News

Our paper entitled “Sleep Problems and Posttraumatic Stress: A Prospective Study of School-Aged Children Following a Natural Disaster (Hurricane Ike)" was accepted for publication in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology. Dr. Lai, Courtney Colgan, and Julia Medzhitova are co-authors. The study used a longitudinal design to assess the nature of sleep problems, and its relationship to PTSS symptoms, in children exposed to Hurricane Ike. Stress, PTSS, and sleep were measured at 8 months and 15 months post-disaster in 269 children, aged 7-11 years old. Study results show that high levels of PTSS symptoms were correlated with greater sleep problems in children post-disaster. In addition, young children and those who indicated sleep issues and PTSS earlier on were found to be at greater risk for experiencing sleep issues months after the hurricane. 

We attended the 45th Annual Natural Hazards Center Conference, where we presented research at the Research and Applications Workshop and the 2020 Researchers Meeting!  Dr. Lai presented a talk on a panel titled, “Hope for the Future: Children, Youth, and Schools," and Barbora Hoskova presented a poster titled, "Supporting Schools in the Disaster Context: How Policies Shape Recovery Resources." Barbora also presented at the Researcher's Meeting: “Learning a Lesson: The Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on College Students," shown below.

As part of our ongoing study, "Colleges and the COVID-19 Crisis", we created infographics to present the preliminary data from our survey. These data shed light on the psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the specific challenges faced by college students, faculty, and advisors. Specifically, we outline college students', faculty, and advisors' respective pandemic-related stressors, mental health symptoms, and current sense of purpose.  

Julia Medzhitova, a fifth-year doctoral student and member of the Lai Lab, has recently begun her clinical internship at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, located in New York City.  As part of her internship, Julia is engaging in both trauma-informed research and clinical practice related to psychotherapy. Congratulations, Julia!

Betty Lai, Kate Guastaferro, and Dan Cooper co-Led a CONVERGE Mental Health and the COVID-19 Crisis working group. Lab members Barbora Hoskova and Courtney Colgan are team members of this working group. Key products of this working group include a Research Agenda-Setting paper, which applies public health principles to studying mental health during the pandemic.

We attended the 35th ISTSS Annual Meeting! There, we presented two posters, and Dr. Lai spoke about her research findings at a symposium entitled Tapping a Valuable Resource: Using Existing Research and Service Data to Advance Our Understanding of Child Posttraumatic Stress.