Author: Avery Gifford | Major: Public Health | Semester: Spring 2024
My name is Avery Gifford and this past semester I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health and minor in Psychology from the College of Education and Health Professions. My mentor, Dr. Page Dobbs, is a faculty member in the Health, Human Performance, and Recreation (HHPR) department. During the Fall and Spring semesters of my senior year, I collaborated with Dr. Dobbs and other Public Health students on a research project focusing on electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use and emotional regulation. After graduation, I am attending graduate school to obtain a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy at Washington University in St. Louis.
The research Dr. Dobbs and I engaged in focused on examining a possible association between e-cigarette usage and distress intolerance in college-aged students. The e-cigarette usage was divided among daily and non-daily users and data was gathered through surveys and interviews. We examined previously collected data by Dr. Dobbs from a cross-sectional study and gathered data from the follow-up interviews to explore the hypothesized connection. Participants were asked about their emotional stability presently, chosen coping mechanisms, opinions on negative emotions, and e-cigarette use. In order to analyze the transcripts and survey data, we utilized the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, or DERS, to measure emotional distress intolerance and the Individual Beliefs about Emotion, or IBAE, to investigate the participants’ perceptions on emotion and their regulation strategies. The coping mechanisms that the individuals chose to utilize to bring comfort to their emotional disruption gave insight into their attempts at regulating emotions and ability or inability to tolerate distress. Findings from this study will ideally help to advance the field of tobacco regulatory science and could be used to develop and enhance cessation programs for young adults attempting to quit using e-cigarettes. These results could also benefit select participants who become more aware of their e-cigarette use and the effects on their mental and emotional well-being.
When I joined in the honors college and learned about the required thesis project, I wanted to understand what resources were provided to me and partner with a faculty member who could guide me through the thesis process. Dr. Page Dobbs was one of the first faculty I spoke with, and she helped guide me through the transition. She identified herself as a resource for me then and when it came time to complete my thesis. I explored her research interests, spoke with her about her lab, and found the psychological and regulation aspects of electronic cigarette use she published interesting. We worked together to formulate the concept of investigating daily versus non-daily e-cigarette use and the distress intolerance to determine an association. For the population of interest we chose young adults, more specifically college-aged students based on the emerging public health issue in such a vulnerable and easily-influenced group, and the accessible data from a previous research project.
The research project brought light to the large impact substance use can have on the emotional health and well-being of individuals, especially those in a vulnerable group. The regulation tendencies of our participants were also measured alongside their e-cigarette usage and gave insight into possible explanations for distress. We were able to determine there may be a relationship between daily use and greater distress intolerance. This told us frequent usage was associated with a greater difficulty regulating negative and uncomfortable emotions. The findings of the study offered room for more analysis into the evidence behind frequent e-cigarette use and emotional dependencies. This research project provided me an opportunity to leverage my psychology minor and the knowledge from course material, which I was also able to expand upon during research.
The research process overall was informative and working with other students and Dr. Dobbs helped to establish a thoughtful collaborative partnership. This allowed me to further focus on my aspect of the research needs and work through any individual challenges I faced. The biggest challenge when completing my thesis work was managing my time wisely and finding a balance to my heavy course load, Public Health internship, club officer positions, and my thesis project. I found it most helpful to have my deadlines and daily affairs written down in a planner with the ability to check off everything I completed and see any tasks still needing my attention. My faculty mentor, Dr. Dobbs, held oversight to the research project and any required tasks for each of us as students to complete. We met both virtually and in-person to discuss project progress about once a month and establish next steps. Two other students assisted with the coding aspect of our research and helped to establish a peer reviewing system. We then collaborated after the coding was finished to discuss the initial findings.
As for my future plans, I will attend a Doctoral program for Occupational Therapy in the fall. I expect my research to continue throughout graduate school and am eager to explore the behavioral interventions and regulation aspects of substance use in those with intellectual disabilities.