Abstract Background Male workers in the US construction industry have a higher suicide rate than other workers in the nation. However, related research on this population remains sparse. This study evaluated psychological distress and suicidal ideation in these workers, and possible underlying factors. Methods Data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health from 2008 to 2014 were analyzed. Stratified and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine factors associated with psychological distress and suicidal ideation among male construction workers aged ≥18 years ( n = 12,034). Results Nearly one‐third (29.6%) of male construction workers in the United States experienced psychological distress (23.8% graded as moderate, 5.8% as severe), and 2.5% reported suicidal ideation in the past year. Higher odds of serious psychological distress and suicidal ideation were found among workers who were younger, worked part‐time, missed workdays due to injury or illness, or were in poor health. Illicit opioid use (odds ratio [OR] = 1.87, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22–2.89) and alcohol dependence or abuse (OR = 2.64, 95% CI: 1.74–3.99) significantly escalated the odds of suicidal ideation. The odds of suicidal ideation among workers with serious psychological distress were 33 times higher than those having no or minor psychological distress (OR = 32.91, 95% CI: 19.82–54.65) when other factors were constant. Conclusions Occupational and nonoccupational factors were associated with constructionworkers’ psychological distress and suicidal ideation. Both illicit opioid use and alcohol dependence or abuse were risk factors, and psychological distress was a strong predictor for suicidal ideation. To improve workers’ mental health, it is necessary to integrate workplace injury prevention with illicit opioid‐use reduction programs and suicide prevention.
The study aimed to investigate the feasibility of a remote mindfulness based self-management intervention for individuals with type 2 diabetes. It is important to further our understanding of how to improve self-management to improve health outcomes and low levels of uptake to self-management courses.
Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate associations among egalitarianism and marital equity with patterns of diurnal cortisol. Background Gender role ideology (i.e., beliefs about gender roles on a spectrum from egalitarian to traditional) and marital equity (i.e., fairness in the division of marital tasks) are distinct constructs that are related to relationship outcomes as well as health, and stress physiology is a potential mechanism linking egalitarianism and marital equity to health. Methods Sixty‐two heterosexual couples with children completed several questionnaires, including gender ideology and division of household tasks (a measure of marital equity). Diurnal cortisol concentrations were assessed from saliva samples at four time points across 2 days. Results Results suggested that men's more traditional gender ideologies significantly predicted more dysregulated physiological stress functioning for both men and women, as indicated by lower cortisol levels at awakening as well as flatter cortisol slopes throughout the day. Women with more traditional gender ideologies had steeper slopes, an indicator of more regulated physiological functioning, when they reported engaging in greater traditional feminine tasks. Conclusion These results suggest that men's greater traditional gender role ideology is linked to physiological stress dysregulation. In addition, when women have more traditional expectations, having more clearly delineated gendered roles in the home may relieve stress. Implications This research highlights the importance of addressing gender roles and ideologies in interventions for couples, including couples therapy. The inclusion of the assessment and discussion of gender roles and ideologies in couples therapy may help to alleviate physiological stress.
Mindfulness-informed interventions (MIIs) are increasingly common but have not been extensively studied among families with elevated levels of risk (e.g., those involved in child protective services and/or receiving financial assistance). These families often experience high rates of stressors that can impact coping strategies, interpersonal dynamics, and relationships. Given that mindfulness has been shown to promote health and wellbeing, this study used a sample from two pilot randomized controlled trials to test the extent to which a mindfulness-informed intervention improved coping strategies and perceptions of children's behavior among 53 families with elevated risk. A principal components analysis with a direct oblimin rotation revealed that cognitive-emotion coping strategies could be characterized by three factors: positive adaptation, negative adaptation, and positive refocusing. Intention-to-treat analysis indicated significant group by time differences, with intervention participants demonstrating improvements in positive refocusing coping, positive adaptation coping, and perceptions of children's behavior problems compared to participants in the waitlist control group. No significant differences were found for negative adaptation coping strategies. Findings provide preliminary support for the benefits of mindfulness training in a sample generally underrepresented in the mindfulness intervention literature.
Objective: Self-medication with alcohol has been documented among individuals exposed to chronic trauma who may be unable to resist urges to drink in high-risk situations. Persistent alcohol use can result in attentional bias (AB) toward alcohol cues and psychophysiological reactivity such as changes in cue-elicited heart rate variability (HRV). The present study tested the hypothesis that individual differences in alcohol AB and HRV mediate the association between lifetime exposure to traumatic events and alcohol-related self-efficacy among a sample of alcohol dependent adults in inpatient treatment.Method: This paper details a secondary data analysis from a sample of alcohol dependent adults (N = 58) who completed standardized psychosocial instruments, an affect-modulated cue reactivity protocol, and a spatial cueing task.Results: Path analyses indicated statistically significant direct effects of levels of lifetime trauma exposure on Low Frequency/High Frequency-HRV cue-reactivity, alcohol AB, and alcohol self-efficacy. A statistically significant indirect effect was found from lifetime trauma exposure to alcohol-related self-efficacy through alcohol AB.Conclusions: Results suggest that alcohol AB partially mediates the relationship between greater lifetime trauma exposure and reduced alcohol self-efficacy. Hence, alcohol dependent individuals with more extensive trauma histories may benefit from therapies aimed at increasing self-awareness and self-regulation of attentional and autonomic reactivity to prevent risk of relapse.
Although it is becoming increasingly important to integrate families of sexually abusive youth in treatment, there are many families who resist engagement. Little is known about why families are not more involved and what factors prevent service engagement. In collaboration with a state sex offender management board, this qualitative study analyzed the perspectives of approved treatment providers (N = 19) on factors that deter family engagement. Findings revealed engagement is determined by detailed contexts and circumstances such as stress, preparedness, and subjective barriers. Pragmatic recommendations are offered to procure and sustain family engagement in treatment.
The emergence and rapid spread of COVID-19 led to unprecedented changes for families and systems of care. This study sought to understand the needs of families participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) before and during the pandemic and considers the impact remote service delivery has on access to an integrated behavioral health intervention to support the psychosocial needs of children and caregivers. Needs for referral varied significantly pre- and post-pandemic onset. Analyses revealed that significantly more referrals were made regarding social determinants of health after the onset of COVID-19 (13.8%) compared with prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (4.1%, p < .05). Providers’ transition to telehealth services sufficiently served WIC families.
Emerging evidence suggests that the consequences of childhood adversity impact later psychopathology by increasing individuals’ risk of experiencing difficulties in adjusting to stressful situations later in life. The goals of this study were to: (a) identify sociodemographic factors associated with subgroups of psychological adjustment prior to and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and (b) examine whether and to what extent types of childhood adversity predict transition probabilities. Participants were recruited via multiple social media platforms and listservs. Data were collected via an internet-based survey. Our analyses reflect 1942 adults (M = 39.68 years); 39.8% reported experiencing at least one form of childhood adversity. Latent profile analyses (LPAs) and latent transition analyses (LTAs) were conducted to determine patterns of psychological adjustment and the effects of childhood adversity on transition probabilities over time. We identified five subgroups of psychological adjustment characterized by symptom severity level. Participants who were younger in age and those who endorsed marginalized identities exhibited poorer psychological adjustment during the pandemic. Childhood exposure to family and community violence and having basic needs met as a child (e.g., food, shelter) significantly moderated the relation between latent profile membership over time. Clinical and research implications are discussed.
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