Louanne Davis - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Louanne Davis

International Journal of Yoga, 2021

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may occur after a traumatic event and has delete... more Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may occur after a traumatic event and has deleterious effects on individuals, including decreased quality of life and function. Yoga is an intervention that may help with the management of PTSD symptoms, however yoga interventions in research studies frequently only include postures and breathwork, not all eight limbs of yoga. Aims and Objectives: The aims of this qualitative study was to examine whether participants with PTSD in a group yoga program discussed the benefits of yoga in a way that represented the eight limbs of yoga, when answering questions about their experience of the yoga program. Methods: Qualitative data were collected after participants completed a 16-week yoga intervention. Qualitative data were collected via survey, reviewed, coded, and categorized into themes representing each of the eight limbs of yoga. Results: Overall, 108 people were randomized to the yoga intervention and 67 individuals completed the intervention and follow up questions used in these analyses. The mean age of the 67 participants in this study was 52.4 years (±12.0), the majority were male (70.2%), and most had combat-related trauma (62.7%). All eight limbs of yoga were represented in the data, including each of the five yamas and niyamas, even though the yoga intervention did not explicitly include Sanskrit terms, definitions, or education about yoga philosophy or the eight limbs of yoga. Conclusion: Results may indicate that yoga, even when only including postures, breathwork, intentions, and relaxation/meditation, may still address all of the yamas, niyamas, and the other eight limbs of yoga.

Abstract—Despite wishing to return to productive activity, many individuals with schizophrenia en... more Abstract—Despite wishing to return to productive activity, many individuals with schizophrenia enter rehabilitation with severe doubts about their abilities. Negative beliefs in schizo-phrenia have been linked with poorer employment outcome. Accordingly, in this paper, we describe efforts to synthesize vocational and cognitive behavior therapy interventions into a 6-month manualized program to assist persons with schizo-phrenia spectrum disorders overcome negative beliefs and meet vocational goals. This program, the Indianapolis Voca-tional Intervention Program (IVIP), includes weekly group and individual interventions and is intended as an adjunct to work therapy programs. The IVIP was initially developed over a year of working with 20 participants with Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-I (SCID-I) confirmed diagnoses of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disor-

Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 2020

OBJECTIVE Although yoga shows promise as a treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), th... more OBJECTIVE Although yoga shows promise as a treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there are few randomized controlled trials that demonstrate significant benefits for individuals with PTSD. The present study addresses this need by comparing the effects of a holistic yoga program (HYP) to that of a wellness lifestyle program (WLP) on PTSD symptom severity with a randomized clinical trial. METHOD The sample consisted of 209 participants (91.4% veterans; 66% male; 61.7% White) who met diagnostic criteria for PTSD at baseline. Participants were randomly assigned to attend one of the 2 weekly interventions for 16 weeks. The HYP consisted of yoga instruction, while the WLP consisted of didactics, discussions, and walking. PTSD severity was measured using the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5) and the PTSD Checklist (PCL-5). RESULTS Analyses revealed that the HYP reduced PTSD severity measured by the CAPS-5 significantly more than the WLP at treatment end (mean difference = -5.4, effect size = 0.46, p < .001), but not at 7-month follow up (mean difference = -0.9, p = .603). Similarly, the HYP reduced PTSD severity measured by the PCL-5 significantly more than the WLP at treatment end (difference = -6.0, p = .001), but not at 7-month follow up (mean difference = -1.0, p = .682). CONCLUSION Yoga may be an effective intervention for PTSD in addition to standard treatments. Future yoga trials should consider adding a social component to interventions or booster classes to maintain effects long term. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Community Mental Health Journal, 2019

Psychiatry Research, 2016

Deficits in metacognition have been proposed as a barrier to adaptive responding to trauma. Howev... more Deficits in metacognition have been proposed as a barrier to adaptive responding to trauma. However, little is known about how different aspects of metacognitive capacity relate to responses to trauma and whether their potential link to such responses is independent of the overall level of psychopathology. To explore both issues, negative trauma-related cognitions about the self, the world, and self-blame, as measured by the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI), were correlated with concurrent measures of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, and two forms of metacognition; the Metacognitions questionnaire (MCQ-30), which focuses on specific thoughts, and the Metacognition Assessment Scale Abbreviated (MAS-A) which focuses on the degree to which persons can form complex representations of self and other. Participants were 51 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who had a PTSD diagnosis primarily involving a combat-related index trauma. Correlations revealed that being younger and more depressed were linked with greater levels of negative cognitions about self and the world. Lower levels of self-reflectivity on the MAS-A and higher levels of cognitive self-consciousness on the MCQ-30 were uniquely related to greater levels of self-blame even after controlling for age, level of depression, and PTSD. Implications for research and treatment are discussed.

Acta Neuropsychiatrica

Objective: Although yoga shows some promise as an intervention for PTSD, little is known about ho... more Objective: Although yoga shows some promise as an intervention for PTSD, little is known about how yoga reduces PTSD symptoms. The current study hypothesized that aspects of interoceptive awareness would mediate the effect of a yoga intervention on PTSD symptoms. Methods: We used data from our recently completed randomized controlled trial of a 16-week holistic yoga program for Veterans and civilians diagnosed with PTSD (N= 141) that offered weekly 90-minute sessions. We conducted a mediation analysis using interoceptive awareness and other variables that were associated with PTSD symptom reduction at mid-treatment and treatment end. Results: Although measures of anxiety, interoceptive awareness, and spirituality were identified in individual mediator models, they were no longer found to be significant mediators when examined jointly in multiple mediator models. When examining the multiple mediator models, the strongest mediator of the yoga intervention on PTSD symptoms was mental w...

Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 2021

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have welldocumented relat... more Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have welldocumented relationship problems and many wish to include their intimate partners in treatment. This pilot study randomly assigned 46 couples (Veterans with clinicianadministered PTSD scale confirmed PTSD diagnosis and their intimate partners) to one of two groups. The treatment group received a modified mindfulness-based version of cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for PTSD (CBCT; Monson & Fredman, 2012) that included all three phases of the mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral conjoint therapy (MB-CBCT). The control group received a modified version of CBCT that included communication skills training from Phases 1 and 2 of CBCT (CBCT-CS) without PTSDspecific content. Modified CBCT Phases 1 and 2 content was delivered to both groups Louanne

Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 1989

A home school is the one a student with severe intellectual disabilities would attend if he or sh... more A home school is the one a student with severe intellectual disabilities would attend if he or she were not disabled. A clustered school is a regular school attended by an unnaturally large proportion of students with intellectual disabilities, but it is not the one any or most would attend if they were not labeled disabled. Students who have severe intellectual disabilities should attend home schools so that (a) all children can be prepared to function in a pluralistic society; (b) the most meaningful and individually appropriate instructional environments and activities can be used; (c) parents, guardians, brothers, and sisters can have reasonable access to schools and services; and (d) a wide range of social relationships with students and others who are not disabled can be developed, maintained, and enhanced over long periods of time. The individualized educational program (IEP) of each student should include individually determined kinds and amounts of instruction in chronologi...

Journal of trauma & dissociation : the official journal of the International Society for the Study of Dissociation (ISSD), Jan 26, 2015

Among persons with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the severity of symptoms and concurrent ... more Among persons with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the severity of symptoms and concurrent distress are not fully explained by trauma severity. Interest has consequently arisen in the psychological processes that cause distress and heighten PTSD symptoms. This study accordingly sought to examine whether differences in metacognitive capacity are related to levels of emotional distress, avoidance/numbing, and hyperarousal. Participants were 48 adults with a confirmed diagnosis of PTSD. Comparison groups included 51 adults with HIV and 183 with schizophrenia. Metacognition, emotion recognition, depression, and emotional distress and levels of avoidance/numbing and hyperarousal were assessed concurrently using the Metacognition Assessment Scale-Abbreviated, the Bell Lysaker Emotion Recognition Test , the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale. Results revealed that the PTSD group had better ratings of overall metacognitive capacity than the schizophre...

Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 2008

While much has been written about the benefits of CBT for persons with schizophrenia, little has ... more While much has been written about the benefits of CBT for persons with schizophrenia, little has been published to date exploring participant evaluations of these programs. This paper reports on participant evaluations of such a program. Forty-four participants with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were surveyed regarding their satisfaction with a 6-month weekly group and individual CBT intervention developed as an adjunct to work therapy or the control condition support group during a randomized controlled feasibility study. Results suggest that all participants, those receiving the CBT intervention and the support group, were satisfied with their program, on average rating the program between &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;good&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; and &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;excellent.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; However, in comparison, the CBT intervention was associated with greater participant satisfaction than support alone, particularly the perception of the overall quality of services and assistance with problem-solving. It appears that participant evaluations can function as a source of useful data for evaluation of CBT interventions for persons who have schizophrenia. However, further study is needed to more fully identify and understand aspects of CBT that participants with schizophrenia evaluate as particularly positive or negative and to explore acceptable trade-offs among them.

The Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 2008

Hopelessness is a widely observed barrier to recovery from schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Yet ... more Hopelessness is a widely observed barrier to recovery from schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Yet little is known about how clinical, social, and psychological factors independently affect hope. Additionally, the relationships that exist between these factors and different kinds of hope are unclear. To explore both issues, we correlated two aspects of hope, expectations of the future and agency, with stigma, clinical symptoms, anxiety, and coping preferences in 143 persons with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder. Multiple regressions revealed that hope for the future was predicted by lesser alienation, lesser preference for ignoring stressors, and lesser emotional discomfort and negative symptoms, accounting for 43% of the variance. A greater sense of agency was linked to lesser endorsement of mental illness stereotypes, fewer negative symptoms, lesser social phobia, and lesser preference for ignoring stressors, accounting for 44% of the variance. Implications for research and interventions are discussed.

The Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 2005

Despite wishing to return to productive activity, many individuals with schizophrenia enter rehab... more Despite wishing to return to productive activity, many individuals with schizophrenia enter rehabilitation with severe doubts about their abilities. Negative beliefs in schizophrenia have been linked with poorer employment outcome. Accordingly, in this paper, we describe efforts to synthesize vocational and cognitive behavior therapy interventions into a 6-month manualized program to assist persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorders overcome negative beliefs and meet vocational goals. This program, the Indianapolis Vocational Intervention Program (IVIP), includes weekly group and individual interventions and is intended as an adjunct to work therapy programs. The IVIP was initially developed over a year of working with 20 participants with Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-I (SCID-I) confirmed diagnoses of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who were actively engaged in 20 hours a week of work activity. For this paper, we explain the development of the treatment manual and the group and individual interventions and present case examples that illustrate how persons with severe mental illness might utilize the manualized intervention.

The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 2006

While changes in self-experience have been suggested as an element of recovery from schizophrenia... more While changes in self-experience have been suggested as an element of recovery from schizophrenia, little is known about how they are linked with other subjective indicators of recovery. To examine this, we have developed methods of eliciting narratives of self and illness in schizophrenia and quantitatively rating selfexperience expressed within those narratives. In this study, we rated the narratives of 34 persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorder prior to entry into rehabilitation using the Scale to Assess Narrative Development (STAND). STAND scores were then correlated with concurrent assessments of self-esteem using the Rosenberg Self Esteem schedule and readiness for change using the Stages of Change Questionnaire. Results indicated that higher ratings on the STAND were associated with greater levels of self-esteem and greater overall readiness for change. This may suggest that qualities of self-experience within personal narratives of persons with schizophrenia are linked to objective and subjective assessments of recovery.

American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, 2010

Mindfulness meditation training has been found to be helpful across a range of mental and physica... more Mindfulness meditation training has been found to be helpful across a range of mental and physical health conditions. Research testing mindfulness-based interventions in the psychiatric rehabilitation context has been rare, however-possibly due to concerns about the potential for exacerbation of psychotic symptoms during meditation practice. Fifteen individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders participated in a pilot study testing a mindfulness-based intervention to reduce anxiety. In this

Schizophrenia Research, 2010

Psychiatry research, Jul 1, 2018

Self-stigma is the internalization of negative societal stereotypes about those with mental illne... more Self-stigma is the internalization of negative societal stereotypes about those with mental illnesses. While self-stigma has been carefully characterized in severe mental disorders, like schizophrenia, the field has yet to examine the prevalence and correlates of self-stigma in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Thus, we assessed self-stigma in veterans diagnosed with PTSD and compared with veterans with schizophrenia. We further examined associations between PTSD, depressive symptoms and self-stigma in the PTSD sample. Data came from two larger studies of people with PTSD (n = 46) and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (n = 82). All participants completed the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (ISMIS). Results revealed that people with schizophrenia report more experiences of discrimination as a result of stigma than do those with PTSD, but these diagnostic groups did not differ for other subscales. In the PTSD group, feelings of alienation positively correlated with PTS...

Journal of mental health (Abingdon, England), Jan 26, 2018

Anger experience and expression are a common issue in those experiencing PTSD. However, it remain... more Anger experience and expression are a common issue in those experiencing PTSD. However, it remains unclear what variables affect anger and its expression in PTSD. To explore the relationships of synthetic forms of metacognition and metacognitive beliefs with anger experience and expression in PTSD, independent of the effects hyperarousal and depression symptoms. Participants were 51 veterans with diagnosed with PTSD. Metacognition was assessed using the Metacognition Assessment Scale-Abbreviated (MAS-A) and the Metacognitions Questionnaire (MCQ). Depression, PTSD symptom severity, and seven domains of anger expression were also assessed. Correlations showed after controlling for overall levels of hyperarousal, higher MAS-A total scores were related to lower levels of State Anger, Feeling Angry, Expressing Anger Physically, and Anger Expression in. Lower MCQ scores were related to lower State anger, Expressing anger verbally, and Expressing anger physically. Higher levels of depressi...

Psychiatric Services, 2016

Prior research found preliminary effectiveness for Burnout Reduction: Enhanced Awareness, Tools, ... more Prior research found preliminary effectiveness for Burnout Reduction: Enhanced Awareness, Tools, Handouts, and Education (BREATHE), a daylong workshop for reducing burnout among behavioral health providers. Using a longer follow-up compared with prior research, this study compared the effectiveness of BREATHE and a control condition. Methods: Behavioral health providers (N=145) from three U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facilities and two social service agencies were randomly assigned to BREATHE or person-centered treatment planning. Burnout and other outcomes were compared across groups over time. Results: Analyses yielded no significant differences between groups. However, BREATHE participants showed small but statistically significant improvements in cynicism (six weeks) and in emotional exhaustion and positive expectations for clients (six months). Participants in the control condition showed no significant changes over time. Conclusions: Although it did not demonstrate comparative effectiveness versus a control condition, BREATHE could be strengthened and targeted toward both distressed providers and their organizations.

Research has indicated that many with schizophrenia experience deficits in metacognitive capacity... more Research has indicated that many with schizophrenia experience deficits in metacognitive capacity, defined as impairments in the ability to think about thinking. These difficulties are related to, but not reducible to symptoms and have been hypothesized to function as an independent impediment to psychosocial function. To explore the possibility that deficits in one domain of metacognition, self-reflectivity, are a barrier to effective work function, 56 participants with schizophrenia were categorized into three groups according to their capacity for self reflection based on an interview conducted prior to accepting a job placement. Blind ratings of work performance of these three groups over the next six months were then compared. Results of repeated measures ANOVA revealed that the group rated as having the highest level of metacognition, that is, able to see that their conclusions are subjective and fallible, had higher ratings of work performance over time than groups with mediu...