The effects of emerging adulthood on stress and depression

Many historical theories of development have evolved based on the premise that a person\u27s identity is formed during adolescence. Upon reaching the age of 18, that person is identified as an adult and expected to have achieved a healthy identity. More recent studies suggest that a person continues to develop their identity well into their twenties. This age range is characterized by constant change, instability, and exposure to life stress events. Additional data shows that some people in this cohort do not consider themselves to be an adult, a se if-classification that creates stress and decreased mental health. Researchers are now considering this age range to be an extended period of development termed emerging adulthood. Individuals who perceive themselves to still be developing during this stage (perceived emerging adults) are at higher risk of identity crisis, stress levels, and depression. In order to advance interventions and treatment plans for individuals in this cohort, it is important to understand the impact that this developmental period has on stress and depression. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the impact that perceived emerging adult status had on mental health. Fifty adults (age 18-25) were surveyed on self-classification as an adult, life stress events, identity status, and depressive symptoms. It was found that there was a significant relationship between perceived adult status and certain life events, such as having children, being married, or living outside the parents \u27 home. No significant relationship was found between emerging adult status and identity status. Additionally, it was found that age and life stress was negatively correlated for emerging adults but not for perceived adults, indicating that life stress eased with age. Finally, for emerging adults but not perceived adults, stress level was positively correlated with depression

Age-Structure Metrics for Precautionary Management- Can we save fish, time, and money?

Over the past 30 years, fisheries management on the west coast of the United States has undergone a rapid evolution. Starting with very limited management and stock assessment techniques, the complexity of fishery models and size and breadth of fishery data sets have gradually increased, which has coincided with increasingly intensive management measures used in the fishery. However, during the same period, the west coast fishery underwent a significant decline. As a symptom of this decline, several species of rockfish are currently designated as overfished, with rebuilding timelines of more than half a century. The west coast trawl fishery is a true multi-species fishery and the management protection (such as extremely low trip limits) afforded to overfished stocks has significant impacts on the economics of the trawl fleet. In order to evaluate the possible effects of these constraining species on fleet behavior and profitability, we develop a bioeconomic model of the west coast groundfish trawl fishery. We take a retrospective look, based on real data, at what could have happened in the west coast groundfish fishery if the stock of canary rockfish (Sebastes pinniger) had been managed to a range of harvest control rules starting from a time when canary rockfish were considered a healthy stock in the fishery. In particular, we are interested in how simple catch-based age-structure metrics could be used to effectively manage the stock of canary rockfish, and the tradeoffs between these and more complex techniques

Bioeconomic Simulation Modeling of Fisheries : Three Essays

Researchers rely on bioeconomic models to guide research and generate fishery management advice for commercial fisheries. Due partly to a paradigm shift towards ecosystem based fishery management, increasing complexity in the characteristics of the problems has meant that bioeconomic simulation models are becoming more prevalent in the fisheries literature. However in many of these models the economic behavior of fishermen is either omitted, or incorporated using a model that is not based on an economic theory of human behavior. This dissertation comprises three essays that make contributions to advancing the art and science of bioeconomic simulation modeling. The first essay illustrates how a model of fisherman behavior can be incorporated into a bioeconomic harvest-control-rule assessment model of a complex multi-species, multi-fleet fishery. Insights for rebuilding stocks based on different assessment techniques and fleet strategic behavior are discussed. The second essay introduces a novel method for distributing fishing effort across space and time in bioeconomic simulation models based on game theory. A comparison between this method and more traditional methods for modeling fleet fishing behavior are analyzed and the implications and the relative strengths of the game theoretic approach discussed. The third essay describes a bioeconomic simulation model of the Oregon Dungeness crab fishery. A novel application of duration analysis to describe the in-season exit behavior of fishermen is combined with a zero-inflated Poisson model to determine how fishing effort is allocated by different fleets under alternative fishery conditions. A stock dynamics model is then incorporated into a Monte Carlo simulation to assess how changes in season closure dates affect the amount of discard mortality in the fishery, and how these changes affect operating profits in the fishery

The Bioeconomics of Soft Shell Crab: Evaluating the Impacts of Changing Season Length in Oregon's Dungeness Crab Fishery

The Dungeness crab (Cancer magister) fishery is one of the most valuable single species fishery in Oregon, with an average annual ex-vessel value of $45 million from 2004-2014. The fishery is managed using a "3-S" (minimum retention size, male retention only, season length) management paradigm. In addition, fleet capacity has been restricted since 1996, and a system of three tiers of pot limits was implemented in 2006. While a significant literature exists on the biology of the Dungeness crab, and despite the fishery's economic importance to the West coast of the U.S., relatively little is known about either the population dynamics of this stock, the economic behavior of the crab fleet, impacts of crab discards on future catch and biomass, and the economic performance of the fishery relative to its potential. To help us better understand the interaction of the biological stock and industry behavior we develop a bioeconomic model of the Oregon Dungeness crab fishery. The model combines an empirically estimated duration model of intra-season vessel exit behavior with a cohort-based biological representation of the crab stock into a bioeconomic simulation model. Using a Monte Carlo framework, we then examine the potential economic impacts of adjusting: 1) effort levels throughout the season, and 2) season length and timing. The economic performance of the fishery under its current management structure is then compared to the potential performance of the fishery under alternate management options.Proceedings of the Eighteenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, held July 11-15, 2016 at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Center (AECC), Aberdeen, Scotland, UK

Age Structure Metrics for Precautionary Management: Can Simpler Assessment Techniques Save Fish, Time, and Money?

Stock assessment techniques currently used in the United States are extremely costly to implement, involve significant data requirements, and are inaccessible to all but a few stock assessment scientists. A systematic decrease in fishery yields and the designation of several species as overfished on the west coast of the United States have resulted in stricter protocols regarding sustainable fisheries management and the rebuilding of overfished stocks, including the need to set annual harvest limits for all exploited species. An alternative and simpler approach to stock assessment which could address this need is described and an evaluation framework set up. Although no results have been obtained to date, possible costs and benefits of incorporating this approach into fisheries management are discussed

Disseminating Evidence-Based Practices for Adults With PTSD and Severe Mental Illness in Public-Sector Mental Health Agencies

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains largely untreated among adults with severe mental illnesses (SMI). The treatment of psychotic symptoms usually takes precedence in the care of adults with SMI. Such oversight is problematic in that PTSD in SMI populations is common (19-43%), contributes a significant illness burden, and hinders mental health care. Yet, few public-sector mental health agencies routinely provide specialized services for PTSD. The purpose of the paper is to describe strategies and efforts to disseminate trauma-focused empirically-based practices (EBPs) in a public-sector mental health system. Identified challenges include limited resources and commitment; knowledge deficits, attitudes, and biases; and limited practice accountability at provider, facility, and system levels. Proposed strategies for overcoming these challenges are: set clear goals; nurture broad-based organizational commitment and key stakeholder involvement; implement specialty training efforts to provide information and change attitudes; provide on-going supervision; conduct fidelity monitoring; and ensure accountability to the extent possible

Functional diversity of brain networks supports consciousness and verbal intelligence

© 2018, The Author(s). How are the myriad stimuli arriving at our senses transformed into conscious thought? To address this question, in a series of studies, we asked whether a common mechanism underlies loss of information processing in unconscious states across different conditions, which could shed light on the brain mechanisms of conscious cognition. With a novel approach, we brought together for the first time, data from the same paradigm—a highly engaging auditory-only narrative—in three independent domains: anesthesia-induced unconsciousness, unconsciousness after brain injury, and individual differences in intellectual abilities during conscious cognition. During external stimulation in the unconscious state, the functional differentiation between the auditory and fronto-parietal systems decreased significantly relatively to the conscious state. Conversely, we found that stronger functional differentiation between these systems in response to external stimulation predicted higher intellectual abilities during conscious cognition, in particular higher verbal acuity scores in independent cognitive testing battery. These convergent findings suggest that the responsivity of sensory and higher-order brain systems to external stimulation, especially through the diversification of their functional responses is an essential feature of conscious cognition and verbal intelligence

Perception of soundscapes : an interdisciplinary approach

This paper takes an overall view of findings from the Positive Soundscape Project, a large inter-disciplinary soundscapes study. Qualitative fieldwork (soundwalks and focus groups) have found that soundscape perception is influenced by cognitive effects such as the meaning of a soundscape and its components, and how information is conveyed by a soundscape, for example on the behaviour of people within the soundscape. Three significant clusters were found in the language people use to describe soundscapes: sound sources, sound descriptors and soundscape descriptors. Results from listening tests and soundwalks have been integrated to show that the two principal dimensions of soundscape emotional response seem to be calmness and vibrancy. Further, vibrancy seems to have two aspects: organisation of sounds and changes over time. The possible application of the results to soundscape assessment and design are briefly discussed

Therapist fidelity with an exposure-based treatment of ptsd in adults with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder

This study examined therapists’ fidelity to a manualized multi-component cognitive-behavioral intervention for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including exposure therapy, among public sector patients with a psychotic disorder. Therapists’ competence and adherence was assessed by clinicians at the master’s level or higher who rated 20% of randomly selected audiotaped sessions (n = 57 sessions, coded by two independent raters, with strong interrater agreement). Adherence ratings indicated that therapists complied well with the protocol, and competency ratings typically averaged above “very good” (6 on 7-point Likert scale). Findings suggest that therapists can effectively deliver a manualized cognitive-behavioral intervention for PTSD, with exposure therapy, to patients with severe mental illness without compromise to the structure of sessions and/or to the therapeutic relationship. These data add needed support for the implementation of cognitive-behavioral interventions, including exposure therapy, as effective treatments for PTSD in complicated patient populations such as those with severe forms of mental illness

Exposure-based cognitive-behavioral treatment of PTSD in adults with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder: A pilot study

In an open trial design, adults (n = 20) with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and either schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were treated via an 11-week cognitive-behavioral intervention for PTSD that consisted of education, anxiety management therapy, social skills training, and exposure therapy, provided at community mental health centers. Results offer preliminary hope for effective treatment of PTSD among adults with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, especially among treatment completers (n = 13). Data showed significant PTSD symptom improvement, maintained at 3-month follow-up. Further, 12 of 13 completers no longer met criteria for PTSD or were considered treatment responders. Clinical outcomes for other targeted domains (e.g., anger, general mental health) also improved and were maintained at 3-month follow-up. Participants evidenced high treatment satisfaction, with no adverse events. Significant improvements were not noted on depression, general anxiety, or physical health status. Future directions include the need for randomized controlled trials and dissemination efforts