Current Projects
Rebecca Weiss, Ph.D.
The Impact of Culture and Language on Forensic Assessment
The relevancy of research must consistently be re-examined in light of changing demographic information in the United States. The U.S. Census estimates that by 2060 nearly one in three United States residents will be Hispanic (US Census Bureau, 2012). Despite this trend, few measures of forensic psychological assessment have been validated with Hispanic samples. This research examines the effect of Spanish language and Hispanic culture on measures of feigning in a bilingual student sample and a clinical monolingual sample. Data collection is ongoing for both the bilingual and monolingual groups.
Triggers for Competency to Stand Trial Evaluations
Co-PI Jacqueline Berenson, MD
Competency to stand trial (CST) evaluations are the most common forensic assessment requested by the courts (Edens, Poythress, Nicholson, Otto, 1999; Golding, 1992; Melton, Petrila, Poythress & Slobogin, 2007). In recent years, referrals for CST evaluations have increased (Seaman & Johnson, 2008), with annual estimates ranging from 50,000 to 60,000 (Bonnie & Grisso, 2000; Skeem et al., 1998). This study will utilize archival data from Mid-Hudson Forensic Psychiatric Center (a forensic psychiatric facility) to examine potential causes for competency evaluations. It is hypothesized that demographic, clinical and legal variables (e.g., language of defendant; accusation) will impact referrals for competency over and above the legal competency criteria.
Triggers for Competency to Stand Trial Evaluations
Co-PI Jacqueline Berenson, MD
In a project directly related to the study described above, the researchers will examine the quality and components of CST evaluations, specifically examining whether the evaluations directly reflect the legal criteria of CST.
Amanda Rosinski, M.A.
The Factor Structure of PTSD in a West and Central African Sample
Despite the large numbers of refugees emigrating from Africa and the need for assessment of these individuals, few researchers have evaluated culturally specific symptoms presentations in African samples. The limited prior research has suggested that this population exhibits culturally specific trauma symptom patterns, unlike those found in Western samples. This research evaluates the factor structure of trauma symptoms in a community sample of West and Central Africans living in the United States. Data collection is ongoing.
The Impact of Participant Scenario on Ability to Successfully Feign
In forensic psychology, mental health professionals often use psychological measures to assess the validity of clients’ presentations. Many of the studies supporting the accuracy of these measures use simulations designs with undergraduate participants. However, there is a dearth of research examining accuracy of this methodology. This research examines whether instructions to simulate that more accurately reflected student experience affect students’ ability to successfully feign. A manuscript is currently in preparation.
The Effect of Childhood Maltreatment on Adult Physical and Mental Health
Despite the notion that childhood maltreatment is a widespread phenomenon, there is limited research regarding its long-term effects on adult mental and physical health. Prior research has established that adults who endorse retroactive childhood adverse events have a lower quality of adult health. This research investigates the relationship between retrospective endorsement of childhood adverse events, and their predictive effects on quality of adult physical and mental health. A manuscript is currently in preparation.
Besty E. Galicia, B.S.
Study name: Analyzing the Distinction between Ataque de Nervios and Related Diagnoses in an Ethnically Diverse Student Sample
Ataque de nervios is currently classified as a culturally specific anxiety disorder that is found in Hispanic individuals (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) . Identifying and diagnosing ataque de nervios has been difficult because its symptomatology overlaps with other disorders, such as panic disorder (Oquendo, 1994). The present study will analyze ataque de nervios' distinction from related anxiety disorders and whether it is culturally-bound to Hispanic individuals by using an ethnically diverse student sample. Factors that could affect ataque de nervios symptom endorsement, such as acculturation and acculturative stress, will also be studied.
Qian Li, B.A.
Cultural Etiology of Depression
Depression is a world-wide issue, associated with severe emotional, social and financial repercussions (Greenberg, 2010). In the Western world, self-criticism(e.g., negative thoughts about oneself) is associated with depression (Luyten et al., 2007). In Eastern culture, the link between self-criticism and depression is inconsistent (Liu, et al., 2012; Tang, Zhou, Liao & Zhu, 2011). The present study examines the correlation of self-criticism and depression in Chinese and Americans. Further, this study tests whether acculturation impacts the attribution of failure for Chinese in the United States.