Teddy D. Warner

A Controlled Study of Imagery Rehearsal for Chronic Nightmares in Sexual Assault Survivors With PTSD: A Preliminary Report

Imagery-rehearsal therapy for chronic nightmares was assessed in a randomized, controlled study of sexual assault survivors with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Nightmares, sleep quality, and PTSD were assessed at baseline for 169 women, who were randomized into two groups: treatment (n = 87) and wait-list control (n = 82). Treatment consisted of two 3-hr sessions and one 1-hr session conducted over 5 weeks. Of 169 participants, 91 women (Treatment, n = 43, Control, n = 48) completed a 3-month follow-up and 78 did not. At follow-up, nightmare frequency and PTSD severity decreased and sleep quality improved in the treatment group with small to minimal changes in the control group. Treatment effects were moderate to high (Cohens d ranged from 0.57 to 1.26). Notwithstanding the large dropout rate, imagery-rehearsal therapy is an effective treatment for chronic nightmares in sexual assault survivors with PTSD and is associated with improvement in sleep quality and decreases in PTSD severity.

Acupuncture for posttraumatic stress disorder : A randomized controlled pilot trial

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the potential efficacy and acceptability of acupuncture for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). People diagnosed with PTSD were randomized to either an empirically developed acupuncture treatment (ACU), a group cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), or a wait-list control (WLC). The primary outcome measure was self-reported PTSD symptoms at baseline, end treatment, and 3-month follow-up. Repeated measures MANOVA was used to detect predicted Group X Time effects in both intent-to-treat (ITT) and treatment completion models. Compared with the WLC condition in the ITT model, acupuncture provided large treatment effects for PTSD (F [1, 46] = 12.60; p < 0.01; Cohen’s d = 1.29), similar in magnitude to group CBT (F [1, 47] = 12.45; p < 0.01; d = 1.42) (ACU vs. CBT, d = 0.29). Symptom reductions at end treatment were maintained at 3-month follow-up for both interventions. Acupuncture may be an efficacious and acceptable nonexposure treatment option for PTSD. Larger trials with additional controls and methods are warranted to replicate and extend these findings.

Complex insomnia: insomnia and sleep-disordered breathing in a consecutive series of crime victims with nightmares and PTSD

BACKGROUND Sleep disturbance in posttraumatic stress disorder is very common. However, no previous posttraumatic stress disorder studies systematically examined sleep breathing disturbances, which might influence nightmares, insomnia, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. METHODS Forty-four consecutive crime victims with nightmares and insomnia underwent standard polysomnography coupled with a nasal pressure transducer to measure airflow limitation diagnostic of obstructive sleep apnea and upper airway resistance syndrome. RESULTS Forty of 44 participants tested positive on objective sleep studies based on conservative respiratory disturbance indices of more than 15 events per hour; 22 patients suffered from obstructive sleep apnea and 18 suffered from upper airway resistance syndrome. CONCLUSIONS In an uncontrolled study, insomnia and sleep-disordered breathing were extremely prevalent in this small and select sample of crime victims. Research is needed to study 1) prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing in other posttraumatic stress disorder populations using appropriate controls and nasal pressure transducers and 2) effects of sleep treatment on posttraumatic stress symptoms in trauma survivors with comorbid obstructive sleep apnea or upper airway resistance syndrome. In the interim, some posttraumatic stress disorder patients may benefit from sleep medicine evaluations.

Sleep disorder, depression, and suicidality in female sexual assault survivors.

The role of sleep in psychiatric illness in general, and depression and suicidality in particular, is poorly understood and has not been well researched despite the pervasiveness of sleep complaints in these conditions. As an exploratory, hypothesis-generating study, female sexual assault survivors with posttraumatic stress disorder (n = 153) who had enrolled in a nightmare-treatment program were assessed for subjectively determined sleep breathing and sleep movement disorders. Diagnoses of potential disorders were based on clinical practice parameters and research algorithms from thefield of sleep disorders medicine. Potential sleep breathing and sleep movement disorders were present in 80% of the participants (n = 123) and included three subgroups: sleep-disordered breathing only (n = 23); sleep movement disorder only (n = 45); and both sleep disorders (n = 55). Based on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Suicide subscale, participants with potential sleep disorders suffered greater depression (Cohens d = .73-.96; p < .01) and greater suicidality (Cohens d = .57-.78; p < .05) in comparison to participants without potential sleep disorders. The group with both sleep disorders suffered from the most severe depression and suicidality. A provisional hypothesis is formulated that describes how sleep disorders may exacerbate depression and suicidality through the effects of chronic sleep fragmentation.

Sleep-disordered breathing, psychiatric distress, and quality of life impairment in sexual assault survivors.

Using American Academy of Sleep Medicine research criteria, sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) was assessed in a pilot study of 187 sexual assault survivors with posttraumatic stress symptoms. Nightmares, sleep quality, distress, and quality of life were also assessed along with historical accounts of prior treatments for sleep complaints. Presumptive SDB diagnoses were established for 168 patients. Twenty-one of 168 underwent sleep testing, and all met objective SDB diagnostic criteria. There were no clinically meaningful differences in age, body-mass index, sleep quality, distress, or quality of life measures between 21 confirmed SDB cases and 147 suspected cases not tested. Compared with 19 women without SDB, 168 women with diagnosed or suspected SDB reported significantly worse nightmares, sleep quality, anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress, and impaired quality of life. Despite suffering from sleep problems for an average of 20 years, which had not responded to repeated use of psychotropic medications or psychotherapy, few of these women had been referred to sleep specialists. SDB appears widespread among sexual assault survivors seeking help for nightmares. Research is needed to clarify the associations among SDB, distress, and physical and mental health impairment in trauma patients.

The Relationship of Sleep Quality and Posttraumatic Stress to Potential Sleep Disorders in Sexual Assault Survivors with Nightmares, Insomnia, and PTSD

Sleep quality and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were examined in 151 sexual assault survivors, 77% of whom had previously reported symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) or sleep movement disorders (SMD) or both. Participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Posttraumatic Stress Scale (PSS). High PSQI scores reflected extremely poor sleep quality and correlated with PSS scores. PSQI scores were greater in participants with potential SDB or SMD or both. PSQI or PSS scores coupled with body-mass index and use of antidepressants or anxiolytics predicted potential sleep disorders. The relationship between sleep and posttraumatic stress appears to be more complex than can be explained by the current PTSD paradigm; and, sleep breathing and sleep movement disorders may be associated with this complexity.

Refractory insomnia and sleep-disordered breathing: a pilot study.

Objective: To assess an uncontrolled, open-label trial of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) treatment on two different samples of chronic insomnia patients. Method: In Study 1 (Retrospective), data from one diagnostic and one continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) titration polysomnogram were compiled from 19 chronic insomnia patients with SDB. Objective polysomnogram indicators of sleep and arousal activity and self-reported sleep quality were measured. In Study 2 (Prospective), clinical outcomes were assessed after sequential cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and SDB therapy (CPAP, oral appliances, or bilateral turbinectomy) were provided to 17 chronic insomnia patients with SDB. Repeat measures included the Insomnia Severity Index, Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and self-reported insomnia indices and CPAP use. Results: In Study 1, seven objective measures of sleep and arousal demonstrated or approached significant improvement during one night of CPAP titration. Sixteen of 19 patients reported improvement in sleep quality. In Study 2, Insomnia Severity Index, Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index improved markedly with CBT followed by SDB treatment and achieved an average outcome equivalent to curative status. Improvements were large for each treatment phase; however, of 17 patients, only 8 attained a nonclinical level of insomnia after CBT compared with 15 patients after SDB therapy was added. Self-reported insomnia indices also improved markedly, and self-reported SDB therapy compliance was high. Conclusions: In one small sample of chronic insomnia patients with SDB, objective measures of insomnia, arousal, and sleep improved during one night of CPAP titration. In a second small sample, validated measures of insomnia, sleep quality, and sleep impairment demonstrated clinical cures or near-cures after combined CBT and SDB therapies. These pilot results suggest a potential value in researching the pathophysiological relationships between SDB and chronic insomnia, which may be particularly relevant to patients with refractory insomnia.

Barriers to healthcare as reported by rural and urban interprofessional providers

Summary The research literature is replete with reports of barriers to care perceived by rural patients seeking healthcare. Less often reported are barriers perceived by the rural healthcare providers themselves. The current study is an extensive survey of over 1,500 healthcare providers randomly selected from two US states with large rural populations, Alaska and New Mexico. Barriers consistently identified across rural and urban regions by all healthcare professionals were Patient Complexity, Resource Limitations, Service Access, Training Constraints, and Patient Avoidance of Care. Findings confirmed that rural areas, however, struggle more with healthcare barriers than urban and small urban areas, especially as related to Resource Limitations, Confidentiality Limitations, Overlapping Roles, Provider Travel, Service Access, and Training Constraints. Almost consistently, the smaller a providers practice community, the greater the reports of barriers, with the most severe barriers reported in small rural communities.

Nightmares, insomnia, and sleep‐disordered breathing in fire evacuees seeking treatment for posttraumatic sleep disturbance

Eight months after the Cerro Grande Fire, 78 evacuees seeking treatment for posttraumatic sleep disturbances were assessed for chronic nightmares, psychophysiological insomnia, and sleep-disordered breathing symptoms. Within this sample, 50% of participants were tested objectively for sleep-disordered breathing; 95% of those tested screened positive for sleep-disordered breathing. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that these three sleep disorders accounted for 37% of the variance in posttraumatic stress symptoms, and each sleep disorder was significantly and independently associated with posttraumatic stress symptoms severity. The only systematic variable associated with posttraumatic stress symptoms of avoidance was sleep-disordered breathing. The findings suggest that three common sleep disorders relate to posttraumatic stress symptoms in a more complex manner than explained by the prevailing psychiatric paradigm, which conceptualizes sleep disturbances in PTSD merely as secondary symptoms of psychiatric distress.

Caring for medical students as patients: Access to services and care- seeking practices of 1,027 students at nine medical schools

Purpose The personal health care of medical students is an important but neglected issue in medical education. Preliminary work suggests that medical student-patients experience special barriers to health care services and report problematic care-seeking practices that merit further inquiry. Method A self-report questionnaire was piloted, revised, and distributed to students at nine medical schools in 1996–97. The survey included questions regarding access to health services, care-seeking practices, and demographic information. Results A total of 1,027 students participated (52% response rate). Ninety percent reported needing care for various health concerns. Fifty-seven percent did not seek care at times, in part due to training demands, and 48% had encountered difficulties in obtaining care. A majority had received treatment at their training institutions, and students commonly pursued informal or “curbside” care from medical colleagues. Almost all participants (96%) were insured. Differences in responses were associated with level of training, gender, and medical school. Conclusion Medical schools shoulder the responsibility not only of educating but also of providing health services for their students. Students encounter barriers to care and engage in problematic care-seeking practices. Greater attention to issues surrounding medical student health may benefit students and their future patients.