Study protocol for the ROSE Scale-Up Study: Informing a decision about ROSE as universal postpartum depression prevention.

PURPOSE: To examine the effectiveness, cost-outcome, equity, scalability, and mechanisms of the Reach Out, Stay strong, Essentials for mothers of newborns (ROSE) postpartum depression prevention (PPD) program as universal versus selective or indicated prevention. BACKGROUND: The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) currently recommends PPD prevention for pregnant people at risk of PPD (i.e., selective/indicated prevention). However, universal prevention may be more scalable, equitable, and cost-beneficial. DESIGN: Effectiveness of ROSE for preventing PPD among people at risk is known. To assess ROSE as universal prevention, we need to determine the effectiveness of ROSE among all pregnant people, including those screening negative for PPD risk. We will enroll 2320 pregnant people, assess them with commonly available PPD risk prediction tools, randomize everyone to ROSE or enhanced care as usual, and assess ROSE as universal, selective, and indicated prevention in terms of: (1) effectiveness (PPD prevention and functioning), (2) cost-benefit, (3) equity (PPD cases prevented by universal prevention that would not be prevented under selective/indicated for minority vs. non-Hispanic white people), (4) quantitative and qualitative measures of scalability (from 98 agencies previously implementing ROSE), (5) ROSE mechanisms across risk levels. We will integrate results to outline pros and cons of the three prevention approaches (i.e., universal, selective, indicated). CONCLUSION: This will be the first trial to assess universal vs. selective/indicated PPD prevention. Trial design illustrates a novel, efficient way to make these comparisons. This trial, the largest PPD prevention trial to date, will examine scalability, an understudied area of implementation science.

Computerized intervention for reducing intimate partner victimization for perinatal women seeking mental health treatment: A multisite randomized clinical trial protocol.

Intimate partner victimization (IPV) is a significant social and public health problem among perinatal women. Research suggests that 21% to 33% of perinatal women report IPV and there is an enormous amount of morbidity associated with IPV. Moreover, IPV places women at high risk for several psychiatric disorders, which transforms the perinatal period from an already challenging process into a potentially overwhelming one. Further, IPV and untreated mental illness during the perinatal period pose a dual risk of adverse physical and emotional outcomes for women and their developing fetus/infant. Given the high rates of IPV among women who seek mental health treatment, mental health clinics compared to other medical settings are more effective sites for focused case finding and intervention. Our team has successfully tested an innovative, computerized intervention, Strength for U in Relationship Empowerment (SURE). SURE is a brief, interactive program consistent with motivational interviewing and incorporates empowerment strategies. The proposed multisite randomized clinical trial (N = 186) will test whether SURE relative to control is associated with reduced IPV, greater positive affect and well-being, and greater perceived emotional support. We will also evaluate the role of theoretical mediators of empowerment and self-efficacy. Finally, we will estimate the resources needed and costs to deliver SURE, as well as the incremental cost effectiveness of SURE compared with treatment as usual. If SURE is found to be efficacious and cost effective, it can be easily integrated into clinical care and will fill a critical gap for a vulnerable, high-risk population.

Reducing sexual health risks and substance use in the prenatal setting: A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are at a record high in the United States, and STI risk is a critical and costly public health concern for childbearing women. STIs can lead to a number of serious health risks including premature birth, low birth weight, ectopic pregnancy, and fetal death. Similarly, there has been a dramatic increase in substance use during pregnancy, leading to complications during pregnancy and poorer birth outcomes. Women who misuse substances are disproportionately more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors that can result in STIs. The proposed study will test whether the Health Check-Up for Expectant Moms (HCEM), a computer-delivered brief intervention that simultaneously targets STI risk and alcohol/illicit drug use during pregnancy, reduces antenatal and postpartum risk more than an attention, time, and information matched control condition among pregnant women seeking prenatal care. The study is a two-group, randomized controlled trial in which a diverse sample of 250 pregnant women will be recruited from prenatal care clinics and assigned to either (a) a computer-delivered, single-session brief intervention plus two booster sessions); or (b) a computer-delivered control condition. Follow-up assessments will occur at 2 and 6 months from baseline, and at 6 weeks postpartum. Our objective measures include STI incidence and birth outcomes. The results of this trial will fill a critical gap and provide much-needed data on the efficacy, costs, and resource utilization of a practical computer-delivered, brief motivational intervention tailored to reach high-risk women during pregnancy and extending impact to postpartum.

Randomized cost-effectiveness trial of group interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for prisoners with major depression.

OBJECTIVE: This study tested the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for major depressive disorder (MDD) among prisoners. It is the first fully powered randomized trial of any treatment (pharmacological or psychosocial) targeting MDD among incarcerated individuals. METHOD: One hundred eighty-one male (n = 117) and female (n = 64) prisoners from prison facilities in 2 states were randomized to group IPT (delivered by master's-level and nonspecialist prison counselors) for MDD plus prison treatment as usual (TAU) or to TAU alone. Participants' average age was 39 (range = 20-61); 20% were African American and 19% were Hispanic. Outcomes assessed at posttreatment and 3-month follow-up included depressive symptoms (primary; assessed using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression), suicidality (assessed with the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation and Beck Hopelessness Scale), in-prison functioning (i.e., enrollment in correctional programs; discipline reports; aggression/victimization; and social support), remission from MDD, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. RESULTS: IPT reduced depressive symptoms, hopelessness, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, and increased rates of MDD remission relative to prison TAU alone. Effects on hopelessness were particularly strong. Cost per patient was $2,054 including costs for IPT training and supervision or $575 without these costs. For providers running their second or subsequent IPT group, cost per additional week in remission from MDD (relative to TAU alone) was $524 ($148 excluding training and supervision costs, which would not be needed for established programs). CONCLUSIONS: IPT is effective and cost-effective and we recommend its use for MDD among prisoners. It is currently the only treatment for MDD evaluated among incarcerated individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Protocol for the ROSE sustainment (ROSES) study, a sequential multiple assignment randomized trial to determine the minimum necessary intervention to maintain a postpartum depression prevention program in prenatal clinics serving low-income women.

BACKGROUND: More research on sustainment of interventions is needed, especially return on investment (ROI) studies to determine cost-benefit trade-offs for effort required to sustain and how much is gained when effective programs are sustained. The ROSE sustainment (ROSES) study uses a sequential multiple assignment randomized (SMART) design to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a stepwise approach to sustainment of the ROSE postpartum depression prevention program in 90 outpatient clinics providing prenatal care to pregnant women on public assistance. Postpartum depression (PPD) is common and can have lasting consequences. Outpatient clinics offering prenatal care are an opportune place to provide PPD prevention because most women visit while pregnant. The ROSE (Reach Out, Stay Strong, Essentials for mothers of newborns) program is a group educational intervention to prevent PPD, delivered during pregnancy. ROSE has been found to reduce cases of PPD in community prenatal settings serving low-income pregnant women. METHODS: All 90 prenatal clinics will receive enhanced implementation as usual (EIAU; initial training + tools for sustainment). At the first time at which a clinic is determined to be at risk for failure to sustain (i.e., at 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 months), that clinic will be randomized to receive either (1) no additional implementation support (i.e., EIAU only), or (2) low-intensity coaching and feedback (LICF). If clinics receiving LICF are still at risk at subsequent assessments, they will be randomized to either (1) EIAU + LICF only, or (2) high-intensity coaching and feedback (HICF). Additional follow-up interviews will occur at 18, 24, and 30 months, but no implementation intervention will occur after 18 months. Outcomes include (1) percent sustainment of core program elements at each time point, (2) health impact (PPD rates over time at each clinic) and reach, and (3) ROI (costs and cost-effectiveness) of each sustainment step. Hypothesized mechanisms include sustainment of capacity to deliver core elements and engagement/ownership. DISCUSSION: This study is the first randomized trial evaluating the ROI of a stepped approach to sustainment, a critical unanswered question in implementation science. It will also advance knowledge of implementation mechanisms and clinical care for an at-risk population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03267563 . Registered June 14, 2018.

Project Date SMART: a Dating Violence (DV) and Sexual Risk Prevention Program for Adolescent Girls with Prior DV Exposure.

This study assessed the initial feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of an intervention aimed at reducing dating violence and sexual risk behavior in a sample of adolescent girls (ages 14-17) with prior exposure to physical dating violence (DV). One hundred and nine girls were randomly assigned to Date SMART (Skills to Manage Aggression in Relationships for Teens) or a Knowledge-only (KO) comparison group. Both intervention arms consisted of six, weekly 2-h sessions and one "booster" session 6 weeks later. Based on principles of cognitive behavioral therapy, the Date SMART intervention was designed to target common underlying skills deficits linked to both DV and sexual risk behavior in adolescent females: depression, self-regulation deficits, and interpersonal skills deficits. Assessments were administered at four time points (baseline, 3, 6, and 9 months). The Date SMART group was effective as reducing sexual DV involvement across the 9-month follow-up period. Both groups evidenced clinically meaningful reductions in physical, emotional, and digital DV involvement, total time in dating relationships, as well as reductions in depression. Findings indicate that delivering a DV and sexual risk prevention intervention to DV-affected adolescent girls is feasible and well-received. Furthermore, a skills-based approach that addresses the co-occurrence of DV and sexual risk behavior may be particularly useful for promoting reductions of sexual DV among high-risk adolescent girls. A future, large-scale trial with an inactive comparison condition is needed to evaluate the efficacy of Date SMART further. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials, NCT01326195, and http://www.clinicaltrials.gov.

Study protocol: Hybrid Type I cost-effectiveness and implementation study of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for men and women prisoners with major depression.

PURPOSE: This article describes the protocol for a Hybrid Type I cost-effectiveness and implementation study of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for men and women prisoners with major depressive disorder (MDD). The goal is to promote uptake of evidence-based treatments in criminal justice settings by conducting a randomized effectiveness study that collects implementation data, including a full cost-effectiveness analysis. BACKGROUND: More than 2.3 million people are incarcerated in the United States on any given day. MDD is the most common severe mental illness among incarcerated individuals. Despite the prevalence and consequences of MDD among incarcerated populations, this study will be the first fully-powered randomized trial of any treatment for MDD in an incarcerated population. DESIGN: Given the politically charged nature of the justice system, advantageous health outcomes are often not enough to get an intervention implemented in prisons. To increase the policy impact of this trial, we sought advice from prison providers and administrators about outcomes that would be persuasive to policy-makers and defensible to the public. In this trial, effectiveness questions will be answered using a randomized clinical trial design comparing IPT plus prison treatment as usual (TAU) to TAU alone, with outcomes including depressive symptoms (primary), suicidality, and in prison functioning (enrollment and completion of correctional programs; disciplinary and incident reports; aggression/victimization; social support). Implementation outcomes will include cost-effectiveness; feasibility and acceptability of IPT to clients, providers, and administrators; prison provider intervention fidelity, attitudes, and competencies; and barriers and facilitators of implementation assessed through surveys, interviews, and process notes.

Randomized controlled trial to prevent postpartum depression in mothers on public assistance.

INTRODUCTION: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a significant and common public health problem for women. AIMS: To examine the efficacy of an intervention based on the principles of interpersonal therapy (IPT) in reducing the risk of PPD in pregnant women. METHODS: Randomized controlled trial of 205 pregnant women who were 18 years old or older, on public assistance, and at risk for PPD. Participants (mean age=23; 38% Hispanic and 23% Black) were randomized to either the IPT group intervention (n=104) or the treatment as usual control (TAU) program (n=101). RESULTS: At 6 months, the overall depression rate in the intervention group (16%) was lower than the control group (31%) and the effect of the intervention was statistically significant at p<0.05. LIMITATIONS: It is unknown if findings will generalize to a more heterogeneous sample of women than the current study, such as women from a range of socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, or marital status. There was a differential amount of contact between TAU and intervention conditions. CONCLUSIONS: An IPT based intervention during the prenatal period has the potential to reduce cases of PPD within 6 months postpartum in at risk mothers on public assistance.

Multiple gaps in care common among newly diagnosed HIV patients.

The objective of this study was to identify frequency and predictors of gaps in care in a longitudinal cohort of HIV-infected patients in urban New England. We conducted a retrospective cohort study in Providence, RI, of 581 newly diagnosed HIV patients >18 entering into care from 2004 to 2010, and followed their care through the end of 2011. The outcome of interest was gaps in care, defined as an interruption of medical care for >6 months. Time to the first gap was characterized using Kaplan-Meier (KM) curves. Anderson-Gill proportional hazards (AGPH) model was used to identify the risk factors of recurrent gaps in care. During the study period, 368 patients (63%) experienced at least 1 gap in care, 178 (30%) had ≥2 gaps, 84 (14.5%) had ≥3 gaps, and 21 (3.6%) died; 77% of the gaps were followed by a re-linkage with care The KM curves estimate that one-quarter of patients (95% CI = 22-29%) would experience ≥1 gap in care by Year 1; nearly one-half (CI = 45-54%) by Year 2; and 90% (CI = 93-96%) by Year 8. A prior gap was a strong predictor (HR = 2.36; CI = 2.16-2.58) of subsequent gaps; other predictors included age <25 (HR = 1.29; CI = 1.04-1.60), and no prescription of ART in first year of care (HR = 1.23; CI = 1.01-1.50). The results of this study suggest that a significant proportion of newly diagnosed HIV-infected patients will experience multiple gaps in care and yet re-engagement is possible. Interventions should focus on both prevention of gaps as well as re-engaging those lost to follow-up.

Provider Experiences with Prison Care and Aftercare for Women with Co-occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders: Treatment, Resource, and Systems Integration Challenges.

Incarcerated women with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders (COD) face complex psychosocial challenges at community reentry. This study used qualitative methods to evaluate the perspectives of 14 prison and aftercare providers about service delivery challenges and treatment needs of reentering women with COD. Providers viewed the needs of women prisoners with COD as distinct from those of women with substance use alone and from men with COD. Providers described optimal aftercare for women with COD as including contact with the same provider before and after release, access to services within 24-72 hours after release, assistance with managing multiple social service agencies, assistance with relationship issues, and long-term follow-up. Providers also described larger service system and societal issues, including systems integration and ways in which a lack of prison and community aftercare resources impacted quality of care and reentry outcomes. Practice and policy implications are provided.

A qualitative study of treatment needs among pregnant and postpartum women with substance use and depression.

Little is known about treatment for pregnant and postpartum women with co-occurring substance use and depression. Funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, we conducted three focus groups with 18 pregnant and postpartum women in 2011 at an urban substance use treatment clinic. A semi-structured discussion guide probed for factors impacting treatment outcomes and needs. Data were analyzed using grounded theory. Women identified motivational, family, friend, romantic, and agency characteristics as facilitative or challenging to their recoveries, and desired structure (group treatment, a safe environment, and transportation) and content (attention to mental health, family, and gender-specific issues) of treatment.

High risk health behaviors and healthcare access among female adult entertainment club employees.

BACKGROUND: Prior studies of adult entertainment club employees have been qualitative and lacked information regarding a range of important health factors. METHODS: Sixty-nine female club employees completed a computer-assisted survey on healthcare access and health behaviors. An age-matched comparison sample was obtained from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Researchers calculated descriptive characteristics and developed multivariable logistic regression models to provide the adjusted odds of health factors. RESULTS: In the combined study sample, the mean age was 28.5 years; 75% were white, 20% Hispanic/Latino; 58% were single; 46% had at least one child. Compared to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System sample, significantly fewer club employees had health insurance or a primary care provider, and more reported not seeing a physician due to cost. Club employees had significantly higher adjusted odds of smoking (aOR 4.38, 95% CI 1.13-16.88), high-risk drinking (aOR 5.68, 95% CI 1.73-18.67), HIV risk factors (aOR 4.91, 95% CI 1.26-28.2), and lower odds of HIV testing (aOR 0.10, 95% CI 0.04-0.27) than the comparison group. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to a national sample of women, more club employees reported high-risk drinking and HIV risk behaviors, and fewer reported HIV testing and access to healthcare. Adult club employees may benefit from interventions to reduce harmful behaviors and increase healthcare access.

Estudio epidemiológico de sucesos traumáticos, trastorno de estrés post-traumático y otros trastornos psiquiátricos en una muestra representativa de Chile / Epidemiology of trauma, PTSD and other psychiatric disorders in a representative population of Chile

In the last decade, our understanding of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has progressed from studies of war veterans and specific disaster victims to studies that examine the epidemiology of PTSD in the United States (USA) population. Epidemiologic data on PTSD in developing countries is an understudied area with the majority of studies were developed in the USA and other developed countries. Of the few epidemiological surveys undertaken in other countries, most of them have focused its interest on the prevalence rates of PTSD and its risk factors for following specific traumatic events. Besides increasing the international normative and descriptive data base on PTSD, an examination of prevalence rates and risk factors for PTSD in a socio-political and cultural context (that is markedly different to established market economies) can deepen our understanding of the phenomenology and determinants of PTSD. Although many psychiatric diagnoses can be related with previous traumatic experiences, PTSD has been identified as a disorder that requires a previous traumatic exposure for its diagnosis. A growing literature strongly suggests that early exposure to traumatic events disrupts crucial normal stages of childhood development and predisposes children to subsequent psychiatric sequelae. A series of epidemiological studies has demonstrated that childhood sexual abuse is associated with a range of psychiatric disorders in adulthood that includes mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders, even after adjusting for possible confounds, such as family factors and parental psychopathological disorders or other childhood adversities. There is little evidence of diagnostic specificity of childhood sexual abuse, although a consistent finding has been that alcohol and drug disorders are more strongly related to childhood sexual abuse than other psychiatric disorders. Other forms of childhood traumas have been less well studied. This article reviews the findings of an epidemiological study that took place in Chile and examined prevalence rates of PTSD, traumatic events most often associated with PTSD, comorbidity of PTSD with other lifetime psychiatric disorders, gender differences in PTSD as well as trauma exposure in a representative sample of Chileans. This article also reported a comparison of prevalence rates of various psychiatric disorders among persons who reported the first trauma during their childhood, those who reported the first trauma during their adulthood, and those with no trauma history. The study was based on a household-stratified sample of people defined by the health service system to be adults (aged 15 years and older). The study was designed to represent the population of Chile. This analysis is limited to three geographically distinct provinces, chosen as being representative of the distribution of much of the population. The interviews were administered to a representative sample of 2390 persons aged 15 to over 64 years. The measures used were the DSM-III-R PTSD and antisocial personality disorder modules from the Diagnostic Interview Schedule and modules for a range of DSM-III-R diagnoses from the Composite International Diagnostic. Traumatic events were categorized into one of 11 categories: military combat, rape, physical assault, seeing someone hurt or killed, disaster, threat, narrow escape, sudden injury/ accident, news of a sudden death or accident, other event (e.g. kidnapping, torture), or other experience. The translation into Spanish was conducted using the protocol outlined by the World Health Organization. The interviewers were all university students in their senior year studying social sciences. Taylor series linearization method was used to estimate the standard errors due to the sample design and the need for weighting. The analysis was conducted using procedures without replacement for non-respondents. The region, province, comuna, and district selected were used as the defined strata. Logistic regression with the corresponding 95% confidence interval was used to examine associations among PTSD, demographic risk factors, and trauma type. To examine whether the association between PTSD and gender could be explained by other risk factors, multivariate logistic regression analyses were also conducted. The first analysis found that the lifetime prevalence of PTSD was 4.4% (2.5% for men and 6.2% for women). Among the traumatic events, rape was most strongly associated with PTSD diagnosis. Among those exposed to traumas, women were significantly more likely to develop PTSD than men, after controlling for assaultive violence. The second analysis revealed that exposure to a lifetime trauma was associated with a higher probability of psychiatric morbidity in comparison with no trauma exposure. Traumas with childhood onset were significantly related to lifetime panic disorder, independent of number of lifetime traumas and demographic differences. This revealed that women had more probabilities than men of developing PTSD once they are exposed to trauma, independent of previous traumas, experiences of sexual assault, other violent experiences or level of education. Some authors have proposed that women have a higher vulnerability than men to develop PTSD and that there are sex differences in brain morphology, in the social interpretation of trauma, or/and in the peritraumatic dissociative experience. Although many theories have been proposed to explain this gender difference in PTSD, more research is needed to evaluate them empirically. This study highlights the importance of investigating the prevalence of PTSD, the patterns of comorbidity of PTSD, as well as gender differences of PTSD in non-English speaking countries. Although Chile has a different historical and socio-cultural context with respect to other countries in which the epidemiology of PTSD has been examined, in general, this study achieved similar results as those found in other studies. The results showed that PTSD is not an uncommon psychiatric illness, it is associated with a high degree of psychiatric comorbidity, it is more likely to predate other psychiatric disorders. Also, the results showed that men are more likely to be exposed to traumas than women, women are more likely than men to develop PTSD, and that PTSD is associated with relatively high treatment utilization. However, compared to another country in Latin America, such as Mexico, Chile has a lower prevalence of PTSD and trauma exposure, which may due to socio-economic factors, such as less inequity between the wealthy and the poor and less violence, crime, and poverty in Chile than Mexico. These studies also suggest that traumatic events that occur in childhood are related to specific disorders rather than those that occurred later in life. Individuals with childhood interpersonal trauma exposure are more likely to suffer from lifetime panic disorder, agoraphobia or PTSD compared to those who experience interpersonal trauma as an adult. However, research should examine the specificity of these disorders in relation to various types of childhood traumas. Limitations of the current study include the use of lay interviewers who, despite acceptable levels of reliability and validity, may be less accurate than clinicians as interviewers. Also the retrospective recall of lifetime disorders is likely to be less accurate than a more recent time frame. The sample used in this study does not show nation wide perspective, because the Southern portion of the country which includes much of the indigenous population was excluded. This study, like most epidemiological studies, did not use an-depth or validated index of trauma, which may have diluted findings. Since this study was cross-sectional, a direct cause-effect relationship cannot be assumed between trauma exposure and subsequent disorders.

Durante la década de 1990 en los Estados Unidos (EU), el conocimiento sobre el trastorno de estrés post-traumático (TEPT) evolucionó de estudios específicos en un principio, sobre veteranos de guerra y sobre víctimas de desastres, a estudios epidemiológicos más tarde, sin embargo, la epidemiología del TEPT en países en desarrollo ha sido un área poco estudiada hasta ahora. Los expertos en el área de trauma han propuesto que los sucesos traumáticos que ocurren en la niñez son más perjudiciales para la salud mental que aquellos que ocurren más tarde en la vida. Este trabajo revisa los resultados de un estudio epidemiológico llevado a cabo en Chile. Específicamente, se revisan los resultados sobre las tasas de prevalencia del TEPT, traumas asociados más frecuentemente con él, así como la comorbilidad de este trastorno con otros trastornos psiquiátricos a lo largo de la vida. Igualmente se analizaron las diferencias del TEPT en cada sexo, así como la exposición a traumas en una muestra representativa de chilenos. Además se comparó la prevalencia de trastornos psiquiátricos en personas que sufrieron su primer trauma durante la niñez, durante la edad adulta, o que no reportaron traumas durante su vida. En estos estudios epidemiológicos se usaron módulos del TEPT y trastorno de personalidad antisocial (TPA) de la entrevista diagnóstica siguiendo los criterios del DSM-III-R (DIS-III-R). Para evaluar el resto de los trastornos psiquiátricos se usó la Entrevista Diagnóstica Internacional Compuesta (CIDI). Estos instrumentos fueron administrados en tres ciudades chilenas a 2390 personas mayores de 15 años. Para estimar los errores estándares (EE) debido al diseño de la muestra y a la necesidad de ajuste se usó el método Taylor de linearización seriada. También se usó un análisis de regresión logística para examinar la relación entre el TEPT, los factores demográficos de riesgo y el tipo de trauma. Además se utilizó la regresión logística multivariada para evaluar si la relación entre el TEPT y el sexo pudiera ser explicada por medio de otros factores de riesgo, así como para calcular las tasas y la oportunidad relativa (razón de productos cruzados) de trastornos psiquiátricos a lo largo de la vida. El primer análisis arrojó que la prevalencia de TEPT a lo largo de la vida fue de 4.4% (2.5% para hombres y 6.2% para mujeres). De los hechos traumáticos reportados, la violación sexual tuvo una correlación más alta con el TEPT que los demás hechos traumáticos. Las mujeres tuvieron más probabilidades de experimentar TEPT que los hombres, después de controlar la variable asalto violento. El segundo análisis evidenció que los que habían sufrido traumas a lo largo de la vida tuvieron mayor probabilidad de tener un trastorno psiquiátrico en comparación con aquellos que no reportaron traumas. También se encontró que los que sufrieron su primer trauma durante la infancia tuvieron más probabilidad de desarrollar trastornos de pánico a lo largo de la vida que aquellos que sufrieron su primer trauma en la edad adulta, independientemente del número de traumas que sufrieron y de las diferencias demográficas. Aunque Chile tiene un contexto histórico-cultural y una economía diferente a otros países en los que se ha estudiado anteriormente la epidemiología del TEPT, el presente estudio reflejó tendencias similares a las reportadas en estudios previos. Los hallazgos expuestos enfatizan la importancia de investigar la prevalencia del TEPT, los patrones de comorbilidad del TEPT y las diferencias de sexo en la prevalencia del TEPT en diferentes países. También estos resultados sugieren que los sucesos traumáticos en la infancia (y no en la adultez) pueden estar relacionados con la ocurrencia de trastornos psiquiátricos específicos.

Lessons learned from a training collaboration between an Ivy League institution and a historically Black university.

The Miriam Hospital, Brown Medical School, and Jackson State University developed a joint training program for predoctoral, Black psychology students under the auspices of a training grant funded by the National Institutes of Health. The students in the program at Jackson State University had unlimited access to the clinical research resources and mentoring expertise at Brown Medical School. This innovative program began in 2001 and addresses the need for Black leaders in clinical research and academia who will focus on HIV and other infections that disproportionately affect the Black community. This collaboration has served as a bridge between an Ivy League institution and a historically Black university for training in clinical research to develop successful minority academicians.

Estudio epidemiológico de sucesos traumáticos, trastorno de estrés post-traumático y otros trastornos psiquiátricos en una muestra representativa de Chile.

SUMMARYIn the last decade, our understanding of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has progressed from studies of war veterans and specific disaster victims to studies that examine the epidemiology of PTSD in the United States (USA) population. Epidemiologic data on PTSD in developing countries is an understudied area with the majority of studies were developed in the USA and other developed countries. Of the few epidemiological surveys undertaken in other countries, most of them have focused its interest on the prevalence rates of PTSD and its risk factors for following specific traumatic events. Besides increasing the international normative and descriptive data base on PTSD, an examination of prevalence rates and risk factors for PTSD in a socio-political and cultural context (that is markedly different to established market economies) can deepen our understanding of the phenomenology and determinants of PTSD. Although many psychiatric diagnoses can be related with previous traumatic experiences, PTSD has been identified as a disorder that requires a previous traumatic exposure for its diagnosis. A growing literature strongly suggests that early exposure to traumatic events disrupts crucial normal stages of childhood development and predisposes children to subsequent psychiatric sequelae. A series of epidemiological studies has demonstrated that childhood sexual abuse is associated with a range of psychiatric disorders in adulthood that includes mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders, even after adjusting for possible confounds, such as family factors and parental psychopathological disorders or other childhood adversities. There is little evidence of diagnostic specificity of childhood sexual abuse, although a consistent finding has been that alcohol and drug disorders are more strongly related to childhood sexual abuse than other psychiatric disorders. Other forms of childhood traumas have been less well studied.This article reviews the findings of an epidemiological study that took place in Chile and examined prevalence rates of PTSD, traumatic events most often associated with PTSD, comorbidity of PTSD with other lifetime psychiatric disorders, gender differences in PTSD as well as trauma exposure in a representative sample of Chileans. This article also reported a comparison of prevalence rates of various psychiatric disorders among persons who reported the first trauma during their childhood, those who reported the first trauma during their adulthood, and those with no trauma history.The study was based on a household-stratified sample of people defined by the health service system to be adults (aged 15 years and older). The study was designed to represent the population of Chile. This analysis is limited to three geographically distinct provinces, chosen as being representative of the distribution of much of the population. The interviews were administered to a representative sample of 2390 persons aged 15 to over 64 years.The measures used were the DSM-III-R PTSD and antisocial personality disorder modules from the Diagnostic Interview Schedule and modules for a range of DSM-III-R diagnoses from the Composite International Diagnostic. Traumatic events were categorized into one of 11 categories: military combat, rape, physical assault, seeing someone hurt or killed, disaster, threat, narrow escape, sudden injury/ accident, news of a sudden death or accident, other event (e.g. kidnapping, torture), or other experience. The translation into Spanish was conducted using the protocol outlined by the World Health Organization. The interviewers were all university students in their senior year studying social sciences.Taylor series linearization method was used to estimate the standard errors due to the sample design and the need for weighting. The analysis was conducted using procedures without replacement for non-respondents. The region, province, comuna, and district selected were used as the defined strata. Logistic regression with the corresponding 95% confidence interval was used to examine associations among PTSD, demographic risk factors, and trauma type. To examine whether the association between PTSD and gender could be explained by other risk factors, multivariate logistic regression analyses were also conducted.The first analysis found that the lifetime prevalence of PTSD was 4.4% (2.5% for men and 6.2% for women). Among the traumatic events, rape was most strongly associated with PTSD diagnosis. Among those exposed to traumas, women were significantly more likely to develop PTSD than men, after controlling for assaultive violence. The second analysis revealed that exposure to a lifetime trauma was associated with a higher probability of psychiatric morbidity in comparison with no trauma exposure.Traumas with childhood onset were significantly related to lifetime panic disorder, independent of number of lifetime traumas and demographic differences.This revealed that women had more probabilities than men of developing PTSD once they are exposed to trauma, independent of previous traumas, experiences of sexual assault, other violent experiences or level of education. Some authors have proposed that women have a higher vulnerability than men to develop PTSD and that there are sex differences in brain morphology, in the social interpretation of trauma, or/and in the peritraumatic dissociative experience. Although many theories have been proposed to explain this gender difference in PTSD, more research is needed to evaluate them empirically.This study highlights the importance of investigating the prevalence of PTSD, the patterns of comorbidity of PTSD, as well as gender differences of PTSD in non-English speaking countries. Although Chile has a different historical and socio-cultural context with respect to other countries in which the epidemiology of PTSD has been examined, in general, this study achieved similar results as those found in other studies.The results showed that PTSD is not an uncommon psychiatric illness, it is associated with a high degree of psychiatric comorbidity, it is more likely to predate other psychiatric disorders. Also, the results showed that men are more likely to be exposed to traumas than women, women are more likely than men to develop PTSD, and that PTSD is associated with relatively high treatment utilization.However, compared to another country in Latin America, such as Mexico, Chile has a lower prevalence of PTSD and trauma exposure, which may due to socio-economic factors, such as less inequity between the wealthy and the poor and less violence, crime, and poverty in Chile than Mexico. These studies also suggest that traumatic events that occur in childhood are related to specific disorders rather than those that occurred later in life.Individuals with childhood interpersonal trauma exposure are more likely to suffer from lifetime panic disorder, agoraphobia or PTSD compared to those who experience interpersonal trauma as an adult. However, research should examine the specificity of these disorders in relation to various types of childhood traumas.Limitations of the current study include the use of lay interviewers who, despite acceptable levels of reliability and validity, may be less accurate than clinicians as interviewers.Also the retrospective recall of lifetime disorders is likely to be less accurate than a more recent time frame. The sample used in this study does not show nation wide perspective, because the Southern portion of the country which includes much of the indigenous population was excluded. This study, like most epidemiological studies, did not use an-depth or validated index of trauma, which may have diluted findings. Since this study was cross-sectional, a direct cause-effect relationship cannot be assumed between trauma exposure and subsequent disorders.

Utilization of mental health treatment and other services by battered women in shelters.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the frequency and types of resources used by battered women in shelters, as well as factors that relate to greater use of mental health services and to seeking help from a greater number of resources. METHODS: A total of 164 African-American (N=94) and white (N=70) battered women in two shelters were examined by using a series of clinical interviews and self-report measures that assessed posttraumatic stress disorder and other axis I pathology, mental health treatment and other service use, abuse severity, and lifetime trauma prevalence. RESULTS: Results suggest that few of the women used available resources, especially mental health treatment, with African-American women less likely to use mental health treatment and criminal justice interventions. Additionally, possession of medical insurance and a greater number of types of prior trauma were significantly associated with greater help seeking. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the need for identifying barriers to battered women's access to resources, as well as the importance of assisting them in obtaining medical coverage.

A preventive intervention for pregnant women on public assistance at risk for postpartum depression.

OBJECTIVE: Promising results were obtained in an earlier pilot study of a preventive intervention based on the principles of interpersonal psychotherapy to reduce the risk of postpartum major depressive disorder. In this study, the authors examined whether the intervention would reduce the risk of postpartum major depressive disorder in a larger sample of pregnant women. METHOD: Ninety-nine pregnant women on public assistance who were assessed to be at risk for postpartum depression were randomly assigned to receive standard antenatal care plus the intervention or standard antenatal care only. Diagnostic interviews were administered 3 months after delivery to assess for major depressive disorder. RESULTS: Within 3 months after delivery, eight (20%) of the women in the standard antenatal care condition had developed postpartum major depressive disorder, compared with two (4%) in the intervention condition. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides further evidence for the efficacy of a brief intervention to reduce the occurrence of major depressive disorder among financially disadvantaged women during a postpartum period of 3 months.

Intimate partner violence and long-term psychosocial functioning in a national sample of American women.

Using a nationally representative sample of American married or cohabiting women, this prospective study examined women who reported or denied intimate partner violence (IPV) at wave 1 and compared them on a range of psychosocial outcomes at a 5-year follow-up. This study also examined the rate of divorce or separation during the 5-year interval among women who reported IPV at wave 1 and explored whether certain predictors were related to ending an abusive relationship with an intimate partner during the period. Women with IPV at wave 1, compared to women without IPV, were significantly more likely to experience a greater degree of depressive symptoms and functional impairment and less self-esteem and life satisfaction at the 5-year follow-up. Also, nearly half of the women in an abusive relationship left the relationship within the period. Leaving the abusive relationship was associated with lower individual income and more social support at wave 1.