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Objective: Failure to effectively reassure patients can lead to patients becoming distressed and seeking further medical care. Whilst existing studies have identified that patients' psychological and demographic characteristics can impact patient reassurance, little research has explored specific predictors of patient reassurance following a colonoscopy. This study investigates demographic and psychological predictors of patient reassurance after receiving normal test results following a colonoscopy., Methods: Eighty-five participants receiving colonoscopies due to gastrointestinal symptoms were recruited from two endoscopy clinics. Patients provided demographic information and completed questionnaires assessing illness perceptions, health-related anxiety, hypochondriasis, somatisation and state and trait anxiety prior to the colonoscopy, as well as reassurance the day after the colonoscopy. Seventy-three participants provided complete data and were included in the analyses. Pearson's correlations and hierarchical linear regression were conducted to examine the associations between the baseline variables and patient reassurance after the colonoscopy., Results: Health-related anxiety, hypochondriasis and four items from the Brief Illness Perceptions Questionnaire (consequence, identity, concern, and emotional response beliefs) were negatively correlated with reassurance (r's ranged from -0.28 to -0.54, P < .05). The hierarchical linear regression demonstrated that in the fully adjusted model, only consequence beliefs (i.e. negative beliefs regarding the impact of gastrointestinal symptoms) remained a robust predictor of reassurance (β = -0.56, P = .005)., Conclusion: This study extends existing research on patient reassurance and is the first study to demonstrate that illness beliefs predicted reassurance following a colonoscopy. These findings suggest that targeting consequence beliefs may be a useful intervention for improving patient reassurance following clinical investigations., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Involving patients in treatment decisions is commonplace in healthcare, and patients are frequently accompanied by a companion (support person). Companions are often actively involved in medical consultations, yet their impact on decisions to change medications is unknown.Purpose: This study examines the influence of companions on a patient's decision to transition from their bio-originator therapy to a biosimilar.Methods: A parallel, two-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted with 79 patients taking a bio-originator for rheumatic diseases who regularly attend clinic with a companion. Patients were randomized to receive an explanation about a hypothetical transition to a biosimilar alone or with their companion. Patients reported willingness to transition, risk perceptions, difficulty understanding, social support, and completed the Decisional Conflict Scale and Satisfaction with Decision Scale.Results: Companions did not influence decisions to transition to biosimilars or cognitive and affective risk perceptions. Accompanied patients reported more difficulty understanding the explanation (p = .006, Cohen's d = .64) but thought it was more important to receive information with companions (p = .023, Cohen's d = -.52). Companions did not impact decision satisfaction or decisional conflict. Receiving emotional, but not practical support, was associated with less decisional conflict in accompanied patients (p = .038, r2 = 0.20).Conclusions: The presence of companions does not seem to influence risk perceptions or decisions about transitioning to biosimilars. Companions, however, impact the patient's reporting of their ability to understand treatment explanations. Providers should check understanding in all patients but may need to provide additional time or educational resources to accompanied patients and companions.Trial Registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry: ACTRN12619001435178. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TED talks are a popular internet forum where new ideas and research are presented by a wide variety of speakers. In this study, we investigated how the language used in TED talks influenced popularity and viewer ratings. We also investigated the differences in linguistic style and ratings of talks given by academics and non-academics. The transcripts of 1866 talks were analyzed using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count program and eight language variables were correlated with number of views and viewer ratings. We found that talks with more analytic language received fewer views, while a greater use of the pronoun "I," positive emotion and social words was associated with more views. Talks with these linguistic characteristics received more emotional viewer ratings such as inspiring or courageous. When comparing talks by academics and non-academics, there was no difference in the overall popularity but viewers rated talks by academics as more fascinating, informative, and persuasive while non-academics received higher emotional ratings. The implications for understanding social influence processes are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Numerous studies have documented that lower socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with increased mental health problems in children. One proposed pathway for this association has been differential exposure to accumulated risk factors in children of lower SES. The aim of the current study was to investigate the socioeconomic distribution of exposure to negative life events and family stress and to examine the direct and interactive association between lower SES and exposure to life events and family stress in relation with mental health problems.Methods: Using cross-sectional data from the second wave of the Bergen Child Study (conducted in 2006), the current study investigated the association between lower SES and exposure to negative life events, family life stressors, and mental health problems in a sample of 2043 Norwegian 11-13 years and their parents. Information about mental health was self-reported by the children using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, whereas information about SES and exposure to negative life events and family stressors were provided by their parents.Results: The findings showed that lower SES was associated with more symptoms of emotional-, conduct-, hyperactivity/inattention-, and peer problems and that exposure to life events and family stress explained some of this association (10-29% of the total effects).Conclusions: Low SES and higher prevalence of negative life events and family stressors were associated with more symptoms of mental health problems. Overall, the effect sizes were smaller than previous investigations (f 2s = 0.015-0.031), perhaps suggesting a buffering effect of the social safety net in place in Norway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective:Medical treatments take place in social contexts; however, little research has investigated how social modelling might influence treatment outcomes. This experimental pilot study investigated social modelling of treatment effectiveness and placebo treatment outcomes. Design:Fifty-nine participants took part in the study, ostensibly examining the use of beta-blockers (actually placebos) for examination anxiety. Participants were randomly assigned to observe a female confederate report positive treatment effects (reduced heart rate, relaxed, calm) or feeling no different. Main outcome measures:Heart rate, anxiety and blood pressure were assessed, as were symptoms and attributed side effects. Results:Heart rate decreased significantly more in the social modelling compared to control condition,p = .027 (d = .63), and there were trends towards effects in the same direction for both anxiety,p = .097 (d = .46), and systolic blood pressure,p = .077 (d = .51). Significant pre-post placebo differences in heart rate, anxiety and diastolic blood pressure were found in the social modelling group,ps < .007 (ds = .77–1.37), but not the control condition,ps > .28 (ds = .09–.59). Conclusions:Social observation of medication effectiveness enhanced placebo effectiveness in heart rate, and showed a trend towards enhancing treatment effectiveness in both anxiety and systolic blood pressure. Social modelling may have utility in enhancing the effectiveness of many active medical treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents a study that describes symptoms attributed to endocrine therapy (ET) and perceptions of ET in young women with breast cancer, and investigates the association between these factors and adherence to ET.