Dexamethasone-suppressed Salivary Cortisol and Pain Sensitivity in Female Twins.

Objectives: Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation is associated with chronic pain. Studying pain sensitivity and the HPA axis could elucidate the role of stress in chronic pain development, which might be influenced by familial factors, including genes.

Methods: Associations between pain sensitivity and salivary cortisol and familial confounding in these associations were examined in 88 female, community-based twin pairs (75% monozygotic, mean age 29 y).

The relationships of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms with health-related quality of life and the role of social support among Veterans.

Purpose: The presence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression symptoms is associated with poor quality of life. Social support buffers against developing symptoms of PTSD and depression and is associated with greater quality of life. We examined the relationships between PTSD and depression symptom severity with physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and whether social support moderated these relationships.

Extinction retention and the menstrual cycle: Different associations for women with posttraumatic stress disorder.

The propensity to acquire and retain conditioned fear responses may contribute to the risk of developing and maintaining posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following a traumatic event. There is growing evidence that the gonadal hormones estrogen and progesterone are associated with how well women retain extinction of previously conditioned fear responses. Thus, sex steroid effects may contribute to the increased prevalence of PTSD in women.

Associations of military sexual trauma, combat exposure, and number of deployments with physical and mental health indicators in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

Trauma exposure (TE) and numerous deployments have been associated with negative health outcomes in veterans, many of whom have military sexual trauma (MST) and combat exposure (CE). The aims of this study were to examine the relationships between physical and mental health symptoms with MST and CE and number of deployments. Iraq and Afghanistan veterans at the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System completed self-report measures for MST, CE, number of deployments, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, depression symptoms, alcohol use, somatic symptoms, health functioning, and body mass index (BMI).

Familial Contributions to Self-Reported Sleep and Pain in Female Twins.

Objective: The relationship between sleep quality and pain has been studied in populations with chronic pain and in nonclinical populations using experimental paradigms. Little is known about the familial contributions to this relationship. This study examines self-reported sleep quality and pain in a nonclinical sample and to explore familial (i.

Pain sensitivity in posttraumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders: a preliminary case control study.

Background: Despite substantial research on the comorbidity of anxiety disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain, little is known about the mechanisms underlying these conditions that might be potentially similar. Evoked pain sensitivity is one factor that has been associated with several pain conditions which might also have relevance to anxiety disorders and PTSD. The aim of this preliminary study was to examine evoked pain sensitivity in PTSD compared to other anxiety disorders and in control participants.

Psychological trauma and functional somatic syndromes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: This meta-analysis systematically examined the association of reported psychological trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with functional somatic syndromes including fibromyalgia, chronic widespread pain, chronic fatigue syndrome, temporomandibular disorder, and irritable bowel syndrome. Our goals were to determine the overall effect size of the association and to examine moderators of the relationship.

Methods: Literature searches identified 71 studies with a control or comparison group and examined the association of the syndromes with traumatic events including abuse of a psychological, emotional, sexual, or physical nature sustained during childhood or adulthood, combat exposure, or PTSD.

Posttraumatic stress disorder and health: a preliminary study of group differences in health and health behaviors.

Background: Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are more likely to undertake harmful health behaviors like substance use. Less is known about the association of PTSD with healthful behaviors such as healthy diet and exercise. The purpose of this study was to examine differences across physical health indicators and health behaviors in individuals with and without PTSD.

Adverse childhood experiences, health perception, and the role of shared familial factors in adult twins.

To examine the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and health perception in adulthood, and to explore the contribution of shared familial factors to these associations. Data were collected from 180 female twins (90 pairs) from the community-based University of Washington Twin Registry. Participants completed questionnaires including the modified ACE Questionnaire, Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire, McGill Pain Questionnaire-Short Form, and the SF-36.

Specific pain complaints in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans screening positive for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and pain are highly comorbid.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the association of PTSD with specific pain complaints in veterans of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF).

Method: A total of 381 primarily male (88.

Health and distress predictors of heart rate variability in fibromyalgia and other forms of chronic pain.

Objective: To examine health, psychological, and autonomic impairment differences between individuals with fibromyalgia and those with other chronic benign pain in these conditions. The possible role of the autonomic nervous system in the maintenance of chronic benign pain can be examined using heart rate variability (HRV), which measures the interplay between the excitatory sympathetic and the inhibitory parasympathetic nervous system. Predictors of HRV will also be examined.

C-reactive protein and pain sensitivity: findings from female twins.

Background: Systemic inflammation and pain sensitivity may contribute to the development and maintenance of chronic pain conditions.

Purpose: We examined the relationship between systemic inflammation as measured by C-reactive protein (CRP) and cold pain sensitivity in 198 female twins from the University of Washington Twin Registry. We also explored the potential role of familial factors in this relationship.

Trauma reactivity, avoidant coping, and PTSD symptoms: a moderating relationship?

In the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event, many individuals experience physiological reactivity in response to reminders of the traumatic event that typically lessens over time. However, an overreliance on avoidant coping strategies may interfere with the natural recovery process, particularly for those who are highly reactive to trauma reminders. In the current investigation, we examined avoidant coping as a moderator of the association between heart rate reactivity to a trauma monologue measured shortly after a traumatic event and severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms measured several months later.

Attentional biases in PTSD: More evidence for interference.

Attentional biases to trauma-related stimuli have been widely demonstrated in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the majority of these studies used methods not suited to differentiating difficulty disengaging attention from threatening stimuli (interference) from facilitated detection of threat. In the current study, a visual search task (VST) with a lexical decision component was used to differentiate between attentional interference and facilitation.