1
|
Hatcher S, Sinyor M, Edgar NE, Schaffer A, MacLean SE, Carleton RN, Colman I, Jayakumar N, Ward B, Zaheer R. A Comparison of Suicides in Public Safety Personnel With Suicides in the General Population in Ontario, 2014 to 2018. Crisis 2024. [PMID: 38597229 DOI: 10.1027/0227-5910/a000953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Background: There is conflicting evidence on the suicide rates of different public safety personnel (PSP). There have been few studies that compare suicides in PSP with the general population and none that have used a detailed comparison of coroner records. Aims: The current study estimates suicide rates among different PSP and compares PSP suicides with the general population. Method: We identified coroner records of PSP suicides from January 2014 to December 2018 and compared each one to two matched general population controls. Results: We identified 36 PSP suicides and 72 general population controls. Police had a higher suicide rate than other PSP groups. PSP were more likely to die by firearm, be separated/divorced or married, die in a motor vehicle, have problems at work, and have a PTSD diagnosis. PSP were less likely to die by jumping. Limitations: The study may have not identified all PSP suicides. Apart from the cause of death, data in coroner records are not systematically collected, so information may be incomplete. Conclusion: PSP suicides appear different than the general population. Death records need to have an occupation identifier to enable monitoring of trends in occupational groups, such as PSP.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Simon Hatcher
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, ON, Canada
| | - Mark Sinyor
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Nicole E Edgar
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, ON, Canada
| | - Ayal Schaffer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sarah E MacLean
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, ON, Canada
- School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - R Nicholas Carleton
- Anxiety and Illness Behaviours Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Regina, SK, Canada
- Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment, University of Regina, SK, Canada
| | - Ian Colman
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Navitha Jayakumar
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Brooklyn Ward
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, ON, Canada
- Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Rabia Zaheer
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Huang E, Edgar NE, MacLean SE, Hatcher S. Workplace Assessment Scale: Pilot Validation Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022; 19:12408. [PMID: 36231726 PMCID: PMC9566622 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191912408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
First responders, such as police officers, paramedics, and firefighters are at an increased risk of experiencing negative mental health outcomes compared to the general population. This predisposition can partially be attributed to common occupational stressors, which may provoke strong feelings of betrayal and humiliation. The Workplace Assessment Scale (WAS) was developed as there is currently no appropriate measure to assess such feelings in the first responder population. Initial development of the WAS included a Betrayal Subscale and the Humiliation Subscale, each comprised of 5 Likert scale questions which ask participants to report the frequency at which they experience specific feelings associated with their workplace. This pilot validation study was conducted to determine if there is preliminary evidence to support a large-scale validation study. To determine this, we assessed the internal structure and the convergent, concurrent, and predictive validity of the WAS. Based on 21/22 (95%) participant responses, a factor analysis did not support the two-factor model we anticipated, with only one factor and seven items retained from the original version of the scale. However, the internal consistency of the remaining items was strong. The validity analysis found moderate convergent validity and weak predictive validity based on correlations between the WAS and other psychometric scales. Minimal concurrent validity was noted. Additional research is needed for further analysis and validation of the WAS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eileen Huang
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Nicole E. Edgar
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Sarah E. MacLean
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
- School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Simon Hatcher
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa, 1145 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K4, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Edgar NE, Bennett A, Dunn NS, MacLean SE, Hatcher S. Feasibility and acceptability of Narrative Exposure Therapy to treat individuals with PTSD who are homeless or vulnerably housed: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Pilot Feasibility Stud 2022; 8:83. [PMID: 35428344 PMCID: PMC9010708 DOI: 10.1186/s40814-022-01043-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Diagnosed PTSD rates in people who are homeless are more than double that of the general population, ranging between 21 and 53%. Complex PTSD (cPTSD) also appears to be more common than PTSD. One treatment option is Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), a brief trauma-focused psychotherapy which attempts to place trauma within a narrative of the person’s life. Our primary aim was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of recruiting people to a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of NET alone compared to NET augmented by a genealogical assessment. We hypothesized that incorporating a genealogical assessment may be more effective than NET alone in a population with predominately complex PTSD.
Methods
This pilot RCT enrolled participants who were 18 years of age or older, currently homeless or vulnerably housed, and with active symptoms of PTSD. Participants were randomized to NET alone or NET plus a genealogical assessment. Rates of referral, consent, and retention were examined as part of feasibility. Demographic and clinical data were collected at baseline. Symptoms of PTSD, drug use, and housing status were re-assessed at follow-up visits. We conducted a thematic analysis of qualitative interviews of service providers involved in the study which explored barriers and facilitators of study participation.
Results
Twenty-two potential participants were referred to the study, with 15 consenting to participate. Of these, one was a screen failure and 14 were randomized equally to the treatment arms. One randomized participant was withdrawn for safety. Attrition occurred primarily prior to starting therapy. Once therapy began, retention was high with 80% of participants completing all six sessions. Seven participants completed all follow-up sessions. Service providers identified a clear need for the treatment and emphasized the importance of trauma-informed care, a desire to know more about NET, and more communication about the process of referral.
Conclusion
Recruiting participants who were vulnerably housed to an RCT of a trauma-based therapy was possible. Once therapy had started, participants were likely to stay engaged. We will incorporate the results of this trial into a conceptual model which we will test in a factorial study as part of the optimization phase of MOST.
Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.govNCT03781297. Registered: December 19, 2018
Collapse
|
4
|
Byrne JM, Connolly JF, MacLean SE, Beattie TL, Dooley JM, Gordon KE. Brain activity and cognitive status in pediatric patients: development of a clinical assessment protocol. J Child Neurol 2001; 16:325-32. [PMID: 11392516 DOI: 10.1177/088307380101600504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to test the validity of a new computerized task to assess children's cognitive problem-solving skills using the brain event-related potentials. This event-related potential-computerized cognitive problem-solving task does not require a child to give a verbal or motor (ie, pointing) response. The event-related potential waveforms were recorded from 20 typically developing children. Two nonverbal, problem-solving tasks (tasks 1 and 2) were developed for each of two age groups (5 and 6 years). For each task, single pictures, taken from an existing standardized test of nonverbal problem solving, were individually and sequentially presented on a computer screen. One of the seven pictures was classified as incongruent or outside category; it did not belong with the other pictures. As predicted, the event-related potential amplitudes were significantly larger to the outside- versus within-category pictures. This effect was found for tasks 1 and 2 for the 5- and 6-year-old children. Children as young as 5 years of age reliably exhibit brain activity, which can be used to infer cognitive problem-solving skill. This assessment paradigm may eventually serve as a clinically useful adjunct to a thorough neurologic and neurodevelopmental assessment of selected pediatric populations, such as those presenting with moderate-severe cerebral palsy whose expressive language and motor skills are notably impaired.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J M Byrne
- Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University School of Medicine, Halifax, NS, Canada.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Byrne JM, Connolly JF, MacLean SE, Dooley JM, Gordon KE, Beattie TL. Brain activity and language assessment using event-related potentials: development of a clinical protocol. Dev Med Child Neurol 1999; 41:740-7. [PMID: 10576638 DOI: 10.1017/s0012162299001504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
To test the validity of a new computerized task to assess children's receptive vocabulary, event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 56 typically developing children ranging in age from 5 to 12 years. This ERP-computerized vocabulary task does not require a child to give a verbal or motor (i.e. pointing) response. Single pictures, from an existing standardized test of receptive vocabulary, were presented on a computer screen and simultaneously named either correctly (congruent) or incorrectly (incongruent) via a computer. As predicted, the N400 amplitude was found to be significantly higher to the incongruent picture-word pair (i.e. the child knew it was an incorrect pairing) than to the congruent picture-word pair (i.e. the child knew it was a correct pairing). This effect was found for each of the four age groups (5 to 6 years, 7 to 8 years, 9 to 10 years, 11 to 12 years). This task accurately estimated current receptive vocabulary in typically developing children. Although still in the development stage, it may eventually serve as an adjunct to a thorough neurological and neurodevelopmental assessment of some children presenting with moderate to severe cerebral palsy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J M Byrne
- Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University School of Medicine, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|