Summary:
Eric R. Pedersen is a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation. His research interests are primarily in areas of young adult/adolescent alcohol use and comorbid mental health disorders. Pedersen has received funding to develop brief, online interventions to reduce alcohol misuse among young adult populations such as college students and recently discharged veterans. He is interested in finding ways to target comorbid Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders among active duty and young adult veterans, as well as using internet-based methods to help reduce alcohol misuse and promote treatment engagement among non-treatment-seeking young adults. He is also serving as the director of Project ALERT, which is a school-based drug prevention program for middle school youth developed at RAND. Pedersen is currently examining how cannabis use among young adults has changed during the time of recreational legalization. Pedersen trained at the VA San Diego, where he focused on rotations in empirically supported interventions for PTSD and dual diagnoses (i.e., comorbid substance abuse and mental health disorders). Pedersen earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Washington.
In this Episode, you will learn:
- Eric’s background and experience
- Similarities between service members and college students regarding alcohol consumption
- Engaging in behavior based on the perceived behavior of others
- Impact of peers on drinking behavior
- Impact of stigma on help-seeking behavior
- Correcting perceptions in order to change behavior
- Reaching veterans on social media
- Perceptions of therapy
- Military culture related to understanding mental health
- Addressing comprehensive veteran mental health
Links Mentioned In This Episode:
Dr. Pedersen on Twitter
Dr. Pedersen’s research on the Rand website
Dr. Pedersen’s email: ericp@rand.org
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Do you want to check out Duane’s latest book, Combat Vet Don’t Mean Crazy: Veteran Mental Health in Post-Military Life
