Long-term Impact of a Campus Suicide Prevention Program

Color poster with text, graphs, and charts.An increasing number of college students face significant mental health problems (ACHA, 2007), which places them at elevated risk for suicide. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for college students (AAS, 2012; CDC, 2009). Unfortunately, many universities and colleges lack resources to effectively manage, intervene with, and prevent suicidal behavior (Gallagher, 2007). As a result, college students are often identifying their own mental health needs and frequently turn to peers for support (Haas et al., 2003). The purpose of this study was to create, implement, and evaluate the long-term (1-month) effects of a suicide awareness/gatekeeper prevention program for students.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Sleep\u27s Relationship to Executive Functioning in Toddlers

The primary purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between toddlers’ sleep and executive functioning. While there are a few studies that examine the relation between sleep and executive functioning in this age group, the majority of research focuses on older populations. Regardless, previous research has found a correlation between sleep problems and executive functioning abilities. This study utilized a parent reported questionnaire to measure children’s sleep and a battery of tasks to measure executive functioning. The results revealed no correlation between sleep duration and executive function performance, however, I did find a correlation between night wakefulness and executive functioning. This suggests that those who received better sleep (e.g. undisrupted) performed better on executive function tasks. Further research is necessary to understand whether or not duration of sleep has a significant effect

Accommodation and vergence response gains to different near cues characterize specific esotropias

Aim. To describe preliminary findings of how the profile of the use of blur, disparity and proximal cues varies between non-strabismic groups and those with different types of esotropia. Design. Case control study Methodology. A remote haploscopic photorefractor measured simultaneous convergence and accommodation to a range of targets containing all combinations of binocular disparity, blur and proximal (looming) cues. 13 constant esotropes, 16 fully accommodative esotropes, and 8 convergence excess esotropes were compared with age and refractive error matched controls, and 27 young adult emmetropic controls. All wore full refractive correction if not emmetropic. Response AC/A and CA/C ratios were also assessed. Results. Cue use differed between the groups. Even esotropes with constant suppression and no binocular vision (BV) responded to disparity in cues. The constant esotropes with weak BV showed trends for more stable responses and better vergence and accommodation than those without any BV. The accommodative esotropes made less use of disparity cues to drive accommodation (p=0.04) and more use of blur to drive vergence (p=0.008) than controls. All esotropic groups failed to show the strong bias for better responses to disparity cues found in the controls, with convergence excess esotropes favoring blur cues. AC/A and CA/C ratios existed in an inverse relationship in the different groups. Accommodative lag of >1.0D at 33cm was common (46%) in the pooled esotropia groups compared with 11% in typical children (p=0.05). Conclusion. Esotropic children use near cues differently from matched non-esotropic children in ways characteristic to their deviations. Relatively higher weighting for blur cues was found in accommodative esotropia compared to matched controls

International prevalence of adolescent non-suicidal self-injury and deliberate self-harm

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The behaviours of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and deliberate self-harm (DSH) are prevalent among adolescents, and an increase of rates in recent years has been postulated. There is a lack of studies to support this postulation, and comparing prevalence across studies and nations is complicated due to substantial differences in the methodology and nomenclature of existing research.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a systematic review of current (2005 - 2011) empirical studies reporting on the prevalence of NSSI and DSH in adolescent samples across the globe.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Fifty-two studies fulfilling the inclusion criteria were obtained for analysis. No statistically significant differences were found between NSSI (18.0% SD = 7.3) and DSH (16.1% SD = 11.6) studies. Assessment using single item questions led to lower prevalence rates than assessment with specific behaviour checklists. Mean prevalence rates have not increased in the past five years, suggesting stabilization.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>NSSI and DSH have a comparable prevalence in studies with adolescents from different countries. The field would benefit from adopting a common approach to assessment to aide cross-cultural study and comparisons.</p

Peer-delivered Suicide Prevention Presentation on a College Campus

Color poster with text, graphs, and charts.An increasing number of college students face significant mental health problems (ACHA, 2007), which places them at elevated risk for suicide. Unfortunately, many universities and colleges lack resources to effectively manage, intervene with, and prevent suicidal behavior (Gallagher, 2007). As a result, college students are often identifying their own mental health needs and frequently turn to peers for support (Haas et al., 2003). This makes college peers an important group to target for prevention initiatives. A majority of the existing suicide prevention programs are not geared towards college students, nor have their effects been rigorously assessed for long-term benefits (Mann et al., 2005; Thompkins et al., 2010). The purpose of this study was to create, implement, and evaluate the effects of a suicide awareness/gatekeeper prevention program for students.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Impact of a Suicide Awareness Program for the General Student Population at UWEC

Color poster with text and graphs.Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for college students, and one in 12 college students report having made a specific suicide plan in the past year. The goal of this study was to create, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of a suicide awareness program for the University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program