Gv Wilson

Use of a diary technique to investigate psychosomatic relations in atopic dermatitis

Previous research on the relationship between stress and atopic dermatitis has employed retrospective approaches such as interviews and measurement of life events and daily hassles. These studies have yielded inconsistent results. In the current study, 50 atopic dermatitis sufferers completed a diary for a fortnight, recording their daily emotional states and skin condition. The results of meta-analyses indicated that both interpersonal stress and depression were significantly related to changes in skin condition. Meta-analyses of lag sequential analyses indicated that interpersonal stress on Day X predicted skin condition on Day X + 1 and that this relationship was reciprocal. Depression was predicted by the skin condition of the previous day but this relationship was not reciprocal. These results were integrated and their implications for psychosomatic relationships between stress, depression, and atopic dermatitis were discussed.

Affective responses to success and failure:: a study of winning and losing in competitive rugby

Abstract Affective responses to success and failure in a competitive sport setting were investigated using a reversal theory framework in a replication and extension of a previous study Kerr and van Schaik, 1995 . Effects of game outcome on psychological mood states in rugby. cf11>Personality and Individual Differences, 19, 407-410.]. Participants were top-level Dutch male rugby players. Mood measures were administered pre- and postgame at four games: 2 games were won, 2 were lost. A mixed between and within subjects design was used for data analysis, in which game outcome (win or loss) was the between subjects factor, and the within subjects factor was time of testing (pre- vs. postgame). Numerous statistically significant results concerning the emotional states experienced prior to competitive sport and in response to winning and losing were obtained. Winning produced a range of pleasant emotional outcomes and reductions in arousal and stress: losing produced strong unpleasant emotional changes, a reduction in arousal but no reduction in stress.

Low Plasma β-Endorphin in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

We compared serum cortisol, ACTH and plasma P-endorphin in 21 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder patients and 20 controls. Although we found no important disturbance in diurnal rhythms, the PTSD patients had significantly higher A.M. serum cortisols compared with controls. Both A.M. and P.M. plasma P-endorphins in PTSD patients were significantly lower compared with controls. These data suggest that plasma P-endorphin may be a marker for PTSD and that chronic endogenous opioid depletion may play a role in the pathogenesis and perpetuation of this disorder.

The effects of elevated arousal and mood on maximal strength performance in athletes.

Optimal arousal models contend that high arousal contributes to inhibited athletic performance, whereas there is reversal theory research which indicates that high positive arousal may enhance performance. To test these claims, 22 male and 6 female elite athletes were induced into high arousal telic (goal-directed) and high arousal paratelic (non goal-directed, process focussed) motivational states and tested on a standard hand strength task. Personalized guided imagery techniques and paced breathing were used to change psychological and physiological arousal. Significant increases in strength performance occurred when arousal was high and experienced as pleasant excitement in the paratelic condition (i.e., high positive arousal). Heart rate and other indicators of parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system activity were not found to mediate between psychological arousal and performance. Where athletic performance requires maximal motor strength over a short period, performance benefits of high arousal may be maximized by restructuring motivational state.

Worry and heart rate variables: autonomic rigidity under challenge

[Borkovec, T. D. (1994). Worrying: perspectives on theory, assessment and treatment (pp. 5-34). West Sussex: Wiley] proposes that the cognitive activity of worry restricts autonomic nervous system activity, producing autonomic rigidity. Autonomic rigidity affects both sympathetic nervous system [Behav. Res. Ther. 28 (1990) 69.] and parasympathetic nervous system activity [Behav. Ther. 26 (1995)457.]. Three experiments investigated the relationship between worry and autonomic system activity as indexed by heart activity measures. In the first experiment, we measured average heart rate when worriers were required to perform a public speaking task. No difference was found in heart rate between worriers and controls. The second and third experiments measured average heart rate and heart period variability (HPV) in worriers and controls during relaxation, non-stressful cognitive tasks, worried thinking, and aversive imagery conditions. There was no support for the autonomic rigidity view as worriers did not respond differently to non-worriers. These findings challenge the view that autonomic rigidity applies generally to worry.

The Experience of a Modern Dance Group: Arousal, Motivation, and Self-Rated Performance.

The purpose of the present study was to extend the findings obtained in previous reversal theory based dance research by investigating dancers’ perceptions of their own arousal levels and performance and their motivational states when performing. A group of modern dancers (n = 21), performing at a dance competition, acted as volunteer participants. They were subsequently divided into serious (n = 11) and playful (n = 10) groups on the basis of their Motivational Style Profile (MSP) serious–playful dimension scores. A modified ‘dance version’ of the State of Mind Indicator for Athletes (SOMIFA) was used to compare the two groups on their experience of arousal, alertness and energy and their motivational states at four different performance sessions. In addition, their self‐rated performance ratings were compared. The results are interpreted in the light of reversal theory and their implications for dance performance set out.