Emotional Reactivity and Regulation Relate to Surgical Treatment Decision Making Among Newly Diagnosed Women With Breast Cancer.

Background: Despite bilateral mastectomy (BLM) for early-stage breast cancer (BC) showing no survival benefit and increased risk compared to breast conserving surgery, some patients still choose this treatment. This study examined whether emotion reactivity and regulation influence treatment decision making among newly diagnosed women with breast cancer.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey data were analyzed as part of a larger study.

Loneliness in Seriously Ill Nursing Home Residents During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Loneliness and social isolation coexist, making it difficult to study each separately. The COVID-19 lockdown provided an unprecedented and ethically viable opportunity to study loneliness in seriously ill nursing home residents under uniformly imposed social isolation conditions. To understand the phenomenon of loneliness of the seriously ill nursing home patients under a uniform social isolation condition imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

Group trauma focused cognitive behavior therapy for parents of premature infants compared to individual therapy intervention.

Background: The current study compares results of a group-based intervention developed to reduce symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety in parents of premature infants with a prior study using an individual version of the treatment manual.

Methods: 26 mothers of preterm infants (25-34 weeks' gestational age; >600 g) received 6 sessions of trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Outcomes were compared with those of a previously published RCT, which tested an individual therapy based on the same model in a group of 62 mothers.

Emotion regulation and choice of bilateral mastectomy for the treatment of unilateral breast cancer.

Background: There has been steadily increasing use of bilateral mastectomy (BMX) in the treatment of primary breast cancer (BC). In this study, we utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the influence of emotion regulation on the decision of newly diagnosed BC patients to choose BMX rather than non-BMX treatments.

Methods: We recruited 123 women with unilateral BC, 61 of whom received BMX and 62 of whom received non-BMX treatments, and 39 healthy controls.

The Effects of an Exposure-Based Mobile App on Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Veterans: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Barriers to accessing in-person care can prevent veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from receiving trauma-focused treatments such as exposure therapy. Mobile apps may help to address unmet need for services by offering tools for users to self-manage PTSD symptoms. Renew is a mobile mental health app that focuses on exposure therapy and incorporates a social support function designed to promote user engagement.

Eating disorders early app use mediates treatment effect on clinical improvement.

Objective: Eating disorders (EDs) contribute considerably to the global burden of disease. However, most affected individuals do not receive treatment. Mobile apps present an enormous opportunity to increase access to mental healthcare services.

Wrangling with p-values versus effect sizes to improve medical decision-making: A tutorial.

The most pervasive and damaging myth in clinical research is that the smaller the p-value, the stronger the hypothesis. In reality, the p-value primarily reflects the quality of research design decisions. The most common proposal to avoid misleading conclusions from clinical research requires the appropriate use of effect sizes, but which effect size, used when and how, is an open question.

Comparing a Tailored Self-Help Mobile App With a Standard Self-Monitoring App for the Treatment of Eating Disorder Symptoms: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Eating disorders severely impact psychological, physical, and social functioning, and yet, the majority of individuals with eating disorders do not receive treatment. Mobile health apps have the potential to decrease access barriers to care and reach individuals who have been underserved by traditional treatment modalities.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a tailored, fully automated self-help version of Recovery Record, an app developed for eating disorders management.

Common Types of Gender-Based Microaggressions in Medicine.

Purpose: Microaggressions are subtle verbal or nonverbal everyday behaviors that arise from unconscious bias, covert prejudice, or hostility. They may contribute to the persistent disparities faced by women in medicine. In this study, the authors sought to identify common microaggressions experienced by women faculty in medicine and to determine if specific demographic characteristics affect the reported frequencies of these microaggressions.

"Not just another meta-analysis": Sources of heterogeneity in psychosocial treatment effect on cancer survival.

Background: Currently, there are eight meta-analyses that address the question whether psychosocial intervention can prolong survival with widely disparate conclusions. One reason for inconsistent findings may be the methods by which previous meta-analyses were conducted.

Methods: Databases were searched to identify valid randomized controlled trials that compared psychosocial intervention with usual care.

The Utility and Acceptability of a Self-Help Smartphone Application for Eating Disorder Behaviors.

Objective: Smartphone applications (apps) for eating disorders are a promising approach to assist individuals who do not receive traditional treatment. This study examines usage characteristics, perceptions regarding the acceptability of a new self-help intervention developed for users with eating disorders, and associations between attitudes and use patterns.

Methods: 189 individuals pilot-tested a personalized app-based program, and 133 completed the required components of the pilot-test over an 8-day period.

A Three-Step Letter Advance Directive Procedure to Facilitate Patient-Proxy Alignment in Advance Care Planning.

Little is known about the extent of alignment between hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients and their healthcare proxies with respect to advance care planning (ACP). To determine if a structured three-step process using the letter advance directive (LAD) could (1) allow for the differences in opinion between patient-proxy dyads to surface and (2) help bridge preexisting discordance about specific treatment choices. Blinded to each other, the HSCT patient (LAD-1) and proxy (LAD-2) each completed the LAD (step 1).

Deception in clinical trials and its impact on recruitment and adherence of study participants.

Deceptive practices by participants in clinical research are prevalent. It has been shown that as high as 75% of participants withheld information to avoid exclusion from studies. Self-reported adherence has been found to be largely inaccurate.

Subgrouping the users of a specialized app for eating disorders.

Although mobile technologies for eating disorders (EDs) are burgeoning, there is limited data about the clinical characteristics of individuals using specialized smartphone applications (apps) without accompanying traditional forms of treatment. This study evaluated whether the users of an ED app cluster in clinically meaningful groups. Participants were 1,280 app users (91.

Common Items on a Bucket List.

Background: To provide preference-sensitive care, we propose that clinicians might routinely inquire about their patients' bucket-lists and discuss the impact (if any) of their medical treatments on their life goals.

Methods: This cross-sectional, mixed methods online study explores the concept of the bucket list and seeks to identify common bucket list themes. Data were collected in 2015-2016 through an online survey, which was completed by a total of 3056 participants across the United States.

Serotonin transporter polymorphism, depressive symptoms, and emotional impulsivity among advanced breast cancer patients.

Purpose: This study tested a theory linking a marker of low serotonergic function to both depression and impulsivity in a sample of advanced breast cancer patients, among whom elevated depressive symptoms and difficulty regulating emotions are commonly reported.

Methods: A total of 95 patients provided blood samples for serotonin transporter polymorphic region of the gene (5-HTTLPR) and completed questionnaires that measured depressive symptoms and emotional impulsivity.

Results: Structural equation modeling revealed that the s allele of 5-HTTLPR was related to greater depressive symptoms (β = .

Physical Activity and Survival in Women With Advanced Breast Cancer.

Background: Several empirical investigations have attempted to characterize the effect of physical activity on cancer mortality, but these investigations have rarely focused on patients with advanced breast cancer.

Objective: The current study examined the hypothesis that greater physical activity is associated with longer survival among women with advanced breast cancer.

Methods: We conducted a secondary data analysis of a prospective study of 103 patients with stage IV (n = 100) or locally recurrent (n = 3) breast cancer involved in a group psychotherapy trial.

A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing the Letter Project Advance Directive to Traditional Advance Directive.

Background: Simpler alternatives to traditional advance directives that are easy to understand and available in multiple formats and can be initiated by patients and families will help facilitate advance care planning. The goal of this study was to compare the acceptability of the letter advance directive (LAD) to the traditional advance directive (TAD) of the state of California.

Design, Setting, Participants, And Measurements: A web-based, randomized controlled trial was conducted, in which the participants were randomized to one of two types of advance directives (ADs): the LAD (intervention) or the TAD (control).

Aberrant nocturnal cortisol and disease progression in women with breast cancer.

While a relationship between disruption of circadian rhythms and the progression of cancer has been hypothesized in field and epidemiologic studies, it has never been unequivocally demonstrated. We determined the circadian rhythm of cortisol and sleep in women with advanced breast cancer (ABC) under the conditions necessary to allow for the precise measurement of these variables. Women with ABC (n = 97) and age-matched controls (n = 24) took part in a 24-h intensive physiological monitoring study involving polysomnographic sleep measures and high-density plasma sampling.

Patient-Reported Barriers to High-Quality, End-of-Life Care: A Multiethnic, Multilingual, Mixed-Methods Study.

Objective: The study objective was to empirically identify barriers reported by multiethnic patients and families in receiving high-quality end-of-life care (EOLC).

Methods: This cross-sectional, mixed-methods study in Burmese, English, Hindi, Mandarin, Tagalog, Spanish, and Vietnamese was held in multiethnic community centers in five California cities. Data were collected in 2013-2014.

The Stanford Integrated Psychosocial Assessment for Transplantation: A Prospective Study of Medical and Psychosocial Outcomes.

Background: Psychosocial factors may significantly affect post-transplant outcomes. The Stanford Integrated Psychosocial Assessment for Transplantation (SIPAT) was developed as an assessment tool to enhance the pre-transplant psychosocial evaluation.

Methods: We identified heart, lung, liver, or kidney transplant recipients assessed with the SIPAT pre-transplantation and transplanted between June 1, 2008, and July 31, 2011, at our institution.

Prospective Validation Study of the Prediction of Alcohol Withdrawal Severity Scale (PAWSS) in Medically Ill Inpatients: A New Scale for the Prediction of Complicated Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome.

Aims: The prevalence of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) among hospitalized medically ill patients exceeds 40%. Most AUD patients experience uncomplicated alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS), requiring only supportive medical intervention, while complicated AWS occurs in up to 20% of cases (i.e.