Gisela Erdmann

Emotional stress reactivity in irritable bowel syndrome.

Objectives Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been proposed to be a stress-related disorder. Research on stress reactivity in IBS has yielded ambiguous results, regarding responses to physical and mental stress. This study aimed to investigate the responses to emotional stress in IBS patients. Methods Twelve IBS patients and 12 healthy individuals underwent public speaking anticipation as an emotional stressor and a control situation. Stress reactivity was quantified by subjective and psychophysiological measures. Results Stress responses were elicited in healthy controls and IBS patients. Differential stress responses were observed in measurements of heart rate. There was no change in rectal sensitivity under stress, whereas patients exhibited lower discomfort thresholds than healthy controls in all conditions. Conclusion This study measured reactivity to an emotional stressor in IBS. It provides evidence that there is a specific alteration of stress responses in IBS patients, but no overall exaggerated stress response. IBS patients showed a broader and less specific response to emotional stress than healthy controls. Rectal sensitivity was unchanged under emotional stress both in IBS patients and healthy controls.

The influence of sex hormones on functional cerebral asymmetries in postmenopausal women

Studies investigating changes in functional cerebral asymmetries (FCAs) with hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle in young women have led to controversial hypotheses about an influence of estrogen (E) and/or progesterone (P) on FCAs. Based on methodical, but also on principal problems in deriving conclusions about hormone effects from correlational designs, the present study investigated hemispheric asymmetries in postmenopausal women, who received hormone replacement either with E alone (E group, n=32), an E-P combination (E-P group, n=29) or no hormone substitution (control group, n=31). Speed and accuracy of responses to a word- and a face decision task, both presented laterally by means of the visual half field technique, were assessed. The control group showed the typical pattern of hemispheric asymmetry with more correct responses to verbal stimuli presented in the right visual field (RVF) and to face stimuli presented in the left visual field (LVF). A hormone-effect was demonstrable only for the verbal task, in which the E group showed an enhanced performance of the right hemisphere (LVF). The E-P group showed no significant differences to the control group or the E group. The results suggest a role of E in the modulation of FCAs at least with regard to verbal processing.

Comparison of the Emotional Effects of a Beta-Adrenergic Blocking Agent and a Tranquilizer under Different Situational Conditions

This study investigated the emotional effects of the beta-adrenergic blocking agent oxprenolol (40 mg, p.o.) and the tranquilizing agent diazepam (5 mg, p.o.) in healthy subjects under three situational conditions: an emotionally neutral control situation and two situations designed to arouse different levels of anxiety. Both oxprenolol and diazepam induced positive emotional changes only in the more strongly anxiety-arousing situation. Significant differences between oxprenolol and diazepam in inducing emotional stabilization were not demonstrable.

Die Gütekriterien des SVF78 von Janke und Erdmann, einer Kurzform des SVF120

Zusammenfassung: Bei einer Stichprobe von 246 Personen, deren Anwerbung stratifiziert nach Geschlecht und Alter erfolgte, wurde der SVF78, eine Kurzvariante des SVF120 von Janke und Erdmann (1997), hinsichtlich seiner Reliabilitat und internen Validitat uberpruft. Die inneren Konsistenzen nach Cronbach und die Halbierungsreliabilitaten sind ebenso wie die von Janke und Erdmann (2002) in der Handanweisung zum SVF120 angegebenen gut bis sehr gut. Faktorenanalysen ergaben eine Faktorenstruktur, die der vergleichbar ist, die aus den Daten der Standardisierungstichprobe bei Verwendung des SVF120 errechnet wurde. Ebenso bildeten sich Geschlechts- und Altersunterschiede entsprechend denen der Standardversion ab. Die Untersuchungsergebnisse legen nahe, dass der SVF78 als zuverlassige Kurzvariante des SVF120 angesehen werden kann, die bei Auserachtlassung von 7 Stressverarbeitungsweisen die wesentlichen Stressverarbeitungsweisen des SVF120 erfasst.

Influences of habitual and situational bodily symptom focusing on stress responses

Evidence suggests that focusing on bodily symptoms increases perception of internal states. The interaction between situational (experimentally induced) symptom focusing and a disposition to focus on ones bodily symptoms is unclear. We assumed that situational symptom focusing increases perception of stress symptoms only in persons that usually do not focus on their bodily symptoms. Forty participants were divided into two groups (N=20) according to their disposition towards bodily symptom focusing (habitual symptom focusing, HSF+ and HSF−). Ten participants per group were instructed to focus on their neck muscle tension (situational symptom focusing, SSF+), while the others received a control instruction (SSF−). All participants underwent anticipation of a public speech, representing an emotional and mental stressor. There was a significant HSF×SSF interaction in reports on muscle tension and palpitation under stress. While HSF− participants reported more stress symptoms in the SSF+ condition, HSF+ participants reported less symptoms. However, no interaction was found in physiological measures including neck electromyogram, skin conductance reactions, heart rate and blood pressure. Our results indicate either that symptom perception is adjusted by symptom focusing, or that the instruction to use a habitual coping strategy reduces stress symptoms.

Die modifizierte Sprechangst-Anordnung

Zusammenfassung. Die Erforschung des Konstrukts Angst erfordert Untersuchungsanordnungen, die Angst induzieren und sie zu messen gestatten. Wie bei anderen Konstrukten existieren keine Anordnungen, die als paradigmatisch angesehen werden konnten. Der Beitrag bezieht sich auf eine in der Angstforschung haufig verwendete Untersuchungsanordnung, bekannt als “Offentliches Sprechen“ bzw. als “Sprechangst-Paradigma“. Er zeigt Wege und Irrwege auf, die mit dieser Anordnung seit ihrer ersten Erprobung in den 70iger Jahren innerhalb unseres Dusseldorfer Streslabors (Janke, Debus, Erdmann, Kallus, Bisping) beschritten wurden. “Irrwege“ betreffen die Auswahl und Interpretation der unabhangigen und der abhangigen Variablen als angstinduzierend bzw. angstdeterminiert wegen ihrer Konfundierung mit anderen Konstrukten (mentale Belastung) bzw. der Unspezifitat oder “Distalitat“ der Messmethoden. “Wege“ beinhalten Modifikationen der Anordnung zur Eliminierung konfundierender Bedingungen und die Erganzung der Erfassungsmet...

On anxiety-specific actions of tranquilizers

Abstract The paper is concerned with the question: Can different kinds of emotions be influenced by tranquilizers which according to several theories (e.g., Gray, 1982) should only affect anxiety? In order to examine the kind of emotional effects of tranquilizers 144 female students received either 5 mg diazepam, 2 mg of the triazolobenzodiazepine GP 55129, or placebo and were then assigned to one of four conditions designed to induce anxiety, anger, happiness, or no emotional changes (neutral control). Self-reports of anxiety, anger, and elation were considered as indicators of specific emotional states; questionnaire measures of general excitement and of bodily arousal symptoms, heart rate, and blood pressure were regarded as indicators of nonspecific emotional changes. All three emotion conditions induced increases in arousal which were most pronounced in the anxiety situation. The anxiety and the happiness situation but not the anger situation proved to be effective in inducing the intended specific e...

Habituelle Situationskontrolltendenz und aktuelle Kontrollierbarkeit aversiver Reize

Zusammenfassung: Gepruft werden sollte, ob Pbn mit hoher gegenuber Pbn mit niedriger Situationskontrolltendenz nach SVF, sofern sie aversive Reize durch ihr Verhalten beeinflussen konnen, (1) mehr Kontrollverhalten und (2) geringere Belastungsreaktionen zeigen. 32 weibliche und 24 mannliche Pbn wurden am Median des SVF-Subtests “Situationskontrollversuche” (SITKON) aufgeteilt und je zur Halfte einer Bedingung “mit Einfluss” auf das Auftreten aversiver Larmreize oder einer Jochkontrollbedingung “ohne Einfluss” zugeordnet. Sie bearbeiteten wahrend des Versuchs eine Reaktionszeitaufgabe. Pbn der Bedingung “mit Einfluss” konnten in einem Durchgang (aktive Vermeidung) Larmreize von 93dB durch Einhalten eines individuell bestimmten Zeitkriteriums aktiv vermeiden. In einem anderen Durchgang (Konflikt) konnten sie zusatzliche starkere Larmreize von 98dB passiv durch Uberschreiten ihres Zeitkriteriums vermeiden. Pbn mit hohen SITKON-Werten passten ihr Reaktionsverhalten den jeweiligen Kontingenzen besser an als Pb...