Mental Health & Trauma
We explore a variety of psychological and psychiatric topics, including trauma-related stress and growth.
Mental health is the capacity of an individual's emotional and cognitive functioning. A person's mental health shows itself through their mood and emotions, behavior, and thinking and processing. Poor mental health can be attributed to many factors, including organic (abnormalities in the brain and hormones), genetic, social (such as gender, ethnicity, social class, and trauma), and situational (like stressful situations and substance abuse).
Trauma, in the context of mental health, is the psychological response caused by a distressing event (also known as a traumatic experience). Some survivors of trauma develop Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition that can severely impact a person's mental and physical health and limit their ability to function in society. Posttraumatic growth, by contrast, is when trauma survivors make personal improvement in their lives following the traumatic experience.
Kent State nurse researchers are exploring the mental health of patients across the lifespan, posttraumatic stress and growth, and the preparedness of psychiatric/mental health care providers.
Affiliated Faculty
- Stacy Miner, Ph.D., RN, CCRP
Focus: Evaluating and improving the symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders - Amy Petrinec, Ph.D., RN
Focus: Family member posttraumatic stress (PTSD) symptoms and coping strategies when making decisions for chronically, critically ill patients. - James Tudhope, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC
Focus: Better alignment for early entry APRNs in community mental health with patients who have established complex integrative needs. - Andrea Warner Stidham, Ph.D., MSN, RN
Focus: Psychiatric and/or mental health issues, as well as children, adolescents, and adults with posttraumatic growth; posttraumatic growth in people who have experienced traumatic life events, including sexual violence, spousal deployment, foster care, and HIV.
Recent Publications
Stephenson, P., & Warner-Stidham, A . (2024). Nurse reports of moral distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. SAGE Open Nursing. doi.10.1177/237796082312260
Tudhope, J. (2023). Firearm safety & mental health: A call to ARMS (Assess and Reduce Means to Suicide). OJIN: Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. doi:10.3912/OJIN.Vol28No03Man02
Hughes, J. W., Vander Horst, A., Gibson, G. C., Cleveland, K. A., Wawrosch, C., Granot, M., & Woolverton, C., J. (2023). Elevated psychological distress of college students during the Covid-19 pandemic. Journal of American College Health, 71(4), 981-983.
Mazanec, S., Beam, P., Kloos, J., McClung, E., Park, S., DeLozier, S., & Anthony, M. K. (2023). Prevalence of stress, anxiety, and growth in nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. OJIN: Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 28(1). doi.10.3912/OJIN.Vol28No01Man04
Recent Grants
| Investigator(s) | Grant or Project Title | Funding Agency |
|---|---|---|
| Kimberly Cleveland and Joel Hughes | College of Nursing COVID 18-month Follow-up Study | University Research Council |
| Kimberly Cleveland and Joel Hughes | Risk and Protective Factors for Lasting Mental Health Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic | Cleveland Brain Health Initiative and Department of Neurosciences and KSU’s Brain Health Research Institute |
| Pam Stephenson and Andera Warner Stidham | The Experiences of Frontline Nurses in Northeast Ohio Caring for Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic | Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) Honor Society of Nursing, Delta XI chapter |
| Kim Cleveland and Drs. Gregory Gibson (Department of Sociology) and Christopher Woolverton (College of Public Health) | Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) KSU Community Survey | Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) Honor Society of Nursing, Delta XI chapter |
| Amy Petrinec | Family Caregivers of ICU Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Psychological Symptoms and Health-Related Quality of Life | Laboon-Stenporche and the Kent State University Research Council |
| Wendy Umberger and Lisa Onesko | Expanding the Base of PMH APRNs in Northeast Ohio | Peg's Foundation |
| Amy Petrinec, Yea-Jyh Chen, Joel Hughes (Psychology), and Melissa Zullo (College of Public Health) | Post-intensive Care Syndrome Family: Feasibility of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Delivery Utilizing a Mobile Health App | Kent State University Healthy Communities Research Initiative Launch Pad |
| Wendy Umberger, Andrea Warner Stidham, Kimberly Williams, and Mark Arredondo (University Health Services) | Building Interdisciplinary Teams and Preparing Psychiatric Mental Health (PMH) Nurse Practitioners to Provide PMH Treatment in Integrated Care Settings | U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) |