Emma Oliveras: E-Portfolio

Current Projects I am assisting in:

The Effects of Acute Substance Use on Non-Lethal Suicide Attempts in U.S. Military Personnel (Master’s thesis in preparation):

examines how acute substance use influences the medical and potential lethality of suicide attempts among U.S. service members. Under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Joiner, I coded detailed suicide attempt narratives using the Lethality of Suicide Attempt Rating Scale (LSARS) to systematically assess attempt severity. This work involved weekly consensus-building meetings with a graduate student to resolve discrepancies and ensure reliable, standardized lethality ratings. I evaluated participants’ responses to the prompt “When was your most recent and most lethal suicide attempt?” and integrated medical lethality indicators from CDE Item 16 into final composite scores.

Self-Compassion, Resilience, and Eating Disorder Risk in Collegiate Athletes:

examined cross-sectional associations between self-compassion, emotional resilience, and eating disorder risk among collegiate athletes under the supervision of Kristina Hall, M.Ed. I analyzed survey data to evaluate how these psychosocial factors relate to vulnerability for disordered eating, conducting moderation and mediation analyses using the PROCESS macro in SPSS. This work aimed to clarify the pathways through which self-compassion and resilience may function as protective factors, with the goal of identifying practical, intervention-relevant targets to promote adaptive coping and reduce eating disorder risk within collegiate athletic populations.

Prosocial and Eating Disorders Study.

involves examining associations between prosocial behaviors and disordered eating under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Joiner. I assisted in developing and organizing REDCap instruments to support data entry, management, and study workflow. In preparation for data collection, I received training in coding clinical interviews and administered Suicide Risk Assessments (SRAs). I also contributed to the preparation of the study’s IRB protocol and research infrastructure prior to participant recruitment.

Generosity or Malice? Interpretation of Ambiguity Through the Lens of Tendency for Interpersonal Victimhood.

a cross-sectional study conducted under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Joiner examining how interpersonal victimhood shapes interpretations of ambiguous social situations and subsequent behavioral responses to implied offense. I assisted with IRB preparation and study design, incorporating self-report measures and laboratory-based behavioral tasks. To ensure participant safety in studies assessing self-injurious thoughts and behaviors, I received training in clinical interviewing and suicide risk protocols, including DSI-SS alerts, Suicide Risk Assessment (SRA) procedures, and safety planning. I additionally supported study infrastructure by helping design study instruments, consent procedures, and laboratory protocols for participant recruitment, data entry, and task administration.

Past research assistant projects

The effects of burden-related interpretationbias inflexibility on memories of liability and social contribution.

I conducted a research study examining cognitive inflexibility in young adults endorsing perceived burdensomeness. I hosted participant sessions by administering validated self-report surveys and, when indicated, conducting suicide risk assessments to ensure participant safety and adherence to ethical research standards. I also contributed as a co-author on an empirical manuscript currently in preparation for journal submission.