The relationship between emotion regulation capacity, heart rate variability, and quality of life in individuals with alcohol-related brain damage

in Psychology Research and Behavior Management (2016), 9

The reliable measurement of quality of life (QoL) presents a challenge in individuals with alcohol-related brain damage. This study investigated vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) as a ... [more ▼]

The reliable measurement of quality of life (QoL) presents a challenge in individuals with alcohol-related brain damage. This study investigated vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) as a physiological predictor of QoL. Self- and proxy ratings of QoL and dysexecutive symptoms were collected once, while vmHRV was repeatedly assessed over a 3-week period at weekly intervals in a sample of nine alcohol-related brain damaged patients. We provide robustness checks, bootstrapped correlations with confidence intervals, and standard errors for mean scores. We observed low to very low heart rate variability scores in our patients in comparison to norm values found in healthy populations. Proxy ratings of the QoL scale “subjective physical and mental performance” and everyday executive dysfunctions were strongly related to vmHRV. Better proxy-rated QoL and fewer dysexecutive symptoms were observed in those patients with higher vmHRV. Overall, patients showed low parasympathetic activation favoring the occurrence of dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies. [less ▲]

Affective instability in patients with chronic pain: a diary approach

in Pain (2016), 157(8), 1783-1790

Affective instability, conceptualized as fluctuations in mood over time, has been related to ill-health and psychopathology. In this study we examined the role of affective instability upon daily pain ... [more ▼]

Affective instability, conceptualized as fluctuations in mood over time, has been related to ill-health and psychopathology. In this study we examined the role of affective instability upon daily pain outcomes in 70 chronic pain patients (Mage = 49.7 years; 46 females) using an end-of-day diary. During a baseline phase, patients completed self-reported questionnaires of pain severity, pain duration, disability, depression and anxiety. During a subsequent diary phase, patients filled out an electronic end-of-day diary over 14 consecutive days assessing daily levels of pain severity, disability, cognitive complaints, negative affect (NA) and positive affect (PA). Affective instability was operationalized as the mean square of successive differences (MSSD) in daily mood (separately for NA and PA), which takes into account the size of affective changes over consecutive days. Results indicated that NA instability was positively associated with daily disability, beyond the effects of daily pain severity. Furthermore, NA instability moderated the relationship between daily pain severity and daily disability and the relationship between daily pain severity and daily cognitive complaints. PA instability, however showed to be unrelated to all outcomes. Current findings extend previous results and reveal the putative role of affective instability upon pain-related outcomes and may yield important clinical implications. Indeed, they suggest that targeting NA instability by improving emotion regulation skills may be a strategy to diminish disability and cognitive complaints in patients with chronic pain. [less ▲]

Attachment Status Affects Heart Rate Responses to Experimental Ostracism in Inpatients with Depression

in PLoS ONE (2016), 11(3), 0150375

Depression is assumed to be both a risk factor for rejection and a result of it, and as such constitutes an important factor in rejection research. Attachment theory has been applied to understand ... [more ▼]

Depression is assumed to be both a risk factor for rejection and a result of it, and as such constitutes an important factor in rejection research. Attachment theory has been applied to understand psychological disorders, such as depression, and can explain individual differences in responses to rejection. Research on autonomic nervous system activity to rejection experiences has been contradictory, with opposing strings of argumentation (activating vs. numbing). We investigated autonomic nervous system-mediated peripheral physiological responses (heart rate) to experimentally manipulated ostracism (Cyberball) in 97 depressed patients with organized (n = 52) and disorganized attachment status (n= 45). Controlling for baseline mean heart rate levels, depressed patients with disorganized attachment status responded to ostracism with significantly higher increases in heart rate than depressed patients with organized attachment status (p=.029; ηp²=.051). These results suggest that attachment status may be a useful indicator of autonomic responses to perceived social threat, which in turn may affect the therapeutic process and the patient-therapist relationship. [less ▲]

Cognitive, emotional and psychosocial functioning of girls treated with pharmacological puberty blockage for idiopathic central precocious puberty

in Frontiers in Psychology (2016), 7

Central precocious puberty (CPP) develops due to premature activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, resulting in early pubertal changes and rapid bone maturation. CPP is associated ... [more ▼]

Central precocious puberty (CPP) develops due to premature activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, resulting in early pubertal changes and rapid bone maturation. CPP is associated with lower adult height and increased risk for development of psychological problems. Standard treatment of CPP is based on postponement of pubertal development by blockade of the HPG axis with gonadotropin releasing hormone analogs (GnRHa) leading to abolition of gonadal sex hormones synthesis. Whereas the hormonal and auxological effects of GnRHa are well researched, there is a lack of knowledge whether GnRHa treatment influences psychological functioning of treated children, despite the fact that prevention of psychological problems is used as one of the main reasons for treatment initiation. In the present study we seek to address this issue by exploring differences in cognitive function, behavior, emotional reactivity, and psychosocial problems between GnRHa treated CPP girls and age-matched controls. Fifteen girls with idiopathic CPP; median age 10.4 years, treated with slow-release GnRHa (triptorelin acetate – Decapeptyl SR ® 11.25) and 15 age-matched controls, were assessed with a comprehensive test battery consisting of paper and pencil tests, computerized tasks, behavioral paradigms, heart rate variability, and questionnaires filled in by the children’s parents. Both groups showed very similar scores with regard to cognitive performance, behavioral and psychosocial problems. Compared to controls, treated girls displayed significantly higher emotional reactivity (p = 0.016; Cohen’s d = 1.04) on one of the two emotional reactivity task conditions. Unexpectedly, the CPP group showed significantly lower resting heart rates than the controls (p = 0.004; Cohen’s d = 1.03); lower heart rate was associated with longer treatment duration (r = - 0.582, p = 0.037). The results suggest that GnRHa treated CPP girls do not differ in their cognitive or psychosocial functioning from age matched controls. However, they might process emotional stimuli differently. The unexpected finding of lower heart rate that was associated with longer duration of the treatment should be further explored by methods appropriate for assessment of cardiac health. [less ▲]

Interoception and Stress

in Frontiers in Psychology (2015), 6(1), 993

What is the Value Given by Consumers to Nutritional Label Information? Results from a Large Investigation in Europe

in Journal of the American College of Nutrition (2015), Epub ahead of print

Rational. Nutrition labels on pre-packaged foods have been widely advocated as a medium to foster healthier eating habits in the general population. Objective. The study aimed at understanding how people ... [more ▼]

Rational. Nutrition labels on pre-packaged foods have been widely advocated as a medium to foster healthier eating habits in the general population. Objective. The study aimed at understanding how people value nutritional information on food labels, in particular front-of-pack labelling. Methods. A phone-assisted survey on 7550 consumers in 16 European countries was conducted. People were asked about their opinion on nutritional information provided at different levels, from the media to public institutions, and their commitment to healthy behavior. The value of pack labelling was estimated using a willingness-to-pay (WTP) elicitation technique. Results. Older age groups (>45 years old), members of a larger family, low income or low education level people and those who perceived themselves to be obese, valued front-of-pack nutritional labelling positively. WTP estimates across all countries provided an average accepted added price of 3.46€, additionally to the overall yearly food expenditure (95% C.I.: 3.33-3.68). Conclusions. Overall, perceived value of labelling is small. However, factors affecting the value for consumer of nutritional labelling appear to be strictly linked to the socio-economic and health status of the respondents. [less ▲]

Personalized Medicine

in Wright, James D. (Ed.) International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences (2015)

The rapid advances in medical science over the past two decades have already changed the way medicine is practiced, but the acceleration of advances suggests that health care systems worldwide are facing ... [more ▼]

The rapid advances in medical science over the past two decades have already changed the way medicine is practiced, but the acceleration of advances suggests that health care systems worldwide are facing a tsunami of new advances in understanding and in technology that will require radical reorganization of the health care system. The improved possibility of personalizing health care is one of the major drivers of change. Unfortunately, health care systems respond very slowly to innovation, and radical changes are almost impossible. In this article, we outline various changes that are expected to happen in the future in relation to personalized medicine, and discuss why behavioral scientists must participate in the reshaping of health care systems and the successful delivery of personalized care at the individual level. [less ▲]

Gastrische Modulation der Schreckreaktion: eine prä-attentive Methode zur Abbildung afferenter Signale aus dem gastrointestinalen System

in Kaiser, J.; Fiebach, C. (Eds.) 41. Tagung Psychologie und Gehirn - Abstracts der Beiträge (2015)

Emotions matter: Affektive und kardiale Modulation der Schreckreaktion

in Kaiser, J.; Fiebach, C. (Eds.) 41. Tagung Psychologie und Gehirn - Abstracts der Beiträge (2015)

Zentralnervöse Verarbeitung von Körpersignalen bei Anorexia nervosa

in Kaiser, J.; Fiebach, C. (Eds.) 41. Tagung Psychologie und Gehirn - Abstracts der Beiträge (2015)