Laura E. Sockol, Ph.D.

Davidson College Laboratory for Risk and Treatment Studies (LabRATS)

Prenatal Attachment in Fathers

-Written by Katie Little ’18 Much of the research conducted on the transition to parenthood focuses on mothers specifically. However, even though fathers do not go through the same physiological changes as mothers do during pregnancy, the nine months prior to the birth of a child are still a time in which fathers can imagine […]

Childhood Trauma Exposure and Young Adult Outcomes

Written by Alexis Mitchell UNCC’18 Exposure to childhood trauma is associated with a host of negative outcomes, including, but not limited to, posttraumatic stress disorder (Ballard et al., 2015). For example, childhood adversity has been associated with adult outcomes like suicide, depression, alcohol and drug use, and physical consequences, like autoimmune disorders. Toxic stress that […]

Prenatal Attachment in Mothers

-Written by Katie Little ‘18 While there is a breadth of information about mother-infant attachment after a baby is born (For more information, please see any of the following: “What Creates Mother-Infant Bonds?”, “What Factors Affect the Attachment Security of Premature Babies?”, “Mary Ainsworth and the Strange Situation Procedure”, or “Does Attachment Classification Change from […]

Coping Strategies

Written by Alexis Mitchell UNCC’18 Coping strategies have been a  thought-provoking topic of psychological interest. A coping strategy is simply how an individual decides to react or handle a stressful or emotional situation. Situations and events may have different degrees of  emotional intensity or significance, depending on the event and the person, thus warranting whatever […]

How do the Effects of Death of a Parent Compare to the Effects of Parental Divorce?

-Written by Katie Little ‘18 Several previous blog posts examine the effects of parental divorce on children’s later relationship outcomes (For more information, see “How Does Parental Divorce Increase the Risk of Offspring Divorce?”, “How Does Knowledge of Parents’ Infidelity Impact Children Later in Life?”, and “Does Exposure to Parental Divorce and Separation Affect How […]

Effects of PTSD on Adolescents

Written By Alexis Mitchell UNCC’18 Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can affect overall health and mental and social functioning for adolescents (Giaconia et al., 1995). As children age there is more opportunity for exposure to trauma and thus increasing likelihood of temporary or lasting damage to mental and social functioning. A national study asked 4,023 adolescents about […]

What Factors Affect the Attachment Security of Premature Babies?

  -Written by Katie Little ‘18 Mary Ainsworth’s Strange Situation Procedure assesses the bonds babies have with their mothers by observing babies’ reactions to a series of episodes in which their mothers leave and return. Babies who are securely attached become distressed when their mothers leave, but they are later soothed when she returns (Ainsworth […]

The Warning Signal Hypothesis

Written By Alexis Mitchell UNCC ‘18 An intrusive memory is a type of negative memory that is generally experienced through short, vivid sensory fragments such as: visual image, taste, smell, sound, or bodily sensation (Ehlers et al, 2002). Intrusive memories are an enigmatic aspect of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that researchers have sought to explain and […]

Role of Searching for Meaning in Trauma and Nontrauma-Exposed Emerging Adults

Written By Alexis Mitchell UNCC ’18 The incidence of trauma during emerging adulthood (aged 18-25; Arnett, 2005) is 84%-90% (Woo & Brown, 2013).  The exploration of roles, identity, and world views are developmental characteristics of emerging adults. These characteristics may be beneficial to a certain degree, however, they may also compromise an individual’s capacity to process and […]

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