Stressful life events, psychological symptoms, and psychosocial adjustment in Anglo, Black, and Cuban elderly

Abstract Objective The current researches during COVID-19 have not yet addressed somatic distress among cancer patients. The aims of this study are to investigate the somatic distress and psychological symptoms levels of cancer patients, and analyze the influencing factors on somatic distress during the pandemic. Methods This cross-sectional study included consecutively selected 216 eligible cancer patients. The Patient Health Questionnaire-15, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist for DSM-5, The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21, the Brief Resilience Scale, the Stressful Life Events List due to Pandemic and, demographic and clinical characteristics form were administered to the participants with face to face interviewing. Results The moderate to severe somatic distress rate was % 38 and probable PTSD rate was 20.4%. Depression, anxiety and stress symptoms were 36.1%, 49.1% and 45.4%, respectively, from mild to extremely severe at any level. There were substantial association between somatic symptoms severity and high PTSD, anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms levels. Low educations levels, high anxiety levels, high experience stressful life events, and low psychological resilience predicted high somatic distress levels. Conclusion This study demonstrates the high risk of somatic distress, PTSD, depression, anxiety and stress in patients with cancer during the pandemic. In addition, somatic distress may indicate high levels of psychological symptoms, high experience stressful life events, and low psychological resilience. It underscores the need to assess psychological status during the pandemic, especially those with high level somatic symptoms.

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Acute stress reactions

New Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry ◽

10.1093/med/9780199696758.003.0092 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 693-700

Author(s):

Anke Ehlers ◽

Allison G. Harvey ◽

Richard A. Bryant

Keyword(s):

Life Events ◽

Stressful Life Events ◽

Acute Stress ◽

Psychological Symptoms ◽

Stressful Life ◽

Stress Reactions ◽

Extreme Stress ◽

Classification Of Diseases ◽

Icd 10 ◽

Symptom Patterns

Exceptionally stressful life events can cause severe psychological symptoms, including anxiety, feelings of derealization and depersonalization, and hyperarousal. In one of the first studies to comprehensively document acute reactions to extreme stress, Lindemann observed that the symptoms reported by survivors of the Coconut Grove Fire included avoidance, re-experiencing scenes from the fire, reports of derealization, and the experience of anxiety when exposed to reminders of the event. Similarly, acute responses reported by soldiers who fought in the First and Second World Wars included re-experiencing symptoms and dissociative responses such as numbing, amnesia, and depersonalization. The International Classification of Diseases has recognized acute stress reactions since 1948 (ICD-6). In the most recent edition (ICD-10), early reactions to exceptionally stressful life events are diagnosed as acute stress reaction, one of the diagnoses in the section headed ‘reactions to severe stress, and adjustment disorders’. The diagnoses of acute stress reactions in ICD-10 and of acute stress disorder in DSM-IV have similarities in that they are caused by extreme stress and have some overlap in symptom patterns. They can be considered as two separate points on a continuum from transient to more enduring symptoms. However, there are also differences in the underlying concepts, as we will discuss in this chapter.

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Coping, life stress, and psychological and somatic distress

European Journal of Personality ◽

10.1002/per.2410090403 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 253-270 ◽

Cited By ~ 81

Author(s):

June E. Higgins ◽

Norman S. Endler

Keyword(s):

Life Events ◽

Life Stress ◽

Stressful Life Events ◽

Psychological Symptoms ◽

Coping Styles ◽

Physical Symptoms ◽

Stressful Life ◽

Somatic Distress ◽

Task Oriented ◽

Relationship Of

Theory and research have focused on the relationships among coping processes, stressful life events, and psychological and physical distress. This study was designed to examine the relationship of stressful life events and three styles of coping—emotion oriented, task oriented, and avoidance oriented—to physical and psychological distress. Questionnaires measuring coping styles, recent life stressors, and both physical symptoms and psychological symptoms were completed by 205 undergraduates (101 males and 104 females). It was hypothesized that task‐oriented coping would negatively predict distress and that emotion‐oriented coping would positively predict distress. The relationships of two types of avoidance‐oriented coping (distraction and social diversion) to distress were also examined. Multiple regression analyses revealed that task‐oriented coping was negatively related to distress, but only for males. Emotion‐oriented coping was significantly positively predictive of distress for both males and females. The two subcomponents of avoidance‐oriented coping—distraction and social diversion—were differentially related to measures of distress. Life event stress positively predicted distress, both as an independent contributor of variance and in interaction with several coping styles.

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Prevalence of internet addiction and its association with stressful life events and psychological symptoms among adolescent internet users

Addictive Behaviors ◽

10.1016/j.addbeh.2013.12.010 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 744-747 ◽

Cited By ~ 103

Author(s):

Jie Tang ◽

Yizhen Yu ◽

Yukai Du ◽

Ying Ma ◽

Dongying Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life Events ◽

Internet Addiction ◽

Stressful Life Events ◽

Psychological Symptoms ◽

Stressful Life ◽

Internet Users

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Relationship Between Stressful Life Events And Anxiety During The Period Of Adolescence

European Scientific Journal ESJ ◽

10.19044/esj.2016.v12n11p332 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. 332

Author(s):

Gordana Stankovska ◽

Fadbi Osmani ◽

Svetlana Pandilovska Grncarovska ◽

Slagana Angelkoska

Keyword(s):

Children And Adolescents ◽

Life Events ◽

Significant Relationship ◽

Stressful Life Events ◽

Psychological Symptoms ◽

Stressful Events ◽

The Self ◽

Stressful Life ◽

Childhood And Adolescence ◽

And Gender

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between stressful life events and anxiety during the period of adolescence. It is known that stressful life events are commonly studied risk and environmental factors in the development of psychopathology in childhood and adolescence. In addition, physical and psychological symptoms of anxiety are often associated with stressful life events. These events are related to the different experiences of conflict and disrupted communication in the family. Subsequently, these events directly or indirectly affect the self-esteem and the self-image of adolescents during the period of adolescence. This research starts with the assumption that stressful life events predicted anxiety during the period of adolescence. Another assumption, in this research, is that females have higher level of anxiety compared with males. This study was conducted on a sample of 160 participants (80 girls and 80 boys) students in the fourth year of secondary school. The instruments used in the research include: scale of stressful life events for children and adolescents – Stress-D, and the Scale for anxiety for children and adolescents – SCAD-62. The results showed that stressful life events were significantly associated with anxiety symptoms (r= .962, p<.01). Also, the symptoms of anxiety are closely associated with medical (F,24,135= .871, p<.05) and family stressful events (F,24,135= 2.017, p<.05). There were significant relationship between medical stressful life events and gender (p= .045), and social stressful life events and gender (p= .001). On the other hand, there was a negative correlation between academic stressful life events and gender (p= .944), and family stressful life events and gender (p= .564). In conclusion, the results of the study show that females have higher level of anxiety compared with males (r= .985, p<.01). The results show that there is a significant relationship between specific types of stressful life events, including those related to physical health and family which discord the anxiety during the period of adolescence.

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