Injury Recovery Improvement Study (IRIS)

Investigators:  Chip Benight (PI), Bernard Ricca (Co-PI), Thomas Schroeppel (Other Senior Personnel), Alex Stover (Project GRA), Mimi Morison (Project GRA), and Jenna Happe (Project GRA)

Funding: National Science Foundation (NSF)

Project Description: Virtually no information is available on how the coping dynamics unfold for individuals who suffer a traumatic injury. This project will break new scientific ground by testing theory predicting coping dynamics following traumatic injury recovery. Self-regulation shift theory (SRST) uses a dynamical systems framework to argue that coping self-efficacy (CSE) and outcome expectancies (OE) drive critical coping thresholds leading to nonlinear shifts in psychological functioning. This project tests the self-regulatory dynamics that predict these shifts. The specific AIMS for this project are: AIM 1) To critically test hypothesized SRST tipping point predictions for coping dynamics – both maladaptive and adaptive; AIM 2) To evaluate the possibility of detecting early warning signals (EWS) for impending shifts in functioning; and AIM 3) To evaluate frequency and timing of nonlinear shifts within identified recovery trajectories. This will be the first study to follow 300 injury survivors using innovative multi-source data collection that includes biosensor, self-report survey, daily electronic diary, and audio self-report data. Using novel methods and advanced nonlinear analytic techniques, this project has the potential to transform our basic knowledge of acute trauma adaptation and advance current theoretical models of traumatic stress recovery.

Contact Info: cbenight@uccs.edu