To assess possible differences in plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-C, HDL-C, VLDLC, Index of arteriosclerosis and Established risk factor for arteriosclerosis and 10 year risk of coronary disease between veterans with combat experience with PTSD and veterans with combat experience without PTSD. To compare and analyze differences between groups in socio-demographic characteristics, trauma exposure, coping strategies and quality of life.

Plasma lipid parameters were determined and risk factors calculated for 50 subjects in the PTSD group and 50 subjects in the non-PTSD group. Groups were homogenized in gender, age, BMI, smoking status and somatic or psychiatric co-morbid disorders or the use of medications influencing blood lipid levels. Trauma exposure, coping strategies and quality of life were assessed with referenced psychometric instruments, socio-demographic characteristics with use of questionnaire.

Subjects in the PTSD group had significantly higher levels of all plasma lipid parameters except for HDL-C that was significantly lower. Risk factors were significantly higher in PTSD group. There was no significant difference in indices of exposure to combat trauma. Secondary traumatization was significantly more frequent in PTSD group. There were significant differences in socio-economic parameters, quality of life assessment and repertoire of coping strategies.

The results of this study provide further evidence for the onnection of chronic PTSD and blood lipids abnormalities and cardiovascular risk factors. The results indicate the importance of posttraumatic environment factors and coping strategies for the occurrence and persistence of PTSD.

To evaluate the relationship between hearing loss severity, anger expression, perceived handicap, social dysfunction and psychopathological distress in adult patients suffering from acquired hearing loss.

297 hearing impaired subjects were consecutively recruited by the ENT Clinic of the Modena and Reggio Emilia University from 1/1/07. Each patient were submitted to pure-tones audiometry and the pure tone average threshold (PTA) was calculated over 0.5,1, 2, 4 kHz. Socio-demographic data were collected (age, educational level, employment, marital status). Every patient was also administered the following questionnaire in their Italian validated version: Social Functioning Questionnaire, Brief Symptom Inventory, Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults, State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2. Descriptive statistics were used to assess sociodemographic data; Pearson correlation coefficient was used to investigate relationships between test scores and hearing loss level.

Mean age was 53.79 (SD ±13.65); 44.8% were males. Hearing impairment level didn't significantly relate with objective social functioning level (p=.311), but with the subjective emotional and socio-situational perceived handicap (p=.000); moreover it significantly correlates with individual psychopathological tendency to phobic reaction (p=.006) and to anger general expression index (p=.021). Furthermore it directly relates with state anger (p=.021) and inversely relates with external expressed anger (p=.023).

Anger felt but not expressed might be a key element in determining subjective social impairment in hearing loss patients and contribute to their well-known psychological distress.

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of blue light emitting diode units in suppression of melatonin secretion and to evaluate whether a single exposure can improve well being in healthy males and females (20/30) and in 15 women with premenstrual syndrome.

All study participants were of morning-type with a regular sleep schedule. On control day 1, the subjects were kept under dim illumination (< 10 lx) from 19:00 to 22:30. On day 2, after 1.5h in dim light, the subjects were exposed for 60 min to blue light (12.15 μM/cm², TurboLite, Germany) following by 30 min dim light. Blood samples were collected every 30 min for melatonin assay. Zerssen's complaints scale was used to assess mental und physical well-being at 19:00 (pre-test) and at 22:30 (post-test) after dim illumination or blue light exposure. In addition a visual analogue scale (VAS) for sleepiness was applied.

Overall, blue light improved significantly mental and physical complaints from pre-test to post-test (reduction in sum score of the Zerssen's complaints scale by in average 30%) and reduced sleepiness, as measured by the VAS. There were gender-related differences, as well as differences related to the menstrual phase in females. Blue light reduced but not suppressed the gradual increase of melatonin in plasma with time mostly pronounced in the follicular phase.

A single exposition with blue light of low radiant flux density, as applied in our study, seems to be helpful in reducing mental and physical distress.

South Asian earthquake of 8th October 2005 caused massive destruction of healthcare infrastructure in Pakistan. National and international health workers met the increased demand of health care provision. Initial consultation and discussion with professionals working in disaster-affected areas indicated a high level of physical exhaustion and emotional burn out amongst relief workers.

A qualitative consultation study based on semi-structured interviews was conducted during 2005- 2006. The objectives of the study were to identify peoples’ motivation and emotional reactions whilst providing services in disaster-affected areas. 30 professionals were consulted in total. All subjects had participated in health provision efforts in disaster-affected areas. Interviews were conducted in Karachi, Islamabad and Rawalpindi. A written record of interviews was kept to allow analysis.

The purposive sampling and ongoing thematic analysis of interview data enabled identification and further exploration of qualitative themes.

The emergent qualitative themes are presented in three sections:

1. 1. Sources of Motivation: Shared Experience, Doing Good, Fear and Gratitude, Positive Emotional Experiences.

2. 2. Sources of Distress: Feelings of Guilt and Impotence, Anger and Distrust, Physical Hardship, Poor Law and Order Situation, Conflict with Local Communities, Interpersonal and Inter-agency Conflict.

3. 3. Coping with Emotions: Work Strategies, Escape Activities, Religious Activities, Emotional Avoidance.

Emotional experiences and motivating factors may play an important role in preventing or causing early ‘burn out’ in relief workers. This study highlights the importance of examining these factors in organization and conduct of disaster relief work.

Studies of relationships between personality dimensions and mental health indicate that people with psychiatric disorders have distinct personality patterns that comprising behavioural, emotional and cognitive patterns in the society(Malouff, 2005 & Widiger,1994). The study aimed to investigate relationship among personality dimensions (introversion-extroversion E/I, intuition- sensing N/S, thinking-feeling T/F, perceiving-judging P/J) based on Jungian personality types and stress in students of university.

The studied population included 200 students between ages of 19-23 were randomly selected from four universities center and Hogan-Champagne's Personal Style Inventory (PSI) and Coudron's Stress Inventory (CSI) were administered on them. PSI assesses eight personality dimensions based on Jungian personality types mentioned above. The data were analyzed with Pearson correlation coefficient.

Analysis showed positive correlation between introversion and stress and negative correlation between extroversion and stress. Analysis of personality dimensions showed female are more sensing than male and male are more intuition than female.

In regard to introverted are quiet, diligent at working alone, and socially reserved make decisions, some what independently constraints and prodding from situation, culture, people, or things around them and so facing to stress factors interrupt their own world and reduce their function. These factors cause to variability in situation and stress com about. The last finding is the students believe themselves beyond they are, and with facing to problems beyond their ability, stress has more effects.

The World Health Organization (WHO) (1998) has proclaimed that the definition of health includes four Domains of well-being: physical, mental, social and spiritual. It is therefore suggested that nurses should prepare themselves to assist individuals and families, not only to cope with spiritual distress of illness and suffering but also to explore the meaning in these experiences. The purpose of this investigation is to explore the antecedents of spiritual distress experienced by Iranian Muslim patients in the context of Islam.

Qualitative descriptive research was conducted using unstructured interviews with twenty-one patients and three relatives. The data analyzed using content analysis method.

Three main categories were found: failure in communication, non-holistic care and inability to worship.

The results showed that the patient's spiritual well-being could be enhanced by communication, listening and giving information. Finally, it is clear that staff members have a great deal of responsibility for the patient's well-being, facilitating the relatives’ involvement based on their wishes and limiting the stress and difficulties experienced by the family.

Shift work can be propounded as a risk factor of psychological problems creation. This study has been executed to determine relation between shift work and psychological problems among hospital’s personnel of Ardabil University of Medical science.

This study is a retrospective case-control one and has been executed on 388 person of personnel of hospitals of Ardabil University of Medical Science (223 as case group and 65 as control group), that has been selected randomly. Requisite information was collected with three questionnaires. Including General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), personal questionnaire and standardized sleep state evaluation questionnaire and were analyzed by SPSS statistical software. Chi-square and analysis of variance tests were used to test investigation’s hypothesis.

Meaningful relation were found between these problems such as somatoform signs (p< 0.005) anxiety (p< 0.019) social action disorder (p< 0.001) and depression (p< 0.019) and shift work. At the same time result of comparison of sleep state in the case and control group showed that in all items s1sep1 taking nap throughout day, there is meaningful difference between two case and control group and this difference show that more sleep problems is found in case group as compared with control group.

It is advised to reform irregular circulation of shift Work in hospitals and with due attention to work conditions of any hospital, a sought after shift work system be executed.

The comparison of stresses between nurses and dentists depicts that nurses more than other professions are prone to stress and the rate of suicide in female nurses 5-6 times and in male nurses 2-3 times more than general population. Researches also shows that neurotic disorders like drug abuse and depression is more common in nurses. This study aimed to determine stressors of nurses working in emergency units.

All of nurses working in emergency units of hospitals of Ardabil medical sciences university (n=49) chosen for sample. The means of data collecting was questionnaire. Descriptive statistics used for data analysis.

This study showed that the shortage an unavailability of necessary equipment (67.34%), patient's suffering (57%), patient's family interference with nursing care (53.06), shortage of nurses, unavailability of physicians in emergency situations, (51.12%) and working without adequate rest (42.17%)were the most important stressors of nurses working in emergency units.

In the sum we can say that the most important stressors are the shortage and unavailability of necessary equipments. This is a management related factor so nursing managers can help to promote the nursing care quality using environmental changes.

COPD is a chronic and plenty disease and one of the important causes of morbidity and mortality in the world with restrict available medical treatments. The objective of this study was to assess whether psycho-educational plans (self management and behavior modification) administered in primary care have beneficial effects on symptoms of patients with COPD.

The study was a prospective, unblinded, randomized controlled trial of usual care vs. usual care plus structured education on the use of 8 sessions of “self management and behavior modification” group education: a simple educational package on life style modification and assumption of special behaviors in different situation of disease. The study was conducted in 2 educational hospitals (Khorshid & Alzahra) in Isfahan, Iran. Participants were 40 patients with COPD randomized into control or intervention groups. The primary outcome measure was change in severity of COPD symptoms that measured with Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ). The data were analyzed with spss software and statistic examination called Ancova-Reapted measure and Mancova-Reapted measure.

Self management and behavior modification education were associated with significant higher decrease in mean score of CCQ in symptom, functional state and mental state domains but had no effect on change in mean score of CCQ-Total.

Mean score of CCQ in symptom, functional state and mental state domains was lower in the intervention group but there was no difference in mean score of CCQ-Total due to “self-management and behavior modification” plans.

PTSD-veterans’ spouses often become indirect victims of their partner’s dysfunction, confronting many stressors including relationship crisis, rearrangement of family roles, social isolation and adjustment to clinical course of disease.

Compare levels of caretaker burden and burnout in partnership relations of PTSD and non-PTSD veterans’ spouses, particularly in situation where the spouses have PTSD themselves.

Test group consisted of 154 veterans who are undergoing treatment for war psychotraumatisation caused PTSD at the Clinical hospital Mostar, and their spouses. Control group consisted of 77 war veterans without PTSD, and their spouses. The General demographic questionnaire, Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ), the Experience of Subjective and Objective Burden and Maslach Burnout Inventory were used in research.

PTSP-veterans’ spouses had significantly higher results on al subscales of the caretaker burden questionnaire and partnership relations burnout questionnaire. When both partners have PTSD, the burden of subjective demands and subjective stress, and burnout in partnership are significantly higher in comparison with the couples where only the veteran has PTSD or when partners don't have PTSD. The difference wasn't found in the objective burden when both partners have PTSD in comparison with the case when only the veteran has PTSD.

PTSD-veterans’ spouses in comparison with the non-PTSD veterans’ spouses are exposed to more objective burden of life, burden of partner's subjective demands and subjective perception of stress overburden, and their burnout is also higher. The burden of subjective demands, subjective stress and burnout are even more prominent when the spouse has PTSD.

This study aimed to identify the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among the navies or their spouses at 6 months after the tsunami disaster, to compare HRQOL with the 2006 Thailand normative data for Short Form - 36 (Bangkok)4.

A structured questionnaire modified from the 36-item Medical Outcome Study Short-Form Health Survey (MOS SF - 36), including demographic data, characteristics and amount of loss, social support, health information, and type of Tsunami exposure were recorded.

A total of 434 subjects participated in this study. Male was 77%. Married was 67%. Mean age was 33.56 ± 9.26 years old. The QOL scores among members of the Navy or their spouses were lower than the 2006 Thailand normative data (Bangkok) in almost all subscales except physical functioning, bodily pain, and social functioning. The major consequence of the Tsunami was mental health problems. A majority of the survivors who seriously experienced mental problems were female, low education, decreased income, loss of one's family members/loved ones, or property. Bodily pain was the only indicator subscale of QOL which was significant statistically associated with Tsunami exposure.

The QOL measurement provided essential information that helped healthcare providers to identify survivors’ needs and outcomes. In addition, the changes in QOL over time after Tsunami disaster might be an effective guideline for health resources allocation. To improve their quality of life, these people required appropriate social support as well as physical and mental health care.

On the scale of negative events that can happen in life,losing a job is high up on it, as a risk factor in the development of different psychiatric diseases. The connection between social functioning and the quality of life with people who lost their job was not explicitly researched.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the connection between social functioning and the quality of life in the population of people who lost their job, with a wide spectrum of psychiatric diseases.

Social functioning was appraised using the GRONINGEN SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR QUESTIONNAIRE -100 { GSB -100} and GLOBAL ASSESSMENT OF FUNCTIONING {GAF} scale. The quality of life was measured using WHO QUALITY OF LIFE ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT (WHOQOL-100).A total of 80 patients aged 40 to 60 who lost their job during the previous year were included in this study.

The population of patients who lost their job shows a huge range of problems in the area of social functioning. The number of problems was significantly higher in comparison with the control group of healthy people, but also a little higher in comparison with a group of psychiatric patients who had not lost their job.

Almost all GSB -100 scales were in negative interrelation with all QOL aspects, while the score on the GAF scale correlated positively with all QOL aspects.

People who lost their job with problems in the aspects of social functioning have a lower score than those without such problems.

There are seldom mental health studies in Portugal about immigrant populations, particularly in groups belonging to non-Portuguese speaking minorities. The recent phenomenon of emergence of new migratory flows coming from Eastern Europe countries, which traditionally had no cultural or linguistic contact with the host country and the implications of this migratory process in the mental health status of this population, is the centre of this investigation.

This study aims to perform a socio-demographic characterization, identify the main health problems and health surveillance patterns of the immigrant population from Eastern Europe countries in Portugal. It also aims to assess the stress vulnerability and ths mental health status of this population.

The study was conducted in immigrant local centres from January 31st 2005 to March 31st 2006 and focused on 566 Eastern Europe immigrants residing in several regions of Portugal, 296 males and 270 females. We used the 23 QVS (Vaz Serra, 2000); GHQ-28 (Goldberg & Hillier, 1979); SSQ6 (Saranson, Saranson & Pierce, 1987) and a Socio-demographic questionnaire.

From the 566 individuals in sample one; we conclude that this population is predominantly male, in active young age, with high academic qualifications.

Regarding mental health status, 10,4% of the inquired immigrants presented psychiatric pathology assessed by the cutting point of GHQ-28 and 54.9% presented stress vulnerability determined by the cutting point of 23QVS. We verified a statistically relevant correlation between stress vulnerability and the levels of mental health of the surveyed population.

Main objective was to assess the prevalence of burnout in Tunisian primary care practitioners working in public sector in the region of the Cap Bon. Secondary objectives were to determine the risk factors and the consequences associated with this syndrome.

transversal study using four scales: Anonymous auto questionnaire elaborated by the medical team, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Beck Depression inventory (BDI) and the state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI). The MBI explores the three dimensions of Burnout: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment. In our study, the Burnout was defined by the presence of two or three pathological dimensions.

113 questionnaires were exploitable (85.6% of the sample). The results of the MBI showed that one third of doctors suffer from Burnout and 7.1% have severe attaints. 35% of the doctors had high score of emotional exhaustion, 21% had high depersonalization and 40% had a low score of personal accomplishment. The Burnout was significantly associated with depression (p < 0.001), suicidality (p=0.023) and anxious temperament (p< 0.001). On the other hand, a continued medical education protected significantly against the Burnout (p=0.003). Professional exhaustion was significantly related to the wish of reconversion (p=0.023) and to relational difficulties with patients and colleagues. The solutions proposed were the increase of the number of doctors and a better education of medical students in general medicine.

Studying the social conflict among inhabitants of small settlements owing to extreme situations.

Social-psychological investigation for revealing interpersonal and intergroup (victims and nonvictims) conflicts among in townsfolk of Sydybyl (Yakutia) and Beslan (North Ossetia) after disaster with death of children.

It was shown that the basic psychological need of persons who loss their relatives during a disaster is a search of guilty of tragedy. In consequence of this, occurs the stratification of society with apportionment of such groups as “victims” and “guilty”. The “victims” additionally mark out the group of “light victims” and accuse them of insufficient efforts to rescue of children of “victims”. It was suggested that the persistent search of guilty represents a form of psychological defense against the unbearable feeling of their own guilt towards died children. The universal (non-conditioned by ethnic or cultural factors) character of described phenomena was emphasized. It was marked that the social conflict (named by author as indigenous) deteriorates the social and economic consequences of disaster.

The indigenous conflict tends to persistence and passes the certain phases, final of which is characterized by a high level of neurotic diseases in the opulation and migration of an efficient part of the population.