Happily Ever After? Life Satisfaction After Childhood Exposure to Violence.

A plethora of research has linked exposure to violence during childhood to negative long-term physical health, mental health, and risk behavior outcomes. Yet, despite estimates that up to 60% of children in the United States will be exposed to violence, little is known about the impact on adult life satisfaction among different racial and ethnic groups, or for different types of violence exposure. This article seeks to explore factors that are associated with life satisfaction in adults who were exposed to family violence or physically abused as a child, while adjusting race, ethnicity, gender, and emotional support. Employing data from the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), links are examined between childhood exposure to violence and adult life satisfaction. For this study, noninstitutionalized adults aged 18 and above in the United States were included. Adults who reported exposure to physical abuse as a child had lower odds of reporting life satisfaction, and those with both physical abuse and interpersonal violence exposure had the lowest odds of long-term life satisfaction. Higher levels of income, emotional support, and marriage were associated with higher levels of satisfaction for both adults who were not exposed to violence as children and those who were. After controlling for sociodemographic factors, adults who identified as Asian or Pacific Islander had higher odds of reporting life satisfaction than their Caucasian counterparts. Implications from these findings include targeting interventions to increase emotional support and social networks for individuals who have been exposed to violence.

Sleep and the use of energy products in a combat environment.

BACKGROUND: The use of energy products appears to be widespread among deployed personnel, presumably to combat fatigue and sleep deprivation. However, these products have been associated with unpleasant side effects and adverse events, including insomnia, mood swings, fatigue, cardiac arrest, and even death. OBJECTIVE: To quantify the sleep habits and energy products used among deployed service members in Afghanistan from 2010-2011. METHODS: Participants completed an anonymous survey querying their demographic information, sleep habits, combat exposure, and energy product use. RESULTS: Respondent data: 83% experienced some degree of insomnia; 28% were using a prescription or over-the-counter sleep aid; 81% reported using at least one energy product daily. The most frequently consumed energy products were caffeinated coffee and soda. Only 4 energy products were used more frequently during deployment than prior to deployment: Rip-It, Tiger, Hydroxycut, and energy drink powders. On average, respondents who increased their use consumed only 2 more servings per week during deployment than they had prior to deployment. Only degree of combat exposure, not quantity of energy products consumed, predicted degree of insomnia. CONCLUSION: Energy product consumption by service members during deployment was not dramatically different than predeployment and was not associated with insomnia.

Extracolonic abnormalities discovered incidentally at CT colonography in a male population.

PURPOSE: To evaluate prospectively the prevalence of incidental extracolonic findings at computed tomographic (CT) colonography and to estimate the cost of their imaging work-up in male patients with high and those with average risk of colorectal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was approved by the institutional review board, and informed consent was obtained from all patients. The study was compliant with requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. CT colonography was performed in 500 men (mean age, 62.5 years). Of these patients, 194 (38.8%) were at average risk for colorectal cancer and presented for routine screening. The other 306 (61.2%) were at high risk for colorectal cancer. Extracolonic findings were recorded and categorized as either clinically important or clinically unimportant. Clinically important findings were defined as those that necessitated further diagnostic studies or medical or surgical follow-up. The cost of additional imaging required to further characterize important lesions was estimated. Chart review was performed (mean length of follow-up, 3.6 years) to determine whether any important findings were missed at CT colonography. The Fisher exact test was used to determine whether there was a difference between the percentages of average- and high-risk patients with extracolonic findings. RESULTS: Of the 500 patients in the study, 315 (63.0%) had extracolonic findings, and 45 (9.0%) had clinically important extracolonic findings. Of the 596 extracolonic findings identified, 50 (8.4%) were thought to be clinically important. The mean additional cost to work up important findings was $28.12 per CT colonographic examination. There were no significant differences between average-risk and high-risk patients in the percentages of extracolonic findings (P = .25) or clinically important extracolonic findings (P = .11). CONCLUSION: A substantial number of both average- and high-risk patients undergoing CT colonography will be found to have clinically important extracolonic findings. There was no increased morbidity or mortality associated with the additional evaluation of extracolonic findings. The cost of evaluating these lesions is low, given the potential for positive effects on patient care.