1,721,081 research outputs found
The psychosocial variables contributing to treatment expectancies in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome
Get PDFThe placebo effect has become recognized as an excellent example of mind-body interaction and as a mechanism of therapeutic action in its own right. Theoretical and empirical work has shown that expectations of treatment are important mediators of placebo effects, as well as treatment outcomes in diverse areas of health care. Modern theorists agree that situational and individual factors both contribute to the formation of treatment expectancies; however, only the former has received adequate study. The current research was designed to identify psychosocial variables associated with positive treatment expectations, using irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as an illness model. People with IBS (n = 289) were recruited online to read hypothetical vignettes about treatments for IBS and to rate their expectations to benefit from treatment on a continuous scale. Participants completed a questionnaire battery measuring various individual difference factors, health belief variables and context-specific psychosocial variables, all identified from the literature as potentially relevant correlates of levels of expectation. Correlation and regression analyses revealed that several of these variables were positively associated with ratings of expected treatment benefit, in particular, perceived somatic focus of treatment, beliefs of personal control over symptoms, levels of optimism and self-focused attention. Weaker relationships were identified for acute health status, coping self-efficacy, catastrophizing and patient-provider relationship; whereas no relationships were found for trait anxiety or motivational factors. Among those with past experience with similar treatments, previous treatment satisfaction was a strong predictor of current expectations. Supplemental analyses revealed that among a sub-sample having previous treatment experience, along with higher levels of self-focused attention, significant relationships between treatment expectancies and independent psychosocial variables were more numerous and more robust. Results are discussed in light of contributions to theory, directions for future research as well as potential clinical applications
A gift wrapped in barbed wire: Personal growth among individuals with arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease
Get PDFDespite the growing interest in the development of personal growth following a health-related adversity such as the diagnosis of a chronic illness, there has been little research investigating the factors that may give rise to personal growth. The objective of the present study was to explore the experience of posttraumatic growth and to identify the factors associated with posttraumatic growth among individuals with arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) at two time points spaced six months apart. Using Schaefer and Moos' (1992) model as a theoretical framework, the association of positive outlook, spirituality, social support, stressors, cognitive appraisal variables, and coping strategies was examined among 214 individuals diagnosed with arthritis and 377 individuals diagnosed with IBD. Two structural equation models were estimated for each illness group. For the IBD group, the results showed that positive outlook, stressors, and social support each had an indirect effect on posttraumatic growth, mediated through symptom control beliefs, benefit-finding, and adaptive coping strategies. For the arthritis group, the results showed that positive outlook and stressors had an indirect effect on posttraumatic growth, mediated though benefit-finding and adaptive coping strategies, whereas social support had an indirect effect on posttraumatic growth, mediated through symptom control beliefs and adaptive coping. Importantly, this study highlights the relative roles of positive outlook, stressors, social support, cognitive appraisal variables and coping strategies that may facilitate the experience of posttraumatic growth among individuals facing a non-life threatening chronic illness
Les effets de la massothérapie sur l’anxiété et la qualité du sommeil des personnes souffrant de fibromyalgie
No full textIl n’existe actuellement pas de cure pour la fibromyalgie, ce syndrome de douleur chronique, dont les symptômes clés incluent la douleur musculaire, la fatigue et des points de douleur pouvant avoir un impact nuisible sur le bien-être psychologique et physique. Les difficultés d’anxiété et de sommeil ne sont pas rares chez ceux qui en souffrent. Bien que les études scientifiques actuelles soient limitées, beaucoup de personnes avec la fibromyalgie choisissent la massothérapie comme traitement de choix. La présente étude propose de vérifier si le massage suédois est efficace pour réduire les symptômes d’anxiété et les troubles de sommeil chez des patients atteints de fibromyalgie. Les hypothèses principales postulaient la baisse de l’anxiété et de l’anxiété liée à la douleur ainsi que l’amélioration du sommeil des personnes ayant reçu un traitement de huit semaines de massage suédois comparativement à des participants ayant été placés sur une liste d’attente. Les hypothèses secondaires postulaient une amélioration de la qualité de vie et une baisse de la douleur chez les mêmes personnes. Cinquante-six personnes atteintes de fibromyalgie provenant de la région de l’Estrie au Québec, réparties en deux groupes, ont complété divers questionnaires avant et après le temps d’observation soit en traitement ou en attente de traitement de massothérapie : la partie trait du State-Trait Anxiety Scale, la version courte du Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale, le Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index et le Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire. En plus des analyses statistiques descriptives, des analyses inférentielles telles que des tests de Mann-Whitney et Wilcoxon ont été effectuées pour tester les hypothèses. Il n’est pas possible de se prononcer quant aux effets du massage suédois sur les différentes variables. En effet, il s’avère que l’échantillon de cette étude paraît moins affecté négativement par cette maladie comparativement à d’autres échantillons et que ceci ne permet pas de généraliser les résultats obtenus. Par contre, étant donné que certaines tendances se dessinent concernant une possible diminution de l’anxiété, des recherches plus approfondies pourraient être entreprises. Les retombées de cette recherche permettent une meilleure connaissance de la massothérapie comme traitement pour les patients atteints de fibromyalgie ainsi que la possibilité d’en informer les professionnels de la santé
Les effets de la massothérapie sur l’anxiété et la qualité du sommeil des personnes souffrant de fibromyalgie
Get PDFIl n’existe actuellement pas de cure pour la fibromyalgie, ce syndrome de douleur chronique, dont les symptômes clés incluent la douleur musculaire, la fatigue et des points de douleur pouvant avoir un impact nuisible sur le bien-être psychologique et physique. Les difficultés d’anxiété et de sommeil ne sont pas rares chez ceux qui en souffrent. Bien que les études scientifiques actuelles soient limitées, beaucoup de personnes avec la fibromyalgie choisissent la massothérapie comme traitement de choix. La présente étude propose de vérifier si le massage suédois est efficace pour réduire les symptômes d’anxiété et les troubles de sommeil chez des patients atteints de fibromyalgie. Les hypothèses principales postulaient la baisse de l’anxiété et de l’anxiété liée à la douleur ainsi que l’amélioration du sommeil des personnes ayant reçu un traitement de huit semaines de massage suédois comparativement à des participants ayant été placés sur une liste d’attente. Les hypothèses secondaires postulaient une amélioration de la qualité de vie et une baisse de la douleur chez les mêmes personnes. Cinquante-six personnes atteintes de fibromyalgie provenant de la région de l’Estrie au Québec, réparties en deux groupes, ont complété divers questionnaires avant et après le temps d’observation soit en traitement ou en attente de traitement de massothérapie : la partie trait du State-Trait Anxiety Scale, la version courte du Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale, le Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index et le Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire. En plus des analyses statistiques descriptives, des analyses inférentielles telles que des tests de Mann-Whitney et Wilcoxon ont été effectuées pour tester les hypothèses. Il n’est pas possible de se prononcer quant aux effets du massage suédois sur les différentes variables. En effet, il s’avère que l’échantillon de cette étude paraît moins affecté négativement par cette maladie comparativement à d’autres échantillons et que ceci ne permet pas de généraliser les résultats obtenus. Par contre, étant donné que certaines tendances se dessinent concernant une possible diminution de l’anxiété, des recherches plus approfondies pourraient être entreprises. Les retombées de cette recherche permettent une meilleure connaissance de la massothérapie comme traitement pour les patients atteints de fibromyalgie ainsi que la possibilité d’en informer les professionnels de la santé
Mindfulness and adjustment to skin conditions
No full textThe skin is the largest and most visible organ of the body and serves a host of important functions. Dermatological conditions have attracted little attention from psychological researchers, and much of the existing literature has simply investigated levels of distress or the role played by negatively orientated individual difference variables in accounting for that distress. This chapter will outline the psychosocial issues that can be associated with skin conditions and present an overview of some of the psychological variables that are implicated in positive adjustment. There has been some investigation of the protective roles played by mindfulness and self-compassion in skin conditions, and the chapter will provide a brief introduction and evaluation of this work. Finally, the chapter will pay particular attention to research on the role of mindfulness and will present a detailed review of studies that have investigated the effectiveness of mindfulness-based psychological investigations
Her Choice, Her Voice: An Exploration of Women Centred Health Care
Get PDFPatient perspectives are increasingly acknowledged as key indicators of health care quality, and the utilization of health services. Given the recent cutbacks to women's health services and governing organizations in Ontario, women's perspectives are particularly important to help understand the impact of these decisions. The purpose of this study was to determine if and how women centred care was being employed in Ontario women's health centres, and to explore women's experiences with this paradigm of care. Four directors of women's health centres completed an online survey to assess the extent to which Hills and Mullett's (2005) women centred mandate was being employed in Ontario. A content analysis revealed that directors largely believed they employed all of Hills and Mullet's principles. Interviews with seven women were also conducted to elicit narratives of their experiences at women's health centres. Using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and an intersectional framework, four major themes were found: Women's health centres as an alternative to other care, Experiences at women's health centres, Defining and navigating health services, and Understanding and contributions of "the self." These findings indicated that the women were invested in their health, valued women's health centres, and desired a greater voice in defining their health services. These findings also revealed limitations in our health system. Namely, women's experiences and understandings of the system are different than those of their providers. Implications of these findings are discussed and future directions identified
Perfectionism in employees: Work engagement, workaholism, and burnout
Get PDFPerfectionism is a prevalent personality disposition that may affect all domains of life. Work is an important domain of life for many people. Yet, research on perfectionism at work and how perfectionism affects employees’ health and well-being is still limited. Research, however, has investigated perfectionism’s relationships with three key aspects of peoples’ working lives that are closely associated with employees’ health and well-being: work engagement, workaholism, and job burnout. Differentiating between perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns (Stoeber & Otto, 2006), the present chapter presents an overview of the relevant research findings. Taken together, the findings suggest that (a) perfectionistic strivings show positive relationships with work engagement whereas perfectionistic concerns show no relationships or negative relationships, (b) perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns both show positive relationships with workaholism, and (c) perfectionistic strivings show negative relationships with burnout whereas perfectionistic concerns show positive relationships. To explain the opposite relationships that perfectionistic strivings and concerns show with burnout, two hypothetical models are presented. In Model 1, autonomous versus controlled motivation explain the opposite relationships of perfectionistic strivings and concerns with burnout. In Model 2, adaptive versus maladaptive coping explain the relationships. The chapter concludes with directions for future research on perfectionism, work engagement, workaholism, and job burnout pointing out the importance of longitudinal studies and intervention studies
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