The complex associations between late life depression,fear of falling and risk of falls. A systematic review and meta-analysis

IntroductionDepression rates in older people worldwide vary from 10% to 15% of community-dwelling older persons. There are two others problems related to depression in old age, namely the high incidence of falls and the so-called fear of falling (FOF), with a prevalence ranging from 20% to 85%; it was initially considered a post-fall syndrome, which later as a fall-independent event.AimsStudy aims to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to bridge the existing gap in literature about the association between depressive symptomatology, FOF, use of antidepressant therapy and falls, also identifying a possible effect of the study quality on the outcome.MethodsThe selection of studies was carried out between May 20, 2020, and July 27, 2020 and only observational clinical trials, written in English, with participants aged more or equal to 60 years affected by diagnosis of depression or treatment for depression mentioned both as a clinical diagnosis in older patient, and as a predictor/consequence of falls were included. The systematic review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analysis, and the protocol was recorded in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO).Results and discussionThe screening process ultimately led to the inclusion of 18 articles. Many of the included studies showed that depressive symptoms caused the subsequent increase in the number of falls. Results from the meta-analysis had no highlighted association between depression and falls, in contrast to other review and meta-analysis works: our work includes a substantial number of studies, with a relatively recent publication date, including patients diagnosed with depression, clearly evaluating the association between depression and falls. Results all seem to confirm the hypothesis of an interdependent association between the presence of FOF and the risk of fall, despite the high percentage of cross-sectional studies prevents inferring on the direction of the association. Therapeutic interventions aimed at decrease rate of falls reducing depressive symptoms and FOF.     

Pain Catastrophizing,Fear of Pain,and Depression and Their Association with Female Sexual Pain

IntroductionPainful sexual intercourse or dyspareunia is a common complaint among women, affecting 12–21% of premenopausal women. Recent studies have begun to focus on the role of fear avoidance and pain catastrophizing (PC) in genital pain and have consistently highlighted the importance of psych-affective factors in sexual pain.AimTo establish the importance of PC, fear of pain, and depression for the development and maintenance of female sexual pain.MethodsThis longitudinal study was conducted in the United Kingdom to assess sexual pain at 2 different time points, in 2009 and 2013, in a convenience sample of N = 979 British women.Main Outcome MeasureWell-validated questionnaires including the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, the Pain Anxiety Symptom Scale, and the Female Sexual Function Index (recent and lifelong version) were applied.ResultsMultilevel modeling showed a strong increase of short-lived sexual pain over the 4 years (π₀₁ = –0.33; P < .001). According to the moderation analyses, only depression influenced the change in short-lived pain over the 4 years (π₁₁ = 0.46; P = .016). Similarly, only depression turned out to be independently associated with sexual pain when entered into the multiple regression model, as women reporting higher depression levels also reported more sexual pain (P < 0.05).Clinical ImplicationsClinicians should be aware that the mechanisms influencing short-lived sexual pain and changes in sexual pain seem to be different from the more enduring psychological factors that lead to the development and maintenance of “chronic” sexual pain.Strengths & LimitationsA very generic and unidimensional definition of sexual pain was used without information on pain frequency or intensity, and no information on the possible underlying (medical or psychological or both) causes was available. However, as far as we know this represents the first study to use repeated measures to assess how pain changes over a 4-year period and to explore the role of potential psychoaffective risk factors.ConclusionAmong the variables studied, symptoms of depression seemed to be the only independent predictor of lifelong sexual pain, overriding potential influences of pain catastrophizing or fear of pain.Burri A, Hilpert P, Williams F. Pain Catastrophizing, Fear of Pain, and Depression and Their Association with Female Sexual Pain. J Sex Med 2020;17:279–288.     

Systematic review and meta-analysis of fear of falling and fall-related efficacy in a widely disseminated community-based fall prevention program

BackgroundFear of falling restricts mobility and increases fall risk among older adults. Fall-related efficacy (i.e. the confidence to perform activities without falling), a construct related to fear of falling, has also been associated with active living and fall prevention. This study statistically synthesized the program effects of A Matter of Balance Volunteer Lay Leader (AMOB/VLL) model, designed to improve fall-related efficacy and promote daily activities among community-dwelling older adults.MethodsResearch articles and doctoral dissertations that examined the effect of the AMOB/VLL on fear of falling and fall-related efficacy were searched from multiple databases. A random effects model was used to compute mean weighted effect sizes, 95 % CIs, and heterogeneity (I²). Bias was examined through a funnel plot and Egger’s test. Factors associated with heterogeneity were also explored.ResultsSeventeen AMOB/VLL studies involving 3,860 participants were identified. The pooled effects of the 13 studies with sufficient information for effect size calculation, were −0.29 (95 % CI: −0.40, −0.19) for fear of falling and 0.51 (95 % CI: 0.42, 0.60) for fall-related efficacy. Effect sizes differed partially due to outcome measures of fall-related efficacy. Covariate adjustment and study quality were not associated with differences in effect sizes. No substantial evidence of asymmetry and publication bias was found.ConclusionThis study provides evidence supporting AMOB/VLL as an effective intervention for reducing fear of falling and improving fall-related efficacy. A greater consistency in outcome measures is needed to optimally capture changes in fear of falling and fall-related efficacy among community-dwelling older adults.     

Effectiveness of a smartphone-based,augmented reality exposure app to reduce fear of spiders in real-life: A randomized controlled trial

Although in vivo exposure therapy is highly effective in the treatment of specific phobias, only a minority of patients seeks therapy. Exposure to virtual objects has been shown to be better tolerated, equally efficacious, but the technology has not been made widely accessible yet.We developed an augmented reality (AR) application (app) to reduce fear of spiders and performed a randomized controlled trial comparing the effects of our app (six 30-min sessions at home over a two-week period) with no intervention. Primary outcome was subjective fear, measured by a Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) in a Behavioural Approach Test (BAT) in a real-life spider situation at six weeks follow-up.Between Oct 7, 2019, and Dec 6, 2019, 66 individuals were enrolled and randomized. The intervention led to significantly lower subjective fear in the BAT compared to the control group (intervention group, baseline: 7.12 [SD 2.03] follow-up: 5.03 [SD 2.19] vs. control group, baseline: 7.06 [SD 2.34], follow-up 6.24 [SD 2.21]; adjusted group difference -1.24, 95 % CI -2.17 to -0.31; Cohen’s d = 0.57, p = 0.010).The repeated use of the AR app reduces subjective fear in a real-life spider situation, providing a low-threshold and low-cost treatment for fear of spiders.     

Impact of acute inflammation on the extinction of aversive gut memories

Impaired extinction of pain-related fear memories can lead to persistent or resurging fear of pain, contributing to the development and maintenance of chronic pain conditions. The mechanisms underlying maladaptive pain-related learning and memory processes remain incompletely understood, particularly in the context of interoceptive, visceral pain. Inflammation is known to interfere with learning and memory, but its effects on the extinction of pain-related fear memories have never been tested. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, we assessed the impact of experimental acute inflammation on the extinction and reinstatement of conditioned visceral pain-related fear. Forty healthy male volunteers underwent differential fear conditioning with visceral pain as clinically relevant unconditioned stimulus (US). Participants then received an intravenous injection of either 0.8 ng/kg lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as inflammatory stimulus or physiological saline as placebo, and extinction training was conducted at the peak of the inflammatory response. Extinction recall and reinstatement test were performed after overnight consolidation. Results showed that visceral pain represents an effective US, eliciting pronounced conditioned pain-related fear responses. Repeated unreinforced presentation of the pain-predictive cue during extinction training resulted in full extinction of the conditioned behavioral response. However, unexpected re-exposure to the US during reinstatement test resulted in return of fear. Despite pronounced LPS-induced effects on inflammatory markers, cortisol, and negative affect, we did not find evidence that acute inflammation resulted in altered fear extinction. The findings support the notion that visceral pain-related fear learning establishes a robust aversive memory trace that remains preserved during inhibitory learning, leaving a latent vulnerability for the return of fear. Inflammation during inhibitory learning did neither weaken nor further amplify this aversive memory trace, suggesting that it is rather resistant to acute inflammation-induced effects, at least in healthy individuals with no additional vulnerability factors.     

The effectiveness of finger puppet play in reducing fear of surgery in children undergoing elective surgery: A randomised controlled trial

BackgroundThe use of therapeutic interventions in the preoperative period reduces the fear in children by strengthening the relationship between the child, parent and the nurse.AimsThis study aimed to investigate the effect of finger puppet play with parental involvement on fear of surgery in children undergoing elective minor surgery.MethodsA prospective, randomised controlled study was conducted in a state hospital in Turkey with 70 children aged between 5-10 years. In addition to the routine care, children in the intervention group received an intervention that included finger puppet play with their parents while the control group received routine care. The data were collected via demographic form and Children’s Fear Scale.FindingsThe preoperative fear scores of the children did not show a statistical difference between the group (p > 0.05). The results showed that children in the finger puppet group reported significantly lower fear scores than those in the control group while entering the surgery room (p < 0.001), and in the postoperative period (p < 0.001). The proxy report of the parents and nurses were also lower for the children in the finger puppet group (p < 0.05).DiscussionThe results provide empirical data on the effectiveness of finger puppet play in children's preoperative care, entering the surgery room, and postoperative fear.ConclusionIn line with these results, it is recommended that finger puppet play is used by nurses and parents for reducing fear of surgery in children at paediatric clinics.     

Prevalence of pain and fear as barriers to vaccination in children – Systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundInjection-related pain and fear are common adverse reactions in children undergoing vaccination and influence vaccine acceptance. Despite the large body of literature on sources of vaccine non-compliance, there is no estimate of the prevalence of pain and fear as contributing factors. The objective was to estimate the prevalence of injection pain or fear of needles as barriers to childhood (i.e., 0–18 years) vaccination.MethodsFour databases were searched from inception for relevant English and French articles until August 2021. In addition, the references of recent systematic reviews and all articles included in the review were hand searched. Article screening and data extractions were performed in duplicate. Studies were included if they reported on injection-related pain or fear of needles in children (0–18 years) using a checklist/closed-ended question(s). Results were stratified by respondent (parents or children), type of pediatric population (general or under-vaccinated), and relative importance of barrier (pain or needle fear as primary reason or any reason for under-vaccination). Prevalence rates of pain or needle fear were combined using a random effects model. Quality of included studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist for prevalence data. Quality across studies was assessed using GRADE.ResultsThere were 26 studies with 45 prevalence estimates published between 1995 and 2021. For parent reports (of children) and children self-reported reasons for non-compliance, prevalence rates of pain or needle fear ranged from 5 to 13% in a general population and 8 to 28% in an under-vaccinated population, with a substantial variation in the prevalence estimates. There was no difference between category of respondent or relative importance on pain or needle fear prevalence rate. A regression model demonstrated an overall prevalence rate of pain or needle fear as an obstacle to vaccination of 8% in the general population and 18.3% in the under-vaccinated population. All evidence was very low in quality.ConclusionThis is the first review to systematically quantify the prevalence and therefore, importance, of pain and needle fear as obstacles to vaccination in children around the world. Pain from injection or fear of needles were demonstrated to be sufficiently prevalent as barriers to vaccination in children to warrant attention. Addressing pain and fear has the potential to significantly improve vaccination acceptance.     

拔牙畏惧的患者自控疗法研究

目的：用提高患者的自控能力来缓解患者拔牙时的就诊压力。方法：对第一次拔取第三磨牙的患者作牙科畏惧评定，筛选出患有牙科畏惧症的患者，拔牙术前给予三种不同的外科准备，评价患者对自控能力的信心和术中的行为反应，并将各组结果进行比较。结果：术前放松组减轻了患者的就诊压力，改善了术中的行为反应，而术前放松强化组又优于单纯的放松组。结论：患者的自信和自控是可操纵的，这种心理辅助疗法能减轻患者面对牙科就诊的压力。