Mount Mercy University

ABSTRACT Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), including abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction, are common among adolescents and have been linked to increased substance use. This study examined how depressive symptoms and low self-control mediate the relationship between ACEs and substance use in a statewide representative sample of over 23,000 Florida high school students. Using generalized structural equation modeling with bootstrapped indirect effects, analyses revealed that ACEs were significantly associated with greater substance use, and that both depressive symptoms and low self-control mediated this relationship. Although low self-control was the stronger mediator, these factors collectively accounted for more than one-third of the total association between ACEs and substance use. These findings highlight the need for prevention and intervention efforts that target both emotional and behavioral factors to reduce substance use risk among adolescents exposed to adversity. Further research is recommended to explore additional mediators and to confirm these pathways over time.

Background: Insufficient sleep is a known risk factor for various adolescent health issues, yet its pathways to substance use remain unclear. This study tested whether depressive symptoms and low self-control mediate the association between sleep duration and adolescent substance use. Methods: Data were drawn from 47,572 Florida middle and high school students participating in the 2022 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey. Multilevel generalized structural equation modeling assessed direct and indirect associations between sleep duration, depressive symptoms, self-control, and substance use. Results: Shorter sleep duration was significantly associated with greater depressive symptoms (b = –0.11), lower self-control (b = –0.06), and higher expected substance use. Each additional hour of sleep corresponded to a 3% decrease in past 30-day substance use (IRR = 0.97). Both depressive symptoms and self-control independently predicted substance use and significantly mediated the relationship between sleep and substance use. Conclusions: Adequate sleep appears to protect against adolescent substance-use risk by reducing depressive symptoms and enhancing self-control. Findings support both general strain and self-control theories, which point to the critical role of sleep in youth prevention efforts.

Over the last several decades, the application of aDNA and strontium isotope analyses on archaeologically recovered human remains has provided new avenues for the investigation of mobility in past societies. Data on human mobility can be valuable in the reconstruction of prehistoric residential patterns and kinship systems, which are at the center of human social organization and vary across time and space. In this paper, we aim to contribute to our understanding of mobility, residence, and kinship patterns in late Prehistoric Iberia (c. 3300–1400BC) by providing new strontium data on 44 individuals from the site of Humanejos (Parla, Madrid). The study presented here is multi-proxy and looks at these new data by interweaving biological, chronological, and archaeological information. This analysis found that 7/44 individuals buried at Humanejos could be identified as non-local to the necropolis. Although more men (n = 5) than women (n = 2) were found in the non-local category, and more non-local individuals were identified in the pre-Bell Beaker (n = 5) than in Bell Beaker (n = 1) or Bronze Age (n = 1), we find no statistically significant differences concerning sex or time period. This contrasts with other archaeological datasets for late prehistoric Europe which suggest higher female mobility, female exogamy, and male-centered residential patterns were common. At Humanejos, we have also identified one non-local female whose exceptional Beaker grave goods suggest she was an individual of special status, leading to additional questions about the relationships between gender, mobility, and social position in this region and time period.

The authors examined the influence of study-abroad participation on the cognitive development of students across 17 institutions. Even after adjusting for several important potential confounding influences such as student precollege characteristics, college academic and nonacademic experiences, study-abroad intent, and a pretest measure for each outcome measure, the authors found that study-abroad participation enhanced students’ end-of-4th-year critical thinking, need for cognition, and positive attitudes toward literacy.

El cine venezolano y el proceso político del país del siglo XXI tienen una relación intrínseca. El gobierno, a través de sus políticas culturales, apoyó y produjo versiones filmográficas históricas que contribuyeron a robustecer su poder. En este artículo estudio películas que revisan la historia reciente de la democracia (1958–1998) precedente al proyecto bolivariano e incluyen Días de poder (2011) de Román Chalbaud, Er Relajo der Loro (2012) de John Perizzelli, La hora cero (2010) de Diego Velasco y Muerte en alto contraste (2010) de César Bolívar. Estas producciones muestran cómo el cine venezolano se reinventa con áreas temáticas e interpretaciones de los años democráticos ocurridos entre el régimen militar de Marco Pérez Jiménez y la llegada de Hugo Chávez al poder y sirven de estructura explicativa para justificar las políticas del gobierno bolivariano.

Treating chronic migraine (CM) effectively is one of the greatest challenges a primary care provider (PCP) may encounter. Many patients with CM report dissatisfaction and minimal gains from treatment, despite using the best medical interventions available. For this study, patients with CM and their partners provided insight into how PCPs could improve CM treatment. Using the immersion/crystallization phenomenological method, we collected data from 11 patients with CM and 8 of their partners (N = 19). We analyzed open-ended survey responses about migraine treatment from patients with CM, as well as transcripts from interviews with patients with CM and their partners (14 interviews total) about their medical experiences. Participants used a variety of pharmacological and alternative treatments in search of a cure; wanted to be treated more collaboratively; and repeatedly gave up on medical care, but then sought treatment again. PCPs could be trained to encourage patients with CM to shift toward accepting and managing migraines rather than endlessly hoping for a cure. Patients could be taught to manage CM using a holistic, biopsychosocial approach.