Rising to the Occasion of This COVID-19-Impacted Nation: Development, Implementation, and Feasibility of the Brief Assessment-Informed Skills Intervention for COVID-19 (BASIC).

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the global economy, physical health, and mental health. This pandemic, like previous viral outbreaks, has resulted in spikes in anxiety, depression, and stress. Even though millions of individuals face the physical health consequences of infection by COVID-19, even more individuals are confronted with the mental health consequences of this pandemic. This significantly increased demand for mental health services cannot be easily met by existing mental health systems, which often rely on courses of therapy to be delivered over months. Single session interventions (SSIs) may be one important approach to meeting this increased demand, as they are treatments designed to be delivered over the course of a single meeting. SSIs have been found to be effective for a range of mental health challenges, with durable effects lasting months to years later. Here, we describe an SSI designed for the COVID-19 pandemic. This Brief Assessment-informed Skills Intervention for COVID-19 (BASIC) program draws upon therapeutic skills from existing empirically supported treatments to target common presenting complaints due to this pandemic. We discuss the process of developing and implementing this intervention, as well as explore feasibility and initial clinical insights. In short, BASIC is an easy-to-adopt intervention that is designed to be effective in a single session, making it well-suited for handling the increased demand for mental health services due to COVID-19.

Factors predicting the development of psychopathology among first responders: A prospective, longitudinal study.

Objective: Previous research has shown that first responders exhibit elevated rates of psychopathology. Factors predicting the development of this psychopathology, however, remain understudied. This study longitudinally examined predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety symptoms in first responders. Method: Participants included 135 emergency medical service (EMS) providers. Multiple linear regressions were used to model predictors of change in PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptomatology from baseline to 3-month follow-up. Baseline levels of social support, sleep, emotional stability, and perceived stress were examined as potential predictors. Results: Results revealed that (a) increases in PTSD symptoms, (b) increases in depression symptoms, and (c) increases in anxiety symptoms at 3-month follow-up were each predicted by worse sleep and lower social support at baseline. In particular, the sleep subscale of disturbed sleep and the social support subscale of appraisal appeared to be driving these effects. Conclusion: These results highlight the importance of social support and sleep hygiene in protecting against increases in psychopathology symptoms in EMS providers, and set the stage for future interventions to target sleep disturbances and encourage deeper social connections in order to foster resilience in first responders. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

A qualitative analysis of male eating disorder symptoms.

Insights into how males experience eating disorder symptoms early in the course of illness are important to improve detection efforts and may also provide valuable information for treatment. In this qualitative study, 10 adolescent males and 10 matched female patients completed standardized questionnaires and were interviewed. Results indicated that although there were many similarities between the genders, females were more likely to describe the involvement of family systems and males were more likely to describe involvement in sports as being catalysts for their disorders. Males in this study were more positive about being in treatment.

Child feeding perceptions among mothers with eating disorders.

Feeding and eating difficulties are documented among the offspring of mothers with eating disorders. Understanding the perspective of mothers with eating disorders is likely essential to develop parent-based early prevention programs for children of these mothers. In the present study, twenty-nine mothers who were diagnosed with an eating disorder prior to becoming mothers and who currently had toddler age children participated in a semi-structured interview examining maternal functioning and child feeding. The maternal perceptions that emerged from the interviews were sorted into central themes and subcategories using interpretive phenomenological analysis. Data indicate that mothers with eating disorders express preoccupation with their child's eating, shape and weight, and many dilemmas about child feeding. They also reported rarity of family meals and their toddlers' preliminary awareness of maternal symptoms. Maternal concerns regarding child nutrition, feeding and weight were reported as more intense in regards to daughters. These maternal perceptions illuminate the maternal psychological processes that underlie the feeding and eating problems of the children of mothers with lifetime eating disorders. Findings should be addressed in the evaluation, treatment, and research of adult and childhood eating disorders.