So proud of Dr. Alana Egan for successfully defending her F31-funded dissertation, entitled "A Qualitative Inquiry of Substance Use, Suicidal Ideation, and Historical Trauma in Pacific Islander Adults." Her expertise, dedication, and thoughtful scholarship really shined throughout the defense!
STRESS Lab
@stresslab.bsky.social
Serving people with lived experiences of trauma and substance use through research, practice, and advocacy. Directed by @nicoleweiss.bsky.social in the Department of Psychology at the University of Rhode Island.
Do you enjoy working with intensive longitudinal data or know someone who does? The STRESS Lab (@stresslab.bsky.social), directed by @nicoleweiss.bsky.social, is hiring a full-time Research Associate/Data Analyst III at The University of Rhode Island.
Research Associate/Data Analyst III
The search will remain open until the position has been filled. First consideration will be given to applications received by May 18, 2026. Applications received after May 18, 2026 may be reviewed dep...
jobs.uri.edu
✨ Welcome to our new PhD cohort ✨
As 4 PhD students leave for internship (😭), @stresslab.bsky.social is excited to welcome 3 PhD students: Andrew Rolles, Dominique Sheldon, Jeniska Rivera Galarza. Excited for this dream team to bring new ideas & energy to the lab. I couldn't do it without the support of @benjaminwkatz.bsky.social!
So (so, so, so) proud of Dr. Reina Kiefer for successfully defending her dissertation! Reina's work reflects an unwavering commitment to women who have experienced college campus sexual assault and will undoubtedly have a meaningful impact on their lives.
Congratulations to @stresslab.bsky.social graduate students on a successful match day 🥳 Catherine Trinh: McLean Noam Newberger: University of Washington Alana Egan: Home to VA Pacific Islands @hodiana.bsky.social: MUSC
📣 Join our team We are hiring 4 research assistants to support work across three grants: 1. EMA and biosensor to predict return to use, 2. Mobile app for co-occurring PTSD-OUD, 3. EMA and biosensor to understand timing and mechanisms underlying alcohol use and suicide. Apply and share widely!
Interested in using the PCL-5 to measure PTSD symptoms in your EMA study? We conducted item analysis to examine item thresholds & discrimination parameters & examined DIF across daily surveys www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Psychometric evaluation of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 in daily surveys: An item response theory and longitudinal measurement invariance analysis
The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist for the DSM-5 (PCL-5) has demonstrated excellent psychometric qualities across cross-sectional stud…
sciencedirect.com
📣 New Pub 📣 Studied PTSD and opioid use across 60 days in people in the community who use opioids and have a history of trauma. 75% met criteria for current OUD 67% met criteria for current PTSD www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Influence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder on Daily-Level Trajectories of Opioid Use Among Trauma-Exposed Individuals in the Community Who Use Opioids
Objective: Individuals who use opioids are at elevated risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The objective of this study was to examine the influence of PTSD diagnosis on opioid use outcome...
tandfonline.com
📣 New Pub 📣 We captured 30-day emotion intensity & dysregulation data from EMA & examined in relation to cortisol (from hair) during the same period. Emotion intensity & hair cortisol levels were significantly associated among women with high (but not low) emotion dysregulation.
First year PhD student Katy Price sharing qualitative findings on the needs, barriers, and lived experiences of Black asylum seeking parents @istss.bsky.social
So proud of Alexa Raudales for being the recipient of the @istss.bsky.social Outstanding Student Achievement Award
Awesome series of EMA talks chaired by STRESS Lab postdoc @benjaminwkatz.bsky.social and lead by STRESS Lab alum (Emmanuel Thomas and Alexa Raudales) and current members (Noam Newberger)
Sixth year PhD student @reina-kiefer.bsky.social presenting on emotion dysregulation and mental and behavioral health outcomes across community and college samples with experiences of childhood trauma @istss.bsky.social
STRESS Lab RA Ben Seebold presenting on hair cortisol-derived stress and emotion dysregulation among women experiencing IPV @istss.bsky.social
STRESS Lab RA Dominique Sheldon presenting on childhood trauma, impulsivity, and physical aggression @istss.bsky.social
PhD student alum Emmanuel Thomas sharing preliminary findings from his F31 on momentary associations among trauma symptoms of discrimination and alcohol craving @istss.bsky.social @istss-sud-sig.bsky.social
PhD alum Alexa Raudales presenting on the intersections among PTSD, opioid use, and suicide @istss.bsky.social
Fifth year PhD student @hodiana.bsky.social presenting on racial microaggressions and alcohol use among women of color in the community
STRESS Lab RA Natalie Chasten presenting qualitative findings on coping among individuals with co-occurring PTSD and OUD
Fourth year PhD student Noam Newberger presenting on the utility of GIMME for exploring group, subgroup, and idiographic relations among PTSD symptoms in individuals with OUD @istss.bsky.social
Thanks to everyone who braved the early hour to attend our panel discussion on treating PTSD and substance use disorders! #ISTSS2025 #PTSD #AcademicSky With @nicoleweiss.bsky.social
Most of the crew @istss.bsky.social (@nicoleweiss.bsky.social @hodiana.bsky.social @reina-kiefer.bsky.social) plus a few of our alum (@melissarschick.bsky.social and @atobar.bsky.social)
Fifth year PhD student @hodiana.bsky.social presenting @istss-sud-sig.bsky.social on the relations among racial microaggressions and alcohol use @istss.bsky.social
Fifth year PhD student Alana Egan presenting preliminary qualitative findings from her F31 on the intersections among historical trauma, substance use, and suicide @istss.bsky.social @istss-sud-sig.bsky.social
Third year PhD student Jewelia Ferguson sharing findings on the role of stigma in PTSD and SUD @istss.bsky.social @istss-sud-sig.bsky.social
New lab grant!
Went to dinner last night with @heatherschatten.bsky.social & our new R01!!! We're using the BACtrack Skyn & EMA to examine the timing & mechanisms underlying alcohol use & suicide risk. I'm excited to be doing work that matters with close friends (also @lesliebrickphd.bsky.social and Amy Stamates)
Proud to empower our community through naloxone distribution on IOAD. Community engagement is more than research; it's action. @nicoleweiss.bsky.social @benjaminwkatz.bsky.social @hodiana.bsky.social (and many others!)
Big news! @universityofri.bsky.social just secured its first-ever NIH T32 grant! This T32 will bring together Psychology, Neuroscience, Engineering, and Life Sciences to train the next generation of scientists to tackle complex health challenges like addiction. www.uri.edu/news/2025/09...
URI receives first-ever NIH T32 award to launch transdisciplinary biomedical research training program
KINGSTON, R.I. – Sept. 3, 2025 – The University of Rhode Island has received its first-ever National Institutes of Health (NIH) T32 Predoctoral Training Grant, marking a major milestone in URI’s growt...
uri.edu