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Background: Since, behavioural factors can also predispose dementia, there is an unmet need to develop methods for its early diagnosis, which appears to be crucial for its prevention. This study aims to find out the prevalence of dementia, emphasizing on early symptoms, to validate a new modified questionnaire. Study Design and Setting. Cross-sectional survey in a hospital. Subjects and methods: All subjects (n=2002) above 25 years of age (1016 males and 986 females) were randomly selected and recruited from urban population of Moradabad, North India. Validated questionnaires were used for the assessment of cognitive decline and dementia by a new modified memory function rating scale. Subjects were classified in to normal, mild, moderate and severe dementia by assessment of memory function. Results: The overall prevalence of dementia (6.84%,n=137) was significantly more among men compared to women (8.26%) vs 5.37%, n=84 vs 53, P

Objective: The link between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and negative health outcomes is well established among middle-aged adults and within the general population; however, ACEs' impact on physical health among emerging adults and specific ethnic minority groups, such as distinct Asian American subgroups, remains understudied and poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between ACEs, anger expression, stress, and physical health in a sample of Asian Indian (AI) emerging adults (18-29 years) living in the United States. Method: Participants (N = 132; Mage = 23.52; 13.6% first generation; 86.4% born in United States) completed an electronic questionnaire measuring variables of ACEs, anger expression, recent stress, health history, self-rated health, and recent physical illness symptoms. Chi-square, regression, and mediation analyses were conducted to examine associations among variables. Results: ACEs significantly predicted greater anger expression, perceived stress, number of chronic health conditions, and recent physical illness symptoms. Ninety-four percent of participants with ≥ 3 ACEs endorsed at least 1 previously diagnosed medical condition, and these participants exhibited remarkably high odds of diabetes and high blood pressure. Mediation analyses indicated anger expression significantly mediated ACEs' impact on recent stress and physical illness symptoms. Conclusions: Findings evidence that ACE-related physical health consequences are, in fact, already detectable by emerging adulthood among AI Americans. The distinct ACEs patterns and pronounced ACE-related health consequences found in this population warrant further study. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Spiritual and religious values/beliefs/practices are entwined in all aspects of functioning among people in the Indian subcontinent. The current study focuses on understanding the spiritual zeitgeist entwined in the mundane day-to-day functioning (e.g., lifestyles/beliefs) of young people in India.

This article addresses the challenges faced by youth in developing countries. Using India as an example of a fast-globalizing country, this article highlights the experience and challenges faced by adolescents and emerging adults as they search for their interpersonal and professional identities. The difficulties of defining identity in the context of rapid globalization where people are exposed to diverse cultural forces that may conflict with each other are particularly salient when dealing with anger. Anger frequently results from thwarted wants and needs. In globalizing developing economies, young people often face inequitable access and opportunities that may be cause for distress-anger and depression. However, the skills to deal with anger are frequently culturally determined and may not be effective in situations where multiple cultural rules are operational. For example, India being a collectivist culture traditionally encourages the suppression of anger. However, situations and rules of conduct in a global economic order require the assertive expression of anger and the confrontation of conflict. Research that is methodologically and culturally appropriate is needed in exploring these issues and ameliorating distress associated with inequity, conflicts, and challenges.

Social support has been shown to act as a buffer for cardiovascular responses to stress. However, little is known about how social support and networks are related to cardiovascular responses to immigration stress recall. The current study evaluated the impact of structural and functional support on cardiovascular reaction following immigrant stress recall provocation as well as the moderation effect of interdependent self-construal among first-generation Chinese immigrants. One hundred fifty Chinese immigrants were recruited in the New York Chinatown area. Participants completed questionnaires assessing their levels of social support and networks, and interdependent self-construal. Following adaptation, participants recalled a recent post-immigration stress-provoking situation. Cardiovascular measures were taken during adaptation, stressor task, and recovery period. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed. Social network size and type, as well as perceived emotional support were positively predictive of systolic blood pressure (SBP) reactivity changes. Instrumental support seeking was a positive predictor of SBP and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) reactivity. The moderation effect between instrumental support seeking and interdependent self-construal were significantly predictive of DBP reactivity and recovery, suggesting that perceptions about themselves in relation to others is a crucial factor for determining whether support seeking is beneficial or not. Social support was not a direct buffer on cardiovascular responses to stress among Chinese immigrants. Chinese values of interdependence and collectivism may partly explain the disconfirming results. Still, when interdependent self-construal was taken into account, Chinese immigrants who had less interdependent self-construal, but solicited more instrumental support, had faster adaptation to stress over the long term.

Social support and coping strategies are important determinants of health, especially for those in the immigrant community adjusting to a new environment.This study assessed the buffering effects of perceived social support and different coping styles on cardiovascular reactivity to stress among Chinese immigrants in the New York City Chinatown area.Participants (N = 50, 76% women, and 22-84 years old) completed questionnaires assessing their perceived social support and coping strategy preferences. They were then asked to recall a stress-provoking event related to their immigration experience in a semi-structured interview format.Hierarchical multiple regression analyses confirmed the interaction effect between perceived social support and problem-focused, emotion-focused, or reappraisal coping on heart rate reactivity. Additionally, Chinese immigrants who upheld more Chinese values were highly correlated with stronger perceived availability of social support and were more likely to incorporate the use of problem-focused and reappraisal coping styles.Findings suggest that high level of social support and the use of reappraisal coping strategies were associated with attenuated cardiovascular responses to stress.

Research suggests that forgiveness is associated with better psychological and physical health and in particular cardiovascular functioning. Despite these findings, most forgiveness studies involve healthy participants. The current study assessed the psychological and physiological correlates of forgiveness in individuals with coronary artery disease (CAD). Self-reported forgiveness, perceived stress, anxiety, and depression, and physiological data, including triglycerides, total cholesterol, high- (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, were obtained from 85 hospitalized CAD patients. Higher levels of forgiveness were associated with lower levels of anxiety (p

In response to the growing emphasis on defining professional competence within applied psychology (e.g.,clinical, neuropsychology, counseling, school), in 2007 American Psychological Association Division 38(Health Psychology) sponsored a summit meeting with a specific focus on revisiting the standards of graduatecurricula and training in clinical health psychology. Using the cube model of core competency domains ofprofessional psychology as a framework, summit participants were charged with identifying the foundationaland functional competencies expected of a well-trained, entry-level clinical health psychologist. As a productof these discussions, the present article is presented as an initial effort to identify the competencies and beginthe discussion in clinical health psychology. As such it is likely to be of interest to a wide audience, includingclinical training programs with an existing or planned emphasis in clinical health psychology, practitionersinterested in acquiring the competencies required to practice as a clinical health psychologist, and studentsevaluating potential graduate and postgraduate training options in clinical health psychology.Keywords: clinical, health psychology, competencyC

Direct and indirect exposure to trauma is related to cardiovascular reactivity to stress, which is a marker for the future development of cardiovascular disease. The current study compared the effects of indirect exposure and no exposure (assessed via self-reports) to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on cardiovascular reactivity among a sample of 31 New Yorkers. Cardiovascular responses, measured every 2 minutes during baseline, a semistructured interview in which they relived a personally relevant aspect of the terrorist attack, and recovery periods revealed that the indirect exposure group had significantly higher diastolic blood pressure levels at baseline (p

This article addresses the challenges faced by youth in developing countries. Using India as an example of a fast-globalizing country, this article highlights the experience and challenges faced by adolescents and emerging adults as they search for their interpersonal and professional identities. The difficulties of defining identity in the context of rapid globalization where people are exposed to diverse cultural forces that may conflict with each other are particularly salient when dealing with anger. Anger frequently results from thwarted wants and needs. In globalizing developing economies, young people often face inequitable access and opportunities that may be cause for distress-anger and depression. However, the skills to deal with anger are frequently culturally determined and may not be effective in situations where multiple cultural rules are operational. For example, India being a collectivist culture traditionally encourages the suppression of anger. However, situations and rules of conduct in a global economic order require the assertive expression of anger and the confrontation of conflict. Research that is methodologically and culturally appropriate is needed in exploring these issues and ameliorating distress associated with inequity, conflicts, and challenges.

Stress caused by chronic difficulties encountered by people residing in poor urban neighborhoods is associated with health problems and disease in developed countries, but the relationship between neighborhood stress and health in developing nations, such as India, has not been assessed. In this study, the authors administered the City Stress Inventory, a self-report measure assessing stress experienced as a function of environmental conditions unique to living in large cities that was validated in the United States, to 163 high school students in New Delhi, India. Components of urban stress in India, with some modifications, appear to be similar to components of urban stress reported by adolescents in the United States. Urban stress was predictive of high blood pressure as reported by the adolescents 'parents. In addition, urban stress also predicted health habits, such as chewing tobacco and alcohol use, and psychosocial characteristics, such as hostility. Adolescents' reports of parental stress concerning money and social pressures were also associated with city stress. The current study indicates that the City Stress Inventory is valid in an Indian sample and is predictive of health problems.

The current study examined whether cognitions that accompany the experience of anger are similar among people from the US and India. Asian Indian participants were administered the Anger Cognitions Inventory, a self-report measure assessing cognitions associated with resentful and reflective anger that was previously validated in a sample from the US. Results indicated that there were five subscales in the Asian Indian sample; although there were some differences in the specific items that comprise the five subscales, the overall categories described by the subscales are similar in both cultures. Cognitions defining resentful anger were positively associated with poor physical health, hostility, and stress, whereas self-statements indicative of reflective anger were not related to any of these variables. Cognitive self-statements may exacerbate the experience of anger and subjective distress regardless of culture.

Forgiveness is a key component of the tenets of religions across the globe. However, it is only recently that scientific research on health has focused on forgiveness as an important component of well-being. Research in the West has indicated that forgiveness is associated with increases in physical health and well-being, and that rumination may mediate the relationship between forgiveness and health. However, little is known about the relationship between forgiveness, rumination, and health in non-Western populations such as India. The purpose of the current study was to measure forgiveness, rumination, stress, and physical health in Indian college students, and compare their responses to that of a US sample. Participants were 188 college students (92 males and 96 females) from Mumbai, India. Results indicated that lower levels of forgiveness predicted increased rumination and stress, but not physical symptoms. Similar to data in the US, rumination mediated the relationship between forgiveness and stress. There were no significant differences in forgiveness, rumination, or stress between the Indian and US samples. Results suggest the universality of these variables across cultures. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Background: Socioeconomic status (SES) is an important predictor of clinical outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).Purpose: We hypothesized that a selected sample of low SES cardiac patients would display heightened cardiovascular stress responses in the laboratory and increased daily life ischemia compared to otherwise comparable higher SES patients.Methods: Eighty-two patients (M age=61.8±9.4 years; 71 men, 11 women) with a known history of CAD engaged in a stressful mental arithmetic task while blood pressure (BP) measures were collected. Myocardial ischemia was subsequently assessed via 48-hr ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring in a subgroup of 51 patients. SES was defined by participants’ residential block groups, which were linked to Census Bureau data about their neighborhood, including per capita income, percentage of the population below poverty, educational level, as well as self-report of number of years of education.Results: Contrary to expectation, high SES participants in the study displayed higher diastolic BP (p

Workstyle has been proposed to help explain the link between ergonomic and psychosocial factors in work-related upper-extremity symptoms/disorders. This study investigated ergonomic factors, work demands, job stress, and workstyle on pain and functional limitations in computer users.One hundred sixty-nine participants completed self-report ratings of job stress, ergonomic exposures, and workstyle at baseline. Three months, later ratings of pain and functional limitations were obtained.Multivariable logistic regression indicated that ergonomic exposure (odds ratio [OR] = 2.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3-5.5), time spent at a computer (OR = 1.9, 95% CI = 0.95-3.6), and higher scores on a workstyle measure (2.4, 95% CI = 1.1-5.3) were independently associated with case status. Path analyses revealed that a model that included ergonomic exposure, work demands, and workstyle predicted pain and functional limitations at 3 months.Workstyle contributes to case definition and is predictive of future pain and functional limitations in office workers with upper extremity symptoms.

We report the first systematic study of hemodynamic responses to the Social Competence Interview, using the original Ewart protocol, which focuses attention on a persisting personal threat. Physiologic changes in 212 African American and Caucasian urban adolescents during the Social Competence Interview, mirror tracing, and reaction time tasks showed that the Social Competence Interview elicits a pronounced vasoconstrictive response pattern, with diminished cardiac activity, that is more typical of alert mental vigilance than of active coping. This pattern was observed in all race and gender subgroups. Results suggest that the Social Competence Interview may be a broadly useful procedure for investigating the role of threat-induced vigilance in cardiovascular and other diseases.

The current study describes the creation and validation of the Anger Cognitions Inventory (ACI) to assess the cognitive appraisals associated with resentful and reflective anger. The ACI was created based on a content analysis of self-reports of participants' thoughts and feelings following anger provocation in the laboratory. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on two separate college student samples (N = 267 and N = 276, respectively) revealed five subscales which could validly be grouped into resentful and reflective anger. Convergent and divergent validity data showed that resentful anger correlated positively with anger-out/trait anger and reflective anger correlated positively with anger-in/brooding. A second study showed positive correlations between rumination and delayed cardiovascular recovery following anger provocation. Limitations of both studies include restricted samples which limit generalizability of results and cardiovascular recovery data collected in Study II which does not include assessment of autonomic balance between vagal and sympathetic responsivity.

Background— Malignant cardiac arrhythmias can be triggered by exercise and by mental stress in vulnerable patients. Exercise-induced T-wave alternans (TWA) is an established marker of cardiac electrical instability. However, the effects of acute mental stress on TWA have not been investigated as a vulnerability marker in humans. Methods and Results— TWA responses to mental stress (anger recall and mental arithmetic) and bicycle ergometry were evaluated in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and documented coronary artery disease (n=23, age 62.1±12.3 years) and controls (n=17, age 54.2±12.1 years). TWA was assessed from digitized ECGs by modified moving average analysis. Dual-isotope single photon emission computed tomography was used to assess myocardial ischemia. TWA increased during mental stress and exercise ( P values P =0.043; exercise Δ=21.4±2.8 versus 13.8±3.2 μV, P =0.038). TWA increases with mental stress occurred at substantially lower heart rates (anger recall Δ=9.7±7.7 bpm, arithmetic Δ=14.3±13.3 bpm) versus exercise (Δ=53.7±22.7 bpm; P values P values P values >0.2). Ejection fraction and stress-induced myocardial ischemia were not associated with TWA. Conclusions— Mental stress can induce cardiac electrical instability, as assessed via TWA, among patients with arrhythmic vulnerability and occurs at lower heart rates than with exercise. Pathophysiological mechanisms of mental stress–induced arrhythmias may therefore involve central and autonomic nervous system pathways that differ from exercise-induced arrhythmias.

This cross-sectional study tested the hypothesis that characteristics of work that contribute to job strain also increase anger in young service-sector workers. A new measure of anger directed at coworkers, supervisors, and customers was regressed on job strain indices (job control, coworker and supervisor support, dissatisfaction) in models that controlled for dispositional negative affect and work status. Results in a sample of 230 young Black and White men and women revealed that low levels of job control and social support, and high levels of job dissatisfaction, were independently associated with increased work-related anger. Moreover, social support moderated the impact of low job control on anger directed at coworkers. Findings indicate that anger experienced at work may be an early marker of job stress, which has been prospectively related to cardiovascular disease.

Health problems of the urban poor have been attributed to psychosocial effects of environmental stress. Testing such models requires an ability to measure neighborhood characteristics that make life stressful. The City Stress Inventory (CSI) uses self-report to assess perceived neighborhood disorder and exposure to violence. Data from an interracial sample of urban adolescents show the CSI to be internally consistent, stable, and correlated with census indices of social disadvantage. Validity for stress research is indicated by correlations with trait depression, anger, hostility, self-esteem, and mood changes during a debate with an unfamiliar peer. The CSI can be completed by persons with an 8th-grade education.

The demographic changes anticipated in the U.S. over the next decade magnify the importance of addressing health disparities among minority populations. Chinese Americans are a fast growing minority subgroup, yet there is limited and inconsistent data on the impact of dietary acculturation and subsequent cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in this population. This discrepancy could be related to the subjective nature of the assessment tools used to collect dietary data along with cultural/linguistic barriers to the implementation of these methods. We hypothesized that higher acculturation status will be associated with dietary patterns that more closely resemble the typical U.S. diet and subsequently with a higher risk of CVD in Chinese Americans (N=225). Dietary intake was evaluated using plasma concentrations of validated objective plasma nutrient biomarkers: phylloquinone for green leafy vegetables/vegetable oils and partially-hydrogenated fat; phospholipid concentrations of 15:0 and 20:4n-6 for dairy and meat, omega 3 for fish, trans (18:1n-9T, 18:1n-7T) for partially-hydrogenated fat; carotenoids for fruit and vegetables (F&V) including carotene (green/yellow/orange F&V), cryptoxanthin (orange/red F&V), lutein/zeaxanthin (green leafy vegetables), lycopene (tomatoes, mainly from pizza and pasta sauce); and isoflavones (genistein, diadzein) for soy containing foods. The biomarker data was then correlated with acculturation status (assessed using the Stephenson Multigroup Acculturation scale) as well as the CVD risk factor data. Results (for all r values, p

To examine whether typical modes of anger expression (i.e., anger-in, anger-out) were related to cardiovascular, affective, behavioral, and cognitive responses to interpersonal conflict, 20 anger-in and 20 anger-out undergraduate men participated in 2 role plays, one in which they were instructed to exhibit their anger overtly and the other in which they inhibited their anger. Results showed that anger-in individuals used significantly more repression self-statements than anger-out individuals across both role play interactions (p > .01). Anger-out persons showed exaggerated diastolic blood pressure response in contrast to anger-in participants, but only during the exhibited anger role play (p > .04). When the anger exhibition role play followed anger inhibition, diastolic blood pressure responses were more intense (p > .05), and heart rate recovery was significantly slower (p > .03) among anger-out participants in contrast to anger-in participants. These findings indicate that modes of anger expression (trait) and contextual demands of the interaction (state) interact in complex ways to influence biobehavioral reactions to anger provocation.

Empirical research has demonstrated that the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) contains three separable factors and that ASI total scores are useful in predicting response to physiological challenge procedures. Little is known, however, of the predictive capability of the ASI factors. This study investigated the utility of the three factors of the ASI compared to ASI total scores and the STAI-T, a more general measure of trait anxiety, in predicting response to hyperventilation. As expected, the ASI total score was a significant predictor of response to hyperventilation, while the STAI-T was not. Using multiple regression, when the physical concerns factor was entered first, the social concerns and mental incapacitation factors of the ASI were not significant predictors of response to hyperventilation. Furthermore, when the physical concerns factor was entered into a regression equation followed by the remainder of the ASI items, only the physical concerns factor remained a significant predictor of response to hyperventilation. These results suggest that while response to physiological challenge procedures is predicted by ASI total scores, it may be best predicted by the physical concerns factor, and that the mental incapacitation and social concerns subscales do not play key roles in predicting response to physiological challenge procedures.

This study examined the factor structure of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) among African American college students. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated the 3-factor solution commonly found among other populations did not fit the data for African Americans. Although an exploratory factor analysis indicated the presence of a Mental Incapacitation factor, the Physical Concerns factor was divided into unsteady and cardiovascular concerns. Items typically comprising the Social factor were reflective of emotional controllability among African Americans. The ASI was also moderately correlated with measures of anxiety and depression providing only weak evidence of convergent and discriminate validity of the ASI for African Americans. Although support for the multidimensional nature of AS was found, the factor composition differs for African Americans.

The metabolic syndrome is a precursor for coronary heart disease. However, its pathophysiology is not clear, its phenotypic expression may vary by region; also, the phenotypic manifestation may be exacerbated by psychosocial distress and family history. The purpose of the current study was to assess the factor structure of the metabolic syndrome in young urban Asian Indians. Asian Indian youth (N = 112) were evaluated for body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio, blood pressure (systolic: SBP; diastolic: DBP), blood sugar, triglycerides, cholesterol, insulin, psychosocial distress and family health history. Factor analyses were computed on components of the metabolic syndrome. Three factors were identified for the entire sample: hemodynamic-obesity (SBP, DBP, waist-hip ratio), Lipid (cholesterol, triglyceride), and insulin-obesity (blood sugar, BMI, insulin). Similar to previous research with this population, three distinct factors with no overlap were identified. Factors did not correlate with psychosocial distress or family history. Lack of correlation with family history and psychosocial distress may be a function of the young age and demographics of the sample.

Cardiovascular disease is a chronic illness with physiological, behavioral, and psychosocial components implicated in the etiology and course of the disorder. Given its multifaceted nature, management of cardiovascular disease needs to be multidimensional and include attention to all risk factors. Research has indicated that modification of one risk factor (e.g., diet) does not lead to automatic benefits to other risk factors (e.g., exercise) (Prochaska, Nigg, Spring, Velicer, & Prochaska, 2010). Hence, attention needs to be focused simultaneously on both physiological and psychological components. For example, medical regimens need to be augmented by lifestyle changes that include diet and exercise. Psychosocial variables such as depression, hostility, and stress also play a key role in morbidity and mortality associated with cardiovascular disease and need to be independently managed. An explicit focus on techniques that involve concurrent physiological and psychological interventions makes mind-body therapies effective and appealing in dealing with cardiovascular disorders. Mind-body medicine is the most widely used domain of complementary and alternative medicine among the US population for treatment of medical conditions (NIH, 2004). Examples of mind-body medicine include meditation, yoga, relaxation, visual imagery, biofeedback, qigong, cognitive-behavioral therapies, support groups, tai chi, and spirituality. This chapter will focus on the most widely studied and used interventions, specifically, yoga and meditation.

Three hundred eleven female undergraduates completed the Trait form of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Panic Attack Questionnaire. One hundred thirty-nine subjects reported having experienced a panic; ten met frequency and symptom criteria for panic disorder, four reported infrequent panic with fewer than four symptoms (limited symptom panic), and the remainder ( n = 125) were classified as infrequent panickers. Fifty-eight percent of the infrequent panickers had experienced an unexpected panic. Infrequent panickers had significantly higher trait anxiety than nonpanickers and were significantly more likely to have a family member who had experienced panic. Factor analysis of panic symptoms revealed four significant factors: panic cognitions and three factors involving physiological symptoms. Factor analytic procedures may shed light on characteristics that predict the development of panic disorder.

Background: The current study examined whether yoga would increase levels of mindfulness in a healthy population. Method: Forty-six participants were randomly assigned to an 8-week yoga intervention group or a wait-list control group. Mindfulness was assessed pre and post yoga, using the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI). Results: Results indicate that the yoga group experienced a significant increase in Overall mindfulness, and in three mindfulness subscales; Attention to the present moment, Accepting and open attitudes toward experience, and Insightful understanding (p < .01). The control group experienced a significant increase in overall mindfulness (p < .02) and insightful understanding (p < .01). Findings suggest that a yoga intervention may be a viable method for increasing levels of trait mindfulness in a healthy population, potentially implicating yoga as a preventive method for the later development of negative emotional mood states (i.e. anxiety and depression). The control group also experienced moderate elevations of mindfulness at the second assessment.

The relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and health changes as a society develops. In developed countries, high SES is associated with better health, but in developing countries, high SES is associated with poorer health. However, measuring SES is difficult in countries like India, where the traditional class and caste system are interwoven and complex. The current study explored the relationship between subjective and objective indices of SES and between SES and the metabolic syndrome among Asian Indians residing in Mumbai, India. Participants were a subset of young adults (N = 112, median age 19 years, 24% male) who were part of larger study assessing psychosocial correlates of the metabolic syndrome. SES was assessed through objective (father's education) and subjective (SES ladder) indices. Data indicated that high subjective SES was correlated with fasting blood sugar (r = .28, P.003), and father's education was correlated with high cholesterol (r = .32, P.005). Subjective and objective indices of SES were also correlated with each other (r = .24, P.04). These data reiterate that the link between SES and health is obvious from an early age, regardless of the measures used to assess SES. Given the complexity of assessing SES in developing countries, objective subjective indices should be used in assessing SES.

Purpose The purpose of this study was (1) to examine the reasons for managing weight, (2) to investigate the barriers and facilitators to achieving behavior goals, and (3) to assess how a behavior coach affects the goalsetting process of obese innercity adolescents in a weight management program. Methods Obese adolescents participating in a pilot study assessing the role of a behavior coach on successful weight management (n = 18) were interviewed to identify barriers and facilitators to reaching behavior goals. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the constant comparative method of qualitative analysis. Results In the rationale for weight control, adolescent girls and boys reported a desire to improve physical appearance and physical conditioning, respectively. Barriers to reaching physical activity goals among girls included unsafe neighborhoods and a negative body image. Maintaining unrealistic behavior and weight goals hindered satisfaction with behavior change and weight loss in both genders. Overall, coaching provided support that helped the obese teens feel more successful in the goalsetting process and address issues related to their disruptive environments. Conclusions Diabetes educators can include a behavior coach as part of a weight management program to help teens set behavior goals and overcome barriers to reaching behavior goals.

The current study investigated the relationship between trait forgiveness and cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) and recovery in 99 normotensive participants (mean age=33.8). Cardiovascular parameters were obtained at 2-minute intervals during a 10-minute baseline period and a 20-minute recovery period, and at 1-minute intervals during a 4-minute anger recall task and a 4-minute serial subtraction task without harassment. Participants filled out a self-report measure of forgiveness prior to the laboratory procedure. Although forgiveness was not related to CVR, higher levels of trait forgiveness were predictive of lower diastolic blood pressure (DBP) at baseline (p

Objective: Comparison of patients with and without atypical depression on comorbid Axis I and I disorders to determine whether atypical depression is associated with a higher comorbidity. Method: Twenty-nine major depressive disorder patients with and without atypical depression were compared on clinical measures using multiple regression analyses. Results: Atypical depression predicted the presence of comorbid Axis I (100% vs 33%), Axis II (90% vs 35%), and both Axis I and II (65% vs 8.14%) disorders. Personality disorders did not mediate the relationship between atypical depression and Axis I comorbidity. Conclusions: The high prevalence of Axis I and II comorbidity in major depression may be explained, at least in part, by the presence of atypical depression. Our findings also suggest that the increased Axis I comorbidity observed in atypical depression is independent of the effects of personality disorders and is probably a direct effect of atypical depression subtype. Future research should confirm whether clinical findings associated with atypical depression are independent of their association with personality disorders in a larger sample of depressed patients and also examine treatment implications in atypical depression other than a preferential monoamine oxidase inhibitor responsivity.

To examine cultural differences in response to anger provocation, affective, cognitive, behavioral, and cardiovascular responses to social confrontation, role plays were measured in 20 Indian male immigrants in the United States and 40 White men. Participants engaged in 2 interactions with a nonacquiescent male confederate and were instructed to suppress or express their anger in counterbalanced order. Following each role play, participants state anger, and resentful and reflective cognitions pertaining to anger were assessed. Participants’ videotaped behavioral responses were assessed for problem-solving skills and negative and positive verbal and nonverbal behaviors. Blood pressure and heart rate (HR) responses were recorded throughout the session. Results revealed that Indian participants used more introspective strategies comprising of repression and rational coping self-statements to anger provocation than their White counterparts. White participants experienced significantly higher HR responses and showed more awareness of physiological sensation compared to the Indian participants, but only when asked to exhibit their anger. Indian participants had a faster diastolic blood pressure (DBP) recovery when allowed to engage in anger inhibition (which is a culturally determined mode of functioning) compared to when they had to exhibit anger before inhibiting it. White men showed a heightened cardiac response to anger expression, something not seen among Indian men. Indian men, in contrast, exhibited delayed DBP recovery from anger expression and increased introspective cognitive strategies when asked to engage in anger exhibition, a behavior not congruent with their culture of origin.

This cross-sectional study tested the hypothesis that characteristics of work that contribute to job strain also increase anger in young service-sector workers. A new measure of anger directed at coworkers, supervisors, and customers was regressed on job strain indices (job control, coworker and supervisor support, dissatisfaction) in models that controlled for dispositional negative affect and work status. Results in a sample of 230 young Black and White men and women revealed that low levels of job control and social support, and high levels of job dissatisfaction, were independently associated with increased work-related anger. Moreover, social support moderated the impact of low job control on anger directed at coworkers. Findings indicate that anger experienced at work may be an early marker of job stress, which has been prospectively related to cardiovascular disease.

The factor structure and convergent and discriminant validity of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) were examined among a sample of 275 island Puerto Ricans. Results from a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) comparing our data to factor solutions commonly reported as representative of European American and Spanish populations indicated a poor fit. A subsequent exploratory factor analysis (EFA) indicated that a two-factor solution (Factor 1, Anxiety Sensitivity; Factor 2, Emotional Concerns) provided the best fit. Correlations between the ASI and anxiety measures were moderately high providing evidence of convergent validity, while correlations between the ASI and BDI were significantly lower providing evidence of discriminant validity. Scores on all measures were positively correlated with acculturation, suggesting that those who ascribe to more traditional Hispanic culture report elevated anxiety.

A brief interview to measure stress coping capabilities was developed and tested in 4 samples of African American and White adolescents in low-income neighborhoods of 2 large U.S. cities. The Social Competence Interview (SCI) is a 10-min social stressor that assesses physiological and social-emotional responses to a recurring real-life problem. A new behavioral coding system using audiotapes permits reliable and valid assessment of components of social competence, including Interpersonal Skills (expressiveness, empathy), Goal-Oriented Strivings in coping (self defense, social acceptance, competitiveness, stimulation-pleasure, approval, self improvement), and Social Impact (high vs. low affiliation/control). High SCI expressiveness and self-defensive striving create a critical-aggressive social impact, which is correlated with increased hostility and anger.

Health problems of the urban poor have been attributed to psychosocial effects of environmental stress. Testing such models requires an ability to measure neighborhood characteristics that make life stressful. The City Stress Inventory (CSI) uses self-report to assess perceived neighborhood disorder and exposure to violence. Data from an interracial sample of urban adolescents show the CSI to be internally consistent, stable, and correlated with census indices of social disadvantage. Validity for stress research is indicated by correlations with trait depression, anger, hostility, self-esteem, and mood changes during a debate with an unfamiliar peer. The CSI can be completed by persons with an 8th-grade education.

Laboratory investigations of cardiovascular reactivity to mental stress often ignore concomitant differences in cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses that are commonly observed among study participants. To provide a more systematic laboratory methodology to examine relations among cardiovascular, behavioral, and self-report measures of cognitive and affective responses to stress, we developed and tested a social confrontation procedure involving standardized interactions during two scenes. Results of three investigations are presented to illustrate the utility of the social confrontation procedure. In the first two studies, this multidimensional assessment strategy produced results which may foster research projects that bridge separate areas of psychological inquiry. In one application, persons with hypertensive parents, in contrast to persons with normotensive parents, exhibited characteristic negative behavioral responses during both interactions as well as the more commonly-observed exaggerated blood pressure reactions. In the other study, students from less functional families (regarding cohesion and adaptability) were shown to exhibit exaggerated blood pressure reactions in addition to their commonly-reported negative cognitive and behavioral coping styles. Finally, a third study examined how a simple instructional set regarding the expression or suppression of anger influenced participants' responses. Significant differences were observed across response domains, with anger expression resulting in a more intense response than anger suppression. In sum, the social confrontation procedure represents an important methodological development for exploring the relation between response domains, the relation between cardiovascular response to stress and psychosocial risk for cardiovascular disease, and the physiological and behavioral distinction between anger expression and anger suppression.

Forty-eight females were evaluated to detect differences in panic-related symptomatology and physiological responses to 2 min of hyperventilation. Ss were divided into 3 groups: infrequent panickers; no panic/high trait anxiety; and no panic/low trait anxiety. The low trait anxiety group scored significantly lower on various self-report measures of anxiety-related symptomatology compared to Ss with infrequent panic and high trait anxiety. Hyperventilation produced no significant group differences in physiological reactivity or recovery. However, Ss with low trait anxiety reported significantly less severe sensations and a significantly lower incidence of panic during hyperventilation than the infrequent panickers and the high trait anxiety group. Ss who panicked during hyperventilation reported more intense sensations and negative cognitions than those who did not panic. Thus, Ss were distinguished by their subjective, but not their physiological responses.