Psychophysiological processes of stress in chronic physical illness: a theoretical perspective

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75576/1/j.1365-2648.1990.tb01843.x.pd

The pursuit of happiness: the social and scientific origins of Hans Selye’s natural philosophy of life

© The Author(s) 2012. Open access article.In 1956, Hans Selye tentatively suggested that the scientific study of stress could ‘help us to formulate a precise program of conduct’ and ‘teach us the wisdom to live a rich and meaningful life’. Nearly two decades later, Selye expanded this limited vision of social order into a full-blown philosophy of life. In Stress without Distress, first published in 1974, he proposed an ethical code of conduct designed to mitigate personal and social problems. Basing his arguments on contemporary understandings of the biological processes involved in stress reactions, Selye referred to this code as ‘altruistic egotism’. This article explores the origins and evolution of Selye’s ‘natural philosophy of life’, analysing the links between his theories and adjacent intellectual developments in biology, psychosomatic and psychosocial medicine, cybernetics and socio-biology, and situating his work in the broader cultural framework of modern western societies.Wellcome Trus

Environmental adaptation, phenotypic plasticity, and associative learning in insects: the desert locust as a case study

The ability to learn and store information should be adapted to the environment in which animals operate to confer a selective advantage. Yet the relationship between learning, memory, and the environment is poorly understood, and further complicated by phenotypic plasticity caused by the very environment in which learning and memory need to operate. Many insect species show polyphenism, an extreme form of phenotypic plasticity, allowing them to occupy distinct environments by producing two or more alternative phenotypes. Yet how the learning and memories capabilities of these alternative phenotypes are adapted to their specific environments remains unknown for most polyphenic insect species. The desert locust can exist as one of two extreme phenotypes or phases, solitarious and gregarious. Recent studies of associative food–odor learning in this locust have shown that aversive but not appetitive learning differs between phases. Furthermore, switching from the solitarious to the gregarious phase (gregarization) prevents locusts acquiring new learned aversions, enabling them to convert an aversive memory formed in the solitarious phase to an appetitive one in the gregarious phase. This conversion provides a neuroecological mechanism that matches key changes in the behavioral environments of the two phases. These findings emphasize the importance of understanding the neural mechanisms that generate ecologically relevant behaviors and the interactions between different forms of behavioral plasticity

Research on stress and smoking: progress and problems

Despite evidence that smoking behaviour increases in the context of stress, there has yet to be a clear-cut demonstration that nicotine intake is similarly enhanced. Although nicotine intake has been shown to reduce reported anxiety in the context of stress, the controlling conditions (type of stressor, intensity, temporal relationships, etc.) need further exploration. Recent findings involving nicotine's effects on the hypophyseal-adrenal axis provide a new perspective on these issues, in that increased nicotine intake during exposure to a stressor may represent, at least in part, behavioral compensation for diminished sensitivity to nicotine brought about by nicotine-stimulated corticosteroid release. Corticosteroids may decrease central nervous system excitability in a way that could account for anxiety reduction; on the other hand, anxiety reduction may be an epiphenomenon with respect to the reinforcement of smoking behaviour. The integration of behavioural, physiological, and biochemical research exemplified by the above approach should lead to a better understanding of stress and smoking.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73317/1/j.1360-0443.1991.tb01815.x.pd

Spanish validation of Bad Sobernheim Stress Questionnaire (BSSQ (brace).es) for adolescents with braces

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>As a result of scientific and medical professionals gaining interest in Stress and Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL), the aim of our research is, thus, to validate into Spanish the German questionnaire <b>Bad Sobernheim Stress Questionnaire (BSSQ) (mit Korsett)</b>, for adolescents wearing braces.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The methodology used adheres to literature on trans-cultural adaptation by doing a translation and a back translation; it involved 35 adolescents, ages ranging between 10 and 16, with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) and wearing the same kind of brace (Rigo System Chêneau Brace). The materials used were a socio-demographics data questionnaire, the SRS-22 and the Spanish version of BSSQ(brace).es. The statistical analysis calculated the reliability (test-retest reliability and internal consistency) and the validity (convergent and construct validity) of the BSSQ (brace).es.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>BSSQ(brace).es is reliable because of its satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.809, p < 0.001) and temporal stability (test-retest method with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.902 (p < 0.01)).</p> <p>It demonstrated convergent validity with SRS-22 since the Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.656 (p < 0.01). By undertaking an Exploratory Principal Components Analysis, a latent structure was found based on two Components which explicate the variance at 60.8%.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>BSSQ (brace).es is reliable and valid and can be used with Spanish adolescents to assess the stress level caused by the brace.</p

Adaptogenic and nootropic activities of aqueous extract of Vitis vinifera (grape seed): an experimental study in rat model

BACKGROUND: The aerial parts of Vitis vinifera (common grape or European grape) have been widely used in Ayurveda to treat a variety of common and stress related disorders. In the present investigation, the seed extract of V. vinifera was evaluated for antistress activity in normal and stress induced rats. Furthermore, the extract was studied for nootropic activity in rats and in-vitro antioxidant potential to correlate its antistress activity. METHODS: For the evaluation of antistress activity, groups of rats (n = 6) were subjected to forced swim stress one hour after daily treatment of V. vinifera extract. Urinary vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) and ascorbic acid were selected as non-invasive biomarkers to assess the antistress activity. The 24 h urinary excretion of vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) and ascorbic acid were determined by spectrophotometric methods in all groups under normal and stressed conditions. The nootropic activity of the extract as determined from acquisition, retention and retrieval in rats was studied by conditioned avoidance response using Cook's pole climbing apparatus. The in vitro antioxidant activity was determined based on the ability of V. vinifera to scavenge hydroxyl radicals. RESULTS: Daily administration of V. vinifera at doses of 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg body weight one hour prior to induction of stress inhibited the stress induced urinary biochemical changes in a dose dependent manner. However, no change in the urinary excretion of VMA and ascorbic acid was observed in normal animals at all the doses studied. The cognition, as determined by the acquisition, retention and recovery in rats was observed to be dose dependent. The extract also produced significant inhibition of hydroxyl radicals in comparison to ascorbic acid in a dose dependent manner. CONCLUSION: The present study provides scientific support for the antistress (adaptogenic), antioxidant and nootropic activities of V. vinifera seed extract and substantiate the traditional claims for the usage of grape fruits and seeds in stress induced disorders

Adrenalectomy-Produced Facilitation of Pavlovian Conditioned Cardiodecelerations in Immobilized Rats

Previous evidence has suggested that both hormonal and behavioral aspects of adrenal stress activation may contribute to heart rate (HR) conditioning during physical/pharmacological immobilization. Accordingly, four studies were conducted to determine if bilateral adrenalectomy facilitates stimulus-control over Pavlovian conditioned cardiodecelerations in rats immobilized either through physical restraint or neuromuscular paralysis. Plasma corticosterone assays were used as an index of the effectiveness of adrenal removal. The results showed that adrenalectomy facilitated both simple and discriminated Pavlovian conditioned cardiodecelerations in rats paralyzed with d-tubocurarine chloride (dTC) without significantly altering the characteristics of EMG recovery from paralysis. Similarly, adrenalectomy facilitated simple Pavlovian HR conditioning in physically restrained rats. The results suggest that adrenal activation may disrupt the parasympathetically-mediated Pavlovian conditioned cardiodeceleration in the physically-and dTC-immobilized rat. However, the specific nature of neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying cardiovascular conditioning during immobilization remains problematical.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75069/1/j.1469-8986.1977.tb03371.x.pd

Factors involved in nurses' responses to burnout: a grounded theory study

BACKGROUND: Intense and long-standing problems in burn centers in Tehran have led nurses to burnout. This phenomenon has provoked serious responses and has put the nurses, patients and the organization under pressure. The challenge for managers and nurse executives is to understand the factors which would reduce or increase the nurses' responses to burnout and develop delivery systems that promote positive adaptation and facilitate quality care. This study, as a part of more extensive research, aims to explore and describe the nurses' perceptions of the factors affecting their responses to burnout. METHODS: Grounded theory was used as the method. Thirty- eight participants were recruited. Data were generated by unstructured interviews and 21 sessions of participant observations. Constant comparison was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Nurses' and patients' personal characteristics and social support influenced nurses' responses to burnout. Personal characteristics of the nurses and patients, especially when interacting, had a more powerful effect. They altered emotional, attitudinal, behavioral and organizational responses to burnout and determined the kind of caring behavior. Social support had a palliative effect and altered emotional responses and some aspects of attitudinal responses. CONCLUSIONS: The powerful effect of positive personal characteristics and its sensitivity to long standing and intense organizational pressures suggests approaches to executing stress reduction programs and refreshing the nurses' morale by giving more importance to ethical aspects of caring. Moreover, regarding palliative effect of social support and its importance for the nurses' wellbeing, nurse executives are responsible for promoting a work environment that supports nurses and motivates them