Repressive/defensive coping, blood pressure, and cardiovascular rehabilitation

Determination of submaximal exercise tolerance in athletes using a method to predict cardiac patient conditions during rehabilitation

Many professional athletes, after the end of their careers, cannot fully carry out daily social activities due to problems with health. The main problem is a significant rate of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the choice of rehabilitation techniques for former athletes is of primary importance. The aim of the paper is to create a model that increases the ability to predict both relapses and remissions during rehabilitation in cardiovascular diseases. The model takes into account the features of the cardiovascular function in athletes and their recovery. The article shows that the reliability of the implemented model can predict both necessary rehabilitation duration and time to complete recovery of an athlete's functional condition. The novelty of this study is that rehabilitation is based on the approximation of exercise load to the optimal levels during disease monitoring. The practical significance of the study is that during the rehabilitation of athletes, the obtained model to predict the course of the disease is aimed at the minimization of negative consequences for the athlete's cardiovascular system following professional activities. This model is recommended for use in medical prediction.

Neurophysiological correlates of religious coping to stress: a preliminary EEG power spectra investigation

Religious coping to psychological stress has been linked to positive outcomes on both physical and mental health, but no studies have explored its neurophysiological correlates. Ninety-six participants (43 men and 53 women, mean age: 22.30 ± 2.48 years) were enrolled in the present study; they underwent an evaluation of coping with the brief version of the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (brief-COPE) scale and performed an eyes-closed resting state electroencephalographic (EEG) recording. EEG analyses were conducted with the exact Low-Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography software (eLORETA). Positive correlations between religious coping and EEG activity were observed in the theta frequency band in the right hemisphere, specifically in the superior temporal, inferior frontal, and middle temporal gyri. Religious coping scores were significantly positively associated with active coping and positive reframing coping strategies, with the latter not being significantly associated with EEG data. Taken together our results contribute to increase the knowledge on the neurophysiological concomitants of religious coping to stress.

Brain functional connectivity correlates of coping styles

Coping abilities represent the individual set of mental and behavioral strategies adopted when facing stress or traumatic experiences. Coping styles related to avoidance have been linked to a disposition to develop psychiatric disorders such as PTSD, anxiety, and major depression, whereas problem-oriented coping skills have been positively correlated with well-being and high quality of life. Even though coping styles constitute an important determinant of resilience and can impact many aspects of everyday living, no study has investigated their brain functional connectivity underpinnings in humans. Here we analyzed both psychometric scores of coping and resting-state fMRI data from 102 healthy adult participants. Controlling for personality and problem-solving abilities, we identified significant links between the propensity to adopt different coping styles and the functional connectivity profiles of regions belonging to the default mode (DMN) and anterior salience (AS) networks-namely, the anterior cingulate cortex, left frontopolar cortex, and left angular gyrus. Also, a reduced negative correlation between AS and DMN nodes explained variability in one specific coping style, related to avoiding problems while focusing on the emotional component of the stressor at hand, instead of relying on cognitive resources. These results might be integrated with current neurophysiological models of resilience and individual responses to stress, in order to understand the propensity to develop clinical conditions (e.g., PTSD) and predict the outcomes of psychotherapeutic interventions.

The Psychological Evaluation of Patients with Chronic Pain: a Review of BHI 2 Clinical and Forensic Interpretive Considerations

Pain is the most common reason why patients see a physician. Within the USA, it has been estimated that at least 116 million US adults suffer from chronic pain, with an estimated annual national economic cost of $560-635 billion. While pain is in part a sensory process, like sight, touch, or smell, pain is also in part an emotional experience, like depression, anxiety, or anger. Thus, chronic pain is arguably the quintessential biopsychosocial condition. Due to the overwhelming evidence of the biopsychosocial nature of pain and the value of psychological assessments, the majority of chronic pain guidelines recommend a psychological evaluation as an integral part of the diagnostic workup. One biopsychosocial inventory designed for the assessment of patients with chronic pain is the Battery for Health Improvement 2 (BHI 2). The BHI 2 is a standardized psychometric measure, with three validity measures, 16 clinical scales, and a multidimensional assessment of pain. This article will review how the BHI 2 was developed, BHI 2 concepts, validation research, and an overview of the description and interpretation of its scales. Like all measures, the BHI 2 has strengths and weaknesses of which the forensic psychologist should be aware, and particular purposes for which it is best suited. Guided by that knowledge, the BHI 2 can play a useful role in the forensic psychologist's toolbox.

How does gender influence the recognition of cardiovascular risk and adherence to self-care recommendations?: A study in Polish primary care

Background

Studies have shown a correlation between gender and an ability to change lifestyle to reduce the risk of disease. However, the results of these studies are ambiguous, especially where a healthy lifestyle is concerned. Additionally, health behaviors are strongly modified by culture and the environment. Psychological factors also substantially affect engagement with disease-related lifestyle interventions. This study aimed to examine whether there are differences between men and women in the frequency of health care behavior for the purpose of reducing cardiovascular risk (CVR), as well as cognitive appraisal of this type of risk. We also aimed to identify the psychological predictors of engaging in recommended behavior for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease after providing information about this risk in men and women.

Methods

A total of 134 consecutive eligible patients in a family practice entered a longitudinal study. At initial consultation, the individual’s CVR and associated health burden was examined, and preventive measures were recommended by the physician. Self-care behavior, cognitive appraisal of risk, and coping styles were then assessed using psychological questionnaires. Six months after the initial data collection, the frequency of subjects’ self-care behavior was examined.

Results

We found an increase in health care behavior after providing information regarding the rate of CVR in both sexes; this increase was greater for women than for men. Women followed self-care guidelines more often than men, particularly for preventive measures and dietary advice. Women were more inclined to recognize their CVR as a challenge. Coping style, cognitive appraisal, age, level of health behaviors at baseline and CVR values accounted for 48% of the variance in adherence to self-care guidelines in women and it was 52% in men. In women, total risk of CVD values were most important, while in men, cognitive appraisal of harm/loss was most important.

Conclusions

Different predictors of acquisition of health behavior are encountered in men and women. Our results suggest that gender-adjusted motivation models influencing the recognition process need to be considered to optimize compliance in patients with CVR.

Psychosocial factors and their association with reflux oesophagitis, Barrett’s oesophagus and oesophageal adenocarcinoma

AIM: To investigate the role of psychological characteristics as risk factors for oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC), as well as the reflux-mediated precursor pathway.

METHODS: An all-Ireland population-based case-control study recruited 230 reflux oesophagitis (RO), 224 Barrett’s oesophagus (BO) and 227 OAC patients and 260 controls. Each case/control group completed measures of stress, depression, self-efficacy, self-esteem, repression and social support. A comparative analysis was undertaken using polytomous logistic regression adjusted for potential confounders.

RESULTS: Compared to controls, OAC patients were almost half as likely to report high stress levels over their lifetime (P = 0.010, OR 0.51; 95%CI: 0.29-0.90) and 36% less likely to report having experienced depression (OR 0.64; 95%CI: 0.42-0.98). RO patients reported significantly higher stress than controls particularly during middle- and senior-years (P for trends < 0.001). RO patients were 37% less likely to report having been highly emotionally repressed (OR 0.63; 95%CI: 0.41-0.95). All case groups (OAC, RO and BO) were more likely than controls to report having had substantial amounts of social support (OR 2.84; 95%CI: 1.63-4.97; OR 1.97; 95%CI: 1.13-3.44 and OR 1.83; 95%CI: 1.03-3.24, respectively).

CONCLUSION: The improved psychological profile of OAC patients may be explained by response shift. The role of psychological factors in the development of OAC requires further investigation.

Repressive coping style and its relation to psychosocial distress in males with erectile dysfunction

INTRODUCTION

There is evidence that repressive coping adversely affects medical conditions such as coronary heart disease, hypertension, and bronchial asthma. Erectile dysfunction (ED) is known to have a severe and lasting negative impact on health, quality of life, and partnership. Although ED may be eminently threatening for the self-image of affected men, a repressive coping style and its consequences for their mental health and partnership has not yet been investigated.

AIM

Based on the presumption that the male self-image is threatened by ED, we expected men with repressive coping strategies-although reporting the same degree of impairments regarding their sexual function-to describe themselves as more satisfied with: (i) their sexual relationship, to report (ii) a better quality of their partnership; and (iii) less distress (depression and physical complaints) as compared with those who do not use such strategies.

METHODS

Fifty-nine patients with ED from the outpatient unit of the Clinic of Urology, Pediatric Urology and Andrology of the University of Giessen were examined using standardized German versions of international questionnaires. Coping style was determined using a combination of the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Marlowe Crown Social Desirability Scale (SDS-CM) measuring defensiveness.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Questionnaires measuring anxiety (STAI), depression (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale), social desirability (SDS-CM), quality of partnership (Partnership Questionnaire), and physical complaints (Complaint List) were administered.

RESULTS

Repressors did not differ from nonrepressors with regard to their self-reported sexual function (International Index of Erectile Function). However, they described themselves as less distressed (depression, physical complaints) and rated the quality of their partnership as higher.

CONCLUSION

Repressors tend to report their complaints in a manner that protects their self-worth. Clinicians therefore might have difficulties deciding whether and which treatment is necessary. Additional clinical information (e.g., interview together with the female partner) or questionnaires might prove useful sources of information on patients' coping style.