Mental Health Status and History of Suicidality as Predictors of Suicide Note Leaving Behavior

Description

Suicide is a significant public health problem, with incidence rates and lethality continuing to increase yearly. Given the large human and financial cost of suicide worldwide alongside the lack of progress in suicide prediction, more research is needed to inform

Suicide is a significant public health problem, with incidence rates and lethality continuing to increase yearly. Given the large human and financial cost of suicide worldwide alongside the lack of progress in suicide prediction, more research is needed to inform suicide prevention and intervention efforts. This study approaches suicide from the lens of suicide note-leaving behavior, which can provide important information on predictors of suicide. Specifically, this study adds to the existing literature on note-leaving by examining history of suicidality, mental health problems, and their interaction in predicting suicide note-leaving, in addition to demographic predictors of note-leaving examined in previous research using data from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS, n = 98,515). We fit a logistic regression model predicting leaving a suicide note or not, the results of which indicated that those with mental health problems or a history of suicidality were more likely to leave a suicide note than those without such histories, and those with both mental health problems and a history of suicidality were most likely to leave a suicide note. These findings reinforce the need to tailor suicide prevention efforts toward identifying and targeting higher risk populations.

Date Created
2022-05
Agent

Laying the Groundwork: Dynamic Associations Between Physiological and Social Roots of Executive Function Development in a Latent Change Score Framework

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Description
This study aimed to develop a measurement model for executive function (EF) in middle childhood for a low-income Mexican American sample and to elucidate dynamic change processes among measurable developmental correlates of EF during infancy and early toddlerhood as predictors

This study aimed to develop a measurement model for executive function (EF) in middle childhood for a low-income Mexican American sample and to elucidate dynamic change processes among measurable developmental correlates of EF during infancy and early toddlerhood as predictors of later higher-order EF abilities. Drawing from developmental theory and a model of neurovisceral integration, surges in neurocognitive regulatory abilities may be supported by both previous and concurrent changes in physiological functioning and engagement in reciprocal social relationships. Utilizing recent methodological innovations, the current study moved beyond traditional growth models to evaluate possible points of attenuation and acceleration in dyadic reciprocity and vagal functioning over time as well as dynamic associations between these unfolding developmental processes. Data were collected from 322 low-income Mexican American children in the home at 24 weeks and in a laboratory space at ages 1, 1.5, 2, 3, and 6 years. A parent-report measure of executive function also was collected over the phone between child age 7.5 and 9 years. Results suggested that, in this sample, EF was best modeled at child age 6 years as a unidimensional construct. Findings also supported the importance of earlier dyadic reciprocity for later EF, but there was a lack of evidence supporting the theorized link between EF and earlier vagal functioning and codevelopment of vagal functioning and dyadic reciprocity. This study highlights the importance of including dyadic measures of parent-child contingencies in studies of EF development and, from a clinical perspective, the potential use of relationship-based, dyadic intervention and prevention models to support crucial development of EF skills central to everyday adaptive functioning.
Date Created
2022
Agent

Feasibility and Preliminary Effects of Using a Mobile App (i.e., Calm) to Decrease Overall Stress in Middle-Aged Men and Women Who Report Elevated Stress

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Description
Background: Unmanaged stress is a major contributing factor to the development of disease in both men and women. Middle-aged adults (40-64) have some of the highest stress of all age groups and the use of meditation may provide relief for

Background: Unmanaged stress is a major contributing factor to the development of disease in both men and women. Middle-aged adults (40-64) have some of the highest stress of all age groups and the use of meditation may provide relief for conditions such as stress. A smartphone application (app) may help limit the magnitude of the perceived challenges of meditation. The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of a consumer-based meditation app (i.e., Calm) to reduce stress in middle-aged adults who self-report elevated stress. The preliminary effects of Calm on stress and health outcomes related to stress were explored as well as the preliminary effects of Calm on mindfulness and coping behaviors for stress were explored.

Methods: Adults were recruited to a 4-week app-based health and well-being study. Participants were randomized into either a mindfulness meditation (i.e. Calm) group or a health education (POD) control group. Participants were asked to participate at least 10 minutes per day. Assessments were conducted for stress, anxiety, depression, mindfulness, physical activity, eating habits, and coping behaviors at pre- and post-intervention and voluntary phone interviews were held post-intervention. App usage data were collected subjectively through weekly participation logs and through objective app usage data provided by Calm.

Results: Eighty-three participants were enrolled into the study and 60 completed the intervention and were analyzed. Feasibility and demand benchmarks were met with 96% of participants satisfied with the intervention and 93% found it enjoyable, appropriate, and useful. There was a 70% adherence (minutes/week) to the meditation intervention. Recruitment of men into the intervention group was 38.1% and retention of men was 81.3%. Significant changes were not observed in stress, anxiety, depression, or mindfulness, physical activity, eating habits, and coping behaviors.

Conclusion: The findings of this study support the feasibility of a 4-week, mobile app-based mindfulness meditation intervention (i.e. Calm) in middle-aged adults. These finding do not demonstrate preliminary efficacy of Calm to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression or improvement of mindfulness, physical activity, eating habits, or coping behaviors among middle-aged adults who report elevated stress. These results can be applied for improved design of future studies.
Date Created
2020
Agent

A Psychometric Analysis of an Operational ASU Exam

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Description
This thesis explored the psychometric properties of an ASU midterm. These analyses were done to explore the efficacy of the questions on the exam using the methods of item analysis difficulty and discrimination. The discrimination and difficulty scores as well

This thesis explored the psychometric properties of an ASU midterm. These analyses were done to explore the efficacy of the questions on the exam using the methods of item analysis difficulty and discrimination. The discrimination and difficulty scores as well as the correlations of questions led to suggests of questions that may need revision.
Date Created
2020-05
Agent

Examination of mixed-effects models with nonparametrically generated data

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Description
Previous research has shown functional mixed-effects models and traditional mixed-effects models perform similarly when recovering mean and individual trajectories (Fine, Suk, & Grimm, 2019). However, Fine et al. (2019) showed traditional mixed-effects models were able to more accurately recover the

Previous research has shown functional mixed-effects models and traditional mixed-effects models perform similarly when recovering mean and individual trajectories (Fine, Suk, & Grimm, 2019). However, Fine et al. (2019) showed traditional mixed-effects models were able to more accurately recover the underlying mean curves compared to functional mixed-effects models. That project generated data following a parametric structure. This paper extended previous work and aimed to compare nonlinear mixed-effects models and functional mixed-effects models on their ability to recover underlying trajectories which were generated from an inherently nonparametric process. This paper introduces readers to nonlinear mixed-effects models and functional mixed-effects models. A simulation study is then presented where the mean and random effects structure of the simulated data were generated using B-splines. The accuracy of recovered curves was examined under various conditions including sample size, number of time points per curve, and measurement design. Results showed the functional mixed-effects models recovered the underlying mean curve more accurately than the nonlinear mixed-effects models. In general, the functional mixed-effects models recovered the underlying individual curves more accurately than the nonlinear mixed-effects models. Progesterone cycle data from Brumback and Rice (1998) were then analyzed to demonstrate the utility of both models. Both models were shown to perform similarly when analyzing the progesterone data.
Date Created
2019
Agent

The Safety and Health Improvement: Enhancing Law Enforcement Departments Study: Feasibility and Findings

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Description

This randomized prospective trial aimed to assess the feasibility and efficacy of a team-based worksite health and safety intervention for law enforcement personnel. Four-hundred and eight subjects were enrolled and half were randomized to meet for weekly, peer-led sessions delivered

This randomized prospective trial aimed to assess the feasibility and efficacy of a team-based worksite health and safety intervention for law enforcement personnel. Four-hundred and eight subjects were enrolled and half were randomized to meet for weekly, peer-led sessions delivered from a scripted team-based health and safety curriculum. Curriculum addressed: exercise, nutrition, stress, sleep, body weight, injury, and other unhealthy lifestyle behaviors such as smoking and heavy alcohol use. Health and safety questionnaires administered before and after the intervention found significant improvements for increased fruit and vegetable consumption, overall healthy eating, increased sleep quantity and sleep quality, and reduced personal stress.

Date Created
2014-05-08
Agent

When the Test of Mediation is More Powerful Than the Test of the Total Effect

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Description

Although previous research has studied power in mediation models, the extent to which the inclusion of a mediator will increase power has not been investigated. To address this deficit, in a first study we compared the analytical power values of

Although previous research has studied power in mediation models, the extent to which the inclusion of a mediator will increase power has not been investigated. To address this deficit, in a first study we compared the analytical power values of the mediated effect and the total effect in a single-mediator model, to identify the situations in which the inclusion of one mediator increased statistical power. The results from this first study indicated that including a mediator increased statistical power in small samples with large coefficients and in large samples with small coefficients, and when coefficients were nonzero and equal across models. Next, we identified conditions under which power was greater for the test of the total mediated effect than for the test of the total effect in the parallel two-mediator model. These results indicated that including two mediators increased power in small samples with large coefficients and in large samples with small coefficients, the same pattern of results that had been found in the first study. Finally, we assessed the analytical power for a sequential (three-path) two-mediator model and compared the power to detect the three-path mediated effect to the power to detect both the test of the total effect and the test of the mediated effect for the single-mediator model. The results indicated that the three-path mediated effect had more power than the mediated effect from the single-mediator model and the test of the total effect. Practical implications of these results for researchers are then discussed.

Date Created
2015-06-01
Agent