G M Manuel | PubMed Health

PubMed1992

The Persian Gulf War: civilian war-related stress and the influence of age, religious faith, and war attitudes.

This study examined the stress response of 86 civilian subjects at the onset of the Persian Gulf War. The Impact of Events Scale (IES) and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) were used to measure participants' subjective stress response and symptoms of psychological distress. Subjects also completed a demographic questionnaire that included questions that ranged from religious affiliation to approval of the war effort. The study describes war-related stress and the influence of age, religious faith, and attitudes about war on reported levels of stress. Results indicate measurable levels of war-related stress in this civilian population.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1987

Coping with cancer.

This study examined coping strategies in head and neck cancer patients. The relationships between the use of approach and avoidant coping strategies and the physical and emotional distress of 35 newly diagnosed head and neck cancer patients during the early stages of cancer treatment were evaluated. Patients were categorized on the basis of coping strategy at the time of diagnosis and then evaluated twice during the course of their treatment at four- to six-week intervals. Cancer patients who predominantly employed either approach or avoidant strategies had lower initial levels of emotional distress than patients who did not use either of these strategies. Although symptoms of distress decreased in patients using approach or avoidance, symptoms increased for those patients who did not use these strategies. The level of stress for this cancer population is highest at the point of confirmed diagnosis and recedes during the course of treatment. The theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗