Psychosomatic medicine
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Psychosomatic medicine · Mar 1979
Adjustment in diabetic adolescent Girls: I. Development of the Diabetic Adjustment Scale.
A 37-item scale was designed to assess life adjustment in 105 adolescent girls with juvenile diabetes. The scale elicited information on peer relationships, family relationships, body image concerns, dependence-independence conflicts, school adjustment, and attitudes toward diabetes. Results of this initial attempt at measuring diabetic adjustment suggest that this group of girls was relatively well adjusted and that their attitudes toward diabetes correlate positively with many adjustment factors. The importance of self-report scales which address the realities of life with diabetes is emphasized.
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Psychosomatic medicine · Jun 1978
Comparative StudyPatterning of cognitive and somatic processes in the self-regulation of anxiety: effects of meditation versus exercise.
Davidson and Schwartz (1) have proposed a psychobiological analysis of anxiety that emphasizes the patterning of multiple processes in the generation and self-regulation of this state. The present article specifically reviews recent research on cognitive and somatic components of anxiety. A dual component scale which separately assesses cognitive and somatic trait anxiety is described and applied to the study of the differential effects of a somatic (physical exercise) and a cognitive (meditation) relaxation procedure. ⋯ These data suggest that specific subcomponents of anxiety may be differentially associated with relaxation techniques engaging primarily cognitive versus somatic subsystems. It is proposed that relaxation consists of (1) a generalized reduction to multiple physiological systems (termed the relaxation response by Benson) and (2) a more specific pattern of changes superimposed upon this general reduction, which is elicited by the particular techniques employed. The data from this retrospective study need to be followed up by prospective studies to establish the precise mechanisms for these effects.