Kim Gorgens

Making meaning in a burn peer support group: qualitative analysis of attendee interviews.

There is a paucity of literature on the personal experiences of burn support group members, the members’ perceived benefits of group participation, and the meaning the survivors make of the support they receive. In order to provide effective psychosocial rehabilitation services and to meet the needs of burn survivors, it is important to understand the influence a support group has on its members as well as the personal experiences of those individuals who attend these groups. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of burn survivors in a burn survivor support group. Six self-identified burn survivors were interviewed by using a guided in-depth interview technique to explore their experiences in the support group. Key informant interviews and group observations served to triangulate the findings from the individual interviews. The experiences of the group members coalesced around four main themes: acceptance of self, perspective change, value of community, and reciprocity. The findings demonstrated the overall perceived positive impact the support group had on psychosocial recovery. For these members, the group aided the process of adjustment through the encouragement of adaptive coping strategies and the facilitation of community and relationships. Their experiences mirrored much of the literature on psychological growth from adversity. Burn survivors reported unique opportunities that allowed them to integrate their injury into their identity within an encouraging and safe environment. Using these accounts, the authors generated clinical suggestions that may encourage similar growth in other support group settings.

Cannabis and adolescents: Exploring the substance misuse treatment provider experience in a climate of legalization

BACKGROUND Understanding consumer attitudes toward drugs is vital for the design and implementation of effective substance misuse prevention and treatment programs. Research that enhances our understanding of these perceptions is of the utmost importance in the climate of cannabis legalization. While there is a body of literature focused on the perceptions of drug use among adolescents, less attention has been paid to the experiences of health care professionals who serve this vulnerable population. Research aimed at better understanding the experiences of professionals may improve cannabis misuse prevention efforts and inform policy decisions as cannabis moves closer to legalization nationwide. METHODS The present study applied a grounded theory qualitative methodology to interview 11 adolescent substance misuse treatment providers. Each participant had at least two years of clinical practice in Colorado before January 1, 2014, when cannabis became available for recreational sale. FINDINGS Extensive analysis of data obtained from participant interviews, yielded seven core concepts related to cannabis use and decriminalization: normalizing, increasing access, rising addiction potential, link to opioids and other drugs, complicating substance treatment, diversity issues, and responding to change. According to participants, legalization has contributed to the continuing normalization of cannabis, validation of its consumption, and greater access to a host of new and more potent THC products by adolescents. Providers attributed these attitudinal changes to heavier use of both cannabis and other drugs and increased resistance to treatment efforts and interventions. CONCLUSIONS These results support the need to expand access to a wider range of substance misuse treatment options for adolescents and to further our understanding of the impact on this population of the cannabis laws.

Sensitivity and Specificity of the Ohio State University Traumatic Brain Injury Identification Method to Neuropsychological Impairment

Offenders in justice system settings have high rates of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in comparison with the general population. Consequently, justice systems are using screening tools to identify and manage these individuals. Currently, that includes screening for TBI history and gross cognitive impairment. The present study attempted to determine whether the modified Ohio State University Traumatic Brain Injury Identification Method (OSU TBI-ID) was predictive of ongoing cognitive impairment as measured by the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM) Core Battery. If so, the OSU TBI-ID could be used as a stand-alone measure of TBI history and impairment. This study had 223 participants (male = 160, female = 62). Sensitivity and specificity results revealed poor (.65) to very poor (.36) estimates for all OSU TBI-ID indices across all ANAM subtests. This study suggests that screening for lifetime history of TBI does not identify cognitive impairment. Implications for screening policy and future research are discussed.

Violence-Related Traumatic Brain Injury in Justice-Involved Women:

The present study investigated gender differences in the prevalence and incidence of violence-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) among justice-involved individuals, as well as potential associations between violence-related TBI and select biopsychosocial variables among women in the sample. Data from 409 justice-involved individuals were analyzed, and men and women were compared for rate of violence-related TBI. Women were grouped by violence-related TBI history and compared on eight biopsychosocial variables. Gender was significantly associated with multiple TBIs and multiple violence-related TBIs. History of violence-related TBI in women was associated with physical health problems and incarceration history. This research revealed a high rate of violence-related multiple TBIs among justice-involved women. Violence-related TBIs were associated with more prevalent physical illness and increased incarceration times. Identification of justice-involved women with these injuries may help clinicians better tailor services to improve inmate outcomes and reduce cost burdens to justice systems.

Normative data for evaluating mild traumatic brain injury with a handheld neurocognitive assessment tool

ABSTRACT The BrainScope Ahead 300 is designed for use by health care professionals to aid in the assessment of patients suspected of a mild traumatic brain injury. The purpose of the current study was to establish normative data for the cognitive test component of the Ahead 300 system and to evaluate the role of demographic factors on test performance. Healthy, community-dwelling adults between the ages of 18 and 80 recruited from five geographically distributed sites were administered Android versions of the ANAM Matching to Sample and Procedural Reaction Time tests that comprise the cognitive test component of the Ahead 300 system by trained personnel. Scores were correlated with age, education, and race. Age accounted for the majority of the variance in test scores with additional significant, but minor, contributions of education and race. Gender did not account for a significant proportion of the variance for either test. Based on these results, the normative data for 551 individuals are presented stratified by age. These are the first available normative data for these tests when administered using the Ahead 300 system and will assist health care professionals in determining the degree to which scores on the cognitive tests reflect impaired performance.