Longitudinal changes in depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of COVID-related factors.

OBJECTIVE: This study is an investigation of five specific COVID-related stressors and their longitudinal impact on adult depression and anxiety. METHOD: A total of 592 adults comprised the initial sample at Time 1 in April/May 2020. Follow-ups were conducted about a month later, again in March 2021 and then in March 2022. RESULTS: Applied linear mixed effect models showed a significant decrease in mean depression scores and anxiety scores from Time 1 to both Times 3 and 4. Neither change over time in anxiety or depression were found to be related to COVID diagnosis, COVID hospitalization, or COVID death. Self-quarantine was related to changes over time in both depression and anxiety, and household quarantine was related to changes over time in depression. CONCLUSION: While the fallout of the pandemic continues, it is important to understand how these factors may be affecting mental health to better understand where intervention is necessary.

Psychosocial Sequalae of Sexual Assault in a Sample of Partnered Adults Experiencing Alcohol Use Disorder and Intimate Partner Violence.

Research has shown that experiencing a sexual assault results in significant and lasting effects in many psychosocial domains. However, most studies on the impact of sexual assault examine university samples or the immediate aftermath of the assault, not taking into account the longer-term complexities and contexts of life for many victims. The current study seeks to evaluate the role of lifetime sexual assault history on several psychosocial outcomes in adults who are in intimate relationships that have included both intimate partner violence (IPV) and alcohol use disorder. The study included 100 adult romantic couples who were part of a larger project addressing violence and alcohol use. A majority of participants were Caucasian (74.3%) and female (53%). Participants reported on lifetime sexual assault history, depression, perceived stress, maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation, and perceived intimate relationship functioning. Multilevel analyses controlled for couple interdependence as well as current levels of alcohol use and IPV. Results indicated that the presence/absence of sexual assault was only related to perceived life stress (p = .016), while the total number of lifetime assault experiences was related to depression symptoms (p < .001), perceived life stress (p = .052), maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation (p = .048), and dyadic adjustment (p = .003). These findings underscore the importance of investigating sexual assault outcomes in complex populations, as well as the need for more thorough and regular assessment of sexual assault history. Focusing on empowerment and recovery for sexual assault victims of any age is an important tool to prevent the detrimental outcomes that particularly accompany multiple victimizations.

Timing of Sexual Assault Disclosure: A Study of College Women.

The present study examined correlates of immediate (within 48 h) and delayed (after 48 h) sexual assault disclosure among a sample of 83 college women who experienced sexual victimization since age 14. The use of physical resistance and experiencing a "freeze response" was positively associated with delayed disclosure. Identifying the perpetrator as a friend/acquaintance, compared to a was a romantic partner, increased the likelihood of immediate disclosure. Other individual characteristics (i.e., assault characteristics, a history of childhood sexual abuse, attitudes towards seeking help, and sexual assertiveness) and microsystem-level characteristics (i.e., perceived social support) did not impact the timing of disclosure.

Examining peer response to sexual assault disclosure in two groups of college students with no history of college sexual assault.

ObjectiveThis study examined rates and predictors of peer recommendation of resources after disclosure of actual and hypothetical unwanted sexual experiences. Participants: Private university students without a history of college sexual assault were recruited in 2 groups. One was a group of peers who had received an assault disclosure (N = 122) and one was a group of peers who had never received an assault disclosure (N = 166). Methods: Participants responded to an anonymous online survey and reported on their history of receiving disclosures and related measures such as rape myth beliefs, attitudes toward help-seeking, and social norms. Results: Actual and hypothetical disclosure recipients had similar rates of awareness and helpfulness of resources for sexual assault but different levels of recommendation of resources. Perceived helpfulness, awareness of resources, and social norms emerged as key predictors of recommendations. Conclusions: In addition to prevention programing, training and education are needed for potential disclosure recipients.

Actuarial prediction of psychotherapy retention among Iraq-Afghanistan veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.

The present study aimed to identify predictors of treatment retention in a sample of Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND) veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who were referred for PTSD-focused treatment through completion of a Veterans Affairs (VA) specialty clinic introductory information session. A total of 124 returning veterans (89% male, 53% Caucasian, 40% African American, 2% Latino; average age = 37 years) participated in an introductory session intended to facilitate informed decision making about treatment selection for PTSD. To evaluate patient, therapist, and system characteristics that were associated with risk of prematurely dropping out of psychotherapy for PTSD, we used recursive partitioning or "classification tree" methods commonly used to derive actuarial models of risk for high or low scores on a particular outcome when the set of independent or predictor variables is large. Findings revealed interactions among predictors involving access to care, readiness for change, histories of traumatic brain injury, and previous PTSD treatment. Results from the exploratory recursive model indicated that participation in therapy was highest when veterans entered psychotherapy within 68 days of the information session, believed that they needed help, and had a history of traumatic brain injury, while participation was lowest when entry into treatment exceeded 68 days and belief in needing help was low. Effects associated with partitions in the recursive model were substantial, with Cohen's d statistics ranging from .60 to 1.75. Results of the present effectiveness study implicate the importance of access to care as well as motivation for treatment in the returning cohort of OEF/OIF/OND veterans seeking help for PTSD. (PsycINFO Database Record