Long-Term Follow-Up of Psychological Distress, Social Functioning, and Coping Style in Treated and Untreated Patients With Solvent-Induced Chronic Toxic Encephalopathy

Åbjörnsson, Gunnel; Pålsson, Birgitta; Bergendorf, Ulf; Karlson, Björn; Österberg, Kai; Seger, Lena; Ørbæk, Palle

doi:10.1097/00043764-199809000-00009

Cited by 19 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…After a more detailed review eight more articles were excluded because they appeared not to be treatment outcome studies or did not evaluate psychological treatment methods. Three studies were identified as follow-up studies of already selected studies [18, 19, 20]. A PsychLIT search revealed an additional 73 articles, 12 of which met inclusion criteria and were included for further evaluation.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The articles of Abjornsson et al [11] and Lindgren et al [10] were based on the same study group. In 1998, Abjornsson et al [19]presented 7-year follow-up results of their study. Eight studies provided quality D evidence.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Only 4 patients were able to return to work. In a 7-year follow-up study, 13 of the 14 patients were evaluated again [19]. Their results were compared to those of a group of 26 untreated patients with CTE.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Psychological Treatment of Patients with Chronic Toxic Encephalopathy: Lessons from Studies of Chronic Fatigue and Whiplash

Hout

Wekking²,

Berg³

et al. 2003

Psychother Psychosom

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Background: Chronic toxic encephalopathy (CTE), which can result from long-term exposure to organic solvents, is characterized by problems of attention and memory, fatigue and affective symptoms. There is little experience with (neuro)psychological treatment in this patient group. We reviewed treatment outcome studies of CTE and comparable syndromes, namely, chronic whiplash-associated disorder (WAD) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), with a view to providing recommendations for the psychological treatment of patients with CTE. Methods: PubMed and PsychLIT were systematically searched and reference lists of retrieved articles were studied. The articles were classified according to study design and level of evidence. Results: The studies of CFS provided high-level evidence for the effectiveness of cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) in challenging dysfunctional cognitions regarding the effectiveness of rest and in stimulating graded activity. The studies of WAD were methodologically weaker, and most evaluated a combination of CBT and graded activity training. There was some evidence that changing fatigue- or pain-related behaviors may result in cognitive improvement. Two uncontrolled studies of CTE evaluated cognitive rehabilitation techniques but yielded inconsistent findings. Conclusions: CBT techniques focusing on changing illness attributions and on stimulating graded activity might be useful for patients with CTE, diminishing fatigue-related problems of concentration and memory. Future studies should evaluate whether cognitive deficits of CTE patients as a result of neurotoxic effects of exposure should be treated by cognitive rehabilitation.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Psychological Treatment of Patients with Chronic Toxic Encephalopathy: Lessons from Studies of Chronic Fatigue and Whiplash

Hout

Wekking²,

Berg³

et al. 2003

Psychother Psychosom

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show abstract

“…The disabilities arising from the moderate to severe dysfunctions in memory and attention frequently persist after the exposure to solvents has ended, compromising daily functioning, social and occupational participation and quality of life (Baker, 1994, Abjornsson et al, 1998. Also, patients with CSE show a higher prevalence of both mood and anxiety disorders according to DSM IV criteria as compared with a community sample (Visser et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Coping with Attention and Memory Complaints Questionnaire (CAMQ): Psychometric evaluation of an instrument in suspected chronic solvent-induced encephalopathy (CSE)

Visser

Boer

Wekking

et al. 2012

Neuropsychological Rehabilitation

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Long-term occupational exposure to organic solvents may induce chronic solvent-induced encephalopathy (CSE), leading to neuropsychological impairments. We developed the Coping with Attention and Memory Complaints Questionnaire (CAMQ), an instrument for the assessment of coping strategies in patients suspected of CSE with neuropsychological complaints. Items for the CAMQ were based on existing coping dimensions and constructed by experts. The psychometric properties of the CAMQ were evaluated in a sample of 307 workers suspected of CSE. Factor analysis revealed four coping subscales: active coping, avoidance, acceptance, and seeking social support, all with good internal consistency (alphas .71-.78) and good test-retest reliability (ICCs .67-.82). The subscales demonstrated moderate correlations with related external constructs such as anxiety and depression, locus of control, meta-memory, mastery and generic coping styles. In conclusion, this study: (1) shows that the newly developed CAMQ is a reliable instrument, and (2) provides evidence for its validity in assessing coping with complaints of memory and attention in CSE-suspected patients. These results may serve for further study on coping with complaints of memory and attention, psychological adjustment and well-being in CSE patients.

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“…However only a few follow-up descriptions of neuropsychological effects exist in this field. In three studies patients with previously diagnosed chronic solvent intoxications were examined [6][7][8] . Williamson and Winder investigated workers at the beginning of their work with solvents and again after one and two years 9) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Longitudinal Study to Explore Chronic Neuropsychologic Effects on Solvent Exposed Workers

Ihrig

Dietz

Bader³

et al. 2005

Ind Health

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Aim: The aim of the study was to examine possible neurotoxic effects on the central nervous system (CNS) in relation to a chronic solvent exposure at the workplace. Method: The collective included 127 workers exposed to solvent mixtures, such as spray painters and printers. They were examined twice by means of a physical examination, neuropsychological testbattery, biological and air monitoring. Results: Major component of the solvents were white spirits in concentrations up to 127 ppm in air and 2,666 µg/l in blood. Single substances were mainly toluene and xylenes in concentrations below current threshold values at the workplace. During the 2 yr interval, the concentrations of solvents decreased, and no significant associations between the neuropsychological tests and the solvent exposure were found. Regarding the whole working history of each participant, we found a significant reduction on information processing velocity and performance in the trailmaking test, as well as more complaints of workers with higher solvent exposure in the past. Conclusions: A slight increase of subjective complaints and a deteriorated power of concentration seems to be associated with chronic solvent exposure.

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Long-Term Follow-Up of Psychological Distress, Social Functioning, and Coping Style in Treated and Untreated Patients With Solvent-Induced Chronic Toxic Encephalopathy

Cited by 19 publications

References 19 publications

Psychological Treatment of Patients with Chronic Toxic Encephalopathy: Lessons from Studies of Chronic Fatigue and Whiplash

Psychological Treatment of Patients with Chronic Toxic Encephalopathy: Lessons from Studies of Chronic Fatigue and Whiplash

The Coping with Attention and Memory Complaints Questionnaire (CAMQ): Psychometric evaluation of an instrument in suspected chronic solvent-induced encephalopathy (CSE)

Longitudinal Study to Explore Chronic Neuropsychologic Effects on Solvent Exposed Workers

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