The Summer Scholars Program provides students in the School of Humanities and Sciences at Ithaca College with a full-time opportunity to engage in a research/scholarly/creative project during the summer with direct and ongoing mentorship by an H&S faculty member. This award is given to high-achieving students through a competitive proposal-based process. In 2016, 15 students received H&S Summer Scholar awards.

Graduation Date: May, 2017

Academic programs: Psychology (BA), Minors in Counseling and Sociology

Faculty mentor: Jessye Cohen-Filipic, Psychology

Shifting Dependence is an exploratory study on the psychological distress and support needs of children of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. ALS is a neurodegenerative disorder that leaves those with the disease severely disabled and dependent on others.

Caregiver burden, the overall impact of physical, psychological, social, and financial demands on caregiving, is often experienced by primary caregivers (Pinquart & Sorensen, 2003). This distress extends to the children living in the home as well. This study was designed to explore the needs of children of ALS patients researchers noticed through analyzing existing literature as well as personal experience. It examined individuals' experiences with psychological distress coupled with the support they received or wish they had received while they were living with a parent with ALS.