Coping, Conflictual Social Interactions, Social Support, and Mood Among HIV-Infected Persons

This study considers the interrelationships among coping, conflictual social interactions, and social support, as well as their combined associations with positive and negative mood. Research has shown that each of these variables affects adjustment to stressful circumstances. Few studies, however, examine this full set of variables simultaneously. One hundred forty HIV-infected persons completed a questionnaire containing measures of coping, social support, conflictual social interactions, and positive and negative mood. Factor analyses showed that perceived social support and conflictual social interactions formed separate factors and were not strongly related. Compared to perceived social support, social conflict was more strongly related to coping behaviors, especially to social isolation, anger, and wishful thinking. Conflictual social interactions were more strongly related to negative mood than was perceived social support. Coping by withdrawing socially was significantly related to less positive and greater negative mood. The findings point to the importance of simultaneously considering coping, supportive relationships, and conflictual relationships in studies of adjustment to chronic illness. In particular, a dynamic may occur in which conflictual social interactions and social isolation aggravate each other and result in escalating psychological distress.     

The Role of Emotional Distress Tolerance on Fear Responding in a Heights-Fearful Sample: Perceived Versus Actual Behavior

Emotional distress tolerance (EDT)—or the ability to withstand negative emotional states—is considered a transdiagnostic risk factor for psychopathology. Although EDT is theorized to play a role in anxiety development and maintenance, research aiming to delineate the relationship between anxiety and EDT is lacking. The current study tested whether self-reported EDT predicted self-reported and actual avoidance in the presence of feared stimuli using a heights-fearful sample. Moreover, the study tested whether EDT predicted other in-the-moment fear responses, such as peak anxiety, anxious cognitions, and bodily sensations. Participants (N = 128) completed questionnaires assessing fear of heights, negative affect, anxious cognitions, and bodily sensations, as well as two heights behavioral avoidance tasks (BATs). Results demonstrated that EDT did not predict actual avoidance or other in-the-moment fear responses, except for peak anxiety in one BAT. However, EDT predicted self-reported avoidance of heights beyond fear of heights and negative affect. Taken together, results suggest that perception of ability to tolerate emotional distress predicts perception of avoidance of heights, but not actual avoidance of heights or reactions to heights (with the exception of peak anxiety in one BAT). Given these findings, self-reported EDT may not adequately predict how individuals react in anxiety-provoking situations.     

Psychological distress and resilience as risk and protective factors of psychoactive substance use among Chinese nonengaged youth

Nonengaged youth (NEY) are those who have neither been working nor studying for a prolonged period of time. They are at risk of psychoactive substance use, but relevant studies are scarce. Based on a population‐based telephone survey and referrals, we anonymously interviewed 479 Hong Kong Chinese NEY aged 15–24 years. Of them, 14.8–23.7% reported moderate to severe depression, anxiety, and stress. Moreover, one fourth of the participants (24.8%; n = 119) had used psychoactive substances. Adjusted analyses showed that these three psychological distress variables were positively associated with, while resilience was negatively associated with, both ever‐use of psychoactive substances and intention to use such substances in the next 12 months. Loneliness was associated only with intention to use psychoactive substances. The mediating role of psychological distress was shown: Anxiety significantly mediated the association between resilience and ever‐use of psychoactive substances, whereas depression mediated that between resilience and behavioural intention. Resilience was not a significant moderator on the relationship between psychological distress and ever‐use of psychoactive substance use or behavioural intention to use those substances. The findings suggest that anti‐drug interventions should outreach NEY and should include mental health support as well as building up resilience, as NEY are prone to psychological distress that increases risk of substance use.     

An examination of mindfulness skills in terms of affect tolerance among individuals with elevated levels of health anxiety

Background and Objectives: Affect tolerance factors, including anxiety sensitivity, intolerance of uncertainty, and emotional distress tolerance, have been implicated in the exacerbation of health anxiety. Therefore, identifying methods to improve affect tolerance in health anxious populations is imperative. Despite the link between mindfulness and greater affect tolerance in non-clinical populations, no work has examined the role of mindfulness skills in terms of affect tolerance among individuals with elevated health anxiety. The aim of the current study was to examine the unique contribution of mindfulness skills in terms of distress tolerance, anxiety sensitivity, and intolerance of uncertainty.

Methods: Participants were 218 undergraduates with clinically elevated levels of health anxiety (75.7% female; M_age?=?19.53, SD?=?3.16, Range?=?18–45) who completed self-report measures for course credit.

Results: Findings indicated that, after controlling for theoretically relevant covariates, greater acting with awareness, non-judgment, and non-reactivity were uniquely associated with greater distress tolerance, and greater non-reactivity was associated with lower levels of intolerance of uncertainty. Though none of the mindfulness skills emerged as specific individual predictors of anxiety sensitivity, these skills collectively accounted for unique variance in anxiety sensitivity.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that mindfulness skills may be helpful in targeting affect tolerance factors among individuals with elevated health anxiety.     

Diabetes distress,illness perceptions and glycaemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes

The emotional distress associated with adjusting to and living with diabetes has been termed diabetes distress. Diabetes distress is associated with glycaemic control but interventions to reduce diabetes distress have failed to consistently improve diabetes control. Various illness perceptions have previously been linked with both diabetes distress and glycaemic control but interrelationships between these features have not been previously investigated. We hypothesised that illness perceptions mediate the relationship between diabetes distress and glycaemia. Participants with type 2 diabetes attending diabetes outpatient clinics (n = 84) provided demographic and clinical information and completed the Diabetes Distress Scale-17 and the Brief Illness Perceptions Questionnaire. Using regression analysis we demonstrated that the illness perceptions of personal control, regimen-related distress, socioeconomic status and insulin use were significant contributors in the final model predicting HbA_1c. Higher levels of personal control were associated with better glycaemic control. Conversely, regimen-related distress was associated with hyperglycaemia. Mediation analyses showed that the relationship between regimen-related distress and HbA_1c was mediated by personal control. Our work suggests that psychological interventions designed to reduce diabetes distress may be more efficacious in improving glycaemic control if they address an individual’s perception of personal control.     

Time perspective,socioeconomic status,and psychological distress in chronic pain patients

Time perspective (TP) is a fundamental dimension of the psychological construction of time. It refers to a subjective experience and can be defined as the relationship that individuals and groups have with the present, past, and future. Studies have shown that it is interesting to take into account TP in the field of health, especially for the study of the psychological distress (PD) of individuals faced with aversive situations. We conducted a research, which aimed to explore the relationship between TP and PD in patients with chronic pain. A total of 264 first-time patients (72.3% women; mean age = 49 years) at CHU Timone (Marseille) pain center answered a questionnaire included TP, socioeconomic status, pain beliefs (PB), pain characteristics, and sociodemographic characteristics. Using hierarchical regression analyses adjusted to the characteristics of pain, sociodemographic characteristics, and PB, we can observe significant relationships between different components of TP, socioeconomic status, and PD. These results emphasize the importance of TP as psychosocial variable in the analysis of PD in patients with chronic pain. These results also lead us to point out the role of the socioeconomic status that predicts levels of PD.     

Depression and anxiety symptoms following cancer diagnosis: a cross-sectional study

Introduction: The aims of the present study were to assess demographic and clinical characteristics of patients after receiving a cancer diagnosis, and to determine possible risk factors for anxiety and depression. Methods: All consecutive patients aged 18 or above, were assessed before starting intravenous chemotherapy for the first time with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Distress Thermometer, and a Visual Analog Scale for pain. Demographic and clinical data were also collected. Results: The patients assessed (n = 270) had a mean age of 59.4 (SD = 11.8) years, and 50.7% were women. Tumours were more frequently colorectal (27.2%), lung (18.8%) and breast (17.6%), and 68.9% were stages 3 or 4. A HADS Anxiety score ≥8 was present in 30% of the patients, a Depression score ≥8 in 24.1%, and a Distress score ≥4 in 44.4%. Independent risk factors for HADS Depression score ≥8 were being a woman (OR = 2.45; p = 0.004), being older (OR = 1.04; p = 0.005), and cancer stage 3–4 (OR = 2.24; p = 0.023) in the multivariable analysis; for Anxiety ≥8 they were being a woman (OR = 2.47; p = 0.002), having a past psychiatric consultation (OR = 2.83; p = 0.029), and cancer stage 3–4 (OR = 1.90; p = 0.047). Conclusion: These results suggest the need for greater awareness and a differentiated approach to patients at increased risk of anxiety and depression in the early stages of treatment and before starting chemotherapy.