142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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300292
Interrelationships among Social Support, Psychological Distress, and Health Status in a Louisiana SAMHSA PCBHI Demonstration

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 3:10 PM - 3:30 PM

Catherine Lemieux, MSW, PhD , School of Social Work, Louisiana State University (LSU), Baton Rouge, LA
Jamie Roques, MPH, MPA , WHNP-BC , Department of Health and Hospitals, Capital Area Human Services District, Baton Rouge, LA
Jan Kasofsky, PhD , Department of Health and Hospitals, Capital Area Human Services District, Baton Rouge, LA
Kayla Allison, MSW , School of Social Work, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
This study examined social support, psychological distress, family medical history, and health status among 125 persons SMI receiving integrated primary and behavioral health care (PBHC) services. Nurse care managers collected psychosocial data and information about participants' social support, psychological functioning, family history, health status, and health indicator data (BMI, blood pressure, lipid profile, blood glucose) at baseline.

The majority was female (67.2%) and White (60.8%), and participants were, on average, 45 years old.  Two thirds had been diagnosed with a mood disorder (66.3%). The majority of participants (40%) self-reported their overall health status as fair (M=2.5,SD=1.3, Range=1-5), which was inconsistent with health indicator data showing mean scores outside of recommended ranges on most indicators. Overall health was negatively correlated with psychological distress (r=-.25, p<.01). Total lipid levels were higher for those with a family history of diabetes (M=206.1,SD=50.0) and cardiac problems (M=206.2,SD=50.0) than for those without a history of either diabetes (M=184,SD=38.4) or cardiac problems (M=184.4, SD=39.5). Diastolic blood pressure was higher for participants with a history of hypertension (M=82.2,SD=11.5) and cardiac problems (M=83.1, SD=11.2) than for those without a family history of hypertension (M=76.1,SD=10.7) or heart problems (M=78.1,SD=11.1).  

Findings underscore the importance of obtaining a family history and ensuring that participants in integrated PBHC programs understand the importance of health indicator data and their relevance to physical health and overall wellbeing. The current study extends the knowledge base by using a diverse sample and reliable measures of key variables.

Learning Areas:

Chronic disease management and prevention
Other professions or practice related to public health
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Demonstrate knowledge about the major mental disorders and co-occurring medical conditions and disorders experienced by persons with SMI receiving integrated PBHC services. Identify 3 key features of integrated primary and behavioral health care (PBHC) programs serving persons with serious mental illness (SMI). Identify 3 reliable scales for assessing important psychosocial characteristics when providing integrated PBHC services to persons with SMI.

Keyword(s): Mental Health, Wellness

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I worked in the field of behavioral health for over 10 years before obtaining my PhD in 1995 and joining academe. Since then, my areas of research and teaching have focused on addiction, co-occurring disorders, research, and program evaluation. I currently serve as the evaluator on a SAMHSA, PBHC Integration Grant (2012-2015). I have managed data for this project since 2012 and I am in the process of disseminating findings in different scholarly venues.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.