Marlaine Garcia

Associations between Health Behaviors and Psychological Distress Conducted at the University of Central Florida as part of the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program. Mentors: Dr. Jeffrey S. Bedwell, Psychology Department Abstract:Research examining the relationship between psychological distress and health behaviors is limited, and is mainly focused on specific/individual types of psychological distress or health behaviors. Overall, there does not appear to be any published study that has examined the relationship between a wide range of health behaviors and a wide range of types of psychological distress within a healthy non-psychiatric sample. To address this lack of research, a correlational study will be conducted that will include self-report measures of health behaviors and psychological distress. Analyses will examine the relationships of different subscales for both health behaviors and psychological distress in addition to other factors that may affect health behaviors (e.g., access to health care, illness). Exploratory in nature, this study will be an endeavor to discover the potential relationship between these variables that will assist both the psychology and health fields.

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) UGA Mary Frances Early College of Education (2016 - 2019)
• Master’s Degree University of Miami (2014 — 2016)
• Certificate Rollins College (2013 — 2013)
• Bachelor of Science (B.S.) University of Central Florida (2007 — 2011)

Companies

• Clinical Fellow Harvard Medical School (2020)
• Postdoctoral Psychology Fellow Cambridge Health Alliance (2020)
• Pre Doctoral Intern WEST PALM BEACH VA MEDICAL CENTER (2019 — 2020)
• Instructor University of Georgia - College of Education (2018 — 2019)
• Graduate Clinician Center for Counseling and Personal Evaluation (2017 — 2019)
• Psychometrist and Diagnostician Positive Outcomes Psychological Services (2018 — 2019)
• Clinical Coordinator /Graduate Clinician Athens Latino Center for Education and Services (ALCES) (2017 — 2019)
• Research and Data Analyst University of Georgia (2016 — 2018)
• Graduate Clinician Mercy Health Center: A Christ-Centered Health Resource Center (2017 — 2018)