A study that examines the effects of aerobic exercise on people with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is another Canadian first for the psychology department at the University of Regina.
Mathew Fetzner, a doctoral student in clinical psychology, is researching whether individuals with PTSD who participate in aerobic exercise can get relief from their symptoms.
"The same exercise protocol has been applied to individuals with major depressive disorder and panic disorder and it's been shown to reduce those symptoms, but nobody has looked at it in terms of post-traumatic stress disorder," he said.
Since the study began a few months ago, 30 people have participated. Preliminary results indicate exercise does decrease their symptoms, which can include flashbacks, avoidance of things that are reminders of the trauma and emotional numbing.
"We're really targeting hyperarousal or jumpiness - people are on edge, they startle really easy - it's like their fight or flight system is really overactive," Fetzner said.
At any given time, about one in 10 people can be affected by PTSD, said Fetzner, who noted that exposure to a traumatic event is subjective.
"One has to react to that event with intense fear, helplessness or horror," he said. "Those elements combined constitute a trauma. The majority of people who go through a trauma do not have PTSD."
For example, those involved in motor vehicle crashes might initially be afraid of getting behind the wheel, but their fear eventually fades.
"That is the natural recovery process after being in a trauma," Fetzner said. "With people who have PTSD, they are almost stuck in the recovery process."
Anyone interested in participating in the study can do a 10-minute online survey at www.surveymonkey. com/s/uofrcardio, phone 585-4455 or email uofrcardio@gmail.com.
Fetzner, a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholar, is one of many U of R psychology students and faculty who have received substantial funding for their work.
The Vanier scholarship - the highest scholarship awarded in graduate studies - is worth $150,000, said Richard MacLennan, professor and head of the psychology department.
In 2010, graduate students were awarded $2 million in scholarships and the faculty attracts millions of research dollars from a variety of sources.
"This is why we can get good graduate students in the first place and this is why they in turn get good scholarships to support their research," MacLennan said. "It's a success breeds success phenomenon."
There are three major granting agencies in Canada - the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
"We are the only discipline that's eligible for all three sources of funding ... We're in an enviable position in that we are able to draw on multiple sources and we do," MacLennan said.
Funded by the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF), Dr. Thomas Hadjistavropoulos, Research Chair in Aging and Health, is studying a major health problem involving the elderly - falls.
With funding from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, Holly Parkerson, a Master's student, is studying the relationship between pain and smoking while Kristi Wright, a clinical psychologist, is funded by SHRF to develop an online program to ease the anxiety of children and their parents prior to a child undergoing surgery.
Gregory Kratzig, a senior doctoral student, has received two grants totalling $450,000 from another source of funding - the Canadian Safety and Security Partnership. One grant will allow him to evaluate the RCMP's use of a computerized firearms simulator for training. The other will further his research on the usefulness of tablet technology for police officers. "The reason he's been able to attract the funding is because he's on the leading edge of this research, not just nationwide, but internationally as well," MacLennan said.