African Americans have been consistently shown to have less deep (slow wave sleep; SWS) and more light (Stages 1 and 2) sleep than Caucasian Americans. This paper explored whether discrimination, a stressor that uniquely impacts certain ethnic groups, contributes to differences in sleep architecture. The sleep of 164 African and Caucasian Americans was examined with laboratory based polysomnography (PSG). Experiences of perceived discrimination (The Scale of Ethnic Experience) and sociodemographic factors were also assessed. After adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), socioeconomic status (SES) and smoking status, African Americans slept approximately 4.5% more total sleep time (TST) in Stage 2 sleep and 4.7% less TST in SWS than Caucasian Americans (ps< .05). Perceived discrimination was a partial mediator of ethnic differences in sleep architecture. Individuals who reported experiencing more discrimination slept more time in Stage 2 and less time in SWS (ps< .05). Results suggest that the impact of stress related to ethnic group membership plays a part in explaining differences in sleep architecture.

Findings suggest that technological interventions may be helpful for reducing disordered eating patterns and cognitions among high-risk women. Future research is needed to assess whether such programs are effective over time for prevention of and reduction in eating disorder symptomatology.

Spirituality and gratitude are associated with wellbeing. Few if any studies have examined the role of gratitude in heart failure (HF) patients or whether it is a mechanism through which spirituality may exert its beneficial effects on physical and mental health in this clinical population. This study examined associations bet ween gratitude, spiritual wellbeing, sleep, mood, fatigue, cardiac-specific self-efficacy, and inflammation in 186 men and women with Stage B asymptomatic HF (age 66.5 years ±10). In correlational analysis, gratitude was associated with better sleep (r=-.25, p<0.01), less depressed mood (r=-.41, p<0.01), less fatigue (r=-.46, p<0.01), and better self-efficacy to maintain cardiac function (r=.42, p<0.01). Patients expressing more gratitude also had lower levels of inflammatory biomarkers (r=-.17, p<0.05). We further explored relationships among these variables by examining a putative pathway to determine whether spirituality exerts its beneficial effects through gratitude. We found that gratitude fully mediated the relationship between spiritual wellbeing and sleep quality (z=−2.35, SE=.03, p=.02) and also the relationship between spiritual wellbeing and depressed mood (z=−4.00, SE=.075, p<.001). Gratitude also partially mediated the relationships between spiritual wellbeing and fatigue (z=−3.85, SE=.18, p<.001), and between spiritual wellbeing and self-efficacy (z=2.91, SE=.04, p=.003). In sum, we report that gratitude and spiritual wellbeing are related to better mood and sleep, less fatigue, and more self-efficacy, and that gratitude fully or partially mediates the beneficial effects of spiritual wellbeing on these endpoints. Efforts to increase gratitude may be a treatment for improving wellbeing in HF patients’ lives and be of potential clinical value.

Objective Stage B, asymptomatic heart failure (HF) presents a therapeutic window for attenuating disease progression and development of HF symptoms, and improving quality of life. Gratitude, the practice of appreciating positive life features, is highly related to quality of life, leading to development of promising clinical interventions. However, few gratitude studies have investigated objective measures of physical health; most relied on self-report measures. We conducted a pilot study in Stage B HF patients to examine whether gratitude journaling improved biomarkers related to HF prognosis. Methods Patients (N = 70; mean age = 66.2 years, SD = 7.6) were randomized to an 8-week gratitude journaling intervention or treatment as usual (TAU). Baseline (T1) assessments included 6-item Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ-6), resting heart rate variability (HRV), and an inflammatory biomarker index. At T2 (mid-intervention) GQ6 was measured. At T3 (post-intervention), T1 measures were repeated but also included a gratitude journaling task. Results The gratitude intervention was associated with improved trait gratitude scores (F = 6.0, p = .017, η2 = .10), reduced inflammatory biomarker index score over time (F = 9.7, p = .004, η2 = .21) and increased parasympathetic HRV responses during the gratitude journaling task (F = 4.2, p = .036, η2 = .15), compared with TAU. However, there were no resting pre- to post-intervention group differences in HRV (p's > .10). Conclusions Gratitude journaling may improve biomarkers related to HF morbidity, such as reduced inflammation; large-scale studies with active control conditions are needed to confirm these findings.

Acute exercise at the time of vaccination can enhance subsequent immune responses. However, the potential benefit of this effect will be its efficacy in boosting poor responses, and thus protection in at-risk populations. The current study tested the effect of exercise on the response to either a full- or half-dose Pneumococcal (Pn) vaccination to elicit stronger and weaker responses. Subjects were 133 young healthy adults, randomized to one of four groups: Exercise or control task, receiving a full- or half-dose Pn vaccination. Prior to vaccination, exercise groups completed a 15min arm and shoulder exercise task, control groups rested quietly. Antibody levels to 11 Pn strains were evaluated at baseline and 1- month. Across all participants, exercise groups showed significantly greater increase in antibody levels than control groups. When doses were compared, it emerged that those who exercised had significantly larger responses than those who rested in the half-dose group, but in the full-dose groups responses were similar. This data indicates the effectiveness of exercise as a vaccine adjuvant, particularly in weaker responses. Thus, given the potential public health benefits of no-cost behavioural intervention to enhance response to vaccination, testing in at-risk populations should be pursued.

This pilot study provides increased knowledge of the viability of treatment delivery over the Internet, specifically, a psychoeducational IRC for eating disorder prevention.

These results suggest that discrimination plays an important role in explaining racial differences in an important indictor of early disease through its relationship with negative affect-related factors and health practices. (PsycINFO Database Record

Purpose: To compare 2 mild-to-moderate group exercises and treatment as usual (TAU) for improvements in physical function and depressive symptoms. Methods: Patients with heart failure (n = 70, mean age = 66 yr, range = 45-89 yr) were randomized to 16 wk of tai chi (TC), resistance band (RB) exercise, or TAU. Results: Physical function differed by group from baseline to follow-up, measured by distance walked in the 6-min walk test (F = 3.19, P = .03). Tai chi participants demonstrated a nonsignificant decrease of 162 ft (95% confidence interval [CI], 21 to −345, P = .08) while distance walked by RB participants remained stable with a nonsignificant increase of 70 ft (95% CI, 267 to −127, P = .48). Treatment as usual group significantly decreased by 205 ft (95% CI, −35 to −374, P = .02) and no group differences occurred over time in end-systolic volume (P = .43) and left ventricular function (LVEF) (P = .67). However, groups differed over time in the Beck Depression Inventory (F = 9.2, P < .01). Both TC and RB groups improved (decreased) by 3.5 points (95% CI, 2-5, P < .01). Treatment as usual group decreased insignificantly 1 point (95% CI, −1 to 3, P = .27). Conclusions: Tai chi and RB participants avoided a decrease in physical function decrements as seen with TAU. No groups changed in cardiac function. Both TC and RB groups saw reduced depression symptoms compared with TAU. Thus, both TC and RB groups avoided a decrease in physical function and improved their psychological function when compared with TAU.