A Narrative Commentary on the Use of a Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy-Informed Group to Address Irrational Beliefs, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Comorbidities.

Irrational beliefs of Demandingness, Catastrophizing, Low Frustration Tolerance, and Depreciation have demonstrated prevalence in disparate areas of life, including psychopathology, the military, politics, religion, and education. Individuals with mental health concerns, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), endorse elevations in such thoughts compared to the general population. This commentary describes the rationale for focusing on irrational beliefs in efforts to address PTSD and presents the Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)-Informed Group for PTSD as a potential novel application of a well-established intervention. In support of these suggestions, we present a narrative review of the published work on irrational beliefs and REBT tenets as relevant for PTSD. We then introduce and describe the REBT-Informed Group intervention, summarize the prior preliminary research conducted by our group, and present some novel data from a re-analysis of this prior work. We end with commentary related to future directions of REBT approaches for PTSD to address limitations and expand the impact of the treatment to military and other Veteran or civilian populations.

Parental Influence on Child Mental Health Post-Hurricane Harvey.

Purpose: Many children who face natural disasters experience significant mental health consequences. Parents play a prominent role in the likelihood of child mental health outcomes after a weather-related disaster. This study aimed to examine the relationship between parent risk factors and children's psychological well-being post Hurricane Harvey. Methods: Parents (n = 140) completed a survey that measured hurricane exposure, parental depression and anxiety, parenting behaviors, and assistance given and received during or after Hurricane Harvey. Additionally, parents were asked to complete questionnaires assessing one of their children's post-disaster psychosocial functioning and distress. Results: Results indicated that heightened parent anxiety was significantly associated with an increased risk for emotional symptoms, conduct problems, and hyperactivity-inattention symptoms in children. Additionally, inconsistency in parental discipline was significantly associated with an increased risk of child conduct problems. Further, higher numbers of assistance types received by parents-a proxy indicator of resource loss-was associated with higher child emotional distress scores. Conclusions: Broader systems-level interventions that address parents' physical and emotional needs may help mitigate maladaptive reactions in children and facilitate greater post-disaster psychosocial adjustment.

Factor structure and validity of the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms-II (IDAS-II) in a chronic back pain treatment-seeking sample.

Many patients who seek treatment for chronic back pain are also at a higher risk of having comorbid anxiety- and depression-related disorders. Measures of mood and anxiety are routinely used in medical settings to screen for depression- and anxiety-related symptoms. However, factor analyses of other measures of mood and anxiety in medical settings often detect a somatization factor which, in turn, limits their discriminant validity for use across medical settings. The Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms-II (IDAS-II) is a comprehensive self-report inventory that assesses varying aspects of mood and anxiety. The purpose of this investigation is to examine the three-factor structure and validity of the IDAS-II in a chronic pain treatment-seeking sample. A total of 169 patients completed the IDAS-II and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) upon admission. Confirmatory factor analyses were computed using the scales of the IDAS-II and zero-order correlations between the IDAS-II factors from the best-fitting model and scale scores of the MMPI-2-RF. Overall, a three-factor structure of the IDAS-II was not supported; instead, a one-factor solution fit best. Using the MMPI-2-RF as external criteria, the one-factor of the IDAS-II correlated highest with the Somatic Complaints scale and the Demoralization scale. Overall, item content on the IDAS-II shares overlap with many symptoms that patients with chronic pain likely would endorse. Discussion about implications of using mood/anxiety measures and models in medical settings that are in line with the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Label-free detection of DNA hybridization with a compact LSPR-based fiber-optic sensor.

A miniaturized, robust, localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR)-coupled fiber-optic (FO) nanoprobe providing an integrated and portable solution for detection of DNA hybridization and measurement of DNA concentrations has been demonstrated. The FO nanoprobe was created by constructing arrays of metallic nanostructures on the end facets of optical fibers utilizing nanofabrication technologies, including electron beam lithography and lift-off processes. The LSPR-FO nanoprobe device offers real-time, label-free, and low-sample-volume quantification of single-strand DNA in water with high sensitivity and selectivity, achieving a limit of detection around 10 fM. These results demonstrate the feasibility of the LSPR-FO nanoprobe device as a compact and low-cost biosensor for detection of short-strand DNA.