Can personality traits predict the future development of heart disease in hospitalized psychiatric veterans?

OBJECTIVE: To examine which personality traits are associated with the new onset of chronic coronary heart disease (CHD) in psychiatric inpatients within 16 years after their initial evaluation. We theorized that personality measures of depression, anxiety, hostility, social isolation, and substance abuse would predict CHD development in psychiatric inpatients. METHOD: We used a longitudinal database of psychological test data from 349 Veterans first admitted to a psychiatric unit between October 1, 1983, and September 30, 1987. Veterans Affairs and national databases were assessed to determine the development of new-onset chronic CHD over the intervening 16-year period. RESULTS: New-onset CHD developed in 154 of the 349 (44.1%) subjects. Thirty-one psychometric variables from five personality tests significantly predicted the development of CHD. We performed a factor analysis of these variables because they overlapped and four factors emerged, with positive adaptive functioning the only significant factor (OR=0.798, p=0.038). CONCLUSION: These results support previous research linking personality traits to the development of CHD, extending this association to a population of psychiatric inpatients. Compilation of these personality measures showed that 31 overlapping psychometric variables predicted those Veterans who developed a diagnosis of heart disease within 16 years after their initial psychiatric hospitalization. Our results suggest that personality variables measuring positive adaptive functioning are associated with a reduced risk of developing chronic CHD.

The role of cognitions in imagery rescripting for posttraumatic nightmares.

Despite growing support for the use of imagery rescripting to treat posttraumatic nightmares (PTNMs), its underlying mechanisms have not been examined. This secondary data analysis piloted the proposal that modification of posttraumatic cognitions is a mechanism of change when using a manualized PTNM imagery rescripting intervention. Significant linear reductions in posttraumatic cognitions were observed from baseline through 6-month follow-up evaluations. Change in total negative cognitions was significantly correlated with change in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Initial amount of change in subscale scores also predicted the amount of distal change observed at the 6-month follow-up. These findings provide preliminary evidence that trauma-related cognitions may improve over time as a result of imagery rescripting.

The relationship between seclusion and restraint use and childhood abuse among psychiatric inpatients.

Seclusion and restraint (S/R) is a controversial topic in the field of psychiatry, due in part to the high rates of childhood physical and sexual abuse found among psychiatric inpatients. The trauma-informed care perspective suggests that the use of S/R with previously abused inpatients may result in retraumatization due to mental associations between childhood trauma and the experience during S/R. Thus, though one would expect to see efforts on the part of inpatient psychiatric facilities to limit S/R of previously abused inpatients, research suggests that trauma victims may be more likely to experience S/R. The current study sought to clarify this possibility by examining whether presence or absence and chronicity of childhood sexual and physical abuse differed among three groups of adult inpatients (N = 622) residing at a mid-Western state psychiatric hospital. These groups are empirically derived on the basis of dramatic differences in the patterning of their exposure to S/R over the course of hospitalization. Results of Chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests suggest that the classes did not significantly differ in presence or absence and chronicity of childhood sexual or physical abuse when male and female inpatients were analyzed separately. However, among the class of inpatients who experienced the most instances of S/R, 70% of the members have histories of childhood abuse. Implications for inpatients, clinicians, and policy makers are discussed.

Depression and geographic status as predictors for coronary artery bypass surgery outcomes.

PURPOSE: To examine the relationships between depression, geographic status, and clinical outcomes following a coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. METHODS: Using the 2004 Nationwide Inpatient Sample database, we identified 63,061 discharge records of patients who underwent a primary CABG surgery (urban 57,247 and rural 5,814). We analyzed 7 demographic variables, 19 preoperative medical and psychiatric variables, and 2 outcome variables (ie, in-hospital mortality and length of stay). Logistic regression and multivariable regression analyses were used to assess urban-rural status and depression as independent predictors of in-hospital mortality and length of stay. FINDINGS: Rural patients were more likely to have a comorbid depression diagnosis compared to urban patients (urban = 19.4%, rural = 21.4%, P < .001). After adjusting for confounding factors, having a comorbid depression diagnosis (B= 1.10, P < .001) and residing in a rural area (B= .986, P < .05) were associated with an increased length of in-hospital stay following CABG surgery. Furthermore, having a depression diagnosis (OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.45-2.21) and residing in a rural area (OR = 1.43, 95% CI = .896-1.45) were associated with an increased likelihood of in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Rural patients were more likely than urban ones to have a depression diagnosis. Depression was a significant independent predictor of both in-hospital mortality and length of stay for patients receiving CABG surgery. Also, rural patients had increased lengths of in-hospital stay as well as in-hospital mortality rates compared to those who resided in urban areas.

Clinical depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and comorbid depression and posttraumatic stress disorder as risk factors for in-hospital mortality after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to examine the effect of clinical depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and comorbid depression and posttraumatic stress disorder on in-hospital mortality after a coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. It is hypothesized that depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and comorbid depression and posttraumatic stress disorder will independently contribute to an increased risk for in-hospital mortality rates after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of the 2006 Nationwide Inpatient Sample database. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample database provides information on approximately 8 million US inpatient stays from about 1000 hospitals. We performed chi(2) and unpaired t tests to evaluate potential confounding group demographic and medical variables. Hierarchic logistic regression was used with forced order entry of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and comorbid depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. RESULTS: Deceased patients were more likely to have had depression (alive, 24.8%; deceased, 60.3%; P < .001), posttraumatic stress disorder (alive, 13.4%; deceased, 56.1%; P < .001), and cormorbid depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (alive, 7.8%; deceased, 48.5%; P < .001). After adjusting for potential confounding factors, patients with depression (odds ratio, 1.24; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.50), posttraumatic stress disorder (odds ratio, 2.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.65-2.64), and comorbid depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (odds ratio, 4.66; 95% confidence interval, 3.46-6.26) had an increased likelihood of in-hospital mortality compared with that seen in patients who were alive. CONCLUSIONS: Two findings were noteworthy. First, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and comorbid depression and posttraumatic stress disorder are prevalent in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting procedures. Second, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and comorbid depression and posttraumatic stress disorder increase the risk of death by magnitudes comparable with well-established physical health risk factors after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. The implications for clinical practice and future directions are discussed.

Consensus judgments of discharge readiness based on paranoid behavior: to what are clinical staff responding?

BACKGROUND: Salinas et al. (J Consult Clin Psychol 4:1029-1039, 2002) found that, contrary to widely held beliefs, paranoid behavior was a positive prognostic indicator for psychiatric inpatients only due to artifactual restrictions on overall level of functioning that result from traditional classification procedures. Paranoid functioning, in fact, negatively impacted consensus staff discharge-readiness judgments. This discrepancy between clinical lore and empirical findings raises a question about the aspects of paranoid functioning to which staff responds. METHOD: Those aspects of paranoid functioning are examined in this study, using the same sample of 469 inpatients from 19 treatment units reported in the Salinas et al. investigation. RESULTS: Both dimensionally measured paranoid functioning and overall level of disability were independently associated with negative discharge-readiness decisions. However, rather than delusions or hallucinations, hostility entirely accounted for the contribution of paranoid functioning to these prognostic judgments. CONCLUSION: We discuss implications of an alternative approach to classifying patients' problem behavior for clinical research and practice.

Predicting time-to-independent-release from current level of functioning for psychiatric inpatients: a "survivor" analysis.

Non-optimal psychiatric discharges occur frequently and result in high costs. The Time-Sample Behavioral Checklist (TSBC) has been demonstrated to be the best method for determining successful independent discharge within 2 weeks of assessment for adult inpatients. This study examined the extent to which TSBC indexes and perceived dangerousness predict staff independent discharge-readiness judgments up to 6 months after initial assessment. Data from 22 acute and chronic/mixed units (N = 362) were analyzed using Cox proportional hazard regression. TSBC appropriate interpersonal interaction and appropriate behavior variability predicted shorter time-to-independent-release (TTIR). TSBC bizarre facial expressions and verbalizations predicted longer TTIR. Post hoc analyses suggest that acutely admitted inpatients perceived to be dangerous were discharged sooner than others-a finding that is likely attributable to differential psychotropic medication responsiveness. Implications are discussed for TSBC implementation for earlier identification of discharge-ready inpatients and for tailoring interventions to target behavior that predicts independent discharge success.