Prevalence, phenomenology, and impact of misophonia in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults.

Misophonia is characterized by decreased tolerance for and negative reactions to certain sounds and associated stimuli, which contribute to impairment and distress. Research has found that misophonia is common in clinical, college, and online samples; yet, fewer studies have examined rates of misophonia in population-based samples. The current study addresses limitations of prior research by investigating misophonia prevalence, phenomenology, and impairment in a large, nationally representative sample of adults in the United States. Probability-based sampling was used to administer a survey to a representative sample of U.S. households. Data were adjusted with poststratification weights to account for potential sampling biases and examined as weighted proportions to estimate the outcomes. The sample included 4,005 participants (51.5% female; 62.5% White). Sensitivity to misophonia sounds was reported by 78.5% of the sample, and 4.6% reported clinical levels of misophonia. Results demonstrated significant demographic differences in misophonia symptom severity. Specifically, significantly higher misophonia symptoms were observed for participants who identified as female, less than 55 years old, less than a high school education, never married, lower income, and those working part time, compared to each of the respective comparison groups. Those with clinically significant misophonia symptoms reported that symptoms often onset in childhood and adolescence, were persistent, and contributed to severe impairment in at least one life domain. These findings provide a prevalence estimate of misophonia in the general population of the United States and inform our understanding of who is affected by misophonia. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Using a Whole Health Approach to Build Biopsychosocial-Spiritual Personal Health Plans for Veterans with Chronic Pain.

Chronic pain affects over 50 million Americans per year and costs society billions of dollars annually. It is widely accepted that the biomedical model is outdated and research on the biopsychosocial model of chronic pain has increased in recent years, concurrent with investigations into self-management of chronic pain. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has incorporated both of these approaches into their Whole Health System. This work describes the VHA Whole Health System, reviews the literature on alignment between the Whole Health System's Circle of Health and chronic pain, and explains how the VHA Whole Health model may be used as a method for organizing self-management strategies within a personal health plan in the context of chronic pain. Given the infusion of nurses throughout the healthcare system, nurses are in a unique position to champion this biopsychosocial-spiritual approach to care.

Chronic, Noncancer Pain Care in the Veterans Administration: Current Trends and Future Directions.

The Veterans Health Administration has always been a leader in the innovation and implementation of evidence-based care. The use of the stepped care model of chronic pain has led to several novel interventions and strong practices in the last several years at each level of care with regard to education, use of technology, and increasing access to evidence-based care (eg, behavioral health, interdisciplinary teams). The Whole Health model is also being implemented nationwide and has the potential to significantly affect chronic pain treatment in the coming decade.

COVID-19 anxiety and mental health among university students during the early phases of the U.S. pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the impact of COVID-19 in the early stages of the pandemic on university students in the U.S. by: (1) characterizing COVID-19-related disruptions; (2) evaluating health anxiety, obsessive-compulsive (OC), depression, and stress symptoms; and (3) analyzing the unique role of COVID-19 anxiety on mental health outcomes, after accounting for relevant variables. PARTICIPANTS: Participants included 263 students (63.9% female). METHODS: Data were collected online between March 19, 2020 and May 1, 2020. RESULTS: Participants screened positive for health anxiety (6.5%), OC symptoms (48.7%), or depression (29.7%). COVID-19 anxiety was positively associated with mental health symptoms. After controlling for demographics and COVID-19 impact, COVID-19 anxiety accounted for significant variance in health anxiety, OC symptoms, and stress. CONCLUSIONS: Findings demonstrate the vast impact of COVID-19 on mental health among university students and provide guidance for identifying mental health priorities in the context of public health crises.

Continuing Care App for Probationers and Parolees with Substance use Disorders.

This pilot proof-of-concept study examined the feasibility and acceptability of a Continuing Care mobile application (app) designed to meet the recovery and personal support needs of individuals under justice supervision who were receiving outpatient substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. The study included adults on probation or parole who were enrolled in an outpatient SUD treatment program (N = 15; 86.7% males). Participants were instructed to utilize the Continuing Care app daily for 4 weeks. At the end of the study, they completed a satisfaction questionnaire. Of the 15 participants enrolled in the study, 12 (80%) completed the Continuing Care app modules and the satisfaction questionnaire, and all of these participants indicated high levels of satisfaction with the app (on a scale of 1-10, Mean = 1.8, SD = 1.2). The Continuing Care app was well-utilized and perceived as valuable by this group of low-income, underserved, and hard-to-reach individuals. Further research is needed to refine app content and evaluate its ability to meaningfully enhance and extend the benefits of SUD treatment.

Emotion Regulation Difficulties and Depression Among Individuals With Dermatological and Body Dysmorphic Concerns.

ABSTRACT: Existing literature demonstrates strong links between emotion regulation (ER) difficulties and depression. Although high rates of depression are observed among individuals with body dysmorphic disorder and skin disease, little is known about these co-occurring syndromes. To advance our understanding of a vulnerable population, this study examined facets of ER difficulties in relation to depression among adults with skin disease symptoms and body dysmorphic concerns (N = 97). Participants were recruited online and completed self-report measures. The overall hierarchical regression model accounted for 61.6% of the variance in depression. After controlling for anxiety and stress, ER difficulties added 9.9% unique variance. In particular, limited access to ER strategies was the only ER dimension significantly associated with depression. This study integrates divergent literatures and suggests the important role of ER difficulties in depression in this unique sample, thereby highlighting directions for future investigation.

Avatar-assisted therapy: a proof-of-concept pilot study of a novel technology-based intervention to treat substance use disorders.

BACKGROUND: Avatar-assisted therapy (AAT) is a novel and emerging technology that uses the Internet to enable clinicians and clients in substance abuse treatment to participate in group counseling sessions from separate and remote locations in real time through the use of avatars and virtual environments. OBJECTIVES: The current study is a pilot proof-of-concept feasibility study involving individuals in outpatient substance abuse treatment. This report addresses two questions: (1) are individuals who present for substance abuse treatment interested in receiving AAT and (2) what factors are associated with better treatment success. METHODS: Individuals who presented at the treatment clinic who met study eligibility criteria, and provided their written informed consent to participate, were included in the current study (N = 59; 78% male). RESULTS: Twenty-eight (47.5%) participants completed 16 weeks of treatment and attended more sessions compared to non-completers (M = 14.3 vs. 7.5 p < .05). Those individuals who completed treatment were less likely to have a positive urine drug screen at baseline (21.5 vs. 78.6%; p < .05). Furthermore, those individuals who successfully completed treatment were less likely to have positive urine drug screens during treatment compared to those who did not complete (29.7% vs. 70.3%, p < .05). There were no arrests during treatment for completers and non-completers. CONCLUSION: Poor retention in substance use disorder treatment has long been a major problem for public health. AAT is a feasible approach that has the potential to expand treatment to individuals who might have difficulty accessing treatment. Moreover, AAT may be appealing to clients who are concerned about anonymity and confidentiality.