The effects of internal versus external information processing on symptom perception in an exercise setting

The purpose of our study was to determine the effects of internal versus external attentional focus on symptom perception and performance in an exercise setting. Fifteen introductory psychology undergraduates ran 1 mile under each of three experimental conditions: "word-cue," in which subjects were required to focus externally by listening for a target word heard repeatedly over headphones; "breathing," in which subjects were directed to attend to their own breathing and heart rate; and a control. Results indicated that participants reported significantly less symptomatology, particularly exercise-relevant symptoms, in the word-cue condition than in the breathing or control conditions. The findings are discussed with reference to previous theory in this area, and methodological differences between this and earlier research are delineated.     

Life events, fitness, hardiness, and health: a simultaneous analysis of proposed stress-resistance effects

The effects of exercise participation, self-perceived fitness level, and dispositional hardiness for promoting stress resistance were examined in a sample of 373 college students. Self-report measures of stressful life experience and recent physical illness were positively correlated, and fitness and hardiness were negatively correlated with illness as expected. Multiple regression analyses indicated that neither fitness nor hardiness provided a stress-moderator effect because neither was found to significantly interact with stress in the prediction of illness scores. Structural equation analyses suggested that hardiness may affect health indirectly by first influencing either the occurrence or subjective interpretation of stressful life events. No direct effect on health was found for exercise participation, although exercise may reduce illness indirectly by improving fitness. Implications for the multivariate modeling of proposed stress-resistance-enhancing effects are discussed.     

The Future of Psychology in Pain Management

Pain treatment facilities have proliferated in recent years and psychology has enjoyed considerable success in the clinical and research arenas of pain management. However, changes in the health care environment present significant challenges to the future of psychology in pain management. This article discusses concerns in three important areas of pain treatment that psychologists must address if they are to maintain a strong presence in this field: (1) evaluating and treating patients in the pain treatment setting, (2) evaluating and enhancing the efficacy of pain treatment, and (3) applying pain treatment services to other patient populations. With appropriate attention to these issues, psychology can continue to thrive in pain treatment settings.     

Endogenous opioids, blood pressure, and diffuse noxious inhibitory controls: a preliminary study

A 2003 study suggested that there are age differences in diffuse noxious inhibitory controls (DNIC), a form of endogenous pain inhibition. The present report describes a followup study employing a pharmacological blockade of endogenous opioids, i.e., using naloxone, in a small subset (n=6) of healthy young volunteers to characterize the opioid-dependence of DNIC, as well as DNIC's association with cardiovascular reactivity. Findings suggested that, while opioid blockade enhanced cardiovascular reactivity to cold pain, DNIC was not affected by administering naloxone. Interestingly, greater cardiovascular responses to noxious cold were associated with enhanced DNIC in this small sample. This relationship, which did not appear opioid-dependent, supports previous models integrating cardiovascular activity with the functioning of pain-modulatory systems.