Empathic concern: Distinguishing between tenderness and sympathy.

The present research proposes that empathic concern, as assessed by six items of the ERQ, consists of two separate emotions, i.e., tenderness and sympathy. To test this assumption, nine studies were conducted among, in total, 1,273 participants. In these studies participants were presented with a hypothetical scenario of someone in need, after which empathic concern was assessed. Factor analyses showed that, indeed, the ERQ items that assess empathic concern can be split up in two factors, that is, one reflecting sympathy and one reflecting tenderness. In addition, in line with previous studies, our research showed that, in response to a need-situation that reflects current needs, individuals scored higher on the ERQ factor reflecting sympathy than on the ERQ factor reflecting tenderness. Findings are discussed in terms of the practical and theoretical implications of distinguishing between sympathy and tenderness.

Impact of social comparison on cancer survivors' quality of life: an experimental field study.

OBJECTIVE: For cancer survivors, the recovery phase after hospital treatment can be bothersome. Social comparison information from fellow cancer survivors can improve the quality of life in this situation. METHOD: In a randomized field experiment, 139 Dutch cancer survivors (M(age) = 52 years; 70.5% women) were assigned to a control condition or 1 of 3 experimental conditions in which they listened to an interview with fellow cancer survivors. The interview's content is about patients' negative emotions and/or the effective coping strategies patients used. A validation study among 101 students showed that the conditions were perceived as intended. In the main study, quality of life was assessed after 2 months (using the LASA, Cantrils' Ladder, and 2 items of the EORTC-C30). RESULTS: The effects of the interviews depended on the participants' self-reported health status and sensitivity to social comparison information (p < .001). Highly sensitive patients with a good health status benefited from the information; in those not sensitive, quality of life diminished. In patients with a poor health status, the effects were reverse. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that a brief intervention comprised of testimonials of fellow cancer survivors had an impact on the quality of life of cancer survivors after 2 months. However, subgroups of patients were detected whose quality of life decreased because of the intervention. These results stress the need to be careful in providing social comparison information and to consider side effects of psychosocial interventions.

Patients' perceptions and illness severity at start of antidepressant treatment in general practice.

OBJECTIVES: Patients' perceptions are important to consider when trying to understand why patients often do not follow prescriptions for antidepressant treatment. This study aimed to investigate the influence of patients' perceptions and illness severity at the start on antidepressant-medication-taking behaviour. METHODS: Eighteen community pharmacies in the Netherlands participated in this 6-month follow-up study. One hundred and ten patients presenting a first antidepressant prescription, prescribed by a general practitioner (GP), were included. A questionnaire was completed at inclusion, after 6 and 26 weeks. KEY FINDINGS: Of all 110 patients, eight (7.3%) did not initiate drug taking, 32 (29.1%) discontinued use, six (5.5%) switched to different antidepressant medication, and 64 (58.2%) continued on the same antidepressant during follow-up. Compared to continuers, non-initiators had lower belief scores for impact of illness (P = 0.044), perceived norm GP (P < 0.001), intention to take medication (P < 0.001), and attitude towards medication (P = 0.004). Furthermore, non-initiators were less severely depressed (P = 0.024). Discontinuers and continuers did not differ in illness severity at inclusion. However, discontinuers more often reported a non-specific reason for use, such as fatigue and sleeping problems (P = 0.014). Compared to continuers, switchers had higher illness severity scores at inclusion (depression, P = 0.041; anxiety, P = 0.050). During follow-up depression and anxiety severity improved for all treatment groups and reached the same level of severity at 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Patients' illness and treatment perceptions and illness severity influence their decisions about antidepressant drug taking. Patients' care could be improved by eliciting patients' beliefs about illness and treatment and assessing illness severity before prescribing.

On models and vases: body dissatisfaction and proneness to social comparison effects.

When and why do media-portrayed physically attractive women affect perceivers' self-evaluations? In 6 studies, the authors showed that whether such images affect self-evaluations depends jointly on target features and perceiver features. In Study 1, exposure to a physically attractive target, compared with exposure to an equally attractive model, lowered women's self-evaluations. Study 2 showed that body-dissatisfied women, to a greater extent than body-satisfied women, report that they compare their bodies with other women's bodies. In Study 3, body-dissatisfied women, but not body-satisfied women, were affected by both attractive models and nonmodels. Furthermore, in Study 4, it was body-dissatisfied women, rather than body-satisfied women, who evaluated themselves negatively after exposure to a thin (versus a fat) vase. The authors replicated this result in Study 5 by manipulating, instead of measuring, body dissatisfaction. Finally, Study 6 results suggested that body dissatisfaction increases proneness to social comparison effects because body dissatisfaction increases self-activation.

Long-term effects of nutritional group education for persons at high cardiovascular risk.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of persons at high risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) should include nutritional counselling, but little is known about the effects of different types of education. METHODS: In a quasi-experimental study design the effects of a nutritional education programme (1st year: three group sessions by a dietitian; 2nd year: one group session; 3rd year: additional focus on saturated fat; reinforcement by written nutritional messages annually) (intervention group; n=103) are compared with the effects of a posted leaflet containing standard dietary guidelines (control group; n=163). Participants had hypercholesterolemia (6-8 mmol/l) and at least two other CHD risk factors. RESULTS: After 3 years, no significant differences existed in established CHD risk factors between intervention and control groups (adjusted mean net differences: total cholesterol (0 mmol/l), diastolic blood pressure (-1.1 mm Hg; NS), and body weight (+0.3 kg, NS)). Regarding dietary intake, the intervention group had a lower intake of total (net difference -2.0% of energy, SEM 0.9) and saturated fat (-1.2% of energy, SEM 0.4) and a higher fish (+11 g/day, SEM 4) and vegetables consumption (+21 g/day, SEM 10) during the study period (p<0.05 for all). CONCLUSION: A nutritional education programme with group sessions changed dietary intake more effectively than a posted leaflet, but no additional positive effects were observed on established CHD risk factors after three years of follow-up.