Body, Mind & Spirit Articles and Latest News

How sources of sexual information relate to adolescents’ beliefs about sex.

Am J Health Behav. 2009 Jan-Feb;33(1):37-48

Authors: Bleakley A, Hennessy M, Fishbein M, Jordan A

OBJECTIVES: To examine how sources of sexual information are associated with adolescents’ behavioral, normative, and control beliefs about having sexual intercourse using the integrative model of behavior change. METHODS: Survey data from a quota sample of 459 youth. RESULTS: The most frequently reported sources were friends, teachers, mothers, and media. Regression analyses indicated that learning about sex from parents, grandparents, and religious leaders was associated with beliefs likely to delay sex; friends, cousins, and media were associated with beliefs that increase the likelihood of having sexual intercourse. CONCLUSIONS: Different sexual information sources were associated with different underlying beliefs.

PMID: 18844519 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Cue-evoked positive affect, depression vulnerability and smoking years.

Am J Health Behav. 2009 Jan-Feb;33(1):49-57

Authors: McChargue DE, Doran N

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether cue-evoked affective response would moderate the relationship between depression-proneness and smoking years. METHODS: Depression-proneness profiles were derived using clinician diagnosed personal and family histories of major depression, recurrent depression, trait-anhedonia, and ruminative coping styles (n=70). Affective distress was produced by idiographic, guided negative mood imageries in the presence of an in vivo cigarette exposure. RESULTS: Contrary to expectations, results showed that individuals less vulnerable to depression reported longer smoking histories. Stress-induced decreases in positive affect bolstered the association between depression vulnerability and smoking years. CONCLUSION: Depression-proneness assumptions are challenged and implications to affective influences on smoking behavior are discussed.

PMID: 18844520 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Race and sex differences in college student physical activity correlates.

Am J Health Behav. 2009 Jan-Feb;33(1):80-90

Authors: McArthur LH, Raedeke TD

OBJECTIVES: To assess sex/race differences on psychosocial correlates of physical activity among college students. METHODS: Survey research protocol. RESULTS: Students (n=636) exercised an average of 3.5 days per week, with black females being the least active. Across subgroups, health/fitness was rated as the most important motive for exercise, followed by appearance and mental health. Of the correlates, enjoyment and the use of self-management strategies were most strongly associated with activity level. Only 40% were aware that adults should accumulate 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days (ie, 5) of the week for health benefits. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the importance of teaching self-management skills and fostering exercise enjoyment in health promotion programs for college students.

PMID: 18844523 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Related Articles

Chronic pain and severe disuse syndrome: long-term outcome of an inpatient multidisciplinary cognitive behavioural programme.

J Rehabil Med. 2009 Feb;41(3):122-8

Authors: van Wilgen CP, Dijkstra PU, Versteegen GJ, Fleuren MJ, Stewart R, van Wijhe M

OBJECTIVE: Patients with chronic pain and severe disuse syndrome have pain with physiological, psychological and social adaptations. The duration and severity of complaints, combined with previously failed treatments, makes them unsuitable for treatment in primary care. DESIGN: A prospective waiting list controlled study. PATIENTS: A total of 32 patients with chronic pain for at least one year and severe disuse syndrome were included in an inpatient multidisciplinary cognitive behavioural treatment. METHODS: Patients were assessed before the waiting list period, before the clinical phase, after the clinical phase and after follow-ups of 6 months and one year. The visual analogue scale for pain and fatigue were assessed. Muscle strength of the arms and legs, arm endurance and a 6-minute walking test were used to assess physical outcome. The Symptom Checklist-90, RAND-36, pain cognition list and the Tampa scale for kinesiophobia were used to assess psychological outcome. RESULTS: Long-term significant (p < 0.001) improvements were found for pain, fatigue, walking distance, muscle strength, anxiety, depression, somatization, negative self-efficacy, and catastrophizing in the intervention period. CONCLUSION: An inpatient multidisciplinary cognitive behavioural programme is beneficial for patients with chronic pain and a severe disuse syndrome.

PMID: 19229443 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Dietary tryptophan depletion according to body weight - a new treatment option in acute mania?

Med Hypotheses. 2009 Jan;72(1):47-8

Authors: Zepf FD, Wöckel L, Poustka F, Holtmann M

Decreased neurotransmission of serotonin (5-HT) was shown to be related to the development of depressive symptoms, whereas recent preliminary evidence suggests that acute mania may be related to a hyperserotonergic state. The reduction of central nervous 5-HT synthesis achieved by a new modification of the dietary rapid tryptophan depletion technique, with the relevant amino acids dosed according to body weight, is hypothesized by the authors to be a further option of treatment during acute mania, in particular in view of a decrease in adverse reactions, a reduced amount of amino acids needed for sufficient depletion, but also improved tolerability. However, ethical issues may limit such studies investigating this relationship in acutely manic patients, in particular in view of informed consent.

PMID: 18849122 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Psychosocial interventions as adjunctive therapy for bipolar disorder.

J Psychiatr Pract. 2008 May;14 Suppl 2:39-44

Authors: Sachs GS

Evidence suggests that adjunctive psychosocial interventions in bipolar disorder are clinically beneficial and cost effective when used in conjunction with pharmacotherapy. Appropriate adjunctive psychosocial interventions in bipolar disorder have been found to be associated with improved treatment adherence, greater stability, fewer hospitalizations, fewer days hospitalized, less need for crisis interventions, decreased relapse risk, and fewer acute episodes. Specific types of therapy that have shown efficacy include bipolar-specific cognitive-behavioral therapy, family-focused therapy, interpersonal and social rhythm therapy, and systematic care management. A positive impact on medication adherence is a major goal of these adjunctive treatments. Studies show variable efficacy depending on patient characteristics, phase of illness, and presence of comorbid conditions so that therapies should be selected and administered on an individualized basis that takes into account each specific patient’s current presentation and treatment history. For example, psychosocial interventions have been found to be more effective in patients with depressive than manic symptoms and during maintenance treatment. Given findings showing benefits of psychosocial interventions in the treatment of bipolar disorder, the STAndards for BipoLar Excellence (STABLE) project has developed and tested a performance measure to evaluate the use of this critical treatment component.

PMID: 18677198 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Taurine transporter in lymphocytes of patients with major depression treated with venlafaxine plus psychotherapy.

Adv Exp Med Biol. 2009;643:217-24

Authors: Fazzino F, Obregón F, Morles M, Rojas A, Arocha L, Mata S, Lima L

The taurine transporter and taurine are present in lymphocytes, where taurine functions as an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory agent. Taurine levels are elevated in lymphocytes of subjects with major depression, but returns to control levels after treatment with the antidepressant mirtazapine. Patients (40) were diagnosed using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV of the American Psychiatric Association, and the severity of their condition was determined by the Hamilton Scale of Depression. One group of patients was treated with venlafaxine and the other with venlafaxine plus Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Lymphocytes were isolated from the peripheral blood by Ficoll/Hypaque. The coexistence of the taurine transporter with a subpopulation of CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes was measured by immunofluorescence. The levels of the pro-inflammatory, IL-2, and the anti-inflammatory, IL-4, cytokines were determined by ELISA while plasma amino acid levels were determined by HPLC. The percentage of CD4+ cells significantly decreased after both treatments, whereas the levels of CD8+ cells remained unchanged. The taurine transporter of CD4+ and CD8+ cells decreased after integrate treatment. No differences were found in the levels of IL-2 while IL-4 levels increased after integrate treatment. The observed effects of treatment on the taurine transporter and IL-4 content might modify lymphocyte activity during depression.

PMID: 19239152 [PubMed - in process]

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Further evidence for DYX1C1 as a susceptibility factor for dyslexia.

Psychiatr Genet. 2009 Feb 21;

Authors: Dahdouh F, Anthoni H, Tapia-Páez I, Peyrard-Janvid M, Schulte-Körne G, Warnke A, Remschmidt H, Ziegler A, Kere J, Müller-Myhsok B, Nöthen MM, Schumacher J, Zucchelli M

OBJECTIVE: Dyslexia-susceptibility-1-candidate-1 (DYX1C1) was the first gene associated with dyslexia. Since the original report of 2003, eight replication attempts have been published reporting discordant results. As the dyslexia community still considers the role of DYX1C1 unsettled, we explored the contribution of this gene in a sample of 366 trios of German descent. METHODS: To the common four markers used in previous studies, we added two new single nucleotide polymorphisms found by resequencing both the putative regulatory and coding region of the gene in randomly selected cases and controls. As linkage disequilibrium blocks of the region were not easy to define, we approached the association problem by running a transmission disequilibrium test over sliding windows of dimension 1 to 6 on consecutive markers. The significance of this test was calculated generating the empirical distribution of the global P value by simulating the data. As our study sample had a large female proband content, we also stratified our analysis by sex. RESULTS: We found statistically significant association with global corrected P value of 0.036. The three-marker haplotype G/G/G spanning rs3743205/rs3743204/rs600753 was most associated with a P value of 0.006 and odds ratio 3.7 (95% confidence interval: 1.4-9.6) in female probands. A detailed haplotype-phenotype analysis revealed that the dyslexia subphenotype short-term memory contributed mainly to the observed findings. This is in accordance with a recent short-term memory-DYX1C1 association in an independent sample of dyslexia. CONCLUSION: As significant association was proved in our sample, we could also conclude that denser maps, sex information, and well-defined subphenotypes are crucial to correctly determine the contribution of DYX1C1 to dyslexia.

PMID: 19240663 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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The ethics of self-change: becoming oneself by way of antidepressants or psychotherapy?

Med Health Care Philos. 2009 Feb 25;

Authors: Svenaeus F

This paper explores the differences between bringing about self-change by way of antidepressants versus psychotherapy from an ethical point of view, taking its starting point in the concept of authenticity. Given that the new antidepressants (SSRIs) are able not only to cure psychiatric disorders but also to bring about changes in the basic temperament structure of the person-changes in self-feeling-does it matter if one brings about such changes of the self by way of antidepressants or by way of psychotherapy? Are antidepressants a less good alternative than psychotherapy because antidepressants are in some way less authentic than psychotherapy? And, if so, what does this mean exactly? In this paper I try to show that the self-change brought about by way of antidepressants challenges basic assumptions of authentic self-change that are deeply ingrained in our Western culture: that changes in self should be brought about by laborious ’self-work’ in which one explores the deep layers of the self (the unconscious) and comes to realise who one really is and should become. To become oneself has been held to presuppose such a journey. While the assumed importance of self-work appears to be badly founded on closer inspection, the notions of exploring and knowing oneself appear to be more promising in fleshing out an ethical distinction between psychopharmacological and psychotherapeutic practice with the help of the concept of authenticity. Psychotherapy, to a much greater extent than psychopharmacological interventions, involves the whole profile of the self in its attempts to effect a change, not only in the temperament but also in the character of the person in question, and this is important from an ethical point of view. In the article, the concepts of self-change, authenticity, temperament and character are presented and used in order to understand and flesh out the relevant ethical differences between the practice of psychotherapy and the use of antidepressants. Looping, collective effects of psychopharmacological self-change in a cultural context are also considered in this context.

PMID: 19241141 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Evidence-based stroke r-ehabilitation: an expanded guidance document from the european stroke organisation (ESO) guidelines for management of ischaemic stroke and transient ischaemic attack 2008.

J Rehabil Med. 2009 Feb;41(2):99-111

Authors: Quinn TJ, Paolucci S, Sivenius J, Walker MF, Toni D, Lees KR, ,

OBJECTIVE: Despite recent high-profile advances in our understanding of rehabilitation post-stroke, the evidence base remains weaker than in other areas of stroke management. Under the aegis of the European Stroke Organisation a select committee was assembled to collate and appraise the evidence base for rehabilitation interventions. METHODS: Following systematic literature searching, relevant abstracts were screened for data quality and relevance. These data were summarized and presented to the members of the expert panel, who, both individually and across group discussions, modified the content. The process was repeated until a final document was produced that all members of the panel and the European Stroke Organisation editorial group were happy with. RESULTS: The final guidelines offer a comprehensive review of post-stroke rehabilitation, incorporating discussion of optimal timing, setting and duration of therapy as well as individual sections on the role of professions allied to medicine; use of assistive technologies and dealing with the common complications encountered during the rehabilitation period. CONCLUSION: There is a lack of robust evidence for many of the prevalent post-stroke rehabilitation interventions. Available data are discussed and presented as key points; more importantly, specific areas that require further study are also highlighted. METHODS: Following systematic literature searching, relevant abstracts were screened for data quality and relevance. These data were summarized and presented to the members of the expert panel, who, both individually and across group discussions, modified the content. The process was repeated until a final document was produced that all members of the panel and the European Stroke Organisation editorial group were happy with. RESULTS: The final guidelines offer a comprehensive review of post-stroke rehabilitation, incorporating discussion of optimal timing, setting and duration of therapy as well as individual sections on the role of professions allied to medicine; use of assistive technologies and dealing with the common complications encountered during the rehabilitation period. CONCLUSION: There is a lack of robust evidence for many of the prevalent post-stroke rehabilitation interventions. Available data are discussed and presented as key points; more importantly, specific areas that require further study are also highlighted.

PMID: 19225703 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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