Psychosomatic Well-being Research Articles

Modeling the Occupational Well-Being of Finnish Social Work Employees: A Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis

ABSTRACTSurvey data on work-related distress and well-being was used to explore the structure of the occupational well-being of Finnish social workers (N = 1220) with a focus on child protection workers using the multigroup confirmatory factor analysis method. A multidimensional model defines occupational well-being theoretically and this was empirically validated with the four dimensions of affective, social, psychosomatic, and cognitive/professional well-being. The findings imply that the occupational well-being of the three groups of social workers, child protection social workers, and social instructors can be explained with the same factor structure. Child protection social workers showed the lowest affective and psychosomatic well-being.

Meditation Awareness Training for Individuals with Fibromyalgia Syndrome: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Participants’ Experiences

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a complex and poorly understood psychosomatic pain disorder. The illness has been the subject of controversy, both in terms of the alleged lack of interest and capability of the medical community to understand and support patients with FMS, and the burden that such individuals place upon economic and healthcare resources. Due to the lack of convincing data for the effectiveness of extant pharmacological and non-pharmacological FMS treatments, a recent direction in FMS research has been the empirical investigation of mindfulness and other meditation-based approaches. The present qualitative study explored whether following participation in a mindfulness-based intervention, patients with FMS report experiencing changes in (i) how they experience and relate to their illness and (ii) their attitudes towards societal participation, work and unemployment. Ten individuals with FMS were randomly selected from the intervention arm of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) evaluating the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based intervention known as Meditation Awareness Training (MAT) for the treatment of FMS. Transcripts of semi-structured interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, a robust and rigorous qualitative methodology for analysing subjective experiences. Five super-ordinate themes emerged from the dataset: (i) reservations about participating, (ii) improvements in psychosomatic well-being, (iii) spiritual growth, (iv) awareness of impermanence and (v) increased sense of citizenship. MAT was experienced as both an acceptable and accessible intervention by individuals with FMS, and participants reported experiencing improvements in psychosocial functioning as well as an increased sense of societal responsibility. MAT appears to have utility for treating FMS and for changing the attitudes of some individuals with FMS towards community engagement and societal contribution.

Importance of aromas on mood profile and human aura

The Indian Traditional Concept of “Swastya” means to be stationed in one’s own self or well-being, which means to be beyond body / mind yogically. Sri Aurobindo (1970) stated that “Yoga means a methodized effort towards self-perfection by expression of the potentialities latent in the being” and “…a union of the human individual with the universal and transcendent Existence”. According to Sri Aurobindo (1972) “The Spirit has made itself Matter (body) in order to place itself there as an instrument for the well-being and joy “ Yogakshema”, of created beings for a self-offering of physical universal utility of service. Interestingly, WHO has stipulated spiritual health for universal well-being. This opens avenues for experimental studies. Benson (1976) stated that in the year 1968 opened medical laboratory for studies in transcendental meditation. Chopra (1993) has spoken that there is enormous latent intelligence in the living organism. The “inexperience” of the organism has placed the mind – body relationship on scientific footing. This relationship opens both ways, on one hand it removes disease state and being at “ease” state. Thus enhancing psychoneurotic immunology where the subject herself / himself learns to manipulate the involved energy and to enhance the delightful state of well-being. Aromas have been an area that can open new areas for research on emotional and psychosomatic well-being. “Pranayama” recognizes science of holding breath or vitality. “Willfully” holding moods with awareness / consciousness is to experience spirits flow and its freedom in creating a new inner dimension of highest well-being. To experience subtle and its power of mood is yogically raise mood profile to the dynamics of the spirit subjectively. This was taken as an experimental study. The Subjects studying in MSc. in the Department of Food Service Management at Smt. V.H.D. Central Institute of Home Science, Bangalore, India took part in the study. A pre-test was conducted to check the Aura status of all the twenty subjects. Based on pre-test health status a purposive sample was worked out. Those subjects whose health aura was in good condition were selected as Control Group, (n=10) and others whose health aura was affected were chosen as Experimental Group (n=10) and the Experimental Group were subjected to intervention programme along with Aroma Treatment. Based on the investigator’s observations, an experiment was designed to study the influence of Aroma on the subject’s physiological and psychological moods and feelings, effect on Chakras and their Human Aura. Statistical test χ2 (Chi-square) was used to test the significance between Experimental and Control Groups for comparison. The aroma Nectar of Divine Joy has yielded significant results both in objective and subjective test obtained by the Experimental group. The result showed that the intervention programme helped in retaining higher emotions. This study points out that the auric field one carries depends upon one’s own thought forms that one generates through emotions and feelings. To bathe inner organs with the highest mood profile is to experience the highest vitality in body and mind as one vibrates and radiates the well-being around them in homonymous state. This growth is a teleotic journey in emotions and feelings towards the Divine state.

The impact of the voice in relation to psychosomatic well-being after education in female student teachers: A longitudinal, descriptive study

ObjectiveVoice handicap in relation to psychosomatic well-being after education in female student teachers. MethodsA longitudinal survey among 90 female students using Voice Handicap Index and Symptom Check List-90 at the start and end of education. ResultsStudent teachers in fourth grade showed lower VHI Total and lower SCL-90 Total scores compared to first grade. Students with higher VHI scores in fourth grade had higher risk on “Anxiety” (OR=1.8 to 4.8), “Agoraphobia” (OR=1.9 to 3.9) and “Insufficiency in thinking and acting” (OR=1.6 to 3.2). Students with respectively higher VHI-Total and VHI-Emotional subscale scores had higher risk on “Depression” (OR=1.7, resp. 3.9), “Interpersonal sensitivity and mistrust” (OR=1.6, resp. 3.2), “Hostility” (OR=1.7, resp. 2.1) and SCL-Total (OR=3.1 resp. 4.0). ConclusionsStudent teachers at the end of education showed more well-being and were less vocally handicapped. A tendency for a positive relation between higher emotional voice handicap and more psychosomatic complaints was found. SuggestionsThe VHI has proven to be useful and special attention to VHI Emotional scale is advised in screening. This study might have implications for the preventive care and a multi-dimensional approach with attention to physical, mental and social voice care in future teachers is suggested. In contrast to the group score comparisons a closer look at individual reports on specific VHI items in relation to SCL-90 may be fruitful to detect tendencies. Student teachers can benefit from interdisciplinary collaboration between a psychologist and voice therapist in reducing psychosocial risk factors.

The Relation of Vocal Fold Lesions and Voice Quality to Voice Handicap and Psychosomatic Well-Being

Voice disorders have a multifactorial genesis and may be present in various ways. They can cause a significant communication handicap and impaired quality of life. To assess the effect of vocal fold lesions and voice quality on voice handicap and psychosomatic well-being. Female patients, aged 18-65 years, who were referred to the outpatient clinic with voice problems were subsequently assessed. Laryngostroboscopic examination and acoustic voice analysis were carried out, and the patients were asked to fill in the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and Symptom Check List-90 questionnaires. Eighty-two patients were included. In 43 patients (52.4%), a vocal fold lesion was observed. The VHI and psychosomatic well-being did not differ significantly between patients with and without a vocal fold lesion. The patients with a vocal fold lesion showed lower scores on the Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI) compared with those without a vocal fold lesion. However, the DSI was not correlated with voice handicap and psychosomatic well-being, except for the VHI physical subscale. Objective measurement does not necessarily correlate with the subjective appraisal of the patient's voice handicap and psychosomatic well-being. Furthermore, the criterion of the presence of a vocal fold lesion as the base of indemnity that is applied by health insurance institutions should be questioned.

Sleep Problems, Depression, Substance Use, Social Bonding, and Quality of Life in Professional Firefighters

Little attention has been given to factors contributing to firefighters' psychosomatic well-being. The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine such contributing factors in a sample of professional firefighters. Measures assessing sleep, depression, substance use, social bonding, and quality of life were examined in 112 firefighters. Overall, many firefighters reported sleep deprivation (59%), binge drinking behavior (58%), poor mental well-being (21%), current nicotine use (20%), hazardous drinking behavior (14%), depression (11%), poor physical well-being (8%), caffeine overuse (5%), or poor social bonding (4%). Small-to-medium correlations were identified between sleep deprivation, depression, physical/mental well-being, and drinking behaviors. High-risk behaviors that impact psychosomatic well-being are prevalent in professional firefighters, which require environmental and individual-based health promotion interventions. The inter-correlation relationships between such behaviors, therefore, need to be explored in further details.

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.

Biopsychosocial Impact of Voicing and General Coping Style in Teachers

Objective: The aim of the study was to explore the general coping style of female teachers with a relatively low voice handicap compared with teachers with a relatively high voice handicap. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among 450 teachers using the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and the Utrecht Coping List (UCL). A group of 400 subjects quasi-randomly selected from the general population were used as controls. Results: Teachers with a relatively high voice handicap (VHI ≧75th percentile) scored lower on the UCL subscale ‘active confrontation or dealing with the problem’ (p = 0.001) and higher on the UCL subscale ‘passive reaction pattern’ (p = 0.006), compared to teachers with a relatively low voice handicap (VHI ≤25th percentile). Among the general population, it was found that subjects with a relatively high voice handicap scored higher on the UCL subscales ‘avoidance/waiting’ (p = 0.001) and ‘passive reaction pattern’ (p < 0.001) than those with a relatively low voice handicap. From the groups with a relatively high total VHI score, the teachers scored higher on the scale ‘seeking for social support’ than the general population (p = 0.022). However, this had already been found in the total groups. The general population scored higher than the teachers on the subscale ‘avoidance/waiting’ (p = 0.027). There was no significant difference on the other subscales of the UCL. Conclusion: The coping style of the teachers with a relatively high VHI score may lead to less optimal problem solving possibilities and consequently increased vulnerability, problems and less psychosomatic well-being. Training coping strategies in the curriculum of student teachers may contribute to their response when they experience voice problems during their teaching career. With a view to self-efficacy, adequate coping strategies need to be taught to teachers.

Biopsychosocial impact of the voice in relation to the psychological features in female student teachers

Objective The aim of the study was to assess biopsychosocial impact of the voice in relation to the psychological features in female student teachers. Methods This research was a cross-sectional study in 755 student teachers using general questionnaires, the Voice Handicap Inventory (VHI), Type D Scale-16, Symptom Check List (SCL-90), and Utrecht Coping List (UCL). Student teachers with a relative high score on the VHI (>75th percentile) and students with a relative low score (<25th percentile) were compared. Results Type D student teachers had a 4× greater risk of a high VHI-score (OR 4.23) than the non-type-D group. The student teachers with relative high VHI scores scored significantly higher ( P<.001) on the SCL-90 total and all subscales, compared to the student teachers with relative low VHI scores. Furthermore, the students with a relative high VHI score had significant high scores on the subscales passive attitude ( P<.001), palliative reactions ( P<.001), avoidance and a waiting attitude ( P<.001), and expression of emotions ( P=.003) of the UCL. Conclusion This study showed that a relative high biopsychosocial impact of the voice is related to the personality trait Type D, psychosomatic well-being and coping strategies in female student teachers. These features should be implemented in screening and training programs for students for a voice demanding profession. The students have to be prepared to cope with psychological, physical and vocal demands of the teaching profession. The speech therapist (of the vocational university) has to be aware of an important role in coaching the students into a more active coping attitude.

Adaptation and Validation of the German Sensitivity to Befallen Injustice Scales into French

Adaptation and Validation of the German Sensitivity to Befallen Injustice Scales into French

Treatment of infants with atopic eczema with pimecrolimus cream 1% improves parents’ quality of life: A multicenter, randomized trial

Atopic eczema begins primarily in infancy or early childhood, and sleep loss due to night-time pruritus can have a considerable impact on patients' and parents' quality of life (QoL). In this study, infants (n = 196) with mild to severe atopic eczema were randomized 2:1, double-blind, to receive either pimecrolimus cream 1% (Elidel, Novartis Pharma, Nürnberg, Germany) or the corresponding vehicle bid for 4 wk, followed by a 12 wk, open-label phase and a 4 wk, treatment-free, follow-up period. The parents' QoL was measured at baseline and at the end of the double-blind phase, using the questionnaire 'QoL in Parents of Children with Atopic Dermatitis' (PQoL-AD), thus data presented here refer to the initial 4-wk treatment phase only. After 4 wk of double-blind treatment, an increase in the mean percentage change from baseline in eczema area and severity index of 71.5% was observed with pimecrolimus, compared with 19.4% with vehicle. The increase in efficacy was paralleled by the following mean percentage changes from baseline in the five domains of the questionnaire in pimecrolimus and vehicle, respectively: psychosomatic well-being: 14.6% vs. 6.2%; effects on social life: 6.7% vs. 2.3%; confidence in medical treatment: 10.0% vs. 3.7%; emotional coping: 16.1% vs. 6.5%; acceptance of disease: 19.6% vs. 7.0%. Analysis (ancova) of the dependent variable difference from baseline and the covariate baseline value revealed values of p < 0.05 for all five domains, despite the very short duration of the study. It is concluded that improvements in atopic eczema in infants achieved by treatment with pimecrolimus have a significant beneficial effect on the QoL of parents.

Growth hormone deficiency in pituitary disease: relationship to depression, apathy and somatic complaints.

Adults with GH deficiency (GHD) have been reported to suffer from increased levels of depression and apathy, which are thought to contribute to the reduced quality of life observed in these patients when compared with healthy controls. Recent studies, however, cast doubt on the attribution of these impairments to GHD as opposed to an unspecific stress response to the chronic medical condition. To further clarify this relationship, we used psychometric tests to quantify depression, apathy and typical psychosomatic complaints in patients with different types of pituitary disease and compared the results with measurements of the patients' widely varying GH status. In 98 patients, serum IGF-I was measured and at least one provocative test of the somatotrope pituitary axis was performed (GH-releasing hormone test (GHRHT) and/or insulin tolerance test (ITT)). All patients completed a set of well-established psychometric instruments (Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Apathy Evaluation Scale (AS) and List of Somatic Complaints (LSC)). In addition, AS was administered in an informant report version for completion by a close relative or friend to verify the validity of the patient's self assessment. No relationship between measures of GHD (IGF-I, GHRHT and ITT) and psychometrically measured depression, apathy or psychosomatic well-being was found. A highly significant linear correlation between scores of all psychometric instruments (BDI, AS and LSC) was found. The absence of any relationship between the severity of GHD and the level of depression/apathy/psychosomatic complaints suggests that these impairments are not specific symptoms of GHD. The reported improvement of these symptoms under GH substitution therapy might thus be interpreted as a secondary effect of somatic effects of GH substitution. Consequently, indication for GH substitution therapy should not be based on psychological impairments alone without the presence of somatic symptoms of GHD.

Predictors and outcomes of workplace violence and aggression.

The authors developed and assessed the psychometric properties of an instrument measuring risk for workplace violence and expanded a model linking (a) risk and experience of violence and aggression from the public and (b) experience of aggression from coworkers to emotional well-being, psychosomatic well-being, affective commitment, and turnover intentions. Using data from 254 employees representing 71 different occupations, the measure demonstrated acceptable within-occupation and 1-month test-retest reliability. The data supported the model and showed that public-initiated violence and aggression and coworker-initiated aggression were differentially associated with personal and organizational outcomes.

The perpetrator’s strategy as a crucial variable: a representative study of sexual abuse of girls and its sequelae in Switzerland

Objective: Little is known about the long-term consequences of “soft” perpetrator strategies. The purpose of the present study is to assess the consequences of love-bargaining strategies compared to those involving force. Method: A representative sample of 980 women, aged 20 to 40 years, in the German-speaking part of Switzerland was asked questions regarding psychosomatic well-being, sexual actions, and perpetrator strategies, as well as motivations for tolerating long periods of abuse. The answers regarding strategies were factor analyzed. The effect on psychosomatic well-being was determined by means of stepwise regression analysis and correlation analysis. Results: The prevalence of child sexual abuse (CSA) was 39.8% overall and 14.7% for severe abuse. Using the three variables love-bargaining strategy, self-blaming, and need for affection, an adjusted R 2 of .44 was reached in the 3rd step as a dependent variable with a General Symptomatic Index (GSI) calculated from an abbreviated version of the SCL-90-R. The first of the three variables mentioned was by far the most influential. Force was not included in the equation but was closely correlated on a bivariate level with the SCL-90 partial scale “anxiety.” Conclusions: The consequences of CSA produced by the use of soft strategies have been underestimated in the past.

Procedural injustice at work, justice sensitivity, job satisfaction and psychosomatic well-being

In a field study with 295 factory employees, three hypotheses were tested: (1) Procedural injustice at work is correlated negatively with job satisfaction and psychosomatic well-being. (2) The perception of procedural injustice depends on the person's chronic justice sensitivity. (3) Justice sensitivity moderates the correlation of procedural injustice with satisfaction and well-being, the correlation becoming larger with increasing justice sensitivity. Procedural injustice was defined as the discrepancy between desired (ought) and perceived (is) procedures. Justice sensitivity and procedural fairness according to Leventhal's criteria (consistency, nonpartiality, accuracy, correctability, representativeness) and one additional criterion (open information) were measured via questionnaire. Job satisfaction, number of sick days during the last six months and number of days a person felt sick at work during the last six months served as indicators of psychosomatic well-being. The first and second hypotheses were supported by the data. Partial support was also obtained for the third hypothesis: Justice sensitivity moderated the correlation of procedural unfairness with (a) the number of days the person felt sick at work and (b) the sum of this variable with the number of sick days. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Generosity: a psychological and interpersonal motivational factor of therapeutic relevance

This paper examines the role of generosity in analysis. Generosity represents a complex constellation of cognitions and affects that is antithetical to those states of super-ego harshness that characterize many forms of human psychopathology. In development, generosity is evoked by idealization, and a dynamic axis of idealization-generosity promotes relational proximity between the child and its caretakers, and eventually fosters separation and individuation. Generosity is highly sensitive to adverse conditions, and requires environmental conditions that are conducive to psychosomatic well-being. The imaginal basis of generosity is rooted in the myth of the 'hero and the return', which is the mythic foundation of the analyst's role as psychopomp. It is argued that the generosity of the analyst is a cardinal therapeutic factor in treatment.

Perceived Injustice in Unified Germany and Mental Health

In a questionnaire study, 929 West Germans and 1275 East Germans were asked to appraise East–West differences in life quality on the labor market 7 years after the German unification. Judgments included perceived East–West differences, the justice of East-West differences, and temporal comparisons (changes since the unification and expectations in East and West Germany). Changes and expectations for East and West Germany were combined to obtain social-temporal comparisons. Negative emotions (envy, anxiety, moral outrage, guilt, hopelessness) and positive emotions (gratefulness, pride) regarding the situation of the labor market were also assessed. Mental health indicators included measures of depression, self-esteem, and psychosomatic well-being. Parameters of a path model were estimated by regressing (i) mental health on emotions and judgments and (ii) emotions on judgments. Mental health of East Germans is associated negatively with envy, anxiety, and hopelessness. Moral outrage has a positive suppressor effect. Mental health of West Germans is linked negatively with envy, anxiety, and existential guilt whereas pride, the perception of unfair privileges, and optimistic expectations have positive path effects. Appraising East–West differences as unjust plays a core role in predicting emotions in both samples. Social comparisons and social-temporal comparisons are superior to egocentric temporal comparisons for predicting social emotions (envy, moral outrage, guilt) while egocentric temporal comparisons are generally more important for predicting “nonsocial” emotions (anxiety, hopelessness). Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

The unity of consciousness, synchronization, and the collective dimension

The unity of consciousness in systems, termed “cyber,” is said to be the subject of continuing evolution. Cyber is every complex that has the capacity to govern itself through comprehending the meaning of the entire set of relevant information and responding as a unit. This center of consciousness is capable of synchronization through coherent states. Synchronization can be both intrapersonal, occurring between the two hemispheres of the human brain, and inter‐ and trans‐personal, obtaining between different individuals and entire groups of individuals. The brain holotester, a sophisticated instrument utilized by the author, succeeded in quantifying the degrees of synchronization and correlating it with various states of psychosomatic health and wellbeing. This opens the way to education for a higher level of personal development as measured by the synchronization levels of the brain.

Prediction and replication of the organizational and personal consequences of workplace sexual harassment

Develops, tests and replicates a model of workplace sexual harassment and its personal and organizational consequences. The frequency of sexual harassment experiences predict workplace negative mood which, in turn, predicts psychosomatic wellbeing, turnover intentions and interpersonal (i.e. co‐worker and supervisor) job dissatisfaction. Using LISREL VIII, shows that the model fits the data for a sample of employed Canadian females (n= 202), but not for a sample of employed Canadian males (n= 137). Finally, an analogous model suggesting that sexual harassment predicts negative mood which, in turn, predicts self‐esteem, concentration difficulties and grades, fit the data for a sample of 120 female undergraduate students. Discusses conceptual and practical implications, and future research directions.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Autogenic Training in Gerontopsychology

This paper presents the results of two studies on the promotion of personal self-regulation of development, personal control over development and development-related emotions as well as generalized locus of control and psychosomatic well-being in the elderly using autogenic training (AT), a psychophysiological self-control method using self-inductions of physical and mental relaxation. Subjects were 120 adults aged 66-80 years. Study I had a randomized cross-over design with a waiting list group; Study II had a randomized cross-over design comparing the effects of introductory courses on autogenic training and of a general health education program. Each program phase continued for 8 weeks, with one small group meeting per week. Tests were conducted in both studies before program start, during mid-program, after total program, and 6 months after the end of the program. Data were gathered on development-related emotions, personal control over development, personal self-regulation of development, psychosomatic complaints, and generalized locus of control. The results point towards short-term as well as long-term effects of autogenic training on these variables. Possible applications of autogenic training in gerontopsychology are discussed as well as its role in developmental intervention and its references to the action-theory oriented perspective in developmental psychology.