Background: Young childbearing women have an increased risk of experiencing perinatal depression when compared to adult childbearing women. Perinatal depression has been associated with adverse life events in the literature and conceptually, in frameworks such as the Lifecycle Approach to Risk Factors for Mental Disorders Model. Purpose: The purpose of this manuscript-based thesis was to (1) determine the prevalence of: (i) adverse life events that have been associated with depression and (ii) depressive symptoms among the young pregnant and parenting women who access specialized services in an urban centre in Ontario, Canada; (2) determine which adverse life events are predictive of depression during the perinatal period, in this population; and (3) examine the psychometric properties of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) for use in a population of young childbearing women who access specialized services in an urban centre in Ontario, Canada. Methods: A survey was conducted with 102 young women from two agencies that provide specialized services to young parents. The interviewer-administered questionnaire included demographic questions, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the Antenatal Psychosocial Health Assessment, the Centers for Epidemologic Studies Depression Scale, Brown’s Support Behaviour Inventory. Results: 31.4% of the sample screened positive for perinatal depression. The only adverse life events found to predict perinatal depression were satisfaction with support from ‘others’ and intimate partner violence. Another predictor was very young maternal age (14 – 17 years). The EPDS was found to be psychometrically sound when used in this population of young childbearing women. Conclusion: In this study of young childbearing women in Ontario, Canada, we found a high prevalence rate of perinatal depression and adverse life events. Furthermore, we identified specific factors that predict the development of perinatal depression in this group. Nurses can use these findings to help prioritize perinatal screening efforts to identify this condition early on in order to lessen the adversities related to perinatal depression.

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Le vécu d'événements traumatiques est associé à l'obésité adulte, et cette association s'expliquerait par l'apparition de troubles alimentaire. D’autre part, il semblerait que l’exposition à une expérience traumatique soit associée à des déficits dans la régulation des émotions, eux-mêmes associés à une prévalence plus élevée de troubles alimentaires. Aussi, les capacités de pleine conscience (i.e., prendre conscience de ses pensées, émotions et sensations dans le présent et sans jugement) ont montré un intérêt croissant dans la littérature afin de proposer aux patients obèses de mieux réguler leurs émotions et ainsi leurs comportements alimentaires. Une première partie s’intéressera au rôle de l’exposition à un événement traumatique dans la régulation des conduites alimentaires de patients obèses. Cette partie est composée de deux études : l’une ayant pour objectif de vérifier les associations entre l’exposition à un événement traumatique et la perte de poids postopératoire ainsi que l’évolution des conduites alimentaires en pré- et postopératoire ; et l’autre ayant pour but d’explorer le rôle des stratégies de régulation des émotions et des capacités de pleine conscience dans la relation entre les effets psychopathologiques de l’exposition à un événement traumatique et les conduites alimentaires. Une seconde partie s’intéressera aux effets des entraînements à la pleine conscience sur les conduites alimentaires et l’activité physique de patients obèses. Cette partie est composée de trois études : une étude de cas clinique, une revue systématique et méta-analyse et un essai contrôlé randomisé (étude MindOb). Les résultats de la première partie montrent que les patients opérés d'une chirurgie bariatrique ont plus de risques de perdre moins de poids en postopératoire et d'avoir des troubles alimentaires en pré- et postopératoire lorsqu'ils ont été exposés à un événement traumatique. De plus, auprès de patients non-opérés, l'impact psychologique d'un événement traumatique, ainsi que des stratégies non-adaptatives de régulation des émotions, sont associés à de la détresse psychologique, de l'impulsivité alimentaire et des accès hyperphagiques. Les résultats de la seconde partie montrent que les interventions basées sur la pleine conscience réduisent l'impulsivité alimentaire et les accès hyperphagiques de patients obèses non-opérés. Aussi, les résultats suggèrent que les interventions basées sur la pleine conscience augmentent le niveau d'activité physique des patients obèses. Cette thèse apporte ainsi des éléments de réponse quant à l'intérêt de proposer des techniques psychothérapeutiques favorisant la régulation des émotions des patients obèses. Il semblerait qu'intervenir en préopératoire soit favorable afin d'éviter la persistance et l'apparition de troubles alimentaires. Aussi, les interventions psychothérapeutiques seraient plus efficaces si elles ciblaient les patients ayant vécu des événements traumatiques et/ou souffrant d'accès hyperphagiques. D'autre part, les interventions basées sur la pleine conscience semblent efficaces, mais la méthode d'intervention optimale est encore à identifier. Il reste à vérifier si l'intervention doit être à distance ou en présentiel, quotidienne et sur le long terme ou sur une courte période, complémentaire à un suivi médical et contextualisée aux troubles alimentaires ou plus généraliste. / Exposure to adverse life events has been associated with adult obesity, and could translate into the appearance of eating disorders. Moreover, exposure to adverse life events has been associated with emotional dysregulation, which would be in turn linked to higher prevalence of eating disorders. Furthermore, mindfulness skills (i.e., non-judgmental awareness of thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations in the present-moment) have been the object of increased attention in the scientific literature as a means to increase emotion regulation and treat eating disorders in obese patients. The first part of this thesis studies the associations of exposure to adverse life events with eating patterns in obese patients. Two studies have been conducted in this part: the first aiming at assessing the association of exposure to adverse life events with postoperative weight-loss, as well as pre- and postoperative eating patterns; and the second aiming at exploring the role of emotion regulation strategies and mindfulness skills in the association of exposure to adverse life events and eating patterns. The second part studies the effects of mindfulness training on eating patterns and physical activity in obese patients. Three studies have been conducted in this part: a clinical case study, a systematic review and meta-analysis, and a randomized controlled trial (MindOb study). The results of the first part showed that bariatric surgery patients exposed to adverse life events are at risk of losing less weight after surgery, as well as having more dysfunctional eating patterns pre- and postoperative. Moreover, with non-operated obese patients, the results showed that the psychological impact of adverse life events and non-adaptive emotion regulation have been associated with psychological distress, impulsive eating, and binge eating. The results of the second part showed that mindfulness training decreased impulsive and binge eating in non-operated patients. Moreover, results showed that mindfulness training could also increase physical activity in these patients. This thesis highlights the need for providing obese patients with psychotherapeutic techniques increasing emotion regulation. The results suggest that pre-surgery interventions could avoid maintenance or the appearance of dysfunctional eating patterns. Moreover, psychotherapeutic interventions would be more effective in the case of patients either exposed to adverse life events or being diagnosed with binge eating disorder. However, while mindfulness training seemed effective, the optimal intervention design has yet to be identified. In fact, the questions of whether such training should be self-help or guided, daily and long-term or short-term, complementary to medical care and adapted to eating disorders or broader, must still be tested.

The background to this thesis is the dramatic increase of the long-term sickness absence that took place in Sweden from the late 1990s. There was also a shift in the diagnostic pattern with rising mental diagnoses. The overall purpose was to describe and try to understand the process leading to long-term sickness absence from the perspective of the sickness absentees, in order to get a better knowledge base for preventive and rehabilitative actions. The thesis comprises four studies (I-IV). Research methods have been both qualitative and quantitative. In study I data from individual interviews with 32 persons on long-term sick leave due to burnout was analyzed using a grounded theory approach. In study II the study population comprised of 2064 employed sick-listed persons, a sub sample derived from the 2002 national Swedish survey on health, working conditions, life situation and sick-listing. It was analyzed if persons with burnout had higher probability of having experienced the steps in the burnout staircase compared to other diagnostic groups in accordance with the previously suggested hypothesis of "the burnout staircase". Study III comprised of 2521 employed persons, a sub sample derived from the same national survey as in study II. It was analyzed if psychosocial work environment and conflicts and losses in private life independently or in combination were more strongly associated to sickness absence with mental diagnoses as compared to a healthy population. In study IV individual interviews with 25 professional rehabilitation actors and 14 unemployed sick-listed persons were conducted. Data were analyzed according to grounded theory method. The process that led to sicknes absence can be described as an emotional deprivation process, illustrated as a flight of stairs (the burnout staircase) describing a sequence of steps toward sickness absence (I). In accordance with the tested hypothesis persons with burnout to a noticeable higher extent reported expereince of being in the different steps in the burnout staircase compared to sickness absentees with other diagnoses. The model seemed to be valid also for persons with other mental diagnoses (II). Reorganization and conflicts at work as well as adding adverse private life events were associated with increased risk for sickness absence with mental diagnosis (III). Three significant factors behind the weak co-operation between local social insurance and employment agencies were identified: indistinct regulation of co-operation, shifting political goals over time and conflicting goals between agencies (IV). In this thesis it has been suggested that the course of events preceding sickness absence might be understood as a process of emotional deprivation, where the individual is gradually emptied of the life-giving emotional energy revealed in joy, commitment, and empathy. This life-giving force finds its nourishment in safe and secure social relations with others and in a social structure that promotes this type of social relations. The profound changes in the Swedish labour market during the 1990s influenced not just the psychosocial work climate but also the rehabilitation efforts for unemployed sick-listed persons. When the political goal of reducing the unemployment level came to the forefront the indistinct regulation and the conflicting goals in addition were factors that impaired co-ordinated rehabilitation. In this process also the physicians were involved. A labour market problem was turned into a medical problem.

Variables predicting the effects of surgery in patients with low back pain Abstract The theoretical part of the thesis summarizes the knowledge about pain and its types, especially chronic pain. Than we focus on low back pain and currently used approaches in the treatment of this syndrome. In this work we summarize the influence of central sensitization and adverse life experineces and posttraumatic stress disorder on pain (especially low back pain). In the practical part, we investigated the effect of central sensitization and adverse life events and posttraumatic stress disroder on the effect of spinal surgery in low back region. The results were obtained using Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI), PTSD Cecklist dor DSM-5 (PCL- 5) a Life Event Checklist (LEC-5 Standard), Short Form 36 Helth Survey Questionnaire (SF- 36), NASS Lumbar Spine Questionnaire. The obtained data were statistically evaluated and processed. Higher scores of CSI and LEC-5 (more adverse life events) were both statistically significantly correlated with worse low back surgery outcomes. At the same time, a statistically significant relationship between PCL-5 (checklist of PTSD symptoms) and CSI was confirmed. Keywords Pain, central sensitization, adverse life experiences, adverse life events, PTSD, posttraumatic stress disorder,...