Health Identity
and Behavior Lab

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About the Lab

From Dr. Kevin Criswell, the principal investigator (PI): Welcome to the Health Identity and Behavior (HIB) Lab!

The overarching focus of the HIB Lab is to examine behavioral, social, and cognitive processes that affect identity, performance, engagement, and health of individuals when they engage in valued activities while having ongoing mental and/or physical health conditions.

We use ecological and social models to help explain differences in performance, engagement, and health that we may find when comparing groups with ongoing health conditions to those without conditions. For example, those models suggest systemic and stigma-related processes (e.g., internalized stigma and social identity threat) that can explain why some populations with ongoing health conditions report diminished performance, engagement, and well-being.

College students represent an ideal population to examine and serve, given that engagement with academic work is inherently stressful, most are emerging adults (18 to 24 year olds), and the population of students with at least one condition is a steadily growing group (approximately 30%; American College Health Association).

Currently, Neo-Ecological (Bronfenbrenner, 1977; Navarro & Tudge, 2022) and Modified Labeling (Link et al., 1989) theories guide our work. In particular, Modified Labeling Theory is being used to guide the development of a national study of college students with ongoing mental and/or physical health conditions in the United States.

In the Oxford Handbook of Stigma, Discrimination, and Health, Link et al. (2018) describe a five-step process by which social labels may lead to psychosocial outcomes (e.g., diminished role performance) and illness risk. If applied to students with ongoing health conditions, the process by which social labels related to health conditions (i.e., health-related labels) may affect psychosocial functioning and health may include the following steps:

Step 1: Development and adjustments to health-related labels (HRLs)

  • Learning what is included in HRLs
  • Adjustments to HRLs may include messages (e.g., from parents, instructors, peers, healthcare, social media)

Step 2: Determining personal relevance of HRLs

  • Does the learned HRL describe personal mental and/or physical experiences?
  • Do the mental and/or physical experiences associated with the HRL cause distress and/or disruption to domains of functioning that the individual values?
  • For students: Does academic work represent a valued domain of functioning?

Step 3: Management of personally relevant HRLs

  • Concealment of HRLs
  • Avoidance/engagement (e.g., of classes)
  • Treatment/management of physical/mental symptoms related to HRLs

Step 4: Psychosocial outcomes

  • Quality of life
  • Perceived stress
  • Perceived resilience
  • Internalized stigma

Step 5: Future mental and/or physical illness risk

What Have We Learned So Far?

1. Although internalized stigma (i.e., incorporating negative stereotypes associated with a label into one’s self-concept) associated with health conditions did not predict future levels of health (e.g., quality of life, perceived stress) across an academic year (a nine-month timeframe), it was an excellent indicator of quality of life and perceived stress at the time of assessment (Criswell, 2024). This suggests (a) internalized stigma could be a promising single indicator of diminished wellbeing and (b) better understanding the development of internalized stigma on an individual level can guide wellness promotion and intervention.

2. Relationships between stressors and academic challenges and how students describe their experiences with ongoing health conditions were examined across an academic year (nine-month timeframe). Results suggest that stressors and academic challenges can impact how students perceived themselves, their future, and how their conditions affect their academic work (Criswell, 2025). In particular, extramural stressors, including financial and family-related concerns, can impact how students perceive themselves with their health conditions and any condition-related issues that impact academic work. This supports examining the experience of students with health conditions from an ecological framework; future work needs to account for extramural contextual factors and their impact on social, cognitive, and behavioral processes examined.

  • Criswell, K. R. (2025, October 2-3). The Experience of Chronic Health Conditions and Resilience in College: Insights from Longitudinal Quantitative and Qualitative Findings. [Speaker Presentation]. PCCHA 2025 Regional Conference, Spokane, WA, United States.

Research Project 1: Longitudinal, Mixed-Methods Study of Undergraduate Students with Chronic Health Conditions

This project addressed the lack of longitudinal studies connecting stigma- and health-related processes over time.

The project involved a three-year data collection period, during the 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23 academic years. Online surveys were sent to active undergraduate students at Eastern Washington University.

In particular, relationships between health, coping, academic performance, resilience, internalized stigma and social identity threat were assessed in students with health conditions.

Currently, studies are being conducted with the myriad data collected.

Criswell, K. R. (2024). Effects of internalized stigma on quality of life and stress in undergraduate students with chronic health conditions. Stigma and Health.

Criswell, K. R. (2022). Stigma, health, and academic performance in university students with physical and mental chronic health conditions: Baseline data report. Stigma and Health, 7(3), 336-346.

(* denotes student)

Criswell, K. R. (2025, October 2-3). The Experience of Chronic Health Conditions and Resilience in College: Insights from Longitudinal Quantitative and Qualitative Findings. [Speaker Presentation]. PCCHA 2025 Regional Conference, Spokane, WA, United States.

Cooper, K., Criswell, K., Ruedas-Gracia, N, Okado, Y. (Chair). (2025, May 22-25). Supporting College Students’ Academic and Career Success: Identifying Areas of Intervention with Diverse College Samples [Symposium session]. APS 2025 Convention, Washington D.C., United States.

  • Paper presented: Criswell, K., *Kraus, F., *Berryhill, C., *Dijulio, K., & *Waldron, S. Bi-directional effects between social identity threat and internalized stigma in college students with chronic health conditions. School of Psychology, Eastern Washington University.

*Seethaler, S., & Criswell, K. (2025, May 20). Narrative Review: The Role of Loneliness with Internalized Stigma and Depression [Poster presentation]. Psychology Student Research Conference, Bellevue College, Bellevue, WA, United States.

Criswell, K., Crawford, R., *Orchard, L., & Islam-Zwart, K. (2025, May 1–4). Teaching behavioral health intervention skills to bachelor’s-level trainees: Program development and lessons learned [Poster presentation]. WPA 2025 Convention, Las Vegas, NV, United States.

Criswell, K., *Dutra, G., *Berryhill, C., & *Renner, R. (2024, August 8-10). Health, coping changes, and loneliness trajectories in students with chronic health conditions [Poster presentation]. APA 2024 Convention, Seattle, WA, United States.

Criswell, K., *Garcia, L., *Ordona, P., & *Lester, J. (2024, August 8-10). Internalized stigma of chronic health conditions and coping behavior in underrepresented students [Poster presentation]. APA 2024 Convention, Seattle, WA, United States.

*Kraus, F., & Criswell, K. (2024, May 16). Relationship between Resilience and Chronic Health Concerns in Undergraduate Students [Poster presentation]. Psychology Student Research Conference, Bellevue College, Bellevue, WA, United States.

*Krisyuk, Z., *Naval, T., *Paz, K., *Pickett, M., & Criswell, K. (2023, May 10). Depression and Anxiety Symptom Severity in Students with Physical or Mental Chronic Health Conditions during 2020-21 Academic Year: A Longitudinal Study [Poster presentation]. 2023 Student Research and Creative Works Symposium, Eastern Washington University, Cheney, WA, United States.

*Garcia, L., *Cortez-Morales, A., *Bruno Aguilar, B., & Criswell, K. (2023, May 10). Examining the Interaction between Online Coursework and Internalized Stigma in Undergraduate Students with Chronic Health Conditions Across 2020, 2021, and 2022 [Poster presentation]. 2023 Student Research and Creative Works Symposium, Eastern Washington University, Cheney, WA, United States.

*Holman, S., *Ordona, P., & Criswell, K. (2023, May 10). Adaptive and Maladaptive Coping Strategies Predict Health and Academic Resilience in Undergraduate Students with and without Chronic Health Conditions: A Longitudinal Study [Poster presentation]. 2023 Student Research and Creative Works Symposium, Eastern Washington University, Cheney, WA, United States.

Criswell, K. R., *Krisyuk, Z., *Garcia, L., & *Cortez-Morales, A. (2023, April 27 – April 30). Accessibility, perceived connection, and psychosocial wellbeing: Factors associated with seriously considering leaving university. [Paper presentation]. WPA 103rd Annual Convention, Riverside, CA, United States.

*Crisp, K., *Krisyuk, Z., Criswell, K. (2022, May 10-11). How Positive and Negative Emotions are Regulated by and Associated with Stigma in University Students with and without Mental and Physical Chronic Health Conditions [Poster presentation]. 2022 Student Research and Creative Works Symposium, Eastern Washington University, Cheney, WA, United States.

Criswell, K. R., *Denison, P., *Herman-Kerwin, R., & *Skinner, E. (2022, April 27 – May 1). Internalized stigma, quality of life, and academic performance in undergraduate students with physical and mental chronic health conditions: A longitudinal study. [Paper presentation]. WPA 102nd Annual Convention, Portland, OR, United States.

Criswell, K. R., *Denison, P., *Herman-Kerwin, R., & *Arnett, C. (2021, April). Stigma, Academic Performance, and Health in University Students with Chronic Health Conditions: Baseline Data Report [Paper presentation]. 2021 Western Psychological Association Virtual Convention.

Criswell, K., *Anderson, K., *Smith, M., *Whitman, W., & *Denison, P. (2020, May). Emotional, social, and behavioral factors affecting wellbeing and academic performance in university students with chronic diseases: Proposed longitudinal study [Poster presentation]. 2020 Symposium at EWU Digital Commons, Eastern Washington University, Cheney, WA, United States.

Research Project 2: Health-Related Labels, Stigma-Related Processes, and Resilience to Challenges in U.S. College Students

Guided by Modified Labeling Theory (MLT), U.S. college students will be surveyed across several years to examine how health-related labels (HRLs) associated with ongoing health conditions are adopted or dropped by students over time.

Social, cognitive, and dispositional factors that predict students’ management of their HRLs (e.g., concealing their condition or avoiding social environments) will be of interest.

Results from this project may guide further investigations and practical improvements to college student experience. For example, better understanding how students develop and manage HRLs can guide wellness promotion and interventions aimed at improving academic engagement (e.g., decreasing avoidance).

Criswell, K., Fox, A. (2025, October 21-23). Proposed Longitudinal Study: Health-Related Labels, Stigma-Related Processes, and Resilience to Challenges in College Students. [Roundtable]. APS 2025 Global Summit, Online.

Interested in Working in the HIB Lab?

That is great! First, I suggest reviewing the material above to familiarize yourself with the background of this lab.

Students who work in my lab may do the following activities, as needed for current projects and studies being conducted:

  • Learning about and passing a course on ethical standards of research involving humans. (Note: This will be a requirement for all students working with me in my lab. See the Institutional Review Board webpage for details about the “Required CITI Training.”
  • Attending and reporting on work in weekly lab meetings (on Zoom).
  • Learning and utilizing the university’s library database system to locate, download, take notes, and synthesize relevant literature (primarily, peer-reviewed articles).
  • Utilizing a shared drive to save and retrieve works in progress, when coordinating with everyone in our lab.
  • Utilizing reference management software to save and efficiently cite sources when writing
  • How to academically write in a manner that clearly conveys your thoughts to your audience.
  • Guidance on how to form appropriate research questions, design studies appropriate to address those questions, and conduct statistical analyses appropriate to the study design.
  • How to develop proposals to present at research conferences.
  • How to present findings at research conferences, including poster and oral presentation formats.
  • In rare cases, typically for students who can commit to working more than a year, you will learn how to write and submit manuscripts for publication as peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals.

If you are interested in working with me in my lab, contact me at kcriswell@ewu.edu to indicate your interest and availability to meet on Zoom. Please note: Your interest in working with me does not automatically mean I must agree to work with you. This is a decision we mutually make.

If we agree on you working in my lab, I will send you a self-assessment to complete as your first task. This assessment is very helpful to me as it does the following:

  • Assesses the student’s reported completion of foundational coursework in the area of study (Health Psychology) and research (e.g., Research Methods, Statistics)
  • Assesses the student’s understanding of concepts basic to this area of study (e.g., the biopsychosocial model of health, a la Engel).
  • Assesses the student’s ability to apply research design and statistics concepts.
  • Assesses the student’s ability to conduct a basic synthesis of three peer-reviewed articles that are germane to research in stigma and health.
  • Assesses the student’s perceived ability across research-related skills (e.g., rating how well they believe they can clearly convey research findings to others).
  • Assesses the student’s desired learning experiences.

Given the above information, I can better understand the background of my lab members and accommodate their needs, depending on the opportunities available at the time.

Thank you for your interest in my lab!

Contact the Principal Investigator

Kevin R. Criswell, PhD

Visiting Assistant Professor
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D171D Bellevue College
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