Effects of different psychological interventions on neck,shoulder and low back pain in female hospital staff

Abstract

One hundred and eleven females volunteered to take part in this intervention study of musculoskeletal pain. They all completed a survey of pain among five hundred and eighty-six female hospital staff and presented mild to severe pain in the neck, shoulder and/or low back. They were randomly assigned to one of the following groups; Focus on job-stress and psychosocial coping (Cognitive), relaxation training (Relaxation), the combination of the two (Combined) or to a control group (Control). Musculoskeletal pain (intensity and duration) was assessed by self-report prior to interventions, immediately after interventions, and at a four months follow-up. Results from multivariate analyses of variance as well as covariance (pre-intervention levels of pain as covariate) showed that magnitude of pain reduction was dependent upon the interaction between area of the back and type of intervention. These trends were more significant for intensity than for duration scores. They were due to reductions of pain in (1) neck and shoulders for the Cognitive and Combined groups and (2) in the low back and shoulders for the Relaxation group. The four month follow-up assessment revealed a significant risk of relapse only for duration of low back pain among subjects in the Combined group. Results from the Cognitive approach to intervention may reflect a causal role for ability to cope with psychosocial job stress in the development of neck and shoulder pain in female hospital staff.     

CONVERGENCE AS A CUE T O PERCEIVED SIZE AND DISTANCE

A wire mesh was used as stimulus object in the old 'wall-paper experiment'. Fixating a small object on the near side of the wire mesh, the mesh appears of course double. By adjusting the fixation object back and forth a position can be reached at which fusion of the double image is obtained. At this moment the wire mesh appears to shift location. A nearly perfect one-to-one correspondence obtained between the perceived distance of the 'fused.' wire mesh and the actual convergence distance. It is concluded that the convergence mechanism may provide perfectly specific information to the visual system concerning the spatial location of objects.     

Patterns of theory change in biomedicine: A case study from cardiology

This article presents a case study from the history of cardiology, namely, the development towards the acceptance of the coronary theory of angina pectoris. I show that the arguments which were considered decisive against the theory were not answered at the time the theory was accepted. I also point out that the experimental and practical success of the theory cannot be used to support the initial choice because, in the subsequent development, the field researchers became preoccupied with new questions and problems. In spite of this, there is a sense in which the field of angina research has progressed, but it remains a challenge to exactly characterise in what sense this is the case.     

THE FACTOR OF PROXIMITY: An attempt to specify its critical conditions

Two experiments were undertaken for the purpose of investigating whether the Factor of Proximity, operative in perceptual organization according to Gestalt theory, should be specified with reference to the perceived or to the objective spacing of the elements of a stimulus field. The results indicate that a series of dots arranged in horizontal and vertical rows is more readily grouped in vertical than in horizontal lines. This finding implies that the Factor of Proximity cannot be exactly specified either in terms of the perceived or the objective spacing of the elements to be grouped.     

Does the two-chair dialogue intervention facilitate processing of emotions more efficiently than basic Rogerian conditions?

Processing difficult emotions is assumed to be of importance in therapeutic change. In this study, we examine whether a two-chair dialogue in Emotion-focused Therapy (EFT) is associated with a change in emotional processing, measured as changes in emotional arousal and emotional experiencing. In a multiple baseline design, 20 clients in treatment for depression or anxiety first received five, seven or nine weekly sessions of baseline treatment providing Rogerian conditions and affect attunement. In the second phase, two-chair intervention was added for the five consecutive sessions. All sessions were subdivided into 2 min segments which were rated using the Client Emotional Arousal Scale III and the Experiencing Scale. Analyses indicated a significantly higher number of high-arousal segment in the latter phase. Individual clients’ change trajectories were not significantly steeper in the second phase. Experiencing increased throughout both phases of treatment. However, after introducing the two-chair dialogue the Experiencing change trajectory was not significantly steeper than in the baseline phase. Findings suggest that both the two-chair dialogue and the Rogerian conditions with affect attunement focus are effective in facilitating emotional processing. Results are consistent with previous research, suggesting that the two-chair dialogue is an emotionally evocative intervention. Implications and limitations are discussed.