Initial assessment of the psycho-emotional state of patients with temporomandibular disorders: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are a group of conditions that affect the function of the masticatory muscles, temporomandibular joints and surrounding structures. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the preliminary investigation was to develop an initial questionnaire for emotional assessment, pre-designed for TMD patients, and provide guidance for further management through referral to psychological and/or psychiatric counseling. Additionally, we aimed to compare the results of tests carried out in TMD patients with those of healthy subjects. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study involved 260 patients who reported for dental treatment. The TMD study group (Group 1, n = 130) consisted of patients diagnosed with TMD, and the control group (Group 2, n = 130) had TMD diagnostically excluded. The questionnaire included 30 questions about the emotional state of the patients in the past 4 weeks. RESULTS: The mean scores were 37.715 points for Group 1 (median (Me) = 35.5, standard deviation (SD) = 12.58 and 24.938 points for Group 2 (Me = 24, SD = 7.95) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The research suggests that the developed questionnaire is useful for an initial assessment of the psycho-emotional state of TMD patients. Furthermore, the results emphasize a greater need for psychological counseling in TMD patients compared to their healthy counterparts.

Psychoemotional disturbance in adult patients with temporomandibular disorders Research article.

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) encompass a diverse group of abnormalities in the functioning of the masticatory muscles, temporomandibular joints, and surrounding structures within the facial skull. One of the important etiological factors, contributing to the development of TMD are psychoemotional disorders, which include: depression, dysthymia, personality disorders, panic attacks as well as states and anxiety neuroses.The aim of the study was to carry out a retrospective evaluation of the occurrence of psychoemotional disorders reported in the application form of medical interview of patients treated at the Consulting Room of Temporomandibular Disorders in Dental Institute (University Dental Clinic) for TMD. The research material consisted of a subjective survey according to the protocol of the RDC/TMD questionnaire, axis II, of the 360 patients (224 women, 136 men), aged 19 to 43 who came to the University Dental Clinic in Krakow due to TMD management. Result: The results of the conducted studies indicate the common occurrence of emotional disorders in the group of patients treated for TMD, both in the group of muscular and joint form of dysfunctions. The most often the patients selected: loss of sexual interest or pleasure, crying easily, feeling lonely, indifference to every- thing and feeling of worthlessness. These aspects show a significant influence of emotional factors on TMD. Conclusion: The results of the conducted research indicate a significant frequencies of psychological and emotional disturbances reported in a survey among patients with TMD.

Coexistence of Post-traumatic Growth and Post-traumatic Depreciation in the Aftermath of Trauma: Qualitative and Quantitative Narrative Analysis.

Objectives: Post-traumatic growth (PTG) and post-traumatic depreciation (PTD) can be defined, respectively, as positive and negative changes in the aftermath of trauma. These changes can be assigned to the following domains: personal strength, relating to others, new possibilities, appreciation of life, spiritual and existential change. The aim of this study was to explore the possibility that positive and negative effects of trauma can coexist and explore the categories of effect. Methods: 72 participants were asked to recount their experience of trauma and answer questions about how it had affected their thinking about themselves and the world. Participants' narratives were analyzed by competent judges and using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count. Results: The domains in which positive changes were most frequently observed were Personal Strength (26.09%), Relating to Others (24.22%), and Appreciation of Life (21.12%). Negative changes mainly affected Relating to Others (33.33%) and Personal Strength (23.33%). The results were confirmed by quantitative analysis of narratives: participants' narratives of trauma and its consequences contained more words which expressing positive emotions (1.67%) than negative emotions (0.90%), paired-sample t(60) = 9.70, p < 0.001. There were correlations between the frequency of words referring to positive emotions and PTG, r(62) = 0.39, p < 0.01, and between the frequency of words referring to negative emotions and PTG, r(62) = 0.23, p < 0.05. Conclusion: PTG and PTD can coexist and they can be regarded as outcomes of two separate processes. The study results also suggest that although PTG and PTD can coexist, they may be considered different domains of psychological functioning.