MIRECC / CoE

Biography:  Dr. Rasmussen is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention in Canandaigua, NY. Prior to joining the center as a fellow, she completed her predoctoral psychology internship at the University of Rochester Medical Center and earned her PhD in clinical psychology from Oklahoma State University. In addition to her research activities, she provides psychotherapy services to Veterans in the Community Living Center (CLC) at the Canandaigua VAMC.

Research Interests: Research Interests: Dr. Rasmussen’s past work has focused on the intersection of the interpersonal theory of suicide and constructs drawn from the field of positive psychology, and on multicultural differences in suicide risk and resilience. As a postdoctoral fellow, she is interested in extending this work to examine risk and resilience factors specifically relevant to older Veterans, with an emphasis on Veterans with chronic medical and/or psychiatric conditions and those in long-term care. Her work seeks to inform the development and implementation of suicide prevention programs and interventions, as well as to inform the development of training and education programs that will assist long-term care facility staff in identifying and treating Veterans at risk.

Recent Publications:

Knox, K. L. & Rasmussen, K. A. (2015). Evidence-based public health approaches to suicide prevention. In D. A. Lamis & N. J. Kaslow (Eds.), Advancing the science of suicidal behavior: Understanding and intervention. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.

Grant, D. M., Wingate, L. R., Rasmussen, K. A., Davidson, C. L., Slish, M. L., Rhoades-Kerswill, S., Mills, A. C., & Judah, M. R. (2013). An examination of the reciprocal relationship between avoidance coping and symptoms of anxiety and depression.  Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 32, 878-896. doi:10.1521/jscp.2013.32.8.878

Tucker, R. P., Wingate, L. R., O'Keefe, V. M., Mills, A. C., Rasmussen, K. A., Davidson, C. L., & Grant, D. M. (2013). Hope and optimism as moderators of the relationship between rumination and suicidal ideation. Personality and Individual Differences 55, 606-611. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2013.05.013

Rasmussen, K. A., Slish, M. L., Wingate, L. R., Davidson, C. L., & Grant, D. M. (2012). Can perceived burdensomeness explain the relationship between suicide and perfectionism? Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 42, 121-128. doi:10.1111/j.1943-278X.2011.00074.x

O'Keefe, V. M., Tucker, R. P., Wingate, L. R., & Rasmussen, K. A. (2011). American Indian hope: A potential protective factor against suicidal ideation. Journal of Indigenous Research 1(2), Article 3. Available at: http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/kicjir/vol1/iss2/3

Rasmussen, K. A. & Wingate, L. R. (2011). The role of optimism in the interpersonal psychological theory of suicidal behavior. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 41, 137-148. doi:10.1111/j.1943-278X.2011.00022.x

Davidson, C. L., Wingate, L. R., Slish, M. L., & Rasmussen, K. A. (2010). The great Black hope: Hope and its relation to suicide risk among African Americans. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 40, 170-180. doi:10.1521/suli.2010.40.2.170

Davidson, C. L., Wingate, L. R., Rasmussen, K. A., & Slish, M. L. (2009). Hope as a predictor of interpersonal suicide risk. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 39, 499-507. doi:10.1521/suli.2009.39.5.499

Recent Presentations:

Rasmussen, K., Kaukeinen, K. A., Tu, X., Tang, W., Cross, W., & Knox, K. L. (2015, April). Crisis line utilization by older Veterans. Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Suicidology, Atlanta, GA.

Rasmussen, K., Gould, M., Cross, W., Bridges, V., Tu, X., Tang, W., Kaukeinen, K., King, D., & Knox, K. L. (2015, June). Concerns of older Veteran callers to the VA Crisis Line. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the World Congress of the International Association for Suicide Prevention, Montreal, Quebec.

Britton, P. C. & Rasmussen, K. A. (2014, April). Self-Determination Theory and the study and prevention of suicide related behavior. Symposium presented at the American Association of Suicidology 47^th Annual Conference, Los Angeles, California.

Van Orden, K. A., O’Riley, A., Richardson, T. M., Podgorski, C., Rasmussen, K. A., & Conwell, Y. A. (2012, November). Variability in reporting death ideation between African American and White older adults. Symposium presented at the Gerontological Society of America 65^th Annual Scientific Meeting, San Diego, California.

O’Keefe, V. M., Tucker, R. P., Rasmussen, K. A., Rhoades-Kerswill, S., Slish, M. L., & Wingate, L. R. (2012, April).  A preliminary investigation of hope and optimism as predictors of suicidal ideation amongst American Indian college students in Oklahoma. Poster presented at the American Association of Suicidology 45^th Annual Conference, Baltimore, Maryland.

Slish, M. L., Rasmussen, K. A., Grant, D. M., Davidson, C. L., Rhoades-Kerswill, S., & Wingate, L. R. (2011, November). Optimism, hope, hopelessness, and the path to suicidal thinking. Poster presented at the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies 45^th Annual Convention, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Wingate, L. R., Rasmussen, K. A., Davidson, C. L., & Slish, M. L. (2011, April). Positive psychology: A lens for understanding suicide resiliency. Symposium presented at the American Association of Suicidology 44^th Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon.

Davidson, C. L., Rhoades-Kerswill, S., Slish, M. L., Rasmussen, K. A., Wingate, L. R., & Grant, D. M. (2010, November). Hope and interpersonal suicide risk in a clinical sample. Poster presented at the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies 44^th Annual Convention, San Francisco, CA.

Slish, M. L., Rasmussen, K. A., Wingate, L. R., & Davidson, C. L. (2009, November). Maladaptive perfectionism and suicide: Potential mediating variables. Poster presented at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies 43^rd Annual Convention, New York.

Slish, M. L., Rasmussen, K. A., Wingate, L. R., Neitzke, L. L., & Davidson, C. L. (2009, November). Burdensomeness and belongingness: Mediational effects between perceived social support and suicidal ideation. Poster presented at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies 43^rd Annual Convention, New York.

Davidson, C. L., McCadney, A. E., Slish, M. L., Rasmussen, K. A., & Wingate, L. R. (2009, November). The strong Black woman: An empirical investigation. Poster presented at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies 43^rd Annual Convention, New York.

Short, K. M., Rasmussen, K. A., Slish, M. L., Davidson, C. L., & Wingate, L. R. (2008, August). The influence of religious beliefs on hope and suicide in African-Americans. Poster presented at the Association of Black Psychologists 40^th Annual International Convention, Oakland, CA.

Davidson, C. L., Slish, M. L., Adelegan, W., Rasmussen, K. A. & Wingate, L. R. (2008, August). Suicide, depression, anxiety, and hope among African-Americans. Poster presented at the Association of Black Psychologists 40^th Annual International Convention, Oakland, CA.

Recent Grants:

Principal Investigator: Risk and protective factors for Veteran suicide following discharge from VA nursing homes. (Co-Investigators: P. Britton, D. King). VA Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention. (2014-2015).