Background: Stress and depression may affect the onset and progression of periodontal disease. However, to the best of our knowledge, no published study has established whether the mechanisms by which stress and depression influence periodontal disease are physiologic, behavioral, or both. This cross‐sectional pilot study explored the associations between psychologic factors, markers of periodontal disease, psychoneuroimmunologic variables, and behavior.Methods: This study included 45 periodontal patients referred by three dentists. Participants completed composite health, chronic stress, depression, and demographic questions, and salivary cortisol (CORT) was measured. A hygienist assessed the magnitude of periodontal disease.Results: Stress, depression, and CORT were correlated with measures of periodontal disease. In addition, oral care neglect during periods of stress and depression was associated with attachment loss and missing teeth. After controlling for age, family history, and brushing frequency, depression and CORT were significant predictors of the number of missing teeth. A similar model also predicted the number of teeth with clinical attachment loss >5 mm.Conclusions: Stress and depression may be associated with periodontal destruction through behavioral and physiologic mechanisms. Addressing psychologic factors, such as depression, may be an important part of periodontal preventive maintenance.
There is little research on psychosocial factors and insulin pump use in adolescents. The purpose of the present study was to use qualitative and quantitative methods to explore psychosocial issues related to insulin pump use [continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII)] in youth. Eighteen early adolescents and their parents were interviewed about the experience of using an insulin pump, and transcripts were content-analyzed. In general, interviewees reported modest improvements in glycemic control with initiation of CSII. Teens and parents did, however, report high levels of satisfaction with pump therapy and increased adolescent responsibility for the diabetes regimen. In addition, pump users reported few issues related to body image, appearance, or social aspects of pump dependency. Chief concerns were related to the demands of initiating pump therapy, pump alarms and malfunctions, potential for regimen non-compliance with CSII, and school-related issues. Pump use is not associated with social difficulties, and, in general, youths and their parents report high satisfaction with CSII.
"Coming out" is an important process not only for identity formation in sexual minorities, but also for increasing access to romantic partners of similar identities (Vaughan & Waehler, 2010). It is unclear how asexuality and the variations within the asexual community are revealed and communicated in the coming out process. Some asexual individuals may find no practical value in coming out, as they do not seek romantic partnerships, while others pursue romantic relationships that are devoid of sexual activity. To date, virtually no psychological research has explored the "coming out" experience for those with an asexual identity. The current research analyzed the "coming out" narratives of 169 self-identified asexual individuals recruited from three online asexual communities using a phenomenological approach. Salient themes were extracted from narratives about the experience of developing an asexual identity. Themes included skepticism from family and friends, lack of acceptance and misunderstanding, non-disclosure of the asexual identity, relief upon discovering the asexual community, and the role of the internet in asexual identity discovery and expression. A theoretical model of asexual identity development is proposed based on these findings.
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