Department of Psychological Sciences

A Kent State University researcher with a background in safety training models — and a very personal motivation — has devised a method to help some children with food allergies stay safe, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) just granted him the funding to test it.

Science is complex, and it’s difficult to discuss it with children under the best circumstances; it’s even more difficult when they are hungry. Two Kent State University researchers may have cooked up a way to solve both of those problems, and the National Science Foundation just awarded them a three-year, $1.3 million grant to determine if their recipe works.

Several factors — including, age, gender, and medical history — determine how a child processes a trauma and what treatments may be most effective at preventing long-term psychological distress. But what role do parents play?

Depression is the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 300 million people are currently living with depression.