Models of Trauma Exposure, Depression, and Suicidality in Safety-Net Primary Care.

Suicidality is a major public health concern, particularly for low-income, trauma-exposed patients with limited access to mental health providers. However, limited research has modeled pathways of suicidality in safety-net primary care samples. Patients (N = 207) in a safety-net primary care clinic completed measures of childhood and adult trauma exposure, depression, and suicidality. Participants (M age = 44.8 years, SD = 11.6), were 60.4% male, 63.8% Black/African American, and predominantly low-income (i.e., 69.1% reported an annual income less than $5,000 USD). Half of the sample reported at least four childhood traumatic events (M = 3.9 events, SD = 3.0) and approximately three adult traumatic events (M = 3.0 events, SD = 2.1). Most participants (82.1%) reported significant depressive symptoms, and 43.5% endorsed recent suicidality. Models showing the mediational effect of depression on the association between trauma exposure and suicidality, ß = .20, B = 0.23, SE = 0.05, 95% CI [0.16, 0.32], and the moderational effect of trauma exposure on the association between depression and suicidality, ß = .16, B = 0.20, SE = 0.08, p = .007, were both supported. These results underscore the high prevalence of trauma exposure, depression, and suicidality in a safety-net primary care sample. They also highlight the pervasiveness and complexity of suicidality in low-income primary care patients, emphasize the importance of trauma-informed suicide assessment, and identify trauma sequelae and depression as potential treatment targets to reduce suicidality.

Sleep Disturbance Mediates the Association Between Loneliness and Health in Older Americans.

BACKGROUND: As the research documenting loneliness as a risk factor for morbidity and mortality continues to grow, it becomes increasingly critical to understand the mechanics of this relationship. This study assessed whether sleep disturbance mediates the relationship between loneliness and health. METHOD: Data came from the 2006, 2010, and 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, a longitudinal study of older Americans; participants ≥ 65 who completed the Psychosocial and Lifestyle Questionnaire in 2006 were included (n = 5067). Measures include the Hughes loneliness scales, a modified version of the Jenkins sleep scale, and self-reported health. Cross-lagged mediation models (i.e., path analysis) were used to model the relationships between loneliness, sleep disturbance, and self-reported health over the 8-year span. RESULTS: Loneliness predicted subsequent sleep disturbance, which in turn predicted subsequent self-reported health. Moreover, there was evidence of both direct and indirect effects (via sleep disturbance) of loneliness on self-reported health. These effects remained after controlling for demographics, isolation, and depression. CONCLUSION: Sleep disturbance partially mediates the relationship between loneliness and self-reported health over 8 years. These findings are not attributable to isolation or depression. Further research is necessary to develop and assess a more comprehensive model of how loneliness shapes health. This study indicates that targeting sleep disturbance may mitigate the health risks of loneliness in older Americans.

Insomnia Disorder and Behaviorally Induced Insufficient Sleep Syndrome: Prevalence and Relationship to Depression in College Students.

Background: College students are at increased risk for sleep disorders, including insomnia disorder and obtaining less than 6.5 hr of sleep per night by choice, or behaviorally induced insufficient sleep syndrome (BIISS). These disorders can have deleterious daytime consequences, including depression. This study aims to establish the prevalence of insomnia and BIISS disorders and examine associations of insomnia and BIISS with other sleep characteristics and depression. Methods: A subset of data from Spit for Science, a college risk behaviors and health study (n = 989) was used. Insomnia and BIISS were defined as mutually exclusive disorders, based on diagnostic criteria. Results: A majority (68%) of students were categorized as normal sleepers, followed by insomnia (22%), and BIISS (10%). Sleep duration was comparable between BIISS and insomnia, while daytime sleepiness was significantly higher in BIISS, and sleep latency was longer in insomnia (m = 44 vs. m = 13 min). Insomnia was associated with the highest depression symptoms, followed by BIISS, and normal sleep, controlling for demographics. Insomnia was associated with twice the risk of moderate or higher depression compared to normal sleep (CI: 1.60, 2.70, p < .001). Conclusion: These findings highlight the sleep difficulties endemic to college populations. Further, this study provides the first prevalence estimation of BIISS in college students and the first comparison of insomnia and BIISS on sleep characteristics and depressive symptoms. This study underscores the importance of targeted screening and intervention to improve both sleep and depression in this vulnerable population.

Rapid telepsychology deployment during the COVID-19 pandemic: A special issue commentary and lessons from primary care psychology training.

OBJECTIVE: This article positions the special issue on telepsychology amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, which has dramatically accelerated the adoption and dissemination of telepsychology. METHOD: The article makes general observations about the themes emerging in the special issue with considerations for application, training, theory-driven research, and policy. It then presents as a case example the rapid deployment during the pandemic of telepsychology doctoral training and services at the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Primary Care Psychology Collaborative. RESULTS: Facilitators to VCU telepsychology deployment included trainee and supervisor resources, strong telepsychology training, and prior experience. Barriers to overcome included limited clinic capacity, scheduling, technology, and accessibility and diversity issues. Lessons learned involved presenting clinical issues, supervision, and working with children and adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: Telepsychology is crucial for psychological service provision, during the COVID-19 pandemic more than ever, and that is unlikely to change as psychologists and patients increasingly continue to appreciate its value.

Mental health and sleep disparities in an urban college sample: A longitudinal examination of White and Black students.

OBJECTIVE: Racial disparities in sleep may be consequential among college students given high rates of dysfunctional sleep among this population. The present study sought to investigate whether disparities in sleep explain existing mental health disparities. METHOD: Data included secondary analysis of a college risk behaviors and health study (n = 1242, mean age = 18.5). Race was dichotomized as White or Black, excluding all others, with participants completing measures of sleep at baseline and measures of depression and anxiety at follow-up 1 to 2 years later. RESULTS: Compared to White students, Black students were more likely to report lower rates of depression and anxiety, but poorer sleep outcomes. Mediation analyses revealed that sleep partially mediated (suppressed) the association between race and depressive and anxiety symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that disparities in sleep may play an important role in the association between race and mental health symptoms among college students. Future health disparity research would benefit from exploring the potentially bidirectional relationship between sleep and mental health symptoms among college students.

The Impact of Integrated Psychological Services in a Safety Net Primary Care Clinic on Medical Utilization.

OBJECTIVE: The integration of psychological and behavioral health services into safety net primary care clinics has been viewed as a step toward reducing disparities in mental health treatment and addressing behavioral factors in chronic diseases. Though it is posited that integrated behavioral health (IBH) reduces preventable medical costs, this premise has yet to be tested in a safety net primary care clinic. METHOD: Retrospective pre- and posttreatment analysis with quasi-experimental control group was constructed using propensity score matching. Participants included 1,440 adult patients at a safety net primary care clinic, 720 of whom received IBH services, and 720 of whom received medical treatment only. RESULTS: Analysis showed that rates of preventable inpatient utilization decreased significantly among IBH-treated patients compared to no change among control patients. CONCLUSION: IBH was associated with decreased rates of preventable inpatient visits. IBH may present opportunities to deliver improved holistic patient care while reducing unnecessary inpatient medical utilization.

Information without Implementation: A Practical Example for Developing a Best Practice Education Control Group.

This article considers methodology for developing an education-only control group and proposes a simple approach to designing rigorous and well-accepted control groups. This approach is demonstrated in a large randomized trial. The Lifestyles trial (n = 367) compared three group interventions: (a) cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) for osteoarthritis pain, (b) CBT for osteoarthritis pain and insomnia, and (c) education-only control (EOC). EOC emulated the interventions excluding hypothesized treatment components and controlling for nonspecific treatment effects. Results showed this approach resulted in a control group that was highly credible and acceptable to patients. This approach can be an effective and practical guide for developing high-quality control groups in trials of behavioral interventions.

Effectiveness of a CBT Intervention for Persistent Insomnia and Hypnotic Dependency in an Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic.

OBJECTIVE: To test cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) in patients who not only receive psychiatric treatment in a outpatient psychiatry clinic but also continue to experience chronic insomnia despite receiving pharmacological treatment for sleep. CBT-I included an optional module for discontinuing hypnotic medications. METHOD: Patients were randomized to 5 sessions of individual CBT-I (n = 13) or treatment as usual (n = 10). Sleep parameters were assessed using sleep diaries at pre- and posttreatment. Questionnaires measuring depression, anxiety, and health-related quality of life were also administered. RESULTS: CBT-I was associated with significant improvement in sleep, with 46% obtaining normal global sleep ratings after treatment. However, no changes in secondary outcomes (depression, anxiety, quality of life) were obtained and no patients elected to discontinue their hypnotic medications. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with complex, chronic psychiatric conditions can obtain sleep improvements with CBT-I beyond those obtained with pharmacotherapy alone; however, sleep interventions alone may not have the same effect on mental health outcomes in samples with more severe and chronic psychiatric symptoms and dependency on hypnotic medications.

The future of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia: what important research remains to be done?

The efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) to improve both short- and long-term outcomes in both uncomplicated and comorbid insomnia patients has been repeatedly and conclusively demonstrated. Further demonstrations of efficacy, per se, in additional comorbid insomnia populations are likely not the best use of limited energy and resources. Rather, we propose that future CBT-I research would be better focused on three key areas: (a) increasing treatment efficacy, particularly for more clinically relevant outcomes; (b) increasing treatment effectiveness and potential for translation into the community, with a particular focus on variants of CBT-I and alternative delivery modalities within primary healthcare systems; and (c) increasing CBT-I practitioner training and dissemination.

The discrepancy between subjective and objective measures of sleep in older adults receiving CBT for comorbid insomnia.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) on the underreporting of sleep relative to objective measurement, a common occurrence among individuals with insomnia. METHOD: Pre-treatment and post-treatment self-report measures of sleep were compared with those obtained from home-based polysomnography (PSG) in 60 adults (mean age = 69.17; 42 women) with comorbid insomnia. The self-report data were published previously in a randomized controlled trial demonstrating the efficacy of CBT-I compared with a placebo treatment. RESULTS: Self-report measures significantly underestimated sleep at pre-treatment and CBT-I led to a correction in this discrepancy. There were no significant changes in PSG after CBT-I. Path analysis showed that an increase in an objective proxy measure of sleep quality (i.e., decreased stage N1 sleep) after CBT-I was significantly related to improvements in self-report of sleep, with full mediation by reductions in discrepancy. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first CBT-I outcome study to analyze discrepancy changes and demonstrate that these changes account for a significant portion of self-report outcome. In addition, improved sleep quality as measured by a decrease in percentage of stage N1 sleep following treatment may be one mechanism that explains why sleep estimation is more accurate following CBT-I.

Predictors of 10-year functional independence trajectories in older adults with traumatic brain injury: A Model Systems study.

BACKGROUND: Older adults have the highest traumatic brain injury (TBI)-related morbidity and mortality, and rates in older adults are increasing, chiefly due to falls. OBJECTIVE: This study used hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to examine baseline predictors of functional independence trajectories across 1, 2, 5, and 10 years after TBI in older adults. METHODS: Participants comprised 2,459 individuals aged 60 or older at the time of TBI, enrolled in the longitudinal TBI Model Systems database, and had Functional Independence Measure Motor and Cognitive subscale scores and Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended scores during at least 1 time point. RESULTS: Functional independence trajectories generally declined over the 10 years after TBI. Individuals who were older, male, underrepresented minorities, had lower education, were unemployed at time of injury, had no history of substance use disorder, or had difficulties with learning, dressing, and going out of the home prior to the TBI, or longer time in posttraumatic amnesia had lower functional independence trajectories across at least one of the functional independence outcomes. CONCLUSION: These predictors of functional independence in older adults with TBI may heighten awareness of these factors in treatment planning and long-term health monitoring and ultimately as a way to decrease morbidity and mortality.

Insomnia Treatment Preferences Among Primary Care Patients.

PURPOSE: Sleep disturbance is common in primary care. The main treatment options include medication and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. Best practice guidelines recommend a collaborative decision-making approach to treatment. This study examined differences in insomnia treatment preferences based on demographic and clinical characteristics among primary care patients. METHODS: A total of 200 patients (mean [SD] age, 54.92 [12.48] years) at a university medical center and community health clinic participated in brief screenings for insomnia, depression, anxiety, and insomnia treatment preference. Insomnia symptoms were measured with the Insomnia Severity Index, whereas depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire 2 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2. χ2 analyses were performed to detect significant differences in preference between groups. FINDINGS: A total of 46.5% of participants preferred medication and 56.0% preferred behavioral treatment (ratings not exclusionary). Preference for behavioral treatment was highest among severe insomnia presentations (15.2% preferred to 4.5% disliked; P = 0.002). Medication preference was higher among patients with elevated anxiety (57.3% preferred to 42.7% disliked; P = 0.017). Preference for behavioral treatment (66.7% preferred to 33.3% disliked; P = 0.012) and medication (56.8% preferred to 43.2% disliked; P = 0.016) was highest among those with elevated depression. Treatment preference only differed by age for behavioral treatment (P = 0.008). Preference was highest among patients ≤51 years of age (67.2% preferred to 32.8% disliked). IMPLICATIONS: Primary care patients preferred behavioral and medication strategies for insomnia treatment. In addition, as mental health and sleep worsen, patients were more likely to prefer behavioral treatment. Knowledge of patient treatment preference may facilitate shared decision making, which increases patient satisfaction with care and engagement with treatment.

Changes in Physician Telemedicine Use during COVID-19: Effects of Practice Setting, Demographics, Training, and Organizational Policies.

Telemedicine use increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, but uptake was uneven and future use is uncertain. This study, then, examined the ability of personal and environmental variables to predict telemedicine adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 230 physicians practicing in the U.S. completed questions concerning personal and environmental characteristics, as well as telemedicine use at three time points: pre-pandemic, during the pandemic, and anticipated future use. Associations between use and characteristics were determined to identify factors important for telemedicine use. Physicians reported that telemedicine accounted for 3.72% of clinical work prior to the pandemic, 46.03% during the pandemic, and predicted 25.44% after the pandemic ends. Physicians within hospitals reported less increase in telemedicine use during the pandemic than within group practice (p = 0.016) and less increase in use at hospitals compared to academic medical centers (p = 0.027) and group practice (p = 0.008). Greater telemedicine use was associated with more years in practice (p = 0.009), supportive organizational policies (p = 0.001), organizational encouragement (p = 0.003), expectations of greater patient volume (p = 0.003), and perceived higher quality of patient care (p = 0.032). Characteristics such as gender, number of physicians, and level of telemedicine training were not significant predictors. Organizations interested in supporting physicians to adopt telemedicine should encourage its use and create policies supporting its use. More senior physicians had a greater degree of telemedicine uptake, while training programs did not predict use, suggesting that efforts to develop telemedicine competency in younger physicians may be ineffective and should be re-examined.

Isolation, Not Loneliness or Cynical Hostility, Predicts Cognitive Decline in Older Americans.

Objective: To jointly examine isolation, loneliness, and cynical hostility as risk factors for cognitive decline in older adults. Method: Data came from the 2006 to 2012 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a longitudinal study of U.S. older adults (age ⩾ 65 years, n = 6,654). Measures included frequency of contact with social network (objective isolation), the Hughes Loneliness Scale (loneliness), a modified version of the Cook-Medley Hostility Inventory (cynical hostility), and a modified version of the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (cognitive function). Multilevel modeling (random slope + intercept) was used to examine the association between these factors and trajectories of cognitive function. Results and Discussion: After controlling for demographic characteristics, self-reported health, and functional limitations, loneliness (ß = -.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [-0.56, -0.11), and cynical hostility (ß = -.14, 95% CI = [-0.24, -0.04) correlated with lower cognitive function, but none predicted change in cognitive function. Objective social isolation was associated with lower cognitive function (ß = -.27, 95% CI = [-0.41, -0.12]) and steeper decline in cognitive function (ß = -.09, 95% CI = [-0.16, -0.01]).

Loneliness and sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Despite the mounting evidence linking loneliness with health, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain obscure. This systematic review and meta-analysis on the association between loneliness and one potential mechanism-sleep-identified 27 relevant articles. Loneliness correlated with self-reported sleep disturbance (r = .28, 95% confidence interval (.24, .33)) but not duration, across a diverse set of samples and measures. There was no evidence supporting age or gender as moderators or suggesting publication bias. The longitudinal relationship between loneliness and sleep remains unclear. Loneliness is related to sleep disturbance, but research is necessary to determine directionality, examine the influence of other factors, and speak to causality.

Reciprocal Effects Between Loneliness and Sleep Disturbance in Older Americans.

Objectives: To model the relationship between loneliness and sleep disturbance over time. Method: Data came from the Health and Retirement Study (2006, 2010, 2014 waves; age ≥ 65 years; n = 5,067). Loneliness was measured via the Hughes Loneliness Scale and sleep disturbance via a four-item scale assessing sleep and restedness. Cross-lagged panel modeling (path analysis) was used to jointly examine reciprocal effects between loneliness and sleep disturbance. Results: Higher loneliness correlated with higher sleep disturbance at baseline. There was evidence of reciprocal effects between loneliness and sleep across timepoints. These associations overall remained when accounting for demographics, objective isolation, and depression. Discussion: Although causality cannot be established, the findings indicate that the relationship between loneliness and sleep disturbance is bidirectional. This requires revision to the current theory on sleep disturbance as a mechanism for the relationship between loneliness and health and indicates that effective treatment of sleep disturbance may reduce loneliness.

Enhanced care planning and clinical-community linkages versus usual care to address basic needs of patients with multiple chronic conditions: a clinician-level randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Many patients with poorly controlled multiple chronic conditions (MCC) also have unhealthy behaviors, mental health challenges, and unmet social needs. Medical management of MCC may have limited benefit if patients are struggling to address their basic life needs. Health systems and communities increasingly recognize the need to address these issues and are experimenting with and investing in new models for connecting patients with needed services. Yet primary care clinicians, whose regular contact with patients makes them more familiar with patients' needs, are often not included in these systems. METHODS: We are starting a clinician-level cluster-randomized controlled trial to evaluate how primary care clinicians can participate in these community and hospital solutions and whether doing so is effective in controlling MCC. Sixty clinicians in the Virginia Ambulatory Care Outcomes Research Network will be matched by age and sex and randomized to usual care (control condition) or enhanced care planning with clinical-community linkage support (intervention). From the electronic health record we will identify all patients with MCC, including cardiovascular disease or risks, diabetes, obesity, or depression. A baseline assessment will be mailed to up to 50 randomly selected patients for each clinician (3000 total). Ten respondents per clinician (600 patients total) with uncontrolled MCC will be randomly selected for study inclusion, with oversampling of minorities. The intervention includes two components. First, we will use an enhanced care planning tool, My Own Health Report (MOHR), to screen patients for health behavior, mental health, and social needs. Patients will be supported by a patient navigator, who will help patients prioritize needs, create care plans, and write a personal narrative to guide the care team. Patients will update care plans every 1 to 2 weeks. Second, we will create community-clinical linkage to help address patients' needs. The linkage will include community resource registries, personnel to span settings (patient navigators and a community health worker), and care team coordination across team members through MOHR. DISCUSSION: This study will help inform efforts by primary care clinicians to help address unhealthy behaviors, mental health needs, and social risks as a strategy to better control MCC. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03885401. Registered on 19 September 2019.

A Curriculum for an Interprofessional Seminar on Integrated Primary Care: Developing Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice.

Health care is increasingly delivered through team-based, collaborative strategies with interprofessional education as an important mechanism for building interprofessional practice competencies. This paper describes an Interprofessional Seminar on Integrated Primary Care (IS-IPC) designed to meet this educational need with interprofessional team-based learning as the foundation of an iterative process such that education and practice inform one another. The IS-IPC can be used to educate an interprofessional group of learners about key topics relevant to working together in integrated primary care. The IS-IPC describes steps in developing an interprofessional seminar, common challenges, and their solutions in creating interprofessional learning experiences, and eight foundational content modules containing an outline and curricular resources. The IS-IPC facilitates interprofessional educator partnerships at the local level and can be customized to fit the local environment, pedagogical philosophy, and learning objectives.

Relationships between potentially traumatic events, sleep disturbances, and symptoms of PTSD and alcohol use disorder in a young adult sample.

OBJECTIVE: Traumatic events, particularly those that are interpersonal in nature, are associated with increased risk for co-occurring sequelae, including sleep disturbances, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, the associations between these phenotypes have not been explored among college students. METHODS: We examined relationships between type of potentially traumatic event (PTE) exposure (pre-college) and sleep disturbances, as well as mediating effects of lifetime PTSD and AUD symptoms on these relationships, in a large undergraduate sample (N = 1599, 64.7% female). Hierarchical linear regressions were conducted, beginning with demographics and then adding interpersonal and accidental PTEs in a stepwise regression; mediation analyses were run. RESULTS: Within the sample, 33.7% endorsed at least one interpersonal PTE, while 64.4% endorsed at least one accidental PTE. Hierarchical regressions demonstrated that interpersonal (ß = 0.202, p = 0.000), but not accidental PTE exposure significantly predicted disturbed sleep. Both PTSD and AUD symptoms significantly mediated (p values < 0.001) the relationship between interpersonal PTE exposure and sleep, with indirect effects accounting for 61% and 17% of total effects, respectively. In the correlated mediation model, both disorders remained significant mediators (p < 0.001), with indirect effects accounting for 56% (PTSD symptoms) and 14% (AUD symptoms) of total effects on sleep. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that interpersonal PTEs are more potent predictors of sleep problems than accidental PTEs. Further, trauma exposure psychiatric symptom sequelae (PTSD, AUD) account for part of the relationship between interpersonal PTE exposure and disturbed sleep, which both independently and jointly suggests that treating PTSD and AUD symptoms in college students may also improve sleep.

Who benefits from CBT for insomnia in primary care? Important patient selection and trial design lessons from longitudinal results of the Lifestyles trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Evaluate long-term effects of group interventions on sleep and pain outcomes in a primary care population of older adults with osteoarthritis pain and sleep disturbance. DESIGN: Double-blind, cluster-randomized controlled trial with 18-mo follow-up. SETTING: Group Health and University of Washington, Seattle, WA, from 2009 to 2011. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred sixty-seven adults age 60 y and older, with osteoarthritis pain and insomnia symptoms. INTERVENTIONS: Six weekly sessions of group cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and pain (CBT-PI), pain alone (CBT-P), and education-only control (EOC) delivered in patients' primary care clinics. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: There were no significant differences between treatment groups in sleep outcomes at 18 mo. This is a change from published significant 9-mo follow-up results for insomnia severity (Insomnia Severity Index) and sleep efficiency. There were no significant treatment differences in pain at either follow-up. Post hoc analyses of participants with greater insomnia and pain severity at baseline (n = 98) showed significant (P = 0.01) 18-mo reductions in pain comparing CBT-PI versus CBT-P (adjusted mean difference [AMD] = -1.29 [95% confidence interval (CI): -2.24,-0.33]). Moderate, albeit nonsignificant, CBT-PI versus EOC treatment effects for insomnia severity (AMD = -1.43 [95% CI: -4.71, 1.86]) and sleep efficiency (AMD = 2.50 [95% CI: -5.04, 10.05]) were also observed. Possible trial design and methodological considerations that may have affected results are discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest patients with higher levels of comorbid pain and insomnia may be most likely to experience sustained benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy interventions over time, and inclusion of insomnia treatment may yield more clinically meaningful improvements than cognitive behavioral therapy for pain alone. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01142349.