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Biomedical subjects

B B Arnetz

Publications and source records attributed to B B Arnetz.

65 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Psychological, sociological and health behaviour aspects of a long term activation programme for institutionalized elderly people.

The present study deals with psychological, sociological and subjective health aspects of social isolation and understimulation in institutional elderly people. In a controlled study over a 6 month period, A programme was devised in collaboration with residents of a senior citizens apartment building and its staff. The aim of the programme was to increase social activation and to encourage among the elderly an enhanced control over their daily lives. It was agreed that the programme implemented should involve no extra costs, overtime work or external resources. Most psychological and sociological variables were stable over the 6 month period. However, social activity level increased 3-fold in the Experimental group compared with the Control group. The E-group also started to attend activities outside the actual programme, and in general spent more time out of doors. Seasonal variations were found in feelings of depression, visits to the country/summer houses, as well as visits by children and neighbours. There were no changes in psychosomatic or psychological complaints indices. However, feelings of restlessness decreased significantly in the E-group over the 6 month period compared with the C-group. There was also a non significant decrease over time in complaints of heart palpitations in the E-group.

Affective Symptoms↗
PubMed1983

An experimental study of social isolation of elderly people: psychoendocrine and metabolic effects.

Psychoendocrine and metabolic effects of social isolation and understimulation in real life were examined in a controlled study of 60 elderly people representative of their age group. Together with the staff and the elderly, a social activation program was formed at a senior citizen apartment building. Half of the elderly were part of this activation program (experimental group). The other half constituted the control group. Blood sampling and psychosocial testing were performed immediately before and after 3 and 6 months of social activation. Social activation increased threefold in the experimental group. Height decreased in the control group compared to the experimental subjects. Plasma levels of testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, and estradiol increased significantly in the experimental group over the 6-month period compared to the control group. The most pronounced increase took place during the initial 3 months. Hemoglobin A1c decreased significantly in the experimental group over the 6-month period compared to the control group. In this preliminary study it is concluded that social isolation and understimulation may be associated with a wide range of psychophysiologic effects in elderly people.

Aged↗
PubMed1982

Social activation of the elderly. A social experiment.

Social isolation and understimulation are considered to be major problems among institutionalized aged. This article describes an 'activation' program for elderly people living in a senior citizen apartment building. The intention of the research team was to devise a program together with the elderly and the staff, the goals being to increase social activation and self-dependence among the elderly. The program devised was implemented within the apartment's existing financial framework, involving no additional costs, overtime work or external resources. The program was designed in such a way as to allow for measurement of social activation in both the experimental and control groups. This report focuses primarily on the problems which arose in the personnel group in conjunction with the program. Evaluation of these problems was carried out by means of tape-recorded personnel meetings. This paper presents the analysis of these recordings. It was of major importance to the program that any organizational changes be enacted only on the initiative of the elderly and the staff themselves. The results show that it is possible, with relatively simple and inexpensive methods, to stimulate the elderly's interests and counteract social isolation and understimulation.

Aged↗
PubMed1982

The influence of aging on hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c).

Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was used as a marker of transient increases in plasma glucose over the preceding 8 to 12 weeks in 48 nondiabetics between the ages of 50 and 89 years. A major finding is the lack of any significant differences in fasting plasma glucose with age, whereas HbA1c differed significantly between the age groups 50 to 69, 70 to 79, and 80 to 89 years. The lowest values, 6.9 +/- .48%, were found among the youngest age group, whereas the highest, 8.62 +/- .28%, were found in those 80 to 89 years of age.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Mortality among petrochemical science and engineering employees.

This is a study of a dynamic cohort of 13 250 commercial research and development personnel for whom information on occupational and educational background and smoking was available. Their age-, sex-, race-, and period-adjusted death rates were compared with New Jersey rates and with an internal comparison population. The overall results were favorable. The study groups had significantly fewer deaths from most major disease categories compared with other New Jersey residents. Among white male scientists and engineers, age-adjusted overall mortality and ischemic heart disease mortality were comparable to white male managers and support staff studied, whereas mortality from leukemia and lymphatic cancer was significantly elevated. Mechanics, however, had a significantly lower leukemia and lymphatic cancer mortality rate than did the comparison group. In a Poisson regression model in which white males and females from the study population were used, and for which the effects of age, smoking, college education category, period of hire, and years employed were controlled, scientists, engineers, and research technicians had elevated (nonsignificantly) mortality rates for leukemia and lymphatic cancer compared with managers and support staff. Smoking was an independent risk factor for leukemia and lymphatic cancer. Further work is needed to assess if specific environmental factors, such as benzene, other aromatics, radiation, medical treatment, and smoking habits, might have contributed to the above findings.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Mental strain and physical symptoms among employees in modern offices.

A comprehensive questionnaire that assessed both physical and psychosocial work environments, as well as personal health and lifestyle, was answered by 133 (92%) employees. In addition, we assessed the physical/chemical and psychosocial environments of 8 randomly selected employees, of whom some had environmentally related health complaints. Environmental factors most often associated with poor work environments were improper room temperature, light reflexes (i.e., glare and reflection of light), dust, and dry air. Emission products from traffic pollution and 1,1,1-trichloroethane levels were also detected. The electromagnetic fields in both the low and the extremely low frequencies spectra were close to background levels. Individuals who had environmentally associated health symptoms worked mainly in the customer support division, and they perceived higher work demands. Their computer environment was also worse ergonomically. There were no differences with respect to objective skin signs or disease between those with and without symptoms, respectively. The results of this study point to the importance of looking at both the psychosocial and physical environments when health complaints arise in modern offices.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Stress and psoriasis: psychoendocrine and metabolic reactions in psoriatic patients during standardized stressor exposure.

Psychoendocrine and metabolic reactions during standardized stressor exposure (color-word conflict test and forced mental arithmetics) were studied in ten psoriatic and ten matched healthy subjects. During resting conditions, the groups were similar with regard to psychologic and biochemical variables, except for plasma glucose, which was slightly elevated in the psoriatic group. During stressor exposure, the psoriatic group reported significantly higher strain levels. Blood pressure, pulse rate, plasma glucose, and urinary adrenaline excretion increased in both groups during exposure, with more pronounced increases of the latter two in the psoriatic group. Serum cortisol, prolactin, progesterone and urinary cortisol decreased in both groups during stressor exposure. The decrease in serum cortisol was more pronounced in the psoriatic group. Thus, no psychoendocrine differences were found between the healthy and psoriatic subjects during resting conditions. In contrast, during a standardized stressor exposure, psoriatic subjects reported higher levels of strain, which was accompanied by higher levels of urinary adrenaline and lower levels of plasma cortisol. These results fit the hypothesis that psoriatic patients perceive certain challenging situations as more stressful than do nonpsoriatic controls, and react accordingly in their differential psychoendocrine reaction pattern. Possible pathophysiologic implications of the different pituitary-adrenocortical and sympatho-adrenomedullary reactions in psoriatics submitted to stressor exposure are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Immune function in unemployed women.

Immunologic effects of unemployment were prospectively studied in women over a period of 8 months. Subjects were classified into three groups depending on their employment history, and were studied concomitantly. Group A consisted of unemployed women who were recipients of traditional support from the Swedish welfare state. Group B was composed of unemployed women who were given the opportunity to participate in a psychosocial program, in addition to receiving the traditional unemployment benefits received by group A. Group C, the control, consisted of securely employed women. Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) reactivity of lymphocytes decreased significantly in both groups of unemployed women after 9 months of unemployment. The psychosocial program did not counteract this decrease. Reactivity to purified protein derivative (PPD) of tuberculin also decreased significantly in the unemployed subjects. No changes were observed in the securely employed women. There were no significant differences among the groups in T cell subpopulations, B cells, and serum cortisol. The data suggest that some aspects of the immune system may be altered at a specific time period following the loss of work. Further studies are needed to see if this effect is only temporary or more long lasting.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Psychophysiological reactions to international adjustment. Results from a controlled, longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: This controlled prospective study examines psychophysiological reactions in employees during their first and second year abroad to identify individual as well as work-related factors predictive of positive adjustment. METHODS: Employees (n = 47) relocating from Sweden to a foreign country on a work-related assignment were followed. The subjects completed a questionnaire before relocation and after 1 and 2 years abroad. Blood samples were collected for determination of the stressor-related hormones prolactin, cortisol and testosterone. A matched non-moving reference group of employees (n = 35) responded to the questionnaire at similar time periods, and also provided blood samples. RESULTS: During the years abroad, the expatriate employees experienced increased psychosocial stress as well as negative adjustment as reflected in circulating levels of prolactin and testosterone, worse mental well-being and worsening subjective work environment, as compared with the non-moving group. The greatest change occurred during the first year. Individual factors such as social support, internal locus of control, self-esteem and sense of coherence modified the stress response and predicted employees' ability to adjust to foreign assignments. Negative changes in the psychosocial work environment explained to a large degree the decrease in work adjustment during the first year and these findings were also reflected in physiological stress indicators. CONCLUSIONS: The study emphasises the importance for multinational organisations to look at these individual characteristics before sending employees abroad. They also need to get more involved in supporting employees to manage stressors characteristic of the first year of foreign work.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Impact of management change and an intervention program on health care personnel.

BACKGROUND: There has been a major shift in the organization and responsibility for the provision of geriatric care in Sweden. This was believed to be stressful. We therefore decided to launch a controlled intervention program on health care personnel aimed at enhancing their adaptation and ability to cope. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of management change on psychosocial parameters of health care personnel and the effects, if any, of a structured intervention program. METHODS: Two separate wards were randomly allocated to be either intervention (I) or control (C) ward. The I-ward personnel were subjected to a psychologist's structured 10-session intervention program for 20 weeks. The program consisted of an initial educational part followed by a practical problem-solving discussion part. A structured questionnaire on psychosocial issues was answered by the participants before (0 weeks), immediately after (20 weeks), and 10 weeks after the intervention (30 weeks). RESULTS: There were no significant changes in the psychosocial parameters of the C-ward personnel. In the I-ward, however, there was a significant increase in work demand as well as in positive feelings about work, as compared to the C-ward at the 30-week follow-up. There was also significantly better work comfort in the I-ward. CONCLUSIONS: We did not find any anticipated negative psychosocial effects on health care personnel undergoing an organizational change. However, by offering a structured intervention program to one group of health care personnel, we found some positive psychosocial effects. Future research is needed to pinpoint which factor or factors in the intervention program were the most crucial for the effects to occur.

Adult↗