The Cyborg Method: A Method to Identify Fraudulent Responses from Crowdsourced Data.

Crowdsourcing is an essential data collection method for psychological research. Concerns about the validity and quality of crowdsourced data persist, however. A recent documented increase in the number of invalid responses within crowdsourced data has highlighted the need for quality control measures. Although a number of approaches are recommended, few have been empirically evaluated. The present study evaluated a Cyborg Method that used automated evaluation of participant meta-data and a review of short answer responses. Two samples were recruited - in the first, the Cyborg Method was applied after data collection to gauge the extent to which invalid responses were collected when a priori quality controls were absent. In the second, the Cyborg Method was applied during data collection to determine if the method would proactively screen invalid responses. Results suggested that Cyborg Method identified a substantial portion of invalid responses and both automated and human evaluation components was necessary. Furthermore, the Cyborg Method could be applied proactively to screen invalid responses and substantially reduced the per participant cost of data collection. These results suggest that the Cyborg Method is a promising means by which to collect high quality crowdsourced data.

Assessment of Traumatic Stress Symptoms During the Acute Posttrauma Period.

A substantial majority of adults in the United States will experience a potentially traumatic event (PTE) in their lifetime. A considerable proportion of those individuals will go on to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Distinguishing between those who will develop PTSD and those who will recover, however, remains as a challenge to the field. Recent work has pointed to the increased potential of identifying individuals at greatest risk for PTSD through repeated assessment during the acute posttrauma period, the 30-day period after the PTE. Obtaining the necessary data during this period, however, has proven to be a challenge. Technological innovations such as personal mobile devices and wearable passive sensors have given the field new tools to capture nuanced in vivo changes indicative of recovery or nonrecovery. Despite their potential, there are numerous points for clinicians and research teams to consider when implementing these technologies into acute posttrauma care. The limitations of this work and considerations for future research in the use of technology during the acute posttrauma period are discussed.

A preliminary evaluation of the Supportive Other Experiences Questionnaire: integrating the perspectives of social support providers after traumatic injury.

BACKGROUND: Social support is a protective factor against the development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, examinations of the social support after trauma have relied primarily on the self-reports of trauma survivors to the exclusion of their support providers. A new measure, the Supportive Other Experiences Questionnaire (SOEQ) was adapted from a well-established behavioral coding schema of support behaviors to capture social support experiences from the support provider perspective. METHOD: 513 Concerned Significant Others (CSOs) recruited on MTurk who had served as support providers to a traumatically injured romantic partner were recruited to respond to SOEQ candidate items and other relevant measures of psychopathology and relational factors. Factor analytic, correlational and regression analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analytic results of SOEQ candidate items provide evidence for three support types (i.e., informational, tangible, and emotional) and two support processes (i.e., frequency, difficulty), producing a final 11-item version of the SOEQ. Evidence of convergent and discriminant validity provide good psychometric support for the measure. Evidence of construct validity was derived from support for two hypotheses: (1) difficulty providing social support is negatively associated with CSO perceptions of trauma survivor recovery, (2) social support provision frequency is positively associated with relationship satisfaction. LIMITATIONS: Though factor loadings for support types were significant, several were small, limiting interpretability. Cross-validation in a separate sample is needed. CONCLUSIONS: The final version of the SOEQ demonstrated promising psychometric properties, and can provide key information one the experiences of CSOs as social support providers for trauma survivors.

An examination of the heterogeneity of the relationships between posttraumatic stress disorder, self-compassion and gratitude.

Previous research has found both self-compassion and gratitude to be protective against overall posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity. PTSD is a highly heterogeneous disorder; however, it is unclear if these protective constructs are differentially associated with each cluster of PTSD. The present study examined differences in the association of self-compassion and gratitude with the four clusters of PTSD as indicated by the DSM-5. Participants were 1424 trauma-exposed individuals recruited via Amazon's Mechanical Turk. The mean age of participants was 31.49 (SD = 11.25) years old, and 55.3% of the sample identified as female. A structural equation model (SEM) approach was used to examine relationships between factors of gratitude, self-compassion and the four PTSD symptom clusters. A two-factor model of self-compassion best fits the data. Both the self-compassion and gratitude factors were significantly associated with all symptom clusters of PTSD. Wald chi-square tests indicated self-compassion and gratitude to have the strongest association with negative alterations in cognitions and mood (NACM) PTSD symptoms. These findings may have important implications for treatment targets to reduce specific symptoms of PTSD, particularly in PTSD symptoms related to negative affect.

The Enduring Importance of Parenting: Caregiving Quality and Fear-Potentiated Startle in Emerging Adults With a Child Maltreatment History.

Background: The transition to adulthood is a period of increased risk for emergent psychopathology; emerging adults with a childhood maltreatment history are at risk for poor outcomes. Method: Using a multi-measure, transdisciplinary, cross-sectional design, this study tested whether participant-reported positive parenting, a potential resilience-promoting factor, moderated the association between clinician-rated PTSD symptom severity and a transdiagnostic maladjustment biomarker, fear-potentiated startle (FPS), in a sample of 66 emerging adults (Myears = 18.83, SD = 0.89) with a maltreatment history. We hypothesized that characteristics of effective parenting would moderate the relation between PTSD symptoms and FPS. Results: Results indicated that elevated PTSD, as measured by the CAPS, was associated with a more severe startle reaction. The magnitude of the increase in startle reactivity was moderated by parenting such that those with more positive parenting (Accepting [relative to rejecting]: b = -0.42, p < .001; Psychologically-controlling [relative to autonomy-promoting]: b = 2.96, p = .004) had significantly less reactivity across the task at higher levels of PTSD symptoms. Conclusions: Emerging adults with childhood maltreatment histories, high levels of PTSD symptoms, and who perceive present-day high-quality caregiver support may cope better with novel stressors relative to youth lacking that support, potentially translating to better psychological outcomes.

Doomscrolling during COVID-19: The negative association between daily social and traditional media consumption and mental health symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: Consumption of traditional and social media markedly increased at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as new information about the virus and safety guidelines evolved. Much of the information concerned restrictions on daily living activities and the risk posed by the virus. The term doomscrolling is used to describe the phenomenon of elevated negative affect after viewing pandemic-related media. The magnitude and duration of this effect, however, is unclear. Furthermore, the effect of doomscrolling likely varies based on prior vulnerabilities for psychopathology, such as a history of childhood maltreatment. It was hypothesized that social and traditional media exposure were related to an increase in depression and PTSD and that this increase was moderated by childhood maltreatment severity. METHOD: Participants completed a baseline assessment for psychopathology and 30 days of daily assessments of depression, PTSD, and pandemic-related media use. RESULTS: Using multilevel modeling, social media exposure was associated with increased depression and PTSD. This association was stronger for those with more severe maltreatment histories. Furthermore, those with more severe baseline psychopathology used more social media during this period. These relations were not observed for traditional media sources. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that regular viewing of pandemic-related social media is associated with increases in psychopathology for those with existing vulnerabilities. Those with such vulnerabilities should adopt strategies to limit social media consumption. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Adolescent perceptions of school before and after psychiatric hospitalization: Predicting suicidal ideation.

During the immediate period following psychiatric hospitalization, adolescents are at increased risk for suicide attempts and rehospitalization. Because most adolescents return to school during this time, school-related experiences are important considerations during the transition from inpatient hospitalization. This study sought to understand how adolescent perceptions of school may change following hospitalization, and how these changes may predict recovery from a suicide-related crisis. Participants included 155 adolescents (Mage = 15.2 years; 68.6% female, 65.4% White; 14.7% Hispanic/Latinx; grades 7-12) hospitalized for a suicide-related crisis assessed 3 weeks and 6 months following discharge. Results from Latent Change Score models indicated a worsening of perceptions of teacher relationships (mean change (Δ) = 1.52), connectedness to learning (Δ = 1.55), parent involvement (Δ = 1.82), and academic satisfaction (Δ = 1.34), as well as higher frequency of perceived bullying victimization (Δ = 0.71) following hospitalization. Poorer perceptions of teacher relationships and higher frequency of perceived bullying victimization during hospitalization (ß = 0.31 and 0.34), as well as worsening changes of teacher relationships and increased frequency of perceived bullying victimization following hospitalization (ß = 0.48 and 0.41) were associated with higher levels of suicidal ideation severity 3 weeks following discharge. Poorer and worsening perceptions of teacher relationships were associated with higher levels of suicidal ideation intensity at 3 weeks (ß = 0.37 and 0.54). Poorer perceptions of connectedness to learning during hospitalization emerged as a significant predictor of higher levels of suicidal ideation intensity 6 months following hospitalization (ß = 0.20). Results reinforce the importance of fostering positive adult relationships and preventing bullying both prior to and immediately following psychiatric hospitalization. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Examination of the association between exposure to childhood maltreatment and brain structure in young adults: a machine learning analysis.

Exposure to maltreatment during childhood is associated with structural changes throughout the brain. However, the structural differences that are most strongly associated with maltreatment remain unclear given the limited number of whole-brain studies. The present study used machine learning to identify if and how brain structure distinguished young adults with and without a history of maltreatment. Young adults (ages 18-21, n = 384) completed an assessment of childhood trauma exposure and a structural MRI as part of the IMAGEN study. Elastic net regularized regression was used to identify the structural features that identified those with a history of maltreatment. A generalizable model that included 7 cortical thicknesses, 15 surface areas, and 5 subcortical volumes was identified (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.71, p < 0.001). Those with a maltreatment history had reduced surface areas and cortical thicknesses primarily in fronto-temporal regions. This group also had larger cortical thicknesses in occipital regions and surface areas in frontal regions. The results suggest childhood maltreatment is associated with multiple measures of structure throughout the brain. The use of a large sample without exposure to adulthood trauma provides further evidence for the unique contribution of childhood trauma to brain structure. The identified regions overlapped with regions associated with psychopathology in adults with maltreatment histories, which offers insights as to how these disorders manifest.

The Association Between Pain Trajectories With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Depression, and Disability During the Acute Posttrauma Period.

OBJECTIVE: Exposure to a traumatic event is common among US adults, yet only a small fraction develops posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Higher pain after a traumatic injury has been associated with higher PTSD symptoms and thus may be a risk factor. However, few studies have examined how pain during the period immediately after a trauma, referred to as the acute posttrauma period, relates later to PTSD outcomes. METHODS: A sample of (n = 87) individuals who had experienced a traumatic injury assessed their pain through daily mobile assessments for the first month after injury. PTSD, depression, and functional impairment were assessed at the time of trauma and 1 and 3 months later. RESULTS: Using latent class growth analysis, three trajectories of pain were identified: low pain (41.3%), decreasing pain (43.7%), and high pain (14.9%). At baseline, the high-pain class reported higher levels of depression and functional impairment than did the low-pain group. From baseline to 3 months, the low-pain class experienced a reduction in PTSD, depression, and functional impairment, whereas the high-pain class experienced an increase in PTSD symptoms, persistent depression, and functional impairment. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that there are distinct trajectories of pain after a traumatic injury. Persistent elevated pain is associated with more severe psychopathology in the period immediately after a traumatic injury.

Different trajectories of PTSD symptoms during the acute post-trauma period.

The majority of adults in the United States will experience a potentially traumatic event during their lifetime, yet only a subset will develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The trajectory of symptoms in the period of time immediately following the trauma (the acute post-trauma period) may be important in determining which individuals develop PTSD. The current study examined trajectories of PTSD symptom severity across the acute post-trauma period and if membership in these trajectories was predictive of PTSD symptom severity, depression symptoms, and functional impairment 1- and 3-months post-trauma. Four trajectories were identified: low and decreasing, rapid decreasing, slow decreasing, and consistently high. Further, trajectory membership in the acute post-trauma period was found to predict differences in PTSD symptoms, depression symptoms, and functional impairment severity at both 1- and 3- months post-trauma. These findings highlight a relationship between PTSD symptoms during the acute post-trauma period and later impairment.

The short-term dynamics of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms during the acute posttrauma period.

BACKGROUND: The manner in which posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops remains largely unknown. PTSD is comprised of 20 symptoms across 4 clusters. These clusters were hypothesized to reflect a failure of recovery model in which intrusive symptoms appear first. Intrusive symptoms led to avoidance of trauma-related stimuli, which resulted in sustained arousal. The sustained arousal ultimately led to dysphoria. METHODS: This hypothesized symptom progression was evaluated during the acute posttrauma period (the first 30 days postevent). Participants (N = 80) reported their PTSD symptoms for 30 days via mobile devices. Using a short-term dynamic modeling framework, a temporal and contemporaneous model of PTSD symptoms was obtained. RESULTS: In the temporal network, a fear-conditioning component was identified that supported the hypothesized set of relations among symptom clusters. The contemporaneous network was classified by two subnetworks. The first corresponded to a fear-conditioning model that included symptoms of intrusions and avoidance. The second included symptoms of dysphoria and arousal. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that, after a trauma, there may be a fear-conditioning process that involves intrusions, avoidance, and arousal symptoms. Dysphoric symptoms were also present but developed as a partially distinct component.

The symptoms at the center: Examining the comorbidity of posttraumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and depression with network analysis.

Comorbid mental health disorders are highly common in trauma-exposed individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) among the most common co-occurring conditions. Network models of psychopathology offer a novel method to understand how this comorbidity manifests. The present study examined the presence of symptom communities (groups of highly connected symptoms) within a network of these disorders and hub symptoms (symptoms that connect such communities). Cross-sectional data were obtained from a community sample (N = 1184) of trauma exposed adults. Network analyses identified 5 communities: 1 containing all depression and GAD symptoms and 4 for PTSD. The PTSD communities corresponded to symptoms of intrusion and avoidance, hyperarousal, dysphoria, and negative affect. These communities had varying levels of connectivity to the Depression & GAD community. Symptoms of GAD (inability to relax) and PTSD (restricted or diminished positive emotion) were identified as key hub symptoms for the network. The results suggest symptoms of depression and GAD are highly interrelated and that PTSD is heterogeneous. The comorbidity among these diagnoses is thought to stem from their overlap with negative affect.

Implementing assessments via mobile during the acute posttrauma period: feasibility, acceptability and strategies to improve response rates.

Background: PTSD is posited to develop in the acute posttrauma period. Few studies have examined psychopathology symptoms within this period due to the demands on individuals in the first month after a trauma. Mobile devices can overcome these barriers. The feasibility of using mobile devices for this purpose, however, is unclear. Objective: The present study evaluated the acceptability of administering PTSD symptom assessments via a mobile application throughout the acute posttrauma period. Method: Participants (N = 90) were recruited from a Level 1 Trauma Center within M = 4.88 days of experiencing a traumatic event. A mobile application was placed on their smartphone that administered a daily self-report assessment of PTSD symptoms for 30 days. Participants were compensated US$1 for each assessment completed. Results: The overall response rate was 61.1% or M = 18.33, SD = 9.12 assessments. Assessments were accessed M = 65.2 minutes after participants were notified to complete them and took M = 2.52 minutes to complete. Participants reported that the daily assessments were not bothersome and were moderately helpful. Conclusion: The present study suggests that using mobile devices to monitor mental health symptoms during the acute posttrauma period is feasible and acceptable. Strategies are needed to determine how to best take advantage of these data once collected.

Antecedentes: Se ha propuesto que el Trastorno por Estrés Post-Traumático (TEPT) se desarrolla en el período post-trauma agudo. Pocos estudios han estudiado síntomas psicopatológicos durante este periodo, debido a las demandas de los individuos en el primer mes después de un trauma. Los dispositivos móviles pueden superar estas barreras. Sin embargo, la viabilidad de usar dispositivos móviles para este propósito no está clara. Objetivo: Este estudio evaluó la aceptabilidad de la administración de evaluaciones de síntomas de TEPT a través de una aplicación para dispositivos móviles durante el periodo agudo post-trauma. Método: Los participantes (N=90) fueron reclutados desde un Centro de Trauma de Nivel 1 con M=4,88 días de haber experimentado un evento traumático. Se instaló una aplicación en sus teléfonos móviles, que administró una evaluación diaria de autoreporte de síntomas de TEPT, por 30 días. Los participantes fueron compensados con US$1 por cada evaluación completada. Resultados: La tasa de respuesta general fue 61,1% o M=18,33, SD=9,12 evaluaciones. Se tuvo acceso a las evaluaciones M=65,2 minutos después que los participantes fueron notificados para completarlas y les tomó M=2,52 minutos completarlas. Los participantes reportaron que las evaluaciones diarias no fueron tediosas y fueron moderadamente útiles. Conclusión: El presente estudio sugiere que usar dispositivos móviles para monitorear síntomas de salud mental durante el periodo post-trauma agudo es viable y aceptable. Se necesitan estrategias para determinar cómo sacar el mayor provecho de estos datos una vez obtenidos.

mHealth solutions for early interventions after trauma: improvements and considerations for assessment and intervention throughout the acute post-trauma period.

Interventions administered shortly after a traumatic event have the potential to prevent posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related mental health conditions. A key challenge in delivering such interventions is understanding how PTSD symptoms develop in the acute post-trauma period, defined as the first 30 days after a trauma. Mobile devices have the potential to transform the way symptoms are assessed and how treatment is delivered in that they can capture the dynamic and nuanced nature of symptom progression after trauma. Symptoms can be assessed through active strategies that require user input, such as self-report, or through passive strategies, such as location information. Adaptive mobile interventions can be tailored to target PTSD symptoms as they appear and ultimately prevent more chronic courses of illness. Considerations for how such mobile strategies should be implemented are discussed.

The impact of co-occurring opioid misuse and PTSD on response inhibition.

BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and opioid misuse are commonly co-occurring disorders. Both disorders are associated with deficits in response inhibition; however, these associations have not considered their comorbidity. Response inhibition has not been examined in a sample with comorbid PTSD and opioid misuse. The present study examined the effect of PTSD symptom severity on response inhibition in current and past opioid misusers. METHODS: Participants were currently (used within the last month) misusing opioids (56.6%) or in recovery (43.4%). All participants met DSM 5 criteria for PTSD. Response inhibition was measured with the stop signal task. RESULTS: Response inhibition was associated with increased PTSD symptom severity for those in recovery but not among current users. Additionally, across both groups, there were deficits in response inhibition when withholding automatic responses for a threatening stimulus compared to a neutral stimulus. CONCLUSIONS: PTSD Symptoms may exert a stronger effect on response inhibition among those in recovery as opposed to those who are actively using opioids.

School connectedness and suicidal thoughts and behaviors: A systematic meta-analysis.

Among the protective factors associated with reduced risk for suicide, scientific inquiries into school connectedness are especially important considering that schools are ideally situated to provide interventions reaching the vast majority of youth. Although there is a wealth of research that supports the association between school connectedness and reduced self-report of adolescents having a suicidal thought or making a suicide attempt, inconsistencies in the way studies have measured and operationalized school connectedness limit synthesis across findings. This meta-analytic study investigates the literature exploring associations between school connectedness and suicidal thoughts and behaviors across general and subpopulations (high risk and sexual minority youth) using a random effects model. Eligible studies examined a measure of school connectedness explicitly referred to as "school connectedness" or "connections at school" in relation to suicidal ideation or suicide attempts among youth enrolled in school (Grades 6-12). Multiple metaregression analyses were conducted to explore the influence of school connectedness measurement variation, as well as participant characteristics. Results, including 16 samples, support that higher school connectedness is associated with reduced reports of suicidal thoughts and behaviors across general (odds ratio [OR] = 0.536), high-risk (OR = 0.603), and sexual minority (OR = 0.608) adolescents. Findings are consistent when analyzed separately for suicidal ideation (OR = 0.529) and suicide attempts (OR = 0.589) and remain stable when accounting for measurement variability. Although limited by its cross-sectional nature, findings support recent calls to increase school connectedness and proffer important implications for screening and intervention efforts conducted in schools. (PsycINFO Database Record