The American psychologist
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The American psychologist · Oct 2020
COVID-19 and ageism: How positive and negative responses impact older adults and society.
The disproportionately high rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) health complications and mortality among older adults prompted supportive public responses, such as special senior early shopping hours and penpal programs. Simultaneously, some older adults faced neglect and blatant displays of ageism (e.g., #BoomerRemover) and were considered the lowest priority to receive health care. ⋯ However, positive responses (social distancing to protect older adults from COVID-19 infection) can inadvertently increase loneliness, depression, health problems, and negative stereotyping of older adults (e.g., helpless, weak). Pressing policy issues evident from the treatment of older adults during the pandemic include health care (triaging, elder abuse), employment (layoffs, retirement), and education about ageism, as well as the intersection of ageism with other forms of prejudice (e.g., racism) that cuts across these policies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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The American psychologist · Sep 2020
Patient race and opioid misuse history influence provider risk perceptions for future opioid-related problems.
In response to the dual public health crises of chronic pain and opioid use, providers have become more vigilant about assessing patients for risk of opioid-related problems. Little is known about how providers are making these risk assessments. Given previous studies indicating that Black patients are at increased risk for suboptimal pain care, which may be related to stereotypes about drug abuse, the current study examined how patient race and previous opioid misuse behaviors impact providers' risk assessments for future prescription opioid-related problems. ⋯ Two significant interactions emerged indicating that Black patients were perceived to be at greater risk for future adverse events (when previous misuse was absent) and diversion (when previous misuse was present). Significant main effects indicated that Black patients and patients with previous misuse were perceived to be at greater risk for future misuse/abuse of prescription opioids, and that patients with previous misuse were perceived to be at greater risk of addiction. These findings suggest that racial minorities and patients with a history of prescription opioid misuse are particularly vulnerable to any unintended consequences of efforts to stem the dual public health crises of chronic pain and opioid use. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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The American psychologist · Sep 2020
Randomized Controlled TrialMindfulness-oriented recovery enhancement reduces opioid dose in primary care by strengthening autonomic regulation during meditation.
The current opioid crisis was fueled by escalation of opioid dosing among patients with chronic pain. Yet, there are few evidence-based psychological interventions for opioid dose reduction among chronic pain patients treated with long-term opioid analgesics. Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE), which was designed to target mechanisms underpinning chronic pain and opioid misuse, has shown promising results in 2 randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and could facilitate opioid sparing and tapering by bolstering self-regulation. ⋯ MORE was associated with a significantly greater increase in HRV during meditation than was the SG. Meditation-induced change in HRV partially mediated the effect of MORE on opioid dose reduction (p = .034). MORE may boost self-regulatory strength via mindfulness and thereby facilitate self-control over opioid use, leading to opioid dose reduction in people with chronic pain. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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During the current COVID-19 pandemic, religious gatherings have become intense hot spots for the spread of the virus. In this research, we focus on the religiosity of communities to examine whether religiosity helps or hinders adherence to mitigation policies such as shelter-in-place directives. Prior research has made opposing predictions as to the influence of religiosity. ⋯ We used shelter-in-place directives as an intervention in a quasiexperiment to examine adherence over 30 days as a function of religiosity in the most populous metropolitan areas in the United States. When a shelter-in-place directive had not been imposed, religiosity did not affect people's movements. However, when the directive was imposed, higher religiosity resulted in less adherence to shelter-in-place directives. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
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The American psychologist · Jul 2020
Negative cognitive and psychological correlates of mandatory quarantine during the initial COVID-19 outbreak in China.
Quarantine plays a key role in controlling the pandemic of 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This study investigated (a) the associations between mandatory quarantine status and negative cognitions (perceived discrimination because of COVID-19 and perceived risk of COVID-19 infection)/mental health status (emotional distress because of COVID-19, probable depression, and self-harm/suicidal ideation), (b) the associations between the negative cognitions and mental health status, and (c) potential mediations between quarantined status and probable depression and self-harm/suicidal ideation via COVID-19-related negative cognitions/emotional distress. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among 24,378 students of 26 universities in 16 Chinese cities (February 1-10, 2020). ⋯ In conclusion, quarantined participants were more likely than others to perceive discrimination and exhibit mental distress. It is important to integrate mental health care into the planning and implementation of quarantine measures. Future longitudinal studies to explore mechanisms underlying the mental health impact of quarantines are warranted. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).