Biomedical subjects

S G Carlsson

Publications and source records attributed to S G Carlsson.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1996

Women's work experiences and health in a male-dominated industry. A longitudinal study.

This study aims to evaluate within-individual changes over time in work-role quality and quality of life and the relationship of these qualities to self-reported health as experienced by women in a male-dominated industry. Forty-seven women completed a questionnaire at two different points in time. The results showed evidence of a relationship between work-role quality and quality of life and self-reported health. There was a connection between changes in environmental demands and changes in musculoskeletal symptoms and between changes in quality of life and changes in gastrointestinal symptoms, except for psychological distress. The difference in medical symptoms is hypothesized to be an effect of hormonal signals. Four strategically selected women, who indicated improved or impaired health, were interviewed about their working situations. A tentative theoretical model was set up for perceptions of health.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

The long-lasting now: disorganization in subjective time in long-standing pain.

This paper presents a phenomenological-hermeneutical case study on long-standing pain (LP), a public health problem of great importance. Although there has been intensive research interest in this phenomenon, most studies have been based on traditional medical and cognitive-behavioral approaches. Our thesis is that new frames of reference can provide additional heuristic insights. The phenomenon of LP shows a strong association with existential factors. Our case study focuses on the meaning-structure of lived temporality, a fundamental existential constituent in the lifeworld of the pain patient. A series of in-depth interviews with four subjects showed that lived temporality is disrupted in pain experience, causing a disorganization of the patient's being in the world. The results generate several hypotheses about implications for time estimation in pain experience.

Aged↗

PubMed1995

Factor analysis and reduction of a Fear Survey Schedule among dental phobic patients.

A fear survey instrument, based on the Fear Survey Schedule-II and five additional fear items, was administered to 109 patients (70 women and 39 men) on a waiting list at a specialized dental fear clinic. The fear survey was analyzed to identify its factorial structure. Five fear factors, explaining 54% of the total variance, were identified concerning areas of "illness and death", "failures and embarrassment", "social situations", "physical injuries", and "animals and natural phenomena". An ad hoc reduction of items was carried out to form a shorter, more practical to use questionnaire, which resulted in factors of four or five items with loadings greater than 0.50. The factors intercorrelated significantly (rp varying between 0.33 and 0.59) and "illness and death" correlated highly with "physical injuries" (rp = 0.59) and "animals and natural phenomena" (rp = 0.56), while "failures and embarrassment" correlated highly to "social situations" (rp = 0.54). Statistically significant, but generally lower correlations were found between each factor and the dental fear measures. The highest correlations were found between fear of "physical injuries" and dental fear. There was also a high and significant correlation between sex and fear of "animals and natural phenomena".

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Multivariate analysis of fears in dental phobic patients according to a reduced FSS-II scale.

This study analyzed and assessed dimensions of a questionnaire developed to measure general fears and phobias. A previous factor analysis among 109 dental phobics had revealed a five-factor structure with 22 items and an explained total variance of 54%. The present study analyzed the same material using a multivariate statistical procedure (LISREL) to reveal structural latent variables. The LISREL analysis, based on the correlation matrix, yielded a chi-square of 216.6 with 195 degrees of freedom (P = 0.138) and showed a model with seven latent variables. One was a general fear factor correlated to all 22 items. The other six factors concerned "Illness & Death" (5 items), "Failures & Embarrassment" (5 items), "Social situations" (5 items), "Physical injuries" (4 items), "Animals & Natural phenomena" (4 items). One item (opposite sex) was included in both "Failures & Embarrassment" and "Social situations". The last factor, "Social interaction", combined all the items in "Failures & Embarrassment" and "Social situations" (9 items). In conclusion, this multivariate statistical analysis (LISREL) revealed and confirmed a factor structure similar to our previous study, but added two important dimensions not shown with a traditional factor analysis. This reduced FSS-II version measures general fears and phobias and may be used on a routine clinical basis as well as in dental phobia research.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Child dental fear: cause-related factors and clinical effects.

The relationship between child dental fear and clinical effects, and the importance of some etiological factors related to the development of dental fear in children, were studied in 3,204 urban Swedish children aged 4 to 6 and 9 to 11 yr. Information concerning child dental fear (as measured by the Dental Subscale of Children's Fear Survey Schedule), general fears, parental dental fear, parents' employment and native language was obtained through questionnaires. Data regarding dental health, behavior management problems (BMP) and modes of dental treatment were compiled from dental records. The results showed that child dental fear was associated with missing appointments and dental caries. A proportion of 27% of the children with BMP were dentally fearful, while 61% of the children with dental fear reacted with BMP. A model for stepwise regression analysis showed that general fears, maternal dental fear, and age were important etiological factors in the development of dental fear in children.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1993

Long-term effects on dental care behavior and dental health after treatments for dental fear.

Three different treatments for dental fear were tested in a long-term perspective study. Twenty-nine patients with severe dental anxiety and avoidance behavior were assigned to Behavioral Therapy (BT, n = 12), PRemedication with bensodiazepine (PR, n = 8) or dental treatment under General Anesthesia (GA, n = 9). Ten years after initial treatment the patients were reexamined. Changes in dental anxiety and dental care attendance were reported. Patients' dental health status was assessed by radiographic survey. Regular dental attendance was reported by 19 patients (65.5%), with a significantly better result for the BT group (91.6%) compared to the GA group (33.3%). Reported level of dental anxiety, as measured by the Dental Anxiety Scale, revealed a significant reduction during the 10-yr period except among GA patients and those reporting irregular dental attendance behavior. A rise in mood as assessed by the Mood Adjective Checklist was revealed in the total group, with a better effect in the BT and PR groups as well as in patients who reported regular dental attendance. A substantial general improvement in oral health was seen during the 10-yr period, especially among patients receiving regular dental care. Thus, for a majority of patients in this study, directed treatment for dental anxiety and avoidance behavior made it possible to maintain regular dental care behavior during a 10-yr period.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Relations between experimentally induced tooth pain threshold changes, psychometrics and clinical pain relief following TENS. A retrospective study in patients with long-lasting pain.

The present study investigates the relationships between clinical pain relief, physiological and psychological parameters. Out of 50 patients with long-lasting musculoskeletal neck- and shoulder-pain treated with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), 21 were selected and classified as responders (n = 13) or non-responders (n = 8). Tooth pain thresholds (PT) were measured before and after an experimental TENS treatment and the relative change in PT following the stimulation was calculated. Three psychometric self-inventories were administered: Zung Depression Scale, Spielberger's Trait Anxiety Scale and the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale. Responders (R) and non-responders (NR) differed significantly from each other in the PT measurements as well as on the psychometric scales. NR exhibited higher levels of anxiety and depression, a more pronounced powerful other orientation and no change or a decrease in PT following TENS compared to R. These findings indicate relationships and interactions between physiological and psychological factors in patients with long-lasting pain.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Psychometric evaluation of a Swedish version of the communication strategies scale of the communication profile for the hearing impaired.

The Communication Strategies scale of the Communication Profile for the Hearing Impaired (CPHI) was translated into Swedish and used in several studies of people with hearing impairment (Hallberg & Carlsson, in press; Hallberg, Erlandsson, & Carlsson, 1991). In this study the scale was evaluated in terms of descriptive statistics, corrected item-total correlations, principal component analysis, and internal consistency reliability. Agreement with results from American studies is surprisingly good. Normative data based on three samples are presented: a general Swedish hearing-impaired sample with predominantly sensorineural hearing loss (N = 199), a subgroup of 105 younger subjects with noise-induced hearing loss, and a subgroup of 39 older subjects with sensorineural hearing loss due to heredity and/or old age. A significantly more frequent use of maladaptive behaviors (p less than .001) and verbal communication strategies (p less than .01) was reported by older subjects with age-related and/or hereditary hearing loss than by younger subjects with noise-induced hearing loss. The Communication Strategies scale seems to be an adequately reliable and clinically useful instrument for assessing adaptive and maladaptive strategies in hearing-impaired subjects.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1992

Prevalence of dental anxiety in an adult population in a major urban area in Sweden.

The aims of the study were to describe the level of dental anxiety in a representative sample of an adult population, to evaluate different demographic variables in relation to dental anxiety, and to compare two measurement scales of dental anxiety. A random sample of residents (n = 830) of the city of Gothenburg (population 432,000) was selected for a telephone survey. The survey comprised different questions concerning demographic variables, dental care habits, and the level of dental anxiety. The methods of measurement of dental anxiety were a 10-point dental Fear Scale (FS) and the Corah Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS). A total of 620 interviews were completed giving a response rate of 74.7%. 41.4% of the respondents were males, 58.6% females. Females were significantly more likely to report a high dental anxiety compared with males. The prevalence of high dental anxiety in the sample as measured by the FS and DAS was 6.7% and 5.4% respectively. The correlation between the FS and DAS was 0.81. The distribution of high dental anxiety and age showed a clearly and significantly higher portion of dental anxiety in the age group 20-39 yr compared to both younger and older groups. The effect of dental anxiety on regularity of dental visits revealed a significant difference as measured by the FS. No significant correlation was found between dental anxiety and educational level or income. A majority of the respondents (82-95%) expressed a desire for establishment of a special dental fear treatment clinic without need for referral.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Generalization of effects of dental fear treatment in a self-referred population of odontophobics.

Effects of dental fear treatment on general anxiety and mood in 60 dental phobics with high and low general anxiety were compared with "attention" effects in 75 dental phobics on a waiting list using the Dental Anxiety Scale, a State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and a modified Fear Survey Schedule. Positive effects of the treatment were apparent in reduced dental and general fearfulness as well as elevated mood on numerous measures that paralleled dentist ratings of patient behavior. Ss had less fear of going to the next dentist after the program than before, according to a visual analogue measure. Ninety-three percent of Ss started dental treatment with private dentists within 1 year.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Habituation and tinnitus: an experimental study.

The study is an experimental test of Hallam's habituation theory of tinnitus; this theory implies that the huge variation in suffering among individuals with about the same amount of tinnitus is due to differences in habituation to the perceived sound. Fourteen patients, seven 'complainers' and seven 'noncomplainers', participated in an experiment where we studied changes in skin conductance and heart rate responses to a series of tinnitus-like sound stimuli. No group differences in habituation were observed. We suggest that facilitatory processes, like disinhibition, may be more important than deficient habituation for the inability, in some individuals, to adapt to their tinnitus.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1991

Psychological and somatic distress in relation to perceived hearing disability, hearing handicap, and hearing measurements.

Acquired hearing loss has frequently been reported to cause strains in everyday life, but few attempts have been reported where the affliction is related to the concept of stress. In this within-subjects investigation of 48 middle-aged to elderly hearing impaired patients, the relationships between hearing measurements, experienced disability and handicap (HMS), and psychological and somatic distress symptoms (SCL-90(R)) were analyzed. The variations in experienced hearing disability was found to correlate to the occurrence of a few, but more severe distress symptoms, and by loss of hearing for high frequencies. The experienced handicap, defined as emotional responses and personal opinions, was found to correlate to a general level of distress. In particular those distress items expressing insecurity were related to handicap experience. It was suggested that insecurity in social settings, and diminished hearing for contextual sounds, could cause a perceived loss of control, which could induce stress reactions.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1991

Short-term reproducibility of a mental arithmetic stress test.

1. To evaluate the short-term reproducibility of heart rate, oscillometrically determined blood pressure, antecubital venous plasma catecholamine concentrations and subjective responses to strictly standardized mental arithmetic, we performed two identical tests 1 h apart in 14 young, healthy and normotensive male subjects (age 22-35 years). 2. Heart rate and blood pressure responses to the two stress tests were highly correlated, when expressed both as correlations between levels attained during stress (rs greater than 0.80 throughout) and as absolute reactivity measures (all rs greater than 0.75). Also, subjective stress responses were highly correlated, when considering both levels during stress and reactivity (r = 0.97 and r = 0.85, respectively). Stress levels of catecholamines were correlated, but the change scores (reactivity) were unrelated. 3. The measurement error SD for heart rate was 2.6 and 3.0 beats/min for reactivity and stress levels, respectively. The corresponding SD for blood pressure ranged between 2.7 and 4.4 mmHg. Subjective stress experience showed an SD of a similar magnitude. The responses of plasma catecholamine concentrations were subject to considerable variability. 4. It is concluded that haemodynamic and subjective stress responses and stress levels during the mental arithmetic stress test show acceptable reproducibility and high test-retest correlations. However, stress-induced changes in venous plasma catecholamine concentrations show low reproducibility.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Reliability and clinical usefulness of psychometric measures in a self-referred population of odontophobics.

Questionnaire responses of 155 self-referred subjects with extreme dental fear were used to evaluate the reliability and clinical usefulness of some psychometric tests used in diagnosis and treatment. The Corah Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and a general Geer Fear Scale (GFS) were filled out by all subjects, while 80 patients with highest dental fear scores were also tested before and after dental fear treatment with the following scales; a Getz Dental Belief Survey (DBS), Dental Fear Survey (DFS), and a Mood Adjective Checklist (MACL). Cronbach's alpha measured internal consistency reliability. SPSS data analyses calculated item-remainder and test-retest correlations. Clinical usefulness of scales was judged by Spearman correlations of initial scores and test score changes after dental fear treatment. All total test scores showed high internal consistency and test-retest reliability. DFS was judged the preferred clinical measure of threatening perceptions of pain or unpleasantness specific to dental procedures. DBS and STAI-State measured confidence in relating with the dentist and situational fear associated with that relationship. GFS, STAI-Trait, and MACL discriminated levels of general fearfulness, anxiety and mood fluctuations that can impact on dental fear.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Hearing impairment, coping and perceived hearing handicap in middle-aged subjects with acquired hearing loss.

Coping strategies are presumed to be modifying factors between a hearing impairment and the perceived handicap. The focus of this investigation was to explore audiological and psychological factors affecting the perceived handicap in hearing-impaired middle-aged subjects. The Hearing Measurement Scale, supplemented by a subjective estimation of the perceived handicap, was used as the dependent variable in a study of 62 subjects, heterogeneous as to type and severity of hearing loss and to hearing aid use. In a stepwise regression analysis, maladaptive communication strategies as well as active and constructive coping behaviours were found to increase the self-perception of hearing handicap. Other significant variables were severity of hearing loss and years of education. Tinnitus symptoms did not contribute to the explained variance in the perceived handicap, which was an unexpected finding. A conclusion that may be drawn from the present study is that active coping strategies tend to focus attention on disability and thereby increase perceived handicap.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1991

Psychological dimensions in patients with disabling tinnitus and craniomandibular disorders.

Forty-two patients with severe tinnitus and craniomandibular disorders (CMD) are presented from an audiological and psychological point of view. During a 2-week period, the patients rated their mood and their tinnitus. Based upon mood ratings, patients were grouped into three clusters (high, medium and low mood). The three groups differed in a number of respects, audiological as well as psychological. Patients in the low mood group experienced significantly more intense and severe tinnitus and more daily stress than patients in the high mood group. Ratings of irritation and concentration difficulties seemed to be mood related, and discriminated between patients in the low mood group and patients in the moderate and the high mood groups. Difference in hearing level between the left and the right ear was more pronounced in patients with low mood. There were, however, no significant differences between the groups in the stomatognathic variables. It is concluded that the above mentioned audiological and psychological observations should be considered as potentially important for satisfactory management of individual tinnitus patients. Further studies of the effects of optimally compensated hearing on depressed mood in patients with noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and tinnitus are required.

Affect↗

PubMed1991

Tinnitus: evaluation of biofeedback and stomatognathic treatment.

Thirty-two patients with disabling tinnitus received stomatognathic treatment and biofeedback therapy according to a cross-over design. The evaluation of treatment outcomes showed some improvements at the group level: decrease of tinnitus intensity, mood improvement and reduction of clinical signs of dysfunction in the masticatory system. Qualitative observations indicated numerous positive changes in patients' emotional and cognitive orientation vis à vis tinnitus. Some possible predictors of positive treatment outcome were observed: comparatively low severity of tinnitus, normal hearing or compensated hearing loss, occlusal interferences, jaw fatigue, diurnal bruxism and fluctuations in tinnitus intensity. Left-sided tinnitus seemed to be a negative predictor of stomatognathic and biofeedback treatment outcome. Consequently, stomatognathic and biofeedback treatment seem to have some positive effects on subgroups of tinnitus patients.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

A qualitative study of strategies for managing a hearing impairment.

The aim of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of what hearing-impaired people are doing to deal with demanding auditory situations in everyday life. Twelve middle-aged subjects with clinical hearing impairments were interviewed monthly during 5 months. The interviews focused on the subjects' own descriptions of demanding auditory situations and what they did, thought and felt in these situations. Verbatim transcribed protocols were content-analysed according to Grounded Theory. Fourteen categories were grounded in the data, forming a model for dealing with demanding auditory situations, including two qualitatively different management patterns: 'to control the social scene' and 'to avoid the social scene'. The emerging core variable was socio-psychological: the hearing-impaired individuals strive to maintain the normal identity and to prevent their definition as deviant in interactions with hearing people. The result of the inductive study was verified in a deductive study of 50 hearing-impaired subjects.

Adaptation, Psychological↗