Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine
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There is a dearth of knowledge about the link between cortisol and pain sensitivity. ⋯ Understanding the genetic and non-genetic mechanisms underlying the link between HPA axis dysregulation and pain sensitivity may help to prevent chronic pain development and maintenance.
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Observational Study
The relationship of patient and spouse personality to cardiac patients' health: two observational studies of mediation and moderation.
Little is known about the ways that personality is related to patient health, although there is some evidence that illness self-regulation as well as partner personality play a significant role. ⋯ Personality affects patients' health through illness representations (intrapersonal level), as well as by interacting with partner personality (interpersonal level).
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Randomized Controlled Trial
An online mindfulness intervention targeting socioemotional regulation in fibromyalgia: results of a randomized controlled trial.
Patients with fibromyalgia (FM) experience pain as well as deficits in positive affect and social relations that are not explicitly addressed in most behavioral treatments. ⋯ FM patients experience increases in self-efficacy for coping with pain and positive engagement in relationships, marginal increases in positive affect, and decreases in relationship stress from an automated online intervention that targets socioemotional regulation skills. Findings highlight the potential utility of widely accessible, low-cost intervention methods for fibromyalgia (Clinicaltrials.gov number NCT01748786).
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of anger awareness and expression training versus relaxation training on headaches: a randomized trial.
Stress contributes to headaches, and effective interventions for headaches routinely include relaxation training (RT) to directly reduce negative emotions and arousal. Yet, suppressing negative emotions, particularly anger, appears to augment pain, and experimental studies suggest that expressing anger may reduce pain. Therefore, we developed and tested anger awareness and expression training (AAET) on people with headaches. ⋯ Enhancing anger awareness and expression may improve chronic headaches, although not more than RT. Researchers should study which patients are most likely to benefit from an emotional expression or emotional reduction approach to chronic pain.