Author, Abigail Doran

Author: Abigail Doran | Majors: Biology, Psychology | Semester: Spring 2023

My name is Abigail Doran and I am an Honors Student in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. I am a Biology and Psychology double major. My research mentor is Dr. Anastasia Makhanova who is in charge of the SPARK psychology lab. I have been conducting research for my thesis during the Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 semesters. After graduation, I will be attending UAMS College of Medicine starting in August 2023.

This research looked into hormonal contraceptive use and self-confidence in women. These concepts are both very relevant in everyday life since hormonal contraceptives are a common method of birth control among women and self-confidence is a major indicator of mental health and behavior. This research can be applied to women using various methods of hormonal contraceptives and help them fully understand the effects these medical interventions have on both their physical and psychological health. The results may also be used by medical professionals as they strive to provide the best possible care and information to their patients.

I chose this topic as an extension of some research already being conducted in the lab that was surveying women before and after they began using different hormonal contraceptive methods. Previous research had shown me that hormonal contraceptive use has been linked to psychological disorders like depression, anxiety, and more. I was also aware of the common physical side effects such as weight gain and acne that accompy these methods. Therefore I chose to link the two concepts by looking at self-confidence in women before and after they began taking different forms of hormonal contraceptives. This allowed me to analyze how hormonal contraceptives and their side effects may change both the physical and psychological aspects of women.

I have been a research assistant in the SPARK lab since my sophomore year of college and have had the opportunity to learn about and help with studies in the lab focused on womens hormones and how they change due to different conditions (phase of menstrual cycle, use of homronal contraceptives, etc. ). I was able to join this lab and have Dr. Makhanova as my mentor through a connection with my honors college peer mentor from freshman year.

The process of creating, maintaining, and defending a thesis project taught me a great deal about research methods and the topic I chose to investigate. Generally, I learned the importance of communication with lab mentors and graduate students throughout the process, who can provide a lot of guidance in both writing a thesis paper and conducting the project. My mentor helped me write my paper and showed me how to analyze the results and graduate student Arial Blonshinsky gave me daily instruction and feedback on study tasks, writing my paper, and making my presentation. More specifically, my results reflected some possible trends that can be researched further. Such as a possible difference between IUD women and those taking the pill for how they experience both physical and psychological side effects.

I am graduating this semester with an honors B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in Psychology. I will be attending medical school in the fall where I hope to learn more about the science behind the results of my project and continue similar research in a more clinical setting.