Trust and perceived mental health access: Exploring the relationship between perceived access barriers and veteran-reported trust.
This article combines existing data from three studies regarding perceived access to mental health services to explore the relationship between provider and system trust and other access barriers. Data from the Perceived Access Inventory (PAI) were analyzed from three studies that together enrolled a total of 353 veterans who screened positive for a mental health problem and had a VA mental health encounter in the previous 12 months. The PAI includes actionable barriers to accessing VA mental health services. The data are cross-sectional, and analyses include Spearman rank correlations of PAI access barriers and provider a...
Source: Psychological Services - December 21, 2023 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Barriers to accessing telepsychology services questionnaire: Structure and language-based performance in a sample of Latinx caregivers.
Psychological Services, Vol 21(1), Feb 2024, 50-64; doi:10.1037/ser0000804A lack of validated measures to examine barriers to youth telepsychology services among Latinx families limits research that could identify targets for reducing mental health disparities. We developed and validated the Latinx Barriers to Accessing Telepsychology Services (Latinx BATS) questionnaire, a brief multidimensional measure for caregivers of youths. Participants included 511 Latinx caregivers of youths Ages 6–18 (English n = 275, Spanish n = 236) who completed the Latinx BATS and reported on telepsychology service utilization and youth ment...
Source: Psychological Services - October 19, 2023 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Evaluation of teleneuropsychology services in veterans during COVID-19.
This study evaluated the quality of direct-to-home teleneuropsychology (teleNP) services that offered patients choice of service modality. We conducted a quality assurance project in a sample of Veterans (N = 143) referred for a variety of referral reasons from a Midwestern Veteran Affairs Hospital. Neuropsychological evaluations were conducted between February and June 2021 during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated teleNP rate of use, factors influencing acceptability and feasibility, and cost savings. Approximately 40% of our scheduled patients completed full direct-to-home teleNP, with about 80% of o...
Source: Psychological Services - October 12, 2023 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Depression care quality among patients with solid tumor cancers detected to have depression in Veterans Health Administration primary care clinics.
Psychological Services, Vol 20(4), Nov 2023, 764-769; doi:10.1037/ser0000795Patients with cancer, especially advanced cancer, experience depression at high rates. We aimed to evaluate the quality of depression care received by patients with solid tumor cancer and advanced solid tumor cancer in Veterans Affairs (VA) primary care clinics. This is a retrospective cohort study of patients seen in 82 VA primary care clinics who newly screened positive for depression on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2). Outcomes included timely follow-up within 84 or 180 days (3+ mental health specialty, 3+ psychotherapy, or 3+ primary c...
Source: Psychological Services - August 24, 2023 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Psychology in action: The need for bystander intervention programs to reduce public harms.
This article introduces a special section on active bystandership, which proposes more optimistic ways forward. Citing social science research and program examples, we describe the nature of active bystandership and the ways it can be mobilized to prevent harms and save lives. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: Psychological Services)
Source: Psychological Services - August 10, 2023 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Impact and efficiency of treatment across two PTSD clinical trials comparing in-person and telehealth service delivery formats.
This study pooled data from 268 veterans enrolled in two PTSD clinical trials. In both trials, treatment was delivered using in-home telehealth (telehealth arm), in-home in-person (in-home arm), and in-office care, where patients traveled to the Department of Veterans Affairs for either office-based telehealth or office-based in-person care (office arm). Average age was 44 (SD = 12.57); 80.9% were males. The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) was used to assess symptom severity. Treatment impact was measured by (a) the proportion of participants who completed at least eight treatment sessions and (b) the proportion with a re...
Source: Psychological Services - June 22, 2023 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
The role of depression and anxiety symptom severity in remotely delivered mental health care.
This study examined differences in mental health characteristics of Veterans who received VA Video Connect (VVC) or audio-only care during initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. A cohort of Veterans with primary diagnoses of depressive or anxiety disorders (diagnosed between March 2019 and February 2020) was identified, and data were obtained for Veterans who engaged in virtual care from April to December 2020. Two groups were created: Veterans receiving audio-only care (n = 161,071) and Veterans receiving two or more VVC visits (n = 84,505). Multiple logistic regression models examined symptom severity in the year befor...
Source: Psychological Services - June 22, 2023 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Second chance: The paradox of felony convictions.
Psychological Services, Vol 20(4), Nov 2023, 973-982; doi:10.1037/ser0000785Every year, hundreds of thousands of individuals with felony convictions are released into the community with the expectation that those reentering society will be “successful” upon reentry. Society tells persons with criminal backgrounds they have a “second chance” upon release, yet we are reluctant to provide the resources necessary to make this happen. Stigma is frequently identified as a potential obstacle to reentry (DeFina & Hannon, 2009; Shivy et al., 2007); however, research examining stigma surrounding conviction and obstacles to e...
Source: Psychological Services - June 22, 2023 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Delivering brief warrior renew over video teleconferencing to women veterans with military sexual trauma: A pragmatic trial.
Psychological Services, Vol 20(4), Nov 2023, 789-797; doi:10.1037/ser0000786This program evaluation examines effectiveness and acceptability of an eight-session brief warrior renew treatment protocol, modified and delivered over video teleconferencing to women veterans who have experienced military sexual trauma. Due to social distancing to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there was a need to adapt and develop a virtual protocol for warrior renew to reach veterans who would otherwise not have access to care. Group exercises were redesigned for video, and class outlines were sent to participants ov...
Source: Psychological Services - June 22, 2023 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder with prolonged exposure for primary care (PE-PC): Effectiveness and patient and therapist factors related to symptom change and retention.
Psychological Services, Vol 20(4), Nov 2023, 745-755; doi:10.1037/ser0000783Prolonged exposure (PE) is a first-line treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) available in specialty mental health. PE for primary care (PE-PC) is a brief version of PE adapted for primary care mental health integration, composed of four—eight, 30-min sessions. Using retrospective data of PE-PC training cases from 155 Veterans Health Administration (VHA) providers in 99 VHA clinics who participated in a 4- to 6-month PE-PC training and consultation program, we examined patients’ PTSD and depression severity across sessions via mixe...
Source: Psychological Services - June 15, 2023 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Navigating a new model for therapy at a university counseling center: A case example.
This article provides a case example of this agency’s urgency, preparation, implementation, and initial outcomes of its navigated care model. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: Psychological Services)
Source: Psychological Services - June 12, 2023 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Appraising Jackson-based unrestorability to competence to stand trial: The demonstration model.
Psychological Services, Vol 20(3), Aug 2023, 553-564; doi:10.1037/ser0000578Under United States law, criminal prosecution may not proceed against a defendant who is incompetent to participate in this process. The vast majority of defendants who are adjudicated incompetent to stand trial (IST) will subsequently regain sufficient capacities to be adjudicated competent to stand trial (CST). However, a small subgroup of defendants do not show sufficient improvement in clinical functioning and functional–legal capacities to regain CST. Under Jackson v. Indiana (1972), such individuals should be adjudicated unrestorably IST, w...
Source: Psychological Services - June 12, 2023 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Provider perceptions and use of mental health services in the Veterans Health Administration during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This article describes the delivery of mental health services during the pandemic in two Veterans Health Administration (VHA) regions that include 15 hospitals and over 100 outpatient facilities in the southern United States. Data were derived from (a) a survey of provider perspectives (n = 1,175) on delivering mental health care prior to and during the pandemic and (b) VHA administrative data on mental health service delivery. Providers reported that access, quality, and timeliness of services remained high during the pandemic; indicated increased use of telehealth services; and reported challenges in delivering evidence-...
Source: Psychological Services - June 1, 2023 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Telebehavioral health at a federally qualified health center pre- and peri-COVID-19.
Psychological Services, Vol 21(1), Feb 2024, 34-41; doi:10.1037/ser0000776Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are a safety net for low-income individuals needing mental and/or physical health care. The COVID-19 pandemic required FQHCs (and other health organizations) to pivot rapidly to telehealth. In theory, telehealth services can expand access to needed care. The COVID-19 pandemic provides a natural opportunity to “test” this assumption. We compared sociodemographic differences in patients accessing behavioral health services pre- and peri-COVID-19 at an FQHC. We also investigated potential patient sociodemog...
Source: Psychological Services - May 25, 2023 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Introduction to the special section: Supervision in publicly funded settings: Best practices.
Psychological Services, Vol 20(2), May 2023, 203-205; doi:10.1037/ser0000750Supervision of trainee and early career psychologists is the epitome of clinical skill cultivation and mentorship of knowledge passed from an experienced professional supervisor to supervisee. However, supervision is not only a “one-way street” as it has been traditionally regarded. Rather, the supervisor–supervisee dynamic is variable, ranging from didactic, to symbiotic, to everything in between. Our collection of articles explores the various forms of clinical supervision in publicly funded settings. They include integrating three low burd...
Source: Psychological Services - May 18, 2023 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
