News

Jun 4, 2018

Global Perspectives Certificate Student Spotlight: Madelyn Afshar

NC State's Global Perspectives Certificate allowed Madelyn Afshar to merge her interests in psychology, Middle Eastern studies and international relations. 

May 23, 2018

Committed and Marginalized: How Race and Sexual Identity Impact Activism

What does activism mean to you? More specifically, how can we best understand the psychology of activism among Black people who also identity as LGBTQ? NC State graduate student Kristen Pender’s research explores those questions. 

Apr 4, 2017

Pilot Project Offers Blueprint for Addressing Mental Health Needs of Homeless Children

Research from NC State outlines the lessons learned from a five-year pilot project designed to meet the mental health needs of children in homeless families — and could serve as a blueprint for similar efforts around the country. 

Feb 27, 2017

Psychology Students Design Campus Composting Solution

As a project for a human factors psychology course, graduate students Jenna Darrah, Xing Huang and David Feltner researched, designed and tested a system to divert Talley Student Union’s estimated 34,000 pounds of annual paper towel waste from trash cans to compost bins. 

Dec 10, 2015

Psychologists ask: What motivates older adults to stay active?

As we age, it can be harder to do what’s good for the mind. While research shows that regularly exercising the brain, for instance, can help older adults mitigate normal declines in cognition, that effort comes with costs — such as mental fatigue — that typically increase as we get older. Psychologists at NC State University want to know how those increased costs affect our motivation to engage in cognitively-rewarding tasks. 

Dec 7, 2015

Study: Mental Health Courts Reduce Repeat Offenses, Jail Time

Research from NC State psychologists shows that mental health courts can reduce repeat offending, and limit related jail time, for people with mental health problems — especially those who also have substance use problems. 

Nov 18, 2015

Experiencing Major Stress Makes Some Older Adults Better Able to Handle Daily Stress

New research from NC State psychologists suggests that dealing with a major stressful event can make some older adults better able to cope with the ups and downs of day-to-day stress. Results of the study, led by a Ph.D. candidate in NC State's lifespan development psychology graduate program, shows that people who had experienced major stressors responded differently to daily stress than people who had not experienced such stressful life events. 

Nov 10, 2015

Psychologist Expands Postpartum Adjustment Work to Community

Betty-Shannon Prevatt, a doctoral student in NC State’s Applied Social and Community Psychology graduate program, is surveying new moms in the Triangle about how they’ve dealt with postpartum adjustment. Through the survey of adult women who have delivered a baby since January 2012, Prevatt said she hopes to learn more about social support, access to health care, coping strategies, domestic violence, substance abuse and mood changes after having a baby. 

Oct 7, 2015

Study Finds Violence Among Young, Black Men Associated With Sense of Powerlessness

New research from North Carolina State University and Palo Alto University finds that young black men who are most likely to be victims or perpetrators of violence are also those who feel that they have the least power to effect social change – highlighting the importance of ensuring that young black men do not feel alienated by society and social programs. 

Sep 23, 2015

Research aims to reduce HIV/STD risk factors among teenage girls

Research led by NC State psychology professor Laura Widman aims to reduce young people’s risk of HIV and other STDs through a new web-based intervention program she developed for teen girls. Starting this fall, she and other researchers will see how effective the program, Project HEART, is with up to 300 teenagers in North Carolina.