> Resiliency, Stress and Coping in an International LGBTQ+ Sample The purpose of the current project is to examine general and community-specific resiliency factors that impact vulnerability and bolster well-being in an international LGBTQ+ sample. This study utilizes a mixed-method contextual approach comprising emic measures developed within the LGBTQ+ community, including internalized homophobia (Mayfield, 2001), identity commitment (Riggle et al., 2014; Worthington et al., 2008), community connectedness (Frost & Meyer, 2012; Vanable et al., 1998), and level of disclosure (Meidlinger & Hope 2014; Mohr & Fassinger, 2000), as well as interviews for clinical depression and for observer-rated assessments of coping and defense mechanisms.
The timeline for the completion of data collection is Summer 2021.
Currently recruiting adults who identify as LGBTQ+ For more information see: Click here
>Transgenerational Trauma in Holocaust Survivors The purpose of this project is to validate a transcultural scale for assessing historical trauma (HITT-Q, Békés & Starrs, 2021). In this first phase, we are focusing on 2nd and 3rd generation descendants of Holocaust survivors in Hungary. In addition to HITT-Q, Holocaust related participants complete a package of measures assessing resiliency (attachment Fraley et al., 2000; self-compassion Neff, 2003; resilience Connor & David, 2003), other traumas (childhood adversity, Dube et al., 2003) and mental health (PTSD, Cloitre et al., 2018; depression, Kroenke et al., 2001; anxiety, Spitzer et al., 2006; flourishing, Vanderwheele, 2017). Moreover, in order to validate HITT-Q against a Holocaust trauma measure, we also included the Danieli Inventory (2015). To date, we have around 750 participants for Phase 1. The second phase will focus on descendants in the US and Canada, and it will include the same measures. Finally, in a third phase, the project will move to an Indigenous sample to provide validation for the transcultural applicability of HITT-Q.
The timeline for the completion of data collection is Spring 2021 for Phase 1, Summer 2021 for Phase 2 and Fall 2021 for Phase 3. Recruitment of Phase 1 participants is underway
Recruitment of Phase 2 participants is scheduled for May 2021
Recruitment of Phase 3 participants is scheduled for July 2021
>ICINA: Development and Validation of a Cultural Identity Assessment for Indigenous Peoples The overall aim of this study is to create and validate an assessment for use with Onkwe:hon’we clients that brings together Western clinical approaches and Indigenous cultural knowledge and ways of knowing. The project is a two-phase mixed methods design. The first phase involves validating the Indigenous Cultural Identity Assessment (ICINA, Herne & Starrs, 2020), an interview designed around a medicine wheel framework, that focuses on collecting interpersonal stories, whilst at the same time integrating mainstream methodologies for coding and analyzing data. The second phase involves the development of a self-report version of ICINA, that will be included in an extensive package of measures focusing on resiliency to colonization and assimilation trauma. Measures include multiple scales that were developed in collaboration with Indigenous communities: historical trauma/loss and associated symptoms (Whitbeck et al., 2004 based on Brave Heart & DeBruyn, 1998, Brave Heart et al., 2011), cultural connectedness and spirituality (Long & Nelson, 1999; Snowshoe, et al., 2015) and sources of strength (Kelley & Small, 2016), as well as our historical/collective trauma measure (HITT-Q, Békés & Starrs, 2021) and measures of psychological health.
Recruitment of adult Indigenous participants is currently underway. To participate, contact: [email protected]
2020 Research Projects
> Impact of COVID-19 on Health Behaviors, Coping and Well-being In this international study, in collaboration with researchers from McGill University in Canada and Yeshiva University in NYC, we examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health behaviors, coping strategies, and mental health. This project also included spirituality as resiliency (de Jager Meezenbroek et al., 2012), childhood adversity (Dube et al., 2003), and current intimate partner violence (Shrout et al., 2020). Participants included over 9,000 adults in multiple countries who speak either English or French, across multiple waves. Data analyses for this project are currently in progress.
Recruitment for this study is closed.
> Resiliency, Psychological Distress & Coping During COVID-19 The purpose of this multiwave project was to examine the impact on work, studies, and finances, coping strategies, and resiliency in the face of an exceptional stressor. Specifically, we measured resiliency (self-compassion, Neff, 2003, spirituality, de Jager Meezenbroek et al., 2012), symptoms of anxiety and depression, and use of conscious coping strategies (Starrs et al., 2020) and unconscious defense mechanisms (Perry et al., 2020) at multiple time points during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were adults affiliated with the SUNY Potsdam campus, the associated colleges and the local area. All residents of St. Lawrence County were invited to participate. Data analyses for this project are currently in progress.
Recruitment for this study is closed.
Completed Studies
Change in Coping Action Patterns with Treatment for Major Depression Using an innovative observer-rated system (Coping Action Pattern method, Perry et al., 2014), this study examined changes in coping mechanisms over a course of treatment, in a sample of patients with recurrent severe major depression. Results revealed a significant amelioration in coping, with patients using more adaptive coping strategies by the end of treatment. In addition, patient’s current depressive episode remitted, and overall social functioning and well-being improved. See Starrs & Perry (2018) Coping Action Patterns as mechanisms of change across psychotherapies: Three case examples of personality disorders with recurrent major depression. Invited submission for Special Issue: Mediators in Psychotherapy of Personality Disorders. Journal of Personality Disorders, 32, 58-74, for preliminary results. Predictors of Stress Generation in Adolescents in Mainland China This study examined personality vulnerability factors and stress generation in a large sample of adolescents from Mainland China. We examined the relationship between self-criticism, dependency and interpersonal stress generation. In addition, we investigated whether this relationship was moderated by gender, or level of urbanicity. See Starrs, C.J., Abela, J.R.Z., Zuroff, D.C., Amsel, R., Shih, J.H., … & Hong, W. (2017). Predictors of stress generation in adolescents in mainland China. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 45(6), 1207-1219 for results.
Student Research
Spirituality and Resiliency to Distress in Indigenous Students Roberts, Z., & Starrs, C.J., PhD.[Learning and Research Fair, 2019] Click here to download.
Body Image Perception and Distress in Indigenous Students Rockingster, S.C., & Starrs, C.J., PhD.[Learning and Research Fair, 2019] Click here to download.
Substance-Use as a Coping Mechanism in Indigenous Students O'Meara, A., & Starrs, C.J., PhD.[Learning and Research Fair, 2019] Click here to download. Language, level of Acculturation, Personality and Emotion-Word Use. Angeles-Gonzalez, M.J., & Starrs, C.J., PhD. [Eastern Psychological Association, 2019] Click here to download.
Self Competency and Distress in Adolescents in Mainland China Beaudet, É.A., & Starrs, C.J., PhD., Abela, J.R.Z., PhD., Yao, S., MD., Zhu, X.Z., MD., & Hong, W., MD. [Eastern Psychological Association, 2019] Click here to download.