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Emotion Regulation as a Risk Factor for Suicidality in Adolescents Engaging in NSSI
No full textSuicidal behaviours amongst adolescents represents a major health concern. Adolescence
embodies a particularly sensitive time period in which increased self-harm and suicidality are evidenced. Specifically, emotion dysregulation in adolescents is linked to a higher likelihood of suicide ideation and NSSI (nonsuicidal self-injury). Notably, the adolescent population
exhibits the highest rates of NSSI, which is one of the strongest predictors of suicide ideation and suicidal behaviours. Nonetheless, a gold standard treatment for treating adolescents exhibiting emotion dysregulation and engagement in NSSI has yet to be established. This paper discusses the critical role of emotion regulation as a risk factor for adolescent engagement in NSSI and subsequent suicidality. In particular, improving emotion regulation skills should be the primary focus of treatment for adolescents engaging in NSSI in order to reduce suicidality. To support this assertion, the link between adolescent emotion dysregulation and NSSI will be examined with respect to increased suicidality, emotional self-efficacy and the acquired capability for suicide
05.08.18: documentation of a live performance
Full text linkThese three stills were selected from a series of 100 timer-based photos taken as I performed. The third image was after the performance concluded. 
Media Analysis of “Nosedive” (Black Mirror):: A Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Full text linkThis paper was originally written for Dr. Kyle Willmott SA150 course Introduction to Sociology. The assignment asked students to write an essay applying the knowledge of sociological concepts learned in class to analyze a form of media. The paper uses Chicago Author-Date citation style
Comfort in Counsel: Receiving Advice Promotes Well-Being and Feelings of Belonging among Post-Secondary Students
Full text linkEvery year, thousands of Canadian students begin their post-secondary education. This major life transition can lead new students to feel anxious, unprepared, and isolated. Here, I consider whether receiving advice from a fellow student can help newcomers in their transition to university. Specifically, I conducted one well-powered, pre-registered field study to investigate whether receiving advice from a previous student leads to greater emotional and social well-being compared to receiving a campus map. In addition, I examined whether students had received advice before starting university, and if not, whether they wished they had. To do so, I recruited 941 SFU students during the start of the Fall 2022 or 2023 semester. Students were assigned to receive either a piece of advice from a former SFU student or a campus map. Afterward, participants reported their current positive emotions, feelings of social connection, belongingness, and appreciation. Participants also indicated whether they had received advice before starting their university studies, and if not, whether they wished they had. Consistent with my pre-registered hypotheses, participants assigned to receive advice (vs. a campus map) reported greater positive emotions, social connection, belonging, and appreciation. Moreover, while most participants reported receiving advice before starting university, the majority of those who did not wished that they had. These findings demonstrate the emotional and social benefits of receiving advice. As such, people, programs, and institutions may consider providing opportunities for the promising power of counsel in enhancing student well-being during a salient life transition.
Faculty Supervisor: Laura B. Aknin, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser Universit
Swiping right for “The One”: Exploring single people’s implicit relationship beliefs and dating app behaviour
Full text linkOnline dating has grown in popularity in the last decade, but who uses online dating more regularly and what impact does it have on single people? Despite singlehood being on the rise and an important precursor to romantic relationships, very little research has been conducted on how single people think, feel, and approach online dating. Analysing single people’s mindsets is one way to better understand their beliefs about and behaviours toward online dating. There are two types of mindsets: Destiny and growth mindsets. People with a higher destiny mindset believe in that everyone has a compatible “soulmate” and only relationships with a “soulmate” guarantees relationship success. In contrast, people with a higher growth mindset believe that successful relationships require work, effort, and time. How might these mindsets influence single peoples’ willingness to use online dating? In this honours study, I examined single people’s destiny and growth beliefs and their online dating behaviour. Participants were all SFU undergraduate students taking psychology courses. Data was collected through the Research Participant System (RPS) and analysed in SPSS. I used logistic and multiple regression to analyse my data. This presentation will explore in-depth existing implicit belief research on singlehood, my study’s findings, and its implications. This research highlights the importance of studying underlying beliefs about relationships when considering single peoples’ modern dating practice
Do European Starlings “Exercise” in Anticipation of Fledging?
Full text linkHumans benefit from physical exercise (e.g. increasing aerobic capacity) in anticipation of increased physical effort or workload (e.g. running a marathon). Given that free-living animals face similar rapid transitions in workload, do they also exercise? Here we predicted that nestling European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) would utilize activity in the nest (as a form of “voluntary exercise”?) in anticipation of the increase in workload (i.e. onset of active flight) associated with the rapid transition from sedentary nestling to volant, active fledgling. We recorded nestling behaviour for 5 days prior to fledging (days 16-20) including a)” active behaviours”, e.g. wing flapping and stretching, walking and jumping, and b) “passive behaviours” e.g. sitting, standing, and perching. Additionally, we measured somatic developmental traits (mass, wing, tarsus) and obtained blood samples from the nestlings one day before their predicted fledge date to assess physiological development. We predicted that a) active behaviours would increase in frequency and duration approaching fledging, b) that if this reflected “voluntary activity” it would be independent of brood size (cf. simple social crowding effects which should correlate with brood size), and c) that, if activity functions as “exercise” then increased nestling activity will positively correlate with somatic and physiological developmental traits at fledging
Supporting Transitions: The Role of Prosocial Behaviors in Post-Graduation Well-being
Full text linkMost people go through life transitions, which are defined as a period in life where an individual begins something new and experiences one or many lifestyle changes as a result. Whether it be a minor transition, such as starting a new workout routine or a major transition, such as moving to a new country, life transitions may cause people to experience several negative emotions, barriers, and uncertainty. What can help people through this challenging time? Past research has demonstrated that engaging in behaviors that are intended to help others (prosocial acts) can improve one’s well-being. Yet, little research has examined the salubrious effects of prosociality during life transitions, such as post-graduation. Therefore, we conducted a pre-registered midway examination survey (n = 66) to examine whether graduating students planned to engage in prosocial acts during this life transition and whether they expected these behaviors to support their mental and physical health. Further data on our full intended sample of 150 participants will be collected at the June 2024 convocation. Contrary to our pre-registered hypotheses, most graduates did not plan on engaging in at least one prosocial behavior when thinking about their upcoming life transition of graduating from university. Furthermore, people who anticipated in engaging in more prosocial acts after graduation did not anticipate experiencing better mental health, though they did anticipate experiencing better physical health. These early findings suggest that people may overlook prosocial acts as a route to support their own mental health during their transition out of university.
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Laura B. Aknin, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University
Research Team Member: Tiara Cash, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser Universit
Accessibility of mental health treatment following mild traumatic brain injury: An exploratory analysis
Full text linkA sizable minority of those who sustain a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) experience prolonged recovery often marked by emotional distress. Barriers and facilitators to mental health help-seeking in the general population are well-understood; however, information in the mTBI context is limited. This study aimed to determine: (1) the rate of worsened mental health post-mTBI, (2) proportion of those seeking mental health treatment, (3) perceived barriers to mental health care, and (4) predictors of help-seeking behavior. Participants aged 14-86 with a previously diagnosed mTBI (n = 290) completed questionnaires assessing demographic and clinical characteristics, mTBI history, and barriers to help-seeking. Frequency tables and proportions are reported to meet aims 1-3 and a binomial logistic regression were used to address the studies aim 4. 28.9 of participants experienced a subjective decline in their mental health status post-mTBI and 27% of those did not seek help. Prominent barriers to care in this subgroup were the cost of services (34.8%) and stigma (34.8%). Demographic and injury-related factors, such as education level, employment status, and mechanism of injury, significantly predicted help-seeking. Almost a third of individuals reported decline in mental health post mTBI and many did not receive mental health care. Like the general population, cost is a critical barrier to mental health treatment seeking after mTBI. However, the stigma of seeking mental health services is potentially exacerbated by the additional stigma associated with brain injury, possibly creating a double stigma. The context that a person suffers their mTBI impacts their treatment seeking process
Cocaine's Legacy in Western Dentistry
No full textCocaine has long been used by different cultures for its psychoactive properties (Meyer & Quenzer, 2019); however, upon purification of the substance by German scientists, cocaine became widely used in medical and dental settings. Within dentistry, cocaine has been used both topically and as an intraoral injection (Calatayud & González, 2003; Meyer & Quenzer, 2019). However, unwanted side effects led to the development of cocaine analogues. This paper works to explore how cocaine became the first local anaesthetic in dentistry and how its powerful influence is still observed within the modern dental field