Family Involvement in PTSD Treatment: Perspectives from a Nationwide Sample of Veterans Health Administration Clinicians.

Social support is bidirectionally linked to symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Evidence suggests that family involvement in veterans' mental health treatment is desired by both veterans and family members, and that such involvement has the potential to improve treatment outcomes. However, rates of family involvement are low in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

Relationships Among Sleep Disturbance, Reward System Functioning, Anhedonia, and Depressive Symptoms.

Recent models propose reward system dysfunction as a key mediator of the relationship between sleep and depression and anhedonia. This study explored interrelationships among sleep disturbance, depressive symptoms, anhedonia, and reward responsiveness. Two-hundred and sixty undergraduate students completed questionnaires and a daily diary paradigm assessing sleep, reward responsiveness, depression, anhedonia, and positive affect over 1 week.

Veteran and romantic partner goals for family involvement in PTSD treatment: A qualitative study of dyads.

As part of a larger study of a family-inclusive intervention for veterans beginning treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), we conducted individual semi-structured qualitative interviews with 20 veteran-romantic partner dyads. Topics included previous experiences with partner involvement in health care, goals for this episode of partner involvement, and any concerns about a partner-inclusive approach, as well both participants' understanding of the extent of the partner's knowledge of PTSD and of the veteran's traumatic experiences. Researchers analyzed interview data using a rapid analytic approach, identifying several common emerging themes across participants, as well as some notable but less common perspectives.

The Effects of Mindfulness and Meditation on Vagally Mediated Heart Rate Variability: A Meta-Analysis.

Objective: Heart rate variability (HRV) is a marker of autonomic nervous system function associated with both physical and mental health. Many studies have suggested that mindfulness and meditation-based interventions (MBIs) are associated with improvements in HRV, but findings are mixed, and to date, no comprehensive meta-analysis has synthesized results.

Methods: Systematic literature searches were conducted using PsycINFO, Embase, Medline, CINAHL, ERIC, and Scopus to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effects of predominantly seated MBIs on resting-state vagally mediated HRV.