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.
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Psychosomatic medicine · Mar 2006
ReviewCesarean section and postpartum depression: a review of the evidence examining the link.
The objective of this study was to examine the evidence for an association between cesarean section and postpartum depression. ⋯ A link between cesarean section and postpartum depression has not been established.
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Psychosomatic medicine · Mar 2006
Adrenocortical and nociceptive responses to opioid blockade in hypertension-prone men and women.
Attenuated pain sensitivity and exaggerated adrenocortical stress reactivity have been documented in individuals at high risk for hypertension. The endogenous opioid system may play a role in these response alterations. We compared adrenocortical and nociceptive responses to opioid blockade using naltrexone in hypertension-prone men and women. ⋯ The results are consistent with the inhibitory effects of the endogenous opioids on cortisol response and suggest an altered response timeline among hypertension-prone individuals. The results demonstrate that hypoalgesia may be a marker of hypertension risk in men but not in women.
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Psychosomatic medicine · Jan 2006
Psychosocial influences on women's experience of planned elective cesarean section.
The successful management of pain from normal or interventional delivery is an important part of women's experience of childbirth. Our objective was to examine psychosocial factors (expectations, control beliefs, anxiety sensitivity) as measured in mothers and birth partners before an elective cesarean section. We focused on the impact that these variables have on maternal fear and pain during and after delivery. ⋯ Maternal fear during cesarean section not only fluctuates, but may be influenced by psychosocial factors, including their birth partner. Psychosocial factors were also important predictors of postoperative experiences. Interventions that appropriately manage psychological and social factors during cesarean delivery may facilitate a more positive experience for mothers.