Browsing by Author "White, Kurt"

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    Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Social Work Students: Burnout and Resilience During a Global Pandemic
    (IU School of Social Work, 2023-03-22) Keesler, John M.; Wilkerson, David; White, Kurt; Dickinson, Stephanie; School of Social Work
    COVID-19 had a profound impact on teaching and learning at academic institutions across the globe. This study examined the experiences of social work students (n = 884) during the pandemic and their associated level of burnout. Using a mixed methods approach, data from an online survey within a school of social work at a large Midwestern university were examined using stepwise regression and thematic analysis. Student demographics, academic characteristics, and experiences with COVID-19 were examined as predictors of burnout. Resilience was tested as a moderator of the association between COVID-19 experiences and burnout. Regression models accounted for 34.3% to 45.5% of variance across three domains of burnout (i.e., exhaustion, cynicism, and professional/academic efficacy), with COVID-related experiences accounting for most of the variance. Although resilience had a significant main effect, the interactions of resilience and COVID-19 experiences were not significant. Quantitative results were illuminated by thematic analysis of the qualitative data from which emerged four major themes: online teaching pedagogy, impact of COVID-19, transition of teaching and learning, and affective domains of learning. Engaging in humanistic education is discussed as a possible approach to circumvent burnout, bolster student resilience, and encourage academic success.
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    Sex Differences in Motivation to Self‐Administer Alcohol After 2 Weeks of Abstinence in Young‐Adult Heavy Drinkers
    (Wiley, 2018) Plawecki, Martin Henry; White, Kurt; Kosobud, Ann E. K.; Grahame, Nicholas; Zimmermann, Ulrich S.; Crabb, David; O'Connor, Sean; Psychiatry, School of Medicine
    Background Studies in animal models document that forced abstinence from usual consumption of alcohol changes subsequent seeking and consumption, with increases or decreases depending on the species, duration of abstinence, number of deprivations, and sex. Human laboratory‐based alcohol deprivation studies are rare. Methods We conducted a 2‐session, within‐participant, randomized‐order comparison of intravenous, progressive ratio, alcohol self‐administration during 2.5 hours of progressive work for alcohol and/or vehicle; once while the participants pursued their usual drinking habits and once after 2 weeks of closely monitored, voluntary outpatient abstinence from alcohol. The schedule of work for rewards and the incremental increases in breath alcohol concentration following completion of an alcohol work‐set were identical across participants. Fifty young‐adult (27 men), heavy‐drinking participants completed both sessions. Our primary hypothesis was that motivation to work for alcohol after 2 weeks of abstinence would be greater in participants with a weekly binge pattern of drinking, compared to those who regularly drink heavily, and we intended to explore associations with biological family history of alcoholism and sex. Results We detected no change in work for alcohol associated with recent drinking history. However, females, on average, increased their work for alcohol upon resumption after 2 weeks of abstinence (mean ± SEM = +16.3 ± 9.6%), while males decreased that work (−24.8 ± 13.8%). The sex difference was substantial and significant (p < 0.03), with a medium effect size (Cohen's d = 0.63). Conclusions We believe a more comprehensive study of mechanisms underlying the sex differences in the human postabstinence response is warranted.