Pilot randomized clinical trial targeting anxiety sensitivity: effects on physical activity.

Anxiety sensitivity (AS)-the tendency to interpret anxiety as an aversive state-is associated with low rates of physical activity. Previous interventions targeting AS via exercise-based interoceptive exposure have not assessed physical activity as an outcome and are limited by brief follow-up periods. This study replicated and extended previous work by including a 6-week follow-up and assessing physical activity. Participants were 44 sedentary young adults with elevated AS randomized to intervention (six 20-minute sessions of moderate-intensity walking) or assessment-only control. Assessments of AS and physical activity were conducted at baseline and weeks 2 (post-treatment), 4, and 8. Between-group change in AS and physical activity over time was assessed using hierarchical linear modeling. The intervention condition demonstrated a marginally significant reduction in AS compared to control at week 4, which eroded by week 8. There were no significant between-group differences for change in physical activity. Findings indicate that a brief intervention might not be sufficient to produce lasting changes in AS or related exercise avoidance without additional treatment. Intervention effects were weaker than previous reports, which may be due to the greater racial/ethnic diversity of the current sample. Future research should objectively measure physical activity and explore individual variability in response.ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03128437.

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.

Racism, Mental Health, Healthcare Provider Trust, and Medication Adherence Among Black Patients in Safety-Net Primary Care.

There has been a growing research focus on social determinants to health disparities in general and medication adherence more specifically in low-income Black populations. The purpose of this study was to examine whether prior experiences of racism among Black patients in safety-net primary care indirectly predicts poor medication adherence through increased mental health symptoms and low healthcare provider trust. Two competing models were run whereby mental health leads to provider trust or provider trust leads to mental health in this multiple mediational chain. A group of 134 Black patients (76 men, average age 45.39 years) in a safety-net primary care clinic completed measures of these constructs. Results revealed that in the first model, mental health mediated the relationship between racism and provider trust, and provider trust mediated the relationship between mental health and medication adherence. All paths within this model were statistically significant, except the path between provider trust and medication adherence which approached significance. In the second model, provider trust and mental health significantly mediated the relationship between racism and medication adherence, and all direct and indirect paths were statistically significant, though the path between provider trust and medication adherence was omitted. These results may serve as catalysts to assess and attempt to mitigate specific minority-based stressors and associated outcomes within safety-net primary care settings.

Social determinants of sleep disturbance in safety-net primary care: unmet needs, classist discrimination, and anxiety.

BACKGROUND: The 3P model proposes that predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating factors all play a role in sleep disturbance. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the current study is to investigate social determinants of sleep disturbance by applying the 3P model to a safety-net primary care setting, specifically by evaluating the role of classism and unmet needs as precipitating factors for sleep disturbance, and anxiety as a perpetuating factor for sleep disturbance. METHODS: Participants (N = 210) were a convenience sample of racially/ethnically diverse adults over the age of 18 (age M = 44.7 years) recruited from a safety-net primary care clinic in an urban area. The study employed a cross-sectional design. Participants completed a survey assessing sleep disturbances, anxiety, unmet needs, classism, social support, and a researcher-generated demographic form. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The unmet need for affordable long-term housing and greater experiences of classism were associated with more sleep disturbance, suggesting that both acted as precipitating factors. In a structural equation model with adequate fit indices, anxiety mediated the relationships with sleep disturbance for both the unmet need for affordable long-term housing and classism, suggesting that it serves as a perpetuating factor. Medical providers are recommended to explore these potential needs in safety-net primary care when patients present with sleep disturbance or anxiety. Assisting with connections to long-term housing and helping patients counteract and cope with classist discrimination may be effective in improving sleep in safety-net primary care.

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.

Common health problems in safety-net primary care: Modeling the roles of trauma history and mental health.

OBJECTIVE: This study described trauma exposure and investigated mediational effects of mental health on the relationships between trauma and pain, sleep, smoking, and general health. METHOD: Participants were 210 low-income primary care patients. The study used a crosssectional, self-report survey design. RESULTS: Eighty-five percent of the sample reported adult trauma and 54% reported four or more childhood traumas. Moderate or higher depression and anxiety levels were present in 59% and 48% of participants, respectively. Structural equation model fit was good for sleep, pain, and general health, showing that trauma indirectly affected health variables via mental health. CONCLUSIONS: Participants endorsed substantial adult and childhood trauma, which likely had cascading effects on mental health and common primary care presenting health issues.

Implementation and Evaluation of a Life Narrative Interview Program for Medical Inpatients.

Objectives: Two studies in the early 1990s demonstrated that life narrative interviews conducted by age-peer volunteers strengthened the coping of older patients undergoing invasive medical procedures. The present article reports on the implementation of a similar life narrative interview program for medical inpatients and subsequent evaluation of the mood and coping effects of the intervention. Methods: Three volunteers (mean age = 69 years) were trained to administer 45- to 60-minute life narrative interviews. Fifty-three inpatients (mean age = 70 years) on various units of a Mid-Atlantic non-profit hospital agreed to participate. The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule and Coping Self-Efficacy Inventory (CSEI) were administered before and after the interviews. Results: T-tests indicated a significant increase in positive affect and decrease in negative affect following the interview but no changes in the CSEI. Patient satisfaction questions administered after the interview indicated that patients had a high level of satisfaction with the interview experience. Conclusions: The life narrative interview program appeared to improve the overall mood of participants while providing a satisfying activity to engage in while in the hospital. Clinical Implications: The project demonstrated a cost-effective method for employing volunteers to enhance the experience of patients at healthcare facilities.

Initial and Follow-Up Evaluations of Integrated Psychological Services for Anxiety and Depression in a Safety Net Primary Care Clinic.

OBJECTIVE: Despite the recognized importance of integrated behavioral health, particularly in safety net primary care, its effectiveness in real world settings has not been extensively evaluated. This article presents 2 successive studies examining the effectiveness of integrated behavioral care in a safety net setting. METHOD: Study 1 compared the depression and anxiety scores of predominately low-income and minority patients who underwent brief interventions (N = 147) to those of patients from a demographically similar comparison clinic without integrated psychological services, matched on baseline levels of anxiety and depression and length of time between assessments (N = 139). Study 2 did not include a control group but served as a long-term follow-up assessment of anxiety and depression for a subset of 47 patients who finished treatment and could be reached by telephone within 6-18 months of their last session. RESULTS: Study 1 found that patients from the clinic with integrated psychology services experienced greater decreases in depression and anxiety scores than patients in the control clinic. These effects did not differ as a function of age, gender, or race. Study 2 found that patients continued to decline in depression and anxiety over time, with lower scores at the last session and even lower scores after longer-term follow-up ranging from 6 to18 months. These improvements remained significant when controlling for other interim mental health treatments. CONCLUSION: These results support the short- and long-term treatment effects of brief primary care behavioral interventions, further strengthening the case for integrated behavioral healthcare in safety net settings.

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 relationship of life stressors, mood disorder, and health care utilization in primary care patients referred for integrated behavioral health services.

Exposure to stressful life events, mood disorder, and health care utilization were evaluated in 102 low-income, primarily minority patients receiving behavioral health and medical services at a safety-net primary care clinic. Exposure to major stressors was far higher in this sample than in the general population, with older patients having lower stress scores. Proportions of patients who met the criteria for clinical depression and anxiety were higher than in normative samples of primary care patients. Stress exposure was higher in the patients who met the criterion for clinical anxiety but was unrelated to clinical depression. Contrary to expectation, anxiety, depression, or stress exposure was not related to service utilization. Latter findings are discussed in terms of the influence of the provision of behavioral health services, the highly skewed distribution of major stressor scores, and the likely greater influence of individual differences in minor stressor exposure on utilization in this population.

Evaluation of integrated psychological services in a university-based primary care clinic.

Primary care is increasingly moving toward integration of psychological services; however few studies have been conducted to test the efficacy of such an integrated approach. This paper presents a program evaluation of psychological services provided by doctoral trainees in clinical and counseling psychology within a primary care clinic at an urban academic medical center. It includes: (1) a description of the program, including types of patients served, their presenting problems, and treatments administered and; (2) evidence of the impact of behavioral health services on primary care patients' emotional adjustment and progress on behavioral goals. Intake and follow-up measures of depression, anxiety, smoking, insomnia, chronic pain, and weight loss were collected on 452 adult patients (mean age = 52; 59 % African-American; 35 % uninsured) who were provided brief interventions (mean visits = 2.2) over a 16-month period. Although conclusions are limited by the lack of a control or comparison group, preliminary findings indicate that the integrated behavioral health services provided were effective. Implications and future directions are discussed.

The relationship of socio-demographic factors and satisfaction with social support at five and 10 yr after heart transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Despite the fact that social support has been found to be important to cardiovascular health, there is a paucity of information regarding the relationship between social support and outcomes long term after heart transplantation (HT). The purposes of this study were to examine demographic and psychosocial characteristics and their relationship to social support after HT and to identify whether socio-demographic variables are predictors of satisfaction with social support post-HT. METHODS: Data were collected from 555 HT patients (pts) (78% men, 88% white, mean age = 53.8 yr at time of transplant) at four US medical centers using the following instruments: Social Support Index, QOL Index, HT Stressor Scale, Jalowiec Coping Scale, Sickness Impact Profile, Cardiac Depression Scale, and medical records review. Statistical analyses included t-tests, correlations, and linear and multivariate regression. RESULTS: There were no associations between education and ethnicity and perception of social support at five and 10 yr after HT. Married and older pts reported higher satisfaction with social support after HT. Being married and having higher education were predictors of better overall satisfaction with social support at 10 yr post-heart transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of relationships between socio-demographic factors and social support may assist clinicians to address social support needs and resources long term after HT.

The relationships among satisfaction with social support, quality of life, and survival 5 to 10 years after heart transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Despite the fact that social support has been found to be important to cardiovascular health, there is a paucity of information regarding the relationship between social support and outcomes long-term after heart transplantation (HT). OBJECTIVES: Therefore, the purposes of our retrospective analyses of a prospective, longitudinal study were to examine (1) the relationship between satisfaction with social support and post-HT health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and survival and (2) whether 2 types of social support (emotional and tangible) were predictors of survival and HRQOL. METHODS: Data were collected from 555 HT patients over a 5-year period (78% male, 88% white; mean age, 53.8 years at time of transplantation) at 4 US medical centers using the following instruments: Social Support Index, Quality of Life Index, Heart Transplant Stressor Scale, Jalowiec Coping Scale, and medical records review. Statistical analyses included t tests, correlations, Kaplan-Meier survival actuarials, and linear and multivariable regression. RESULTS: Patients were very satisfied with overall social support from 5 to 10 years after HT (0 = very satisfied, 1 = very dissatisfied), which was stable across time (P = .74). Satisfaction with emotional social support (P = .53) and tangible social support (P = .61) also remained stable over time. When stratified into low, medium, and high levels of satisfaction, satisfaction with social support was not related to survival (P = .24). At 5 years, overall satisfaction with social support was a predictor of HRQOL (r = 0.59, P < .0001), and satisfaction with emotional social support was a predictor of HRQOL at 10 years after HT (r = 0.66, P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients were very satisfied over time with emotional and tangible social support. While social support explained quality of life outcomes, it did not predict survival. Knowledge of relationships among social support, stress, and outcomes may assist clinicians to address social support needs and resources long-term after HT.

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.

Efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral treatment for insomnia and nightmares in Afghanistan and Iraq veterans with PTSD.

OBJECTIVE: Sleep disturbances are a core and salient feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Pilot studies have indicated that combined cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT) for nightmares improves sleep as well as PTSD symptoms. METHOD: The present study randomized 40 combat veterans (mean age 37.7 years; 90% male and 60% African American) who served in Afghanistan and/or Iraq (Operation Enduring Freedom [OEF]/Operation Iraqi Freedom [OIF]) to 4 sessions of CBT-I with adjunctive IRT or a waitlist control group. Two thirds of participants had nightmares at least once per week and received the optional IRT module. RESULTS: At posttreatment, veterans who participated in CBT-I/IRT reported improved subjectively and objectively measured sleep, a reduction in PTSD symptom severity and PTSD-related nighttime symptoms, and a reduction in depression and distressed mood compared to the waitlist control group. CONCLUSION: The findings from this first controlled study with OEF/OIF veterans suggest that CBT-I combined with adjunctive IRT may hold promise for reducing both insomnia and PTSD symptoms. Given the fact that only half of the patients with nightmares fully implemented the brief IRT protocol, future studies should determine if this supplement adds differential efficacy to CBT-I alone.