Lauren Qualls
Supervisor
Research Interests
My research interests traverse emotional processing and psychopathology. I am interested in affective processing of both psychological and physiological feelings. How do these feelings and the way they are processed translate to emotional regulation? I aim to explore how emotional [dys]regulation influences self-directed, maladaptive coping behaviors, such as disordered eating or nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). Additionally, I am interested in potential mediator and/or moderator variables—such as interoception or alexithymia—that may influence those maladaptive coping behaviors. Finally, in regard to mitigating those maladaptive coping behaviors, I am interested in nonpharmacological techniques that could improve individuals’ abilities to identify, process, and regulate their psychological and physiological feelings.
In another line of research, I am examining whether there are specific types of mediators between various types of childhood maltreatment and NSSI. Other past research focused on manipulating interoceptive abilities in subclinical eating disorder populations, and assessing neuropsychological abilities in college students.
Representative Presentations
Qualls, L. K., & Ujcich Ward, K. (2016, November). Interoceptive awareness and eating disorders risk: Does vasoconstriction increase cardiac awareness? Poster presented at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, 50th Convention, New York, NY.
Ujcich Ward, K., Benson, S. K., & Qualls, L. K. (2014, November). Body dissatisfaction, spatial orientation and sensory discrimination among college females. Poster presented at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, 48th Convention, Philadelphia, PA.
Ujcich Ward, K., Qualls, L. K., & Benson, S. K. (2014, November). Obesity and neuropsychological functioning among college students. Poster presented at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, 48th Convention, Philadelphia, PA.
Recent Awards
- Graduate Entrance Award, University of Victoria, 2018 - present
- Graduate Award, University of Victoria, 2018 - present
- Outstanding Graduate Student of the Year (Clinical Psychology), MTSU, 2014 - 2015
- (Nominee) Outstanding Graduate Thesis Award, MTSU, 2014 - 2015