Psychiatry - Research Publications

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    The expectancy of threat and peritraumatic dissociation
    McDonald, P ; Bryant, RA ; Silove, D ; Creamer, M ; O'Donnell, M ; McFarlane, AC (TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2013)
    BACKGROUND: Peritraumatic dissociation is one of the most critical acute responses to a traumatic experience, partly because it predicts subsequent posttraumatic stress disorder. Despite this, there is little understanding about the factors that influence peritraumatic dissociation. This study investigated the extent to which peritraumatic dissociation is predicted by the amount of perceived warning that participants had of the impact of the trauma. METHOD: Randomized eligible admissions to four major trauma hospitals (N=243) were assessed during hospital admission with the Peritraumatic Dissociation Experiences Questionnaire (PDEQ) and the perceived warning that participants had before the trauma impact occurred. RESULTS: Whereas female gender predicted both Awareness and Derealization subscale scores on the PDEQ, perceived warning also predicted scores on the Derealization subscale. CONCLUSIONS: This finding suggests that the degree of anticipated threat may contribute to peritraumatic dissociation.
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    The long-term mental health impact of peacekeeping: prevalence and predictors of psychiatric disorder
    Forbes, D ; O'Donnell, M ; Brand, RM ; Korn, S ; Creamer, M ; McFarlane, AC ; Sim, MR ; Forbes, AB ; Hawthorne, G (ROYAL COLL PSYCHIATRISTS, 2016-01)
    BACKGROUND: The mental health outcomes of military personnel deployed on peacekeeping missions have been relatively neglected in the military mental health literature. AIMS: To assess the mental health impacts of peacekeeping deployments. METHOD: In total, 1025 Australian peacekeepers were assessed for current and lifetime psychiatric diagnoses, service history and exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs). A matched Australian community sample was used as a comparator. Univariate and regression analyses were conducted to explore predictors of psychiatric diagnosis. RESULTS: Peacekeepers had significantly higher 12-month prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (16.8%), major depressive episode (7%), generalised anxiety disorder (4.7%), alcohol misuse (12%), alcohol dependence (11.3%) and suicidal ideation (10.7%) when compared with the civilian comparator. The presence of these psychiatric disorders was most strongly and consistently associated with exposure to PTEs. CONCLUSIONS: Veteran peacekeepers had significant levels of psychiatric morbidity. Their needs, alongside those of combat veterans, should be recognised within military mental health initiatives. DECLARATION OF INTEREST: None. COPYRIGHT AND USAGE: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence.
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    Prolonged grief in refugees, parenting behaviour and children's mental health
    Bryant, RA ; Edwards, B ; Creamer, M ; O'Donnell, M ; Forbes, D ; Felmingham, KL ; Silove, D ; Steel, Z ; McFarlane, AC ; Van Hooff, M ; Nickerson, A ; Hadzi-Pavlovic, D (SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD, 2021-09)
    BACKGROUND: Many refugees experience bereavement, and as a result they suffer elevated rates of prolonged grief disorder. Evidence also indicates that elevated rates of psychological disturbance in refugee children can be associated with parental mental health. This study examined the extent to which prolonged grief disorder in refugees is associated with their parenting behaviour and in turn with their children's mental health. METHODS: This study recruited participants from the Building a New Life in Australia prospective cohort study of refugees admitted to Australia between October 2013 and February 2014. The current data were collected in 2015-2016 and comprised 1799 adults, as well as 411 children of the adult respondents. Adult refugees were assessed for trauma history, post-migration difficulties, harsh and warm parenting, probable prolonged grief disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. Children were administered the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The current analyses on bereaved refugees comprise 110 caregivers and 178 children. RESULTS: In this cohort, 37% of bereaved refugees reported probable prolonged grief disorder. Path analysis indicated that caregivers' grief was directly associated with children's emotional difficulties. Caregiver warmth was associated with reduced emotional problems in children of refugees with minimal grief but associated with more emotional problems in caregivers with more severe grief. More harsh parenting was associated with children's conduct problems, and this was more evident in those with less severe grief. CONCLUSION: Severity of prolonged grief disorder is directly linked to refugee children's mental health. The association between parenting style, grief severity and children's mental health highlights that managing grief reactions in refugees can benefit both refugees and their children.
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    The contribution of gender-based violence and network trauma to gender differences in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
    Silove, D ; Baker, JR ; Mohsin, M ; Teesson, M ; Creamer, M ; O'Donnell, M ; Forbes, D ; Carragher, N ; Slade, T ; Mills, K ; Bryant, R ; McFarlane, A ; Steel, Z ; Felmingham, K ; Rees, S ; Homberg, J (PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE, 2017-02-16)
    BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs twice as commonly amongst women as men. Two common domains of trauma, network trauma and gender based violence (GBV), may contribute to this gender difference in PTSD rates. We examined data from a nationally representative sample of the Australian population to clarify the characteristics of these two trauma domains in their contributions to PTSD rates in men and women. METHODS: We drew on data from the 2007 Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Well-being to assess gender differences across a comprehensive range of trauma domains, including (1) prevalence of lifetime exposure; (2) identification of an index trauma or DSM-IV Criterion A event; and (3) the likelihood of developing full DSM-IV PTSD symptoms once an index trauma was identified. RESULTS: Men reported more traumatic events (TEs) overall but women reported twice the prevalence of lifetime PTSD (women, 13.4%; men, 6.3%). Women reported a threefold higher level of exposure to GBV and were seven times more likely to nominate GBV as the index trauma as compared to men. Women were twice more likely than men to identify a network trauma as the index trauma and more likely to meet full PTSD symptoms in relation to that event (women, 20.6%; men, 14.6%). CONCLUSION: Women are more likely to identify GBV and network trauma as an index trauma. Women's far greater exposure to GBV contributes to their higher prevalence of PTSD. Women are markedly more likely to develop PTSD when network trauma is identified as the index trauma. Preventing exposure to GBV and providing timely interventions for acute psychological reactions following network trauma may assist in reducing PTSD rates amongst women.
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    Effect of Intrathecal Baclofen on Pain and Quality of Life in Poststroke Spasticity A Randomized Trial (SISTERS)
    Creamer, M ; Cloud, G ; Kossmehl, P ; Yochelson, M ; Francisco, GE ; Ward, AB ; Wissel, J ; Zampolini, M ; Abouihia, A ; Calabrese, A ; Saltuari, L (LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS, 2018-09)
    Background and Purpose- Intrathecal baclofen (ITB) is an effective treatment for managing patients with severe poststroke spasticity, who can experience continued pain and decline in their quality of life (QoL). SISTERS (Spasticity In Stroke-Randomized Study) was a randomized, controlled, open-label, multicenter, phase 4 study to evaluate ITB therapy versus conventional medical management (CMM) with oral antispastic medications for treatment of poststroke spasticity. Methods- Poststroke patients with spasticity in ≥2 extremities and an Ashworth Scale score of ≥3 in ≥2 affected lower extremity muscle groups were randomized (1:1) to ITB (N=31) or CMM (N=29). Both treatment arms received physiotherapy throughout. The primary outcome was the change in average Ashworth Scale score in the lower extremities of the affected side from baseline to month 6. Here, we report results for secondary outcomes: pain via the Numeric Pain Rating Scale, health-related QoL by the EuroQol-5 dimensional 3 level utility score and health status visual analog scale score, stroke-specific QoL, and patient satisfaction. Analyses were performed on an intention-to-treat basis. Results- We observed significant treatment effects in favor of ITB over CMM for changes from baseline to month 6 in Numeric Pain Rating Scale scores for actual pain (ITB versus CMM: mean, -1.17 [SD, 3.17] versus 0.00 [3.29]; median, -1.00 versus 0.00; P=0.0380) and least pain (mean, -1.61 [2.29] versus 0.24 [3.07]; median, -1.00 versus 0.00; P=0.0136), and EuroQol-5 dimensional 3 level utility scores (mean, +0.09 [0.26] versus +0.01 [0.16]; median, +0.07 versus 0.00; P=0.0197). Between-group differences were not statistically significant for EuroQol-5 dimensional 3 level visual analog scale, stroke-specific QoL summary, or Numeric Pain Rating Scale worst pain scores, although ITB patients showed greater numeric improvements from baseline during follow-up. More ITB patients than CMM patients (73% versus 48%) were satisfied with the spasticity reduction at month 6. Conclusions- These data support that ITB therapy is associated with improvements in pain and QoL in poststroke patients. Clinical Trial Registration- URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT01032239.
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    An Open Label Pilot Study of a Brief Psychosocial Intervention for Disaster and Trauma Survivors
    O'Donnell, ML ; Lau, W ; Fredrickson, J ; Gibson, K ; Bryant, RA ; Bisson, J ; Burke, S ; Busuttil, W ; Coghlan, A ; Creamer, M ; Gray, D ; Greenberg, N ; McDermott, B ; McFarlane, AC ; Monson, CM ; Phelps, A ; Ruzek, JI ; Schnurr, PP ; Ugsang, J ; Watson, P ; Whitton, S ; Williams, R ; Cowlishaw, S ; Forbes, D (FRONTIERS MEDIA SA, 2020-06-26)
    BACKGROUND: In the aftermath of disaster, a large proportion of people will develop psychosocial difficulties that impair recovery, but for which presentations do not meet threshold criteria for disorder. Although these adjustment problems can cause high distress and impairment, and often have a trajectory towards mental health disorder, few evidence-based interventions are available to facilitate recovery. OBJECTIVE: This paper describes the development and pilot testing of an internationally developed, brief, and scalable psychosocial intervention that targets distress and poor adjustment following disaster and trauma. METHOD: The Skills fOr Life Adjustment and Resilience (SOLAR) program was developed by an international collaboration of trauma and disaster mental health experts through an iterative expert consensus process. The resulting five session, skills-based intervention, deliverable by community-based or frontline health or disaster workers with little or no formal mental health training (known as coaches), was piloted with 15 Australian bushfire survivors using a pre-post with follow up, mixed-methods design study. RESULTS: Findings from this pilot demonstrated that the SOLAR program was safe and feasible for non-mental health frontline workers (coaches) to deliver locally after two days of training. Participants' attendance rates and feedback about the program indicated that the program was acceptable. Pre-post quantitative analysis demonstrated reductions in psychological distress, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and impairment. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides preliminary evidence that the delivery of the SOLAR program after disaster by trained, frontline workers with little or no mental health experience is feasible, acceptable, safe, and beneficial in reducing psychological symptoms and impairment among disaster survivors. Randomized controlled trials of the SOLAR program are required to advance evidence of its efficacy.
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    Predicting posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and pain intensity following severe injury: the role of catastrophizing
    Carty, J ; O'Donnell, M ; Evans, L ; Kazantzis, N ; Creamer, M (TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2011)
    BACKGROUND: A number of theories have proposed possible mechanisms that may explain the high rates of comorbidity between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and persistent pain; however, there has been limited research investigating these factors. OBJECTIVE: The present study sought to prospectively examine whether catastrophizing predicted the development of PTSD symptoms and persistent pain following physical injury. DESIGN: Participants (N=208) completed measures of PTSD symptomatology, pain intensity and catastrophizing during hospitalization following severe injury, and 3 and 12 months postinjury. Cross-lagged path analysis explored the longitudinal relationship between these variables. RESULTS: Acute catastrophizing significantly predicted PTSD symptoms but not pain intensity 3 months postinjury. In turn, 3-month catastrophizing predicted pain intensity, but not PTSD symptoms 12 months postinjury. Indirect relations were also found between acute catastrophizing and 12-month PTSD symptoms and pain intensity. Relations were mediated via 3-month PTSD symptoms and 3-month catastrophizing, respectively. Acute symptoms did not predict 3-month catastrophizing and catastrophizing did not fully account for the relationship between PTSD symptoms and pain intensity. CONCLUSIONS: Findings partially support theories that propose a role for catastrophizing processes in understanding vulnerability to pain and posttrauma symptomatology and, thus, a possible mechanism for comorbidity between these conditions.
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    Onset of common mental disorders and suicidal behavior following women's first exposure to gender based violence: a retrospective, population-based study
    Rees, S ; Steel, Z ; Creamer, M ; Teesson, M ; Bryant, R ; McFarlane, AC ; Mills, KL ; Slade, T ; Carragher, N ; O'Donnell, M ; Forbes, D ; Silove, D (BMC, 2014-11-18)
    BACKGROUND: Women exposed to gender-based violence (GBV) experience a high rate of common mental disorders and suicidal behaviour ("mental disturbance"). Little is known however about the timing of onset of mental disturbance following first exposure to GBV amongst women with no prior mental disorder. METHODS: The analysis was undertaken on the Australian National Mental Health and Wellbeing Survey dataset (N = 8841). We assessed lifetime prevalence and first onset of common mental disorder and suicidal behaviour (mental disturbance) and exposure to GBV and its first occurrence based on the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Version 3 (WMH-CIDI 3.0). We used the Kaplan-Meier method to derive cumulative incident curves for first onset mental disturbance. The two derived subgroups were women who experienced GBV without prior mental disturbance; and women never exposed to GBV stratified to match the former group on age and socio-economic status. RESULTS: For women with no prior mental disorder, the cumulative incidence curves showed a high incidence of all mental disturbances following first GBV, compared to women without exposure to GBV (all log rank tests <0.0001). Nearly two fifths (37%) of any lifetime mental disturbance had onset in the year following first GBV in women exposed to abuse. For these women, over half (57%) of cases of lifetime PTSD had onset in the same time interval. For GBV exposed women, half of all cases of mental disturbance (54%) and two thirds of cases of PTSD (66.9%) had onset in the five years following first abuse. In contrast, there was a low prevalence of onset of mental disturbance in the comparable imputed time to event period for women never exposed to GBV (for any mental disturbance, 1% in the first year, 12% in five years; for PTSD 3% in the first year, 7% in five years). CONCLUSIONS: Amongst women without prior mental disturbance, common mental disorders and suicidal behaviour have a high rate of onset in the one and five year intervals following exposure to GBV. There is a particularly high incidence of PTSD in the first year following GBV.
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    Identifying distinctive psychological symptom profiles among a nationally representative sample of refugees resettled in Australia
    Nickerson, A ; Hadzi-Pavlovic, D ; Edwards, B ; O'Donnell, M ; Creamer, M ; Felmingham, KL ; Forbes, D ; McFarlane, AC ; Silove, D ; Steel, Z ; van Hoof, M ; Bryant, RA (SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD, 2019-09)
    OBJECTIVE: The number of refugees worldwide is unprecedented in recent history. Little is known, however, about profiles of psychological symptoms following persecution and displacement. METHODS: This study reports on a latent class analysis that identified profiles of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety symptoms in a nationally representative sample of 1625 refugees in Australia. The association between specific symptom profiles, exposure to potentially traumatic events and post-migration stressors, and overall health and help-seeking was examined. RESULTS: Latent class analysis yielded an optimal five-class solution. These classes comprised the Pervasive Symptom class (19.2%), the High PTSD Symptom class (17.1%), the High Depression/Anxiety Symptom class (16.4%), the Moderate PTSD Symptom class (16.2%) and the Low Symptom class (31.1%). Participants in the symptomatic classes were more likely to be female, older and report greater post-migration stressors than those in the Low Symptom class. In addition, individuals in classes characterized by PTSD symptoms had been exposed to more types of potentially traumatic events. Membership in symptomatic classes was associated with poorer overall heath and greater help-seeking. CONCLUSION: Qualitatively distinct symptom profiles were observed in a nationally representative sample of refugees. In addition to a group of people who reported high symptoms across psychological disorders and may warrant clinical intervention, we identified two subclinical classes who may be missed by existing diagnostic classification systems. Post-migration stressors play an important role in influencing refugee symptom profiles over and above exposure to potentially traumatic events. Clinicians should consider specific symptom profiles and contextual factors when planning interventions with refugees.
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    Treatment of military-related post-traumatic stress disorder: challenges, innovations, and the way forward
    Forbes, D ; Pedlar, D ; Adler, AB ; Bennett, C ; Bryant, R ; Busuttil, W ; Cooper, J ; Creamer, MC ; Fear, NT ; Greenberg, N ; Heber, A ; Hinton, M ; Hopwood, M ; Jetly, R ; Lawrence-Wood, E ; McFarlane, A ; Metcalf, O ; O'Donnell, M ; Phelps, A ; Richardson, JD ; Sadler, N ; Schnurr, PP ; Sharp, M-L ; Thompson, JM ; Ursano, RJ ; Van Hooff, M ; Wade, D ; Wessely, S (TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2019-01-02)
    Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the common mental disorders in military and veteran populations. Considerable research and clinical opinion has been focused on understanding the relationship between PTSD and military service and the implications for prevention, treatment, and management. This paper examines factors associated with the development of PTSD in this population, considers issues relating to engagement in treatment, and discusses the empirical support for best practice evidence-based treatment. The paper goes on to explore the challenges in those areas, with particular reference to treatment engagement and barriers to care, as well as treatment non-response. The final section addresses innovative solutions to these challenges through improvements in agreed terminology and definitions, strategies to increase engagement, early identification approaches, understanding predictors of treatment outcome, and innovations in treatment. Treatment innovations include enhancing existing treatments, emerging non-trauma-focused interventions, novel pharmacotherapy, personalized medicine approaches, advancing functional outcomes, family intervention and support, and attention to physical health.