Self-harming with distress

clinical psychology; safety behavior; self-injury

Research Mentor: Emma R. Edenbaum, she/her
Department, College, Affiliation: Department of Psychology, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: edenbaum@psy.fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor): Dr. Victor Buitron he/him
Research Assistant Supervisor Email: buitron@psy.fsu.edu
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:

Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Psychology; Exploratory/Undeclared
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5-10, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Not participating in the Roundtable

Project Description

Self-triggering is a relatively new construct as a focal point of empirical investigation, beginning with Bellet et al. (2020). Thus far, it has been studied in the context of posttraumatic stress disorder (Bellet et al., 2020; McGhie et al., 2023; Musicaro et al., 2023), despite its emergence in other disorders such as nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) disorder (Brown et al., 2020) and its similar functions to direct self-harming behaviors (Bellet et al., 2020). The only existing assessment of self-triggering, the Self-Triggering Questionnaire (STQ; Bellet et al., 2020), ties the behavior to a traumatic event, which is not applicable to all individuals who engage in said behavior, and likens it to nonsuicidal self-injury, despite there being no involvement of physical harm to the body. This multiphasic study aims, first, to clarify the nature of self-triggering when instead framed as a safety behavior not unique to posttraumatic stress, and second, to incorporate the qualitative qualities gleaned into the existing Self-Triggering Questionnaire (Bellet et al., 2020).

Research Tasks: This student will be involved in data collection in the form of qualitative interviewing and quantitative self-reports, and will be guided through data analyses in R (e.g., qualitative coding, exploratory factor analysis, analysis of covariance- and regression-based techniques).

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required:
Because this study involves client-facing qualitative interviewing, a research assistant must be capable and willing to maintain professionalism during discussions of sensitive content (e.g., events provoking post-traumatic stress, imagery of nonsuicidal self-injury and suicide). Relatedly, a research assistant must also have strong communication skills and a team-oriented mindset that allows for collaboration and open discussions.
A research assistant must also be interested in pursuing clinical psychology as a career path and show obvious excitement and passion for this work.
Recommended:
A research assistant should be academically familiar with clinical psychology (e.g., current or past enrollment in a psychology course).

Appropriated Racial Oppression and its Impact on Mental and Physical Health

Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Measurement, Minority Stress

Research Mentor: Jaime Garcia, He/Him/His
Department, College, Affiliation: Department of Psychology, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: jrg23e@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:

Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote
Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5-10, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Not participating in the Roundtable

Project Description

Current literature states that there is a significant relationship between appropriated racial oppression (ARO; also known as internalized racism) and the incidence of poor mental health outcomes in individuals who identify as racial/ethnic minorities. This includes elevated rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation among others. Left unaddressed, these may lead to the development of psychopathology that cause great distress and require psychological intervention.
However, current work has been lacking in terms of establishing a causal link between ARO and these negative mental health outcomes. Most studies have highlighted correlations between these variables, and we aim to address this. In developing and refining a novel survey that will further examine how ARO can lead to negative mental health outcomes, we seek to bridge this gap and open further lines of research that can address distress caused by race-related concerns.
This project will involve preparing and implementing this novel tool as we refine it over time with potential for further lab-based studies.

Research Tasks: Students should expect to gain experience in literature review, participant recruitment, scale development, data collection/analysis, and developing their own research projects. Students will be encouraged to ask questions and develop their own ideas for how this project may grow and relate to their own interests.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required: Strong writing skills, open mind, clear communication skills
Recommended: Strong interest in minority stress/psychology research
Training for specific tasks will be provided.