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Abstract Evidence has been accumulating that long-term exercise is beneficial across a range of biological systems. Research in rodents has shown that exercise reduces anxiety and impulsivity in behavioural tests. Psychological stress has been shown to evoke phospho-acetylation of histone H3 (H3S10pK14ac) and c-Fos induction at the dentate gyrus (DG). Our group has delineated the signalling pathway underlying this stress- activated sparse population of DG neurons; the ERK MAPK cascade, histone modifying enzymes and transcription factors all play a role. Interruption of any part of this pathway leads to blockade of c-Fos induction and an inability to acquire behavioural adaptation in a forced swim retest. We set out to investigate exercise- induced epigenetic, gene expression and cytoarchitecture changes at the DG, together with their underlying signalling mechanisms after stress. We employed BrdU injections to compare DG proliferation rates in running and sedentary animals but did not uncover any cytoarchitecture differences between these groups. We did find differential epigenetic and gene expression responses, however. Exercised rats were less anxious during novel environment exposure and had better memory of a forced swim stress. They had attenuated levels of pERK 112-, pMSKl and c-Fos-1R exclusively at the DG after stress, compared with sedentary controls. In terms of H3S10pK14ac-IR, exercised animals showed differential responses to sedentary controls. In general, attenuation of the stress-activated population of DG neurons could reflect the prevailing anxiety state of the animal. Lowered anxiety levels of exercised animals during novelty exposure correspond with attenuated corticosterone levels and reduced c-Fos-, pERK 1 12-, and pMSKI-IR levels at the DG. Given that the DG has a pivotal role in mnemonic-encoding, long-term voluntary exercise-induced changes in ERK MAPK signalling, epigenetic and gene expression responses could underlie improved cognition.

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Crick & Dodge's (1994) social information-processing model of social adjustment suggests the presence of an internal causal attributional bias may promote the maintenance of social phobia/anxiety. Research with adults has provided evidence in support of this. Research with children has been ambiguous and suffered from methodological shortcomings. These were addressed in the present study. School children completed measures of social anxiety, depression, and internal causal attributions. The results indicate that a significant relationship is evident between the tendency to attribute failure internally and social anxiety. These results support the notion that an internal causal attributional bias may promote the maintenance, and possibly the development, of social anxiety. The significance of these findings for clinical interventions with children and ideas for future research are discussed.

Les effets délétères de l’anxiété sur le cours de la grossesse, le fœtus, l’enfant et la mère sont bien documentés. Toutefois, la notion d’anxiété prénatale demeure sujette à débats quant à sa définition et à son évaluation. Des études empiriques récentes suggèrent que l’anxiété spécifique à la grossesse (ASG) est une entité clinique distincte. L’objectif principal de cette thèse était de contribuer à éclaircir cette question. Les objectifs spécifiques étaient de : a) explorer l’ASG d’un point de vue qualitatif ; b) comparer sa fréquence, son intensité, son évolution ainsi que celles des 5 facteurs qui la composent avec l’anxiété générale (AG) ; c) identifier ses facteurs de risque, de protection et ses corrélats associés; d) étudier sa capacité à prédire l’humeur maternelle post-natale. Cette thèse est constituée de deux volets : un qualitatif et un quantitatif plus important. Dans un premier temps, des entretiens ont été menés auprès de 11 femmes enceintes à chaque trimestre de grossesse afin de constituer le matériel qualitatif. Par la suite, les données quantitatives ont été récoltées auprès de 155 femmes enceintes, dès leur premier trimestre de grossesses (8-14 semaines d’aménorrhée), recrutées au département d’obstétrique du CHU de Montréal, Canada. Elles ont complété un formulaire de consentement et d’informations sociodémographiques et obstétricales, des mesures du style d’attachement (RSQ), de l’ajustement conjugal (R-DAS), de soutien social (SSQ6), de dépression (EPDS), d’ASG (PRAQ) et d'AG (STAI-Y). Les mesures d’AG, d’ASG et de dépression ont été répétées aux trimestres 2 (n=126) et 3 (n=120) et les mesures d’AG et de dépression ont aussi été récoltées quelques semaines après l’accouchement (n=110). La thèse est présentée en trois articles. Le premier consiste en une revue de la littérature au sujet du style d’attachement comme facteur de risque de l’ASG, une notion encore faiblement étayée par des études empiriques. On constate toutefois que la théorie de l’attachement offre un cadre prometteur pour comprendre l’ASG. Le deuxième article décrit les résultats du volet qualitatif. Il appert de cette étude que les craintes de perte et, à l’opposé, d’envahissement, liées à l’expérience corporelle, contribuent à donner à l’anxiété prénatale son caractère spécifique. De plus, les mécanismes d’adaptation privilégiés sont centrés sur l’émotion, plutôt que sur la résolution de problèmes. Quant au volet quantitatif, les résultats révèlent que l’AG et l’ASG apportent des informations distinctes au niveau de la symptomatologie, qu’elles évoluent différemment, que les facteurs de protection et de risque, tout comme les corrélats associés (ajustement conjugal, soutien social, style d’attachement, niveau de risque obstétrical, statut de parité, perte fœtale antérieure), les distinguent en partie. Le troisième article a mis en évidence qu’un style d’attachement préoccupé est un prédicteur significatif de l’AG et de l’ASG à chaque trimestre de grossesse. Des analyses complémentaires ont pointé des différences importantes entre les 5 facteurs de l’ASG. Ainsi, le facteur 4 de l’ASG, « peur des changements », est le seul qui contribue à la prédiction de l’humeur maternelle post-natale et qui ne soit associé à aucune des variables obstétricales étudiées. Ces résultats contribuent à documenter le fait que l’ASG est une entité clinique distincte. L’étude des 5 facteurs de l’ASG soulève la question de l’ASG comme entité distincte unitaire ou comme entité multidimensionnelle. Nos travaux suggèrent aussi que les 5 facteurs peuvent être regroupés en deux grands types de craintes : celles reliées aux variables obstétricales (peur pour l’intégrité du bébé, peur d’accoucher) et les préoccupations de nature identitaire et relationnelle durant la grossesse et après l’accouchement. Ces constats sont discutés en termes d’accompagnement des femmes enceintes, de collaboration au sein des équipes et de stratégies thérapeutiques appropriées / The deleterious effects of anxiety on the course of pregnancy, the fetus, the child and the mother are well documented. However, the definition and evaluation of prenatal anxiety remains open to debate. Recent empirical studies suggest that pregnancy-specific anxiety (PSA) is a distinct clinical entity. The main objective of this thesis is to clarify this question. The specific objectives are: (A) to explore the PSA from a qualitative point of view; (B) to compare its frequency, intensity, and development, and those of its five composing factors, with those of General Anxiety (GA); (C) to identify risk factors, protection factors, and associated correlates; D) to study its ability to predict post-natal maternal mood. This thesis is composed of two parts: a qualitative study and a larger quantitative research. In the first study, interviews were conducted with 11 pregnant women during each trimester of pregnancy in order to collect qualitative data. Subsequently, quantitative data were collected from 155 pregnant women recruited from the Department of Obstetrics at the Montreal University Hospital Centre, in Canada, in their first trimester of pregnancy (8-14 weeks of amenorrhoea). They completed a consent form, a sociodemographic and obstetric questionnaire and measures of Attachment Style Measurement (RSQ); Marital Adjustment (R-DAS); Social Support (SSQ6); Depression (EPDS); PSA (PRAQ); and GA (STAI-Y)). Depression, PSA, and GA measurements were repeated in trimesters 2 (n = 126) and 3 (n = 120). GA and depression measurements were also collected a few weeks after delivery (n = 110). The thesis is presented in three articles. The first is a literature review on attachment style as a risk factor for PSA, a concept that is still poorly supported by empirical studies. However, the theory of attachment offers a promising framework for understanding PSA. The second article describes the results of the qualitative study. It appears from this study that fears of loss and, conversely, of invasion, both related to corporal experience, contribute to give prenatal anxiety its specific character. In addition, the preferred coping mechanisms are emotion-focused rather than problem-focused. As for the quantitative study, the results revealed that GA and PSA provide distinct symptomatology information and that they vary differently. Moreover, protective and risk factors, as well as associated correlates (conjugal adjustment, social support, attachment style, obstetric risk, parity status, previous fetal loss), partly distinguish them. The third article highlighted that a preoccupied style of attachment is a significant predictor of GA and PSA in each trimester of pregnancy. Additional analyses pointed to significant differences between the five PSA factors. Factor 4, "fear of changes", is the only one that contributes to the prediction of post-natal maternal mood without being associated with any of the obstetric variables studied. These findings help document the fact that ASG is a distinct clinical entity. The study of the five PSA factors raised the following question: is PSA a unitary distinct entity or a multidimensional entity? Our work also suggests that the five factors can be grouped into two types of fears: concerns related to obstetric variables (fear for the integrity of the baby, fear of giving birth) and concerns of an identity and relational nature during pregnancy and after childbirth. These findings are discussed in terms of antenatal care routines, collaboration within teams and appropriate therapeutic strategies.

The aim of the study was to determine the extent of the psychological influence that human cadaver dissection has on Homoeopathy and Chiropractic students. Changes in axiety levels, appraisals (of the self, the situation and the environment), coping strategies and behavioural changes were investigated during the following four dissection phases: (i) before the dissection started (preparation); (ii) the first dissection period (exposure); (iii) two weeks after dissection started (development of resources) and (iv) three months after dissection started (stabilisation). Anxiety levels were measured using the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale and the Templer Death Anxiety Scale. The remaining sections of the self-administered questionnaire included open and closed ended sections. Anxiety levels were found to be low, possibly due to students being previously exposure to the dissection hall, during peer tutoring sessions. Although active coping strategies were used most often, no clear pattern emerged with regard to which coping strategy was more effective in dealing with dissection anxiety. / Psychology / M. Sc. (Psychology)

The aim of the study was to determine the extent of the psychological influence that human cadaver dissection has on Homoeopathy and Chiropractic students. Changes in axiety levels, appraisals (of the self, the situation and the environment), coping strategies and behavioural changes were investigated during the following four dissection phases: (i) before the dissection started (preparation); (ii) the first dissection period (exposure); (iii) two weeks after dissection started (development of resources) and (iv) three months after dissection started (stabilisation). Anxiety levels were measured using the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale and the Templer Death Anxiety Scale. The remaining sections of the self-administered questionnaire included open and closed ended sections. Anxiety levels were found to be low, possibly due to students being previously exposure to the dissection hall, during peer tutoring sessions. Although active coping strategies were used most often, no clear pattern emerged with regard to which coping strategy was more effective in dealing with dissection anxiety. / Psychology / M. Sc. (Psychology)