Psychosomatic medicine
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Psychosomatic medicine · May 2006
Why is evidence on job strain and coronary heart disease mixed? An illustration of measurement challenges in the Whitehall II study.
Evidence regarding the status of job strain as a risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) is mixed, including both results supporting the risk status and null findings. However, previous studies have typically assessed job strain at one point in time only. We examined whether the failure of such measurement to reflect long-term job strain could contribute to false null findings. ⋯ This evidence suggests that use of single-time exposure measures may underestimate the status of long-term job strain as a CHD risk factor.
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Psychosomatic medicine · May 2006
Clinical TrialThe effects of manipulating expectations through placebo and nocebo administration on gastric tachyarrhythmia and motion-induced nausea.
Interest in the role of expectation in the development of nausea and other adverse conditions has existed for decades. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of manipulating expectations through the administration of placebos and nocebos on nausea and gastric tachyarrhythmia provoked by a rotating optokinetic drum. ⋯ Inducing negative expectations through nocebo administration reduced nausea and gastric dysrhythmia during exposure to provocative motion, whereas positive placebos were ineffective for preventing symptom development. That manipulation of expectation affected gastric physiological responses as well as reports of symptoms, suggests an unspecified psychophysiological mechanism was responsible for the observed group differences. These results also suggest that patients preparing for difficult medical procedures may benefit most from being provided with detailed information about how unpleasant their condition may become.