This study investigated everyday associations between one key facet of mindfulness (allocating attention to the present moment) and pain. In Study 1, 89 community-dwelling adults (33–88 years; Mage = 68.6) who had experienced a stroke provided 14 daily end-of-day present-moment awareness and pain ratings. In Study 2, 100 adults (50–85 years; Mage = 67.0 years) provided momentary present-moment awareness and pain ratings three times daily for 10 days. Multi-level models showed that higher trait present-moment awareness was linked with lower overall pain (both studies). In Study 1, participants reported less pain on days on which they indicated higher present-moment awareness. In Study 2, only individuals with no post-secondary education reported less pain in moments when they indicated higher present-moment awareness. Findings add to previous research using global retrospective pain measures by showing that present-moment awareness might correlate with reduced pain experiences, assessed close in time to when they occur.

L'hédonisme axiologique a une longue histoire en philosophie. Pourtant, il garde une mauvaise réputation qui lui vaut d’être parfois écarté sans ménagement de la discussion philosophique. Cet article se propose de défendre l'hédonisme axiologique en exposant les principaux arguments en sa faveur et en répondant aux principales critiques et confusions dont il fait l'objet. Une attention particulière sera portée aux arguments établissant la spécificité du plaisir et du déplaisir par rapport à toutes les autres choses — amitié, savoir, justice, etc. — dont on pourrait argumenter la valeur finale.

Les personnes souffrant de schizophrénie ou de trouble bipolaire ont des taux de mortalité plus élevés que la population générale, tant de cause naturelle que non naturelle (accidentelle, suicide et iatrogénie).

La Fédération française de psychiatrie à la demande de l’HAS a élaboré des recommandations de pratique clinique : comment améliorer la prise en charge somatique des patients ayant une pathologie sévère et chronique.

Nous allons présenter une synthèse de ces recommandations en développant plus particulièrement les modalités de prise en charge des troubles somatiques concernant essentiellement les facteurs de risques cardiovasculaires et le syndrome métabolique.

La réhabilitation du corps dans la prise en charge de l’autisme s’impose peu à peu, d’ autant plus que des connaissances nouvelles en psychologie cognitiviste (corpus de Laurent Mottron) et en physio-psychologie (corpus d’André Bullinger) modifient considérablement la compréhension des troubles autistiques dès la petite enfance. La sexualité envahit à l’adolescence un terrain déjà fort troublé. Des lors, la psychiatrie doit progresser dans le diagnostic différentiel des troubles du comportement à cet âge, entre ce qui relève de l’autisme et ce qui appartient à ses comorbidités psychiatrique et somatique.

Les pratiques intégratives en pédopsychiatrie pour des enfants prennent en compte le corps et en particulier le domaine sensori-moteur. Nous développerons le processus d’évaluation et les interventions thérapeutiques et éducatives qui en découlent. Nous vous exposerons ces éléments à travers la recherche portant sur l’évaluation de ces pratiques que la FFP-CNPP débute avec le soutien de la DGOS par l’intermédiaire d’un PREPS.

Longtemps ignorée, la douleur des personnes souffrant de pathologie mentale et troubles neuro-développementaux tels que les Troubles du Spectre de l’Autisme (TSA) est considérée comme l’une des plus difficiles à prendre en charge. La douleur non exprimée ne joue plus son rôle d’alerte à la menace vitale et contribue à l’augmentation de la mortalité liée à des pathologies somatiques dans ces populations dites vulnérables, notamment chez les adultes avec TSA [1,4], chez qui la prescription de psychotropes compliquent les mesures d’hétéro-évaluations classiques. Certaines études expérimentales ont montrés que ces groupes de patients présentent des particularités nociceptives avec des seuils à la nociception augmentés ou des réactions paradoxales, mais les résultats sont contradictoires [2]. Les causes de ces phénomènes sont mal comprises. Une atteinte des structures cérébrales impliquées dans l’intégration émotionnelle de la douleur (cortex préfrontal), une augmentation de l’activité opiacée, une dissociation paradoxale entre la réponse comportementale et les réactions neurovégétatives, des possibles anomalies des mécanismes excitateurs responsables de la sommation temporelle, ont contrebalancé les hypothèses plus psychopathologiques de troubles de l’expression de la douleur dans cette condition pathologiques développementales [1,3]. En effet, au-delà de l’atteinte des processus cognitifs, les troubles de la communication chez les personnes avec TSA sont à ce jour considérés comme la principale cible des interventions à mener dans les cadres psycho-éducatifs et thérapeutiques afin de mieux prévenir et dépister la douleur chez ces patients hautement vulnérables. Car si communiquer diminue la douleur, la douleur diminue, elle les capacités de communication déjà altérées dans ces troubles, d’où l’enjeu essentiel des stratégies d’aides à la communication ou communication augmentée, qui ne peuvent plus être considérées en 2014 comme un « si besoin… ».

La présence de facteurs environnementaux précipitant le passage à l’acte suicidaire est indéniable. Cependant, seuls les sujets porteurs d’une vulnérabilité suicidaire, lorsqu’ils sont soumis à des facteurs de stress, passent à l’acte [3]. Les facteurs environnementaux sont généralement associés à une menace du statut social de l’individu. Tout comme on ressent une douleur lorsque l’intégrité physique est menacée, l’être humain perçoit une douleur lorsque son « intégrité sociale » est menacée. La douleur sociale peut être considérée comme un sous-type de douleur psychologique en lien avec une menace du besoin fondamental d’affiliation [5]. Il est probable qu’une sensibilité accrue à la douleur sociale et psychologique participe à la vulnérabilité suicidaire [4]. Par exemple, la présence d’abus dans l’enfance est fortement associée à la survenue de tentative de suicide à l’âge adulte, mais aussi à une sensibilité accrue au rejet [1] ainsi qu’une plus forte prévalence de comorbidités algiques [2]. L’étude de la perception douloureuse nécessite des travaux supplémentaires afin de favoriser la mise en place de nouvelles stratégies thérapeutiques vis-à-vis des conduites suicidaires.

This 2014 mapping exercise sought to identify and describe all bereavement support programs and services in the province of Alberta, and compare these to those available four years previously. Bereavement is a common life experience, especially among older persons, with support often needed to assist recovery. We sought program and service information through systematic searches and the snowball technique to identify providers and interview them. Although considerable (330%) growth, and more diversity in providers, programs, and services was evident, bereavement programs were no longer publicly funded. Instead, programs and services were now grassroots in origin, with individuals and community groups largely designing and providing bereavement support services. Bereavement programs are important, particularly for elderly persons who may be the most impacted by the death of a loved one. Whether governments should fund and/or provide these programs is a question that also needs to be addressed.

Cross-sectional data (n = 6,487) from four Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden, were utilized to determine the prevalence of daily pain and its association with disability in institutional long-term care. Every resident in each of the participating institutions was assessed with Minimum Data Set version 1.0. The sample was representative of institutional long-term care in Copenhagen and Reykjavik. In addition, the data collected from Stockholm and Helsinki provided substantial information on the residents in these capitals. The results showed that 22–24 per cent of the residents experienced daily observable pain and this was most evident in the most disabled subjects. In addition to disability and female gender, diseases or conditions independently associated with pain were terminal prognosis, osteoporosis, pneumonia, arthritis, depression, anaemia, peripheral vascular disease, cancer and cardiac heart failure. The association between pain and severe cognitive impairment was negative. The results strongly indicate that daily pain in long-term care has a complex association with disability, the latter acting together with underlying diseases as a source and/or result of pain. Thus, a vicious circle between pain and disability can be anticipated.

While a substantial body of literature has emerged on the relationships between stress, social support and well-being in community-based older persons, few studies have examined institutionalized populations. The present study used data from pilot studies of the MDS 2.0 in three hospitals, along with supplementary surveys related to psychological well-being. It was found that patients with higher social engagement scores tended to have higher levels of well-being, and this effect was greatest among those with more stable physical health. Pain was an important predictor of lower well-being. Since the MDS 2.0 provides a comprehensive approach to identifying and responding to social, psychological and physical problems in institutionalized older persons, it can have an important impact on well-being when used to support decision making and clinical intervention.

The objective of this study was to describe the incidence, type, risk factors, and sequelae of fractures experienced by community-dwelling elderly Canadians. Data are from the Canadian Study of Health and Aging (CSHA), a longitudinal cohort study, collected in three waves: baseline (1991), wave 2 (1996), and wave 3 (2001). In CSHA-2 (1996), fractures were reported by 3.7 per cent of men and 7.5 per cent of women; in CSHA-3 (2001), by 2.9 per cent of men and 7.3 per cent of women. The distribution of fracture types was similar for men and women. Risk factors for women were increased age, history of fracture, and regular alcohol use; for men, stroke, arthritis, and lack of independent bathing. Walkers or wheelchairs were needed by over 30 per cent of those with any lower body fracture. One third of subjects with any fracture and over 50 per cent with femur fractures reported moderate or severe pain. It is concluded that elderly Canadians are at high risk for fractures, and older women are at most risk. Pain and mobility problems were common sequelae. The need for primary and secondary prevention of these age-related events is paramount.

This study presents the validation of the French Canadian version (PACLSAC-F) of the Pain Assessment Checklist for Seniors with Limited Ability to Communicate (PACSLAC). Unlike the published validation of the English version of the PACSLAC, which was validated retrospectively, the French version was validated prospectively. The PACSLAC-F was completed by nurses working in long-term care facilities after observing 86 seniors, with severe cognitive impairment, in calm, painful or distressing but non-painful situations. The test-retest and inter-observer reliability, the internal consistency, and the discriminent validity were found to be satisfactory. To evaluate the convergent validity with the DOLOPLUS-2 and the clinical relevance of the PACSLAC, it was also completed by nurses during their work shift, with 26 additional patients, for three days per week during a period of four weeks. These results encourage us to test the PACSLAC in a comprehensive program of pain management targeting this population.

While the physical correlates of knee osteoarthritis are well documented, less well documented are aspects of psychological functioning that may affect overall health and functional status. This paper describes the findings of a cross-sectional analysis that examined the strength of the relationship between selected psychological factors and the walking ability of adults with knee joint osteoarthritis. The variables assessed were pain, depression, levels of self-efficacy for pain and other-symptoms management, walking endurance, walking speed, and perceived exertion when walking. The sample, including 57 persons with unilateral and 43 persons with bilateral radiographic and symptomatic knee osteoarthritis, mean age, 69.9 ± 1 years, underwent standard assessment procedures on a single test occasion using several validated questionnaires and a series of walking tests on level ground. Bivariate and multiple regression analyses revealed that (a) higher pain and other-symptoms self-efficacy scores were associated with lower levels of pain (r = −0.29, −0.20.), perceived exertion during a walking task (r = −0.29, −0.31), and depression scores (r = −0.46, −0.54) (p < 0.001); (b) subjects with higher levels of self-efficacy for managing symptoms other than pain also recorded faster and fast speed walking velocities than those with lower self-efficacy scores (r = 0.30, 0.31) (p < 0.001); (c) self-efficacy for pain was the strongest predictor of pain intensity, and self-efficacy for symptom management was the strongest predictor of perceived exertion during walking, depression, and pain self-efficacy. Although no cause–effect relationship can be deduced from a cross-sectional analysis, these data imply that efforts to heighten self-efficacy for pain and other-symptoms management may influence the affective status, function, and effort-related perceptions of people with knee osteoarthritis quite significantly.