Psychiatry research
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Psychiatry research · Mar 2017
Impact of military trauma exposures on posttraumatic stress and depression in female veterans.
Previous research has demonstrated the deleterious effects of traumatic military experiences on symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression in female veterans. However, more research is needed to identify the unique predictors of distressing psychological symptoms when both combat-related and sexual trauma are considered, particularly as women's combat exposure in the military increases. Female veterans who had attended at least one appointment at a large Veterans Health Administration medical center were invited to complete questionnaires about traumatic military exposures and psychiatric symptoms. ⋯ Sexual assault had the strongest relationship with both posttraumatic and depressive symptoms. Sexual assault, sexual harassment, feeling in danger of being killed, and seeing others killed/injured were associated with symptoms of PTSD, but only sexual assault and sexual harassment were associated with symptoms of depression, even when accounting for several aspects of combat exposure. Improving assessment for trauma exposure and developing treatments personalized to type of trauma experienced are important clinical research priorities as female service members' roles in the military expand.
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Psychiatry research · Jan 2017
The buffer role of meaning in life in hopelessness in women with borderline personality disorders.
Meaning in life has been found to be a protective factor against suicidal ideation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether meaning in life can moderate and buffer the association between suicide risk factors and hopelessness in women with borderline personality disorders. ⋯ The main result from this study was that meaning in life moderated the association between suicide risk factors and hopelessness. Meaning in life is an important variable in the prevention and treatment of risk of suicide in women with borderline personality disorder.
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Psychiatry research · Dec 2016
Patterns of antipsychotics' prescription in Portuguese acute psychiatric wards: A cross-sectional study.
This study aimed to establish the prescribing patterns of antipsychotics in acute psychiatric wards across Portugal, to determine the prevalence of polypharmacy and "high-doses" treatment, and to identify possible predictors. Twelve acute psychiatric inpatient units and 272 patients were included. The majority (87.5%) was treated with antipsychotics regardless of diagnosis, and 41.6% had at least two antipsychotics prescribed in combination. ⋯ Age, use of depot antipsychotics, previous psychiatric hospitalization and involuntary admission were significant predictors of antipsychotic "high-doses". These results show that in Portugal the antipsychotics prescribing practices in psychiatric inpatient units diverge from those that are universally recommended, entailing important clinical and economic implications. It seems advisable to optimize the prescription of these drugs, in order to prevent adverse effects and improve the quality of the services provided.
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Psychiatry research · Dec 2016
The direct and indirect effects of the negative affectivity trait on self reported physical function among patients with upper extremity conditions.
Negative affectivity is a personality trait that predisposes people to psychological distress and low life satisfaction. Negative affectivity may also affect pain intensity and physical function in patients with musculoskeletal conditions. We explored the association of negative affectivity to pain intensity and self-reported physical function, and tested whether pain intensity mediates the effect of negative affectivity on physical function. ⋯ The indirect effect accounted for one-third of the total effect. To conclude, negative affectivity is associated with decreased engagement in daily life activities both directly, but also indirectly through increased pain intensity. Treatments targeting negative affectivity may be more economical and efficient for alleviation of pain and limitations associated with musculoskeletal illness than those addressing coping strategies or psychological distress.
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The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition-5 (DSM-5) has adopted a four-factor symptom model for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that includes new symptom additions in criterion D (D2, D3, D4), negative alterations in cognition and mood. This article examines potential overlapping endorsement of these symptoms amongst one another and with the behavioral symptoms within PTSD criterion E (E1 and E3; alterations in arousal and reactivity), through the lenses of cognitive-behavioral theory. Responses of veteran participants (N=320) completing the PTSD Checklist-5 were used to determine overlap in symptom reporting. ⋯ Results suggest that the new cognitive and emotional symptoms of criterion D have significant overlapping content, and that thought-related symptoms are often endorsed in conjunction with their behavioral counterpoint (D2/E3; D4/E1). Our results suggest that DSM-5 criterion D symptoms may not be central to the diagnostic structure of PTSD. These symptoms add complexity and difficulty to diagnosing PTSD without adding much unique content.