Tag Archives: university of missouri

MU Study Pairs Military Veterans and Shelter Dogs to Ease Transition Home for Veterans; Train Shelter Dogs To Be More Adoptable

By Guest PostJuly 29, 2011Healtha better world for pets, banfield charitable trust, combat related issues, eunice shriver kennedy, joe simpson, mars petcare, pedigree foundation, post traumatic stress disorder, ptsd, ptsd service dogs, rebecca johnson, springfield, the waltham foundation, tiddly, united states service members, university of missouri, veterans, wars in iraq and afghanistan

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Of the 2 million United States Service members that have been in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it’s estimated that up to 50 percent experience combat-related issues ranging from substance abuse to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Now, a University of Missouri professor is conducting a unique study that will give military veterans a “training buddy” to help them cope while helping shelter dogs become more adoptable. The Central Missouri Humane Society is supplying the dogs involved in the study.

The University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine’s Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction (ReCHAI) has been supported and funded through a series of grants from Mars Petcare (the WALTHAM Foundation, PEDIGREE Foundation and Banfield Charitable Trust) and the MU Research Board, to conduct a study of the mutual benefit of veterans training shelter dogs. Researchers hope this partnership between man and animal will make the dogs better family members and assist the veterans’ adjustment after returning home. (more…)

Trend in Young Adults’ Dating Habits, Committed Relationships May Not Lead to Marriage, MU Researcher Finds

By Guest PostJuly 26, 2011Culturechanges in relationship, guidance of social norms, larry ganong, marriage, patterns in romantic relations, stayover relationships, stayovers, tyler jamison, university of missouri, young adults

*Trend may help explain decline in marriage rate, particularly among young adults*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Changes in relationship formation and dissolution in the past 50 years have revealed new patterns in romantic relations among young adults. The U.S. Census indicates that young people are choosing to marry later and cohabitating more often than past generations. Now, a University of Missouri researcher has found that people in their 20s are redefining dating by engaging in “stayover relationships,” spending three or more nights together each week while maintaining the option of going to their own homes.

“Instead of following a clear path from courtship to marriage, individuals are choosing to engage in romantic ties on their own terms – without the guidance of social norms,” said Tyler Jamison, a researcher in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS). “There is a gap between the teen years and adulthood during which we don’t know much about the dating behaviors of young adults. Stayovers are the unique answer to what emerging adults are doing in their relationships.” (more…)

Healthcare Reform Must Involve Psychologists, Medical Providers, Educate Patients, MU Researcher Finds

By Guest PostJuly 21, 2011General, Healthaccountable care organizations, aco, american psychological association, healthcare reform law, medical care, members of congress, nancy cheak zamora, oxford university press, patient protection and affordable care act, policymakers, psychologists, psychology and rehabilitation, united states, university of missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. — While some members of Congress and others are trying to repeal the healthcare reform law that was passed in 2010, known as the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” medical providers have begun to implement requirements as the law slowly phases in over the next several years. For reform to be successful, one University of Missouri public health expert has determined that professional associations for psychologists and other medical providers need to be at the forefront of the planning stages, and that everyone, including providers and patients, will need to be educated on rights and responsibilities.

“We looked at psychology departments here in the United States and in other countries to determine what worked best when implementing the policies outlined in healthcare reform,” said Nancy Cheak-Zamora, assistant professor of health science in the MU School of Health Professions. “Many providers, especially psychologists, work independently, but the new healthcare law is encouraging providers to develop a medical team approach, one that can tackle many different aspects of a disease.” (more…)

MU Professor Creates Resource for Helping People with Brain Injuries

By Guest PostJuly 18, 2011Healthbrain injury, brain injury in veterans and children, centers for disease control and prevention, knowledge of tbi, life changing events, military professionals, police officers, public health impact, social workers, stephanie reid arndt, tbi, traumatic brain injuries, university of missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. – According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1.7 million people suffer traumatic brain injuries each year. Stephanie Reid-Arndt, chair and assistant professor of health psychology in the University of Missouri School of Health Professions, has launched The Brain Injury Guide and Resources at https:// braininjuryeducation.com/ to provide a resource for people to understand traumatic brain injuries.

“Brain injuries aren’t visible like other injuries, and often, people with brain injuries can be misunderstood,” Reid-Arndt said. “Direct results of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) include cognitive difficulties, changes in behavior or difficulty managing anger that are direct results of the brain injuries. Unfortunately, these symptoms are often misconstrued as willfully uncooperative behavior.” (more…)

MU Psychology Study Finds Key Early Skills for Later Math Learning

By Guest PostJuly 15, 2011Educationcomplex math, david geary, elementary school years, fractions and algebra, good foundation, good head start, growth in mathematics, low level arithmetic, math learning, math skills, mathematics, psychologists, understanding numbers and quantity, united states, university of missouri

*Long-term study shows students must know about numbers at beginning of first grade*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Psychologists at the University of Missouri have identified the beginning of first grade math skills that teachers and parents should target to effectively improve children’s later math learning.

A long-term psychology study indicates that beginning first graders that understand numbers, the quantities those numbers represent, and low-level arithmetic will have better success in learning mathematics through the end of fifth grade, and other studies suggest throughout the rest of their lives. (more…)

MU Study Identifies Protective Factors that Help Women Recover from Childhood Violence

By Guest PostJuly 13, 2011Healthabusive intimate relationships, children, domestic violence, economic stability, economic sustainability, kim anderson, mental health problems, model, police involvement, positive adult role models, post traumatic stress disorder, psychological problems, ptsd, risk factors for ptsd, school of social work, university of missouri, women

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Children who witness domestic violence are more likely to be in abusive intimate relationships and experience psychological problems such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adulthood, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A University of Missouri researcher has found that certain protective factors foster resilience and increase the likelihood that the cycle of violence will end for women who, as children, were exposed to their mothers’ battering.

Kim Anderson, associate professor in the MU School of Social Work, found that women are less likely to suffer from PTSD if they are more resilient, or better able to overcome adversity. In regard to childhood protective factors that increase adult resilience, Anderson found that mothers who were employed full-time had a positive influence on their children’s recovery from witnessing domestic violence. (more…)

iPad Defies Skeptics, User Satisfaction Still Increasing, MU Survey Finds

By Guest PostJuly 11, 2011Technologyapple, ipad owners, ipad tablet, ipad users, journalism, laptop computers, mobile devices, own tablets, real world experiments, reynolds journalism institute, roger fidler, university of missouri, user satisfaction

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Since its launch in April last year, Apple’s iPad tablet has defied skeptics and set a high bar for manufacturers that are now introducing their own tablets. An internationally recognized authority on media tablets and e-readers from the University of Missouri, has found that iPad owners are reporting exceptionally high levels of satisfaction and that user satisfaction appears to be increasing the longer they use the device.

Roger Fidler, program director for digital publishing at the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri, has been conducting surveys of iPad users since last fall to gain insights into how iPad owners use the devices in their daily lives and how the iPad may influence journalism and news consumption. Fidler says he is surprised by the high levels of user satisfaction. (more…)

Civil War Troops Fought the Weather 150 Years Ago During Battle

By Guest PostJuly 4, 2011Environment, Politicsatmospheric conditions, battle of carthage, boonville, british admiralty, captain nathaniel lyon, carthage, civil war, civil war battle, confederate victory, coon creek, european observations, franz siegel, french navy, heavy rain, lupo and madden, mike madden, missouri, thunderstorms, tony lupo, torrential rains, union force, union troops, university of missouri, weather, wet gunpowder

*MU meteorologists say weather played a key role in union defeat*

COLUMBIA, Mo. — One hundred fifty years ago, two armies battled each other and the weather in Missouri’s first significant Civil War battle. While the battle’s course is familiar to historians, virtually no scientific data exists about the atmospheric conditions that influenced the fighting. In a project that blends history, sleuthing and modern weather analysis, Tony Lupo, professor and chair of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Missouri, and Mike Madden, a meteorology student, have scientifically examined the heavy rains that hampered the union forces, eventually leading to a costly defeat. (more…)