bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The relationship of hypertension and its treatment with stress and well‐being
Authors: Gill J. S. , Beevers D. G.
Published: May 2007

The evidence that environmental stress or personality type are related to hypertension is inconsistent. A review of the literature reveals that a multitude of stressors has been investigated in relation to hypertension and interest in the treatment of hypertension by non‐pharmacological methods, including stress management, has increased. Well‐being has been defined as the ability to perform a normal occupation, housework, hobbies and leisure interests, and this also includes enjoyment of eating, drinking, personal relations, social contacts and sex. There is little evidence that the state of well‐being differs between individuals unaware of their hypertensive status and normotensives, although there does appear to be an influence of labelling individuals as hypertensives on the well‐being status. The act of diagnosis and drug treatment may impair well‐being and it is important that clinicians appreciate the negative effects of therapy as well as the benefits.
Possible protective value of severe psychopathology against lethal effects of an unfavourable milieu
Authors: Randrup Axel
Published: May 2007

Voles were studied in restricted and enriched milieux and observations made of stereotypy and social hierarchy. Further experiments compared the behaviour of voles caught in the wild to that of voles reared in the laboratory. Tyrannic hierarchy was observed in 77 per cent of cages with a restricted environment as compared to 10 per cent of those with an enriched environment (p< 0.005). The incidence of stereotyped and hyperaggressive behaviour was significantly greater in laboratory bred animals and excessive water‐drinking and death significantly greater in the wild species.
Wives prefer reading: Stress and female sexuality
Authors: Araoz Daniel L. , Kalinsky Ellen
Published: May 2007

A clinical discussion is presented of sources of sexual stress for women and how they might interfere with healthy sexual functioning. Several therapeutic techniques to reduce sexual stress are described and clinical case examples are given to clarify their use in clinical practice.
The psychosocial aspects of inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Drossman Douglas A.
Published: May 2007

The role of psychosocial factors in the understanding of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been a major area of clinical interest and psychosomatic research. This paper explores the scientific basis for the following contentions: (1) psychosocial factors such as stressful life events are associated with symptom onset and exacerbation; (2) research in brain‐gut peptides and the new fields of psychoimmunology and psychoneuroendocrinology may establish the physiological basis for this clinical observation; (3) while there is no proof for the psychosomatic specificity hypothesis, certain psychodynamic observations, particularly conflicts relating to real or threatened loss and extreme dependency with parental figures, are frequently observed; (4) there is a higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders (particularly depression) among patients with Crohn's disease; (5) the psychosocial impact of these disorders may be considerable, yet patient adjustment and perceived quality of life is generally favourable.
Infertility as a marital crisis
Authors: Humphrey Michael
Published: May 2007

For many couples infertility is a major trauma, particularly when the fault occurs in the male. Donor insemination provides a simple means of relieving this stress but may conceal a morass of emotional complexity. Counselling of the couple is essential to ensure their own future and that of the children. The diagnosis of marital infertility can be shattering to a man's self‐esteem and indirectly to the woman also. A further problem may arise in deciding what to tell the child in later life. It is encouraging that help is available for those who may be involved in this neglected area of human distress.
Research programme on breakdown in human adaptation to stress
Authors: Steptoe Andrew
Published: May 2007

The research programme on Breakdown in Human Adaptation, initiated by the Medical and Public Health Research Committee of the Commission of the European Communities, is described. The aims of the programme are to encourage transnational, multidisciplinary research on the problems of stress and human adaptation, with particular emphasis on cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disease and performance decrement in transport operations. The organization of the programme is outlined and its progress to date is summarized.
A prospective study of the relationship between breast cancer and life events, type A behaviour, social support and coping skills
Authors: Cooper C. L. , Cooper R. F. Davies , Faragher E. B.
Published: May 2007

Two thousand one hundred and sixty‐three women completed an extensive set of psychosocial measures prior to a breast examination. These women were subsequently diagnosed as having cancer, a cyst, benign breast disease or normal breasts. It was found that the cancer group had experienced significantly more loss‐ or illness‐related events, perceived life events generally as more stressful, used fewer and poorer coping skills and were significantly lower on type A behaviour.
Psychotropic drugs and epilepsy
Authors: Mendez Mario F. , Cummings Jeffrey L. , Benson D. Frank
Published: May 2007

Psychotropic drug use in epileptics requires special considerations, since many such drugs lower the seizure threshold. Stress associated with epilepsy often produces psychiatric problems, so that psychotropic drug therapy may be required. Side‐effects of the anticonvulsant drugs themselves must also be considered, as must psychotropic‐anticonvulsant interactions. Other seizure risk factors must be taken into account, but nevertheless psychotropic drug therapy should not be denied to the epileptic when it is specifically indicated. This paper outlines the precautions that need to be taken under such circumstances.
Exercise as a buffer against organizational stress
Authors: Pavett Cynthia M. , Butler Mark , Marcinik Edward J. , Hodgdon James A.
Published: May 2007

This field study was designed to examine the impact of an organizationally sponsored exercise program on attitudes and self‐perceptions under shipboard conditions. Pre‐ and postsurvey data were collected from 245 Navy and Marine Corps men participating in either experimental circuit weight‐training (N= 111) or control (N=134) groups. Survey measures included: (1) attitudes towards the organization; (2) perceptions of performance, health, self‐esteem and stress; and (3) turnover intent.

Results indicate that organizational commitment, satisfaction and internal work motivation declined significantly during the study period. Reported job stress decreased significantly during the study for the exercise group while increasing among control group members. No significant (p<0.05) time or group by time effects for indices of self‐perception were observed.

Findings suggest that organizationally induced stress: (1) affects attitudes towards the organization in a negative direction; and (2) is attenuated somewhat by involvement in an exercise program.
Hormone changes in stress
Authors: Delahunt John W. , Mellsop Graham
Published: May 2007

Typically stressors produce rises in catecholamines, ACTH, cortisol, growth hormone, prolactin and vasopressin. These are accompanied by falls in testosterone and thyroid hormones. Adrenaline is probably the immediate stress‐responsive hormone, increasing arousal, inducing metabolic changes and affecting haematological factors in preparation for the ‘fight or flight’ response. Cortisol seems to be the most useful hormone to monitor graded responses to a variety of stressors, its actions including anti‐inflammatory. counter‐regulatory fuel metabolism, salt and water handling and cardiovascular support. Differing physical stressors influence the hypothalamic glucocorticoid feedback‐responsive centres in differing ways. It seems likely that the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) may be a simple measure of stress response and not of depression. The future for research into mechanisms of stress responses would appear to be rather brighter than that for the DST in depression.
Immigrant stress
Authors: Creed Francis
Published: May 2007

The literature concerning psychiatric illness among immigrants is reviewed. Most studies of severe psychiatric illness have been concerned with hospital admission rates and not measured social stressors. Limited knowledge of the different paths to admission means that such rates cannot provide a reliable comparison between rates of illness between immigrant and native populations. Predisposition to develop psychotic illness appears to be as important as the stress of migration.

Community studies of social stressors among immigrants have generally not made accurate measures of psychiatric illness. They indicate that distress is related to certain aspects of the migration process, eg loss of role and drop in the social class; but other factors, such as marital or housing difficulties, are similar to those found in non‐migrant populations. A few life‐event studies have been able to differentiate stressors occurring at the time of migration and those which occur some years later. The latter indicated continuing difficulties in adapting to the new country but it is not clear how often this leads to definite Psychiatric illness.
Acute and chronic stress in cardiothoracic anaesthetists
Authors: Rick Terry , Acton Susan , Payne Roy
Published: May 2007

A distinction is made between acute and chronic stress in the workplace. The distinction leads on to two types of question: (1) How does the one relate to the other? (2) Is it possible to distinguish between acute and chronic stress physiologically? Preliminary attempts to tackle the latter question are reported. The subjects were anaesthetists on a cardiothoracic unit and the physiological measures taken were urinary cortisol and salivary flowrate. Perceived stress and arousal were monitored using self‐report techniques. Among the results obtained were the following:

Self‐reported arousal was higher in the morning than the afternoon.

The level of arousal was associated with salivary flow, flow being weaker when arousal was higher and vice versa.

Self‐reports of stress were associated with higher than average urinary cortisol levels.

The mean level of urinary cortisol over 24 hours was significantly higher for the group than that found in the general population.
The psychosocial environment and the cellular immunity in the pregnant patient
Authors: Herrera J. A. , Alvarado J. P. , Martinez J. E.
Published: May 2007

Seventy‐two patients were studied with pregnancies of more than 32 weeks, 38 (52.7%) of whom developed either premature labour or pregnancy‐induced hypertension and who were admitted to the high‐risk pregnancy unit of the university hospital in Cali, Colombia.

The remaining 34 (47.3%) patients had normal pregnancies and were recruited from smaller hospitals (Selva and Siloi.) in the same city of Cali.

Each patient's clinical history included: 1. The level of stress and social support affecting the course of the patient's pregnancy. 2. The patient's lymphocyte activity measured by lymphocyte count on peripheral blood smear. 3. Late hypersensitivity to candidin, all patients having a previous history of candida infection with a positive KOH from a fresh smear. A higher level of stress was found in patients with an obstetric disorder (p < 0.005) in whom the relative risk to develop the disorder was 5.1 (95 per cent confidence limits 1.7‐15.6).

When the patient had a high level of stress and the social support was inadequate, the relative risk increased to 10.2 (95 per cent confidence limits 1.3−79.0). Absolute lymphopenia was more frequent in those patients with an obstetric disorder (p < 0.02) and in 79% of these patients an associated negative candidin test was found.

72.7% of the patients with a high level of stress and with inadequate social support showed depression of lymphocyte activity as shown by a negative candidin test combined with absolute lymphopenia in the peripheral blood smear lymphocyte count (< 1500 lymphocytes). Psychosocial stimuli, early environmental influences and genetic factors when interacting in a dynamic form, facilitated the depression of lymphocyte activity in those patients with a high level of stress plus inadequate social support. This may be related to the higher relative risk to develop an obstetric disorder shown by this group of patients. The above considerations may induce us to consider both a low socio‐economic status and adolescent pregnancy as risk factors in the obstetric patient. These factors are generators of stress when patients do not have adequate social support in their family or community environment.
Emotional cognizance & the type a behaviour pattern: Urinary catecholamine excretion and self‐reported frequency of emotional signs/symptoms
Authors: Ketterer Mark W. , Brenner George , Hammersly Gail , Rymas Kimberlee
Published: May 2007

Thirty‐eight, first year osteopathic medical students provided a morning and afternoon urine sample (analyzed for norepinephrine and dopamine) on a school day. Change from morning baseline served as a measure of naturally induced arousal (i.e., „stress”︁) to a routine school day. They were also asked to fill out questionnaires assessing mood state during the morning session and, during the afternoon session, Type A Behavior, the frequency of 61 signs/symptoms of emotional arousal since the morning session and control data. One hundred and twenty‐two Emotional Dyscognizance Indices (cross‐sample t‐scores for the two urinary amine measures minus t‐scores for the 61 emotional frequency scores) were calculated. Each was then correlated with the Type A measure and 21 (17.2%) proved positive and statistically significant (p < .05). None were negative and statistically significant. The probability of such a finding is less than .001. Current results are consistent with the hypothesis of a heightened sympathoadrenomedullary arousal threshold for experiencing a given intensity of negative emotion in the Type A person. Such emotional dyscognizance would cause problems for both diagnosis and treatment.
Stress and health dysfunctions: The importance of health education
Authors: Livingston Ivor Lensworth
Published: May 2007

Stress, especially of a chronic nature, poses problems for the health of people in contemporary societies. In consequence, there is an increasing need for emphasis on health education as a means of controlling and reducing stress in everyday life. To accomplish this, the importance of predisposing and mediating factors must be considered and a number of stress intervention programs are possible. Amongst these are various means to modify life style and knowledge of various social and environmental factors can contribute to this. As complete avoidance from stress is not possible, the public and particularly the high at‐risk segment of the population, should have the means to obtain education concerning stress and health dysfunctions.
Stress and the heart: The sleep factor
Authors: Partinen Markku
Published: May 2007

Sinus arrhythmia, sinus pauses and A‐V blocks may occur during REM sleep, during which an increase in the variability of blood pressure and heart rate occurs. Peak mortality for myocardial infarction (MI) occurs between 4.00 and 7.00 am and there is a circadian variation in myocardial ischaemia. The incidence of MI is higher in those sleeping more than nine hours as compared to those sleeping 7‐8 hours, while those sleeping less than six hours have more symptomatic coronary heart disease (CHD). Poor sleep quality also increases the risk of CHD and seems to be an indicator of mental and somatic disease. Other major factors are obesity and snoring, since habitual snoring increases the risk of hypertension and CHD. During obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) the pulmonary and systemic arterial pressures rise, straining the heart, and hypoxaemia increases vulnerability to fatal arrhythmias. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is another risk factor and part of the association between CHD and sleep disturbances could be explained even by modifications in lipoprotein catabolism.
Sources of stress and ways of coping in junior house officers
Authors: Firth‐Cozens Jenny , Morrison Leslie A.
Published: May 2007

This study uses a qualitative approach to look at stress and coping in a group of 173 pre‐registration doctors. Asking them to describe a recent stressful event and the way they coped with it revealed the largest group of events to concern death, followed by relationships with senior doctors, mistakes seen as personally caused, and overwork. The majority of coping strategies involved tackling the problem or asking for help. From longitudinal data on this sample a consistently stressed group was isolated and shown to report significantly more perceived mistakes than a consistently unstressed group, and to try to cope with the event significantly more by dismissing it from their minds. No sex differences were found. The implications for medical training and future impairment are discussed.
Men and women of the personnel profession: Some differences and similarities in their stress
Authors: Nelson Debra L. , Quick James Campbell , Hitt Michael A.
Published: May 2007

Male (n = 248) and female (n = 195) personnel professionals responded to a stress at work survey. The results indicate that females report more stress from organizational politics than do males. However, females report no more stress than males concerning work/home conflicts or career progress. Females do report significantly higher levels of distress than do males, both psychologically and physiologically. And, males report significantly higher levels of exercise and sports activity than do females.
Patient burnout—Behaviour of young adults undergoing orthodontic treatment
Authors: Brezniak Naphtali , Ben‐Ya'Ir Shimon
Published: May 2007

Burnout is a well‐documented phenonmenon in the literature of organizational behaviour and industrial psychology. Currently, it is being recognized in many other fields. As far as we know, the concept of burnout has not been applied in the context of the patient‐doctor relationship. Orthodontics is a specialty in dentistry in which long‐term patient cooperation is a major factor affecting treatment success. This article attempts to discuss some dominant burnout models taken from organizational behaviour and industrial psychology and apply them to orthodontic patient non‐cooperation. Stressor characteristics, the burnout process and the burnout psychological syndrome are described. Means of identifying potential burnout patients, and preventing this phenomenon are discussed. This model is proposed as applicable to other fields of medicine where long‐term patient‐therapist interaction is required.
Psychological reactions to thermography and mammography
Authors: Bartolucci Giovanna , Savron Gianni , Fava Giovanni A. , Grandi Silvana , Trombini Giancarlo , Orlandi Camillo
Published: May 2007

Psychological distress and illness attitudes were investigated in women undergoing thermography and mammography by means of two self‐rating scales: the Symptom Questionnaire (SQ) and the Illness Attitude Scales (IAS). After receiving normal results from thermography, a significant decrease in anxiety, depression, somatic symptoms, hostility, worry about illness, concern about pain, and fear of dying took place. Women who, because of the thermography results, required mammography, displayed significantly less distress and fewer fears before mammography than before thermography.
Relationships between a critical life event and eating behaviour in high‐school students
Authors: Michaud Cl. , Kahn J. P. , Musse N. , Burlet C. , Nicolas J. P. , Mejean L.
Published: May 2007

This study describes the impact of a major school examination on eating behaviour in 225 high‐school students 15–19 years old where each student served as his own control. Food eaten was recorded on the day of an examination (D0) and on a control day (D7) identical to the former but without a stressful school event. Results revealed that the total energy intake (2225 ± 49 kcal vs 2074 ± 48 kcal; p ⩽ 0.01) and amount of fat in the diet (38.3 ± 0.5 per cent vs 36.8 ± 0.6 per cent; p ⩽ 0.05) were significantly increased on the day of the examination. Energy intake in girls was affected by the stressful event (+ 135 kcal; p ⩽ 0.05) while the level of fat in the diet was modified in boys (+ 1.9 per cent; p ⩽ 0.05) on day D0. The ninetieth and tenth percentiles for the energy variable showed that students who had low‐energy intake on the control day increased their intake on the day of the examination while students whose energy input was high on the control day decreased consumption on the day of the examination. These results suggest that a major stressful event in school may induce significant changes in eating habits in high‐school students.
Measuring life events: The problem of variability within event categories
Authors: Dohrenwend Bruce P. , Link Bruce G. , Kern Rochelle , Shrout Patrick E. , Markowitz Jeffrey
Published: May 2007

One approach to measuring the magnitude and other characteristics of stressful life events has been to obtain subjective ratings of the events from the individuals whose stress experiences are being studied. Unfortunately, while useful for a number of purposes, subjective ratings are not independent of the personal dispositions of the individuals. This problem is especially severe in case/control studied of mental health outcomes, where it is highly likely to confound the measurement of supposed cause and effect. Two other approaches have been developed. One is Holmes and Rahe's use of rating by judges of lists of various categories of events. The other is George Brown's use of ratings by research team members of detailed material on the nature and circumstances of each event to determine its ‘contextual threat’. While the Brown approach, like the subjective rating approach, deals with the problem of intracategory variability in the Holmes and Rahe and other list methods, it has problems of its own. In this article, we examine the nature of these problems and recommend another approach to reducing intraevent category variability. Our recommendations are based on the results of an interview study of a general population sample consisting of 429 adults.
Epidemiological problem analysis: A new approach to the measurement of stress
Authors: Fisher Shirley , Elder Leona
Published: May 2007

This article is concerned with the development of a new approach to the measurement of stress. The realization that the experience of stressful life events might be related to ill‐health led to the development of the life‐events scale by Holmes and Rahe.1 However, the failure to take note of contextual factors restricts the predictive power of the scale. Although Brown2 developed a technique for assessing contextual and personal factors, no objective way of incorporating these as weightings into a life‐event scale has evolved and the personal factors are themselves complex and difficult to define. A solution is to regard self‐reported stressful problems as fundamental indicators of the existence of particular stress experiences. Epidemiological problem analysis involves such an approach and is so called because a single life event is analysed in terms of the microstructure of component personal problems, thus providing the epidemiology of a particular life stress.
Conceptualizing and measuring life stress: Problems, principles, procedures, progress
Authors: Monroe Scott M. , Roberts John E.
Published: May 2007

Life stress has long been a popular explanation for physical and mental disorders. Despite the intuitive appeal of the premise that adverse circumstances predispose to disease, stress research has been hindered by problems in defining and measuring the construct. In the present article these shortcomings are outlined and examples are provided to illustrate many of the basic principles involved. It is suggested that the complexity of human lives and the multifaceted nature of life stress pose ambitious demands in the assessment of life stress. Advantages and disadvantages of currently available procedures are discussed. Finally, recent advances in theory and practice based upon these procedures are outlined. Through such approaches, the assessment of life stress may more closely approximate the complexity inherent in the ongoing lives of people, without sacrificing the rigor required for a scientific understanding of the concept and its consequences.
Major and daily stress and psychopathology: On the adequacy of the definitions and methods
Authors: Wagner Barry M.
Published: May 2007

A number of the most frequently used measures of major and daily stress are critically examined in an effort to untangle some of the knotty questions facing the field of stress research: (a) how adequate are the prevailing definitions of stress; (b) how well do the measures operationalize these definitions; (c) which definitions and methods are most appropriate for use in studies seeking to document and explain the relations of stress with dysfunction? Suggestions are offered for measurement directions leading to a more fully‐developed process model of stress.
The stress appraisal measure (SAM): A multidimensional approach to cognitive appraisal
Authors: Peacock Edward J. , Wong Paul T. P.
Published: May 2007

Cognitive‐relational theory emphasizes the fundamental role of cognitive appraisal in the stress process. However, existing measures of stress appraisal suffer from conceptual and methodological problems. The present paper reports the development of a new stress appraisal scale that attempts to overcome some of these difficulties. Six dimensions of primary and secondary appraisal were identified: threat, challenge, centrality, controllable‐by‐self, controllable‐by‐others, uncontrollable‐by‐anyone. Items were generated for each of these dimensions, as well as for an overall perceived stressfulness scale. In three studies examining anticipatory stress experienced by undergraduates, these items were subjected to item‐selection, analysis and validation procedures. The findings provide strong support for the psychometric properties of the scales. Two factor analyses showed that the six appraisal dimensions were relatively independent. In multiple regression analyses, threat and centrality consistently emerged as significant predictors of overall stressfulness. The Stress Appraisal Measure (SAM) appears to be a promising instrument for use in future stress research.
Changes in biogenic amine neurotransmitters in panic disorder
Authors: Leonard B. E.
Published: May 2007

In this short review, an attempt is made to assess the evidence implicating a disorder in central biogenic amine neurotransmission in panic disorder. Circumstantial evidence obtained from studying the efficacy of benzodiazepines and antidepressants in attenuating some of the key symptoms of panic disorders suggests that the GABAergic, noradrenergic and serotonergic systems may be causally involved in the pathology of this condition. The possible neuroanatomical substrates for the major symptoms of panic disorder are discussed. Finally, the direct evidence implicating abnormalities in the noradrenergic and serotonergic systems is considered as assessed by changes in peripheral markers of these neurotransmitters. So far, the results of such studies are equivocal and point to the need for more extensive longitudinal studies before any firm conclusion can be reached implicating abnormalities in the function of any specific neurotransmitters in the disorder.
The state of leucocyte adhesiveness/aggregation in the peripheral blood: A new and independent marker of mental stress
Authors: Arber Nadir , Berliner Shlomo , Tamir Arnon , Liberman Eliezer , Segal Gil , Pinkhas Jack , Aronson Moshe
Published: May 2007

A direct slide test was used to detect the presence of aggregated white blood cells in the peripheral blood. By this means the state of leucocyte adhesiveness/aggregation (LAA) during acute mental stress was determined in 22 healthy volunteers and compared to the white blood cell count (WBCC). The LAA test proved to be more sensitive (73 per cent) as compared to the WBCC (40 per cent). This increased sensitivity is a result of a greater deviation of the LAA from normal values (obtained in 22 healthy controls) than the one obtained in the absolute cell number in the circulating pool. It is assumed that factors released during stress induce a state of increased LAA. Hence the determination of the adhesive state together with the absolute WBCC may yield a rapid, cheap and efficient laboratory criterion for the detection of mental stress.
Cognitive behavioural treatment for essential hypertension: A controlled study
Authors: Amigo Isaac , Buceta Jose M. , Becona Elisardo , Bueno Ana M.
Published: May 2007

Sixteen patients with essential hypertension from the northwest of Spain were exposed to a three—four week baseline period and later divided into two groups of eight patients each. One of these groups was treated with a six‐week cognitive behavioural programme based mainly on stress inoculation training and the other group was assigned to an attention—placebo condition based on individual regular contacts between the therapist and the patient, including discussions about the lifestyle of the latter but without any training on cognitive or behavioural strategies. After the six‐week intervention period, and at a six months' follow‐up, subjects treated with the cognitive behavioural programme showed a significantly higher reduction of diastolic blood pressure than patients exposed to the attention—placebo condition, considering measurements taken both at hospital and at patients' homes. Similarly, the group treated with cognitive behavioural therapy showed a significant within‐group reduction over the measurement taken at hospital.
Childhood predictors of later suicide: Follow‐up of a sample of gifted children
Authors: Lester David
Published: May 2007

By 1987, 8.7 per cent of the deaths of the men and 5.2 per cent of the deaths of the women in Terman's sample of gifted children were from suicide. Four variables distinguished those who killed themselves at a young age from those committing suicide later: the length of pregnancy, the length of breast feeding, loss of father by death or divorce, and a lower desire to excel.
Predictive validity of the strain components of the occupational stress indicator
Authors: Cooper Cary L. , Bramwell Rosalind S.
Published: May 2007

This study analysed the intercorrelations between questionnaire data on job satisfaction, mental and physical health and objective data on incidence of, and days lost due to, sickness absence for 236 managers and 377 shopfloor workers. Analysis of all respondents showed significant correlations between the strain scales and sickness absence data, confirming the predictive validity of the scales. For managers, the strain scales correlated well with incidence of sickness absence, but not with days lost. For shopfloor workers, the strain scales correlated well, but the relationship with sickness absence data was more complex. The results suggested important differences between managers and shopfloor workers in their experiences of stress.
Correlations between perceived stress and depressive symptoms among depressive outpatients
Authors: Fava Maurizio , Rosenbaum Jerrold F. , McCarthy Mary , Pava Joel A. , Steingard Ronald , Fox Rachel
Published: May 2007

Cognitive distortions associated with depression may amplify the sense of strain and pressure derived from everyday stressors. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), designed to assess the degree to which situations are perceived as stressful, was administered before and after open treatment with fluoxetine 20 mg/day for eight weeks to 60 consecutive outpatients with major depression (15 men and 45 women; mean age: 36.9 ± 10.6 years) and to 22 normal controls (11 mean and 11 women; mean age: 34.6 ± 10.1 years). Pretreatment, the mean PSS score among the depressed patients was 38.8 ± 6.4, which was significantly higher (z score: 6.33; p < 0.0001) than that (22.4 ± 7.0) of the group of normal controls. After treatment with fluoxetine, the mean PSS score was 25.1 ± 8.9, not different from controls but significantly different from baseline (paired t‐test = 10.8; p < 0.0001). The correlation between PSS and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM‐D‐17) scores was significant both before (r = 0.33; p < 0.02) and after (r = 0.62; p < 0.0001) treatment with fluoxetine. An even greater correlation was found between differences in pre‐ and post‐treatment PSS scores and differences in pre‐ and posttreatment HAM‐D‐17 scores (r = 0.65; p < 0.0001).
Occupational stress in health service workers in the UK
Authors: Rees David , Cooper Cary L.
Published: May 2007

Levels of occupational stress were examined in 1176 employees of all occupational groups within one large UK health authority. In comparison with the most recently established normative group of workers from non‐health care sectors, health workers reported significantly greater pressure at work but scored lower on measures of Type A behaviour pattern and employed coping strategies more frequently. The health care workers reported, in contrast with previous studies, fewer symptoms of mental ill‐health and similar levels of job satisfaction. Job satisfaction and psychosomatic ill‐health were related to sickness absence among health workers. Approximately one in 12 health workers had stress symptoms of equal magnitude to patients attending clinical psychology outpatient clinics. The major occupational groups within the health worker sample were compared on stress measures. General managers were found to report the lowest levels of pressure, were high on Type A (nearly as high as doctors), were found to be the most ‘internal’ in their perceived locus of control, had the lowest levels of ill‐health symptoms, the highest levels of job satisfaction and the lowest sickness absence rate. Nurses reported the highest levels of pressure. Ancillary staff and scientists and technicians, on the other hand, had very low levels of job satisfaction and high sickness absence.
Stress, coping and mental well‐being in hospital nurses
Authors: Tyler Patrick , Cushway Delia
Published: May 2007

Previous studies on stress in nurses have demonstrated positive but low correlations between stress measures and indicators of mental distress. The present study was designed to investigate further this relationship and the extent to which it is attenuated by coping strategies. Questionnaires on sources of stress, coping strategies and health outcomes were administered to 72 nurses in one large general hospital. The results indicated that staff conflicts and workload stress increased with grade of nurse and that workload stress and organizational support and involvement differed between wards, whereas there were no differences between groups in coping strategies or mental health outcomes. Negative mental health outcomes were mainly predicted by nurses' perceptions of excessive workload and their adoption of avoidance coping strategies. The main recommendations arising from the study, therefore, were that stress‐related disorders in nurses could be alleviated if sufficient resources were allocated so that excessive workloads were reduced, and if stress management programmes could be initiated so that appropriate coping strategies would be adopted.
Psychological determinants of occupational burnout
Authors: Thompson M. S. , Page S. L.
Published: May 2007

A representative sample of 74 nurses working in a comparatively large Australian psychiatric hospital completed a questionnaire which contained scales that reflected the elements of the self‐control model of human stress proposed by Carver and Scheier. Canonical correlation analysis was used to statistically relate proposed elements of the self‐control model to both intensity and frequency subscale scores of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Interpretation of the complicated array of structure coefficients derived for four significant canonical variates provided support for the basic tenets of the self‐control model. Notably, those participants who reported higher intensities of emotional exhaustion–depersonalization also reported higher scores on operational measures of self‐focus and negative affect, a greater range of discrepant aspects of their job, and more pessimism regarding improvement in those same aspects. A framework for elaboration of the model through future research is proposed.
Relationships of neurogenic and psychological factors to the regulation and variability of serum lipids
Authors: Rosenman Ray H.
Published: May 2007

There is consistent evidence that self‐perceived stress can cause significant short‐term increases of plasma total and LDL cholesterol that vary in different individuals and are occasionally of large magnitude. This may be due to a stimulation of sympathetic nervous system activity that suppresses LDL cholesterol receptors. Behavioral ‘activation’ appears to be associated with higher cholesterol levels, reduced participation in life activities with lower levels, and transient increases during emotional arousal with anxiety.
The effect of life‐threatening war stress on an acute psychiatric ward
Authors: Grisaru Nimrod , Paronsky Alla , Zabow Aubrey , Belmaker R. H.
Published: May 2007

The Gulf War led to an anticipated missile attack on the Israeli civilian population. Psychotic inpatients in a locked ward repeatedly had to enter a sealed room and put on gas masks, after air raid sirens were sounded. Despite absence of psychological preparation, the patients cooperated well and no exacerbations of psychosis were noted.
Work‐family stress, conflict, coping, and burnout in police officers
Authors: Burke Ronald J.
Published: May 2007

This study examined a research model developed to understand work satisfactions and emotional and physical well‐being among police officers. Data were collected from 828 men and women in police work using questionnaires completed anonymously. Although considerable diversity was present in the sample, a majority were male constables in their early careers. Five groups of predictor variables identified in previous research were considered: individual demographic and situational variables, work stressors, work‐family conflict, coping responses, and psychological burnout components. Work stressors and psychological burnout were fairly consistently and significantly related to levels of self‐reported work attitudes and emotional and physical well‐being. Somewhat surprisingly, work‐family conflict and individual coping responses were generally unrelated to measures of work attitudes and self‐reported emotional and physical well‐being.
A test of carver and scheier's self‐control model of stress in exploring burnout among mental health nurses
Authors: Thompson Murray S. , Page Sandra L. , Cooper Cary L.
Published: May 2007

A sample of Australian psychiatric nurses completed a questionnaire which included operational measures of elements of Carver and Scheier's self‐control model of stress including the frequency dimension of the subscales of the Maslach Burnout Inventory — emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and diminished accomplishment. Other scales completed by participants included independent subscales contained in the Positive and Negative Affectivity Scale and the private and public self‐focus and social anxiety subscales of the Self‐Consciousness Scale (Revised). Two interpretable canonical variates labelled emotional exhaustion–depersonalization and diminished accomplishment were derived from analysis of the date. Each element of the self‐control model showed an expected contribution to an emotional exhaustion–depersonalization canonical variate, whereas reported levels of only positive affectivity and private self‐focus made a notable contribution to explanation of variance on the diminished accomplishment canonical variate.
Subjective and objective relaxation effects of low energy emission therapy
Authors: Higgs Lisa , Reite Martin , Barbault Alexandre , Lebet Jean‐Pierre , Rossel Claude , Amato David , Dafni Urania , Pasche Boris
Published: May 2007

A device has been designed that allows the safe and homogeneous delivery of very low levels of amplitude‐modulated electromagnetic fields to human beings by placing a spoon‐shaped antenna in the mouth of subjects. This new method has been termed low energy emission therapy (LEET). In two separate double‐blind crossover studies performed on a total of 104 healthy volunteers, the potential relaxation effects of a 15‐minute treatment with either an active or an inactive LEET device were investigated. All subjects were exposed to both active and inactive LEET treatment sessions, with an interval of at least 1 week between the two sessions. Blood pressure and pulse were recorded before and after treatment sessions and a subjective questionnaire was completed by the patient at the end of each treatment session. A decrease in systolic blood pressure (p= 0.016, two‐tailedt‐test) as well as a subjective feeling of warmth (p= 0.012, two‐tailed McNemar test) and muscular relaxation (p= 0.005, two‐tailed McNemar test) was noted following active treatment sessions. It is concluded that LEET induces relaxation in healthy volunteers which is associated with a decrease in systolic blood pressure, no change in pulse, and a subjective feeling of warmth probably due to peripheral vasodilation. The data suggest that LEET may become a new therapeutic modality in the field of stress medicine.
Stress and coping in clinical psychologists
Authors: Cushway Delia , Tyler Patrick A.
Published: May 2007

Levels and sources of stress, as well as coping strategies, were assessed in 101 West Midlands clinical psychologists by means of a postal survey. As expected, GHQ caseness levels for qualified psychologists were lower than for those in training, although qualified psychologists reported that they felt as stressed as trainees. As hypothesized, women and those with less experience reported higher stress levels. Junior men reported higher stress levels than more senior men; however, no such differences were found for women. Those psychologists who were ‘cases’ were also less likely to live with a partner. As expected, the most frequently reported coping strategies were behavioural, which mostly involved talking to others, and avoidance coping was associated with a poorer mental health outcome. Factor analysis of a self‐report stress survey identified seven factors; being responsible for supervising trainees accounted for the greatest variance in stress ratings. Psychologists indicated that better support from colleagues and better NHS management were the factors most likely to alleviate stress.
Reliability of lymphocyte proliferation assays
Authors: Fillion Lise , Belles‐Isles Marthe , Lemyre Louise , Roy Raynald
Published: May 2007

According to the psychoneuroimmunology literature, stressful experiences and psychological stress can alter various immunological parameters. The lymphocyte proliferation response of T cells is known to be variable but no data can be found on the reliability of blastogenesis retesting. To address this problem, 10 healthy volunteer men were tested on four occasions in longitudinal repeated measures design. Immunological parameters were measured from blood samples testing date. Using a doubly multivariate repeated measures design, significant time and concentration effects were observed for both parameters: concanavalin A induced blastogenesis (ConA) and phytohemagglutinin induced response (PHA). An interaction effect between time and mitogen dose was observed. Satisfactory reliability for ConA could not be achieved even in controlling for mitogen dose. Better results were obtained for PHA, but only at dilution 1:100. These data highlight the need for caution in interpreting fluctuations associated with lymphocyte proliferation responses in psychoneuroimmunology.
Psychoendocrinologic mechanisms of life stress
Authors: De La Torre B.
Published: May 2007

Psychological coping with daily life stressors induces endocrine responses by the central and autonomic nervous systems (CNS, ANS) as well as steroid hormone secretion by the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis. The adrenocortical hormones together with the catecholamines maintain peripheral homeostasis and regulate cardiovascular, metabolic and immune functions during stress reactions. Active coping with intermittent stressors is related to sympathetic nervous system (SNS)–adrenomedullary arousal and to adrenocortical hormone suppression. This is presumed to result in a strong, positive response, emotional stability and enhancement of the immune system, so‐called ‘positive stress reaction’. During passive, long‐term coping, SNS arousal is assumed to be associated with adrenocortical (cortisol) stimulation and immune suppression, so‐called ‘negative stress reaction’. The consequences include psychosomatic disorders and cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and/or immune diseases. Clinical data on adrenocortical hormone measurements in patients with immune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ulcerative colitis (UC), indicate, however, that the levels of cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) are reduced or normal, compared to those of other categories of patients and healthy subjects. Furthermore, the basal cortisol levels have also been found to be reduced in children with recurrent psychosomatic abdominal pain (RAP). These data seem to be in contraposition to the generally assumed role of the adrenocortical pathway in the evolution of stress‐induced diseases. Studies to assess whether there is a relationship between long‐term ‘negative’ stress reactions and the low adrenocortical hormone levels are lacking, but are needed.
Occupational stress profiles of senior police managers: Cross‐cultural study of officers from Berlin and northern Ireland
Authors: Kirkcaldy Bruce D. , Brown Jennifer , Cooper Cary L.
Published: May 2007

Senior police officers from Berlin and Northern Ireland have in common the task of policing divided communities and cohabiting with a military presence, and as such were expected to share similar profiles of job‐related stressors and exhibit equivalent coping strategies. While some similarities were found, the study reports some interesting differences, with German officers emerging as more stressed and using a greater variety of coping strategies than those from Northern Ireland. Differences are discussed in terms of dimensions of duration and expectedness of threat.
Predictors of symptom increase among managers: The role of environmental, personal and situational characteristics
Authors: Lindorff Margaret
Published: May 2007

This study examines the personal and situational characteristics associated with health status change in a sample of 572 managers. Organizational, social and demographic characteristics, environmental perceptions, coping resources and constraints, self‐focused beliefs, characteristics of recent stressful events, appraisals of the event and coping strategies all make an independent contribution to symptom increases. When relatively stable background characteristics are held constant, the greatest associations with symptom increases are for trait anxiety, comforting physically coping, the nature of the most recent stressful event, environmental uncontrollability and organizational instability through mergers and acquisitions.