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Predicting the B_{s}^{0}-B[over ¯]_{s}^{0} width difference ΔΓ_{s} relies on the heavy quark expansion and on hadronic matrix elements of ΔB=2 operators. We present the first lattice QCD results for matrix elements of the dimension-7 operators R_{2,3} and linear combinations R[over Ë]_{2,3} using nonrelativistic QCD for the bottom quark and a highly improved staggered quark (HISQ) action for the strange quark. Computations use MILC Collaboration ensembles of gauge field configurations with 2+1+1 flavors of sea quarks with the HISQ discretization, including lattices with physically light up or down quark masses. We discuss features unique to calculating matrix elements of these operators and analyze uncertainties from series truncation, discretization, and quark mass dependence. Finally we report the first standard model determination of ΔΓ_{s} using lattice QCD results for all hadronic matrix elements through O(1/m_{b}). The main result of our calculations yields the 1/m_{b} contribution ΔΓ_{1/m_{b}}=-0.022(10) ps^{-1}. Adding this to the leading order contribution, the standard model prediction is ΔΓ_{s}=0.092(14) ps^{-1}.
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Hazardous drinking among US Military combat veterans is an important public health issue. Because recent combat veterans are difficult to engage in specialty mental health and substance abuse care, there is a need for opportunistic interventions administered in settings visited by recent combat veterans such as primary care. This paper describes a brief (single-session) intervention that was recently developed and tested in a sample of veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND). The intervention consists of a counseling session delivered in a Motivational Interviewing style using a packet of personalized feedback about alcohol misuse, symptoms of PTSD and depression, as well as coping skills. The treatment is described and data from a single case treated with this intervention are presented.
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OBJECTIVE: This study examined patterns of drinking motives endorsed by heavy drinking veterans who either did or did not meet criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). METHOD: Data were collected from 69 veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom or Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) who had screened positive for hazardous drinking. The sample was 91.3% male and 65.2% Caucasian. Based on a structured interview, 58% of the sample met criteria for PTSD. RESULTS: The PTSD group scored higher than the non-PTSD group on scales measuring drinking to cope with anxiety and depression and similarly to the non-PTSD group on scales measuring social, enhancement and conformity motives. Coping and social motives were significantly correlated with adverse alcohol consequences. Overall, the PTSD group showed stronger relations between coping scales and aspects of alcohol misuse, relative to the non- PTSD group. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest first, that among heavy drinking OEF/OIF veterans there is a high base rate of PTSD. Second, coping motives are frequently reported in this population, and they seem to be related to a more severe pattern of alcohol-related consequences. These findings underscore the importance of assessing the interplay between PTSD and substance abuse in trauma-exposed samples.
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Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol abuse both are negatively associated with health, and alcohol misuse may mediate the relationship between PTSD and functional health outcomes. The present study tested for such mediation using self-report measures of PTSD symptoms, hazardous alcohol use, and health functioning in 151 U.S. veterans (136 men and 15 women) of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan recruited from a Veterans Affairs primary care clinic. Based on established cut scores, 39.1% screened positive for PTSD and 26.5% screened positive for hazardous drinking. PTSD symptoms and hazardous drinking were significantly correlated with each other and with health functioning. Hazardous drinking was found to partially mediate the relationship between PTSD and functional mental health, but not physical health.
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Alcoolismo , Indicadores Básicos de Saúde , Atenção Primária à Saúde , Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos/fisiopatologia , Veteranos/psicologia , Adulto , Feminino , Humanos , Guerra do Iraque 2003-2011 , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Inquéritos e Questionários , Estados Unidos/epidemiologia , Adulto JovemRESUMO
The current study aim was to examine mental health characteristics in a sample of returning OEF/OIF/OND veterans initially enrolling in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care (N = 1,307), with a particular focus on a subgroup considered at risk for suicide (N = 445). Methods included examination of mental health screening measures and clinical interview data from a VA postdeployment clinic. Half of the sample met criteria for a mental health disorder, whereas 10% reported current suicidal or death ideation (e.g., thoughts of being better off dead or hurting oneself in some way) and 6% reported a history of suicide attempt. Sixty-eight percent of the at-risk subgroup accepted a referral for mental health treatment and a promising majority (78%) of those individuals attended their initial specialty mental health visit. At-risk veterans who accepted mental health referral were more likely to report current suicidal/death ideation; they were also more likely to have a diagnosis of a depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, or posttraumatic stress disorder. Factors associated with mental health appointment attendance included older age, being enrolled in college, and more years of military service. Results highlight the importance of early screening and referral to appropriate mental health follow-up. Implications for clinical practice and increasing engagement in VA mental health services among veterans at risk for suicide are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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Transtornos Mentais/epidemiologia , Serviços de Saúde Mental/estatística & dados numéricos , Aceitação pelo Paciente de Cuidados de Saúde/estatística & dados numéricos , Ideação Suicida , Tentativa de Suicídio/estatística & dados numéricos , Veteranos/estatística & dados numéricos , Adulto , Agendamento de Consultas , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Transtornos Mentais/terapia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Encaminhamento e Consulta/estatística & dados numéricos , Risco , Estados Unidos/epidemiologia , United States Department of Veterans AffairsRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of 2 brief interventions for alcohol misuse in a sample of combat veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. METHOD: Participants were 68 combat veterans (91.2% male; 64.7% White, 27.9% Black) with a mean age of 32.31 years (SD = 8.84) who screened positive for hazardous drinking in a Veterans Affairs Medical Center primary care clinic using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (Babor, Higgins-Biddle, Saunders, & Monteiro, 2001). More than half of the sample (57.4%) met criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; based on the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale; Blake et al., 1995). Eligible veterans who elected to participate completed a baseline assessment and were randomized to receive 1 of 2 interventions (personalized feedback delivered with or without a motivational interviewing counseling session). Both interventions included information on hazardous drinking, PTSD symptoms, depression, and coping. Follow-up assessments were conducted at 6 weeks and 6 months post-intervention. RESULTS: Both conditions resulted in statistically significant reductions in quantity and frequency of alcohol use as well as frequency of binge drinking and alcohol-related consequences. Within-group effect sizes (ds) were in the small to medium range (.21-.55) for quantity and frequency of alcohol use. There were no statistically significant Condition × Time interactions, suggesting that both interventions were similarly effective. PTSD and non-PTSD veterans responded equally well to both interventions, but veterans with PTSD assigned to feedback plus motivational interviewing reported greater reductions in weekly drinking at the 6-week follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that brief interventions for alcohol misuse may be effective for reducing drinking, even in an Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran population with a high degree of PTSD.
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Adaptação Psicológica , Consumo de Bebidas Alcoólicas/terapia , Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos/psicologia , Veteranos , Adulto , Campanha Afegã de 2001- , Consumo de Bebidas Alcoólicas/epidemiologia , Aconselhamento , Depressão/psicologia , Depressão/terapia , Feminino , Humanos , Guerra do Iraque 2003-2011 , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Entrevista Motivacional , Resultado do Tratamento , Estados Unidos/epidemiologia , Veteranos/psicologia , Veteranos/estatística & dados numéricos , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Brief alcohol interventions (BAIs) have been widely adopted for use with college students and are associated with significant reductions in drinking and problems. However, many students do not respond to these approaches and little is known about risk factors for poor response. The current study investigated one possible risk factor by examining the impact of posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms on BAI efficacy. This study presents pooled data from two randomized clinical trials that examined the efficacy of counselor-administered BAIs compared with computerized interventions. Participants were 207 college students (53.1% women, 68.1% White/Caucasian, 16.9% with elevated post-traumatic stress) who reported past-month heavy episodic drinking. Follow-up assessments were completed six months post-intervention. Analyses testing differences in frequency of past-month heavy episodic drinking revealed a significant post-traumatic stress by time interaction (F(1,165)=8.27, p=.005) such that individuals screening positive for PTS showed larger reductions in heavy episodic drinking at follow-up. A significant three-way interaction between time, PTS, and intervention condition (F(2,167)=5.76, p=.004) was found for alcohol related consequences. Specifically, among individuals screening positive for PTS, only those that received the counselor-administered BAI showed a significant reduction in consequences at follow-up. These results suggest that overall college students with PTS may respond well to BAIs and that counselor-delivered BAIs may be more efficacious than computer-delivered interventions for reducing alcohol problems for these high-risk students.
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Consumo de Bebidas Alcoólicas/psicologia , Psicoterapia Breve/métodos , Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos/psicologia , Estudantes/psicologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Consumo de Bebidas Alcoólicas/terapia , Análise de Variância , Aconselhamento/métodos , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Motivação , Ensaios Clínicos Controlados Aleatórios como Assunto , Inquéritos e Questionários , Adulto JovemRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To examine unique contributions of depression, alcohol consumption, and alcohol-related consequences on functional health outcomes in college students. METHODS: Participants were heavy-drinking undergraduate students (N = 207) who completed self-report questionnaires. RESULTS: For men and women, depression predicted overall general health and mental health ratings. For women, depression predicted number of days of role limitations due to poor physical or mental health and number of days of not getting enough sleep or rest. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that depression may have a more pervasive association with HRQOL than alcohol misuse or alcohol-related consequences in college students.
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Alcoolismo/epidemiologia , Nível de Saúde , Qualidade de Vida , Universidades , Adolescente , Adulto , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Sudeste dos Estados Unidos/epidemiologia , Estudantes , Inquéritos e Questionários , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Although DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) include three primary symptom clusters, recent evidence from confirmatory factor analyses suggest that the latent structure of PTSD is better represented by four factors, which will likely be reflected in the upcoming DSM-5. Given this likely transition from three to four clusters, the present study sought to examine specific and non-specific aspects of dysphoria in the factor structure of PTSD symptoms in a sample of OEF/OIF combat veterans presenting to a Veterans Affairs primary care clinic. PTSD symptoms were assessed using the PCL-M (Weathers et al. 1993). Results from confirmatory factor analyses suggested that a dysphoria factor involving a number of non-specific distress symptoms may be an important part of the PTSD symptom profile. After controlling for variance due to general psychological distress, we further found that factor loadings on the dysphoria factor were attenuated but continued to significantly load onto the factor, suggesting that dysphoria may be a specific part of the PTSD symptom constellation.