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Biomedical subjects

L Roemer

Publications and source records attributed to L Roemer.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Emotional response at the time of a potentially traumatizing event and PTSD symptomatology: a preliminary retrospective analysis of the DSM-IV Criterion A-2.

DSM-IV added an emotional response component to the definition of Criterion A for PTSD. The present study investigated the relationship between retrospective reports of emotional responses (fear, helplessness, and horror) and disrupted emotional responses ("numbing") at the time of a potentially traumatizing event and reports of PTSD symptomatology among undergraduate participants. We found that, of the DSM-IV criteria, only helplessness was significantly correlated with post-traumatic symptomatology. Reports of peritraumatic emotional numbing uniquely predicted subsequent PTSD symptomatology beyond coincident emotional responses, suggesting that further research is needed to explore the various dimensions of peritraumatic emotional response relevant to the development of PTSD.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Increases in retrospective accounts of war-zone exposure over time: the role of PTSD symptom severity.

Retrospective reports of the frequency of war-zone exposure are commonly used as objective indices in studies investigating the mental health consequences of exposure to such stressors. To explore the temporal stability of these types of reports, we obtained frequency estimates of exposure to war-zone stressors at two time points from 460 U.S. soldiers who had served in the peace-keeping mission in Somalia. On average; soldiers demonstrated a significant increase in their frequency reports from initial (postdeployment) to subsequent (follow-up) assessment. Severity of posttraumatic symptomatology was uniquely associated with this change, indicating a possible systematic bias in which severity of symptoms leads to increased reports of stressor frequency. The implications of these findings for research in the field of traumatic stress are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Psychiatric symptomatology associated with contemporary peacekeeping: an examination of post-mission functioning among peacekeepers in Somalia.

Contemporary peacekeepers frequently confront complex stressors including the need to directly enforce peace between warring factions, to deliver humanitarian aid in the midst of political-social devastation, and to balance shifting rules of engagement. As such, it is proposed that participants may be at increased risk for the development of psychiatric distress. The present study examined the types of stressors encountered by 3,461 peacekeepers in Somalia, their current psychiatric functioning as measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory, and the relationship between exposure to various stressors and adjustment. Over one third of participants met criteria for psychiatric caseness. The most commonly reported symptoms included hostility, psychoticism, depression, and paranoid ideation. The best predictors of current functioning were found to be exposure to traditional war-zone-related stressors and general military pride and cohesion. These findings highlight the mental health consequences that service in a peacekeeping mission may have for United States solidiers. Further research is needed to investigate potential mechanisms that could serve as buffers to the stress associated with peacekeeping service.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

An investigation of worry content among generally anxious individuals.

The hypothesis of a distinctive content pattern of worry in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) was investigated with the use of content categorization of GAD versus nonanxious control worries from both clinical and analogue samples. The GAD groups reported significantly more worry topics than the control groups. Some similarity in content patterns emerged across groups, with the most frequent content category for all groups involving family/interpersonal issues. However, a significant difference in the pattern of relative frequencies across groups was found: GAD was characterized by equally high relative frequencies for miscellaneous and work/school worries, whereas control groups had higher relative frequencies for work/school concerns and lower relative frequencies for miscellaneous worries. The miscellaneous worries of GAD individuals were particularly characterized by worry about minor/routine issues. These findings support DSM-IV descriptions of GAD as involving pervasive worry that includes worry about minor things.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Are nurse managers ready for the current challenges of healthcare?

In a study at four teaching hospitals, nurse managers rated themselves most competent in activities related to the management of their unit, and believed these activities were most important. Nurse managers lacked some of the skills and knowledge needed to relate to the larger organization and external environment, activities that they rated as less important. Selection, education, and development efforts should be targeted to newly important roles and skills for which nurse managers have little preparation.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Perceived functions of worry among generalized anxiety disorder subjects: distraction from more emotionally distressing topics?

Theories regarding worry have discussed both adaptive and maladaptive functions. The present study used rating scales of the six reasons for worry commonly reported by generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) clients to explore subjective perceptions of the functions of worry held by college student worriers meeting self-reported criteria for GAD and by control subjects. Subjects rated motivation, preparation for the worst, and avoidance/prevention of negative outcomes as the most typical reasons for their worry. However, the GAD group was discriminated from other comparison groups particularly by high ratings of "distraction from more emotional topics" as a reason for their worry.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1995

A self-report diagnostic measure of generalized anxiety disorder.

The present study tested the reliability of a self-report diagnostic measure of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) based on DSM criteria. Among two samples of undergraduate students, 47-80% of the GAD diagnoses by questionnaire were confirmed by diagnostic interview, with the higher rate being associated with DSM-IV criteria. Categorization of a participant as Non-GAD by questionnaire was found to be 100% reliable by interview. Given these findings as well as prior empirical support for the validity of the measure, this questionnaire has utility for identifying analogue GAD and Non-GAD participants from undergraduate populations for use in preliminary investigations of the mechanisms and functions associated with chronic worry and GAD.

Anxiety Disorders↗
PubMed1994

Effects of suppressing thoughts about emotional material.

Concurrent and subsequent effects of suppressing versus expressing emotional (anxious and depressing) and neutral material were investigated. Subjects either suppressed or expressed thoughts about an anxious, depressing, or neutral target situation during an initial thought period. During the subsequent period, all subjects expressed thoughts about the same target situation. Analyses of thought content revealed that attempts to suppress the thought did not eliminate its occurrence. During the subsequent expression period, subjects in the initial expression condition displayed a significant decrease in statements about the target situation, indicating habituation, whereas subjects in the initial suppression condition showed an increase. Variations in this general pattern were observed on the basis of the different emotional valences of the target situations.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1994

Preventing AIDS: knowledge, attitudes, and practices.

1. Because health care providers are the key professionals in advising patients about prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, the degree to which spread can be prevented is at least partially a function of preventive and education measures taken by health care professionals. 2. Nurses surveyed believe that they do not have the right to refuse treatment to patients infected with HIV. 3. Twenty percent of health care professionals indicated they did not have adequate information concerning HIV, with the largest group being nurse executives in long-term care facilities. 4. The survey indicated that more efficient and effective educational methods should be used to increase health care practitioners' knowledge about AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1987

An examination of role identification by students in health education and health services administration.

This research was designed to test the extent to which health education and health services administration students' perceptions of their roles as professionals matched the expectations of professional faculty. These perceptions were found to match in general. However, doubt was cast on the extent to which internships or practicums contributed to this result, since there was no change in student responses between the beginning of the junior year and end of the senior year, a period which includes fieldwork and most of the professional coursework presumed to influence professional development. Additional research is required to test this result with other student populations in other health professions and identify the point at which professional role and task definitions are amenable to change.

Faculty↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Preliminary investigation of the role of previous exposure to potentially traumatizing events in generalized anxiety disorder.

Theories of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) highlight the relevance of stressful life events to this disorder's etiology. However, little empirical work has addressed the stressful events that may act as historical contributors to the development or maintenance of GAD. The present study provides an initial exploration of the association between exposure to potentially traumatizing events and GAD. In both analogue and clinical samples, GAD individuals were found to be more likely than nonanxious controls to report exposure to a potentially traumatizing event. These findings are discussed within the context of current theories of worry and GAD.

Adult↗