Browsing by Author "Igega, Christele M."
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Item ROLE OF SWEAT GLAND PHYSIOLOGY IN OBJECTIVE GALVANIC SKIN RE-SPONSE MEASUREMENT(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2012-04-13) Igega, Christele M.; Schild, John; Teach, Heather; Carpenter, Janet S.For the purpose of studying sweat in response to hot flashes, a type of thermal sweating, the process of extensive literature review performed in this particular project focused primarily on the eccrine sweat glands. Of the three categories of sweat glands, eccrine sweat glands account for the ma-jority of the sweat glands on the human body, existing over almost the en-tire body surface, and contributing to thermal sweating. Thermal sweating occurs as a means for the human body to regulate temperature (Johnson 1996). There are approximately 1.6 to 5 million eccrine sweat glands dis-tributed over the surface of the human body. Sweat gland density varies across different regions of the body, with the highest density on the palms of hands and soles of feet, while the lowest sweat gland density of 64 sweat glands per square centimeter is found on the back (Wilke et al., 2007). Wa-ter comprises approximately 99% of eccrine sweat, with the remaining com-pounds consisting mostly of varying amounts of sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium (Groscurth, 2002). The Galvanic Skin Response is an objec-tive measure of skin conductance that has been linked with the peripheral sweat rate (Carpenter et al., 2005). Importance has been put upon the po-tential clinical significance of using the Galvanic Skin Response to objectively enumerate the influence and effectiveness of interventions for health related issues in which sweating is a substantial symptom (Tataryn et al., 1981). One of the objectives of this research is to determine the effect that various sweat gland physiological factors, such as density, ionic composition, and sweat rate, may have on the accuracy of different Galvanic Skin Response measurement techniques and devices. 1Center for Enhancing Quality of Life, Indiana University School of Nursing, IUPUI, Indian-apolis, IN 46202Item Somatosensory Amplification And Hot Flashes In Breast Cancer Survivors And Healthy Menopausal Women(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2014-04-11) Igega, Christele M.; Carpenter, Janet S.Somatosensory amplification is a cognitive explanation of the tendency to sense normal somatic and visceral sensations as intense, noxious, and disturbing. An individual with somatosensory amplification takes existing physical sensations and/or conditions and focuses on them to the point that the perception of these often-normal sensations becomes overly bothersome and intense. The goal of this study is to describe the concept of somatosensory amplification and its role in the menopausal symptom experience of two target groups: menopausal breast cancer survivors and healthy midlife women. This is a cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational study. This study looked at baseline data containing the demographics, somatosensory amplification data, and mood, sleep and hot flash data (frequency, bother, control, interference, and perceived control) of 98 breast cancer survivors and 135 midlife women. Each item on the Somatosensory Amplification Scale (SSAS) was looked at in order to determine if there is a significant difference between healthy menopausal women and menopausal breast cancer survivors. The total SSAS scores were also analyzed to determine if there was a difference between the two groups. Midlife women had a higher total SSAS score than breast cancer survivors, but the group differences in total scores and individual items were not significant. Somatosensory amplification was significantly correlated with hot flash interference, perceived control of hot flashes, mood and sleep. The outcomes offer more insight into how somatosensory amplification can affect the every day lives of menopausal women and the perceived control they have over their hot flashes. Findings may prove to be useful in selecting more appropriate and relevant interventions that have the potential of improving quality of life of menopausal women.Item SOMATOSENSORY AMPLIFICATION AND MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS AND MIDLIFE WOMEN(Elsevier, 2014-05) Carpenter, Janet S.; Igega, Christele M.; Otte, Julie L.; Burns, Debra S.; Yu, Menggang; Wu, Jingwei; IU School of NursingOBJECTIVES Somatosensory amplification is the experience of sensing everyday bodily sensations as intense, agitating, and unpleasant. Using data from menopausal breast cancer survivors and midlife women without cancer, the study purposes were to (1) explore the psychometric properties of the Somatosensory Amplification Scale and (2) to describe somatosensory amplification and its relationship to menopausal symptoms of hot flashes, mood and sleep disturbance. STUDY DESIGN This was a cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational study using demographic, e-diary, and questionnaire data from 99 breast cancer survivors and 138 midlife women. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Somatosensory amplification, hot flashes (frequency, severity, bother, interference, perceived control), mood, and sleep. RESULTS Cronbach’s alphas for the scale were low. When an 8-item version of the scale was evaluated, alphas improved and item-total correlations remained strong or improved. Midlife women and breast cancer survivors did not have significantly different somatosensory amplification total or item scores after adjusting for group differences in demographics. Somatosensory amplification was significantly correlated with hot flash interference, perceived control over hot flashes, and mood and sleep disturbance in both groups but the patterns of correlations differed slightly between groups and depending on whether the 10-item or 8-item scale was used. CONCLUSION Somatosensory amplification may be a relevant concept to assess in relation to the menopausal symptom experience of midlife women with and without breast cancer as it may represent a potential intervention target to improve the menopausal symptom experience.