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Emotional fainting and the psychophysiologic response to blood and injury: autonomic mechanisms and coping strategies
Abstract
This experiment was designed to examine the psychophysiologic response pattern associated with emotional fainting. A survey was carried out among students, from which 30 volunteers who reported that they felt faint at the sight of blood or injury were recruited, together with 26 nonfainters. Blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration rate were monitored while subjects viewed a film depicting open-heart surgery and a neutral control film. Parasympathetic cardiac control was indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and coping was assessed by questionnaire. Responders (n = 17, group FPOS) were defined by a positive survey rating plus marked lightheadedness during the surgery film, and they were compared with nonresponders (group FNEG). Group FPOS showed a classic diphasic response with increases in heart rate and systolic blood pressure early in the surgery film followed by decreases in both variables, and the pattern was significantly different from that found in group FNEG. Data from three subjects who fainted corroborate these observations, although there were marked individual differences in response. The two groups did not differ in RSA, although RSA was smaller in both groups early in the surgery film than at other points. The positive fainting response group reported focusing their attention on bodily sensations, while those who showed little distress used intellectual coping strategies. The results are discussed in terms of the psychophysiologic mechanisms involve…
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In the citing paper
“In one study, participants were selected based on reports of feeling faint at the sight of blood; however, when further questioned, only a subset (53%) reported actual past fainting (Steptoe and Wardle, 1988).”
From The psychophysiology of blood-injection-injury phobia: Looking beyond the diphasic response paradigm (2010) · cites this paper as Steptoe and Wardle, 1988
In the citing paper
“The majority of psychophysiological studies that often include a component of exposure to feared stimuli (e.g., films of surgery, blood- and injury pictures) have documented pre-syncopal episodes (or “gray-outs,” Engel & Romano, 1947), while documentations of self-reported loss of consciousness (“black-outs”) are rare (see e.g., Steptoe & Wardle, 1988).”
From The psychophysiology of blood-injection-injury phobia: Looking beyond the diphasic response paradigm (2010) · cites this paper as Steptoe & Wardle, 1988
In the citing paper
“The latter two studies reported lower values of DBP during surgery compared to controls, but the observations were not substantiated by adequate significance tests.”
From The psychophysiology of blood-injection-injury phobia: Looking beyond the diphasic response paradigm (2010) · cites this paper as Steptoe and Wardle, 1988
In the citing paper
“Three studies of surgery film exposure that used neutral film clips as a comparison were not able to demonstrate HR falls below neutral levels (Sarlo et al., 2002; Steptoe and Wardle, 1988; Vögele et al., 2003).”
From The psychophysiology of blood-injection-injury phobia: Looking beyond the diphasic response paradigm (2010) · cites this paper as Steptoe and Wardle, 1988
In the citing paper
“Actual fainting in response to BII-related material in laboratory or treatment exposure has typically been observed in considerably fewer participants than expected from reports of fainting history (Steptoe & Wardle, 1988)”
From The psychophysiology of blood-injection-injury phobia: Looking beyond the diphasic response paradigm (2010) · cites this paper as Steptoe & Wardle, 1988
In the citing paper
“Mostly qualitative observations and case studies have been published that reported hyperventilation or deep breathing in BII-phobia patients (e.g., Elmore et al., 1980; Foulds, 1993; Steptoe & Wardle, 1988).”
From The psychophysiology of blood-injection-injury phobia: Looking beyond the diphasic response paradigm (2010) · cites this paper as Steptoe & Wardle, 1988
In the citing paper
“Steptoe and Wardle (1988) observed that blood-sensitive participants that fainted during exposure to a surgery film also reported taking deep breaths to cope with the aversive material.”
From The psychophysiology of blood-injection-injury phobia: Looking beyond the diphasic response paradigm (2010) · cites this paper as Steptoe and Wardle (1988)
In the citing paper
“However, studies have generally focused on respiration rate, such as through the measurement with a single strain gauge (e.g., Kozak & Miller, 1985; Steptoe & Wardle, 1988; Vögele et al., 2003) or visual observation of breathing (e.g., Cohn et al., 1976), rather than implementing a full assessment of the breathing pattern including volume or direct measures of expired CO2. Thus, true hyperventilAT”
From The psychophysiology of blood-injection-injury phobia: Looking beyond the diphasic response paradigm (2010) · cites this paper as Steptoe & Wardle, 1988
In the citing paper
“Two more studies that had implemented at least one form of respiratory control with RSA produced similarly negative findings (Gerlach et al., 2006; Steptoe & Wardle, 1988).”
From The psychophysiology of blood-injection-injury phobia: Looking beyond the diphasic response paradigm (2010) · cites this paper as Steptoe & Wardle, 1988
Citations
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Sorted by citations
Trauma films, information processing, and intrusive memory development
Holmes, E. A., Brewin, C. R., & Hennessy, R. G. (2004) · Journal of Experimental Psychology: General · doi:10.1037/0096-3445.133.1.3 · Cited by 457
Kleinknecht, R. A., & Lenz, J. (1989) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/0005-7967(89)90088-0 · Cited by 120
The psychophysiology of blood-injection-injury phobia: Looking beyond the diphasic response paradigm
Ritz, T., Meuret, A. E., & Ayala, E. S. (2010) · International Journal of Psychophysiology · doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2010.05.007 · Cited by 74
“A uthor M anuscript A uthor M anuscript A uthor M anuscript A uthor M anuscript demonstrate HR falls below neutral levels (Sarlo et al., 2002; Steptoe and Wardle, 1988; Vögele et al., 2003).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialRitz, T., Meuret, A. E., & Simon, E. (2013) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2013.03.011 · Cited by 15
Metadata
- Authors
- Steptoe, A., & Wardle, J.
- Affiliations
- University of London (GB)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Psychosomatic Medicine
- Published
- 1988-07
- Volume
- 50
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 402-417
- ISSN
- 0033-3174 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2312737823
- Cited by
- 52
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2018: 2 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 1.41
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychosomatic Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiovascular Syncope and Autonomic Disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Keywords
- autonomic nervous system, heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, coping strategies, lightheadedness, individual differences
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Arousal, Autonomic Nervous System, Blood, Electrocardiography, Emotions, Female, Humans, Male, Syncope, Vagus Nerve, Wounds and Injuries
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