Biomedical subjects

P M Niemi

Publications and source records attributed to P M Niemi.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Medical students' distress--quality, continuity and gender differences during a six-year medical programme.

Research observations suggest an increase in distress during the course of medical education, but it is not known whether this distress is chronic and persistent or episodic because follow-ups covering the whole training programme are lacking. We explored stress symptoms among undergraduate medical students (n = 110) at five points during the six-year medical training programme. The quality and continuity of symptoms and gender differences in stress reports were analysed. Questionnaire and interviews were used to assess stress symptoms, perceived health and severity of distress. Stress symptoms, such as fatigue, sleeping problems, anxiety, irritability and depression, were common. No significant gender differences were seen, but there was a consistent increase of stress reports throughout the medical programme in both sexes. Those who were most distressed at the beginning of training also reported more stress later. To conclude, we need interventions that help students to cope with stress, to make a smooth transition from school to medical school, and also to adjust to different learning environments during the different phases of medical education.

Education, Medical↗

PubMed2002

Cognitive functioning in severe somatization--a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: Somatizing patients often report cognitive complaints but neuropsychological research on somatization is scarce. We investigated somatizing patients for functioning in different cognitive domains. METHOD: Ten female patients with somatization disorder or undifferentiated somatoform disorder and 10 non-somatizing controls participated in neuropsychological examinations. RESULTS: The patients performed at a lower level than the controls in tests involving semantic memory, verbal episodic memory and visuo-spatial tasks, and were slower in attentional tasks. CONCLUSION: Somatization patients may suffer from substantial problems in cognitive performance.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Secondary otalgia in an adult population.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the associations of secondary otalgia with general health, stress, insomnia, bruxism, and recurrent head and neck region pains. DESIGN: A population-based survey. SETTING: General community. SUBJECTS: A total of 391 randomly selected subjects (186 men, 205 women) aged 25, 35, 45, 55, or 65 years. METHODS: Standardized interview and self-report questionnaires of general health and stress. RESULTS: Otalgia was statistically significantly associated with all the studied factors. However, in the whole study group, independent predictors of otalgia were the obvious need for temporomandibular disorder treatment, high frequency of stress symptoms, and bruxism. When analyzed in women, the predictors of otalgia were the obvious need for temporomandibular disorder treatment, high frequency of stress symptoms, and age. When analyzed in men, recurrent neck pain was a predictor of otalgia. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that after ruling out otorhinolaryngologic infectious diseases and temporomandibular disorder in patients with secondary otalgia, the next step is to explore the frequency of stress symptoms, bruxism, and recurrent neck pain. Furthermore, women and men may need a different approach in diagnostics of secondary otalgia. By diagnosing and treating these predictors of otalgia, it may be possible to reach a more successful outcome.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

TMD treatment need in relation to age, gender, stress, and diagnostic subgroup.

Associations between treatment need for temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and age, gender, stress, and diagnostic subgroup were analyzed in an adult Finnish population sample of 506 subjects. When analyzed separately, the association between TMD treatment need and all the studied factors was statistically significant. This finding is in accordance with earlier results. When the studied factors were included into an explanatory model, however, the picture changed. The logistic regression analysis revealed that diagnostic subgroup was the strongest predictor for the TMD treatment need. Total stress score significantly added to the explanatory power of the model, but age and gender did not. The commonplace observation that women show more signs and symptoms of TMD seems to be explainable by their higher stress scores and by the type of symptoms.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Medical students' professional identity: self-reflection during the preclinical years.

Critical thinking, readiness for self-reflection and professional development have recently been emphasized as important goals of medical education. However, little is known about the developmental processes through which a medical student elaborates his or her personal experiences during the training, and about the way he or she gradually develops a professional identity. How does the student identify the opportunities and alternatives offered by the profession and finally commit to the professional values and goals he or she finds personally important? In order to grasp the essential characteristics of the personal development process in depth, qualitative, process-oriented and individually tailored methods are warranted. In this paper, the quality of professional self-reflection and identity formation during the preclinical training are described on the basis of two qualitative materials--learning logs and identity status interviews. Four types of learning log reports on the early patient contact course could be identified: 'committed reflection', 'emotional exploration', 'objective reporting' and 'diffuse reporting'. At the end of the preclinical training, the identity status of several students could still be characterized as diffuse or giving rise to only very tentative professional considerations.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Fluctuation of treatment need for temporomandibular disorders and age, gender, stress, and diagnostic subgroup.

Associations between fluctuation of treatment need for temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and age, gender, stress, and diagnostic subgrouping were analyzed in a 2-year follow-up of 391 subjects. All the studied factors were significantly associated with the treatment need for TMD at all examinations. The diagnostic subgroup (TMD arthro, TMD myo, TMD comb, or non-classified) at base line was significantly associated with the fluctuation of the treatment need for TMD also during the follow-up, but age, gender, and stress score were not. In the subgroup needing active treatment for TMD at least once during the follow-up (n = 65), the stress score did not show statistically significant covariation with the treatment need. The diagnostic subgrouping of these 65 subjects at the second and third examination at 12-month intervals did not show any association with the subgrouping at base line or with any studied variable. Detailed descriptive diagnostics may serve well in treatment planning but do not necessarily help us in understanding the nature of TMD.

Adult↗