Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association

A Pilot Feasibility Study of Delivering a Quit & Win Tobacco-Free Contest in Community Mental Health Programs
Okoli CTC, Abufarsakh B, Seng S, Xie W, McGovern C, Arrows T, Koyagi E and Robertson H
Quit & Win contests are a community-based tobacco cessation strategy that has demonstrated success in supporting tobacco cessation efforts in the general population. However, such contests have not been implemented and evaluated among people living with mental illnesses (MIs). This pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of implementing Quit & Win contests in terms of program delivery, engagement, and cessation outcomes among people with MIs.
Clinical, Quality of Life, and Health Care Utilization Outcomes of Switching the Administration Route of Antipsychotic Medications Among People With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Kappi A, Wang T, Abu Farsakh B and Okoli CTC
Using long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotic medications can improve the outcomes of patients with schizophrenia, such as reducing symptom severity and hospitalization risk. However, the outcomes of switching from oral to LAI antipsychotic medications are unclear.
Mental Health Needs of Inpatient Psychiatric Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Gresham AD, Paun O and Heyland M
The lack of mental health supports and resources for psychiatric nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to stress, burnout, and reduced mental wellness. Simultaneously, the pandemic's safety mitigation measures made significant changes to the inpatient psychiatric population environment making it difficult to maintain a therapeutic milieu and increased mental health challenges among staff and patients.
Feasibility and Preliminary Evaluation of Theory-Based Training Program on Daily Living Skills Among Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Findings From Rural Regions in Egypt
El-Monshed AH, Loutfy A, El-Boraie H, Eweida RS, Fayed SM, El-Gazar HE and Ali Zoromba M
One of the most crucial objectives in the education and treatment of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is independence in daily living skills (DLS). Therefore, as a child with ASD condition grows, measures of everyday functioning including adaptive behaviors should be more regularly monitored and regulated.
Improving Mental Health Literacy and Stigma Among the Hmong
Vang-Kue M, McNeill C and Stephens U
One in five adults in the United States suffers from mental illness. Negative social influences in the Hmong community stigmatize those who have mental health challenges and mental health outcomes are impacted by poor mental health literacy. Language barriers, conflicting traditional beliefs, and Western concepts of health contribute to low mental health literacy and willingness to seek professional mental health services among the Hmong.
Analysis of Ohio Advanced Practice Registered Nurses' Rate of Prescribing Naltrexone for Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder Since Elimination of the X-Waiver
Wiggins M, Smith A and Helsabeck N
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is common and deadly. Naltrexone is a treatment for AUD. Previous research examined factors that predict Ohio Advanced Practice Registered Nurses' (APRNs) utilization of naltrexone to treat AUD. Inclusion criteria included APRNs' endorsing receipt of the X-waiver, a designation indicating providers' receipt of substance use disorder education. In 2023, the X-waiver was eliminated. The purpose of this study was to replicate the previous research design in respondents without an X-waiver and compare findings.
An Empowerment-Based Intervention for Chinese Immigrant Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence: Feasibility and Acceptability
Li Y, Bloom T, Bullock LFC and Rhee H
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health concern, particularly in vulnerable populations such as Chinese immigrant women.
The Association Between Proneness to Smartphone Addiction and Social Anxiety Among School Students and the Mediating Role of Social Support: A Call to Advance Jordanian Adolescents' Mental Health
Abu Khait A, Menger A, Al-Atiyyat N, Hamaideh SH, Al-Modallal H and Rayapureddy H
Social anxiety is an emerging public health issue associated with significant impairment of social functioning during adolescence. Among many determinants of social anxiety, proneness to smartphone addiction may significantly contribute to the development of social anxiety. To cope with the consequential development of social anxiety, adolescent school students may rely on various forms of social support. Particularly in the Middle East, including Jordan, the relationship between proneness to smartphone addiction and adolescent social anxiety is understudied.
Investigation of Posttraumatic Stress and Depression Symptoms in Children Who Experienced the Kahramanmaraş Earthquake
Düken ME, Küçükoğlu S and Kiliçaslan F
Trauma is important in the etiology of many problems including childhood anxiety, somatization, hostility and sleep disturbance.
Gaining Recovery in Addiction for Community Elders (GRACE) Project: The Impact of Age-Specific Care on Clinical Outcomes and Health Care Resource Utilization in Older Adults With Substance Use Disorder in an Interprofessional Addiction Clinic
Schachman KA, Macomber CA, Mitchell ML, Brown JM, Scott JL, Darr RL, Fabbro MA, Morrone WR, Peckham KA and Charbonneau-Ivey TK
The prevalence of substance use disorders (SUDs) in older adults has been increasing, necessitating tailored and effective addiction care for this aging demographic.
Cyberbullying and Bullying Reports Among Youth in a Behavioral Health Inpatient Unit: Insights From Youth and Parent Intake Surveys
Drouin M, Kardys K, Flanagan M, Pater J and Kerrigan C
Limited studies have examined the extent to which cyberbullying and offline bullying are factors related to youth admissions to behavioral health inpatient units. However, considering the rising use of technology and prevalence of youth bullying, intake procedures require adaptation to account for modern-day psychological pressures facing youth. : Our aims were to pilot and analyze results from a novel intake form, assessing offline bullying and cyberbullying, in a youth inpatient behavioral health facility. : Upon admission at an inpatient behavioral health facility in the Midwestern United States, 622 youth (ages 10 and older) and their parent/guardian completed intake forms including questions about their experience of bullying, cyberbullying, and feelings of safety in different environments, and feelings about whether bullying contributed to their inpatient admission. : Overall, 21.50% (134/622) of youth self-reported being a cybervictim, 6.10% (38/622) reported being an offline bully victim, and 8.04% (50/622) reported mixed bullying. Bullied youth felt significantly less safe in all environments than non-bullied youth, and bullied youth who felt unsafe were more likely to attribute their hospitalization to bullying. Troublingly, only about one-third of parents were aware of cyberbullying. : Using traditional standards of care that do not address offline bullying/cyberbullying, mental health care workers may be missing critical factors that contribute to youth inpatient hospitalization for mental health issues. Behavioral health units should consider adapting intake forms to include offline bullying/cyberbullying questions and developing programming for parents and adults to address issues of online and offline safety.
Facilitators of and Barriers to the Therapeutic Nurse-Patient Relationship: Perceptions From Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses
Curran MJ, Gannon R, Rivera RR, Li Y and Fitzpatrick JJ
The therapeutic relationship serves as a cornerstone in psychiatric mental health nursing practice, providing a basis for implementing various interventions.
Saudi Arabian Nurses' Motivations and Barriers to Employment in Inpatient Mental Health Facilities: A Qualitative Investigation
Alyousef SM
The shortage of inpatient psychiatric mental health care nurses in Saudi Arabia represents an important health care challenge.
Self-Defense Training to Reduce Violence Against Women and Girls: An Integrative Review
Johnson AM and Cole BS
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a serious threat to individual and public health with vast negative impacts, including numerous physical and mental health issues, as well as societal and economic consequences. Numerous women's self-defense interventions have been proposed to reduce the risk of victimization.
Interactions Between Serotonin Transporter Gene and Adverse Childhood Experience in a Generalized Additive Model: A Pilot Study
Niitsu K, Lee C and Rice MJ
While most people experience potentially traumatic events (PTEs), including Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), the stress reactions to PTEs on mental health outcomes are highly heterogeneous. Resilience is influenced by a complex biopsychosocial ecological system, including gene serotonin transporter-linked promoter region or /rs25531 by ACEs interactions.
Home Health Nurses' Perceptions of Caring for Persons With Severe and Persistent Mental Illnesses
Riley K and Hupcey JE
Severe and persistent mental illnesses (SPMIs) affect a significant portion of the adult population in the United States. Despite their enhanced medical disease burden, individuals with SPMIs often lack access to appropriate medical care. Home health services offer cost-effective options for caring for this population in the comfort of their homes. However, little is known about the perceptions of home health nurses providing care to persons with SPMIs, and how they are adjusting care to persons with SPMIs.
Self-Connection and the Therapeutic Self: We Have Work to Do
Peppard L
Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: Macules, Papules, and Bullae
Vossos H and Delgado PM
The objective of this discussion paper is to illuminate the importance of early identification and treatment of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). SJS/TEN may occur as quickly as 4 days, more commonly 4 to 8 weeks after starting a new medication and early identification is essential.
The Connection Paradigm
Peppard L
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses' Perceptions and Experiences of Inpatient Mental Health Care Safety Culture in Saudi Arabia
Alyousef SM and Alhamidi SA
Although patient safety culture is gaining attention globally, more studies are needed to investigate its relevance to the nursing care of mental health (MH) patients.
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses: Providers of Care Excellence
Shea JM
Passing the Baton: A Conversation With Outgoing Editor, Dr. Geraldine Pearson
Hampton MD and Pearson GS
Development and Acceptability of Provider Training to Increase Treatment Engagement of Parents in Their Children's Behavioral Health Care Need
Oruche UM, Holladay CM, Chacko A, Nakash O and Draucker CB
Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct disorders (DIC) affect 5 million children in the United States and often require comprehensive and long-term behavioral health care for which sustained parental involvement is essential. Our research team is developing an intervention to improve parental engagement in the behavioral health care of their children with DIC. The intervention, which will be a modification of an evidence-based shared decision-making intervention called DECIDE, will include a parent component and a provider component. : To determine the acceptability of the provider component of the modified DECIDE intervention. : The provider intervention is an asynchronous self-paced online training program made up of five modules: introduction, shared decision-making, perspective-taking, attributional errors, and being a responsive provider. The training was piloted with 41 providers in two public child and adolescent treatment programs. Following completion of the training, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the providers to assess the acceptability of the training. The interviews were analyzed with conventional content analysis. : The provider training was well received by providers, and many had made practice changes based on what they had learned. Several offered recommendations for improvement, most notably the need to tailor the training based on provider role, discipline, and level of expertise. : The feedback given by providers will be used to refine future iterations of the provider training component of the modified DECIDE intervention. Psychiatric nurses and other clinicians may draw from strategies incorporated in the training program to improve parent engagement in the treatment of children with DIC.
Empathy Amplified: Exploring the Transformative Potential of Understanding Auditory Hallucinations Through Staff Training
Zold AL and Jourdain MK
Stigmatization of individuals diagnosed with psychosis, especially those who experience auditory hallucinations, is a well-documented issue with negative outcomes on provision of care. Existing research has predominantly concentrated on experiential training for students, leaving a significant gap in knowledge regarding the training's impact on practicing psychiatric nurses and technicians.
Navigating the Future of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies in Psychiatry: Ethical Considerations, Nursing Roles, and Research Imperatives
Jui-Man C and Wei LC
Are We Ready for the Next Pandemic?
Pearson GS
Assessing Tobacco Treatment Engagement in Assertive Community Treatment Programs
Okoli CTC, Abufarsakh B, Seng S, Robertson H and Almogheer Z
Despite high tobacco use prevalence among those with serious mental illnesses, few Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) programs provide tobacco treatment. Understanding the factors associated with the intentions to engage in tobacco treatment from both provider and consumer perspectives is important. The purpose was to examine ACT providers' intention to provide and consumer intention to engage in tobacco treatment.
Board Column: The Remarkable Role Our Senses Play in Connection
Peppard L
Pilot Study Focused on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Health Access Behaviors of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses Regarding Suicide Prevention
Woods MA, Hampton D, Okoli CTC, Heath J and Moreland G
The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effect of a web-based education module on the knowledge, attitudes, and ratings of willingness to access help related to suicide prevention in psychiatric-mental health nurses. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was employed. Registered nurses from two academic health center units and a 239-bed Psychiatric Hospital were invited to participate. Scores on knowledge of suicide risk and prevention, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intent to seek help upon experiencing suicidal ideations were obtained before and after administering a 25-min web-based training. Twenty-nine participants completed the pre-survey, web-based education module, and post-survey. Significant increases from baseline in the scores on knowledge, attitudes, subjective norms, and intentions related to help-seeking behaviors for nurse suicide prevention were noted. Perceived behavioral control median scores increased but were not statistically significant. More than 40% of the participants reported having experienced suicidal thoughts. Further study is needed to determine contributors to this higher rate. Understanding the effectiveness of strategies to reduce nurse suicide can provide insights into building better nurse suicide prevention programs.
Four Years of Pandemic
Pearson GS