Values-based action in fibromyalgia: results from a randomized pilot of acceptance and commitment therapy

Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) is a chronic pain condition characterized by pain, fatigue, and nonrestorative sleep. The disruptive symptoms of FMS are associated with reductions in quality of life related to family, intimate relationships, and work. The present study was part of a randomized pilot study of an 8-week Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention compared to education in a sample of 28 women with FMS. The Chronic Pain Values Inventory was administered at baseline, postintervention, and 12 week follow-up. Both groups showed significant improvements in family success, which were maintained at follow-up. Groups showed a differential pattern of success in work. The ACT group demonstrated significant, maintained improvements in success in intimate relationships, while the education group reported no changes over time. Findings suggest that both interventions may lead to improvements in valued living; however different interventions may be best suited for certain valued domains. The results of this study indicate that FMS patients are able to improve their success in family and intimate relationships and losses in these areas are not necessarily permanent

The Role of Mindfulness, Perceived Discrimination, and Diabetes-Related Distress in Predicting Health Behaviors and Glycemic Control

For persons with diabetes, adherence to treatment recommendations, such as medication adherence and following diet and exercise guidelines, is often difficult and subject to multiple influences, including psychological well-being and social stressors. Such influences include self-reported microaggressions, mindfulness, depressive symptoms, self-care behaviors, and glycemic control. A model of relationships between these variables was proposed for testing through structural equation modeling. 337 Participants over the age of 18 years with diagnoses of diabetes were recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk website to take a survey of measures assessing these variables. Tests of the hypothesized model indicated poor fit, and the model was respecified to remove diet and exercise behaviors, which resulted in satisfactory fit. Between-groups differences were assessed to investigate potential differences in the model between participants. Findings were generally consistent with hypotheses that better psychological well-being and less frequent microaggressions would be associated with improved self-care behaviors, including diet, exercise, and taking medication regularly. Some differences were noted in the magnitude of relationships between participants from the United States or India, but, the models were generally similar between groups. Limitations included possible misrepresentation of participant character, lack of health literacy, and use of cross-sectional data. This study informs future research on interventions for improvements in treatment adherence for people with diabetes, including interventions for improving mindfulness skills and interventions for decreasing impact of microaggressions

The Perceived Impact of the 2016 Election: A Mediation Model Predicting Health Outcomes

The present study examined the relationship between the self-reported personal impact of the election of President Donald J. Trump, as measured by the Personal Impact of the Election Scale (PIES), and physical and mental health. A sample of 299 MTurk Amazon workers completed an online survey, including measures of the perceived personal impact of the 2016 presidential election, thought suppression, and mental and physical health. A mediation model was tested, with thought suppression included as a mediator of the relationship between the PIES and physical and mental health. Results indicated that thought suppression partially mediated the relationship between the PIES and physical and mental health. Specifically, the perceived impact of the election was positively associated with thought suppression (β = .51, SE = .01, p < .001), which was in turn negatively associated with physical health (β = -.25, SE = .44, p < .001) and mental health (β = -.50, SE = .47, p < .001). The results of this study suggest that perceptions of this sociopolitical event were related to the health of United States citizens and show a need for large-scale interventions to address this relationship, especially for those who feel threatened based on their ethnic or religious background

Gender Differences in Disclosure Concerns and HIV-Related Quality of Life

HIV-related disclosure concerns are associated with higher rates of concealment and poorer well-being, including poorer health related HIV quality of life (HIV-QOL). Little research, however, has examined whether gender differences exist in the links between HIV disclosure concerns and HIV-QOL. We expected that disclosure concerns and gender would be associated with HIV-QOL, such that the relationship between disclosure concerns and poorer HIV-QOL to be stronger in women living with HIV (WLWH) than in men living with HIV (MLWH). One hundred and forty MLWH (n = 102) and WLWH (n = 38) completed an online questionnaire consisting of measures regarding their demographics, disclosure concerns (HIV-stigma scale), and HIV-QOL (HIV-AIDS-Targeted Quality of Life Instrument). Results suggested that more disclosure concerns were associated with poorer HIV-QOL, but in general, men and women did not differ in their levels of HIV-QOL. As expected, interactions emerged between gender and disclosure concerns such that disclosure concerns were associated with increased health worries and poorer sexual functioning for WLWH but not for MLWH. Interventions should acknowledge the differing needs and experiences of WLWH in order to improve HIV-QOL and increase longevity

Unsupportive Social Interactions, Shame, and Psychological Well-Being in People With HIV

We hypothesized that unsupportive social interactions (USI) would be associated with poorer psychological wellbeing in people living with HIV (PLWH), and that this relationship would be explained by increased levels of shame. 106 PLWH completed an online questionnaire including measures of HIV-specific USI, shame, depression, negative affect, and perceived stress. Results suggest that insensitive interactions were related to higher levels of depression, negative affect, and perceived stress through higher levels of shame. Internalized feelings of shame may partially explain the relationship between insensitive interactions and psychological well-being

Self-Compassion, Loneliness, and Psychological Well-Being in People Living With HIV

We hypothesized that higher levels of self-compassion among people living with HIV (PLWH) would be related to lower levels of loneliness, which in turn would be associated with better psychological well-being (lower levels of depression and negative affect and higher positive affect). 106 PLWH completed an online survey that measured demographic variables, self-compassion, loneliness, and psychological well-being. Mediation analyses revealed that loneliness mediated the relationship between self-compassion and depression and negative affect, but not positive affect. These findings indicate that encouraging self-compassion may have a positive effect on psychological well-being among people living with HIV by reducing loneliness