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Esiason DC, Ciesinski N, Nurse CN, Erler W, Hattrich T, Deshpande A, Virginia O’Hayer C. The psychological burden of NMOSD - a mixed method study of patients and caregivers. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300777. [PMID: 38551980 PMCID: PMC10980246 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system with common symptoms of rapid onset of eye pain, loss of vision, neck/back pain, paralysis, bowel and bladder dysfunction and heat sensitivity. The rare, unpredictable, and debilitating nature of NMOSD constitutes a unique psychological burden for patients and their caregivers, the specific nature and extent of which is not yet known. This mixed methods study, informed by both quantitative and qualitative data collected via self-report measures, focus groups, and in-depth interviews, aims to investigate and understand the psychological burden of patients with NMOSD and their caregiver/loved ones, so as to inform a specialized intervention. 31 adults living with NMOSD and 22 caregivers of people with NMOSD in the United States and Canada, recruited from NMOSD patient advocacy groups, social media groups, and through word of mouth from other participants, completed a battery of standardized self-report measures of anxiety, depression, trauma, cognitive fusion, valued living, and coping styles. Semi-structured focus group sessions were conducted via HIPAA-compliant Zoom with 31 patients, and separate focus groups were conducted with 22 caregivers. A subset of these samples, comprised of 16 patients and 11 caregivers, participated in individual semi-structured interviews, prioritizing inclusion of diverse perspectives. Descriptive statistics and bivariate correlations were run on quantitative self-report data using SPSS [Version 28.0.1]; data were stored in REDCap. Reflexive thematic analysis was employed regarding qualitative individual interview data. The majority of patients reported experiencing anxiety, depression, cognitive fusion, over-controlled coping, and lack of values-based living. Caregivers also reported heightened anxiety, cognitive fusion, and over-controlled coping, although they did not endorse clinically significant depression. Patient and caregiver degree of anxiety and of overcontrolled coping were both strongly positively correlated, likely affecting how both parties manage NMOSD-related stressors, both individually and as a dyad. Patients reported more anxiety, depression, psychological inflexibility, and lack of values-based living, compared with caregivers. Patient and caregiver narrative themes included mistrust of medical professionals, lack of support immediately following diagnosis, changes in relationships, deviation from values-based living, internalization of feelings, and avoidant coping strategies to manage the psychological burden of NMOSD. A novel mental health intervention targeting the specific psychological burden of life with NMOSD is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darcy C. Esiason
- Esiason O’Hayer Institute for Behavioral Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Nicole Ciesinski
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Chelsi N. Nurse
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Wendy Erler
- Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Tom Hattrich
- Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Ankita Deshpande
- Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - C. Virginia O’Hayer
- Esiason O’Hayer Institute for Behavioral Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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Smith PJ, Whitson HE, Merwin RM, O’Hayer CV, Strauman TJ. Engineering Virtuous health habits using Emotion and Neurocognition: Flexibility for Lifestyle Optimization and Weight management (EVEN FLOW). Front Aging Neurosci 2023; 15:1256430. [PMID: 38076541 PMCID: PMC10702760 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1256430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Interventions to preserve functional independence in older adults are critically needed to optimize 'successful aging' among the large and increasing population of older adults in the United States. For most aging adults, the management of chronic diseases is the most common and impactful risk factor for loss of functional independence. Chronic disease management inherently involves the learning and adaptation of new behaviors, such as adopting or modifying physical activity habits and managing weight. Despite the importance of chronic disease management in older adults, vanishingly few individuals optimally manage their health behavior in the service of chronic disease stabilization to preserve functional independence. Contemporary conceptual models of chronic disease management and health habit theory suggest that this lack of optimal management may result from an underappreciated distinction within the health behavior literature: the behavioral domains critical for initiation of new behaviors (Initiation Phase) are largely distinct from those that facilitate their maintenance (Maintenance Phase). Psychological factors, particularly experiential acceptance and trait levels of openness are critical to engagement with new health behaviors, willingness to make difficult lifestyle changes, and the ability to tolerate aversive affective responses in the process. Cognitive factors, particularly executive function, are critical to learning new skills, using them effectively across different areas of life and contextual demands, and updating of skills to facilitate behavioral maintenance. Emerging data therefore suggests that individuals with greater executive function are better able to sustain behavior changes, which in turn protects against cognitive decline. In addition, social and structural supports of behavior change serve a critical buffering role across phases of behavior change. The present review attempts to address these gaps by proposing a novel biobehavioral intervention framework that incorporates both individual-level and social support system-level variables for the purpose of treatment tailoring. Our intervention framework triangulates on the central importance of self-regulatory functioning, proposing that both cognitive and psychological mechanisms ultimately influence an individuals' ability to engage in different aspects of self-management (individual level) in the service of maintaining independence. Importantly, the proposed linkages of cognitive and affective functioning align with emerging individual difference frameworks, suggesting that lower levels of cognitive and/or psychological flexibility represent an intermediate phenotype of risk. Individuals exhibiting self-regulatory lapses either due to the inability to regulate their emotional responses or due to the presence of executive functioning impairments are therefore the most likely to require assistance to preserve functional independence. In addition, these vulnerabilities will be more easily observable for individuals requiring greater complexity of self-management behavioral demands (e.g. complexity of medication regimen) and/or with lesser social support. Our proposed framework also intuits several distinct intervention pathways based on the profile of self-regulatory behaviors: we propose that individuals with intact affect regulation and impaired executive function will preferentially respond to 'top-down' training approaches (e.g., strategy and process work). Individuals with intact executive function and impaired affect regulation will respond to 'bottom-up' approaches (e.g., graded exposure). And individuals with impairments in both may require treatments targeting caregiving or structural supports, particularly in the context of elevated behavioral demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick J. Smith
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Heather E. Whitson
- Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Medicine, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Rhonda M. Merwin
- Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - C. Virginia O’Hayer
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Timothy J. Strauman
- Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
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Abstract
Background Virtual reality (VR) has proven effective in the treatment of specific phobias and trauma particularly when in-vivo exposure therapy might be costly (e.g. fear of flying, combat scenes). Similarly, VR has been associated with improvement of chronic pain and of acute pain during medical procedures. Despite its effectiveness as a healthcare tool, VR technology is not well-integrated into common practice. This qualitative study aims to explore the provider perception of the value of VR and identify barriers to VR implementation among healthcare providers. Methods A 66-item self-report survey was created to examine application of VR to clinical practice, perceived value of this treatment, ease of learning the technology, billing considerations, and other obstacles. 128 providers (MDs and PhDs) who were located in the United States and had used VR as a therapeutic tool in the past year were identified through research papers, as well as user lists and news articles from VR application websites. Of the 128 providers contacted, 17% (22) completed our online self-report measure. Of these, 13% of respondents (N = 17) completed greater than 75% of the questionnaire and were considered completers. Provider responses were collected over a one-month period and qualitatively analyzed. Results The majority of providers were from an academic institution (n = 12, 70.6%), and all providers practiced in the outpatient setting. Providers most commonly reported using VR for the treatment of acute pain and/or anxiety related to medical procedures (n = 11, 64.7%), followed by specific phobia (n = 6, 35.3%) and social phobia (n = 6, 35.3%). All providers agreed VR is a valuable tool they would recommend to colleagues. The majority (n = 15, 93.8%) believed VR helped their patients progress in treatment, compared with other methods. Providers cited the ability to individualize treatment (n = 14, 87.5%) and increase patient engagement (n = 15, 93.8%) as main benefits of VR. A minority reported negative feedback from patients about content (n = 4, 25%) or about the technology in general (n = 6, 37.5%), whereas all reported some form of positive feedback. The slight majority (n = 10, 58.8%) of providers did not find transitioning to VR difficult. Of those who did, cost was the most commonly cited barrier (n = 6). Regarding reimbursement, only 17.6% (n = 3) of providers reported the ability to bill for VR sessions. Most providers (n = 15, 88.2%) received training on their VR platform which they found beneficial. Comparing the trained and untrained groups found no significant difference in VR comfort level (p = 0.5058), the value of VR in practice (p = 0.551) or whether providers would recommend VR to others (p = 0.551), though sample sizes were small. Conclusions In corroboration with previous research, this study demonstrates that VR is well-received by patients and providers, allowing increased patient engagement and treatment individualization. However, associated costs, including an inability to bill for this service, can present a barrier to further implementation. These findings will guide further development of virtual reality as a standardized tool in psychiatry and pain management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Vincent
- Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Margaret Eberts
- Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Tejal Naik
- Department of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Victoria Gulick
- Information Services & Technologies at Jefferson Health, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - C. Virginia O’Hayer
- Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
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O’Hayer CV, Nobleza DN, Inch S, Rene R, Capparella L, Vergare M, Lauriello J. Behavioral Health for the Front Line: Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic. NEJM Catalyst 2021. [PMCID: PMC8208604 DOI: 10.1056/cat.21.0109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
A large, university-based health system reorganized and expanded its behavioral health services to respond to the special needs of health care workers, students, faculty, patients, and caregivers across the Covid-19 pandemic. While patient services did not require much structural change, mental health support for employees, specifically frontline health care workers, required significant development. The Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, along with HR, launched a wide variety of mental health offerings at different levels of engagement beginning in March 2020. They adopted a four-tiered “pyramid” approach, with self-care resources (Tier 1) at the base; Tier 2 programs to teach supervisors how to support their employees; Tier 3 programs for peer support; and professional therapy at Tier 4. Most of the program development efforts targeted Tiers 1 and 3. Tier 1 self-care resources were well used, but Tier 3 group and individual support programs struggled with scheduling issues. They relaunched several programs in summer 2020 by moving scheduling responsibility to team leaders and managers, who were better able to determine the needs of their employees and the best times for everyone to gather. They adapted the programs to large-group and workshop formats. They established behavioral health liaisons for larger teams and departments to coordinate requests for services. They created four specialty targeted partnerships with the cancer center, the student counseling center, a new assisted coping program for health care providers, and institutional leadership, which has adopted mental health and wellness as a top priority.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Virginia O’Hayer
- Clinical Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Thomas Jefferson University Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Deanna N. Nobleza
- Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Thomas Jefferson University Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Samantha Inch
- Manager, Employee Emotional Health Resources, Thomas Jefferson University & Jefferson Health, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Rachelle Rene
- Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Thomas Jefferson University Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Lisa Capparella
- Manager, Cancer Support and Welcome Center, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Michael Vergare
- Professor & Chair Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Thomas Jefferson University Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - John Lauriello
- Professor and Chair, Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Thomas Jefferson University Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Mumford B, Pirrone V, O’Hayer CV, Dampier W, Wigdahl B, O’Loughlin C, Amat M, Szep Z. 584. Investigation of the Association Between Neurocognitive Function and Depression in HIV Infection. Open Forum Infect Dis 2018. [PMCID: PMC6253587 DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofy210.591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Methods Results Conclusion Disclosures
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Affiliation(s)
- Brigid Mumford
- Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Vanessa Pirrone
- Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | | | - William Dampier
- Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Brian Wigdahl
- Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | | | - Maelys Amat
- Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Zsofia Szep
- Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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Abstract
Shame is consistently associated with poor adjustment (e.g., depressive symptoms) among community samples but, surprisingly, has rarely been directly examined among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH). This limited research on shame is likely due, in part, to shame's having been subsumed within measures of internalized stigma, an imprecise construct with varied definitions in the HIV literature. The current review summarizes research directly examining the correlates of shame among PLWH. Findings indicate that shame is associated with greater depressive symptoms, less healthcare utilization, and poorer physical health among PLWH. Directions for future research examining shame among PLWH are highlighted, including the need for more prospective research examining shame as a predictor of future adjustment.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S. Bennett
- Department of Psychiatry, Drexel University, 4641 Roosevelt Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19124, USA
| | - Kerry Traub
- Department of Psychiatry, Drexel University, 4641 Roosevelt Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19124, USA
| | - Lauren Mace
- Department of Psychiatry, Drexel University, 4641 Roosevelt Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19124, USA
| | - Adrienne Juarascio
- Department of Psychology, Drexel University, Stratton Hall, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - C. Virginia O’Hayer
- Department of Psychiatry, Drexel University, 4641 Roosevelt Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19124, USA
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