Caregivers must communicate with several providers to secure a diagnosis and appropriate early intervention (EI) services for their children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). One aspect of communication is ease and comfort speaking about complex matters, which may be especially difficult for non-native speakers. In the current study, we focus on whether caregivers of toddlers perceive their quality of care before and after an intervention to be different based on the language they speak at home. For the intervention, the Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) are provided with resources and training to improve screening, referral, and treatment. We hypothesize that non-native speakers will score lower on the total Measure of Processes of Care (MPOC) before the SRT intervention and that this difference will be less apparent after the SRT intervention. The total MPOC score as well as three questions (5, 10, 15) related to emotional and social needs, planning treatment, and communication of results were selected for comparison between three language groups: English (n=368), Spanish (n=66), and Other (n=21). There were no differences on total MPOC scores between language groups either before (F(2, 256) = 0.95, p = 0.38) or after the intervention (F(2, 193) = 0.70, p = 0.50). However, before the intervention, families that reported speaking Spanish or Other languages at home endorsed significantly lower ratings regarding their PCP’s attention to their needs as a whole, such as mental, social, or emotional needs (F(2, 267) = 3.53, p = 0.030). This may be because socio-emotional needs are more complex to convey to a PCP. There were no differences after the intervention, suggesting that this difference may have been corrected during the intervention. Identifying specific areas where care may be lacking in primary care can help improve the overall care of children who speak a second language at home.

A great deal of research has focused on developing and testing evidence-based treatments (EBTs) for children’s mental health. Correspondingly, there has been a focus on improving the implementation of EBTs in community settings; however, current delivery rates of EBTs is largely unknown. Mental health providers across Washington are required to document EBT delivery with Service Encounter Reporting Instructions (SERI) codes, which are reported to the state Department of Behavioral Health and Recording. SERI codes may provide an avenue to understand delivery rates of EBTs across Washington, but existing data suggests SERI codes may be utilized infrequently or incorrectly. Data for this study come from an evaluation of the CBT Plus (CBT+) Initiative—a statewide, state-funded training in EBTs for childhood mental health problems. CBT+ provides training and expert consultation in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for anxiety and depression, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Parent Management Training (PMT). This study uses data from the 2019-2020 cycle of CBT+ trainings, and we will use descriptive statistics to characterize the frequency with which clinicians report using SERI codes. We will also examine clinician’s reports of if supervisors/senior leaders within their organization discussed the use of SERI codes. We predict the outcomes for clinicians EBP SERI code use will trend correspondingly to state reporting, although these findings are limited by the narrow dataset. We predict that SERI code use is positively correlated with discussion of SERI code use. Another limitation is the predominant use of self-report questionnaires after receiving CBT+ training. This research will give insight to support needed for more effective implementation of policies and reporting of EBP SERI codes. Billing code use is necessary to determine EBT penetration rates at a state level. By understanding the rates at which children in Washington receive EBTs, we can improve these treatments and outcomes.

With increasing legality and accessibility of cannabis in the US, rates of cannabis use and prevalence of cannabis use disorders (CUD) are increasing. There is significant co-occurrence between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and cannabis misuse. PTSD is associated with increased odds of lifetime cannabis use and daily cannabis use in the past year. This is concerning as substance use can impede PTSD recovery. Substance use is a significant predictor of PTSD treatment dropout; dropout rates as high as 61% percent have been reported in treatment trials for co-occurring PTSD and substance use. Substance use can be a form of self-medication through which individuals avoid trauma-related reminders and memories. This is inconsistent with PTSD treatment rationales that emphasize engaging with trauma reminders as crucial to recovery and may explain high treatment dropout for those with substance use. The current study investigates the relationship between CUD and PTSD treatment expectancies, specifically whether individuals with and without CUD differ in ratings of therapeutic outcome expectancies. Further, the study will investigate whether expectancies are related to PTSD treatment dropout, particularly for individuals with CUD. Participants are part of a larger clinical trial testing six daily sessions of imaginal exposure treatment for PTSD. All participants had PTSD, with or without CUD, and prior to beginning treatment completed self-report measures assessing PTSD, CUD, and expectancies (Expectancy of Therapeutic Outcome [ETO]). We hypothesize that participants with CUD will have lower ETO ratings than participants without CUD and that participants with CUD and lower ETO ratings will drop out of treatment at higher rates. If our findings confirm therapy outcome expectancies as a link between CUD and dropout from PTSD treatment clinicians could target low treatment expectancy at the start of treatment by providing psychoeducation about long-term effectiveness of treatment and continued cost of self-medication with cannabis.

The push for social change seen in modern sociopolitical movements is rooted in the social divide between majority and minority populations. Liberation psychology is a field that seeks to address these disparities through reconciliatory and transgressive practices that incorporate and amplify the voices of those affected. In its support for the values, histories and concerns of oppressed groups, liberation psychology offers tools for examining broad sociopolitical struggles and challenging contemporary systems of oppression that perpetuate social inequalities. This perspective also provides a framework for understanding the motivation and actions of individuals who are engaged in processes of political resistance and dismantling existing power structures.

This theoretical review of the current literature uses the lens of liberation psychology (also referred to as critical or radical psychology) to deconstruct the factors that lead up to transformative collective action by marginalized communities. Specifically, we compare core social movements in history with modern protests by examining the interplay between societal structures, cultural assumptions, and psychological responses in which they occur, grounding this analysis within critical theory.

While the reasons for protests vary across geographic region, time, and population, our research on the dynamics of oppression has revealed five motivating factors of social movements: grievances, emotions, identity, efficacy, and social embeddedness. Understanding the psychological forces behind revolutionary action is imperative to understanding and bolstering the foundational impact and social change that such future movements can bring about.

The freemium business model has taken the video game world by storm and generated billions of dollars in the process. At first glance, this model seems user-friendly. This literature review will assess many aspects of this business design to prove it is not by using operant conditioning theory, expert's critical analysis of the business design, and empirical study results that reveal addiction potential. This model also promotes player information collection to create targeted ads. Considering these game's primary target demographic is adolescents, saving and selling their information is predatory monetization, raising privacy concerns. After recognizing these principles at work, the next step is advocating for regulations to restrain and make the freemium model more transparent and safe. This will prevent young children from creating harmful habits during a vulnerable stage of development.

 As international students make up an unignorable part of the public university population in the U.S., there is a need to better understand their inclusion and involvement on campus. Inclusion in the university community and local society is not only important for international students' success in their college education, but also critical for the benefits of U.S. colleges in terms of economic revenue, diversity, and knowledge & cultural exchange (Bevis, 2002; Harrison, 2002). In this study, we are interested to learn more about the relationship between international students’ perceived community inclusion and their participation in university services and support programs. In a pilot study, 69 students (36 International, 45 Asian, 18 White, 6 Other racial groups) completed an online survey on the Psychology Online Research Pool Program at the University of Washington. Preliminary analyses show that international students show significantly less sense of inclusion in the U.S. compared to domestic students. Additionally, the sense of inclusion in the university is correlated with students’ usage of university services for international students but not for domestic students. The study has provided insights into the differences between international and domestic students’ perceived inclusion in the public university community and their opinions around university programs that aim to foster student success. It also has the potential to help public universities better understand and serve their student body.

Having a female role model who possesses traditionally masculine traits like assertiveness and independence might inspire other women to join a company. However, we believe it might also signal a company's masculine work culture, and thus make applying to this company a less appealing choice for female applicants. Our research aims to test the hypothesis that women will be less interested in applying to a company that has stereotypically masculine female role models. In this study we designed with our group, participants will read either a profile of a stereotypically masculine or feminine female employee, and then answer a series of questions about their impressions of the company and their interest in working in that company. We expect the result to show that female participants are less interested in applying for a company when shown with the profile of a masculine female employee. We hope this study will expand our understanding of gender expression in the work environment and develop a novel intervention to increase gender diversity.