PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine stress, coping, and immune response effects of a psychosocial intervention program based on the PNI model and Stress-Appraisal-Coping for Korean patients with breast cancer. METHODS: A nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. The participants who had survived breast cancer and lived in Wonju city and the surrounding area were assigned to an intervention group (N=21) or a control group(N=18).We conducted a 12-week intervention, 2 hours a day weekly, and measured the variables at baseline, six and twelve weeks later. Dependent variables are: stress, anxiety-depression and anger, and immune response. RESULTS: Patients in the psychosocial intervention program reported significantly less stress perception (U=31.500, p=.023), more problem solving ability and less problem avoidance in coping (U=20.500, p= .013; U=29.500, p=.040), and less anxiety-depression (U=22.000, p=.023). No difference, however, was found in anger and immune responses between the two groups. Intervention effects were evident at week 6 and 12 for anxiety-depression, and at week 6 for problem avoidance in coping, the same time that NK cell counts and the T8 decreased. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested positive effects of a psychosocial intervention program. However, the results are inconclusive due to the small sample.
Stress, Psychological/etiology/*therapy ; *Social Support ; Middle Aged ; Humans ; Female ; Breast Neoplasms/*psychology ; Adult ; *Adaptation, Psychological

To discuss the etiology, pathogenesis, therapies and prescriptions of psycho-cardiological abnormality of patients with coronary heart disease. According to the advance in modern diagnosis and treatment, the authors believed that psycho-cardiological abnormality of patients with coronary heart disease is closely related with mental stresses, like anxiety, depression and insomnia. It is mostly caused by emotional injury and expressed in heart, liver, spleen and kidney. The pathogenesis is heart-liver hyperactivity, yin deficiency in heart and kidney, and insufficiency in heart and spleen. The full recognition of etiology and pathogenesis of psycho-cardiological abnormality of patients with coronary heart disease and the combined treatment of disease and syndromes are of great significance to reduce mental stress and other risk factors, prevent and treat coronary heart disease and improve prognosis.
Coronary Disease ; drug therapy ; psychology ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Stress, Psychological ; drug therapy ; etiology

PURPOSE: This study was designed to examine the effect of asthma management education program applied to allergic asthma patients receiving immunotherapy due to house dust mite on their stress and compliance with health care regimens. METHODS: A quasi experimental design with non-equivalent control group and non-synchronized design was used. The subjects of this study were 61 patients who were receiving immunotherapy at intervals of a week after their symptoms were diagnosed as house dust mite allergic asthma at the pulmonary department of a university hospital in Seoul. They were divided into an experimental group of 29 patients who received asthma management education and a control group of 32 patients. The asthma management education program was composed of group education (once) and reinforcement education (three times) with environmental therapy and immunotherapy to house dust mite. RESULTS: Stress significantly decreased in the experimental group compared to that in the control group. Compliance with health care regimens significantly increased in the experimental group compared to that in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that the asthma management education program is effective for the management of stress and the improvement of compliance in patients with allergic asthma to house dust mite.
Stress, Psychological/etiology/*prevention & control ; Pyroglyphidae/*immunology ; *Patient Education ; *Patient Compliance ; Male ; Korea ; Humans ; Female ; Asthma/etiology/psychology/*therapy ; Adult

No abstract available.
Aged ; Cardiovascular Agents/therapeutic use ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Humans ; Stress, Psychological/*complications ; Tachycardia, Ventricular/diagnosis/drug therapy/*etiology ; Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy/diagnosis/drug therapy/*etiology ; Treatment Outcome

Anxiety ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Autism Spectrum Disorder ; complications ; therapy ; Caregivers ; psychology ; Child ; Coronavirus Infections ; complications ; Humans ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; complications ; Stress, Psychological ; prevention & control

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to test the mediating effect of psychological distress in the relationship between chemotherapy related cognitive impairment (CRCI) and quality of life (QOL) in people with cancer. METHODS: A purposive sample of 130 patients undergoing chemotherapy was recruited for the cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected from November 2014 to June 2015. The instruments were K-MMSE (Korean Mini-Mental State Examination), Everyday Cognition (ECog), Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and multiple regression using Baron and Kenny steps for mediation. RESULTS: The mean score for objective cognitive function was 27.95 and 69.32 for perceived cognitive decline. Overall quality of life was 91.74. The mean score was 17.52 for psychological distress. The prevalence was 56.2% for anxiety and 63.1% for depression, and 20.0% for CRCI. There were significant correlations among the variables, objective cognitive function and self-reported cognitive decline, psychological distress, and quality of life. Psychological distress was directly affected by CRCI. (R2=29%). QOL was directly affected by CRCI. Psychological distress and CRCI effected QOL (R2=43%). Psychological distress had a partial mediating effect (beta= -.56, p <.001) in the relationship between self-reported cognitive decline and quality of life (Sobel test: Z= -5.08, p <.001). CONCLUSION: Based on the findings of this study, nursing intervention programs focusing on managing cognitive decline, and decreasing psychological distress are highly recommended to improve quality of life in cancer patients.
Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use ; Anxiety/epidemiology/etiology ; Cognitive Dysfunction/epidemiology/*etiology ; Colonic Neoplasms/drug therapy/*psychology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression/epidemiology/etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; *Quality of Life ; *Stress, Psychological ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the mediation of psychological distress in the relationship between disturbance in ADL from chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy and quality of life in order to provide a basis for planning nursing interventions to improve the quality of life in cancer patients. METHODS: A purposive sample of 130 patients treated with chemotherapy were recruited in the cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires. The instruments were the Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Assessment Tool (CIPNAT), Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G). RESULTS: The mean score for disturbance in ADL from chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy was 3.30. Overall quality of life was 2.48. The mean score was 1.04 for psychological distress. The prevalence was 35.4% for anxiety and 47.7% for depression. There were significant correlations among the three variables, disturbance in ADL from chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy, psychosocial distress, and quality of life. Psychosocial distress had a complete mediating effect (beta= -.74, p <.001) in the relationship between disturbance in ADL from chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy and quality of life (Sobel test: Z= -6.11, p <.001). CONCLUSION: Based on the findings of this study, nursing intervention programs focusing on disturbance of ADL management, and decrease of psychological distress are highly recommended to improve quality of life in cancer patients.
*Activities of Daily Living ; Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Anxiety ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression/etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms/drug therapy/pathology/*psychology ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases/*etiology ; *Quality of Life ; Self Report ; Stress, Psychological ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVETo study the psychologic status and their influencing factors in patients suspected of having coronary disease before and after coronary catheterization.

METHODSA hundred fifty-eight inpatients (125 men, 33 women, mean age 66.1 +/- 9.6 years) who underwent a scheduled coronary catheterization for the first time and fulfilled entry criteria were enrolled. All the patients were examined by Symptom Check List-90 (SCL-90), a standard self-report symptom inventory on present psychologic status, within 24 hours before the coronary catheterization (after the information consent) and the third day after the procedure.

RESULTS(1) Before coronary catheterization, factorial scores of somatization, anxiety and phobic anxiety were higher than norm (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). After the procedure, only somatization score was higher (P < 0.01). (2) Men had higher scores on obsessive-compulsive and psychotism than women (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively), however, women had higher scores on phobic anxiety (P < 0.05). (3) Compared with patients having coronary disease, those with angiographically normal coronary arteries seemed to have higher scores of somatization, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, psychotism, global severity index and positive symptoms (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). (4) After the procedure, significantly decreases in obsessive-compulsive, depression, hostility, global severity index and positive symptom severity index (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) were seen. (5) Patients merely underwent coronary angiography had higher score in phobic anxiety construct than those having had coronary angiography and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (1.34 +/- 0.38 vs 1.15 +/- 0.23, P < 0.05). (6) When compared with the degree of explanation under informed consent, specific risk was not informed mentioned, a higher score in positive symptom severity index was seen (2.56 +/- 0.48 vs 2.46 +/- 0.37, P = 0.02). (7) Higher score was seen on positive symptom severity index when patients aged 70 years or more (2.62 +/- 0.45) than those under 60 years old (2.47 +/- 0.43, P < 0.05) or between 60 and 69 years old (2.45 +/- 0.40, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSPatients' psychologic symptoms before and after the coronary catheterization seemed to be related to many factors. The most important appeared one was coronary catheterization itself. Women, patients with angiographically normal arteries, those of 70 years old or more were more likely to have elevated psychologic distress. Detail information including specific risk regarding the procedure was not associated with the increase of psychological symptoms. The findings emphasized the importance of psychologic assessment and counseling for patient who had undergone a scheduled coronary catheterization.

Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; psychology ; Anxiety ; physiopathology ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Disease ; psychology ; therapy ; Depression ; physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Personality Inventory ; standards ; Sex Factors ; Stents ; psychology ; Stress, Psychological ; etiology ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo explore the acting mechanism of Banxia Xiexin Decoction (BXD) and its disassembled recipes on stress gastric ulcer, for providing references to the scientific researches on the assembling rule of BXD.

METHODSThe rat model of acute gastric ulcer was established by water immersion-restraint stress. The experimental rats were divided into the normal group, the model group and the treated groups treated with BXD and its disassembled recipes respectively to observe the therapeutic efficacy and the changes of somatostatin (SS) expression in brain and gastric tissues.

RESULTSIn the model group, the SS expression was 0.0237 +/- 0.0056 in brain and 0.0171 +/- 0.0053 in gastric tissue respectively, which was significantly lower than those in the normal group (0.0305 +/- 0.0024 and 0.0282 +/- 0.0037) respectively. Compared to the model group, the two indexes in rats treated with full BXD were 0.0294 +/- 0.0050 and 0.0288 +/- 0.0027, treated with sweet flavor portion were 0.0314 +/- 0.0027 and 0.0219 +/- 0.0059, all showed increase of SS expression, and the increment was more significant in the former.

CONCLUSIONBXD can increase the expression of SS to realize its therapeutic efficacy, and the recipe was assembled rationally.

Animals ; Anti-Ulcer Agents ; therapeutic use ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Phytotherapy ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Somatostatin ; biosynthesis ; Stomach Ulcer ; drug therapy ; etiology ; metabolism ; Stress, Psychological ; complications

Stroke research and rehabilitation have traditionally focused on the physical and functional impact of a stroke. Less attention has been given to the psychosocial factors associated with this chronic condition. By the few studies that have specifically focused on psychosocial factors in the context of stroke, poststroke depression is demonstrated to significantly influence stroke outcomes. Associations of stroke with psychological symptoms other than depression have rarely been evaluated. This study was aimed to investigate the changes of psychological stress, social support and medication adherence in patients with ischemic stroke in the mainland of China. In this study, 90 patients with hemiplegia one year after first-ever middle cerebral artery infarction (stroke group) in the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University from June 2008 to June 2011 were recruited for interview. Ninety age- and sex-matched normal volunteers (control group) were also examined at the same period. The psychological distress was assessed by the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90), the social support by the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), and medication adherence by Morisky's self-reported inventory, respectively. Group differences were analyzed using unpaired-t test and chi-squared test. The results showed that total mean scores of the SCL-90 in the stroke group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.01). Except two dimensions, paranoid ideation and psychoticism, mean scores of the rest dimensions (including somatization, obsession-compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, and phobic anxiety) of SCL-90 were significantly higher in the stroke group than those in the control group (P<0.05, or P<0.01). The objective support, subjective support, support availability and total social support scores in the stroke group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05, or P<0.01). Those in the "SCL-90 total scores >150 group" were significantly higher than in the "SCL-90 total scores <100 group" and the "SCL-90 total scores between 100 to 150 group" (P<0.05, or P<0.01). Those in the "SCL-90 total scores between 100 to 150 group" were significantly higher than in the "SCL-90 total scores <100 group" (P<0.05). In 90 patients with ischemic stroke, 26 (28.89%) patients obtained high medication adherence, 47 (52.22%) patients medium medication adherence, and 17 (18.89%) patients low medication adherence, respectively. Among these stroke patients, there were 17 (50.00%) patients with high medication adherence in the "SCL-90 total scores >150 group", 28 (75.67%) patients with medium medication adherence in the "SCL-90 total scores between 100 to 150 group", and 12 (61.16%) patients with low medication adherence in the "SCL-90 total scores <100 group", respectively. There was significant difference in the medication adherence rate among the different SCL-90 scores groups in these stroke patients (P<0.05 or P<0.01). It was led to conclude that ischemic stroke patients one year after hemiplegia have psychological distress, low level of social support and poor medication adherence in the mainland of China. Therefore, it is necessary to mobilize the government, medical institutions and various social support groups to offer psychological interventions to relieve the stress of patients with ischemic stroke, and improve their medication adherence.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; psychology ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery ; drug therapy ; psychology ; Male ; Medication Adherence ; statistics & numerical data ; Middle Aged ; Social Support ; Stress, Psychological ; etiology ; psychology ; Surveys and Questionnaires