Search Results Within Category "Mental & Behavioral Health"
Parent-to-child anxiety transmission in early childhood: Capturing in-the-moment mechanisms through emotion modeling and biological synchrony
Anxiety can emerge as early as pre-school age (4-7) and is often linked to anxiety in the parent. This study will examine patterns of brain and behavioral synchrony in parent-child pairs as they complete puzzles together and other social activities.
Participation requires three steps; a remote video session with the primary parent, an in-lab visit scheduled with the primary parent and child, and then an additional set of questionnaires given to the secondary caregiver.The remote session consists of obtaining consent, 2 questionnaires, and a clinical interview. The in-lab visit typically lasts about 2-3 hours, consisting of two parent-child activities and several child-only activities. Participants will be asked to wear mobile eye-tracking glasses and special caps used to measures brain activity during some of the tasks.
$125, $100 for the primary parent/or child and $25 for secondary parent
Children ages 4 to 6
Children less than age 4 or over age 6
Childhood Adverse Experiences: Impacts in Young Adulthood
The purpose of the study is to examine how individuals change over time and what impacts their development. In particular, we are interested in mental health outcomes in young adulthood. Participants will be required to complete a survey one time that will take about 10-15 minutes to complete. Participants will be eligible to win a $10.00 amazon gift card.
Interoception, the 8th Sensory System, Is it measurable?
Sensory processing is often affected in children and adolescents with ASD (autism). The 8th sensory system, coined interoception, is under studied in how it affects children with autism. Our study will compare children with and without autism (ages 11-18 years) using a tool we are developing. Our study hopes to develop psychometric properties of a tool to measure this new sensory sense.
Reading at 5th grade level in English
Healthy controls OR high functioning Autism
Under age 11 or over age 18
Cannot read English
Health Apps to Mitigate COVID-19 Risk Survey
With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting everyone’s daily routine, our lives have changed drastically. The health of ourselves, families, friends, and communities is our biggest concern and finding a cure to this problem is still underway The purpose of this survey is to analyze how people are taking control of their health using various health applications forms.
Effects of Individualist and Collectivist Culture on Emotional Empathy in Counselor Trainees
This research is an attempt to understand the components of empathy and the cultural factors that shape its development. I am seeking about 200 Master's-level counseling students in the U.S. to complete the online survey. The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete, and participants will have chances to win Amazon gift cards and to learn the study results.
over 18-year-old
under 18-year-old
Investigation of Semantic Processing in Context
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of context on the processing of words in young adults with and without an autism spectrum disorder. The knowledge gained may lead to further understanding of the cognitive and linguistic processing of individuals with autism spectrum disorder—how they understand and see the world around them. The study is being conducted at our on-campus lab and includes the completion of some standardized paper and pencil tests and some computer-based activities. Participants receive compensation for their participation.
Normal or corrected to normal vision
Normal hearing
With or without a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder or Asperger syndrome
Vision problems (uncorrected)
Hearing problems
Nocturnal stress: Psychophysiological mechanisms
This study will examine the relationships among time-of-day, light exposure, and stress markers. Physiological measures of stress will be assessed both in and out of the laboratory using a gold-standard emotion induction task, along with out-of-lab questionnaires and ambulatory sensors.
This is a week-long study consisting of two in-person visits and five out-of-lab days. During the in-person visits, you will be connected to equipment that measures your physiological data and participate in a task with different sounds. During the out-of-lab days, you will wear a sensor that will collect your physiological data and answer questionnaires.
$135
Not a regular (>1x day) user of nicotine products
Willing to participate in 2 in-lab sessions and 5 out-of-lab days of wearing a sensor
Willing to have gender-matched lab member attach electrodes to the participant while their shirt is removed
Willing to abstain from alcohol use for 24 hours, caffeine consumption for 6 hours, eating for 2 hours, and vigorous exercise for 2 hours prior to the study session
Not willing to have gender-matched lab member attach electrodes to the participant while their shirt is removed
Not willing/able to wear biosensor at home for 5 consecutive days
Diagnosis of a cardiovascular, metabolic, and/or neurological condition
Regular (>1x day) user of nicotine products
Gaming Communities as Virtual Third Places: A Quantitative Assessment
This study will collect information about the use of gaming communities for social interaction.
Participants will be asked to complete a short survey.
Deprexis Study: An online program to reduce depression in MS – a phase III international multicenter randomized controlled trial
An online program to reduce depression in MS – a phase III international multicenter randomized controlled trial
Current Depression
No current treatment for depression
Internet access
Between the ages of 18-65
No current psychotherapy for depression
No substantial neurocognitive impairments
Started anti-depressants in the last 2 months
Perceptional evaluation of concert halls with different properties
The overall goal of the project is to better understand how people subjectively perceive differences in concert hall acoustics. Subjects will listening to musical passages, side-by-side, in aural simulations of being in different concert halls or rooms. Subjects will then be asked to provide perceptual ratings on reverberance about the different rooms in which they are listening to.The results from this research will help to better understand how concert-goers perceive different room, and will help acoustic consultants to better design concert hall in the future to produce more pleasing acoustic environments.
5 years of formal musical training
Hearing thresholds below 15 dB (will be checked during testing)
No musical training or less than 5 years
Hearing thresholds above 15 dB
Understanding the Public Opinion about Commute Time in Automated Vehicles
The main research goal of this work is to collect drivers’ opinions on autonomous vehicles and their perceptions of time when they ride with autonomous vehicles comparing with manual-driven vehicles.
Have at least one year of driving experience
The age of driver is under 18
Understanding the Experiences of College Students of Color with Psychiatric Disabilities
The purpose of this study is to develop a better understanding of the lived experiences of college students of color with psychiatric disabilities, particularly related to the formation of racial identity, disability identity, and the impact of perceived discrimination.
18 years of age or older
Capable of providing informed consent
Diagnosis of a psychiatric disability
Identify as a person of color
Individuals who are not yet legal adults
Prisoners
Unable to speak/read English Language at time of interview
Attitudes and ethical concerns toward use of TMS in depressed adolescents: a qualitative study of recipients and their parents
This project will examine adolescents', parents'/guardians', and society's attitudes toward the use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and theta burst stimulation (TBS) in adolescent depression. The attitudes and concerns of adolescents,their parents/guardians, and society around TMS are important as they can influence the uptake of the interventions, with adolescents playing an important role in assenting to the intervention, and parents/guardians consenting to treatment.
Participation will involve about 1 hour of your time in a semi-structured interview. We will have a separate 1 hour semi-structure interview with your child. The interviews will take place via Zoom or phone. Interviews will be recorded. Phone calls to Zoom meetings are encouraged, if phone calls are the preferred interview method.
$50.00
Adults with the capacity to consent
Able to conduct the interview in English
Children who lack the capacity to assent
Adults who llack the capacity to consent
Biobehavioral Health Risk and Resilience in College Students (PSU THRIVE Study)
This protocol is designed to examine biobehavioral health risks, resilience, grit, forgiveness and well-being in college students.
18 to 24 years of age
English is a primary language
Under age of 18 years
Over age of 24 years
Not comfortable speaking English
Imaging and Depression with or without MS
A study looking at the neural and genetic correlates of depression. Presently, the current study is looking to recruit individuals for two separate groups: 1. MS but NO history of depression2. Depression but NO history of MS or neurological disease. The purpose of the study is to look at patterns of brain structure and function in individuals with depression and compare them to those with MS. We will explore how any differences we find contribute to more problems with depression in MS and see how such differences might lead to better treatment options for depression.
Able and willing to undergo an MRI
Able to travel to State College for the Study
Started anti-depressant medication in the last 2 months
Diagnosis of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or significant neurocognitive impairment
Very severe depression that would interfere with the ability to participate or suicidal ideations
Unable to undergo an MRI (metal in your body)
Slips of Action in Adolescents and Young Adults
Adolescence is a critical period during which many important healthhttps://irb.psu.edu/IRB/sd/ResourceAdministration/Project/ProjectEditor?Project=com.webridge.entity.Entity[OID[058ACDEB3E43384D816C7E390C2B83F6]]&Mode=smartform&WizardPageOID=com.webridge.entity.Entity[OID[E4552FC57E491543A6B7FD8268E23FD7]] habits form in humans. However, animal models provide mixed information about habit formation across development and there are relatively few human studies that address differences between habit formation in adolescents and adults. To address this gap, the proposed study will assess differences in habit formation in adolescents and adults as measured by the "Slips of Action" task, which seeks to discriminate between habitual and goal-directed learning of visual stimuli pairings.
There will be one in-person visit lasting about one hour. Visits will begin with informed consent. Participants will complete a computer task where they are asked to learn associations between pictures and then will be tested on the associated pairings. They will also complete questionnaires and cognitive tasks.
$20
Healthy adults between the ages of 25 to 40
No learning disabilities (e.g., ADHD) or diagnosed psychological conditions (e.g. anxiety)
Right handed
Not on any medications known to influence behavior
Diagnosed neurological or psychological condition including severe anxiety and/or depression, schizophrenia, learning disability, ADD/ADHD, or autism
Significant family history of neurological or psychological disorders
Left handed
Participant is on any medication that may influence behavior
Nurse Situation Awareness in ICUs
This is an interview and survey study that will examine how the design of ICU warning information system influence nurses situation awareness.
This study aims to understand how the design factors of warning information system influence nurse situation awareness in ICUs. You will participate an online interview study and fill out two questionnaires. The study takes 1-2 hours.
$30
Can Twitter be the platform that leads to the rise of ’Crisis Reporters’?
Citizen journalism refers to production of journalistic content by ordinary citizens such as ‘current affairs-based blogging, photo and video sharing, and posting eyewitness commentary on current events’. In our study we try to redefine ‘citizen journalism’ to ‘crisis reporting’ that includes sharing updates and actionable news using Twitter. To this end we wish to propose a study where we interview people to understand the feasibility of the same. In addition, as supporting data, we would use historical data from Twitter. This would be done keeping in mind a particular event which would be the Texas snowstorm.
Present in Texas during the snowstorm
Have an active Twitter account
Not present in Texas during the snowstorm
Do not have an active Twitter account
Long-Term Nicotine Treatment of Mild Cognitive Impairment
The purpose of this study is to determine whether nicotine can improve symptoms of memory loss in people experiencing mild memory problems (referred to in this study as “mild cognitive impairment” or MCI). Recent studies have suggested that one of the causes of memory disorders may be a reduction in a particular chemical substance in the brain. This chemical substance, acetylcholine, is thought to act on certain brain cells in a specific way that helps us to remember and use memories as well as affect our attention. In people with MCI (and Alzheimer’s disease), the level of acetylcholine may be changed, and this may impair brain functioning. Preliminary studies have suggested that short-term administration of nicotine appears to improve memory in patients with mild memory loss and early Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It has been known for many years that nicotine imitates many of the actions of acetylcholine. By administering nicotine over a longer period of time to participants with MCI, we hope to better understand whether nicotine may act to improve memory loss symptoms over the longer term and whether it may help to delay the progression of memory loss symptoms. The amount of nicotine in each patch used in this study is the same as patches that are FDA approved for use in people who are trying to quit smoking.
Subjects will be asked to come to the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center for a screening visit, which will determine eligibility. This visit includes blood work, a urine sample, an ECG, a physical and neurological exam, memory/cognitive tasks, and vital signs. Certain portions can be done remotely via phone. If eligible, subjects will be randomized to wear a nicotine patch or placebo and will complete 11 more visits about once every three months over two years. Some visits are longer than others and are a combination of in-person activities and remote participation via phone. Subjects will be asked to report medication changes and adverse events at every visit.
$600
Age 55-90 (inclusive)
Study Partner is available who has frequent contact with the patient (e.g. an average of 10 hours per week or more), and can accompany the patient to most visits to answer questions about the patient
Must speak English or Spanish fluently
Good general health with no additional diseases/disorders expected to interfere with the study
Any significant neurologic disease such as Alzheimer’s disease dementia, Parkinson’s disease, multi-infarct dementia, brain tumor, seizure disorder, etc.
History of alcohol or substance abuse or dependence within the past 2 years
Cognitive Debriefing: Developing and instrument to measure Internalized Weight Bias among Adolescents
For many years, overweight and obesity has been highly stigmatized in society, and children are often bullied or teased for their weight. Over time, these experiences can cause adolescents to feel badly about themselves and view themselves as society views them. We call this process the internalization of weight bias or IWB. IWB can increase feelings of depression and anxiety and is associated with unhealthy eating behaviors. For this project, we wanted to create a questionnaire to measure this important topic, and get feedback from adolescents and professionals to make sure the questions are correct and easy to understand. We want to recruit 20 adolescents age 12-17 and medical professionals to review some questions and provide their feedback on these questions by participating in an interview. Participants will be compensated for their time.
We would like to interview teens and health professionals to review some survey questions and make sure that the questions we use to measure this concept are appropriate. These interviews will take 60-90 minutes over ZOOM.
30.00
Access to internet
Access to video conference
Permission from Parents
No internet or video conference
Adults
Understanding Shooter Dynamics with VR
We are trying to characterize the movement of a shooter in a VR environment.
The study consists of one visit lasting approximately 30-40 minutes: 10 minutes for VR setup, 15 minutes for simulated test, and 5-15 minutes for post-experiment survey. During the simulated test, participants will be asked to move around in the environment and shoot NPCs.
$10
Male.
Not prone to nausea when experiencing VR.
Do not identify as male.
Prone to nausea when experiencing VR.
Using Serious Game Technology to Improve Social Skills in Autism
The goal of this study is to help ASD adolescents improve social skills during face-to-face interactions. We have designed an immersive computer game to help them learn these skills in a fun way. Adolescents play the game at home 3 times a week for 3 months on a computer that we give you. In order to see how well the game is working to teach them, we have to test it against another game that is similar but teaches other skills. We measure your adolescent’s attention in the lab through computer games and by measuring their eye movements. We invite you to answer questions about their social behavior. We are flexible in how we work with families to accommodate busy schedules (e.g., weekend appointments).Families come to Penn State for three visits. We pay for all travel expenses (mileage, toll, hotel). Families are also compensated up to $450 for their time.
Pending full eligibility, there are 3 in-person visits to the lab spaced 3 months apart from each other. Completing the entire procedure will take slightly more than 6 months. Between the first and second visit, participants will play a version of our game at home 3 times a week for 3 months.
$440 (one remote visit, three in-person visits, and at-home gameplay time)
autism spectrum disorder
corrected vision and hearing at normal levels
can speak in full sentences
stable internet connection in the home
non-native English speaker
Campus Environments and Student Health
The purpose of this study is to learn about the relationship between the campus environment and students’ health. It involves a survey consisting questions about campus-related activities, COVID-19, physical activity and health, environmental perceptions, and demographic information.
There will be an online survey that will take about 20-30 minutes. No need to meet in-person.
At least 18 years old or older
Understanding Prenatal Hydration Behaviors
To examine women’s self-reported pregnancy hydration behaviors, especially during a global pandemic. This study will also examine other lifestyle behaviors (e.g., weight gain, exercise, eating behaviors, sleep, pain management). It is hypothesized that hydration behaviors will decrease due to lifestyle changes related to the pandemic. Secondary outcomes will also be influenced by hydration behaviors and pandemic lifestyle changes.
Women
18-45
English speaking
Men
Younger than 18
Non-English speaking
Inflammatory, Behavioral and Neural Markers of Anhedonia in Major Depressive Disorder
The purpose of this study is to investigate the underlying biological causes of the loss of pleasure in individuals diagnosed with depression. This study will examine brain, behavioral, and inflammatory markers of depression. Participants will answer questions, give blood and saliva, undergo fMRI and perform computer tasks. The study is also recruiting healthy controls with no history of major mental illnesses.Participants will be compensated $130 in total. To limit time in-person, the first portion of the study will be conducted remotely (1.5hrs), followed by an in-person appointment (3hrs). Mandatory COVID-19 precautions will be taken to ensure safety for the in-person appointment.
There will be one virtual visit where participants will review consent, answer questions about their mental health, and complete online questionnaires. There will also be one in-person visit where blood will be drawn, vitals (blood pressure, height, weight, and pulse) will be taken, participants will undergo an fMRI scan and complete computer tasks, and saliva samples will be collected at 3 time points.
$130
Failed two lines of anti depressant treatment
Between 18-65 years of age
Bipolar Disorder or Psychotic Disorder
Heavy alcohol or recreational drug use
Inflammatory disease like Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis
Emotion in Motion: Behavior and Mental State Analysis on Human Visual Data
The main purpose of the proposed study is to examine the relationship between emotional body expression and internal emotional and psychophysiological processes among individuals with mental disorders in social interaction situations.
In this study, participants will be asked to answer structured questions. After this, participants will be asked to engage in emotional induction tasks, communicate with another person, and walk. During the interview and experimental procedures, your motion will be video recorded.
40
Fluent in English
Able to walk at a leisurely pace on a treadmill without assistance
Not fluent in English
Unable to walk at a leisurely pace on a treadmill without assistance
Experiencing cognitive impairments
Respect and Satisfaction in Same-Sex Romantic Relationships
The purpose of this study is to expand on previous research looking at respect and relationship satisfaction among heterosexual relationships and compare it to that of same-sex relationships to find where they are similar or different. Participants will complete self-report measures regarding their romantic relationships, including respect toward partner, satisfaction, and attitudes toward love. 30 minutes will be required for the study.
Audio-based mental health intervention study
This study tests the effect of an audio-based mental health intervention for symptoms of depression. Participants will be asked to listen to an audio program and perform exercises to support their mental health as suggested by the program. Participants will be asked to complete questionnaires about their depression and related mental health symptoms at pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up.
The study takes place over five total weeks, with four survey sessions (the first two of which are live on Zoom), and two weeks of brief daily surveys. Detailed information is below.For the first day, participants would be asked to complete Visit 1, which involves an interview, listening to a mental health audio program, and completing surveys. One week later, participants would be asked to complete Visit 2, which involves listening to another mental health audio program and completing surveys. One week after that, participants would be asked to complete Visit 3, which involves completing surveys. Three weeks after that, participants would be asked to complete Visit 4, which involves completing surveys. For the week following Visits 1 and 2, participants would also be asked to complete daily surveys.
Up to $40
Moderate or higher depression symptoms as indicated by survey and interview
Score below moderate depression symptom range in survey and/or interview
The Role of Parental Emotion Regulation in Parent-Child Conflicts
This study seeks to examine parenting skills in responses to child misbehavior. Parents complete rating scales about their child's symptoms and behaviors and also participate in computer tasks to measure brain wave activity through EEG. There is an optional section where parent and child will be video recorded while completing activities together. Following the testing sessions are 8 weeks of counseling sessions for parents to help better manage their child's attention and behavior symptoms.
Participants will complete C-DISC while caregiver will complete rating scales around ADHD, ODD, and CD symptoms during initial visit. On the second visit, participants will complete emotion regulation tasks while EEG data is collected. Caregivers will also complete a monetary task while connected to EEG equipment. Parents will use LifeData to report inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and oppositional behaviors over 14 days. Optional parent child interaction and 8-week parenting intervention are offered to participating families.
$50
Child must have mild to moderate symptoms of ODD
Non-English speaking
Child with ADHD has diagnosis of mental retardation or prominent traits of autism
No additional child in the family can be enrolled simultaneously in this study
Social Media Usage Effect on Symptomatology for Those with Obsessive-Compulsive
This study seeks to explore how social media use may result in increased severity of compulsions and/or obsessions in those with symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants will complete questionnaires, digital sleep and social media journals.
social media user
Individuals who display symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (self-reported)
Has unlimited access to device for social media
Non-English speakers