Open Access Kent State (OAKS)

Kara Shaver

Bradley Davis

Parental and Child Empathetic Relationship following Pediatric Trauma

Parent-child relationships play a critical role in the coping process after a traumatic event (Wade, Yates, & Stancin, 2001). Parent-child dyads were recruited from Akron Children's hospital emergency department and completed questionnaires during their time in the emergency department and also at two-week post-injury. These questionnaires included a measure of child empathy, and parental and child distress levels resulting from the injury. We hypothesize that children who are high in empathy, and low in emotional distress immediately following the trauma, will be associated with parental acute stress symptoms at two-weeks post injury. Data collection is ongoing, however, results will be incorporated into the poster presentation. If we can identify these individuals immediately following the traumatic event, we can intervene with resilience strategies earlier in order to prevent the development of chronic distress, including posttraumatic stress symptoms.

Wade, S. L., Yates, K. O., & Stancin, T. (2001). The Relationship of Caregiver Coping to Family Outcomes During the Initial Year Following Pediatric Post Injury [Abstract]. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 69(3), 406-415. doi:10.1037//0022-006X.69.3.406

Previous research has shown there is a negative relationship between Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and cognitive function (Yarlott et al., 2017). In the current study, we further investigated this relationship between PTSD and cognitive function with individuals seeking detoxification treatment, focusing on the potential moderating effect of Hepatitis C status. One of the ramifications of Hepatitis C is impaired cognitive function and Hepatitis C has been shown to be increasing in individuals with substance use disorders (Solinas et al., 2015, Huckans et al., 2009). In this study, we recruited 235 participants from Oriana House, all presenting with a substance use disorder. Oriana House is a medical detoxification center for individuals of Summit County. Cognitive assessments were administered along with questionnaires about past trauma, PTSD and Hepatitis C diagnosis to the participants at the detox center. The cognitive assessment battery included the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). The MoCA is an indicator of mild cognitive impairment and assesses different cognitive domains including attention and concentration, executive functions, memory, language, visio-constructional skills, conceptual thinking, calculations, and orientation (Nasreddine et al, 2005). Given the established relationship between PTSD and cognitive function, we expect to replicate the negative association between these two variables. Furthermore, we expect that Hepatitis C status will moderate the relationship between PTSD and cognitive function.

Analysis is ongoing.

PTSD rates in the United States are an estimated 7-9%. PTSD is associated with a variety of negative health behaviors and consequences, including sleep disturbances. Studies show that 70-87% of individuals with PTSD will report poor sleep quality, a 48-60% increase from those without PTSD. Another consequence that is commonly associated with PTSD is smoking addiction. Individuals with PTSD have 2 to 4 times the risk of smoking addiction than those without PTSD. Furthermore, sleep disturbances and smoking are commonly related, as significantly more smokers than non-smokers (28.1% compared to 19.1%) demonstrate disturbed sleep quality. Moreover, higher degrees of nicotine dependence are associated with shorter sleep duration. The current study examines the relationship between PTSD symptoms (PTSS), smoking addiction, and sleep disturbances in a sample of 659 college students. Results from a mediation analysis with 10,000 bootstrapped resamples indicated that smoking addiction mediated the relationship between PTSS and sleep disturbances [F(1, 637) = 13.88, p =

Research has shown that children who have lost a sibling need continuous support and grief therapy in order to reduce the likelihood of negative mental health outcomes. The results from past research specifically focus on grief, and largely neglect other sequela (i.e. depression and PTSD), in children from the loss of a loved one. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate whether receiving mental health treatment after a sibling death predicted sibling depression, post-traumatic stress, or grief symptoms in children and young adults ages 7-22. Results showed that the proposed model represented the data well, c2 (3) = 9.273, p<.05. Individuals that received mental health treatment were less likely to have symptoms of grief compared to those that did not receive mental health treatment after a sibling death (B= .18, p=.01). The odds of receiving mental health treatment increased by a factor of 1.18 (18%) with every one-point increase in grief symptoms. Post-traumatic stress and depression symptoms were not significantly associated with receiving mental health treatment. Results indicate that mental health services after the death of a sibling should be broader to reduce symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress along with grief symptoms. Broadening the practices of mental health treatments could reduce the depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms that bereaved children experience.

Social support is an important factor related to the development of and buffering against mental health in LGB youth and young adults. Support from family and friends allows LGB youth to feel confident in their beliefs and behaviors. This type of support can drastically reduce mental health issues that LGB youth may experience. We explore the relationship between source of social support and mental health in a sample of previously traumatized, low SES, racial minority LGB adolescents and young adults and investigate age as a possible moderator of the relationship between source of social support and mental health outcomes. Results: Social support from family (β= -.302p= .03; β= -.364, p= .008), but not friends or significant others was significantly predictive of PTSD and depression symptoms. Age x support source interactions revealed that family social support was associated with significantly lower PTSD and depression symptoms when participants were between the ages of 16 and 19 whereas friend social support was associated with significantly lower PTSD and depression symptoms for participants in their early twenties. In order to best treat mental health issues in LGB adolescents and young adults, the age of the individual and social support from family and friend should be taken into consideration. Difference sources of social support are critical during certain developmental periods for LGB youth.

We wanted to assess the relationship between discrimination of sexual orientation and family social support as an indicator for PTSD symptoms. Therefore, we examined sexual orientation discrimination stress as a mechanism through which family social support predicts PTSD symptoms in a traumatized sample of LGB adolescents. We recruited (N=76) LGBT adolescents from a social service agency. The sample consisted of 49 males, and 80.3% identified as African-American with a mean age of 19.8 (SD = 2.2). Participants completed a questionnaire battery including questionnaires about stress related to sexual orientation discrimination experiences, PTSD symptoms, and perceived family social support. A mediation model with 1,000 bootstrapping resamples examined the mediating effect of stress from sexual orientation discrimination on family social support and PTSD symptoms. Sexual orientation discrimination stress had a significant indirect effect (95% BCI: -.487, -.005) on the relationship between family social support and PTSD symptoms. Thus we can conclude that the level of family social support on traumatized LGB youths can greatly impact PTSD symptoms.

The present study examined whether use of albuterol within hours of a motor vehicle accident (MVA) impacted subsequent posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Participants receiving albuterol had less severe overall PTSS and hyperarousal symptoms at 6-weeks and less severe reexperiencing symptoms at 1-year post-MVA than those who did not receive albuterol.

Adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) must be close to perfect in order to maintain suppression of HIV viral load, and to prevent the development of drug resistant strains of HIV. People living with HIV (PLWH) often report low levels of adherence. One variable that has been linked to poor adherence is perceived discrimination; however, research has generally not considered the possible unique effects of different types of discrimination on adherence. The present pilot study aimed to examine the association of three types of discrimination (due to HIV+ status, race, or sexual orientation) with adherence among 57 PLWH. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to demonstrate the relationships between each type of discrimination and self-reported adherence. Racial discrimination significantly predicted lower adherence levels, whereas sexual orientation- and HIV-related discrimination did not. Results underscore the importance of addressing discrimination issues, specifically racial, when designing interventions to improve adherence to HAART.