Misleading Results in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Predictive Models Using Electronic Health Record Data: Algorithm Validation Study.

Background: Electronic health record (EHR) data are increasingly used in predictive models of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but it is unknown how multivariable prediction of an EHR-based diagnosis might differ from prediction of a more rigorous diagnostic criterion. This distinction is important because EHR data are subject to multiple biases, including diagnostic misclassification and differential health care use resulting from factors such as illness severity.

Objective: This study aims to compare predictive models using the same predictors to predict an EHR-based versus semistructured interview-based PTSD diagnostic criterion, quantify model performance discrepancies, and examine potential mechanisms that account for performance differences.

Acceptability and feasibility of the clinician-administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 training simulator.

Objective: The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for (CAPS-5) is regarded as the state-of-the-art method for diagnosing , posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To address the high demand for training in the CAPS-5, we developed the CAPS-5 Training Simulator (CAPSim), an online program in which learners administer the CAPS-5 to lifelike virtual PTSD patients and receive feedback on their performance.

Method: We created three virtual standardized PTSD patients who respond verbally to learners' spoken or typed prompts.

Sex and race-ethnicity influences on opioid overdose deaths among veterans diagnosed with opioid use disorder between 2016 and 2021.

Objective: Given increases in opioid overdose rates, and policy changes expanding access to medications for OUD, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we sought to understand how the opioid overdose epidemic impacted veterans with opioid use disorder (OUD), from 2016 to 2021.

Method: We examined the prevalence and trends in opioid overdose deaths, and age at death, from 2016 to 2021, by sex and race/ethnicity among veterans with OUD enrolled in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). We calculated the multiplicative and additive interactions between sex and age, and opioid overdose death.

Measurement invariance of the PTSD checklist for the DSM-5 (PCL-5) in a veteran sample.

The PTSD checklist for the DSM-5 (PCL-5) is among the most widely used measures of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Although its psychometrics are well studied, the measurement invariance properties of the PCL-5 have not yet been closely examined. This study examined the measurement invariance properties of the PCL-5 across gender and racial (Black, White) categories using a nation-wide sample ( = 1,357, 51% women, 18% Black) of post-9/11 Army and Marine Corps veterans overselected for PTSD symptoms.

Development and evaluation of a centralized assessment hub for the clinician-administered PTSD Scale for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (CAPS-5).

Objective: In clinical trials for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), reliable and valid assessment is essential. However, accuracy can be compromised due to site-level variation, assessor unmasking, and participant burden associated with multiple visits to a study site. We therefore created a centralized assessment hub in which raters were trained to administer the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for (Weathers et al.

Implementation of evidence-based psychotherapies for posttraumatic stress disorder in Azerbaijan.

Following the second Karabakh War, mental health services in Azerbaijan encountered significant challenges due to an increased number of traumatised individuals. To address the needs of people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), two evidence-based treatments, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Written Exposure Therapy (WET), have been selected for future implementation in the country. This study aims to present preliminary findings on the training and implementation of CPT and WET.

Examining why therapists add sessions to the written exposure therapy protocol and whether it improves treatment outcome: A mixed-methods analysis.

Written exposure therapy (WET) is a brief psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although WET is designed to be delivered in five sessions, implementation data collected from trained mental health care providers suggest that therapists sometimes add more sessions without sufficient justification. We conducted a mixed-methods examination to understand why therapists added WET sessions and whether adding sessions improved treatment outcomes.

A meta-analytic review of cognitive processing therapy with and without the written account.

There are two versions of the Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) protocol: one that includes a trauma narrative and one that does not. Despite both versions being used in clinical practice, to date, there has not been a comprehensive comparison of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment outcomes associated with these two protocols. The current study is a meta-analytic review of 29 randomized controlled trials of CPT+A (k = 13) and CPT-C (k = 16) in which we investigated whether there are differences in treatment outcome effect sizes and treatment dropout between the two protocol versions.

Posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth among female and male veterans: The contribution of romantic relationship and friendship functioning.

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is characterized as the experience of positive psychological change following exposure to traumatic stress. However, studies examining the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and PTG have demonstrated mixed results. Further, although higher levels of social support have been shown to predict higher ratings of PTG, there are limited longitudinal findings regarding how interpersonal functioning may affect the association between PTSD symptoms and PTG.

Veterans health administration leads the way in population mental health science: Commentary on Dodge et al. (2024).

Recently, Dodge et al. (2024) published an article in offering recommendations to the mental health field for changing from an individual-level to a population-level focus. These recommendations included scaling up evidence-based programs, innovating and evaluating population-level interventions, and creating a primary system of care to promote mental health and well-being.

On the concordance between CAPS-5 and PCL-5 scores.

As reported in this journal, Resick and colleagues (2023) investigated discrepancies between scores from two widely used PTSD measures: the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5; Weathers et al., 2013) and the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5; Weathers et al., 2013), a clinician-rated structured interview and a self-rated questionnaire, respectively.

State of the Science: Written Exposure Therapy for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Although there are effective psychotherapies available for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), brief treatments for PTSD are needed to expand the reach of treatment. Written exposure therapy (WET) is a brief treatment that has the potential to fill an important need in PTSD treatment and has a rapidly expanding evidence base to support its use. In this paper we provide information on how WET was developed, and we present proposed underlying mechanisms of the treatment and evidence supporting the underlying mechanism.

Firearm screening and intervention beliefs and practices among U.S. Air Force (USAF) mental health providers and behavioral health technicians.

We examined beliefs and practices regarding firearm assessment and lethal means safety counseling (LMSC) among U.S. Air Force (USAF) mental health providers (MHPs) and behavioral health technicians (BHTs).