Immediate and evolving emotions among directly exposed survivors 7 years after the Oklahoma City bombing.

The Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 was one of the most devastating incidents of terrorism in America at that time. Existing research has not examined changes in emotional responses outside of psychopathology to disaster over time. The sample for this study consisted of adult participants randomly selected from a state registry of survivors who were directly exposed to the 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City.

Organizational and patient factors associated with positive primary care experiences for veterans with current or recent homelessness.

Objective: To identify organizational service features associated with positive patient ratings of primary care within primary care clinics tailored to accommodate persons with ongoing and recent experiences of homelessness (PEH).

Data Sources And Study Setting: PEH receiving primary care in 29 United States Veterans Health Administration homeless-tailored clinics were surveyed about their primary care experience using the validated Primary Care Quality-Homeless (PCQ-H) survey. Characteristics of the clinics were assessed through surveys of clinic staff using a new organizational survey developed through literature review, site visits, statistical analysis, and consensus deliberation.

A Qualitative Narrative Study of Rescue and Recovery Workers Responding to the Terrorist Bombing of Oklahoma City's Murrah Building.

Objective: Much of disaster mental health research uses quantitative methods, focusing on numerical prevalence, services, and outcomes.

Methods: Qualitative methods can provide more detailed, rich, and spontaneous insights into personal disaster experiences, yielding important insights beyond deductive methods. This large-scale qualitative narrative study examined experiences of 181 Oklahoma City bombing rescue/recovery workers.

Characteristics and experiences of professionals providing 9/11 mental health services.

Background: After disasters, mental health professionals might be called upon to help address the emotional consequences of the disaster among survivors and other affected groups, but the clinicians themselves could be affected. This exploratory study examined the experiences of 60 mental health professionals, most of whom provided mental health care to individuals affected by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks (9/11), and/or experienced 9/11 sequelae themselves.

Methods: Participants completed structured interviews 3 and/or 6 years after the disaster, with full diagnostic assessment of psychiatric disorders and questions specific to their personal and professional post-9/11 experience.

A prospective longitudinal study of child custody status among homeless population mothers.

Most women in homeless populations are mothers, the majority being single mothers. Retaining child custody is challenging in homeless circumstances. Prospective longitudinal studies are needed to follow the moving pieces of housing and child custody in the context carefully-assessed psychiatric and substance use disorders over time.

A longitudinal follow-up study of Oklahoma City bombing survivors in the first quarter century after the disaster.

Background: This study is one of the longest postdisaster prospective longitudinal studies of disaster-related psychopathology, completed nearly a quarter century after a terrorist bombing, and the longest follow-up study ever conducted using full diagnostic assessment in highly exposed disaster survivors.

Methods: Oklahoma City bombing survivors (87% injured) were randomly selected from a state survivor registry and interviewed approximately 6 months postdisaster (N = 182; 71% participation) and again nearly 25 years later (N = 103; 72% participation). Interviews were conducted using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (a structured interview assessing full diagnostic criteria) for panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and substance use disorder at baseline and also for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) at follow-up.

Learning and achievement characteristics of sheltered homeless population subgroups.

Background: There is little systematic information about intelligence and academic achievement among sheltered homeless adults. This study adds descriptive data on intelligence and academic achievement, examines discrepancies across these concepts, and explores the associations among demographic and psychosocial characteristics in the context of intelligence categories and discrepancies.

Methods: We studied intelligence, academic achievement, and discrepancies between IQ and academic achievement among 188 individuals experiencing homelessness who were systematically recruited from a large, urban, 24-hour homeless recovery center.

Key Attributes of a Medical Learning Community Mentor at One Medical School: The Mentee Perspective.

To assess the elements necessary to be a successful learning community (ClinCalc) mentor to medical students from the mentee's perspective. Few such studies have utilized the in-depth and richness of detail obtained in qualitative studies. This qualitative study analyzed four focus group discussions lasting 45-90 min conducted at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, which has an established LC, in the year 2018.

Making Meaning of Surviving the Oklahoma City Bombing Seven Years Later.

: No previous studies examined how survivors made meaning (i.e. interpreted the personal significance) of a disaster experience after seven years.

Making Meaning of Disaster Experience in Highly Trauma-exposed Survivors of the Oklahoma City Bombing.

Survivors of disasters can be expected to form meaningful perspectives on their experiences that shape their trajectories of recovery; thus, these perspectives are important to study. If humans are naturally compelled to create meaning from traumatic experiences, the creation of meaning should be evident in survivors' discussion of the effects of the disaster in their lives. Therefore, the purpose of this study of highly trauma-exposed disaster survivors was to identify meaningful aspects or outcomes of their disaster experiences in their perspectives.

A Qualitative Longitudinal Study of Workplace Issues, Authorities and Media, and Relationships Recounted by Oklahoma City Bombing Survivors After Nearly a Quarter Century.

Objective: The aim of the study is to examine the long-term course of disaster-related experience among survivors of a terrorist bombing and the long-term recollection of initial workplace effects across nearly a quarter century.

Methods: From an initial randomly selected sample of highly trauma-exposed survivors of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, 103 participated in qualitative open-ended interviews about their bombing experience approximately 23 years after disaster.

Results: The survivors described their bombing experience clearly with extensive detail and expression of persistent strong emotion.

Perspectives of Survivors of the Oklahoma City Bombing with and without PTSD 17 Months Postdisaster: A Qualitative Study.

This study compared perspectives of highly trauma-exposed Oklahoma City bombing survivors (N=141) with and without PTSD. Survivors' responses to questions about the effects of the bombing on their perspectives were hand-recorded and transcribed, six themes identified, and interrater reliability established. Both diagnostic groups (with and without PTSD) expressed greater appreciation for life, greater concern with human vulnerability and mortality, and positive changes in religion/spirituality as consequences of the bombing.

Comparison of violence risk screening experiences of emergency department clinicians.

Objective: Individuals commonly present to the emergency department (ED) for care after violence and many are also at risk for subsequent self or other-directed violence. Screening for violence risk represents an important part of ED care, but is challenging to implement effectively. Feedback from ED providers is needed to characterize differences across provider types in order to facilitate implementation of enhanced screening practices.

A prospective longitudinal study of tobacco use and tobacco use disorder in a homeless population.

Background: Little is known about smoking habits and disorders among homeless populations. Previous research has not generally differentiated tobacco use from tobacco use disorders in this population. Known associations of tobacco use and morbidity and mortality in general populations may also apply to homeless populations.

A systematic mental health assessment of first-year students at a historically Black college.

Background: A systematic diagnostic mental health assessment was conducted with first-year students at Paul Quinn College, a small historically Black college/university (HBCU) in Dallas, Texas.

Methods: A sample of 128 students was assessed with the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview for DSM-5 and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire.

Results: Nearly one-third of students were diagnosed with a current psychiatric disorder, most commonly substance use disorders (17%) and major depressive disorder (9%).

Episodic Memories Among Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Patients: An Important Aspect of the IBS Symptom Experience.

Objective: Some IBS patients possess detailed memories of the events surrounding their bowel symptom onset ("episodic memories"). In this exploratory study we sought to: (1) examine memory relationship with gastrointestinal (GI) symptom severity, extraintestinal symptoms, and mood; (2) qualitatively explore memory valence and content in IBS patients with or without episodic memories.

Methods: Referral IBS patients = 29; age 47.

Disasters, Diagnosis, and Distress: Multiple Perspectives, Populations, and Methodologies.

Disaster mental health is a consequential topic in today's world in which disasters are increasing in both numbers and magnitude and inflicting deep psychological wounds across wide populations [...

Deconstructing childhood conduct and adult antisocial criteria for the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder.

Background: Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is a serious psychiatric disorder that can be incapacitating and costly to individuals and society. The ASPD diagnosis has 2 main components, childhood conduct problems and adult antisocial behaviors, with specific age requirements. The nosological effects of these criteria on population subgroups defined by these aspects of the criteria have not been fully explored.

Groundhog Day: research without old data and old references.

Background: The use of older data and references is becoming increasingly disfavored for publication. A myopic focus on newer research risks losing sight of important research questions already addressed by now-invisible older studies. This creates a 'Groundhog Day' effect as illustrated by the 1993 movie of this name in which the protagonist has to relive the same day (Groundhog Day) over and over and over within a world with no memory of it.

Employee Job Satisfaction and Performance in Association With Workplace Responses to the 9/11 Attacks on New York City's World Trade Center.

Objective: Research is needed on disaster-affected workplaces, particularly on employee job satisfaction and performance, to inform workplace responses promoting employee postdisaster adjustment and wellbeing.

Methods: Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from a volunteer sample of 255 employees of eight workplaces affected by the 9/11 attacks on New York City's World Trade Center nearly 3 years post disaster.

Results: The effects of 9/11 on both job satisfaction and job performance were more negative than positive, especially for the Ground Zero employees.

Comparison of Patient Experience Between Primary Care Settings Tailored for Homeless Clientele and Mainstream Care Settings.

Background: More than 1 million Americans receive primary care from federal homeless health care programs yearly. Vulnerabilities that can make care challenging include pain, addiction, psychological distress, and a lack of shelter. Research on the effectiveness of tailoring services for this population is limited.

Enhancing Primary Care Experiences for Homeless Patients with Serious Mental Illness: Results from a National Survey.

Objectives: Patients experiencing homelessness (PEH) with serious mental illness (SMI) have poor satisfaction with primary care. We assessed if primary care teams tailored for homeless patients (Homeless-Patient Aligned Care Teams (H-PACTs)) provide this population with superior experiences than mainstream primary care and explored whether integrated behavioral health and social services were associated with favorable experiences.

Methods: We surveyed VA PEH with SMI (n = 1095) to capture the valence of their primary care experiences in 4 domains (Access/Coordination, Patient-Clinician Relationships, Cooperation, and Homeless-Specific Needs).

A Nosological Exploration of PTSD and Trauma in Disaster Mental Health and Implications for the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic rapidly spread around the world, resulting in massive medical morbidity and mortality and substantial mental health consequences. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an important psychiatric disorder associated with disasters, and many published scientific articles have reported post-traumatic stress syndromes in populations studied for COVID-19 mental health outcomes. American diagnostic criteria for PTSD have evolved across editions of the manual, and the current definition excludes naturally occurring medical illness (such as viral illness) as a qualifying trauma, ruling out this viral pandemic as the basis for a diagnosis of PTSD.