Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder often diagnosed in childhood with symptom presentation extending well into adulthood. Despite extensive empirical support acknowledging the lifelong presence of this disorder, ADHD in adulthood is sometimes perceived as less legitimate than childhood presentations, leading to interpretations that trivialize its academic and functional impact. In college or higher education environments, peer perceptions may shape the extent to which ADHD is regarded as a legitimate and enduring disability, potentially affecting one’s disability identity and willingness to seek accommodations or academic support. The present study utilizes a quasi-experimental design comparing (expected N= 100) undergraduate TCU students with and without ADHD to examine how perceived peer attitudes and knowledge toward ADHD relate to students’ feelings about their diagnosis, perceived stigma, and willingness to seek accommodations. In this study, students with ADHD complete self-report measures assessing perceived disability visibility and stigma on campus, while students without ADHD complete ADHD knowledge scales, evaluated behavioral vignettes to assess recognition of ADHD-related impairment, and reported attitudes toward accommodations and medication. We expect that lower ADHD knowledge will be associated with more negative interpretations of ADHD-related behaviors. We further predict that students with ADHD will report experiences consistent with perceived stigma in higher education settings compared to students without ADHD. These findings will help inform future efforts to improve peer understanding of ADHD and create collegiate academic environments where students feel comfortable seeking accommodations and support.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been empirically linked to a range of negative mental health outcomes, including increased risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, further research is needed to better understand how parental warmth and support can serve as a protective factor against ADHD symptom presentation after a child faces trauma. This study investigates the protective impact of parental warmth and support on ACEs and ADHD risk. Using a cross-sectional, observational design, participants (expected N=100) in this study will complete self-report questionnaires assessing demographics, ACE exposure, parental warmth/support, ADHD symptoms, and ADHD diagnostic history. Responses will be analyzed quantitatively to examine two research questions: (1) whether ACE exposure predicts ADHD symptoms and diagnosis, and (2) whether parental warmth/support buffers this relationship. We predict that ACE exposure will predict ADHD symptoms and diagnosis and that parental warmth/support will buffer this relationship. By identifying protective factors that reduce ADHD risk following trauma exposure, this research has important clinical implications. As findings may provide evidence-based guidance for clinicians, educators, and caregivers supporting children who have experienced adversity, promoting resilient developmental trajectories despite early trauma exposure.

Emotional intelligence (EI) is a critical trait in law enforcement due to the association it has to resilience, stress management, as well as effective job performance. Prior research suggests that early influences of parental attachment can affect a person's emotional development, although there is a lack of research exploring whether attachment anxiety predicts EI among law enforcement officers. Attachment anxiety refers to an attachment style or pattern that is rooted within fear of abandonment and a strong desire for emotional intimacy. This study examined whether parental attachment anxiety predicts emotional intelligence within a sample of law enforcement officers. It was predicted that anxious attachment would strongly predict an individual's EI within this population because of how integral parental attachment experiences shape how someone manages, understands, and experiences their emotions. The participants included in this study consisted of 108 law enforcement officers across rank, years in service, gender, and age. This sample of law enforcement officers were asked to complete a survey via Qualtrics, which was distributed via email with a link, which personnel within the workplace with little to no seniority to counteract any potential for coercion due to the nature of law enforcement hierarchical system. Descriptive statistics were calculated for demographic variables, a correlation analysis was performed to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence as well as parental attachment anxiety, and a simple linear regression was then used to explore whether attachment anxiety served as a significant predictor of emotional intelligence. The results indicated a significant, negative correlation between attachment anxiety and total EI scores, which suggests that higher attachment anxiety was associated with lower emotional intelligence in officers. The results suggest that anxious attachment could be associated with a lower total emotional intelligence score among law enforcement officers. These results may help to guide future research on the predictions that early parental attachment patterns have on emotional intelligence later in life, thus influencing trauma-informed policing strategies and future changes to training programs to aid in this.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, and activities and differences in reciprocal social communication abilities (APA, 2013; CDC, 2023). Research has indicated that children’s autistic symptoms have been associated with increases in parenting stress and coparenting conflict (Chan & Leung, 2020). Autistic children’s externalizing behaviors have a significant impact on the relationship satisfaction of parents (Sim et al., 2016). Mothers and fathers of autistic children reported higher severity of their marital conflicts compared to parents of non-autistic children (Hartley et al., 2017). Past research has indicated that power dynamics of couples have been associated with lower levels of martial satisfaction (Lennon et al., 2012). However, there is no existing research on the impact of autistic children’s symptoms on power dynamics of parents with autistic children. Thus, the overall goal of the current study was to examine the associations between autism symptom severity and parent relationship quality in parents of autistic children. An additional aim of the study was to examine whether differences in relationship quality between mothers and fathers occur.
Participants included 111 parents of autistic children who completed a Zoom study examining couple interactions. Couples answered a series of questionnaires related to relationship satisfaction, couple conflict, and power dynamics. The current study used the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS; Constantino, 2021), Couples Satisfaction Index (CSI; Funk & Rogge, 2007), Conflict and Problem-Solving scale (CPS; Kerig, 1996), and Relationship Power Inventory (RPI; Farrell et al., 2015).
A series of linear regression models were conducted to examine whether autism symptom severity predicts relationship quality in parents of autistic children (i.e., power dynamics, relationship satisfaction, and couple conflict). Separate models were conducted for each parent. There was a significant positive association between autism symptom severity and father’s perceived power (b = .03, SE = .01, t = 2.84, p < .005). All other results for mothers and fathers were non-significant (ps ≥.066).
The significant finding of autism symptom severity predicting father’s perceived power may indicate that fathers may feel responsible for being the head of the household. Thus, they may feel a sense of power related to being responsible for their child. Non-significant results for mothers may be due to their perceived role as being primary caregiver. Mothers may not experience a change in their relationship quality since they spend more time with their autistic child and thus enduring varying levels of autism symptom severity. Strengths of this study include responses from both mothers and fathers and participant diversity in geographic location, age, and ethnicity. A limitation to this study is the use of self-reported measures which could lead to response bias. In the future, researchers should examine whether a third variable may confer or buffer the researched associations. In addition, future researchers should use observational measures rather than self-reported measures to reduce response bias. Results of the current study suggest that fathers may benefit from tailored interventions aimed at power dynamics between partners. In addition, although couples counseling is important, mothers of autistic children may not necessarily need the additional support.

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders affecting college students, yet research examining how ADHD is supported and understood in a college setting remains limited. Faculty members play a significant role in shaping students' academic experiences. Their beliefs and knowledge may influence how student requests are interpreted, which may subsequently impact student behavior and academic performance. The current study investigates how instructional university faculty perceive ADHD in college students. Specifically, we assess beliefs about the legitimacy of an ADHD diagnosis, perceptions of student's abilities, and attitudes toward academic accommodations.
It is hypothesized that on average, faculty will view ADHD as less impairing in the college context than would be expected based on clinical descriptions (i.e., viewing ADHD as a manageable challenge rather than a significant academic barrier). Additionally, it is expected that the level of ADHD knowledge will significantly predict perceptions and attitudes towards diagnostic legitimacy and accommodation support.
This study employs a cross-sectional survey design, administered through the Qualtrics online survey platform. Participants include current or full- or part-time university instructional faculty. Following consent, participants complete an online survey which assesses demographic information, ADHD knowledge, perception of student ability and impairment, and attitudes towards the classroom and testing accommodations. Regression models will test whether ADHD knowledge is associated with perceptions of ADHD legitimacy, support for accommodations, and corresponding attitudes toward student capabilities.
Understanding how instructors conceptualize ADHD can inform professional development, awareness initiatives, and accessibility training in higher education. The findings may also guide universities in improving support systems for students with ADHD, ultimately fostering more inclusive learning environments and equitable academic opportunities.

Throughout development, humans encounter pathogen threats that shape both physiological and behavioral defense systems. The immune system protects the body from infection, while the emotion of disgust helps prevent contact with potential sources of disease. Research suggests that early life stress can biologically alter children’s developing bodies, leading to immune cells that are primed for heightened inflammatory responses to threat. Consequently, childhood adversity has been associated with altered stress regulation and long-term changes in immune function. This study examines how early life stress influences inflammatory and autonomic responses to a simulated pathogen threat. Participants will be exposed to disgust-inducing stimuli, such as sticky keyboards and unpleasant smells, to elicit perceptions of contamination and disease risk. During exposure, inflammatory markers, including cytokine levels, heart rate, and core body temperature, will be documented to assess immune and autonomic activity. Participants will also report on early life stressors such as neglect, maltreatment, or socioeconomic adversity. We hypothesize that greater exposure to early adversity will lead to stronger inflammatory and autonomic responses to pathogen related stimuli. This work aims to clarify how early experiences shape the body’s reactivity to pathogen threats and investigates the link between childhood stress and long term health outcomes.

Improving Caregiver Education about Dementia Through the Science of Learning
Michala Pollard, Emma Goffard, Ariana Elsden, Lesca Hadley, & Uma Tauber
Most (83%) of the care provided to people living with dementia (PLwD) is provided by informal caregivers such as family members or friends who are not paid for their assistance. Informal caregivers’ 18 billion hours of care is valued at $339.5 billion for 2022 alone (Alzheimer’s Association, 2024). Caregivers for PLwD often assist with complex medical tasks and manage challenging emotional and behavioral symptoms of dementia with limited formal training (e.g., Fortinsky & Hathaway, 1990; Penrod & Dellasega, 1998; Ringer et al., 2020). As the demand for caregiving increases, it is critical to understand how caregivers can best learn and retain essential information for managing ADRD care.
The goal of is project is to establish methods to improve caregiver education about the behavioral and psychological symptoms (BPSD) of dementia. Specifically, our educational intervention incorporates principles from the science of learning for structuring retrieval practice to optimize learning (e.g., Agarwal et al., 2021; Sumowski et al., 2010; Tse et al., 2010; Woods et al., 2021). We compared the structured retrieval practice intervention against an active control comparison to determine the degree to which structured retrieval practice enhances caregivers’ long-term retention of dementia care information.
Caregivers of PLwD were recruited from the community and underwent an online survey screening and video or in-person screening prior to study enrollment. Caregivers learned 4 modules on emotion and mood symptoms of dementia – agitation, irritation, apathy, and depression – via the learning intervention or active control (rereading). Caregivers took an immediate test of their knowledge approximately 10 minutes after study and after a 2-day delay. Our novel intervention significantly increased caregivers’ knowledge immediately, and their knowledge was maintained 2 days later at a significantly higher rate relative to the active control comparison.

Situationships represent an increasingly common form of romantic involvement, with nearly 40 percent of Americans and half of young adults ages 18 to 34 reporting having been in one (YouGov, 2024). Although these relationships resemble traditional dating in terms of emotional connection, sexual involvement, and shared time, they lack labels, commitment, and clearly defined expectations (Langlais et al., 2024). Despite their prevalence, situationships remain understudied. Therefore, the present study investigated whether power dynamics and gender influence investment strategies in situationships. To investigate this, heterosexual men and women ages 18 to 32 were recruited through Prolific, and participants who reported being in a situationship were assigned into one of four conditions: woman in control, woman not in control, man in control, or man not in control. 400 eligible respondents (100 per condition) completed measures of mate retention behaviors and situationship investment. It was hypothesized that situationships controlled by women, compared to those controlled by men, would involve male partners engaging in more resource display and greater expressions of love and care, whereas situationships controlled by men would involve the female partners engaging in more appearance enhancement and sexual behaviors as investment strategies. Data are forthcoming.

During ancestral times, while women focused on child-rearing, they relied on their male mates to protect their family. Nowadays, women can protect their families themselves by employing strategies like using a home security system or owning a firearm. However, modern women continue to form long-term relationships with men to reduce the risk of encountering harm (Wilson & Mesnick, 1997). Crucially, men will not provide investment without getting something in return. One resource that men value that women can provide in exchange for investment is granting men sexual access (Baumeister & Vohs, 2004). Therefore, given that women continue to use men as a protective resource and men will accept sexual access in exchange, we should find that women in dangerous environments are more sexually open. This study aims to examine the impact of dangerous environments on women’s sexual strategies. Importantly, no previous research has focused on this. Overall, I predict that women who are primed with dangerous environment cues, compared to women who are primed with a control condition, will show higher levels of sexual openness. By gaining more knowledge about how dangerous environments can influence women’s mating strategies, we can better understand how evolutionary mechanisms continue to influence women’s sexual behaviors. Data are forthcoming.

Many barriers to accessing treatment for substance use disorder and HIV among those on community supervision are well-documented, including a lack of transportation, lack of reentry care, and lack of awareness of services. To address these barriers, a NIDA-funded R01, ACTION, aimed to promote engagement in care for infectious diseases (like HIV/AIDS) and opioid use disorder for individuals on probation in Texas. When conducting these large studies, it is imperative to understand participant and staff perceptions of an intervention’s feasibility and acceptability. Therefore, the current study aims to analyze the similarities and differences in opinions and attitudes of the success of the intervention identified by project staff and client. To examine this, a deductive qualitative analysis of 6 project staff and 20 clients was completed using Atlas.ti. Staff identified communication, state resources and facilities, and issues with pharmacies as key barriers to the intervention, whereas clients cited scheduling and transportation as key barriers. Staff identified the ability to communicate with other staff for resources, meeting clients in person, and meeting in the mobile health unit as key strengths of the intervention, whereas clients cite receiving healthcare services and interaction with the patient navigator and research assistant as key strengths. Understanding these barriers to and facilitators of the ACTION interventions allows researchers to see what works and what can create issues in the study.