Browsing by Author "Johnson, Rachel"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Apolipoprotein E and Cognitive Impairment in PTSD: Assessing Genetic Risks and Protections
    (2021-11) Johnson, Rachel
    This study bridges gaps in the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) literature by providing a rigorous evaluation of the relationships between trauma exposure, PTSD symptoms, Apolipoprotein E (ApoE), and cognitive functioning. A total of 932 U.S. veterans (N=643 males) completed diagnostic interviews of mental health, a cognitive screener, self-reports of PTSD symptom severity and exposure to traumatic events, and blood tests to collect genetic information. Analysis demonstrated that veterans with PTSD perform worse than those without on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), regardless of comorbid depression, and that current PTSD symptoms and Pre-deployment exposure to potentially traumatic events are associated with lower performance on MoCA. Interestingly, veterans with PTSD and a comorbid depressive disorder had higher PTSD symptoms and exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) than veterans with PTSD alone. Higher ApoE cysteine residues per mole were associated with lower PTSD symptoms, indicating its protective nature. Finally, structural equation modeling showed that higher cysteine residues per mole indirectly predicted higher cognition, through lowering PTSD symptoms that negatively affect cognitive functioning. These analyses provide new information regarding the complex relationships between trauma exposure, symptom severity, genetic susceptibility and cognitive function in the context of PTSD in U.S. veterans. Strategies to use these results to improve holistic clinical care and further valuable research include: recommendation for the use of MoCA as a screening tool for cognitive function and referral to other providers, consideration of the impact of Pre-deployment trauma exposure on both current PTSD symptoms and cognitive function, and clarification on the importance of assessing ApoE using cysteine residues per mole to fully interpret risk and protective factors. Finally, these results, taken together using structural equation modelling, illustrate the intricacy of relationships between the many factors contributing to an individual’s presentation with PTSD, an important reminder when working with those experiencing this difficult condition.
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    Creative Minds Abroad: How Design Students Make Meaning of Their International Education Experiences
    (2016-05) Johnson, Rachel
    The purpose of this study is to explore the ways in which students majoring in a design discipline make meaning of their study abroad experiences in relation to their creativity and creative design work. Students and recent alumni from the College of Design (CDes) at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (UMTC) who had studied abroad formed the population of interest. Mezirow’s (1991) transformative learning theory is at the center of this epistemologically constructionist study’s theoretical framework, and is combined with the intergroup contact theory (Allport, 1954; Pettigrew, 1998), the systems perspective on creativity (Csikszentmihalyi, 1988), and motivated cultural cognition (Chiu et al., 2000; Chiu & Hong, 2005) to form an integrated conceptual model. The model proposes a rationale for how study abroad is meaningful for design student sojourners. A variant of Brinkerhoff’s (2006) success case method (SCM) was used to select study participants. A recruitment survey was sent to the entire population of interest, and then, based on the survey responses, information-rich interview participants were selected; therefore, the majority of the study data is qualitative. Both the survey instrument and the interview protocol were independently developed by the researcher. Blogs and designs created by the interview participants were used to triangulate information from the survey and interviews. The findings are organized by research question, and focus on four distinct yet related lines of inquiry: students’ expectations for the study abroad experience; the ways they describe the learning they experienced; the ways they make meaning of the experience in relation to their creativity; and the ways it influenced their future aspirations or plans. The key findings of the study relate to the process of making meaning of the learning experience, and include: the value of engaging with a culture mentor who has deep knowledge of both the host culture and design; the importance of experiencing, firsthand, the reciprocal relationship between culture and design; and the ability to borrow and apply concepts and processes from the study abroad host culture into new and creative designs.
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    Developing habits of mind for numeracy in a low-literacy classroom: a focus on attitudes
    (Minnesota and Wisconsin Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, 2012) Johnson, Rachel
    Many of today’s adults, both native and non-native speakers of English, do not have the necessary math skills to be considered numerate in the world around them. Their lack of skill may lead to serious anxiety about mathematical concepts or a negative attitude towards learning new concepts. Simple tasks, such as the “Math Problem of the Day,” when used deliberately to develop key “Habits of Mind,” can help students develop positive attitudes towards mathematical knowledge. This will ultimately result in a more successful mathematical experience in academics and the world around them.
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    Predicting Posttraumatic Growth in Veterans: The Role of Coping Mechanisms and Personality
    (2017) Mattson, Elsa; Johnson, Rachel; James, Lisa; Engdahl, Brian
    It is already widely established that there are negative psychological effects following a traumatic event, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, there is some indication that individuals may experience posttraumatic growth (PTG) following such events. This study explores factors including coping mechanisms, PTSD symptom severity, and personality characteristics to better understand the process that facilitates growth following a trauma. The sample included 271 veterans who completed surveys measuring PTSD symptoms, trauma exposure, personality traits, and posttraumatic growth. Results showed that adaptive coping mechanisms were predictive of posttraumatic growth, and an inverted-U shaped relationship was found to best explain the relationship between PTSD symptoms and PTG. Among veterans with PTSD, those who experienced growth following trauma exposure scored higher on extraversion, agreeableness, openness, and lower on neuroticism and pessimism. In addition, all five subscales of the posttraumatic growth inventory were significantly correlated with adaptive coping mechanisms. As cognitive coping mechanisms have been suggested to be changeable, these findings have potential implications for clinical intervention.