients …

I See You! Play: A Therapeutic Playgroup For Caregivers And Their Intensive Care Group Infants, Mariana Cerqueira Aokalani

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

This paper articulates a new therapeutic playgroup for caregivers of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) infants, named I See You! Play. This intervention is an adaptation of WePlay! (Gross et al., 2021), a cooperative learning and therapeutic playgroup for caregivers and their children from 6 to 36 months old. Dr, Tracy Vozar developed this program inspired by Saleem Penny’s program with the same name in Chicago. Parents of ICU infants face several challenges that can affect their experience of parenthood, their parenting skills, caregivers' sensitivity, their mental health, and their relationship with their premature infant. This in turn affects infant’s attachment …

Individual Longitudinal Changes In Dna-Methylome Identify Signatures Of Early-Life Adversity And Correlate With Later Outcome, Annabel K. Short, Ryan Weber, Noriko Kamei, Christina Wilcox Thai, Hina Arora, Ali Mortazavi, Hal S. Stern, Laura M. Glynn, Tallie Z. Baram

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Adverse early-life experiences (ELA) affect a majority of the world's children. Whereas the enduring impact of ELA on cognitive and emotional health is established, there are no tools to predict vulnerability to ELA consequences in an individual child. Epigenetic markers including peripheral-cell DNA-methylation profiles may encode ELA and provide predictive outcome markers, yet the interindividual variance of the human genome and rapid changes in DNA methylation in childhood pose significant challenges. Hoping to mitigate these challenges we examined the relation of several ELA dimensions to DNA methylation changes and outcome using a within-subject longitudinal design and a high methylation-change threshold. …

Transition Skills Lab: A Telehealth Intervention For Improving Healthcare Transition In Youth With Special Health Care Needs, Angela Combs, Alaina Linafelter, Jordan Sevart, Michele H. Maddux

Research Days

The goal of this abstract is to evaluate youth skill-building and confidence across health care tasks through the virtual Transition Skills Lab.

Bridging Services To Evidenced-Based Care: Implementing A Psychology Consult Check-Up Clinic, Jacqueline Pabis Phd, Sabrina Ung Ma, Angela Combs Ma, Mallory Netz Phd, Carisa Parrish Phd, Casey Lawless Phd

Research Days

This quality improvement project examines the feasibility, satisfaction, and preliminary outcomes of a hospital follow-up program for the CMH Inpatient Psychology Consultation & Liaison team.

An Actuarial Prediction Of Adhd Using Neuropsychological Data, Kimberlyn Williams

Poster Presentations

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common psychiatric diagnosis in children and a frequent psychiatric diagnosis in adults. ADHD is a clinical diagnosis based on self-reported symptoms which makes accurate diagnosis challenging. Actuarial prediction has been demonstrated to be more accurate than clinical judgment. The current study explored an actuarial approach to predicting ADHD based on a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests. This project utilized test data from Meyers Neuropsychological Battery (MNB) to develop a logistic regression model to accurately predict diagnosed ADHD cases (n=65) from normal functioning cases (n=79) with a history of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI). Binary …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A School-Based Cognitive Behavioral Youth Depression Prevention Program In Improving Life Satisfaction, Roshani Patel, Steven M. Brunwasser, Alissa Hochman

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, known as the global burden of disease. Incident cases from 1990 to 2017 have increased by 49.86%. Additionally, rates have been seen to dramatically rise in adolescents aged 18-25 (17%) compared to rates in individuals aged 10-14 (1.1%). This makes it beneficial to have prevention programs for middle school aged children. The Penn Resiliency Program (PRP) is a youth depression prevention program focused on cultivating healthy thinking styles and behavioral coping skills. In our study, we used archival data from a randomized control trial of PRP to evaluate whether the program led …

Program Curricula For Preparing Medical Professionals On Early Childhood Mental Health, Socio-Emotional Development, And Adverse Childhood Experiences In Primary Care Settings: A Phenomenological Study, Jesutomilola O. Olayemi

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Primary care settings serve as the frontline for addressing the holistic well-being of individuals and particularly for children, they play a pivotal role in shaping early childhood experiences. Pediatric primary care physicians are pivotal in addressing the scarcity of mental health resources for children aged zero to five. There is limited knowledge regarding the competence of pediatric primary care providers in providing developmentally appropriate mental health care in early childhood. Therefore, this phenomenological study examined how early childhood mental health, social-emotional development, and adverse childhood experiences and their related screening practices were integrated into the curricula for preparing prospective pediatric …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Universal Depression Screenings In The High School Setting, Telisha Anthony Msn, Fnp-Bc, Jennifer Thorsen Bsn, Rn, Jackie Sharp Dnp, Pmhnp-Bc, Sharon Little Dnp, Fnp-Bc

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Purpose/Background

Depression in adolescents is rising each year. Early detection of depression has been shown to result in better health outcomes and success in school. This scoping review aims to evaluate the implementation of universal depression screenings in the high school setting and how this detection of depression and initiation of treatment.

Methods

From August 2022 to November 2023, we used the Medline, PubMed, Elsevier, Google Scholar, and PsycINFO databases, using specific keywords related to depression in adolescents. Of the 38 articles found, 10 were chosen after extensive article critique. The publication dates ranged from 2014-2023, were full-text, and from …

Childhood Cancer Survivorship: Navigating A New Normal In Middle Tennessee, Karli M. Beaumont

OTD Capstone Projects

Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in partnership with Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center offers REACH for Cancer Survivorship, a pediatric cancer survivorship clinic. REACH provides a full range of follow-up care designed to meet the physical, emotional, and practical needs of survivors and continuous surveillance of deleterious effects of cancer and its treatments. The purpose of this project was to meet population and agency needs through research of long- and late-term sequela while advocating for occupational therapy’s role in the oncology population through the proactive therapy and prospective surveillance models. The process of creating this project included synthesizing the literature, …

The Role Of Sport For Adolescents: The Effect Of Sport Participation As A Unique Form Of Physical Activity On Mental Health And Overall Subjective Well-Being During Adolescence, Caleb M. Rogers

Senior Theses

Well-being is an extremely multifaceted domain, as there are numerous factors that contribute to one’s way of life. Objective well-being focuses primarily on material factors such as access to food, housing, and a steady household income. Although these factors play a large role, it is important to analyze well-being from the perspective of the individual. Subjective well-being focuses on how one perceives one's own well-being. Physical activity has been well established as one factor associated with improvements within this domain for adolescents. This project investigates the role of one specific form of physical activity during adolescence: sport. The general assumption …

A Longitudinal Study Of The Development Of Social Anxiety In Young Autistic Children, Gillian K. Marshall

Senior Theses

Social anxiety is a prevalent anxiety disorder marked by fear and discomfort in social situations where scrutiny or evaluation by others is anticipated. This thesis investigates the interplay between social anxiety and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by social and communication challenges. Individuals with ASD often face heightened levels of anxiety, intensifying their social difficulties and impeding their social development. Early identification of social anxiety symptoms, particularly in ASD children, is crucial for timely intervention and improved outcomes. However, diagnosing social anxiety in preschool-aged children, especially those with ASD, presents challenges due to the complexity of symptoms …

Adolescent Marijuana Use And The Contribution To The Development Of Schizophrenia, Jocelyn Spandikow

Psychology Student Papers and Posters

Schizophrenia is an often debilitating mental condition that has become a popular topic of psychological research in recent years. Current research examines the correlation between drug use, genetics, and environment on the development of schizophrenia. Research looks at the structure of the brain in individuals with and without schizophrenia. However, research has failed to look at the specific correlation between marijuana use in adolescent youth and the developmental impact on the brain, including in the development of schizophrenia. The legalization of many recreational drugs, including marijuana, has come to fruition in recent years. This has raised concerns over adolescent access …

The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Juvenile Offender Typology, Aliza Beth Lipman

Dissertations and Theses

Approximately 1 in 5 girls and in 20 boys in the United States are victims of child sexual assault every year. Child sexual assault can lead to multiple negative short term and long-term impacts affecting general health, mental health, interpersonal relationships, socio-economic status, criminal behavior and more. Prevention research focuses on a thorough understanding of the perpetrators of assault and the context surrounding offenses in order to reduce and prevent assault. Within this research, juvenile offenders are perceived as a single homogenous group whereas adult offenders are consistently specified based on offender and offense characteristics. The exploration of the relationship …

A Phenomenological Study On Preschool Educator Experience In Re-Imagining Play And Play-Based Learning During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Ronabeth Keh So

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study explores how play-based preschool educators experienced and re-imagined play and play-based learning throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Semistructured interviews were conducted with six teachers and three administrators from three private Midwest play-based institutions. This study uncovers preschool educators’ experiences of engaging in play-based learning throughout the different phases of the pandemic and delves into the issues and challenges of online learning and the subsequent return to the classroom. Results show that despite pedagogical adjustments and limitations brought about by online learning modalities and pandemic related restrictions, the nature of play remains unchanged and continues to be vital to …

Associations Between Parenting Stress And Quality Time In Families Of Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Rebecca S. Bradley, Grace L. Staples, Lauren B. Quetsch, Lindsey Aloia, Cynthia E. Brown, Stephen M. Kanne

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Increased stress among parents of youth with ASD has been well-documented. However, research on aspects of the parent-child relationship and subsequent links to parenting stress is limited. We assessed parents (N = 511) of youth with ASD to examine relations between parenting stress and parent-child quality time (amount of quality time, shared enjoyment, synchronicity). Elevated parenting stress was associated with less time spent engaging with youth in shared activities and decreased parent and child enjoyment during shared interactions. Parents with elevated stress reported engaging in shared activities and experiencing synchronicity with their child less often than parents below the …