scholarly journals Stress reduction by Phochong chanting indexed by Thai Stress Test

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 19-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jidapa Kerdsurivong ◽  
Jarasphol Rintra ◽  
Karnt Wongsuphasawat ◽  
Phakkharawat Sittiprapaporn
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Target Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Mild Stress ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Buddha ◽  
Discriminant Power ◽  
Level Reduction

 Background: Stress is traditionally defined as either a bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium or the process of appraising events of assessing potential responses, and of responses which may include not just physiological but also cognitive and behavioural changes. Aims and Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the stress reduction after listening to Phochong chanting. Materials and Methods: Forty participants were participated in this study. They were divided into two groups; the control group who saw a spot on computer screen while listening to Phochong chanting for 10 minutes, and the target group who saw the Buddha image while listening to Phochong chanting for 10 minutes. The Thai Stress Test was used as a tool to examine the stress reduction. Frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation were used for descriptive data analysis. Paired sample t-test was also used to compare between before and after listening to Phochong chanting. Results: The percentage of participants in the target group who felt ‘excellent mental health’ was 20.0% and only 10% for the control one. The 55.0% in the target group felt ‘normal mental health’ while 45.0% was for the control one. About 25.0% of the target group felt ‘mild stress’ while 45.0% was in the control one. However, no participant showed ‘sever stress (stressful)’ in this study. The Thai Stress Test has adequate reliability, adequate construct validity, and sufficient discriminant power. Conclusion: By listening to Phochong chanting would help the stress level reduction.

scholarly journals Chinabunchorn chanting causes stress level reduction evaluated by Thai Stress Test

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 90-97
Author(s):  
Nichamon Waeobut ◽  
Vichit Boonyahotara ◽  
Ariya Sarikaphuti ◽  
Phakkharawat Sittiprapaporn
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Stress Level ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
The Body ◽  
Target Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Mild Stress ◽  
Level Reduction

Background: Stress is defined as a bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium. A stress response is the compensatory reaction the body makes to the disturbance caused by the stressor where overall impact of a stressor will depend on its features and the characteristics of those who have been affected. Aims and Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate how the Chinabunchorn chanting, an Eastern method of Buddhist meditation, reduced the self-perceived stress among participants. The specific objectives of the study was also to determine the stress level reduction of participants who have self-perceived stress and to relief the stress during specific circumstance. Materials and Methods: The samples were thirty participants divided into two groups; the target group who listened to Chinabunchorn chanting, the control group who did similar to the previous one except seeing the Buddha image. The Thai Stress Test was applied to all participants by rating their subjective feelings during experiment. Results: The result showed that there were statistical significance differences of both positive and negative scales comparing between before and after listening to Chinabunchorn chanting. All participants in the target group felt ‘normal mental health’ to ‘excellent mental health’ after listening Chinabunchorn chanting. Meanwhile, all participants in the control group felt ‘mild stress’ to ‘normal mental health’ after listening to Chinabunchorn chanting. However, no participant showed severs stress (stressful) in this study. Conclusion: By listening to Chinabunchorn chanting during any activities would help the stress level reduction.

scholarly journals Effects of Open-Label Placebos on State Anxiety and Glucocorticoid Stress Responses

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 508
Author(s):  
Michael Schaefer ◽  
Julian Hellmann-Regen ◽  
Sören Enge
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Relaxation Techniques ◽  
Open Label ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Cortisol Responses ◽  
Negative Feelings

Stress belongs to the most frequent negative feelings people are confronted with in daily life. Strategies against acute stress include, e.g., relaxation techniques or medications, but it is also known that placebos can successfully reduce negative emotional stress. While it is widely held that placebos require deception to provoke a response, recent studies demonstrate intriguing evidence that placebos may work even without concealment (e.g., against anxiety or pain). Most of these studies are based on self-report questionnaires and do not include physiological measures. Here we report results of a study examining whether placebos without deception reduce acute stress. A total of 53 healthy individuals received either placebos without deception or no pills before participating in a laboratory stress test (Maastricht Acute Stress Test, MAST). We recorded self-report stress measures and cortisol responses before and after the MAST. Results showed no significant differences between the placebo and the control group, but when comparing participants with high relative to low beliefs in the power of placebos we found significant lower anxiety and cortisol responses for the placebo believers. These results show that non-deceptive placebos may successfully reduce acute anxiety and stress, but only in participants who had a strong belief in placebos. We discuss the results by suggesting that open-label placebos might be a possible treatment to reduce stress at least for some individuals.

scholarly journals The Influence of Mindfulness Meditation Versus CBT for Anxiety on Emotional Distress and Attitudes Towards Seeking Mental Health Treatment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Aisenberg-Shafran ◽  
Liav Shturm
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Psychological Treatment ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Health Treatment ◽  
Before And After

Abstract Older adults often avoid seeking psychological treatment, challenging their ability to adaptively deal with anxiety, stress and depression. The aim of the current study was to compare the effects of a mindfulness intervention vs. cognitive-behavioral-therapy (CBT) on measures of emotional distress and attitudes towards seeking mental-health treatment among older adults. Twenty-four seniors were assigned to: 1) MBIS (Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Seniors); and 2) CBT for anxiety, or to a care-as-usual control group. Attitudes towards seeking psychological treatment, levels of depression, anxiety and worry were measured before and after the interventions. Following the intervention, participants more positively addressed the possibility of utilizing psychological treatment, while no changes were observed in the control group. Interestingly, levels of worry improved only in the MBIS group, and anxiety levels only improved in the CBT group. It seems that attending cognitive group interventions are effective to their focus and positively impact attitudes towards psychological treatment.

scholarly journals The intervention of maternal nutrition literacy has the potential to prevent childhood stunting: Randomized control trials

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sirajuddin Sirajuddin ◽  
Saifuddin Sirajuddin ◽  
Amran Razak ◽  
Ansariadi Ansariadi ◽  
Ridwan M Thaha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Nutrition ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Normal Children ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Status ◽  
Randomized Control ◽  
Families With Children ◽  
The Impact

Background: Stunting is the impaired growth and development of children due to poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychological stimulation. This research aims to examine the impact of maternal nutrition literacy (MNL) in increasing the height or score of a stunted child.Design and Methods: This study is a randomized control trial, which uses a sample size of 85 participants, 43 interventions and 42 controls, an 80% stress test and a 95% confidence level. The intervention group of the MNL consists of families with children under the age of five, focused on the mother's ability to perform breastfeeding, hygiene activities, care, and intervention for 3 months.Result: The status of stunting was determined by the different distribution of stunting before and after the intervention in both the intervention and control groups. There was a decrease of about 9.3% of MNL in the intervention group, while in the control group it decreased by just 2.4% (p<0.05).Conclusions: It can be concluded that MNL has an effect in preventing stunting, and it is recommended that preventive measures should focus more on normal children, while stunted children should be provided with breastfeeding as the core of MNL.

scholarly journals Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Increases Mental Wellbeing and Emotion Regulation During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Synchronous Online Intervention Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maya Sanilevici ◽  
Omer Reuveni ◽  
Shahar Lev-Ari ◽  
Yulia Golland ◽  
Nava Levit-Binnun
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Individual Growth ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

The COVID-19 pandemic imposed extreme living conditions of social distancing, which triggered negative mental health problems and created challenges in seeking mental health support. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been found to enhance wellbeing and mental health by reducing stress and anxiety and improving emotion regulation. Preliminary evidence suggests that online, synchronous MBIs may produce beneficial effects similar to face-to-face programs. However, the effectiveness of such online-MBIs to support mental health in highly stressful times, such as a global pandemic, requires further study. To this end, we investigated the effect of an online 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program on aspects of mental health during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants (N=92) who expressed interest in discounted online-MBSR programs were recruited for the study. The division into experimental and control groups was based on actual enrollment to the courses. Those who enrolled in a program were assigned to the experimental condition and those who decided not to enroll served as controls. Participants were assessed pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 1-month post-intervention for levels of mindfulness, perceived stress, anxiety, emotion regulation, and intolerance of uncertainty. Differences between the groups were tested using the general linear mixed effects model (GLMM) and Individual Growth Curve Models (IGCM) in intent to treat analysis. The findings indicated that, relative to the control group, MBSR improved mindfulness abilities (p &lt;0.001), decreased anxiety (p &lt;0.001), and stress (p &lt;0.001) and increased emotion regulation (p &lt;0.001). These effects were found to persist 1 month after the end of the program, despite the increased governmental public-health restrictions due to COVID-19 at that time. The ability to tolerate uncertainty, a central characteristic of the pandemic, was not found to be affected by the program. A mediation analysis revealed that the effect of the intervention on mental health improvement was partially mediated by the improvement in emotion regulation. Overall, the findings provide positive evidence for the feasibility of an online-MBSR program to support the mental health of individuals from the general population through the mediation of emotion regulation in challenging times, such as a global pandemic.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Resiliency Training in the Mental Health of the Red Crescent Health Care Teams

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1.SP) ◽  
pp. 64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haleh ADIBI LARIJANI ◽  
Gholamreza GARMAROUDI
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Health Care Teams ◽  
Resiliency Training ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Experimental Group

Background and Objectives: Iran is considered as a country prone to accidents due to its geographical situations. The health and medical teams at the National and International Crescent Society have always played a central role in responding to crises. In addition to financial and psychological damage, psychological damage is one of the indemnities that people living in affected areas and relief workers pay in natural and man-made disasters. Therefore, improving the mental health of emergency forces is essential.Method: This study was an experimental study with control group. The research community comprised 126 members of the Primary Care teams in the Red Crescent Health Care. Sampling was done randomly from among the health care teams of the Red Crescent society. Subjects in both experimental and control groups completed the Mental Health Questionnaire (GHQ) in the pre-test and post-test. At last, the data were analyzed using SPSS software and descriptive statistical tests such as Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Mann–Whitney U test and Wilcoxon.Results: The results of this study showed that resiliency training has been effective in promoting the mental health of members in the Red Crescent Health Care Teams. Indices of physical symptoms, anxiety, social performance and depression were not significantly different in the control group before and after the training. Indices of physical symptoms, anxiety and social performance were significant in the exerimrntal group before and after the training. However, the depression index was not significant in the experimental group before and after the training (55 = p). Indices of physical symptoms, anxiety, social performance and depression were not significantly different in the pretest between the control and the experimental group. Indices of physical symptoms, anxiety and depression were significant in the post test between the control and experimental groups. However, social performance index was not significantly different between the two groups in the post test (291 = P).Conclusion: Regarding to the fact that the mental health of the members of Red Crescent health care teams have been enhanced by resiliency training and will ultimately affect the future performance of the health and medical personnel in crisis situations, it’s recommended that coherent training courses be held in all the provinces.

scholarly journals The Effect of Brief Crisis Intervention Package on Improving Quality of Life and Mental Health in Patients with COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Gharaati Sotoudeh ◽  
Seyyed Salman Alavi ◽  
Zari Akbari ◽  
Fereshteh Jannatifard ◽  
Valentin Artounian
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Crisis Intervention ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Controlled Clinical Trial ◽  
Intervention Package ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Negative Effect

Objective: COVID 19 is having a devastating effect on mankind’s life. Individuals with COVID-19 will experience high levels of stress, depression, anxiety, and low quality of life. The goals the of present study were to investigate the effect of brief crisis intervention package on stress, depression, anxiety, and quality of life in patient with COVID-19. Method: In this randomized controlled clinical trial, 30 patients were randomly selected and divided into control and experimental groups. The experimental group was examined in four 60-minute sessions for one month. During this period, the control group received only routine treatment and therapy. Before and after the intervention, DASS21, the Symptom Checklist (SCL-25), and WHO-QOL were used to measure and record patient mental health and quality of life. Finally, data were analyzed using SPSS 24 software. Results: The average mental health score was assessed with WHO-QOL, DASS21, and SCL-25 before intervention and was not statistically significant (P = > 0.05), and the mean score of stress, anxiety, depression, WHO-QOL, SCL-25 after intervention was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Therefore, results showed the brief crisis intervention package was effective in improving the quality of life (P < 0.05) and mental illnesses (P < 0.05) in patients with COVID-19. Conclusion: The brief crisis intervention package can reduce the negative effect of patients with COVID-19. Therefore, this intervention can be used as a beneficial treatment to improve mental disorder symptoms and to improve the condition of people who suffer from COVID-19.

scholarly journals Application of Positive Design Principles Towards Improvement of Human Mental Health

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 123
Author(s):  
Elena Biljanoska-Nakjeva
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Urban Design ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Design Principles ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Target Group ◽  
Main Element ◽  
Modular Systems ◽  
Master Thesis ◽  
General Improvement

In this master thesis, a research process for obtaining a creative solution which will contribute to solving problems created by the "urban jungle" we live in, and will help for the general improvement of people's mental health is presented. This goal is achieved by a detailed interdisciplinary research and application of modern methods and principles in the field of industrial design. The research allowed a better view of the problem-lack of adequate spaces in the city for productive time spending and increasing positive moods-that needs to be solved, and better defining of the main needs and desires of the target group from which the concepts and ideas emerged. Generally, this research, besides the theoretical analysis of the subject positive design, contains ethnographic research methods like observation of the target group, collecting photo materials, analysis of different situations, informative polls, analysis and systematization of data. In addition, the research is complemented in the field of urban design from aspect of analysis of the urban design principles, design for good mental health, existing ideas of urban solutions around the world and in Macedonia, and also, application of modular systems, ergonomics and inspiration from nature for eco design in urbanism. As a result of all the research done in this master thesis, an innovative, urban pavilion was designed. Pavilion which would achieve the goal-stress reduction and alleviating the everyday life of residents of modern cities. Also, the need for increasing awareness about the significance of positive design in the modern lifestyle was promoted, since design is the main element in all our surroundings that allows possibilities for deep influence in the way we think and feel which means that it can be used as a tool to improve the general wellbeing and society advancement.

The effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in anxiety and depression in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS)

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S409-S409 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Alisaleh ◽  
S. Ghahari
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Statistical Population ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
And Control

ObjectiveThe main objective of the present study is to investigate effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction in anxiety and depression in patients with multiple sclerosis.MethodsThis study is in kind of semi-experimental research in form of pretest–posttest pattern with control group. Statistical population of the study consists of all patients with multiple sclerosis referred to Iran MS Association by 2016. Sampling method in this study is available sampling and based on having inclusion criteria. Among depressed and anxiety patients 30 individuals were selected randomly and were classified in two groups with 15 people in each group. Experimental group was under mindfulness-based training on stress reduction for 8 sessions. Control group was also in waiting list. All patients in experimental and control groups fulfilled depression and anxiety inventories before and after intervention. Obtained data was analyzed using MANCOVA and in SPSS22 software.FindingObtained results show that there is significant difference between the two groups in terms of anxiety and depression after intervention (P < 0.001).ConclusionMindfulness-based stress reduction can help reduction of symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with MS.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals The effect of a mindfulness-based stress intervention on neurobiological and symptom measures in adolescents with early life stress: a randomized feasibility study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zsofia P. Cohen ◽  
Kelly T. Cosgrove ◽  
Elisabeth Akeman ◽  
Sara Coffey ◽  
Kent Teague ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Early Life Stress ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Treatment As Usual ◽  
Symptom Level

Abstract Background Early life stress (ELS) has been linked to poor mental and physical health outcomes in adolescence and adulthood. Mindfulness reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety and improves cognitive and social outcomes in both youth and adults. However, little is known whether mindfulness can mitigate against the adverse neurobiological and psychological effects of ELS. This study aimed to examine the feasibility of conducting a group mindfulness intervention in adolescents with ELS and provide preliminary indication of potential effects on stress-related biomarkers and mental health symptoms. Methods Forty adolescents were randomized to receive either eight sessions of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Teens in group format (MBSR-T; n = 21) or Treatment as Usual Control group (CTRL; n = 17). Outcomes were assessed at baseline and follow-up and included measures associated with neurobiological functioning (immune and endocrine biomarkers) and self-reported mental health (depressive) symptoms. Linear mixed effects models were used to assess the effects of group and time on these outcome measures. Results Sixteen of the 21 adolescents completed the intervention, attending an average of 6.5 sessions. The model examining cortisol responses to stress induction revealed medium effects trending toward significance (Cohen’s d = .56) for anticipatory cortisol levels in the MBSR-T relative to CTRL groups. No significant effects were found in models examining C-reactive protein or interleukin 6 inflammatory markers. The model examining depressive symptoms revealed a medium effect for symptom reduction (Cohen’s d = .69) in the MBSR-T relative to CTRL groups. Conclusions This study demonstrated feasibility of conducting a group-based MBSR-T intervention for adolescents with ELS. There was some evidence for efficacy on a symptom level with potential subtle changes on a biological level. Future larger studies are needed to determine the efficacy of group-based mindfulness interventions in this population. Trial registration Identifier #NCT03633903, registered 16/08/2018.

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