Stress has been widely shown to directly influence people’s emotional and behavioral processing as well as their underlying biological systems. This project examined physiological and behavioral responses as indicators of stress and coping in the context of a psychosocial stressor in a controlled laboratory setting. We examined the association between indicators of behavioral coping and underlying physiological reactivity within participants while experiencing stress. Participants included 68 emerging adults. Physiological measures include autonomic biomarkers (e.g., heart-rate, skin conductance) at rest and during the stressor while behavioral indicators that were coded include acute verbal and non-verbal actions exhibited by participants during the stressor. Results supported the efficacy of a modified social stressor at eliciting stress responding in participants. In addition, behavioral coping was found to be associated with autonomic responding to the stressor. Exploring these associations has important implications for understanding the interaction between biological and behavioral responding to stress.

With the growth of fashion consumption through websites and e-tailers, the question of when and why consumers engage in shopping without the intent to purchase has gained new relevance. A novel framework for understanding this phenomenon comes from studies examining the neural basis of aesthetic appreciation. Previous studies in neuroaesthetics have identified brain regions associated with value and reward, including the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), as involved during attractiveness judgments even when no physical product is consumed. Along with research demonstrating that attractive stimuli can serve as economic incentives to motivate behavior, these results suggest that the experience of aesthetic appreciation can have value in and of itself, similar to the hedonic value previously proposed to explain shopping without the intent to purchase. The proposed study examines whether fashion browsing can be considered a type of aesthetic experience. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) will be used to measure neural activation as female subjects (N=50) view fashion images. If fashion browsing is a type of aesthetic experience, we would expect it serve as an economic incentive and motivate work. Additionally, the NAcc and VMPFC during browsing should show increasing activation with increasing attractiveness of fashion content. Individual differences in self-reported fashion browsing behavior will correlate with the degree of neural differentiation to fashion content such that individuals who spend more time per week browsing will have higher BOLD signal NAcc and VMPFC activation during the experimental task. Fashion browsing as an aesthetic experience could serve as a crucial mechanism to develop a greater understanding of an important aspect of the consumer shopping experience.

Exercise has been shown to improve mood, anxiety, stress, and promote neuroplasticity (Conn, 2010; Donaghy, 2007; Josefsson, Lindwall, & Archer, 2014; Silveria et al., 2013; Stathopoulou et al., 2006). However, limited research on the topic suggests that many psychologists and mental health providers are not incorporating exercise into psychological treatment, and many lack the confidence to do so (Burton, Pakenham, & Brown, 2010; Weir, 2011). The purpose of this study was to evaluate current exercise prescription trends among practicing psychologists and trainees, including identifying their current beliefs, attitudes, training, and the perceived barriers hindering psychotherapists from recommending and prescribing exercise. Psychologists and trainees (N = 146), completed the Exercise in Mental Illness Questionnaire – Health Practitioner Version (EMIQ-HP). Results revealed: a) 40.4% (n = 59) of psychotherapists prescribed exercise only occasionally and recommended clients exercise “most days of the week,” at moderate intensity; b) older psychotherapists’ (t[163] = -2.15, p = .038) and trainees further along in training (t[163] = 2.26, p = .029)were both more likely to prescribe exercise (F[9, 36] = 9.27, p = .011, R2= .42); c) exercise habits of respondents were not significant predictors of exercise prescription; d) a small number of respondents (22.6%; n = 33) reported previous formal training in exercise prescription; and formal training (β = .39, p < .001) was positively correlated with exercise prescription [F(1, 144) = 26.99, p < .001, R2= .16]; and e) therapist barriers (β = -.39, p < .001; e.g., “Prescribing exercise to people with a mental illness is not part of my job…I do not know how to prescribe exercise to people with a mental illness…I don’t believe exercise will help people with a mental illness,” etc.) were inversely related with exercise prescription, F[2, 145] = 27.03, p < .001; R2= .27. In conclusion, psychotherapists’ age, year in graduate school (for trainees; n = 55), and formal training in exercise prescription were significant predictors of exercise prescription, while higher perceived therapist barriers to exercise prescription hinder prescription practices. Study findings, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.

This study was undertaken in February and March of 1975 in order to provide in depth analysis of those seeking hospital admission. It is a descriptive study of requests for voluntary admission to Oregon State Hospital. Special care was taken to incorporate the study in such a way that the current admitting procedures would not be rearranged or changed in any way. Essentially the study asks the questions: Who makes self-requests for hospitalization? Where do they come from? When? How do they get there? Why do they come? What is the history of their contact with other community agencies for service or previous hospitalizat ion? How does the hospital respond to the requests? In order to better understand the dynamics of the requesting population, attention was focused on: The possible differences between those individuals admitted and those denied admission. The comparisons of requests for first admission and readmission. The relationship of age and sex differences to the other findings in the study

While multiple Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn veterans suffer from mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI), Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and co-morbid mTBI and PTSD, there remains difficulty disentangling the specific symptoms associated with each disorder using self-report and neurocognitive assessments. We propose that neurological soft signs (NSS), which are tasks associated with general neurologic compromise, may prove useful in this regard. Based on our review of the literature we hypothesized that individuals with PTSD would present with a greater number of NSS than controls or individuals with mTBI. Further, we hypothesized a synergistic effect, such that individuals with mTBI + PTSD would present with the greatest number of NSS. To test these hypotheses, we analyzed a subset of individuals (N=238) taken from a larger study of neurocognitive functioning in veterans. Participants completed a battery of neuropsychological measures, which included the Behavioral Dyscontrol Scale (BDS), the current study’s measure of NSS. A subset of other neuropsychological measures were also included to examine the utility of NSS over and above traditional neuropsychological measures. Individuals were removed from the study if they sustained a moderate/severe TBI or did not meet validity criteria on the Green’s Word Memory Test or the Negative Impression Management subscale of the Personality Assessment Inventory. Binomial logistic and multinomial logistic regression were used to examine the ability of NSS to discriminate between the study groups, first by themselves and then after the variance explained by the traditional neuropsychological measures was accounted for. Exploratory cluster analyses were performed on neuropsychological measures and NSS to identify profiles of cognitive performance in the data set. Results indicated that individuals in the mTBI and/or PTSD group had more NSS compared to controls. Of the individual NSS items only a go/no-go task of the BDS discriminated between groups, with worse performance among individuals in the mTBI, PTSD, and mTBI + PTSD group compared to controls. In contrast, the overall BDS score and individual NSS, in general, did not discriminate between the mTBI, PTSD, and mTBI + PTSD group. Overall, the current study suggests that, when eliminating participants who do not meet validity criteria, NSS do not aid in discriminating between individuals with mTBI, PTSD, and mTBI + PTSD.

The current study aimed to better understand how parental functioning and parent-child relationships might moderate the effects of chronic illness on psychological problems in emerging adulthood. Three hypotheses were made: (1) the presence and severity of chronic illness would associate positively with emerging adult psychological problems, (2) parental distress would moderate the effects between chronic illness presence/severity and emerging adulthood psychological problems, and (3) parent-child relationship quality would moderate the effects between chronic illness presence/severity and emerging adult psychological problems. Data analysis consisted of testing interaction effects, pairwise parameter comparisons, and multiple group analysis. The three-way interaction between endorsing a health condition, physical quality of life, and maternal psychological distress significantly predicted psychological problems in both emerging adult men and women. Additionally, the three-way interaction between endorsing a health condition, physical quality of life, and maternal parent-child relationship quality significantly predicted psychological problems in both emerging adult men and women.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a disabling condition characterized by chronic emotion dysregulation and behavioral impulsivity. Prospective studies that test proposed mechanisms of within-person change in BPD hold the key to improving symptom predictability and control in this disorder. A small body of evidence suggests that fluctuations in estradiol such as those occurring naturally at ovulation during the monthly female reproductive cycle may increase symptoms in women with BPD (DeSoto et al., 2003). Furthermore, there is preliminary evidence that both self-esteem and feelings of social rejection are highest at ovulation, when estradiol peaks (Durante and Hill, 2009; Eisenlohr-Moul et al., under review). Such feelings have been reliably linked to increases in BPD-related behavior in all individuals (e.g., Twenge et al., 2002). The purpose of this dissertation was to test a cyclical vulnerability model for women with BPD in which ovulatory estradiol shifts are associated with reductions in felt social acceptance, which in turn are associated with increased BPD symptom expression. 40 women, sampled to achieve a flat distribution of BPD symptoms, completed 28 daily diaries online, as well as four 1-hour weekly visits to the laboratory to complete longer assessments and provide saliva samples, which were assayed for estradiol. In addition, participants underwent the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnosis of BPD at the end of the study. Results of multilevel models revealed the opposite of the predicted effects of within-person changes in estradiol and their interaction with trait BPD. The data suggest a pattern in which women high in trait BPD show increases in felt acceptance and reductions in BPD symptom expression at higher levels of conception probability and higher-than-usual levels of estradiol. Women low in trait BPD show the opposite pattern in some cases. Several alternative moderators were tested, and results suggest that some risk factors for BPD (e.g., Neuroticism, Sexual Abuse) interact with high trait levels of estradiol to predict greater symptoms. Both average levels of estradiol and monthly fluctuations in estradiol may have relevance for women with BPD. It is recommended that future studies utilize clinical samples and additional physiological measures to further elucidate the mechanisms through which estradiol exerts clinically-relevant change.

This study was conducted to identify gaps in existing knowledge regarding impacts of combat-related PTSD on the spouse and to gain an understanding of the lived experience of Appalachian Spouses of combat veterans with PTSD. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify research and findings on the impacts of combat-related PTSD on spouses of veterans and a qualitative study was conducted to gain an understanding of the lives of Appalachian spouses of combat veterans with PTSD. The systematic review identified 16 qualitative studies conducted between 1988 and 2016 in five countries spanning five wars. Regardless of the country of study or the war, the spouses experienced problems dealing with the symptoms of PTSD, emotional distress, impacts to relationships and caregiver burden. The systematic literature review revealed limited information on minority or underserved populations. Qualitative interview data from ten Appalachian spouses of combat veterans with PTSD were examined to gain an understanding of their lives. Data were obtained from semi-structured interviews. Findings indicate Appalachian Vietnam veteran spouses experience similar problems dealing with the veteran’s symptoms of PTSD, relationship problems, mental health problems and caregiver burden. The veterans in this study were not diagnosed with PTSD until later in life so they spent the majority of their life without knowledge or treatment for the illness. The women in this study expressed concerns that government and society have marginalized Vietnam veterans. This research highlights the need for outreach and PTSD education for Vietnam veterans and their spouses. Future research is recommended to expand the body of knowledge on the impacts of PTSD on the spouse with particular attention to other cultures, minority and underserved populations.

Mental contamination (i.e., feelings of dirtiness in the absence of contact with a contaminant) is a potentially important yet understudied factor in posttraumatic psychopathology, particularly for survivors of sexual trauma. Mental contamination has been linked to PTSD symptom severity, negative affect, and coping cross-sectionally and in lab-based paradigms, but research has yet to assess these relationships in ecological contexts. The present study extends previous cross-sectional findings by modelling relationships between mental contamination and posttraumatic psychopathology, emotions, and coping both within-day and from one day to the next. Forty-two female sexual trauma survivors completed twice-daily assessments of mental contamination, PTSD symptoms, negative emotions, and avoidant/approach coping via a smartphone app. Daily averages and intraindividual changes in mental contamination scores were linked with PTSD symptoms at the same timepoint. Mental contamination also significantly predicted several specific avoidant coping strategies at later timepoints in addition to concurrent links. Unexpectedly, several negative emotions exhibited positive links with concurrent mental contamination but were negatively linked to later mental contamination. Exploratory analyses identified a significant interaction whereby elevated morning negative affect predicted evening reductions in mental contamination, but only for individuals also high in morning PTSD symptoms. Lastly, prevalence of reported baseline mental contamination was much higher in the present study compared to prior research. Clinical relevance and future recommendations for ecological research in trauma-related mental contamination is discussed.

Background: Non-medical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD) refers to the use of prescription drugs which are traditionally utilized to manage pain or treat psychiatric problems but without a doctor’s prescription. In 2010, an investigation by the Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) revealed that 5.3% of young adults (18 to 25-year-olds) in the United States reported past-month NMUPD. NMUPD has become a growing concern owing to associations with consequences such as college dropout, poor academic achievement, and health jeopardizing behaviors. College students' NMUPD has been well documented in the United States. Limited studies, however, have been conducted among college students in China. The purposes of this study are to examine the prevalence and motives of NMUPD among college students in China, and to assess its relationship with stress (i.e., perceived stress and traumatic events), mental health problems (depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)), utilization of healthcare, cultural orientation, and protective factors (i.e., resilience and future orientation). Methods: In Jan-April 2017, online data were collected using SONA system from a total of 720 undergraduates at Beijing Normal University (BNU) and University of Macau (UM) with an average age of 19.65. All participants reported their nonmedical use of prescription drugs (i.e., opioids, sedatives, stimulants, and anxiolytics) in their lifetime and the past three months, stress, mental health, utilization of healthcare, cultural orientation, and protective factors. Spearman’s rank-order corrections and logistic regression were employed for statistical analyses. Results: Findings indicate that 41.2% of Chinese students reported taking prescription drugs without a doctor’s prescription. The most commonly misused prescription drugs were opioids (40.5% lifetime use, 31.8% past-three-months use), followed by sedatives (1.8% lifetime, 0.8% past 3 months), anxiolytics (0.9% lifetime,0 .3% past three months), and stimulants (0.2% lifetime, 0% past three months). Bivariate analyses suggest significantly positive correlations of lifetime NMUPD with mental health problems (anxiety and PTSD), cultural orientation (individualism and collectivism), and utilization of healthcare (frequency of healthcare use, time spent for healthcare, and money spent for healthcare). Similar results were found in terms of past-three-month NMUPD. The results of logistic regressions indicate the significant association of lifetime NMUPD with individualism of cultural orientation, and frequency of healthcare use. Specially, individualism, frequency of healthcare use, and time spent for healthcare were found to be associated with lifetime opioid misuse, and depression was significantly associated with sedative misuse. Resilience was negatively associated with lifetime sedative misuse. Frequency of healthcare use was also found to be positively associated with past-three-month opioid misuse. Conclusion: Utilization of healthcare, cultural orientation, and mental health problems appear to be the factors associated with NMUPD among college students at BNU and UM. More discussion is needed in Chinese society about regulation of prescription drug use. Future culturally-tailored prevention intervention programs may be beneficial to reduce the risk of NMUPD among Chinese college students.