This current study investigated the relationship between level of pain, expectancies, and avoidance in individuals with chronic low back pain. Research showed that individually expectancies and...Show moreThis current study investigated the relationship between level of pain, expectancies, and avoidance in individuals with chronic low back pain. Research showed that individually expectancies and avoidance behaviour influence pain experience. However, there seems to be little research into the combined influence. Seeing that research also showed that pinpointing a cause for the chronic low back pain is difficult, this study aimed to give insight into interacting factors that influence chronic low back pain. To gather data participants (N=18) filled in a questionnaire five times a day for two weeks. This provided insight into their levels of pain in the morning and the evening, if they expected to experience pain and if they were more likely to avoid movements, they expected to be painful. These statements were answered with answering scales, ranging from 0 (not at all) to 6 (extremely), given how likely that statement was for the participant. A mediation analysis inspecting possible relations between the level of pain and expectancies, the level of pain and avoidance, and the level of pain, expectancies and avoidance yielded no significant relations. Therefore, it could not be concluded that avoidance and/or expectancy are influencing the level of pain in the evening when compared to the level of pain in the morning. There were two significant findings, the impact of level of pain in the morning on expectancies and the impact of expectancies on avoidance. These findings are in line with what was found in existing literature and give incitement for further research on this topic. Another incitement for further research is the small sample used in this current study. The implication for the scientific field therefore is to perform this study on a bigger sample. Another consideration for further research would be to try and use a more diverse sample in both age and gender, this to make a more representative sample to draw conclusions for the general population. This could also lead to more substantial implications for the clinical field since this study did not have significant results.Show less
Itch is a somatosensory stimulus and could potentially alter performance of daily activities. Since itch stimuli will signal potential danger, one might want to protect oneself from potential harm...Show moreItch is a somatosensory stimulus and could potentially alter performance of daily activities. Since itch stimuli will signal potential danger, one might want to protect oneself from potential harm by adapting ones behaviour. Pleading itch stimuli demands ones attention, which can be called the attentional bias (AB). Adapting ones behaviour might influence the effectiveness of treatment, due to not paying attention to the treatment. So far, an AB has been found in healthy individuals, but evidence is mixed. In addition, it is unclear if an AB is present in patients who experience chronic itch. Therefore, this study investigated attentional bias towards itch related visual stimuli in participants who suffer from chronic itch (N=34) compared to healthy controls (N=36). Attentional bias was measured in an online study with two attention tasks, the dot-probe paradigm and the spatial-cuing paradigm using itch-related pictures. During the dot-probe task, patients with chronic itch showed the presence of an AB. Yet, the results acquired from the spatial-cuing task showed the presence of an AB in every participant in disregard of the group they were in. This is not in line with previous research. However, previous research only investigated healthy individuals. Furthermore, all participants reacted faster on invalid trials once an itch cue was presented. One might interpret this as having an attentional avoidance of threat. Yet, also healthy participants seemed to react faster, which perhaps indicates that the itch cue is an overall negative cue regardless of having a past with itch. The discrepancy between the two attention tasks is remarkable, and could perhaps be ascribed to the different processing skills the two tasks ask from the participant. Therefore, future research should focus on the different components of attentional processing. This could eventually optimize current treatment/intervention options.Show less
Limited literature exists on the mental health of older (55+) transgender individuals who have been using long term gender-affirming hormone therapy (GHT). Based on studies that found heightened...Show moreLimited literature exists on the mental health of older (55+) transgender individuals who have been using long term gender-affirming hormone therapy (GHT). Based on studies that found heightened levels of mental health challenges in the transgender population of all ages and the general older population, this study aimed to compare levels of depression, anxiety and loneliness of older transgender women and men who have been using GHT for at least 10 years, to their cisgender peers. Secondly, this study aimed to investigate the potential impact of various social, self-belief and health (risk) factors on the difference in mental health between the groups. This was a cross-sectional study. Mental health outcomes of 73 transgender women and 39 transgender men (age 56-84) receiving long-term GHT (10-47 years) were compared to 219 cisgender men and 219 cisgender women from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) matched on age and level of education. Linear regression analyses per group on the different mental health outcome measures were performed. Clusters of (risk)factors (i.e. social, self-belief and physical health) were (independently) added to the model. Consistent with expectations, transgender women exhibited significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety and loneliness compared to both cisgender women and men. Similarly, transgender men displayed significantly higher levels of these mental health challenges compared to cisgender men. Compared to cisgender women, transgender men only showed significantly higher levels of loneliness. For transgender women, clusters of social, self-belief and health factors separately were identified as risk factors compared to cisgender men and all factors together as risk factors compared to both cisgender groups. For transgender men, self-belief factors and all factors together were identified as protective factors when compared to cisgender women and health factors and all factors together as risk factors compared to cisgender men. More (clinical) awareness of the mental health challenges of older transgender people is warranted in order to provide more effective (mental health) care. Further in-depth research on the risk and protective factors of influence on mental health challenges, including the influence of discrimination, minority stressors and social support, is recommended.Show less
