Slide decks, recorded presentations, posters, and related materials produced by faculty, staff, and students affiliated with Mississippi State University's College of Arts and Sciences.
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The Impact of Single vs. Poly Victimization by Maltreatment Type on Pre-Treatment PTSD Scores
Ashley G. O'Donnell, Sabrina DiCarlo, and Arazais D. Oliveros
Studies show that an estimated 21-50% of children who have experienced maltreatment will develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within their lifetime (Schuck & Widom 2019). Research suggests that the type and number of exposures to trauma may influence symptom severity. Further, trauma symptom scores of children who experienced child sexual abuse (CSA) were higher among the children who endorsed poly-victimization, meaning when CSA was combined with another form of maltreatment (Racine et al 2022). This study seeks to examine the impact of poly-victimization and combined types of maltreatment on children’s PTSD scores in an archival dataset from a child advocacy center (CAC) serving children exposed to various forms of trauma. Participants from the overall child sample (N = 721) who have pre-treatment PTSD scores (n = 290) will be analyzed. The analyzed sample includes 83 minors exposed to poly-victimization, 175 exposed to single victimization, and 32 where the trauma type was missing from the dataset. Specifically, the following hypotheses will be tested: (1) victims of poly-victimization will have higher PTSD scores than victims of single victimization; (2) among participants with poly-victimization, those with a combination of sexual abuse and physical abuse will have the highest PTSD scores compared to other combinations. Results will be discussed in the context of current referral pathways for child advocacy centers.
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History of Childhood Physical Abuse and Current Risky Drinking: The Role of Coping Motives
H. Addison Lowery, Deepali M. Dhruve, and Arazais D. Oliveros
A childhood history of physical abuse is associated with increased risky drinking in adolescence, and a two-fold risk of alcohol dependence. Research on substance use disorders (SUD) suggests that people who drink with the motivation to cope with their emotions face a greater risk of SUD. Given that childhood physical abuse is associated with emotional difficulties, the current study examined the interplay between childhood physical discipline (inclusive of abuse) and coping motives in predicting risky drinking. Specifically, we expected ratings of childhood physical discipline and current risky drinking to be associated positively and for that relation to be mediated (explained) to some extent by their motivation to drink for emotional coping.
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An in situ Electrochemical Study of Electrodeposited Nickel and Nickel-Yttrium Oxide Composite Using Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy
David O. Wipf, L. Diaz-Ballote, and L. Veleva
Electrodeposited nickel and nickel-yttrium oxide composite samples were studied in situ using scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). The monitored probe currents in phosphate-citrate buffer (pH 4.2) in the presence or absence of Ru(NH3)63+ as an oxidizing mediator near the Ni surface show that the SECM is a useful tool for study of the electrochemical activity of heterogeneous metal surface at micrometer scales. The SECM ultramicroelectrode probe tip provides information about the shape, activity and location of particles, such as Y2O3 introduced (co-deposited) in the Ni-matrix of the composite. Experiments show that the Ni-matrix in the composite coating is more active than the pure Ni-coating. This fact is expected, because of texture changes in the Ni structure upon introduction (by co-deposition) of Y2O3 particles. In the absence of mediator in the solution, the electrochemical activity of heterogeneous metal surface at a micro-level is investigated by using O2 concentration changes. The rate of reaction for O2 reduction was found to locally vary at electrodes floating at the open-circuit potential (o.c.p) when compared to an electrode potentiostatically polarized at a more positive potential than the o.c.p. This behavior suggests that local anode and cathode regions are being observed at the o.c.p. sample.
