Savannah B. Simpson, is a Doctoral Candidate in the Clinical-Community Psychology program at the University of South Carolina. Savannah’s program of research seeks to promote positive youth development and social change in formal mentoring programs, with a complementary focus on improving mental health outcomes among college students. By examining the intersections of mentoring relationships, cultural responsiveness, and well-being, her work aims to inform practices that foster resilience and psychological well-being in both youth and young adults.
Mariah Kornbluh, is an Associate Professor in Community Psychology at the University of Oregon. Her scholarship explores how student-led research can inform school decision-making in effective and sustainable ways.
Dr. McQuillin, is an Associate Professor in School Psychology at the University of South Carolina. He interested in how communities and schools can work together to help empower young people to succeed in school and in life. Dr. McQuillin is particularly interested in how relationships between adult helpers and young people influence positive youth development. In his work, he hopes to improve these positive influences by equipping helpers with skills and practices gleaned from research evidence. Dr. McQuillin also serves as a quantitative methodologist on a broad range of research projects.
Dr. Mishra, is an Associate Professor in the department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego. She is the founder and director of the NEATLabs and also the co-director of the University of California wide Climate Resilience Initiative (https://www.climateresilience.online/). Dr. Mishra has research expertise in the study of climate trauma and resilience as well as scalable digital mental health interventions and precision psychiatry. Her research has been widely featured in popular media including features in CNN, TIME magazine, the BBC, NPR, Washington Post, World Economic forum, Scientific American among others, and has also been cited by the National Climate Assessment as first empirical evidence of climate disaster impacts on mental health and well-being.
Aims: This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between childhood trauma and psychological distress (i.e., depression and anxiety symptoms) and the moderating role of resource use during and after the deadliest wildfire in California among a sample of college students.
Methods: Participants (N = 473) completed well-validated measures six months after the 2018 Camp Fire exploring retrospective childhood trauma, current psychological distress, and resource use during and after the fire.
Results: Multiple regression and moderation analyses revealed that greater exposure to childhood trauma predicted increased depression and anxiety symptoms following the fire. However, using community-based (off-campus) mental health services during and after the fire buffered the effects of childhood trauma on depression and anxiety symptoms.
Conclusion: Youth exposed to childhood trauma are more susceptible to depression and anxiety symptoms post-disaster, yet using community-based mental health services may protect against the development of aggravated symptoms with greater childhood trauma.