This research investigates the effectiveness of HOPE Connection 2.0, a revised version of the therapeutic summer camp developed by The Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development (KPICD) at Texas Christian University (TCU). Focused on Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), the camp aims to address the needs of vulnerable children and their families. Through a self-report survey administered to participating caregivers, the study evaluates lasting behavioral and relational developments in the family following their camp experience. The research question explores whether HOPE Connection 2.0 optimally benefits families and how it can be enhanced. Objectives include identifying the most beneficial aspects of the camp, suggesting design improvements, and assessing the reception of TBRI teachings by caregivers and children. The findings aim to inform future iterations of the camp, facilitating continuous improvement and adaptation to better serve participants.

Previous research finds that testosterone serves a major role in psychological and physiological preparedness in competitive environments, with higher testosterone predicting better competitive endurance and overall performance. Despite the performance benefits afforded by testosterone production, high testosterone has also been found to be physiologically costly due to suppressing immune function in the short-term and having detrimental health impacts in the long-term. However, no work has experimentally examined whether men and women’s testosterone response is sensitive to the relative costs and benefits of investing in testosterone production. To address this question, participants were asked to compete in a novel task and were randomly assigned to compete for a $5 (low-value reward) or $20 gift card (high-value reward). Additionally, participants were informed that the winner of the reward would be selected based on their performance (effort-based) or would be randomly selected (random-based). Saliva samples were collected before and after the competitive task and assessed to measure changes in free testosterone levels pre- and post-competition. Results revealed that participants in the high-value reward condition produced more testosterone than those in the low-value reward condition. Similarly, participants in the effort-based winner condition had higher testosterone production than those in the random-based winner condition. These findings suggest that physiological endocrine responses are sensitive to psychological experiences which impact the costs and benefits of testosterone production.

Frustration is a negative emotion that occurs when an organism encounters a reward that is of lesser quality or quantity than expected. To research this emotion in animals, we use a paradigm known as consummatory successive negative contrast (cSNC). In this task, rats are exposed to a high concentration sucrose reward and then downshifted to a lower concentration. In response to this downshift, rats inhibit consumption and reject the downshifted reward beyond that of unshifted controls. This bout of negative emotion is also accompanied by the natural release of endogenous opioids, which modulate dopaminergic activity in the brain. Previous research has shown that when opioid receptors are blocked, frustration is enhanced after a 32-4% sucrose downshift. This experiment aimed to further explore this effect using the drug naloxone, which blocks opioid receptors, and different degrees of sucrose downshifts to determine if naloxone will show the same effect with a less extreme 16-4% sucrose downshift. To test this, rats were trained with 32, 16, or 4% sucrose for ten sessions with all animals then receiving 4% sucrose for the next four sessions along with injections of either 2 ml/kg naloxone or saline. Preliminary data suggest a slight decrease in consummatory behavior after naloxone exposure in both downshift-exposed groups compared to saline controls. This suggests that opioid blockers may play a role in augmenting frustration at varying degrees of downshift, inhibiting the ability of the dopaminergic system in the brain associated with reward and sucrose intake.

A relatively novel area of research in social psychology, existential isolation, can be described as feeling that you are alone in your experience of the world, and that others do not share your perspective or can even come close to understanding it. Existing research finds that existential isolation is related to greater death-thought accessibility, depression, and anxiety and is higher among individuals in non-normative groups (e.g. racial/sexual minorities, low socioeconomic status, etc.). However, the totality of how existential isolation effects mental wellbeing, particularly with regards to our self-perception, remains somewhat unclear. The present research studies aimed to examine the association between feeling existentially isolated and different mental wellbeing outcomes, hypothesizing that higher levels of existential isolation would be associated with poorer self-perception. Using self-report survey measures with samples of 302 undergraduate students (Study 1) and 200 MTurk adults (Study 2,) results revealed that higher levels of existential isolation were positively correlated with greater levels of self-dehumanization, rejection sensitivity, and loneliness, but negatively correlated with greater levels of self-esteem and coping self-efficacy. That is, the results suggest that individuals who feel chronically existentially isolated from others in their daily lives may also develop a more negative self-image and view themselves as less able to handle the stressors they may encounter. Overall, these findings provide preliminary evidence of an association between feeling existentially isolated and poor mental wellbeing outcomes with regards to how an individual views themselves and their capabilities. The implications of these findings for the long-term wellbeing, both physical and mental, of existentially isolated individuals, as well as for their social relationships, will be discussed.

Title: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) & Academic Performance
Authors: Janae Russell, Casey Call, Ph.D.

College students face many challenges when it comes to discovering their identity, establishing independence, developing a routine, adjusting to a new lifestyle, handling stress and social interactions. Furthermore, students that have been exposed to chronic Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can experience negative impacts on their mental health and academic performance. ACEs are childhood experiences of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, and/or household dysfunctions such as substance abuse, mental illness, suicide, or incarceration (Felitti et al., 2019). Felitti et al. (1998) found that ACEs are linked to many different health risk factors such as declining health, smoking, alcohol abuse, depression, and substance abuse. College students that have been exposed to ACEs are more likely to struggle with their mental health, depression, and anxiety (Hatton-Bowers et al., 2023). The purpose of this research is to examine how ACEs impact a college students’ performance. I would like to learn how students define academic success and if they believe they fit that definition. I would like to discover how ACEs influence students’ overall ability to learn and retain information, focus on academic work, develop study habits, and have successful social interactions with peers. I theorize that students who have been exposed to four or more ACEs will struggle more with the demands and pace of college life than students who have 3 or fewer ACEs. This research is essential for universities to be able identify students with ACEs to better understand and support these students.

Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D. F., Spitz, A. M., Edwards, V., Koss, M. P., & Marks, J. S. (2019). REPRINT OF: Relationship of Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many of the Leading Causes of Death in Adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 56(6), 774–786. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2019.04.001

Hatton-Bowers, H., Lombardi, C. M., Kemp, B., Decker, K. B., Virmani, E. A., Brophy-Herb, H. E., & Vallotton, C. D. (2023). Risks and resources for college students’ mental health: ACEs, attachment, and mindfulness. Journal of American College Health, 71(5), 1510–1521. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2021.1942007