New York University’s Applied Psychology Online Publication of Undergraduate Studies, also known as OPUS, was established in 2009. OPUS provides Applied Psychology undergraduate students with a forum for sharing their independent work. This publication is entirely written, edited, and designed by Applied Psychology undergraduates, and is one of the only undergraduate psychology journals in the United States.
The themes of the Fall 2016 issue reflect the diverse clinical and research interests of our contributing writers. First, our writers review research about innovative mental health treatments: Elise Conklin investigates how addressing trauma in substance abuse treatment can support recovery, while Caitlyn Corradino explores how practicing mindfulness can help patients recovering from anorexia to become intuitive eaters. Julia Klein then examines the relation between hypomanic symptomatology and creative achievement in individuals with bipolar II disorder, noting that this mental illness may confer benefits to those afflicted.
Another set of articles in this issue examine the impact of various contexts on individuals’ mental health perceptions and related behaviors: Bekah Myers reviews literature on the influence of attending a military school on mental health stigma and help-seeking behaviors, while Molly Nystrom qualitatively explores how the living circumstances of elderly individuals are related to their acceptance of and uptake of formal support services. Shirley Wu investigates how maternal beliefs and attitudes can both facilitate and inhibit father involvement with children, depending on family structure and context.
We would like to thank our enthusiastic and talented writers for their scholarly contributions, as well as Julia Imperatore and Shirley Wu, the OPUS administrative staff, for their hard work and commitment to the journal. We are also grateful to Dr. Gigliana Melzi, the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Applied Psychology, and Judson Simmons, the OPUS advisor, for their continuous support of OPUS. Finally, we would like to thank Dr. Adina Schick, our faculty mentor, for her guidance and dedication to OPUS, without whom this issue would not be possible.
Best wishes and thank you for reading,
Julia Acker and Ashlie Pankonin