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The study examines the relation of death experience to death attitudes and to autobiographical memory use. Participants (N = 52) completed standard death attitude measures and wrote narratives about a death-related autobiographical memory and (for comparison) a memory of a low point. Self-ratings of the memory narratives were used to assess their functional use. Results show that higher levels of experience with death were related to lower levels of death anxiety and avoidance. Participants with higher levels of death experience also more frequently used their death-related memories to serve adaptive functions.

Although peer mentors play a prominent role in supporting higher education experiences for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), little is known about these college students and the factors leading to their decision to become involved in this particular experience. We examined the motivations, experiences, and expectations of 250 peer mentors attending five diverse universities offering inclusive postsecondary programs for students with IDD. Nearly all (93.7%) of the entering peer mentors had prior disability-related experiences and almost all identified a combination of personal and professional reasons for involvement. Peer mentors anticipated an array of personal benefits as a result of their participation, although beliefs about some areas of potential impact were more mixed (e.g., improvements in grades, study skills, social status). Views regarding the extent to which students with IDD can participate in different aspects of campus life reflected high expectations; predictions about these students’ postgraduation experiences were more modest and mixed. We offer recommendations for research and practice aimed at identifying and engaging peers in supporting inclusive college experiences.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease involving a normal immune system response that causes demyelination to the central nervous system. There are approximately 250,000 to 400,000 individuals with MS in the United States with about 200 new cases diagnosed each week (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2015; National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 2015). The prognosis for individuals with MS is uncertain with approximately 80% experiencing a relapsing-remitting course where relapses are followed by remissions with primary progressive, progressive relapsing, secondary progressive courses accounting for the other 20% (National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 2015; Noseworthy, Lucchinetti, Rodriguez, & Weinshenker, 2000). A diagnosis of MS requires the individual to adjust to a variety of symptoms and stressful psychosocial issues. For example, individuals with MS experience both physical and psychological challenges such as fatigue, numbness, sexual dysfunction, memory problems, depression, and anxiety