All Conference Presentations, Performances and Exhibits
Impact of Familial Loss or Chronic Illness on Later Psychopathology
Location
Guzman Lecture Hall
Start Date
4-14-2016 6:00 PM
End Date
4-14-2016 7:00 PM
Student Type
Undergraduate
Faculty Mentor(s)
Emily Newton, Ph.D.
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
Previous research has provided support for the idea that a significant loss or related trauma during childhood can lead to a decline in psychological health for the individual continuing into adulthood. The purpose of the current study is to examine the effects of experiences of parental or sibling death or chronic illness in childhood on specific aspects of an individual’s psychological health in adulthood. These specific aspects include depression, anxiety, and suicidality. For the purpose of this study chronic illness has been defined as an illness with a duration of at least three months, which requires persistent treatment for survival. Participants (n=50) will be students and faculty solicited from undergraduate and graduate programs at Dominican University of California. Participants will engage in the study through the use of an online survey located on surveymonkey.com. They will be asked to voluntarily participate and respond to a total of seventy questions. A majority of these questions will be from the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms (Watson, O’Hara, Simms, Kotov, Chmielewski, McDade-Montez, Gamez & Stuart, 2007). The subscales of this measure look to evaluate an individual’s symptoms of general depression, dysphoria, suicidality, lassitude, panic, social anxiety, insomnia, temperament, and changes in appetite. Participants will also respond to demographic questions concerning their age, gender, and familial history of death and illness. Although data collection and analysis will not take place until March 2016, it is hypothesized that parental or sibling death or chronic illness in childhood will result in an individual experiencing significantly more a) depressive symptoms, b) symptoms of anxiety, and c) suicide ideation later in life than an individual who has not experienced such trauma or traumas. The possible implications of this research are critical, as they could lead to the earlier intervention and treatment of individuals who suffer significant trauma such as the loss or chronic illness of an immediate family member during childhood.
Impact of Familial Loss or Chronic Illness on Later Psychopathology
Guzman Lecture Hall
Previous research has provided support for the idea that a significant loss or related trauma during childhood can lead to a decline in psychological health for the individual continuing into adulthood. The purpose of the current study is to examine the effects of experiences of parental or sibling death or chronic illness in childhood on specific aspects of an individual’s psychological health in adulthood. These specific aspects include depression, anxiety, and suicidality. For the purpose of this study chronic illness has been defined as an illness with a duration of at least three months, which requires persistent treatment for survival. Participants (n=50) will be students and faculty solicited from undergraduate and graduate programs at Dominican University of California. Participants will engage in the study through the use of an online survey located on surveymonkey.com. They will be asked to voluntarily participate and respond to a total of seventy questions. A majority of these questions will be from the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms (Watson, O’Hara, Simms, Kotov, Chmielewski, McDade-Montez, Gamez & Stuart, 2007). The subscales of this measure look to evaluate an individual’s symptoms of general depression, dysphoria, suicidality, lassitude, panic, social anxiety, insomnia, temperament, and changes in appetite. Participants will also respond to demographic questions concerning their age, gender, and familial history of death and illness. Although data collection and analysis will not take place until March 2016, it is hypothesized that parental or sibling death or chronic illness in childhood will result in an individual experiencing significantly more a) depressive symptoms, b) symptoms of anxiety, and c) suicide ideation later in life than an individual who has not experienced such trauma or traumas. The possible implications of this research are critical, as they could lead to the earlier intervention and treatment of individuals who suffer significant trauma such as the loss or chronic illness of an immediate family member during childhood.