bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Psychophysiological effects of relaxation training in children
Authors: Lohaus Arnold , Klein‐Heßling Johannes , Vögele Claus , Kuhn‐Hennighausen Christiane 
Published: February 2003

Objectives. This study compares the effects of progressive muscle relaxation and an imagery‐based relaxation training on childrens' physiological and subjective responses in a randomized controlled trial.Design. Sixty‐four children aged 9 to 13 years were randomly allocated to either one of three experimental conditions: progressive muscle relaxation, imagery‐based relaxation or a control condition (neutral story). There were five training sessions in each condition.Method. Heart rate (HR), skin conductance level (SCL), and skin temperature (ST) were measured continuously during a 5‐minute baseline period, an 8‐minute relaxation training period, and a 5‐minute follow‐up in each session. In addition, subjective ratings of mood and physical well‐being were collected intermittently.Results and conclusions. A physiological pattern indicating relaxation was most clearly associated with the imagery‐based relaxation approach (decreases in HR and SCL), although ST remained unchanged. In contrast, progressive muscle relaxation led to an increase in HR during the training. The neutral story condition showed a similar trend as the imagery‐based relaxation approach (although not reaching statistical significance). Furthermore, children's ratings of positive mood and physical wellbeing increased during baseline and training periods, but there were no differences between training conditions. The results indicate psychophysiological effects of relaxation instructions which, however, are not specific for systematic relaxation training.
Effective approaches to persuading pregnant women to quit smoking: A meta‐analysis of intervention evaluation studies
Authors: Kelley Kate , Bond Rod , Abraham Charles 
Published: February 2003

Objectives. The study aimed to: (1) assess the effectiveness of prenatal smoking cessation interventions, (2) clarify whether the psychological changes targeted by interventions are related to their effectiveness, (3) identify specific intervention components associated with greater effectiveness, and (4) establish whether aspects of evaluation methodology are associated with a greater effectiveness.Design. Differences in proportions of women quitting and odds ratios were calculated for the intervention and control groups. Interventions were categorized in relation to the main intervention target(i.e. cognitive preparation versus increased threat perception), use of follow‐up contact, use of individual cessation counselling and other characteristics. Methodological approaches to evaluation were also categorized.Methods. A systematic literature review generated 36 controlled evaluations, including one unpublished study. A meta‐analysis was used to relate study classifications to effectiveness. This involved univariate analyses and a multivariate model of the relationship between observed univariate effects.Results. A weighted mean odds ratio of 1.93 indicated a good overall effectiveness. Cognitive preparation interventions achieved higher quit rates (6.5%) compared to interventions focusing on threat perception (2.2%). However, this effect was not maintained in the multivariate analysis.Conclusion. Interventions should employ follow‐up, but further research is required to assess the impact of one‐to‐one counselling. Clarification of the psychological change processes underlying the observed effectiveness of these interventions is required. Future research should seek to identify the active ingredients and cognitive mediators of successful interventions.
Stress in chronic disease: Do the perceptions of patients and their general practitioners match?
Authors: Heijmans Monique , Foets Marleen , Rijken Mieke , Schreurs Karlein , de Ridder Denise , Bensing J. 
Published: February 2003

Objective. To compare the stressors accompanying chronic disease as perceived by patients and their GPs and to explore how incongruence in patients' and GPs' ideas influences patients' health status and use of health care.Method. A total of 580 patients with a diagnosis of diabetes or osteoarthritis and their GPs were interviewed by questionnaire about the stressors accompanying a patient's illness. In addition, information was obtained from each patient on health status and use of health care.Results. The results show that patient and GP diverge in the way they think about chronic illness. Incongruence was larger in the case of osteoarthritis. In both diabetes and osteoarthritis, incongruence between patient and GP was associated with a worse health status of the patient and an increase in health‐care use, although the pattern of correlation differed by type of disease.Conclusions. A chronic disease requires an ongoing relationship between patient and GP over years. Therefore, it is especially important that providers recognize the problems with which chronic disease patients are faced. Too often, providers are one‐sided focused on the medical aspects of disease, neglecting the personal impact that a chronic disease has on the patient's life. In this way, successful treatment is complicated.
Social behaviour and illness information interact to influence the peer acceptance of children with chronic illness
Authors: Alderfer Melissa A. , Wiebe Deborah J. , Hartmann Donald P. 
Published: February 2003

Objectives. Social behaviour was investigated as a contributor to the peer acceptance of children with chronic illness. We predicted that children with illness would receive less acceptance than children without illness, and that prosocial behaviour would improve acceptance, while aggressive behaviour would hamper it. Based upon attribution and cognitive bias theories, we also predicted that prosocial behaviour would be more beneficial and aggressive behaviour less damaging to the acceptance of children with illness compared to healthy children.Design. A 3 (social behaviour: prosocial, aggressive, no information) × 2 (physical status: chronically ill, healthy) within‐subjects analogue design was used.Methods. Preadolescents (N = 149) indicated social acceptance of hypothetical children portrayed in vignettes as either chronically ill or healthy with prosocial, aggressive, or no social behaviour. A 13‐item social intentions scale gauged acceptance.Results. The hypotheses were supported. Although children described as ill received lower acceptance ratings than healthy children, prosocial/ill children were more accepted than aggressive/ill children. Social behaviour interacted with physical status to affect acceptance.Conclusions. Social behaviour influences the peer acceptance of hypothetical children with chronic illness. Prosocial behaviour enhances acceptance of children described with illness, while aggressive behaviour hampers it. Additionally, prosocial behaviour is more beneficial, and aggressive behaviour is less damaging for children described as ill versus healthy. The potential processes by which peers judge acceptance of children with illness are discussed.
Behavioural treatment for sleep problems in children with severe intellectual disabilities and daytime challenging behaviour: Effect on mothers and fathers
Authors: Wiggs Luci , Stores Gregory 
Published: February 2003

Objectives. The study aimed to assess the mental state of mothers and fathers following successful behavioural intervention for sleep problems in such children.Design. A randomized controlled trial of behavioural interventions for sleep problems.Methods. Parents of 15 children with severe intellectual disabilities, severe sleep problems, and challenging daytime behaviour received treatment for the child's sleep problem and were compared with 15 controls who received no treatment. Parental stress, sleepiness, locus of control, perceived control, and satisfaction with aspects of sleep were assessed.Results. Successful treatment benefited the mothers, reducing stress, increasing perceived control and making them more satisfied with their sleep, their child's sleep, and their ability to cope with their child's sleep. Positive effects in the fathers were limited to increased satisfaction with their own sleep and their child's sleep; fathers tended to feel less control following treatment. Maternal sleepiness and perceived control, and aspects of parental satisfaction showed improvements in both the treatment and control groups.Conclusion. The effects of childhood sleep problems, and their resolution using behavioural interventions, may be different in mothers and fathers. This highlights the need to assess all family members in order to gain a greater understanding of how best to help families as a whole. The improvements in both control and treatment groups indicate that there may be non‐specific effects of taking part in the study that played a therapeutic role.
One‐year follow‐up effects of two obesity treatments on psychological well‐being and weight
Authors: Nauta Helga , Hospers Harm , Jansen Anita 
Published: February 2003

Objectives. The effectiveness of a cognitive and a behavioural treatment for obese binge eaters and obese non‐binge eaters was evaluated at 1‐year follow‐up. Furthermore, we examined the role of weight changes on psychological well‐being at 1‐year follow‐up.Design and method. Participants were reassessed 6 months and 1 year after they had finished a group cognitive treatment or a group behavioural treatment. The outcome measures were; psychological well‐being (concerns about shape, weight and eating, self‐esteem and depression), binge eating, and weight.Results and conclusions. Analyses on the completers' sample revealed that both treatments had a markedly positive and lasting impact on shape concern, weight concern and eating concern, binge eating, self‐esteem, and depression at 1‐year follow‐up. Cognitive treatment was not superior to behavioural treatment on most outcome measures. This might be due to selective drop‐out. Analyses including non‐responders showed that the cognitive treatment was superior on shape, weight and eating concern, and binge eating. The 1‐year follow‐up results for weight‐loss were disappointing. Between pre‐treatment and 1‐year follow‐up participants in the behaviour treatment lost 3.0 kg, while participants in the cognitive treatment lost 0.3 kg. However, participants who gained weight were as successful on changes in psychological well‐being changes as participants who lost weight.
Cardiac coping style, heartbeat detection, and the interpretation of cardiac events
Authors: Kohlmann Carl‐Walter , Ring Christopher , Carroll Douglas , Mohiyeddini Changiz , Bennett Paul 
Published: February 2003

Objectives. Vigilance to, and avoidance of, cardiac sensations and symptoms were explored in three studies.Design and methods. In the first study, a self‐report measure of cardiac vigilance and cardiac avoidance, the Cardiac Coping Inventory (CCI), was administered to 453 students, and its factor structure, internal consistency, and test‐retest reliability were established. In the second, 31 undergraduates completed the CCI, and their cardioceptive sensitivity was measured on a heartbeat detection task. In a third study of 91 patients with suspected myocardial infarction, the role of coping styles in symptom interpretations was analysed.Results. Cardiac avoidance and vigilance were independent of general symptom reporting tendencies. Cardiac vigilance was negatively correlated with heartbeat detection. Among the patients, delay in seeking treatment was predicted by the perceived importance of chest pain, which was influenced by the intensity of chest pain and cardiac vigilance.Conclusions. Although individuals high in cardiac vigilance do not seem to be good detectors of their heartbeats in the laboratory, they appear to attach importance to heart symptoms in real life, resulting in a health‐protective behaviour.
Personality and coping traits: A joint factor analysis
Authors: Ferguson Eamonn 
Published: February 2003

Objectives. The main objective of this paper is to explore the structural similarities between Eysenck's model of personality and the dimensions of the dispositional COPE. Costa et al. {Costa P., Somerfield, M., & McCrae, R. (1996). Personality and coping: A reconceptualisation. In (pp. 44‐61) Handbook of coping: Theory, research and applications. New York: Wiley} suggest that personality and coping behaviour are part of a continuum based on adaptation. If this is the case, there should be structural similarities between measures of personality and coping behaviour. This is tested using a joint factor analysis of personality and coping measures.Design. Cross‐sectional survey.Methods. The EPQ‐R and the dispositional COPE were administered to 154 participants, and the data were analysed using joint factor analysis and bivariate associations.Results. The joint factor analysis indicated that these data were best explained by a four‐factor model. One factor was primarily unrelated to personality. There was a COPE‐neurotic‐introvert factor (NI‐COPE) containing coping behaviours such as denial, a COPE‐extroversion (E‐COPE) factor containing behaviours such as seeking social support and a COPE‐psychoticism factor (P‐COPE) containing behaviours such as alcohol use. This factor pattern, especially for NI‐ and E‐COPE, was interpreted in terms of Gray's model of personality {Gray, J. A.(1987) The psychology of fear and stress. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press}. NI‐, E‐, and P‐COPE were shown to be related, in a theoretically consistent manner, to perceived coping success and perceived coping functions.Conclusions. The results indicate that there are indeed conceptual links between models of personality and coping. It is argued that future research should focus on identifying coping ‘trait complexes’. Implications for practice are discussed.
Persuading school‐age cyclists to use safety helmets: Effectiveness of an intervention based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour
Authors: Quine Lyn , Rutter D. R. , Arnold Laurence 
Published: February 2003

Objectives. To design and evaluate a theory‐based intervention to encourage the use of protective helmets in school‐age cyclists.Design. Two‐by‐three mixed design on 97 cyclists who did not initially use a helmet: Condition (intervention/control) × Time (pre‐intervention/immediately post‐intervention/5‐month follow‐up).Method. The intervention builds on a previous study using the Theory of Planned Behaviour in which we identified a small number of salient beliefs that predict intention to use a safety helmet and helmet use (Quine et al., 1998). Participants were randomly assigned to intervention or control conditions. The intervention group was presented with a booklet containing a series of persuasive messages based on the identified salient beliefs, and the control group was presented with a different series of messages concerning a cycling proficiency and bicycle maintenance course. Initial beliefs were measured just before the intervention at Time 1, by questionnaire. The immediate effects of the intervention were evaluated by questionnaire at Time 2. Five months later, at Time 3, the long‐term effects of the intervention on beliefs, intentions, and behaviour were assessed.Results. The behavioural, normative and control beliefs and intentions of intervention participants became more positive than those of control participants, and the effect was maintained over time. There was also a significant effect on behaviour: at 5‐month follow‐up, none of the 49 control children had taken up helmet wearing, while 12 (25%) of the 48 intervention children had.Conclusions. The results suggest that in order to promote lasting helmet use in young cyclists, we need to change their beliefs. The intervention reported here may present an inexpensive solution to the problem of persuading adolescents to use safety helmets. The results point to the value of social cognition theories such as the Theory of Planned Behaviour in the design of effective interventions to change health behaviours.
Salient beliefs and intentions to prescribe antibiotics for patients with a sore throat
Authors: Walker A. E. , Grimshaw J. M. , Armstrong E. M. 
Published: February 2003

Objectives. General practitioners (GPs) in the UK continue to prescribe antibiotics for patients with sore throats despite evidence that they are ineffective and can contribute to the growth of antibiotic resistance in the population. This study uses the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to investigate the strength of intention to prescribe antibiotics, and to identify the salient beliefs associated with this intention.Design. Cross‐sectional study testing hypotheses derived from the TPB.Method. A 66‐item postal questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of GPs in one NHS region (N = 185). The questionnaire included measures of intention to prescribe antibiotics, attitude, behavioural beliefs and evaluations, normative beliefs and evaluations, perceived behavioural control, control beliefs, and past prescribing.Results. Two‐thirds of the GPs returned complete questionnaires (N = 126, 68%). The majority intended to prescribe antibiotics for less than half of their patients with sore throats (N = 69, 55%). The variables specified in TPB predicted 48% of the variance in intention, with past behaviour adding a further 15%. Seven salient beliefs distinguished between doctors who intend to prescribe antibiotics and those who do not.Conclusions. Attitudes towards antibiotics and control beliefs are important predictors of intention to prescribe, as predicted by TPB. Interventions could target salient beliefs associated with motivation to prescribe.
Perceptions of threat, benefits, and barriers in breast self‐examination amongst young asymptomatic women
Authors: Umeh Kanayo , Rogan‐Gibson Joanne 
Published: February 2003

Aim. Young age at diagnosis of breast cancer is a negative prognostic factor, but early detection of breast pathology may improve prognosis. The present study examined the role of health perceptions (Health Belief Model; HBM) in young women's breast self‐examination (BSE). It was hypothesized that cues to action, health motivation, and perceptions of threat (vulnerability, severity), benefits, and barriers, will predict BSE, but that threat perceptions will be more powerful predictors than benefits and barriers.Method. Questionnaire data from 178 asymptomatic women (aged 18‐35 years) living in the northwestern region of England were analysed.Results. Using hierarchical logistic regression controlling for demographic factors, only severity and barriers emerged as important predictors; lower perceived seriousness of breast cancer and fewer perceived obstacles to practising BSE predicted performance of BSE. For every unit increment on the severity and barrier scales, the odds of a respondent performing BSE decreased by approximately 8 and 20%, respectively.Conclusions. The results provide qualified support for the HBM. Perceived barriers was the most powerful predictor, although respondents assessed breast‐cancer severity based on early detection through BSE. Implications for clinical interventions are considered.
Psychometric evaluation of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) among female cardiac patients
Authors: Roberts Susan B. , Bonnici Dean M. , Mackinnon Andrew J. , Worcester Marian C. 
Published: February 2003

Objectives. To examine the dimensionality, structure, and reliability of the HADS among female cardiac patients.Design. Data were collected by self‐administered questionnaires at two times ‐ admission to hospital and at 2‐month follow‐up.Method. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the dimensionality and structure of the HADS. Internal consistency was assessed by computing Cronbach alpha. Pearson product‐moment correlation coefficients were calculated to assess test‐retest reliability.Results. A two‐factor model, in which the subscales were permitted to correlate, was found to provide a good fit to the scale's 14 items compared to single factor and orthogonal two‐factor models. These two factors explained 41.4% of the total variance. The anxiety and depression subscales were moderately correlated (r = .60), with good internal consistency and test‐retest reliability found for the subscales and total HADS scores.Conclusions. These results provide support for the HADS as a reliable measure for the assessment of anxiety and depression symptomatology among female cardiac patients.
Physical contact experience and coping ability: A study of survivors of myocardial infarction
Authors: Cochrane Nils 
Published: February 2003

Objective. This study investigates the hypothesis that interpersonal physical contact experience contributes importantly to the capacity to cope with stress.Design. Participants with differing physical contact experience were compared in respect of their coping with a standard adverse life event.Method. A total of 137 survivors of a first myocardial infarction was assessed for their physical contact experience and/or their coping when admitted to hospital, at discharge and then 3 months later. Also, at 6 months post‐infarct and 6 months post‐discharge respectively, data relevant to their coping were collected from hospitals and general practitioners.Results. The participants with satisfactory and unsatisfactory physical contact experience did not differ on measures of stress and general coping. However, those with satisfactory experience emerged as having adjusted significantly better psychologically than those with negative experience in childhood and the present combined. Yet, the ‘satisfactory’ participants also spent a significant 5 days longer in hospital and increased their GP usage more than twice as much as their ‘unsatisfactory’ counterparts.Conclusions. Each kind of physical contact experience may be linked with a different aspect of coping ability, satisfactory experience with psychological adjustment, and unsatisfactory experience with physical resilience.
The influence of poster prompts on stair use: The effects of setting, poster size and content
Authors: Kerr Jacqueline , Eves Frank F. , Carroll Douglas 
Published: February 2003

Objectives. There is evidence that poster prompts increase stair use. The present study was concerned with the effects of poster size, poster message, and setting on stair use.Design. Using a quasi‐experimental design, four observational studies were undertaken in which stair and escalator use were logged during 2‐week baseline periods and 2‐week intervention periods.Methods. In the first two studies, observations were undertaken in two shopping centres (total N = 30,018) with the size of poster varying. In the other two studies (total N = 37,907), one in a shopping centre and one in a train station, two poster messages were tested in both sites.Results. Pedestrian traffic volume was controlled for statistically. There were significant increases in stair use with A1‐ and A2‐, but not A3‐size posters. Overall, the two different poster messages were both effective in encouraging stair use. Interactions between gender and message setting, however, reflected the fact that the ‘stay healthy, save time’ poster had little impact on female shoppers but was highly effective for female commuters.Conclusion. These results suggest that developers of health‐promotion posters pay attention to poster size. They also indicate that it is insufficient to segment audiences by gender without considering the setting and motivational context.