Passive Coping Behavior Research Articles

Strain-dependent variations in stress coping behavior are mediated by a 5-HT/GABA interaction within the prefrontal corticolimbic system.

Background:Serotonin and γ–aminobutyric acid (GABA) transmission is crucial in coping strategies.Methods:Here, using mice from 2 inbred strains widely exploited in behavioral neurochemistry, we investigated whether serotonin transmission in medial prefrontal cortex and GABA in basolateral amygdala determine strain-dependent liability to stress response and differences in coping.Results:C57BL/6J mice displayed greater immobility in the forced swimming test, higher serotonin outflow in medial prefrontal cortex, higher GABA outflow in basolateral amygdala induced by stress, and higher serotonin 1A receptor levels in medial prefrontal cortex accompanied by lower GABAb receptor levels in basolateral amygdala than DBA/2J mice. In assessing whether serotonin in medial prefrontal cortex determines GABA functioning in response to stress and passive coping behavior in C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice, we observed that selective prefrontal serotonin depletion in C57BL/6J and DBA/2J reduced stress-induced GABA outflow in basolateral amygdala and immobility in the forced swimming test.Conclusions:These results show that strain-dependent prefrontal corticolimbic serotonin/GABA regulation determines the strain differences in stress-coping behavior in the forced swimming test and point to a role of a specific neuronal system in genetic susceptibility to stress that opens up new prospects for innovative therapies for stress disorders.

CB1 receptor signaling regulates social anxiety and memory

The endocannabinoid (eCB) system regulates emotion, stress, memory and cognition through the cannabinoid type 1 (CB1 ) receptor. To test the role of CB1 signaling in social anxiety and memory, we utilized a genetic knockout (KO) and a pharmacological approach. Specifically, we assessed the effects of a constitutive KO of CB1 receptors (CB1 KOs) and systemic administration of a CB1 antagonist (AM251; 5 mg/kg) on social anxiety in a social investigation paradigm and social memory in a social discrimination test. Results showed that when compared with wild-type (WT) and vehicle-treated animals, CB1 KOs and WT animals that received an acute dose of AM251 displayed anxiety-like behaviors toward a novel male conspecific. When compared with WT animals, KOs showed both active and passive defensive coping behaviors, i.e. elevated avoidance, freezing and risk-assessment behaviors, all consistent with an anxiety-like profile. Animals that received acute doses of AM251 also showed an anxiety-like profile when compared with vehicle-treated animals, yet did not show an active coping strategy, i.e. changes in risk-assessment behaviors. In the social discrimination test, CB1 KOs and animals that received the CB1 antagonist showed enhanced levels of social memory relative to their respective controls. These results clearly implicate CB1 receptors in the regulation of social anxiety, memory and arousal. The elevated arousal/anxiety resulting from either total CB1 deletion or an acute CB1 blockade may promote enhanced social discrimination/memory. These findings may emphasize the role of the eCB system in anxiety and memory to affect social behavior.

Vertical Bullying in Nursing Education: Coping Behaviors of Turkish Students

Objective: This study aims to analyze the extent of vertical bullying and the type of behaviors used by students to cope with vertical bullying and harassment, and to find out whether any their Nursing School has special programs to overcome this problem. Materials and Method: To estimate bullying at nursing school a short version of the Negative Acts Questionnaire is used and data were collected by means of anonymous self-reported questionnaires. Result: A large percentage (60%) of the nursing students reported that they had experienced at least one of the thirteen bullying behaviors at daily and weekly frequencies during the last six months. The students most often identified both their clinic nurses and lecturers were the most frequently source of bullying behaviors. Conclusion: In contrast to previous studies on bullying in nursing education, this study shows that students preferred active responses to cope with bullying instead of using unhealthy and passive coping behaviors which were found in previous studies

Gender-dependent behavioral and biochemical effects of adolescent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in adult maternally deprived rats

Preclinical data support the long-term adverse effects on cognition, emotionality, and psychotic-like behaviors of adolescent exposure to natural and synthetic cannabinoids. To investigate whether the long-lasting adverse effects induced by cannabinoids in adolescence are influenced by early-life stress, female and male rats were subjected to 24-h maternal deprivation at postnatal day (PND) 9 and treated with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) during adolescence (PND 35–45) according to our previously reported protocol. At adulthood, rats were tested in the novel object recognition, social interaction, and forced swim tests, to evaluate possible alterations in recognition memory, social behavior, and coping strategy. Moreover, cannabinoid CB1 receptor density and functionality, as well as NMDA and dopamine D1 and D2 receptor densities were measured through autoradiographic binding studies. In female maternally deprived rats, THC failed to impair recognition memory, counteracted aggressiveness induced by maternal deprivation, whereas no interaction was observed in the passive coping behavior. In males, the association of the two events increased passive coping response without affecting other behaviors. This behavioral picture was accompanied by gender-dependent and region-specific alterations in NMDA, D1 and D2 receptors. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that adolescent THC exposure might have different behavioral outcomes in animals previously exposed to early-life stress compared with non-stressed controls. The interaction between the two events is not univocal, and different combinations may arise depending on the sex of the animals and the behavior considered. Alterations in NMDA, D1 and D2 receptors might be involved in the behavioral responses induced by maternal deprivation and in their modulation by THC.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Stress, Emotional Behavior and the Endocannabinoid System.

Fear of movement, passive coping, manual handling, and severe or radiating pain increase the likelihood of sick leave due to low back pain

Sick leave due to low back pain (LBP-SL) is costly and compromises workforce productivity. The fear-avoidance model asserts that maladaptive pain-related cognitions lead to avoidance and disuse, which can perpetuate ongoing pain. Staying home from work is an avoidant behavior, and hence pain-related psychological features may help explain LBP-SL. We examined the relative contribution of pain catastrophizing, fear of movement, and pain coping (active and passive) in LBP-SL in addition to pain characteristics and other psychosocial, occupational, general health, and demographic factors. Two-way interactions between age and gender and candidate exposures were also considered. Our sample comprised 2164 working nurses and midwives with low back pain in the preceding year. Binary logistic regression was performed on cross-sectional data by manual backward stepwise elimination of nonsignificant terms to generate a parsimonious multivariable model. From an extensive array of exposures assessed, fear of movement (women, odds ratio [OR]=1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02–1.08; men, OR=1.17, 95% CI 1.05–1.29), passive coping (OR=1.07, 95% CI 1.04–1.11), pain severity (OR=1.61, 95% CI 1.50–1.72), pain radiation (women, OR=1.45, 95% CI 1.10–1.92; men, OR=4.13, 95% CI 2.15–7.95), and manual handling frequency (OR=1.03, 95% CI 1.01–1.05) increased the likelihood of LBP-SL in the preceding 12months. Administrators and managers were less likely to report LBP-SL (OR=0.44, 95% CI 0.27–0.71), and age had a protective effect in individuals in a married or de facto relationship (OR=0.97, 95% CI 0.95–0.98). In summary, fear of movement, passive coping, frequent manual handling, and severe or radiating pain increase the likelihood of LBP-SL. Gender-specific responses to pain radiation and fear of movement are evident.The relative contribution of pain-related psychological features in sick leave due to low back pain is established in a large homogeneous worker cohort. Multidimensional preventive interventions are needed that address fear of movement and passive coping behaviors, promote effective pain management and optimize manual handling frequency.

Work stressors, Chinese coping strategies, and job performance in Greater China

The aim of this research was to jointly test effects of work stressors and coping strategies on job performance among employees in the Greater China region. A self-administered survey was conducted to collect data from three major cities in the region, namely Beijing, Hong Kong, and Taipei (N = 380). Four important work stressors were assessed: heavy workload, organizational constraints, lack of work autonomy, and interpersonal conflict. We used a four-factor model of Chinese coping strategies composed of hobbies/relaxation, active action, seeking social support, and passive adaptation. Job performance was indicated by both task performance (quantity of work, quality of work, job knowledge) and contextual performance (attendance, getting along with others). We found that: (1) work stressors were related to job performance. Specifically, workload had a positive relation with quantity of work, whereas organizational constraints had negative relations with quantity of work and attendance. In addition, interpersonal conflict had a negative relation with getting along with others. (2) Chinese positive coping strategies were positively related to job performance. Specifically, seeking social support had positive relations with quantity of work and getting along with others, whereas active action had positive relations with attendance and job knowledge. (3) Chinese passive adaptation coping behaviors were negatively related to job performance. Specifically, passive adaptation had negative relations with quantity of work, quality of work, and getting along with others. The present study thus found joint effects of work stressors and coping behaviors among Chinese employees in the Greater China region, encompassing three sub-societies of mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Differential effects of Chinese positive and passive coping strategies were also noted. Most importantly, all these effects were demonstrated on multiple indicators of job performance, a rarely studied but important strain variable from the organizational point of view.

Trainee Experience in Relation to Voice Handicap, General Coping and Psychosomatic Well-Being in Female Student Teachers: A Descriptive Study

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between trainee experience and voice handicap, general coping and psychosomatic well-being in student teachers. Methods: A longitudinal survey was performed among 43 starting female student teachers, becoming a professional teacher in primary education. The subjective biopsychosocial consequences of voice problems was assessed by the Voice Handicap Index inventory, the general coping style by the Utrecht Coping List and psychosomatic well-being by the Symptom Checklist. Results: Student teachers in general and especially with a higher impact of the voice after two trainee periods showed a more reactive-defensive coping style. Student teachers with a higher impact of the voice after two trainee periods had less psychosomatic well-being. Conclusion: These findings may call for a different attitude of the (university) speech therapist. They should take into account that together with changing the voice handicap, factors of psychosomatic well-being can play an important role in coaching student teachers. Speech therapists should also be encouraged to change the student’s passive coping behaviour into a more active method and to stimulate the student to implement a new coping attitude into new trainee activities.

P01-285 Neuroendocrine response to traumatic dissociation in patients with unipolar depression

Background:Dissociation is traditionally attributed to trauma and other psychological stress that are linked to dissociated traumatic memories. Although recent studies regarding neuroendocrinology of traumatic dissociation are rare, they suggest possible dysregulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The aim of the present study is to perform examination of HPA axis functioning indexed by basal prolactin and cortisol and test their relationship to psychic and somatoform dissociative symptoms.Design:Clinical and laboratory study of consecutive inpatients.Setting:Patients treated at the university hospital, Psychiatry department of Charles University in Prague.Participants:40 consecutive inpatients with diagnosis of unipolar depression mean age 43.37 (SD=12.21).Main outcome measures:Assessment of psychic and somatoform dissociation (DES, SDQ-20), depressive symptoms (BDI-II) and basal serum prolactin and cortisol.Results:Data show that prolactin and cortisol as indices of HPA axis functioning manifest significant relationship to dissociative symptoms. Main results represent highly significant correlations between psychic dissociative symptoms (DES) and serum prolactin (r=0.55, p=0.0001), and relationship between somatoform dissociation (SDQ-20) and serum cortisol (r=-0.38, p=0.008).Conclusions:These results indicate relationship between HPA-axis reactivity and psychosocial stress as a function of dissociative symptoms in unipolar depressive patients that could reflect passive coping behavior and disengagement.

Genetic predisposition to anxiety-related behavior determines coping style, neuroendocrine responses, and neuronal activation during social defeat.

Genetic background may influence an individual's susceptibility to, and subsequent coping strategy for, an acute stressor. When exposed to social defeat (SD), rats bred for high (HAB) or low (LAB) trait anxiety, which also differ in depression-like behavior, showed highly divergent passive and active coping behaviors, respectively. HABs spent more time freezing and emitted more ultrasound vocalization calls during SD than LABs, which spent more time rearing and grooming. Although the behavioral data confirmed the prediction that heightened trait anxiety would make rats more prone to experience stress, adrenocorticotropin and corticosterone were secreted to a higher extent in LABs than in HABs. In the latter, Fos expression upon SD was enhanced in the amygdala and hypothalamic areas compared with LABs, whereas it was diminished in prefrontal and brainstem areas.

Association Between Clusters Of Perceived Stress Correlates And Physical (in)activity In Adults

Whether individuals appraise a demanding situation as stressful, depends on several factors. One's perceived ability to cope with the imposed demands plays a major role. Social support has an influence in a way that others can provide necessary recourses to strengthen one's perceived coping ability (providing solutions to a problem,…). Physical activity can act as a preventive mechanism in the appraisal process. PURPOSE To evaluate whether perceived stress, social support, active and passive coping behavior cluster in meaningful ways in 18 to 75 year old adults, and to examine whether physical (in)activity differs between clusters. METHODS Physical (in)activity (short IPAQ) and psychological correlates were evaluated by questionnaire in a sample of 1570 adults from the research project ‘Investigation of the current quantitative and qualitative pattern of physical activity, sport participation, physical fitness and general health of the Flemish population’ (Policy Research Centre Sport, Physical Activity and Health). Cluster analysis was carried out in 4 separate gender and age (cut off: 45 yrs of age) subsamples (S1: 418 young males; S2: 470 older males; S3: 354 young females; S4: 328 older females). RESULTS In all 4 subsets, subjects were allocated to 3 different clusters (MANOVA: F(S1) = 136,6; F(S2) = 165,1; F(S3) = 118,3; F(S4) = 112,1; p < .001). A first type of cluster, labeled ‘stressed’, was found in all subgroups, showing high levels of stress and passive coping and low levels of social support and active coping. Secondarily, a type of cluster labeled ‘non stressed’ was identified in all but one subset (S3), displaying low levels of perceived stress and passive coping and high levels of social support and active coping. In older adults a third kind of cluster, labeled as ‘non active coping’ was found. Three less consistently appearing clusters were revealed in S1 and S3 (S1: high levels of stress and passive coping; S3: high levels of social support; high levels of stress and low levels of active coping). Older ‘non stressed’ men were sitting less than their ‘stressed’ (post hoc: p < .001) and ‘non active coping’ (p = .05) counterparts. No differences were found for levels of moderate or intensive physical activity or walking. CONCLUSION Meaningful clusters, based on levels of perceived stress, social support, active and passive coping, were found consistently in different age and gender subsets of adults. Further research is needed to fully understand the association between clusters of perceived stress correlates and physical (in)activity. The Policy Research Centre Sport, Physical Activity and Health is supported by the Flemish Government.

Testing a Model of Pain Appraisal and Coping in Children With Chronic Abdominal Pain.

This prospective study of children with recurrent abdominal pain (N=133; ages 8--15 years) used path analysis to examine relations among dispositional pain beliefs and coping styles, cognitions and behavior related to a specific pain episode, and short- and long-term outcomes. Children believing they could not reduce or accept pain appraised their episode-specific coping ability as low and reported passive coping behavior. Dispositional passive coping had direct effects on both episode-specific passive coping and long-term symptoms and disability. Accommodative coping (acceptance and self-encouragement) was associated with reduced episode-specific distress, which itself predicted reduced depressive symptoms 3 months later. Results suggest that coping-skill interventions for children with chronic pain should target reductions in passive coping and consider the potential benefits of accommodative coping strategies.

Personnel reductions and structural changes in health care: Work-life experiences of medical secretaries

Objective: To explore the experiential aspects of ‘psychosocial stressors and motivators’ for medical secretaries, following a period of personnel reductions and structural changes in Swedish health care. The focus was to understand and describe work-life experiences for this specific group of women and how they managed in what can be presumed to be a more demanding work situation. Method: A descriptive qualitative study with repeated in-depth interviews of six medical secretaries (mean age: 45 years) in a large hospital in Sweden. The first interview took place in the autumn of 1997 (in connection with the last round of the 20% staff redundancies), 1998 and 2000. Thematic content analysis from audiotaped and transcribed interviews was used to obtain understanding. Results: The study provided three main themes from the women's perceived stressors, motivators and coping options. The descriptions of their stressors provided the metaphor, ‘energy thieves’ with three underlying subthemes: ‘too much work,’ ‘lack of recognition’ and ‘the dilemma of health, family and finances.’ Experienced motivators, labeled as ‘energy givers’ had two subthemes: ‘professional pride’ and ‘the comprehensive whole.’ The women's descriptions about managing increasing demands were thematized as altering between ‘being submissive and taking actions’ with three subthemes: ‘unequal communication,’ ‘resigned and passive reactions’ versus ‘cautious and solution-oriented coping.’ Expressions concerned mainly ‘energy thieves,’ inclusively worries about ‘lacking energy’ (intrinsic stressor), combined with passive and cautious coping behavior. However, the descriptions became somewhat more varied and balanced with enriching and solution oriented factors in the follow-up interviews. Conclusions: There is an evident contrast between a demanding reality of work, described by medical secretaries in this study, and their expressed desire to have a more reasonable work environment that allowed them to be able to complete their work. They also wanted to be heard regarding their requests about work options and decent salaries. This study demonstrates the importance of making feelings of inferiority and injustice visible as well as to support professional pride and more assertive coping behavior. This is also valid for the need to enhance equal/congruent communication between interdependent workers. The study has implications for managers and health workers supporting and empowering women, providing administrative service in a clinical health care context. The subthemes being identified within the metaphor ‘energy thieves,’ in relation to resigned/passive reactions and cautious coping styles, could be used in stress prevention, while the understanding of ‘energy givers’ and the support of active and solution-oriented coping conducts could be used in health promotion work.

Relationship among Perceived Stress, Coping Behaviors, and Depression of High School Students

The purpose of the study was to identify relationships among perceived stress, coping behaviors, and depression in high school students. A correlational descriptive design was conducted.A total of 763 subjects from high schools were participated by pui posive sampling in this study. Three instruments, Korean translated Life Events Checklist(LEC) by Johnson and MeCutcheon( 1980), Korean translated Coping Scale by Folkman and Lazarus(1985). and Korean translated Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) by Beck(1967), were used. For LEG, internal consistency estimate for the tool was a = .73. For Coping Scale, internal consistency estimates for 4 subscales were a = .79 ~ .94.In this study, there was statistically significant relationships between controllable and uncontrollable stress and coping behavior (p(.05), indicating that the more stress high school students perceived, the more they used coping behavior.There was a significant relationships between controllable and uncontrollable stress and depression(p&lt;.05), indicating that the more they perceived stress, the more they felt depressed.In addition, passive coping behavior was significantly correlated with depression (p&lt;,05), indicating that high school students with the more passive coping behavior had high depression. There was, however, not statistically significant relationships between active coping behavior and depression.In conclusion, this finding has implication for strategies for adolescents to use positive coping under the controllable and uncontrollable stress in both home and school setting. Furthermore, this finding suggests the need of intervention strategies for both adolescents and families in systematic way to prevent depression of adolescents.

Topographic architecture of stress-related pathways targeting the noradrenergic locus coeruleus

Peripheral sympathetic nerves and brainstem noradrenergic neurons of the locus coeruleus (LC) respond in parallel to a variety of stress-related stimuli which results in norepinephrine release both peripherally and centrally. Elucidation of central pathways subserving modulation of LC neurons point to extranuclear noradrenergic dendrites of LC somata that extend into peri-coerulear areas as a major target of afferents that participate in behavioral and physiological responses to stress. Anterograde tract tracing combined with immunoelectron microscopic detection of the catecholamine synthesizing enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) has demonstrated that the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) and the ventrolateral aspect of the periaqueductal gray (PAG), regions that participate in coordinating autonomic and motor behavior in response to stress, preferentially target the rostral ventromedial aspect of the peri-LC. In contrast, limbic forebrain afferents including the central nucleus of the amygdala (CNA) and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), regions that coordinate emotional responses to external stressors, provide direct synaptic input to noradrenergic dendrites that extend into rostral dorsolateral peri-coerulear areas. Neurochemical identification of transmitter systems impinging on LC indicate that the CNA provides corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), a peptide essential for integrated physiological responses to stress, to the dorsolateral LC. Endogenous opioid peptides that originate from medullary sources, however, target primarily the “core” of the LC. Our physiological data suggest that stress engages CRF and opioid afferents to the LC, which have opposing influences on this noradrenergic system. The balance between opioid and CRF influences acting in the LC may, in part, maintain the balance of active and passive coping behaviors in response to stress. Understanding the afferent and neurochemical organization of the LC may help elucidate adaptations in neural circuits associated with stress which impact on central noradrenergic function.

Premorbid Psychosocial Behavior in Demented Patients

We investigated the premorbid behavioral characters of demented patients in terms of life style, type A behavior, life events and coping behavior. We adopted the case control study. Significant differences were not found in the inventory scores of life style, passive coping behavior and type A behavior between dementia group and normal controls. However, the life events occurred significantly frequent in the vascular dementia group and the score of positive coping behavior was significantly low in dementia group. The results suggest that those life events and positive coping behavior might be related to the onset of dementia.

Children's medical fears, coping behaviour patterns and pain perceptions during a lumbar puncture

This study explored the relationships among medical fears, coping behaviour patterns and acute pain perceptions in 17 children with cancer who were encountering a painful medical procedure. The children completed the Child Medical Fear Scale (CMFS) before undergoing a lumbar puncture (LP), which was videotaped. The children's coping behaviour during the procedure was rated independently and classified as active or passive behaviour. Immediately following the LP, the children, using a pictorial scale, reported their pain perceptions. Most of the children's scores on the CMFS indicated a moderately low level of fear of medical experiences. A majority of the children perceived a great deal of pain during the LP. During the five phases of the painful medical procedure, more than half of the children exhibited a combination of active and passive behaviour. No significant differences were found between exhibited active or passive coping behaviour and reported medical fear levels; however, children who exhibited passive coping behaviour patterns reported more pain than those who demonstrated active coping behaviour. Implications for practice relate to the need for continual preparation and support of children during a painful procedure.

Characteristics of heart rate fluctuations and respiratory movements during orienting, passive avoidance and flight-fight behavior in rabbits

In the present study different heart rate patterns were demonstrated to accompany flight-fight behaviour, orienting behaviour and passive avoidance in rabbits. Flight-fight behaviour was characterized by markedly increased heart rate and diminished overall heart rate variability. The effect was mediated by vagal inhibition and β-adrenergic activation in a type-specific relation. Orienting behaviour was accompanied by a smaller heart rate increase and the exaggeration of slow heart rate fluctuations. The latter effect was absent during β-adrenergic blockade suggesting a behaviourally provoked β-adrenergic activation. Single β-adrenergic blockade did not change the characteristics of the heart rate fluctuations at rest. During passive avoidance a vagally mediated heart rate deceleration was followed by a slow heart rate return toward the initial heart rate level. This level was not reached during β-adrenergic blockade. The enhanced overall heart rate variability during passive avoidance was mainly caused by strengthened respiratory-induced heart rate fluctuations and, furthermore, by exaggerated slow rhythmical heart rate fluctuations. The latter effect was not observed during β-adrenergic blockade and is referred to as an orienting component within passive avoidance. Three individual behavioural types may be differentiated in rabbits ‘Weisses Gross-Silber’ by stable behavioural characteristics i.e. spontaneous motor activities, preferred postures at rest and coping behaviour. The results of the present study suggest that different neurovegetative reaction types, i.e. dominating β-adrenergic or vagal activation are correlated with stable behavioural characteristics, especially in terms of preferring active or passive coping behaviour, respectively.

International relocation: Womens’ coping methods

This article focuses on how corporate and military wives cope with international relocation. Specifically, the coping behaviors of women who exhibited signs of depression and anxiety and those women who did not in a convenience sample of 28 military and corporate women were studied. Six instruments were used: (a) the Relocation Survey, (b) the Beck Depression Inventory, (c) the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List, (d) the CAGE Questionnaire, (e) the Sarason Life Experience Survey, and (f) the Coping Questionnaire. Coping and adaptation formed the conceptual framework. The findings revealed that women who coped well used active coping behaviors and women who coped poorly used more passive coping behaviors. This study offers some direction for health care providers who may use anticipatory guidance and counseling for women prior to international moves.