[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 174 (Tuesday, September 9, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53428-53430]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-21379]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[60Day-14-14AVQ]
Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and
Recommendations
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of
its continuing effort to reduce public burden, invites the general
public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment
on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. To request more information on the
below proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information
collection plan and instruments, call 404-639-7570 or send comments to
Leroy A. Richardson, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D74, Atlanta, GA 30333 or
send an email to [email protected].
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) approval. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of
the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of
the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be
collected; (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of
information on respondents, including through the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and (e)
estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation,
maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information. Burden
means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by
persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose or provide information
to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed to review
instructions; to develop, acquire, install and utilize technology and
systems for the purpose of collecting, validating and verifying
information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and
providing information; to train personnel and to be able to respond to
a collection of information, to search data sources, to complete and
review the collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise
disclose the information. Written comments should be received within 60
days of this notice.
Proposed Project
Returning Our Veterans to Employment and Reintegration (ROVER):
Work Stress and Assistance Animals--New--National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC).
Background and Brief Description
Veterans with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) face
barriers that prevent many of them from successfully reintegrating into
society and returning to the work force. Various reports claim that
higher unemployment rates and increased healthcare costs and
utilization are associated with PTSD.
Symptoms associated with PTSD include diminished interest or
participation in significant activities, feelings of detachment or
estrangement from others, difficulty falling or staying asleep, hyper
vigilance, exaggerated startle response, difficulty with concentration
or attention, and a restricted range of affect. Amelioration of PTSD
symptoms is necessary to facilitate reintegration of veterans into
society and the workforce; these benefits may also contribute
positively to veterans' overall physical and psychological health.
A review of mostly anecdotal evidence suggests that animal-assisted
interventions may have general therapeutic benefits for individuals
with PTSD. Although a few reports tout the benefits of human-animal
companionship, no studies have focused specifically on investigating
the elements of human-animal interactions that might be therapeutic for
individuals with PTSD or other stress-related disorders. Furthermore,
there is scant evidence supporting the notion that service dogs or
therapy dogs may directly improve functioning and, thereby, ease an
individual's reintegration into society and employment.
NIOSH is seeking a 3-year approval from OMB on a research study
aimed at understanding the benefits of human-animal interactions for
the purpose of facilitating the reintegration and employment of
veterans with PTSD. The efficacy of using service dogs or other types
of assistance dogs to help veterans with disabilities return to work
has not been established in well-controlled scientific studies, and
fundamental empirical evidence is scant. As a step toward a greater
understanding, a laboratory-based work-simulation study will be
conducted to investigate the influence of the presence of and
interactions with a dog on the reactivity and performance of veterans
with and without PTSD to work-related and startle stressors. Results of
the laboratory-based study will complement the findings of another
project (OMB No. 09200985), which is gathering information about
veterans perceptions
[[Page 53429]]
of the barriers and facilitators to reintegration through two national
Web-based surveys. There is no duplication of effort or burden because
the research objectives and research methods are substantial different.
This study will be conducted at the NIOSH research facility in
Morgantown, WV, which includes state-of-the-art laboratories and
equipment to simulate work-related stress under controlled conditions
and will use a small-n experimental design with multiple, repeated
assessments over time to measure the behavioral (work performance),
psychological, and physiological responses of participants. The role of
dogs in potentially moderating the effects of the stressors will be
investigated with either the absence or presence of a dog in some
conditions and a dog that is either familiar or unfamiliar to the
veteran in other conditions. The general working hypothesis is that the
presence of, and/or interaction with, a familiar dog reduces stress and
enhances work performance for both veterans with and without PTSD, with
a greater benefit to veterans with PTSD.
U.S. Veterans, with and without PTSD, and veterans with service
dogs will be recruited with the assistance of various veterans'
organizations to participate in this research study. During the initial
recruitment phase, veterans who receive and respond to the recruitment
announcements will complete several Web-based prescreening
questionnaires, and eligible veterans, who are enrolled into the
research study, will complete additional questionnaires and tasks in
multi-day assessment sessions at the NIOSH Morgantown facility. An
estimated 400 persons in various veterans' agencies will receive email
announcements of the research study and follow-up phone calls. The work
activity associated with reading the email, answering the phone calls,
and distributing a study announcement/flyer to additional individuals
is estimated to take up to 10 minutes for each occurrence.
Approximately 200 veterans are expected to see the recruitment flyers
and complete the initial Web-based contact form and several pre-
screening forms, including the Pet Attitude Scale, the Combat Exposure
Scale, PTSD Checklist, Medication List, Drug Abuse Screening Test,
Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, Short Michigan
Alcoholism Screening Tool, and the World Health Organization Quality of
Life Index Brief. A total of 64 eligible veterans from this pool are
expected to be enrolled in the laboratory portion of the study,
including at least 16 veterans who own a service dog. Upon entering the
study, all enrolled veterans will complete the Positive and Negative
Affect Scale on site, and veterans with service dogs will complete the
Big Five Inventory (BFI), the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research
Questionnaire (CBARQ), the Pet Attachment and Life Impact Scale (PALS),
Dog Personality Scale (DPQ), and the Social Style-Self and the Social
Style-Service Dog questionnaires.
There are no costs to respondents other than their time.
Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average
Number of Number of burden per Total burden
Type of respondent Form name respondents responses per response (in hours
respondent hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Representatives of veterans Veterans Study 400 1 10/60 67
organizations. Announcement
Email/Phone
Contact.
Veterans...................... Recruitment 200 1 10/60 33
Flyer.
Veterans...................... Contact Form.... 64 1 10/60 11
Veterans...................... Pre-Screening 64 1 5/60 5
Pet Attitude
Scale.
Veterans...................... Pre-Screening 64 1 5/60 5
Combat Exposure
Scale.
Veterans...................... Pre-Screening 64 1 5/60 5
PTSD Checklist.
Veterans...................... Pre-Screening 64 1 5/60 5
Medication List.
Veterans...................... Pre-Screening 64 1 5/60 5
Drug Abuse
Screening Test.
Veterans...................... Pre-Screening 64 1 5/60 5
Center for
Epidemiolo-
gical Studies
Depression
Scale.
Veterans...................... Pre-Screening 64 1 5/60 5
Short Michigan
Alcoholism
Screening Tool.
Veterans...................... Pre-Screening 64 1 10/60 11
World Health
Organization
Quality of Life
Index Brief.
Enrolled Veterans without Positive and 48 3 2/60 5
Service Dogs. Negative Affect
Scale (PANAS).
Enrolled Veterans with Service PANAS........... 16 6 2/60 3
Dogs.
Enrolled Veterans without NASA Task Load 48 2 2/60 5
Service Dogs. Index (NASA
TLX).
Enrolled Veterans with Service NASA TLX........ 16 4 2/60 2
Dogs.
Enrolled Veterans with Service Big Five 16 1 10/60 3
Dogs. Inventory (BFI).
Enrolled Veterans with Service Canine 16 1 10/60 3
Dogs. Behavioral
Assessment and
Research
Questionnaire
(CBARQ).
Enrolled Veterans with Service Pet Attachment 16 1 10/60 3
Dogs. and Life Impact
Scale (PALS).
Enrolled Veterans with Service Dog Personality 16 1 10/60 3
Dogs. Scale (DPQ).
Enrolled Veterans with Service Social Style- 16 1 10/60 3
Dogs. Self.
Enrolled Veterans with Service Social Style- 16 1 10/60 3
Dogs. Service Dog.
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ---------------------------------------------------------------
Total..................... ................ .............. .............. .............. 190
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[[Page 53430]]
Leroy A. Richardson,
Chief, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific
Integrity, Office of the Associate Director for Science, Office of the
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2014-21379 Filed 9-8-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P