The COVID pandemic and 2020 social justice protests spotlight the effects of past and present trauma that undergraduate students at the University of Washington (UW) have internalized. Previous research conducted on students at a large undergraduate nursing school highlighted the prevalence of adverse experiences in nursing students, finding that close to two-thirds of students reported experiencing significant trauma. We also know the impact that trauma has on students’ academic performance. A study of 658 college students in China found that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) affected students’ cognitive flexibility and recent stress events have adverse effects on executive functions, leading to impaired academic performance and knowledge retention. The purpose of this study is to understand trauma exposures from childhood to the present, including discrimination. We compared UW nursing undergraduates to UW undergraduate students who self-identify as not pursuing majors associated with “helping professions.” This online, anonymous, self-administered survey collected data from UW, Seattle undergraduates. Standardized questionnaires were used to measure exposure to ACEs, recent traumatic events, and discrimination. The data will be cataloged, evaluated, and stratified to highlight areas for change and eventually inform interventions that create a trauma-informed learning environment. For the purposes of this study, “helping professions” are defined by the American Psychological Association as “occupations in psychology, psychiatry, counseling, medicine, nursing, social work, physical and occupational therapy, teaching, and education.” This distinction was made as members of helping professions, such as nurses, are often exposed to traumatic events while aiding others. This drive to help others may be intrinsically motivated and associated with having similar experiences, such as trauma, leading to increased levels of trauma among helping professionals and more opportunities for triggering events. Due to this, we hypothesize that undergraduate nursing students have experienced more past and present trauma than undergraduate students not pursuing a “helping profession.”

Adolescence is a critical developmental period for many with regard to initiation of marijuana use. With increasing nationwide trends toward legalization of marijuana and known negative consequences associated with an earlier age of marijuana use onset, it is imperative to identify adolescent risk factors associated with motives for using marijuana. Previous research among adults has found that motives for marijuana use vary based on personality dimensions, with higher levels of neuroticism being significantly associated with greater coping motives. Despite these findings, little research has been done on this topic with late adolescents. The overarching aim of this study was to examine associations between personality risk factors and motives for marijuana use among late adolescents. The current study included 170 late adolescents (15-18 years old, M_age = 16.86, 50% female) recruited from Washington State with stratified sampling to enroll participants who ranged from never having used marijuana to those who report heavy, regular marijuana use. Participants completed online assessments that included the Mini-IPIP Big Five Factors of Personality Scale and the Comprehensive Marijuana Motives Questionnaire to assess personality and marijuana use motives, respectively. We examined associations between personality dimensions (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, imagination) and marijuana use motives (enjoyment, conformity, coping, celebration, perceptions, anxiety, risk, sleep) using correlational and regression analyses. We hypothesized several positive associations between personality and motives including between 1) neuroticism and using to cope with depression/anxiety, 2) imagination and using to alter perceptions, and 3) agreeableness and using to conform to peers. Further, we predicted that late adolescents high in neuroticism that use marijuana to cope would report more marijuana-related consequences. The results inform whether screening for personality dimensions in adolescents could help predict future motives for marijuana use and thus be beneficial in preventing negative marijuana consequences and providing early interventions for marijuana misuse.

The global population of individuals aged 60 and older is projected to grow to over 2 billion by 2050. How do we help the growing population maintain physical and mental health as they age? Many healthy aging initiatives focus on functional capacity, or the capability to perform daily tasks and activities. Age-related changes (ARCs) are the normal developments and changes associated with aging; they often affect functional capacity as they progress, but there is a gap in understanding how older adults identify the onset of ARCs. Early recognition of ARCs would give older adults and their healthcare providers more time to proactively manage and adapt, potentially decreasing the negative impact of ARCs on functional capacity and activities of day-to-day living. The purpose of this study was to explore physical changes and environmental factors that prompt older adults to recognize early stages of their ARCs. Data were collected from in-depth, semi-structured, qualitative, remote interviews with 30 adults aged 65 and over regarding their experiences with aging. The interview script was developed by my research mentor for a parent project. I added one question for my study. I personally conducted 8 interviews lasting approximately 1.5 hours. Interviews were transcribed and coded using the ATLAS.ti software program. Preliminary results of inductive content analysis indicated a few physical and environmental triggers – such as bothersome symptoms, activity limitations, and family history – that prompt older adults to recognize and address ARCs. Additional themes will likely emerge as more interviews are analyzed. Results from this study will serve as a point of reference to assist older adults and healthcare providers to recognize the early onset of ARCs that will ultimately affect the ability to manage tasks of day-to-day living. Results will also contribute to developing future interventions that aim to improve effective self-management among older adults.

Poor sleep is a common complaint during pregnancy that is associated with worse maternal and fetal outcomes including increased depression symptoms before and after pregnancy. Mindfulness-based interventions are effective in improving sleep, but little is known about the relationship between mindfulness and sleep during pregnancy. This cross-sectional study explores the associations among mindfulness, objective and subjective sleep parameters, and mood (depression, anxiety, and positive affect) during pregnancy. Participants are between 12 weeks and 28 weeks gestation, enrolled in my mentor’s pilot randomized controlled trial, Online Prenatal Trial in Mindfulness Sleep Management (OPTIMISM). Data include self-report questionnaires, actigraphy, and daily sleep diaries collected at baseline before receiving a sleep intervention. We hypothesize that mindfulness and sleep quality are positively correlated, whereas mindfulness and mood symptoms are negatively correlated. This study's findings would support mindfulness as a potential non-pharmacologic intervention to improve sleep during pregnancy.

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the top ten causes of death globally. Although it is mostly curable, the antibiotic treatment is long, challenging, and carries dire consequences if discontinued. Patients face many known barriers to treatment adherence, such as traveling to TB clinics, lack of TB knowledge, stigma, and the medication's adverse effects. In response, the TB Treatment Support Tools (TB-TSTs) intervention has been iteratively developed with patients and TB teams to improve treatment outcomes. TB-TSTs is a two-part system. The patient-facing mobile application allows patients to report taking the medication daily, potential medication side effects, submitting a photo of a test strip that detects a TB drug metabolite, asking questions, and interacting with a treatment supporter. The other part of the system is for treatment supporters who can be, for example, social workers, physicians, or nurses to review the daily reports, encourage and support patients through treatment. As part of this larger study, the aim is to improve the treatment supporter interface by analyzing and synthesizing interview transcripts with treatment supporters to provide recommendations for the design team. Interviews were conducted with actual or potential Argentinian treatment supporters and transcribed for qualitative analysis of main themes using Atlas.Ti. In collaboration with research team members, we iteratively developed a codebook. The team identified five main themes and seven sub-themes. Main themes include limitations of the system, what works, design recommendations/features to improve, and subthemes include usability/UI feedback and cultural adaptation. Expanding on patient events (e.g., appointments) and quickly visualize adverse effects are the main recommendations. The main findings were presented to the design team to influence the treatment supporter interface of the TB-TSTs for the next stage of testing. This study will improve the TB-TST, and the larger project presents the usability of future treatment supporter tools for chronic diseases.

Currently there are few qualitative research studies that examine the experience of advanced-stage breast cancer from both points of view in a couple. My research bridges that gap by focusing specifically on how patients and their spouse caregivers view their lived experience with advanced-stage breast cancer. My research utilized interview transcripts from a descriptive study of discovery regarding women with advanced-stage breast cancer and their spouse-caregivers. These interviews were completed in between the years 1999 – 2000, but they offer rich descriptions of the challenges from both patient and spouse caregiver perspectives and provide insight into couples’ lived experiences of advanced breast cancer. The goal of my research project is to compare the patient and spouse caregiver experience in their own words. I performed qualitative research methods that involved coding the data through inductive content analysis and creating a subsequent conceptual framework for studying couples and spouse caregivers. I addressed four research aims: 1. Describe the spouse caregiver’s experience with his wife’s breast cancer, in his own words. 2. Describe the patient’s experience with her breast cancer, in her own words. 3. Compare the two experiences by dyad and by total sample (compare between women’s perspectives, compare between spouse caregiver perspectives). 4. Generate implications for clinical services, based on comparison findings. My preliminary results show there exists a disconnect in views between the spouse and patient in the relationship, but similar views are held within the collective roles (i.e. the patients as a whole had similar views as did the spouse caregivers).

Endocrine therapy is used for women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer (cancer cells that grow due to the hormone estrogen). The standard duration of endocrine therapy is five to ten years to prevent recurrence and improve survival. However, studies show that endocrine therapy has distressing side effects. Nearly half of patients do not adhere and more than two-thirds discontinue endocrine therapy before recommended. The purpose of this study is to evaluate if there is an association between intent-to-adhere to endocrine therapy and anticipated sleep improvement. To conduct our research, focus group interviews of 14 breast cancer survivors were recorded, transcribed, and coded for themes around sleep quality and medication adherence. We hypothesize that the potential for improved quality of sleep will increase breast cancer survivors’ intent-to-adhere to endocrine therapy. Preliminary results show that survivors taking endocrine therapy reported sleep issues such as hot flashes and difficulty falling asleep. Some participants recognized that they experienced poor sleep before they were diagnosed with breast cancer or started endocrine therapy, making it less clear how endocrine therapy affects their quality of sleep. Other survivors did not attribute their poor sleep to endocrine therapy use but reported other distressing symptoms, such as joint pain, that began when starting this medication. We anticipate that despite each survivor's experience being unique, their intent-to-adhere to endocrine therapy would improve with the potential for better quality of sleep, as well as fewer distressing symptoms. Our study will provide information on the association between intent-to-adhere to medication and sleep quality, and can serve as a platform for addressing the side effects of endocrine therapy. Long-term, this line of research will provide information to measure actual levels of medication adherence following a sleep intervention, and can potentially be utilized to improve the quality of life among breast cancer survivors.