Tag: Poster 93

Postpartum Depression In Argentina’s Public Health Sector 

Presenter(s): Sejal Asher – International Studies

Faculty Mentor(s): William Johnson, Kristin Yaris

Poster 93

Research Area: Global Health

Globally, Argentina has the highest population of psychologists per capita and is succeeding increasing psychiatric social acceptability; yet, the lack of maternal mental health programs and education is questionable and troublesome. The research presented focuses on the treatment and education of postpartum depression in the public healthcare sector of Argentina and why access to care is almost nonexistent in a nation openly invested in mental health care. The primary research was collected over four weeks and methods included formal interviews, informal conversations, and participant observation. A majority of this research was conducted while volunteering in Maternidad Martin, a public maternity clinic in Rosario. During the time in the clinic, the researcher interviewed many staff members, volunteers, and patients about maternal mental health. The conclusion was made that the lack of information and education surrounding maternal mental health is high because of the lack of government enforcement for a set standard of care in the public health system. In provinces further from the capital, the quality of care is progressively lower. This is not due to discrimination but rather to the lack of education amongst medical workers. In addition, the structure of the Argentine family adds to the widening informational gap surrounding the stigma of maternal mental health. Though general mental health is openly discussed, negative mental health issues associated with motherhood are taboo as women fear being labeled as an inadequate mother. This research is critical because it expands upon an issue affecting one in seven women globally. It is imperative to strengthen maternal mental health care because ignoring issues within the topic is not only detrimental to the quality of life for the mother, but also negatively affects the future of the child and stability of the family structure as a whole.

Is Inhibition Dependent on Working Memory Capacity?

Presenter(s): Jena Kunimune

Faculty Mentor(s): Ulrich Mayr & Melissa Moss

Poster 93

Session: Social Sciences & Humanities

The ability to stop initiated actions is a critical component of effective self-regulation, such as resisting the urge for ‘sex, drugs, and rock and roll.’ The current dominant theory in cognitive control assumes that maintaining task-relevant information in working memory is necessary for the effective implementation of inhibitory control. In this study, we addressed the interplay of inhibitory control and working memory maintenance processes using a dual-task paradigm in which both inhibitory control demands and working memory load were manipulated. Because the standard theory predicts mutual interference between the two processes, we hypothesized that if inhibition interferes with working memory maintenance, working memory performance will be lower when participants successfully employ inhibitory control in response to a stop signal, versus when they fail to inhibit their action. Further, this interference in performance should be greatest when working memory load is high. Participants completed a combined working memory and stopping task in which stopping behavior occurred during the working memory maintenance interval. Our results showed no evidence of mutual interference between working memory load and stopping behavior on working memory performance. This result is inconsistent with the dominant view of working memory capacity as the primary constraining factor in inhibitory control. Rather, distinct processing resources may underlie these two different aspects of self-regulation.