Crisis stabilization units for jail diversion: A preliminary assessment of patient characteristics and outcomes.
Crisis stabilization units (CSUs), which offer a range of short-term psychiatric and psychological services, are one of several treatment programs that may create “alternative to arrest” options for law enforcement. Here, we examined the characteristics of the population who was referred to a newly established CSU in its first year of operation and examined the impact of the CSU on regional jail bookings. Administrative medical records and regional jail booking data were merged to form our study sample. Adults who had at least one jail booking and/or one CSU admission during our study period were included. We found tha...
Source: Psychological Services - January 31, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
A pilot study: Positive behavioral support assessment and intervention for individuals with serious mental illness and criminal justice involvement.
This article describes a pilot study aimed at evaluating the efficacy of implementing PBS to decrease behaviors of concern (BOC) by those who experience SMI and interface with the CJ system. Findings indicated that PBS has a positive impact on reducing the frequency and severity of challenging behaviors and consequentially reducing interactions with the CJ system. Implications of this intervention are explored as a mechanism to support recovery and build lives of meaning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: Psychological Services)
Source: Psychological Services - January 31, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Development and cross-sectional evaluation of a text message protocol to support mental health well-being.
Psychological Services, Vol 20(3), Aug 2023, 657-667; doi:10.1037/ser0000601Coping with stressors related to the coronavirus disease (COVID) pandemic has caused major mental health challenges. Text message interventions are identified as helpful for promoting health behavior self-management. Drawing from cognitive-behavioral theory (CBT), U.S. Veterans Health Administration staff developed a 20-week automated text messaging protocol called “Coping During COVID” to support veterans’ self-care during the pandemic. This project evaluated attitudes about and perceived helpfulness of the protocol among 651 veterans. A cro...
Source: Psychological Services - December 30, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Criminal risk and mental illness in psychiatric inpatient units: An opportunity to provide psychological services for unmet criminogenic needs.
Psychological Services, Vol 20(3), Aug 2023, 565-575; doi:10.1037/ser0000612Although the overrepresentation of people with mental illness in the criminal justice system is known, research is needed to identify the frequency of criminal justice involvement and criminogenic treatment needs in inpatient populations to improve continuity of care and access to appropriate treatments. The purpose of this study is to document the frequency of criminal justice involvement among people receiving inpatient community care, as has been done for persons with mental illness in correctional institutions, and to test the association betwe...
Source: Psychological Services - December 30, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Opioid use disorder with chronic pain increases disease burden and service use.
Psychological Services, Vol 20(1), Feb 2023, 157-165; doi:10.1037/ser0000607To address the ongoing opioid epidemic, there has been an increased focus on the treatment and evaluation of opioid use disorder (OUD). OUD and chronic pain (CP) frequently co-occur; however, little is known about the additional comorbidities that present when they occur together as compared to when either condition presents alone. Using data from Fiscal Year 2012 Veteran’s Health Administration, all veterans diagnosed with both OUD + CP were compared to those diagnosed with OUD or CP alone on socioenvironmental characteristics, medical and menta...
Source: Psychological Services - December 30, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Patient perceptions of trauma-focused telemental health services using the Telehealth Satisfaction Questionnaire (TSQ).
Psychological Services, Vol 20(1), Feb 2023, 107-121; doi:10.1037/ser0000605Telehealth services can address many barriers to traditional office-based mental health services. Few studies have assessed youth and caregiver perceptions of and satisfaction with trauma-focused interventions delivered via telemental health. The present study reports data collected using the Telehealth Satisfaction Questionnaire (TSQ), which was developed to measure child and caregiver satisfaction with services, comfort with the telehealth equipment, and barriers to traditional office-based services. Thirteen clinicians delivered home- and school...
Source: Psychological Services - December 30, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Harassment and its association with depressive symptoms and suicidal behavior: The role of perceived stigma and nondisclosure.
Psychological Services, Vol 20(1), Feb 2023, 84-93; doi:10.1037/ser0000610Social factors play a crucial role in moderating the impact of severe stressful events on mental health. Exposure to harassment, hence to unwanted negative behavior that is intended to cause harm and/or is perceived as harmful and hostile, is a social factor thought to have particularly strong negative effects on mental health, including depressive symptoms and suicidal behavior. However, little is known about mediating mechanisms. Using data of N = 1,483 participants 12 months following military deployment, the hypothesis was examined that the cross...
Source: Psychological Services - December 30, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Three-year follow-up of suicide prevention-focused group therapy for veterans.
Psychological Services, Vol 20(1), Feb 2023, 66-73; doi:10.1037/ser0000451The purpose of this study was to determine the long-term effects of a suicide prevention-focused group therapy for veterans recently discharged from an inpatient psychiatry setting following a suicidal crisis. There was interest in examining the impact of mechanisms of change identified in previous research on the group, including group cohesion, working alliance, and group sessions attended. Data were abstracted from the electronic medical record 3 years following completion of a previous study that involved the group therapy. A series of generalize...
Source: Psychological Services - December 30, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Suicidal ideation in veterans enrolled in evidence-based psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder.
Psychological Services, Vol 20(3), Aug 2023, 465-473; doi:10.1037/ser0000598Suicidal ideation (SI) is a highly prevalent public health issue in the veteran population and is increasingly common in veterans who are diagnosed with other mental health conditions, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2020). The present study has an initial aim of examining changes in SI over treatment, and it is hypothesized that SI will decrease across PTSD treatments. A second aim is to examine the association of SI status with PTSD symptoms across treatment, and it is hypothesized that PTSD sympt...
Source: Psychological Services - December 23, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Individual symptom reduction and post-treatment severity: Varying levels of symptom amelioration in response to prolonged exposure for post-traumatic stress disorder.
Psychological Services, Vol 20(1), Feb 2023, 94-106; doi:10.1037/ser0000579Many patients evince significant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms after a dose of an evidence-based treatment (EBT) for PTSD. Little research systematically addresses if individual PTSD symptoms are more or less resistant to change through an EBT for PTSD or have greater or lesser post-treatment severity levels. Two studies within VA medical centers provided data. Study 1 (n = 81) was drawn from a randomized clinical trial of Prolonged Exposure (PE), an EBT for PTSD. Study 2 (n = 225) was drawn from two PTSD specialty clinics employing...
Source: Psychological Services - December 23, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
A clinician/researcher partnership to understand patterns and predictors of trauma-focused psychotherapy and nontrauma-focused psychotherapy use among veterans with PTSD.
This study adds an unique perspective by reporting on a program evaluation that was jointly designed and implemented by Veterans Affairs researchers and PTSD Clinic providers to increase shared understanding about patterns and predictors of TF-EBP and non-TF-EBP use and interpret results in light of clinic contextual factors. The evaluation describes the psychotherapy utilization patterns of 242 veterans’ who were referred to the PTSD clinic and investigates what patient characteristics predict psychotherapy use over the next year. Most veterans (87%) received psychotherapy: 27% received at least one session of TF-EBP an...
Source: Psychological Services - November 22, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Stakeholder perspectives on the advantages and challenges of expanded school mental health services for publically-insured youth.
This study collected qualitative data from caregivers, MH providers, and MH administrators recruited from three MH organizations to understand their perspectives regarding potential advantages and challenges associated with ESMH services. The three MH organizations were located in three regions of Georgia and the majority of youth served by the organizations were enrolled in Medicaid. We conducted four focus groups with 33 caregivers and 13 semistructured interviews with MH administrators and providers, and we implemented a thematic content analysis. Caregivers, providers, and MH administrators described how ESMH services ...
Source: Psychological Services - November 18, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Mental health services in restricted housing: Do we know what’s going on behind the steel doors?
Psychological Services, Vol 20(3), Aug 2023, 576-584; doi:10.1037/ser0000606The use of administrative segregation (AS) in North American prisons remains a common but contentious practice that is currently at the forefront of human rights and legal discussions. While extant research is mixed regarding the direct links between segregation and psychological functioning, it is clear these individuals are worse off in many ways. Mental and behavioral health interventions appear especially limited for people incarcerated in secure units, yet little is known about the extent of services offered or existing barriers to service pro...
Source: Psychological Services - November 18, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
What matters to psychology trainees when making decisions about internship and postdoctoral training sites: Differences between racial/ethnic minority and White VA trainees.
Psychological Services, Vol 20(1), Feb 2023, 178-187; doi:10.1037/ser0000587It is projected that by 2045, racial/ethnic minorities in the U.S. will become the majority. Unfortunately, the numbers of racial/ethnic minority psychologists have not kept up with population trends. This discrepancy poses challenges for many psychology training sites, including the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). There is a lack of data on what factors are important for psychology applicants, including racial/ethnic minority trainees when they are considering internship and postdoctoral training sites. This quality improvement project survey...
Source: Psychological Services - November 18, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Unmet needs of homeless U.S. veterans by gender and race/ethnicity: Data from five annual surveys.
This study analyzed 5 years of data collected by Project Community Homelessness Assessment, Local Education, and Networking Groups (CHALENG) surveys from 2012 to 2016 to examine gender, race, and ethnic differences in “literally homeless” veterans (i.e., veterans living in the streets, shelters, vehicles, or any other place not meant for habitation). Of 7,040 participants, there were 6,335 male and 705 female literally homeless veterans from 4 self-identified racial/ethnic categories (White, Black, Hispanic, and Other). The results showed that homeless female veterans were significantly more likely to report unmet need...
Source: Psychological Services - November 15, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
