A qualitative analysis of the context and characteristics of trauma exposure among sexual minority survivors: Implications for posttraumatic stress disorder assessment and clinical practice

OBJECTIVE

Sexual minority individuals are exposed to traumatic harms unique to the shared cultural experience of living under conditions of identity-based stigma, discrimination, and marginalization. However, the context and characteristics by which this culture shapes traumatic experiences among sexual minority people are poorly specified in the research literature, leaving even well-intentioned mental health professionals inadequately prepared to treat sexual minority trauma survivors in a culturally affirming, tailored, and evidence-based manner.

METHOD

To begin to address this gap, we conducted a thematic analysis of descriptions of 52 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5) Criterion A (traumatic) events described by sexual minority participants during administration of the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5.

RESULTS

Probing for identity relatedness of Criterion A trauma produced a rich and reliable (κ = .83-.86) coding scheme reflecting the cultural context and characteristics of these experiences.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinicians working with sexual minority and other marginalized trauma survivors should specifically assess for the role of culture in traumatic experiences to inform case conceptualization and treatment plans supporting recovery of the whole survivor. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Process adaptations to community-engaged research for preventing victimization against trans women: Failure as a blueprint toward nonexploitative implementation science

Effective violence prevention interventions are largely inaccessible to trans women and trans femmes, despite clear evidence that disproportionate exposure to experiences of victimization is a social determinant of health disparity. Community-engaged implementation science paradigms hold promise for guiding research psychologists in the delivery of evidence-based programming to address drivers of health disparities impacting trans women and trans femmes. Unfortunately, guidance on how to engage in a process of real-time self-reflection to note where implementation is failing in its goals to establish reciprocal and sustainable (i.e., nonexploitative) community partnerships are lacking. We describe our application of a modified failure modes and effects analysis to guide data-informed adaptations to our community-engaged implementation research project, tailoring and delivering an evidence-based intervention to prevent victimization of trans women and trans femmes. By mapping our failure modes, we offer a blueprint for other research psychologists invested in advancing nonexploitative research in partnership with community. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Sleep apnea in CAPD

Sleep disturbances are common complaints of dialysis patients, and sleep studies have suggested that sleep apnea may occur frequently. We performed sleep studies on 18 stable continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients. Our results indicate that 6 of 18 patients (33%) had a respiratory disturbance index (RDI) greater than 15, which indicates severe sleep apnea. Twelve of 18 patients (67%) had an RDI greater than 5, indicating clinically significant sleep apnea. These results suggest that sleep apnea is common in CAPD patients. The impact of sleep apnea on the patients' quality of life remains to be determined.