Psychosomatic medicine
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Psychosomatic medicine · May 1999
Comparative Study Clinical TrialEthnic differences in thermal pain responses.
Although numerous studies have reported ethnic differences in the prevalence and severity of clinical pain, little is known about how these differences affect the perception of experimental pain. The present experiment examined the effects of ethnicity (African American vs. white) on thermal pain responses in a healthy undergraduate population. ⋯ Collectively, these findings seem to suggest ethnic differences in the perception of the affective-motivational dimension of thermal pain.
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Psychosomatic medicine · May 1999
Comparative StudyCritical life events, infections, and symptoms during the year preceding chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): an examination of CFS patients and subjects with a nonspecific life crisis.
The purpose of this study was to describe the sequence of psychosocial events and infections preceding the onset of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). This information was related to the temporal development of crucial symptoms in relation to the onset of, namely, fatigue, sadness, irritability, pain, and feeling of fever. ⋯ According to the retrospective self-reports, there were differences between the groups in fatigue, pain, and feeling of fever during the months preceding the crisis. With regard to depressive and irritable feelings, no preillness differences were reported between the groups. There was a reported excess prevalence of both infections and negative life events during the quarter year preceding the onset of CFS or crisis. Potential sources of error are discussed. These findings must be replicated in longitudinal studies.