2019 News

December 2019

• Layla’s first author paper was accepted for publication:

  • Kratovic, L., Smith, L. J., & Vujanovic, A. A. (in press). PTSD symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicide risk in university students: The role of distress tolerance. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma. doi: 10.1080/10926771.2019.1709594

  • Maya’s first-author paper was featured in a University of Houston Press Release: https://uh.edu/news-events/stories/2019/december-2019/120319-vujanovic-distress-tolerance-firefighter-alcohol-use.php 

November 2019

• Maya’s first-author paper was accepted for publication:

  • Zegel, M., Tran, J. K., & Vujanovic, A. A. (2019). Posttraumatic stress, alcohol use, and alcohol use motives among firefighters: The role of distress tolerance. Psychiatry Research, 282: 112633.

• Our team presented at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies annual conference in Boston, MA:

  • Vujanovic, A. A., Zegel, M., Tran, J. K., & Wardle, M. C. (2019). Reward function and distress tolerance: Associations with PTSD symptoms and alcohol use in firefighters. In J. Williams (Chair), Reward sensitivity and trauma-related psychopathology: Understanding key mechanisms in the development and maintenance of trauma-related mental health problems. Symposium presented at the 35th annual meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Boston, MA.

  • Vujanovic, A. A., Green, C. E., Rappaport, L., Smith, L. J., Berenz, E. C., Suchting, R., Lane, S. D., & Schmitz, J. M. (2019, November). A novel, integrated cognitive-behavioral therapy for co-occurring posttraumatic stress and substance use disorders: A pilot randomized clinical trial. In C. Straud (Chair), Treatment of PTSD and comorbid substance use. Symposium presented at the 35th annual meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Boston, MA.

  • Lebeaut, A., Zegel, M., Bartlett, B. A., & Vujanovic, A. A. (2019, November). Examining transdiagnostic factors among firefighters with co-occurring PTSD and alcohol use disorder. Poster presented at the 35th annual convention of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Boston, MA.

  • Leonard, S. J., Tripp, J. C., Olin, C. C., Zakarian, R. J., & McDevitt-Murphy, M. E. (2019, November). Shame and Guilt Mediate the relationship between Insecure Adult Attachment Style and PTSD Severity among Combat Veterans. Poster presented at the 35th annual meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Boston, MA.

  • Zegel, M., Lebeaut, A. M., Smith, L. J., & Vujanovic, A. A. (2019, November). Mental health correlates of co-occurring PTSD and alcohol use disorder among firefighters. Poster presented at the 35th annual convention of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Boston, MA.

  • Zegel, M., Bartlett, B. A., Lebeaut, A. M., Johnson, A., & Vujanovic, A. A. (2019, November). Childhood maltreatment severity and suicidal ideation among adult psychiatric inpatients: The mediating role of distress tolerance. Poster presented at the 35th annual convention of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Meeting, Boston, MA.

  • Smith, L. J., Lebeaut, A. M., & Vujanovic, A. A. (2019, November). Nonjudgmental acceptance: Associations with trauma- and substance cue-reactivity in inner-city adults with posttraumatic stress and substance use disorders. Poster accepted for presentation at the 35th annual convention of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Boston, MA.

  • Smith, L. J., Tran, J. K., Fletcher, E. A., & Vujanovic, A. A. (2019, November). Humor as resilience: The role of coping humor in the association between posttraumatic stress and suicidality in firefighters. Poster accepted for presentation at the 35th annual convention of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Boston, MA.

• Brooke’s article was featured on the Houston Fire Department online newsletter:

  • Bartlett, B. A. (2019, November). Shrink wrap: Trauma exposure as a risk factor for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Houston Fire Department. Retrieved from: https://www.houstonfirehotspot.com/

October 2019

• Lia received the O’Neill Addiction Science Education Award from the Texas Research Society on Alcoholism. The award is for excellence in educating the public, health professionals, treatment professionals, and other non-scientists about the latest addiction science research. Congratulations, Lia!

• Lia’s first-author book chapter was published:

  • Smith, L. J., Zegel, M., Bartlett, B. A., Lebeaut, A., & Vujanovic, A. A. (in press). Posttraumatic stress and alcohol use among first responders. In C. Bowers, D. Beidel, & M. Marks (Eds.), Mental health intervention and treatment of first responders and emergency workers. Hershey, PA: IGI-Global.

September 2019

• Congratulations to Brooke Bartlett! She successfully proposed her dissertation, entitled “An Examination of the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide among Urban Firefighters: Associations with Posttraumatic Stress and Distress Tolerance.”

• Lia was elected to serve as the Student Section Chair for the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Congratulations, Lia!

• Brooke Bartlett, the first UH clinical psychology doctoral student to work at the Houston Fire Department as a clinical practicum trainee, provides a great example of bridging the science to practice gap. She wrote an article for the Houston Fire Department, entitled “Shrink wrap: Trauma exposure as a risk factor for suicidal thoughts and behaviors”.

• Dr. Vujanovic presented our work, entitled “Exploring Posttraumatic Stress and Suicide in the Fire Service,” at the National Fire Service Behavioral Health Symposium in Denver.

• Brooke’s first-author paper was published online:

  • Bartlett, B. A., Smith, L. J., Smith, B. N., Tran, J. K., & Vujanovic, A. A. (2019). Occupational stress and functioning among military veterans in the fire service. Military Behavioral Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/21635781.2019.1669510

June 2019

• Our team presented at the College on Problems of Drug Dependence annual conference in San Antonio, TX:

  • Bartlett, B. A., Lebeaut, A., Zegel, M., Smith, L. J., Tran, J. K. & Vujanovic, A. A. (2019, June). Occupational stress, alcohol use, and alcohol use coping motives among firefighters: The moderating role of distress tolerance. Poster presented at the 81st annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, San Antonio, TX.

  • Zegel, M. & Vujanovic, A. A. (2019, June). Associations between posttraumatic stress, alcohol use, and alcohol use motives among firefighters: The role of distress tolerance. Poster presented at the 81st annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, San Antonio, TX.

  • Smith, L. J., Zegel, M., Tran, J. K., & Vujanovic, A. A. (2019, June). Alcohol use and alcohol use motives in women firefighters: The role of conformity to masculine norms. Poster presented at the 81st annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, San Antonio, TX.

  • Lebeaut, A., & Vujanovic, A. A. (2019, June). PTSD symptom severity and alcohol use in firefighters: The mediating role of anxiety sensitivity. Poster presented at the 81st annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, San Antonio, TX.

• Brooke’s first-author paper was published:

  • Bartlett, B. A., Smith, L. J., Lebeaut, A., Tran, J. K., & Vujanovic, A. A. (2019). PTSD symptom severity and impulsivity among firefighters: Associations with alcohol use. Psychiatry Research, 278, 315-323. https://doi.org/10/1016/j.psychres.2019.06.039.

May 2019

• Dr. Vujanovic and Dr. Sudie Back’s new co-edited book, Posttraumatic Stress and Substance Use Disorder: A Comprehensive Clinical Handbook, is now available for pre-order:

• Congratulations to Lisandra Finzetto, Antonio Johnson,  Layla Kratovic, and Sara Zare for completing their undergraduate education! Happy Graduation!

April 2019

• Congratulations to Layla Kratovic for receiving the Fulbright Award to study traumatic stress in Bosnia!

• Congratulations to Matthew Nguyen for receiving the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship to study the effects of sexual harassment on PTSD and related conditions among women firefighters!

• Congratulations to Lia Smith for receiving the 2019 Research Award from the UH clinical psychology doctoral program!

• Congratulations to Lia Smith for being selected to participate in the American Psychological Association’s Advanced Training Institute on Structural Equation modeling in Longitudinal Research!

• The TaSSC is excited to welcome Nate Healy and Sam Leonard as new first-year clinical psychology doctoral students. Both Nate and Sam are joining us with significant research experience relevant to substance use disorders, PTSD, and high risk behavior. Welcome!

  • Currently, Nate is a Research Assistant in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. Sam is presently completing a M.A. degree in psychology at the University of Memphis.

March 2019

• Congratulations to Lia Smith for receiving the NIDA Women & Sex/Gender Differences Junior Investigator Travel Award for the CPDD (College on Problems of Drug Dependence) conference in San Antonio!

• Congratulations to Maya Zegel for successfully proposing her thesis, entitled Posttraumatic Stress, Alcohol Use, and Alcohol Use Motives among Firefighters: The Role of Distress Tolerance.

• Congratulations to Antoine Lebeaut for successfully proposing his thesis, entitled Posttraumatic Stress, Alcohol Use, and Alcohol Use Motives among Firefighters: The Mediating Role of Anxiety Sensitivity.

• Congratulations to Layla Kratovic for successfully defending her undergraduate honors thesis, entitled PTSD Symptoms and Suicidality in University Students: The Role of Distress Tolerance.

• The TaSSC Force participated in the Race Against Violence - Houston Area Women’s Center 5K for the third year in a row!! The team raised funds to help survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence in the Houston Area. Way to go, team!

• Lia Smith’s thoughts on conference attendance were featured in the APS Observer.

• Dr. Vujanovic spoke with Texas Standard (National Daily News Show of Texas) about traumatic stress following mass shootings.

February 2019

• Congratulations to Brooke Bartlett for receiving the American Psychological Association Psychological Science Research Grant ($1,000) to support her research!

January 2019

• Brooke’s first author paper was accepted for publication:

  • Bartlett, B. A., Gallagher, M. W., Tran, J. K., & Vujanovic, A. A. (in press). Military veteran status and PTSD symptomatology among urban firefighters: The moderating role of emotion regulation difficulties. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease.