Stress and Health

Burrows, Graham D.

doi: 10.1002/smi.1222pmid: N/A

Segal, Ortal; Behrbalk, Eyal; Shapira, Itzhak; Otremsky, Itzhak; Berliner, Shlomo; Halpern, Pinkhas; Serov, Jack; Arbel, Yaron

doi: 10.1002/smi.1181pmid: N/A

It is not clear whether acute stress of a few hours duration is capable of increasing the concentration of C‐reactive protein (CRP), a valuable biomarker in patients with acute myocardial infarction or stroke. Therefore, we measured the concentration of CRP in patients who presented with an acute fracture and in whom we can assume that the CRP concentrations prior to the event were within the normal limits. There were 20 patients with bone fractures and 20 gender‐ and body mass index (BMI)‐matched controls aged 52 ± 27 and 51 ± 21 years, respectively (mean ± standard deviation (SD)). The patients were examined 3.2 ± 2.5 h (mean ± SD) after their actual trauma and presented with modestly elevated concentrations of CRP (2.7 ± 2.1 mg/L) as compared with the controls (2 ± 2.2 mg/L). At the same time, the expected increment in the white blood cell count was noted in the patients (12.4 ± 3 × 103/mL) as opposed to the controls (7.1 ± 1.9, p < 0.001). We conclude that the expected increment in CRP within a few hours after the onset of acute traumatic stress is modest. The findings are relevant for stressful conditions of acute myocardial infarction and stroke that present within a few hours after the onset of pain and in which elevated CRP levels might represent the causative inflammation and are not necessarily a result of the acute stress/infarction per se. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Kostenius, Catrine; Öhrling, Kerstin

doi: 10.1002/smi.1180pmid: N/A

Researching schoolchildren's lived experiences of stress was seen in this article as a holistic approach to stress research. The aim of this study was to illuminate the meaning of stress from schoolchildren's perspective. A total of 23 Swedish schoolchildren, aged 10–12 years, wrote open letters and were interviewed. The phenomenological–hermeneutical analysis resulted in five themes: being out of time; being less than one can be; being run by others; being in a fleeing, fighting body; and being lifted to excel. This updated understanding of the meaning of stress for schoolchildren included an emerged focus on their being caught in life's challenges. These challenges included a lack of freedom and time, as well as an opportunity for potential growth. Our understanding of the schoolchildren's lived experiences of stress may be used to facilitate the development of early stress intervention. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Regehr, Cheryl; LeBlanc, Vicki; Jelley, R. Blake; Barath, Irene

doi: 10.1002/smi.1182pmid: N/A

Emergency personnel consistently work under high‐stress situations, and thus, the question about whether this stress affects performance is critical to the safety of both themselves and the public. However, considerable controversy exists about the influence of stress on performance. This study investigates the association between both biological and psychological manifestations of stress and performance. The study was conducted with 84 police recruits using a high‐fidelity simulation of a policing event in order to try to determine performance in a life‐like workplace environment. Measures included both biological (heart rate and salivary cortisol levels) and psychological (subjective anxiety) indicators of stress. Performance was videotaped and was later evaluated by three expert raters. The results of this study are promising in that neither physiological nor psychological responses impaired performance in a simulated acutely stressful policing situation. On the other hand, those individuals with greater cortisol release showed higher levels of performance, supporting the notion that cortisol can enhance ability in high‐stress situations. Recruits were also asked to subjectively evaluate their performance. A small group of individuals ranked themselves as poor performers while evaluators ranked them highly. These individuals experienced significantly higher increase in subjective distress and significantly higher cortisol levels at baseline and peak. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Johnson, Susan K.; Gil‐Rivas, Virginia; Schmaling, Karen B.

doi: 10.1002/smi.1185pmid: N/A

This paper examined the contribution of coping strategies and neuroticism to longitudinal outcomes in a tertiary care sample of participants with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Coping strategies and neuroticism were assessed among 93 participants with CFS, and used to predict participants' illness‐related outcomes. Coping by instrumental support was the only strategy associated with clinical outcomes over time: more reliance on instrumental support predicted less vitality over time after accounting for the level of vitality at the index visit. Neuroticism and coping strategies were not associated with fatigue symptoms, physical functioning or role functioning over time. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Stowell, Jeffrey R.; Tumminaro, Tiffany; Attarwala, Muffadal

doi: 10.1002/smi.1186pmid: N/A

We explored the moderating effect of exam‐related coping strategies on the relationships between test anxiety, negative mood and salivary cortisol. Fifty undergraduate students participated, with 29 in the academic examination group and 21 in the comparison group. Across groups, worry was associated with higher levels of negative mood before, during and after the exam or homework period. However, avoidance coping moderated this effect such that there was a strong positive relationship between worry and negative mood when avoidance coping was low, but not when avoidance coping has high. Negative mood on the day of the study correlated positively with the number of illness symptoms reported 3 days later. Our results suggest that coping strategies used to deal with academic examination stress dynamically moderate the effects of test anxiety on negative mood. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Toda, Masahiro; Den, Rei; Morimoto, Kanehisa

doi: 10.1002/smi.1183pmid: N/A

To evaluate the activity of sympatho–adrenomedullary (SAM) system, testing for salivary chromogranin A (CgA) and α‐amylase (sAA) has been receiving attention. We investigated the correlation between levels of plasma norepinephrine (NE) and salivary CgA or sAA. From 21 healthy males, blood and saliva samples were collected at 8:00, 10:30, 12:30 and 17:30. Levels of plasma NE, salivary CgA and sAA were determined at each sampling point. To avoid the influence of the salivary flow, resultant levels of salivary CgA and sAA were adjusted according to salivary flow rates and salivary protein, respectively. A significant correlation between plasma NE levels and salivary CgA/protein was detected in samples taken at 8:00 (p < 0.01). In samples taken at 10:30, 12:30 and 17:30, however, there was no such correlation. Meanwhile, no significant correlation between plasma NE levels and sAA/min was detected during the sampling period. These findings suggest that morning results for CgA may be useful as a predictor for SAM system activity. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Toselli, Stefania; Gualdi‐Russo, Emanuela

doi: 10.1002/smi.1195pmid: N/A

Despite the high rate of migration to Italy, there are still no comprehensive studies of psychosocial distress in the different groups of immigrants. The objective of the present study was to investigate the psychosocial status of immigrants living in Bologna (Italy). We conducted a cross‐sectional survey of 396 immigrants (313 males and 83 females) from Africa, Asia and eastern Europe (Senegalese, Moroccans, Tunisians, Pakistanis, Kosovars and Roma) using questionnaires administered by trained anthropologists. Except for Tunisians, the psychological distress and discomfort of the immigrant groups are low, and the perception of their quality of life and well‐being is good. In the groups that have spent more time in Italy, the percentage of subjects wishing to return to their native country is generally higher. Immigrants living in Bologna exhibit a good psychosocial state and seem to have positively interacted with their new environment. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.