Psychological Concern Research Articles

Nocebo effect in Dermatology.

Nocebo effect, originally denoting the negative counterpart of the placebo phenomenon, is now better defined as the occurrence of adverse effects to a therapeutic intervention because the patient expects them to develop. More commonly encountered in patients with a past negative experience, this effect stems from highly active processes in the central nervous system, mediated by specific neurotransmitters and modulated by psychological mechanisms such as expectation and conditioning. The magnitude of nocebo effect in clinical medicine is being increasingly appreciated and its relevance encompasses clinical trials as well as clinical practice. Although there is hardly any reference to the term nocebo in dermatology articles, the phenomenon is encountered routinely by dermatologists. Dermatology patients are more susceptible to nocebo responses owing to the psychological concern from visibility of skin lesions and the chronicity, unpredictable course, lack of 'permanent cure' and frequent relapses of skin disorders. While finasteride remains the prototypical drug that displays a prominent nocebo effect in dermatologic therapeutics, other drugs such as isotretinoin are also likely inducers. This peculiar phenomenon has recently been appreciated in the modulation of itch perception and in controlled drug provocation tests in patients with a history of adverse drug reactions. Considering the conflict between patients' right to information about treatment related adverse effects and the likelihood of nocebo effect stemming from information disclosure, the prospect of ethically minimizing nocebo effect remains daunting. In this article, we review the concept of nocebo effect, its postulated mechanism, relevance in clinical dermatology and techniques to prevent it from becoming a barrier to effective patient management.

Akrasia and the Rule of Appetite in Plato's Protagoras and Republic

According to a prevalent developmentalist line of interpretation, Plato’s introduction of the three-part soul in Republic 4 was motivated in part by his desire to acknowledge and account for cases of akratic action, and thereby to repudiate the psychology and the conclusions of the earlier dialogue Protagoras. In this paper I reject this interpretation, arguing that countenancing akrasia was never a major philosophical concern for Plato, and a fortiori that it was not his motivation for introducing the tripartite soul. I argue that his moral psychological focus and concern in the Republic was rather on the notion of psychic rule, and on illuminating various ways in which reasoning is corrupted by non-rational desires (rather than overcome by them through brute psychic ‘force’). I then offer an explanation of Plato’s lack of concern for akrasia by appealing to the Protagoras itself. I conclude with a rejection of sharp developmentalism between the two dialogues.

JEAN BARBEYRAC, SUPEREROGATION, AND THE SEARCH FOR A SAFE RELIGION

Jean Barbeyrac was dismayed by the intrusion of theological controversy into the study of modern natural law theory. Yet the longest of the many annotations that he included in his own edition of Grotius was concerned with a theological matter. In this footnote, Barbeyrac attacked Grotius's understanding of Christian ethics as supererogatory; that is, as containing a distinction between the dictates of duty and the counsels of a higher holiness or perfection. The heart of his objection to this view was that it had pernicious psychological effects, that it fostered bigotry and immorality. He reiterated this psychological concern in his later work on the Christian Fathers. This objection to the real-world damages caused by the theory of supererogation was closely linked to his fear of skepticism and his quarrel with Bayle. Barbeyrac's rejection of supererogation also places him within an important strand of early modern thinking about the moral psychology of religion and about the ways in which religious belief could become an obstacle to moral behavior.

The Sustainability Challenges in the Adoption of Cleaner Production System: A Review

The adoption of cleaner production systems potentially reduces the risk of hazard in work environments, improves the environmental management performance as well as streamlining the sustainability in manufacturing operations. However, failure to identify and understand the challenges in implementing this practice may cause the implementation process becomes less efficient. The literatures showed that the requirement to balance four key challenges, namely economic performance, legislation compliance, psychological concern and social responsiveness can enhance the adaptation process of cleaner production system. The ability to detect and understanding every challenge identified is very crucial, primarily to set better focus and strategic planning on getting the optimum benefits, as well as improve the environmental performance in revolutionising sustainable manufacturing practice.

Pain interference is associated with psychological concerns related to falls in community-dwelling older adults: multisite observational study.

Pain interference and psychological concerns related to falls (PCRF) are pervasive phenomena among community-dwelling older adults, yet their association remains elusive. The purpose of this study was to establish whether pain interference is associated with PCRF in community-dwelling older adults. This was a multisite cross-sectional study. Two hundred ninety-five community-dwelling older adults (mean age=77.5 years, SD=8.1; 66.4% female) participated in the study. All participants completed the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) interference subscale, Short Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I), Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC), modified version of the Survey of Activities and Fear of Falling in Elderly Scale (mSAFFE), and Consequences of Falling Scale (CoF). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis were conducted. In the first step of the study, sociodemographic and known risk factors for psychological concerns related to falls were inserted into the model, followed by the BPI interference subscale score in the second step. One hundred sixty-nine participants (57.3%) reported some pain interference. The BPI interference subscale was highly correlated with all PCRF (r>.5, P<.0001). After the adjustment for established risk factors, the BPI interference subscale significantly increased the variance in the Short FES-I (R2 change=13.2%), ABC (R2 change=4.7%), mSAFFE (R2 change=5.0%), and CoF (R2 change=10.0%). Pain interference was a significant and independent predictor in the final model for the Short FES-1 (β=0.455, P<.001), ABC (β=-0.265, P<.001), mSAFFE (β=0.276, P<.001), and CoF (β=0.390, P<.001). The study was cross-sectional. Pain interference is an important contributing factor in each of the psychological concerns related to falls. Pain interference had the strongest impact on reducing falls efficacy and increasing older adults' concerns about the consequences of falling.

The Ulman–Skinner Letters

Over the course of several years, I exchanged letters with B. F. Skinner about behaviorology. Although Skinner spent much of his professional career attempting to reform psychology–to persuade psychologists to study behavior rather than mind or cognition–in his last two years–he became increasingly disenchanted with the prospect, relating at one point (1993) that he was wrong to say that the study of behavior was the concern of psychology. He remained undecided about this historically crucial question, however, ending his final paper (on August 17, 1990, the day before his death) with the statement, “whether behavior analysis will be called psychology is a matter for the future to decide” (p. 1210). The letters he wrote to me express some of his doubts about this Sisyphean effort to reform psychology as a science of behavior. Here are the letters, unedited.

The role of psychological detachment and empathy in the relationship between target and perpetrator in workplace bullying situations / El papel del distanciamiento psicológico y la empatía en la relación entre víctima y agresor en situaciones de acoso en el trabajo

Although previous research has shown a clear association between being a target and a perpetrator of bullying, there are no available studies exploring possible moderators of this relationship. The aim of this study is to examine the moderating role of psychological detachment and empathy on the relationship between target and perpetrator in workplace bullying situations. The sample was made up of 392 employees from a variety of organizations in the private security sector located in Madrid. Results revealed that psychological detachment and empathic concern moderated the relationship between the target and perpetrator of bullying, such that subjects with high levels of detachment and empathic concern reported lower rates of bullying as a perpetrator. These results are in line with the affect-regulation strategies model.

Inter-Association Recommendations for Developing a Plan to Recognize and Refer Student-Athletes With Psychological Concerns at the Collegiate Level: An Executive Summary of a Consensus Statement

*Syracuse University, NY; †Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN; ‡University of Arizona, Tucson; §National CollegiateAthletic Association, Indianapolis, IN; jjCarolina Performance, Raleigh, NC; ¶Princeton University, NJ; #Scharf BanksMarmor, LLC, Chicago, IL; **Clinical & Sports Consulting Services, Providence, RI; ††The International CriticalIncident Stress Foundation, Inc, Ellicott City, MDPURPOSEThe full range of mental health concerns found in thegeneral student population can also be seen instudent-athletes attending a university or college.The National Athletic Trainers’ Association formed a workgroup for the purpose of establishing recommendations ondeveloping a plan for the recognition and referral ofcollegiate student-athletes with psychological concerns.INTRODUCTIONThe growing prevalence in the types, severity, andpercentage of mental illnesses in young adults ages 18 to 25years, the age group of college students and student-athletes, is being recognized.

Sexual Function in Italian Women with Systemic Sclerosis Is Affected by Disease-related and Psychological Concerns

In patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), sexual function is somewhat impaired. Our aim was to evaluate sexual function in women with SSc in comparison to controls, and to investigate the association with sociodemographic and disease characteristics, and physical and psychological variables. Forty-six women with SSc and 46 healthy women were assessed for sociodemographic characteristics and gynecological development and administered the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced-New Italian Version, and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue Scale. Patients were also assessed for disease duration and subset, Female Sexual Function in SSc, Hand Mobility in Scleroderma test (HAMIS), Cochin Hand Functional Disability Scale, Mouth Handicap in Systemic Sclerosis Scale (MHISS), Disability Sexual and Body Esteem Scale (PDSBE); and fist closure, hand opening, and mouth opening. In patients with SSc, only FSFI desire subscale score was significantly lower (p = 0.035) versus controls. Total FSFI score, similar to controls, was related with Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 mental component, HAQ (p = 0.022), MHISS (p = 0.038), and HAMIS (p = 0.037). In SSc, the main factors independently associated with sexual functioning were vaginal dryness [regression coefficient (B) = -0.72; p < 0.001], PDSBE (B = 0.42; p = 0.001), and HADS depression scale (B = -0.23; p = 0.035). Together, these variables explained 70% of the variance in the FSFI total score. In SSc, sexual function, although not different from controls, is influenced by specific disease-related and psychological concerns. Thus it should be included in patient evaluations and assessed in daily clinical practice.

Measure of Men’s Perceived Inexpressiveness Norms (M2PIN): Scale development and psychometric properties.

The purpose of this study was to develop and test the psychometric properties of the Measure of Men’s Perceived Inexpressiveness Norms (M2PIN), a brief measure of men’s perceptions of social norms concerning emotional inexpressiveness. Participants were 410 men, the majority of whom were White American college students. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) provided support for a 2-factor structure corresponding to 2 subscales—M2PIN-Descriptive (assessing perceived descriptive norms) and M2PIN-Injunctive (assessing perceived injunctive norms). Using the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Intention to Seek Counseling Inventory (ISCI; Psychological and Interpersonal Concerns subscale), the UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLALS), the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory-46 (CMNI-46; Emotional Control subscale), the Male Role Norms Inventory-Revised (MRNI; Restrictive Emotionality subscale), and the Short Social Desirability Scale (SSDS), the authors provided evidence for the convergent, discriminant, criterion, and incremental validity of the M2PIN, as well as its reliability. Additionally, 3 significant interaction effects involving the M2PIN subscales and measures of restrictive emotionality and emotional control provide support for the notion that an incongruence between external norms (i.e., descriptive and injunctive norms) and personal norms concerning emotional inexpressiveness was associated with greater loneliness, whereas congruence was associated with greater life satisfaction.

Altruism and Dāna: Impact on Self and Well-being

In this article, I will attempt to link altruism, a concern of Positive Psychology, a recent branch of psychology, and dāna, the deeply entrenched aspect of Indian thought. These aspects strive towards a connection with the self and well-being. In addition, an association between Indian psychological attributes, especially with reference to the Mahābhārata, and Positive Psychology will be shown. In the Indian context, dāna or the act of giving involves not merely the act of giving material or tangible goods or objects but also involves doing an act, doing something for others in which one has no stake or claim. In other words, the giving involves giving something from the depths of oneself, for the ‘good’ of another, without expecting anything in return. The cultivation of generosity facilitates a pliancy of mind that allows for the eradication of delusion of a limited self as well as disables greed and hate. In addition to anna-dāna, jala-dāna, bhūmi-dāna, vidyā-dāna and jnana-dāna, the Mahābhārata also talks about sharing with love and affection. A desire for good is a desire for self-satisfaction, bearing a positive therapeutic value for a better, truer, more real self.

Anxiety, Depression, and Fall-Related Psychological Concerns in Community-Dwelling Older People

Establish the association between affect and fall-related psychological concerns (fear of falling, fall-related self-efficacy, balance confidence, and outcome expectancy). A total of 205 community-dwelling older people (mean age 81, SD 7.5 years) completed the Geriatric Depression Scale-15, Geriatric Anxiety Inventory, Modified Survey of Activities and Fear of Falling, Falls-Efficacy Scale- International, Activity-Specific Balance Confidence Scale, and the Consequences of Falling Scale. Hierarchical regression models showed that anxiety was independently associated with all fall-related psychological concerns; depression was only associated with falls efficacy. Associations between fall-related psychological concerns and age, gender, accommodation,medications, self-rated physical health, falls history, mobility, and sensory aids are also discussed. This is the first study that investigates the association between affect and the four fall-related psychological concerns. Anxiety was a significant factor associated with all four, whereas depression was only associated with activity avoidance. Implications for healthcare providers are discussed.

The anticipatory construction of reality as a central concern for psychology and robotics

How is it that, given our diverse sensors that are moving at any moment, we get to the idea that there is a more or less permanent world around us that contains objects and living beings and that is endowed with spatial and temporal properties? This question is difficult, it is “the child’s construction of reality” issue. Given the complexity of the underlying phenomena, it requires a dialog between engineering sciences and life sciences to be solved. In this paper, we introduce the contributions to this dialog that have been collected in this special issue.

Self-construal and natural disaster coverage: how self perception influences psychological intrusion and concern for others

Individuals can be personally affected, and motivated to empathize with victims, when viewing television coverage of natural disasters. This study examined how individuals' independent and interdependent self-construals influence how they view and respond to disaster coverage. The findings demonstrated that interdependent and independent self-construals had significant effects on individuals' self-reported psychological intrusion and concern for victims. Additionally, TV viewing motives (i.e., instrumental and ritualized) were found to mediate the relationship between interdependent self-construal and personal responses.

DERMATOSES EM GRÁVIDAS E PUÉRPERAS OBSERVADAS NUM SERVIÇO DE URGÊNCIA – AVALIAÇÃO DE 86 CASOS

Introdução: Além da morbilidade relacionada às lesões cutâneas e prurido, as dermatoses da gravidez causam preocupação psicológica e algumas formas implicam riscos fetais. Objectivo: Avaliação do tipo, frequência e características clínicas das dermatoses nas grávidas e puérperas que recorreram ao Serviço de Urgência. Métodos: Estudo retrospectivo das dermatoses nas grávidas e puérperas observadas por Dermatologia no Serviço de Urgência entre Setembro de 2006 e Setembro de 2010. Resultados: O estudo incluiu 79 grávidas e 7 puérperas, com idade mediana de 33 anos. Foram diagnosticadas dermatoses específicas de gravidez em 42 doentes (48,8%). A forma mais comum foi a erupção polimorfa da gravidez (n=16), seguida por eczema da gravidez (n=12), prurigo da gra- videz (n=8), penfigóide gestacional (n=5) e foliculite pruriginosa da gravidez (n=1). Observamos outras dermatoses em 44 doentes (51,2%), incluindo: pitiríase rósea (n=11), infecções e infestações, eczema desidrótico, dermatite de contacto, lúpus eritematoso e pustulose exantemática aguda. Nas dermatoses com apresentação atípica a biópsia ajudou na caracterização da doença. Em 43 casos analisou-se o estado dos recém-nascidos, com registo de parto pré-termo em 3 casos. Discussão: As dermatoses específicas de gravidez têm maior tendência de ocorrer na segunda parte da gravidez, especialmente durante o terceiro trimestre. Nas grávidas com lesões cutâneas exuberantes ou atípicas, o estudo laboratorial e histológico é imprescindível para o diagnóstico específico, permitindo abordagem terapêutica adequada e avaliação dos riscos fetais.PALAVRAS-CHAVE – Doenças da Pele; Prurido; Complicações da Gravidez.

Tongue Hygiene and Its Significance in the Control of Halitosis

Halitosis or oral malodor refers to the foul smell emanating from the oral cavity. This unpleasant condition frequently poses a problem in social communication and is also a common psychological concern. In the majority of cases, the origin of halitosis is related to an oral cause. Tongue coating is one of the important etiological factors of halitosis. Tongue is a potential reservoir of microorganisms which are responsible for the production of malodorous volatile sulfur compounds. A strong correlation has been established between tongue coating and halitosis. Tongue cleaning, on a regular basis, controls halitosis by removal of tongue coating and/or by reducing putrefaction by bacteria. Different approaches, mechanical as well as chemical, have been employed in the prevention and treatment of halitosis derived from the tongue coating. This article highlights the potential need for concentrating on tongue hygiene as a part of daily routine.

Islamic Psychology and the Call for Islamization of Modern Psychology

The shifting of paradigms in modern psychology has left modern men in a state of confusion on the issues pertaining to what should be the paramount concern of psychology and in the proper understanding on the topic of human nature. In a contrastive manner Islamic psychology which has been promoted by Muslim scholars alongside with the process of Islamization of knowledge and education, has its roots in the philosophical ideas of early Muslim scholars. Its resurgence, which started some two decades ago, is seen as an initiative to introduce Islamic understanding on man to the conflicting ideas prevalent in modern psychology. Its approach, which is mainly philosophical in nature, goes back to the ideas on man mentioned in the two primary sources of Islam, the Qur’an and ×adÊth. Islamic psychology with its comprehensive ideas on human nature has been seen by Muslim scholars as a new perspective in psychology that can fill in the lacunae present in the modern psychological thoughts on man, and clears the mist that surrounds most Western theories on man. This paper represents an attempt to analyze and also synthesize Western psychology and Islamic psychology in terms of their nature, development, contributions, and problems.

Anxiety, Depression, and Fall-Related Psychological Concerns in Community-Dwelling Older People

Anxiety, Depression, and Fall-Related Psychological Concerns in Community-Dwelling Older People

“Every individual has his own insanity”: Applying Vygotsky's work on defectology to the question of mental health as an issue of inclusion

Volume 2 of Plenum's The Collected Works of L. S. Vygotsky, Fundamentals of Defectology includes work from a variety of points in Vygotsky's career during which he treated the topic of defektologia. This Soviet field focused on characteristics of the human makeup that have typically been the concern of abnormal psychology, learning disabilities, and special education: the inabilities to hear or speak, and cognitive functioning at significantly lower than normal levels. The term defectology actually mischaracterizes Vygotsky's (1993) own approach to differences from the evolutionary norm, which he did not consider to be defective or prohibitive in enabling a full immersion in societal life. Nonetheless, the language and ideology of deficit remains at large in spite of efforts to attend more respectfully to issues of difference that concerned Vygotsky as he undertook to address how best to educate the millions of children who survived World War I and the Bolshevik and Russian Revolutions that precipitated the Soviet era, yet who did so both physically and mentally traumatized.

Associations Between Psychologic Symptoms and Life Satisfaction in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with many physical and physiological changes and can affect women's psychological functioning and satisfaction with life. Previous research has focused mainly on cardiovascular risk factors, with few studies investigating the psychological effects of the condition. The aims of this study were (1) to determine if clinically depressive symptoms and psychological traits (anger, anxiety, hostility/cynicism) and decreased satisfaction with life are associated with PCOS; (2) to investigate within PCOS cases, factors associated with depressive symptoms, specifically body mass index (BMI), smoking status, education, marital status, and parity. The subjects examined in this study were selected from those in a previous case-control study, with observational follow-up over a 12-year period, 1995 to 2006. A total of 161 cases and 161 controls were matched on age, race, and neighborhood and participated in the baseline psychological assessment arm of our original study. They were part of the original Cardiovascular Health and Risk Measurement Study conducted in 1992-1994 to investigate coronary heart disease risk factors in women with PCOS. Psychological characteristics of the women were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory I (BDI I), the Spielberger Trait Anger and Anxiety Scales, the Cook-Medley Scale, and the Diener Satisfaction with Life Scale. Women with PCOS had a higher prevalence of mild or moderate depressive symptom levels (BDI scores >9): 31% vs. 17% in controls (p=0.016; OR 1.9, CI 1.55-2.16). The difference between cases and controls for the continuous BDI score was also statistically significant (p=0.002). The odds of having PCOS increased with each unit of BDI score by 1.06. Within cases, results of the logistic regression analysis showed that BMI, education, and parity were significant predictors of mild or moderate depressive symptoms (p<0.05). The odds of a BDI score >9 increased by 6% for each unit increase of BMI and by 44% for parity (per live birth), and decreased by 20% for each year of education. The associations between PCOS and anger, hostility, hostility/cynicism, and satisfaction with life were not significant. Depressive symptoms are a significant psychological concern in PCOS. Among women with PCOS, those who are heavier and have more children and less education are at greatest risk for mild to moderate depressive symptoms. Women should be screened at regular intervals in order to detect risk factors for depression and to treat depressive symptomatology.