Psychic Vulnerability Research Articles

Incidence des évènements de vie dans la maladie d’Alzheimer : étude préliminaire sur le programme Abord

Alzheimer disease has been studied according to several approaches: neurological, cognitive, or psychodynamic. Investment in the latter is sparse although it provides an essential clinical overview for global understanding of the disease. This study followed the Alzheimer Observation Bank of Research and Data (ABORD) programme, which began in the 1980s. Fifty-nine subjects suffering from Alzheimer disease were compared to 31 control subjects, in order to search for an association between vulnerability factors linked to the life story and future clinical outbreak of Alzheimer disease. The study was carried out with an 11-item questionnaire on difficult life events. They concerned childhood, stress inductive situations, separation or bereavement experiences, family background or psychiatric history. Control subjects experienced less difficult events (Chi(2)=5.87; P<0.05). An accumulation of deleterious life events can impact on psychic economy. Pathogenic factors appear, sick people have more often been placed before the age of 10 (Chi(2)=5.06; P<0.01), and recognize more psychiatric family history and/or psychic vulnerability (Chi(2)=5.06; P<0.05). Difficult life events can impact on the subject's ability to grieve, and so the elaboration of losses linked with ageing can become difficult and exceed the psychic ability of the subject, which can be further disrupted by cerebral lesions or pathogenic factors. Hence, the subject could make an unconscious choice of a rescue mental running, which appears in the development of Alzheimer. A protective factor has been found: spiritual practice referring to a form of faith or philosophical adherence (Chi(2)=5.64; P<0.05).

An Inquiry into the Sources of Poetic Vision: Part III: From Vulnerability to Vision

Having accounted for the way in which the circumstances and rules peculiar to the process of creation transform the mind of the artist, the connection between an artist's psychic vulnerability and his or her vision is now examined. The transformation of the artist's personality that allows extraordinary vision, including unusual access to the unconscious, also allows the artist a special approach to his own and his audience's psychic vulnerabilities. Here the artist's uninspired character, although transformed during creation, plays a more important role. The danger an artist's vulnerability poses to the art, the artist, and the culture is also considered. Finally, the role played by the poetic idea in the history of ideas is also examined.

Relación entre satisfacción laboral y salud general percibida en profesionales de enfermería de urgencias

ObjectiveTo assess occupational satisfaction and perceived general health in a sample of emergency nurses. MethodWe performed a cross-sectional study in nursing staff of the Hospital Morales Meseguer emergency service. A survey of sociodemographic and occupational variables was carried out. Two validated questionnaires were also used: the “Font Roja” occupational satisfaction questionnaire (1988), and the Goldberg General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), validated by Lobo et al. (1986) for the Spanish population, to asses perceived general health. ResultsThe response rate was 79.7%. The mean overall satisfaction score was 3.38 (SD=0.34). Female professionals showed higher mean overall satisfaction (3.40; SD=0.50) than male professionals (3.19; SD=0.10) (p<0.05). Nursing professionals showed greater satisfaction with occupational stress (2.99; SD=0.55) than auxiliary nursing staff (2.55; SD=0.62) (p<0.05). The mean overall score for perceived general health was 4.42 (SD=5.48). The higher the occupational satisfaction score, the lower the perceived general health score (r=−0.282; p=0.037). The B-scale of anxiety symptoms showed the highest number of significant correlations with the distinct dimensions of occupational satisfaction. ConclusionsModerate levels of occupational satisfaction were found among the professionals studied. Significant differences in gender were found in the evaluation of mean overall satisfaction, specifically in factors related to relationships with superiors and extrinsic characteristics associated with status and professional recognition. Psychic vulnerability was found in 25.5% of the health professionals surveyed.

La surveillance échographique prénatale des grossesses à suspicion de malformation : étude du retentissement sur les représentations maternelles

Pregnancy is an important stage in processes of the woman's identity structuring. During this so particular period of her life the woman shows an important “psychic transparency”, that also signs a psychic vulnerability. The arising of a suspicion on her child's integrity to come reaches her representation's models and trouble her interactions with the child descended of this pregnancy and by this slant this child's development. Objectives, population and methods In order to put in evidence these disruptions, we followed two groups of women: a presenting a “pregnancy supervised” following a suspected scan, the other without echographic anomaly, during the last quarter of pregnancy, to the childbirth and the child's two months. Results We present the first results of this survey. During pregnancy, mother described a suspension of infant investment, with perturbation of foetus' representation. At the birth, the infant-mother meeting is tense. The dyad is not well dynamic. Mother is anxious and this anxiety increase across the time. Conclusion Nevertheless, it seems that a preventive taking in charge during of the pregnancy associated with a medical follow up of that suspected anomaly could help to avoid that “diversion” of the maternal psychic mechanism, all the more so since maternity makes women more psychically approachable.

Psychic vulnerability and the associated risk for cancer.

Psychic vulnerability has been associated with a number of physical symptoms and diseases. This study was designed to estimate the incidence of cancer in a random sample of persons in the general Danish population in relation to a personality characteristic measured by the Test of Psychic Vulnerability. The authors examined the cancer incidence in a cohort of 5136 randomly sampled persons age > 25 years living in Copenhagen County, Denmark. The responses to questionnaires and the results of examinations, including the Test of Psychic Vulnerability, were collected during 1982-1984 and during 1991-1992. The observed numbers of cancers were compared with the numbers that would have been expected if the cohort members had experienced the same risk of cancer as the population of Copenhagen County. Regression analyses were performed with the Cox proportional hazards model to adjust for well-known risk factors for cancer. A total of 403 cancers were observed, and 412.02 were expected, yielding a standardized incidence ratio of 0.98 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.88-1.19). The authors did not observe a significant increase in the risk of site specific cancers. The risk for cancer was not influenced by the type of vulnerability in a multivariate analysis (hazards ratio, 1.16; 95% CI, 0.85-1.57). The authors found no increased risk for cancer among psychically vulnerable persons compared with nonvulnerable persons; however, the results indicate that behavior and certain life-style factors may be determined by personality, which, in turn, may determine the risk for cancer.

Psychic and Somatic Vulnerability among Professional Women in Argentina as a Result of the Precarization of Labor Linked During the Socioeconomic Crisis

This article deals with the effects of the worsening conditions—a deterioration of the economy, the precarization of labor conditions and general social decline—on the subjectivity of middle-class women with high levels of education in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area. Based on data collected through in-depth interviews and focus groups, situations of psychological and somatic vulnerability are discerned through the interpretation of experiences, feelings, and emotions. Transformations in the labor market in Argentina have been a determining factor as well as a consequence of the new economic model, and have caused the precarization of working conditions and of life in general. A degradation in the political apparatus, which causes great uncertainty, has exacerbated this situation. This situation, and the speed at which it has taken place, has generated negative consequences for the women’s subjectivity, demonstrated in a decline in self-esteem and an alteration in thought processes.

Neuroticism in Relation to Recovery and Persisting Pain after Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Background: Persisting pain is seen in 20%-30% of patients after cholecystectomy for symptomatic gallbladder stones. The only preoperative factor that seems predictive is psychic vulnerability or neuroticism. Findings with regard to the influence of psychologic factors on recovery are contradictory, too. The aim of the present study was to examine a possible relationship between neuroticism and recovery and the outcome of operation. Methods: Ninety-four patients who had had a laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed were tested psychologically with a Danish psychic vulnerability scale and with the Eysenck Neuroticism Scale before and 1 year after operation. The course of recovery was registered 1 month after operation, and outcome with regard to persisting pain 1 year postoperatively. Results: No correlations were found between neuroticism scores and postoperative hospital stay or time to regain work/normal activities (P > 0.05). Persisting pain was found in 18% of the patients 1 year after operation. Although the patients with persisting pain had higher neuroticism scores preoperatively, the difference from the patients with successful outcome of the operation first became statistically significant 1 year postoperatively (P < 0.01-0.05). Conclusions: The results do not indicate that neuroticism influences the short recovery process after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. With regard to persisting pain, the higher neuroticism scores in these patients 1 year after the operation could be the consequence of the pain rather than aetiologic factors.

Epidemiology of Upper Dyspepsia in a Random Population: Prevalence, Incidence, Natural History, and Risk Factors

The prevalence, incidence, natural history, and risk factors of upper dyspepsia (UD) were evaluated in a random sample of Danes. Of the 4581 eligible subjects, 79% responded. Five years later 85% of the survivors attended a similar follow-up study. Depending on the frequency of the symptoms, the prevalence of UD was 13-54% among men and 15-47% among women, and the incidence was 5-22% and 6-25%, respectively. Five years later 26-69% of subjects with UD were free from symptoms. As an independent factor psychic vulnerability was most strongly related to prevalence and incidence of UD, whereas experience of problems, smoking, and body mass index were only weakly associated with prevalence of UD. A comparison of the populations identified by various definitions of UD showed that these populations had rather few subjects in common. In conclusion, UD occurs frequently and fluctuates in the general population. Only psychic vulnerability was strongly related to UD incidence. The syndrome, however, still needs to be verified as a disease entity.

Psychic vulnerability and type-A behavior among young Danish male survivors of acute myocardial infarction

The role of the type-A behavioral pattern (TABP) and psychic vulnerability (PV) as risk factors in coronary heart disease (CHD) was investigated in 54 male acute myocardial infarction survivors less than 55 years old and 77 age-matched healthy controls. No significant difference between patients and controls was found in TABP, as assessed by Jenkins Activity Survey. The frequency of PV was surprisingly high among both patients and controls, but with no difference between groups. However, patients responded positively significantly more often to questions concerning the frequent occurrence of headaches, unexplained rapid heart beat, faintness, or spells of complete exhaustion, unhappiness, a sense of bodily deterioration, depression, anger, extreme shyness or sensitivity, or preference for loneliness. TABP and PV were present simultaneously in 13% of both patients and controls. Twenty-three per cent of patients and 46% of controls exhibited neither PV nor TABP (p<0.01). It is concluded that psychic vulnera...

Persisting Pain after Cholecystectomy: A Prospective Investigation

A prospective survey of the short-term outcome after cholecystectomy was carried out under circumstances in which the study itself did not influence preoperative decision making or surgical procedures. Of 122 consecutive patients, 115 were evaluable. In all cases gallstones were verified preoperatively either by oral cholecystography or by ultrasonography. Follow-up study was 6-12 months postoperatively. Ninety-one patients (79.1%) reported satisfactory outcome in terms of complete relief of preoperative symptoms. Age, sex, preoperative pain characteristics, history of disease, type of surgery, histology, and complications did not predict the surgical outcome. A test for psychic vulnerability was included among preoperative data items. Psychic vulnerability was significantly associated with persisting pain irrespective of the above-mentioned factors. This suggests that psychologic factors influence the outcome after cholecystectomy with regard to pain relief.

Predictors for the course of chronic non-organic upper abdominal pain.

A group of outpatients with chronic non-organic upper abdominal pain was followed up 5-7 years after the index investigation, to evaluate the predictive value of several variables on the basis of a questionnaire and a laboratory pain study. Fifty-four per cent had symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. A low pain tolerance measured with an ischemic pain technique significantly predicted a poor course of the disease (P = 0.03). So did a high score indicating psychic vulnerability (P = 0.02) and two social factors: poor school and vocational education (P less than 0.01). Without significant predictive value were level of abdominal pain rated on a visual analogue scale, length of dyspepsia history, bowel habits, relation of pain to meals and to life events, heartburn, headache, back pain, dysmenorrhea, paresthesias in fingers or feet, present occupation, sex, marital status, days absent from work because of the disease, and consumption of tranquilizers, cigarettes, and alcohol. The findings indicate that psychologic factors and a low pain tolerance may be elements in this poorly understood syndrome. This is supported by earlier findings of a decreased pain tolerance and an elevated psychologic score in this group compared with controls.

Psychic vulnerability as a sequel to perinatal morbidity. A longitudinal twin study with special reference to psychiatric morbidity and inter-twin dependency.

In this follow-up study 497 twins from 335 twin deliveries were examined between the ages of 12-20 years to ascertain late effects of perinatal complications and mild neurological abnormalities on mental health, by means of questionnaires filled in by the parents and by the twins themselves. One third of the twins had not suffered from any perinatal complications, while one third had been small for gestational age, one third had been born prematurely and one third had suffered from respiratory disorders. Neonatal hypoglycaemia had been found in 22% and hyperbilirubinaemia in 7% of the twins. Perinatal complications had occurred in almost all those twins who later underwent inpatient psychiatric treatment. Most perinatal problems were reflected in the twin's dependency on his co-twin, showing in particular a cumulative effect when occurring simultaneously. Those twins who are currently more dependent learned to walk and speak later than the non-dependent ones, and their EEG background activity of ten years ago, at the age of 2-10 years, was more abnormal than that of the non-dependent ones, indicating brain organic, i.e. probably perceptual, factors enhancing the development of inter-twin dependency. The dependent twins were more submissive and had the most frequent feelings of inferiority. The neurological, psychological and family interactional factors that cause a twin to distrust himself and depend on his co-twin are also discussed in this study.

Estimating latent correlations between repeated testings

A model for longitudinal latent structure analysis is proposed. We assume that test scores for a given mental or attitudinal test are observed for the same individuals at two different points in time. The purpose of the analysis is to fit a model that combines the values of the latent variable at the two time points in a two-dimensional latent density. The correlation coefficient between the two values of the latent variable can then be estimated. The theory and methods are illustrated by a Danish dataset concerning psychic vulnerability.