Post-Traumatic Orientation to Bodily Signals: A Systematic Literature Review

Theoretical literature suggests that trauma and (PTSD) may instigate changes in the interpretation of bodily signals. Some findings support these inquiries, revealing that exposure to traumatic events and PTSD are associated with pain catastrophizing, body vigilance, fear of pain, and other manifestations of bodily perceptions and interpretations. However, these findings are not integrated into an inclusive empirically based conceptualization, thus leading to a limited comprehension of this phenomenon. This systematic literature review was conducted to synthesize the existing literature referring to orientation to bodily signals. Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, the review included a final of 48 manuscripts that addressed orientation to bodily signals among participants (aged 18 and above) and its potential associations with PTSD. The review revealed that most studies assessed one orientation manifestation, which was tested for its link to PTSD. The majority of the manuscripts were cross-sectional and included participants who faced combat, vehicle accidents, or various types of traumas. Only five manuscripts focused on interpersonal trauma and abuse. Most manuscripts reported significant correlations, revealing that trauma and PTSD are associated with a negative, catastrophic and frightful interpretation of bodily signals. These findings emphasize the need to encapsulate the various manifestations of orientation to bodily signals under a unified construct, as proposed by the term post-traumatic orientation to bodily signals. Further research is needed to illuminate the circumstances and processes by which trauma is implicated in post-traumatic orientation to bodily signals.

Characteristics, Correlates, and Experiences of Emetophobia: An Exploratory Study

Emetophobia, a fear of vomiting or vomit, appears to be more common and consequential than generally thought, and has recently become a growing focus of research and clinical attention. The purposes of this survey-based study were to provide support for existing research evidence, and to investigate emetophobia in novel ways based largely within a cognitive-behavioural framework. Individuals with emetophobia exhibited scores that appear likely to be clinically and practically meaningful on measures of relevant constructs, particularly visceral anxiety, body vigilance, perceived control, and disgust; emetophobic fears appeared to be somewhat distinct from other manifestations of health anxiety. Related cognitions and safety behaviours were assessed with pilot measures. Emetophobia was generally found to have an early onset, chronic course, and strong negative impact in numerous functional domains. Participants generally indicated that their treatment experiences had produced few lasting benefits, perhaps in part due to some potentially unique characteristics of these fears.

Characteristics, Correlates, and Experiences of Emetophobia: An Exploratory Study

Emetophobia, a fear of vomiting or vomit, appears to be more common and consequential than generally thought, and has recently become a growing focus of research and clinical attention. The purposes of this survey-based study were to provide support for existing research evidence, and to investigate emetophobia in novel ways based largely within a cognitive-behavioural framework. Individuals with emetophobia exhibited scores that appear likely to be clinically and practically meaningful on measures of relevant constructs, particularly visceral anxiety, body vigilance, perceived control, and disgust; emetophobic fears appeared to be somewhat distinct from other manifestations of health anxiety. Related cognitions and safety behaviours were assessed with pilot measures. Emetophobia was generally found to have an early onset, chronic course, and strong negative impact in numerous functional domains. Participants generally indicated that their treatment experiences had produced few lasting benefits, perhaps in part due to some potentially unique characteristics of these fears.

Assessment of Potential Risk Factors for the Development of Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness: A Case-Control Pilot Study

Objectives: (1) To assess whether neuroticism, state anxiety, and body vigilance are higher in patients with persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD) compared to a recovered vestibular patient group and a non-dizzy patient group; (2) To gather pilot data on illness perceptions of patients with PPPD.Materials and Methods: 15 cases with PPPD and two control groups: (1) recovered vestibular patients (n = 12) and (2) non-dizzy patients (no previous vestibular insult, n = 12). Main outcome measures: Scores from the Big Five Inventory (BFI) of personality traits, Generalized Anxiety Disorder - 7 (GAD-7) scale, Body Vigilance Scale (BVS), Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), modified Vertigo Symptom Scale (VSS) and Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ).Results: Compared to non-dizzy patients, PPPD cases had higher neuroticism (p = 0.02), higher introversion (p = 0.008), lower conscientiousness (p = 0.03) and higher anxiety (p = 0.02). There were no differences between PPPD cases and recovered vestibular patients in BFI and GAD-7. PPPD cases had higher body vigilance to dizziness than both control groups and their illness perceptions indicated higher levels of threat than recovered vestibular patients.Conclusion: PPPD patients showed statistically significant differences to non-dizzy patients, but not recovered vestibular controls in areas such as neuroticism and anxiety. Body vigilance was increased in PPPD patients when compared with both recovered vestibular and non-dizzy patient groups. PPPD patients also exhibited elements of negative illness perception suggesting that this may be the key element driving the development of PPPD. Large scale studies focusing on this area in the early stages following vestibular insult are needed.

Psychological Predictors of Anxious Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Pakistan

Objective COVID-19 epidemic can be associated with a variety of anxious responses and safety behaviors. The present research explored the psychological implications associated with COVID-19 during the outbreak in 2020 to date. Pakistani media has given particular attention to this outbreak in the region.Methods Three hundred and forty-seven undergraduate university students from Pakistan completed a battery of questionnaires focusing fear of COVID-19, associated safety behaviors, factual knowledge of COVID-19, and other psychological pointers hypothesized to be as predictors of anxious responses to COVID-19 threat and associated safety behaviors.Results The sample appeared to be fearful of COVID-19 and this fear was related to disgust sensitivity, anxiety sensitivity-related physical concerns, body vigilance, contamination cognitions, and general distress. Results suggested that the tendency of overestimating the severity of contamination and anxiety sensitivity towards physical concerns are significant predictors of COVID-19 related fear and consequent safety behaviors.Conclusion It is suggested that people with a greater concern of contamination are likely to respond fearfully to COVID-19 and that people with higher fear of COVID-19 are likely to feel contamination concerns.

PSYCHOLOGICAL PREDICTORS OF ANXIETY IN RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: EVIDENCE FROM PAKISTAN

COVID -19 epidemic can be associated with variety of anxious responses and safety behaviors. Present research explored the psychological implications associated with covid-19 during the outbreak in 2020 till date. Pakistani media has given particular attention to this outbreak in the region. Three hundred and forty-seven undergraduate university students from Pakistan completeda battery of questionnaires focusing fear of Covid -19, associated safety behaviors, factual knowledge of covid-19and other psychological pointers hypothesized to be as predictors of anxious responses to covid-19 threat. The sample appeared to be fearful of covid-19 and this fear was related to disgust sensitivity, anxiety sensitivity-related physical concerns, body vigilance, contamination cognitions and general distress. Results suggested that tendency of overestimating severity of contamination and anxiety sensitivity towards physical concerns are significant predictors of Covid-19 related fear and consequent safety behaviors. Implications are discussed in the light of managing and conceptualizing clinical symptoms related to serious epidemic.Keywords: COVID-19; Health anxiety; Safety Behaviors; Pakistan

The role of vigilance in the relationship between neuroticism and health

The theory of healthy neuroticism, that neuroticism can impact health through both negative and positive pathways, often relies on descriptions of vigilance to illustrate beneficial effects. The current study is among the first to describe the relationship of neuroticism to body vigilance and test the degree to which this relationship impacts health. In an online participant panel (N = 1,055), neuroticism was associated with one factor of vigilance: sensation awareness belief. This factor had a suppression effect on the relationship between neuroticism and healthy behavior, such that the effect of neuroticism through vigilance was healthy, whereas the direct effect was unhealthy. We discuss the implications of these findings and caution against using vigilance to explain the heterogeneity in neuroticism- health relationships.