Narcan is an over-the-counter nasal spray used to reverse the effect of opioid overdoses. In 2022, approximately 110,000 fatalities resulted from opioid overdoses in the United States. Considering the high rates of opioid overdose fatalities, it is important to employ a community-based approach to the distribution of Narcan. To address this, a survey was distributed to individuals in a local Fort Worth community center (N = 5) to evaluate the utilization of Narcan. Following the survey, each participant was given one box (2 doses) of Narcan to take home. One month after the initial survey, participants completed a follow-up survey , indicating if they had used or given away the Narcan. While we do not expect the majority of participants to have used the Narcan within this timeframe , we expect to find high willingness to use Narcan in the case of an emergency. The distribution of Narcan can provide a resource to families as a precaution to prevent potential opioid related deaths in this community. Study implications highlight a greater need for community education and increased distribution of Narcan to improve public perceptions and reduce instances of opioid overdose in the Fort Worth community.

The Impact of Determined Behavior on Ratings of Determinism and Outlook
Cagney K., Nerz J., Jones S., & Leising K.J.
A deterministic position claims that all decisions are ultimately the result of external events (e.g., current conditions and past experiences). In contrast, indeterminism (free will) maintains that a decision can emanate solely from within (independent of external influences). Research has found that deterministic perspectives are rated as more negative than indeterminist perspectives, perhaps due to the loss of agency associated with determinism. This study examined whether manipulating the functional value of a behavior would alter ratings of a deterministic perspective, as well as, personal agency and optimism. Half of the participants were instructed to click a white box each time it appeared (i.e., determinism), and the other half were told to click the box whenever they wanted (i.e., indeterminism). Additionally, for half of the participants in each group, a response to the box changed its color (high behavioral utility), whereas, for the remaining participants, clicking the box did not change anything (low behavioral utility). Participants then assessed deterministic perspectives, and personal optimism and agency. It was hypothesized that high behavioral utility would attenuate the negative response to determinism. However, the results revealed that the determinism groups had a more negative view of determinism, regardless of the utility of their behavior. Those with less favorable views of determinism reported lower optimism, and those with lower optimism reported a lower sense of agency.

Felt-safety is the emotional and physical components of safety and fills the gap between knowing you are safe and feeling you are safe. Felt-safety is a critical aspect of development because it allows an individual to move from their lower functioning automatic brain to higher level centers capable of reasoning and learning. Youth who are in foster care, particularly youth in residential care settings, experience frequent change and many new environments. We investigated whether felt-safety levels could be increased in a local group home through “Life Skill” lessons. We used “Life Skill” lessons to help build the relational connections among residents and between residents and staff. Before undergoing “Life Skill” lessons participants took an online written assessment which measured: felt-safety using The Neuroception of Psychological Safety Scale (NPSS), attachment using The Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (ECR), and psychological wellbeing using the Psychological-Wellbeing Scale (PWB). Our hypothesis was to see increases in felt-safety and gain evidence for best practices in increasing safety levels among youth in highly volatile environments. A second hypothesis was to see an increase in psychological wellbeing in connection to felt-safety. A Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test was used to determine significance between Time 1 and Time 2. Interestingly, there was found to be a significant decrease in felt-safety levels and the difference in psychological wellbeing was insignificant. Overall, this research helped quantify levels of felt-safety and wellbeing amongst youth in residential care.

Narcan, also known by its generic name naloxone, is a life-saving medication used to reverse an overdose from opioids—including heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid medications—when given in time after an overdose event. It works by blocking the effects of opioids on the brain and can quickly restore normal breathing, working to prevent fatal outcomes. In our study, we administered a survey to participants at two sites in Tarrant County, one in the Las Vegas Trail community, and the other at the Fort Worth Central Bus Station. The survey consisted of questions measuring the attitudes, knowledge, and misconceptions of Narcan and substance use among people in Tarrant County. We expect to find high levels of stigma surrounding drug use and Narcan. Understanding attitudes about Narcan is crucial as it has a direct impact on public health by potentially saving lives through the reversal of opioid overdoses. Additionally, it plays a role in reducing the stigma associated with substance use disorders and addiction, as attitudes toward Narcan can reflect broader societal views on these issues. Finally, community attitudes toward Narcan can influence how communities respond to overdoses and support individuals in recovery, making it essential to engage communities in overdose prevention and response efforts.

Historically, women have been less willing to engage in short-term mating than men. However, hormonal birth control seems to change the reproductive costs associated with short-term sexual behaviors as women who use hormonal birth control exhibit short-term mating cognitions similar to men. Additionally, women who use hormonal birth control are much more sexually unrestricted than women who are naturally cycling. To date, there has been no research looking at how using hormonal birth control impacts women’s real-life sexual behaviors as all studies looking at the impacts of hormonal birth control on women’s mating behaviors have been surveys. Thus, the present research aims to examine the real-life impact of hormonal birth control on women’s sexual behaviors and more specifically, how using hormonal birth control impacts women’s short-term mating behaviors. We predict that women who use hormonal birth control will be more willing to say yes to engaging in uncommitted sexual behavior than women who are naturally cycling since women who use hormonal birth control are utilizing an environmental intervention that impacts the reproductive costs associated with short-term sexual mating. Data collection is ongoing.

Certain stimuli evoke reflexive responses, (e.g., jumping in response to a loud noise), which are typically adaptive (e.g., escaping a predator). However, when some of these eliciting stimuli are repeated and not followed by harm (e.g., a woodpecker pecking the bark of a tree), maintaining a strong response can be costly. Diminished responding to an eliciting stimulus after repeated presentations is referred to as habituation. A recovery of the response following habituation can occur when a novel stimulus (e.g., a context change) is presented. Previous research has found wheel running in rats habituates within daily sessions (Aoyama & McSweeney, 2001). We investigated whether pseudorandomly varying the order of two types of exercise within each session for 14 days (e.g., Day 1: running wheel -> open field (OF); Day 2: OF -> running wheel) would reduce habituation of wheel running in rats. Control rats were given the same order of 20-min access to a running wheel followed by 20-min access to the OF, or the reverse order for another group, during each session. It is hypothesized that the Experimental group will demonstrate slower habituation (i.e., more running) both within and across sessions. Results will be discussed in terms of the number of wheel rotations and the factors known to influence habituation.

Being socially rejected is a highly distressing experience that threatens our fundamental social needs. Social rejection activates highly sensitive threat detection and response systems that seek out sources of social recovery, or, when reaffiliation is unlikely, ways to avoid further rejection through social withdrawal. Existing research suggests that socially rejected individuals are more open to strategies that promote affiliation, such as giving more positive ratings to a student service that is advertised as helping students make friends. However, this increase in prosocial behavior is limited to likely sources of affiliation, and does not extend to unlikely sources (e.g., the person that rejected us, someone described as aggressive). To date, no research has tested prosocial responses to rejection within the context of intergroup contact, wherein an outgroup member may be viewed as an unlikely source of affiliation, compared to ingroup members. As such, the present study aimed to examine whether rejected individuals would express less interest in a social affiliation service if that service is centered around interactions with outgroup members. Participants consisted of 254 Caucasian undergraduate students, who were randomly assigned to write about a time in which they felt rejected, accepted, or about their morning routine (neutral control). Then, participants were presented with a flyer for a fictional student service that was described as trying to help students on campus form diverse friendships, and completed a questionnaire assessing their interest in using this service. As predicted, the results showed that there was no significant difference among the groups in interest in the diversity affiliation service. These results provide some preliminary support for our hypothesis that rejected individuals would not be any more interested in an affiliation service if that service involves contact with outgroup members. Implications of this work for the relationship between social rejection and intergroup perception and interaction will be discussed.

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), is a virus that weakens the body’s immune system and reduces the body’s ability to fight against other infections. Pre-exposure prophylaxis, commonly known as PrEP, is a medication that can reduce the risk of contracting HIV by up to 99%. Unfortunately, PrEP uptake is low, particularly among women. A contributing factor is the way that PrEP has been under-advertised to women. Tarrant County is a known national hot spot for new HIV infections. Thus, women’s focused sexual health education is essential in order to improve the health of our community. In the current study we developed an online educational tool regarding women’s sexual health. The educational tool was developed using Articulate360, an online software that can be utilized to create interactive educational modules. The curriculum contains an overview of HIV, risk factors for acquiring HIV, PrEP education and resources, and an overview of STIs and cervical cancer. The current study hopes to observe an increase in PrEP knowledge and a decrease in PrEP stigma among women in Tarrant County after they view the educational tool. This tool has far reaching implications to improve the sexual health knowledge of women in our community.

In 2023, over 650,000 people experienced homelessness in the United States. Homelessness is often associated with alcohol consumption, feelings of helplessness, and lack of social support. The purpose of this study is to identify alcohol use patterns in adults within the homeless community and its relationship to an individual's perceived social support (e.g. family, friends, and/or community). The current study collected surveys from 46 participants who regularly visit True Worth Place, asking participants questions related to alcohol consumption habits, perceived social support, and their living situation. We suspect that there will be a negative correlation between alcohol use and perceived social support. We believe that individuals with high alcohol use will be unlikely to seek help from family or friends, and that there is a perceived lack of support in general within the homeless community. This study’s results will provide us knowledge as to whether demographics such as age, gender, and ethnicity in homeless populations influence patterns of alcohol use and the social assistance they receive. This will help inform policy recommendations to improve support for those in the homeless community suffering from alcohol abuse.

Background: During the fourth quarter of 2023, Tarrant County reported 2,658 individuals experiencing homelessness, contributing to Fort Worth's 24th rank among American cities with a 22% increase in homelessness rates over the past three years. Homelessness is frequently linked to substance abuse, a lack of familial and social support, and mental illness. Understanding the factors contributing to alcohol use in high-risk populations, particularly the homeless community, is essential for comprehensive intervention strategies. This study aims to investigate alcohol use patterns and perceived social support levels among the local homeless community to identify potential predictors of detrimental alcohol use behaviors. Methods: A 15-minute survey was administered at True Worth Place of Homelessness over 2, 3-hour visits. 42 participants were recruited to evaluate alcohol usage patterns, homelessness information and social support levels. Upon completion of the survey, participants received hygiene kits consisting of toothpaste/toothbrush, comb, soap, deodorant floss, shampoo. Results/Findings: based on data collected from participants, the researcher projects that there will be a strong correlation between social support and homelessness, but not a correlation between alcohol abuse and social support. Conclusion/Implications: The projected findings offer insights into the intricate relationship between substance abuse patterns, wellbeing, and homelessness rates. These results can inform policymakers in developing targeted and effective programs to assist homeless individuals within the Tarrant County community.