Theodore J. Kaul

Relation of stress and anxiety to oral lichen planus.

Stress and anxiety have frequently been mentioned as possible factors related to the development of oral lichen planus, although this association appears to have only an anecdotal origin. In this study, 48 patients with a clinical and histologic diagnosis of oral lichen planus completed questionnaires aimed at assessing their stressful life events (Social Readjustment Rating Scale) and their tendency for anxiety (the trait portion of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory). Age- and sex-matched control groups included patients who underwent biopsies for irritation fibroma and routine clinic patients. No significant differences were seen among any of the groups with respect to scores on the questionnaires. These results suggest that patients who manifest oral lichen planus have no greater tendency toward anxiety and no more stressful life events than other individuals.

Conceptualizing Group Research: A Preliminary Analysis.

Approaching the topic of conceptualizing group research should arouse misgivings in the most insouciant. When charged with approaching the topic in a constructive way, as we have been, the misgivings become acute. We have been admonished to avoid merely recounting what is wrong with the research; nor can we limit our efforts to a description of what the ideal situation would be. We must also offer some constructive suggestions for investigators of group phenomena. Clearly, angels would fear to tread within these guidelines. We believe that the most imperative problem facing both the investigator of group treatments and the consumer of such research is the limited level of conceptualization within the field. The level of conceptualization is analogous to that of pre-Galilean astronomy in that it is primitive, incomplete, and probably based upon questionable assumptions. Paradoxically, this condition cannot be ascribed to the methodological naivete of those involved in the research. A review of the literature shows many sophisticated designs and analyses (Bednar and Kaul, forthcoming). We must look elsewhere for the causes of the conceptual malaise. First, we will suggest what seems to us the fundamental cause for