Teaching about Near-Death Experiences: The Effectiveness of Using the Day I Died

2011 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 373-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice Miner Holden ◽  
Kathy Oden ◽  
Kelly Kozlowski ◽  
Bert Hayslip

In this article, we reviewed results of research on near-death experiences (NDEs) over the past 3 decades and examined the effect of viewing the hour-long 2002 BBC documentary The Day I Died: The Mind, the Brain, and Near-Death Experiences on accurate knowledge about near-death experiences among advanced undergraduates at a southwestern university. In a quasi-experimental research design, the experimental group completed a 20-item questionnaire before and after viewing the documentary ( n = 66; 45 females, 21 males), and the waitlist control group completed the questionnaire as pre- and posttest before viewing the documentary ( n = 39; 36 female, 3 male). The two groups' scores at pretest were not significantly different ( p > .05). Group by occasion repeated measures ANOVA revealed the experimental group's posttest scores moved significantly in the direction of correctness with a large effect size ( p < .001; η2= .56), whereas waitlist control group posttest scores remained similar to pretest scores. We discuss two exceptions to the effectiveness of the documentary and recommendations for educators using it as well as for future research.

1997 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Lynn-McHale ◽  
A Corsetti ◽  
E Brady-Avis ◽  
R Shaffer ◽  
J McGrory ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Although preoperative education decreases the anxiety of patients and family members, the usefulness of a preoperative tour of the ICU has not been studied. In this study, the effect of an ICU tour on the anxiety levels of patients (n = 92) and family members (n = 91) before and after cardiac surgery was examined. METHODS: Using a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design, patients and family members were assigned to a control group, which received preoperative teaching only (patients, n = 48; family members, n = 48), or to an experimental group, which received preoperative teaching with an ICU tour (patients, n = 44; family members, n = 43). Patients and family members completed two measures of anxiety, the State Trait Anxiety Inventory and a visual analog scale, before and after the intervention. After their first postoperative visit, family members completed the measures again. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare anxiety levels after the intervention. In addition, patients completed the Patient Perception of the ICU Tour Questionnaire after transfer from the ICU. RESULTS: Although patients and family members had a decrease in anxiety after cardia surgery teaching, the decrease was not due to an ICU tour. However, the majority of patients who toured the ICU perceived the tour as beneficial and recommended a tour for future patients. CONCLUSIONS: ICU tours are included in many cardiac surgery educational programs. The majority of patients in this study perceived a benefit or a future benefit from an ICU tour, even though the tour did not significantly reduce the anxiety of the patients or family members.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Glisenti ◽  
Esben Strodl ◽  
Robert King ◽  
Leslie Greenberg

Abstract Background: Research into psychotherapy for binge-eating disorder (BED) has focused mainly on cognitive behavioural therapies, but efficacy, failure to abstain, and dropout rates continue to be problematic. The experience of negative emotions is among the most accurate predictors for the occurrence of binge eating episodes in BED, suggesting benefits to exploring psychological treatments with a more specific focus on the role of emotion. The present study aimed to explore the feasibility and efficacy of individual emotion-focused therapy (EFT) as a treatment for BED by examining the outcomes of a pilot randomised waitlist-controlled trial. Methods: Twenty-one participants were assessed using measures of feasibility (recruitment, credibility and expectancy, and therapy retention), and efficacy (objective binge episodes and days, and binge eating psychopathology). The treatment consisted of 12 weekly one-hour sessions of EFT for maladaptive emotions over three months. A mixed model approach was utilised with one between effect (group) using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to test the hypothesis that participants immediately receiving the EFT treatment would demonstrate a greater degree of improvement on outcomes relating to objective binge episodes and days, and binge eating psychopathology, compared to participants on the EFT waitlist; and one within effect (time) using a repeated-measures ANOVA to test the hypothesis that participation in the EFT intervention would result in significant improvements in outcome measures from pre to post-therapy and then maintained at follow-up. Results: Recruitment, credibility and expectancy, and therapy retention outcomes indicated EFT is a feasible treatment for BED. Participants receiving EFT demonstrated a greater degree of improvement in objective binge episodes and days, and binge eating psychopathology compared to EFT waitlist control group participants. When participants in the EFT waitlist control group then received treatment and outcomes data were combined with participants who initially received the treatment, EFT demonstrated significant improvement in objective binge episodes and days, and binge eating psychopathology for the entire sample. Conclusions: These findings provide further preliminary evidence for the feasibility and efficacy of individual EFT for BED and support more extensive randomised control trials.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Praful Prabhuappa Kapse ◽  
Manisha Kiran

Caring for the persons with first episode psychosis is challenging and demanding. It may lead to the increased burden, expressed emotions among the caregivers. The numerous studies have shown that high burden and negative expressed emotions among caregivers can lead to early relapse in the patients with first episode psychosis. To evaluate the effects of the brief psychoeducation on the caregivers burden and expressed emotions. A quasi experimental - before and after with control group research design was adopted for the study. A total of 60 caregivers have participated in the study, of which 30 caregivers in experimental group and 30 caregivers in the control group. Family Burden Interview Schedule (Pai and Kapoor, 1981) and Attitude Questionnaire (Sethi et al., 1981) was used to assess caregiver's burden and expressed emotions. At end of the psychoeducation intervention, burden among caregivers and negative expressed emotions of the caregivers have significantly reduced. The positive expressed emotions have been increased. Study results demonstrates the importance of psychoeducation intervention in reducing the burden and negative expressed emotions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-113
Author(s):  
Farrah Neumann ◽  
Matthew Kanwit

AbstractSince many linguistic structures are variable (i. e. conveyed by multiple forms), building a second-language grammar critically involves developing sociolinguistic competence (Canale and Swain. 1980. Theoretical bases of communicative approaches to second language teaching and testing. Applied Linguistics 1(1). 1–47), including knowledge of contexts in which to use one form over another (Bayley and Langman. 2004. Variation in the group and the individual: Evidence from second language acquisition. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching 42(4). 303–318). Consequently, researchers interested in such competence have increasingly analyzed the study-abroad context to gauge learners’ ability to approximate local norms following a stay abroad, due to the quality and quantity of input to which learners may gain access (Lafford. 2006. The effects of study abroad vs. classroom contexts on Spanish SLA: Old assumptions, new insights and future research directions. In Carol Klee & Timothy Face (eds.), Selected proceedings of the 7th conference on the acquisition of Spanish and Portuguese as first and second languages, 1–25. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project). Nevertheless, the present study is the first to examine native or learner variation between imperative (e. g. ven ‘come’) and optative Spanish commands (e. g. que vengas ‘come’). We first performed a corpus analysis to determine the linguistic factors to manipulate in a contextualized task, which elicited commands from learners before and after four weeks abroad in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. Their overall rates of selection and predictive factors were compared to local native speakers (NSs) and a control group of at-home learners.Results revealed that the abroad learners more closely approached NS rates of selection following the stay abroad. Nonetheless, for both learner groups conditioning by independent variables only partially approximated the NS system, which was more complex than previously suggested.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 784
Author(s):  
Govindasamy Balasekaran ◽  
Ahmad Arif Bin Ibrahim ◽  
Ng Yew Cheo ◽  
Phua Kia Wang ◽  
Garry Kuan ◽  
...  

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of classroom-based Brain Breaks® Physical Activity Solution in Southeast Asia Singaporean primary school students and their attitude towards physical activity (PA) over a ten-week intervention. A total of 113 participants (8–11 years old) were randomly assigned to either an experimental (EG) or a control group (CG), with six classes to each group; the Brain Breaks® group (EG: six classes) and the Control group (CG: six classes). All EG members participated in a Brain Breaks® video intervention (three–five min) during academic classes and the CG continued their lessons as per normal. The student’s attitudes towards PA in both research conditions were evaluated using the self–reported Attitudes toward Physical Activity Scale (APAS), applied before and after intervention. The effects of the intervention on APAS scores were analysed using a mixed model analysis of variance with Time as within-subject and Group as between-subject factors. The analysis revealed evidence in support of the positive effect of classroom video interventions such as Brain Breaks® on student’s attitudes toward benefits, importance, learning, self-efficacy, fun, fitness, and trying to do their personal best in PA. The Brain Breaks® intervention provided a positive significant impact on students in Singapore. This study also revealed that interactive technology tools implemented into the school curriculum benefit students in terms of health and education.


Author(s):  
Esther N. Moszeik ◽  
Timo von Oertzen ◽  
Karl-Heinz Renner

Abstract Previous studies have shown that meditation-based interventions can have a significant impact on stress and well-being in various populations. To further extend these findings, an 11-min Yoga Nidra meditation that may especially be integrated in a busy daily schedule by people who can only afford short time for breaks was adapted and analyzed in an experimental online study design. The effects of this short meditation on stress, sleep, well-being and mindfulness were examined for the first time. The meditation was provided as audio file and carried out during a period of 30 days by the participants of the meditation group. A Structural Equation Model (SEM) was used to analyze the data with Full Information Maximum Likelihood (FIML) in order to cope with missing data. As expected, the meditation group (N = 341) showed lower stress, higher well-being and improved sleep quality after the intervention (very small to small effect sizes) compared with a waitlist control group (N = 430). It turned out that the meditation had a stronger impact on the reduction of negative affect than on the increase of positive affect and also a stronger effect on affective components of well-being. Mindfulness, as a core element of the meditation, increased during the study within the meditation group. All effects remained stable at follow-up six weeks later. Overall, a large, heterogeneous sample showed that already a very short dose of meditation can positively influence stress, sleep, and well-being. Future research should consider biological markers as well as active control groups.


2021 ◽  
Vol 38 (9) ◽  
pp. A4.2-A4
Author(s):  
Matthew Warren-James ◽  
Julie Hanson ◽  
Belinda Flanagan ◽  
Mary Katsikitis ◽  
Bill Lord

BackgroundWhilst there is evidence to suggest paramedics experience significant stress when working in the ambulance setting little is known about the experiences of first year paramedic students. This research aimed to: (i) identify whether levels of stress, anxiety and depression experienced by first year paramedic students changed after ambulance placement compared to a control group, and (ii) identify the main perceived and actual sources of stress around ambulance placement.MethodsA before-and-after quasi-experimental design was used to compare whether the experience of ambulance placement altered the levels of stress, anxiety and depression in an experimental group that attended an ambulance placement (n = 20) and the control group who did not (n = 10). Online surveys encompassing the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and qualitative questions about sources of stress were concurrently deployed to both the experimental and control groups before and after the ambulance placement. Participants were first year paramedic students working in Queensland Ambulance Service, Australia.ResultsThere was a significant reduction in levels of stress in participants after undertaking their first ambulance placement (Mdn = -4.00) when compared to a control group (Mdn = 0.00), U = 52.5, p = .035, n2 = 0.15. Responses to survey questions suggest anticipation about experiencing death and dying of patients was the most frequently reported stressor of student paramedics before undertaking ambulance placements, however insecurity about knowledge, competence and fear of failure was the most frequently experienced stressor reported after completing ambulance placements.ConclusionsThe findings from this study suggest that the fear of the unknown may be worse than the reality. Anticipatory stress is the foremost problem for first year paramedic students attending their first ambulance placement. Placement pre-briefing should focus on educational interventions to build knowledge and skills competency to reduce stress levels and fear of failure.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 545-552
Author(s):  
Nathalia De Oro ◽  
Maria E Gauthreaux ◽  
Julie Lamoureux ◽  
Joseph Scott

Abstract Background Procalcitonin (PCT) is a biomarker that shows good sensitivity and specificity in identifying septic patients. Methods This study investigated the diagnostic accuracy of PCT in a community hospital setting and how it compared to that of lactic acid. It explored the impact on patient care before and after PCT implementation regarding costs and length of stay. Two comparative groups were analyzed using an exploratory descriptive case–control study with data from a 19-month period after PCT implementation and a retrospective quasi-experimental study using a control group of emergency department patients diagnosed with sepsis using data before PCT implementation. Results Post-procalcitonin implementation samples included 165 cases and pre-procalcitonin implementation sample included 69 cases. From the 165 sepsis cases who had positive blood cultures, PCT had a sensitivity of 89.7%. In comparison, lactic acid's sensitivity at the current cutoff of 18.02 mg/dL (2.0 mmol/L) was 64.9%. There was a 32% decrease in median cost before and after PCT implementation, even with the length of stay remaining at 5 days in both time periods. Conclusions There was a significant decrease after the implementation of PCT in cost of hospitalization compared to costs before implementation. This cost is highly correlated with length of stay; neither the hospital nor the intensive care unit length of stay showed a difference with before and after implementation. There was a positive correlation between lactic acid and PCT values. PCT values had a higher predictive usefulness than the lactic acid values.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 281-291
Author(s):  
Rindang Fitriana Ulfa ◽  
Agus Suwandono ◽  
Kamilah Budhi

The purpose of this study was to see the comparison between the administration of Massage Counterpressure and the provision of dark chocolate to reduce menstrual pain (dysmenorrhoea). The design uses a quasi-experimental design with two groups of pretest and posttest with control group design. The results showed that in the dark chocolate and anti-pain medication group, massage counterressure and anti-pain medicine obtained ρ value of 0,000. there are significant differences before and after the administration of action. The results of the man whitney test found that there were differences between the 2 groups with a value of ρ value of 0,000. Conclusion, there is a difference of influence between the dark chocolate group and the counterpressure massage group on the intensity of menstrual pain. Giving 100 grams of dark chocolate for 2 days and anti-pain medication is more effective than a 20-minute counterpressure massage for 2 days and anti-pain medication for menstrual pain intensity.   Keywords: Dark Chocolate, Massage counterprssure, Menstrual pain


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dyah Restuning Prihati ◽  
Maulidta Karunianingtyas Wirawati

Diabetic ulcer is caused by damage to the skin nerves due to reduced blood flow. Pain and anxiety when wound care begins when dressing and cleaning the wound. Murottal therapy is a distraction technique in the form of al-quran records, decreases stress hormones and provides a feeling of relaxation. The purpose of this study was to reduce the level of pain and anxiety during wound care in patients with DM ulcers after being given murrotal therapy in RSUD K.M.T. Wongsonegoro Semarang. The research method with quasi experimental pre-posttest control group. a sample of 17 people in the intervention group and 15 in the control group. Sample selection with total sampling. The murrottal listening intervention group played for 3 times for 15 minutes. Respondents were conducted pre and posttest with NRS pain measuring instruments and DASS anxiety. The results of the Wilcoxon test in the intervention group obtained p = 0,000, there were differences in the level of pain between before and after murotal therapy and p = 0.002 there was a difference in the level of anxiety between before and after murotal therapy. In the control group obtained p = 0.02, there were differences in the level of pain between before and after murotal therapy and the value of p = 1.00, there was no difference in the level of anxiety between before and after given murotal therapy. Conclusion: Murrotal therapy can reduce the level of pain and anxiety during wound care for DM ulcer patients.


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