All posts by Joanna Thompson

National Stress Awareness Day

November 3, 2025 Joanna Thompson

National Stress Awareness Day is on the first Wednesday in November every year and this year it is on November 5th. Chronic stress over a long period of time can lead to health problems in the long run so we need to learn how to deal with stress appropriately.

What can cause stress?

There is a wide range of things that can cause stress and they can present differently depending on the person. Some examples of causes include:

Depression
Anxiety
Chronic illness
Grief
Guilt
Violence
Natural disaster
etc.

How does stress appear?

According to the American Behavioral Clinics, stress can look like these presentations:

Constantly angry or depressed
Feelings you are unloved
No sleep or trouble sleeping
Racing thoughts, constantly worried
Indecisive or make poor decisions
etc.

How do you deal with stress?

Increase stress awareness with education and mindfulness
Create a plan of your day to conquer it
Plan a day of things to make you laugh
Get proper sleep: it is recommended to have at least 7 hours as an adult
Exercise helps reduce stress and anxiety
Meditation and mindfulness: be more mindful in your thoughts to be present in the moment
Connect with others: share your feelings and emotions whether it is a friend or a professional

Source: https://americanbehavioralclinics.com/november-international-stress-awareness-day/

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Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
Website: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
Instagram: rcpsychology

Faculty News, Faculty Post

A NEW ADDITION TO OUR PSYCHOLOGY FACULTY TEAM!

September 24, 2025 Joanna Thompson

Dr. Katherine Kane joined the Roanoke College Psychology department in 2025 and we can’t wait to see how she excels our program!

Educational Journey/Interest in Psych/Research Interests:

Dr. Kane completed her undergraduate education at the University of Virginia (UVA), where she had the opportunity to take a course on the Psychology of Aging taught by Dr. Tim Salthouse. Dr. Salthouse is known for his research on cognitive changes associated with aging, particularly in processing speed. This course ignited Dr. Kane’s interest in geropsychology and inspired her to pursue research in the field. During class, Dr. Salthouse invited students to volunteer, which led Dr. Kane to work in his Cognitive Aging Lab for a couple of years.

She earned a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Boston College, where she completed a practicum in Neuropsychology at the Boston VA Healthcare System (VAHCS). Dr. Kane realized she wanted to specialize in testing, so she shifted her focus to Clinical Psychology and obtained her doctorate from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS), where she combined her interests in geropsychology and neuropsychology.

Dr. Kane completed her internship in Neuropsychology, followed by a two-year fellowship in the same field. She has independently practiced in various VA settings for over 11 years and is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist. Since 2017, she has also been teaching primarily at the undergraduate level as a side gig.

Courses She Is Interested In Teaching:

INQ260 (Psychology in Media), Abnormal Psych, Geropsychology, and Neuropsychology, and she hopes to teach other courses!

Her Outside Interests Include:

Dr. Kane’s interests include keeping up with my family, sports photography (primarily of my kids’ sports), running, reading, and volunteering at school events, community organizations, and the firehouse.

When you see her, don’t be shy, say hi!

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Uncategorized

NEW RESEARCH PUBLISHED!

September 17, 2025 Joanna Thompson

We are excited to share the news- our very own, Dr. Kennedy-Metz, has contributed to research in a newly published academic journal. The collaborative work is entitled, “Delivery of oxygen during cardiopulmonary bypass and associated clinical outcomes among adult cardiac surgery patients: A systematic review”. We are so proud to have her on our team! You can read her publication on Sage Journals, here is the link to access it, or read the abstract below.

Abstract

Purpose

Oxygen delivery (DO₂) during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is critical in preventing postoperative complications in adult cardiac surgery. This systematic review aimed to assess the relationship between intraoperative DO₂ during CPB, particularly within Goal-directed Perfusion (GDP) strategies, and associated clinical outcomes.

Methods

A systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, PROSPERO, and Cochrane was conducted from database inception through December 2024, adhering to PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Studies reported intraoperative DO₂ measurements and their relationship with clinical outcomes among adults undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed independently by two reviewers.

Results

Thirty-nine studies (71,050 patients) were included, with acute kidney injury (AKI) being the most frequently studied outcome (84.6% of studies). A consistent association was found between lower intraoperative DO₂ and increased risk of AKI, intraoperative lactate elevations, and prolonged mechanical ventilation. Five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) demonstrated that maintaining DO₂ levels, indexed to body surface area (iDO₂), above a threshold of 270–300 mL/min/m² significantly reduced the risk of postoperative AKI. However, evidence linking DO₂ management directly to reductions in mortality or neurologic complications remains limited, as well as studies reporting compliance with GDP strategies.

Conclusion

Maintaining adequate iDO₂ during CPB significantly reduces postoperative complications, especially AKI. These findings underscore the clinical relevance of GDP strategies, highlighting the importance of individualized perfusion management to optimize outcomes. Further large-scale RCTs are needed to confirm these benefits, standardize specific iDO₂ threshold levels that are beneficial, and to explore strategies that impact mortality and neurologic outcomes, as well as investigate the role that temperature management plays in DO₂ threshold determination.

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Faculty News

HIGHLIGHTING A NEW CONTRIBUTION TO RESEARCH!

August 29, 2025 Joanna Thompson

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand, one of our esteemed professors, has been recently published. Her collaborative work entitled “Victimization Forms, Depression and Self-Esteem Among Black/African American, White/Caucasian, and Hispanic Adolescents” was published on Springer Nature. Below is the abstract from the article or click on this link to access it here.

Photo of Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand — Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand

Abstract:

Background

Peer victimization peaks during adolescence and can have serious consequences for victims, but research on differences by race/ethnicity in the associations of victimization forms and emotional adjustment is limited.

Objective

To advance this research, this study examined self-reported physical, verbal, relational, and electronic victimization in relation to depression and self-esteem among Black/African American, White/Caucasian, and Hispanic adolescents.

Methods

Correlational survey data were collected from a diverse sample of 437 middle school students (282 girls; M age = 12.64 years).

Results

In the whole sample and within each race/ethnicity, verbal and relational victimization were the most common victimization forms. When controlling for each, verbal and relational victimization were uniquely associated with depression and low self-esteem for all three races/ethnicities (most consistently for White/Caucasian adolescents). Electronic victimization was uniquely associated with emotional adjustment only for Black/African American and Hispanic adolescents.

Conclusions

The findings support and extend existing research on race/ethnicity in peer victimization and emotional adjustment. They suggest that especially verbal and relational victimization are related to adolescent depression and low self-esteem across race/ethnicity groups, and minority youth may be at risk for emotional difficulties associated with electronic victimization.

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