Paradoxical Results of Psychophysiological Stress Profile in Functional Somatic Syndrome: Correlation Between Subjective Tension Score and Objective Stress Response

Abstract

Mind-body interactions are important in functional somatic syndromes (FSS). Therefore, in the assessment of the psychophysiological stress response in patients with FSS, both subjective feelings and psychophysiological activity should be simultaneously measured. In this study, "Objective Tension Score" (OTS) was defined as an objective parameter of tension; it consisted of surface electromyography and skin conductance level as indicators of muscle and mental tension, respectively. "Subjective Tension Score" (STS) was defined as a subjective parameter of tension. Changes in OTS and STS in response to the stress task were investigated in 30 FSS patients and 28 controls. Objective tension was significantly hyporeactive to the stress task and STS was significantly higher in the patient group than in the control group. There was a significant negative correlation between OTS response and STS in the patient group, but no significant correlation in the control group. Our results suggested the existence of dissociation between subjective and objective responses in FSS patients. This may indicate that FSS patients had difficulty with the awareness of bodily feelings, thus supporting the concept of "alexisomia" or "escaped bodily feelings" in FSS patients.

First Non-Contingent Respiratory Biofeedback Placebo versus Contingent Biofeedback in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Trial

“…These results may indicate that RFB produced on the one hand calmness to cope with daily stress and on the other hand improvement of body awareness. This is in line with the general finding that clinical biofeedback and selfregulation treatment increases body awareness and awareness of psychological-somatic interrelationships (Cohen and Sedlack 1983;Kanbara et al 2004). Wickramasekera (1999) reported that people with high scores in trait hypnotic ability would profit most from biofeedback by rapidly reducing clinical symptoms.…”

Evaluation of Psychophysiological Asymmetry in Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome

“…Okifuji and Turk (2002) investigated the relation between pain in FMS and autonomic nervous system function, and suggested that FMS is a prevalent muscloskeletal pain disorder characterized by diffuse pain, in which the patient develops dysfunctional sympathetic reflexes to stressors. In our previous report, SEMG level and SCL were significantly hypo-reactive to a stress task in FSS (Kanbara et al, 2004). In the present study, we investigated the relations among SEMG level, TEMP and SCL in FMS patients.…”

Posture, movement patterns, and body awareness in women with chronic pelvic pain

“…Thus, the symptoms represent both somatoform and dissociative qualities. In parallel with the concept of alexithymia (lack of ability to feel or express emotions), we would like to support the introduction of the concept of alexisomia in this field [30], as these women, in many ways, lack a normal quality of sensations (exteroceptive and proprioceptive) and the ability to express themselves in a functionally normal body language.…”