psychology

A student investigator in the Department of Psychology is seeking males--between the ages of 18-25 who identify as African American or Black and are not married or engaged--for a research study exploring religiosity and sexuality among young adult Black males. Participation involves the completion of an online questionnaire (10-15 minutes). Responses are anonymous unless you choose to participate in a random drawing with a chance to win one of sixteen electronic $20 Visa gift cards.

The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies is a multidisciplinary organization that aims to enhance the health and well-being of individuals by advancing the science of understanding, assessing, preventing, and treating human problems through the use of behavioral, cognitive, and biological evidence-based principles. Every year, members of ABCT meet for a national conference.

The Department of Psychology welcomed its newest faculty member this autumn: Dr. Bridgette Peteet from Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Peteet has resided in Cincinnati for the past 18 years and was previously an associate professor at the University of Cincinnati.

Not getting enough sleep or getting poor quality sleep has consistently been linked to increased risk of developing obesity in adolescence. This is concerning, considering that over two-thirds of teens are sleep deprived, putting a significant portion of youth at risk for poor health consequences. Although the relationship between poor sleep and obesity seems clear, the underlying reasons for this relationship are not.

Mental health treatments for children and adolescents are more effective than ever at treating common problems such as anxiety, disruptive behaviors, and depression. Unfortunately, about half of children who need treatment do not enroll in service. For those who do enroll, half drop out of treatment prematurely.

Dr. Maya Boustani was invited to the Institute for Community Partnership (ICP) spring quarter town hall meeting to discuss how she developed a partnership with the San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD). Along with school counselor and community partner Ms. Yesenia Ceballos, Dr. Boustani reflected on how the ICP facilitated the initial connection.

Dr. Maya Boustani was invited to speak at the San Bernardino School Counseling Collaborative at Cal State University, San Bernardino campus on June 10. Attendees were largely school counselors, but also included school nurses, teachers, and administrators.

Bucking Tradition It takes an incredible amount of courage to leave your homeland. Yet that is exactly what Ann Nguyen’s family did when she was only 3½ years of age, leaving Saigon, Vietnam and immigrating to the United States. First the family had to stay in a refugee camp in Thailand before finally journeying to the United States two months later. When they arrived in California, it was a brave new world.

Disruptive behaviors are a common occurrence in children. While almost all children exhibit some level of rule breaking, defiance, or acting out, only a subset of children may need intervention to curb these behaviors. Maya Boustani, PhD, clinical child psychologist and Assistant Professor at Loma Linda University’s School of Behavioral Health, Department of Psychology, answers some of the most common questions about Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD).

In late April, several of Dr. Holly Morrell's students presented a poster on problematic video game use at the annual Western Psychological Association (WPA) conference in Portland, Oregon. Student and first author Hyo Jin Lee summarizes its significance: