Sex,stress, and health: Does stress predict health symptoms differently for the two sexes?

Objectives: Previous studies have been inconsistent with regard to the extent to which stress perception, rather than stressor exposure, predicts negative health symptoms. Because sex differences have been observed in all three of these variables, in this study the possibility that sex differences also exist in the relationships between them is investigated. Methods: Self‐report inventories of perceived stress, stressor exposure, and negative health symptoms were given to 107 young‐adult participants (65 females, 42 males). Results: Sex differences were observed in the associations among perceived stress, stressor exposure, and negative health symptom rates. Specifically, while higher perceived stress and higher stressor exposure rates independently predicted higher negative health symptoms rates in females, only higher stressor exposure rates independently predicted higher negative health symptoms in males. Indeed, unexpectedly, after controlling for exposure to stressors there was a trend towards higher perceived stress predicting lower negative health symptoms in males. Conclusions: While exposure to stress was a significant negative predictor of health for both sexes, perception of stress was predictive only for females. One implication of this finding is that different psychological models are needed to predict health symptoms in the two sexes. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of stress and shock anticipation on prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex

The effects of shock anticipation and attention to external stimuli on prepulse inhibition (PPI) were compared. In the threat-of-shock experiment, acoustic startle stimuli were presented with and without prepulses when aversive shocks were or were not anticipated. In the control experiment, startle and prepulse stimuli were delivered during periods with attended or ignored external stimuli. In the threat-of-shock experiment, startle was potentiated (fear-potentiated startle) and PPI was increased by shock anticipation. A gradual reduction in the overall PPI throughout the experiment was also found. In the control experiment, only PPI was increased in the attend condition. The PPI level remained constant throughout the experiment. The increase in PPI in the threat and attend conditions may have resulted from an increase in the general level of alertness that facilitated the processing of the prepulse. The gradual decrease in PPI in the threat experiment was hypothesized to result from a progressive deficit in sensory functioning due to the stressful nature of repeated shock anticipation.     

Psychological factors influencing the surgical patients' consent to regional anaesthesia

To investigate the preoperative attitude of surgical patients to regional anaesthesia, 162 subjects scheduled for elective surgery were studied. On the day before operation, patients were interviewed by an anaesthesio–logist, using a semi–structured schedule. Topics investigated were sociodemographic variables and clinical correlates, such as past anaesthetic experience, information about anaesthesia and surgery, as well as questions and fears related to anaesthesia. Subjects were assessed for personality characteristics and emotional symptoms by Eysenck's Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), Zung's Self–rating Anxiety and Depression Rating Scales, Schalling–Sifneos' Personality Scale and the 43–item Life Events Inventory of Holmes and Rahe. Seventy–one patients (44%) consented to regional anaesthesia. Consent to regional anaesthesia was associated with advanced age, low neuroticism and high extroversion score in the EPQ, as well as longer duration of illness. The deniers of consent asked more questions and expressed more fears about anaesthesia. It is suggested that the patients' characteristics influence their preference, acceptance or refusal of regional anaesthesia.     

Attentional Bias in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

This study investigated preferential encoding of threat material in subjects with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with a modified dot-probe paradigm. This paradigm indexes attentional bias by measuring response latency to name neutral target words that are presented adjacent to or distant from threat words. Motor vehicle accident survivors with PTSD (n = 15), subclinical PTSD (n = 15), and low anxiety (n = 15) were required to name target words that were presented either adjacent to or distant from strong threat, mild threat, positive, and neutral words. PTSD subjects named targets faster when they were in close proximity to mild threat words. Results suggested that PTSD subjects' attention was drawn to the mild threat stimuli and are discussed in the context of network models of PTSD.     

硝苯地平对抗吗啡戒断所致焦虑作用研究

目的··：评价钙拮抗剂硝苯地平对戒断后期焦虑症状及复吸的治疗作用。方法··：大鼠自然戒断后，采用Ｖｏｇｅｌ＇ｓ饮水冲突模型（简称Ｖｏｇｅｌ冲突模型）观察吗啡依赖大鼠的焦虑情绪与硝苯地平的作用。结果··：２０，３０，５０ｍｇ·ｋｇ－１的硝苯地平能明显增加大鼠的舔水次数和被电击次数，并呈剂量相关性，以３０ｍｇ·ｋｇ－１作用最为明显。结论··：钙离子拮抗剂可治疗吗啡戒断所致的焦虑症状，可能与５－ＨＴ等神经递质的释放或与ＧＡＢＡ能神经有关     

The effects of an HIV/AIDS educational programme on the anxiety level of nursing students

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a serious disease that has special concern for the health care provider. AIDS has continued to grow despite control efforts. As the disease infectivity period remains lengthy, and the heterosexual population is affected to a greater degree, the level of anxiety has also risen despite educational endeavours. Many fears and anxieties have been associated with AIDS patients by health care workers. The reduction of stress, perceived risk and discomfort following educational efforts have been supported in past research. Educational programmes will need to be given for current health care workers at all levels as well as nursing students. Future nurses must be prepared to meet this challenge. This study was conducted using a convenience sample of nursing students at a university in western United States. Its purpose was to assess any changes that occurred in state anxiety following an educational presentation. Spielberge's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was used as the measurement instrument. Some anxiety levels were significantly reduced.     

心理训练对高特质焦虑新兵生理指标和考核成绩的影响

目的研究心理训练对高特质焦虑新兵考核时生理指标和成绩的影响。方法采用个人评价问卷（PEI）、状态．特质焦虑问卷（STAI）和简易应对方式问卷对参加考核的新兵实施团体测试。将被试者分为对照组、低特质焦虑组、高特质焦虑组和干预组，对干预组进行自我评价、潜能开发、团队精神强化、应对方式的心理训练。测试考核前后生理指标差值及考核成绩的变化。结果干预组新兵军事考核前后收缩压、舒张压和脉搏三项生理差值与考核成绩明显优于高特质焦虑组（P〈0．05）。结论系统的心理训练可有效改善新兵对应激情景的生理和心理反应，提高作业绩效。     

A multicentre double-blind comparison of hydroxyzine, buspirone and placebo in patients with generalized anxiety disorder

The efficacy of hydroxyzine and buspirone, controlled by placebo, was investigated in a double-blind, parallel group, multicentre study conducted in France and the UK. A total of 244 patients with generalised anxiety disorder in primary care was allocated randomly to treatments with hydroxyzine (12.5 mg morning and mid-day, 25 mg evening), buspirone (5 mg morning and mid-day, 10 mg evening) or placebo (three capsules/day) for 4 weeks, preceded by a 1-week single-blind placebo run-in and followed by 1-week single-blind placebo administration. Rating scales were applied on days -7,0,7,14,12,28 and 35. Seventy percent of the patients were female; the average age was 41 ± 11 years, and the mean Hamilton Anxiety Score at day 0 was 26.5 ± 4.2. Only 31 of the 244 patients dropped out, but equally in the three groups. Intention-to-treat LOCF analyses on the primary variable showed a significant difference only between hydroxyzine and placebo with respect to improvement on the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (10.75 versus 7.23 points, respectively). Secondary variables such as CGI and self-ratings (HAD scale) showed both hydroxyzine and buspirone to be more efficacious than placebo. Thus, hydroxyzine is a useful treatment for GAD. Received: 26 January 1998/Final version: 15 May 1998     

Neuropsychological correlates of intractable anxiety disorder before and after capsulotomy

A comprehensive neuropsychological test battery was administered to 10 consecutive patients undergoing neurosurgical intervention, capsulotomy, as a last resort treatment for chronic, incapacitating, and otherwise intractable illness, either obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD; n= 5) or non-OCD anxiety disorder (n= 5). The aim was to study the neuropsychology of severe anxiety disorders before and after a defined neurosurgical intersection of connections between the frontal lobes and related brain regions. Although extremely disabled by their illness before surgery, the patients performed within the normal range on most tests. After capsulotomy, there was significant improvement on measures of clinical morbidity and of psychosocial functioning, and the general neuropsychological performance remained remarkably intact. In a subgroup of 5 patients, however, perseverative responses were more common postoperatively, possibly indicating dysfunction of systems involving the frontal lobes. Although admittedly sparse, these data can be interpreted as suggesting that in vulnerable individuals, capsulotomy may give rise to increased perseverative behaviour in the laboratory, and possibly in the real world as well. This risk must be weighed against the potential clinical benefit of capsulotomy in this extremely disabled, sometimes suicidal patient population.     

Anxiety,impulsivity and depressed mood in relation to suicidal and violent behavior

Many different variables have been associated with suicidal behavior as well as with violent behavior. This study was designed to test a model that attempts to relate such variables to violence and suicide risk. Sixty psychiatric patients were evaluated and divided into suicidal and nonsuicidal groups and then into violent and nonviolent groups. Scores on suicide risk, violence risk, anxiety, anger, impulsivity and mood were then compared between these groups. In a second analysis, scores on suicide risk and violence risk were correlated with all the other variables. Anxiety and impulsivity were found to strongly correlate with suicide risk. Angry and resentful mood correlated with violence risk; trait anxiety correlated negatively with violence risk. The results contribute further insight into the authors' two-stage model of countervailing forces.