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Improving Care for Veterans Impacted by Traumatic Birth: Effectiveness of CE for Healthcare Professionals
No full textTraumatic birth and postpartum posttraumatic stress disorder (PP-PTSD) are associated with a variety of negative sequelae, such as reduced parent/infant bonding, lower rates of breastfeeding, increased rates of substance use disorder, and other perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs). Due to increased rates of lifetime trauma exposure, birthing veterans are at higher risk than their civilian counterparts of developing PP-PTSD. Many healthcare providers report limited training regarding PMADs such as PP-PTSD. The current study developed, implemented, and analyzed the effectiveness of a continuing education course for Veterans Administration healthcare providers. The course, “Veterans and Traumatic Birth: Providing Optimal Care,” was offered to physicians, nurses, social workers, and psychologists. Changes in their knowledge, endorsement of trauma-informed principles, and intentions for care were studied using a pretest/post-test design.
After completing the training, providers showed significant improvement in knowledge and endorsement of trauma informed principles (ETIP). They rated practical information like referral sources and screening tools as the most valuable information they received from the training. A majority of providers indicated that they intend to implement increased screening, use evidence-based treatment for PP-PTSD, recommend social support, and consider multicultural implications in perinatal care
The mediating effect of dispositional mindfulness upon the relationship between right-wing authoritarianism/social dominance orientation and anti-Black prejudice
No full textSystemic racial inequality in the forms of wealth disparity and the achievement gap between Black and White populations remains pervasive in America. Anti-Black prejudice, or the overall antipathy towards Black people, is at the heart of why such inequalities exist. There is a vast body of research that has attempted to address interventions that mitigate prejudice among individuals. Some of these studies have utilized the concept of Dispositional Mindfulness (DM), or one’s propensity to draw attention to the here and now. Studies investigating the link between DM and prejudice have yielded mixed results, with some studies suggesting that mindfulness is directly connected to forms of prejudice and other studies suggesting that there is an indirect connection between mindfulness and prejudice. The current study examined the relations between Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) (traits that have established connections to anti-Black prejudice), anti-Black prejudice, and Dispositional Mindfulness (DM) using a mediation model. DM did not significantly mediate the relationship between RWA/SDO and anti-Black Prejudice. Moderate to strong positive correlations were found between RWA and anti-Black Prejudice, SDO and anti-Black Prejudice, DM and RWA, and a weak correlation was observed between SDO and DM. These results of study suggest that mindfulness is an insufficient means of addressing racial prejudice and highlights the importance of explicit teachings in the areas of racial history, prejudice, and prejudice intervention in educational curricula
Student names as predictors of prejudice in school teachers: Do students names associated with Islam influence teacher willingness to help students in the classroom?
No full textFor years, research has consistently documented that negative stereotypes and prejudices can generate a performance decrease in minority students (Chatraw et al., 2008). Prejudice, or negative attitudes towards an outgroup (Dovidio et al., 2004), can lead to social distance between ingroup and outgroup members. Social distance is the degree of closeness or separation that individuals perceive between themselves and members of various outgroups (Hodgetts & Stolte, 2014). The core mechanism that leads to social distance is an individual's prejudiced ideas for an outgroup (Williams, 1964). Social distance has been applied to the classroom, conceptualized as teacher distance. Researchers have found that when teachers have less knowledge of their students’ ethnic backgrounds, teacher distance is greater, meaning that it is less likely that teachers would be willing to work with students’ families (Schlosser, 1992). Using social distance as a guide, the proposed study will use the term education distance to indicate teachers' willingness to help students struggling in the classroom. Much of the research on prejudices is done by looking at the physical features of individuals (i.e., race); however, names also carry biases (Conaway & Bethune, 2015) because of their deep roots in culture and religion (Miller, 1927). Religious names will be used in this study, as they can closely be traced back to specific religious scriptures. Teachers’ expectations greatly influence student achievement (Glock & Bohmer, 2018). Furthermore, the age of teachers was found to influence negative attitudes toward ethnic minority students (Glock & Bohmer, 2018). The objective of the proposed research is to investigate whether there is a bias among schoolteachers toward students based on their names, the impact of students' names on education distance, and the extent to which years of experience predicts prejudice based on student names
The Mediterranean diet and quality of life: A physical and mental health path analysis
No full textCardiovascular diseases, particularly myocardial infarction (MI), significantly impact patients’ health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This study focused on the Mediterranean diet (MD), which is associated with numerous health benefits, including improved cardiovascular health. The study aimed to explore the relationship between MD adherence and HRQOL among individuals with MI in the United States, hypothesizing that higher adherence to the MD would correlate with better HRQOL and that physical and mental health statuses would mediate this relationship.
The study used a cross-sectional design with 101 adults who had experienced an MI. A combined questionnaire measured HRQOL and dietary adherence, including the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Tool (MDAT), which evaluated participants’ adherence to the MD. Mental and physical domains were measured using the Short Form-36 (SF-36) and the Quality-of-Life Postmyocardial Infarction (QLMI) tool.
Mediator variables included the mental and physical SF-36 domains. Linear regression examined the direct relationship between MD adherence and HRQOL. Multiple regression analyses considered control variables such as gender, age, ethnicity, marital status, and employment status. The Sobel, Aroian, and Goodman tests assessed mediation effects. The initial linear regression analysis found no significant relationship between MD adherence and HRQOL (R² = .000, p = .99), indicating that MD adherence did not significantly explain the variance in HRQOL. The adjusted R² of ‒.010 confirmed a problematic model fit. Including control variables slightly increased the explanatory power (R² = .23, p = .06), but the model did not reach statistical significance. Mediation analysis demonstrated that neither physical nor mental health significantly mediated the relationship between MD adherence and HRQOL.
The study concluded that adherence to the MD does not directly impact HRQOL among individuals with myocardial infarction in the United States. Future research should explore the quality of food consumed, the role of psychological factors during dietary adherence, better patient guidance on food choices, and improved practitioner education on the importance of diet and patient health. Future studies could enhance these findings with additional recruitment methods, longitudinal and interventional studies, using additional assessment forms, controlling food quality, expanding geographic and population diversity, and looking at additional mediators
Validation of the Dietary Protein Assessment Questionnaire (DPAQ): An instrument to assess college students' knowledge and attitudes towards protein
No full textThe purpose of this study was to provide evidence of content, face, and construct validity, as well as internal and temporal reliability, of the Dietary Protein Assessment Questionnaire (DPAQ), the first instrument developed and validated to assess college students’ protein knowledge and attitudes. The DPAQ included questions on dietary habits (n = 3), protein attitudes (n = 24), protein knowledge (n = 22), sources of nutrition information (n = 2), and demographics (n = 17). Content validity was assessed by experts providing feedback on the questionnaire items. Face validity was assessed by conducting cognitive interviews among Texas Woman’s University college students. Construct validity of the protein knowledge questions was evaluated by performing known-group comparisons using an independent t-test. There was a significant difference in mean knowledge scores between nutrition and non-nutrition students. The factor structure of the protein attitude questions was assessed by performing exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with principal axis factoring and a promax rotation, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Internal reliability was examined using Cronbach’s alpha. EFA returned a three-factor structure explaining 47.1% of the variance; and CFA revealed that the best model fit was a three-factor structure (χ2 = 1629.94; Comparative Fit Index = 0.84; RMSEA = 0.09; and SRMR = 0.07). Each factor showed good internal reliability (Human and Environmental Health: α = 0.90; Climate Change: α = 0.88; and Protein Recommended Dietary Allowance: α = 0.80). Temporal reliability was assessed by using the test-retest method as well as a paired samples t-test. A significant positive, strong correlation was found between test and retest scores and no significant differences between test and retest scores were seen. These results provide evidence of the validity and reliability of the DPAQ to be used among college students to assess dietary habits, protein knowledge, protein attitudes, and sources of nutrition information. Future studies should develop and validate different iterations of the DPAQ for use in at-risk populations, such as older adults and individuals with overweight and/or obesity
Effects of Human Cytomegalovirus encoded IL-10 (CMVIL-10) on CXR4 signaling
No full textHuman Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a prevalent beta-herpesvirus that can establish life-long infection. Although HCMV infection is usually asymptomatic, it can cause life-threatening disease in immunocompromised individuals such as HIV patients, transplant recipients, and pregnant women. HCMV is one of the leading causes of congenital disease in the United States. Every 1 out of 200 neonates is born with congenital defects caused by HCMV, such as sensorineural hearing loss, microcephaly, and growth and developmental delays. Despite the significant health impact, no vaccine is currently available for HCMV. The major limitation is its species specificity. HCMV is a large DNA virus that manipulates host immune responses through various strategies. One such strategy involves encoding immune modulators that exploit host signaling pathways. HCMV encodes cmvIL-10, a homolog of human IL-10 (hIL-10). HIL-10 is an immunosuppressive cytokine that exhibits a range of immunomodulatory functions. CmvIL-10 binds to hIL-10 receptors (IL-10R) and exerts control over CXCR4 signaling outcomes, inducing receptor crosstalk between hIL-10R and CXCR4. The main objective of this project is to explore the potential crosstalk mediated by HCMV-encoded between hIL-10R and CXCR4We also want to explore the potential effects of this receptor crosstalk cellular functions such as cell proliferation and migration. This study will assist in identifying the potential candidates for vaccine development and novel targets for antiviral therapies
The long road to freedom: The adaptation experiences of formerly incarcerated mothers of color
No full textIt has increasingly come to the attention of the American public and the rest of the world that the United States has more people incarcerated than any other country (Adams et al. 2019; Fedock et al. 2024). The American prison population has grown continuously since the 1970s from roughly a few hundred thousand prisoners to more than two million prisoners today (Adams et al. 2019; Fedock et al. 2024). Women are now the fastest growing subpopulation within the larger population of incarcerated people, and specifically Black women are being incarcerated at the fastest rates. African American and Latinx women are imprisoned at a rate of, respectively, 3 times and 1.5 times more than their white counterparts (Cox 2012; Simmons 2018; Strauss 2020). African American women make up 30 percent of all women incarcerated in federal and state institutions (Ruiz and Kopak 2014; Williams 2021). As the population of incarcerated Black women, the vast majority of which are mothers, continues to grow at alarming rates, we must continuously seek to understand how their experiences shape their lives, and more importantly how their experiences will shape their lives once they are released. The purpose of this study is to examine, through qualitative data gathered through semi-structured interviews, their lives after being released and the effect this has on them and their children, and to understand the broader implications this has on family and Black family dynamics (Gurusami 2017; Haskins et. al. 2018; Marbley and Ferguson 2005; Siwach 2018). Overall, the findings show that these mothers continue to struggle with the effects of stigma, recidivism, and the need for community support
Independent living skills and executive functions in autistic young adults
No full textObjectives: To examine the (a) differences in independent living skills (ILS) and executive functions (EF) between autistic and neurotypical young adults, (b) the relationship between novel self-report and performance-based assessments of ILS and EF to criterion standard assessments in autistic young adults.
Design: Cross-sectional comparison between groups.
Setting: General community and community day programs for adults with autism.
Participants: Eighty-four age-matched participants (n=52 autistic adults, n=32 neurotypical peers), without intellectual disability. Participants were selected through convenience and snowball sampling.
Interventions: Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures: ILS: criterion standard Adaptive Behavior Assessment System (ABAS-3) and the Daily Living Questionnaire (DLQ). EF: criterion standard Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF-A), and the Weekly Calendar Planning Activity (WCPA), a performance-based functional assessment of EF.
Results: Performance on all outcome measures of ILS and EF were significantly lower in autistic adults (P<.001). Autistic adults measured 2.02 SD below the normative in self-reported independent living skills (ABAS-3) and 1.13 SD below the normative mean in EF (as measured by BRIEF-A). A self-report measure of functional ILS impacted by EF (DLQ) correlated strongly with ABAS-3 in autistic adults (r=−0.608, P<.001). The novel performance-based assessment of EF (WCPA) significantly differentiated autistic young adults, as indicated by following fewer rules, using fewer strategies, lower accuracy, and lower self-awareness of performance. WCPA accuracy approached significant correlation with the self-report BRIEF-A (BRI subscore) (r=−0.262, P=.060).
Conclusions: These results are consistent with previous studies of significant differences between autistic and neurotypical young adults in ILS and EF. The WCPA can provide insight into the autistic individual's pattern of EF that impacts everyday functional performance. Significant correlations with criterion standard assessments indicate that DLQ and WCPA may help characterize functional cognition. Further study is needed to determine their clinical utility for guiding therapeutic intervention.
Disclosures: none
Classroom leadership: Empowering faculty with management strategies
No full textCollege faculty are experts in their fields, and they spend years researching intriguing topics in their academic disciplines. When faculty attend conferences or workshops, these are most often in their field of research; alternatively, they may seek pedagogical training on topics like student engagement or AI use in teaching. But today’s college classroom is a highly dynamic environment influenced by diverse student needs, technological advancements, and evolving societal expectations. Faculty are no longer just content experts; they are also tasked with being mentors, facilitators, coaches, and problem-solvers
Cycles of Power
No full textThis project explores how menstrual cycle awareness fosters self-awareness, productivity, and holistic well-being. It challenges stigmas and reframes menstruation as a source of intuitive power rather than limitation. The exhibit highlights how cyclical energy patterns influence identity, creativity, and reflection, integrating biology, psychology, and productivity science. Visual cycle-mapping tools and artistic interpretations will demonstrate practical applications of cycle-based productivity strategies. This interdisciplinary work invites critical conversations about menstrual literacy's role in mental health, leadership, and personal growth. It aligns with my broader thought leadership initiative to amplify women’s voices and redefine wellness narratives for the modern woman. The project encourages attendees to embrace menstrual cycles as central to discussing ambition, self-care, and community building