Facilitators and Barriers to Mentor-Mentee Relationships in a Mental Health-App Intervention

This study examined students’ perceptions of their experience participating in a study involving supportive accountability to mental health apps (MHapps). Students were paired with an academic advisor or support staff member who connected with students through MentorHub, allowing them to encourage students’ use of other MHapps. Students took surveys and participated in focus groups that included open-ended questions asking their attitudes on various aspects of the project during and after the nine-week trial. A thematic analysis is being conducted on the qualitative data, and initial readings reveal the facilitators and barriers affecting the supportive accountability relationship with their mentors

Comparing Psychosocial Adjustment Across the College Transition in a Matched Heterosexual and Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Sample

We compared a matched sample of heterosexual and lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) students on 5 psychosocial adjustment composites, longitudinally across the transitional first year of college. Both LGB and heterosexual students experienced a significant increase in psychological distress over the first semester, along with significant decreases in psychological well-being and cognitive-affective strengths. Across the entire first year, LGB students demonstrated consistently greater psychological distress, greater cognitive-affective vulnerabilities, and less social well-being compared to heterosexual peers. This research indicates specific challenges that LGB students experience during the first year of university, suggesting opportunities for promoting successful transitions through this developmental milestone

Explaining the Longitudinal Association Between Puberty and Depression: Sex Differences in the Mediating Effects of Peer Stress

This research investigated whether exposure to peer stress serves as one pathway through which pubertal development contributes to depression over time, differentially for girls and boys. Youth (N = 149; 9.6–14.8 years) and their caregivers provided information at two waves, 1 year apart, on puberty (Wave 1), peer stress (occurring between Waves 1 and 2), and depression (Waves 1 and 2). Structural equation modeling analyses examined sex differences in the extent to which peer stress mediated the impact of pubertal status and timing on subsequent depression (i.e., tests of moderated mediation). Significant sex-moderated mediation was found for both pubertal status and timing. As indicated by moderate effect proportions, in girls, heightened peer stress partially mediated the longitudinal association between (a) more advanced pubertal status and depression; and (b) linear, but not curvilinear, pubertal timing (i.e., earlier maturation) and depression. This research contributes to our growing understanding of the interplay among physical, psychological, and social processes involved in the sex difference in adolescent depression

Motivational interviewing as a technique to reduce non-suicidal self injury in college students

This study presents on the Wellness Advising with Motivational Interviewing (WAMI) intervention, which trained academic advisors to support undergraduates in developing motivation toward seeking mental health services. Across two years, participants (N = 1,177) completed assessments and were assigned or randomized to two treatment conditions (Wellness Advising or Treatment As Usual). Wellness Advising participants with elevated symptom profiles, including those who endorsed non-suicidal self-harm, were eligible for one-on-one appointments. This study analyzes the outcomes for students receiving MI in one-on-one sessions, compared to those in the comparison group with similar symptom profiles, who did not receive one-on-one advising, using repeated-measures ANOVAs

A Closer Look at Self-Esteem, Perceived Social Support, and Coping Strategy: A Prospective Study of Depressive Symptomatology Across the Transition to College

The first year of college is a significant life transition, which is often characterized by stress and may contribute to the development or exacerbation of depressive symptoms. Due to the considerable negative outcomes that are associated with depressive symptoms across the lifespan, it is important to understand the mechanisms and pathways through which depressive symptoms arise. This prospective study examines the mediating and moderating roles of perceived social support and disengagement coping on the association between self-esteem and depressive symptomatology in a sample of 1,118 first-year college students. Results of longitudinal cross-lagged path analyses indicate that self-esteem predicts depressive symptomatology via perceived social support and disengagement coping. The association between self-esteem and perceived social support appear to be bidirectional, in that level of self-esteem predicts perceived social support, and vice versa. Furthermore, disengagement coping was found to moderate the effect of self-esteem on depressive symptomatology, in that increased levels of disengagement coping led to greater depressive symptoms within the context of both high and low self-esteem. However, this pattern was not observed at lower levels of disengagement coping, which indicates high levels of disengagement coping as a particular risk factor for depressive symptomatology, diminishing the advantage of high self-esteem

The Emerging Sex Difference in Adolescent Depression: Interactional and Transactional Contributions of Puberty and Peer Stress

143 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2004.This research examined the individual, interactional, and transactional contributions of puberty and peer stress to the sex difference in adolescent depression. A diverse sample of 167 youth (ages 9.6 to 14.8) and their caregivers provided information at two waves, one year apart, on depression, peer stress, and puberty. Puberty, not age, interacted with sex to predict depression, both concurrently and longitudinally. Concurrently, more mature pubertal status was associated with higher levels of depression in girls but lower levels of depression in boys, and girls were significantly more depressed than boys when the adolescents were midway or more through pubertal development. Earlier pubertal timing relative to peers was associated with higher levels of depression in girls, whereas the relation was negative though nonsignificant in boys. Furthermore, among early-developing adolescents, girls were more depressed, whereas among very late-developing adolescents, boys were more depressed. Early perceived timing in girls, but late perceived timing in boys, were associated with more depression. In addition, among adolescents who rated their pubertal development to be early, girls were more depressed, and among adolescents who rated their pubertal development to be late, boys were more depressed. In addition to these linear trends, a curvilinear pattern emerged wherein perceived off-timing was associated with elevated depression and peer stress in both sexes. Furthermore, peer stress acted as both a moderator and a mediator in these relations: The associations between puberty and depression held at high but not low levels of peer stress, and structural equation modeling confirmed that peer stress partially mediated the relations between puberty and depression for girls, not boys. Finally, the relations among sex, puberty, and peer stress were specific to depression, rather than disruptive behavior. This research highlights important distinctions among the contributions of age, pubertal status, timing, and perceived timing in the sex difference in adolescent depression. More broadly, these findings contribute to our growing understanding of the interaction and transaction among physical, social, and psychological processes involved in the sex difference in adolescent depression.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD

The Emerging Sex Difference in Adolescent Depression: Interactional and Transactional Contributions of Puberty and Peer Stress

143 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2004.This research examined the individual, interactional, and transactional contributions of puberty and peer stress to the sex difference in adolescent depression. A diverse sample of 167 youth (ages 9.6 to 14.8) and their caregivers provided information at two waves, one year apart, on depression, peer stress, and puberty. Puberty, not age, interacted with sex to predict depression, both concurrently and longitudinally. Concurrently, more mature pubertal status was associated with higher levels of depression in girls but lower levels of depression in boys, and girls were significantly more depressed than boys when the adolescents were midway or more through pubertal development. Earlier pubertal timing relative to peers was associated with higher levels of depression in girls, whereas the relation was negative though nonsignificant in boys. Furthermore, among early-developing adolescents, girls were more depressed, whereas among very late-developing adolescents, boys were more depressed. Early perceived timing in girls, but late perceived timing in boys, were associated with more depression. In addition, among adolescents who rated their pubertal development to be early, girls were more depressed, and among adolescents who rated their pubertal development to be late, boys were more depressed. In addition to these linear trends, a curvilinear pattern emerged wherein perceived off-timing was associated with elevated depression and peer stress in both sexes. Furthermore, peer stress acted as both a moderator and a mediator in these relations: The associations between puberty and depression held at high but not low levels of peer stress, and structural equation modeling confirmed that peer stress partially mediated the relations between puberty and depression for girls, not boys. Finally, the relations among sex, puberty, and peer stress were specific to depression, rather than disruptive behavior. This research highlights important distinctions among the contributions of age, pubertal status, timing, and perceived timing in the sex difference in adolescent depression. More broadly, these findings contribute to our growing understanding of the interaction and transaction among physical, social, and psychological processes involved in the sex difference in adolescent depression.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD

Supplemental Appendix for "Developmental Trajectories and Predictors of Psychological Well-Being and Distress Across the College Years"

Psychological well-being and distress are critical components of college adjustment that are intricately entwined with student retention and success during and after college. This 5-wave longitudinal study used growth mixture modeling to explore heterogeneous trajectories of psychological well-being (self-esteem) and distress (depression, anxiety, stress) spanning just before college to the end of the fourth year. Students (N = 5,537) most commonly were best characterized by trajectories of stable positive or moderate adjustment, though some were better characterized by trajectories of low or variable adjustment. These latter subgroups may represent the highest-need students, for whom identifying pre-college risk and protective factors is crucial. Some notable differences emerged in trajectories for women versus men. Further, several individual characteristics at the cusp of college predicted these four-year trajectories. The strongest psychological functioning predictors were self-esteem, distress, and stress (less consistently, resilience and self-efficacy). The most predictive cognitive-affective strategy was avoidant emotional coping, followed by cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression (less consistently, problem-focused and active emotional coping). Social well-being factors that best differentiated adjustment trajectories were general social support, followed by support from family and then from friends. These findings have implications for targeting at-risk students upon university arrival to promote optimal long-term adjustment

The relation between eating disorder symptoms and impairment

Abstract: Although a number of studies have looked at what factors might mediate the relationship between symptoms and quality of life (QoL) in a number of psychiatric disorders, little research has addressed this issue in eating disorders. In the current study, female undergraduates (N = 339) completed questionnaires assessing eating disorder symptoms, social support, coping, QoL, and psychosocial impairment. Perceived family support and levels of substance misuse as a way of coping were identified as mediators of the symptom-impairment relationship and, in addition, maladaptive coping also mediated the relationship with QoL. These results highlight the role of coping and social support in impairment resulting from eating disorder symptoms