Psychology & Trauma
Jacob Silva, jsilva29@mail.stmarytx.edu
St. Mary's University, with Dr. Colton Daniels
Criminology, Psychology
Depression, anxiety, and PTSD: Outcomes of traumatic experience in relation to drug abuse
Depression, anxiety, and PTSD are major public health concerns as they affect over a million Americans every year and have numerous adverse outcomes. Research exploring the linkages between depression, anxiety, and PTSD with drug abuse has remained minimal. Additionally, linkages between mental health and victimization via violent crime (rape and physical assault) are further explored. Results come from the Nashville Stress and Health Study (n = 1,252), which ascertained the stress and health status of predominantly African Americans and White Americans from Davidson County. Results yielded through negative binomial regression indicated a significant relationship between depression and rape, as well as depression and drug abuse. Additionally, a significant relationship was identified between anxiety and rape, anxiety and physical assault, as well as anxiety and drug abuse. Similarly, a significant relationship was identified between PTSD and rape, PTSD and physical assault, as well as PTSD and drug abuse. This study provides insight into the prevalence of drug abuse in relation to depression, anxiety, and PTSD that held association to traumatic experiences via violent crime victimization. Research implications, study limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.
Eryn Poulin, Eryn.Poulin@unh.edu
University of New Hampshire, with Dr. Elizabeth Moschella-Smith
English Literature
Understanding the Impacts of Covid-19 on Group Home Staff: The Role of Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress
At group homes for youth in the foster care system, staff members undertake a plethora of responsibilities and challenges due to the nature of the services provided. The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated many of the challenges faced by group home staff, including mental health issues such as compassion fatigue and burnout. Given that youth who do not receive proper care in group homes are more likely to engage in delinquent behavior and report low levels of self-esteem, it is vital to address the needs of group home staff, so they are able to care for youth more effectively. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to (1) quantitatively examine rates of burnout and secondary traumatic stress among group home staff, and (2) qualitatively explore impact of Covid-19 on group home working conditions and suggestions for improvement. We are currently collecting online survey and interview data from group home staff across New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts. Preliminary quantitative results suggest moderate rates of burnout (M=2.94) and low rates of secondary traumatic stress (M=2.20). Preliminary qualitative results suggest three overarching themes regarding the impact of Covid-19: (1) difficult to establish and maintain connections with youth, (2) mental health challenges of both youth and staff, and (3) staff shortages during the pandemic placing increased demands on staff. Implications to improve working conditions of group home staff will be discussed. Addressing the needs of group home staff may enhance their ability to provide care for youth in the foster system.
Jennifer Espinoza Ramirez, jespinozaramirez@nevada.unr.edu
University of Nevada Reno, with Dr. Mariann Weierich
Psychology
The relation between intersectionality, stress reactivity, and trauma history in Latinx young adults
Many in the Latinx community face stressors that compound at the intersection of their identities, for example, at the intersection of immigrant and first-generation student identity. These stressors are exacerbated by sociocultural barriers to mental healthcare, including a deficit of socially conscious, bilingual therapists. Previous studies have used self-reported screenings of PTSD but these undercount Latinx people due to mental health barriers that prevent them from identifying symptoms of psychiatric disorders and also having a small Latinx sample; however, we aim to fill in the gap concerning self-reported screenings by utilizing a Clinical Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 not to diagnose but clarify the presence and severity of related PTSD symptoms. My objective is to measure the following variables: intersectionality in Latinx communities, mental health barriers, PTSD symptom severity, and cortisol levels. The multi-method approach will include self-report questionnaires, saliva collection for stress analytes, and a clinical interview. I have four main hypotheses: intersectional Latinx community members will face more mental health barriers compared to those who do not have an intersectional identity, mental health barriers are positively correlated with PTSD symptom severity, Latinx community members facing more mental health barriers will have higher cortisol levels than their counterparts in the white community, and trauma-exposed people in the Latinx community that identify with an intersectional identity will have higher PTSD symptom severity. The results will show how intersectionality in the Latinx community is associated with the stress response system and imposes higher rates of trauma exposure.
Session Location
- Foster 123
Session Date/Time
- Thursday, 10:00 - 11:00am
Session Type
- Oral Student Presentations
- Student Presentations