Dr. Elisa Trucco, ReACH Lab Director, alongside peers from Florida International University, has published‘Sleep problems and self-control: An examination of reciprocal effects across childhood and adolescence’ in the Journal of Criminal Justice. The article investigates possible reciprocal associations between sleep and self-control across seven waves of data spanning childhood through middle adolescence, using both a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) and a random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) to test between- and within-person effects. Data was collected from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD), a longitudinal birth cohort study, with a total of 924 children for inclusion in the CLPM and 1162 for inclusion in the RI-CLPM.
Results from the CLPM model revealed a reciprocal association between self-control and sleep problems during childhood at the between-individual level, but no association was found during adolescence. Instead, a unidirectional effect of self-control on later sleep problems was observed. In addition, the RI-CLPM model revealed evidence of a reciprocal association between sleep problems and self-control during childhood at the within-individual level. Yet, once study participants entered adolescence, no significant cross-construct effects were observed. The finding that reciprocal associations were limited to childhood suggests that interventions to address sleep problems and deficits in self-control may be particularly effective if employed during this critical developmental period as opposed to waiting until youth enter adolescence. Early interventions that target sleep hygiene, such as psychoeducation and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, may help promote gains in self-control during childhood. This, in turn, may prevent future involvement in delinquent behavior.
Julie Cristello, sixth-year doctoral candidate in the Clinical Science Program, was recognized with the Outstanding Student Achievement Award by the Clinical Science faculty this Summer. Julie’s research, leadership, advocacy, and service were recognized. Julie’s program of research has examined the influence of normative youth behavior (e.g., social media and sport involvement) on adolescent substance use. Julie is specifically interested in how behavior on social media sites (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat) can influence alcohol and drug use among teens.
Congratulations on yet another amazing accomplishment Julie, you make the ReACH lab proud!
Sarah Hartmann, a 3rd year graduate student in the ReACH Lab, was recently awarded the University Graduate School Excellence Award for Outstanding Paper/Manuscript for her Masters thesis. Sarah’s thesis examined the potential differential predictive ability of dimensions and profiles of adolescent temperament for early initiation and use of alcohol and e-cigarettes utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM), latent profile analysis (LPA), and logistic regression. The manuscript, Risk Factors for Early Use of E-Cigarettes and Alcohol: Dimensions and Profiles of Temperament, was published in the journal of Development and Psychopathology.
Congratulations on this well-deserved achievement, Sarah!
Brigitte Madan, the former ACE Project Senior Research Assistant, is heading to Waco, Texas to attend Baylor University’s Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology Program. Brigitte was the Senior Research Assistant in the ACE Project for nearly 4 years, and will be leaving Miami to pursue her career and education goals. At Baylor University, Brigitte hopes to gain the skills and knowledge that will better her as a psychologist. She is a firm believer that clinical practices should be informed by the science of psychology to better treat her patients. Baylor’s science-practitioner approach to learning combined with its small class size and effort to incorporate diversity in the classroom make it a great fit for her. Her goal is to create evidence-based intervention programs focused on adult Latinx mental health education and resources.
Congratulations on this accomplishment Brigitte, and thank you for all your work with the ReACH Lab!
ACE Project second-year graduate student, Benjelene Sutherland, presented her ongoing research “The association of amygdala-insula functional connectivity and adolescent e-cigarette use via sleep problems and depressive symptoms”at the University of Florida Center for Addiction Research & Education (CARE) 9th annual symposium. This presentation won the Data Blitz award as one of the best presentations of the symposium. This was Benjelene’s second year in a row winning this award. The project examined the mediated effects of sleep problems and depressive symptoms between amygdala-insula functional connectivity and e-cigarette use among teens.
Congratulations are in order for ReACH Lab 5th Year Graduate Student, Megan Hare, after being accepted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) Psychology Internship Training Program! The UMMC Internship Program employs a “cognitive-behavioral orientation within a scientist-practitioner model”, and aims to train interns to be “competent in assessment, intervention, supervision and consultation skills,” with a focus on “individual and cultural differences and diversity.” UMMC’s program matches perfectly with Megan’s training goals, as she aims to gain breadth in evidence-based interventions with complex and severe psychopathologies across a diverse of settings (e.g., inpatient, pediatric). Megan also hopes to enhance her ability to deliver culturally-responsive care and broaden her skillset working on interdisciplinary teams.
Following Megan’s training at UMMC, she hopes to obtain a post doctoral or faculty position to continuing researching how transdiagnostic child and parent factors (e.g., emotional competence, early adversity) influence response to treatment, focusing on pathways of resilience in marginalized families.
The ReACH Lab is so proud of you Megan, congratulations on this amazing achievement!
ACE Project second-year Graduate Student, Benjelene Sutherland, in the Cognitive Neuroscience program, was awarded the Spring and Summer 2022 Edward and Rita Girden Cognitive Neuroscience Scholarship. This scholarship is eligible for enrolled psychology students and applies towards travel support to conferences to present their research. Students can receive up to $1,000.00 for national and $1,500 for international conferences. The award will cover part of her travel expenses for this year’s Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) conference held in Glasgow, Scotland, June 19-23, 2022. This conference will share the latest research in human brain mapping. She will be the first/presenting author of her on-going research project: “The association of amygdala-insula functional connectivity and sleep via negative affect among teens.”
ReACH Lab Graduate Student Julie Cristello received an Early Career Investigator Award from the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (R13AA022858). This will fund her participation in, and travel to, the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association (APA). At APA, and the NIAAA/NIDA poster session, Julie will be presenting a poster titled “Examining adolescent exposure to alcohol and marijuana content across popular social media platforms.”
Congratulations on this amazing achievement, Julie!
Florida International University (FIU) has been ranked No. 3 in the nation by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for research funding in psychology, moving up from No. 5 in previous rankings.
FIU claimed the highest ranking of all Florida universities in the NSF’s annual Higher Education Research and Development rankings, which ranks total and federally financed higher education research and development expenditures. Based on 2020 fiscal year expenditures, FIU rose to its highest level yet — $34.6 million. According to Raul Gonzalez, interim chairperson of the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts, Sciences & Education, this ranking “highlights the success of our faculty in obtaining extramural funding given the high impact and innovation of their research.”
FIU has experienced a rapid ascension in the NSF rankings, jumping from 116 less than 10 years ago to the top 3 in the latest report.
“FIU continues to drive innovative research and clinical work to help reduce the burden of mental illness, increase access to mental health treatments and advance new techniques for public health and law enforcement, all in the hopes of helping people, their families and our communities,” Gonzalez said. “As we continue to rise in these rankings, it only stands to prove that our faculty, staff and students are advancing science and developing solutions worth investing in.”
The Center for Children and Families (CCF), an FIU preeminent program, has provided an optimal setting for psychology faculty to pursue funded research on mental health and neuroscience. Through clinical services and research initiatives, faculty at the center provide services to more than 3,000 families every year. With a team of nearly 40 researchers and experts, CCF continues to deliver new insights about the process, effects, and treatment of child and adolescent mental health disorders, having published hundreds of research papers in recent years.
Programs in public health are advancing health and wellness within our own community. For example, the FIU Research Center in Minority Institutions (FIU-RCMI) is supporting the $3.5 million ACE Project, with Dr. Elisa Trucco and Dr. Matthew Sutherland serving as Co-PIs, which investigates the antecedents and consequences of nicotine vaping among teenagers in Miami-Dade, as well as a separate study examining how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted teenagers’ mental health and substance use.
National agencies are increasingly investing in research that explores the interface of mental health and neuroscience, including the NIH, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Justice and NSF. FIU has the infrastructure needed to conduct groundbreaking research in those specific areas. Students and postdoctoral scholars, who are training with some of the best scientists in the country, are instrumental in the process of securing external funding and assisting with the research once a grant starts.
The Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A) has authorized the first electronic cigarette allowed to be sold in the United States, following a controversial path to approval for these devices. The Vuse electronic cigarette device, as well as Vuse tobacco-flavored cartridges, was authorized by the agency last month, with the F.D.A saying that “The authorized products’ aerosols are significantly less toxic than combusted cigarettes based on available data.” The agency continued, saying they “determined that the potential benefit to smokers who switch completely or significantly reduce their cigarette use, would outweigh the risk to youth.”
The news may be confusing to the public, given that e-cigarette products have been available for purchase in the United States for years. However, these products have been in approval limbo by the F.D.A for over a year while the agency investigated whether or not they could be considered a benefit or danger to public health. E-cigarette products were allowed to be sold by the F.D.A without authorization while waiting for approval, but it seems the agency is finally starting to crack down on individual products. As part of the agency’s review of e-cigarette products, thousands of brands and flavors have been ordered off the market over the past few months, including some of Vuse’s flavored products. Another popular choice among adolescents, Puff Bars, were also ordered off the market during this time.
Expectedly, the agency approval of Vuse products has drawn a mixed bag of reactions from the public. Gregory Conley, president of the American Vaping Association, said “now that the F.D.A. has acted, we are hopeful that adult consumers and health communicators will begin to understand the harm reduction benefits offered by these and other smoke-free products.” On the other hand, Erika Sward, national assistant vice president for advocacy at the American Lung Association, said the F.D.A decision “throws young people under the bus.” Ms. Sward says the concern is both with the general approval of an e-cigarette device, as well as with Vuse specifically, which was recently found to be one of the most popular vaping brands among youth. Some public health experts believe that allowing e-cigarette devices to stay on the market may be beneficial in the long-run by helping the government impose stricter regulations on traditional cigarettes, which have been linked to over 400,000 deaths in the United States each year.
