When not hitting your sales target is 'the end of the world': Examining the effects of rational emotive behaviour therapy on the irrational beliefs and emotional reactivity of UK-based sales professionals.

Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, workplace wellbeing is a key priority for employers. Severe market and health conditions continue to bring inevitable problems that could be reduced with the application of psychological interventions to prevent mental and physical health issues, making this study a highly pertinent and valuable contribution to the field. This paper reports the effects of a rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) programme on the irrational beliefs and emotional reactivity of 56 office-based sales professionals located in the northwest region of the UK. A pre-test, post-test experimental design was utilised, and a mixed model ANOVA (repeated measures) was adopted to assess changes in mean differences concerning irrational beliefs and emotional reactivity at pre and post-test stages for the intervention group, in comparison to a control group. Results indicate that those in the REBT group reported significant reductions in irrational beliefs and emotional reactivity, whilst those in the control group reported no such changes. It is recommended that future research studies consider utilizing a mixed methods design and focus on a strategic collaboration of organisational and individual level interventions for improving the psychological wellbeing and performance of sales personnel.

Effect of low-dose estrogen on hemodynamic response to stress.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of low-dose esterified estrogen on hemodynamic responses at rest and during stress in postmenopausal women, and to compare the changes with those seen with conjugated equine estrogen. DESIGN: Open-label study of esterified estrogen compared with a double-blind, placebo-controlled investigation of conjugated equine estrogen. SETTING: Healthy volunteers in an academic research environment. PATIENT(S): Postmenopausal women with normal endometrium, not currently using hormones. INTERVENTION(S): Cardiovascular parameters at rest and in response to stressors were assessed in 11 postmenopausal women before and 6 months after receiving 0.3 mg esterified estrogen. Responses were compared with 42 postmenopausal women randomized to 0.625 mg conjugated equine estrogen or placebo. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Changes in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and vascular resistance index from before to after treatment. RESULT(S): At rest, MAP increased 3.3 +/- 1.5 mm Hg (+/-SD) in the placebo group, while declining 2.3 +/- 1.5 mm Hg and 4.8 +/- 1.4 mm Hg, respectively, in the esterified estrogen and conjugated equine estrogen groups after treatment. During mental stressors, MAP dropped significantly in both treatment groups. At rest and during mental stressors, vascular resistance index decreased with estrogen treatment. CONCLUSION(S): Low-dose esterified estrogen improved hemodynamic patterns similar to standard doses of conjugated equine estrogen in postmenopausal women.

Stable pessimistic attributions interact with socioeconomic status to influence blood pressure and vulnerability to hypertension.

We investigated the relationship of pessimistic attributional style (specifically, stable attributions for negative events) and socioeconomic status (SES) to cardiovascular and catecholamine profiles in a biracial sample of 37 postmenopausal women (aged 39-64 years) not taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Blood pressure (BP) variation in response to the demands of daily life was assessed by 24-hour ambulatory monitoring on a typical workday. Subjects were classified into groups by stable pessimistic attributions (high vs. low pessimism) and by SES (high vs. low). Significant SES x pessimism interactions were found. Low SES/high pessimism women demonstrated higher systolic BP (SBP) during the day, evening, and sleep periods of 24-hour ambulatory monitoring compared with the other three groups. A greater proportion of this group was in the hypertensive range (> or = 140/90 mm Hg) compared with the other groups (57% vs. 8%-29%). Low SES/high pessimism women also reported reduced available social support compared with the other three groups.

Women with eating disorder tendencies display altered cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and psychosocial profiles.

OBJECTIVE: Cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and psychosocial profiles were investigated in women with eating disorder tendencies, but who had never met clinical criteria for an eating disorder, and in healthy controls. METHODS: Twenty-six women who scored in the highest distribution of the Eating Disorder Inventory bulimia subscale (HEDI women) and 27 women who scored in the lowest distribution (LEDI women) completed psychosocial questionnaires, underwent a speech reactivity task for measures of blood pressure and heart rate reactivity, and also underwent 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and urinary neuroendocrine collection. RESULTS: The HEDI women exhibited increased blood pressure and heart rate reactivity to the speech task and increased 24-hour urinary cortisol, but decreased 24-hour urinary norepinephrine compared with LEDI women. There were no overall group differences in 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure levels, but negative mood and tension were associated with greater systolic blood pressures for all women. Finally, HEDI women reported greater depressive symptoms and anxiety, lower self-esteem and sense of mastery, less social support, poor coping skills, and greater emotional impact of daily stressors relative to LEDI women. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the same pattern of neuroendocrine and psychosocial profiles seen in prior studies of bulimia nervosa are also present in women with eating disorder tendencies.

Changes in cognitive coping skills and social support during cognitive behavioral stress management intervention and distress outcomes in symptomatic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositive gay men.

OBJECTIVE: We have previously reported decreases in dysphoria, anxiety, and total mood disturbance in symptomatic HIV seropositive gay men after a 10-week cognitive behavioral stress management (CBSM) group intervention. This structured intervention was designed a) to increase cognitive and behavioral coping skills related to managing the distress of symptomatic HIV, and b) to increase social support among group members. Here we examine the relative contribution of changes in coping skills and social support during the intervention period to reductions in dysphoria, anxiety, and distress-related symptoms in this sample. METHODS: Participants were randomized to a 10-week CBSM group intervention or to a wait-list control condition. Coping, social supports, and mood were measured before and after the intervention period. RESULTS: Members of the CBSM group (N = 22) showed significant improvement in cognitive coping strategies involving positive reframing and acceptance, and in social supports involving attachment, alliances, and guidance at the end of the 10-week CBSM program compared with controls (N = 18) who showed decrements in these coping abilities and no changes in social support. Improved cognitive coping, specifically acceptance of the HIV infection, was strongly related to lower dysphoria, anxiety, and total mood disturbance in both conditions. Changes in social support and in cognitive coping skills seem to mediate the effects of the experimental condition on the changes in distress noted during the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that cognitive coping and social support factors can be modified by psychosocial interventions and may be important determinants of the changes in psychological well-being and quality of life during symptomatic HIV infection that can be achieved through this form of intervention.

Acute administration of diazepam and buspirone in rats trained on conflict schedules having different degrees of predictability.

The anti-conflict activities of diazepam and buspirone were examined on three schedules designed to condition the suppression of licking. The schedules differed in the degree to which they predicted (signalled) the presentation of a conflict inducing electric shock. The first study investigated the effects of three doses of diazepam (0.5, 2, and 5 mg/kg IP) on a predictable, a moderately predictable, and an unpredictable schedule of shock presentation. Diazepam induced a significant increase from baseline in licking during the shock component on all three schedules. These anticonflict effects were the most consistent on the predictable schedule, and least consistent on the unpredictable schedule. A second experiment investigated the anticonflict activity of three doses of buspirone (0.125, 0.25, and 0.625 mg/kg SC) on each of these three schedules. The predictable and moderately predictable schedules failed to detect anticonflict activity at any dose of buspirone. However, the lowest dose (0.125 mg/kg) of buspirone increased shocked licking and the highest dose (0.625 mg/kg) decreased shock component licking on the unpredictable schedule. Thus the unpredictable schedule was sensitive to both anticonflict (anxiolytic) and proconflict (anxiogenic) effects of buspirone.

The effects of acute administration of gepirone in rats trained on conflict schedules having different degrees of predictability.

The anticonflict activity of gepirone, a putative anxiolytic and antidepressant, was examined on three schedules which conditioned the suppression of licking. The novel schedules differed in the degree to which they predicted (signalled) the presentation of a conflict-inducing electric shock. Three doses of gepirone (1.25, 2.5, and 5 mg/kg SC) were evaluated on a predictable, a moderately predictable, and an unpredictable schedule of shock presentation. Gepirone induced a nondose-dependent increase from baseline in punished licking on the predictable schedule on the last two days of a five-day test period. The lowest dose (1.25 mg/kg) of gepirone induced a significant increase in punished licking on the moderately predictable schedule on the last two days of testing. The highest dose (5 mg/kg) induced initial decreases in overall responding on this schedule. However, responding returned to baseline over the course of the four days of testing. When administered to rats trained on an unpredictable schedule of shock presentation, all doses of gepirone induced an initial decrease from baseline. The lowest dose group returned to baseline control response levels over the next four days, whereas the suppressive effects of the higher doses persisted. The initial decrease in responding observed on all schedules may be due to the effects of gepirone on motor functioning. However, the 2.5-mg/kg dose induced a proconflict or anxiogenic effect on the last test day (decreased punished responding alone) on the unpredictable schedule, while inducing an anticonflict effect on the predictable one. The unpredictable schedule is sensitive to detecting decreases as well as increases in punished responding and as such may be a unique conflict model for evaluating novel anxiolytics.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Dose-dependent and baseline-dependent conditioning with d-amphetamine in the place conditioning paradigm.

The place conditioning paradigm was used to evaluate the positively reinforcing effects of d-amphetamine. During conditioning, female rats were injected (IP) with saline or one of five doses (0.625-5 mg/kg) of d-amphetamine (d-A) and confined to the initially non-preferred side of the testing apparatus. The highest dose of d-A failed to produce a significant preference. The four middle doses of the drug induced a similar preference. A significant increase from baseline was observed on the 4th post-conditioning test day in the five drug groups and controls when given an injection of 1.5 mg/kg d-A 15 min prior to placement in the chamber. Control and drug groups were separated into high and low initial preference sub-groups. Place preferences were more readily induced by d-A in the subgroups with initially high baseline preferences. These findings as well as those of others led us to conclude that the place conditioning paradigm is a somewhat problematic way of measuring drug reinforcement and that the effects observed may not solely be the result of the conditioning of the drug's reinforcing properties to a particular environment.