Discrimination based on race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity has been linked to many negative psychological and physical health outcomes in previous research, including increased ...suicidal ideation. Two hundred lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people of color (POC) were surveyed on their experiences of LGBTQ-based discrimination, racism, mental health (depression, anxiety, satisfaction with life), and suicidal ideation in a national online study based in the United States. A structural equation model (SEM) was created and found that LGBTQ-based discrimination exerted an indirect effect on suicidal ideation through mental health. Racism exerted a direct effect on mental health but was not associated with suicidal ideation in the SEM. The effects of LGBTQ-based discrimination on mental health may be a key area for interventions to reduce suicidal ideation in LGBTQ POC.
The COVID-19 pandemic has altered mental health care delivery like no other event in modern history. The purpose of this study was to document the magnitude of that effect by examining (a) the amount ...of psychologists' telepsychology use before the COVID-19 pandemic, during the pandemic, and anticipated use after the pandemic; as well as (b) the demographic, training, policy, and clinical practice predictors of these changes. This study used a cross-sectional, national online design to recruit 2,619 licensed psychologists practicing in the United States. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, psychologists performed 7.07% of their clinical work with telepsychology, which increased 12-fold to 85.53% during the pandemic, with 67.32% of psychologists conducting all of their clinical work with telepsychology. Psychologists projected that they would perform 34.96% of their clinical work via telepsychology after the pandemic. Psychologists working in outpatient treatment facilities reported over a 26-fold increase in telepsychology use during the pandemic, while those in Veterans Affairs medical centers only reported a sevenfold increase. A larger increase in percentage telepsychology use occurred in women, in psychologists who reported an increase in telepsychology training and supportive organizational telepsychology policies, and in psychologists who treated relationship issues, anxiety, and women's issues. The lowest increases in percentage telepsychology use were reported by psychologists working in rural areas, treating antisocial personality disorder, performing testing and evaluation, and treating rehabilitation populations. Although there was a remarkable increase in telepsychology use during the COVID-19 pandemic, individual and practice characteristics affected psychologists' ability to adopt telepsychology.
Public Significance Statement
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a literal revolution in mental health care delivery, shifting the vast majority of psychological services to telepsychology. This study conducted a national survey of licensed psychologists and documented this seismic shift, finding that although 7.07% of psychologists' clinical work was performed via telepsychology before the COVID-19 pandemic, this increased 12-fold to 85.53% during the pandemic. Psychologists were optimistic that over one-third of their clinical work would still occur via telepsychology after the pandemic, suggesting the high likelihood of lasting changes in U.S. mental health care delivery.
Research on caregiving after neurotrauma and neurological disability critically extends the focus beyond individuals with neurological conditions to family, friends, and significant others who also ...are greatly impacted. This article introduces a thematic issue of NeuroRehabilitation on the topic with 10 articles that coalesce around the three approaches of (a) literature reviews, (b) empirical studies, and (c) caregiver intervention studies. This introductory article introduces each of these articles and synthesizes them to chart important future directions for research on caregiving after neurotrauma and neurological disability including: (a) a focus on evidence-based common factors caregiver interventions, (b) dissemination and implementation science approaches to imbedding caregiver interventions into health care systems, and (c) cultural considerations in the context of caregiving. This thematic issue helps rehabilitation clinicians incorporate more of a systems perspective to improve the functioning not only of individuals with neurological conditions but also their caregivers.
•Predictors of COVID-19 vaccine uptake intentions both under regular circumstances as well as under EUA included high perceived susceptibility to COVID-19, high perceived benefits of the vaccine, and ...scoring low on barriers to the vaccine.•Predictors of COVID-19 vaccine uptake under EUA also included age and race/ethnicity.•Concerns about rushed vaccine development appear to reduce vaccine uptake intent, as well as willingness to get the vaccine under EUA.
This study assessed psychosocial predictors of U.S. adults’ willingness to get a future COVID-19 vaccine and whether these predictors differ under an emergency use authorization (EUA) release of the vaccine.
A survey of 788 U.S. adults was conducted to explore the relationships between demographics and psychosocial predictors of intent to get a future COVID-19 vaccine as well as willingness to get such a vaccine under EUA.
Significant predictors of COVID-19 vaccine uptake intentions were education, having insurance, scoring high on subjective norms, a positive attitude toward the vaccine, as well as high perceived susceptibility to COVID-19, high perceived benefits of the vaccine, scoring low on barriers to the vaccine, and scoring high on self-efficacy. Predictors of willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine under EUA were age, race/ethnicity, positive subjective norms, high perceived behavioral control, positive attitudes toward the vaccine, as well as high perceived susceptibility to COVID-19, high perceived benefits of the vaccine, low barriers to the vaccine, and scoring high on self-efficacy for getting the vaccine. Concerns about rushed vaccine development appear to reduce vaccine uptake intent, as well as willingness to get the vaccine under EUA.
COVID-19 vaccine-related messages should both address concerns about the vaccine and its development and reinforce benefits of the vaccine (both factors significant in both models).
Vaccine efforts may need to go beyond just communications campaigns correcting misinformation about a COVID-19 vaccine to also focus on re-establishing public trust in government agencies.
COVID-19 escalated into a global pandemic affecting countries around the world. As communities shut down to reduce disease spread, all aspects of life have been altered, including sleep. This study ...investigated changes in sleep patterns and correlates of sleep health in a global sample and examined relationships between sleep health and psychological distress.
Cross-sectional.
Online survey distributed between April 19 and May 3, 2020.
Total 6882 participants (18-94 years) across 59 countries.
Sleep health (RU-SATED), demographics, pandemic-related factors, mood.
More than half the sample shifted their sleep toward later bed- and wake-times, and more than a third reported increased sleep disturbances during the pandemic. Older age, being partnered, and living in a higher income country were associated with better sleep health, while a stricter level of quarantine and pandemic-related factors (being laid off from job, financial strain, or difficulties transitioning to working from home) were associated with poorer sleep health. Domestic conflict was the strongest correlate of poorer sleep health. Poorer sleep health was strongly associated with greater depression and anxiety symptoms. Participants from Latin America reported the lowest sleep health scores.
COVID-19-associated factors have impacted sleep health on a global level. While our data are correlational, sleep health is strongly linked with mental health and could play a protective role against developing mental distress during pandemic-related isolation. Sleep health should be incorporated into public health messages aimed at helping people cope with the effects of a pandemic to maintain optimal mental and physical health.
Rehabilitation psychology uniquely incorporates a holistic, psychosocial perspective encompassing all aspects of disability, with a particular focus on the connection between disabled people and the ...social environment. This article introduces a special issue of Rehabilitation Psychology on diversity and social justice in disability research. The 13 articles in this special issue coalesce around the 3 themes of (a) critical disability identity theory, (b) discrimination and prejudice, and (c) health disparities in the context of disability. This article introduces each of these articles and draws upon the work contained in this special issue to highlight important future directions for research on diversity and social justice in disability across the following areas: (a) nondisabled privilege, (b) rehabilitation versus cure versus adjustment, (c) diverse modes of knowing, and (d) a priori diversity and strength-based measures. This special issue helps rehabilitation psychologists consider how they can best fulfill their social justice, human rights, and advocacy missions in order to advance access and inclusion with and for diverse groups of disabled people.
Objective
This article positions the special issue on telepsychology amidst the COVID‐19 pandemic, which has dramatically accelerated the adoption and dissemination of telepsychology.
Method
The ...article makes general observations about the themes emerging in the special issue with considerations for application, training, theory‐driven research, and policy. It then presents as a case example the rapid deployment during the pandemic of telepsychology doctoral training and services at the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Primary Care Psychology Collaborative.
Results
Facilitators to VCU telepsychology deployment included trainee and supervisor resources, strong telepsychology training, and prior experience. Barriers to overcome included limited clinic capacity, scheduling, technology, and accessibility and diversity issues. Lessons learned involved presenting clinical issues, supervision, and working with children and adolescents.
Conclusions
Telepsychology is crucial for psychological service provision, during the COVID‐19 pandemic more than ever, and that is unlikely to change as psychologists and patients increasingly continue to appreciate its value.
Despite the widespread international use of the Affiliate Stigma Scale in the context of disability, much research on its psychometric properties has taken dubious statistical approaches.
The aim of ...this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Affiliate Stigma Scale in a sample of Turkish spinal cord injury/disorder (SCI/D) caregivers.
Participants completed the Affiliate Stigma Scale, Zarit Burden Interview, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7. This study conducted a series of confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) of the Turkish Affiliate Stigma Scale using its originally theorized 3-factor structure and a 1-factor structure, as well as an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to refine the scale items to create a short form, with a final CFA of the items in the short form.
The 3-factor and 1-factor CFAs of the 22 items from the Affiliate Stigma Scale suggested poor fit to the data across every fit index. An EFA yielded four factors, although the patterns of item loading onto the factors did not map in any discernible way to the original subscales theorized by the scale creators. A 1-factor CFA with the six items loading onto factor 1 of the EFA showed much better fit indices, with most achieving good or adequate fit.
The current study supports a 1-factor solution with a short form comprised of six items, at least in Turkish and with SCI/D caregivers.
People's risk perception of COVID-19 is an important predictor for adopting protective behavior. Although risk perceptions, and factors influencing these, may vary between countries, less attention ...has been paid to differences between adjacent regions from neighboring countries. In the midst of the first wave of the corona outbreak (March-April-May 2020), we measured risk perceptions as perceived threat (consisting of perceived severity and susceptibility) among university students (N = 668) in two connected countries: the Netherlands and Belgium. Theory-based predictor variables included experiential, efficacy-related, socio-cultural, cognitive, and demographic factors. While demographic variables and country were not significant predictors of perceived threat level, all other constructs were. Personal and indirect experiences with COVID-19, as well as higher scores on personal (self) efficacy to carry out recommended preventive behaviors were all associated with higher perceived threat. However, low collective efficacy and lower levels of trust in government were both also significantly associated with higher perceived threat, as was a low level of "lack of COVID-19 knowledge". These results hold implications for suitable risk communication strategies for increasing students' COVID-19 risk perceptions.
In her presidential address, N. J. Kaslow (2015) argued that psychologists have a responsibility to translate psychological science to the public and identifies various platforms for doing so. In ...this comment on her article, I advocate that psychology as a field immediately heed her call in the area of psychological science highlighting the media's contribution to contagion in mass shootings. I point out the psychological science documenting media contagion for suicide and mass shootings, the World Health Organization's (2008) guidelines for media in reporting suicide deaths to prevent that contagion, and discuss ways-based on Dr. Kaslow's suggestions-that psychologists can disseminate psychological science to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
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