Jason D. Seacat

Predictors of caregiver burden following traumatic brain injury

Primary objective : To investigate the relationship of demographic characteristics of the caregiver (i.e. race, age, household income, education) to caregiver burden, family needs, family functioning and social support to assess the predictors of caregiver burden. Research design : Information was obtained through mailed surveys and follow-up phone interviews. Methods and procedures : Participants were 24 African American and 21 White caregivers of individuals with traumatic brain injury who were at least 1-year post-injury. Measures administered included the Head Injury Family Interview, Family Needs Questionnaire, Family Assessment Device and the NON, a measure of social support. Main outcomes and results : Regression analyses revealed that importance of needs and percentage of needs met accounted for a significant amount of the variance in predicting affective/behavioural, cognitive and physical/dependency burden. Conclusions : Rehabilitation professionals need to provide support that includes ongoing assessment of needs and provides a resource for steering caregivers to potential sources for meeting those needs.

A daily diary assessment of female weight stigmatization

Research focused on assessing weight stigmatization has typically been conducted using cross-sectional, retrospective designs. Such designs may impair the scientific understanding of this stigma by limiting participants’ recall of frequencies and/or details about stigmatizing events. To address this, 50 overweight/obese women were recruited from public weight forums to complete week-long daily diaries. A total of 1077 weight-stigmatizing events were reported on the Stigmatizing Situations Inventory. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to investigate potential relationships between participant-level factors and reported stigmatization. Results indicate that body mass index, education, age, daily activities, and interpersonal interactions all may impact individuals’ levels of stigmatization.

Mental health stigma update: A review of consequences

Abstract Mental illness remains a pervasive social issue that aff ects the well-being of millions of individuals globally. Despite the overall prevalence of mental illness, increasing numbers of individuals needing mental health treatment do not receive it. Mental Health Stigma (MHS) has been proposed as a signifi cant barrier to seeking/obtaining mental health treatment. Mounting evidence suggests that MHS is experienced in virtually all life domains and that it may signifi cantly influence multiple health outcomes, including treatment seeking behavior. The current review paper uniquely contributes to the literature on MHS in at least four ways. First, this paper provides a recent overview of the prevalence and social costs of mental illness in society. Second, this paper presents a current literature review of MHS and helps to elucidate the impact of MHS on a range of individual outcomes, including psychological and physical health. Third, this paper specifically reviews existing literature on understanding the relationship between MHS and treatment seeking behavior. This is the fi rst known review paper to focus specifi cally on the MHS–treatment seeking relationship. Finally, the paper presents implications for future research on MHS and treatment seeking which may lead to the development of theory-based interventions to address MHS in clinical practice.

In Defense of Flossing: Can We Agree It's Premature to Claim Flossing is Ineffective to Prevent Dental Caries?

Current evidence pertaining to the effectiveness of flossing and caries prevention is potentially being misinterpreted by health oversight bodies, which may have significant implications for current and future public flossing guidelines. We identify and discuss several methodological deficiencies, including the lack of validated measures of flossing skill, over-reliance on self-reported flossing behavior, and the lack of current guidelines on how to interpret and apply evidence-based findings to specific clinical scenarios that are present in the studies of flossing effectiveness included in the Cochrane Review. As such, we argue that it is premature for health oversight bodies to conclude that flossing is ineffective in the prevention of dental caries. Our research group, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is developing a valid and reliable provider-observed measure of tooth brushing and flossing skill that may help promote higher quality flossing evidence in the future.

Could Blood Pressure Phobia Go Beyond the White Coat Effect

BACKGROUND While it is known that excessive anxiety surrounding the measuring of blood pressure may preclude an accurate measurement, it is not known whether it could also lead to phobic avoidance behavior. METHODS Self-reported information was collected on 125 individuals who made postings on 5 internet-based medical forums. RESULTS Qualitative thematic analysis revealed that these individuals reported experiencing intense fear associated with the measuring of blood pressure, that was excessive or irrational and which contributed to avoidance of medical treatment and interference with life decisions. CONCLUSIONS Based on these preliminary observations, we are speculating that these symptoms could be considered consistent with a diagnosis of a Specific Phobia. Investigations using quantitative methods, representative samples, and standardized clinical instruments need to be conducted before definitive conclusions can be reached.

In Defense of Flossing: Part II-Can We Agree It's Premature to Claim Flossing Is Ineffective to Help Prevent Periodontal Diseases?

ABSTRACT Periodontal diseases are complex, multifactorial disorders. Effective daily plaque control promotes gingival/periodontal health. Recent meta‐analyses and other reviews have found inconclusive evidence to support that tooth flossing promotes gingival/periodontal health. Ideally, the claim should have been that, “at present, we do not have high‐quality evidence from well‐designed randomized clinical trials to determine whether flossing lowers the risk for periodontal diseases.” Rather than “not proven to be effective,” the lay public may now think that flossing is “almost entirely unhelpful and/or unnecessary.” How does the dental community communicate the nuances of this topic? Herein, we examine the key structural issues underlying this area of research. We assert that effective flossing between specific teeth can promote gingival/periodontal health. Furthermore, we explore the nuances for whom this may be true and untrue, why our evidence is lacking, and what can be done to clarify the effectiveness of flossing on clinical outcomes.

Mental health stigma: Impact on mental health treatment attitudes and physical health:

The purpose of this study was to test two models of the impact of mental health stigma on both attitudes toward seeking psychological help and physical health. General self-efficacy, self-esteem, and anxiety were tested as potential mediators of these two relationships. A sample of adults (N = 423) aged 18–72 years was surveyed using the participant pool of a large, distance learning university. Structural equation modeling results indicated that mental health stigma directly and indirectly influenced treatment attitudes and physical health. Internal self-variables mediated the relationship between mental health stigma and both study outcomes.