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Biomedical subjects

Mark Cropley

Publications and source records attributed to Mark Cropley.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

The role of dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes in late-life insomnia.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the role of individual and combined sleep-related dysfunctional beliefs in late-life insomnia. METHODS: Older adults who responded to an advertisement in a magazine took part in a cross-sectional survey (N=382). Respondents completed self-report measures of dysfunctional beliefs about sleep (Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes to Sleep Scale) as well as measures of their current sleep patterns. RESULTS: Overall, people with insomnia (PWI) endorsed more extreme ratings of dysfunctional beliefs than "good sleepers" did. However, some sleep-related dysfunctional beliefs did not discriminate PWIs from good sleepers nor were they related to experiencing a longer duration of insomnia. CONCLUSION: This article demonstrates that not all sleep-related dysfunctional beliefs are related to reporting insomnia and that some are not related to a longer reported duration of insomnia, possibly changing through personal experience. These preliminary results may have implications for tailoring the cognitive aspects of psychoeducational programmes for people with late-life insomnia.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

The effect of exercise in reducing desire to smoke and cigarette withdrawal symptoms is not caused by distraction.

AIMS AND DESIGN: Moderate-intensity exercise has been shown to reduce common smoking withdrawal symptoms and desire to smoke in acutely abstinent smokers. The aim of the present study was to determine if this was caused by distraction. A secondary aim was to determine whether exercise-related changes in affect were related to a reduction in symptoms. METHODS: Forty 'sedentary' participants who had smoked at least 10 or more cigarettes per day for at least 3 years were assigned randomly to one of two groups. They completed either 10 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on a stationary bicycle ergometer or 10 minutes of a cognitive distraction task (paced visual serial addition task, PVSAT) after 11-15 hours of smoking abstinence. Participants rated smoking withdrawal symptoms and desire to smoke using standard scales at 10, 5 and 0 minutes before the experimental intervention, then at 5 and 10 minutes after the start of the intervention and 5 and 10 minutes after its completion. FINDINGS: Significant group x time interactions were observed for ratings of desire to smoke and several withdrawal symptoms (irritability, depression, restlessness, difficulty concentrating and stress). There was a reduction in ratings during and immediately following exercise that was not observed with cognitive distraction. Also it was found the effects were not mediated by changes in affect observed in the exercise condition. CONCLUSIONS: A brief bout of moderate-intensity exercise can lead to a rapid reduction in desire to smoke and withdrawal discomfort, which is not due to the distracting effect of exercise or the effects of mood. These findings support recommendations to smokers to use exercise as a means of helping cope with the difficulties encountered when they try to stop.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2006

Effects of preoperative smoking cessation on the incidence and risk of intraoperative and postoperative complications in adult smokers: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: To establish the effect of preoperative smoking cessation on the risk of postoperative complications, and to identify the effect of the timing of preoperative cessation. DATA SOURCES: The Cochrane Library Database, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Medline, and CINAHL databases were searched, using the terms: "smoking", "smoking-cessation", "tobacco-use", "tobacco-abstinence", "cigarett$", "complication$", "postoperative-complication$", "preoperative", "perioperative" and "surg$". Further articles were obtained from reference lists. The search was limited to articles on adults, written in English and published up to November 2005. STUDY SELECTION: Prospective cohort designs exploring the effects of preoperative smoking cessation on postoperative complications were included. Two reviewers independently scanned abstracts of relevant articles to determine eligibility. Lack of agreement was resolved through discussion and consensus. Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. DATA EXTRACTION: Methodological quality was assessed by both reviewers, exploring validation of smoking status, clear definition of the period of smoking cessation, control for confounding variables and length of follow-up. DATA SYNTHESIS: Only four of the studies specified the exact period of smoking cessation, with six studies specifying the length of the follow-up period. Five studies revealed a lower risk or incidence of postoperative complications in past smokers than current smokers or reported that there was no significant difference between past smokers and non-smokers. CONCLUSIONS: Longer periods of smoking cessation appear to be more effective in reducing the incidence/risk of postoperative complications; there was no increased risk in postoperative complications from short term cessation. An optimal period of preoperative smoking cessation could not be identified from the available evidence.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Goal setting as an outcome measure: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Goal achievement has been considered to be an important measure of outcome by clinicians working with patients in physical and neurological rehabilitation settings. This systematic review was undertaken to examine the reliability, validity and sensitivity of goal setting and goal attainment scaling approaches when used with working age and older people. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To review the reliability, validity and sensitivity of both goal setting and goal attainment scaling when employed as an outcome measure within a physical and neurological working age and older person rehabilitation environment, by examining the research literature covering the 36 years since goal-setting theory was proposed. METHODS: Data sources included a computer-aided literature search of published studies examining the reliability, validity and sensitivity of goal setting/goal attainment scaling, with further references sourced from articles obtained through this process. MAIN FINDINGS: There is strong evidence for the reliability, validity and sensitivity of goal attainment scaling. Empirical support was found for the validity of goal setting but research demonstrating its reliability and sensitivity is limited. CONCLUSIONS: Goal attainment scaling appears to be a sound measure for use in physical rehabilitation settings with working age and older people. Further work needs to be carried out with goal setting to establish its reliability and sensitivity as a measurement tool.

Persons with Disabilities↗
PubMed2004

Acute effects of a short bout of moderate versus light intensity exercise versus inactivity on tobacco withdrawal symptoms in sedentary smokers.

RATIONALE: A previous study found that a 10-min bout of moderate intensity exercise reduced cigarette withdrawal symptoms and desire to smoke in sedentary smokers but the effect may have been due to participants focusing attention on physical activity rather than the activity itself. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the effect of 5 min of moderate intensity exercise and 5 min of light intensity exercise on tobacco withdrawal symptoms amongst sedentary smokers. METHODS: Eighty-four smokers attended a laboratory session having abstained from smoking for between 11 and 14 h. Participants were randomly allocated to one of three conditions: (i) light intensity exercise [ n=28; 10-20% of heart rate reserve (HRR)]; (ii) moderate intensity exercise ( n=28; 40-60% HRR), (iii) a passive control condition ( n=28). Both exercise conditions involved 5 min of stationary cycling and participants rated tobacco withdrawal symptoms and cravings immediately before exercise (baseline), during exercise at 2.5 min, immediately following exercise, then after 5 and 10 min of rest. Control participants made the same ratings across an equivalent time period. RESULTS: For moderate intensity exercise compared to light intensity exercise and control there was a significant reduction in strength of desire to smoke, relative to baseline, both during exercise and up to 5 min post-exercise. Relative to baseline, there were also significant reductions in restlessness, stress, tension and poor concentration at 5 and 10 min post-exercise, for moderate intensity exercise compared to light intensity exercise and control. CONCLUSIONS: Five minutes of moderate intensity exercise is associated with a short-term reduction in desire to smoke and tobacco withdrawal symptoms. Very brief bouts of exercise may therefore be useful as an aid to smoking cessation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Children's sleep: problems and solutions.

It is now believed that up to 43% of children can experience a sleep problem at some stage during their development. Reduced quality of sleep can have important implications for the developing child as it can impair growth, learning and emotional development. It is important for health professionals to understand the significance of sleep and the ways to alleviate problems so that these can be tackled at an early age. By educating people in how to get a good night's sleep we shall hopefully move towards a more happy, healthy and capable child population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Ways to recover from work-induced stress.

For most health professionals, stress goes with the job. It is also a factor for many clients and families. This article explains recent thinking on recovery from work-related stress and outlines some everyday strategies to help.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2003

The psychological contracts of National Health Service nurses.

AIMS: Following the psychological contract model of the employee-employer exchange relationship is offered as a means of understanding the expectations of a UK sample of 223 National Health Service (NHS) nurses in association with their leaving intentions. DESIGN AND METHODS: A pilot study involving 21 NHS nurses, using the repertory grid technique was conducted to elicit contract expectations. Twenty-nine categories of expectation were identified through content analysis. The study proper, employed a survey developed on the basis of results from the pilot study to identify contract profiles among 223 nurses from three London/South-east NHS hospitals, using the Q-sort method. Type of contract held (relational/transactional), satisfaction (job and organization), and leaving intentions were also examined. RESULTS: Q-analysis yielded four contract profiles among the nurses sampled: 'self-development and achievement'; 'belonging and development'; 'competence and collegiality' and 'autonomy and development'. Correlation analysis demonstrated that leaving intentions were associated with a need for personal autonomy and development, and the violation of expectations for being appreciated, valued, recognized and rewarded for effort, loyalty, hard-work and achievement, negative endorsement of a relational contract, positive endorsement of a transactional contract, and job and organizational dissatisfaction. CONCLUSION: Findings illustrate the diagnostic utility of the term psychological contract for understanding the expectations of NHS nurses. The potential significance of these findings for managing nurse retention is highlighted.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

An examination of thought control strategies employed by acute and chronic insomniacs.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Theoretical accounts of the progression of insomnia from acute to chronic are lacking. A framework is proposed and tested to examine differences in cognitive coping styles between acute and chronic insomniacs and the relation of cognitive processing and sleep hygiene to causal attributions of insomnia. METHOD: In a cross-sectional design, the relationship among sleep disturbance, causal attributions and various psychological and behavioural variables was examined in a convenience sample of acute and chronic insomniacs from the general population (N=308). RESULTS: Negative appraisals and the cognitive coping styles 'Worry' and 'Punishment' were found to be associated with both acute and chronic insomnia, whereas 'Distraction' as a cognitive coping strategy significantly reduced reports of chronic insomnia. The results are discussed in relation to multi-level interventions and future directions in theory, research and application.

Journal Article↗