The Psychiatric quarterly
-
The Psychiatric quarterly · Jun 2015
Observational StudyUnintentional child neglect: literature review and observational study.
Child abuse is a problem that affects over six million children in the United States each year. Child neglect accounts for 78% of those cases. Despite this, the issue of child neglect is still not well understood, partially because child neglect does not have a consistent, universally accepted definition. ⋯ Parenting classes have been shown to be an effective intervention strategy by decreasing parental stress and potential for abuse, but there has been limited research done on this approach. Parenting classes can be part of the corrective actions for parents found to be neglectful or abusive, but parenting classes may also be useful as a preventative measure, being taught in schools or readily available in higher-risk communities. More research has to be done to better define child abuse and neglect so that it can be effectively addressed and treated.
-
The Psychiatric quarterly · Sep 2014
Involuntary detention: do psychiatrists clinically justify continuing involuntary hospitalization?
To elucidate disparities in clinical and legal documentation for patients admitted involuntarily to a county psychiatric hospital in Texas. The study sample comprised of 89 randomly selected patients, involuntarily hospitalized to our facility in September 2011. All patients met criteria for involuntary detention based on the legal documents filed by admitting psychiatrists. ⋯ Our study found that involuntary detention of many patients based on the legal documents filed by admitting psychiatrists was not justified by the clinical documentation. This indicates that appropriate standards are not maintained when completing the medical certificates for involuntary detention. Maintaining appropriate standards may reduce the need for involuntary hospitalization, increase patient autonomy, and reduce resource utilization.
-
The Psychiatric quarterly · Sep 2013
Alexithymia and posttraumatic stress disorder following asthma attack.
This study examined the levels of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following asthma attack (post-asthma attack PTSD) and psychiatric co-morbidity among college students. It also investigated the association between these variables and alexithymia. One hundred and six college students participated in the study and completed an on-line survey comprising the Asthma Symptom Checklist, PTSD Checklist, General Health Questionnaire-28 and Toronto Alexithymia Scale. ⋯ Mediational analyses showed that asthma symptoms partially mediated the link between difficulty identifying feelings and psychiatric co-morbidity. People can develop PTSD symptoms and other psychological difficulties following asthma attack. Alexithymia influenced general psychological difficulties independently of PTSD symptoms.
-
The Psychiatric quarterly · Mar 2013
Seven essential strategies for promoting and sustaining systemic cultural competence.
Racial and ethnic disparities are disturbing facets of the American healthcare system that document the reality of unequal treatment. Research consistently shows that patients of color experience poorer quality of care and health outcomes contributing to increased risks and accelerated mortality rates relative to their white counterparts. While initially conceptualized as an approach for increasing the responsiveness of children's behavioral health care, cultural competence has been adopted as a key strategy for eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities across the healthcare system. ⋯ In this article we offer seven essential strategies for promoting and sustaining organizational and systemic cultural competence. These strategies are to: (1) Provide executive level support and accountability, (2) Foster patient, community and stakeholder participation and partnerships, (3) Conduct organizational cultural competence assessments, (4) Develop incremental and realistic cultural competence action plans, (5) Ensure linguistic competence, (6) Diversify, develop, and retain a culturally competent workforce, and (7) Develop an agency or system strategy for managing staff and patient grievances. For each strategy we offer several recommendations for implementation.
-
The Psychiatric quarterly · Mar 2013
The relationship between forgiveness, spirituality, traumatic guilt and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among people with addiction.
Spirituality and forgiveness have been shown to be associated with psychological well-being, while guilt has been associated with poor health. Little is known, however, about the relationship between forgiveness, spirituality, guilt, posttraumatic stress (PTSD) and psychological co-morbidity among people in recovery from addiction. Eighty-one people (F = 36, M = 45) in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction were recruited from two residential units and two drop-in centres in a city in the United Kingdom. ⋯ This study supports existing literature, which shows that people with drug and alcohol addiction tend to have experienced significant past trauma and PTSD symptoms. Their posttraumatic stress reactions and associated psychological difficulties can be better understood in the light of guilt and spirituality. Meanwhile, their ability to forgive themselves or others did not seem to influence health outcomes.