Pre-trauma insomnia and posttraumatic alcohol and cannabis use in the AURORA observational cohort study of trauma survivors.

Background And Aims: Insomnia symptoms are a potential risk factor for alcohol and cannabis use, particularly in trauma-exposed populations. The initial weeks and months after trauma are a period of risk for problematic substance use, however prior research has not examined whether insomnia symptoms predict alcohol or cannabis use after trauma.

Design: Using a large-scale, multi-site, prospective study of trauma survivors presenting to emergency departments (EDs), the current study tested direct and indirect associations between pre-trauma insomnia symptoms, two-week posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and eight-week post-trauma heavy alcohol and cannabis use and binge drinking.

Anxiety sensitivity and cannabis use: A systematic review and conceptualization of research findings.

Objectives: Anxiety sensitivity (AS), or fear of anxious arousal, is a transdiagnostic risk factor that may be associated with greater risk for problematic cannabis use. Individuals with high AS may use cannabis to cope with distressing physiological sensations. However, there is also conflicting research suggesting that individuals with high AS may avoid cannabis use because it is perceived to cause unpleasant physiological sensations.

The role of impulsivity in the association between rumination and cannabis-related problems among trauma-exposed cannabis users.

Objectives: The Emotional Cascade Model posits that rumination is associated with impulsivity and risky behaviours such as substance use. Although trauma-exposed individuals often engage in rumination and problematic cannabis use, this model has not been tested on trauma-exposed cannabis users. Therefore, our study examines the direct and indirect effects between rumination and its subtypes with problematic cannabis use among trauma-exposed cannabis users.

Sexual Violence and Hazardous Drinking: Exploring Associations With PTSD Symptoms and Gender Among Adults With Probable PTSD and Hazardous Drinking.

Sexual violence is associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but relatively less research has explored whether it is associated with hazardous drinking. PTSD symptoms may indirectly influence the association between sexual violence and hazardous alcohol use. This association may be moderated by gender.

Research with women sexual assault survivors presenting for emergency care is safe: Results from a multi-site, prospective observational cohort study.

A barrier to research with sexual assault survivors is the concern that research participation might be a negative experience for participants. We report the experiences with research of adult women sexual assault survivors participating in a large-scale, multi-site, prospective observational study that enrolled participants at the time of presentation for emergency care. Participants (n = 706, M = 28 years of age; 57% white, 15% Black) self-reported their experience with research 1 week, 6 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year post-assault.

Using item response theory to identify key symptoms of insomnia in a sample of university students with probable eating disorders.

Purpose: Researchers have theorized that interactions between appetitive and circadian disruptions result in increased eating disorder (ED) symptoms and insomnia. However, it is unclear how specific insomnia symptoms present among people with EDs and if the latent structure of insomnia in this population is similar to that of people with insomnia disorder.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of data collected on ED and insomnia symptoms using a subset of students (N = 547; 79.

State expansion of supplemental nutrition assistance program eligibility and rates of interpersonal violence.

Introduction: Food insecurity is associated with an increased likelihood of interpersonal violence. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest program addressing food insecurity in the U.S.

Acceptability of a smartphone-based intervention targeting anxiety sensitivity among women receiving emergency care after sexual assault: A pilot uncontrolled trial.

Anxiety sensitivity (AS), defined as the fear of anxious arousal, is a promising therapeutic target to reduce posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom development after trauma exposure. Computerized AS interventions have been shown to be acceptable to individuals with PTSD symptoms and effective in achieving symptom reduction; however, to our knowledge, no research has examined AS interventions initiated in the immediate aftermath of trauma. We evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and credibility of a brief (i.

Associations between insomnia symptoms and prescription opioid and benzodiazepine misuse in a nationally representative sample.

Background: There are complex associations between insomnia symptoms and misuse of prescription drugs. The aim of this study was to examine prospective associations between insomnia symptoms and prescription opioid and benzodiazepine misuse among a nationally representative sample of adults.

Methods: Utilizing data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 10,685), we conducted log-binomial regression to examine associations of insomnia symptoms at Wave IV (2008-2009; 24-32 years) with prescription opioid and benzodiazepine misuse at Wave V (2016-2018; 33-43 years).

Anxiety sensitivity as a transdiagnostic risk factor for trajectories of adverse posttraumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae in the AURORA study.

Anxiety sensitivity, or fear of anxious arousal, is cross-sectionally associated with a wide array of adverse posttraumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae, including symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, pain, and somatization. The current study utilizes a large-scale, multi-site, prospective study of trauma survivors presenting to emergency departments. Hypotheses tested whether elevated anxiety sensitivity in the immediate posttrauma period is associated with more severe and persistent trajectories of common adverse posttraumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae in the eight weeks posttrauma.

Pain and posttraumatic stress: Associations among women veterans with a history of military sexual trauma.

Objective: Chronic pain and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are two highly prevaxlent and comorbid conditions common within veteran populations. Notably, those with comorbid pain and PTSD tend to have more severe presentations and poorer quality of life than those with either disorder alone. Despite this well-established relationship, limited research has examined the association between pain and PTSD symptom severity among women veterans with a history of military sexual trauma (MST).

Anxiety sensitivity and cannabis use motives among trauma-exposed young adult cannabis users.

Background And Objectives: Anxiety sensitivity, or fear of anxious arousal, may be an important risk factor for problematic cannabis use. Specifically, anxiety sensitivity may motivate cannabis use to cope with distress, particularly among trauma-exposed individuals. The current study tested associations among anxiety sensitivity, its subdomains, and cannabis use motives in a sample of trauma-exposed cannabis users.

The association between traumatic life events and insomnia symptoms among men and women: Results from the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area follow-up study.

Study Objectives: Trauma exposure likely contributes to poor sleep, but relatively few studies have empirically tested this, instead focusing on posttraumatic stress disorder. Moreover, little is known about sex differences in sleep after trauma. The current study used a cross-sectional and retrospective design to test hypotheses that trauma exposure would be associated with subsequent insomnia symptoms, particularly among women, even after accounting for important covariates.

Pain is common after sexual assault and posttraumatic arousal/reactivity symptoms mediate the development of new or worsening persistent pain.

Clinically significant new or worsening pain (CSNWP) is a common, yet often overlooked, sequelae of sexual assault. Little is known regarding factors influencing the development of CSNWP in sexual assault survivors. The current study used data from a recently completed prospective study to evaluate whether posttraumatic alterations in arousal and reactivity in the early aftermath of sexual assault influence the transition from acute to clinically significant new or worsening persistent pain.

A pilot randomized clinical trial of Brief Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia to reduce problematic cannabis use among trauma-exposed young adults.

Background: Insomnia symptoms may be an important etiological factor for substance use disorders; however, whether improving sleep leads to reductions in problematic substance use among at-risk populations remains unclear.

Method: As such, the current pilot study used a randomized controlled design to test the effects of Brief Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia (BBTI) against a waitlist control among a sample of trauma-exposed young adults with elevated insomnia symptoms who regularly use cannabis (N = 56).

Results: Intent-to-treat multilevel modeling analyses indicated that BBTI may be more efficacious than waitlist control in reducing self-reported insomnia symptoms, with large effects three months post-treatment (d = 1.

The case for investigating a bidirectional association between insomnia symptoms and eating disorder pathology.

Many people with eating disorders (EDs) report symptoms of insomnia (i.e., frequent difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, and/or early morning wakening) and sleep problems have been linked to alterations in eating behaviors; however, mechanisms of these bidirectional associations remain poorly understood and under researched.

Perceived Care Quality Among Women Receiving Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Care: Results From a 1-Week Postexamination Survey in a Large Multisite Prospective Study.

Introduction: This study examined the perspectives of female patients who had been sexually assaulted regarding the quality of care provided by sexual assault nurse examiners, including whether the patients' perspectives varied by their demographic characteristics and health status before the assault.

Methods: A total of 695 female patients who received care from sexual assault nurse examiners at 13 United States emergency care centers and community-based programs completed standardized surveys 1 week after receiving sexual assault nurse examiners' care for sexual assault.

Results: Most patients strongly agreed that the sexual assault nurse examiners provided high-quality care, including taking patients' needs/concerns seriously, not acting as though the assault was the patient's fault, showing care/compassion, explaining the sexual assault examination, and providing follow-up information.

Sexual Violence, Mental Health, and Prescription Opioid Use and Misuse.

Introduction: Previous research indicates that sexual violence is associated with prescription opioid use and misuse. However, this literature is limited by a lack of sex-specific analyses, an inability to establish temporality between experiences of sexual violence and prescription opioid outcomes, and little understanding of mechanisms underlying these associations.

Methods: Data from Waves IV (2008) and V (2016-2018) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N=10,685) were analyzed in March 2020.

Anxiety Sensitivity Prospectively Predicts Increased Acute Posttraumatic Stress and Related Symptoms After Sexual Assault.

Anxiety sensitivity is a potential risk factor for posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and has been hypothesized to contribute to PTSS development. However, few prospective studies have evaluated whether anxiety sensitivity predicts PTSS. In a subsample of 48 women sexual assault survivors enrolled as part of a larger prospective observational study, elevated anxiety sensitivity measured via a brief assessment 1 week after experiencing a sexual assault was concurrently associated with PTSS at 1 week and prospectively predicted PTSS 6 weeks after the event, with small-to-medium effect sizes, η = .

Health care utilization by women sexual assault survivors after emergency care: Results of a multisite prospective study.

Background: Approximately, 100,000 US women receive emergency care after sexual assault each year, but no large-scale study has examined the incidence of posttraumatic sequelae, receipt of health care, and frequency of assault disclosure to providers. The current study evaluated health outcomes and service utilization among women in the 6 weeks after sexual assault.

Methods: Women ≥18 years of age presenting for emergency care after sexual assault to twelve sites were approached.

Secondary prevention for posttraumatic stress and related symptoms among women whohave experienced a recent sexual assault: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Women who have experienced a recent sexual assault (SA) are at high risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related conditions, with approximately half of women experiencing SA meeting criteria for PTSD. There are no guidelines for the prevention of PTSD and other common mental health disorders after SA. Thus, the purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to synthesize research on secondary preventions for PTSD after SA, determine efficacy whether any intervention seems promising, and ascertain when, how, and to whom interventions should be delivered.