Jennifer A. Coleman

The Relationship Between Physical and Mental Health Variables in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury From Latin America

Previous research has examined the health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) and mental health of persons with spinal cord injury (SCI), but the majority of the research has taken place in the United States, Western Europe, and other developed countries. Limited research has been conducted with persons with SCI in Latin America.

Comparison of mental health between individuals with spinal cord injury and able-bodied controls in Neiva, Colombia

Although research has investigated the mental health of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), an overwhelming majority of this research has been conducted in the United States, Western Europe, and other developed countries. The purpose of this study was to compare the mental health of individuals with SCI with able-bodied controls in Neiva, Colombia, South America. Subjects included 40 Colombians with SCI and 42 age- and sex-matched controls (N = 82). The groups did not differ based on age, sex, years of education, or socioeconomic status. However, controls were twice as likely to be married. Four measures assessed mental health, including satisfaction with life (Satisfaction with Life Scale), depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale), and anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory). In comparison with able-bodied controls, individuals with SCI reported significantly lower mental health on both depressive symptoms and satisfaction with life. These effect sizes were medium and large, respectively. The groups did not differ significantly on measures of self-esteem or anxiety. Mental health of individuals with SCI should be considered a central part of SCI rehabilitation interventions, particularly in Latin America.

A Qualitative Review and Integrative Model of Gratitude and Physical Health

Gratitude is seen as a central component of Christian theology, and the extant literature suggests that there is an important relation between gratitude and physical health and well-being. In the current review, we summarize 42 studies published since 2009 that inform this relationship. Based on the theoretical framework by Hill, Allemand, and Roberts (2013), we organize our review in three sections that focus on how gratitude influences physical health through (a) mental health, (b) health behaviors, and (c) interpersonal variables. We discuss and integrate the findings from these studies into a theoretical model of gratitude and physical health. In addition to the three mechanisms in the Hill et al. model, we integrate variables from a previously conducted literature review of gratitude and well-being (Wood, Froh, & Geraghty, 2010), and we add personal factors, positive or adverse events, and explicit interventions as antecedents to gratitude in our model. We conclude by discussing future directions for gratitude and health research and its role within Christian psychology.

Racial Differences in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Military Personnel: Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma as a Theoretical Lens

ABSTRACT Various theorists have explored how intergenerational transmission of trauma impacts minority groups. Intergenerational trauma theories suggest that trauma(s) endured by a community have long-standing effects that can be passed on through generations. However, much of the research has focused on indigenous populations or Holocaust survivors despite the historical experiences of the African American community. The minority stress model adds support to intergenerational trauma theories, in that racial minority groups might suffer worse health due to a variety of stressors. Racial minorities are also at greater risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Within military populations, PTSD is one of many mental health issues and has been labeled one of the signature injuries of the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) criteria for PTSD do not take into account the effects of intergenerational trauma, discrimination, or racism. This article proposes that intergenerational trauma theories and the minority stress model provide explanations for why many studies have found that African American military personnel have higher rates of PTSD compared to their White peers. Indeed, African American military personnel with PTSD might be better understood through more culturally inclusive frameworks (e.g., complex trauma, race-based traumatic stress), because the stressors they experience as racial minorities might exacerbate or lead to symptoms of PTSD.

Disability and assistance dog implicit association test: a novel IAT

OBJECTIVE Individuals with disabilities often face stigma and negative social interactions. Human-animal interaction literature suggests that an individual paired with an animal will be perceived differently than an individual alone. Although people with disabilities report increases in social interactions when with assistance dogs, the reasons for this remain unclear. One possibility is that attitudes toward people with disabilities are altered by the presence of assistance dogs, thus affecting the social behaviors of the perceiver. This study examines whether implicit attitudes toward individuals with disabilities differ in the presence of an assistance dog. METHOD College students (N = 244) completed the Attitudes of Adults to Dogs scale, an item assessing dog ownership, and the Disabilities and Assistance Dog Implicit Association Test (IAT). RESULTS A 1-sample t test demonstrated a significant IAT effect, t(240) = 3.62, p < .001, with a positive implicit bias observed toward an individual with a disability when paired with an assistance dog over the individual alone. White individuals were more likely than Black individuals to hold positive implicit attitudes toward an individual with a disability paired with a dog, F(2, 238) = 3.18, p = .04. There were no significant differences in IAT D scores based on gender or dog ownership. IMPLICATIONS This study extends previous research regarding social interactions for individuals with disabilities who are paired with assistance dogs. Increases in positive implicit attitudes toward an individual with a disability paired with a dog may explain these changes in social interactions. Dogs may serve as a social lubricant, increasing positive social interactions for individuals with disabilities.

Evaluating the effectiveness of a community-based forgiveness campaign

Abstract Forgiveness interventions have been employed in individual, couple, family, and group psychotherapy. Few attempts have been made to deliver forgiveness interventions via community-based campaigns. In the current field study, we administered a community-based forgiveness campaign to an entire university campus. A quasi-experimental design was used in which multiple pre-tests were compared to post-test scores on a psychometrically sound measure of forgiveness as well as single items assessing forgiveness, love, and conflict across students’ relationships with others in the community (i.e. friends, roommates, teachers, and parents). Multilevel models were specified to compare repeated scores from the baseline phase to post-intervention phase scores. Findings indicated that community-based approaches are a viable method of promoting forgiveness that may serve as a less intense but more easily disseminated and less costly approach to promoting forgiveness than traditional modalities of psychological treatment. Implications for future empirical investigation and clinical application are discussed.

Anticipatory Anxiety in the Treatment of Combat Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

ABSTRACT Combat veterans have experienced a transformational process during war zone deployment, including emotional, cognitive, and sensory processing changes. They also return entrenched in military expectations of conduct and behavior. These changes result in anticipatory anxiety that makes it difficult to reintegrate into the civilian world, and are related to symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The PTSD Recovery Program at the McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) is a manualized treatment that focuses on the personal and daily experiences of combat veterans rather than exposure to traumatic memories. Program evaluation data demonstrated significant reduction in PTSD symptoms and improvements in general self-efficacy and adaptive behaviors. Results support the PTSD Recovery Program as an effective treatment that enhances readjustment to civilian life.

Mind and body: Mental health and health related quality of life in SCI caregivers from Neiva, Colombia.

BACKGROUND Despite the body of research on caregivers of individuals with various types of disabilities, SCI caregivers have received comparably less attention, especially in regions like Latin America. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine the association between HRQOL and mental health in SCI caregivers from Colombia. METHOD A cross sectional study assessed SCI caregivers (n = 40) in Neiva, Colombia. Participants completed a measure of their HRQOL (SF-36 Health Questionnaire) and four measures of mental health (Satisfaction With Life Scale, Zarit Burden Interview, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory). RESULTS A canonical correlation between variables revealed that 64% of the variance was shared between mental health and HRQOL. The domains that loaded highest within the canonical correlation were social functioning, general health, and anxiety, indicating that SCI caregivers with higher anxiety experienced lower social functioning and lower general health. Furthermore, 15 of the 24 bivariate correlations between mental health and HRQOL were statistically significant, suggesting a strong connection between these two sets of variables. CONCLUSION Rehabilitation professionals in Latin America should consider the development of caregiver interventions focusing on both physical and mental health, as the two constructs are closely connected through social functioning, general health, and anxiety.

Negative Interpersonal Interactions and Dating Abuse Perpetration: The Mediating Role of Dispositional Forgivingness

Theory and research suggest that an individual’s negative interactions with his or her parents or romantic partner are associated with the perpetration of dating abuse. Research is beginning to explore the role of forgivingness within abusive romantic relationships, and these preliminary findings suggest that dispositional forgivingness might mediate the relations between negative interpersonal interactions and dating abuse. The current study assessed negative interactions with one’s parents and one’s romantic partner, the frequency of dating abuse perpetration, and dispositional forgivingness of others and oneself among a sample of emerging adults in college (n = 421). Dispositional forgivingness of others was negatively associated with the perpetration of emotional/verbal dating abuse and threatening behaviors, and it mediated relations between negative interpersonal interactions and dating abuse perpetration. Our findings suggest that the tendency to forgive others may explain why some individuals who experience negative interpersonal interactions with parents or romantic partners do not escalate to perpetration of abuse within their romantic relationships. Implications for future research and application are discussed.

Examination of racial differences in a posttraumatic stress disorder group therapy program for veterans.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is 1 of the more prevalent mental health diagnoses for veterans. Group therapy can be an effective and efficient means of treating PTSD, yet the literature exploring treatment outcomes for racial minorities has been mixed and limited. The present study was an evaluation across racial groups of the PTSD Recovery Program, a manualized group therapy implemented at a Veterans Affairs hospital. Data were collected from male veterans (N = 450) who identified as non-Hispanic White or non-Hispanic African American and participated in a 10-week, combat-related, group therapy program between 2010 and 2014. Participants completed the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist—Military Version (PCL–M) measure at pretreatment and posttreatment. The program led to a statistically significant reduction in PCL–M scores (Cohen’s d = .64). Symptom reduction occurred regardless of race, with no racial differences in improvement. Racial and ethnic composition of groups was not related to outcomes. The program was effective regardless of veteran group or provider. Results imply that the PTSD Recovery Program is an effective 1st-line option to treating non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic African American veterans with PTSD. Future research should continue to explore the associations between group characteristics and treatment outcomes.