Study on the Effects of a Probiotic on Autonomic and Psychological Stress
StressPsychologicalThe purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of a probiotic blend on qualitative (subjective interviews and self-reporting) and quantitative (changes in brain activity, heart rate, cortisol, and reactivity) measures of stress in healthy undergraduate students.
Student Stress Levels and Management Through Meditation
StressPsychologicalThe professional program in Physical Therapy is rigorous and demanding on students, resulting in high levels of fatigue, stress, and sleep disturbance that can impact student performance and wellbeing. This project seeks to investigate ways to reduce student stress, monitor their quality of sleep and possibly enhance their learning through the practice of meditation.
Life-Stress Interview for Women With Chronic Urogenital Pain Conditions
Chronic Urogenital PainThe goal of this study is to test the efficacy, feasibility, and acceptability of providing an experiential assessment interview that targets health, and emotional and stressful experiences in a tertiary care setting specializing in women's urology.
Effects of Microencapsulated Sublingual Glycine (Bidicin) on Cognitive Performance in Healthy Men...
HealthyStress2 moreThe aim of this study is to assess whether intake of Glycine (MSG) leads to an increase of cognitive performance after an acute stressor compared to placebo. One group will receive verum, one group placebo and one group will not receive any intervention. Cognitive testing will be performed in connection with the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST).
Effects of a Mindfulness Meditation App on Subjective Well-Being in Undergraduate University Students...
StressPsychologicalMindfulness training includes a variety of contemplative practices aimed at promoting intentional awareness of experience, coupled with attitudes of non-judgment and curiosity. Following the success of 8-week, manualized group interventions, mindfulness training has been implemented in a variety of modalities, including smartphone apps that seek to replicate the success of group interventions. However, although smartphone apps are scalable and accessible to a wider swath of population, their benefits remain largely untested. This study aimed to investigate a newly developed mindfulness training app called Wildflowers, which was co-developed with the laboratory for use in mindfulness research. It was hypothesized that 3 weeks of mindfulness training through this app would improve subjective well-being, attentional control, and interoceptive integration, albeit with weaker effects than those published in the 8 week, manualized group intervention literature.
Sleeping Healthy/Living Healthy Development
SleepPsychological StressThis pilot study will: (1) develop Sleeping Healthy/Living Healthy, a school-based health center (SBHC) intervention that combines MBIH and sleep hygiene strategies to improve sleep quality in urban adolescents with poor sleep quality; (2) evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of intervention procedures; and (3) assess the preliminary intervention effects on sleep quality in urban adolescents. This study includes a development phase and a pilot individually-randomized group treatment (IRGT) phase. In Year 1, the investigators will develop the novel integrated intervention using an iterative participatory design process. In Year 2, the investigators will conduct an IRGT trial with 60 adolescents with insufficient sleep recruited from two SBHCs in New York City. Adolescents will be randomized 1:1 to receive the intervention or an attention control of equal intensity and duration. Process evaluation interviews guided by a rigorous fidelity framework with adolescents and with SBHC providers and personnel will be conducted to obtain feedback regarding intervention procedures.
Mind-Body Modalities for Nursing Students
Stress ReactionStress3 moreBackground: Nursing students around the world can experience tremendous stress due to their multi-faceted responsibilities. Stress is related to negative health and academic outcomes. Mind-body connection modalities have been used successfully to reduce stress and improve health among healthy and ill individuals in various cultures, but their effects have not yet been studied in the Arab culture. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine and compare the effects of three of such modalities including progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), guided imagery (GI), and mindfulness meditation (MM) on stress and health outcomes in Jordanian nursing students. Methods: Using a randomized controlled design, 124 nursing students will be randomly assigned to 4 groups at a large university in Jordan. The 3 experimental groups (PMR, GI, and MM) will participate in 5 30-minute sessions (one session/week for 5 weeks) led by experienced trainers, in a private room during their clinical days. The control group will stay calm for 30 minutes during introducing the study interventions in another room at the university. The health outcomes will be measured at baseline (Time 1) and the end (Time 3) of the intervention in each group using different physical and self-report measures classified into different health categories such as cognitive health outcomes (executive brain function, stressful appraisal, mindfulness), physical health outcomes (e.g. physical symptoms, heart rate, blood pressure, neurobiological markers such as dopamine, serotonin, cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline), and psychological health outcomes (e.g. depression, anxiety).
Effects of Relaxing Hydrotherapy in Third Trimester of Pregnancy
PregnancyBreech Presentation3 moreThis study will be the first scientific approach to investigate physical and psychological effects of the passive hydrotherapy-method WATSU (WaterShiatsu) on women and their unborn children at the third trimester of pregnancy. Potential therapeutic benefits of the method shall be evaluated. It is being hypothesized that WATSU is related to measurable changes in everyday stress perception, psychological wellbeing, quality of life, pregnancy-related low back pain, tonus of the uterus, amount of amniotic fluid, spontaneous course of breech presentations, prospects of external cephalic versions. Participants in the intervention-group will be treated twice with WATSU (60 minutes per treatment, standardized sequence) in the >36th week of pregnancy. There will not be any sham-intervention in the control-group. Both groups will be examined by ultrasound (prior and after the treatments plus on day 8 of the trial) and answer questionnaires (prior and after the treatments plus once a week until birth).
Conventional vs Mindfulness Intervention in Parents of Children With Disabilities
Psychological StressDepression1 moreThis application compares the effectiveness of a conventional Parent Group intervention to Mindfulness- Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other disabilities. Parent groups are widely-used to provide information, emotional support, education and advocacy. MBSR is efficacious for people with medical, psychiatric or other concerns, and teaches stress reduction through mindfulness training and practice. In contrast to conventional parent groups, the investigators' studies suggest that mindfulness-based interventions may be particularly effective in reducing stress and improving the health and mental health of parents of children with disabilities. The investigators will assess parent factors that may correlate with intervention efficacy in the 2 treatment arms.
Relief of Symptoms of Post-traumatic Stress for Victims of Gun Violence
PTSDStress2 moreTo test the hypothesis that adult individuals who are victims of gun violence will have decreased symptoms of post-traumatic stress after an individual-level intervention with the Screening and Tool for Awareness and Relief of Trauma (START).