Impact of Short Term Yoga Intervention on Mental Well Being of Medical Students Posted in Community Medicine: A Pilot Study.

Impact of short term yoga intervention on mental well being of medical students posted in community medicine: a pilot study.

Indian J Community Med. 2013 Apr; 38(2): 105-8
Bansal R, Gupta M, Agarwal B, Sharma S

High level of stress, anxiety and depression is seen among medical students.To assess the impact of brief structured yoga intervention on mental well being of MBBS students.The participants consisted of 82 MBBS students of 3(rd) semester in the age group of 18-23 years. The students were assessed at baseline and at the end of one month of specific yoga intervention by using General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28).The students reported improvement in general and mental well being following the intervention and difference was found to be highly significant.A short term specific yoga intervention may be effective in improving general and mental well being in MBBS students. It is feasible and practical to include yoga practice in block postings of community medicine. HubMed – depression

Association between childhood adversities and adulthood depressive symptoms in South Korea: results from a nationally representative longitudinal study.

BMJ Open. 2013; 3(7):
Kim SS, Jang H, Chang HY, Park YS, Lee DW

To examine how childhood adversity (ie, parental death, parental divorce, suspension of school education due to financial strain or being raised in a relative’s house due to financial strain) is associated with prevalence and incidence of adulthood depressive symptoms and whether this association differs by gender and by age in South Korea.Prospective cohort design.Nationally representative longitudinal survey in South Korea.11 526 participants in South Korea.Prevalence and incidence of adulthood depressive symptoms were assessed as a dichotomous variable using the Centers for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale in 2006 and 2007.In the prevalence analysis, each of the four childhood adversities was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of adulthood depressive symptoms. The higher incidence of depressive symptoms was associated with suspension of school education (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.32 to 1.82) and parental divorce (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.00 to 2.71). In the age-stratified analyses, prevalence of depressive symptoms was associated with all CAs across different adulthoods, except for parental divorce and late adulthood depressive symptoms. After being stratified by gender, the association was significant for parental divorce (OR 3.76, 95% CI 2.34 to 6.03) in the prevalence analysis and for being raised in a relative’s house (OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.21 to 2.94) in the incidence analysis only among women.This study suggests that childhood adversity may increase prevalence and incidence of adulthood depressive symptoms, and the impact of parental divorce or being raised in a relative’s house due to financial strain on adulthood depressive symptoms may differ by gender. HubMed – depression

Memories of Shame Experiences with Others and Depression Symptoms: The Mediating Role of Experiential Avoidance.

Clin Psychol Psychother. 2013 Jul 23;
Carvalho S, Dinis A, Pinto-Gouveia J, Estanqueiro C

Background Shame experiences have been suggested to be related with psychopathological symptoms and with self-relevant beliefs. Recent studies also suggest that avoidant-focused strategies (e.g., rumination, thought suppression and dissociation) mediate the impact of shame memories and depression symptoms. However, experiential avoidance has been found to mediate the relation between early experience of abuse and psychopathological symptoms. Our goal was to test the mediating effect of experiential avoidance in the relation between both the nature of shame experiences at the hands of caregivers and the centrality of shame memories with others, and depression symptoms. Method Using structural equation modelling, we assessed the frequency and nature of recalled shame experiences at the hands of caregivers, the centrality of shame experiences with others throughout childhood and adolescence, experiential avoidance and depression symptomatology in 161 participants from general population. Results Experiential avoidance mediates the impact of shame experiences with caregivers and depression symptoms. Experiential avoidance also mediated the association between the centrality of shame experiences with others and depression symptoms. Conclusion Our results suggest that shame memories with others do not per se impact on depression symptoms, but rather the unwillingness to experience them and the attempts to control them. Hence, our results emphasize the importance of addressing affect regulation processes such as avoidance when dealing with shame memories, particularly with patients who experience depression symptoms. Key Practitioner Message The recall of shame experiences with caregivers is associated with the experience of depression symptoms, even when these experiences are not perceived as central points to one’s life identity and story. This seems to suggest a necessity to explore these experiences in a therapeutic setting. Our findings suggest that experiential avoidance is a key process through which these memories of shame experiences impact on depression symptomatology. Hence, it seems to be of great importance to reduce experiential avoidance and help people change the way they relate with these memories.Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. HubMed – depression

American Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora): A Randomised, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Crossover Study of its Effects on Mood in Healthy Volunteers.

Phytother Res. 2013 Jul 22;
Brock C, Whitehouse J, Tewfik I, Towell T

Scutellaria lateriflora, a traditional herbal remedy for stress and anxiety, was tested on human volunteers for its effects on mood. In a placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study, 43 healthy participants were randomised to a sequence of three times daily S. lateriflora (350 mg) or placebo, each over two weeks. In this relatively non-anxious population (81% were mildly anxious or less, i.e. Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) scores???15), there was no significant difference between skullcap and placebo with BAI (p?=?0.191). However, there was a significant group effect (p?=?0.049), suggesting a carryover effect of skullcap. For Total Mood Disturbance measured by the Profile of Mood States, there was a highly significant (p?=?<0.001) decrease from pre-test scores with skullcap but not placebo (p?=?0.072). The limitations of carryover effect, generally low anxiety scores and differences in anxiety levels between groups at baseline (p?=?0.022), may have reduced the chances of statistical significance in this study. However, as S. lateriflora significantly enhanced global mood without a reduction in energy or cognition, further study assessing its putative anxiolytic effects in notably anxious subjects with co-morbid depression is warranted. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. HubMed – depression