Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Psychiatry
The University of Texas
Health Science Center at San Antonio
Biographical Sketch
Dr. Sheftall is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in the Neurobehavioral Research Laboratory and Clinic (NRLC). She completed her graduate training in Human Development and Family Science at The Ohio State University.
Dr. Sheftall’s research has focused on attachment theory and adolescents throughout her collegiate career. Specifically, she has examined psychological and familial factors that may contribute to suicidality. Her research mainly focuses on attachment security, trust, romantic relationships, family alliance, affective lability (emotional instability), locus of control, and religiosity. She is particularly interested in how these factors may give rise to suicidality in adolescents. Also, Dr. Sheftall is interested in the role of impulsive/aggressive behaviors and how these behaviors may mediate or moderate the association among attachment security and suicidality. At the NRLC, Dr. Sheftall is expanding her research and will be involved with studies that examine the contributions of impulsivity, serotonin functioning, and developmental psychopathology on suicidal behavior and problematic substance use.
Research Interests
- Attachment Security and Adolescent Romantic Relationships
- Adolescent Suicidality and Familial Characteristics
- Emotional Instability and Adolescent Romantic Relationships
- Psychological Contributions of Adolescent Suicidality
Education
| 2010 | Ph.D. | Human Development and Family Science | The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH |
| 2006 | M.S. | Human Development and Family Science | The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH |
| 2004 | B.S. | Biobehavioral Health/Psychology | The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA |
Selectd Publications/Presentations with the NRLC
| Adolescent substance use, stressful life events, and impulsivity Sheftall, A.H.,Crum, P., Mathias, C.W., Bray, B. C., and Dougherty, D.M. (2012, February) Poster presented at the 22nd annual meeting of the Texas Research Society on Alcoholism, College Station, TX |
Suicidal behavior and suicide risk among adolescent patients who use alcohol Crum, P., Sheftall, A.H., Mathias, C.W., Kuckertz, J.M., Muench, K.B., Farris, S.J., Olvera, R.L., and Dougherty D.M. (2012, February) Poster presented at the 22nd annual meeting of the Texas Research Society on Alcoholism, College Station, TX |
The use of peripheral cells to study the serotonin transporter in clinical samples Hill-Kapturczak, N., Mathias, C.W., Sheftall, A.H., Dougherty, D.M., and Javors, M.A. (2012, February). Symposia presented at the 22nd annual meeting of the Texas Research Society on Alcoholism, College Station, TX |
History of stressful events among adolescent suicide attempters. Mathias, C.W., Sheftall, A.H., James, L.M., Farris, S., Alfred, Q., Dawes, M.A., Richard, D.M., and Dougherty, D.M. (2011, April). Poster presented at the 44th annual meeting of the American Association of Suicidology, Portland, OR. |
Reasons for not attempting suicide: An inpatient adolescent perspective. Sheftall, A.H., Mathias, C.W., Dawes, M.A., Daviss, W.B., Farris, S., Alfred, Q., and Dougherty, D.M. (2011, April). Poster presented at the 44th annual meeting of the American Association of Suicidology, Portland, OR. |
5-HT, impulsivity and suicidal ideation among teenagers receiving inpatient psychiatric care. Sheftall, A.H., Mathias, C.W., Hill-Kapturczak, N., Javors, M., Tian, P.Y., Dawes, M.A., Richard, D.M., and Dougherty, D.M. (2011, May). Poster presented at the 9th annual retreat of the UTHSCSA Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, San Antonio, TX. |
SERT capacity, efficiency, and uptake potential among adolescents who self-injure Mathias, C.W., Hill-Kapturczak, N., Javors, M., Tian, P.Y., Dawes, M. A., Sheftall, A.H., Cates, S., Farris, S., Richard, D.M., Poster presented at the 9th annual retreat of the UTHSCSA Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, San Antonio, TX. |
Serotonin markers, psychiatric inpatient status, and self-reported impulsivity. Sheftall, A.H., Mathias, C.W., Hill-Kapturczak, N., Javors, M., Stanford, M.S., and Dougherty, D.M. (2011, May). Poster presented at the annual meeting of the International Society for Research on Impulsivity, San Francisco, CA. |
Impulsivity and platelet serotonin function among adolescent psychiatric inpatients with suicidal ideation. Sheftall, A.H., Mathias, C.W., Hill-Kapturczak, N., Javors, M., Tian, P.Y., Dawes, M.A., Richard, D.M., and Dougherty, D.M. (2011, May). Biological Psychiatry, 69, 33s. |
Risk and resilience among girls who have attempted suicide. Sheftall, A.H., Mathias, C.W., and Dougherty, D.M. (2011, June). Presented at the 15th annual meeting of the International Society for Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, Chicago, IL. |
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