ABSTRACT
The current study explored the effects of talking on respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) during a semi-structured emotional interview (Adult Attachment Interview) using 76 female undergraduates. The effectiveness of 2 different methodological approaches (i.e. talking baseline or transfer function) was explored as respiratory control during talking tasks. RSA was collected during resting baseline, talking baseline, and interview conditions. Subjective reports of distress were higher in the interview than in the other 2 conditions. Mean RSA levels were significantly lower in the 2 talking tasks than in the resting baseline. After applying a transfer function for respiratory control, there were no significant differences between the 3 conditions. Moderator analyses yielded lower RSA values in the talking baseline and interview conditions for participants who reported greater distress during the interview. It was concluded that respiratory controls are likely necessary when using RSA in talking paradigms and that both approaches appeared to be adequate.
Subject(s)
Arrhythmia, Sinus/physiopathology , Emotions/physiology , Respiration , Speech , Adolescent , Adult , Arrhythmia, Sinus/diagnosis , Electrocardiography , Female , Fourier Analysis , Heart Rate/physiology , Humans , Principal Component Analysis , Rest , Surveys and Questionnaires , Young AdultABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Sleep disruption has been linked to numerous neural regulatory problems and problems with social emotional and behavioral functioning, and researchers have shown that sleep disruption is prominent in children with symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. These issues are germane to foster children, who have numerous disparities in areas of self-regulation and psychopathology but for whom there has been very little examination of sleep quality or the associations between poor sleep quality and physiological/behavioral dysregulation. METHOD: Actigraphy measures were used to examine associations between sleep duration/quality and inattentive/hyperactive problem behavior in a sample of 79 children (aged 5-7 years): 32 foster children and 47 nonmaltreated community children. RESULTS: Of the sleep variables examined, only sleep duration was significantly associated with inattentive/hyperactive problem behavior. These associations were more significant in foster children compared to community children and in boys compared to girls. CONCLUSION: The results have several implications for prevention and intervention research.
Subject(s)
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/psychology , Child Abuse/psychology , Foster Home Care/psychology , Sleep Wake Disorders/psychology , Sleep , Age Factors , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/diagnosis , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/epidemiology , Caregivers/psychology , Case-Control Studies , Child , Child, Preschool , Family/psychology , Female , Humans , Male , Risk Factors , Severity of Illness Index , Sex Factors , Sleep Wake Disorders/diagnosis , Sleep Wake Disorders/epidemiology , Social EnvironmentABSTRACT
In the current study, sleep actigraphy and parent-report measures were used to investigate differences in sleeping behavior among four groups of 3- to 7-year-olds (N = 79): children in regular foster care (n = 15); children receiving a therapeutic intervention in foster care (n = 17); low income community children (n = 18); and upper middle income community children (n = 29). The children in therapeutic foster care exhibited longer sleep latency and increased variability of sleep duration than the upper middle income community children. In addition, there was an indication of a treatment effect: the therapeutic foster care children slept longer than the regular foster care and low income community children and had earlier bedtimes, fell asleep earlier, and spent more time in bed than the regular foster care children. The results are discussed in terms of the effectiveness of early intervention for enhancing sleep in foster children.
Subject(s)
Behavior Therapy , Foster Home Care/psychology , Sleep Wake Disorders/psychology , Sleep Wake Disorders/therapy , Sleep , Actigraphy/methods , Behavior Therapy/methods , Caregivers/psychology , Child , Child, Preschool , Factor Analysis, Statistical , Female , Humans , Male , Parents/psychology , Poverty , Risk Factors , Social ClassABSTRACT
The purpose of this investigation was to examine the amount of anxiety patients believed tolerable and the amount of anxiety experienced during routine burn wound care. Participants included 47 hospitalized adults who provided data for four consecutive assessment periods. Patients (mean TBSA, 16%; range, 2-70%) were primarily Caucasian (87%) and had an average hospital stays of 23 days (range, 11-130). Reports of what level of anxiety they would be able to tolerate and what level of anxiety had been experienced were assessed using 10-point Graphic Rating Scales. The use of anxiolytic was recorded, and patient suggestions for reducing anxiety were obtained. The single most commonly endorsed anxiety treatment goal was 0, although 53% consistently chose a treatment goal other than 0 (range, 1-6). Two repeated-measure analyses of variance indicated that the amount of anxiety patients could tolerate and the amount they reported experiencing did not change over the course of time. Paired t-tests revealed that patients routinely reported more anxiety than they considered tolerable. Analyses of anxiety reports of patients treated with anxiolytics (n = 6) vs patients receiving no anxiolytics (n = 41) revealed inconsistent differences in actual anxiety and treatment goals across time. In general, patient suggestions for lessening anxiety included requests for education, communication, additional medications, and manipulation of the hospital environment. Anxiety for burn-injured, hospitalized adults remains a concern. Our findings are consistent with the literature indicating that adult patients hospitalized for burn wound care report appreciable anxiety, over and above what they consider "tolerable." Continued research is needed and should include investigations into the relationship between pain and anxiety during routine wound care.
Subject(s)
Anxiety/epidemiology , Burns/psychology , Hospitalization , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Analysis of Variance , Anti-Anxiety Agents/therapeutic use , Anxiety/therapy , Bandages , Burns/epidemiology , Burns/therapy , Communication , Debridement , Female , Humans , Hydrotherapy , Lorazepam/therapeutic use , Male , Middle Aged , Needs Assessment , Patient Education as Topic , Prospective Studies , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Washington/epidemiologyABSTRACT
This preliminary case report explored the use of hypnosis induced through a 3-dimensional, immersive, computer-generated virtual reality (VR) world as a means to control pain and anxiety in a patient with a severe burn injury. On hospitalization Day 40, after reports of uncontrollable pain and anxiety, the patient underwent hypnotic induction while immersed in a virtual world and received posthypnotic suggestions for decreased pain and anxiety during subsequent wound-care sessions. The patient's pain and anxiety each dropped 40% after VR hypnosis on a Graphic Rating Scale for his Day 41 wound care. Pain dropped similar levels on Day 42 with an audio-only version of the intervention and then returned to baseline without intervention on Day 43.
