Relational Savoring Reduces Physiological Reactivity and Enhances Psychological Agency in Older Adults.

The benefits of savoring interventions for improving mental health have recently been demonstrated with older adults. Using a randomized controlled design involving N = 63 adults (aged 60-90 years), we explore whether relational savoring, a targeted intervention in which participants savor (intensify and prolong) positive emotions associated with the connection experienced with another person, particularly those involving the provision of safe haven/secure base attachment care, is associated with a state of lower cardiovascular reactivity (lower heart rate) during its enactment, as well as greater agency and lower passivity in a post-savoring advice-giving task. We compare all outcomes to participants randomized to a control condition utilized in prior investigations of relational savoring. Results suggest that relational savoring results in lower reactivity and greater agency and passivity. Although preliminary and obtained within a small sample, these findings provide early evidence of the potential of this approach with this population.

The Role of Veterans Affairs in Emergency Management: A Systematic Literature Review.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a key player in emergency management for both veterans and civilians. Unfortunately, limited evidence-based research findings exist regarding the role and experience of VA during disasters. The present study is a systematic literature review of 41 published, peer-reviewed articles regarding VA and emergency management. Trained researchers utilized a data abstraction tool and conducted a qualitative content analysis. A description of article characteristics include methodology, phase of emergency management addressed in the research, and study design. Five topic categories emerged from the review including effects of disaster on mental health status and services use, effects of disaster on general health services use, patient tracking, evacuation, and disaster planning/preparation. Findings were used to generate suggestions for future research.