An Exploratory Study on the Acoustic Musical Properties to Decrease Self-Perceived Anxiety

Musical listening is broadly used as an inexpensive and safe method to reduce self-perceived anxiety. This strategy is based on the emotivist assumption claiming that emotions are not only recognised in music but induced by it. Yet, the acoustic properties of musical work capable of reducing anxiety are still under-researched. To fill this gap, we explore whether the acoustic parameters relevant in music emotion recognition are also suitable to identify music with relaxing properties. As an anxiety indicator, the positive statements from the six-item Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, a self-reported score from 3 to 12, are taken. A user-study with 50 participants assessing the relaxing potential of four musical pieces was conducted; subsequently, the acoustic parameters were evaluated. Our study shows that when using classical Western music to reduce self-perceived anxiety, tonal music should be considered. In addition, it also indicates that harmonicity is a suitable indicator of relaxing music, while the role of scoring and dynamics in reducing non-pathological listener distress should be further investigated.

Adaptation and psychometric evaluation of Hungarian version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale

Background COVID-19 pandemic has had a global major healthcare, social and economic impact. In present study we aim to adapt the Fear of COVID-19 Scale to Hungarian. Materials and methods Forward-backward translation method was used to translate the English version of the scale to Hungarian. Participants were a convenience sample of 2175 university students and employees. The study was conducted between January 18th and February 12th 2021. The test battery included Hungarian versions of Fear of COVID-19 scale, short Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-H) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Results The scale showed one-factor structure, the loadings on the factor were significant and strong (from .47 to .84). Internal consistency was very good (α = .84). Construct validity for the Fear of COVID-19 Scale was supported by significant and positive correlations with STAI (r = 0.402; p < 0.001) and BDI-H (r = 0.270; p < 0.001). Conclusion The Hungarian version of Fear of COVID-19 Scale is a reliable and valid tool in assessing fear of coronavirus.

Perbandingan Tingkat Ansietas Mahasiswa Kedokteran yang diterima Melalui Jalur SNMPTN, SBMPTN dan Mandiri dan Kecenderungan Cabin Fever dalam Melaksanakan Ujian Blok pada Masa Pandemi

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk membandingkan tingkat kecemasan mahasiswa kedokteran yang diterima melalui jalur SNMPTN, SBMPTN dan jalur mandiri. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah penelitian observasional analitik dengan desain cross sectional yang melibatkan 244 mahasiswa Fakultas Kedokteran Universitas Airlangga angkatan 2020. Data diperoleh melalui pengisian kuesioner Cabin Fever Scale dan State Trait Anxiety Inventory yang dilakukan sebanyak dua kali. , yaitu sebelum dan sesudah ujian blok. Hasil: Sebagian besar siswa yang diterima melalui jalur SNMPTN (90,4%), SBMPTN (89,3%), dan mandiri (89,7%) merasa cukup cemas. Sebelum menghadapi ujian blok, mayoritas siswa yang diterima melalui jalur SNMPTN (90,4%), SBMPTN (94,7%), dan mandiri (89,8%) merasa cukup cemas. Setelah menghadapi ujian blok, mayoritas siswa yang diterima melalui jalur SNMPTN (92,3%), SBMPTN (88,0%), dan mandiri (83,8%) merasa cukup cemas. Tidak ada hubungan antara jalur masuk dengan tingkat kecemasan sebelum dan sesudah ujian blok (p = 0,493 dan p = 0,442). Sebagian besar siswa (50,8%) mengalami demam kabin yang parah. Ada hubungan antara cabin fever dengan kecemasan sebelum melakukan tes blok (p < 0,001), tetapi tidak dengan kecemasan setelah melakukan tes blok (p = 0,387). Tidak ada hubungan antara jalur penerimaan dengan tingkat kecemasan sebelum dan sesudah ujian blok. Ada hubungan antara demam kabin dengan kecemasan sebelum melakukan tes blok, tetapi tidak dengan kecemasan setelah melakukan tes blok.

Influencia del estrés en el rendimiento académico: Una Revisión Bibliográfica

Introducción: El estrés es una afección de amenaza psíquica y somática que se relaciona con múltiples condiciones del ser humano y en diferentes etapas, dentro de estas, la formativa en pregrado. El rendimiento académico puede verse afectado por diversos factores como el estrés, condición que caracteriza a un gran porcentaje de la población estudiantil en diferentes medios. Objetivo: El objetivo de este trabajo es la recopilación y el análisis de información recabada, principalmente, de trabajos de investigación que hayan sido publicados en la última década, con mayor énfasis en los últimos 5 años, respecto a la influencia del estrés en el rendimiento académico. Materiales y métodos: Se tomaron 10 estudios originales, de los cuales 8 son artículos, 1 Tesis para optar el grado de Licenciatura y 1 Tesis Doctoral. Se procedió a revisión de abstracts, así como artículos completos respecto a la implicancia del estrés en el rendimiento académico. Mediante el uso de las pruebas de STAI (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Questionnaire) de Spielberger, PSQ (Perceived Stress Questionnaire), el Inventario SISCO del estrés académico y la Escala de Estrés Percibido PSS14. Resultados: Al realizar la revisión bibliográfica de los ocho artículos, se detalla que la población estudiada refiere haber presentado momentos de nerviosismo durante el semestre, así como también estrés moderado a severo en estudiantes de entre 20 y 24 años, en el género femenino y leve a moderado en el género masculino. La mayoría de los estudiantes presentan un rendimiento académico muy bueno; observándose que a niveles medios de estrés mejor rendimiento académico. Conclusión: Se evidencia la prevalencia del estrés como un factor influyente en el rendimiento académico, lo que nos lleva a pensar en un problema aun latente que requiere la atención de los docentes y los diferentes departamentos pedagógicos de las diversas instituciones educativas.

Impact of Face Masks and Viewers’ Anxiety on Ratings of First Impressions from Faces

Face mask is now a common feature in our social environment. Although face covering reduces our ability to recognize other's face identity and facial expressions, little is known about its impact on the formation of first impressions from faces. In two online experiments, we presented unfamiliar faces displaying neutral expressions with and without face masks, and participants rated the perceived approachableness, trustworthiness, attractiveness, and dominance from each face on a 9-point scale. Their anxiety levels were measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Social Interaction Anxiety Scale. In comparison with mask-off condition, wearing face masks (mask-on) significantly increased the perceived approachableness and trustworthiness ratings, but showed little impact on increasing attractiveness or decreasing dominance ratings. Furthermore, both trait and state anxiety scores were negatively correlated with approachableness and trustworthiness ratings in both mask-off and mask-on conditions. Social anxiety scores, on the other hand, were negatively correlated with approachableness but not with trustworthiness ratings. It seems that the presence of a face mask can alter our first impressions of strangers. Although the ratings for approachableness, trustworthiness, attractiveness, and dominance were positively correlated, they appeared to be distinct constructs that were differentially influenced by face coverings and participants’ anxiety types and levels.

Conventional and Algorithmic Music Listening before Radiotherapy Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

Music listening is a widespread approach in the field of music therapy. In this study, the effects of music listening on anxiety and stress in patients undergoing radiotherapy are investigated. Sixty patients with breast cancer who were candidates for postoperative curative radiotherapy were recruited and randomly assigned to three groups: Melomics-Health (MH) group (music listening algorithmically created, n = 20); individualized music listening (IML) group (playlist of preferred music, n = 20); no music group (n = 20). Music listening was administered for 15 min immediately before simulation and during the first five radiotherapy sessions. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Psychological Distress Inventory (PDI) were administered before/after treatment. Cochran’s Q test and McNemar test for paired proportions were performed to evaluate if the proportion of subjects having an outcome score below the critical value by treatment and over time was different, and if there was a change in that proportion. The MH group improved in STAI and PDI. The IML group worsened in STAI at T1 and improved STAI-Trait at T2. The IML group worsened in PDI at T2. The No music group generally improved in STAI and PDI. Clinical and music listening-related implications are discussed defining possible research perspectives in this field.

Ansiedad en universitarios durante la pandemia de COVID-19: un estudio cuantitativo

La pandemia de COVID-19 ha generado cambios en la educación universitaria, lo cual puede derivar en alteraciones de tipo emocional, como la ansiedad. El objetivo de la investigación fue evaluar el nivel de ansiedad en un entorno de pandemia del COVID-19 en estudiantes universitarios. Se realizó un estudio cuantitativo, utilizando un instrumento de medición (alfa de Cronbach de =.9) para la determinación del grado de ansiedad-estado en 1,460 estudiantes universitarios del estado de Chihuahua en México. Se aplicó la prueba de adecuación muestral KMO (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin), la cual arrojó un valor alto de 0.954, con un valor p=0.0, lo cual respalda la correlación entre las variables consideradas para el procesamiento de datos con un análisis factorial de componentes principales, también se obtuvo la prueba de esfericidad de Bartlett, la cual arrojó un nivel de significancia (valor p) de 0.0. Para determinar el grado de ansiedad se utilizó la adaptación española del “Cuestionario de ansiedad estado-rasgo” STAI (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) en su subescala ansiedad-estado. Los principales resultados indican que el factor de mayor preocupación para los universitarios es el crecimiento de la pandemia (35.79%). Se encontró un nivel de ansiedad bajo en el 31.77% de los estudiantes. Los síntomas con mayor puntuación en el nivel de ansiedad detectado fueron sentirse tenso y preocupado; los que presentaron una mayor desviación estándar fueron sentirse oprimido, aturdido y alterado. Se ameritan futuras investigaciones que den seguimiento a los índices de ansiedad durante la evolución de la pandemia COVID-19.

Comparison of different scales for the evaluation of anxiety and compliance with anesthetic induction in children undergoing scheduled major outpatient surgery

Introduction Anxiety in children triggered by a scheduled surgical intervention is a major issue due to its frequency and consequences. Preoperative anxiety is associated with increased patient fear and agitation on anesthetic induction. The aim of this study is to compare three preoperative anxiety scales for children undergoing elective outpatient surgery, and to correlate each of these tools with the degree of patient compliance on induction, as assessed by the Induction Compliance Checklist (ICC). Methods An observational prospective study was performed on a cohort of children with ages between 2 and 16 years old, scheduled for outpatient surgery. Anxiety was assessed upon arrival to the hospital (M0), during transfer to the surgical unit (M1), and in the operating room during anesthetic induction (M2). Anxiety in the parents (measured with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, STAI) and in the children (measured with the Spence Anxiety Scale-Pediatric, SCAS-P, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Children, STAIC, and Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale, m-YPAS) was assessed. Compliance with anesthetic induction was assessed with ICC. Results The study included 76 patients (72.4% male, median age 7.9 years). Anxiety scores (m-YPAS) increased as the moment of surgery approached, being greater at the entrance to the surgical unit (M0 = 26.1 ± 9.5; M1 = 31.8 ± 18.1; M2 = 33.5 ± 21.1). A strong correlation was found between ICC scale and m-YPAS at M1 (0.738) and M2 timepoints (0.794), but not with the rest of scales at M0. Conclusions Standard anxiety assessment scales do not predict the quality of anesthetic induction. m-YPAS scale can detect increasing anxiety in children as they approach the surgical procedure and this correlates strongly with a worse anesthetic induction, defined by higher score on ICC scale.

Anxietatea la preadolescenții cu insucces școlar

Currently, preadolescents face states of anxiety generated by the complexity of the educational process, by school failure. The student - anxiously refuses to go to school due to stressful situations. Anxiety causes a decrease in attention and adequate perception of reality, creates a general emotional discomfort. General anxiety is characterized by low productivity, shyness, low self-confi dence, hypermobility, poor assimilation of knowledge. The study was conducted on a group of 30 low-achieving students in grades VIII-X aged 14-16. The level of anxiety was studied by applying two techniques: the State-Trait-Anxiety Inventory (STAI) inventory by D. Spielberger and the Manifest Anxiety Scale (MAS) developed by Taylor and James Garden. The results showed a moderate level of anxiety stable at 33.3% and a high level of anxiety stable at 43.3%, and more than 86.6% of students show general anxiety at severe and moderate level.

Gleichgültig, verantwortungsbewusst oder überfordert? Eine Online-Befragung zum emotionalen Befinden junger Erwachsener in der Frühphase des Corona-bedingten Lockdowns in Deutschland und Österreich

Zusammenfassung Hintergrund In der COVID-19-Pandemie ist die Einhaltung von gesetzlich angeordneten Präventionsmaßnahmen durch die Bevölkerung von größter Bedeutung, um die Ausbreitung des Virus einzudämmen. Dabei ist davon auszugehen, dass diese mit spezifischen Belastungen einhergehen, die von verschiedenen Bevölkerungsgruppen unterschiedlich gut bewältigt werden. Zielsetzung Erfassung der Akzeptanz und Belastungen bzgl. der gesetzten Präventionsmaßnahmen, aber auch der Bewältigungsmöglichkeiten in Abhängigkeit von soziodemografischen und persönlichkeitsspezifischen Faktoren. Methode Online-Befragung an N=3006 Personen, die während der frühen Phase der ersten Lockdowns in Deutschland und Österreich lebten, mittels eines selbstentwickelten Fragebogens zur Erfassung der Sorgen und Akzeptanz der von der Regierungen gesetzten Präventionsmaßnahmen. Zusätzlich wurden die Fragebögen Stressverarbeitungsfragebogen (SVF 78), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), Unsicherheitsintoleranz-Skala (UI-18) und das State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) vorgegeben. Ergebnisse Insgesamt zeigte sich eine hohe Akzeptanz der gesetzlich angeordneten Präventionsmaßnahmen. Allerdings sind die emotionalen Reaktionen auf diese nicht für alle Bevölkerungsgruppen gleich: 18–29-Jährige zeigten signifikant höhere negative emotionale Reaktionen im Vergleich zu allen anderen Gruppen. Eine Clusteranalyse an dieser jungen Bevölkerungsgruppe ergab fünf Gruppen, die gruppenspezifische Belastungs- und Bewältigungsprofile aufzeigen. Diskussion Jüngere werden im Zusammenhang mit der Pandemie häufig als besonders vulnerable Gruppe beschrieben. Die vorliegende Studie zeigt jedoch, dass die „Jüngeren“ nicht als homogene Gruppe zu betrachten sind und daher differenzierte Interventionsstrategien anzuwenden sind.