Psychosomatic medicine
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Psychosomatic medicine · Mar 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialFor whom does it work? Moderators of the effects of written emotional disclosure in a randomized trial among women with chronic pelvic pain.
Although written emotional disclosure has potential as a stress management intervention for people with health problems, the main (group) effects of disclosure in medical populations are limited. This study sought to identify individual difference moderators of the effects of written disclosure among women with chronic pelvic pain. ⋯ Although the main effects of writing about the stress of pelvic pain are limited, women with higher baseline ambivalence about emotional expression or negative affect appear to respond more positively to this intervention.
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Psychosomatic medicine · Mar 2004
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialSex differences in pain and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical responses to opioid blockade.
Sex differences in pain sensitivity and stress reactivity have been well documented. Little is known about the role of the endogenous opioid system in these differences. This study was conducted to compare adrenocortical, pain sensitivity, and blood pressure responses to opioid blockade using naltrexone in men and women. ⋯ Although men and women exhibited similar hormonal responses to opioid receptor blockade, women reported less pain and showed smaller blood pressure responses during CPT. Results suggest differential effects of the endogenous opioid system on pain perception and blood pressure in men and women.