Reports Of Physical Symptoms Research Articles

The Grieving Process for Nurses: A Concept Analysis

Background: This study delved into the nuanced experience of grieving among nurses, shedding light on an essential yet often overlooked aspect of their professional and personal lives. Grief among nurses is a significant issue due to the frequent exposure to patient deaths and personal losses, which can profoundly impact their emotional and psychological well-being. Objective: The objective of this study was to employ a structured approach to conceptualize and elucidate the multifaceted nature of nurses' grief. The study aimed to identify defining attributes, antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents of nurses' grieving process, providing a comprehensive understanding to inform targeted interventions. Methods: This concept analysis used Walker and Avant's methodological framework, which includes eight steps: topic selection, establishing analysis goals, recognizing all possible uses of the concept, defining attributes, presenting a model case, identifying additional cases (e.g., borderline, contrary), determining antecedents and consequences, and describing empirical referents. A comprehensive literature review was conducted using databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. Data collection involved reviewing existing literature on the grieving process, emotional distress, burnout, self-care, and supportive interventions for nurses. The ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki were followed, ensuring confidentiality and anonymity of all data sources. Results: The defining attributes of the grieving process for nurses included intense emotions (sadness, anger, guilt, depression), physical and emotional pain, and the unique demands of the nursing profession. Antecedents identified were personal loss and exposure to patient deaths, while consequences included emotional distress, impaired work performance, and increased stress. Empirical referents were measurable indicators such as the frequency of crying episodes, reports of physical symptoms, changes in work performance, and use of coping strategies. The analysis found that 85% of nurses experienced significant emotional distress, 70% reported impaired work performance, and 60% utilized some form of support or coping strategy. Conclusion: Understanding the grieving process among nurses is crucial for developing effective interventions and support systems. This study's findings underscore the importance of education, supportive interventions, self-care practices, and teamwork in promoting nurses' well-being and enhancing patient care outcomes. By providing a comprehensive understanding of nurses' grief, the study contributes valuable insights to nursing knowledge and practice, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to support nurses in coping with the emotional challenges of their profession.

Nightly Sleep Predicts Next-Morning Expectations for Stress and Positive Experiences.

Abundant research has linked nightly sleep as an antecedent of daily psychosocial experiences; however, less is known about sleep's influence on daily expectations of these experiences. Therefore, this research examined the day-to-day associations of sleep quality, duration, and efficiency with next-day expectations for stress(ors) and positive experiences, as well as whether these expectations were related to end-of-day reports of physical symptoms. In Study 1, U.S. adults ( n = 354; ages 19 to 74) completed twice-daily diaries for 10 weekdays about sleep, expectations for encountering daily stressors and positive events, and physical symptoms. In Study 2, adults in Canada ( n = 246; ages 25 to 87) wore a sleep watch for 14 consecutive days and completed mobile surveys 5×/day about sleep, stressfulness and pleasantness expectations, and physical symptoms. Multilevel models indicated that self-reported sleep quality and duration, but not efficiency, were associated with lower next-day expectations for stressors (Study 1) and stressfulness (Study 2). Self-reported sleep quality (Study 1) and all sleep indices (Study 2) predicted greater next-day expectations for positive events and pleasantness, respectively. For actigraphy-assessed sleep (Study 2), only longer-than-usual actigraphic sleep duration was associated with lower stressfulness expectations, whereas both sleep duration and efficiency were positively linked with daily pleasantness expectations. Only pleasantness expectations (Study 2)-but not daily stressfulness and event expectations (Study 1)-predicted end-of-day physical symptoms. Findings suggest the importance of sleep on expectations of next-day stress and positive experiences, of which may have implications for daily physical health.

Measurement properties of the Health Anxiety by Proxy Scale (HAPYS): A new questionnaire to assess parents' worries about their child's health

ObjectiveHealth anxiety by proxy refers to parents' excessive worries about their child's health. The Health Anxiety by Proxy scale (HAPYS) is a new self-report questionnaire to assess parents' worries and behaviors regarding their child's health. This study aimed to investigate the measurement properties of the HAPYS. MethodsQuestionnaires were completed by 204 parents, and a HAPYS score was obtained for 200 parents: 39 parents diagnosed with health anxiety, 33 parents with different anxiety disorders, 33 parents with a Functional Somatic Disorder, and 95 healthy parents. We evaluated the following measurement properties: structural validity, reliability, convergent validity ((pain catastrophizing, parents' reports of child's emotional and physical symptoms), discriminant validity (parental reports of child's well-being), and known-groups validity (see compared groups above). ResultsHAPYS demonstrated a one factor dimensionality, and excellent internal reliability (α = 0.95; CI: 0.93–0.97) and test-retest reliability after two weeks (ICC = 0.91; CI: 0.87–0.94). Convergent validity with the construct of parental catastrophizing about child pain was good (r = 0.72; CI: 0.64–0.78)). Good known-groups validity was demonstrated by the largest total HAPYS score observed in parents with health anxiety (median = 35; IQR: 9–53) and the lowest score in healthy parents (median = 9; IQR: 5–15) (p < 0.001). ConclusionThe findings support that HAPYS is a useful measure of health anxiety by proxy. Future research should examine the measurement properties in larger samples and different languages with further statistical analyses of structural validity.

Markers of distress among behavioral and physical health evacuees prior to emergency departure from Antarctica

Although incidences of psychological crises occurring during space flight are reportedly rare, such events remain a distinct possibility and potential threat to future long-duration missions (e.g., a Mars mission). Extended residence in Antarctica offers an ideal setting for examining high-risk profiles for psychological crises. We therefore utilized data from a nine-month longitudinal study conducted at the McMurdo station to examine baseline and monthly reports of psychological and physical symptoms among four emergency evacuees compared to the remaining McMurdo sample (n = 84). Emergency evacuation occurred for medical reasons (n = 2) or for psychiatric reasons (n = 2). Evacuees were White, between 29 and 47 years of age, and mostly male (n = 1 female). There were few differences in evacuees’ baseline scores compared to the full sample. Monthly assessments showed elevated anxiety symptoms to be most common among all evacuees. Elevated physical symptoms were also apparent among a psychiatric and a medical evacuee in the months prior to evacuation. For one psychiatric evacuee, declines in positive emotions preceded increased problems with self-regulation before evacuation. While preliminary, findings contribute to sparse information about the symptoms that precede emergency evacuations from extreme environments and underscore the importance of regular, structured self-report assessments.

Health sensitivity in the daily lives of younger and older adults: correlates and longer-term change in health

Objectives: How susceptible older adults’ affect is to fluctuations in health (i.e., health sensitivity) indicates how well they adapt to everyday health challenges. Theory and evidence are inconsistent as to whether older adults are more or less health sensitive than younger adults. The role of health burden as correlate and outcome of health sensitivity and age differences therein is also unclear. We thus move the study of health sensitivity ahead from longitudinal inquiry to examine age differences, the role of health burden, and long-term implications of daily life health sensitivit Methods: We use data from COGITO where 101 younger adults (M age = 25; range = 20–31) and 103 older adults (M age = 71; range = 65–80) gave daily reports of physical symptoms and positive and negative affect during a ∼100-day micro-longitudinal phase, as well as reports of trait-level health two years before and after. Results: Extending earlier reports, older age and higher health burden were (independently) associated with lower health sensitivity in positive but not negative affect. Health sensitivity was unrelated to long-term changes in health burden. Conclusion: We take our findings to indicate successful aging (older adults are not more emotionally vulnerable to health issues) and discuss habituation as a process underlying how age and health burden may reduce health sensitivity.

Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic as a predictor of daily psychological, social, and health-related outcomes

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, striking public health measures have been implemented to encourage physical distancing in order to slow the spread of disease. However, the impact of these measures on health and wellbeing is not well understood. In the current study a daily diary methodology was used to investigate the effects of social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic on a variety of outcomes with 230 undergraduate students. Participants completed an online diary for 3 days, reporting on daily social distancing behaviors, psychological wellbeing/resources, social/interpersonal connection with others, health behaviors, and health outcomes. Overall, daily social distancing (close adherence to social distancing guidelines) was associated with decreases in psychological wellbeing/resources, less social/interpersonal connection with others (including technology-mediated communication), fewer positive health behaviors, and increased reports of stress-related physical illness symptoms. Discussion centers on implications of these findings as well as the importance of identifying ways to mitigate the effects of these necessary but costly measures on health and wellbeing.

Daily Physical Activity and Symptom Reporting in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy: An Intensive Longitudinal Examination

Increased activity is beneficial during chemotherapy, but treatment-related symptoms may be a barrier. This study examines the relationship between daily fluctuations in symptoms and activity during chemotherapy. Women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer [n = 67; M age = 48.6 (SD = 10.3)] wore an accelerometer 24 hours/day and received four text prompts/day to rate symptoms for 10 consecutive days at the beginning, middle, and end of chemotherapy. Mixed-effects models were used to examine the between and within-person relationships between symptom ratings on a given day and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and light physical activity (LPA) on that day and the following day controlling for relevant covariates and using the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. For MVPA and LPA, within-person associations were statistically significant for same day affect, fatigue, pain, walking, activities of daily living (ADL) physical function, and cognitive function. Previous day anxiety was associated with next day LPA. Every one point worse symptom rating than an individual's overall average was associated with: (i) between 1.49 (pain) and 4.94 (fatigue) minutes less MVPA and between 4.48 (pain) and 24.72 (ADL physical function) minutes less LPA that day, and (ii) 11.28 minutes less LPA the next day. No between-person effects were significant for MVPA or LPA. Daily within-person variations in symptoms were associated with MVPA and LPA during chemotherapy for breast cancer. Future work should explore relationships between symptoms and activity further and identify whether tailoring to symptoms enhances efficacy of physical activity promotion interventions during chemotherapy.

Psychosocial Factors Affecting Parental Report of Symptoms in Children: A Systematic Review.

Parents make important treatment decisions for their children based on symptoms they perceive their child to be experiencing. Multiple psychological factors are associated with subjective symptom perception, but factors affecting perception of symptoms in others have been explored less. We systematically reviewed the literature to identify parent and child psychological factors associated with parental report of physical symptoms in their child. We searched Embase, Ovid, PsycINFO, and Scopus for studies that investigated associations between psychological factors and parental report of symptoms in their child. Thirty-six citations reporting on 34 studies that assessed the association between parent or child psychological factors and parental report of physical symptoms in the child were included in the review. Three main factors were identified as being associated with parental symptom report. First, there was evidence for an association between parental symptom report and affect, in particular parent and child anxiety. Second, child behavioral and conduct problems, and temperament-related challenges (problems with feeding and sleeping) were associated with parental symptom report. Third, parental expectations and beliefs that symptoms would occur were associated with parental symptom report, although few studies investigated these associations. Parent and child affect, and parental expectations and beliefs may influence parents' cognition, causing them to pay more attention to their child, interpret their child's behavior as symptomatic, and recall symptoms in the child. Given the importance of parental perception of symptoms in driving decisions around care, additional research in this field is needed.

Factors Associated With Acquiring a Medical Marijuana Card: A Longitudinal Examination of Young Adults in California

Studies have documented greater risk for heavy marijuana use and consequences among adolescents and young adults who have acquired medical marijuana cards. With the cards, they are enrolled in their state's medical marijuana program and granted access to medical marijuana dispensaries. It is unknown, however, what factors influence young people to acquire medical marijuana cards, such as whether they seek out medical marijuana cards for the mental and physical health concerns that marijuana is targeted to address or whether they seek out medical marijuana cards solely because they are heavier users. There were 264 participants (54% female) in the current study, which used longitudinal data (Time 1 and Time 2, 1 year later) to compare young adult marijuana users who did not have a medical marijuana card at either time point (n = 215) with marijuana users who reported acquiring a medical marijuana card by Time 2 (n = 49; 19% of the sample). We used logistic regression to predict participants' acquisition of a medical marijuana card at Time 2 from Time 1 demographic factors, mental health symptoms of anxiety and depression, reports of poor physical health and symptoms, and frequency of use. Analyses indicated that young adults who were male (odds ratio = 2.91) and who reported more frequent marijuana use (odds ratio = 1.07) were at greater odds of acquiring a medical marijuana card over the study period. None of the mental or physical health concerns predicted card acquisition. Findings suggest that more frequent use, not necessarily mental and physical health concerns, is a main influence on medical marijuana card acquisition.

Health-Related Quality of Life Predicts Psychology Referral in Youth with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

PurposeThe current study sought to explore psychosocial data gathered from routine screening within an interdisciplinary IBD program, with two-fold aims: 1) to examine parent-child agreement across health-related quality of life domains and 2) to evaluate the differential predictive value of child and parent ratings of health-related quality of life domains on referrals for psychological services. Design and methodsA convenience sample of 92 youth (ages 8–18) and their parents completed the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory. ResultsChildren and parents showed moderate to good agreement across health-related quality of life domains. Additionally, regression analyses revealed that child and parent-proxy reports of emotional difficulties, parent report of school difficulties, and child report of physical symptoms were significantly predictive of psychology referral status. ConclusionsStudy findings suggest moderate to good agreement among child and parent-proxy reporters and support the shared value of both child and parent ratings of health-related quality of life in predicting psychology referrals in youth with IBD. Practice implicationsRoutine psychosocial screening among youth with IBD can promote the early identification of emotional and behavioral needs, and family receipt of appropriate, evidence-based intervention.

Trajectories of women's physical and psychosocial health following obstetric fistula repair in Uganda: a longitudinal study.

ObjectivesTo explore trajectories of physical and psychosocial health, and their interrelationship, among women completing fistula repair in Uganda for 1 year post‐surgery.MethodsWe recruited a 60‐woman longitudinal cohort at surgical hospitalisation from Mulago Hospital in Kampala Uganda (Dec 2014–June 2015) and followed them for 1 year. We collected survey data on physical and psychosocial health at surgery and at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months via mobile phone. Fistula characteristics were abstracted from medical records. All participants provided written informed consent. We present univariate analysis and linear regression results.ResultsAcross post‐surgical follow‐up, most women reported improvements in physical and psychosocial health, largely within the first 6 months. By 12 months, urinary incontinence had declined from 98% to 33% and general weakness from 33% to 17%, while excellent to good general health rose from 0% to 60%. Reintegration, self‐esteem and quality of life all increased through 6 months and remained stable thereafter. Reported stigma reduced, yet some negative self‐perception remained at 12 months (mean 17.8). Psychosocial health was significantly impacted by the report of physical symptoms; at 12 months, physical symptoms were associated with a 21.9 lower mean reintegration score (95% CI −30.1, −12.4).ConclusionsOur longitudinal cohort experienced dramatic improvements in physical and psychosocial health after surgery. Continuing fistula‐related symptoms and the substantial differences in psychosocial health by physical symptoms support additional intervention to support women's recovery or more targeted psychosocial support and reintegration services to ensure that those coping with physical or psychosocial challenges are appropriately supported.

Facing somatic symptom disorder in the emergency department.

Somatic symptom disorder is a condition in which a patient's subjective report of physical symptoms is associated with distress; disruption of day-to-day functioning; or disproportionate thoughts, feelings and behaviours regarding the symptoms, whether or not they are associated with an identified medical condition. While somatic symptom disorder affects a considerable proportion of children and adolescents presenting to the emergency department (ED), it has not been well investigated in the ED literature, nor is there much formal training in, or guidelines for, how to care for affected patients in the ED. The aim of this paper is to highlight the historical clues commonly reported by these patients in order to try to help the emergency physicians recognise patients affected by a somatic symptom disorder. Adolescent age, the presence of daily subjective symptoms presenting daily for weeks or months, a long medical history record, an extensive diagnostic workup and, most of all, disproportionate functional impairment related to the symptoms are all features strongly suggestive of this disorder. Emergency physicians should become used to taking advantage of these clues to formulate a positive diagnosis of somatic symptom disorder according to the most recent diagnostic criteria. Emergency physicians have the unique opportunity to contribute to the correct diagnosis and treatment of these patients and to have a positive impact on their prognosis.

Health status of the homeless in Dublin: does the mobile health clinic improve access to primary healthcare for its users?

Homeless people experience substantially higher rates of illness and significant barriers to accessing health services. The mobile health clinic (MHC), staffed by trainee general practitioners, targets and provides homeless people in Dublin with free and easy access to primary healthcare services. To explore and determine the specific health reasons for attending the mobile health unit and to investigate whether the MHC improves access to primary healthcare for homeless people. Interviewer-administered questionnaire addressed demographic characteristics, physical and mental health status. Forty-two participants were recruited in this study. The majority were male (90%), single (74%), Irish (81%) and in the 25-44 age group (71%). Risky health behaviour was common: tobacco use (93%; 39/42), illicit drug use (60%; 25/42) and alcohol use (45%; 19/42). Most participants described their health status as fair (48%) or good (31%). There were high rates of physical and mental health conditions. Hepatitis C (29%; 12/42) and depression (43%; 18/42) were prevalent. Dental disease was present in 79%. Compared with MHC, most health conditions were diagnosed and treated at other healthcare facility (OHF) [134 vs 27]. Report of physical health symptoms, such as coughs (61%) and migraine headache (46%), was also high, an average of five per person/year. While the findings of this study are limited by the small sample size, they nevertheless indicate that the MHC promotes access to primary care service. Results also highlight the need to expand the healthcare approaches on the MHC to adequately meet the health needs of its target population.

Attending away from the body predicts increased physical symptom reports at six months in primary care patients

ObjectiveHigh symptom reporting (HSR) and medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) are associated with considerable distress, disability, healthcare utilization and costs, but are poorly understood, and current treatments are of limited benefit. Most models of HSR and MUS implicate cognitive-perceptual factors, such as increased body-focused attention, reduced perceptual thresholds and a tendency to experience somatic misperception, but little is known about the causal role of these variables. We investigated this issue by studying whether there is a longitudinal relationship between perceptual-attentional variables and later clinical outcomes in primary care patients. MethodPrimary care patients (N = 102) completed clinical (physical symptom reporting, health anxiety and healthcare utilization) and perceptual-attentional (body-focused attention, perceptual threshold, somatic misperception) measures at baseline and then again six months later (N = 72). Hierarchical regression was used to examine cross-lagged relationships between baseline and follow-up scores. ResultsContrary to expectation, attending away from the body at baseline predicted increased not decreased symptom reporting six months later. Neither perceptual threshold nor somatic misperception predicted clinical outcomes at six months. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that body avoidance, rather than increased body focus, contribute to the development of HSR. Future studies should consider the potential clinical benefits of reducing bodily avoidance, via techniques that promote adaptive engagement with bodily sensations.

SurvivorCHESS to increase physical activity in colon cancer survivors: can we get them moving?

This randomized controlled trial evaluated the impact of SurvivorCHESS, an eHealth intervention, on physical activity in colon cancer survivors and to explore the impact of SurvivorCHESS on quality of life and distress. This was a two-arm single-blinded multi-site randomized controlled trial comparing a control group to an intervention group receiving a smartphone with the SurvivorCHESS program. Participants using SurvivorCHESS (n=144) increased their moderate to vigorous physical activities from 19.4min at baseline to 50min compared to the control group (n=140) increasing from 15.5 to 40.3min at 6months (p=.083) but was not sustained 3months after the study ended. No significant differences were found between groups over time for quality of life or distress items. Reports of physical symptoms were greater than other categories for distress items. Patients who had a higher body mass index and number of comorbid conditions were less likely to increase their physical activity. Self-determination theory including autonomous motivation and relatedness was not associated with the outcomes. Physical activity did increase over time in both groups and was not significantly different with the use of the eHealth intervention, SurvivorCHESS, compared to the control group. The amount of SurvivorCHESS use was not associated with physical activity. Increasing physical activity in colon cancer survivors has the potential to improve quality of life and reduce recurrences. Using smartphone-tracking devices may be useful in helping to change this health behavior.

Optimistic Outlook and Its Relation with Physical and Psychological Symptom Reporting

This empirical paper presents a correlation between optimism and physical and mental health. Optimism is a positive variable and is found very much beneficial for maintaining health in several studies .Actually optimism is the belief that good things will happen and this belief can help a lot for physical wellbeing, psychological well-being, coping and stress management. Present study was undertaken on mothers and their children. Sample was comprised of 300 people. There were75 chronically ill children and their mothers (75) and 75 normal healthy children and their mothers (75). All children were aged between 8-12 years. Chronically ill children were those, who were suffering from any chronic disease. Mother’s optimism was measured through LOT and physical and mental health was assessed by PGIHQN1 (physical symptom reporting and psychological symptom reporting). Results revealed that optimism is very significantly correlated with physical and psychological symptom reporting. In all the three groups (combined, ill, and healthy) mothers who were optimistic reported fewer physical and psychological symptoms of illness. Thus it can be said that mothers felt physically and psychologically healthier with their optimistic outlook

Daily Reports of Stress, Mood, and Physical Health in Middle Childhood

Most empirical work examining stress in children focuses on major life events, like divorce of parents, while fewer studies consider the role of daily stressors, or the routine challenges of day-to-day living. Existing work on children’s daily stress is lacking such that it primarily: (1) focuses on children who are ill, disabled, or who face significant environmental risks, (2) relies on retrospective reports, (3) relies on parent or teacher reports of stressors experienced by children, or (4) does not comprehensively examine the role of stress on mood and health. In the current study, we explored daily experiences of stress, mood, and physical health symptoms across five consecutive days in 25 children between 8 and 10 years old. Results showed that children reported a variety of types of stressors, and that more stressors were reported by older children, girls, and on weekdays compared to weekends. Daily reports of stress were linked to same day reports of physical health symptoms but not mood, however the presence of both negative mood and daily stress was associated with even more same day health symptoms. This study extends prior work by examining children’s stress at the daily level as well as relying on children’s self-reports of their stress, mood, and physical health symptoms.

Surgeons' physical discomfort and symptoms during robotic surgery: a comprehensive ergonomic survey study.

It is commonly believed that robotic surgery systems provide surgeons with an ergonomically sound work environment; however, the actual experience of surgeons practicing robotic surgery (RS) has not been thoroughly researched. In this ergonomics survey study, we investigated surgeons' physical symptom reports and their association with factors including demographics, specialties, and robotic systems. Four hundred and thirty-two surgeons regularly practicing RS completed this comprehensive survey comprising 20 questions in four categories: demographics, systems, ergonomics, and physical symptoms. Chi-square and multinomial logistic regression analyses were used for statistical analysis. Two hundred and thirty-six surgeons (56.1%) reported physical symptoms or discomfort. Among those symptoms, neck stiffness, finger, and eye fatigues were the most common. With the newest robot, eye symptom rate was considerably reduced, while neck and finger symptoms did not improve significantly. A high rate of lower back stiffness was correlated with higher annual robotic case volume, and eye symptoms were more common with longer years practicing robotic surgery (p<0.05). The symptom report rate from urology surgeons was significantly higher than other specialties (p<0.05). Noticeably, surgeons with higher confidence and helpfulness levels with their ergonomic settings reported lower symptom report rates. Symptoms were not correlated with age and gender. Although RS provides relatively better ergonomics, this study demonstrates that 56.1% of regularly practicing robotic surgeons still experience related physical symptoms or discomfort. In addition to system improvement, surgeon education in optimizing the ergonomic settings may be necessary to maximize the ergonomic benefits in RS.

Daily parental knowledge of youth activities is linked to youth physical symptoms and HPA functioning.

Considerable evidence documents linkages between parental knowledge of youth activities and youth risky behavior. We extended this research to determine whether parental knowledge was associated with youth physical health, including reports of physical symptoms (e.g., headaches, stomachaches) and a biomarker of hypothalamic pituitary adrenocortical (HPA) axis functioning (i.e., salivary cortisol levels). Participants were children of employees in the Information Technology division of a Fortune 500 company (N = 132, mean age youth = 13.39 years, 55% female) who participated in a daily diary study. Data were collected via telephone calls on 8 consecutive evenings. On 4 study days, cortisol samples were collected at 4 time points (waking, 30 min after waking, before dinner, bedtime). Multilevel models revealed that, at the between-person level, youth whose parents had higher average knowledge about their activities, exhibited lower bedtime cortisol levels. Furthermore, at the within-person level, on days when parents displayed more knowledge than usual (relative to their own 8-day average), youth had lower before-dinner cortisol than usual. Linkages between average parental knowledge and physical health symptoms were moderated by youth age: Younger but not older adolescents whose parents were more knowledgeable had fewer physical health symptoms, on average. A next step is to identify the processes that underlie these associations.

The association of daily physical symptoms with future health

RationaleDaily physical symptoms play a critical role in health and illness experiences. Despite their daily prevalence, the ability of these symptoms to predict future health status is debated. ObjectiveThe current study examined whether physical symptom reports predict future health outcomes independent of trait measures of emotion. MethodsParticipants (N = 1189) who completed both Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Surveys I and II as well as the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE) reported their daily physical symptoms at baseline and number of reported chronic conditions and functional disability nearly 10 years later. ResultsPhysical symptoms at baseline significantly predicted the occurrence of chronic conditions and functional impairment at long-term follow-up, even after adjusting for self-reported affect, self-reported health, and previous health status. ConclusionFindings suggest that daily physical symptoms are unique indicators of future health status.