A Seeking Safety Mobile App for Recovery from PTSD and Substance Use Disorder: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder (SUD) co-occur frequently and have deleterious impact. Seeking Safety (SS) - an evidence-based, present-focused, coping skills model - lends itself to mobile app delivery. OBJECTIVES: A novel SS mobile app is compared to a control app that lacks the interactivity, social engagement, and feature-richness of the SS app. We hypothesized that the SS app would outperform the control on primary outcome variables (substance use, trauma symptoms) and at least two secondary variables. METHODS: Outpatients with current PTSD and SUD (n = 116) were randomized to the apps; assessed were pre, post (12 weeks), and 3-month follow-up in this online study. RESULTS: The SS app outperformed the control on the primary outcomes, but not on secondary outcomes. Also both conditions evidenced significant change over time from pre to post, with gains sustained at follow-up. External medication and supports during the trial did not differ by condition. CONCLUSION: This first RCT on a SS mobile app had positive results for reduction in substance use and trauma symptoms compared to a control app. This is noteworthy as mental health mobile apps, in general, evidence few positive outcomes. Our substance use finding is also notable as psychosocial interventions in PTSD/SUD populations find it harder to achieve reduction in SUD than trauma symptoms. Our control app may have represented too strong a comparison and weakened our ability to find results on secondary outcomes by condition.

Analysis of Rock Varnish from the Mojave Desert by Handheld Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a form of optical emission spectroscopy that can be used for the rapid analysis of geological materials in the field under ambient environmental conditions. We describe here the innovative use of handheld LIBS for the in situ analysis of rock varnish. This thinly laminated and compositionally complex veneer forms slowly over time on rock surfaces in dryland regions and is particularly abundant across the Mojave Desert climatic region of east-central California (USA). Following the depth profiling examination of a varnished clast from colluvial gravel in Death Valley in the laboratory, our in situ analysis of rock varnish and visually similar coatings on rock surfaces was undertaken in the Owens and Deep Spring valleys in two contexts, element detection/identification and microchemical mapping. Emission peaks were recognized in the LIBS spectra for the nine elements most abundant in rock varnish-Mn, Fe, Si, Al, Na, Mg, K, Ca and Ba, as well as for H, Li, C, O, Ti, V, Sr and Rb. Focused follow-up laboratory and field studies will help understand rock varnish formation and its utility for weathering and chronological studies.