Publications by authors named "Adriana Feder"
Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has become a main psychological consequence of COVID-19. This study assessed the association between social support, psychological resilience, and probable COVID-19-related PTSD.
Methods: The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey, and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) were used to assess for PTSD symptoms, social support, and resilience among COVID-19 patients treated at a large medical system in New York City between July 2020 and July 2023.
Article Synopsis
- PTSD genetics have been difficult to study compared to other psychiatric disorders, limiting our biological understanding of the condition.
- A large-scale meta-analysis involving over 1.2 million individuals identified 95 genome-wide significant loci, with 80 being new discoveries related to PTSD.
- Researchers identified 43 potential causal genes linked to neurotransmitter activity, developmental processes, synaptic function, and immune regulation, enhancing our knowledge of the neurobiological systems involved in PTSD.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigated the effectiveness of an Internet-based therapy for PTSD in survivors of the 9/11 attacks, comparing it to an active control therapy focused on present-centered issues.
- A total of 105 participants were enrolled, with a large majority experiencing full PTSD symptoms, and they completed 11 assigned written narratives as part of their treatment.
- Results showed that while both therapies led to significant reductions in PTSD symptoms and improved mental health, integrative testimonial therapy (ITT) was particularly effective in reducing avoidance behavior and negative cognitive changes.
Perceived social support and longitudinal trajectories of depression and anxiety in World Trade Center responders.
Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol
August 2024
Purpose: While severely distressing events are known to affect mental health adversely, some survivors develop only short-lived or no psychiatric symptoms in the aftermath of a disaster. In the WTC Health Program General Responder Cohort (WTCHP GRC) we examined whether social support was protective against the development of depression or anxiety symptoms after the 9/11 WTC attacks and explored in a subsample whether trait resilience moderated this relationship.
Methods: We analyzed data from 14,033 traditional and 13,478 non-traditional responders who attended at least three periodic health monitoring visits between 2002 and 2019.
Background: Little is known about the relationship among systemic racism, psychological symptoms (depression, anxiety, and/or post-traumatic stress disorders), and burnout in healthcare workers (HCWs).
Objective: To determine whether distress related to awareness of systemic racism contributes to psychological symptoms and/or burnout in HCWs. We explored whether this form of racism-related distress may moderate the relationship between race, ethnicity, psychological symptoms, and burnout.
Article Synopsis
- The article discusses the creation and validation of a new self-report resilience scale called the Mount Sinai Resilience Scale (MSRS), which focuses on thoughts and behaviors that enhance resilience rather than just personality traits.
- An online study involving 1,864 U.S. adults was conducted to develop and confirm the scale's effectiveness, revealing a seven-factor structure through exploratory and confirmatory analyses.
- The revised 24-item scale showed strong correlations with other recognized measures of resilience, supporting its validity and suggesting it could be a useful tool in the mental health field.
Objective: To examine racial/ethnic differences in mental health outcomes and risk factors during the COVID-19 pandemic among frontline healthcare workers (FHCWs).
Methods: A survey was conducted on FHCWs at a large metropolitan hospital during winter 2021. Depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress symptoms, demographic characteristics, and COVID-19-related occupational factors were assessed.
Article Synopsis
- PTSD genetics are harder to study compared to other mental health disorders, resulting in limited biological insights from past research.
- A large-scale analysis involving over 1.2 million individuals found 95 significant genetic loci related to PTSD, with 80 being new discoveries.
- The study identified 43 potential causal genes linked to neurotransmitters, synaptic function, and immune responses, enhancing understanding of PTSD's biological mechanisms and suggesting new research directions.
Objective: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic and disabling disorder, for which available pharmacotherapies have limited efficacy. The authors' previous proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial of single-dose intravenous ketamine infusion in individuals with PTSD showed significant and rapid PTSD symptom reduction 24 hours postinfusion. The present study is the first randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy and safety of repeated intravenous ketamine infusions for the treatment of chronic PTSD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFKetamine for Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: State of the Field.
Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ)
July 2023
Article Synopsis
- PTSD is a long-lasting and challenging condition, and existing treatments often don't fully help everyone, creating a need for new options.
- Ketamine has emerged as a promising rapid-acting antidepressant that has shown potential in reducing PTSD symptoms quickly, particularly with a single intravenous dose.
- While repeated IV ketamine has improved symptoms in civilians with PTSD compared to midazolam, it hasn’t had the same success in veterans, indicating a need for further research on who benefits most and how it may work best combined with therapy.
Resilience is broadly defined as the ability to adapt successfully following stressful life events. Here, we review functional MRI studies that investigated key psychological factors that have been consistently linked to resilience to severe adversity and trauma exposure. These domains include emotion regulation (including cognitive reappraisal), reward responsivity, and cognitive control.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWomen are at heightened risk for chronic stress-related psychological sequelae (SRPS), including major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in response to potentially traumatic events, including the COVID-19 pandemic. However, few studies have examined pre- and peri-event stressors that could account for gender differences in chronic SRPS. To address this gap, we conducted a prospective cohort study of healthcare providers (HCPs) caring for patients with COVID-19 at a large tertiary care hospital in New York City, and measured mental health risk factors and symptoms of MDD, GAD, and PTSD at baseline (April 2020) and at a 7-month follow-up (December 2020).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - This study looked at how often frontline healthcare workers (FHCWs) sought mental health services during 2020 and what factors influenced their decisions to use these services over time.
- - Surveys taken at two different points in time revealed that 19.1% of FHCWs used mental health services, with different rates of initiation, continuation, and cessation noted among participants.
- - Key findings suggest that having a mental health diagnosis and distress related to systemic racism were strong predictors for starting and continuing care, while resilience impacted treatment initiation among those with a mental health background.
Objective: This study aimed to longitudinally examine the prevalence and correlates of burnout in frontline healthcare workers (FHCWs) during COVID-19 in New York City.
Methods: A prospective cohort study of 786 FHCWs at Mount Sinai Hospital was conducted during the initial COVID surge in April to May 2020 (T1) and November 2020 to January 2021 (T2) to assess factors impacting burnout.
Results: Burnout increased from 38.
Article Synopsis
- Social support and coping abilities can influence the severity of PTSD symptoms, with higher support and coping linked to less severe symptoms.
- A study analyzed data from 100 World Trade Center responders and survivors, showing that better coping and social support correlated with lower PTSD severity.
- Perceived social support was found to significantly moderate the relationship between coping style and PTSD severity, suggesting that enhancing social support could help reduce PTSD symptoms, particularly for those with a forward-focused coping style.
Background: Stress exposure is a key risk factor for the development of major depressive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. Enhancing stress resilience in at-risk populations could potentially protect against stress-induced disorders. The administration of ketamine one week prior to an acute stressor prevents the development of stress-induced depressive-like behavior in rodents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To examine the longitudinal associations between dimensions of COVID-19 pandemic-related moral distress (MD) and moral injury (MI)-related guilt in a large sample of frontline COVID-19 healthcare workers (FHCWs).
Methods: Data from a diverse occupational cohort of 786 COVID-19 FHCWs were collected during the initial peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City and again 7 months later. Baseline MD and MI-related guilt at follow-up were assessed in three domains: family-, work-, and infection-related.
Objective: This study aimed to identify factors associated with burnout in nurses and nurses' opinions regarding interventions to promote well-being during crisis conditions such as those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Background: Burnout among nurses is prevalent under usual conditions and may increase during crises such as COVID-19.
Methods: Researchers conducted a survey of 1103 frontline nurses in a single New York City hospital during the first (spring 2020) and second (fall 2020/winter 2021) local waves of COVID-19.
Depression is disabling and highly prevalent. Intravenous (IV) ketamine displays rapid-onset antidepressant properties, but little is known regarding which patients are most likely to benefit, limiting personalized prescriptions. We identified randomized controlled trials of IV ketamine that recruited individuals with a relevant psychiatric diagnosis (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Frontline healthcare workers (FHCWs) responding to the COVID-19 pandemic develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms. Such symptoms are associated with burnout, occupational and relational difficulties. In the current study, we examined the prospective association between acute transdiagnostic COVID-19-related PTSD, MDD, and GAD symptoms at pandemic outset, and burnout and functional difficulties several months later in FHCWs in New York City.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Research during the COVID-19 pandemic indicates that young people, particularly drinkers, faced increased negative emotions, likely due to social isolation.
- The study revealed that young drinkers experienced a greater rise in negative affect than non-drinkers, even though overall alcohol consumption decreased for them during the pandemic.
- Resilience and low levels of anhedonia (lack of pleasure) in young drinkers were linked to less increase in negative affect, suggesting these traits can help mitigate stress from social isolation.
Despite experiencing a significant trauma, only a subset of World Trade Center (WTC) rescue and recovery workers developed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Identification of biomarkers is critical to the development of targeted interventions for treating disaster responders and potentially preventing the development of PTSD in this population. Analysis of gene expression from these individuals can help in identifying biomarkers of PTSD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: We sought to describe the course and correlates of psychological distress in frontline healthcare workers (FHCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City (NYC).
Methods: A prospective cohort study of FHCWs at the Mount Sinai Hospital was conducted during the initial 2020 surge (T1) and 7 months later (T2). Psychological distress [i.