Journal of psychosomatic research
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To systematically review of the available literature to (1) examine the association between death anxiety and hypochondriasis and (2) examine the association between death anxiety and medically unexplained symptoms (MUS). ⋯ All studies found a positive association of death anxiety with hypochondriasis and/or MUS. Acknowledging that death anxiety may play a prominent role in hypochondriasis/MUS populations, future research should address (potentially modifiable) determinants of death anxiety in these populations.
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Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating disease that poses significant life challenges. Depression and anxiety often occur in people with MS (PwMS). An information processing model of psychopathology, the Self-Regulatory Executive Function (S-REF) model specifies that maladaptive metacognitive beliefs play a fundamental role in the development and maintenance of distress. The model also asserts that a style of thinking known as the cognitive attentional syndrome (CAS), which consists of worry and rumination, focusing on sources of threat, and unhelpful coping responses, is common across all psychological conditions. This study investigated for the first time whether metacognitive beliefs explained additional variance in distress in PwMS, after accounting for demographic, clinical, and illness appraisal variables. ⋯ Metacognitive beliefs are associated with emotional distress in PwMS, and the CAS mediates this relationship. Future studies should examine if modification of metacognitive beliefs and processes in PwMS will lead to effective alleviation of emotional distress.
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Sleep disturbance crosscuts post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Though previous cross-sectional findings demonstrate a compounding effect of PTSD and TBI comorbidity, relatively little is known about the longitudinal trajectory of sleep-related complaints in veterans with TBI history and current PTSD symptoms. In this study, we explored patterns and predictors of sleep complaints in a sample of combat veterans with and without TBI and PTSD. ⋯ Whereas changes in PTSD symptoms over time were associated with worsening sleep symptoms, improvement in sleep reports was most consistently predicted by the passage of time. Our data also provide preliminary support for using three-to-four core items (i.e., trouble sleeping, changes in sleep, fatigue, and nightmares) to screen for sleep complaints in veterans with TBI and PTSD and/or track sleep-related outcomes.
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The 'psychogenic' hypothesis has a long history in the field of infertility. The present study investigated whether anxiety or depressive symptoms are associated with probability of subsequent live birth in a cohort of infertile women from the general population. ⋯ Anxiety and depressive symptoms are not associated with probability of live birth in women with self-reported infertility in the general population.
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Attachment theory represents a dynamic model for understanding how pre-existing personality factors may contribute to the development of chronic pain and disability after whiplash injury. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of attachment insecurity on disability 6-months post-injury. It was hypothesized that: (1) levels of attachment insecurity assessed at baseline would predict levels of disability six months post-injury, and (2) both attachment dimensions (anxiety and avoidance) would moderate associations between pain and disability, and psychological distress and disability. ⋯ Although the effects sizes for the moderations were small, the results support claims that attachment insecurity, measurable before onset of injury, represents a valuable pre-trauma vulnerability for less optimal recovery after whiplash injury.