Interactive Effects of Mindfulness and Slow-paced Breathing
StressStress4 moreThe purpose of this study is to better understand specific stress-management practices on mood, sleep, and physiology. Participants will be assigned to one of three interventions (they all active interventions - none are a "wait-list"). Each intervention asks participants to engage in a daily practice of 20 minutes per day for 8 weeks. Questionnaires and measures of heart rate and blood pressure will be collected at the start and end of the 8 weeks, including a virtual laboratory visit.
Assessing the Repeatability of a Psychological Stress Test
StressPhysiological2 moreTo establish the efficacy and repeatability of a suitable psychological stress test. The Mannheim Multicomponent Stress Test (MMST) is a validated laboratory stress test that combines cognitive, emotional, acoustic and motivational stress components. Despite the test increasing self-reported levels of stress, meaningful changes in saliva cortisol are typically observed in only half of all participants. In addition, the MMST is susceptible to habituation of the cortisol response upon repeated exposures, limiting its current usefulness for repeated measures. Given the multicomponent nature of the MMST, there is potential for components of the test to be manipulated to overcome these limitations i.e., increase the magnitude of the saliva cortisol response and mitigate against habituation effects. In addition, a supplementary topic of interest is to what extent cortisol responses to acute laboratory stress tests, like the MMST, relate to the well described rise in morning cortisol ~30 minutes after awakening. This may be of clinical relevance given that blunted cortisol response upon awakening and in response to acute psychological stress tests have been associated with poor health outcomes. The primary objective of the current study is to investigate if the MMST elicits a meaningful increase in saliva cortisol. The secondary objective is to investigate the efficacy of mitigation strategies to overcome habituation to the MMST. A supplementary objective is to to investigate the relationship between the saliva cortisol response upon awakening and the saliva cortisol response to the MMST.
Examine the Effects of Meditation on Daily Psychological Stress Responses in Woman With a History...
StressPsychological Stress5 moreThe aim of the Everyday Moments of Mindfulness (EMMI) study is to test whether brief mindfulness-based practices will improve daily psychological stress responses in women (age 30-60) who report a history of early life adversity. Following a baseline visit (remotely or in person), participants complete daily surveys and audio-guided mindfulness-based practices in everyday life via the study app. Specifically, participants receive app-notifications three times/day (morning, afternoon, evening) to complete daily surveys of current stressors and psychological states. At each notification, each participant is then randomly assigned to either receive a mindfulness-based intervention or not (max of 3 interventions/day). Thus, participants are randomized many times over the course of this 30-day study. At the end of the study, participants complete a follow-up visit (remotely or in person).
Promoting Resiliency in Veteran Families With Young Children
StressPsychological11 moreFamily-centered prevention services for civilian dwelling military (CDM) families & children are rarely available in civilian communities or often framed around mental disorders and family deficits. As of June 2010, over 1 million military service members from various military conflicts have become veterans. Wartime deployments can adversely impact the psychological health of children as well as marital relationships, parent-child relationships & overall family functioning. Although young children in CDM families may never have to cope with another parental deployment, their families may continue to struggle with the lasting effects of wartime deployment that cannot be ameliorated by singularly treating the service member. There is a need for family-centered preventive interventions that effectively build resilience and mitigate war deployment-related family difficulties, especially given the potential adverse emotional & developmental impact of deployment separations and reintegration stress on young children and their parents. To address this need, this study proposes to test the efficacy of FOCUS-EC (Families OverComing Under Stress for Early Childhood), an established strength-based, family-centered preventive intervention that is culturally sensitive and socially accepted by active duty military communities & has promising program evaluation data. A randomized control trial will be conducted with 200 CDM families with young children, ages 3 to 5 years, recruited from Los Angeles & surrounding counties (200 veterans, 150 spouses, and 300 children). CDM families will be randomized to the FOCUS-EC intervention condition (n=100 families; 100 veterans, 75 spouses, 150 children) or web-based educational materials condition (n=100 families; 100 veterans, 75 spouses, and 150 children) and assessed at baseline, 3, 6, & 12 months. It is hypothesized that in the FOCUS-EC condition: 1) children will exhibit more positive social-emotional & behavioral outcomes & developmental competencies than children in the comparison condition, 2) families will exhibit more positive family environment, improved parenting, enhanced parent-child relationships, & fewer parent psychological health problems than families in the comparison condition. The investigators also aim to explore potential moderating effects of child health/development risk, military & deployment/separation history, exposure to combat/trauma during deployment, and veteran & spouse/partner background factors.
Feasibility and Benefits of Digital Services During the COVID19 Pandemic
Psychosomatic DisorderPsychological Distress14 moreAs a result of the pandemic, hygiene and distancing rules must be followed in Health care/ rehabilitation clinics to ensure the safety of patients and staff. This has led to extensive changes in the therapy processes, including a reduction in group sizes and maintaining distances within the groups, resulting in a reduction in the range of therapies available to individuals, since the number of employees remains unchanged and cannot be increased at will and in the short term due to the lack of qualified staff. In order for the treatment/rehabilitation goals to be achieved nonetheless, new forms of implementation of therapy programs must be developed in addition to organizational adjustments. Digitalization can be a significant support in this respect. The majority of patients in psychosomatic rehabilitation possess smartphones, meaning that the necessary infrastructure for the utilization of digital offers is available and can be used to the greatest possible extent. The use of digital measures within the therapeutic services supports the independence of the patients, as they can use the digital offers independently and flexibly in their own time. How should Health care/rehabilitation services be designed in light of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and which services have the potential to buffer future crises: What general recommendations can be derived for the design of such services for routine care? What are support measures to encourage social participation and return to work?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Delivered by Automated Software Messaging
Hip OsteoarthritisKnee Osteoarthritis2 moreThis study aims to 1) observe the course of pain, 2) mental status, and 3) possible effect of a behavioral intervention delivered via an automated mobile phone messaging robot in patients were indicated and/or scheduled to undergo joint replacement but have been cancelled or delayed due to the COVID-19 crisis.
The Effect of Laughter Therapy on Nursing Students
Mental StressInsomnia2 moreThe aim of this study is to determine the effect of laughter therapy on the general health status, sleep quality, and stress level of nursing students.
Sleep & Stress in Healthcare Providers After Defined Music Intervention Measure by 7-Tesla fMRI...
StressPsychological4 moreThis study plans to explore whether specially chosen relaxing music can help improve sleep, reduce stress, and prevent burnout in healthcare workers, many of whom are often sleep-deprived. The researchers will measure changes in brain activity, sleep patterns, and self-reported stress levels before, during, and after participants listen to this music. The novel approach includes using advanced brain scanning technology, sleep monitoring devices, and carefully selected music. Ultimately, the aim is to create a scientifically backed music intervention that can be used widely to help healthcare providers get better sleep and manage stress, potentially reducing burnout rates.
The Effects of Psycho-educational Training in Undergraduate Students at the University of Granada...
EmpathyCompassion6 moreThe new professional profiles highlight the need to incorporate competences such as self-regulation, communication or growth mindset in the academia. Not only is this important for employability; we need to take a step further and equip learners with knowledge, skills and attitudes that help them become agents of change and shape sustainable futures in our current complex society. Within the framework of an agreement signed between the University of Granada (UGR), Spain, and, one of the leading real state firms in Spain, Cívitas, a course and a parallel study have been launched that will provide research and training in these competences at a degree level. It is part of the Sustainable Human Development Training Pathway of the Vice-Rectorate for Equality, Inclusion and Sustainability, and 3 ECTS will be accredited for the completion of any of the UGR official degrees. The main objective of the study is to test whether participating in a competence-based course can improve students' cognitive, emotional and personal traits as well as academic performance. Together with this main purpose, the present study also aims to compare the effects of two competence-based programs on the students' ability to improve specific aspects of cognition, emotional intelligence, creativity or academic performance among others. Both programs involve training sustained attention and an accepting and open attitude though they differ in several aspects of their methods, intention and aims. Drawing conclusions from the research and outcomes, pedagogies which are best suited to develop theses competences at the Higher Education level will be suggested. Assessment and certification of this kind of competences will also be proposed.
Influence of Meditation on Stress and Rumination Following Objective Structured Clinical Examination...
StressPsychological4 moreStress and rumination are linked with the development of many mental disorders. The ECOSTRESS study has shown that poor OSCE performance has a positive effect on the occurence of state-rumination among 4th year medicine students in the context of mock exams. The goal of IMSR study is to assess the effectiveness of a post-OSCE meditation intervention to decrease psychological stress and rumination.