Health Equity

Dr. Trey Andrews

PSYCHOLOGY

Discrimination, Social Support, and Mental Health

This project combines data from approximately 250 Latinx residents of Nebraska focusing on their experiences of discrimination, the social support that may buffer against the effects of discrimination, and related mental health outcomes, which includes both mental health symptoms and prior treatment access.  Within this, we examined their preferred methods of help seeking and sought to evaluate acceptability of novel means of receiving help (e.g., digital tools).  These data also examine the role of traumatic event exposure.

Dr. Trey Andrews

PSYCHOLOGY

Disaster-focused Mobile Mental Health

This study tested a mobile mental health intervention with victims of the 2017 hurricane outbreak. It utilized a large-scale randomized control trial design to test the effectiveness and use of the application. The app was designed to treatment depression, PTSD, sleep difficulties, and anxiety. The app represents a collaborative effort across multiple universities and potential projects would need approval from other members of the research team, but multiple avenues of data analyses are possible.

As one example, a student project could examine how predictors of app utilization may vary across race/ethnicity and location/hurricane. This would directly inform strategies for increasing app utilization and effectiveness. This project takes place in the department of Psychology; however, the project is interdisciplinary and will accept students from other disciplines.

Dr. Katie Edwards

EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

Family Assistance Project – Online

Prerequisites: We require that interested students have completed at least one methods course.

The Family Acceptance Project (FAP) is a rigorously developed family-based intervention for caregivers of SGMY as well as SGMY (within the context of their families) in the U.S. FAP, created by Dr. Caitlin Ryan, seeks to prevent myriad deleterious outcomes and promote PYD for SGMY in the context of their families, cultures, and faith communities. Designed to help families via caregivers to decrease rejection and to support and affirm their SGMY across systems of care, including in homes, schools, congregations, and various systems (e.g., behavioral health, foster care), FAP has primarily been delivered as an in-person intervention to date. This project proposes an online adaptation of the original curriculum and intervention.

FAP is relevant to SGMY with various cultural/racial-ethnic/religious backgrounds and helps participants link FAP content (e.g., importance of accepting one’s SGMY) to personal, family, and/or cultural values. To increase uptake, education and guidance are provided caregivers in culturally and religiously sensitized ways.

Currently, we are in the adaptation and planning stage. We will be conducting an OPT with seven families to further refine the online curriculum and evaluate feasibility and implementation. A RCT is the second phase of this project.

Mentors on this project include Dr. Edwards and Patricia L. Sattler, PhD • Senior Project Director • Psattler2@unl.edu.

Dr. Katie Edwards

EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

Oaye Luta Okolakiciye: A Documentation and Evaluation Project

Prerequisites: We require that interested students have completed at least one methods course.

Although research documents the concerning rates of alcohol-related problems (ARPs), including hazardous alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences, among Indigenous populations (including the Lakota people in present day South Dakota), we still know little about how to prevent these problematic issues that devastate Indigenous communities. The proposed project aims to document and pilot evaluate a culturally grounded mentoring program for Lakota adults that seeks to prevent ARPs and promote holistic well-being via enhancing connection to Lakota culture, social connection, and healthy coping and life skills.

Currently, we will be analyzing documents and interview data to understand this novel indigenous program.

Mentors on this project include Dr. Edwards and Joseph Gardella • Postdoctoral Scholar/PI • Joseph.gardella@unl.edu.

Dr. Katie Edwards

EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

Peaceful Means

Peaceful Means’ mission is to eliminate sexual violence among Indigenous peoples. We fervently believe that through our Indigenous-led work that every Indigenous child can reach adulthood without being sexually violated. Our initiative is located on the Pine Ridge Reservation, home to the Oglala Sioux Tribe, which shares geography with South Dakota and Nebraska. The office is currently planning for implementation and evaluation of a culturally adapted version of IMpower (an Empowerment Self-Defense program) with all K to 12 youth (5,000+) on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

Following this, Indigenous (predominantly Lakota) staff of Peaceful Means will work with other tribal communities and Indigenous organizations in urban areas to culturally adapt, implement, and evaluate the IMpower program. In addition to primary prevention for K to 12 youth, Peaceful Means has an extensive network referral system for survivors of sexual violence of all ages and is currently Indigenizing Sexual Assault Survivors Anonymous for implementation on the Pine Ridge Reservation and beyond.

Mentors on this project include Dr. Edwards and the following individuals: 

Christina Hitz • Project Director • Chitz2@unl.edu

Lorey Wheeler • Faculty • lorey@unl.edu

Stephanie Lim • Graduate Student • Stephanie.lim@huskers.unl.edu

Dr. Katie Edwards

EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

Sexual Assault Among Sexual Minority Men: Strong, Thriving, and Resilient Men’s (STAR-M) Project

Sexual Assault Among Sexual Minority Men is a research project to better understand sexual assault experiences among sexual minority men in the U.S., including cis and trans men and transmasculine people, to inform affirming prevention and response efforts. Almost half of sexual minority men experience adult sexual assault victimization in their lifetime, and as many as 30% of sexual minority men report lifetime adult sexual assault perpetration. Although rates of victimization and perpetration among sexual minority men are alarmingly high, even when measured over short periods of time, little research has examined risk and protective factors for adult sexual assault victimization or perpetration.

This five-year project, which will be named by an advisory board, focuses on identifying those factors and is funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health. The research will focus on young adult sexual minority (e.g., gay, bisexual, queer) men, including trans men and individuals identifying as transmasculine, ages 18 to 30, from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Researchers will recruit 3,600 sexual minority men from a geographically and racially diverse sample via online platforms and community-based agencies across the U.S. Participants will be asked to complete five online surveys over the course of two years.

Mentors on this project include Dr. Edwards and the following individuals: 

Lorey Wheeler • Co-I 1 • lorey@unl.edu

Ramiro Angelino • Project Coordinator • angelinor021@gmail.com

Skyler Hopfauf • Project Manager • shopfauf3@unl.edu

To learn more, please visit: https://reporter.nih.gov/search/ztgrFOekG0mK83Fout6BvQ/project-details/10522197

Dr. Katie Edwards

EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

Teen Connection Project

Prerequisites: We require that interested students have completed at least one methods course.

Transgender and other gender minority youth (TGMY) experience high rates of psychosocial (e.g., depression, teen dating violence) and behavioral health (e.g., substance use) problems, which are rooted in experiences of gender-related minority stress (e.g., peer and family rejection, internalized transphobia). This project aims to complete feasibility and pilot testing of a synchronous, group-delivered eHealth mentoring and skill-building program (i.e., Teen Connection Project) for TGMY ages 14 to 17 that focuses on evidence-based skill-building components (e.g., social-emotional skills) designed to reduce psychosocial and behavioral health problems in this population.

Currently, this project is engaged in intervention programming.

Mentors on this project include Dr. Edwards and the following individuals: 

Joseph Gardella • Postdoctoral Scholar • Joseph.gardella@unl.edu

Sloane Cornelius • Project Coordinator • Scornelius2@unl.edu

Dr. Katie Edwards

EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

Preventing Sex Trafficking Among Racially/Ethnically Diverse High School Students

The purpose of this project is to prevent sex trafficking among racially and ethnically diverse high school students in Des Moines, Iowa. Researchers and community partners will collaborate with Des Moines Public Schools to deliver the READY to Stand Curriculum™ to high school students and school personnel and evaluate its effectiveness. Multiple evaluation methods will be used to measure program impact.

Mentors on this project include Dr. Edwards and the following individuals: 

Rochelle Dalla • Professor, Co-Investigator • Rdalla1@unl.edu

Patricia Sattler • Sr Project Director • Psattler2@unl.edu

Aleesa Nutting, MA • Project Manager • Anutting2@unl.edu

Kiya Hudson • Graduate Research Assistant • Kiya.hudson@huskers.unl.edu

To learn more, please visit: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05988398

Dr. Patrick Habecker

RURAL DRUG ADDICTION RESEARCH CENTER, SOCIOLOGY

Substance Use and Public Opinion in Nebraska

Prerequisites: Completion of a statistics course from a social or behavioral science field.

In the United States, substance use and its associated health risks have traditionally been considered an urban and coastal problem. However, rural areas and those in the Midwest have seen a recent increase of HIV, hepatitis C, and deaths from overdoses. In response we have developed several projects focused on the state of Nebraska.

This project looks at statewide surveys of the general population to assess prevalence of substances, attitudes and stigma towards people who use drugs, and attitudes about public health services for people who inject drugs. Students can draw from Nebraska focused data or look at national datasets such as the TEDS or NSUDH to develop their own projects on rural substance use.

Each student will work on their own analytic project under the supervision of the project mentor. The goal is to develop a research paper that will form the final poster for the REU program and then turn towards publication. The project mentor will guide students through creation of literature reviews, developing theory-based analytic models, data management in STATA, analysis in STATA, and writing up results.

Preferred Experience: Some experience with statistical software such as STATA, SAS, R, Python, SPSS, etc., preferred.

Dr. Timothy Nelson

PSYCHOLOGY

Executive Control and Adolescent Health Trajectories

Prerequisites: Incoming students should have had at least one methods or statistics course OR prior experience in research.

This project examines the interplay between specific aspects of cognitive development (particularly executive control), key health behaviors (e.g., diet, sleep, physical activity, substance use), and health outcomes (including mental and physical health) in a longitudinal study design. The project involves a community longitudinal sample that was originally recruited in preschool and followed throughout childhood and adolescence, with rich repeated measures of cognitive abilities, select health behaviors, home and neighborhood environments, mental health, and physical health.

The cohort was oversampled for sociodemographic risk, creating an ideal context for exploring health disparities. A wide variety of methodologies are used in the study, including neuropsychological tasks, actigraphy (for sleep and physical activity), multiple 24-hour dietary recall, daily diaries, questionnaires, anthropometric measurement, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Data collection is ongoing. This research is supported by multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Dr. Lorey Wheeler

NEBRASKA CENTER FOR RESEARCH ON CHILDREN, YOUTH, FAMILIES & SCHOOLS

Sociocultural Influences on Youth’s Health and Educational Outcomes

Prerequisites: We require that interested students have completed at least one research, methods, or statistics course OR have prior experience in research.

Health and educational disparities result in serious public health problems for large and growing subgroups of families in the U.S. Dr. Wheeler’s research primarily focuses on immigrant, Latinx, or Indigenous subgroups in the U.S., who are at risk for exposure to systemic marginalization and resulting stressors (e.g., discrimination, acculturative stress), in addition to economic hardship, poverty, school dropout, and work that requires little formal education, all of which further threaten health and well-being. There is a need to understand resilience-based mechanisms that may help promote and support positive health and developmental outcomes, which are key for developing successful programming that supports health and educational equity for marginalized populations. Dr. Wheeler’s projects center not only on health and educational equity but also equity in the application of methods.

Students working with Dr. Wheeler can choose from multiple projects depending on their interests. Projects include measures of social determinants of health and educational outcomes that could support student interests in disparities that systematically impact minoritized ethnic/racial groups in the U.S. Students will have the opportunity not only to engage with questions on health and educational equity, but also opportunities to learn about quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods and data analysis.    

Graduate Student Mentor: Alexis Chavez