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Somatic complaints are common and form a major burden. Previous studies suggested that such complaints might be increased by 'illness-related memory', for example due to worries about health. In this ambulatory study we tested whether we could decrease somatic complaints through enhancing the activation of health-related memory by a 'positive health'-priming intervention. Forty-three students were randomly assigned to the 'positive health'-group or a control group. Using online measures, participants reported negative affect (NA) and somatic complaints for a period of six days, while each morning performing the priming task. The intervention caused a decrease in somatic complaints but only for participants with low trait NA or low somatosensory amplification. These findings seem to suggest that priming or other interventions directed at activating positive health memory might reduce health complaints, but only in certain subgroups.

The Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) is a widely used self report scale to assess pathological worry. Several studies have shown that the paper-and-pencil version of the PSWQ shows satisfactory psychometric properties. Yet, it is unknown whether the PSWQ is suited to be administered on Internet. As the amount of assessments conducted online is vastly increasing, we examined the factor structure, predictive validity and reliability of the online version of the PSWQ in a large community sample (N = 1025). Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that the best fit to the data was provided by a one factor model wherein the reverse-worded items also loaded on a separate method factor. In a second part of the study a self-selected subsample of the total sample (n = 189) kept a log of the frequency and duration of worry episodes for six consecutive days. Worry frequency and worry duration were both predicted by the PSWQ, thereby lending support to its predictive validity. These findings provide preliminary evidence that the online version of the PSWQ possesses psychometric properties that are similar to the paper-and-pencil version., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aims: In this study we investigated the effects of the physical work environment on two physiological measures of the stress response., Methods and Results: Circadian variations in vagally mediated heart rate variability (HRV) and the morning rise in cortisol were evaluated in 60 participants working in a government building either in a traditional (individual offices and old cubicles; n=40) or a modern workspace (individualized cubicles with improved views and lighting; n=20). Results revealed significant linear (B=-1.03; confidence interval: -1.05 to -1.01, P<0.05) and quadratic (B=1.001; confidence interval: 1.0004-1.002, P<0.05) trends by office type interactions for indices of vagally mediated HRV. Individuals in the old office space had flatter slopes and thus less circadian variation including less HRV at night, and a larger rise in cortisol upon awakening compared with those in the new office space., Conclusion: These results indicate that physical features of the work environment may affect two aspects of the physiological stress response: circadian variations in HRV and the morning rise in cortisol. These findings have important social, economic, and public health implications for work environment risk factors on health.

To investigate the effect of the mental representation of attachment on information processing, 28 anxiety disorder outpatients, as diagnosed by the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule-Revised, were administered the Adult Attachment Interview and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. They also completed an emotional Stroop task with subliminal and supraliminal exposure conditions, a free recall memory task, and a recognition test. All tasks contained threatening, neutral, and positively valenced stimuli. A nonclinical comparison group of 56 participants completed the same measures. Results on the Stroop task showed color-naming interference for threatening words in the supraliminal condition only. Nonclinical participants with insecure attachment representations showed a global response inhibition to the Stroop task. Clinical participants with secure attachment representations showed the largest Stroop interference of the threatening words compared to the other groups. Results on the free recall task showed superior recall of all types of stimuli by participants with secure attachment representations. In the outpatient group, participants with secure attachment representations showed superior recall of threatening words on the free recall task, compared to insecure participants. Results on the recognition task showed no differences between attachment groups. We conclude that secure attachment representations are characterized by open communication about and processing of threatening information, leading to less defensive exclusion of negative material during the attentional stage of information processing and to better recall of threatening information in a later stage. Attachment insecurity, but not the type of insecurity, seems a decisive factor in attention and memory processes.