RESUMO
Social isolation can be a consequence of acquired brain injury (ABI). Few studies have examined the relationship between social isolation and mental health after ABI. In this cross-sectional and case-control study, we compared 51 ABI survivors and 51 matched healthy controls on measures of social isolation (network size, social support and loneliness) mental health and mental health problems. We explored the relationship between structural, functional and subjective components of social isolation and examined whether they were associated with mental health outcomes. No group differences were found on size of the network and perceived social support. The ABI group exhibited marginally higher levels of loneliness. The ABI group presented higher levels of depression, lower levels of quality of life and emotional wellbeing. In both groups, perception of social support was inversely related to subjective experience of loneliness. The relationship between network size and loneliness was only significant in the ABI group. Only loneliness significantly predicted quality of life, emotional wellbeing, depression and anxiety in people with brain injury. The relationship between social isolation variables in ABI is discussed, as well as the theoretical and clinical implications of focusing on loneliness to improve mental health after brain injury.
Assuntos
Lesões Encefálicas , Solidão , Humanos , Solidão/psicologia , Saúde Mental , Qualidade de Vida , Estudos Transversais , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Isolamento Social/psicologia , Apoio Social , Lesões Encefálicas/complicações , Lesões Encefálicas/psicologiaRESUMO
Abstract Recent studies have suggested that emotion regulation (ER) strategies, such as reappraisal and suppression, rely on the use of verbal thinking. Outside the field of ER, verbal thinking, particularly in the form of inner speech, has been largely linked to behavior and cognitive regulation. However, no article has yet directly addressed the potential role of inner speech in ER. In this study, 180 participants completed a survey that included measures of inner speech usage (Inner Speech Questionnaire), ER difficulties (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale), ER strategy use (Emotion Regulation Questionnaire) and symptoms (HADS). Correlational analyses and hierarchical linear regression models were used to explore the potential relationship between inner speech and ER variables. A positive relationship was found between Inner Speech usage and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale overall score. This relationship was, however, heavily mediated by level of symptomatology. As for the ER strategies, only reappraisal presented a significant positive relationship, of medium size, with inner speech usage, which was independent of the level of symptoms. The results of this study are discussed in relation to the current conceptualization of reappraisal as well as its implications for clinical practice.
Resumen Estudios recientes han sugerido que estrategias de regulación emocional (RE) como la re-interpretación y supresión dependen del pensamiento verbal. Fuera del campo de la RE, el pensamiento verbal, como habla interna, ha sido vinculado con la regulación cognitivo/conductual. Sin embargo, a la fecha ningún estudio ha explorado el rol del habla interna en la RE. En esta investigación, 180 sujetos completaron cuestionarios de uso de habla interna (Inner Speech Questionnaire, ISQ), dificultades en la RE (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, DERS), uso de estrategias de RE (Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, ERQ) y sintomatología (HADS). Se realizaron análisis correlacionales y modelos de regresión lineal para explorar la relación entre habla interna y variables de RE. Una relación positiva fue encontrada entre frecuencia de uso de habla interna y la puntuación global de la escala de dificultades en RE -relación altamente mediada por el nivel de sintomatología. Respecto a las estrategias de RE, solo la reinterpretación presentó una relación positiva y significativa, de tamaño medio, con la frecuencia de uso de habla interna -con independencia del nivel de síntomas. Los resultados de este estudio son discutidos en relación a la conceptualización actual de la re-interpretación así como su relevancia para la práctica clínica.