Do yoga and meditation moderate the relationship between negative life events and depressive symptoms? Analysis of a national cross-sectional survey of Australian women

ObjectivesThis study aims to examine the role of yoga/meditation in the relationship between negative life events, stress and depression.MethodsThe Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH) surveyed 7,186 women aged 36–43 years (mean age 39.2 years; 57.2% university degree) in 2015. Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted to examine whether yoga/meditation practice moderated those relationships.ResultsYoga/meditation was practiced by 27.5% of participants, 33.2% reported negative life events in the past 12 months, and 24% had clinical depression. Perceived stress partially mediated the association between negative life events and depressive symptoms (B = 6.28; 95%CI 5.65; 6.92). Social support (B = −0.38; 95%CI −0.54; −0.23) and optimism (B = −0.25;95%CI −0.31; −0.18) moderated the association between stress and depressive symptoms. Yoga/meditation practice moderated the direct association between negative life events and depressive symptoms (B = −0.92; 95%CI −1.67; −0.18).ConclusionYoga/meditation use was a significant moderator of the relationship between negative life events and depression. Yoga/mediation use did not act via reducing perceived stress, but instead was found to dampen the influence of negative life events on depression directly. More research on how yoga has an impact on depression is warranted

Priorities for HIV and chronic pain research results from a survey of individuals with lived experience

The Global Task Force on Chronic Pain in HIV published seven research priorities in the field of HIV-associated chronic pain in 2019: (1) causes; (2) management; (3) treatment individualization and integration with addiction treatment; (4) mental and social health factors; (5) prevalence; (6) treatment cost effectiveness; and (7) prevention. The current study used a web-based survey to determine whether the research topics were aligned with the priorities of adults with lived experiences of HIV and chronic pain. We also collected information about respondents' own pain and treatment experiences. We received 311 survey responses from mostly US-based respondents. Most respondents reported longstanding, moderate to severe, multisite pain, commonly accompanied by symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. The median number of pain treatments tried was 10 (IQR = 8, 13), with medications and exercise being the most common modalities, and opioids being viewed as the most helpful. Over 80% of respondents considered all research topics either "extremely important" or "very important". Research topic #2, which focused on optimizing management of pain in people with HIV, was accorded the greatest importance by respondents. These findings suggest good alignment between the priorities of researchers and US-based people with lived experience of HIV-associated chronic pain.</p

Differential endorsement of suicidal ideation and attempt in bipolar versus unipolar depression: a testlet response theory analysis

BackgroundPublished data concerning differences in suicide risk across the mood disorders spectrum remain mixed. The current study used testlet response theory methods to evaluate differences in the endorsement of suicidal ideation and attempt in an epidemiological sample of individuals with bipolar and unipolar depression.MethodParticipants with lifetime history of bipolar I (n=1154), bipolar II (n=494), and unipolar (n=5695) depression were drawn from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, which included 4 structured queries concerning suicidal ideation/attempt. We estimated differential item functioning between groups with a 2-pl parametric item response model.ResultsEndorsement of suicide items increased as a function of underlying depression severity. Equating for severity, endorsement of suicidal ideation and attempt was generally more frequent in bipolar versus unipolar depression, and in bipolar I versus bipolar II depression. Yet findings were not consistent across all suicide items, and differences were small in magnitude.LimitationsThe NESARC relied upon lifetime endorsement of suicide items, and suicide risk was only evaluated within the context of a major depressive episode. Thus, this study could not evaluate endorsement of suicide items within the context of (hypo)manic or mixed states.ConclusionAlthough there were some group differences, patterns of item endorsement were more similar than different. These data support a transdiagnostic model of suicide that emphasizes underlying depression severity over mood disorder class

Patient Health Questionnaire Depression Scale as a Suicide Screening Instrument in Depressed Primary Care Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the sensitivity and specificity of the suicide item on the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) when compared to a structured interview (the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV; SCID-I mood module) in primary care patients with elevated depression symptoms

The GIFT program for major depression

Research suggests that group cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can be an efficacious and potentially cost-effective treatment for major depression. Yet despite evidence of efficacy, there may be limitations to the effectiveness of group CBT in actual clinical practice. We introduce the Group, Individual, and Family Treatment (GIFT) program that builds upon current CBT theory and technology, but has been modified to create a potentially more effective version of group CBT. In this article, we describe the emotional fitness model of mental health upon which the GIFT program is based. We then describe how the GIFT program attempts to build upon existing group CBT programs by using an open-group format and repeated-group session format, and by the integration of individual and family-based interventions

We really need this : Trauma-informed yoga for Veteran women with a history of military sexual trauma

OBJECTIVES: Up to 70% of women service members in the United States report military sexual trauma (MST); many develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and co-occurring disorders. Trauma-informed yoga (TIY) is suggested to improve psychiatric symptoms and shown feasible and acceptable in emerging research, yet no work has evaluated TIY in MST survivors. The current quality improvement project aimed to examine TIY\u27s feasibility, acceptability, and perceived effects in the context of MST. DESIGN: Collective case series (N = 7). SETTING: New England Vet Center. INTERVENTIONS: Extant TIY program (Mindful Yoga Therapy) adapted for Veteran women with MST in concurrent psychotherapy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Attrition and attendance; qualitative exit interview; validated self-report measure of negative affect pre/post each yoga class, and symptom severity assessments and surveys before (T1; Time 1) and after the yoga program (T2; Time 2). RESULTS: Feasibility was demonstrated and women reported TIY was acceptable. In qualitative interviews, women reported improved symptom severity, diet, exercise, alcohol use, sleep, and pain; reduced medication use; and themes related to stress reduction, mindfulness, and self-compassion. Regarding quantitative change, results suggest acute reductions in negative affect following yoga sessions across participants, as well as improved affect dysregulation, shame, and mindfulness T1 to T2. CONCLUSIONS: TIY is both feasible and acceptable to Veteran women MST survivors in one specific Vet Center, with perceived behavioral health benefits. Results suggest TIY may target psychosocial mechanisms implicated in health behavior change (stress reduction, mindfulness, affect regulation, shame). Formal research should be conducted to confirm these QI project results

Treatment goals of depressed outpatients: A qualitative investigation of goals identified by participants in a depression treatment trial

Treatment goals and preferences of depressed patients are important, but they are rarely empirically studied. Although clinicians are likely to discuss goals with individual patients, research that clarifies overall patterns in the treatment goals of depressed patients could be useful in informing new interventions for depression. Such research could also potentially help address problems such as poor adherence and psychotherapy drop-out. In this preliminary qualitative investigation, we examined treatment goals established by depressed outpatients in the context of a trial of behaviorally oriented psychotherapy. The treatment goals that were most commonly articulated included improving social and family relationships, increasing physical health behaviors, finding a job, and organizing one\u27s home. These results underscore the fact that, in addition to improvement in the symptoms of depression, functional improvements are viewed as key treatment goals by depressed individuals. Copyright © 2010 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Inc

The importance of interpersonal treatment goals for depressed inpatients

Increased understanding of the treatment goals of depressed patients may lead to improved treatments and assist researchers and program evaluators in choosing clinically relevant outcome measures. To characterize patients\u27 depression treatment goals, we interviewed hospitalized depressed patients about their treatment goals. Common responses included improving relationships, decreasing sadness or anxiety, and finding a job or improving job performance. On a written questionnaire, patients also ranked decreasing suicidal thoughts highly. These results suggest that for many severely depressed individuals, primary treatment goals include improvements in social and occupational functioning in addition to symptomatic improvement. © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc