50 research outputs found
The Relationship between Dog Ownership, Psychopathological Symptoms and Health-Benefitting Factors in Occupations at Risk for Traumatization
Individuals working in high-risk occupations (e.g., emergency staff) are exposed to high
levels of occupational stress including traumatic events. Correspondingly, several studies report
high rates of mental health problems among these occupations. Pet ownership has been associated
with better mental health. However, to date a study on the association between pet ownership and
indicators of mental health in these occupations is missing. The present cross-sectional survey (N = 580)
investigated pet ownership, attachment to pets, health-benefitting factors (i.e., sense of coherence,
trait-resilience, locus of control) and psychopathological symptoms (i.e., general mental health
problems, posttraumatic stress, burnout) in medical staff, police officers, and firefighters. Dog owners
and non-dog owners showed comparable levels of psychopathological distress and health-benefitting
factors. Compared to cat owners, dog owners demonstrated stronger emotional attachment to their
pet. Moreover, a stronger attachment was also linked to higher levels of psychopathological symptoms
and lower levels of health-benefitting factors. However, the relationship between attachment to
pets and health-benefitting factors could be explained by their overlap with psychopathological
symptom levels. Overall, our findings are not in line with the notion that pet ownership generally has
a health-benefitting effect. Future studies need to investigate circumstances that modulate positive
effects of pet ownership
The relationship between attachment to pets and mental health : the shared link via attachment to humans
Background: Several studies have investigated the relationship between emotional attachment to pets and mental
health with the majority of studies fnding a negative relationship between emotional attachment to pets and mental
health. Interestingly, attachment to pets difers from attachment to humans with studies showing that humans with
an insecure attachment style form a particularly strong emotional attachment to their companion animals. Human
attachment style is also related to mental health with secure attachment being associated with superior mental
health. Building on those fndings, the current study aimed at exploring the role of attachment to humans in the
relationship between emotional attachment to pets and mental health.
Methods: In this cross-sectional online survey (N=610) we assessed the strength of emotional attachment to pets
and attachment to humans. We further collected pet specifc data as well as mental health burden in a sample of
German dog owners (Mage=33.12; 92.79% women). We used a mediation model estimating the indirect link between
emotional attachment to pets and mental health burden via human attachment and the direct link between emoâ
tional attachment to pets and mental health burden simultaneously.
Results: We found that attachment to humans fully mediated the positive association between emotional attachâ
ment to pets and mental health burden. A stronger emotional attachment to oneâs dog was associated with lower
comfort with depending on or trusting in others, whereby lower comfort with depending on or trusting in others was
related to higher mental health burden. Moreover, a stronger attachment to oneâs dog was also related to a greater
fear of being rejected and unloved (Anxiety), which was, in turn, associated with a higher mental health burden.
Conclusion: Our fndings suggest that the positive link between emotional attachment to pets and mental health
burden is fully accounted for by its shared variance with insecure attachment to humans in a sample mostly comprisâ
ing self-identifed women. Future studies need to examine whether strong emotional bonds with pets may evolve as
a compensatory strategy to bufer difcult childhood bonding experiences
Sleep-Directed Hypnosis Improves Subjective Sleep Quality but not Extinction Memory After Exposure to Analog Trauma
Background Evidence-based treatments of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) aim to promote fear extinction learning.
Post-learning sleep, particularly slow wave sleep (SWS), promotes memory consolidation and recall. Thus, boosting SWS
might strengthen extinction recall. The current study investigated whether sleep-directed hypnosis designed to increase SWS
and sleep quality improves extinction recall and reduces analog PTSD symptoms.
Method In two subsamples (remote/laboratory), 211 healthy individuals underwent fear conditioning with a traumatic film
clip. On the next evening, they underwent extinction training. Thereafter, the experimental group received sleep-directed
hypnosis, whereas the control group listened to a control text. Extinction recall and generalization and film-related intrusions
and rumination were assessed on the following morning.
Results Subjective sleep quality declined following exposure to an aversive film. No group differences were found in SWS
though exploratory analyses indicated less rapid eye movement sleep after hypnosis. After hypnosis, the experimental group
reported improved sleep quality, whereas the control group showed a further deterioration. Hypnosis had no effects on
extinction retention and generalization nor on analog intrusions and rumination.
Conclusion The current results indicate that sleep-directed hypnosis may be beneficial for improving subjective sleep quality
after trauma but not for enhancing extinction memory and reducing analog PTSD symptoms
Pre-rehabilitation sense of coherence as a predictor of symptom change after rehabilitation
Sense of coherence (SOC) constitutes the key component of salutogenesis theory. It reflects individuals' confidence that their environment is comprehensible and manageable and that their lives are meaningful. Research demonstrates a strong cross-sectional relationship between SOC and mental health. However, little is known about SOC's temporal stability and its potential to predict changes in psychopathological symptom severity in different settings. The goal of the current study was to address this gap. The sample of the two-wave longitudinal study consists of 294 patients receiving inpatient psychotherapeutic (and psychopharmacological) treatment for various psychological disorders at a German psychosomatic rehabilitation clinic. SOC (Antonovsky, Social Science & Medicine, 1993, 36, 725-733) and outcome measures (i.e., general mental health problems, depression and anxiety symptoms) were assessed within twoâdays of arrival and at the end of rehabilitation (week 5/6). SOC was significantly enhanced after treatment whereas psychopathological symptoms were significantly reduced. Regression analyses revealed that pre-treatment SOC was a significant negative predictor of post-treatment symptom severity for all outcome measures even after controlling for pre-treatment symptoms. The current findings provide first evidence that SOC is a significant unique predictor of symptom change. Future studies need to further investigate longitudinal associations between SOC and mental health outcomes in different settings
Correlates of mental health in occupations at risk for traumatization : a cross-sectional study
Background
Hospitals, police stations, and fire departments are highly demanding workplaces. Staff members are regularly exposed to various stressors including traumatic events. Correspondingly, several studies report high rates of mental health issues among these occupations. Nevertheless, despite these challenging circumstances, some staff members manage to sustain their mental health. The current study is the first to investigate three health-promoting factors simultaneously among three different, highly demanding occupations.
Methods
The present cross-sectional survey investigated health-promoting factors (sense of coherence â SOC, trait-resilience, locus of control â LOC) and mental health outcomes (general psychopathological symptom burden, posttraumatic stress, burnout) in medical staff (n =â223), police officers (n =â257), and firefighters (n =â100).
Results
Among all occupations, SOC, trait-resilience, and an internal LOC were negatively associated with general psychopathological symptoms, posttraumatic stress, and burnout symptoms. By contrast, all these outcome measures were positively correlated with an external LOC. Multiple regression models including all health-promoting factors explained 56% of the variance in general psychopathological symptoms and 27% in posttraumatic stress symptoms. Among all occupations, SOC was the strongest predictor of both general psychopathological symptom burden and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Multigroup path analyses revealed minor differences across occupations, mainly driven by a stronger influence of LOC in police officers.
Conclusion
Across all occupations, SOC was identified as the most important health-promoting factor. Future longitudinal studies should further examine the causal link between health-promoting factors and mental distress in different workplaces. Such studies will also allow for further development and evaluation of resilience promoting programs
Investigation of early night sleep effects on subsequent fear extinction learning and recall
Extinction learning is considered an important underlying process of successful treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, sleep disturbances may impede this learning process: Current accounts postulate that sleep facilitates encoding by promoting neural plasticity during slow wave sleep (SWS). Based on this hypothesis, we tested whether early night sleep, with high amounts of SWS, facilitates subsequent extinction learning and recall. Sixty-three participants took part in a trauma-adapted fear conditioning experiment. One group received a three-hour sleep opportunity in the early night half, whereas the other group stayed awake. Thereafter, both groups underwent extinction training and a return-of-fear test. Retention was assessed after another sleep opportunity in both groups. Linear mixed-effects models and Bayesian inference did not support the hypothesis of strengthened fear extinction by prior early night sleep. Subsequent exploratory analyses, in contrast, point to a role of rapid eye movement sleep in promoting successful fear extinction learning. Further confirmatory research should re-investigate these effects and their implications for the treatment of PTSD
The Prospective Influence of Trait Alexithymia on Intrusive Memories: What Is the Role of Emotional Recognition Memory?
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often considered to be a disorder of memory as patients suffer from fragmented uncontrollable memories (intrusions) whilst experiencing difficulties in intentionally retrieving details of the traumatic event. Recent research suggests that trait-related deficits in the identification of emotional states (alexithymia) may impact emotional memory processes in a way that promotes intrusion formation in PTSD. Therefore, we investigated the influence of alexithymia on intrusive re-experiencing and emotional recognition memory in a prospective analog study. Twenty-six healthy participants took part in a laboratory experiment, which combined two independent paradigms. Participants were exposed to a traumatic film (first session) and completed an episodic memory task comprising neutral and emotional stimuli (second session). In between sessions, participants recorded intrusive memories of the film. Individuals with higher trait alexithymia (HTA) reported an increased number of intrusions on the day of film presentation. Moreover, analyses of memory performance revealed a negative correlation between alexithymia and emotional recognition memory. Further analyses suggest that reduced emotional recognition memory, as evident in individuals with HTA, may, in turn, be associated with enhanced intrusive re-experiencing. As such, the current findings provide first indications regarding the role of alexithymia in emotional learning and PTSD. Future studies should further investigate these associations as well as potential implications for the treatment of PTSD
Sensitive observations at 1.4 and 250 GHz of z > 5 QSOs
We present 1.4 and 5 GHz observations taken with the Very Large Array (VLA),
and observations at 250 GHz obtained with the Max-Planck millimeter bolometer
(MAMBO) at the IRAM 30~m telescope, of ten optically selected Quasi-stellar
Objects (QSOs) at 5.0 < z < 6.28. Four sources are detected at 1.4 GHz two of
which are radio loud and are also detected at 5 GHz. These results are roughly
consistent with there being no evolution of the radio-loud QSO fraction out to
z~6.
Three sources have been detected at 250 GHz or 350 GHz at much higher levels
than their 1.4 GHz flux densities suggesting that the observed mm emission is
likely thermal emission from warm dust, although more exotic possibilities
cannot be precluded.
The highest redshift source in our sample (J1030+0524 at z=6.28) is not
detected at 1.4 or 250 GHz, but four fairly bright radio sources (flux density
at 1.4GHz > 0.2 mJy) are detected in a 2' field centered on the QSO, including
an edge-brightened ('FRII') double radio source with an extent of about 1'.
A similar over-density of radio sources is seen in the field of the highest
redshift QSO J1148+5251. We speculate that these over-densities of radio
sources may indicate clusters along the lines-of-sight, in which case
gravitational lensing by the cluster could magnify the QSO emission by a factor
2 or so without giving rise to arcsecond-scale distortions in the optical
images of the QSOs.Comment: 25 pages, 12 figures. accepted by A
APM 08279+5255: an ultraluminous BAL quasar at a redshift z=3.87
We report on the discovery of a highly luminous, broad absorption line quasar
at a redshift of which is positionally coincident, within one
arcsecond, with the IRAS FSC source F08279+5255. A chance alignment of the
quasar and the IRAS source is extremely unlikely and we argue that the optical
and FIR flux are different manifestations of the same object. With an R-band
magnitude of 15.2, and an IRAS 60\mum flux of 0.51\jy, APM 08279+5255 is
(apparently) easily the most intrinsically luminous object known, with
L_{Bol}\sim5\times10^{15}L_{\odot}}. Imaging suggests that gravitational
lensing may play a role in amplifying the intrinsic properties of the system.
The optical spectrum of the quasar clearly reveals the presence of three
potential lensing galaxies, \mg absorption systems at and ,
and a \ly absorption system at . We estimate the total amplification of
the optical component to be , but, due to the larger scale of the
emitting region, would expect the infrared amplification to be significantly
less. Even making the conservative assumption that all wavelengths are
amplified by a factor 40, APM 08279+5255 still possesses a phenomenal
luminosity of \simgt 10^{14L_{\odot}}, indicating that it belongs to a small,
but significant population of high--redshift, hyperluminous objects with
copious infrared emission.Comment: 15 Pages with Four figures. Accepted for publication in the
Astrophysical Journa