The University of Florida’s 8th annual Symposium for the Center for Addiction Research & Education (CARE) was held virtually on April 20th of 2021. The symposium focused on the topic of risk, resiliency, and recovery, and featured the research of four of our very own ACE lab members: Benjelene D. Sutherland, Nasreen Hidmi, Sarah Hartmann, and Odette Manresa.
Benjelene D. Sutherland presented a poster titled ‘Alexithymia Mediates the Association Between Childhood Trauma and Adolescent Substance Use.’ She found that emotional abuse predicted symptoms of alexithymia, which in turn predicted binge drinking, marijuana use, and e-cigarette use.
Sarah Hartmann presented a poster titled ‘Risk Factors for Adolescent Substance Use: Dimensions and Profiles of Temperament.’ The research categorized three profiles of temperament: an internalizing, a withdrawn, and a resilient profile. Each profile provided more nuanced information regarding which adolescents are at greatest risk for substance use initiation.
Nasreen Hidmi presented a poster titled ‘Student Connectedness Moderates the Association Between Friend Use and Approval of E-Cigarettes and Intentions to Use.’ Her research found that schools with low connectedness among students may increase an adolescent’s risk of initiating e-cigarettes based on their friends’ use and approval.
Odette Manresa presented a poster titled ‘The Use of Cognitive Interviews to Aid in the Development of a Measure to Assess Quantity and Frequency of Adolescent E-Cigarette Use.’ Through interviews with adolescent e-cigarette users, measures were refined to include updated pictures of nicotine products and new terms that are easier for adolescents to understand.
We are proud of our ACE lab members and are excited to continue presenting our findings!