Suicide rates among veterans are routinely higher than among civilians. Notably, rural veterans appear to be at an even greater risk than urban veterans. Though researchers have endeavored to understand veteran suicide through the lens of the interpersonal theory of suicide (IPTS), none have done so with rural samples. This study evaluated the contribution of two IPTS constructs, perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness, to suicide risk in a sample of rural veterans. The sample included 100 veterans receiving psychological services at a rural Veterans Affairs (VA) community-based outpatient clinic (CBOC) in Louisiana. To assist with diagnostic clarification and treatment planning, veterans completed a brief battery of self-report questionnaires. Consistent with emerging evidence, perceived burdensomeness, but not thwarted belongingness, predicted suicidal ideation, plans, preparations, and intent after controlling for depression symptom severity. Contrary to theory and hypothesis, the synergistic interaction of perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness was nonsignificant. Future efforts toward developing scalable interventions that target perceived burdensomeness may help reduce suicide rates among this at-risk subpopulation. Public Health Significance StatementPerceived burdensomeness, or the belief that one's death is worth more than their life, predicts suicide risk in rural veterans. Interventions that target perceived burdensomeness may help reduce suicide rates in this vulnerable subpopulation.
The Posttrauma Risky Behaviors Questionnaire (PRBQ) assesses extent of engagement in posttrauma reckless and self-destructive behaviors (RSDBs). Given PRBQ’s recent development with limited psychometric investigations, we used item response theory to examine (a) item analysis, (b) person fit, and (c) differential item functioning (DIF) across gender-based groups and two different samples. One sample included 464 participants reporting potentially traumatic experiences (Mechanical Turk [MTurk], recruited online), and the other sample included 171 trauma-exposed women reporting current intimate partner violence and substance use (recruited in-person). All PRBQ items contributed to the RSDB scale, and all PRBQ items and the PRBQ scale provided maximum information for high levels of the RSDB latent trait. Seven and 11 items were conceptualized as low information items in the MTurk and intimate partner violence samples, respectively. Eight MTurk participants’ responses did not fit the overall pattern of responses as expected. Seven items were flagged for DIF between the two samples, and eight items were flagged for DIF between men and women in the MTurk sample. However, all effect sizes were <8%. Conclusively, results suggest good psychometric properties for the PRBQ and support its use to compare RSDBs across different samples and gender-based groups.
Growing evidence establishing the prevalence and educational consequences of childhood trauma has led to a national focus on equipping schools to support the specific needs of students who have experienced trauma. As the trauma-informed schools movement gains momentum, educators, policymakers, and researchers are collaborating to identify the key components of trauma-informed schools, evaluate the effectiveness of varied approaches, and translate trauma-informed policies into practices that are sustainable within school settings. The first goal of this introductory chapter is to provide an overview of some of the factors fueling the growth of trauma-informed schools. The discussion highlights recent national and state legislation that has led to changes in policy and practices supporting trauma-informed approaches in schools and summarizes key advances in empirical research supporting the development of implementation strategies and evidence-based practices essential to the sustainment of trauma-informed schools. The second goal of the chapter is to summarize the core implementation elements required to establish trauma-informed schools. While describing the variety of frameworks available to establish trauma-informed schools, the authors identify cross-cutting assumptions of the varied approaches as well as key implementation elements critical for the development and sustainment of trauma-informed schools.
Objectives Research has demonstrated links between autobiographical memory retrieval and hazardous substance use. However, limited work has examined relations between positive autobiographical memories and hazardous substance use, as well as moderating factors influencing these relations. Thus, we examined the potential moderating roles of negative and positive emotion dysregulation in the relations between count of retrieved positive memories and hazardous substance use (alcohol and drug use separately). Methods Participants were 333 trauma‐exposed students (Mage = 21.05; 85.9% women) who completed self‐report measures assessing positive memory count, hazardous alcohol and drug use, negative emotion dysregulation, and positive emotion dysregulation. Results Positive emotion dysregulation significantly moderated the association between positive memory count and hazardous alcohol use (b = 0.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.01, 0.06], p = 0.019), as well as the association between positive memory count and hazardous drug use (b = 0.02, 95% CI [0.01, 0.03], p = 0.002). Individuals with more positive emotion dysregulation had stronger associations between increases in positive memory count and increased hazardous substance use. Conclusion Findings indicate that trauma‐exposed individuals who retrieve more positive memories and experience difficulties regulating positive emotions report greater hazardous substance use. Positive emotion dysregulation may be an important target for memory‐based interventions among trauma‐exposed individuals who report hazardous substance use.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.