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Natural disasters, including floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes, result in devastating consequences at the individual and community levels. To date, much of the research reflecting the consequences of natural disasters focuses heavily on victims, with little attention paid to the personnel responding to such disasters. We conducted a systematic review of the challenges faced by military, medical and public safety personnel supporting natural disaster relief operations. Specifically, we report on the current evidence reflecting challenges faced, as well as positive outcomes experienced by military, medical and public safety personnel following deployment to natural disasters. The review included 382 studies. A large proportion of the studies documented experiences of medical workers, followed by volunteers from humanitarian organizations and military personnel. The most frequently reported challenges across the studies were structural (i.e., interactions with the infrastructure or structural institutions), followed by resource limitations, psychological, physical, and social challenges. Over 60% of the articles reviewed documented positive or transformative outcomes following engagement in relief work (e.g., the provision of additional resources, support, and training), as well as self-growth and fulfillment. The current results emphasize the importance of pre-deployment training to better prepare relief workers to manage expected challenges, as well as post-deployment supportive services to mitigate adverse outcomes and support relief workers' well-being., Author(s): Natalie Ein [sup.1] [sup.2] , Rachel A. Plouffe [sup.1] [sup.2] , Jenny J. W. Liu [sup.1] [sup.2] , Julia Gervasio [sup.1] , Clara Baker [sup.1] , R. Nicholas Carleton [...]

Systematic reviews (SRs) employ standardized methodological processes for synthesizing empirical evidence to answer specific research questions. These processes include rigorous screening phases to determine eligibility of articles against strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. Despite these processes, SRs are a significant undertaking, and this type of research often necessitates extensive human resource requirements, especially when the scope of the review is large. Given the substantial resources and time commitment required, we investigated a way in which the screening process might be accelerated while maintaining high fidelity and adherence to SR processes. More recently, researchers have turned to artificial intelligence-based (AI) software to expedite the screening process. This paper evaluated the agreement and usability of a novel machine learning program, Sciome SWIFT-ActiveScreener (ActiveScreener), in a large SR of mental health outcomes following treatment for PTSD. ActiveScreener exceeded the expected 95% agreement of the program with screeners to predict inclusion or exclusion of relevant articles at the title/abstract assessment phase of the review and was reported to be user friendly by both novice and seasoned screeners. ActiveScreener, when used appropriately, may be a useful tool when performing SR in a clinical context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Transitioning to civilian life after military service can be challenging for both Veterans and their families. Accessible mental health services are crucial during this period to provide support. The objective of this review was to conduct a rapid review to capture the barriers and identify facilitators that influence access to mental health services for Veterans and their families during the post-service transition period. Methods: This review was conducted using the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions as a methodological framework and followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses - Rapid Review (PRISMA-RR). Results: A total of 60 articles and 67 independent samples were included in the final data analyses. Across the included articles, this review identified 23 barriers and 14 facilitator themes. Issues navigating the mental health care system was identified as the main challenge among Veterans and their families, and those who received support navigating the system identified this as a significant facilitator. Applying the Theoretical Domains Framework, most of the identified barriers and facilitators were categorized into environmental context and resources domain. Discussion: The heterogeneity in Veterans' and Veteran families' experiences with mental health care-seeking may suggest that access to mental health care for Veterans and Veteran families cannot be solved by addressing one type of barrier alone. Instead, coordinated efforts to address prioritized systemic, logistical, social, and inter-/intrapersonal obstacles are essential for improving access and optimizing mental health care outcomes. These insights underscore the complexity of considerations for Veterans and families accessing mental health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Ketamine has emerged as a promising treatment alternative for the management of chronic pain. Despite encouraging findings in civilian populations, and favourable results from trials examining its efficacy in military populations, there is still a dearth of information pointing to optimal specifications related to ketamine administration for pain, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in military populations. This meta-analysis and systematic review synthesised available evidence on the effectiveness, tolerability, and feasibility of ketamine in the management of chronic pain and mental health conditions in military populations. Methods: This review followed the Cochrane's Guide for systematic reviews of interventions and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) as frameworks for data collection and synthesis. Results: A total of 11 studies and 22 independent samples were retained for data analyses. Across samples, improvements in pain, depression, and PTSD outcomes were evident, with the use of ketamine leading to significant reductions, g = 1.76, SE = 0.19, 95% CI (1.39, 2.13), Z = 9.26, p <.001. These effect sizes were robust with moderate-to-large effects. In addition, the reductions in symptoms were observed in both active-duty and Veteran groups, and for different routes of ketamine administration, frequencies of ketamine administration, duration of ketamine treatments, dosage, study design, and allowance for concurrent treatments. Discussion: This review provides a preliminary synthesis of available evidence which suggests that ketamine may be a potential option for the treatment of depression, PTSD, and chronic pain in military populations. The viability of ketamine as an alternative treatment may be particularly impactful for those who are treatment resistant, experience chronic symptoms, and/or have exhausted conventional treatments. More research is warranted in order verify the findings presented in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal-assisted intervention (AAI) has been used as a means of stress relief in clinical and general settings; however, animals are not always allowed in certain spaces. Adapting AAI to video or virtual mediums could improve accessibility and is temporally relevant given the recent shift to online interventions. The current study explored: (1) whether an active video (dog or nature) watched before a stressor would improve wellbeing more than tranquil videos; (2) whether exposure to a dog video improves wellbeing more than a nature video; and (3) whether exposure to either a dog or nature video improves outcomes more than exposure to a control video. One hundred and seven undergraduates were randomly assigned to watch one of five videos (active dog, tranquil dog, active nature, tranquil nature, and control) for 3 minutes and then complete a 3-minute stress task. Subjective (anxiety, stress, happiness, relaxation, positive affect, and negative affect) and physiological (blood pressure and heart rate) outcomes were collected at baseline, video, stressor, and recovery time points. Results showed that the activity level of the dog in the video did not influence outcomes. However, relative to the control group, the dog-video condition showed decreases in stress from baseline to video and a smaller decrease in stress from stressor to recovery. Additionally, relative to the nature-video condition, the dog-video condition showed a slightly higher increase in happiness scores from baseline to video. Lastly, relative to the control group, the nature-video condition showed increased relaxation scores from baseline to video and a larger decrease in relaxation scores from video to stressor. This research may inform the development of alternate modes of AAIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in technology have increased our capacity to interface with existing tools and measures in social sciences and healthcare research. Demands for increased accessibility and preference for flexibility in data collection have resulted in an influx of technological innovations and adaptations of existing tools. Yet, the usability of digital adaptations of self-reported measures have not been well studied. This research investigated the comparability and reliability of the empirically-validated Multi-System Model of Resilience Inventory through two modalities: an online survey platform, and a digital mobile application. User experiences of the mobile application in research was also studied. Implications of the findings for the use of digital applications in research in healthcare and social sciences are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]