Search

The effect of the "Adapted-Coping with Stress" (A-CWS) intervention on social support coping was examined, using a randomized controlled trial design. The participants were 410 ninth-grade students (ages 14 to 16 years and mostly African American) living in low-resourced neighborhoods. Participants were randomly assigned 1:1 to either the A-CWS intervention or a standard care control condition. All participants were assessed at their schools before implementation of the intervention, at intervention completion, and again at 6- and 12-month post-intervention. Engagement in social support coping was examined in both intention-to-treat and treatment-as-received samples (i.e., intervention participants who attended at least 12 A-CWS treatment sessions and participants in the standard care control condition), using latent growth models. In intention-to-treat analyses, no significant treatment effects were identified. In treatment-as-received analyses, results revealed a significant association between social support coping and treatment condition; levels of social support coping decreased over time in the control condition, but they remained relatively stable in the treatment condition. The results indicate adequate intervention adherence and efficacy of the A-CWS to sustain social support coping within a sample of youth at high risk for stress exposure and associated disorders.

Objective: We sought to identify the general health of college students. Participants: A total of 4402 university freshmen and sophomores were recruited to report their general health through an online questionnaire. Methods: Responses from the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire were analyzed. We then conducted latent class analyses to evaluate 54 different symptoms among participants. Results: A four class solution was identified, consisting of a group of asymptomatic students (35.65%), a second group of students reporting mild fatigue and sleep symptoms (38.87%), a third group reporting moderate sleep and fatigue symptoms (20.36%), and a group reporting moderate and severe complaints on the majority of symptoms (5.11%). Female students had 2.07 times the relative risk of the severe symptom class of men. Indigenous students have 2.88 times the relative risk of occupying the severe symptom class than non-indigenous students. Conclusions: The results suggest that about 5% of college students have varied symptoms of a moderate to severe degree. Future research is needed to better assess whether there are biological associations with these self-report findings, as well as to determine longer-term implications of these symptoms.

Several websites have offered patients opportunities to find out whether they meet the case definitions for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The current study describes a new online screener that can be completed by individuals who might like to determine if they meet the current ME/CFS criteria. The website is available for anyone to use, and the feedback is more comprehensive than other site, particularly in providing data on how the participants' data compares with a large ME/CFS patient population, as well as whether the current ME and ME/CFS case definitions are met. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long COVID shares a number of clinical features with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), including post-exertional malaise, severe fatigue, and neurocognitive deficits. Utilizing validated assessment tools that accurately and efficiently screen for these conditions can facilitate diagnostic and treatment efforts, thereby improving patient outcomes. In this study, we generated a series of random forest machine learning algorithms to evaluate the psychometric properties of the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire-Short Form (DSQ-SF) in classifying large groups of adults with Long COVID, ME/CFS (without Long COVID), and healthy controls. We demonstrated that the DSQ-SF can accurately classify these populations with high degrees of sensitivity and specificity. In turn, we identified the particular DSQ-SF symptom items that best distinguish Long COVID from ME/CFS, as well as those that differentiate these illness groups from healthy controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Most pediatric prevalence studies of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) have been based upon data from tertiary care centers, a process known for systematic biases such as excluding youth of lower socioeconomic status and those less likely to have access to health care. In addition, most pediatric ME/CFS epidemiologic studies have not included a thorough medical and psychiatric examination. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of pediatric ME/CFS from an ethnically and sociodemographically diverse community-based random sample. Method: A sample of 10,119 youth aged 5-17 from 5622 households in the Chicagoland area were screened. Following evaluations, a team of physicians made final diagnoses. Youth were given a diagnosis of ME/CFS if they met criteria for three selected case definitions. A probabilistic, multi-stage formula was used for final prevalence calculations. Results: The prevalence of pediatric ME/CFS was 0.75%, with a higher percentage being African American and Latinx than Caucasian. Of the youth diagnosed with ME/CFS, less than 5% had been previously diagnosed with the illness. Conclusions: Many youth with the illness have not been previously diagnosed with ME/CFS. These findings point to the need for better ways to identify and diagnose youth with this illness.

Social validity focuses on a program's goals, procedures, and outcome, which helps determine if an intervention is socially acceptable and valued. This study represents a conceptual replication of the investigation by Lane and colleagues (2009) regarding the psychometric properties of the Primary Intervention Rating Scale (PIRS), a teacher survey designed to measure social validity of positive behavior support. Lane and colleagues' results indicated the PIRS was a one-factor measure with strong reliability and structural validity. To substantiate these findings, we distributed an adapted version of the PIRS to teachers from a school district in the Mountain West region. We collected data from 153 elementary and middle school teachers and computed results with a series of statistical analyses including confirmatory factor analyses as well as Cronbach's alpha and Raykov's rho. We affirmed the findings of the PIRS as a one-factor measure with strong internal consistency and no significant differences in scores based on the school level. Study limitations and implications are addressed.

The background of this study was an investigation of a sustainability issue involving how to deal with increasing deaths due to substance use as well as housing instability among those with substance use problems. Our study investigated the relationship between community-level women's employment and two key variables within Oxford House recovery homes: levels of employment and the sharing of resources among residents. These variables are crucial for the sustainability of recovery homes as they contribute to maintaining an ecological balance in communities. For our methods, we gathered data from recovery homes located in three different regions of the United States. The focus was on examining how women's employment rates in these communities correlate with the employment statuses of house residents and their resource-sharing behaviors. Regarding the results, we found a positive association between rates of employment among women in these communities and employment within the recovery housesand resource lending among residents. We conclude that women's employment at the community-level appears to be a significant macro-level factor that promotes supportive social and environmental policies. These community-level policies enhance employment opportunities and encourage interpersonal sharing within recovery homes, contributing to ecological balance and sustainability in terms of environmental, economic, and social dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates shifts in the modality of addiction recovery communities from person‐to‐person interactions to virtual platforms in the context of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. Our study involves members of the Oxford House recovery homes (n = 284), a major network of recovery‐supportive housing in the United States and abroad. Many residents participate in 12‐step meetings during their stay, traditionally conducted in‐person, but due to physical distancing regulations, many of these meetings transitioned to virtual platforms. We collected cross‐sectional survey data focusing on user perceptions of virtual 12‐step meetings in terms of accessibility, cost, convenience, support network strength and recovery network quality. Our study found significant differences in perceptions among different demographic groups, suggesting challenges in transitioning recovery support to online platforms. Notably, participants aged 46 and older showed a greater propensity to use online recovery forums and found online meetings convenient. Non‐White individuals and women demonstrated a more favourable perception of online meetings—a trend that also held true among those with at least some college education. Furthermore, the results show that those who initiated their recovery prior to the COVID‐19 lockdown viewed online methods more favourably, particularly in terms of accessibility and cost. Our data also revealed that participants who were categorically involved in 12‐step recovery (Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous) demonstrated a more positive perception of online methods in terms of the strength of social networks and social support quality, despite some resistance to virtual transition and maintaining focus. Further research is needed to understand these nuanced impacts and develop strategies to enhance the effectiveness of online recovery meetings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exit from active substance use presents barriers to achieving and maintaining health, especially as individuals lack the economic resources to afford healthcare access. Treatment settings that strengthen resources may support stability in recovery and influence health. Analyzing a sample of recovery home residents over two years (N = 494), the current study assessed individually held resources (e.g., wages, employment) and the average economic conditions of a resident's house (e.g., house employment rate) to understand their association with self-reported health status. Employment status, but not wages or transportation access, was associated with reported health scores. The average employment rate of a recovery home was also positively correlated with the health of its residents. Results indicate the need to address employment and other economic issues which plague recovering individuals. Community aftercare settings may offer such a pathway through affordable housing, employment opportunities, and supportive relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

American children spend an average of 6 hours and 32 minutes each day using various forms of media. Research has suggested that this high level of exposure has a negative impact on children's attitudes and behaviors. For example, media violence increases aggression in children, especially video games which allows children to be the aggressor and obtain rewards for violent acts against others. In addition, media influences sexual behaviors and attitudes by sending contradictory messages that glamorize sexual activity and disregard the risks of such behaviors. Along with these negative behavioral influences, media also impacts children's health and is linked to the rise of childhood obesity. From 1980 to 2000, rates of children being overweight have doubled, while obesity continually is associated with higher rates of hypertension, asthma, type II diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The majority of research has found a link between the amount of time children spend watching TV and their body weight. Given that 81% of children age 2-7 use media unsupervised (Kaiser Family Foundation, 1999), parents need to play a more active role in monitoring their children's use of electronic entertainment activities and structuring socialization activities. In this article, we will review behavioral technologies to assist parents in reducing their children's media use.

This article focuses on individuals with Long COVID after contracting SARS-CoV-2. Although some patients have complications such as diabetes mellitus or tissue damage to the heart or lungs as a result of SARS-CoV-2 infection, our research focuses on individuals who have persistent symptoms that are not consistent with major organ dysfunction. The current article reviews methodological and conceptual issues that need to be considered in the development and use of a case definition for Long COVID and discusses the significance of appropriately phrasing questions assessing symptoms, specifying thresholds for when to count a symptom, determining how many symptoms should be required for a diagnosis, assessing symptoms over time, using multiple assessment modalities, and differentiating symptomatology from functionality. Dealing with these issues, particularly triangulating data from multiple sources, allows investigators to develop a more reliable and valid way to assess Long COVID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Many controversies have emerged around developing a consensus on a research case definition for ME and ME/CFS. To determine if there might be a consensus among patients, healthcare workers, and researchers, a brief questionnaire was distributed to an international group of patients to assess key issues involving ME and ME/CFS case definitions. Method: Respondents were asked questions about core symptoms and other critical case definition issues. Results: Overall, post-exertional malaise, cognitive impairment, fatigue, and unrefreshing sleep were the most endorsed core symptoms with at least 80% consensus among participants. Considerable support occurred for the ME-ICC (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis-International Consensus Criteria) and the Canadian Consensus Criteria (CCC), whereas the Fukuda Criteria received the least support. Items rated as important for a research case definition included the severity of the illness, onset type, duration of illness, illness course, exclusions, and comorbidities. Conclusions: The implications of these findings for developing a consensus on research case definition criteria are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) often experience autonomic symptoms. In the present study, we evaluated 193 adults seeking treatment for ME/CFS, who were recruited from an outpatient clinic. The participants completed a head-up tilt table test to assess two common types of orthostatic intolerance, namely, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and orthostatic hypotension (OH). During the tilt test, 32.5% of the participants demonstrated POTS or OH. The participants with either of these two common types of orthostatic intolerance were found to have more problems with sleep and post-exertional malaise as assessed by the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire; these patients also reported more physical and health function limitations. The implications of the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is limited information on the specific impacts of Long COVID in youth. Long COVID presents as persisting or new symptoms following initial COVID-19 infection. The aim of this study was to better understand how children and their families describe their experiences seeking diagnosis and support following the onset of symptoms of Long COVID. Six children and five caregivers located in the United States participated in this study. Study procedures included an online video interview with caregiver–child dyads. Interview transcriptions were then analyzed using a conventional approach to content analysis, with two independent coders generating themes. Eight themes emerged from this analysis including the severity of illness and symptomatology, difficulty surrounding the diagnostic process and not being believed, the impact on family and social connections, poor school functioning, positive coping, subsequent positive medical experiences, mental health, and knowledge of the medical field and healthcare experience. Themes revealed difficulty for youth and families in navigating the medical system and functioning in areas of daily life as well as areas of positive experiences related to coping and medical involvement. These findings also highlighted areas of needed improvement for the medical community and for research on Long COVID in youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined the relationships between a personality metatrait (Stability consisting of conscientiousness, agreeableness, and neuroticism), self-esteem, and stress in an adult population of individuals with substance use disorders living in recovery homes. Adults (N = 229) residing in 42 residential recovery settings were interviewed as part of the first wave of a longitudinal study in three sites. Standard error of the mean analysis found significant effects for several demographic variables on Stability, and Stability was significantly related both directly and indirectly to stress. These findings suggest that individual differences at entry may influence recovery home effects and may be important to developing more effective aftercare systems.

Objective: Suicide rates among African American adolescents have increased exponentially in recent years. The socioecological stressors that can increase suicide risk for African American adolescents, in conjunction with unique suicide risk manifestations within this group, require culturally sensitive preventive interventions. This study examines the efficacy of the Adapted-Coping With Stress course (A-CWS), a culturally tailored preventive intervention, to reduce suicidal ideation in African American adolescents, utilizing a randomized controlled design. Method: Participants included 410 ninth-grade students in a large Midwestern city; most students identified as Black/African American. Participants were randomly assigned to either the A-CWS intervention or standard care control condition. All participants were assessed at baseline, immediately postintervention, and 6 and 12 months postintervention. Results: Treatment effects were examined using latent growth models comparing suicidal ideation trajectories in control and intervention conditions. Analyses were conducted using both intention-to-treat and treatment-as-received samples (i.e., intervention condition participants who attended at least 80% of sessions). In both intention-to-treat and treatment-as-received analyses, there was a significant treatment effect: Individuals in the A-CWS intervention condition with higher baseline ideation evidenced a superior reduction in suicidal ideation over the course of the study, relative to their counterparts in the standard care control condition. Conclusion: Findings indicate that the A-CWS preventive intervention is efficacious in reducing suicidal ideation among African American adolescents with higher levels of baseline suicidal ideation and that effects sustain over time, with the strongest effect evidenced 12 months postintervention. What is the public health significance of this article?: This study indicates that the Adapted-Coping With Stress course, a culturally tailored suicide prevention program for African American adolescents, is associated with reductions in suicidal ideation among African American adolescents with higher levels of pretreatment ideation. Effects were most pronounced 12 months after participating in the intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been multiple efforts to evaluate the contributions of the field of Community Psychology, and one of the more popular methods has involved gathering citations and articles published in Community Psychology journals. In recent years, several sites have gathered citation analysis and article publication rates so that it is now relatively easy to summarize settings and scholar rankings. In the current study, articles published in the two major journals of the field of Community Psychology over the past five decades were evaluated for these publications and citations. Findings indicated that several of the settings with highest publication and citation rates have not developed Community Psychology graduate programs, thus indicating that many publishing authors are in settings without formal graduate programs in Community Psychology. The benefits and limitations of this method of ranking programs and individuals are reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A subset of Covid-19 survivors will develop persisting health sequelae (i.e. Long Covid/LC or Post Covid/PC) similar to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). In the absence of a reliable biomarker to diagnose LC/PC and ME/CFS, their classification based on symptoms becomes indispensable. Hence, we translated and validated the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire−2 (DSQ-2), to offer a screening tool for the German-speaking population. A sample of healthy adults, and adults with ME/CFS and LC/PC (N = 502) completed a reduced-item version of the DSQ-2 and SF-36 questionnaire online. We performed an exploratory factor analysis, assessed construct validity, diagnostic accuracy and compared the symptom profiles of individuals with ME/CFS versus LC/PC versus healthy adults. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a 10-factor solution with excellent internal consistencies. The sensitivity of the DSQ-2 was excellent. The specificity was moderate with moderate inter-rater reliability. Construct validity of the DSQ-2 was supported by strong negative correlations with physical health subscales of the SF-36. A visual comparison of the symptom profiles of individuals with ME/CFS versus LC/PC revealed a comparable pattern. Despite lower symptom severity, individuals with LC/PC reported significantly stronger limitations in general health and physical functioning and were more likely to meet ME/CFS diagnostic criteria with ongoing sickness duration, suggesting that ME/CFS can be considered a long-term sequela of LC/PC. This study offers a translated and validated version of the reduced-item DSQ-2 that can guide medical evaluation and aid physicians in identifying a ME/CFS-like subtype of LC/PC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1969, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) has been classified as a neurological disease in the International Classification of Diseases by the World Health Organization. Although numerous studies over time have uncovered organic abnormalities in patients with ME/CFS, and the majority of researchers to date classify the disease as organic, many physicians still believe that ME/CFS is a psychosomatic illness. In this article, we show how detrimental this belief is to the care and well-being of affected patients and, as a consequence, how important the education of physicians and the public is to stop misdiagnosis, mistreatment, and stigmatization on the grounds of incorrect psychosomatic attributions about the etiology and clinical course of ME/CFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a poorly understood chronic illness with many case definitions that disagree on key symptoms, including hypersensitivities to noise and lights. The aim of the current study was to understand the prevalence rates and characteristics of these symptoms amongst people with ME/CFS and to compare them to people with another chronic illness, multiple sclerosis (MS). International datasets consisting of 2,240 people with either ME/CFS or MS have completed the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire (DSQ) and the Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36). Hypersensitivities to noise and lights were indicated from items on the DSQ, and participants were analyzed against DSQ and SF-36 subscales through a multivariate analysis of covariance. There were significantly higher percentages of people with hypersensitivities in the ME/CFS sample compared to the MS sample. Regardless of illness, participants that exhibited both hypersensitivities reported greater symptomology than those without hypersensitivities. Healthcare providers and researchers should consider these symptoms when developing treatment plans and evaluating ME/CFS case diagnostic criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is still unclear why certain individuals after viral infections continue to have severe symptoms. We investigated if predicting myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) development after contracting COVID-19 is possible by analyzing symptoms from the first two weeks of COVID-19 infection. Using participant responses to the 54-item DePaul Symptom Questionnaire, we built predictive models based on a random forest algorithm using the participants' symptoms from the initial weeks of COVID-19 infection to predict if the participants would go on to meet the criteria for ME/CFS approximately 6 months later. Early symptoms, particularly those assessing post-exertional malaise, did predict the development of ME/CFS, reaching an accuracy of 94.6%. We then investigated a minimal set of eight symptom features that could accurately predict ME/CFS. The feature reduced models reached an accuracy of 93.5%. Our findings indicated that several IOM diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS occurring during the initial weeks after COVID-19 infection predicted Long COVID and the diagnosis of ME/CFS after 6 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substance abuse is associated with a host of harmful consequences to the substance user as well as other individuals and society as a whole. Although harm is an integral component of substance abuse, there is a dearth of research that investigates the relationship between harm and substance use problems. The goal of this study was to explore recovering substance users' retrospective perceptions of harm caused to self and others during periods of substance abuse and the resulting association with the development of problem awareness and treatment perspectives. The present study found that perceptions of harming children demonstrated a significant impact on adults' substance use problem awareness and treatment optimism. Perceived harm caused to a child during periods of substance abuse was associated with increased substance use problem awareness and treatment optimism. Findings suggest that harming children as a consequence of adult substance abuse may play an impactful role on adults' recovery process. Implications for future research are discussed.

Public health and welfare systems request documentation on approaches to diagnose, treat, and manage myalgic encephalomyelitis and assess disability-benefit conditions. Our objective is to document ME patients' experiences with services/interventions and assess differences between those meeting different diagnostic criteria, importantly the impact of post-exertional malaise. We surveyed 660 fatigue patients in Norway using respondent-driven sampling and applied validated DePaul University algorithms to estimate Canadian and Fukuda criteria proxies. Patients on average perceived most interventions as having low-to-negative health effects. Responses differed significantly between sub-groups for some key interventions. The PEM score was strongly associated with the experience of most interventions. Better designed and targeted interventions are needed to prevent harm to the patient group. The PEM score appears to be a strong determinant and adequate tool for assessing patient tolerance for certain interventions. There is no known treatment for ME, and "do-no-harm" should be a guiding principle in all practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This brief report describes the first time a recovery home organization has both developed and evaluated an educational workshop aimed at encouraging the use of medication-assisted treatments (MATs) and NARCAN (naloxone) to prevent/reduce opioid overdoses. The one-hour program involving the use, misuse, and recovery potential of MATs and the opioid overdose reversal properties of NARCAN occurred for Oxford House residents who participated in 2019 (N = 522) and in 2021 (N = 887). Post-intervention ratings indicated that resident ratings indicated that recovery home residents acknowledged that they were able to recognize and reverse an opioid overdose, properly administer naloxone, and potentially save the life of someone who is overdosing on opioids. The findings suggest that this program might be effectively administered in recovery homes, and future studies will need to determine if the program is able to change attitudes and behaviors of residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most questionnaires for somatic symptoms focus either on occurrence, frequency, or severity, and in doing so, they might not be able to comprehensively assess the burden that symptoms present to patients. For example, a symptom might occur at a high frequency but only a minimal severity, so that it is less likely to be a burden on a patient; whereas a symptom that has both a high frequency and severity is more likely to be negatively impacting a patient. Study 1 examined frequency and severity scores for classic Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) symptoms among patients with ME/CFS versus a control group. Findings in Study 1 indicate there were more frequency/severity discrepancies for individuals with ME/CFS versus the control group. Study 1 concluded that collecting data on both measures of symptom burden provides unique indicators that can better assess the burden of the symptoms on patients. In a separate data set, Study 2 reported reliability data on slight differences in the time period and the way the severity was assessed. Study 2 findings indicated high levels of reliability for these changes in the time period and the way questions were asked. These studies provide important psychometric properties that could lead to more reliable and valid assessments of patients with post-viral illnesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]