Changes in dreaming induced by CPAP in severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome patients

To study dream content in patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and its modification with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy. We assessed twenty consecutive patients with severe OSAS and 17 healthy controls. Polysomnograms were recorded at baseline in patients and controls and during the CPAP titration night, 3 months after effective treatment and 2 years later in patients. Subjects were awakened 5-10 min after the beginning of the first and last rapid eye movement (REM) sleep periods and we measured percentage of dream recall, emotional content of the dream, word count, thematic units, sleep architecture and REM density. Dream recall in REM sleep was similar in patients at baseline and controls (51.5% versus 44.4% respectively; P = .421), decreased to 20% and 24.3% the first and third month CPAP nights, and increased to 39% 2 years later (P = 0.004). Violent/highly anxious dreams were only seen in patients at baseline. Word count was higher in patients than in controls. REM density was highest the first CPAP night. Severe OSAS patients recall dreams in REM sleep as often as controls, but their dreams have an increased emotional tone and are longer. Despite an increase in REM density, dream recall decreased the first months of CPAP and recovered 2 years later. Violent/highly anxious dreams disappeared with treatment. A dream recall decrease with CPAP is associated with normalization of sleep in OSAS patients.     

Quantifying positive communication: Doctor’s language and patient anxiety in primary care consultations

Objective

Positive communication is advocated for physicians during consultations with patients presenting medically unexplained symptoms (MUS), but studies generally focus on what is said rather than how it is said. This study quantified language use differences of general practitioners (GPs), and assessed their relation to patient anxiety.

高职院校学生生命意义感与父母教养方式的相关研究

目的对高职院校学生的生命意义感与父母教养方式进行相关研究。方法本研究采取分层随机抽样的方法,随机抽取江苏省南通市某所高职院校257名学生,使用《生活目的测试》量表（PIL）、《父母养育方式评价量表》（EMBU）进行问卷调查。结果142.8%的学生处于生命意义不明确状态,26.1%的学生处于生命无意义状态;2生命意义感与父亲的＂温暖理解＂因子呈显著正相关,与父亲的＂严厉惩罚＂、＂过分干涉＂、＂拒绝否认＂因子呈显著负相关;生命意义感与母亲的＂温暖理解＂因子呈显著正相关,与母亲的＂过分干涉保护＂＂拒绝否认＂、＂严厉惩罚＂因子呈显著负相关;3父亲的＂温暖理解＂、母亲的＂拒绝否认＂对生命意义感有显著的独立作用;父亲的＂过分干涉＂和母亲的＂拒绝否认＂对生命意义感有显著的交互作用。结论高职生生命意义感状况不容乐观;生命意义感与父母教养方式密切相关。     

Social support as a predictor exhaled nitric oxide in healthy individuals across time

Psychosocial factors such as social support and depression have long been associated with health outcomes. Elevated depressive symptoms are usually associated with worse health outcomes, whereas social support has been related to improvements in health. Nitric oxide levels are an important marker of both cardiovascular health and immune function. Research suggests that exhaled nitric oxide is affected by stress, negative affect, and depression; however, the effect of social support has not been previously explored. Thus, we sought to examine the association of social support, negative affect, and depression with exhaled nitric oxide in a group of 35 healthy individuals (10 males and 25 females) with a mean age of 20.5 years across five weekly assessments. Results showed that changes in social support within individuals were positively associated with levels of exhaled nitric oxide independent of other psychosocial factors. Further exploration of the health implications of this positive relationship between airway nitric oxide and social support is necessary.     

Prolonged marital stress is associated with short‐lived responses to positive stimuli

Marital stress is associated with a higher incidence of psychiatric disorders, in particular major depression. One pathway through which marital stress may impact emotional health is by compromising emotion‐responding processes. We examined a longitudinal sample of adults (N = 116; 59 males; 39–84 years) to verify how marital stress predicts reactivity to, and recovery from, emotional provocation. Individuals watched positive, neutral, and negative pictures while an objective measure of affective state, corrugator supercilii muscle activity, was recorded continuously. Our results indicate that marital stress is associated with short‐lived responses to positive pictures, indexed by a less persistent decrease in corrugator activity after picture offset. Extending beyond the prior focus on negative emotional processes, these results suggest that social stress may impact health by influencing the time course of responding to positive events.     

Life events and suicidal ideation and behavior: A systematic review

Despite the sustained theoretical and empirical interest over the past 40 years in the association between life events and suicidal ideation and behavior, the literature in this area has yet to be systematically reviewed. The current article provides a comprehensive review of the empirical literature pertaining to life events in relation to at least one aspect of suicidal ideation and behavior (i.e., suicidal ideation, plans, attempts, degree of suicidal intent, medical severity of attempt, repeat versus first lifetime attempt status, and death by suicide). A total of 95 articles meeting inclusion criteria were identified by a literature search using Medline and PsycINFO. Evidence for an association between negative life events and suicidal ideation and behavior was generally consistent, with strongest support found for more severe than with less severe forms of suicidal ideation and behavior. Support for an inverse relation between positive events and suicidal ideation and behavior was generally lacking. Although there is general support for life stressors as a risk factor for suicidal ideation and behavior, interpretation of these findings is constrained by methodological limitations prevalent in much of the literature, particularly in the case of suicidal ideation and suicide plans. Recommendations for future research are provided.     

积极心理学取向的团体辅导对医学生主观幸福感的干预

目的研究积极心理学视域下的团体辅导对医学生主观幸福感的影响。方法采用随机对照研究法,将广州某医科大学的34名医学生随机分为实验组和对照组。应用自编基本资料调查表和幸福感指数量表收集干预前的被试信息。对实验组的医学生进行积极心理学取向的团体辅导方案干预,对照组则不加干预。在干预后,两组成员再次填写幸福感指数量表,并使用SPSS 19.0软件进行统计分析。结果实验组医学生在经历团体辅导干预后,其幸福感指数总分显著高于对照组医学生(F=7.572,P0.05)。结论积极心理学取向的团体辅导能显著提升医学生的主观幸福感水平。     

大学生心理资本与心理素质的相关性

目的考察大学生心理资本和心理素质的基本情况,探讨两者之间的关系。方法采用积极心理资本问卷和大学生心理素质问卷,对172名大学生进行调查。结果 1大学生心理资本状况:韧性因子存在显著的性别差异(t=2.308,P0.05);希望因子存在显著年级差异(F=3.543,P0.05),进一步多重比较表明,大二、大四学生的希望水平显著高于大一学生的希望水平;2大学生心理素质状况:心理动力素质因子存在年级差异(F=5.217,P0.01),大四学生的心理动力素质显著高于大一学生和大三学生的心理动力素质;学习心理素质因子存在年级差异(F=2.970,P0.05),大二、大四学生的学习心理素质显著高于大三学生的学习心理素质;3大学生心理资本和心理素质之间呈显著正相关,前者对后者具有显著预测效应(48.7%)。结论大学生心理资本和心理素质之间有密切关系,为构建以心理资本为核心概念的心理素质培养新体系提供科学依据。     

中国积极信念自评量表的研制及其信效度检验

目的编制中国积极信念自评预测量表并进行信度、效度检验。方法通过预测验构建初问卷,并采用探索性因素分析、相关分析、t检验等方法分析数据,检验其信效度。结果根据因子分析结果,提取1个因子,正式量表含有10个条目,累计方差贡献率为51.85%。总量表的Cronbach'sα系数为0.783,分半系数为0.852。10个条目与总量表的相关系数在0.624~0.778(P0.01)。高分组与低分组比较,各条目得分差异显著(t=2.57~5.38,P0.01)。结论中国积极信念自评量表的信度、效度符合心理测量学要求,可作为中国人积极信念的自评工具。