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Behavior Analysis in Practice Dec 2018We replicated and extended the effects of an assessment and treatment model employed by Hanley et al. (, , 16-36, 2014) with one participant receiving home-based...
We replicated and extended the effects of an assessment and treatment model employed by Hanley et al. (, , 16-36, 2014) with one participant receiving home-based services. Following a functional analysis, we taught the participant multiple functional communication responses (FCRs) and to tolerate delays and denials to requested items. The participant learned the FCRs and the delay to reinforcers was increased to 34 min. Results generalized across stimuli, people, settings, and time. Social validity results supported that the behaviors were important, the treatment was acceptable, and the effects were significant.
PubMed: 30538912
DOI: 10.1007/s40617-018-0247-7 -
BMC Medical Education Feb 2022Coping denotes cognitive, emotional and behavioural struggles to tackle a troubled person-environment association. Therefore, coping strategies (CSs) are vital for... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Coping denotes cognitive, emotional and behavioural struggles to tackle a troubled person-environment association. Therefore, coping strategies (CSs) are vital for mental well-being. Widespread research studies have explored this domain, targeting caregivers, nurses, physicians and medical teachers, but limited research has been done to explore the common CSs utilised by medical students at the undergraduate medical education level. Therefore, we aimed to identify the frequently occurring CSs and their effects on mental health disorders (MHDs) through the evidence available in the existing literature.
METHODS
For this scoping review, we searched the available literature (articles published from January 1, 1986, to March 31, 2021) on CSs at Google Scholar, PubMed and Scopus using the terms coping, medical students and undergraduate medical education. We included in our search all peer-reviewed journal articles whose central topics were the CSs employed by undergraduate medical students of any age, nationality, race and gender.
RESULTS
From among the 2,134 articles that were found, 24 were ultimately included in the study. The articles were authored in 14 countries, allowing us to gather broader data to answer our research question. The first identified theme (MHDs) had four subthemes: stress (55% of the articles), depression (30%), anxiety (25%) and burnout (15%). The second theme (CSs), on the other hand, had eight subthemes: support seeking (60%), active coping (40%), acceptance (40%), avoidance/denial (40%), substance abuse (35%), faith/religion (25%), sports (25%) and miscellaneous (40%).
CONCLUSIONS
Themes and subthemes were identified about the most common CSs utilised by undergraduate medical students to tackle common MHDs in the context of medical education. Among the most used CSs was support (social and emotional) seeking. Teaching medical students how to cope with challenging times is essential.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Education, Medical, Undergraduate; Humans; Mental Disorders; Mental Health; Students, Medical
PubMed: 35193564
DOI: 10.1186/s12909-022-03185-1 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2023Tinnitus is the perception of a sound in the absence of any corresponding external sound source. Current research suggests a relationship among emotional, cognitive, and...
INTRODUCTION
Tinnitus is the perception of a sound in the absence of any corresponding external sound source. Current research suggests a relationship among emotional, cognitive, and psychosomatic symptoms and the occurrence or maintenance of chronic tinnitus. This study aimed to detect the prevalence and role of psychosomatic conditions, as defined by the Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research (DCPR), and cognitive functioning in a group of patients with tinnitus.
METHODS
Sixty-two patients with subjective tinnitus and 62 non-tinnitus controls were recruited from the Otorhinolaryngology Unit of the University of Bari. Pure-tone audiometry was performed in all tinnitus subjects, and sound level tolerance was evaluated. Additionally, tinnitus handicap (Tinnitus Handicap Inventory [THI]), psychopathological symptoms (Symptom Checklist-90, Revised [SCL-90-R]), anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory [STAI-Y1/2]), depression (Beck Depression Inventory [BDI]), cognitive impairment (Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE]), executive functions (Frontal Assessment Battery [FAB]), and psychosomatic syndromes (DCPR) were evaluated. Parametric and non-parametric tests were used to detect cognitive and symptomatological differences between patients and controls. The predictivity of these factors for tinnitus severity was studied using multiple regression (Backward Elimination). All tests were considered significant at < 0.05 (family wise error corrected for each comparison).
RESULTS
69.4% tinnitus patients met multiple DCPR criteria, compared to 32.3% of controls. Tinnitus patients exhibited elevated rates of illness denial (ꭓ = 9.02; < 0.009), demoralization (ꭓ = 8.05; < 0.018), somatization (ꭓ = 4.92; < 0.063) and functional symptoms (ꭓ = 5.21; < 0.06) scoring significantly higher on the BDI, STAI-Y1, and STAI-Y2, and SCL-90-R compared to controls. Patients with tinnitus showed lower MMSE scores, compared to controls ( = -2.282; < 0.001). No association between tinnitus severity and global cognitive impairment emerged. Conversely, executive function deficits were associated to tinnitus severity. Among the cognitive and psychological factors, only trait anxiety, one or more psychosomatic syndromes, and somatization clusters were strongly correlated with tinnitus severity.
DISCUSSION
Our findings suggest a relationship between tinnitus severity, psychological, psychosomatic symptoms, and frontal impairment. Additionally, the influence of tinnitus on cognitive functions paves the way for integrated, multidisciplinary diagnostic and treatment options for patients. Although preliminary, our findings highlight the importance of early cognitive and psychological screening to improve patients' quality of life.
PubMed: 38192387
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1256291 -
Archives of Psychiatric Nursing Jun 2022Depressive disorder is the most prevalent mental illness and is characterised by the presence of mental and somatic symptoms, with the latter affecting 65.0% to 98.2% of...
BACKGROUND
Depressive disorder is the most prevalent mental illness and is characterised by the presence of mental and somatic symptoms, with the latter affecting 65.0% to 98.2% of patients with their general function and quality of life.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this study aimed to explore the experiences and coping strategies of somatic symptoms in Chinese patients with depressive disorder, and to gain new insight into the illness and the health care provided to patients.
METHODS
Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 patients diagnosed with depressive disorder according to international classification of diseases 10th revision. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and the thematic analysis was adapted to the data. MAXQDA10 software was used to organise, encode, classify, induce, and extract themes.
RESULTS
Four major themes were extracted from the interviews: (1) descriptions of symptoms; (2) perceptions of the symptoms; (3) symptom disturbance; and (4) coping strategies of symptoms. Within the first theme, patients identified the following sub-themes: complex experiences of somatic symptoms, which were mainly in the neuromuscular system, circulatory respiratory system, gastrointestinal system and some symptoms without obvious systemic classification; difficulty in locating symptoms accurately; and being not consistent with examination results. The second theme included patient's inadequate understanding of somatic symptoms; and denial of the link between physical discomfort and depression. Disturbance of somatic symptoms embraced three sub-themes: (1) Uncertainty about somatic symptoms; (2) Struggling with daily life; (3) Impact on social activities; (4) feeling a decrease in family support. Lastly, coping strategies taken by patients in the face of various symptoms mainly included relying on drug treatment, avoiding stressors, diverting attention, and compromise or acceptance.
CONCLUSIONS
Patients with depressive disorder experience a variety of somatic symptoms that have a negative impact on social function and reduce their quality of life. Patients did not have an adequate understanding of their physical discomfort and lacked effective coping strategies for these somatic symptoms. Professional staff should pay more attention to patients' somatic symptoms and focus on targeted symptom management to facilitate patient recovery.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Depressive Disorder; Humans; Medically Unexplained Symptoms; Qualitative Research; Quality of Life
PubMed: 35461645
DOI: 10.1016/j.apnu.2022.01.004 -
Reproductive Health Jun 2015Women living with HIV/AIDS, in particular, have been positioned as a latent source of infection, and have captivated culpability and blame leading to a highly... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Women living with HIV/AIDS, in particular, have been positioned as a latent source of infection, and have captivated culpability and blame leading to a highly stigmatised and discriminated life. Despite the situation, women and their particular concerns have largely been ignored in HIV/AIDS research literature. This review aims to examine and analyze the feelings, experiences and perceptions of Women living with HIV/AIDS (WLHA) and will also access the role of support group as a coping strategy on the basis of 7 primary researches conducted in or on different parts of the world.
METHODOLOGY
A systematic literature search was carried out on major data bases ASSIA, CINAHL, Science Direct, Web of Knowledge, Wiley Inter Science, AMED, Pub Med/Bio Med Central, MEDLINE and Cochrane Library. The articles included for review purpose were gauged against the pre-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria and quality assessment checklist resulting in a final 7 papers.
FINDINGS/RESULTS
The findings were compiled into five thematic areas: (1) Disclosure as a sensitive issue; (2) Stigma and Discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS and the multidimensional effects on women's health and wellbeing; (3) Internalised Stigma; (4) Women living with HIV/AIDS experiences of being rejected, shunned and treated differently by physicians, family and close friends; (5) Support Group as among the best available interventions for stigma and discrimination.
CONCLUSION
Support groups should be offered as a fundamental part of HIV/AIDS services and should be advocated as an effective and useful intervention. Further research is needed to examine the effect of support groups for women living with HIV/AIDS. A community based randomised controlled trial with support group as an intervention and a control group could provide further evidence of the value of support groups.
Topics: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Adaptation, Psychological; Female; HIV Infections; Humans; Self-Help Groups; Social Discrimination; Social Stigma; Stress, Psychological; Women's Health
PubMed: 26032304
DOI: 10.1186/s12978-015-0032-9 -
Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem 2023to know the violence spoken and felt by disabled people, living in rural areas, from the perspective of their families.
OBJECTIVES
to know the violence spoken and felt by disabled people, living in rural areas, from the perspective of their families.
METHODS
a descriptive-exploratory and qualitative study, carried out in four municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Twelve family members who lived with disabled people in rural areas participated. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic content analysis.
RESULTS
disabled people, living in rural areas, experienced physical, psychological and sexual violence, perpetrated by family members, colleagues, community members and health professionals. Adaptations were mentioned in family dynamics for the care of disabled people, social, financial and leisure impacts, and challenges in access and accessibility to education and health services.
FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
violence against this population manifests itself in a reality with socioeconomic and family particularities, marked by exclusion, disrespect and denial of rights and access to fundamental goods and services.
Topics: Humans; Violence; Health Services; Sex Offenses; Rural Population; Family; Brazil; Qualitative Research
PubMed: 37255188
DOI: 10.1590/0034-7167-2022-0404 -
Journal of Psycholinguistic Research Dec 2021Negative sentences are hard to process when they are presented out of context. When embedded in a context of plausible denial their processing difficulty decreases or is...
Negative sentences are hard to process when they are presented out of context. When embedded in a context of plausible denial their processing difficulty decreases or is completely eliminated. We investigated in six behavioral experiments whether the processing of negation is eased in a denial context triggered by discourse markers (e.g. Contrary to expectations, John has/hasn't eaten the soup). In order to investigate the necessary conditions for a context of plausible denial to reduce the processing cost of negation, we contrasted the processing of affirmative and negative sentences in minimal and extended denial and non-denial contexts (represented by either no context or a different type of context). We expected significantly longer response times (RTs) for negative sentences in comparison with affirmation in non-denial contexts and similar RTs for affirmative and negative sentences in denial contexts. The results from a sensibility judgement task (Experiment 1 and 2) and from a self-paced reading paradigm (Experiment 3 and 4) showed two robust main effects of context and polarity but no significant interaction between the two factors, suggesting that the processing of negative sentences was not facilitated in a context of minimal denial triggered solely by discourse markers. However, when the discourse markers were replaced with the explicit mention of the expectation to be denied and longer narratives used, the processing difficulty was eliminated specifically in the denial contexts (Experiment 5). Furthermore, when the discourse markers were used in longer narratives, a facilitation effect was also found (Experiment 6). All in all, the present findings suggest that, although negative sentences are felicitous in a context of plausible denial, the interplay of pragmatic factors like relevance or informativity is decisive in easing their processing difficulty.
Topics: Comprehension; Humans; Language; Motivation; Reaction Time; Reading
PubMed: 34313945
DOI: 10.1007/s10936-021-09799-8 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jan 2023Previous research has already shown the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on college students' well-being and mental health. Eating problems and weight gain due...
Previous research has already shown the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on college students' well-being and mental health. Eating problems and weight gain due to changes in eating habits and physical activity experienced during this period have also been noticed. However, few studies have explored the role of students' resources as used during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as coping strategies. This study aimed to (1) explore the associations among psychological distress, disordered eating, coping strategies, and weight changes; (2) examine the moderating role of coping strategies in the process of weight gain and weight loss; and (3) study the mediating role of coping strategies in the process of weight gain and weight loss. The participants in this study were 772 students at a Portuguese university. The data collected included sociodemographic data and three self-reported questionnaires (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale; Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire; Brief COPE) during the first few months of the pandemic, which included a 72-day full national lockdown. The results showed that depression, anxiety, stress, and disordered eating were related to increased weight. Guilt, denial, self-distraction, use of substances, and behavior disinvestment were also related to increased weight. Behavioral disinvestment had a strong mediating effect on weight gain. Additionally, planning, positive reframing, and acceptance all showed a moderating effect between psychological distress and weight changes. In conclusion, coping strategies allow for a better understanding of the mechanisms by which psychological distress and disordered eating were related to weight changes during the pandemic.
Topics: Humans; Pandemics; COVID-19; Communicable Disease Control; Adaptation, Psychological; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Weight Loss; Weight Gain; Psychological Distress; Stress, Psychological
PubMed: 36767871
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20032504 -
Blood Advances Apr 2023Caregivers of patients with hematologic malignancies undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) must cope with substantial caregiving burden, high rates... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Caregivers of patients with hematologic malignancies undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) must cope with substantial caregiving burden, high rates of psychological distress, and diminished quality of life (QOL). However, data describing coping strategies before HSCT and the association between coping, QOL, and psychological outcomes in this population are lacking. We conducted a secondary analysis of data collected during a multisite randomized clinical trial of a supportive care intervention in HSCT recipients and their caregivers. Caregivers completed the Brief COPE, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Caregiver Oncology Quality of Life Questionnaire to measure coping strategies, psychological distress, and QOL, respectively. We grouped coping into 2 higher-order domains: approach-oriented (ie, emotional support and active coping) and avoidant (ie, self-blame and denial). We used the median split method to describe the distribution of coping and multivariate linear regression models to assess the relationship between coping and caregiver outcomes. We enrolled 170 caregivers, with a median (range) age of 53 (47-64) years. Most were White (87%), non-Hispanic (96%), and female (77%). Approach-oriented coping was associated with less anxiety (β = -0.210, P = .003), depression symptoms (β = -0.160, P = .009), and better QOL (β = 0.526, P = .002). In contrast, avoidant coping was associated with more anxiety (β = 0.687, P<.001), depression symptoms (β = 0.579, P < .001), and worse QOL (β = -1.631, P < .001). Our findings suggest that coping is related to distress and QOL among caregivers of HSCT recipients even before transplant. Hence, caregivers of patients with hematologic malignancies undergoing HSCT may benefit from resources that facilitate adaptive coping with the demands of caregiving.
Topics: Humans; Female; Middle Aged; Caregivers; Quality of Life; Depression; Adaptation, Psychological; Hematologic Neoplasms; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
PubMed: 36398978
DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2022008281 -
Artificial Organs Mar 2022After the rehabilitation program, patients with left ventricular assist device (LVAD) are discharged home, but the adaption to the daily life with the implant is... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
BACKGROUND
After the rehabilitation program, patients with left ventricular assist device (LVAD) are discharged home, but the adaption to the daily life with the implant is challenging, both with practical and psychological consequences. Literature is lacking detailed information about the quality of life of LVAD patients and caregivers after discharge to home.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed at evaluating the post-discharge outcomes of both LVAD patients and their caregivers in terms of quality of life, affectivity, and psychological health.
METHODS
In this observational follow-up study, LVAD dyads discharged home from 1 year to 6 years were re-contacted by phone and received by mail an envelope with self-report questionnaires. Responses of 39 complete dyads of patients (mean age 68.59 ± 4.31; males: 92.31%) and their caregivers (mean age 61.59 ± 11.64; males: 17.95%) were analyzed.
RESULTS
Patients and caregivers reported the moderate levels of anxiety, depression, and caregiver strain, and Illness denial and conscious avoidance were associated between them. The couples often reported that the LVAD has impairments for their sleep and for their affective-sexual relationship. Caregivers often reported impairment in social life and self-care.
DISCUSSIONS
Despite the satisfaction for the medical and territorial assistance, patients showed psychological difficulties such as anxious and depressive symptoms and caregivers tend to neglect themselves. Even after a long time from discharge to home, the psychological distress of LVAD patients and caregivers is still considerable. Structured and continuous psychological interventions are required to support their psychological health overtime after the discharge to home.
Topics: Aged; Anxiety; Attitude to Health; Caregivers; Denial, Psychological; Depression; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Heart-Assist Devices; Humans; Male; Mental Health; Middle Aged; Quality of Life; Stress, Psychological
PubMed: 34519060
DOI: 10.1111/aor.14071