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The present study aimed to describe the personality and psychopathology dimensions reported by veterans seeking organ transplantation, as well as to identify those dimensions associated with subsequent presurgical recommendations and transplant outcomes. Data were collected from 245 veterans undergoing a pretransplant psychological evaluation that included the MMPI-2-RF. Three treatment recommendations resulting from these evaluations, three recommendation adherence variables, and two transplant outcomes were extracted from electronic medical records. The sample's MMPI-2-RF scale scores were compared to the normative sample and two other presurgical samples and contrasted across subgroups defined by organ transplanted. Point-biserial correlations and logistic regression analyses examined associations between MMPI-2-RF scale scores and the eight measured outcomes. Results indicated that over-reporting, internalizing tendencies, negative emotionality, and a lack of positive emotions were uniquely predictive of mental health treatment recommendation, whereas somatic over-reporting, externalizing tendencies, and disinhibition were predictive of substance use treatment recommendation. Veterans who reported higher levels of activation were less likely to initiate mental health treatment. Finally, veterans with greater somatic preoccupation were less likely to be listed for organ transplant. More suspicious and mistrustful veterans were less likely to receive the transplant. These findings offer support for the role of the MMPI-2-RF in veteran pretransplant evaluations.

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Although the majority of mental health conditions are treated in primary care, treatment provided in this setting is often inadequate. In response to this problem, integrated mental health programs were created to enhance direct patient care and increase support for primary care providers. Data on the efficacy of these programs have suggested improved access, treatment outcomes, and patient satisfaction. However, infrequently examined is how interaction with integrated mental health providers impacts completion of referrals to specialty mental health (SMH) programs for patients whose treatment needs are too severe to treat in primary care alone. The current study examined referral acceptance rates among a veteran population at a large Midwest Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center. Results found that completion rates to SMH following integrated mental health contact (87.1%) were higher than published comparisons (32% in 1 study). It was found that a large proportion of these veterans maintained continued attendance to SMH treatment at 1- and 6-month follow-up (88.9% and 71.9%, respectively). Finally, data also suggest that only a small amount of contact (5 or more minutes) was needed to significantly increase the likelihood of SMH referral success but was not related to improved continued attendance in treatment at follow-up intervals. Clinical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

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The cultural equivalence of psychological outcome measures remains a major area of investigation. The current study sought to test the factor structure and factorial invariance of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) with a sample of adult individuals of Mexican descent (N=923) across nativity status (U.S.- vs. foreign-born), language format (English vs. Spanish), and gender. The results show that 1-factor and 3-factor measurement models provided a good fit to the data; however, a single-factor model was deemed more appropriate and parsimonious. Tests of measurement invariance and invariance of factor variances (i.e., structural invariance) indicated at least partial measurement invariance across gender, nativity status, and language format. These findings suggest that the BSI-18 operates in a similar fashion among adults of Mexican descent regardless of nativity status, language format of the survey, and gender. Clinical and practical implications for use of the BSI-18 with Latino populations are discussed.

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This study sought to examine the moderating effect of ethnic identity exploration and ethnic identity commitment on the various types of discrimination and psychological distress within a sample of Latino adults (N = 397). The results revealed that ethnic identity exploration was associated with increased psychological distress within the context of discrimination in work, academic, and public settings. Ethnic identity commitment, on the other hand, served as a buffer between covert discrimination and mental health. These findings highlight the circumstances in which ethnic identity functioned as a protective and as a risk factor in the psychological distress of Latinos. The implications are discussed within a stress and coping framework and outline directions for future research.

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