Psychological services
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Psychological services · Nov 2015
Sexual trauma in the military: Exploring PTSD and mental health care utilization in female veterans.
Sexual trauma remains a pervasive problem in the military. The deleterious mental health outcomes related to incidents of sexual assault have been well-documented in the literature, with particular attention given to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and utilization of mental health services. Much effort has focused on addressing issues of sexual trauma in the military. ⋯ A majority of female veterans who indicated being sexually assaulted during their military service met the cutoff for a diagnosis of PTSD. Although only a minority of participants who indicated being a victim of sexual assault reported receiving immediate care after the incident, most had received mental health counseling within the past 12 months. Findings point to the need for additional prevention programs within the military and opportunities for care for victims of military sexual assault.
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Reports an error in "Attitudes about the VA health-care setting, mental illness, and mental health treatment and their relationship with VA mental health service use among female and male OEF/OIF veterans" by Annie B. Fox, Eric C. Meyer and Dawne Vogt (Psychological Services, 2015[Feb], Vol 12[1], 49-58). ⋯ For men only, perceived similarity to other VA care users and negative beliefs about mental health treatment were associated with increased likelihood of service use, whereas negative beliefs about mental illness were associated with lower likelihood of service use. For both women and men, perceived entitlement to VA care was associated with increased likelihood of service use and negative beliefs about treatment-seeking were associated with a reduced likelihood of seeking mental health care in the past 6 months. Results support the need for tailored outreach to address unique barriers to mental health treatment for female and male OEF/OIF veterans.
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Psychological services · Nov 2014
Mental health screening among newly arrived refugees seeking routine obstetric and gynecologic care.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression are common mental health disorders in the refugee population. High rates of violence, trauma, and PTSD among refugee women remain unaddressed. The process of implementing a mental health screening tool among multiethnic, newly arrived refugee women receiving routine obstetric and gynecologic care in a dedicated refugee women's health clinic is described. ⋯ However, 13 (50%) are not enrolled in mental health care because of either declining services (46.2%) or a lack of insurance (53.8%). Screening for mental disorders among refugee women will promote greater awareness and identify those individuals who would benefit from further mental health evaluation and treatment. Sustainable interdisciplinary models of care are necessary to promote health education, dispel myths, and reduce the stigma of mental health.
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Psychological services · Aug 2014
An examination of the impact of clinically significant levels of posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology on the classification of pain as mild, moderate, or severe in a sample of veterans with chronic pain.
Chronic pain affects approximately 50% of veterans, half of whom also suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Researchers have previously identified a method for translating 0-10 pain scales to categories of pain (mild, moderate, or severe pain) to make pain ratings more meaningful in the context of category-based treatment guidelines. Although one such study focused on veterans with pain, none have considered whether empirically derived cutoffs differ based on the presence of clinically significant levels of PTSD symptomatology. ⋯ On the basis of the responses of 198 veterans, our results supported the previous finding that scores of 1-4 are classified as mild pain, 5-7 as moderate, and 8-10 as severe. In addition, veterans with comorbid pain and clinically significant levels of PTSD symptomatology were found to have a lower cutoff between mild and moderate pain, but they did not have a different cutoff between moderate and severe pain. These results, which support that lower levels of pain severity are associated with higher levels of pain-related interference for veterans with comorbid pain and clinically significant levels of PTSD symptomatology relative to veterans with pain without clinically significant levels of PTSD symptomatology, highlight the importance of considering contextual factors (e.g., psychosocial factors) when assessing a veteran's pain severity.
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Psychological services · Feb 2014
The roles of individual and organizational factors in burnout among community-based mental health service providers.
Public-sector mental health care providers are at high risk for burnout, which negatively affects not only provider well-being but also the quality of services for clients and the functioning of organizations. This study examines the influence of demographics, work characteristic, and organizational variables on levels of burnout among child and adolescent mental health service providers operating within a public-sector mental health service system. Additionally, given the dearth of research examining differences in burnout levels among mental health subdisciplines (e.g., social work, psychology, marital and family therapy) and mental health programs (e.g., outpatient, day treatment, wraparound, case management), analyses were conducted to compare levels of burnout among multiple mental health disciplines and program types. ⋯ Age was the only demographic variable related to burnout. Additionally, no significant effects were found for provider discipline or for agency tenure and caseload size. Results suggest the need to consider organizational development strategies aimed at creating more functional and less stressful climates and increasing levels of transformational leadership behaviors in order to reduce levels of burnout among clinicians working in public mental health settings for youth and families.