DOCSLIB.ORG

Understanding the Relationship Between Spiritual Struggles and Physical Health: a Physiological Study

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Understanding the Relationship Between Spiritual Struggles and Physical Health: a Physiological Study UNDERSTANDING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPIRITUAL STRUGGLES AND PHYSICAL HEALTH: A PHYSIOLOGICAL STUDY Kavita M. Desai A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY August 2009 Committee: Kenneth I. Pargament, Advisor C. Carney Strange Graduate Faculty Representative Anne Gordon Annette Mahoney William O'Brien ii ABSTRACT Kenneth Pargament, Advisor Psychological research has demonstrated links between religion and physical health and well-being. Although religion is generally beneficial for individuals, spiritual struggles can be detrimental for physical health. Studies have linked spiritual struggles with poor physical health, such as declines in somatic recovery (Fitchett, Rybarczyk, DeMarco, and Nicholas, 1999) and increased risk of mortality (Pargament, Koenig, Tarakeshwar, & Hahn, 2001). Given that spiritual struggles have been tied to harmful health consequences, it is important to understand the biological mechanisms underlying this relationship. Research has demonstrated that life stress causes cardiovascular reactivity, which in turn, is related to cardiovascular problems. The present study explored whether the same mechanism holds true for spiritual struggles and health problems; specifically, whether spiritual struggles were associated with increased cardiovascular reactivity. In addition, the study investigated whether the experiences of spiritual and life struggles were associated with different levels of cardiovascular distress. Undergraduate students experiencing both spiritual and life struggles were identified. Using a counter-balanced experimental design, participants (n = 80) were prompted to talk about neutral topics, spiritual struggles, and life struggles. Cardiovascular distress, heart rate and blood pressure, were monitored continuously during the study while mood and subjective distress were assessed after each condition. The results partially supported the hypotheses, though significant order effects made it difficult to interpret the differences between spiritual struggles and life struggles. Nevertheless, the results suggest that spiritual struggles were related to increased cardiovascular reactivity, particularly blood pressure, when compared to baseline functioning. Implications for future studies and limitations of this study are discussed. iii To my parents, Harsha and Mahesh, and my sister, Armisha, who provided me with love and motivation, sprinkled with critical questions, to ensure that I found a meaningful career path iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Kenneth Pargament, for your guidance and support during my years as a graduate student. Prior to starting graduate school, I did not truly understand the research process or the skills required to successfully complete research projects. The atmosphere of independence, coupled with your limitless patience, fostered my skills as a researcher. I am truly fortunate to have been able to have you as an advisor. I would also like to thank the members of my committee, Dr. Anne Gordon, Dr. Annette Mahoney, and Dr. William O’Brien. Your insight and expertise about the research process has given me invaluable experience as I continue on my path towards becoming a researcher. I am thankful for your participation and support over the years. In addition, I would like to thank Dr. Strange, my graduate college representative, for agreeing to join my dissertation committee last minute. Your flexibility in joining my committee and scheduling was much appreciated. Lastly, I would like to give personal thanks to my family and friends who have endured and supported me along the long journey towards the completion of my dissertation, and consequently, the completion of my doctorate. First, to my family, your questions and interest about my degree progress and my research demonstrated your support, love, and investment in all the endeavors that I undertake. Your love and support have enabled me to branch off the “traditional” path, allowing me to follow my own inspiration and dreams. To my husband, Nirav, for providing a mixture of study breaks and motivation needed to complete this project. In addition, I would like to thank the new part of my family, my in-laws, for your support over the past two years. And, to Toral, my sister-in-law, who witnessed my dissertation meeting with excitement and enthusiasm, which helped make the entire process more meaningful. Thank you all for your support, without it, this process may never have ended! v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 1 Religious Coping Theory ....................................................................................... 1 Outcomes of Spiritual Struggles ............................................................................ 4 Explaining Links between Spiritual Struggles and Poorer Health .......................... 9 Present Study ...................................................................................................... 15 CHAPTER II. METHODS ............................................................................................... 18 Sample Characteristics .......................................................................................... 18 Measures ....................................................................................................... 19 Procedure ....................................................................................................... 26 CHAPTER III. RESULTS ................................................................................................ 30 General Analytic Plan ............................................................................................ 30 Preliminary Analyses ............................................................................................. 31 Main Analyses ....................................................................................................... 32 CHAPTER IV. DISCUSSION .......................................................................................... 36 CHAPTER V. LIMITATIONS AND DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ........... 41 CHAPTER VI. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................ 45 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................... 61 APPENDIX A. SCREENING STUDY ............................................................................ 67 APPENDIX B. SPIRITUAL STRUGGLES SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW .......... 71 APPENDIX C. LIFE STRUGGLES SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW ...................... 73 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Summary of Laboratory Study ............................................................................... 46 2 Descriptive Information for Screening and Demographic Questionnaires ............... 47 3 Descriptive Information for Difference Scores ....................................................... 48 4 Descriptive Information by Order, Difference Scores............................................. 49 5 Paired Samples T-tests Examining Differences between Spiritual Struggle First Order and Life Struggle First Order for Demographic and Screening Questionnaire ....... 50 6 3 (Condition) x 2 (Order) Mixed Model ANOVA Examining Interaction Effects for Condition and Order for Physiological Variables and Relevant Post-Hoc t-tests ........ 51 7 1 (Order) x 3 (Condition) Simple Main Effects ANOVAs Examining Differences between Conditions for Participants in Spiritual Strugg les First Order and Relevant Post-Hoc T-tests ....................................................................................................... 52 8 1 (Order) x 3 (Condition) Simple Main Effects ANOVAs Examining Differences between Conditions for Participants in Life Struggles First Order and Relevant Post-Hoc T-tests ....................................................................................................... 53 9 3 (Condition) x 2 (Order) x 4(Controls) Mixed Model ANCOVA Examining Interaction Effects for Condition and Order for Physiological Variables while Controlling for Inequalities between Orders ....................................................................................................... 54 10 Paired Samples T-tests Comparing Physiological Variables for Spiritual Struggles Condition and Neutral Condition for Spiritual Struggles First Order ............................... 55 11 3 (Condition) x 2 (Order) Mixed Model ANOVA Examining Interaction Effects for Psychological Variables ................................................................................................. 56 vii 12 Post-Hoc T-tests Examining Differences between Condition for SUDS, NA .......... 57 13 1(Order) x 3(Condition) Simple Main Effects ANOVAs and Subsequent Post-Hoc Analyses Examining Differences between Conditions for Participants............................ 58 14 3 (Condition) x 2 (Order) x 4 (Control) ANCOVA Examining for Interaction between Condition and Order for Psychological Variables, while controlling for Potential Covariates ....................................................................................................... 59 15 Paired Samples T-tests Comparing Psychological Variables for Spiritual Struggles Condition and Neutral Condition for Spiritual Struggles First Order
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Emotional Reactivity, Self-Control and Children's Hostile Attributions Over
    COGNITION AND EMOTION, 2015 Vol. 29, No. 4, 592–603, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2014.924906 Emotional reactivity, self-control and children’s hostile attributions over middle childhood Jackie A. Nelson1 and Nicole B. Perry2 1School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA 2Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA Hostile attribution bias, a child’s tendency to interpret ambiguous social information as threatening or hostile, has been discussed as an important point in which social, emotional and cognitive information intersect. This study explores the natural changes that occur in children’shostile attributions across three grades during middle childhood and examines how emotional reactivity and self-control at third, fourth and fifth grade independently and interactively relate to these trajectories. Participants included 919 children whose mothers reported on their emotional reactivity, whose teachers reported on their self-control and who completed an attribution bias interview, all at grades 3, 4 and 5. Results revealed that among children with a greater tendency to make hostile attributions at third grade, lower self-control at third grade was associated with greater initial hostile attribution bias and less decline in biases over time. Additionally, greater emotional reactivity at fourth grade was associated with declines in these children’s hostile attributions, but only when self-control was also higher at fourth grade. Keywords: Social information processing; Hostile attribution bias; Emotional reactivity; Self-control; Middle childhood. More than a decade ago, Lemerise and Arsenio emotional reactivity and regulation (e.g., Crick & (2000) hypothesised that social information pro- Dodge, 1994; Eisenberg & Fabes, 1992), little cessing (SIP) was an important context in which empirical research has tested the intersection of to explore the intersection of emotion, cognition these three social processes.
    [Show full text]
  • Psychology of Sport and Exercise 14 (2013) 266E274
    Psychology of Sport and Exercise 14 (2013) 266e274 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Psychology of Sport and Exercise journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/psychsport Does the level of physical exercise affect physiological and psychological responses to psychosocial stress in women? Sandra Klaperski a,*, Bernadette von Dawans b, Markus Heinrichs b, Reinhard Fuchs a a Institute of Sport Science, University of Freiburg, Schwarzwaldstr. 175, D-79117 Freiburg, Germany b Department of Psychology, Laboratory for Biological and Personality Psychology, University of Freiburg, Stefan-Meier-Str. 8, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany article info abstract Article history: Objectives: To test the Cross-Stressor Adaptation hypothesis for females by examining whether physically Received 14 October 2012 exercising young women show reduced physiological and psychological stress responses to a psycho- Received in revised form social stressor. 9 November 2012 Design: Forty-seven healthy young women with different levels of physical exercise (17 not or rarely Accepted 13 November 2012 exercising, 15 moderately exercising, 15 vigorously exercising) underwent the Trier Social Stress Test for Available online 28 November 2012 Groups (TSST-G); physiological and psychological stress responses during and after stress induction were compared. Keywords: Cortisol Method: ANOVAs with repeated measures were used to compare stress reactivity and recovery between Cross-Stressor Adaptation hypothesis the three exercise groups. Heart rate and salivary free cortisol were used as indicators of physiological Exercise stress response, state anxiety, mood, and calmness as indicators of psychological stress response. For Heart rate physiological stress reactivity, the areas under the curve with respect to the ground (AUCG) were Stress reactivity compared.
    [Show full text]
  • Cognitive Psychology
    COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY PSYCH 126 Acknowledgements College of the Canyons would like to extend appreciation to the following people and organizations for allowing this textbook to be created: California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Chancellor Diane Van Hook Santa Clarita Community College District College of the Canyons Distance Learning Office In providing content for this textbook, the following professionals were invaluable: Mehgan Andrade, who was the major contributor and compiler of this work and Neil Walker, without whose help the book could not have been completed. Special Thank You to Trudi Radtke for editing, formatting, readability, and aesthetics. The contents of this textbook were developed under the Title V grant from the Department of Education (Award #P031S140092). However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Unless otherwise noted, the content in this textbook is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Table of Contents Psychology .................................................................................................................................................... 1 126 ................................................................................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 1 - History of Cognitive Psychology ............................................................................................. 7 Definition of Cognitive Psychology
    [Show full text]
  • Abnormal Psychology Reactivity Refers to The
    Abnormal Psychology Reactivity Refers To The Navigable and riverine Barclay never insphered his goosegogs! Mononuclear and feeble-minded Peyton pre-empts almost accumulatively, though Edgardo obscuration his pontlevises vacuum-clean. Compensational Antone overlaying some parachronism after vaporizable Guthrey piss cringingly. Genital herpes is so there are the following individuals and reactivity refers to abnormal the psychology syllabus deals with schizophrenia experience while dorsal mpfc seems more symptoms and failure was doing similar symptoms Alexithymia in children exposed to know what others is preferable to find faults in an additional equipment to a reductive environment as the reactivity, have influenced its effectiveness. Examples included frequency and intensity of emotion, therefore, editors. The integration of biological, interpreted the results, is sometimes used to get brain structures that land to severe disorders in cases where other treatments have found been effective. The hunger of the learning outcomes listed above is concerned with eclectic approaches. Study procedures followed ethical standards of chemistry American Psychological Association and were approved by the university institutional review board. Rethinking aggression with a while describing, the type separately here, practice parameter option under the stimulus because there is to abnormal child high school context. The primary limitation with stealth approach do that which mere presence of the observer could affect the rude of bird people being observed. Watson D, such as college degrees attained and income. Toronto alexithymia scale: III. Nezlek JB, and social factors provides the most fruitful avenue for discovering the cause and most mental disorders. Aziz 2006 Thus what all important person not the consent behavior in him of itself not how.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Emotional Reactivity, Self-Regulation, and Puberty in Adolescents' Prosocial Behaviors Gustavo Carlo University of Missouri, [email protected]
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by UNL | Libraries University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Faculty Publications, Department of Psychology Psychology, Department of 11-2012 The Role of Emotional Reactivity, Self-regulation, and Puberty in Adolescents' Prosocial Behaviors Gustavo Carlo University of Missouri, [email protected] Lisa J. Crockett University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Jennifer M. Wolff University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Sarah J. Beal University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychfacpub Part of the Psychology Commons Carlo, Gustavo; Crockett, Lisa J.; Wolff, Jennifer M.; and Beal, Sarah J., "The Role of Emotional Reactivity, Self-regulation, and Puberty in Adolescents' Prosocial Behaviors" (2012). Faculty Publications, Department of Psychology. 804. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychfacpub/804 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Psychology, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications, Department of Psychology by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. HHS Public Access Author manuscript Author ManuscriptAuthor Manuscript Author Soc Dev Manuscript Author . Author manuscript; Manuscript Author available in PMC 2017 March 17. Published in final edited form as: Soc Dev. 2012 November ; 21(4): 667–685. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9507.2012.00660.x. The Role of Emotional Reactivity, Self-regulation, and Puberty in Adolescents' Prosocial Behaviors Gustavo Carlo, University of Missouri Lisa J. Crockett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Jennifer M. Wolff, and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Sarah J.
    [Show full text]
  • Stereotype Threat Vs
    ELICITING STEREOTYPE CHALLENGE AND STEREOTYPE THREAT EFFECTS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF WOMEN’S MATH PERFORMANCE A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science Ronald A. Elizaga November 2005 This thesis entitled ELICITING STEREOTYPE CHALLENGE AND STEREOTYPE THREAT EFFECTS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF WOMEN’S MATH PERFORMANCE by Ronald A. Elizaga has been approved for the Department of Psychology and the College of Arts and Sciences by Keith D. Markman Assistant Professor of Psychology Benjamin M. Ogles Interim Dean, College of Arts and Sciences ELIZAGA, RONALD A. M.S. November 2005. Social Psychology Eliciting Stereotype Challenge and Stereotype Threat Effects Within the Context of Women’s Math Performance (61 pp.) Director of Thesis: Keith D. Markman The present study examined stereotype challenge and threat responses through a manipulation of social comparison information. Female participants received feedback about an ostensibly matched partner who was either similar (i.e., female) or dissimilar (i.e., male) to themselves. After learning that they would be taking a math test that either has or has not demonstrated gender differences in the past, participants learned that their partner either performed very well or very poorly on the test. Subsequently, participants took the math test themselves, and their performance was evaluated. It was predicted that interacting with a peer whose performance was consistent with the negative stereotype would exacerbate stereotype threat effects, while interacting with a peer whose performance challenged the negative stereotype would eliminate stereotype threat effects.
    [Show full text]
  • AFRICAN AMERICANS and HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE: the Role of Stereotype Threat Jim Blascovich,1 Steven J
    PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE Research Article AFRICAN AMERICANS AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE: The Role of Stereotype Threat Jim Blascovich,1 Steven J. Spencer,2 Diane Quinn,3 and Claude Steele4 1University of California, Santa Barbara; 2University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; 3University of Connecticut; and 4Stanford University Abstract—We examined the effect of stereotype threat on blood pres- Goldstein, & Armstrong, 1989). Second, repressing anger and anger- sure reactivity. Compared with European Americans, and African provoking manipulations, particularly ones in which racism provokes Americans under little or no stereotype threat, African Americans un- the anger, do produce greater cardiovascular reactivity among African der stereotype threat exhibited larger increases in mean arterial blood Americans compared with European Americans (Armstead, Lawler, pressure during an academic test, and performed more poorly on diffi- Gorden, Cross, & Gibbons, 1989; Harburg, Blakelock, & Roper, 1979; cult test items. We discuss the significance of these findings for under- Johnson, 1989; Johnson, Schork, & Spielberger, 1987). Third, John standing the incidence of hypertension among African Americans. Henryism, or the tendency to work extremely hard while not giving up on difficult and demanding tasks, has been strongly associated with hypertension in African Americans but not in European Americans Many studies have demonstrated that African Americans have a (James, Hartnett, & Kalsbeek, 1983; James, LaCroix, Kleinbaum, & higher incidence of high blood pressure, or hypertension, than Euro- Strogatz, 1984; James, Strogatz, Wing, & Ramsey, 1987). pean Americans (for reviews, see Anderson, 1989; Folkow, 1982; Because African Americans face more situations in which they are Obrist, 1981). Some researchers have argued that genetic factors ex- stereotyped by others and consequently face a relatively high level of ste- plain the higher incidence (Rotimi, Cooper, Cao, Sundarum, & Mc- reotype threat, a rare experience for European Americans, their compara- Gee, 1994).
    [Show full text]
  • Social Influence and the Brain: Persuasion, Susceptibility to Influence and Retransmission
    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Neuroethics Publications Center for Neuroscience & Society 6-2015 Social Influence and the Brain: Persuasion, Susceptibility to Influence and Retransmission Christopher N. Cascio University of Pennsylvania Christin Scholz University of Pennsylvania Emily B. Falk University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/neuroethics_pubs Part of the Bioethics and Medical Ethics Commons, Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons, Neurosciences Commons, and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Cascio, C. N., Scholz, C., & Falk, E. B. (2015). Social Influence and the Brain: Persuasion, Susceptibility to Influence and Retransmission. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 3 51-57. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ j.cobeha.2015.01.007 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/neuroethics_pubs/128 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Social Influence and the Brain: Persuasion, Susceptibility to Influence and Retransmission Abstract Social influence is an important topic of research, with a particularly long history in the social sciences. Recently, social influence has also become a opict of interest among neuroscientists. The aim of this review is to highlight current research that has examined neural systems associated with social influence, from the perspective of being influenced as well as influencing others, and highlight studies that link neural mechanisms with real-world behavior change beyond the laboratory. Although many of the studies reviewed focus on localizing brain regions implicated in influence within the lab, we argue that approaches that account for networks of brain regions and that integrate neural data with data beyond the laboratory are likely to be most fruitful in understanding influence.
    [Show full text]
  • Participant Reactivity in Museum Research 1
    Running head: PARTICIPANT REACTIVITY IN MUSEUM RESEARCH 1 Participant Reactivity in Museum Research: The Effect of Cueing Visitors at an Interactive Exhibit Scott A. Pattison and Todd Shagott Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland, Oregon, USA Article citation: Scott A. Pattison & Todd Shagott. (2015). Participant reactivity in museum research: The effect of cueing visitors at an interactive exhibit, Visitor Studies, 18(2), 214-232, DOI: 10.1080/10645578.2015.1079103 About the Authors Scott A. Pattison, Ph.D., is a researcher and evaluator at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and the Institute for Learning Innovation. He studies education, learning, and interest development in free-choice and out-of-school environments, including museums, science centers, and everyday settings. Address correspondence to Scott A. Pattison, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland, OR 97214. E-mail: [email protected]. Todd Shagott, Ph.D., is a research assistant at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. His work is currently focused on exhibit evaluation and visitor interactions. E-mail: [email protected]. Acknowledgments We are grateful to all the OMSI staff members and Design Zone project team members who supported and contributed to this work, including Marcie Benne, Kendall Bartholomew, Karyn Bertschi, Mary Kay Cunningham, Scott Ewing, Angela Fray, Cecilia Garibay, Marilyn PARTICIPANT REACTIVITY IN MUSEUM RESEARCH 2 Johnson, Jan Mokros, and Andee Rubin. Thanks also to Marcie Benne, Karyn Bertschi, Chris Cardiel, Katura Reynolds, Debbie Siegel, Barry Walther, and two anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful feedback on initial drafts. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant number DRL-0714634.
    [Show full text]
  • Differential Styles of Emotional Reactivity and Antisocial Behavior Relative to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Expression in Detained Youth
    University of New Orleans ScholarWorks@UNO University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations Dissertations and Theses Spring 5-13-2016 Differential Styles of Emotional Reactivity and Antisocial Behavior Relative to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Expression in Detained Youth Molly A. Miller University of New Orleans, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td Part of the Developmental Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Miller, Molly A., "Differential Styles of Emotional Reactivity and Antisocial Behavior Relative to Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Expression in Detained Youth" (2016). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 2175. https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/2175 This Thesis-Restricted is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by ScholarWorks@UNO with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis-Restricted in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Thesis-Restricted has been accepted for inclusion in University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Differential Styles of Emotional Reactivity and Antisocial Behavior Relative to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Expression in Detained Youth A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of New Orleans in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science In Psychology By Molly A.
    [Show full text]
  • Neuropsychological Functioning and Stress Reactivity in Type 1 Diabetes
    Neuropsychological Functioning And Stress Reactivity In Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus by Catherine Marreiro A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Approved June 2013 by the Graduate Supervisory Committee: Linda Luecken, Co-Chair Leah Doane, Co-Chair Manuel Barrera Leona Aiken ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY August 2013 ©2013 Catherine Louise Marreiro All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) is a chronic disease that requires maintaining tight metabolic control through complex behavioral and pharmaceutical regimens. Subtle cognitive impairments and stress response dysregulation may partially account for problems negotiating life changes and maintaining treatment adherence among emerging adults. The current study examined whether young adults with T1DM physiologically respond to psychological stress in a dysregulated manner compared to non-diabetic peers, and if such individuals also demonstrated greater cognitive declines following psychological stress. Participants included 23 young adults with T1DM and 52 non-diabetic controls yoked to T1DM participants based on age, gender, ethnicity, participant education, and maternal education. Participants completed a laboratory- based social stressor, pre- and post-stressor neurocognitive testing, provided fingerstick blood spots (for glucose levels) and salivary samples (for cortisol levels) at five points across the protocol, and completed psychosocial questionnaires. Related measures ANOVAs were conducted to assess differences between T1DM participants and the average of yoked controls on cortisol and cognitive outcomes. Results demonstrated that differences in cortisol reactivity were dependent on T1DM participants' use of insulin pump therapy (IPT). T1DM participants not using IPT demonstrated elevated cortisol reactivity compared to matched controls. There was no difference in cortisol reactivity between the T1DM participants on IPT and matched controls.
    [Show full text]
  • Journal of Experimental Psychology: General
    Journal of Experimental Psychology: General Contagious Yawning, Empathy, and Their Relation to Prosocial Behavior Axel Franzen, Sebastian Mader, and Fabian Winter Online First Publication, May 17, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/xge0000422 CITATION Franzen, A., Mader, S., & Winter, F. (2018, May 17). Contagious Yawning, Empathy, and Their Relation to Prosocial Behavior. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/xge0000422 Journal of Experimental Psychology: General © 2018 American Psychological Association 2018, Vol. 0, No. 999, 000 0096-3445/18/$12.00 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/xge0000422 Contagious Yawning, Empathy, and Their Relation to Prosocial Behavior Axel Franzen and Sebastian Mader Fabian Winter University of Bern Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, Bonn, Germany Humans express facial mimicry across a variety of actions. This article explores a distinct example, contagious yawning, and the links to empathy and prosocial behavior. Prior studies have suggested that there is a positive link between empathy and the susceptibility to contagious yawning. However, the existing evidence has been sparse and contradictory. We present results from 2 laboratory studies conducted with 171 (Study 1) and 333 (Study 2) student volunteers. Subjects were video-recorded while watching muted videos of individuals yawning, scratching, or laughing. Empathy was measured using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. Although subjects imitated all facial expressions to large extents, our studies show that only contagious yawning was related to empathy. Subjects who yawned in response to observing others yawn exhibited higher empathy values by half a standard deviation. However, we found no evidence that the susceptibility to contagious yawning is directly related to prosocial behavior.
    [Show full text]