G. Frank Lawlis

Effect of immune system imagery on secretory IgA.

This study was an investigation of the effects of physiologically-oriented mental imagery on immune functioning. College students with normal medical histories were randomly selected to one of three groups. Subjects in Group 1 participated in short educational training on the production of secretory immunoglobulin A. They were then tested on salivary IgA, skin temperature, and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) before and after listening to a 17-minute tape of imagery instructions with specially composed background “entrainment” music designed to enhance imagery. Subjects in Group 2 (placebo controls) listened to the same music but received nor formal training on the immune system. Group 3 acted as a control and subjects were tested before and after 17 minutes of no activity. Treatment groups listened to their tapes at home on a bi-daily basis for six weeks All groups were again tested at Weeks 3 and 6. Secretory IgA was analyzed using standard radial immunodiffusion techniques. Repeated measures analyses of variance with planned orthogonal contrasts were used to evaluate the data. Significant overall increases (p<0.05) were found between pre- and posttests for all three trials. Groups 1 and 2 combined (treatment groups) yielded significantly greater increases in sIgA over Group 3 (control) for all three trials. Group 1 (imagery) was significantly higher than Group 2 (music) in antibody production for Trials 2 and 3. Symptomatology, recorded by subjects at Weeks 3 and 6, was significantly lower for three symptoms (rapid heartbeat, breathing difficulty, and jaw clenching), favoring both treatment groups over the control group.

Rheumatoid arthritis: A study of relaxation and temperature biofeedback training as an adjunctive therapy

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a painful systemic disease and is believed to be exacerbated by stress. Relaxation and biofeedback strategies have demonstrated utility in alleviating both pain and stress-related symptomatology, and therefore were tested for efficacy with this disease in a two-phase study. First, 24 patients were taught a relaxation technique and then trained in either temperature elevation or reduction. Second, a group of 15 patients thus trained was compared with 8 others who received traditional physiotherapy modalities. Psychological tests, functional/physical evaluations, as well as measurements related to pain, sleep, and other activities were carried out. Results of the first study revealed significant and positive changes following treatment that were primarily related to pain, tension, and sleep patterns for both groups, but no differential effects were noted between temperature elevation or reduction conditions. This was attributed to both groups having maintained temperature above baseline during biofeedback training. The results of the second study consistently favored the relaxation and biofeedback over the physiotherapy group on the physical/functional indices. The psychological measures tended to remain constant throughout both studies, leading to the conclusion that the effectiveness of treatment was specific to physical functioning rather than to a psychological enhancement of well-being.

Treatment of acne vulgaris by biofeedback relaxation and cognitive imagery

A multielement intervention involving biofeedback-assisted relaxation and cognitive imagery treatment of acne vulgaris was investigated in this study with 30 patients receiving medical dermatological treatment. Patients were matched on age, sex, and pre-treatment acne severity and randomly assigned to groups. Treatment consisted of 12 sessions over six weeks and resulted in a significant reduction in acne severity as compared to the attention-comparison and medical control groups. Treatment group patients continuing home practice until follow-up maintained their gains, whereas those who discontinued failed to maintain gains.

Biofeedback-assisted relaxation: Effects on phagocytic capacity

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether subjects who self-report high levels of stress have lower immunity, and whether “low”-immunity subjects under “high” stress could enhance phagocytic activity through biofeedback-assisted relaxation (BAR). During Phase 1, the level of stress and the level of phagocytic immune functioning (nitroblue tetrazolium test) were assessed as “high” or “low.” Significant chi-square analysis (x2=3.8624, df=1, p<.05) showed that subjects with “high” stress had “low” immunity. Sixteen “high”-stress, “low”-immunity subjects were randomly assigned to BAR and control groups during Phase 2. Following treatment, NBT changes showed significant increases (F=11.11, p<.003) for experimental group as compared to control group. White blood cell count and white blood cell differential were unchanged across blood samples for both groups. Experimental subjects reported significant decreases in tension-anxiety and increases in overall coping. BAR was concluded to have improved coping skills and phagocytic capacity. BAR affected the quality, rather than the quantity, of phagocytic neutrophils.

Divorce in Families of Genetically Handicapped/Mentally Retarded Individuals.

Abstract An investigation of the relationship of divorce rate as a measure of adaptive response to a diagnosis of genetic disability with associated mental retardation was conducted. Parents of a mentally retarded/genetically handicapped child who were clients of a genetic screening and counseling service were found to have a significantly lower divorce rate than the general population. There was no significant difference in the divorce rate of parents of genetically handicapped/mentally retarded children who were in a state residential treatment facility. Young parents having a first born male who was mentally retarded/genetically handicapped were at high risk for divorce. Mothers in their early thirties having a first born child who was genetically handicapped/mentally retarded were found to be at a higher risk for divorce than their age mates who had a later born genetically handicapped/mentally retarded child.

A Case Study of Pruritic Eczema Treated by Relaxation and Imagery

A 25-yr.-old white, married female was treated for chronic pruritic eczema through the use of frontalis EMG, relaxation, and imagery training. The biofeedback readings, ratings of the pruritus (0 to 5) and ratings of skin smoothness (0 to 5) were made over 10 sessions. Although the EMG measures did not decrease significantly, the rash disappeared completely. A 1-yr. follow-up confirmed disease control.

Sex-Related Psychological Characteristics of Medical Students

Summary Sixty-eight female and 178 male first year medical students were given the Jackson Personality Research Form, a true/false inventory yielding scores on 20 personality traits. The data were collected over two years. There were no significant differences between years, but female students were more achievement oriented, with higher needs for autonomy, dominance, exhibitionism, and order than their male colleagues. The results are in contrast with those reported by others.

Factor analysis of the wisc‐r for a sample of bilingual mexican‐americans

Abstract The present study investigated the WISC‐R factor structure for a group of bilingual Mexican‐American children, ages 6 to 15. Results indicate a factor structure similar to that of the standardization sample, particularly with regard to the Verbal Comprehension factor.

Self-Concept and Verbal Behavior in a Small-Group Social Situation.

The problem addressed in this exploratory research study was whether any correlational relationship existed between a selection of personality and demographic variables (considered as aspects of the self-concept construct) and selected subjective and objective measurements of verbal behavior. The purpose of the study was to achieve a better understanding of the dynamic monitoring process of the self-concept and the possible relationship that may exist between it and certain quantifiable verbal behaviors. The conclusion of this study is that the self-concept construct does appear to be an influencing factor upon verbal behavior. It is considered that individuals are consistently interacting with their social environment to obtain feedback in order to test the selfs perceptions of the social environment and its relationship to its environment.