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Self-care practices maintain strong professional functioning and decrease risk of burnout and exhaustion. Limited research has examined how these practices are learned and practiced by graduate students. The current study examined self-care-related policies and practices in psychology graduate education, focusing on clinical psychology doctoral programs associated with the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology. For all member programs, departmental and/or clinical training area handbook(s) were evaluated for a mention of terms related to self-care. Of 177 programs sampled, handbooks were available online for 136 (76.8%) of them; of these, 15 (11.0%) had an available general psychology department handbook that referenced self-care and 44 (32.4%) had an available clinical psychology training area handbook with such a reference. A simple reference to psychotherapy or mental health services for impaired students was the most common self-care theme observed. Given these findings, and the importance of self-care practices to the professional psychologist, it is suggested that graduate programs adopt clearly articulated and readily accessible self-care statements as well as institutionalized self-care practices that are encouraged and/or supported by faculty and administration. A call to action urges psychology training programs to consider initiating a shift from cultures of self-care that are reactive in nature to ones that instead are proactive and preventive, with a focus on wellness. . P a t r ic ia M. B a m o n t i earned her MS in clinical psychology from West Virginia University. She currently is a doctoral candidate in the Depart ment of Psychology at West Virginia University. Fler research interests include late life depression and suicide.C o l l e e n M. K e e l a n earned her MS in clinical psychology from West Virginia University. She currently is a doctoral candidate at West Virginia University. Fler areas of professional interest include forensic psychology, court-mandated evaluations, and assessment and treatment of juvenile sex offenders.N ic h o l a s L a r s o n earned his MA in psychology from Minnesota State University, Mankato. He currently is a behavior specialist with the Positive Behavior Support Project through West Virginia University's Center for Excellence in Disabilities in Morgantown, West Virginia. His professional interests include individual and family adjustment to chronic stress, illness, and disability; video modeling of social behavior; and instructional meth ods for training primary care, residential care, and educational staff. J a n e l l e M. M e n t r ik o s k i earned her MS in clinical psychology from West Virginia University. She is currently a doctoral candidate in the Department of Psychology at West Virginia University. Her areas of professional interest include adjustment to pediatric chronic injuries, de velopment of programs for the prevention of bum injuries, and interven tions to improve treatment outcomes in pediatric populations. C a m e r o n L. ...

The aim of this review is to investigate the growth of diversity and inclusion in global academic dental research with a focus on gender equality. A diverse range of research methodologies were used to conduct this review, including an extensive review of the literature, engagement of key informants in dental academic leadership positions around the world, and review of current data from a variety of national and international organizations. Results provide evidence of gender inequalities that currently persist in dental academics and research. Although the gender gap among graduating dental students in North America and the two most populous countries in Europe (the United Kingdom and France) has been narrowed, women make up 30% to 40% of registered dentists in countries throughout Europe, Oceania, Asia, and Africa. In academic dentistry around the globe, greater gender inequality was found to correlate with higher ranking academic and leadership positions in the United States, United Kingdom, several countries in European Union, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. Further disparities are noted in the dental research sector, where women make up 33% of dental researchers in the European Union, 35% in North America, 55% in Brazil, and 25% in Japan. Family and societal pressures, limited access to research funding, and lack of mentoring and leadership training opportunities are reported as also contributing to gender inequalities. To continue advancing gender equality in dental academia and research, efforts should be geared toward the collection and public dissemination of data on gender-specific distributions. Such evidence-driven information will guide the selection of future strategies and best practices for promoting gender equity in the dental workforce, which provides a major pipeline of researchers and scholars for the dental profession.

Background Gagging is a behavioral response that interferes with oral health care and has been suggested to relate to dental care-related fear. Little is known, however, about the epidemiology of gagging during dental treatment. Methods To explore this phenomenon, 478 participants were recruited from the waiting area of an oral diagnosis clinic. Participants completed the Dental Fear Survey, the Short Form-Fear of Pain Questionnaire, Dental Beliefs Scale, and a demographics questionnaire that included items about problems with gagging. Results Over half of the participants reported gagging on at least one occasion during dental visits, with 7.5% almost always, or always gagging. With higher frequency of problems with gagging, patients were more likely to have greater levels of dental care-related fear, fear of pain, and more negative beliefs of dental professionals and dental treatment. Further, participants who gagged more readily had greater dental care-related fear than other gaggers. Conclusion Gagging in the dental clinic is a prevalent problem, and dental care-related fear and fear of pain are associated with more frequent gagging. Clinical Implications Given the prevalence of patients reporting problem gagging, it may be helpful for providers to assess for this barrier to treatment. By targeting dental care-related fear, fear of pain, and negative beliefs about dental care in patients who often gag in the clinic, gagging may be reduced in frequency or intensity, potentially making treatment more comfortable for patients and easier for dental care providers.

Burn care often involves procedures that result in significant pain experiences for patients which, in turn, can lead to poorer physical and psychological health outcomes. Distraction and virtual reality (VR) are an effective adjunct to pharmacological interventions in reducing pain. Much of the research that has demonstrated efficacy for VR in burn care has involved expensive and extensive technology. Thus, identifying cost-effective, feasible, acceptable, and effective approaches to apply distraction within routine burn care is important. The objective of this mixed-methods study was to evaluate key stakeholder (i.e., patients, providers) perceptions of feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness for the use of low-cost VR technology during routine burn care with adult patients. Ten adult patients used VR during burn care dressing changes in an outpatient clinic setting, after which they completed a satisfaction survey and individual qualitative interview. Providers also completed a satisfaction/perception survey after each participant's care. Quantitative and qualitative results from both patient and provider perspectives consistently supported the feasibility and utility of applying low-cost VR technology in this outpatient burn clinic setting. Special considerations (e.g., aspects to consider when choosing an apparatus or application) stemming from stakeholder feedback are discussed.