Eva Bojner Horwitz

Prevalence of mind and body exercises (MBE) in relation to demographics, self-rated health, and purchases of prescribed psychotropic drugs and analgesics

This study aims to identify any differences regarding gender, age, socioeconomic status (SES), self-rated health, perceived stress and the purchase of prescribed drugs among people who practice mind and body exercises (MBE) extensively compared to people who do not. Methods: The study includes 3,913 men and 4,803 women aged 20–72 who participated in the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH). The respondents were divided into three groups depending on frequency of MBE practice (never/seldom/often). Measures regarding MBE practice, health behaviors, self-rated health, and illnesses were drawn from the SLOSH questionnaire, while more objective measures of socioeconomic status and education were derived from registry data. In addition, data on purchases of prescription drugs for all respondents were included in the study. These data were obtained from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register, which contains information about prescription drugs dispensed at Swedish pharmacies. Separate analyses were performed for mental MBE (mindfulness, meditation, relaxation techniques) and physical MBE (yoga, Tai Chi, Qi Gong), respectively. Results: A high intensity MBE practice is cross-sectionally related to poor self-assessed health (sleeping problems, pain, depressive symptoms, mental disorders), high levels of stress, and high levels of purchases of psychotropic drugs and analgesics. These cross-sectional relationships are generally stronger for mental MBE than for bodily-directed MBE. More women than men are practicing MBE on a regular basis, and physically active people participate to a greater extent in MBE compared with the physically inactive. Conclusion: Overall, the study shows that frequent participation in mind and body exercises is associated with high levels of purchases of psychotropic drugs and analgesics as well as with poor self-assessed health and high levels of stress. However, since this is a cross-sectional study, it is impossible to establish cause and effect, and to further investigate the associations found; longitudinal studies that can account for temporality between covariates and MBE use are needed.

The Fairy Tale as a Time Machine in Palliative Care

Background: Studies show that certainty of death may affect time perception and the meaning attributed to time. The central interest of this research is the connection between the perception of time and fairy tales. The aim of the study was to explore the fairy tale method in their delivery of palliative care and how this work is related to the concept of time. Methods: A focus group interview conducted with a team delivering the service in Russia forms the basis of the exploration of experiences of working with a Fairy Tale method in palliative care. The data generated from the focus group are analyzed using a phenomenological-hermeneutic method. This involves reading the data at three levels: naive reading, structure analyses and complete interpretation. Results: From the analysis, it emerged that the fairy tale method relates to 1) a multidirectional time continuum 2) an intensification of the perception of time and 3) the alertness of time. Together, these three themes act together to form a “time machine” which regulates both the perceived speed at which time passes, awareness of the quality of time, and the intensity of the perception of time within the fairy tale. Conclusion: The ‘fairy tale tool’ promises the possibility of transforming the experience of time for hospice patients, helping them to mediate perceived time and calibrate awareness. The findings are discussed with regards to the potential applications of the fairy tale tool beyond palliative care: It is suggested that it could be extended into a more existential instrument that might help larger population to deal with the postmodern living conditions and extreme hurriedness.

Similarities, disparities, and synergies with other complex interventions : stress as a common pathway

Similarities, disparities, and synergies with other complex interventions : stress as a common pathway