Leisure Sickness: A Biopsychosocial Perspective

Leisure and vacation are generally associated with feelings of relaxation and well-being. However, there is also evidence suggesting that some people feel particularly ill and develop symptoms especially during weekends and vacations. The focal points of this article are the exploration of the antecedents and consequences of this phenomenon, pointing out the need of systematic research on its prevalence, phenomenology, background, and the putative mechanisms involved. The paper concludes with a discussion of some possible effective interventions

In search of personality and temperament predictors of chronic fatigue: a prospective study. Personality and Individual Differences

Abstract This prospective study examined the relationships between temperament and personality, on the one hand, and chronic fatigue, on the other hand. The temperament variables were the Five-Factor-Model dimensions Emotional stability and Extraversion as well as Pavlovian temperament traits. The personality variables were the Five-Factor-Model dimensions Agreeableness, Conscientiousness and Autonomy, plus hardiness and Type A behavior pattern. It was expected that these person characteristics were negatively linked to fatigue except for (1) Type A and (2) Conscientiousness and Autonomy, which were scrutinized in an exploratory way. Respondents (N=351), working at least 20 h per week, completed two surveys. The first survey contained the temperament and personality questionnaires and the fatigue scale, while the second one, 2 years later, included the fatigue scale. Results indicated that high scores on the Five-FactorModel dimensions Emotional Stability and Extraversion, the Pavlovian temperament variable Strength of Inhibition, and the hardiness component Commitment predicted lower fatigue scores. However, when in the analysis fatigue measured 2 years earlier was controlled for, only Extraversion and Strength of Inhibition appeared to be good predictors. Even so, these two predictors did not explain a large proportion of the variance. When men and women were examined separately, personality and temperament predicted almost nihil. In conclusion, when fatigue measured earlier is controlled for, the direct role of temperament and personality decreases enormously. # 2002 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Chronic fatigue is a common phenomenon which can have a far-reaching influence on a person's life. Mental and physical exertion caused by, for instance, work or sport activities, induce acute fatigue. This form of fatigue is characterized by task specificity and short-term reversibility 0191-8869/03/$ -see front matter

Determinants of overall quality of life in women over the first year after surgery for early stage breast cancer

Scores on quality of life (QOL) domains and facets are probably subject to fluctuations across time due to the course of breast cancer treatment. Existing QOL studies have been cross-sectional. Therefore, this prospective follow-up study examined whether QOL domains (physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment) and QOL facets contributed differentially across time to overall QOL in women with early stage breast cancer. From the 608 participating women, 225 women had early stage breast cancer. Before diagnosis and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgical treatment, women with early stage breast cancer were assessed on QOL (WHOQOL-100). Psychological Health and Social Relationships were the QOL domains that contributed to overall QOL most consistently at the various time points. Physical Health appeared to be a contributor at all time points except 1 month after surgery. Environment contributed to a lesser extent to overall QOL compared with Physical Health, Psychological Health, and Social Relationships. Different facets contribute to overall QOL-dependent of particular measurement points. However, the facets Positive Feelings and Personal Relationships were important factors at almost all time points of maintaining a good overall QOL. QOL domains and facets contributed differently to overall QOL at various time points across treatment in women with early stage breast cance

Validation of the WHO Quality of Life assessment instrument (WHOQOL-100) in a population of Dutch adult psychiatric outpatients.

Contains fulltext : 48249.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access)BACKGROUND: Research concerning the psychometric properties of the WHO Quality of Life Assessment Instrument (WHOQOL-100) in general populations of psychiatric outpatients has not been performed systematically. AIMS: To examine the content validity, construct validity, and reliability of the WHOQOL-100 in a general population of Dutch adult psychiatric outpatients. METHOD: A total of 533 psychiatric outpatients entered the study (438 randomly selected, 85 internally referred). Participants completed self-administered questionnaires for measuring quality of life (WHOQOL-100), psychopathological symptoms (SCL-90), and perceived social support (PSSS). In addition, they underwent two semi-structured interviews in order to obtain Axis-I and Axis-II diagnoses, according to DSM-IV. RESULTS: The drop-out percentage was low (7.1%). Of the 24 facets of the WHOQOL-100, 22 had a good distribution of scores, leaving out the facets physical environment and transport. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure, which was similar to earlier findings in patients with specific somatic diseases and depressive disorders. Various-a priori expected-positive and negative correlations were found between facets and domains of the WHOQOL-100, and dimensions of the SCL-90 and the PSSS-score, indicating good construct validity of the WHOQOL-100. The internal consistency of all facets and the four domains of the WHOQOL-100 was good (Cronbach's alpha's ranging from 0.62 to 0.93 and 0.64 to 0.84, respectively). Sparse and relatively low correlations were found between demographic characteristics (age and sex) and WHOQOL-100 scores. CONCLUSIONS: Content validity, construct validity, and reliability of the WHOQOL-100 in a population of adult Dutch psychiatric outpatients are good. The WHOQOL-100 appears to be a suitable instrument for measuring quality of life in adult psychiatric outpatients