A thematic analysis of how men and women post 56 years, unwind from work during their free time.

BACKGROUND: Recent research indicates that as men age, their tendency to ruminate about work decreases, while ruminating remains high in women, which poses an increased risk for impaired health among older women. OBJECTIVE: This study explored gender differences/similarities in the process of unwinding from work in men and women aged between 56-65 years. METHODS: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted online with eight men and eight women, recruited from a UK leading organization that provides health care solutions between May and June 2022. Participants were asked about their job role and responsibilities, their leisure time activities, how they unwind post work, and their experiences of thinking about work related thoughts outside of work. Transcripts were analyzed using an inductive analysis. RESULTS: Three superordinate themes were identified that underpinned their ability to unwind: 'Work style', 'Creating work-life balance' and 'Switching off from one's responsibilities'. Women reported a more perfectionist approach, they set high standards for themselves, were worried about making mistakes, and demonstrated, if in a supervisory role, a more nurturing and holistic approach to their colleagues/subordinates, while men, were more focused on task completion. Most women, but not men, also described difficulties in psychologically switching off from work, and stated they could only truly relax outside the home, when they are away from household activities. CONCLUSION: The study provides nuanced insights into the experiences of unwinding from work, and the findings suggest the need for person-centric approaches in developing interventions to help workers over 56 years to psychologically disengage from work.

Exploring the Role of Irrational Beliefs, Lifestyle Behaviors, and Educational Status in 10-Year Cardiovascular Disease Risk: the ATTICA Epidemiological Study.

BACKGROUND: Irrational beliefs, maladaptive emotions, and unhealthy lifestyle behaviors can adversely affect health status. However, limited research has examined the association between irrational beliefs and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between irrational beliefs and the 10-year CVD incidence among apparently healthy adults, considering the potential moderating or mediating role of particular social and lifestyle factors. METHODS: The ATTICA study is a population-based, prospective cohort (2002-2012), in which 853 participants without a history of CVD [453 men (aged 45 ± 13 years) and 400 women (aged 44 ± 18 years)] underwent psychological evaluations. Among other tools, participants completed the irrational beliefs inventory (IBI, range 0-88), a self-reported measure consistent with the Ellis model of psychological disturbance. Demographic characteristics, detailed medical history, dietary, and other lifestyle habits were also evaluated. Incidence of CVD (i.e., coronary heart disease, acute coronary syndromes, stroke, or other CVD) was defined according to the International Coding Diseases (ICD)-10 criteria. RESULTS: Mean IBI score was 53 ± 2 in men and 53 ± 3 in women (p = 0.88). IBI score was positively associated with 10-year CVD risk (hazard ratio 1.07, 95%CI 1.04, 1.13), in both men and women, and more prominently among those with less healthy dietary habits and lower education status; specifically, higher educational status leads to lower IBI score, and in conjunction they lead to lower 10-year CVD risk (HR for interaction 0.98, 95%CI 0.97, 0.99). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study underline the need to build new, holistic approaches in order to better understand the inter-relationships between irrational beliefs, lifestyle behaviors, social determinants, and CVD risk in individuals.

Chronic Stress Is Associated with Reduced Mindful Acceptance Skills but Not with Mindful Attention Monitoring: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are effective in reducing chronic stress, but their therapeutic mechanisms are unclear. One possibility is that MBIs act by re-training attention monitoring and acceptance skills that have been impaired by chronic stress exposure. However, little research has investigated the association between chronic stress, monitoring, and acceptance. In this cross-sectional study we hypothesised observing correlations between stress, and (impaired) monitoring and acceptance. Moreover, we exploratively compared the magnitude of the correlations between chronic stress and four acceptance measures. Finally, we explored whether the association between stress and monitoring is moderated by acceptance. Eighty-five adults participated in the study and completed self-reported chronic stress and acceptance questionnaires and a mindful attention behavioural task. The results revealed that chronic stress was associated with reduced acceptance (all ps < 0.01) but not with monitoring. Exploratory analyses revealed no differences in the magnitude of the correlations between stress and each acceptance measure, except for the combined facets of mindfulness acceptance subscales and nonreactivity subscale (p = 0.023). Further analyses revealed a significant negative association between stress and the interaction between acceptance and the target detection component of monitoring (p = 0.044). Surprisingly, these results show that stress is associated with reduced monitoring at higher levels of acceptance. Theory-driven intervention studies are warranted to complement our results.

Psychological factors in relation to the 10-year incidence of metabolic syndrome: The ATTICA epidemiological study (2002-2012).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Various bio-psychological mechanisms underlying the association between mental health problems and metabolic syndrome remain unknown. We investigated the role of irrational beliefs in conjunction with anxiety, depression and hostility in the 10-year metabolic syndrome (MetS) incidence, and the effect of biochemical and socio-behavioral factors on the aforementioned associations. METHODS AND RESULTS: ATTICA is a prospective, cohort study (2002-2012). The sample included 591 participants [51.3% men (aged 41.5 ± 10 years) and 48.7% women (aged 37.5 ± 11.5 years)], free of MetS at baseline. Detailed biochemical, clinical, and lifestyle evaluations were performed, while participants' irrational beliefs, anxiety, depression and hostility were assessed using the Irrational Beliefs Inventory, the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale and the Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire, respectively. Multiple logistic regression was applied to estimate the odds ratio (OR) of developing MetS and to control for confounders, as well as stratified logistic regression to detect moderator effects. High irrational beliefs were associated with 1.5-times higher odds of developing MetS than low irrational beliefs. Especially, participants with high irrational beliefs and high anxiety were 96% more likely to develop MetS, compared with those with low irrational beliefs and low or high anxiety (OR = 1.96; 95% CI = 1.01, 3.80). CONCLUSION: The findings of the study underline the important role of irrational beliefs and anxiety in the development of MetS and the need to build new holistic approaches focused on the primary prevention of both mental health and MetS.

Exploring the Effects of a Brief Biofeedback Breathing Session Delivered Through the BioBase App in Facilitating Employee Stress Recovery: Randomized Experimental Study.

BACKGROUND: Recovery from stress is a predictive factor for cardiovascular health, and heart rate variability (HRV) is suggested to be an index of how well people physiologically recover from stress. Biofeedback and mindfulness interventions that include guided breathing have been shown to be effective in increasing HRV and facilitating stress recovery. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a brief app-based breathing intervention (BioBase) in enhancing physiological recovery among employees who were induced to cognitive and emotional stress. METHODS: In total, we recruited 75 full-time employees. Interbeat (RR) intervals were recorded continuously for 5 min at baseline and during cognitive and emotional stress induction. The session ended with a 5-min recovery period during which participants were randomly allocated into 3 conditions: app-based breathing (BioBase), mindfulness body scan, or control. Subjective tension was assessed at the end of each period. RESULTS: Subjective tension significantly increased following stress induction. HRV significantly decreased following the stress period. In the recovery phase, the root mean square of successive RR interval differences (P=.002), the percentage of successive RR intervals that differed by >50 ms (P=.008), and high frequency (P=.01) were significantly higher in the BioBase breathing condition than in the mindfulness body scan and the control groups. CONCLUSIONS: Biofeedback breathing interventions digitally delivered through a commercially available app can be effective in facilitating stress recovery among employees. These findings contribute to the mobile health literature on the beneficial effects of brief app-based breathing interventions on employees' cardiovascular health.

Use of a Biofeedback Breathing App to Augment Poststress Physiological Recovery: Randomized Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: The speed of physiological recovery from stress may be a marker for cardiovascular disease risk. Stress management programs that incorporate guided breathing have been shown to moderate the stress response and augment recovery. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an app-based brief relaxation intervention (BioBase) for facilitating physiological recovery in individuals exposed to a brief psychological stressor. METHODS: A total of 75 participants (44 women) completed a stressor speech task and were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: control, rumination, or an app-based relaxation breathing (BioBase) conditions. Heart rate variability (HRV) was assessed as a measure of autonomic function at baseline (6 min), during stress (6 min), and during recovery (6 min). RESULTS: There was a significant increase in subjective stress following stress exposure, but the ratings returned to baseline after recovery in all three groups. In addition, there was a significant decrease in vagally mediated HRV in the poststress period. During recovery, the root mean square of successive differences (P<.001), the percentage of successive interbeat (RR) intervals that differ by >50 ms (pNN50; P<.001), and high-frequency (P<.02) HRV were significantly higher in the BioBase breathing condition than the rumination and control conditions. There was no difference in HRV values between the rumination and control conditions during recovery. CONCLUSIONS: App-based relaxed breathing interventions could be effective in reducing cardiovascular disease risk. These results provide additional utility of biofeedback breathing in augmenting physiological recovery from psychological stress.

The Effects of an Online Mindfulness Intervention on Perceived Stress, Depression and Anxiety in a Non-clinical Sample: A Randomised Waitlist Control Trial.

Mindfulness interventions have been shown to be effective for health and wellbeing, and delivering mindfulness programmes online may increase accessibility and reduce waiting times and associated costs; however, research assessing the effectiveness of online interventions is lacking. We sought to: (1) assess the effects of an online mindfulness intervention on perceived stress, depression and anxiety; (2) assess different facets of mindfulness (i.e. acting with awareness, describing, non-judging and non-reacting) as mechanisms of change and (3) assess whether the effect of the intervention was maintained over time. The sample was comprised of 118 adults (female, n = 95) drawn from the general population. Using a randomised waitlist control design, participants were randomised to either an intervention (INT) or waitlist control (WLC) group. Participants completed the online intervention, with the WLC group starting after a 6-week waitlist period. Participants completed measures of depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7) and perceived stress (PSS-10) at baseline, post-treatment, 3- and 6-month follow-up. Participants who completed the mindfulness intervention (n = 60) reported significantly lower levels of perceived stress (d = - 1.25 [- 1.64, - 0.85]), anxiety (d = - 1.09 [- 1.47, - 0.98]) and depression (d = - 1.06 [- 1.44, - 0.67]), when compared with waitlist control participants (n = 58), and these effects were maintained at follow-up. The effect of the intervention was primarily explained by increased levels of non-judging. This study provides support for online mindfulness interventions and furthers our understanding with regards to how mindfulness interventions exert their positive effects.

Internet-based instructor-led mindfulness for work-related rumination, fatigue, and sleep: Assessing facets of mindfulness as mechanisms of change. A randomized waitlist control trial.

This study aimed to extend our theoretical understanding of how mindfulness-based interventions exert their positive influence on measures of occupational health. Employing a randomized waitlist control study design, we sought to (a) assess an Internet-based instructor-led mindfulness intervention for its effect on key factors associated with "recovery from work," specifically, work-related rumination, fatigue, and sleep quality; (b) assess different facets of mindfulness (acting with awareness, describing, nonjudging, and nonreacting) as mechanisms of change; and (c) assess whether the effect of the intervention was maintained over time by following up our participants after 3 and 6 months. Participants who completed the mindfulness intervention (n = 60) reported significantly lower levels of work-related rumination and fatigue, and significantly higher levels of sleep quality, when compared with waitlist control participants (n = 58). Effects of the intervention were maintained at 3- and 6-month follow-up with medium to large effect sizes. The effect of the intervention was primarily explained by increased levels of only 1 facet of mindfulness (acting with awareness). This study provides support for online mindfulness interventions to aid recovery from work and furthers our understanding with regard to how mindfulness interventions exert their positive effects. (PsycINFO Database Record

The Effects of Rhodiola rosea L. Extract on Anxiety, Stress, Cognition and Other Mood Symptoms.

This trial evaluated the impact of a Rhodiola rosea L. extract on self-reported anxiety, stress, cognition, and other mood symptoms. Eighty mildly anxious participants were randomized into two different groups of either Rhodiola rosea L (2 × 200 mg dose Vitano®, 1 tablet taken before breakfast and 1tablet before lunch) or a control condition (no treatment). Self-report measures and cognitive tests were completed at four testing sessions over a period of 14 days. Relative to the controls, the experimental group demonstrated a significant reduction in self-reported, anxiety, stress, anger, confusion and depression at 14 days and a significant improvements in total mood. No relevant differences in cognitive performance between the groups were observed. Rhodiola rosea L (Vitano®) presented a favourable safety tolerability profile. Although this was a non-placebo controlled trial, it is unlikely that the findings were the result of placebo effects as changes appeared gradual and were specific to certain psychological measures. However, we cannot determine a causal relationship; further investigations are recommended to support the effects of Rhodiola rosea L. extract on stress related symptoms.

Mind and body therapy for fibromyalgia.

BACKGROUND: Mind-body interventions are based on the holistic principle that mind, body and behaviour are all interconnected. Mind-body interventions incorporate strategies that are thought to improve psychological and physical well-being, aim to allow patients to take an active role in their treatment, and promote people's ability to cope. Mind-body interventions are widely used by people with fibromyalgia to help manage their symptoms and improve well-being. Examples of mind-body therapies include psychological therapies, biofeedback, mindfulness, movement therapies and relaxation strategies. OBJECTIVES: To review the benefits and harms of mind-body therapies in comparison to standard care and attention placebo control groups for adults with fibromyalgia, post-intervention and at three and six month follow-up. SEARCH METHODS: Electronic searches of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), PsycINFO (Ovid), AMED (EBSCO) and CINAHL (Ovid) were conducted up to 30 October 2013. Searches of reference lists were conducted and authors in the field were contacted to identify additional relevant articles. SELECTION CRITERIA: All relevant randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of mind-body interventions for adults with fibromyalgia were included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently selected studies, extracted the data and assessed trials for low, unclear or high risk of bias. Any discrepancy was resolved through discussion and consensus. Continuous outcomes were analysed using mean difference (MD) where the same outcome measure and scoring method was used and standardised mean difference (SMD) where different outcome measures were used. For binary data standard estimation of the risk ratio (RR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) was used. MAIN RESULTS: Seventy-four papers describing 61 trials were identified, with 4234 predominantly female participants. The nature of fibromyalgia varied from mild to severe across the study populations. Twenty-six studies were classified as having a low risk of bias for all domains assessed. The findings of mind-body therapies compared with usual care were prioritised.There is low quality evidence that in comparison to usual care controls psychological therapies have favourable effects on physical functioning (SMD -0.4, 95% CI -0.6 to -0.3, -7.5% absolute change, 2 point shift on a 0 to 100 scale), pain (SMD -0.3, 95% CI -0.5 to -0.2, -3.5% absolute change, 2 point shift on a 0 to 100 scale) and mood (SMD -0.5, 95% CI -0.6 to -0.3, -4.8% absolute change, 3 point shift on a 20 to 80 scale). There is very low quality evidence of more withdrawals in the psychological therapy group in comparison to usual care controls (RR 1.38, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.69, 6% absolute risk difference). There is lack of evidence of a difference between the number of adverse events in the psychological therapy and control groups (RR 0.38, 95% CI 0.06 to 2.50, 4% absolute risk difference).There was very low quality evidence that biofeedback in comparison to usual care controls had an effect on physical functioning (SMD -0.1, 95% CI -0.4 to 0.3, -1.2% absolute change, 1 point shift on a 0 to 100 scale), pain (SMD -2.6, 95% CI -91.3 to 86.1, -2.6% absolute change) and mood (SMD 0.1, 95% CI -0.3 to 0.5, 1.9% absolute change, less than 1 point shift on a 0 to 90 scale) post-intervention. In view of the quality of evidence we cannot be certain that biofeedback has a little or no effect on these outcomes. There was very low quality evidence that biofeedback led to more withdrawals from the study (RR 4.08, 95% CI 1.43 to 11.62, 20% absolute risk difference). No adverse events were reported.There was no advantage observed for mindfulness in comparison to usual care for physical functioning (SMD -0.3, 95% CI -0.6 to 0.1, -4.8% absolute change, 4 point shift on a scale 0 to 100), pain (SMD -0.1, CI -0.4 to 0.3, -1.3% absolute change, less than 1 point shift on a 0 to 10 scale), mood (SMD -0.2, 95% CI -0.5 to 0.0, -3.7% absolute change, 2 point shift on a 20 to 80 scale) or withdrawals (RR 1.07, 95% CI 0.67 to 1.72, 2% absolute risk difference) between the two groups post-intervention. However, the quality of the evidence was very low for pain and moderate for mood and number of withdrawals. No studies reported any adverse events.Very low quality evidence revealed that movement therapies in comparison to usual care controls improved pain (MD -2.3, CI -4.2 to -0.4, -23% absolute change) and mood (MD -9.8, 95% CI -18.5 to -1.2, -16.4% absolute change) post-intervention. There was no advantage for physical functioning (SMD -0.2, 95% CI -0.5 to 0.2, -3.4% absolute change, 2 point shift on a 0 to 100 scale), participant withdrawals (RR 1.95, 95% CI 1.13 to 3.38, 11% absolute difference) or adverse events (RR 4.62, 95% CI 0.23 to 93.92, 4% absolute risk difference) between the two groups, however rare adverse events may include worsening of pain.Low quality evidence revealed that relaxation based therapies in comparison to usual care controls showed an advantage for physical functioning (MD -8.3, 95% CI -10.1 to -6.5, -10.4% absolute change) and pain (SMD -1.0, 95% CI -1.6 to -0.5, -3.5% absolute change, 2 point shift on a 0 to 78 scale) but not for mood (SMD -4.4, CI -14.5 to 5.6, -7.4% absolute change) post-intervention. There was no difference between the groups for number of withdrawals (RR 4.40, 95% CI 0.59 to 33.07, 31% absolute risk difference) and no adverse events were reported. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Psychological interventions therapies may be effective in improving physical functioning, pain and low mood for adults with fibromyalgia in comparison to usual care controls but the quality of the evidence is low. Further research on the outcomes of therapies is needed to determine if positive effects identified post-intervention are sustained. The effectiveness of biofeedback, mindfulness, movement therapies and relaxation based therapies remains unclear as the quality of the evidence was very low or low. The small number of trials and inconsistency in the use of outcome measures across the trials restricted the analysis.

Assessing treatments used to reduce rumination and/or worry: a systematic review.

Perseverative cognitions such as rumination and worry are key components of mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. Given the frequent comorbidity of conditions in which rumination and worry are present, it is possible that they are underpinned by the same cognitive process. Furthermore, rumination and worry appear to be part of a causal chain that can lead to long-term health consequences, including cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions. It is important therefore to understand what interventions may be useful in reducing their incidence. This systematic review aimed to assess treatments used to reduce worry and/or rumination. As we were interested in understanding the current treatment landscape, we limited our search from 2002 to 2012. Nineteen studies were included in the review and were assessed for methodological quality and treatment integrity. Results suggested that mindfulness-based and cognitive behavioural interventions may be effective in the reduction of both rumination and worry; with both Internet-delivered and face-to-face delivered formats useful. More broadly, it appears that treatments in which participants are encouraged to change their thinking style, or to disengage from emotional response to rumination and/or worry (e.g., through mindful techniques), could be helpful. Implications for treatment and avenues for future research are discussed.

The relation of post-work ruminative thinking with eating behaviour.

Inability to unwind about work during leisure time has been associated with a number of negative health outcomes. This study was concerned with a possible behavioural pathway between unwinding and disease and examined the relationship between work-related rumination and food choice. Work-related rumination is arguably a core to understanding the 'unwinding process', and food choice is a well-established indicator of nutritional health. Two hundred and sixty-eight full-time workers from a range of white-collar occupations completed a self-report measure of ruminative thinking about work and an eating behaviour questionnaire. Three types of ruminative thinking were identified by factor analysis and labelled affective rumination, problem-solving pondering and detachment. In terms of food choice, high-relative to low-affective ruminators reported eating more unhealthy foods, and low detachers reported eating less cooked meals and more processed foods compared to high detachers. Problem-solving pondering was not associated with food choice, and none of the factors were associated with healthy food choice. It was concluded that failure to unwind from work is not necessarily related to unhealthy food choices. What appears to be the crucial factor is the type of perseverative thinking that people engage in post-work. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Effect of isometric exercise and body scanning on cigarette cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

AIMS: To examine the acute effects of a guided relaxation routine (body scan) and isometric exercise on desire to smoke and tobacco withdrawal symptoms. DESIGN: Experimental comparison of three conditions. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-eight individuals reporting smoking > or =10 cigarettes daily. INTERVENTION: Random assignment to one of three interventions delivered via a 10-minute audio: isometric exercise (IE, n = 14), body scanning (BS, n = 18) or a reading about natural history (control group, n = 16). Interventions were delivered twice on the same day: in the laboratory, then in their 'normal' environment. MEASUREMENTS: Desire to smoke (primary outcome) and withdrawal symptoms were rated at pre-intervention and up to 30 minutes post-intervention. FINDINGS: Controlling for baseline scores, post-intervention desire to smoke and withdrawal symptoms were significantly lower for IE and BS groups, compared with the controls, in both environments. There were no significant differences for IE versus BS. For desire to smoke, controlling for baseline values, ratings in the laboratory were significantly lower for IE and BS versus the control up to 30 minutes post-intervention. In the normal environment, these ratings were significantly lower only up to 5 minutes post-intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Brief IE and BS interventions are effective for reducing desire to smoke and withdrawal symptoms in temporarily abstaining smokers. These interventions were found to be more effective in the laboratory than in the smoker's normal environment, but this may be an artefact of there not being a sufficient 'wash-out' period between interventions. These techniques may be beneficial for managing desire to smoke and tobacco withdrawal.

Acute effects of a guided relaxation routine (body scan) on tobacco withdrawal symptoms and cravings in abstinent smokers.

AIMS: To examine the acute effects of a guided relaxation routine (body scan) on desire to smoke and tobacco withdrawal symptoms in overnight abstinent smokers. DESIGN: Experimental. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty individuals reporting to smoke 10 or more cigarettes daily for at least 3 years. INTERVENTION: Participants were assigned randomly to complete a 10-minute body scan (experimental group n = 15) or listen to a natural history passage for 10 minutes (control group n = 15). MEASUREMENT: Ratings of strength of desire to smoke and smoking withdrawal symptoms were assessed at baseline, immediately after the interventions, and 5, 10 and 15 minutes post-intervention. FINDINGS: There was a significant group x time interaction for strength of desire to smoke. The mean desire to smoke rating was significantly lower in the body scan group relative to the control group immediately after the intervention, and 5 minutes post-intervention. The body scan group also reported lower ratings of irritability, tension and restlessness, relative to the controls. CONCLUSION: A brief body scan intervention reduces strength of desire to smoke and some tobacco withdrawal symptoms in temporarily abstaining smokers. The body scan may be beneficial as a technique for managing cigarette cravings and withdrawal.