The aim of this analysis was to assess the impact of chronic back pain and psychological distress on the utilization of primary and secondary levels of care in the ambulatory health care sector in Austria - a country without a gatekeeping system. Additionally, we aimed to determine if the joint effect of chronic back pain and psychological distress was higher than the impact of the sum of the t...

BACKGROUND Psychological distress has been associated with an increased risk of overall and disease-specific mortality risk. This study examines whether the length of follow-up time influences mortality risk. METHODS The associations between psychological distress and all-cause and coronary heart disease mortality were modelled using proportional hazards modelling in a prospective cohort stud...

Cancer diagnosis influences both patients and their closest relatives. This cross-sectional study examined psychological distress among individuals whose partners had cancer in a population-based sample. Participants in the survey were citizens residing in Ohsaki City, Miyagi, Japan. Spouse pairs were identified by information of participants' relationship to the householder and address provide...

BACKGROUND Psychological distress has been correlated with higher levels of nicotine dependence. To date, the possible association between individuals' levels of psychological distress and e-cigarette use has not been investigated, despite the dramatic growth of e-cigarette use in the US. We examined this possible association using a nationally representative sample of US adults. METHODS A to...

OBJECTIVE Stress is associated with body mass gain in some people but with body mass loss in others. When the stressor persists, some people adapt with their stress responses, whereas others do not. Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects autonomic variability and is related to stress responses to psychosocial challenges. It was hypothesized that the combined effects of stress exposure and autono...

BACKGROUND Psychological distress is growing in prevalence in Australia. Comorbid psychological distress and/or depressive symptoms are often associated with poorer health, higher healthcare utilisation and decreased adherence to medical treatments. METHODS The Australian Work Outcomes Research Cost-benefit (WORC) study cross-sectional screening dataset was used to explore the association bet...

In this issue, May et al report that psychological distress is a predictor of fatal ischemic stroke. What is “psychological distress”? It is a nonspecific term that encompasses sadness, frustration, anxiety, and a number of other negative mood states. It includes both mild and severe forms of these mood states, as well as both transient and persistent ones. It also refers both to symptoms of ps...

BACKGROUND In 2007 Australia experienced its first outbreak of highly infectious equine influenza. Government disease control measures were put in place to control, contain, and eradicate the disease; these measures included movement restrictions and quarantining of properties. This study was conducted to assess the psycho-social impacts of this disease, and this paper reports the prevalence of...

Hurricane exposure places youth at risk for psychological distress such as symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression, while social support may contribute to resilience following disasters. This study examined associations among family and peer social support, level of hurricane exposure, and psychological distress using both a large single-time assessment sample ...