Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Psychological Responses (psychological + response)
Selected AbstractsSexual Abuse of BoysJOURNAL OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRIC NURSING, Issue 1 2005Sharon M. Valente RN TOPIC:, Sexual abuse in childhood can disable self-esteem, self-concept, relationships, and ability to trust. It can also leave psychological trauma that compromises a boy's confidence in adults. While some boys who willingly participate may adjust to sexual abuse, many others face complications, such as reduced quality of life, impaired social relationships, less than optimal daily functioning, and self-destructive behavior. These problems can respond to treatment if detected. PURPOSE:, In this paper, we examine the prevalence, characteristics, psychological consequences, treatment, and coping patterns of boys who have been sexually abused and their failure to disclose abuse unless asked during a therapeutic encounter. Nurses have a responsibility to detect the clues to sexual abuse, diagnose the psychological consequences, and advocate for protection and treatment. SOURCES USED:, Computerized literature search of the Medline and PsychInfo literature and books on sexual abuse of boys. CONCLUSIONS:, Psychological responses to abuse such as anxiety, denial, self-hypnosis, dissociation, and self-mutilation are common. Coping strategies may include being the angry avenger, the passive victim, rescuer, daredevil, or conformist. Sexual abuse may precipitate runaway behavior, chronic use of sick days, poor school or job performance, costly medical, emergency and or mental health visits. In worst cases, the boy may decide that life is not worth living and plan suicide. The nurse has a key role to play in screening, assessing, and treating sexual abuse children. [source] The psychology behind the masks: Psychological responses to the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in different regionsASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2004Cecilia Cheng Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was first reported in China, and spread to 29 regions, affecting over 8000 people worldwide. For the general public, the psychological impact of SARS may have been greater than the physical health danger of the disease. The present paper proposes the influence of psychological factors on people's cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses during the SARS outbreak. The various papers in this special issue of the Journal reveal how people have reacted during the SARS outbreak: People's general coping styles may be related to their health behavior during the outbreak. Cultural differences were evident in the perception of SARS, and individuals' perceptual styles may have influenced their ability to cope with the outbreak. The way in which individuals coped with SARS-related stressful events was different from their usual practices of managing daily stress. Individual differences in the adoption of preventive measures were related to the distinct susceptibility to several social-cognitive biases. [source] Corticosteroids and the cardiovascular response to stress: a pilot study of the 35% CO2 challenge in Addison's diseaseCLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 3 2006J. M. Kaye Summary Objective, Glucocorticoids play an essential role in the neuroendocrine response to stress, influencing both the hypothalamic,pituitary,adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympatho-adrenomedullary (SAM) axis at several levels. In this pilot study, a clinical model of primary adrenocortical failure (Addison's disease, AD) has been used to evaluate the role of circulating glucocorticoids in both the autonomic and psychological response to stress. Design and subjects, Five subjects with known AD underwent a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled investigation in which they received fixed glucocorticoid plus mineralocorticoid hormone replacement or placebo for 48 h prior to a 35% CO2 challenge. Measurement, Psychological responses immediately before and after CO2 exposure were assessed by questionnaire. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart rate were measured automatically at 1-min intervals for 5 min before and 5 min after the CO2 exposure. Results, While on hormone replacement, all subjects had an identical response to CO2 to that recorded in normal volunteers (initial bradycardia, an increase in blood pressure and subjective feelings of anxiety). On no replacement, however, the bradycardia and anxiety responses were not significantly altered, but the pressor response was markedly attenuated (+15·6 ± 5 mmHg on replacement compared with +4·2 ± 3·3 mmHg off replacement; P = 0·043). Conclusions, These data provide further evidence that the CO2 -induced bradycardia is a direct , presumably parasympathetic , response to CO2 independent of the pressor effect, and that the pressor response itself is dependent on the presence of the circulating corticosteroid. [source] An investigation of the impact of posttraumatic stress disorder on physical healthJOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 1 2000Amy W. Wagner Abstract In a large sample of Gulf War veterans (N = 2301) we examined the relations between PTSD symptoms assessed immediately upon returning from the Gulf War and self-reported health problems assessed 18,24 months later. PTSD symptomatology was predictive of self-reported health problems over time for both men and women veterans, even after the effects of combat exposure were removed from the analysis. Female veterans reported significantly more health problems than male veterans, however, there was no interactive effect of gender and PTSD on health problems. These findings provide further support for the theory that psychological response to stressors impacts health outcome. [source] Predictors of depressive symptomatology of geriatric patients with lung cancer,a longitudinal analysisPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 1 2002M.E. Kurtz Background: Lung cancer is a major health problem throughout the world. It is the leading cause of cancer-related death in men and women in the USA, with a 5-year survival rate of only 14%. It has been hypothesized that variables such as physical and social functioning, cancer-related symptomatology, comorbid conditions, cell type, and treatment are valid predictors of the psychological response to a diagnosis of lung cancer. Methods: As part of a larger longitudinal study, 211 patients, 65 years of age or older, with an incident diagnosis of lung cancer, were recruited from 23 sites within a midwestern state. Repeated measures analysis of variance techniques were used to analyse how age, gender, comorbid conditions, stage of disease, cell type, as well as the time-dependent variables symptoms, physical functioning, social functioning, and treatment predict depressive symptomatology at four assessments over the first year following diagnosis. Results: Social functioning (p<0.0001), symptoms severity (p<0.0001) and radiation treatment (p=0.017) were significant predictors of depressive symptomatology, with more symptoms and more restricted social functioning generally corresponding to higher levels of depressive symptomatology. Patients who had not received radiation treatment were more depressed than those who had received treatment at least 40 days prior to the interview. Conclusions: At a clinical level of patient care, these findings mandate early identification of psychosocial difficulties experienced, an individualized symptom management plan and the application of other interventions, such as information giving, reassurance and referral to other resources. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Corticosteroids and the cardiovascular response to stress: a pilot study of the 35% CO2 challenge in Addison's diseaseCLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 3 2006J. M. Kaye Summary Objective, Glucocorticoids play an essential role in the neuroendocrine response to stress, influencing both the hypothalamic,pituitary,adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympatho-adrenomedullary (SAM) axis at several levels. In this pilot study, a clinical model of primary adrenocortical failure (Addison's disease, AD) has been used to evaluate the role of circulating glucocorticoids in both the autonomic and psychological response to stress. Design and subjects, Five subjects with known AD underwent a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled investigation in which they received fixed glucocorticoid plus mineralocorticoid hormone replacement or placebo for 48 h prior to a 35% CO2 challenge. Measurement, Psychological responses immediately before and after CO2 exposure were assessed by questionnaire. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart rate were measured automatically at 1-min intervals for 5 min before and 5 min after the CO2 exposure. Results, While on hormone replacement, all subjects had an identical response to CO2 to that recorded in normal volunteers (initial bradycardia, an increase in blood pressure and subjective feelings of anxiety). On no replacement, however, the bradycardia and anxiety responses were not significantly altered, but the pressor response was markedly attenuated (+15·6 ± 5 mmHg on replacement compared with +4·2 ± 3·3 mmHg off replacement; P = 0·043). Conclusions, These data provide further evidence that the CO2 -induced bradycardia is a direct , presumably parasympathetic , response to CO2 independent of the pressor effect, and that the pressor response itself is dependent on the presence of the circulating corticosteroid. [source] Personality psychology as a truly behavioural scienceEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 5 2009R. Michael Furr Abstract Personality psychology has been accused of neglecting behaviour,of devoting insufficient attention to what people actually do. The current paper addresses four important issues regarding the study of behaviour as separate from other important psychological responses,the definition of behaviour, the importance of studying behaviour, the strengths and weaknesses of core methods through which behaviour is studied and the degree to which behaviour actually has been studied in personality psychology over the past 15 years (along with information about the use of specific methods of studying behaviour). Analysis of publication trends indicates that behaviour is not studied to the degree it merits; furthermore, it indicates that, when behaviour is studied, it is usually studied at a very generalized level relying on relatively weak methods. The current paper is offered as a starting point for focused discussion of these important issues, potentially enhancing the field's standing as a truly behavioural science. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Children and Adolescents With Motor Vehicle,Related InjuriesJOURNAL FOR SPECIALISTS IN PEDIATRIC NURSING, Issue 3 2003Kathleen A. Zink MSN ISSUES AND PURPOSE Motor vehicle crashes account for the greatest number of childhood injuries, but there has been little study of the psychological responses. DESIGN AND METHODS This longitudinal, descriptive study included 143 children 7 to 15 years of age who experienced a motor vehicle,related injury. Parents/guardians completed the Child Behavior Checklist Behavioral Problem Scale. Each child and parent completed the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) section of the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents at 2 and 6 months postinjury. RESULTS Twenty-two percent of the children met criteria for PTSD. There were no associations for presence or absence of PTSD with age, gender, race, injury, or cause of injury. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Children who are injured in motor vehicle crashes are at risk for PTSD. Anticipatory guidance about behavioral distress symptoms should be provided to parents of children who experience motor vehicle related injuries. [source] The conceptual structure of transition to motherhood in the neonatal intensive care unitJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 1 2007Hyunjeong Shin Abstract Title. The conceptual structure of transition to motherhood in the neonatal intensive care unit Aim., This paper is a report of a concept analysis of transition to motherhood for mothers with infants in a neonatal intensive care unit. Background., Mothers with infants in a neonatal intensive care unit have more difficulty in their transition to motherhood compared with mothers of healthy infants. The concept of transition to motherhood in the neonatal intensive care unit is not well-understood in nursing, often being confused with mothers' psychological responses in the neonatal intensive care unit. Methods., The concept analysis combined Rodgers' evolutionary method with Schwartz-Barcott & Kim's Hybrid method. Thirty-eight studies were reviewed and a purposive sample of 10 Korean mothers with infants in a neonatal intensive care unit was interviewed. Findings., Three critical attributes of transition to motherhood in the neonatal intensive care unit were identified: (1) time-dependent process, (2) psycho-emotional swirling and (3) hovering around the edge of mothering. These are caused by the antecedents (1) unexpected outcome of pregnancy, (2) awareness of the situation and (3) mother,infant separation. The consequences were: (1) delayed motherhood and (2) developing a sense of meaning concerning family and life. Additionally, five influencing factors to be alleviated were identified: (1) negative meaning attribution, (2) uncertainty, (3) social prejudice, (4) lack of opportunities to make contact with the infant and (5) the neonatal intensive care unit environment. Conclusions., This concept analysis should help nurses to understand the process of becoming a mother in a neonatal intensive care unit and plan appropriate interventions for mothers with special needs. [source] Exercising in Public and Private Environments: Effects on Feeling States in Women with Social Physique AnxietyJOURNAL OF APPLIED BIOBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, Issue 3-4 2006Brian C. Focht The purpose of this investigation was to examine the influence of acute exercise performed in public and private exercise environments upon feeling states (FS) in 30 women with high social physique anxiety (SPA). A secondary purpose was to examine if perceptions of evaluative threat (EVT) mediated the affective responses to exercise. Multivariate analyses revealed that exercising in the public environment resulted in negative FS responses, whereas exercising in the private environment yielded favorable FS responses to exercise. EVT significantly mediated state anxiety responses to exercise but did not mediate any of the FS responses. The results suggest that the environment influences the FS responses to exercise among women with high SPA and that EVT mediates selected psychological responses to exercise. [source] Communication and Uncertainty ManagementJOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION, Issue 3 2001Dale E. Brashers The fundamental challenge for refining theories of communication and uncertainty is to abandon the assumption that uncertainty will produce anxiety. To better explain processes of communication and uncertainty management, we must answer questions about (a) the experience and meaning of uncertainty, (b) the role of appraisal and emotion in uncertainty management, and (c) the range of behavioral and psychological responses to uncertainty. This paper outlines and extends a theory of uncertainty management and reviews current theory and research in this area. In addition to the theoretical advances promised by this perspective, the paper describes applications to health communication practice. The drive in disease prevention to reduce uncertainty about the state of health and illness has led to a "culture of chronic illness." Constant surveillance of people's health, combined with improved methods for screening and monitoring, virtually guarantee finding something wrong with every person, creating a society divided into the chronically ill and the worried well (i.e., those waiting to be diagnosed). [source] Mergers and group status: the impact of high, low and equal group status on identification and satisfaction with a company merger, experienced controllability, group identity and group cohesionJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2007Peter Fischer Abstract Although mergers are seen as tools to enhance business in today's global marketplace, they have had a low success rate, possibly because the focus has been on financial and legal issues rather than on the human factors involved. In this respect, focusing on the social psychological variables, social identity theory can provide an explanation for the failure of most mergers. An experiment based on this theory involving mergers between two workgroups was conducted to investigate the effects of merger-related status on participants' psychological responses to the mergers. Thirty-six small groups were assigned to three different status groups (high, low and equal status groups) using the minimal group paradigm. Most negative responses to the merger,in terms of identification with the merger group, satisfaction with the merger, common in-group identity, group cohesion and controllability,were given by the members of the low status groups. Contrary to expectations, status was not related to the performance of the groups. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Phenomenology and psychological assessment of complex posttraumatic statesJOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 5 2005John Briere The authors offer a framework for the assessment of psychological responses associated with exposure to early onset, multiple, or extended traumatic stressors. Six prominent and overlapping symptoms clusters are described: altered self-capacities, cognitive symptoms, mood disturbance, overdeveloped avoidance responses, somatoform distress, and posttraumatic stress. A strategy for the structured, psychometrically valid assessment of these outcomes is introduced, and specific recommendations for use of various generic and trauma-specific child and adult measures are provided. Implications of trauma assessment for treatment planning are discussed. [source] Effect of Kava and Valerian on human physiological and psychological responses to mental stress assessed under laboratory conditionsPHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 1 2002M. Cropley Abstract This study investigated whether kava or valerian could moderate the effects of psychological stress induced under laboratory conditions in a group of healthy volunteers. Fifty-four participants performed a standardized colour/word mental stress task on two occasions 1 week apart. Blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and subjective ratings of pressure were assessed at rest and during the mental stress task. Following the first session (time 1,=,T1), individuals took a standard dose of kava (n,=,18), or valerian (n,=,18) for 7 days, while the remainder acted as controls (n,=,18). Differences in BP and HR from resting levels were calculated as reactions to the stress task at both time points. At the second session (time 2,=,T2) there was a significant decrease in systolic BP responsivity in both the kava and valerian groups relative to T1, but there were no significant reductions in diastolic BP. Between T1 and T2, the HR reaction to mental stress was found to decline in the valerian group but not in the kava group. Individuals taking kava or valerian reported less pressure during the task at T2 relative to T1. There were no significant differences in BP, HR or subjective reports of pressure between T1 and T2 in the controls. Behavioural performance on the colour/word task did not change between the groups over the two time points. The results suggest that kava and valerian may be beneficial to health by reducing physiological reactivity during stressful situations. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Prenatal diagnosis of congenital malformations and parental psychological distress,a prospective longitudinal cohort studyPRENATAL DIAGNOSIS, Issue 11 2006H. Skari Abstract Objective To test whether postnatal psychological distress in parents of babies with congenital malformations is reduced by prenatal diagnosis. Methods A prospective observational longitudinal cohort study was conducted at two Norwegian hospitals. We included 293 parents of babies with congenital malformations (prenatal detection rate: 36.5%) referred for neonatal surgery and 249 parents of healthy babies (comparison group). Parental psychological responses were assessed on three postnatal occasions by psychometric instruments (GHQ-28, STAI-X1, and IES). Results Significantly increased psychological distress (GHQ-28) was reported by parents who received prenatal diagnosis as compared to postnatal diagnosis; acutely 28.9 versus 24.4, P = 0.006 (comparison group: 19.6); at 6 weeks 26.8 versus 21.5, P < 0.001 (comparison group: 17.7); and at 6 months 22.6 versus 18.7, P = 0.015 (comparison group: 16.6). Mothers consistently reported higher levels of distress than fathers. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that prenatal diagnosis and being a mother significantly predicted severity of acute psychological distress. At 6 weeks and 6 months, mortality and associated anomalies were significant independent predictors of psychological distress. Conclusion Controlling for other covariates, we found that prenatal diagnosis of congenital malformations was a significant independent predictor of acute parental psychological distress after birth. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Th1 and Th2 cytokine responses to academic stressRESEARCH IN NURSING & HEALTH, Issue 4 2001Duck-Hee Kang Abstract Predominant Th2 profiles are associated with the worsening of asthma, and stress is speculated to induce a Th2 profile. The goals of this study were to examine the responses of the cytokines Th1 (IFN-, and IL-2) and Th2 (IL-4, IL-5, and IL-6) to a stressor and to look at the relationships between cytokine and psychological responses. Twenty-four students with and without a history of asthma completed questionnaires and gave blood samples during nonexam and exam periods. Cytokines were measured by ELISA from supernatants of stimulated mononuclear cells (MNC) and whole blood. During examinations, there were a significant decrease in IL-2 and a significant increase in IL-6 production (both cultures) and a significant decrease in IFN-, production (MNC cultures). Baseline IL-2 levels showed significant negative correlations with several stress and mood scores. Findings of this study indicate a down-regulation of Th1 and a selective up-regulation of Th2 cytokines during a stressful exposure. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Res Nurs Health 24:245,257, 2001 [source] | |||||||||||||