Pain and pain control.

The past few years have seen a renewed and burgeoning interest in pain and its control. Whereas in previous years emphasis had been placed mainly on the sensory aspects of pain, recent approaches have viewed pain as a complex phenomenon composed of both sensory and motivational dimensions. Control of acute and chronic pain often involves dealing with the motivational aspects of pain perception rather than with the sensory components. Psychological variables play a key role in this effort. This article reviews the major theories of pain perception and the relevance of psychological variables, the important area of pain measurement, the correlates of pain perception, and the major behavioral attempts at manipulating pain perception. (7 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role of psychology in the delivery of health services.

Comments on W. Schofield's (1969) statement that there are areas in health care delivery that have been untapped by psychologists. The National Center for Health Services Research and Development provides support in these areas of research. However, psychologists have failed to take advantage of these opportunities. (0 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stress reaction of school-age children to the bombardment by SCUD missiles.

Stress reactions of 5th-, 7th-, and 10th-grade children (N?=?492) exposed to missile attacks during the Persian Gulf War were examined a month after the war by a questionnaire that assessed level of exposure to trauma and psychological symptoms. Higher stress responses were obtained in areas hit and were influenced by proximity to sites or individuals involved in actual damage. Gender, age, and region interacted such that 5th-grade boys reported the highest stress reactions regardless of region, whereas 5th-grade girls reported the highest stress responses only in regions hit. Gender, age, and objective and subjective stress correctly identified 75% of the children as potential clinical or nonclinical candidates. The possible mediating coping responses and applications for high-risk groups are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validation of the impact of event scale for psychological sequelae of combat.

The purpose of this study was to validate the Impact of Event Scale (IES) with a large sample of male subjects who had been exposed to the trauma of combat. Three groups of subjects were compared: (a) subjects who had participated in combat and had been identified as suffering from combat stress reaction; (b) control subjects who had participated in the same battles and were matched on relevant sociodemographic characteristics but had not shown symptoms of combat stress reaction; and (c) combat-ready subjects who were similar to the other groups but had not actively participated in battle. The basic scale structure was replicated. The IES was shown to be sensitive to differences between and within groups. Four basic patterns of intrusion and avoidance were identified. Discussion was focused on the theoretical issues associated with these patterns and on the effects of different types of trauma, and the need for clear criteria for diagnosis and treatment was indicated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Secondary traumatization among wives of posttraumatic combat veterans: A family typology.

Examined the relationship between family environment and the psychosocial adjustment of 127 wives of Israeli combat stress reaction (CSR) and 85 non-CSR veterans of the 1982 Lebanon War. Wives from conflict-oriented families were found to display the highest levels of psychological and behavioral problems, followed by wives from rigid-moral and midrange families. The healthiest wives in this sample came from expressive families. Results indicate that family environment has a similar effect on all wives, irrespective of whether or not the husband had suffered a wartime stress reaction. Findings show, however, that wives of traumatized veterans have to contend far more often than other wives with conflict and rigidity in family functioning, whereas wives of nontraumatized veterans tend to benefit from an expressive family environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Supportive versus cognitive–behavioral intervention programs in achieving adjustment to home peritoneal kidney dialysis.

Two psychological interventions given for 8 weeks, supportive and cognitive–behavioral, were compared in achieving psychosocial adjustment to home peritoneal kidney dialysis. Participants were divided into 3 groups of patients and their spouses: a supportive group (18 couples), a cognitive–behavioral group (18 couples), and a no-intervention control group (24 couples). A group of 97 healthy participants served as a baseline control group. Self-report measurements were made before treatment (T?), halfway through (T?), and after treatment (T?). Results indicated that, without treatment, the no-intervention control group demonstrated a deterioration of psychosocial adjustment going from T? to T?. Both interventions were effective in aiding patients and spouses in maintaining psychosocial adjustment in comparison with the no-intervention control group, with few differences between treatments. Most improvement was obtained in the emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal areas, with smaller gains made in the behavioral area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coping of school-age children in the sealed room during scud missile bombardment and postwar stress reactions.

Children's coping behaviors in the sealed room (a shelter against chemical and biological weapons) during scud missile attacks in the Persian Gulf War were examined in relation to postwar stress reactions. Three weeks after the war, 5th, 7th, and 10th graders (N?=?492) completed questionnaires assessing coping behaviors and emotional responses in the sealed room, as well as current stress reactions and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite an underlying feeling of tension, the dominant emotional stance in the sealed room was one of detached optimism. Common forms of coping involved information seeking, checking, and wishful thinking. Emotion-focused coping such as avoidance and distraction strategies was associated with less postwar stress reactions than persistence at direct problem-focused actions once the minimal actions available had been undertaken. Fifth graders were found to use less emotion-focused and more problem-focused coping strategies than were the 7th and 10th graders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessing the severity of posttraumatic stress disorder: Relation between dichotomous and continuous measures.

Both the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III; American Psychiatric Association, 1980) and the Impact of Event Scale (IES) assess distress following trauma. This article assesses the interrelation between these two instruments for soldiers who suffered from combat stress reactions (N?=?382) and for a matched group (N?=?334). Results indicated that subjects suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) according to the DSM-III yielded higher scores of the Intrusion and Avoidance factors of the IES. Furthermore, the Intrusion factor was predominantly associated with each of the criteria of the DSM-III diagnosis. Although the IES and the DSM-III overlap, they may tap different aspects of battle-related PTSD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)