Park, Juyoung

Chronic pain is highly prevalent in older adults and often negatively
associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study
compared HRQoL, including physical health and mental health, in
persons of differing ethnicities, and identified factors associated with
pain intensity and HRQoL in ethnically diverse older adults. Older
adults with chronic pain from four ethnic groups (African Americans,
Afro-Caribbeans, Hispanics, and European Americans) were recruited
from the Florida Atlantic University Healthy Aging Research Initiative
(HARI) registry. The Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36
(SF-36) was used to evaluate HRQoL, including functional status,
emotional well-being, and social functioning. Of 593 persons in the
four ethnic groups in the registry, 174 met the inclusion criteria (pain
level of four or higher on an 11-point scale, lasting 3 months or
longer). Among these 174, African Americans reported the highest
level of pain intensity, followed by Afro-Caribbeans, Hispanics, and
European Americans. Hispanics reported the highest physical health
scores and the lowest mental health scores. In contrast, African
Americans reported the highest mental health scores and the lowest
physical health scores. Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed
that ethnicity, lower physical health scores, and lower mental
health scores were significantly (p # .01) associated with pain intensity.
Understanding ethnic variations in response to pain intensity
may address gaps in knowledge about HRQoL to reduce disparities in
optimal care. Health care providers should consider ethnic norms and
cultural diversity to provide optimal interventions for this population.

Addiction is a pervasive health and economic issue in the United States. Eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured and client-centered intervention that can be a useful addition to a comprehensive treatment plan for clients with substance use disorder. However, little research has explored EMDR and its effects on addiction. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the feasibility of conducting EMDR and to test its effects on cravings and perseverations associated with addiction and irrational cognitions related to addiction compared to treatment as usual (TAU).
This study used a two-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) design with an experimental group (EMDR + TAU) and a control group (TAU only). With nonprobability convenience sampling, participants were recruited from a residential program or a partial hospitalization program (PHP) with AION Health Group in Palm Beach County, Florida. Thirty participants at the treatment center were randomly assigned 1:1 to either the experimental group (n = 15) or the control group (n = 15). The control group received TAU, comprised of weekly individual and group therapy sessions. The reliability of each instrument for measuring outcome variables showed high internal consistency reliability, with Cronbach’s α > .90.

This pilot study evaluated the feasibility of having older adults with dementia participate in a nonpharmacological treatment—chair yoga, chair-based exercise, or participatory music intervention—and assessed the effects of the interventions on physical, behavioral and psychological symptoms, general quality of life, and sleep patterns throughout the course of the study. The study employed a three-arm cluster-randomized, longitudinal design. Sites were randomly assigned 1:1:1 to chair yoga, chair-based exercise, or music intervention. Twenty-seven participants completed 24 sessions in 12 weeks. We administered evaluation measures at baseline, midline (6 weeks), and post intervention (12 weeks). Repeated-measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted to examine group differences at the collection points, controlling for baseline variability (i.e., gender, age, race/ethnicity) in outcomes.