scholarly journals Effects of technology-based mindfulness training on wellbeing and stress

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatjana Schauer ◽  
Sarah Diefenbach
Keyword(s):  
Mindfulness Training ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Positive And Negative Affect ◽  
Smartphone Apps ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Single Item ◽  
Indirect Measures ◽  
Design Factors ◽  
Interesting Alternative

More and more people practice mindfulness to reduce stress and improve their wellbeing. In this regards, technology-based interventions such as smartphone apps provide an interesting potential. Our study explores effects on users' perceived wellbeing and stress on the example of the mindfulness-based app My Blossom. Forty-four new users answered four online questionnaires in one-week intervals, containing established multi-item wellbeing and stress scales for as well as single-item direct explicit questions about perceived changes in wellbeing and stress. In combination, these two forms of assessment provided insights to what degree users are conscious of a possible change and whether these perceptions are in parallel to the more indirect measures. Paired t tests show significant improvements in positive and negative affect, mood and stress in both scales and overall ratings after three weeks of mindfulness-training with My Blossom compared to the pre-intervention baseline. These findings suggest mindfulness-training in form of an app as an interesting alternative to mindfulness-trainings under instructions of a physically present trainer and the power to increase wellbeing and decrease stress. Future research should concentrate on the specific mechanisms and possible design factors of app-based mindfulness-trainings (e.g., variety of training offers, degree of guidance, reminder functions) as well as long term effects.

Small-Scale Deliberation and Mass Democracy: A Systematic Review of the Spillover Effects of Deliberative Minipublics

2021 ◽  
pp. 003232172110072
Author(s):  
Ramon van der Does ◽  
Vincent Jacquet
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Mass Democracy

Deliberative minipublics are popular tools to address the current crisis in democracy. However, it remains ambiguous to what degree these small-scale forums matter for mass democracy. In this study, we ask the question to what extent minipublics have “spillover effects” on lay citizens—that is, long-term effects on participating citizens and effects on non-participating citizens. We answer this question by means of a systematic review of the empirical research on minipublics’ spillover effects published before 2019. We identify 60 eligible studies published between 1999 and 2018 and provide a synthesis of the empirical results. We show that the evidence for most spillover effects remains tentative because the relevant body of empirical evidence is still small. Based on the review, we discuss the implications for democratic theory and outline several trajectories for future research.

scholarly journals The Long-term Effects of Instruction on EFL Learners' Use of Complaining Formulas

10.29007/5xsb ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia Martínez-Flor ◽  
Esther Usó-Juan
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Over Time

Studies analysing the positive role of pragmatic instruction in formal settings have increased over the last decades. Within this area of interventional pragmatics, some studies have particularly examined whether the effectiveness of the instruction implemented is sustained over time. In order to shed more light on the long-term effects of instruction, this research investigates English as a Foreign Language learners’ use of complaining formulas not only after immediately receiving instruction, but also two months later. Results show that learners keep using a variety of appropriate complaining formulas two months after having participated in the instructional period. These findings are discussed and directions for future research suggested.

Physiological and morphological effects of climate change

2019 ◽  
pp. 120-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew E. McKechnie
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
High Temperatures ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Heat Events

The direct impacts of higher temperatures on birds are manifested over timescales ranging from minutes and hours to years and decades. Over short timescales, acute exposure to high temperatures can lead to hyperthermia or dehydration, which among arid-zone species occasionally causes catastrophic mortality events. Over intermediate timescales of days to weeks, high temperatures can have chronic sub-lethal effects via body mass loss or reduced nestling growth rates, negatively affecting sev eral fitness components. Long-term effects of warming manifested over years to decades involve declining body mass or changes in appendage size. Key directions for future research include elucidating the role of phenotypic plasticity and epigenetic processes in avian adaptation to climate change, examining the role of stress pathways in mediating responses to heat events, and understanding the consequences of higher temperatures for species that traverse hot regions while migrating.

Impact of a New Parent Behavioral-Schema Training on Children with ADHD: A Pragmatic Control Trial

2020 ◽  
pp. 108705472095971
Author(s):  
Maly Solan ◽  
Anat Brunstein Klomek ◽  
Galia Ankori ◽  
Asheda Bloch ◽  
Alan Apter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intervention Group ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Growth Curve Analysis ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Behavioral Program ◽  
Symptom Relapse ◽  
Therapy Strategies

Objectives: To examine whether adding schema therapy strategies to the conventional parent behavioral program prevents symptom relapse in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Method: The intervention was designed as an adaptive pragmatic control trial. The parent behavioral training and schema-enhanced parent behavior therapy (SPBT) protocols were delivered to the control group (40 parents of 23 children) and experimental group (97 parents of 54 children), respectively. Participants were assessed at baseline, mid-treatment, and termination. Parents and teachers indicated the severity of ADHD and comorbid symptoms through their responses to standardized questionnaires designed for this purpose. Results: A nested growth curve analysis demonstrated that participants in the schema-enhanced intervention group had a lower risk of symptom relapse than the control group. Conclusion: Participation in the SPBT program significantly reduced relapse rates by the end of the intervention. Future research may determine the long-term effects of the treatment.

Interventions for Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction in Korean Americans: A Systematic Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-96
Author(s):  
Cha-Nam Shin ◽  
Colleen Keller ◽  
Jeongha Sim ◽  
Eun-Ok Im ◽  
Michael Belyea ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Cardiovascular Health ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Cardiovascular Disease Risk ◽  
Korean Americans ◽  
Cultural Factors ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Long Term Effects

This systematic review was to identify and synthesize literature that described the cultural appropriateness and effectiveness of interventions aimed at cardiovascular risk reduction in Korean Americans. We searched multiple electronic databases for studies published between January 2000 and August 2017 and identified 14 eligible research reports. All reviewed studies targeted first-generation Korean American adults. Most of the reviewed studies incorporated components of surface structure, and leveraged deep structure in those interventions. Significant changes in cardiovascular health outcomes were reported in most of the reviewed studies; however, the role of cultural factors in the outcomes was rarely evaluated, and few reported long-term effects. Future research needs to consider long-term effects. Deploying cultural factors and evaluating their contributions to the target outcomes will enhance the research on cardiovascular health disparities.

Long-Term Effects of Sports Concussions: Bridging the Neurocognitive Repercussions of the Injury with the Newest Neuroimaging Data

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 567-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke C. Henry ◽  
Sebastien Tremblay ◽  
Louis De Beaumont
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Long Term Outcomes ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Neuroimaging Data ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Sports Concussions

Little is known of the long-term effects of sports-related concussion. Within the scientific literature, conclusions vary substantially where some work suggests there are no long-term consequences at all and other studies show rampant neurodegeneration thought to be caused by sometimes even a single concussive blow to the head. There is growing evidence that supports multiple long-term outcomes, showing both subclinical and clinically relevant changes in the brains of athletes, young and old alike. This article reviews the pathohistology of cerebral concussions and examines the extant literature with a focus on electrophysiological and neuroimaging findings. Neurobehavioral and neurocognitive changes are also reviewed, particularly as they are related to chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Lacunae within the literature are explored, and future research directions are proposed.

Provision of Sedation and Treatment of Seizures During Neonatal Therapeutic Hypothermia

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 227-235
Author(s):  
Christopher McPherson ◽  
Keliana O'Mara
Keyword(s):  
Therapeutic Hypothermia ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Neonatal Seizures ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
First Line Therapy ◽  
Pharmacokinetic Properties ◽  
Traditional Therapies ◽  
Interesting Alternative

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) produces a high rate of long-term neurodevelopmental disability in survivors. Therapeutic hypothermia dramatically improves the incidence of intact survival, but does not eliminate adverse outcomes. The ideal provision of sedation and treatment of seizures during therapeutic hypothermia represent therapeutic targets requiring optimization in practice. Physiologic stress from therapeutic hypothermia may obviate some of the benefits of this therapy. Morphine is commonly utilized to provide comfort, despite limited empiric evidence supporting safety and efficacy. Dexmedetomidine represents an interesting alternative, with preclinical data suggesting direct efficacy against shivering during induced hypothermia and neuroprotection in the setting of HIE. Pharmacokinetic properties must be considered when utilizing either agent, with safety dependent on conservative dosing and careful monitoring. HIE is the leading cause of neonatal seizures. Traditional therapies, including phenobarbital, fosphenytoin, and benzodiazepines, control seizures in the vast majority of neonates. Concerns about the acute and long-term effects of these agents have led to the exploration of alternative anticonvulsants, including levetiracetam. Unfortunately, levetiracetam is inferior to phenobarbital as first-line therapy for neonatal seizures. Considering both the benefits and risks of traditional anticonvulsant agents, treatment should be limited to the shortest duration indicated, with maintenance therapy reserved for neonates at high risk for recurrent seizures.

Sedation practices in pediatric ALL patients.

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e21500-e21500
Author(s):  
Bethany D. Nugent ◽  
Peter J. Davis ◽  
Robert Noll ◽  
Jean M. Tersak
Keyword(s):  
Pediatric Patients ◽  
Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
Cancer Control ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Neurocognitive Deficits ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Pediatric All ◽  
Behavior Learning ◽  
Repeated Doses

e21500 Background: The 5-year survival rate for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is greater than 90%. A common late effect of pediatric ALL is neurocognitive deficits, such as lower IQ. In recent years, the use of sedation during lumbar punctures (LPs) for treatment of pediatric ALL is becoming increasingly widespread. These patients are exposed to repeated doses of sedatives. Among the most common Children’s Oncology Group (COG) ALL protocols, approximately 30 LPs are performed over a period of 2-3 years. Studies in animals (both rodents and primates) have revealed that common sedation drugs cause harm to the developing brain and can negatively affect behavior, learning, and memory. Gaps in knowledge exist regarding their use in children, particularly with repeated exposures. For children with ALL, little is known about sedation practices such as how commonly sedation is used; what medications are most common; and who administers the medications. The purpose of this study is to summarize sedation practices at COG institutions for LPs related to treatment of pediatric ALL. Methods: All Responsible Investigators (RIs) of the Cancer Control Committee (a subcommittee of COG) were invited to complete an internet-based survey about sedation practices for ALL patients at their institution. Results: Surveys were sent out to 103 RIs with a 62.1% response rate ( N = 64). A combined 2018 new patients with ALL were seen each year ( M = 31.5, range = 3-110); of these patients, 95.7% received sedation for LPs. While there was considerable variability across institutions in medications used (general anesthesia, Propofol with opioid and/or Versed, Versed and opioid, other), the most common was Propofol alone ( n = 36, 56.3%). Anesthesiologists administered sedation at the majority of institutions ( n = 36, 56.3%) while trained sedationists, oncologists, and nurses administered sedation at other institutions. Conclusions: A substantial number of pediatric patients with ALL receive sedation for LPs. However, there is much variation in the types of medications administered and who is administering these medications. Better understanding of sedation practices in children with ALL may inform future research to investigate which methods of sedation are safest, with a particular emphasis on its long-term effects.

scholarly journals Effects of Including Information about Hidden Hearing Loss in an Adopt-A-Band Program on College Band Members' Attitudes toward Healthy Hearing Behaviors

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (02) ◽  
pp. 210-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carole Johnson ◽  
Jonathan Baldwin ◽  
Jeffrey Danhauer ◽  
Brian Wolfe ◽  
Stevana Jeannont ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trial ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Marching Bands ◽  
Hidden Hearing Loss ◽  
College Band

AbstractYoung musicians may be at risk for developing cochlear synaptopathy (CS), or hidden hearing loss (HHL), that could lead to permanent music-induced hearing loss (MIHL). Patients with CS often complain of tinnitus and/or difficulty understanding speech in noisy situations, even though traditional audiometric testing indicates normal hearing. The aim of this article was to determine the effects of including information about HHL on an Adopt-A-Band program involving college band members' concern about and self-efficacy toward the prevention of MIHL. We conducted a single-blinded, randomized clinical trial. Forty-eight band members participated in this study. Band members were randomly assigned to two Adopt-A-Band presentations, one with and one without information on HHL. Including information about HHL had no effect on these band members' concerns about and self-efficacy toward the prevention of MIHL. However, the Adopt-A-Band program resulted in significantly increased concern for MIHL by 39.5% (p < 0.0001, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 25–54.2), self-efficacy in its prevention by 79.1% (p < 0.0001, 95% CI: 66.9–91.2), and plans to use musicians' earplugs while playing by 67.4% (p < 0.0001, 95% CI: 53.4–81.45). Although inclusion of information about HHL did not have a significant effect, the Adopt-A-Band program, in general, significantly increased the immediate intent of these students to practice healthy hearing behaviors. Future research is needed to determine the long-term effects of using the Adopt-A-Band program with university marching bands' use of healthy hearing behaviors.

A History of Concussion Does Not Lead to an Increase in Ocular Near Point of Convergence

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (09) ◽  
pp. 682-687
Author(s):  
Paul van Donkelaar ◽  
Jill Dierijck ◽  
Alexander Wright ◽  
Jonathan Smirl
Keyword(s):  
Previous History ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
T Test ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Dose Response Relationship ◽  
History Of ◽  
Mean Time ◽  
Larger Sample

AbstractOcular near point of convergence (NPC) has been shown to be sensitive to the effects of concussion and subconcussive impacts. To determine if NPC is also sensitive to a previous history of concussion, male contact-sport athletes either with (n=26) or without (n=16) a history of at least one previous concussion had their NPC assessed. The results showed that participants with a history of concussion displayed NPC values (9.4±1.6 cm) indistinguishable from those with no history of concussion (8.4±2.1 cm, t-test, p=0.09). This was the case regardless of whether 1, 2, or 3 or more concussions had occurred and despite the fact participants with concussion (mean time since last concussion: 1136 days) suffered from an increased number and severity of symptoms as assessed with the SCAT 3 (3.6±2.2 vs. 2.13±1.89 symptoms, 6.1±4.1 vs. 3.19±2.99 severity, t-test, p<0.05). Taken together, these results imply that NPC may not be a suitable tool to assess the potential long-term effects of one or more concussions over a longer time frame. Future research using larger sample sizes is warranted to evaluate the potential dose-response relationship between number of prior concussions and NPC.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document