Richard E Adams | Kent State University (original) (raw)

Papers by Richard E Adams

Open Journal of Social Sciences, 2019

Our study examines how the fear of violence and family support influence adolescent social, psych... more Our study examines how the fear of violence and family support influence adolescent social, psychological, and physical well-being, after controlling for exposure to violence and a range of demographic factors. We conduct a secondary analysis of the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) data (N = 1337) using mixed-effect, multi-level regression models for the total sample and for males only and females only samples. We find that family support is the most robust, main effects predictor in all three models and across all outcomes. Our analyses show that the fear of violence is associated with increases in social problems (especially for boys) and with decreases in self-rated health. We discuss the results and implications in light of sociological theories on the health and well-being of adolescents.

Community mental health journal, Jan 26, 2015

This study examines the prevalence of comorbid physical health conditions within a community samp... more This study examines the prevalence of comorbid physical health conditions within a community sample of individuals with severe mental illness (SMI), compares them to a matched national sample without SMI, and identifies which comorbidities create the greatest disease burden for those with SMI. Self-reported health status, co-morbid medical conditions and perceived disease burden were collected from 203 adults with SMI. Prevalence of chronic health conditions was compared to a propensity-matched sample without SMI from the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication (NCS-R). Compared to NCS-R sample without SMI, our sample with SMI had a higher prevalence of seven out of nine categories of chronic health conditions. Chronic pain and headaches, as well as the number of chronic conditions, were associated with increased disease burden for individuals with SMI. Further investigation of possible interventions, including effective pain management, is needed to improve the health status of thi...

Psychiatry: Interpersonal and Biological Processes, 2005

A number of studies have assessed the association between race and ethnicity and psychological he... more A number of studies have assessed the association between race and ethnicity and psychological health status following exposure to a stressful event. However, some of these studies indicate racial and ethnic minorities have poorer mental health relative to Whites, while others show no differences or that minorities may actually have better psychological health. One year after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, we collected data on a random sample of city residents (N = 2368). The dependent variables were posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), PTSD symptom severity, major depression, panic attack, and general physical and mental well-being. We categorized our respondents as Non-Hispanic White, Non-Hispanic African American, Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Other Hispanics. Bivariate results indicated racial/ethnic differences for PTSD symptom severity, depression, general physical and mental health, and panic attack. Using logistic regression and controlling for possible confounding factors, most of these associations were rendered nonsignificant. That is, we found no post-disaster racial/ethnic differences for PTSD, PTSD symptom severity, or physical health. African Americans and Other Hispanics were less likely to meet criteria for major depression or to be classified as unhealthy on the self-report SF-12 mental health scale compared to Whites. Only for panic attack were African Americans and Puerto Ricans more likely to meet criteria for this outcome. Thus, our study found little support for the hypothesis that Latinos or African Americans consistently suffered from poorer psychological and physical well-being in the aftermath of traumatic events, relative to Whites.

Military Medical Research, 2020

Background The majority of Veterans Affair (VA) hospitals are in urban areas. We examined whether... more Background The majority of Veterans Affair (VA) hospitals are in urban areas. We examined whether veterans residing in rural areas have lower mental health service use and poorer mental health status. Methods Veterans with at least 1 warzone deployment in central and northeastern Pennsylvania were randomly selected for an interview. Mental health status, including PTSD, major depression, alcohol abuse and mental health global severity, were assessed using structured interviews. Psychiatric service use was based on self-reported utilization in the past 12 months. Results were compared between veterans residing in rural and non-rural areas. Data were also analyzed using multivariate logistic regression to minimize the influence by confounding factors. Results A total of 1730 subjects (55% of the eligible veterans) responded to the survey and 1692 of them had complete geocode information. Those that did not have this information (n = 38), were excluded from some analyses. Veterans resi...

Military behavioral health, May 19, 2017

Using a stress process model, the authors examined social and psychological resources to better u... more Using a stress process model, the authors examined social and psychological resources to better understand mental health outcomes among veterans. For this study, we surveyed 700 U.S. veterans who were outpatients in the Geisinger Health System. Independent variables included demographic factors, stressful and traumatic events, social support measures, and psychosocial factors. Using logistic regression, the authors examined 4 types of social connections: social support, help-seeking support, social capital, and other mental health support to predict mental health outcomes, including posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, suicide ideation, alcohol misuse, mental health service use, and Veterans Affairs service use. Results suggested that helpseeking support since deployment was a risk factor for 5 adverse outcomes, whereas social support was protective for 1 outcome. We concluded that high levels of help-seeking support since deployment among veterans was associated with a higher prevalence of mental health problems. These findings were unexpected and suggest the need for additional social support-related research among veterans.

Crime & Delinquency, Jul 1, 2002

The limited amount of research on the impact of community-oriented policing (COP) on officer atti... more The limited amount of research on the impact of community-oriented policing (COP) on officer attitudes toward their jobs has been conducted in large cities. In the present study, we analyze survey data from 285 nonsupervisory officers in six small to midsize law enforcement agencies to examine how COP training and COP officer designation is associated with attitudes toward COP principles, support for COP, and job satisfaction. Results indicate that community police officers spend more time engaged in COP-related activities, are more supportive of COP methods and goals, more supportive of organizational changes necessary to implement COP, and more satisfied with their jobs when compared to traditional officers. In addition, officers who perceived their department as having a participatory management style were more positive about community policing and more satisfied with their jobs. Surprisingly, a large majority of traditional officers also supported COP goals and the transition to COP in their departments.

PubMed, 2004

Experience suggests that individuals working in the caring and psychotherapeutic professions are ... more Experience suggests that individuals working in the caring and psychotherapeutic professions are among those to provide mental health services to disaster victims suffering from psychological trauma following catastrophic events. Yet, few studies have focused on the emotional exhaustion from working with such clients, referred to as compassion fatigue (CF) in this study, and how CF differs from other occupational hazards, such as secondary trauma (ST) and job burnout. In the present study, we used recently validated scales to predict ST and job burnout related to providing services to those affected by the World Trade Center (WTC) attacks. Our study data were based on a random survey of 236 social workers living in New York City (NYC), over 80% of which reported being involved in post-WTC disaster counseling efforts. Our analyses indicated that controlling for demographic factors, years of counseling, and personal trauma history, ST was positively associated with WTC recovery involvement (p <. 001) and negatively associated with having a supportive work environment (p < . 01). In contrast, job burnout was negatively associated with having a supportive work environment (p < .01), but not associated with WTC involvement or WTC counseling efforts. We discuss these results in light of future conceptual and empirical research needs.

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 2006

Few studies have focused on caring professionals and their emotional exhaustion from working with... more Few studies have focused on caring professionals and their emotional exhaustion from working with traumatized clients, referred to as compassion fatigue (CF). The present study had 2 goals: (a) to assess the psychometric properties of a CF scale, and (b) to examine the scale's predictive validity in a multivariate model. The data came from a survey of social workers living in New York City following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Factor analyses indicated that the CF scale measured multiple dimensions. After overlapping items were eliminated, the scale measured 2 key underlying dimensions-secondary trauma and job burnout. In a multivariate model, these dimensions were related to psychological distress, even after other risk factors were controlled. The authors discuss the results in light of increasing the ability of professional caregivers to meet the emotional needs of their clients within a stressful environment without experiencing CF.

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per res... more Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing this collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports (0704-0188),

Journal of The American Planning Association, Mar 31, 2001

Abstract Community policing programs are being embraced by police departments across the country,... more Abstract Community policing programs are being embraced by police departments across the country, and this has important implications for planners. Community police officers are being asked to engage in broad-based community problem solving and are adopting many of the goals and methods of community development planning. This article presents a definition of community policing and provides examples of community policing programs in two cities, Asheville and Greensboro, North Carolina. It also identifies the benefits of cooperation between planners and community police officers and presents findings from a research project on the implementation and impacts of community policing in the cities studied. Specific examples of how planners and community police officers have worked together to improve the quality of life in urban neighborhoods are also provided. The article concludes with a discussion of some of the obstacles to cooperation between planners and community police officers and how they can be overcome.

American journal of disaster medicine, Apr 1, 2014

Disasters, Jun 9, 2009

The relationship between exposure to the World Trade Center (WTC) attacks, increased sub stance u... more The relationship between exposure to the World Trade Center (WTC) attacks, increased sub stance use, functional impairment and mental health service use, controlling for depression and posttraumatic stress disorder, was assessed through an inschool survey of directly exposed stu dents (N = 1040) attending the five middle and five high schools nearest the WTC. The survey was conducted 18 months after the attacks. Students with one WTC exposure risk factor had a fivefold increase in substance use, while those with three or more exposure risks had a nearly 19fold increase. Increased substance use was associated with impaired school work, school behav iour and grades. Students reporting increased substance use were nearly twice as likely to want help but were no more likely than asymptomatic students to receive services. Adolescents reporting increased substance use, without comorbidity, were less likely to receive psychological services than others. Attention to the needs of substanceusing adolescents exposed to disaster is needed.

Research Square (Research Square), Dec 7, 2019

Background: This study focuses on factors that may affect female veterans' mental health, compare... more Background: This study focuses on factors that may affect female veterans' mental health, compared to men, and is part of a large study assessing the prevalence of mental health disorders and treatment seeking among formerly deployed US military service members. Methods: We surveyed a random sample of 1,730 veterans who were patients in a large non-VA hospital system in the US. Based on previous research, women were hypothesized to be at higher risk for psychological problems. We adjusted our models for confounding factors, including history of childhood abuse, combat exposure, stressful life events, alcohol misuse, psychological resources, and social support. Results: Among the veterans studied, 5% (N=85) were female, 96% were White, 22.9% were Iraq/Afghanistan veterans, and the mean age was 59 years old. Compared to males, female veterans were younger, unmarried, college graduates, have less combat exposure, but more likely to have lifetime PTSD (29% vs. 12%.), lifetime depression (46% vs. 21%), and lifetime suicide ideation (27% vs. 11%). Females were more likely to have low psychological resilience and use psychotropic medicines and psychiatric services in the past year. Using multivariate logistic regression analyses that controlled for risk and protective factors, female veterans had greater risk for lifetime PTSD, lifetime depression, and lifetime suicidal thoughts, compared to men. Since the 95% of the population in this study were men and these results may have been statistically biased, we reran our analyses using propensity score matching. The results were the same. Conclusion: Using a sample of post-deployment veterans receiving services from a non-VA healthcare system, we nd that female veterans are at greater risk for lifetime psychological problems, compared to male veterans. We discuss these ndings and their implications for service providers. Background Currently, women are one the fastest growing demographic groups in the military, and the proportion of female military service members and veterans is at its highest level ever in the United States and other industrialized countries. 1,2 Although women currently comprise only 17% of US active duty forces, this percentage is expected to grow. Growth is even greater in the National Guard/Reserve component of the US military. Given current trends, by 2042, women veterans in the US will comprise over 16% of the total veteran population. 1 These trends are even more pronounced in other advanced industrial countries. 3,4 Thus, it is critical that we conduct research on factors affecting the well-being of women serving in the armed forces. The goal of this research project is to assess both military deployment factors and post-deployment experiences that may contribute to lifetime psychological disorders, especially Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), in female veterans, post-deployment, compared to their male counterparts, in order to plan better interventions. Based on previous research, we hypothesize that female veterans receiving healthcare will have higher rates of PTSD and other mental health problems, compared to male veterans. This hypothesis is tentative, however, as research on sex differences in psychological problems among veterans is inconsistent. Some research reports similar combat experiences and stress exposures for men and women among active duty military personnel and few sex differences in rates of mental health problems. 5, 6 Other research shows that women's military experiences and their response to those experiences are often different from men's, placing them at higher risk for psychological problems. 3, 7−9 For example, women experience signi cantly more sexual harassment and sexual assault prior to and during military service. 3, 10 Finally, some research nds that male veterans are at greater psychological risk for mental health problems. 11 Our analysis examines if (1) trauma experiences (both military and non-military) and psychological well-being differ between male and female veterans and (2) if we can explain the well-being differences using multivariate statistical analysis controlling for confounding and other risk factors. Possible reasons for these sex differences include exposure to different types of trauma, genetics, emotional learning, gender socialization, and memory processing. 2 Many of the inconsistent results related to sex differences found in empirical studies of US veterans are also seen in studies of veterans from other industrialized countries. In their study of Canadian veterans, Brunet et al. (2015) report that females were less likely to experience combat related traumas, but more likely to suffer from sexual assaults compared to male Canadian veterans. 3 Like some US studies, 7 female Canadian veterans were also more likely to meet criteria for PTSD than male Canadian veterans. Woodhead et al., in contrast, report few mental health differences between male and female UK veterans, although these results may be due to the relatively few women in the sample. 4 Much of the previous research on deployment and veteran well-being analyze data from veterans seeking services from the US Veterans Administration (VA), 11−13 or other government funded healthcare systems. 4 Our sample, in contrast, comes from a community population of veterans receiving healthcare from a large non-VA system, since many veterans in the US do not use VA healthcare services and recent policy changes will likely increase the number of veterans seeking care from other providers in the future. 14−16 It should be noted, however, that many participants in our study also receive healthcare from the VA. Thus, this study provides insight into a population of veterans that may overlap with VA-based samples, but is different from those used in previous studies. Seeking treatment outside of traditional military healthcare systems may also inform policy planning in other countries to the extent that their military institutions are undergoing change and veterans are seeking care in the civilian healthcare system. Methods Procedure Data were collected via a telephone survey from a sample of community-based U.S. military veterans recruited to assess the health effects of military service. 15 All participants were outpatients of Geisinger Clinic, the largest multi-hospital system in central and northeastern Pennsylvania (see: www.geisinger.org), serving more than 3 million residents. Starting in 2007, Geisinger Clinic began to keep records on veteran status and patients were asked to complete a military history questionnaire. Participants were randomly selected using Geisinger's Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. We excluded

Journal of Criminal Justice, 2005

Although past research in large urban areas showed that community-oriented policing (COP) had a p... more Although past research in large urban areas showed that community-oriented policing (COP) had a positive effect on citizens' views of the police and their neighborhood, very little was known about its impact on citizen perceptions in smaller cities. In the present study, multiple-regression was used to analyze survey data from 524 respondents in five small cities or towns in North