The meeting of pain and depression: Comorbidity in women

The higher prevalence of depression in women is coupled with a higher prevalence of pain complaints. Growing evidence suggests that the comorbidity of these conditions is also proportionately higher in women than men. This paper critically reviews the empirical findings relating to gender differences in comorbid pain and depression as well as findings in support of hypothesized etiologic factors that could explain why women may be more susceptible than men to comorbidity. The empirical evidence for biogenic, psychogenic, and sociogenic explanatory models is presented, and an integration of these models is proposed as a guideline to both research and clinical practice. In conclusion, it is argued that gender-differentiated treatment strategies are not clinically indicated at this time

Teen Sexuality and Pregnancy in Nevada

The United States has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the fully industrialized world. While the rates have been declining in the last 15 years, it remains a source of concern that 34% of teenage girls in the U.S. are becoming pregnant at least once before the age of 20. The teen pregnancy in the U.S. rate is ten times that of Japan, four times those of France and Germany, and nearly twice that of Great Britain

Chronic Pain: The Extra Burden on Canadian Women

Health Issue Chronic pain is a major health problem associated with significant costs to both afflicted individuals and society as a whole. These costs seem to be disproportionately borne by women, who generally have higher prevalence rates for chronic pain than do men. Key findings Data obtained from 125,574 respondents to the Canadian Community Health Survey (2000–2001) indicated that 18% of Canadian women suffered from chronic pain, compared to 14% of men. This gender discrepancy, however, seemed to be linked primarily to differences in age, income, and education between adult men and women in this large sample. Age, income, depression and functional interference with activities were strongly associated with chronic pain in general. No gender differences were found in the intensity of pain experienced. Ethnicity was not strongly associated with chronic pain prevalence, although Asians were the group with the highest chronic pain prevalence in the over-65 age group and Aboriginal Canadians had the highest prevalence in the under-65 age group. Data Gaps and Recommendations Current gaps in our knowledge include the types of chronic pain women experience, their impact on domestic responsibilities and parenting and health care utilization patterns of women with chronic pain. Data sources such as provincial databases of billing claims may be useful in the future to enrich our knowledge of health care utilization and analgesic medication use. Enhanced surveillance, assessment, and early identification of pain disorders are recommended to improve outcomes. Considering current demographic patterns toward an older population, there is also some urgency to the development of patient education and self-management programs

Biomecánica del vendaje funcional preventivo de tobillo en deportes de colaboración-oposición

La aplicación del vendaje funcional de tobillo como método preventivo de los esguinces, durante los entrenamientos y las competiciones, está muy extendida en la práctica diaria, sobre todo en fútbol, baloncesto, balonmano y voleibol. En el estudio, que abre nuevas líneas de investigación en las patologías del pie del deportista, se realiza un profundo análisis de la eficacia de estos vendajes sanos y de sus efectos sobre el rendimiento deportivo y la biomecánica del tobillo.Actividad Física y Deport

Affect and marital adjustment in women’s rating of dyspareunic pain

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the extent to which depressive symptomatology, anxiety, and marital adjustment mediate pain ratings in women suffering from dyspareunia. METHOD: Seventy-six women with dyspareunia were administered the depression and anxiety scales of Derogatis\u27s Brief Symptom Inventory and the McGill Pain Questionnaire. They also underwent a manual-visual gynecological examination, an ultrasound, and a colposcopy in an attempt to identify potential evidence and type of organicity. RESULTS: Depressive symptomatology, anxiety, and marital adjustment together accounted for a significant amount of the variance in pain ratings, although only anxiety and marital adjustment were independent predictors of pain ratings in the entire group of women with dyspareunia. When multiple regression analyses were then applied to different diagnostic subgroups of dyspareunia, the independent predictors of pain rating varied depending on the findings from the gynecological examinations. CONCLUSION: Affect and marital adjustment appear to be significant predictors of dyspareunic pain rating, although the independent contribution of psychosocial variables may vary depending on the presence and type of organic findings

Pain threshold, tolerance and catastrophization in women with dyspareunia

This study examined the impact of pain and sexual stimuli on the experience of experimentally induced pain, as well as pain threshold, tolerance and catastrophization levels in women with dyspareunia compared to control women

Patient preference for the management of mildly abnormal Papanicolau smears

The article provides information on a study that investigated management preference and desire for decision-making involvement in women who have received a first mildly abnormal Papanicolaou smear. The majority of women in this highly educated sample preferred active management of their mildly abnormal Pap smears, although a substantial minority either opted for the surveillance strategy or reported no strong preference. Furthermore, management preference in this sample was not related to knowledge but rather to level of state anxiety. This indicates that these decisions may be guided more by emotions than by facts. Research has shown repeatedly that abnormal Pap smears are associated with a significant amount of anxiety. It could be that fear of invasive carcinoma weighs in heavily on the side of the active management strategy, despite knowledge of its being a low probability event. As gynecologists continue to evaluate the comparative medical efficacy of different strategies in the management of low-grade cervical abnormalities. It seems important that patient preference and psychosocial factors affecting preference be integrated into the evaluation process and incorporated into clinical practice

Análisis de la reproducibilidad en tres tests de salto con plataforma de fuerzas y de contactos

El propósito del presente trabajo es conocer la reproducibilidad que presenta la medición de potencia en los tests de salto, tanto en el test-retest y dia a día, como en el empleo de diferentes sistemas de medición (la plataforma de fuerzas y la plataforma de contactos). Debido a que lo que se pretendió fue medir la reproducibilidad, se tuvieron en cuenta y se controlaron un gran número de factores que de algún modo podían influir en la consecución de los resultados. Se lIevó a cabo un diseño experimental en el que se pasaron, en dos días con una semana de separación entre ellos, los tests de salto: sin contramovimiento (SJ), con contramovimiento (CMJ) y horizontal a pies juntos (SLJ), a 12 sujetos varones estudiantes de educación física. Se ha comprobado cómo la reproducibilidad en el test-retest es buena en las tres pruebas estudiadas (Sj r = 0,89 y 0,98; CMj r = 0,86 Y 0,99; SLj r = 0,97 Y0,99: p < 0,00 I), mientras que en el día adía, si bien los valores también son buenos, no lo son tanto (SJ r = 0,76; CMj r = 0,78; SLj r = 0,75: p < 0,05). Porotra parte, los dos sistemas de medición analizados miden de forma semejante, sin embargo se han encontrado diferencias de hasta 7 cm, con lo cual, antes de empezar a evaluar longitudinalmente a un deportista, habra que decantarse por un sistema y continuar con él hasta el final. En conclusión, siempre que se desee realizar mediciones de potencia en un deportista mediante tests de saltos, habra que prestar atención y controlar todos los factores externos susceptibles de ser modificados y capaces, a su vez, de influir en los resultados